Hashirama Reborn

Now that he had obtained the permission of Lord Slug, Hashirama could not wait to start working, so as not to damage the contents of the box. He carefully held the wooden box with one hand and gently lifted the lid with the other.

Hmm? No response. Hashirama lifted the box and observed it with some doubt. He confirmed that there was no keyhole. So he should just open the lid. Did I use too little strength? After all, it was something that had been preserved for thousands of years. It shouldn't be that fragile. So he tried with all his strength!

Thinking of this, Hashirama exerted force on his feet to ensure that his body was stable. He then exerted force with his palms. Veins on the back of his hands bulged and his fingers were so strong that they almost embedded into the wood grain. However, he still could not move it at all. Let alone open it. There was not even a dent in the box. Hashirama was a little puzzled. Since it was a gift for his descendants, why couldn't it be opened?

The Slug Sage looked at the child opposite and guided him gently, "Hashirama, since Ashura said that it will be given to the person who finds it, then it must be openable. Think about it, what is the key that Ashura is sure his descendants will be able to open?

Wood escape!

Hashirama was delighted. Only a descendant who possessed Wood Release could come to the Wet Bone Forest and find this wooden box. Then, the power of Wood Release must be the one that could open it!

Thinking of this, Hashirama slowly closed his eyes to calm himself, and circulated the Wood Release Chakra in his hands, gently stroking the surface of the wooden box. Sure enough, when the Wood Release Chakra touched the wooden box, the runes carved on it began to emit a green light. As more Wood Release Chakra poured into the wooden box, those runes seemed to come alive, rapidly rotating in order. Gradually, Hashirama seemed to feel the breath from the wooden box, and he had a vague idea that it seemed to be responding to my touch?

After an unknown amount of time, there was a click, and the lid of the box in Hashirama's hand automatically popped up. The wooden box was opened?!

Hashirama suddenly opened his eyes and looked down at the things in the box. It was a thin piece of white paper with mysterious runes engraved on it. In the middle of the runes was a big "Xian" character, and a majestic natural breath was faintly flowing.

Huh?! The Slug Immortal sensed a familiar energy, and suddenly raised his head high, looking at the paper in the wooden box, and said in surprise: It's the Immortal Talisman?!

The Immortal's Talisman? Hashirama asked curiously, "Sir Slug, do you recognize this thing?"

The Slug Sage slowly calmed down and told the origin of this treasure in a gentle voice. Hashirama, the Wet Bone Forest, Mount Myoboku, and Ryuchi Cave are known as the three holy places for summoning beasts, and the Sage's Talisman in your hand came from Mount Myoboku. It is the treasure of the Toad Sage. This talisman contains pure fairy chakra and has the magical effect of bringing the dead back to life.

However, it has been used once a thousand years ago. Even after a thousand years of continuous absorption of natural energy by Ashura's Wood Release, the current Sage's Talisman is no longer the original treasure it was. It cannot bring the dead back to life, but it can certainly save the lives of dying humans.

The Slug Sage pondered for a moment and said, "Hashirama, if you don't need to use it for the time being, you'd better seal it with Wood Release. Ashura's rune can automatically collect natural energy to supply the Sage Talisman in the box. It has been thousands of years of supply to achieve its current effect. If it is opened for a long time but not used, the natural energy will slowly dissipate, and the effect of the Sage Talisman will only get worse and worse, which is a pity."

After hearing the explanation from the Slug Sage, Hashirama hurriedly closed the lid of the box. Without the supply of Wood Release chakra, the wooden box automatically returned to its original state where it could not be opened.

Seeing Hashirama in a hurry, the Slug Sage chuckled and comforted him gently: There are runes on the wooden box that automatically absorb natural energy. Hashirama, you can carry it with you when you practice. It will greatly improve your progress in perceiving natural energy.

OK, OK, thank you, Mr. Slug.

Hashirama put the wooden box directly into his clothes and thanked the Slug Sage sincerely again.

It's okay, Hashirama, just take a good rest today. There will be no time to relax starting tomorrow.

Yes!

Hashirama returned to the wooden house, opened the scroll given to him by the clan, placed the quilt and kitchen utensils in order, and started to light a fire to cook. Hashirama had experienced this once in his previous life and knew that in order to sense natural energy one must have a peaceful mind. In his current state, forced training might not be effective, so he might as well have a good rest.

The next day, by the creek in front of the cabin, the Slug Sage spoke softly: Hashirama, you are in good shape today. It seems that you had a good rest yesterday. So now let's start the first step of the first stage of practice.

You use Wood Release to create a wooden board, and then you sit on the board and float in the water to sense the natural energy. If you get wet, it means you have failed and need to start over. As long as you can keep sensing on the board for five minutes, it means you have succeeded and can move on to the next step. Do you understand?

Hashirama nodded in understanding, and skillfully produced a wooden board and placed it on the water. Without waiting for the board to float away with the water, he stepped lightly on the board and skillfully sensed the natural energy.

Natural energy, or life energy, is an omnipresent flowing force in the world. It exists in all living things, including air, water, soil, plants and animals. If you want to perceive this energy, you first need to keep your inner peace. When you face nature with a pure heart, you can more easily capture those subtle energy fluctuations.

Hashirama slowly closed his eyes and relaxed, carefully sensing everything around him. At the same time, the runes on the wooden box in his arms began to slowly flow with a mysterious glow, autonomously attracting natural energy to gather here. Gradually, all the sounds around him began to fade away, and Hashirama "saw" the growth process of the trees on the opposite bank, how they absorbed nutrients from the soil, and how they converted sunlight into life energy. He "heard" the sound of wind blowing through the leaves and the sound of seeds breaking through the soil. He "felt" faint spots of light emerging from the soil, trees, and rivers, slowly converging towards him and entering his body.

Feeling the natural energy around her slowly converging towards the pillar, the Slug Sage slowly raised her head, her tentacles shaking wildly, revealing her uneasy heart.

How is it possible?! As a human, it is extremely difficult to sense natural energy. Even if Hashirama has Wood Release and a wooden box that absorbs natural energy, he will definitely be faster than other humans. But he learned to sense natural energy in less than a quarter of an hour. Is it really something that humans can do? And not only can he sense, Hashirama even began to absorb the natural energy around him. What's wrong with this child?! Even Ashura, the son of the Six Paths Sage, doesn't have this kind of talent for practice?!