"A thousand years ago, I was just a weak little slug."
"I don't know when it started, but I gradually gained 'consciousness,' and then vaguely sensed a kind of energy."
"Instinctively absorbing and using that power, I eventually became aware of my own existence."
"Then one day, visitors from beyond this world arrived on this continent, completely changing my fate."
Within the hidden, dense forest, giant trees swayed in the sunlight as though stretching their bodies in the wind. The enormous slug shared her experiences in a soft, squishy voice.
"You mean creatures from beyond the planet came here?"
Shu Furukawa had just celebrated his eighth birthday when he visited Shikkotsu Forest for the second time. Sitting atop Katsuyu's head, he took the initiative to ask, and she kindly continued:
"Yes. That was something I only realized after continuously learning over time."
Katsuyu slowly squirmed through the forest, carrying Shu Furukawa as she continued showing him around the place where she lived.
"Perhaps a battle took place, or perhaps something else happened. In any case, the visiting creature was injured."
"The scattered flesh and blood ultimately became nourishment for evolution. Looking back now, it wasn't flesh and blood at all, but a kind of energy I couldn't comprehend."
Katsuyu did not boast; she was simply sharing. After bringing Shu Furukawa onto the branch of a giant tree, she suddenly sighed.
"It was this energy that made me what I am today, allowing the weak slug I once was to gradually become stronger."
"After it transformed my body, I could absorb energy from nature more efficiently. Later, I also came to know the toad clan."
"The white snake now known as the White Snake Sage also mastered the same ability. Back then, we would exchange ideas with each other, until another upheaval struck this land."
A trace of sorrow entered Katsuyu's soft voice. She seemed to miss that time dearly, while Shu Furukawa, deep in thought, asked again:
"The upheaval was those enormous tree roots you showed me?"
"It seems you've guessed it, Lord Shu. Gamakichi told us that the monster had turned into a giant tree, and Natural Energy was weakening."
"At the time, there was nothing we could do. After who knew how many years, that giant tree bore fruit, and Natural Energy gradually returned to normal."
"The Rabbit Goddess was the visitor from beyond this world. She took the fruit, but the giant tree remained, and even transformed into a monster for a time."
"This turmoil was eventually quelled, but Natural Energy began to weaken again."
Katsuyu's feelers twitched. Seeing no confusion on Shu Furukawa's face, she could not help but breathe a sigh of relief.
"The giant tree didn't merely absorb Natural Energy. In fact, it could absorb all forms of energy, including life."
"After another unknown number of years, the Rabbit Goddess had two children. It was at this time that Gamakichi's proposal led us down different paths."
Shu Furukawa gazed over the forest. The trees here differed somewhat from those in the Land of Fire, and the 'essence' energy obtained after [Collection] seemed much denser.
The species of trees were different as well, though Shu Furukawa truly could not identify them. Katsuyu's clones squirmed and communicated atop some of the leaves, and the entire place brimmed with life.
"Did the Great Toad Sage want to stop the giant tree from plundering the planet's energy?"
Apparently not expecting Shu Furukawa to understand so well, Katsuyu swayed her body in acknowledgment and continued:
"Yes. Gamakichi feared that one day, the Rabbit Goddess and the monster would drain away all energy. He wanted to strike first."
"However, neither the white snake nor I agreed with that idea, because we chose different paths in how we used energy."
"Living in harmony with nature has always been the toad clan's philosophy."
"The white snake wanted to pursue evolution and become a dragon?"
"And I only wanted to survive. Lord Shu, you should understand. We all possess the ability to devour energy, and coexisting with Natural Energy is inherently difficult."
Although he felt that she had misunderstood something, Shu Furukawa did not explain. Instead, he nodded in agreement.
Katsuyu seemed very happy to receive his response. As she slowly squirmed onward, she calmly continued recounting these ancient 'secrets.'
"In the end, Gamakichi chose to contact those two children. His power of prophecy took effect, and both the Rabbit Goddess and the monster disappeared."
"However, the tree roots spread throughout the entire planet remained behind. It took me a long time to determine where most of those roots were located."
"That truly was unimaginable power. If the giant tree had been allowed to keep absorbing energy, perhaps this planet really would have lost all of it."
"Next came the story of Hagoromo Otsutsuki, known as the Sage of Six Paths. He seemed even stronger than the Rabbit Goddess, yet he advocated peace."
"His descendants seemed to become divided over their beliefs and inheritance. Over the long passage of time, they eventually evolved into the ninja of today."
"..."
After a moment of silence to let Shu Furukawa digest the information, Katsuyu squirmed off the tree trunk, returned to the ground, and continued moving through the forest.
"Only through later learning did I discover that giant tree was called the 'God Tree,' the monster was called the 'Ten-Tails,' and the goddess was named Kaguya Otsutsuki."
"Though I cannot be certain what happened even earlier, the energy that changed me was most likely 'chakra.'"
"As for my Senjutsu, it is unsuitable for humans. Unless someone can perfectly create Senjutsu Chakra within their body, only then can they resonate with me."
By the end, Katsuyu seemed somewhat embarrassed, because any human capable of perfectly creating Senjutsu Chakra likely would not need her in the first place.
Shu Furukawa jumped down from the enormous Katsuyu's head. Soon, another palm-sized Katsuyu crawled onto his shoulder, occasionally swaying her feelers as she waited for his questions.
"Does resonance refer to the Strength of a Hundred Seal?"
"Have you ever tried compressing the energy within your body after absorbing Natural Energy to sustain yourself?"
Rather than asking random childish questions, Shu Furukawa's inquiry made Katsuyu quietly breathe another sigh of relief. She then responded cheerfully:
"Yes, Lord Shu. Unlike Lady Tsunade, I can resonate with the Senjutsu Chakra you condense and replenish your Senjutsu Chakra."
"I have tried all sorts of things. I have already managed to compress Senjutsu Chakra itself."
"But in the end, doing so only increased its volume."
As though sensing what Shu Furukawa was thinking, a trace of bleakness entered Katsuyu's soft tone.
"Lord Shu, Natural Energy cannot make living beings 'immortal.'"
"The so-called three great sacred lands may all be connected to that original energy. We have all been 'energy-fied.' This is more like a curse!"
"Every living being has a day when it comes to an end. My only hope is to encounter one of my own kind."
"Even I will die in a few thousand years... Lord Shu?"
Sensing his intense emotional fluctuations, the Katsuyus around them all turned their heads. Shu Furukawa had just wanted to comfort her, but now he could only force out a smile as he frantically complained inwardly:
Please, give me a serving of this curse!
"..."