The reason Hashirama was so powerful lay, naturally, in his unique Wood Release — a power that transcended even the six basic nature transformations of chakra!
As is widely known, all chakra in the Naruto world originates from Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, or more precisely, from the Divine Tree...
In a sense, Wood Release is the chakra nature that comes closest to the very essence of chakra itself — a power belonging to the gods!
Aside from Hashirama, only Yamato and Madara Uchiha managed to obtain Wood Release, and that was by stealing and grafting Hashirama's cells and flesh.
Yet even then, their Wood Release could never be called truly powerful. Compared to Hashirama, the difference was like that between clouds and mud — vast and insurmountable.
The main reason for this massive gap lay in the true meaning of Wood Release: the offering of life!
Giving one's own life force to breathe life into trees — this was the core essence of the technique.
In his final moments, Hashirama had planted that vigorously growing sapling deep within Aoi's heart...
Aoi had actually felt quite conflicted about it for a while: That guy Hashirama must have been a tree-hugger in his past life. Always making people plant trees whenever he gets the chance...
Because they lacked this core principle, Yamato and Madara, though possessing Hashirama's cells, were like cars without an engine.
All show, no substance — which was why their Wood Release was so mediocre...
Conversely, Aoi had the essence, but lacked the necessary quantity of Hashirama's cells.
It was like having a car with a high-performance engine, but no frame or tires — impossible to drive, and unable to unleash any proper Wood Release techniques!
Aoi had realized this long ago and tried to find a way to synthesize or obtain more cells. But the moment he checked the System Shop, he was instantly discouraged...
> Perfect Hashirama Cells: 1,000,000 Points per gram.
At that price, even if Aoi sold everything he owned, he couldn't afford even two grams. But there was no helping it; after all, even Madara Uchiha had to fake his own death just to get his hands on a supply of these cells...
Perfect Hashirama cells were simply worth that much!
Apart from cutting them directly from Hashirama's living body, or fighting Madara to the death to take his, the only remaining option was to come to Orochimaru.
> Imperfect Hashirama Cells: Cells extracted from the remains of the First Hokage. Even after careful cultivation, their effectiveness is greatly reduced.
Aoi gripped the glass vial tightly. Inside, a small piece of flesh squirmed eerily...
But then again, this was nothing. Fundamentally speaking, Naruto was never a warm and gentle story.
Forget about consuming flesh and cells — it was perfectly normal for eyes to be transplanted and passed between five or six different people, for individuals to modify their own bodies into monstrous forms, or for people to kill their own blood relatives...
Aside from the circle around Naruto, the rest of the world was as dark and bloody as the depths of hell!
Gulp...
Aoi swallowed the cells. He could clearly feel a surge of vibrant, soaring life force exploding within his body.
An ordinary child would have been instantly overwhelmed and burst apart by this energy, their flesh and blood becoming fertilizer for a massive, thriving tree to grow from their remains...
But in Aoi's body, this surging vitality lasted barely half a second. Then, as if encountering its natural predator, it was swallowed whole by the small sapling growing in his Dantian.
Hungry...
The sapling in his core cried out incessantly. That small bite of Hashirama's cells had only served as an appetizer, stirring its appetite even further.
"Hungry my ass!"
Aoi curled his lip in annoyance. One million points for a single bite?! You're going to eat me into poverty! Just endure it!
You've been living inside me for days, doing absolutely nothing, and now you suddenly know how to be hungry?
If eating this batch of imperfect cells doesn't produce some decent results, I'm going to rip you right out!
While mentally threatening his own internal organ, Aoi slammed his palm onto the ground.
"Wood Release: Advent of a Divine Forest!"
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