Chapter 10: Fisherman

The fact that Hashirama Senju took an apprentice was no secret, but the specific list of names had not been leaked.

So the clan members had only just learned that Chu Yang was the clan chief’s disciple.

“So far, I haven’t heard of anyone successfully mastering Wood Release—Yang is the first!”

“Not only that, his Wood Release is incredibly powerful; just now, many Uchiha elites suffered heavy losses.”

“Yang is a genius in Wood Release! He can surely carry on the clan chief’s Wood Release legacy!”

The group that completed their mission returned to the clan.

The news that Chu Yang’s squad had been ambushed and then counterattacked and killed their enemies spread instantly throughout the Senju clan.

What truly shocked people was not how many Uchiha he had killed, but that he had mastered Wood Release.

No one understood better than the Senju clan how powerful Wood Release was, and Chu Yang was the second clan member to master this Kekkei Genkai—he was bound to draw the entire clan’s attention.

Not long after the news spread, Chu Yang received a summons from Hashirama Senju.

He followed his escort all the way to the clan chief’s residence.

Hashirama Senju, usually so straightforward, did not keep Chu Yang waiting long and appeared before him soon—Hashirama Senju was always accompanied by his younger brother, Tobirama Senju.

That is, the Second Hokage.

Hashirama Senju smiled and led Chu Yang to the courtyard, then said to him: “Show me your Wood Release.”

Chu Yang complied, performing several basic techniques—all of which Hashirama Senju had taught him.

Watching Chu Yang manipulate trees with effortless fluidity, without the slightest hesitation, Hashirama Senju looked at him with admiration.

A glimpse reveals the whole leopard—this alone was enough to demonstrate Chu Yang’s talent in Wood Release.

Kekkei Genkai differs from ordinary ninjutsu; the difficulty and risk of cultivation are extremely high.

If it fails, the fusion of incompatible chakra natures leaves irreversible aftereffects at the bloodline level.

Only those with closely related bloodlines can minimize this risk to the greatest extent.

Hashirama Senju had originally held little hope of finding a successor, until Chu Yang appeared.

The dominance of Wood Release is beyond comparison with most Kekkei Genkai, and cultivation failure is common.

Failure in Wood Release cultivation drains the cultivator’s life force to varying degrees.

Even though the same bloodline exempts most backlash, most of the young men chosen by Hashirama Senju spent long periods bedridden.

This shows just how precious Chu Yang is.

Hashirama Senju vaguely sensed that no second clan member would be able to inherit his Wood Release.

As soon as Tobirama Senju entered, he began sizing up Chu Yang; unlike Hashirama Senju’s warmth, Tobirama Senju’s gaze was aggressively piercing.

Tobirama Senju knew perfectly well how difficult Wood Release was to master, let alone reach a certain level in such a short time.

He scanned Chu Yang like a machine, cold and unfeeling.

Chu Yang disliked this feeling intensely and glared back fiercely!

Tobirama Senju froze…

Someone dared to glare at him?

And it was a child from the clan?

“Hahaha!” Hashirama Senju burst into a hearty laugh upon seeing his brother flustered, “Tobirama, that’s extremely rude—he’s still a child.”

“Big brother, he’s a child, but not an ordinary one,” Tobirama Senju lowered his gaze and said quietly, “He’s already reached the point of manifesting Wood Release’s essence in such a short time—surpassing even Itachi at your peak.”

Hashirama Senju nodded; as the creator of Wood Release, he understood perfectly what Tobirama Senju implied.

This was a gifted boy who needed careful guidance—he could shoulder great responsibility in time.

But Hashirama Senju was not a suitable teacher; in mentoring the young, his brother Tobirama was far better suited.

Indeed, as the founder of the ninja academy, Tobirama Senju had made immense contributions to Konoha’s education system.

Hashirama Senju patted Chu Yang’s shoulder and smiled, “Starting today, study ninjutsu diligently under Tobirama—build a solid foundation. As a ninja, knowing only Wood Release won’t suffice.”

Though Chu Yang appeared calm on the surface, inside he was overjoyed.

Who was Tobirama Senju?

He was one of the rare great inventors in ninja history, having developed countless forbidden jutsu.

Before him, Orochimaru didn’t even rank—he could gain tremendous advancement by learning ninjutsu at his side.

“First, master your taijutsu.”

Tobirama Senju stared at Chu Yang without expression, sounding like a warning as much as advice: “People often say ‘ninjutsu, taijutsu, genjutsu,’ but in truth, taijutsu is the most essential foundation for a ninja.”

“No matter how great your talent in ninjutsu, if your taijutsu is weak, Itachi’ll die more easily on the battlefield than others.”

Tobirama Senju’s expression softened slightly. “I intended to test your taijutsu level, but since Itachi just returned from a mission, rest for now—come see me tomorrow morning.”

Chu Yang nodded obediently this time.

After Chu Yang left, the two brothers resumed their discussion about his cultivation, talking deep into the night.

The next morning, Chu Yang went to visit Tobirama Senju and conveniently had breakfast at the clan chief’s residence.

Like the pirate Chu Yang, the Hokage Chu Yang had no close relatives; most of the time, he either ate at restaurants or begged meals at others’ homes—with the former being more common.

Orphan status was one of Hashirama Senju’s criteria for choosing disciples; if someone could change their fate through Wood Release, Hashirama Senju was more than happy to see it.

Just like Chu Yang.

After breakfast, Tobirama Senju took Chu Yang to his former training ground—actually the place where he had often trained outdoors as a child.

The training ground was small, but all the targets and dummies were present, and the surrounding trees bore the marks of countless practice sessions.

“Show me your taijutsu.”

Saying this, Tobirama Senju formed a single hand seal and summoned a Shadow Clone—he planned to test Chu Yang’s strength with the clone.

Chu Yang did not underestimate the opponent just because it was a Shadow Clone; Shadow Clones varied by user, and a Hokage-level Shadow Clone would certainly be stronger than him.

Before entering the Soul Palace, Chu Yang’s weakness had indeed been taijutsu, as he had devoted most of his energy to studying Wood Release.

But since returning from the Soul Palace, things were entirely different.

The Shadow Clone approached Chu Yang with startling speed; Tobirama Senju, observing from behind, frowned slightly—Chu Yang’s reaction seemed sluggish?

Just as Tobirama Senju was about to give Chu Yang a zero, Chu Yang suddenly moved—he dropped into a wide horse stance, drew his right fist back to his waist like a coiled spring, exhaled lightly, then thrust his fist forward with explosive force.

At the moment Chu Yang punched, Tobirama Senju, standing at a distance, felt the air surge—he was stunned.

[Fisherman’s Karate: Two Thousand Brick Straight Punch]

This punch carried the power to split mountains!

With overwhelming momentum, the Shadow Clone tried to counterattack—but was shattered instantly by the single punch.

(End of Chapter)