I clenched my fist.
"Wood Release..."
I wasn't there yet.
But I was damn close.
I stared at the tiny wooden stem growing from the soil.
A grin slowly spread across my face.
So close...
I formed another seal.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu."
Poof! Poof! Poof!
Three more clones appeared.
I looked around.
Then I counted.
Ten.
Ten of us stood in the garden.
"Alright."
Everyone looked at me.
I clenched my fist.
"Today, we succeed."
The clones nodded.
"Today, we succeed."
Everyone immediately got to work.
We spread ourselves around the garden, each of us experimenting with a slightly different chakra ratio.
Earth.
Water.
Yang.
My Six Eyes tracked every single fluctuation.
One clone focused on the Earth chakra.
Another adjusted the Water.
Another experimented with the amount of Yang chakra.
I focused on the actual fusion process.
"Don't force it..."
"Let them harmonize..."
Poof!
One clone disappeared.
Another's attempt produced nothing.
A third managed to create a small wooden branch before it crumbled.
"Closer."
We kept going.
Again.
Again.
Again.
My concentration never wavered.
With ten minds working simultaneously, the amount of experimentation we could perform had multiplied.
And every failure taught us something.
One ratio was too unstable.
Another produced dead wood.
Another created something closer to an ordinary plant.
Another caused the chakra to disperse before the transformation could complete.
I memorized everything.
My Six Eyes analyzed every failure.
Every success.
Every microscopic change.
Then—
One of the clones suddenly shouted.
"Wait!"
Everyone stopped.
I turned toward him.
He was staring at the ground.
A tiny wooden root had emerged.
But this one was different.
It wasn't disappearing.
It was growing.
My eyes widened.
"That's it."
I immediately adjusted my own chakra to match his.
Earth.
Water.
Yang.
Perfectly balanced.
The three energies began to merge.
My Six Eyes followed the transformation.
The chakra fused.
The soil cracked.
Then—
CRACK!
A wooden branch burst from the ground.
I stared at it.
The branch continued growing.
Another branch emerged.
Then another.
Wood twisted upward, forming a small tree.
My mouth slowly opened.
"...Holy shit."
The clones stared at it.
One of them grinned.
"Looks like we did it."
I slowly walked toward the tree.
I placed my hand against the wooden trunk.
My Six Eyes examined it.
The chakra was alive.
Stable.
It wasn't an illusion.
It wasn't ordinary plant growth.
This was something I had created through chakra.
I smiled.
"Wood Release."
For the first time, I actually felt the weight of those words.
I had done something that should have been impossible.
I had reproduced Hashirama Senju's Kekkei Genkai.
And I was only six years old.
"Hahaha..."
I couldn't hold it in anymore.
I laughed as I stared at the wooden tree growing in front of me.
"We actually did it..."
I looked around at my ten clones.
"Okay, everyone. Disperse one by one, alright?"
I raised a finger.
"My brain needs to handle all of your memories separately. If all ten of you disappear at once, I might actually fry my brain."
The clones nodded.
"Fair enough."
One of them stepped forward.
"Here I go."
Poof!
The clone disappeared.
Memories immediately rushed into my mind.
The experiments.
The failures.
The successful attempt.
The exact feeling of molding the three chakra natures together.
I winced slightly.
"Ugh..."
I rubbed my forehead.
The headache was there, but manageable.
I took a few seconds to let everything settle.
"Okay..."
I nodded.
"Next."
Another clone dispersed.
Poof!
More memories flooded into me.
I absorbed them carefully, sorting through each experience.
Another.
Poof!
Another wave.
I closed my eyes and breathed slowly.
"Don't fight it. Let the memories settle naturally."
One after another, the clones disappeared.
Each time, I gained another perspective.
Another set of experiments.
Another refinement.
Another piece of understanding.
By the time the final clone stood before me, my head was throbbing.
The clone looked at me.
"You good?"
I gave him a tired smile.
"Yeah."
I rubbed my temples.
"Just... give me a second."
The final clone disappeared.
Poof!
The last batch of memories entered my mind.
I remained still.
For several seconds, I simply stood there.
Then I opened my eyes.
The headache was fading.
And something had changed.
The technique wasn't merely something I had witnessed anymore.
I'd personally experienced the process ten different ways.
I understood the chakra transformation far more deeply than before.
I looked at the wooden tree.
A grin returned to my face.
"Wood Release..."
I had actually done it.
And now...
I needed to find out just how far I could take it.
After giving my mind a few minutes to settle, I looked back at the tree.
I wanted to make sure it wasn't just a fluke.
I formed the necessary hand seal.
This time, I didn't need to experiment.
I already knew exactly what I needed to do.
Earth chakra.
Water chakra.
Yang chakra.
I carefully combined them, letting the three energies fuse together at the microscopic level.
I extended my hand toward the soil.
"Wood Release..."
I pushed my chakra into the ground.
Crack.
A tiny wooden stem emerged from the soil.
It slowly grew upward.
Branches spread out from the stem, twisting and curling naturally.
Within a few seconds, a small tree had formed.
About the size of a bonsai.
I stared at it.
No instability.
No collapse.
Perfectly formed.
I crouched down and examined it with my Six Eyes.
The chakra within the tree was stable.
It was alive.
It wasn't a fluke.
I smiled.
"I can actually use Wood Release."
I gently touched one of the leaves.
"Hashirama's Kekkei Genkai..."
A six-year-old kid.
A civilian nobody.
And somehow...
I had just recreated one of the most legendary abilities in the shinobi world.
I sat back and stared at my little tree.
"...This is going to be interesting."
I barely slept that night.
I kept staring at the ceiling, my mind replaying everything that had happened.
Wood Release...
I had actually done it.
Every time I closed my eyes, I could still see the little bonsai tree I'd created.
Eventually, morning came.
I dragged myself out of bed, got ready, put on my usual rectangular sunglasses, and headed toward the Academy.
Despite barely sleeping...
I couldn't stop smiling.
When I arrived, everyone was already gathering in the classroom.
I took my usual seat at the back.
A few minutes later, Iruka entered.
"Alright, everyone. Today we're going to do something a little different."
The class immediately became more attentive.
"Today, we're going to have sparring sessions."
Excited murmurs spread throughout the room.
"Each of you will get a chance to spar against another student. I want you to demonstrate what you've learned so far. Don't worry about winning. Focus on your fundamentals and, most importantly, don't seriously hurt each other."
I leaned back in my chair.
Sparring?
Interesting.
Iruka looked down at his list.
"Toshiro Takahashi."
I raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, sensei?"
"You're up first."
I stood from my seat.
Iruka then looked toward another student.
"Kiba Inuzuka."
Kiba immediately jumped up.
"Yeah!"
He walked toward the center of the training area with an excited grin.
I followed him.
As we stood facing each other, Kiba cracked his knuckles.
"This is gonna be fun!"
I smiled.
"Yeah. It should be."
Iruka stepped between us.
"Remember the rules. No killing techniques, no intentionally crippling your opponent, and stop when I tell you."
He stepped back.
"Get ready."
Kiba lowered his stance.
I adjusted my sunglasses.
Alright.
I hadn't had an actual fight since coming here.
This should give me a pretty good idea of just how strong this body really was.
Iruka raised his hand.
"Begin!"
"Yo, Kiba-kun."
I dropped into a boxing stance, keeping my hands raised in front of my face as I lightly bounced on the balls of my feet.
"Make it interesting, okay?"
I glanced toward the girls watching from the sidelines.
"Girls are watching. Gotta show off a little."
I flashed Kiba a smirk.
For a second, the entire class went silent.
Then—
"What?!"
Kiba's face twisted into a grin.
"You've got guts, Toshiro!"
Naruto immediately started laughing.
"HAHAHA! Look at Toshiro!"
Shikamaru sighed.
"What a drag..."
Choji continued munching on his snacks.
Sakura looked at me with a slightly bewildered expression.
Ino, meanwhile, covered her mouth, trying not to laugh.
A few of the other girls giggled among themselves.
Even Sasuke glanced over with a faintly raised eyebrow.
I couldn't help but grin.
Yeah...
This was already more entertaining than I expected.
Kiba lowered his stance.
"Alright then!"
He clenched his fists.
"If you want to show off, don't blame me when you get knocked down!"
I bounced lightly on my feet, maintaining my stance.
"Bring it."
Iruka watched us carefully.
Kiba immediately rushed toward me.
Of course he did.
He was an Inuzuka, after all.
Even at six years old, he had already received some basic physical training from his clan. His movements were much more aggressive than those of the average Academy student.