The Sandaime dropped his guard against Naruto. This command meant far more to Naruto than just superficial freedom.
This meant that the idea of creating Wood Release could finally be put into practice.
This thought made his heart pound with excitement.
It wasn't just Wood Release; many other things that had been stalled due to the surveillance could now be put on the agenda.
This was undoubtedly a huge blessing.
Thinking of this, a sense of regret and urgency arose in Naruto's heart.
Precisely because the Sandaime's surveillance was constantly present, like an invisible shackles, he had been forced to act cautiously for years, wasting a huge amount of time and opportunities.
Even when using Shadow Clone, he had to pretend to be very unskilled, achieving success only about three times out of ten attempts.
The feeling of being watched by countless pairs of eyes had restricted his every move.
Forget about trying to save the doomed Uchiha Clan, or even the audacious thought of sneaking over there to secretly swipe two Sharingan eyes for research—high-risk actions like those were out of the question.
He didn't even dare to pull small tricks like using a Shadow Clone to skip classes while his main body went to practice Taijutsu.
Every potential transgression could attract even stricter attention from the Anbu, or even tip off his enemies, jeopardizing his long-term plans.
Now that the restraints were finally lifted, a feeling of exhilaration, like a hidden dragon entering the sea or a bird escaping its cage, surged through his heart.
Logically speaking, he possessed all elemental Chakra natures within his body, except for Yin Release.
As a member of the Uzumaki Clan, he naturally possessed Yang Release.
Naruto decided to start creating Wood Release. Even if he couldn't replicate the terrifying Wood Release of Hashirama Senju—the kind that could instantly create forests and suppress Tailed Beasts—as long as he could reach or even exceed Yamato's level, it would be extremely useful in many future situations.
Thanks to setting Wood Release as his goal early on, Naruto was already prepared and had given it considerable thought.
He understood that so-called Bloodline Limit Ninjutsu was essentially the ability to fuse two different elemental Chakras in a specific, stable ratio, leading to a qualitative change and forming a brand-new Ninjutsu.
Typically, once a person developed a Bloodline Limit, their descendants, inheriting similar Chakra natures and bloodlines, could naturally learn to use that Bloodline Limit as well.
For example, Ice Release (Water + Wind), Lava Release (Fire + Earth), Storm Release (Water + Lightning), Boil Release (Fire + Water), and Wood Release (Earth + Water).
However, Wood Release has one key difference from the other Bloodline Limits: it has not exhibited widespread hereditary transmission.
After Senju Hashirama, none of his direct descendants, nor the entire Senju Clan, were able to reproduce his Wood Release.
Not even Wood Release inferior to Yamato's.
This is the fundamental reason Naruto speculated that Wood Release is actually a higher-level Kekkei Tōta, formed by the fusion of three elemental Chakras.
Although it was mentioned in the subsequent Boruto: Naruto Next Generations that Moegi could also use Wood Release, it was likely the same level as Yamato's Wood Release.
Because her commonly used Ninjutsu were Water Release and Earth Release, not Wood Release.
Furthermore, if Moegi's Wood Release were truly on the level of Senju Hashirama's, she would have already charged into battle with a Great Buddha statue when fighting the aliens and Divine Tree People.
Regarding how to fuse two different elemental Chakras and perform nature transformation, Naruto himself had no experience.
But this did not mean he was entirely clueless.
Because he had the Nine-Tailed.
The Nine-Tailed's Tailed Beast Ball was the ultimate manifestation of fusing two different attribute Chakras: Yin and Yang.
It was the result of fusing Yin Release Chakra and Yang Release Chakra in a 2:8 ratio and pushing the user's Chakra shape transformation to the absolute limit.
The ratio used for the Tailed Beast Ball was precisely what the Nine-Tailed told Naruto personally.
This undoubtedly provided crucial reference and invaluable experienced guidance for Naruto as he explored the fusion ratios and techniques for Earth, Water, and even the potentially necessary Yang Release Chakra that granted Wood Release its vitality.
Conventional Ninja training paths offered virtually no systematic teaching materials or instructors on how to fuse Chakra to create a Bloodline Limit; this was a core secret closely guarded by major clans or genius Ninja.
However, while there was no "Human Instruction Edition," Naruto had the "Beast Instruction Edition"!
Moreover, his "Beast Instruction" teacher was Kurama, the head of the Nine Tailed Beasts, standing at the apex of Chakra manipulation and fusion!
The Tailed Beast Ball, which it mastered, required a level of Chakra fusion complexity and precision that was no less than that of an average Bloodline Limit.
With such a "mentor"—who had lived for nearly a thousand years and possessed a profound understanding of the essence of Chakra—by his side, Naruto's starting point on the path to exploring Wood Release and other powers already surpassed that of most Ninja in the world.
From then on, Naruto's daily routine was packed: mornings were spent doing Might Guy-style extreme Taijutsu training; at noon, he would grab lunch at Ichiraku Ramen for convenience; afterwards, he would buy ingredients at the market and return home; and the entire afternoon was dedicated to the perilous and difficult development of Wood Release.
This process was accompanied by Kurama's frustrated, roaring instruction inside the Sealing Space.
"You big idiot!"
The Nine-Tailed's roar almost shattered the Consciousness Space.
"Can Chakra fusion be achieved overnight? How can you directly smash the two Chakras together right from the start? Be careful, or your Chakra network won't withstand the backlash of a failed fusion and will shatter!"
"Idiot! How many times do I have to tell you? This kind of fusion must proceed simultaneously!"
Seeing Naruto fail yet again, the Nine-Tailed angrily slapped the water surface with its tail.
"Don't try to cautiously condense one type of Chakra first, and then wait for the other type to slowly catch up!
If Earth Release Chakra condenses first, it will slowly solidify into rock; if Water Release condenses first, it will turn into pure water!
Once the nature is set, what good is it trying to add Yang Release Chakra later? Do you want to use Yang Release Chakra as glue to stick water and rock together?"
"No! The feeling is still wrong!"
The Nine-Tailed carefully watched the ball of Chakra dissipate in Naruto's palm once more, a flicker of thought in its eyes.
"A fifty-fifty ratio of Water Release and Earth Release doesn't seem to work. Perhaps... your guess is correct, it needs a third power to harmonize it.
Forget the conventional rules of Bloodline Limits, try adding the Yang Release Chakra from the very beginning, letting all three Chakras spin and fuse together like a spiral, just try it!"
Under the ceaseless scolding and guidance of the Nine-Tailed, his strict "Beast Instruction" mentor, Naruto went through failure after failure. The resulting Chakra turbulence even caused his Chakra network to sting painfully several times.
But relying on the powerful constitution of the Uzumaki Clan and the Nine-Tailed's protection, he stubbornly persevered.
Winter passed and spring arrived; the snow outside the window gradually melted, turning into streams that nourished the earth.
Konoha Village burst with new vitality, and the opening day of the Ninja Academy was approaching.
That afternoon, Naruto was still sitting cross-legged on the cold floor beside his bed, continuing his daily attempts.
Suddenly, his tightly furrowed brow relaxed, and an excited, satisfied smile spread uncontrollably across his lips.
In his open palm, a small point of vibrant green quietly sprouted.
It wasn't an illusory Chakra glow, but a real, small branch with tender green leaves, slowly growing and stretching at a visible speed, radiating a pure and vibrant aura of life.
Although it was barely enough to even do landscaping, he succeeded!