"Does this mean I have to face all three of you at once?"
Seeing Tsunade's excited expression, Minato pointed at himself, unsure.
"Me?"
"Don't worry, Orochimaru and I won't strike first."
Tsunade beckoned with her hand.
"Less talk, come at us!"
"Uh, alright then."
Minato drew a kunai, his gaze instantly turning calm.
"Then... here I come!"
As soon as he spoke, his figure suddenly appeared in front of Jiraiya, driving the kunai toward Jiraiya's abdomen without hesitation.
Jiraiya's expression became much more serious than before.
He caught Minato's wrist holding the kunai and sent a front kick toward Minato's chest.
Minato was about to dodge to the side, but he saw Jiraiya shift the stomp into a sweep, sending him flying with a kick.
"You should have dodged to the outside of my body. That way, I would have only been able to sweep my leg outward, which is not only weaker but also makes it easier for you to exploit an opening," Jiraiya said in a serious tone.
"Thank you for the guidance."
Minato steadied himself and rushed at Jiraiya again.
His reckless approach left the three of them feeling puzzled.
Just as the three of them couldn't help but wonder what gave this kid the nerve to charge all three of them head-on, a blinding light suddenly erupted from Minato's body!
It was as if a brilliant sun had risen within the training ground!
"Gah—!"
Jiraiya saw only a flash before his eyes, and tears instantly welled up.
He couldn't help but cover his eyes and shout out loud.
Damn brat!
The three of them cursed inwardly at the same time, all using the Body Flicker Technique to retreat.
While retreating, Jiraiya quickly formed Hand Seals.
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
Boom—
A several-meter-high earthen wall rose, blocking the light source.
With their eyes closed, they waited for the stinging pain to subside while carefully listening to the surrounding movements.
"He's behind the wall."
Orochimaru chuckled, his tone carrying a hint of slight irritation.
"Don't get angry at a child..."
Tsunade laughed, though the smile looked a bit forced no matter how you looked at it.
She was clearly a bit annoyed by Minato's move as well, but as a teacher, it wasn't easy to lose her temper.
"Oh? Then look over there."
Orochimaru pointed his finger.
Tsunade looked in the direction he pointed and saw Nawaki kneeling under a tree, covering his eyes and tearing up in pain.
Tsunade: "..."
"Why isn't he moving?"
Jiraiya listened to the movements behind the wall.
He could pick up Minato's heartbeat and the subtle sound of the boy's soles shifting lightly against the ground.
Just as the three were feeling suspicious, a faint cracking sound suddenly came from the wall.
Tsunade's expression changed abruptly.
"Retreat!"
Without her needing to say it, Jiraiya and Orochimaru had already pulled away.
Although they didn't know what the sound was about, it was better to be safe than sorry.
Sure enough, the moment the three retreated, several thick wooden branches suddenly burst through the wall, coiling toward their ankles like snakes!
"What?!"
Jiraiya's eyes widened.
He quickly formed Hand Seals and spat out three Fire Bullets, shattering the coiling branches.
Only then did he look at Minato with a dazed expression.
"It's actually... Wood Release?!"
Seeing the branches slowly retracting into Minato's arm, the mixed feelings in Orochimaru's heart quietly dissipated, replaced by an indescribable fervor!
He actually possesses two Kekkei Genkai?
Someone can actually possess two Kekkei Genkai at the same time!
Would three be possible then?
Or even more... For instance, what would happen if all Kekkei Genkai were fused into a single body?
Thinking of this, a sliver of ambition quietly grew in his heart.
He then suddenly turned to look at Tsunade.
"As I thought, this is the reason you took him as your student, isn't it?"
Tsunade nodded.
Although she couldn't use Wood Release herself, as the granddaughter of the First Hokage, no one was more qualified to teach Minato than her, not even the Hokage.
Although the Konoha Scroll of Seals also recorded Wood Release Ninjutsu, that belonged to the public; obtaining it required paying a price.
But if she were the one to teach him, it would be a family legacy.
The nature of the two was different.
Not to mention that even the Scroll of Seals was compiled by her granduncle.
If one really wanted to get technical, even the Scroll of Seals could be considered the private property of their Senju Clan.
"Magnificent—"
Seeing Tsunade nod, Orochimaru licked his lips, his gaze toward Minato becoming increasingly fervent.
"Tsunade, how about we discuss something?"
Hearing this, Tsunade looked at Orochimaru warily.
"You're not thinking of stealing my student, are you?"
Orochimaru's smile stiffened.
"How can you call it stealing? No matter what, we are teammates fighting side by side, and I truly do appreciate that child."
"No way."
Tsunade snorted softly.
"Don't even think about it! I welcome you to teach him, but this child's teacher can only be me!"
Orochimaru thought about it and found it wasn't unacceptable, so he nodded.
"That works too."
Without the title of teacher and student, but with the reality of it, there would still be some sentiment, right?
With this layer of relationship, it wouldn't be too much to have him cooperate with a few small experiments, would it?
"Speaking of which, this is the first time I've seen Wood Release. It doesn't seem to be anything special? I can't figure out what the attack method is."
Jiraiya rubbed his chin, recalling the form of those wooden branches just now, his expression suddenly becoming suggestive.
"Impact? Entanglement? Hehe..."
"Wood Release has incredible suppressive power and can even absorb the target's chakra to a certain extent. Speaking of which, it's just like the filthy thoughts in your head; once it touches you, you'll be sucked dry."
Tsunade spoke flatly, but her words sent a shiver down Jiraiya's spine.
"That is indeed very dangerous..."
"Absorbing the target's chakra..."
Minato was also deep in thought.
After a moment of reflection, he suddenly turned and went to the edge of the field, placing his hand on a thick tree.
Under the puzzled gazes of Tsunade and the others, the tree that was full of green leaves and vibrant life just a moment ago suddenly saw its leaves fall, turning withered and yellow within a few seconds.
"This is what you call 'to a certain extent'? It can even drain plants? Doesn't that mean that as long as he's in a forest, this kid's chakra is infinite?"
Jiraiya pointed at the dried-up tree, shouting in alarm.
Tsunade swallowed hard.
She had never heard that Wood Release could drain the life force of plants.
Minato, however, wasn't too surprised.
In fact, he had already been holding back; he even felt that if he wanted to, he could drain this large tree in an instant.
Thinking for a moment, he channeled some chakra back into the tree.
The tree instantly became lush and green again, and was even a bit thicker than before.
Strangely enough, in that instant, Minato seemed to 'hear' the tree in front of him thanking him.
Could Hashirama also absorb the chakra of trees in the original story?
Or perhaps calling it life energy would be more fitting... After Madara fused the power of the Creation of All Things, he awakened the Rinnegan. If it were Hashirama instead, what kind of power would he awaken?
The memory of Naruto and Sasuke's forms during the final battle flashed through his mind.
A faint theory crossed Minato's heart.
He looked at Tsunade and the others nonchalantly and smiled apologetically.
"It really can absorb chakra. It seems I'll have to use it cautiously in the future."
That smile was as warm and sunny as ever, like a pure and flawless white lotus...