The atmosphere around the Tajima Family table was warm and relaxed.
The dishes were simple yet thoughtful, giving off the cozy aroma of home cooking.
Mori Chie carefully placed a piece of tender stewed meat into her son's bowl, her eyes gentle.
Tejima Kazuto happily produced a small sake flask, poured himself a tiny cup, his face glowing—an utterly content look.
"Heh-heh, just thinking that tomorrow Shinichi will graduate as Top Student makes me over the moon!" He sipped his sake, voice certain. "No suspense at all! With my boy in the ring, which of those brats could stand against him?"
Hearing that, Mori Chie set her chopsticks down softly, tone tinged with resignation: "Kazuto, don't get carried away. A Ninja must stay alert at all times; the graduation exam is no child's play."
"Oh, Chie, you worry too much!" Tejima Kazuto waved dismissively. "You've seen Shinichi's strength—he left ordinary Genin levels behind ages ago! Forget Genin, even your average Chunin…"
His words broke off abruptly, as though choking; the smug look froze while he recalled an unpleasant memory—like the time his son buried him with a single Earth Release and he had to struggle half a day to crawl out.
Kazuto quickly took another gulp of sake, cleared his throat to cover it, then declared with even more certainty:
"Anyway! I'm absolutely confident in Shinichi! Top Student—no problem at all! Soon he'll probably outdo his old man!"
As he spoke he glanced at Tejima Shinichi, eyes full of emotion.
"Still, with talent and Chakra volume like that, he must take after you. If he'd gotten my mediocrity—just a regular Medical Chunin—now that would be troublesome."
A soft light flickered in Mori Chie's eyes.
"Of course," she lifted her chin slightly, pride coloring her tone. "Back then, I was only one step from Jonin."
Tejima Kazuto chimed in at once:
"Yes, yes, my Lady Mori Chie." He smiled while adding food to her bowl. "If you hadn't retired, you'd probably be leading a Jonin squad by now."
He then winked at Shinichi. "So, kid, that Chakra of yours comes from your mom's excellent bloodline."
Chie shook her head gently, voice softening. "All in the past. Life as it is… is pretty good too."
Tejima Shinichi ate quietly, listening to his parents trade old stories, a faint smile on his lips.
The makeup of Shinichi's family was hardly complicated!
His mother, Mori Chie, had once been an outstanding Special Jonin of Konoha.
With vast Chakra and solid taijutsu she racked up achievements on countless missions, a single step away from full Jonin promotion.
Yet one mission changed everything.
Her squad met a powerful foe; though they completed the mission, she suffered grave injuries—her Chakra network badly damaged, no longer able to endure a Ninja's high-intensity duties.
During a long convalescence at Konoha Hospital, while her will faltered, she met Tejima Kazuto—then just an ordinary Medical Chunin.
This young man, whose upbeat nature contrasted with his steady profession, slowly dispelled the gloom in her heart with his unique optimism and persistent care.
From acquaintance, to understanding, to love, they eventually built a family and welcomed Tejima Shinichi into the world!
Watching his parents' warm interaction, Shinichi felt utterly content with life in such a household.
Then, as though something had occurred to him, he scooped rice into his mouth and asked casually:
"By the way, Mom, this Chakra of mine… it's thanks to the Senju Bloodline, right?"
"That's right," Chie smiled, adding a piece of fish to his bowl. "The bloodline your grandmother left gave me a solid foundation. On many missions I survived only by relying on my Chakra volume and recovery speed."
Shinichi took another bite of rice, chewing steadily, the faint smile still on his face.
"Yeah," he agreed. "Thanks to Grandma's bloodline I ended up with such vast Chakra, leaving my peers far behind."
Yet beneath that calm exterior a storm raged in his mind.
Senju Bloodline—undeniably the source of his enormous Chakra.
As a former Special Jonin, Mori Chie's Chakra reserves already ranked top-tier among her peers, evident from her past exploits and Kazuto's sighs of admiration.
But… Shinichi's fingertips tightened imperceptibly around his chopsticks.
The problem was that his Chakra volume seemed… a bit too vast.
He lifted his gaze slightly, sweeping it across the smiling Chie opposite him.
Judging by his daily training perceptions and comparisons, the Chakra stored inside him was far from mere "inheritance" or "surpassing the mentor."
It was an absolute difference in magnitude—roughly dozens of times greater than his mother's in her prime.
Dozens of times!!!
The figure landed in his heart like a lead weight.
A mere Academy student not yet graduated, even one of exceptional talent, might equal or exceed an average Chunin's Chakra—but dozens of times that of a Special Jonin… and one with Senju blood at that…!
If converted into "Kakashi units"… how many would that be?!
That went far beyond what "excellent bloodline" could explain.
Such a result would be hard for even his mother to believe; Shinichi himself had secretly been shocked when he first sensed the true scale of his Chakra.
Of course, such freaks weren't unheard of—Hatake Kakashi once said that if Naruto didn't suppress the Nine-Tails' Chakra it would reach a hundred "Kakashi units"… and that was freshly graduated Uzumaki Naruto!
But then again, that guy is Ashura… having that much is perfectly normal…!
If Tejima Shinichi hadn't known perfectly well that the real Reincarnation of Ashura—Uzumaki Naruto—was still bouncing around right beside him, he would almost have suspected that he himself was the one carrying that fated power.
And, more importantly, he actually…!
"With a bloodline like this, you're truly lucky."
Tejima Shinichi echoed, eyes gleaming faintly with curiosity as he calmly pressed on:
"I've heard that the First Hokage, Lord Senju Hashirama, relied on the Senju Bloodline to master that legendary Wood Release and bring peace to the chaotic world, which is why people revere him as the 'God of the Ninja World'?"
Mori Chie's face lit with pride; she nodded firmly. "Of course. The First Hokage's power is universally acknowledged as the pinnacle of the Ninja World. Our Konoha Village was founded by his own hands."
Tejima Shinichi seized the opening, voice probing: "Then… how does Wood Release awaken? How did the First Hokage master that strength?"
Mori Chie gave a slight shake of her head. "That's not something we common folk can know. A power of legend must have incredibly harsh conditions for awakening."
"So, besides the First Hokage, no one else in the entire Senju Clan has ever awakened Wood Release? Not even long, long ago?"
The question seemed to catch Mori Chie off guard; she thought carefully and shook her head again.
"Not exactly. My grandmother once mentioned that, deeper in the clan's history, there were sporadic cases of Wood Release, only… none were as mighty or dazzling as the First Hokage."
"So there have been cases before…"
Tejima Shinichi murmured to himself.
Which means Wood Release awakening has little to do with Ashura's power, right!?
Puzzled, he lifted his head and stared intently at Mori Chie.
"So you truly don't know how Wood Release awakens? A genius like the First Hokage couldn't have simply awakened it naturally as a child, without any special condition—just like the Hyuga's Byakugan?"
"How could that be!" Mori Chie laughed, dismissing the idea. "From what I know, the First Hokage gradually grasped and revealed Wood Release as he grew; it wasn't innate. How could a mighty Bloodline Limit awaken naturally like the Byakugan?"
Tejima Shinichi nodded silently, but his gaze turned deep as he repeated quietly:
"Oh… so it's not something you're born with, is it!?"
Tejima Kazuto listened to mother and son, interjecting gently,
"Shinichi, your mother and I think you're already fine just as you are."
Setting down his cup, he grew uncharacteristically serious. "As parents, we don't expect you to become overwhelmingly strong. If you can grow up safe and happy, we'll be content."
Mori Chie nodded, her eyes soft on her son. "Your father's right. Graduating as Top Student at your age already makes you far more outstanding than I was back then."
Looking at his parents' caring faces, Tejima Shinichi gave a soft "Mm."
He lowered his head and continued eating, asking no more.
The table relaxed again, as though the talk of Wood Release had been mere dinner chatter… Night fell; Tejima Shinichi lay in bed, eyes open toward the ceiling.
The night deepened, yet he felt no drowsiness.
The evening conversation about Wood Release echoed in his mind.
On impulse he suddenly sat up, walked to the window, quietly closed it, and drew the curtains tight.
The room sank into sealed darkness and silence.
He sat back on the bed and opened his palm.
A faint, uniquely vital Chakra quietly swirled in his hand.
Gradually, a speck of green pierced the blackness!
A tender sapling slowly emerged, standing upright upon his palm.
It was only finger-sized, yet in the absolute dark it emitted an almost imperceptible pulse of life.
In the darkness Tejima Shinichi stared silently at this jade-green miracle that defied all common sense!
No special condition.
No acquired training.
It had simply… awakened naturally.
The shock of it rivaled the day he first arrived in this world!
He recalled Mori Chie's certain tone—
"How could it awaken naturally like the Byakugan?"
Tejima Shinichi frowned; the faint feel of leaves at his fingertip left his heart unsteady!
"Not impossible…" he whispered, then chuckled: "…Wood Release can be born naturally!"
This wasn't genjutsu, nor any known elemental technique.
It was Wood Release.
True Wood Release.
He slowly closed his hand, and the sapling sank back into his palm.
Rising, he drew the curtain and gazed at the sleeping Konoha Village in the distance, his eyes growing distant.
Now that he possessed this power… the world itself seemed to have become interesting.
Staring into the night, a thought surfaced crystal-clear in his mind—
"In that case…" he murmured, the corner of his mouth lifting: "From today on, if I say I don't eat beef…"
He paused, voice brimming with arrogance:
"…then no one can force beef down my throat!!"
With that, he pulled the curtains shut again and lay back on the bed.
In the darkness, a low laugh suddenly rang out.
"Heh… hehehe…"
The laughter shifted from suppressed to unbridled, echoing through the silent room.
"Hahahaha—"
He no longer held back, letting the mirth reverberate in his chest.
This moment—he had waited far, far too long…