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The next day, in the outdoor class.
"Nawaki?"
As Shiraishi uttered this name, both familiar and unfamiliar to Ruri, she frowned.
"Yes, I met him yesterday afternoon during the experimental class. He seemed very interested in defeating you," Shiraishi said, observing Ruri's reaction with interest.
However, Shiraishi was disappointed when Ruri merely nodded lightly. Many people wanted to challenge her.
But considering that the other party was the grandson of the first Hokage, he must possess some skills.
"What is his strength?"
"Maybe slightly weaker than me."
"That's a challenger I have some expectations for."
Ruri, aware of Shiraishi's full strength, lowered her estimation of the Nawaki. Although defeating him was impossible, she could at least derive some satisfaction from the fight.
"But I heard from jonin that his teacher, Orochimaru a Jōnin, who recently returned to the village, is said to be a genius ninja not seen in decades. We should be careful then."
"Don't worry, my instructor, who is an esteemed elder of the clan, is well-known. Although retired, his expertise and understanding of ninjutsu rival those of the third Hokage in the Village. Besides, I have Sharingan and your scientific training method. Give me two more years, and even if he's a Jonin, I can hold my own."
Ruri spoke with confidence.
She was currently only in the fourth grade, with two more school years before graduation. She had sufficient time to improve and grow.
While Nawaki had connections and resources, the treatment Ruri enjoyed within the Uchiha clan was unmatched.
The Uchiha clan was not lacking in powerful Jonin.
"I just want to remind you to be cautious. I have complete faith in you. After all, nobody knows if any unexpected events will occur in the next two years that could put Nawaki in danger. The war has just ended, and it is still somewhat risky to engage in missions outside."
Shiraishi wasn't cursing Nawaki, but rather stating that immediately after a war, it might be more dangerous than during the actual conflict. Performing missions outside was still perilous, even with Sannin taking care of him.
"Speaking of which, Nawaki-senpai is the grandson of the first Hokage. Could he have inherited the his Wood Release? That bloodline played a crucial role in pacifying the turbulent Warring States era."
Shiraishi pondered this question.
Hearing Shiraishi's words, Ruri responded, "That's impossible. According to our Uchiha clan records, only the first hokage in the Senju clan awakened Wood Release."
Shiraishi raised an eyebrow, saying, "That's quite strange."
"Strange? How so?"
"Well, Wood Release is a kekkei genkai, right? This ability should be passed down to future generations, just like the Uchiha's Sharingan and Hyuga's Byakugan. If Nawaki-senpai didn't awaken the Wood Release, it would be rather odd. After all, his lineage is closely related to the first Hokage."
"As far as I know, Tsunade can't use Wood Release either."
Shiraishi was even more puzzled.
Initially, Shiraishi didn't think much about it. But upon closer examination, he understood why the rest of the Senju clan didn't inherit Wood Release. Shiraishi considered Wood Release to be a kekkei genkai created by the first Hokage, Hashirama Senju.
In other words, Wood Release wouldn't awaken in other members of the Senju clan but would undoubtedly appear in his direct descendants.
Nawaki didn't awaken Wood Release, which could be explained by his young age and lack of strength. However, Tsunade was already a renowned Jonin in the village and held a leadership position among Jonin.
Yet this Jonin hadn't awakened Wood Release either.
Could it be that Wood Release wasn't a kekkei genkai at all? Or perhaps awakening it required some special conditions?
Shiraishi couldn't figure it out.
"I recall you mentioning that the first Hokage also used something called Sage Mode, right?"
"Ah, yes, I did mention that. I stumbled upon it while reading our clan books. It's said that there's a special energy called 'Natural Energy' in nature, which seems to be related to Sage mode. I don't know the details, though."
"Could this be connected to Wood Release?"
"Who knows? Many things about our predecessors are difficult to verify. I've never heard of anyone in the Uchiha clan practicing sage mode; otherwise, there would be practice methods passed down."
Ruri was also intrigued by sage mode but didn't know how to attain its power.
"What does natural energy look like?"
Shiraishi looked up at the sky with a puzzled expression, but there was a desire to explore in his eyes.
To understand sage mode, one must first grasp natural energy. To grasp natural energy, one must connect with nature and accept its energy.
Ruri could tell that Shiraishi was also highly interested in the so-called sage mode. It was a common trait of his. Whenever he encountered something unknown, his curiosity would surpass even hers.
"I'll bring you a tome on it tomorrow."
"Huh? Is that okay? Those books are precious, right?"
"Precious? Not really. They're just scraps of information. Many people in the ninja world know about the existence of Wood Release, but only the first Hokage can use it. The same goes for sage mode. Knowing about it and learning to master it are two different things."
...
As promised, Ruri gave Shiraishi some of Uchiha's books they had on sage mode the following day.
After all, those books had no effect when left unused at her home. To Shiraishi, they were like treasures.
Even if it was just superficial knowledge of immortality, he considered it highly valuable.
After practicing with Ruri for a while that night, Shiraishi couldn't wait to return home and spread out the materials on sage mode on his desk.
The scroll that contained the knowledge of sage mode was ancient, with some dust that couldn't be wiped away. It was firmly fixed on the scroll.
Shiraishi paid no mind to it, opening the scroll and starting to read its contents.
The scroll provided a rough explanation that ordinary chakra, when combined with natural energy from the outside world, creates a form of chakra known as Senjutsu chakra.
Once senjutsu chakra is formed, it can be used to perform jutsus. Before using senjutsu chajra, one must first enter sage mode.
The introduction was brief.
However, the most important aspect mentioned was natural energy.
Ordinary chakra is created by merging a ninja's physical and mental energy.
Senjutsu chakra, on the other hand, involves adding natural energy to the mix, resulting in senjutsu chakra.
And natural energy exists in the air and the earth.
In essence, natural energy is everywhere.
To sense the energy of nature, one must become one with nature.
At this point, the scroll's recording abruptly ceased.
There was no informatio
n on how to integrate with nature or how to receive and balance natural energy. None of these crucial details were recorded.
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