"Boom—"
In just a short moment—
Without any accident—
A vast surge of energy erupted from within the Wood Clone's body.
Its quality was completely different from the chakra he usually refined.
The difference was like heaven and earth.
Without a doubt—
That was Sage Chakra.
"Rustle… rustle…"
Inside the room—
Which wasn't very spacious and had been specially designated by Akira Ren for training—
Tender green sprouts suddenly appeared out of thin air.
They began growing from the ground at a speed visible to the naked eye.
In the blink of an eye, the entire room became covered with vines and lush trees.
Flowers bloomed everywhere.
What was even more astonishing—
The Wood Clone's hair began to grow rapidly.
It transformed into a crystalline green color, gleaming with a radiant sheen.
Two streaks of green eye shadow also appeared around its eyes.
The entire figure seemed to completely merge with nature itself, radiating an astonishing vitality.
The Sage Chakra within its body was extremely stable.
There was none of the violent turbulence he had anticipated.
Instead, it was unbelievably gentle—
As if it had always belonged to him.
He could control it freely, without the slightest resistance or difficulty.
"It worked…"
Akira Ren revealed a satisfied smile.
Sure enough—
Just as he had predicted from the beginning.
As the user of the Logia-type Mori Mori Fruit, he was fundamentally different from others.
He didn't merely possess the Wood Release Bloodline Limit.
He himself was the embodiment of the forest.
One could even say he was the embodiment of nature itself—
The very source of life.
How could natural energy possibly reject something that was essentially part of itself?
Soon—
His Wood Clone continuously absorbed the natural energy drifting through the air, refining it into large amounts of Sage Chakra.
Until the limited chakra originally within the clone had completely fused with natural energy, transforming entirely into Sage Chakra.
At that point, it could no longer continue absorbing more.
To be safe, Akira Ren had only allocated one-tenth of his chakra to the clone.
Finally—
The Wood Clone voluntarily dispelled itself.
Poof—
A cloud of smoke spread out.
In that instant—
A subtle transformation occurred within Akira Ren's body.
It was as though he had merged with nature itself.
"Whoosh—"
His black hair turned directly into a crystalline green, brimming with vitality.
It rapidly lengthened, cascading down behind him.
Soft and flowing, it swayed gently even without wind.
Meanwhile—
His eyes began to emit a faint, luminous glow.
Inside the room, which had already transformed into a sea of flowers—
Blossoms continued to grow and bloom endlessly.
The sight was almost unbelievable.
At that moment—
A mysterious sensation filled him.
It was as though heaven and earth, the myriad phenomena of nature, were all at his command.
Akira Ren couldn't help but immerse himself in the feeling.
"So powerful… Is this the Sage Mode?"
He murmured softly.
At this moment, he felt almost like an omnipotent god.
The entire Konoha Village, and even the vast regions beyond it, could not escape his senses.
His already formidable perception had become unbelievably exaggerated in Sage Mode.
Countless chakra signatures—
Every subtle ripple of life—
Nothing could hide from him.
Everything was crystal clear in his mind.
Cough—cough…
From outside the door—
A violent coughing fit suddenly echoed through the hallway.
Ren couldn't help but feel somewhat helpless.
So… after hiding it for so long, it still couldn't be hidden in the end.
"Whoosh—"
With a single thought—
He naturally withdrew from Sage Mode.
The green hair that had grown down to his shoulders rapidly shrank back to its original length.
The green eye shadow disappeared instantly.
Opening the door, his pupils contracted slightly.
Even the corridor outside had become filled with blooming flowers and green leaves.
Looking toward the living room—
His grandmother, Akira Nao, stood there with a face full of shock.
For a moment, Ren didn't know what to say.
"Grandma, you…"
"Wood Release… I never expected that before entering the grave, I would see it appear again… cough cough…"
Akira Nao stared at the flowers and grass covering the floor in disbelief.
Then she looked at her grandson.
Her wrinkled face was filled with a mixture of excitement and complicated emotions.
Her lips trembled as she coughed.
"Grandma should have realized it earlier… cough cough… Ren, you've awakened Lord Hashirama's Wood Release…"
"You were born with enormous chakra reserves, and your sensory abilities are incredibly strong…"
"Your talent in medical ninjutsu even surpasses your father, Daichi. Before the age of eight, you already perfectly mastered an A-rank medical technique like the Mystical Palm Technique…"
Supported by Akira Ren and leaning on her cane—
She gazed at her grandson, who suddenly seemed both familiar and unfamiliar.
Her voice carried deep emotion.
"That chakra filled with powerful life force has been sustaining this old woman's life all along."
Although she wasn't particularly strong—
She wasn't an ordinary person either.
In her prime, she had once been an elite chūnin.
Every time this grandson examined and treated her—
How could she possibly fail to notice that something was unusual?
Over the past three years—
If he hadn't continuously infused chakra into her body every single day to nourish her nearly exhausted life force—
She likely would have passed away long ago.
"Grandma… you're not curious at all?"
Akira Ren looked at her in surprise.
His grandmother clearly believed he had awakened Wood Release.
Although she was shocked and excited—
She didn't seem confused or unable to understand it at all.
Instead, she accepted it surprisingly quickly.
If it had been someone else—
They would probably be utterly bewildered.
Cough cough…
"There's no need to be surprised…"
Akira Nao said softly as she continued coughing, smiling faintly at Ren's puzzled expression.
"Your aunt Akira Yuriko and I were both originally members of the Senju clan."
"We simply followed the clan's arrangements and married civilian ninja within the village."
"What!?"
Akira Ren's eyes widened in shock.