Naruto ran his hand through his hair, which Tsunade had just turned into a messy bird's nest. She'd started off absentmindedly ruffling it, but toward the end, she'd clearly done it out of spite.
What a petty woman with a big heart but an even bigger grudge, he thought with a sigh.
When their group finally reached the gates of the Hidden Leaf Village, Izumo Kamizuki and Kotetsu Hagane were on duty. Seeing Jiraiya and Naruto, they immediately stood at attention and saluted. But when their eyes fell on Sasuke, Tsunade, and Shizune, their expressions turned to confusion.
"When did Sasuke even leave the village?" Izumo whispered nervously.
"You're asking me? How should I know?" Kotetsu hissed back, cold sweat trickling down his temple. If a ninja had left the village without their knowledge, that was a serious dereliction of duty.
"Relax," Naruto said kindly, overhearing them. "Sasuke went with me. I'll explain everything to Lord Third."
"Ah thank you, Naruto!" the two guards said with visible relief.
"But who might this be?" Kotetsu asked, glancing toward Tsunade. The blonde woman looked oddly familiar, but he couldn't quite place her face.
"This is Tsunade, one of the Legendary Sannin," Jiraiya said with a grin.
Both guards froze. "L–Lady Tsunade?!" They practically shouted in unison.
They had grown up hearing tales of the Three Legendary Ninjas, but this was their first time meeting one in person. Until now, they'd only ever seen her face in academy textbooks.
Back then, Tsunade had already left the village.
After completing the check-in procedures, Tsunade took a long look at the Leaf Village before her. So much had changed since she'd last walked these streets.
"Quite a difference, huh?" Jiraiya said lightly beside her.
"Yeah," Tsunade murmured through her nose, her tone carrying a faint sense of nostalgia.
"Come on," Jiraiya said softly. "The old man's waiting."
Without another word, Tsunade took the lead, walking toward the Hokage's office.
"Alright, Pervy Sage, Sasuke and I will head back for now," Naruto said, waving casually. With Tsunade's return, he could finally focus on training again.
"Fine," Jiraiya nodded, then followed Tsunade toward the Hokage Tower.
Naruto turned to Sasuke. "Let's go to Mount Myoboku. I'll ask the Great Toad Sage to let you train in Sage Mode too."
Sasuke gave a small nod of approval.
The Great Toad Sage agreed readily, sending Fukasaku to guide Sasuke in his Sage training. Naruto, meanwhile, checked on Hinata's progress.
Under Shima's guidance, Hinata's mastery of Sage Mode was advancing rapidly. She had enormous chakra reserves and years of experience training with Naruto. Her chakra control had reached near perfection.
After all, the Hyuga clan's Gentle Fist techniques relied on molding chakra into precise, needle-like points to strike the opponent's chakra network. For someone like her, fine control came naturally.
"How are you feeling? Your eyes bothering you?" Naruto asked when he noticed Hinata rubbing them.
"I'm fine," she said softly. "They've just been a little itchy lately."
"Let me take a look." Naruto held out his hands, which glowed with a gentle green light as he placed them over her eyes. His chakra pulsed carefully as he examined her condition.
After a while, he withdrew his hands. "Nothing seems wrong. Probably just fatigue."
Hinata nodded. "Has Lady Tsunade returned?"
"Yeah. It was quite the trip," Naruto said, grinning. "Here, I'll tell you everything."
He sat beside her and began recounting the journey, their encounter with Tsunade, and all the strange twists along the way. Shima, sensing the mood, wisely slipped away to give the two some privacy.
Back in the Leaf Village, the transition of power had begun. A change in Hokage couldn't happen overnight. It required formal approval from the Land of Fire's daimyo, diplomatic notices sent to the other four great nations, and an official succession ceremony.
During this period, the village had recalled all ninja from external missions and temporarily halted new assignments. Everyone needed to meet and recognize their new leader.
Naruto stopped by the logistics division and asked them to begin developing a gravity chamber a training facility he had designed himself. After briefing them, he returned to Mount Myoboku, where the natural energy was abundant and pure. It was the perfect environment for mastering Sage Mode.
Using shadow clones, he began construction on his inner Dao Palace, while his true self focused on studying the crystal necklace Tsunade had given him.
According to her, it was made from the First Hokage's chakra solidified into crystal.
Chakra, forming a tangible object? That intrigued Naruto deeply.
In his inner sealing world, he could use mental energy to manifest things like televisions or furniture, altering the space at will. But in the real world, he'd never been able to create matter out of chakra alone.
"The First Hokage's strength and mastery are still leagues beyond mine," Naruto murmured, turning the crystal over in his hand.
He closed his eyes and extended his senses, feeling the trace of Hashirama's chakra within it.
"A balance of water and earth nature transformation...?" he muttered.
In Sage Mode, his perception sharpened immensely. Having already mastered seven chakra natures, it wasn't difficult for him to identify and analyze the energy within the crystal.
"No... there's more," he whispered after a moment. "There's also yang chakra the life-giving essence. The crystal was formed primarily from refined yang energy!"
"So that's it. If someone pushes their yang chakra to the limit, they can manifest it as physical matter."
He sighed, half impressed, half frustrated. "My control over yang chakra still isn't at that level yet."
But then a daring idea flashed through his mind.
"What about... Wood Release?"
Reclasping the necklace around his neck, Naruto carefully channeled a precise mix of water, earth, and yang chakra, replicating the ratio he sensed within the crystal.
With his Sage-enhanced control, merging three chakra natures was no real challenge.
Moments later, the ground before him began to stir.
Several small wooden shoots poked through the soil, swaying gently in the breeze.
Naruto's eyes lit up. "So this is Wood Release? That wasn't hard at all. Why couldn't anyone else pull it off?"
He scratched his head, baffled. It had felt completely natural, like water flowing downhill.
"Alright then, let's see what it can really do."
Clapping his hands together, he unleashed a surge of chakra.
The earth trembled violently as massive wooden tendrils burst upward like awakening serpents. Trees twisted and intertwined, roots spreading and tearing through the rocky ground of Mount Myoboku. Within seconds, a dense forest had erupted around him.
Naruto lowered his hands, gazing at the towering trees radiating with raw life energy. He took a slow breath, measuring the chakra drain.
"As expected of the First Hokage's Wood Release so powerful! Even for me, that took nearly ten percent of my total chakra. Anyone with less would burn out instantly."
He smiled faintly. "Still, not bad. Another card up my sleeve."
He looked over the vast new forest, sunlight glinting off the leaves.
"I wonder if the village still has any records of the First Hokage's jutsu. If not…" A grin tugged at his lips. "I'll just have to create my own."
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Already hooked by this cosmic shinobi journey? Share what drew you in your words and reviews keep the flames of youth burning bright. And every 300 Power Stones will unlock a bonus chapter, pushing Naruto's path to the stars even faster!
Naruto's dream has only just begun, and the Unbound Evolution of his destiny is far from over. Stay with Naruto: Set a Goal, Conquer the Universe and reach beyond the horizon together!
[email protected]/_tey
Change @ to a