Katsuyu's "Kind"...

At the beginning of September, the buzz surrounding the Joint Chunin Exams had mostly faded, but many students at the Ninja Academy were still discussing it.

Shu Furukawa had not used any flashy ninjutsu in the third round of the exams, nor had he used his short blade.

Using only taijutsu and shuriken techniques, he had nevertheless left an extremely deep impression on the spectators.

Speed too fast for the eyes to follow, a simple downward chop capable of shattering the ground, and a single punch that could even leave behind a huge crater...

Aside from Inabi Uchiha, who had held out for a few exchanges, the opponents in the remaining rounds had practically surrendered the moment they stepped onto the field.

Having just completed the field exercise last month, Obito Uchiha's grades had once again placed him among the top ten in Class A. He had now completely shed the label of "dead last."

Good grades should have been a good thing, but Obito had been unable to lift his spirits for the past two months. During lunch break, he was once again sitting alone in a daze.

"Are you okay, Obito?"

"You've looked like this ever since the Chunin Exams ended. It's worrying."

Rin Nohara came to the boy's side and tilted her head as she asked. Seeing the concern on the girl's face, Obito snapped back to himself and stammered:

"Ah, I... I'm fine. Thanks, Rin. You're the only one who keeps caring about me..."

As he spoke, Obito lowered his head again. In the end, unable to hold it in any longer, he muttered out the trouble weighing on his heart:

"Inabi gets mocked by people in the clan, but he's really strong. He's beaten up a lot of people."

"The Sharingan... I'm afraid that even if I awaken the Sharingan, I still won't be able to catch up to them..."

"Why can the Sharingan be defeated so easily?"

Obito clearly remembered Kakashi praising Shu Furukawa's talent for ninjutsu more than once. Yet during the Chunin Exams, Shu had defeated every opponent using nothing but taijutsu.

After carefully considering what would happen if he stepped onto the field himself, Obito came to the conclusion that he would probably fire off a Great Fireball, then be carried out of the arena...

"Why are you troubled by that?"

"Shu is our companion. There's nothing strange about him defeating the Sharingan!"

"In the Medical Corps, no matter who has a question, Shu patiently answers it."

Rin Nohara straightened up and blinked her large eyes as she voiced her feelings. Hearing this only made Obito more depressed. Bitterness welled up inside him, and he instinctively complained:

"It's not just that guy. Kakashi doesn't seem to care about the Sharingan either."

"He's the one person I don't want to lose to... Rin, I..."

His voice grew softer and softer. Obito had wanted to gather his courage and confess his feelings, but Rin Nohara did not even hear the rest. At the mention of Kakashi, she said with a look of admiration:

"Kakashi? If he became our captain, wouldn't that make us feel really safe?"

"Some genin who have already graduated said Kakashi is very strict when he leads a team. We need to keep working hard too!"

"Let's do our best together, Obito!"

The bitterness in his heart deepened. Obito could not ignore the expectation in the girl's eyes. After holding it in for a long time, he finally said in a quiet, aggrieved voice:

"I'll work hard, Rin..."

On the annual birthday night, Shu Furukawa was once again invited to Tsunade's home.

Two Shadow Clones were cooking in the kitchen. Shu Furukawa pretended not to hear the complaints drifting out. This jutsu truly was quite marvelous.

Shizune, who was helping out, let out an occasional snicker. Tsunade really did not have any talent for cooking...

Dressed in casual clothes, Tsunade emerged carrying an enormous scroll. Seeing Shu Furukawa's surprised expression, she proudly showed it off:

"This is an inheritance unique in the ninja world, from one of the Three Great Sacred Lands—Shikkotsu Forest!"

"If you trace its history back, it should have existed since the era of the Sage of Six Paths. In any case, Katsuyu has lived for a very long time and has an exceptionally gentle temperament. She's completely different from Ryūchi Cave."

"Even if the contractor isn't very strong, there won't be any problems."

"Her understanding of bodily activation surpasses human comprehension. Some of my medical ninjutsu was inspired by it."

Tsunade unrolled the scroll. It bore the names of contractors from the Senju and Uzumaki Clan, followed by Tsunade herself:

"Sign your name in blood, then leave your handprint. Come find me once you're done!"

Without waiting for Shu Furukawa to respond, Tsunade briskly left. Before long, voices came from the kitchen:

"Lady Tsunade, you should go back. That isn't soy sauce..."

"You're only a clone, yet you're so arrogant. As my disciple, you must have secretly complained about me before! Today, I have to prove myself!"

"Um, Lady Tsunade, the eggshells are still in the bowl..."

"What does it matter? Just pick them out!"

Shizune's troubled voice soon followed. Tsunade laughed heartily as she caused trouble, making the kitchen even livelier.

After signing his name, Shu Furukawa closed the scroll. None of the books he had read so far contained anything about the Sage Technique of Shikkotsu Forest. He still needed answers on that matter.

When Tsunade returned to the living room, there was still some flour on her face. Seeing Shu Furukawa hand the scroll back, she smiled and said:

"Watch carefully. Boar—Dog—Rooster—Monkey—Ram."

"Summoning Jutsu!"

A palm-sized slug appeared on the floor. Its white body bore blue markings along its back. The moment it was summoned and saw Tsunade, it greeted her in a soft, sweet voice:

"Lady Tsunade, is this the disciple you mentioned before?"

It wriggled over to Shu Furukawa, waved its feelers, then crawled onto his shoulder. After asking its question, it was about to greet him when it suddenly froze motionless.

"Teacher, what's—"

Before he could finish, Shu Furukawa vanished with a bang. Katsuyu landed on the sofa, and seeing Tsunade rise to her feet as well, she immediately said again in her soft, sweet voice:

"Please do not worry, Lady Tsunade. This is the Reverse Summoning Jutsu of my main body."

"Your disciple possesses extraordinary talent."

"Teacher!"

Shizune hurried into the living room and called out nervously. Tsunade shook her head, a thoughtful look appearing on her face as she murmured:

"Katsuyu's main body..."

In a dense forest stood gigantic trees beyond description. Shu Furukawa tried his best to look upward, but with night having fallen, he could never clearly see the sight above.

"Lord Shu, this way. Please follow me. My main body is not here."

A Katsuyu several meters tall came to Shu Furukawa's side. After indicating for him to climb onto her head, she continued:

"These glowing insects are drawn here by Natural Energy. The dense Natural Energy created this lush forest, and many of my clones enjoy living here."

"We are heading to an underground space formed naturally and later expanded. The Natural Energy there is even denser."

"My main body has always lived there. If you like this place, you may come here anytime in the future."

"..."

Shu Furukawa withdrew his curious gaze and stopped looking at the glowing insects. After quite some time, they arrived before a giant tree. Katsuyu released chakra, and the scene before him changed once more.

The rocks around them seemed to glow. Countless enormous, twisted white roots filled the area, and at the very bottom, an abnormally massive Katsuyu spoke in a cheerful voice:

"My apologies, Lord Shu. I haven't tidied this place up in a long time."

"I'm so happy. At last, I have waited for the appearance of one of my kind!"

Shu Furukawa jumped to the ground. The Katsuyu before him appeared to be several hundred meters long, her raised body like a high-rise building. Hearing that delighted voice, the corner of his eye twitched as he instinctively asked:

"One of your kind?"

"..."