Chương 197: Chapter 198: Lord Hashirama, Is That You?

When Dongye Zhen returned home, a lavish breakfast was already laid out on the table. Everyone in the family was a working professional—a model Konoha household. Breakfast before work, lunch handled individually, dinner together at home. Night shifts were another matter entirely. Seeing her son walk through the door, Dongye Hui smiled.

"Yo, Teacher Zhen's finished teaching already? Go wash up and come eat."

"You guys eat first. Yamato, help me put in for a leave request. I'm not going to ANBU today." Yamato blinked in surprise. His bargain-bin older brother might enjoy slacking off at work on a daily basis, but he knew that was actually part of Dongye Zhen's training routine. The man never skipped work out of laziness. Concern flickered across his face.

"Zhen, are you feeling unwell somewhere?"

"No. I feel fantastic. Also, call me big brother. Now I really am your older brother." Dongye Zhen grinned smugly and raised a hand. A tiny sapling sprouted from his palm. The entire family exploded. Yamato: It's over. He actually mastered Wood Release. Now he's truly my big brother. So... do I really have to call him that from now on? Dongye Hui fell silent, lowering her gaze toward her stomach. What exactly did I give birth to? Could it be that I secretly possess some heaven-defying talent myself?

Dongye Jiro was ecstatic.

"My son truly has the bearing of a Hokage! Hahahaha!" Just as he hadn't told Tenten to keep it secret, Dongye Zhen wasn't hiding it from his family either. There was no need anymore. If anyone developed any dangerous ideas, he'd simply answer with a Sage Art: True Several Thousand Hands warning. And no one should doubt whether a permanent Sage Mode user more terrifying than Senju Hashirama could pull that off. Yamato stared.

"You really mastered Wood Release? Then why are you taking leave? Did it affect your body? Shouldn't you go to the hospital?"

"Idiot. I'm a medical ninja. Mom's a medical ninja too. Why would I need a hospital?" Dongye Zhen waved dismissively.

"Don't worry. My chakra's just a little... restless." With that, he headed straight for his room, leaving the remaining three exchanging bewildered looks. Dongye Zhen's strength had already surpassed their understanding. What exactly did "restless chakra" even mean? Could chakra be described that way? Yamato certainly didn't know. He didn't even understand how his own Wood Release worked. He wasn't a Wood Release user. He was just a delivery service for Wood Release chakra.

Inside his room, Dongye Zhen sat cross-legged and closed his eyes, carefully examining the Yin-Yang transformations occurring within his chakra. Perhaps mastering Wood Release had triggered it. The Yin and Yang aspects of his chakra had advanced at an astonishing pace, surging directly to the limit of the second stage. If he had to quantify it, the balance had reached 99. 9%. And then stopped. That final 0. 1% remained stubbornly out of reach. Dongye Zhen was speechless. Seriously? Why stop here?

Why not just finish the journey and reach the ultimate endpoint of Yin and Yang? Had his chakra learned bad habits? Was it playing one of those bargain-app games where they promise 99. 9% completion but never let you reach 100%? Absolutely not. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. He immediately doubled down, determined to bridge that final gap. Time slipped away rapidly as he wrestled with the fundamental nature of chakra itself.

By evening, Dongye Zhen finally opened his eyes and scratched his head. He hadn't succeeded. But he had gained a clue. Yin and Yang truly were among the foundational principles of existence. No matter the world, that remained true. The final step couldn't be conquered through brute-force training. It required insight. An opportunity. A moment of enlightenment. Blind persistence would only drive him into a dead end.

At that moment, his passive sensory perception detected numerous familiar chakra signatures in the living room outside. He had noticed them arriving roughly half an hour earlier. But he had been home, immersed in his chakra research, and hadn't bothered checking. Standing up, he opened the door. Just as expected. His family was there. His teammates. Tsukikage Kumo. Kushina hadn't come because she was watching the children, but Minato was present.

Even Hiruzen Sarutobi had arrived, accompanied by Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane. Unlike Danzo, those two had their flaws and stubbornness, but they still placed the village's future above personal ambition. And in their eyes, Dongye Zhen was Konoha's future. Apparently, his unexpected leave of absence had everyone worried.

"What are you all doing here? I'm fine. No need to worry." Uyuzuki Yugao looked genuinely concerned.

"How could we not worry? You've never even been sick once since you were little." Minato smiled helplessly.

"Well... Yamato couldn't explain things properly, so we all decided to come see for ourselves." Dongye Zhen glanced at his parents and Yamato. As expected. Ninjas were ninjas. Keeping secrets had become second nature. Unlike young Tenten, even though Dongye Zhen hadn't specifically instructed them to stay quiet, none of them had mentioned Wood Release. Though honestly, there wasn't much point hiding it anymore.

Other than the secrets surrounding his soul and the white natural energy—which absolutely had to remain hidden—he had even told Minato about Sage Mode.

"It's nothing serious," Dongye Zhen explained.

"I successfully developed Wood Release. The process caused some unexpected changes in my chakra, that's all." The three elders froze. That was an enormous issue. Someone had actually done it. Without transplanting Hashirama's cells. Without inheriting Senju blood. Without any external shortcuts. He had forcefully cultivated Konoha's legendary bloodline limit through pure effort. If that wasn't a major matter, what was? Hiruzen's voice tightened.

"Zhen... are you certain?"

"Yes, Third Hokage-sama." Dongye Zhen raised a hand. Another sapling emerged from his palm. Hiruzen, Homura, and Koharu immediately stepped forward to inspect it. Then they confirmed it. It really was Wood Release. No one present was more familiar with it than they were. Ever since the First Hokage's death, they had dreamed of recreating this bloodline limit. That obsession had ultimately led to reckless human experimentation. Reality had responded with a brutal slap across the face. Homura sighed in relief.

"So it's simply a side effect of successfully awakening Wood Release. That's good. As long as you're unharmed." Koharu gently touched the sapling, her hand trembling slightly.

"Zhen... is this all you can do right now? I suppose it'll need time to mature?" Dongye Zhen blinked.

"Huh? Why would it need time to mature?" He looked baffled.

"I just don't want to demolish my own house." Hiruzen's eyes widened.

"Then how far can your Wood Release go now?" Dongye Zhen scratched his chin.

"Hard to say. I've never actually seen the First Hokage's Wood Release in person." He thought for a moment.

"But I'm probably around the same level." The room fell silent.

"It's not convenient to demonstrate here. Let's head to the back mountain." Everyone gathered in a circle. With a chakra monster like Dongye Zhen present, Minato shamelessly took the opportunity to slack off and didn't bother using Flying Thunder God himself. The world blurred. An instant later, everyone stood at the foot of a mountain behind the Hokage Monument—a training ground Dongye Zhen frequented regularly. Without wasting a second, Hiruzen formed seals and summoned a scroll.

"Zhen. These are records of Wood Release techniques left behind by the Second Hokage. They may prove useful." That was perfectly in line with the style of Konoha's first two Hokage. One dreamed. The other documented. The elder brother focused on ideals and his best friend. The younger brother handled implementation and logistics.

"Thank you, Third Hokage-sama." Dongye Zhen accepted the scroll and skimmed through it rapidly. It contained descriptions and hand seals for the Wood Release arsenal, including Sage Mode variants. As for the principles behind the techniques, Tobirama had only recorded theories and hopes that future generations might rediscover the secret. After all, even he couldn't solve it. Despite surpassing his brother in ninjutsu theory and creating countless forbidden techniques, Wood Release remained beyond his reach.

Hand seals? Those existed because Hashirama had thoughtfully standardized them for future users. The man himself didn't need seals at all. Clap his hands together. Whatever he wanted appeared. Honestly, even the hand clap might have been something he added just to look like a proper ninja. Dongye Zhen was much the same. He pressed his palms together. That was enough. Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence. Chakra surged into the earth. The ground ruptured.

Countless trees burst upward from the soil, spreading in every direction. Within seconds, a vast section of barren land transformed into a dense forest. At first glance, it seemed harmless. But on a battlefield? Anyone lacking sufficient strength would never escape. They'd simply end up hanging from the trees like decorations. And he wasn't finished. His clasped hands remained motionless. Only the chakra flow within him shifted slightly. Wood Release: Wood Dragon Technique.

A colossal dragon erupted from the newly born forest. Its wooden body twisted skyward before coiling through the heavens. The massive dragon descended, looming above everyone as its enormous head gazed down upon them. Dongye Zhen had indulged in a personal touch. His Wood Dragon didn't resemble Hashirama's. Instead, it mirrored Ao Run's true form from a movie in his previous life. He couldn't help it. The dragon auntie had simply been too beautiful. A crushing pressure settled over the area.

Whether they could defeat it or not was irrelevant. Its sheer size alone was terrifying. Yamato stood frozen. He looked at the forest. Then at the majestic Wood Dragon. Then down at his own hands. Depression immediately set in. My Wood Release... It's fake, isn't it? It has to be fake. Moments later, Dongye Zhen dispersed the technique.

"Third Hokage-sama, I won't demonstrate the rest. The commotion would be too great. People in the village might panic." Hiruzen stared at him as though seeing Hashirama reborn.

"The rest?" He swallowed.

"Zhen, if I remember correctly, several of the later techniques require Sage Mode." Dongye Zhen removed his forehead protector. The celestial-ring sage markings, nearly identical to Hashirama's, appeared on his forehead.

"Sage Mode?" He smiled.

"I've always known it." Hiruzen. Homura. Koharu. The instant they saw those familiar markings, only one name surfaced in their minds. And before they realized it, they had spoken it aloud.

"Lord Hashirama."