Chapter 255 : Conditions For Using Wood Style

Listening to Kurama’s words, Riku smiled and asked, "Is your other half sealed inside the Fourth Hokage?"

Kurama nodded. It didn’t find the question strange, since it assumed Riku must have read records of Minato Namikaze’s battle during that time. While such materials weren’t available to the public, the ANBU archives still held them.

Riku nodded thoughtfully. "That’s not bad. If you had your complete form, I doubt Naruto’s body would be able to withstand it right now. But tell me—did Lady Mito and Lady Kushina ever use your chakra?"

Kurama thought for a moment before replying, "Uzumaki Mito never used it. I was sealed inside her until the day she died. She never drew on my chakra. But Kushina... she used it many times."

Riku chuckled. "That sounds about right. With her personality, she probably only used your chakra when she absolutely had to. But honestly, if she had wanted to, she could’ve completely controlled you."

Kurama hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "As much as I hate to admit it, you’re right. With Kushina’s strength... if she hadn’t kept her distance from me like Mito did, she could’ve become a perfect Jinchūriki."

Riku laughed again. "Then that means Naruto will be Konoha’s first perfect Jinchūriki. That settles it—do your best not to let him go berserk in the future."

This time, Riku didn’t fight Kurama. The last time they’d met, Riku had shocked Kurama with a brutal dose of electrocution chakra just for the experience.

Kurama eyed Riku curiously. "I’ve always had a question—why do you have so much chakra? Are you from the Uzumaki Clan?"

Riku thought for a moment and then smiled. "Honestly, I don’t know. Do I look like an Uzumaki? Besides, even they don’t have as much chakra as I do. At this point, I think I have at least four times the amount you would in your complete form. I doubt even the First Hokage had more chakra than I do."

Kurama nodded slowly, lying down as it gazed at Riku. "That’s true. The First Hokage’s chakra was about the same as mine—maybe a little more. But when he entered Sage Mode, it was on another level."

"You’ve learned Sage Mode too," Kurama continued, "and yours is the same type as his—a perfect Sage Mode. To be honest, your version is even more terrifying than his."

Riku looked thoughtful and posed a question. "Now that you mention it, I’ve always wondered—where did the First Hokage learn Sage Mode? His version is completely different from the ones in the three great sacred lands. I’ve looked into the Senju Clan’s records, and they don’t mention where he studied."

Kurama closed its eyes in thought. "He probably didn’t learn it from the three sacred lands. Just like his Wood Style, I think it was something he developed himself. After all, he possessed the Sage Body."

"You might not know this," Kurama added, "but the Sage Body traces back to the Sage of Six Paths. Very few people in history have inherited it. In fact, only the Sage’s younger son, Asura, and the First Hokage ever possessed it in the last thousand years."

"And Asura could also use Wood Style. I suspect his chakra was similar in nature to the First Hokage’s."

Kurama’s tone remained calm—it felt strangely at ease with Riku. That in itself was rare. It reminded Kurama of the Eight Tails and Killer Bee’s bond. Strangely enough, Kurama thought that if it had been sealed inside Riku instead of Naruto, it might’ve tried to beat him up at first... but would’ve eventually gotten along.

Riku was the first person since its sealing who was truly willing to talk to Kurama.

Both Mito and Kushina had kept Kurama at arm’s length. They used his chakra by force and respected him from a distance, but they never interacted with him like this.

Riku blinked in surprise. "Asura? The son of the Sage of Six Paths? I didn’t know that. I only read that the First Hokage’s Wood Style was so powerful that it almost killed both you and Uchiha Madara."

Of course, Riku knew much more than he let on—but he couldn’t afford to appear suspicious by knowing too much.

Kurama frowned, clearly displeased. "What do you mean ’almost killed’? Anyone hit with the First Hokage’s jutsu wouldn’t walk away unscathed."

Riku grinned. "True. His True Several Thousand Hands jutsu towered over a thousand meters tall. Not even Madara’s Susanoo could withstand it."

Although Kurama didn’t want to admit it, Riku clearly knew what had happened in that battle. There was no point in arguing.

"I’ve always wanted to see what the True Several Thousand Hands looked like in person," Riku mused.

Kurama gave him a look. "Then you’d need to have Wood Style first. Only then could you even try it."

Kurama paused, eyes narrowing. "Wait a second... when we were in the Land of Wind, didn’t you use the Gate of the Great God technique?"

"You do know Wood Style, don’t you?"

The memory of being smashed into unconsciousness by that very technique came rushing back to Kurama. It stared at Riku in disbelief.

Its expression shifted to something halfway between irritation and awe. "You know Wood Style? You could’ve just summoned a Wood Dragon to suppress me last time! With your chakra, and access to the Senju Clan’s forbidden techniques... have you mastered them? You can even use the Gate of the Great God..."

Kurama shuddered slightly. The thought of Riku using the True Several Thousand Hands against it was terrifying. It might not have survived the attack.

Riku shrugged with a sly smile. "How could I use Wood Style in front of all those people? Using the Gate of the Great God was already pushing it. Honestly, if no one else had been around, I would’ve tested the True Several Thousand Hands right then and there. I haven’t used it yet—it’s been itching to come out."

Kurama gave him a deadpan look. "Aren’t you a little too terrifying? Why do you even have Wood Style? Are you a descendant of the Sage of Six Paths?"

That was the only explanation Kurama could think of.

Technically, Wood Style was just a fusion of Earth and Water chakra natures. But that was theory.

In practice, it wasn’t so simple.

Yamato was the only known shinobi aside from the First Hokage who could use it—and only because he had Hashirama’s cells implanted in his body. Even then, Yamato couldn’t use most of Hashirama’s techniques.

They required not only massive chakra reserves but also a body strong enough to withstand the strain.

Riku was something entirely different.

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