Kurama looked at the green sprout in Naruto's hand, deeply shocked.
The First Hokage's Wood Release, was it created by Naruto just like that?
However, one cannot assume that the development of Wood Release is truly so easy just because Naruto learned it during his vacation.
Naruto's breakthrough in this relatively short period was the result of multiple extremely stringent conditions working together, none of which could be missing.
Firstly, and most fundamentally, Naruto, like Senju Hashirama, is the Chakra reincarnation of Ashura, the son of the Six Paths Sage.
And Ashura was the first person in the history of the Ninja World to awaken and use Wood Release. (The Six Paths Sage, who might have used Wood Release, is not included here).
As descendants of the Uzumaki and Senju Clans, Naruto and Hashirama's bloodlines are essentially of the same origin.
This causality and potential, originating from the source of their bloodline and spanning a thousand years, provided Naruto with the most basic and powerful possibility.
This is not a simple matter of Chakra nature, but a deeper affinity concerning the essence of life.
Secondly, during countless perilous fusion failures, Kurama played a crucial role in safeguarding him.
Whenever the Chakra ratio was imbalanced or control was unstable, leading to fusion failure and energy backlash, Kurama would immediately mobilize its vast and pure Chakra to help Naruto forcefully disperse, smooth out, or even devour the failed byproducts raging or accumulating in the meridians, greatly reducing the damage to Naruto's body.
Without Kurama, the ultimate 'safety valve' and 'purifier,' Naruto would have likely been severely injured, or even had his meridians completely damaged, in the very first few failures.
Finally, and most crucially, the strategic factor lies in Naruto's cognitive starting point.
He was not bound by the knowledge from his previous life that 'Wood Release is a Water and Earth Bloodline Limit,' but from the beginning, based on his own analysis, he regarded Wood Release as a 'Kekkei Tōta' that requires the fusion of Earth, Water, and Yang Chakra natures.
This made his direction of exploration, fusion methods, and expectations for the final outcome completely different from the conventional Bloodline Limit development path.
It was this higher-dimensional cognition that guided him to bypass the 'Water-Earth fusion' bottleneck, which he might never have broken through, and directly work towards the correct, more complex 'three-nature fusion' direction.
Therefore, Naruto's success is by no means reproducible by ordinary Ninja.
After succeeding, Naruto's consciousness naturally sank into the Sealing Space.
Without needing to say much, he simply presented the tender green sprout, imbued with the rhythm of life, in his palm before Kurama's crimson giant eyes.
Behind the cage, Kurama, having composed its shock, subtly changed its expression as it looked at Naruto who had come to show off.
It did not roar or mock; its massive head lowered slightly, gazing at the tiny miracle.
The next moment, an almost flamboyant curve appeared at the corner of its fanged mouth.
At the same time, Naruto's face also bloomed with an incredibly brilliant, accomplished smile.
At this moment, one person and one fox shared a knowing smile in front of the fruit of their combined efforts.
It contained the unspoken understanding of their joint effort and a shared anticipation for infinite possibilities in the future.
A good beginning is half the battle.
This tender sprout, trembling and unfurling in his palm, was like a hopeful prophecy.
They both knew that this was just an insignificant starting point; there was a longer road ahead, and more refined control to master.
A tree as big as a man's embrace grows from a tiny sprout.
One day, towering giant trees, and even the boundless forest capable of changing the tide of battle, will surely sprout magnificently from this first, insignificant little tender bud!
"This kid... what he said was indeed true."
Kurama's deep voice slowly echoed in the Sealing Space, carrying a hint of disbelief, yet a reluctant admiration.
It had witnessed firsthand how Naruto put that astonishing conjecture into practice and truly, in such a short time, brought forth the green essence of life from nothing.
"He actually... managed to touch the threshold of Wood Release in such a short time."
This fact was more convincing than any words.
It slowly, with a sense of settled calm, lay prostrate on the cold water, its massive head resting on its forelegs.
Although it tried its best to maintain its dignity as the strongest Tailed Beast, the curve at the corner of its mouth could not be suppressed, revealing the surging emotions deep within its heart.
Perhaps... this kid really could be the Child of Prophecy the Old Man spoke of before his death.
Once this thought became clear, it was like a warm current flowing into a parched heart.
A thousand years, how long it was.
It had experienced the cycle of being feared, coveted, and sealed by humans, witnessed the rise and fall of countless Ninja, and gradually became numb in endless hatred and loneliness.
Until now.
In this long, almost endless imprisonment, it seemed... it had finally found him.
The Child of Prophecy that the Six Paths Old Man had mentioned to it and the other Tailed Beasts before dissipating from the world, the one who would bring change to the Ninja World and create true peace.
This search and wait, spanning a thousand years, seemed to finally see a faint but real dawn at this moment.
It seems... this great one might actually be able to, with a little peace of mind, let this brat Naruto use its Chakra.
As soon as this thought emerged, Kurama violently shook its massive head, as if trying to shake off this 'dangerous' idea.
It sternly emphasized to itself in its mind:
It's not that I've acknowledged this brat!
It's definitely not because I find him somewhat pleasing to the eye after his success.
It's just... it's just because he's still young, his body is still developing, and forcibly using a jutsu of Wood Release's caliber will definitely put a huge burden on his body and consume a lot of Chakra!
It tried hard to find seemingly reasonable excuses for its actions.
Yes, that's it!
What if this brat dies accidentally due to excessive Chakra depletion? Wouldn't this great one also be finished with him?
Thinking of this, it seemed to finally find the most solid reason, and a look of 'as expected' flashed in its eyes.
Hmph! This great one doesn't care if this brat lives or dies; I just don't want to be buried with him!
It doesn't matter what happens to this brat; what's important is this great one's own life!
While Kurama was repeatedly emphasizing and self-persuading itself in this manner, it completely chose to forget.
Just a short while ago, when Naruto repeatedly asked for its Chakra to explore Wood Release, although it grumbled and complained, almost every time, it granted his request without ever refusing.
What kind of change will the appearance of the Child of Prophecy bring to this world?
Old Man, from the Pure Land, you must protect Naruto well!