Chapter 459: Ninja Way Origins Research Society’s Founding Ceremony (Part 4)

Meanwhile, beside them, Jiraiya wasn’t thinking that far ahead, but his heart was filled only with delight.

He knew Shinichi was not someone who spoke empty boasts. If he said it was so, then it was so.

And he understood all too well what this meant.

Shinichi had once told him that many wars were fundamentally struggles over survival and resources, and that if one wished to eliminate war, one first had to solve the problems of survival and resources.

The rice stalk before them was the key to solving part of that problem, and it was a solid step forward on the road to peace.

At the edge of the distant crowd, the gray-robed monk remained expressionless. Beside him, the young monk looked at the rice stalk in Shinichi’s hand for a long moment before smiling faintly and softly uttering a single word.

"Good."

"If what benefactor Shinichi Higashino says is true, then it truly is an immense blessing for all living beings in this world. What do you think, senior brother Nitai?"

"So what?" Madara snorted coldly.

After pondering for a moment, he said, "All conditioned phenomena are like dreams, illusions, bubbles, shadows, dew, or lightning; they should be viewed as such."

Hearing this, Genjo glanced at him before shaking his head.

"Senior brother, that’s not what that passage means. You’re using it in the wrong context."

Madara: "..."

On the stage, Shinichi did not continue speaking immediately, giving everyone a little time to digest what they had heard.

He did not know exactly how much the hybrid rice developed by that elderly man from his previous life had increased yields when it first appeared. Still, the first batch of hybrid rice cultivated through the Cultivation Lord had consistently shown a 30% to 50% increase in his own tests. With meticulous care and exceptionally abundant nutrients, the yield could even double.

A moment later, once the murmuring gradually subsided and everyone’s attention returned to the stage, Shinichi spoke again.

"I’m sure many of you are wondering whether what I, Shinichi Higashino, have said is true. At the moment, I can’t give you a direct answer, because truth comes from practice. The real answer will reveal itself naturally next year, after the spring planting and autumn harvest. Let’s set that aside for now. Instead, let me explain where this rice came from and why it is related to the diversified applications of chakra."

He paused before continuing.

"I’ll avoid making this too academic or technical and explain it as simply as possible. Last month, while surveying rice fields throughout the Land of Fire, I found a special rice plant. The method I used to find it... Was sensory perception."

Sensory perception?

The moment those words were spoken, many people in the audience revealed puzzled expressions, especially the capable ninja and members of sensory clans.

But before long, most of them nodded in understanding.

After all, sensory perception was an extremely broad concept, and conventional chakra sensing was a form of perception.

The Hyūga clan’s Byakugan insight was also a form of perception.

The Inuzuka Clan’s scent tracking and the Aburame Clan’s insect detection were likewise forms of perception. Even sensing good and evil counted as perception.

Shinichi Higashino was already famous for his extraordinary sensory abilities. Now that his perception had expanded to include the life state of plants, it sounded unusual, but when applied to this unprecedented genius, it somehow didn’t seem that difficult to accept.

But he had said "A single plant."

If it had only been one plant, then where had the entire batch in his possession come from? And what gave him the confidence that this rice would produce higher yields than ordinary rice?

New questions surfaced in many people’s minds, and they turned their attention back to the young man on the stage. His smile remained unchanged, as though he had anticipated everyone’s doubts from the beginning.

"And the method used to cultivate it also comes from the diversified applications of chakra."

As he spoke, Shinichi once again took several rice seeds from inside his robe and held them in his palm.

The next instant, before countless astonished eyes, the seeds visibly split open, sprouted, elongated, and matured.

In only a few dozen breaths, they completed the entire process from seed to fully grown rice stalk. The emerald-green stem swayed gently in his palm, while the grains shimmered faintly beneath the morning sunlight.

"Wood Style?!"

Sosho’s pupils contracted as he cried out in shock, and he immediately turned toward the equally astonished third Hokage.

"Hokage-sama, was Captain Shinichi Higashino using Wood Style just now?"

The third Hokage stared at the rice stalk still gently swaying in Shinichi’s palm for quite some time before slowly shaking his head.

"It wasn’t Wood Style. It should be a combined application of Light Style, Earth Style, and Water Style."

There was something else the third Hokage did not say aloud.

Even the first Hokage’s Wood Style had never been capable of accelerating the growth of naturally occurring plants. Wood Style could only stimulate the trees it created itself; it could not hasten the growth of plants produced by nature.

Which meant that what the young man before him had accomplished had already surpassed every Ninjutsu system he knew.

"When did this kid come up with another technique like this?"

Tsunade muttered quietly, her eyes fixed on her student atop the stage, her heart swelling with indescribable pride. Beside her, Orochimaru gently licked the corner of his lips as he gazed at the vibrant rice stalk as though it were an experimental specimen of unparalleled interest.

Jiraiya simply grinned from ear to ear. He had known the kid wouldn’t disappoint.

"Growth Acceleration Technique! I hereby name this Ninjutsu the Growth Acceleration Technique!"

Holding the rice stalk aloft, Shinichi spoke slowly.

Shinichi himself had originally been unable to directly accelerate the growth of naturally occurring plants, but Genjo, who was naturally compatible with Light, Earth, and Water Style and had mastered Wood Style, could accomplish it.

Over the past few days, Shinichi had repeatedly studied the way Genjo circulated chakra and balanced multiple chakra natures while accelerating plant growth. Combining that with the conditions of his own body, he had conducted countless private experiments before finally succeeding in accomplishing the feat of accelerating the growth of naturally occurring plants.

Although he was still nowhere near as proficient or effortless as Genjo, it was more than sufficient for today’s occasion.

"The Growth Acceleration Technique is a combined application of Light Style, Earth Style, and Water Style."

"Light Style grants the seed vitality and awakens its innate instinct to grow. Earth Style simulates and optimizes the environment for root expansion within the soil, allowing the roots to anchor deeply and spread their branches in the shortest possible time."

"Water Style delivers water and nutrients to every cell inside the seed with the most precise proportions. When these three work together, they can accelerate a seed from germination to heading in only a matter of minutes."

Shinichi deliberately did not classify the Growth Acceleration Technique as an application of Wood Style.

First, he himself did not possess Wood Style, and there were too many powerful experts present to fool them.

Second, even if he had mastered Wood Style, he would still have classified it as the combination of Light, Earth, and Water Style, because he was uncertain whether he could generate the corresponding talent.

Only a small number of people knew that Wood Style was a Kekkei Genkai combining Earth and Water Style.