Naruto : Crimson wood

"Shun, tell me first—what's your understanding of the Wood Element?"

"I… I don't really understand the Wood Element..." Shun Hayashi scratched his head awkwardly, feeling embarrassed by his answer. After a pause, he added,

"The Wood Element course at our academy mostly focuses on healing and plant growth. I've only just learned how to accelerate plant growth, and that's all thanks to your earlier lesson…"

"But during combat training, you used wood powers to defend yourself. That really shocked me!"

Shun's eyes were full of hope.

It was because of Renji Takahashi that he found a spark of belief in his own future.

If he could learn Renji's defensive Wood Release technique, maybe—just maybe—he could hold his own in battle.

"My Wood style is a little different from the normal Wood Element… but for now, just listen and try to understand," Renji explained thoughtfully.

"Let's set aside healing for now and focus on growth. My technique is still based on growing plants, but I use them for offense and defense."

"The school only teaches you to make plants grow a little faster. But if you can make them grow twice as fast… why stop there?"

Renji's Wood Release, at its core, was all about rapid creation and growth of plants—whether for attack or defense. It was like forcing nature itself to give birth instantly.

If the Wood Element could accelerate plant growth, why not take that concept to the extreme?

Shun frowned in deep thought.

"If you grow plants too fast, they won't develop properly. Their natural structure breaks down if you rush it," he muttered.

"But that's only a problem if your goal is farming or making healthy crops. The academy teaches us to nurture plants for agriculture—to support food supply, not battle."

Shun's voice drifted off as his mind entered a deep flow. His eyes slowly lost focus.

"But what if… we ignored that limitation? What if we didn't care about healthy plants—and just made them grow as fast as possible? Could it become a combat ability instead?!"

Suddenly, his eyes lit up.

He spread his hands in front of him, and pale green spiritual energy burst forth.

Crack!

A split appeared in the wooden floor of Renji's house.

From the crack, a tiny sprout forced its way out. Then, in just a few seconds, it exploded in size—becoming a towering tree over two meters tall and half a meter thick.

"Oh? You have pretty good comprehension!" Renji raised an eyebrow, surprised.

He had just explained the concept to Shun, and the guy instantly grasped it?

The growth speed of this tree far exceeded anything the normal Wood Element had shown before.

"I… I actually made it grow this fast?" Shun stared at the tree, unable to believe it.

Renji nodded. "See? That's the first step. Now you need to learn to control how the tree grows."

"For example, make it spread out to form a shield for defense, or narrow into a spear for attack."

"Once you master that, you'll have your own wood-based combat ability."

"Attack... defense..." Shun muttered, focusing again.

"Wood Element... Attack!"

The wooden floor cracked open once more. A sapling shot up from the floor, its trunk twisting into a sharp spike, and then thrust forward like a spear.

"I did it?!"

Looking at the wooden spear he'd created, Shun couldn't hide his excitement and joy.

"Damn, what kind of monster are you? You figured it out that fast?!" Renji was speechless.

He'd only explained it once—and Shun already grasped the essence?

This guy's learning ability was ridiculous.

"Renji, fight me! Let me test my new wood powers!" Shun said excitedly, unable to sit still.

"No problem," Renji agreed without hesitation.

"But not inside. Let's go outside."

After all, with only two spells, Shun had already wrecked the wooden floors. Even though Renji's family was wealthy, they couldn't afford to keep fixing the house every day.

Outside on the Grass

The two of them soon arrived at the open field outside.

"Mokuton: Tree Wall!"

Renji pressed his hands together and called out. A thick wooden barrier, made from interwoven trees and vines, rose from the earth.

"Alright, try attacking it."

"Got it!"

Shun gathered his energy and swung his palm down forcefully.

"Wood Element: Attack!"

A thick tree shot up from the ground and slammed into Renji's wooden shield.

Bang!

A loud crash echoed through the clearing, splinters flying everywhere.

But it was Shun's attacking tree that cracked. Renji's Tree Wall was only slightly dented—completely intact.

"Ah… I couldn't break it," Shun said, disappointed.

Renji chuckled. "Come on. You just learned this five minutes ago, and you thought you could break my S-Class defense? Then what's the point of me having an S-Class ability?"

Shun's rapid growth amazed Renji.

But no matter how fast Shun learned, his wood abilities were still basic compared to Renji's.

Because Renji's Wood Release wasn't just this world's Wood Element—it was the Wood Release of another world entirely.

The difference between them was like night and day.

"Haha, I guess I was dreaming big," Shun scratched his head, laughing awkwardly.

But deep down, he felt a joy he'd never experienced before. For the first time, he wasn't the useless guy on the battlefield anymore.

"Renji, thank you. Without you, I'd still be a nobody... a failure..."

"Hey, don't say that. This is your own power. You've got one more day before the mission. Go practice. Otherwise, you'll get crushed during the monster hunt."

"I'll train hard!" Shun nodded firmly.

He was so excited, he didn't even wait for Renji to invite him to dinner. He ran off, eager to practice.

Renji watched him go and smiled.

"At least the Wood Element isn't trash anymore."

As his friend, Renji sincerely hoped Shun could live a better life.

But not too much better. Gotta keep some distance between them.

Renji turned back toward the house but suddenly paused.

"Uncle Chen, call someone to fix the floor."

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