"You mean you want me to fight all three of you at once?"
Seeing Tsunade's excited expression, Minato pointed at himself uncertainly. "Me?"
"Don't worry, Orochimaru and I won't attack you proactively."
Tsunade beckoned him with her finger. "Enough talk. Come at us!"
"Uh, okay."
Minato pulled out a kunai, his gaze instantly turning calm. "Then... excuse me!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he appeared right in front of Jiraiya, thrusting the kunai straight toward Jiraiya's abdomen without hesitation.
Jiraiya's expression was much more serious than before. He parried Minato's wrist and launched a front kick at Minato's chest.
Minato was about to dodge sideways, but Jiraiya changed the kick into a sweep, sending him flying.
"You should have dodged to my outer side. That way, I'd have to sweep outward, which is weaker and leaves me more open," Jiraiya instructed seriously.
"Understood."
Minato regained his balance and charged at Jiraiya again. His reckless approach puzzled the three Sannin.
Just as they were wondering why this kid dared to rush the three of them head-on, Minato's body suddenly erupted with blinding light!
It was as if a blazing sun had risen inside the training ground!
"MY EYES—!"
Jiraiya only saw a flash before tears streamed down his face. He covered his eyes and yelled.
Despicable brat!
All three of them cursed internally and used the Body Flicker Jutsu to retreat simultaneously.
While retreating, Jiraiya quickly wove hand signs. "Earth Style: Mud Wall!"
Boom—
A mud wall several meters high rose up, blocking the light source.
The three of them closed their eyes, soothing the stinging pain while listening carefully to the sounds around them.
"Behind the wall," Orochimaru chuckled, though his voice held a hint of irritation.
"Don't get mad at a kid..."
Tsunade laughed, but her smile looked forced. Clearly, she was also annoyed by Minato's "flashbang," but as his teacher, she couldn't get angry.
"Oh? Then look over there."
Orochimaru pointed. Tsunade looked and saw Nawaki kneeling under a tree, covering his eyes and wailing in pain.
Tsunade: "..."
"Why did he stop moving?"
Jiraiya listened to the movement behind the wall. He could hear Minato's heartbeat and the faint sound of his soles grinding against the ground.
Just as they were confused, a faint cracking sound came from the wall.
Tsunade's expression changed instantly. "Retreat!"
She didn't need to say it. Jiraiya and Orochimaru had already backed away. Even if they didn't know what was happening, caution was never a mistake.
Sure enough, the moment they retreated, several thick tree trunks burst through the wall, slithering toward their ankles like snakes!
"Nani?!"
Jiraiya's eyes widened. He quickly wove signs and spat out three fire bullets, shattering the incoming wood. Then he stared blankly at Minato.
"Is that... Wood Style?!"
Watching the branches slowly retract into Minato's arm, the complicated feelings in Orochimaru's heart vanished, replaced by an indescribable fanaticism!
Two Bloodline Limits?
Someone can actually possess two Bloodline Limits at the same time!
Then what about three?
Or more...
What if I combine all Bloodline Limits into one body? What would happen then?
A wild ambition quietly sprouted in his heart. He turned sharply to Tsunade. "I knew it. This is why you took him as a student, right?"
Tsunade nodded. Although she couldn't use Wood Style, as the First Hokage's granddaughter, no one was more qualified to teach Minato than she was—not even the current Hokage.
The Scroll of Seals contained Wood Style Jutsus, but that belonged to the village ("public property"), and accessing it came with a price.
But if she taught him, it was "family inheritance." The nature of it was completely different.
Strictly speaking, even the Scroll of Seals was compiled by her granduncle (Tobirama). If she really wanted to argue, even the scroll could be considered the Senju clan's private property.
"Subarashii (Wonderful)..."
Seeing Tsunade nod, Orochimaru licked his lips, looking at Minato with burning intensity.
"Tsunade, how about we make a deal?"
Tsunade looked at him warily. "You're not trying to steal my student, are you?"
Orochimaru's smile froze. "How can you call it stealing? We're teammates who fight side by side. And I really admire that child."
"Dame (No way)~"
Tsunade huffed. "Don't even think about it! You're welcome to teach him, but his master can only be me!"
Orochimaru thought about it and decided that was acceptable. "Fine."
Even without the title of "Master," we'll still have a teacher-student reality. That counts for something, right?
With that relationship, asking him to help with some small experiments shouldn't be too much to ask, right?
"By the way, this is my first time seeing Wood Style. It doesn't feel that special? What's the attack method?"
Jiraiya rubbed his chin, recalling the shape of the branches. His expression turned lewd. "Thrusting? Binding? Hehehe..."
"Wood Style has incredible suppressive power. It can also absorb the target's chakra to a certain extent. Speaking of which, it's just like the dirty thoughts in your head—once it touches you, it'll suck you dry until you're a mummy," Tsunade said coolly, making Jiraiya shudder.
"That... is indeed dangerous..."
"Absorbing the target's chakra..."
Minato looked thoughtful. After a moment, he walked to the edge of the field and placed his hand on a thick tree.
Under the puzzled gazes of the three Sannin, the lush, vibrant tree turned yellow and withered in seconds.
"Is this what you mean by 'a certain extent'? He can drain plants, too? Doesn't that mean as long as he's in a forest, his chakra is infinite?"
Jiraiya pointed at the withered tree, screaming in shock.
Tsunade swallowed hard. She had never heard that Wood Style could drain life force from plants.
Minato wasn't too surprised. In fact, he was holding back. He felt like he could have drained the tree instantly if he wanted to.
He thought for a moment, then poured some chakra back into the tree. The tree instantly became lush and green again, even thicker than before.
It sounded absurd, but in that moment, Minato felt like he "heard" the tree thanking him.
Could Hashirama absorb chakra from trees in the original story?
Or is it more accurate to call it "Life Energy"?
Madara awakened the Rinnegan after merging the "Creation of All Things" (Senju + Uchiha) power. If Hashirama had done it, what power would he have awakened?
An image of Naruto and Sasuke's forms during the final battle flashed through his mind. A vague theory formed in his heart. Minato kept his expression calm and smiled shyly at the three Sannin.
"It really can absorb chakra. Looks like I need to use it carefully."
His smile was as gentle and sunny as ever, like a pure, innocent white lotus...