"Anyway, just practice on your own. If there's anything you don't understand, come and ask me!"
Leaving behind those words, Tsunade departed.
She had taken quite a blow today and planned to go gamble a bit to adjust her mood.
Minato looked at the small mountain of scrolls before him and created four Shadow Clones.
His main body then picked up the scroll containing Wood Release Ninjutsu and began to study it.
Minato's goal was the Wood Clone; it was currently the most practical Ninjutsu for him.
Unlike Shadow Clones that pop upon being hit, Wood Clones last longer and can withstand a certain amount of damage.
Not only can they merge into trees, but they can also transform into trees to bind enemies upon being dispelled.
The only drawback was that Wood Clones required physical contact with the main body to share information, making them less convenient than Shadow Clones for intelligence transmission.
However, there was a solution to this.
For instance, if a Shadow Clone has enough chakra, it can create another Shadow Clone.
Theoretically, a Wood Clone could also create a Shadow Clone and transmit information by dispelling it.
Or perhaps in the future, if he had the chance to catch a White Zetsu, he could see if he could research the Mayfly Technique.
"Speaking of which..."
Minato suddenly spoke, breaking the silence in the room.
Several Shadow Clones looked up at him one after another.
"I haven't tested it before, but can Shadow Clones use Light Release abilities?"
Hearing this, a nearby Shadow Clone drew a kunai and stabbed its hand.
Poof!
The Shadow Clone disappeared.
Minato shook his head in disappointment.
"It seems they can't."
The Shadow Clone opposite Minato raised its index finger and sensed for a moment.
"It's not just elementalization; other abilities can't be used either."
Minato asked again.
"What about Wood Release?"
The Shadow Clone sensed again.
"It seems like I can, but also like I can't?"
Minato looked bewildered.
"So, can you or can't you?"
The Shadow Clone described its feeling.
"I feel like I can't grow wood directly from my body, yet I can feel the power of Wood Release."
"Won't we know if we just try?"
Another Shadow Clone picked up the Wood Release scroll.
"Can't grow it directly, but can feel it... How about this: I'll learn the Wood Release Technique, and you learn the Wood Clone Technique."
Soon, after memorizing the essentials of the two Ninjutsu, they went into the courtyard.
The two Shadow Clones performed different Ninjutsu.
Minato watched from the engawa, while the last remaining Shadow Clone sat nearby, holding the Wood Release scroll and observing.
"Wood Release Technique!"
One of the Shadow Clones clapped its hands together, and a small tree as tall as a person suddenly grew in front of it.
"Wood Release: Wood Clone!"
The other Shadow Clone formed the Horse, Dog, and Snake hand seals and clapped its hands, but nothing happened.
"As expected..."
The Shadow Clone reading the scroll had a look that said 'just as I thought'.
"The principle of the Wood Clone is to use chakra to induce cellular mutation, forming a clone after division."
"A Shadow Clone is essentially just a mass of chakra without any cellular components, so naturally, it cannot create a Wood Clone."
"However, for pure release techniques like the Wood Release Technique, Shadow Clones can use them."
"In that case..."
Minato took the scroll and dispelled the Shadow Clones.
Then he went into the courtyard and formed hand seals.
"Wood Release: Wood Clone!"
Crack—
With the sound of growing wood, three pieces of timber rapidly sprouted behind Minato.
They quickly transformed into humanoid shapes and appeared beside him, looking exactly like him.
"Can you use Light Release?"
Not surprised by the minor feat of a successful first-time casting, Minato asked impatiently as soon as the clones appeared.
One of the clones raised its hand, sensed for a moment, and shook its head.
"That doesn't seem right."
"It makes sense that Shadow Clones can't use it since they're just energy bodies, but as a part split off from the main body, why can't a Wood Clone use it either?"
"Could it be because of the splitting itself? After all... you know."
Minato nodded; he could understand what this clone meant.
The power of a Devil Fruit only acts on the host, and a clone is theoretically an independent entity detached from his own body.
"Does this mean that Light Release cannot be combined with the chakra system?"
"Judging based on just this is a bit arbitrary..."
"Exactly."
Minato's main body nodded.
"Besides, the focus of training right now should be on Ninjutsu."
"With my current arsenal of techniques, I don't have enough to support researching such things."
Hearing this, the clones stopped dwelling on the Glint-Glint Fruit and shifted their attention to Wood Release.
The Ninjutsu recorded on the scroll weren't many, but there were plenty of related applications.
For example, turning a Wood Clone into a seed and leaving it on someone can serve as a tracking device or a communication tool.
However, without trees to act as signal relays, it cannot exceed the main body's sensory range.
Additionally, the scroll contained many insights on gardening and crop cultivation.
Minato didn't quite understand why a Ninjutsu scroll would record such things until he saw the few words handwritten by Hashirama Senju at the very end; then, he wasn't surprised at all.
Given the First Hokage's eccentric personality, there really was nothing to be surprised about.
In just over two hours, Minato had memorized all the techniques recorded on the scroll.
After absorbing the three Wood Clones back into his body, the experience of the four of them stacked, equivalent to memorizing it four times!
However, the accumulated eight hours of memory also made his brain feel a bit groggy, but there was no obvious fatigue.
Minato felt it was likely because the Yin Release brought by the Sharingan had increased his mental endurance.
Gurgle—
His stomach suddenly growled; Minato rubbed his belly, feeling a bit weak from hunger.
"I ate plenty at lunch, but as expected, overusing the brain makes you hungry fast..."
Creating a Wood Clone to prep the food, Minato headed out to buy some ingredients for dinner.
Vegetables, fruit, meat, eggs, milk... Minato walked and stopped along the street, and soon he was covered in bags.
Thinking he looked a bit silly like this, he created two more Shadow Clones to help carry the things.
"Shadow Clones?"
Seeing this, a shopkeeper on the roadside looked astonished.
"Young man, how old are you this year?"
"Five. How much is the chicken leg meat?"
"Sixteen ryo per pound... To be able to use Shadow Clones at this age, you're truly a genius!"
"You flatter me."
Minato responded with a smile to the shopkeeper's chatter.
The evening sun fell on his gentle and easygoing face, making him look beautiful and warm.
Meanwhile, Tsunade, who had just lost everything at the casino, was walking home.
She was changing her dice-throwing gestures and muttering as she replayed the recent gambling session.
Just as she turned the corner, she caught a glimpse of the little blond boy in the distance, and her footsteps paused.
She was about to wave and say hello, but her heart skipped a beat the moment she saw his face clearly.
No, wait... where did this kid get such strong "husband material" vibes from?
Recalling the mysterious throb in her heart just now, Tsunade's face flushed slightly.
She cursed herself inwardly for being single for too long, to actually have feelings for a child.
Even if it was just for a moment, it was enough for her to nail herself to the pillar of shame as a pervert...