Tree Spirit? Giant Stone Statue?

Having arrived at the outskirts of the Slug Forest, Kanami calmed his mind and activated his Mind's Eye of the Kagura to perceive the subtle changes in his surroundings.

rustle--

Suddenly, the sound of leaves rustling in the wind rang out.

"Found it!"

Kanami suddenly opened his eyes and locked onto a certain location.

With a flash, he reappeared at the Flying Thunder God Mark, a thousand meters away.

At this moment, there was a tall tree in front of Kanami, about two meters thick and several tens of meters high.

Especially at the top of the tree crown, there are lush green leaves.

Compared to the bare forest next to it, it stands out like a crane among chickens.

Looking at the motionless tree in front of him, Kanami chuckled, "Stop pretending. There's never any wind in the Slug Forest, so how could you possibly make the sound of leaves rustling in the wind? Did you just scratch an itch, senior?"

Big Tree: "..."

The tree in front of him remained unmoved, as if it really was just a tree. If Kanami hadn't been able to easily detect the flow of Natural Energy, he might have been fooled.

But now he could clearly sense the abundant Natural Energy within the tree in front of him!

Kanami at the tree, his Chakra circulating according to a certain trajectory.

Fire Style: Lantern Ghost Jutsu.

Then dozens of leaping flames appeared in the air.

The flames illuminated the already dim environment, making the ghostly faces within them appear even more terrifying in the dark, Slug Forest.

Just then, the thick tree in front of them was uprooted and ready to run away.

But just as the tree was uprooted, Kanami slightly moved his fingers, and countless will-o'-the-wisps surrounded it.

"Be careful, senior; this ball of fire is ignitable upon contact."

Upon hearing Kanami's words, the tree gradually shrank, transforming into the size of an ordinary human.

He sighed, "You brat, I've already told you that kid's Senjutsu has nothing to do with me. I'm just an Tree Spirit. If I really knew Senjutsu, would I still be confined to this Slug Forest?"

Kanami stared at the Tree Spirit before him, the expression peeking out from the tree trunk appearing very sincere.

From the moment he discovered the Tree Spirit, he felt an immense life force.

The defining characteristic of Hashirama Senju's Wood Release technique is that it creates living, breathing Wood Release.

Even if Hashirama's Senjutsu wasn't taught by the other party, it must still be closely related.

"I'm not questioning whether you're lying, senior. I genuinely sensed something from you, and in that instant, it seemed like you grasped my Wood Release: Future."

Kanami opened his hand, and a lush and upright sapling slowly sprouted from his palm.

Compared to what was shown to Tsunade a year ago, it was much more relaxed and full of life.

"I just want to observe; I won't interfere with my seniors' lives."

Kanami looked very serious.

The Tree Spirit paused for a moment, then compromised:

"Fine, do whatever you want."

He figured it out: rather than hiding for almost a month, he might as well just go along with the Redhead in front of him.

Once the other party discovers that he is truly just an ordinary Tree Spirit, they will definitely leave.

Senjutsu? He truly knew nothing about them.

Upon hearing the Tree Spirit's agreement, Kanami smiled.

Then he closed his eyes, feeling the abundant life force emanating from the Tree Spirit, and mentally reminded himself that he was also a great tree.

Now, Kanami's mastery of Natural Energy is so great that he can absorb Natural Energy as naturally as breathing without the supervision of the Slug Sage.

The Tree Spirit was slightly surprised to see that the Redhead in front of it had immediately begun to comprehend the teachings.

He didn't expect the other party to get into the zone so quickly.

'Although our personalities are very different, we are surprisingly similar in terms of talent.'

'Unfortunately, I truly don't understand Senjutsu.'

Meanwhile, Hinata Hyuga was continuing her training.

After Hinata fully mastered her Sage Body, her training became twice as effective with half the effort.

Compared to Kanami's absorption of Natural Energy as easily as breathing, her approach was even more outrageous, as she completely skipped the breathing step altogether.

The Giant Stone Statue he had seen when he made a contract with the Slug Sage had gradually become clearer in shape after continuous cultivation.

It's obvious that that wasn't the Slug Sage's true form.

Instead, it was an even larger outline, clearly resembling a Giant Humanoid Figure.

Hinata was diligently training, suddenly felt her eyelashes flutter.

A powerful, aged voice suddenly echoed in my mind.

"Byakugan Princess, we cannot let the Shinobi World created by my brother be destroyed..."

Upon hearing this, Hinata instantly woke up, her eyes widening.

"What was that voice just now...? Why did it feel so familiar?"