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Wood Release (木遁, Mokuton; English TV "Wood Style") is an advanced nature kekkei genkai that combines earth- and water-based chakra to create wood and/or living trees. Wood Release techniques can be produced from anywhere, including the user's body, as the user's chakra is literally converted into a source of life. Wood Release is commonly affiliated with the Snake seal. The technique which consists on manipulating wood is called Wood Release Technique (木遁の術, Mokuton no Jutsu).
Hashirama Senju was the originator of this ability, evidenced by the fact that no other member of his clan were known to possess this ability. His ability to use these techniques was one of the reasons for him being given the title of the First Hokage, and with Wood Release Secret Technique: Nativity of a World of Trees he was able to grow the trees that served as the foundation of Konohagakure. This technique allowed him to completely reshape the battlefield to his advantage.
Orochimaru, in his quest to harvest the First Hokage's abilities, injected his DNA into sixty test subjects, and out of the sixty only Yamato survived. This gave Yamato the Wood Release abilities. However, he is not as masterful as the First. Orochimaru also performed a similar procedure on Danzō Shimura by implanting the First's cells in his right arm. While Danzō is capable of using this power at a similar level to Yamato, it appears Danzō's version is much cruder and causes a much more significant drain of chakra with each usage, causing Danzō to avoid using it whenever possible. As stated by Madara Uchiha, the First's powers are not so easy to control, and that when Danzō was on the verge of death, the cells in his arm went berserk, trying to swallow him whole by converting him into a tree. White Zetsu was also created from the First's cells and as such, he can also use this element.
A related technique is the Hokage-Style Sixty-Year-Old Technique - Kakuan Entering Society with Bliss-Bringing Hands. This technique produces a seal "sit" (座) on the user's right hand that can suppress a tailed beast's influence over its host. This is done by producing wooden dragons from the ground that attach to the host and force the tailed beast's chakra to recede. Hashirama's necklace aided in this technique's execution, but its exact purpose was unclear. After Naruto destroyed the necklace, Yamato implied that he could no longer suppress the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox's influence.[1] However, later during Naruto's training to control the Nine-Tails', when he was transforming, Yamato stated that he would try nonetheless,[2] though his ability alone was ineffective.
Trivia
- Wood Release parallels the real-life ninja art "mokuton-no-jutsu". One example of real-life mokuton-no-jutsu is Tanuki-gakure: the practice of climbing a tree and camouflaging oneself within the foliage.
- While Hashirama Senju is the originator, it should be noted that he's the only noted member of the Senju clan to have possessed it. In can be said in regards to this that his considerable vitality is restricted solely to him, and not the Senju clan at large itself.
