Fugaku asked curiously, "Seal? Is there something that needs to be sealed?"
Tōshirō crouched down and touched the ground. "There's actually a massive amount of chakra buried beneath here."
Fugaku looked surprised. He had never heard that the Forest of Death also contained chakra beneath it.
"Haven't you ever wondered why the flora and fauna in the Forest of Death are noticeably several times larger than outside?" Tōshirō chuckled. "You don't seriously think the creatures here are naturally that big, do you?"
Hearing this, Fugaku thought about it and realized it was true; he had never paid much attention before. "So, are these creatures affected by the chakra underground?"
Tōshirō nodded in silence, confirming his earlier statement.
This place was always outwardly declared to be the Forest of Death created by the First Hokage using Wood Release. In reality, that was only one aspect; the true situation was a combination of both.
Fugaku asked, "Is it alright for you to just unseal it like that?"
Tōshirō shook his head. "It's fine. The chakra beneath here has already fused with the Forest of Death. Even if I push it open, it'll only leak out a bit of residue. It won't have much of an impact."
Fugaku: ...
Tōshirō chuckled. "How about it? This training isn't bad, right?"
Fugaku thought, "I think you're just lazy," but he wouldn't say that out loud. Instead, he asked, "How do you know about this?"
"Of course, I asked someone else..."
"Who?"
"Grandma Mito..."
Tōshirō had once asked Mito out of curiosity.
According to Mito, a tree once grew in the area of the Forest of Death. When Hashirama was very young, he had climbed it and eaten its fruit.
Perhaps because its fruit was picked, this tree slowly withered afterward, and Akahara was precisely the place where this great tree originally grew.
And at that time, Hashirama had not yet developed Wood Release.
Tōshirō speculated that Wood Release might have been inextricably linked to this fruit, but it was a pity that this tree had long since withered and become fertilizer for the earth.
Combining the known information, Tōshirō had a bold hypothesis.
This Wood Release thing might be like Uchiha Madara's later Rinnegan, requiring some kind of stimulus to activate.
Taking the original manga as an example, there's a set of images showing Ashura and Indra confronting each other, ready to fight at any moment.
It's important to note that Ashura in that scene was using Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, and in its perfect Jinchūriki form, similar to Naruto's, not Wood Release.
If Ashura had Wood Release at that time, Indra wouldn't have stood a chance against him.
Based on this information, Tōshirō had reason to believe that Ashura didn't know Wood Release at all.
So, the question arises: if even Ashura, the ancestor, didn't know Wood Release, how did Hashirama manage to develop it?
This isn't to look down on Hashirama, but the fact is that even the Sage of Six Paths, his direct descendant, didn't know it. There's no reason why Hashirama, who is countless generations removed, would possess Wood Release.
He could even overpower Uchiha Madara, who had the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan and the Nine-Tails, with Wood Release.
Even if it were an atavistic phenomenon, at most it would be at Ashura's level, developing some kind of "mud" release Kekkei Genkai by combining Earth and Water, which would be normal.
Therefore, Hashirama's ability to develop Wood Release was probably due to external forces.
And that external force was very likely the fruit from the tree in Akahara.
As for how this fruit came to be, Tōshirō wasn't just making wild guesses; he had a certain basis.
As is generally known, Kaguya came to this planet with Ōtsutsuki Isshiki to plant the God Tree. What happened next is well-known: Kaguya was unwilling to be a living sacrifice and chose to ambush Isshiki, which led to a series of subsequent events.
Originally, with Kaguya sealed, the God Tree should have been completely gone. However, in Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, the God Tree reappeared.
Based on this situation, Tōshirō had reason to speculate that when Kaguya and Isshiki came to Earth, they might not have only brought one sapling. Otherwise, how could one explain the God Tree that Isshiki later possessed?
Perhaps the probability of successfully planting a God Tree is very low. In this planting process, there would naturally be successful individuals and failed individuals.
Clearly, Kaguya's tree was a successful individual, while the failed individuals were probably scattered in unknown corners.
And the fruit Hashirama ate was likely produced by one of these failed individuals.
After he ate this fruit, it stimulated a hidden gene within him.
And because it was a failed product, Hashirama didn't immediately develop Wood Release, but rather, through the combination of chakra natures, slowly gave birth to the highly unique Kekkei Genkai of "Wood Release."
Leading people to mistakenly believe that Hashirama Senju developed Wood Release solely through the fusion of a Kekkei Genkai.
Unbeknownst to them, perhaps even Hashirama himself didn't know that his ability to develop Wood Release wasn't solely due to his own power, but rather due to the power unleashed by that fruit.
Tōshirō pondered that if he wanted to undergo a "qualitative" upgrade in the future, he might inquire about any special plants in this world. Perhaps he would be lucky enough to find some of those past failed God Trees.
If he got his hands on it and had Orochimaru research it for him, maybe one day he could also experience a "super atavism" phenomenon similar to Hashirama Senju?
Fugaku heard Tōshirō sweetly call her "Grandma Mito" and couldn't help but retort, "Tōshirō, are you planning to marry into Tsunade-nee's family in the future?"
Tōshirō was speechless.
The Senju clan had disbanded. Even if he wanted to marry into it, there was no place for him to do so.
If a couple married in this world, the wife would take the husband's surname. Tsunade would have to take his surname, Uchiha.
At that time, the issue of whose surname to take would surely be a headache.
Neither the husband's nor the wife's family would back down.
But fortunately, the Senju clan had disbanded and had no say, so there was no such problem.
Tōshirō asked, "Why do you think that?"
Fugaku gave a fair answer: "Based on your daily behavior, I can judge that your actions are likely a form of living off a woman."
"You little brat, are you looking for a beating? How dare you say I'm living off someone! I have a man's dignity too!"
Tōshirō's handsome face twitched slightly. He feigned anger, and just as he raised his hand to hit him, his shadow clone on the other side suddenly sent him a message.
Fugaku saw that Tōshirō seemed about to strike him, but then suddenly stopped, and he was startled.
"Consider yourself lucky. Tsunade has something to do at the Hokage's office. It seems the Hokage has a mission for her," Tōshirō snorted. "This beating is on hold for now. I'll give it to you later."
Fugaku: ...
Leaving Fugaku behind, Tōshirō left the Forest of Death and headed straight for the Hokage's office. As soon as he stepped in, he saw a few familiar faces.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's old face was, of course, present. Besides him, Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya were also there.
These three wouldn't gather here for no reason; clearly, they were here for something.
"Oh my~ It seems I'm the last one," Tōshirō scratched his head, smiling to ease the awkwardness.
Orochimaru and Jiraiya called out his name, acknowledging him.
Tsunade asked, "Where was your main body before I found you?"
When she found Tōshirō, she wasn't too detailed, merely relaying that the Hokage had something for him.
Tōshirō brushed her off. "I was training with Fugaku. Is something wrong?"
Tsunade shrugged. "Isn't it obvious?"
At this moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had been mostly silent, finally spoke. "Tōshirō, I specifically called you here to assign you a mission."
Tōshirō narrowed his eyes. As a Jinchūriki, he was finally going to be sent to war by the village.
"Is it related to the war?"
"Yes."
Tōshirō looked at the three people beside him. "So, for this mission, Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade will be my teammates?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi chuckled. "If you have any thoughts, feel free to share them."
Tōshirō shook his head. "Not at all. I couldn't be happier that the three of them are my teammates."
"That's good," Hiruzen Sarutobi said. "For the upcoming mission, Orochimaru will be in primary command. Jiraiya, Tsunade, and you will be responsible for assisting. Any problems?"
His words were not only for Tōshirō but also for everyone else present.
Tōshirō shrugged. "Orochimaru's leadership talent is undeniable. I have no problem with it. In fact, being a fighter suits someone like me who doesn't like to think too much."
After Tōshirō's statement, Tsunade also expressed her support for Tōshirō's viewpoint.
Jiraiya scoffed but also agreed with the viewpoint.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, seeing that none of them had any objections, then officially issued the mission.
The three received their mission and immediately prepared to depart for the battlefield.
P.S.: Just a small fanfiction addition to explain the origin of Hashirama's Wood Release. Also, to set the stage for later.
Combining some scattered information from the original story, it seems this can be somewhat coherently explained.
For example, the tree in the Hidden Waterfall Village that produces the Hero's Water, I'm positioning it as a failed product of the God Tree.
Ashura's use of Wood Release in the anime is an original animation plot point, I think. It's similar to Kaguya originally marrying a local, whereas in the manga, Kaguya seems to have reproduced asexually...
If you don't like it, too bad... sigh, as if saying that will stop people from flaming me...
(End of Chapter)
────────────────────────────────────
"If you're interested, please support me in my other novel [One Piece: General Blue]."
"If you're interested, please support me in my other novel [Battle Through the Heavens: Heavenly comprehension]."
"If you're interested, please support me in my other novel [Soul Land 2: Golden Dragon King]."
"If you want early access to nearly 35+ chapters , join my patreon:- patreon.com/BaDwYGaMeR"