Naruto : Crimson wood

The wood-type ability book was still a bit thick—about the width of a finger.

It was a stark contrast to the thin Spirit Eye book.

"Let's see what kind of powers the wood element has..." Renji muttered as he flipped open the first page.

"Growth Acceleration: Stimulates rapid plant growth, shortening their natural cycles. Useful for crop cultivation."

"Seed Reproduction: Allows the user to replicate plant seeds using spirit energy. Best suited for producing food crop seeds."

"Minor Healing: Wood abilities carry life energy capable of healing small wounds. This is the most basic support ability for a team."**

"Huh... I don't even know how to describe these," Renji frowned.

The first two abilities clearly screamed "farming."

But honestly? Farming wasn't exactly in demand these days.

Sure, living conditions were harsh, but food shortages weren't a big concern. That was partly thanks to wood-ability users growing crops—and partly because monster meat, rich in energy, had become the staple diet.

So yeah, wood powers had their place... but it wasn't exactly combat.

Then there was the healing side.

Wood-type healers were also... unimpressive. They could only patch up minor injuries. Anything serious? Forget it.

In comparison, water-type psychics were much better healers. Water could heal more severe wounds and, bonus, water psychics were far more common.

That meant the water element had better-developed cultivation paths, more complete training systems, and stronger power books.

So whether in farming or healing, the wood element was playing catch-up. Even water-users in support roles could control battlefields better than wood psychics.

And there it was—the awkward truth of the wood element. Neither its farming abilities nor its healing skills were really useful in modern combat.

In other words... useless.

And to top it off, Renji's Spirit Eye wasn't much better.

On paper, "S-rank" meant high potential. But when the abilities themselves capped out at low-tier uses, potential didn't mean much.

No wonder people called him "the strongest waste of the S-rank psychics."

Even Renji had to admit—under Azure Dragon Academy's power system, the Wood and Spirit Eye paths led nowhere.

But... that was their system.

Renji wasn't limited to it.

He had awakened Wood Release and the Sharingan—powers far beyond what this world understood.

They called wood and spirit useless. But what did that have to do with his Wood Release and Sharingan?

Still, it wouldn't hurt to master the basics. Renji figured he might as well learn the standard techniques for the Spirit Eye and Wood abilities. The more you know, right?

Once the theoretical lessons ended, the students moved out to the large balcony to practice.

The auxiliary class wasn't entirely wood users. Actually, wood psychics were rare.

Including Renji, there were only two of them.

The rest? They'd ended up in the support class because their powers were too weak to qualify elsewhere. Most were stuck with single-element abilities below D-rank—barely worth teaching.

They'd be cannon fodder someday. Simple as that.

With everyone practicing, the balcony lit up in a rainbow of powers.

Renji found a patch of grass in a quiet corner and began testing Growth Acceleration.

He placed his palm over the roots and let a gentle stream of wood-element spirit energy flow out, wrapping the grass in green light.

In seconds, the small tuft of grass stretched tall and lush, growing visibly before his eyes.

"The effect's pretty decent... but not exactly battle-ready," Renji sighed.

This world really hadn't explored wood powers much. No offense. No defense. Just farming.

Still, he kept practicing.

That's when a small, nervous-looking boy approached him.

"Um... h-hi. I'm Wei Lin," the boy stammered.

Renji gave a polite smile. "Hey, I'm Renji."

Wei Lin hesitated, gathering his courage. "C-could I ask you something?"

"Sure?"

"Could you, uh... teach me? I'm wood element too, but I can't figure out Growth Acceleration yet. I saw you using it, so... um... I thought maybe..."

The kid was so timid, constantly watching Renji's face like he expected to be scolded.

Oh, right. The only two wood users in the class.

Renji vaguely remembered—Wei Lin was a C-rank single wood element, which... yeah, sucked.

"Why not ask the teacher? Oh wait..." Renji glanced over at their strict instructor, Professor Shizuka Sumiya, and immediately understood why Wei Lin didn't dare approach her.

Fair enough.

"Alright, I'll help you out. But no promises, I just learned it myself."

Wei Lin brightened up. "R-really?! Thank you!"

"It's nothing major. Don't sweat it."

Renji taught him the basics of Growth Acceleration and Seed Reproduction, explaining as best he could.

Wei Lin bowed repeatedly. "Thank you! Thank you so much!"

Renji waved it off. "No need to thank me for something this small."

The first day of class wrapped up quickly.

Most students felt satisfied. They'd finally learned a few powers, and that alone boosted their spirits.

As Renji packed up to leave, he noticed someone else heading for the door at the same time.

It was Yuna Hoshizaki.

The school beauty.

As always, Yuna drew every eye in the room without even trying.

Renji slowed his steps, giving her space to go first.

But then—unexpectedly—she paused beside him, turned, and gently extended her pale, slender hand.

She smiled faintly. "Hello, Renji Takahashi."

Renji froze for a second.

Was... was she greeting him? Voluntarily??

"Uh... hey." He shook her hand politely.

Every student in the class, and some passersby outside, stared in stunned silence.

Yuna Hoshizaki... just took the initiative to greet a guy?

And shook hands?!