A tree branch quietly disappeared in the breeze.
[Pieces of the Divine Tree have been received.]
Immediately after, a mechanical voice echoed through Roy's mind.
[In recognition of your contribution, a special reward is hereby granted. The latent activity of these Divine Tree fragments will now be activated.]
In that instant, the Divine Tree fragment tightly clutched in Roy's hand seemed to be imbued with life, beginning to emit a strange, gentle light.
This light appeared to contain some ancient power. Before long, the surface of the fragment became an even more vivid, dripping green, as if its vitality had been concentrated into this small section of branch.
Roy could clearly feel a vigorous life force surging from the fragment. When he carefully placed his palm over it, the branch responded even more intensely, as if resonating with his own life.
At the same time, the chakra within Roy began to flow uncontrollably into the branch, while the branch transformed this energy in some wondrous way and fed it back to Roy, forming a subtle cycle.
This unprecedented experience left Roy both surprised and excited. He realized this was not merely a simple energy exchange, but a fusion.
[You meet the conditions. You may choose to deeply fuse with this Divine Tree fragment.]
Faced with this unexpected boon, Roy did not hesitate. He took a deep breath, focused his mind, and attempted to establish a deeper connection with the branch in his hand.
As his will gradually permeated it, the branch miraculously began to slowly connect with his palm, as if becoming one. The flow of chakra grew even faster, forming a bond.
Sensing this process might take a considerable amount of time, Roy looked around and finally found a concealed tree hollow.
He sat cross-legged, closed his eyes to concentrate, and allowed this wondrous process to continue.
Time quietly passed in the stillness, with only the energy exchange between Roy and the Divine Tree fragment occurring in silence.
After a long while, Roy slowly opened his eyes.
He quickly assessed the changes in his body and soon detected a vitality emanating from within and without that he had never experienced before, a surge of joy rising in his heart.
Upon waking, he realized a full day had quietly passed.
His first concern was the state of the chakra inside him.
"Chakra... has become more complete and pure."
Roy marveled inwardly. He attempted to mobilize this power and found that the subtle sense of disconnect he used to feel when channeling chakra was gone. Now, his control over chakra was nearly as effortless as moving his own limbs.
Even more astonishing, he discovered he seemed to have formed a kind of wondrous resonance with this world.
"The speed at which I absorb chakra is incredibly fast. It's as if every wisp of energy in nature is actively converging towards me."
This feeling was both incredible and surreal.
Roy stood up and stretched his limbs, feeling his entire body brimming with vigorous life force, as if every cell was rejoicing.
Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind – he wanted to test whether he had truly mastered some kind of ability to "clap hands and get whatever he wanted."
He looked around, and his gaze eventually settled on an unremarkable sprout of grass.
Roy focused his mind, slowly releasing his chakra outward and channeling it into the sprout.
A miracle occurred. The sprout, as if touched by an invisible force, began to grow rapidly at a visible speed. In the blink of an eye, it transformed from a fragile blade of grass into a tall, straight sapling.
"This is... Wood Release?" Roy's eyes widened.
Wood Release could bestow life upon inanimate things, creating incredible sights.
It was Hashirama Senju's signature ability, and it was from that point that the ninja world shifted from an era of stabbing with kunai to an era of giant mecha brawling.
Roy was very excited, eager to verify whether he had truly mastered Wood Release.
He thought to himself, this power he obtained wouldn't be like Yamato's, merely a superficial facade only useful for building houses, would it?
No sooner had this thought crossed his mind than Roy acted without hesitation.
He suddenly clapped his hands together, and his entire body's chakra surged forth like a raging tide.
Instantly, the ground beneath his feet seemed to awaken, beginning to slowly churn and crack. Then, tender green saplings burst through the soil, growing robustly at an astonishing speed. In a flash, a lush, verdant grove spread out before his eyes.
Yet, faced with this expanse of green, Roy's brow gradually furrowed.
He looked around, a sense of dissatisfaction rising within him. "Is the Wood Release I've mastered only capable of reaching Yamato's level, or perhaps even inferior to his?"
Was he really only fit to be a foreman?
Roy decided to delve deeper in his attempts.
He began more meticulous experiments.
He constantly adjusted the output method and intensity of his chakra, trying to find the optimal way to control it.
After unremitting efforts, he finally discovered the crux of the problem.
"So, I'm lacking the ninjutsu required to control Wood Release."
Roy realized his previous method of simply and crudely releasing chakra was not only inefficient but also resulted in massive waste.
He began attempting to output his chakra along specific pathways. Miraculously, the scale of his Wood Release expanded considerably. The trees grew more lush, and their vitality was more robust.
"It seems, to truly master the power of Wood Release, I still need to obtain Hashirama Senju's ninjutsu."
Roy pondered to himself. While he might be able to figure out the secrets on his own with effort, it would undoubtedly consume a vast amount of time and energy.
Fortunately, he knew the plot inside and out and knew exactly where to find these techniques.
Thinking this, Roy prepared to set off immediately. But before departing, he remembered something and pulled out the Divine Tree fragment that had been fusing with him for the past day.
This branch now seemed to have undergone a subtle change. Although its aura had diminished significantly, its purity and texture were more pronounced.
What surprised Roy even more was that he seemed to sense a kind of yearning emanating from the branch – it was as if it was telling him it needed more chakra to nourish it.
This strange perception stirred Roy's mind. Without hesitation, he immediately began channeling a gentle stream of chakra into the branch.
After it absorbed the chakra, Roy immediately sensed that the Divine Tree fragment seemed to become a bit more active.
But then, he noticed something wrong. This Divine Tree fragment was actually trying to absorb his life force.
He quickly severed the connection with the Divine Tree fragment. A little bit of life force could slowly recover, but if too much was absorbed, it would be troublesome.
"What a terrifying thing."
Roy looked at the Divine Tree fragment in his hand, his eyes flickering.
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