Talent System In The Naruto Universe-Chapter 198. The Bet with Tsunade Over Wood Release

After receiving permission, Hanekawa entered the main tent.

However, he noticed that aside from Tsunade, Hyuga Hizashi and Chiyo were also present.

"Did something happen?" Hanekawa walked up to Tsunade and asked directly.

Chiyo glanced at him but didn't pay him much attention.

Hanekawa had every right to ask questions, not just because he was Tsunade's student, but more importantly, because of his strength.

Chiyo had heard rumors about Hanekawa capturing the Four-Tails, but to be honest, she had always been skeptical.

After all, he was just a teenager. Even if he had started training from birth, it was hard to believe he could defeat a Tailed Beast.

Chiyo believed that Hanekawa, Tsunade, and Minato Namikaze had worked together to capture the Four-Tails.

But after witnessing Hanekawa's strength firsthand over the past two months in the Land of Rivers, she had no choice but to believe the rumors.

Aside from Tobirama Senju, Hanekawa was the second water release master Chiyo had ever seen.

In her opinion, even the Mizukage might not be his equal.

Coincidentally, Hanekawa's water release techniques were derived from Tobirama Senju.

Chiyo thought of her grandson, Sasori.

Both were geniuses, but they had taken different paths.

After his parents' death, Sasori had become reclusive and had left the village two years ago. His current whereabouts were unknown.

"The Third Mizukage has withdrawn the Kirigakure shinobi from the Land of Rivers," Tsunade said gravely, not hiding the information. "He's likely planning something big."

"I see," Hanekawa wasn't particularly surprised.

After two months of fighting with no results, it was natural for the Third Mizukage to change his strategy.

But for Konoha and Suna, this was a test.

Kirigakure held the advantage of the sea, forcing them into a defensive position. Launching an offensive at sea would be suicidal.

"Hizashi, your Hyuga clan will need to work hard over the next few days. Keep a close eye on Kirigakure's movements," Tsunade looked up at Hizashi and instructed.

"Understood, Lady Tsunade," Hizashi replied promptly.

"I'll have the puppet corps conduct reconnaissance," Chiyo offered.

Driving back Kirigakure would benefit both Konoha and Suna.

Since the two villages were now allies, Suna needed to contribute to avoid being seen as dependent.

"Thank you, Chiyo," Tsunade nodded slightly before adding, "You can go prepare now. Let me know if there's any new intel."

Chiyo and Hizashi left the main tent.

"What did you need me for?" Tsunade stood in front of the map, stretching lazily.

"I have some good news," Hanekawa said with a smile, admiring her graceful movements.

"Oh? What good news?" Tsunade's curiosity was piqued.

She was certain the news had nothing to do with Kirigakure.

"Take a look at this," Hanekawa extended his hand.

Tsunade instinctively looked at his right hand.

Suddenly, her expression changed.

From Hanekawa's palm emerged a swirling mass of scorching, steam-filled chakra.

Under his control, it condensed into a sphere of molten lava.

"This... is this Lava Release?!" Tsunade exclaimed in surprise.

Although she had discussed the possibility of synthesizing Lava Release with Hanekawa, she had never truly believed it could be done.

Yet here was the proof right before her eyes.

"That's right," Hanekawa nodded. "This is Lava Release: Rasengan. Its power is at least double that of a regular Rasengan."

"This is... incredible!" Tsunade shook her head in disbelief.

"I owe it to your guidance," Hanekawa dispersed the Lava Release: Rasengan.

"It's mostly your talent," Tsunade smiled. "If the old man knew you'd mastered Lava Release, he'd be shocked."

Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was proficient in all five basic nature transformations, had once attempted to synthesize Kekkei Genkai but had failed.

Now, Hanekawa had achieved what Hiruzen could not.

"It seems your talent might even surpass the old man's," Tsunade said with a hint of pride, mostly because Hanekawa was her student.

"Sensei, do you think Wood Release can be synthesized?" Hanekawa asked, revealing his true purpose.

After all, Lava Release was just the prelude to smoothly transition into the topic of Wood Release.

"Wood Release?" Tsunade was momentarily stunned.

Wood Release held immense significance for both Konoha and herself.

It was the Kekkei Genkai of Hashirama Senju, the God of Shinobi.

Konoha had tried many methods to recreate Wood Release but had failed, turning it into a legend.

"You're quite bold," Tsunade glared at him. "Don't even think about it. Wood Release can't be synthesized."

"Why not?" Hanekawa blinked, pretending not to understand.

"It just can't!" Tsunade retorted.

"Then... how about a bet?" Hanekawa's eyes sparkled with mischief.

"Are you serious?" Tsunade looked at him, unsure where his confidence was coming from.

"Dead serious," Hanekawa shook his head.

"Fine! I don't believe I'll lose this time!" Tsunade huffed, slightly annoyed by his attitude.

Wood Release held a special place in her heart because of Hashirama.

Hanekawa's casual tone made it seem like learning Wood Release was easy.

If it were anyone else, she would've already beaten them up.

"If I synthesize Wood Release, you'll grant me one request," Hanekawa said calmly. "If I fail, I'll grant you one request."

"What's the time limit?" Tsunade asked after some thought.

"Three years," Hanekawa replied.

"Deal!" Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "Three years it is!"

"Sensei, don't go back on your word," Hanekawa raised his hand. "Let's seal it with a handshake."

"Why would I go back on my word?" Tsunade shook his hand. "You're the one who doesn't know the meaning of overconfidence!"

If Wood Release were that easy, Konoha would've already created new Wood Release users.

But decades had passed, and not a single one had appeared.

"Here," Hanekawa magically produced a jewelry box. "A birthday gift."

Tsunade was momentarily stunned.

She had indeed forgotten it was her birthday.

It wasn't her fault, though. With the constant warfare and her busy schedule, she rarely remembered.

Besides Hanekawa, no one else really cared about her birthday, including herself.

"Where did you buy this?" Tsunade took the box, curious.

"I bought it in Konoha two months ago," Hanekawa explained.

"You're quite thoughtful. Thank you," Tsunade said sincerely after a moment of silence.

"It's nothing extravagant," Hanekawa opened the box. "Do you like it?"

"Another anklet?" Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "Do you have a foot fetish?"

"I do not!" Hanekawa quickly denied. "The previous anklet I gave you was for combat. This one is for everyday wear."

"Is that so?" Tsunade glanced at him. "I didn't get you a gift. I'll buy you something when we return."

"No need for that," Hanekawa smiled. "How about the same as last time?"

Tsunade paused, recalling what she had given him last year—a hug.

She subconsciously pursed her lips, feeling a ripple of emotion.

"Is that not okay?" Hanekawa asked, a hint of disappointment in his voice.

Tsunade put away the jewelry box and looked at him, thinking to herself that a hug wasn't a big deal.

She stepped forward and hugged him.

The soft touch lasted only a moment before she stepped back.

"You can go now. I have work to do," Tsunade turned back to the map.

"Yes, Sensei," Hanekawa sighed, letting her get away with her half-hearted gesture.

After he left, Tsunade placed a hand over her chest and let out a long breath.

She composed herself, sat down, and rolled up her pant leg, revealing her fair ankle adorned with a silver anklet—a previous birthday gift from Hanekawa.

Tsunade removed the old anklet and replaced it with the new one.

The new anklet had a golden hue, covering the top of her foot and looping around her fourth toe.

It looked like a delicate flower blooming on her foot.

Beautiful, but impractical for combat.

No wonder Hanekawa said it was for everyday wear.

Tsunade admired it for a moment, a smile forming on her face.

As a woman, she naturally liked beautiful jewelry.

But her personality and profession as a shinobi meant she rarely bought any.

Having someone buy it for her was quite nice.

After leaving the main tent, Hanekawa didn't return to his own tent. Instead, he went to a nearby clearing.

He formed hand seals, gathering chakra in his throat before spitting out a bullet-like gust of wind.

The wind bullet struck the ground, piercing it and creating a deep, narrow hole, much like a bullet hole.

This was Wind Release: Vacuum Bullet.

He was in a hurry because the progress bar for his B-rank talent, 'Wind Release Special Jonin', was about to reach 100%.

After continuously using wind release techniques for half an hour, several lines of text appeared before his eyes.

[B-rank Talent: Wind Release Special Jonin.]

[Activation Condition: Mastery of nine wind release techniques.]

[Effect: All wind release techniques' power increased by 100%.]

[Note: Learning and mastering more wind release techniques can advance this to an A-rank talent, Wind Release Jonin.]

Hanekawa let out a breath.

After sporadic training over the past six months, he had finally obtained the Wind Release Special Jonin talent.

This meant that all seven of his chakra natures had reached the level of Special Jonin as recognized by the talent system.

The B-rank talent Wind Release Special Jonin didn't need much explanation. Its effects and progression were similar to previous talents.

Hanekawa was more interested in the next two talents.

[B-rank Talent: Seven Natures Special Jonin.]

[Activation Condition: Possess Special Jonin talents in Yin, Yang, Wind, Fire, Lightning, Earth, and Water releases.]

[Effect: Mastery of all seven chakra natures increased by 150%. Resistance to all seven chakra nature techniques increased by 100%.]

Hanekawa was momentarily stunned.

The B-rank talent [Seven Natures Special Jonin] was clearly an upgraded version of the C-rank talent [Five Natures Mastery]

Both shared the effect of increasing chakra nature mastery.

While this effect didn't directly enhance combat power, its importance couldn't be overlooked.

It accelerated Hanekawa's ability to learn and master techniques, and even aided in synthesizing Kekkei Genkai.

However, Hanekawa was more interested in the new effect: chakra technique resistance.

A flood of information entered his mind, and after processing it, he understood what this effect entailed.

In simpler terms, it was like magic defense or elemental resistance.

For example, Fire Release.

Its characteristics were high temperature and combustion, which caused burns when used on a person.

With chakra technique resistance, the burn effect would be significantly reduced.

Or take Yin Release.

Its most direct application was genjutsu.

Previously, if Hanekawa were caught in a genjutsu, it might take him two seconds to break free.

But with the B-rank talent [Seven Natures Special Jonin], he might not fall for genjutsu at all, or break free in just one second.

Undoubtedly, this was an incredibly useful support talent.

It was well worth the effort required to obtain it.

Suppressing his excitement, Hanekawa mentally triggered the synthesis, and several lines of text flashed before his eyes.

The talent he had been most looking forward to had finally arrived.

[A-rank Talent: All-Round Jonin.]

[Activation Condition: Synthesized from B-rank talents Seven Natures Special Jonin and Sensory Special Jonin.]

[Effect: Chakra reserves increased by 300%. Chakra extraction speed increased by 200%.]

[Note: Combining with A-rank talents Seven Natures Jonin and Seven Kekkei Genkai can synthesize the S-rank talent Invincible Shadow.]

Hanekawa's eyes lit up.

The effect of increasing chakra reserves alone made all his efforts worthwhile.

After all, chakra reserves determined a shinobi's ceiling.

In the original story, the strongest shinobi all shared one trait: massive chakra reserves.

Examples included Kaguya Otsutsuki, Hashirama Senju, Madara Uchiha, and Naruto Uzumaki.

With his chakra reserves now tripled, and combined with the effects of the Yin Seal, Hanekawa could rival Kisame Hoshigaki for the title of "Tailless Tailed Beast."

However, the conditions for advancing to the S-rank talent [Invincible Kage] made his head spin.

More accurately, it made his liver ache.

Hanekawa had anticipated the need for A-rank talents in all seven chakra natures, but he hadn't expected the requirement for seven Kekkei Genkai.

Currently, Hanekawa only had one Kekkei Genkai: Lava Release, which he had obtained by defeating the Four-Tails.

It seemed he would have to fight all nine Tailed Beasts.

But aside from the Tailed Beasts he had an advantage against, he wasn't confident about defeating the others.

The next Kekkei Genkai he aimed for was likely Yamato-style Wood Release.

Its synthesis condition was Water Release Jonin plus Earth Release Jonin.

Hanekawa had bet Tsunade three years, but in reality, it would probably take less time.

After all, his various talents provided significant boosts.

And in those three years, he would undoubtedly acquire even more talents.

_

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