"What!?"
Akira Ren stood there in a daze.
In his memory, he had indeed met his aunt Akira Yuriko a few times.
However, she had unfortunately passed away several years ago.
He also had a five-year-old cousin named Akira Mei, who had not yet officially entered the Ninja Academy.
But if nothing unexpected happened, once she enrolled she would likely become a playmate of Sarutobi Konohamaru, the grandson of the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen.
What had always puzzled Akira Ren, however, was something else.
If he remembered correctly, this little cousin of his would later become a jōnin instructor in Konoha.
And somehow—
She would even awaken the Wood Release Bloodline Limit.
Although her strength wasn't particularly outstanding, the fact itself was rather unbelievable.
For a long time, Akira Ren had secretly wondered whether Akira Mei might have gained Wood Release through some kind of human experiment, like the ANBU member "Tenzo", who had fused the First Hokage's cells into his body.
Thinking about it now—
He suddenly nodded in realization.
"So that's how it is…"
It seemed that in the future, Akira Mei would likely awaken Wood Release through her own bloodline, rather than through experiments involving the First Hokage's cells.
However, because she was not the reincarnation of Asura's chakra, and lacked the support of Yang Release power, her Wood Release would be relatively limited.
It would not be particularly superior compared to other Bloodline Limits.
Its power would naturally fall far short of the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama.
But Ren was different.
The ability of the Logia-type Mori Mori Fruit had turned him into the embodiment of nature itself.
In essence, he had become the source of life.
That meant he had indirectly obtained a tremendous Yang Release–like vitality.
Therefore—
Aside from his current chakra reserves being somewhat insufficient, the Wood Release he wielded was no weaker than that of the First Hokage.
Strictly speaking, it might even be stronger.
Because he could not only drain other people's chakra and bodily nutrients to replenish himself—
He could also perfectly fuse different bloodlines, allowing him to obtain their Bloodline Limits.
And with the Senju bloodline perfectly inherited—
Combined with the Uchiha bloodline he had fused through the Mori Mori Fruit's devouring ability—
One could say he had already reached a height that countless ninja would spend their entire lives unable to approach.
With the extraordinary talent and comprehension he was born with—
As long as he put in a little effort, his future achievements would certainly not fall below those of the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama.
Even though he was not the reincarnation of Indra or Asura, the sons of the Sage of Six Paths—
Given enough time, it wasn't impossible for him to rival—or even surpass—the First Hokage, once known as the God of Shinobi.
"Ahem… That's right. What I never expected was that from the moment you were born, Ren, you perfectly inherited the bloodline of the Senju clan."
Akira Nao continued coughing.
A faint flush of excitement and joy appeared on her sallow, aged face.
"You were born with chakra reserves far exceeding those of your peers, and you possess astonishing sensory abilities… cough cough…"
"Your talent in medical ninjutsu even surpasses that of your father, Daichi. Before turning eight, you had already perfectly mastered an A-rank medical technique like the Mystical Palm Technique…"
She leaned on her cane, speaking slowly but with obvious emotion.
"These kinds of gifts… even within the once-prosperous Senju clan, only a small number of people possessed them."
"And among them, the most outstanding were Lord Hashirama and Lord Tobirama."
"But what I never expected most…"
"You actually awakened Lord Hashirama's Wood Release!"
However—
Akira Nao had no idea.
Akira Ren had not only awakened Wood Release—
But had just now also self-taught himself Perfect Sage Mode.
If she knew that as well, she would probably be so shocked she wouldn't be able to say a word.
…
Time passed little by little.
Before they realized it, evening had already arrived.
After repeatedly confirming that her grandson had awakened Wood Release, Akira Nao had been so excited that tears filled her eyes.
She held onto Akira Ren and talked with him the entire afternoon.
But in the end—
Her age caught up with her.
After dinner, exhaustion overwhelmed her, and she soon fell into a deep sleep.
Meanwhile, the flowers and plants that had grown throughout the room during Sage Mode had already been quietly cleared away.
Naturally, this was done to ensure the secret wouldn't leak out.
"These past few days, I've already finished designing the puppet blueprint… It's about time I tested it in practice."
Late at night—
Akira Ren didn't intend to go out again.
Instead, he gathered several pieces of wood along with paint, brushes, carving knives, and other tools.
Then he began working busily in his room.
Spread out before him was a sheet filled with sketches and complex structural diagrams.
This was a puppet design he had created himself—
After thoroughly studying the puppet technique books and memorizing their key principles.
Or rather—
It could only really be considered a puppet toy.
Because once assembled, the puppet he designed would only be the size of a palm.
As a qualified medical ninja who had handled scalpels since childhood, Akira Ren's craftsmanship with a blade was naturally excellent.
Shhk… shhk…
His fingers moved the carving knife with incredible speed.
Each motion was skillful and precise.
Pieces of wood were gradually carved into delicate components of various shapes and sizes.
Then he began assembling them one by one.
Before long—
Two puppet dolls with different appearances were completed.
He even used paint to color them.
The one on the left had two round buns in her hair, a delicate doll-like face, and a bright cheerful smile.
It was unmistakably a chibi version of Tenten.
The other puppet had a ponytail with a butterfly-shaped hair accessory.
Her figure was graceful, and she looked adorable.
However—
Inside both dolls, the joints and mechanical components were extremely intricate.
If enlarged and constructed with better materials, they would undoubtedly become excellent combat puppets.
Especially once fitted with blades and hidden weapons—
They would instantly become terrifying killing machines.
"Whoosh—"
Akira Ren extended both hands.
From the fingertips of each hand, five thin chakra threads extended outward.
They instantly connected to the two puppet dolls.
Following the puppet manipulation techniques and control principles he had learned from the books—
Combined with his extremely refined chakra control—
He began attempting to manipulate them.
Click… click…
In an instant—
The two puppet dolls seemed to come to life.
Under his control, they moved with surprising liveliness.
They began with simple arm swings and kicks—
Then progressed from walking to running.
From jumping to rolling.
Everything was executed smoothly and effortlessly.
Finally—
The two puppet dolls began dancing gracefully.
It looked like a Ninja World version of "Gokuraku Jōdo."
"Huh… this doesn't seem very difficult after all."