The Happy Katsuyu Sage, Successor in Sight

Shikkotsu Forest.

One of the three great sage regions, the habitat of the slugs.

Tsunade had mentioned this matter before, but a specific time had never been set.

Now it seemed the moment had finally arrived.

"Remember, be respectful to Lady Katsuyu later."

Qingyuan nodded.

The so-called slug was actually named Katsuyu.

Qingyuan did not know if all the slugs in Shikkotsu Forest shared this name.

Because the slugs all split from a single main body, they were essentially clones.

However, he did not know if they possessed independent consciousness.

Tsunade formed hand seals with one hand and slammed her palm onto the ground.

The black markings of the Summoning Jutsu bloomed across the floor, and after a puff of white smoke appeared and dissipated, a palm-sized slug sat on the floor.

"Lady Tsunade."

The small slug tilted its head upward, its antennae swaying gently.

"Please send us to Shikkotsu Forest, Lady Katsuyu."

Tsunade crouched down and extended a finger, letting the slug crawl onto her fingertip.

Qingyu watched the conversation between Tsunade and the slug, feeling that it was rather strange.

He could only say that Katsuyu's temperament was far too good; despite being a sage who had lived for a thousand years, she used honorifics with everyone.

The small slug nodded and suddenly vanished.

The next moment, Tsunade grabbed Qingyu.

Before Qingyu could say anything, he and Tsunade disappeared from the spot simultaneously.

Reverse Summoning Jutsu!

Qingyu felt his vision blur, and the wooden floor beneath his feet suddenly turned into damp, soft soil.

He looked up and took in the scene before him.

This was a world completely different from the outside.

Colossal ancient trees towered into the sky, their trunks so thick they would require a dozen people to encircle them, their canopies blocking out the sun and allowing only a few faint rays of light to filter through.

The air was filled with the moist scent of vegetation; every breath Qingyu took felt like drinking mist.

The ground was covered in a thick layer of moss that felt soft and spongy underfoot.

On the tree trunks, between the rocks, and beneath the moss, the figures of slugs could be seen everywhere.

The small ones were only the size of a fist, while the large ones stood half a person's height, slowly slithering among the shadows of the trees.

And in the deepest part of this dense forest, a gargantuan entity lay quietly coiled.

It was a slug of immense size.

Its milky-white skin was patterned with pale blue markings.

Qingyu tilted his head back, barely managing to take in its full form.

"Lady Katsuyu."

Tsunade stepped forward, her tone uncharacteristically respectful.

"This is the Qingyu I mentioned to you, my clansman."

Katsuyu Sage slowly opened her eyes.

She turned her antennae slightly, fixing her "gaze" upon Qingyu.

"So this is Lady Tsunade's clansman..."

Katsuyu Sage's voice was unique, soft and squishy.

Tsunade took a scroll from her bosom and unfurled it before Katsuyu Sage.

The scroll was filled with names, each written in blood that had turned a deep brown with the passage of time.

"Drip your blood on it and write your name."

Tsunade handed the scroll to Qingyu.

Qingyu bit his thumb, and a bead of bright red blood seeped from his fingertip. Just as he was about to write, three lines of text suddenly jumped out at the corner of his eye.

[Collectable trait detected: Natural Energy Affinity]
[C-rank trait: Natural Energy Affinity]
[Effect: Natural energy affinity increased by 60%.]

Qingyu's fingers paused slightly.

C-rank Trait.

Up until now, the number of traits Qingyu possessed was very few.

Yet now, merely by stepping into the territory of Shikkotsu Forest and standing before the Katsuyu Sage, he had dropped a C-rank trait.

At this moment, he suddenly felt the world around him change.

The damp water vapor in the air, which had previously belonged only to the physical realm, now seemed to possess an indescribable texture.

It was as if something was surging toward him from the mist, gently brushing against his skin.

He could not articulate what it was, but he could vaguely sense their presence.

Natural energy?

Qingyu suppressed the thoughts in his mind, pressed his thumb onto the scroll, and wrote his name.

"Oh?"

The Katsuyu Sage let out a soft sound.

Her antennae rose and hovered above Qingyu's head for a moment, as if confirming something.

"This child..."

There was a hint of surprise in the Katsuyu Sage's voice.

"He can perceive natural energy."

Tsunade, who had been leaning against a tree trunk with her arms crossed, straightened up abruptly upon hearing this.

"!"

When she had first stepped into Shikkotsu Forest, she hadn't felt a thing.

Back then, the Katsuyu Sage's assessment of her was that her aptitude was quite good, but she hadn't been able to directly perceive natural energy at the time.

"Tsunade, this clansman of yours is not simple."

The Katsuyu Sage spoke slowly, her antennae turning back toward Qingyu.

"His meridian system is naturally broader than an ordinary person's, and his constitution is also quite special. The bloodlines of the Senju and Uchiha have fused well within him; they do not repel each other, but instead have formed a... hmm, very interesting balance."

Qingyu looked up, meeting those massive eyes.

"Thank you for the compliment, Lady Katsuyu."

Qingyu was neither carried away by the praise nor did he feign a hypocritical level of humility.

Having drawn a grand prize from the lottery at birth, Qingyu was already accustomed to his dual bloodlines.

If he had been born during the era when Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha were both in Konoha—the honeymoon period for the Senju and Uchiha—he surely could have become a bridge between the two clans and caught the attention of Hashirama Senju.

It was just a pity that the Uchiha's reputation was poor now, and the Senju clan had already declined.

The Katsuyu Sage seemed very pleased to see Qingyu.

"It has been a long time since I have encountered a human who can directly perceive natural energy."

Katsuyu spoke.

Then, she turned her head to look at Tsunade.

"When Qingyu grows a bit older, you may bring him here."

The Katsuyu Sage said.

"At that time, you can let him attempt to cultivate the Sage Mode of Shikkotsu Forest."

Qingyu felt a surge of anticipation.

"Sage Mode."

This was the hallmark of the top-tier.

To defeat powerhouses at the Six Paths level, "Senjutsu" was indispensable.

Moreover, the fact that the Katsuyu Sage could proactively suggest this indicated that Shikkotsu Forest indeed possessed a complete "Sage Mode" inheritance.

More importantly, compared to the cruel trials of Ryūchi Cave, where one would be eaten by the White Snake Sage upon failure, Qingyu felt that the training method of Shikkotsu Forest should be much gentler.

"I will, Lady Katsuyu."

Tsunade nodded in agreement, then shifted the topic.

"By the way, I heard that Minato Namikaze is also training in Senjutsu at Mount Myōboku?"

"Is that so..."

The Katsuyu Sage swayed her antennae slightly.

She had been summoned before, so she had met Minato Namikaze and knew he was a ninja of exceptional talent.

However, the Katsuyu Sage thought of Qingyu.

Perhaps, her Shikkotsu Forest would also welcome a successor?

Qingyu felt a slight stir in his heart upon hearing the name Minato Namikaze.

"Lord Minato?"

"Mm, you should be able to meet him in a little while."

Tsunade said casually.

"Minato happens to be out on a mission, but he will return to the village once it concludes. I'll introduce you two then."

Having said that, she patted Qingyu on the shoulder.

The massive snow-capped mountains swayed before Qingyu's eyes.

"Don't just stand there, hurry up and complete the contract."

Qingyu refocused his attention on the scroll.

He pressed his thumb down to draw blood and wrote the final character onto the scroll.

The moment the contract was completed, he felt a faint, ethereal connection establish itself between him and the Katsuyu Sage.