With Jie's stance clear, the Kirigakure issue was settled.
After dealing with Kirigakure's reparations and clearing the small matters that had piled up over the past few days, Jie finally had a chance to relax. There were not many problems, but they were still tiring to handle.
Since there was nothing else to do, Jie planned to return to the Uchiha clan first, then spend some time alone with Izumi.
But then he noticed that Tsunade, who was usually so direct, looked unusually hesitant. Seeing that kind of expression on her face was rare, and after watching her struggle for a while, Jie finally asked first.
"If you have something to say, say it. If you don't, I'm taking Izumi and leaving."
Hearing this, Tsunade gritted her teeth and looked at him.
"Brat, how did you learn Wood Release?"
She had tried not to care too much about Jie's Wood Release, but in the end, she still wanted an answer. Now that the chance was right in front of her, Tsunade could not hold back.
Jie smiled playfully.
"Wood Release? With my talent, wasn't that simple?"
Joking was fine, but risking his life was not.
When he saw the veins slowly bulging on Tsunade's forehead and her fist tightening, Jie immediately straightened his expression.
"Wood Release. Everyone thinks it should be the Senju Clan's Kekkei Genkai, mainly because Hashirama Senju was the one who made it famous."
"But in my opinion, Wood Release is closer to Dust Release. It's more like a Kekkei Tōta."
In the Ninja World, when a ninja mastered two chakra natures and fused them, it was possible to create a new form of ninjutsu.
Darui's Storm Release was one example. It came from combining Lightning-nature chakra and Water-nature chakra, producing a technique that behaved almost like laser light.
Mei Terumi's Boil Release and Lava Release were similar. Water and Fire produced Boil Release, while Water and Earth produced Lava Release.
The reason these new forms of ninjutsu could become Kekkei Genkai was simple.
The first ninja to develop them used that fused chakra for a long time, and over time, their body and genes were affected by it. Because of that, their descendants became more likely to inherit and use the same chakra.
That was what people called awakening a Kekkei Genkai.
But that kind of genetic change was not always a blessing. If a Kekkei Genkai was unstable, it could lead to illness.
The Kaguya Clan was one example. Shikotsumyaku had terrifying combat power, but because of their bloodline disease, few members of the Kaguya Clan lived past forty.
Jugo was similar, though his case was special. His body absorbed natural energy on its own, but that also made him violent and unstable.
As for Wood Release, Yamato had once given an explanation for it. According to him, Wood Release was the result of combining Earth-nature chakra and Water-nature chakra.
But in Jie's eyes, Yamato's Wood Release barely counted as Wood Release at all. At most, it was good for building houses.
The true Wood Release used by Hashirama Senju was different. It was created from Earth-nature chakra, Water-nature chakra, and Yang-nature chakra working together.
In other words, it was a Kekkei Tōta born from three chakra natures.
That was why Wood Release became Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence in Hashirama's hands. There was simply no comparison.
As for why no one in the Senju Clan had managed to awaken Wood Release again, it was probably because Wood Release was simply too difficult to learn.
Hashirama himself might not have fully understood whether Wood Release counted as a Kekkei Genkai or a Kekkei Tōta, so he had not left behind a clear training method.
After all, fusing three chakra natures into a completely new ninjutsu was extremely difficult. Otherwise, Ōnoki would not be the only person in the current Ninja World who had mastered Dust Release.
Not to mention that Hashirama's Wood Release also included Yang-nature chakra.
Everyone had more or less some Yang-nature chakra in their body, but there were very few ninja who could notice it, use it, and develop it to a high level.
After hearing Jie's explanation, Tsunade nodded.
No wonder no one in the Senju Clan had awakened Wood Release after her grandfather died.
'So Wood Release wasn't just something a person awakened. It had to be learned.'
Unfortunately, she had learned this too late.
If she had known thirty years earlier, maybe Tsunade could have tried to see whether she had the potential for Wood Release too.
After answering Tsunade's question, Jie prepared to take Izumi back to the Uchiha clan compound.
However, just as Jie stepped out of the Hokage's office, Jiraiya's familiar old face appeared right in front of him.
Judging by his face, Jiraiya had been hesitating over whether to go in and had not expected Jie to come out first.
After a brief awkward pause, he coughed and looked at Jie seriously.
"About Nagato and Konan... thank you."
When Jiraiya read the information Jie had sent back, especially the descriptions of Nagato and Konan, he immediately thought of the disciples he had once taken in during his time in the Land of Rain.
After the Third Great Ninja War ended, Jiraiya had planned to bring them back to Konoha. But when he returned to that small wooden house, the three children had already disappeared.
That had always been one of his regrets.
He had never expected to get another chance to meet two of them after so many years.
More importantly, Jie had spared Nagato and Konan, even though they had once been enemies. Jiraiya understood what that meant. Jie had done it partly for his sake.
He did not know how Jie had found out that Nagato and Konan were his disciples, but he was grateful all the same.
Jie understood what Jiraiya meant and casually waved it off.
"It was nothing."
"You haven't seen them in years. Once they reach Konoha, you can handle them."
After sending Jiraiya off with a few words, Jie thought for a moment, then took Izumi to Orochimaru's research base.
Orochimaru was now responsible for Konoha's research projects while also serving as the head of the think tank, so his hands were full every day.
This time, Jie planned to hand the Rinnegan and the Gedo Statue's arm over to Orochimaru for research. Maybe he could find something useful.
For Orochimaru, being allowed to study the Rinnegan was already a reward.
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