The next morning, Naruto woke up inside the wooden house.
For a few seconds, he only stared at the ceiling.
Then the memories of last night came back to him. The seal, the Nine-Tails, Minato, Shinichi... everything rushed back at once, and for a moment he could not tell whether it had really happened or if he had only dreamed it.
"Ugh..."
Naruto pushed himself up and rubbed his face. Sunlight was pouring in through the window, bright enough to make him squint.
It was already noon.
"Crap, I slept that long?"
He moved his shoulders, then paused.
"But... that felt good."
His body still felt hollow, like most of his chakra had been drained, but the heavy exhaustion from last night had faded a lot. It was the kind of sleep where he had sunk straight down and not dreamed at all.
"Shinichi? Pervy Sage?"
No one answered.
Naruto looked around the room. The campfire had gone out, the pots and bowls had been cleaned, and he was the only one inside. He frowned, but just as he was about to shout again, faint voices came from outside.
Naruto's ears twitched. He rolled out of bed, hurried to the door, and pushed it open.
When Naruto's vision cleared, he froze at the doorway.
The marks left by last night's battle were gone. The scorched ground and broken earth had been replaced by fresh trees, their branches spreading out until the area around the wooden house looked completely different.
Only the center had been left open.
Shinichi stood there, forming hand signs, while Jiraiya watched from the side.
"Wood Release: Great Forest Technique!"
The ground trembled. Thick branches burst from the earth, twisted together, and spread outward. Leaves sprouted across them, and in just a few breaths, another patch of forest had grown before Naruto's eyes.
Jiraiya's eyes widened. "It worked?"
"Yeah," Shinichi said, lowering his hands as he looked at the newly grown trees. "Easier than I thought."
Jiraiya walked over and placed his hand on one of the trunks. The bark felt warm and solid, and when he pressed his fingers against it, the trunk did not even dent. His expression changed slightly. He took out a kunai and struck the tree hard.
Clang!
The kunai only pierced a little before stopping. Jiraiya pulled it out and watched the small cut on the trunk close by itself, leaving only a faint mark behind.
"Hardness, toughness, recovery..." Jiraiya said slowly. "All of them improved."
He looked back at Shinichi, his expression turning serious. "Wood Release is formed from Water and Earth nature transformations. But you added Yang Release into it. Water, Earth, and Yang... three chakra natures fused together."
He paused, then said in a heavier voice, "This is no longer just a Bloodline Limit."
"This is a Bloodline Selection."
Jiraiya looked at Shinichi for a long moment, his eyes complicated. "As far as I know, besides Ōnoki, you are the only person alive who can use a Bloodline Selection."
Shinichi did not deny it. His gaze moved to the trees that had just grown from the ground.
Whenever people in the Ninja World talked about Wood Release, they always thought of Hashirama Senju.
Most people believed Hashirama's strength came from Wood Release itself. After all, he had used it to suppress Tailed Beasts, end the chaotic era, and build the first ninja village.
But Shinichi knew it was not that simple.
Wood Release was strong, but Hashirama himself was the real monster. His chakra, recovery, stamina, and body were all far beyond ordinary ninja. Behind that was the Yang Release power he carried as Ashura's reincarnation.
Shinichi raised his hand, and emerald-gold chakra gathered in his palm.
Madara's power leaned toward Yin, while Hashirama's leaned toward Yang.
In Hashirama's hands, Wood Release was not just Water and Earth. It was also the best vessel for his Yang Release.
"So..." Shinichi looked at the chakra in his palm. "Hashirama did not suppress Madara simply because Wood Release was stronger than the Sharingan."
He slowly clenched his fingers.
"It was because his Yang Release had found the right form."
Hashirama cells really were involved in half the trouble in this world.
Now, by adding Yang Release into Wood Release, Shinichi was no longer just copying Hashirama's jutsu. He had touched a small part of what made Hashirama's power so unreasonable.
Naruto listened from the side for a while, but the more they talked, the more confused he became.
Bloodline Limit, Bloodline Selection, Water, Earth, Yang... he knew the words, but when Jiraiya and Shinichi put them together, they sounded like something from a textbook he had never opened.
He finally scratched his head and walked over.
"Uh... Pervy Sage, Shinichi, what are you guys talking about? Bloodline Selection? Is that different from a Bloodline Limit?"
Jiraiya turned to him and stared for a moment.
"Naruto... you really don't know?"
Naruto looked away and coughed.
"Not really."
Jiraiya rubbed his forehead. "Even if you didn't pay attention in class, you should have heard about this by now. Bloodline Limit is one thing, but Bloodline Selection is even rarer. These are basic terms for ninja."
"Basic for you maybe," Naruto muttered. Then he quickly straightened his back. "Anyway, knowing the name doesn't matter that much, right? What matters is whether you can actually use the jutsu. You said something like that too, Pervy Sage."
Jiraiya's mouth twitched. "I told you not to rely only on book knowledge. I never told you to ignore it completely."
Naruto was about to argue, but Shinichi spoke first.
"Senior Jiraiya, blaming him now won't change anything." Shinichi glanced at Naruto.
"Naruto doesn't know because no one taught him properly."
Naruto's expression shifted slightly.
"I learned these things because of my father and mother," Shinichi continued. "Before I graduated, they had already taught me chakra control, nature transformation, basic theory, and what I needed to watch for in battle."
He looked back at Jiraiya.
"If the Fourth Hokage were still alive, Naruto would have had the same guidance. Maybe even better. He would have explained his chakra to him, planned his training, and told him what kind of path suited him."
Jiraiya's expression slowly sank.
Naruto stood beside them with his head lowered. His fingers quietly tightened around the hem of his shirt, but he did not say anything.
"So there is no point blaming him for what he missed," Shinichi said. "From now on, you can only make up for it little by little."
For once, Jiraiya did not joke back. After a moment, he let out a quiet breath.
"I know."
Hearing Jiraiya say that, Shinichi briefly thought of the bond he would have with Naruto in the original story.
Whatever else could be said about Jiraiya, when it came to being Naruto's teacher, no one could call him unqualified.
The thought passed quickly. Shinichi turned back to Naruto, who was still listening with a curious look on his face.
"But there is one thing I didn't expect," Shinichi said. "Sasuke actually became the Third Hokage's disciple too."
Jiraiya was stunned for a second, then laughed.
"Oh, that? It was just a bet with the old man. We were only messing around."
Naruto's eyes immediately widened.
"What do you mean, messing around? That guy Sasuke..." He pointed at himself, his face full of confidence. "Shinichi, just watch. In three years, I'll definitely knock him flat and show him who's stronger!"
Seeing Naruto so fired up, Jiraiya laughed.
"Good. That's the spirit."
Shinichi did not laugh with him. "Spirit alone won't be enough. Sasuke has the Sharingan, the Uchiha clan's foundation, and now the Third Hokage teaching him. If you keep training like before, the gap between you won't shrink."
Naruto looked at him, the confidence on his face slowly settling into seriousness.
"But your chakra is enormous," Shinichi continued. "And you inherited your father's talent. What you lack is not potential. You just need the right method."
Naruto leaned forward at once. "What method?"
"The Rasengan," Shinichi said.
Up to 30 chapters ahead on patreon :-
patreon.com/Viki2