Chapter 31

"Here! Write your name in blood!"

Tsunade did not bother asking questions. She pulled out the Shikkotsu Forest Summoning Scroll and tossed it to Liuyun.

All she wanted now was to get away from the brat.

Liuyun opened the scroll and wrote his name at the end.

"Done!"

Tsunade took back the scroll and vanished with a Body Flicker Technique. If she stayed any longer, she might lose control!

"Liuyun, I should head back too! I'm going to study Sealing Jutsu hard over the next few days!" Kushina walked up to him, looking downcast.

"Come on, don't be so sad. It's not like we'll never see each other again. We'll have plenty of time!"

Liuyun patted the little girl's head, his voice gentle.

He felt the Mental Energy newly gathered in his mind, and his mood brightened even more.

After seeing Kushina home, Liuyun and Mikoto headed straight back to their own place.

"Lord Liuyun! Mikoto! You're back!"

"Lord Liuyun! Mikoto, thanks for all your hard work!"

As they passed through the Uchiha Clan Compound, every Uchiha they met greeted them with great respect.

Liuyun and Mikoto were baffled. Even after they got home, neither had quite taken it in.

Suddenly, Liuyun sensed two powerful Chakra signatures near the house.

Both were on par with Elite Jonin.

He frowned and told Mikoto, "Stay here. I'm going out for a moment!"

"Okay! Be careful!"

Mikoto nodded obediently, wondering if she should wear the second outfit for Liuyun today.

The outfit was a little embarrassing, but Liuyun liked it!

Last night, she had clearly felt how much he liked it. His hands had been anything but well-behaved...

While Mikoto's thoughts wandered, Liuyun had already appeared before the two Elite Jonin.

His expression was cold, a mocking look on his face.

"What, Uchiha Fuchu still hasn't given up? So he sent you small fry after me?"

"Lord Liuyun! You've got it wrong. Clan Head Fugaku didn't send us. The Elder sent us to protect Mikoto!"

Uchiha Su'er spoke respectfully, though he could not hide the shock in his eyes.

The two of them were not only strong by the clan's standards; they were exceptionally skilled at concealment.

They were versatile Ninja, capable of both reconnaissance and combat.

When they concealed themselves, hardly anyone in the entire Uchiha Clan could detect them.

Yet Lord Liuyun had sensed them at once. Uchiha Su'er could not help thinking,

No wonder the Elder singled him out as a first-class talent of the clan.

"The Elder?"

Liuyun frowned. He remembered that the clan had an Elder, but he knew almost nothing about him.

(The humble author has a timid question: do you have any flowers? I can introduce you to my older sister and the three sisters of the Martial Hall!)

First Visit to Shikkotsu Forest! Entrusting the Scroll!

"Yes! At today's clan meeting, the Elder learned of your talent and immediately decided to place you among the first-class talents!"

"He knew you cared for Mikoto, so he sent us to protect her in secret!"

"As for you, the Elder assigned no guards!"

Uchiha Yunda answered honestly.

The old man knew exactly what he was doing. He had struck at Liuyun's weak point in one move.

Liuyun was not worried about his own safety. He had the strength to protect himself.

But he could not ignore Mikoto's safety. He could not stay by her side all the time!

Sure enough, no one who had survived so long among the Uchiha Clan's old guard was simple.

He had no choice but to accept this favor.

"Stay here and keep watch."

"If you see the Elder, tell him I appreciate the favor."

"Understood, Lord Liuyun!" With that, the two hid themselves again.

Liuyun headed toward the training ground he had used earlier.

The moment he arrived, he was at a loss for words.

The training ground, once overgrown with weeds, was now spotless.

All the worn-out training equipment around it had been replaced with new gear.

Several Uchiha were even laying down flooring that had just been delivered.

"Damn, that was fast..."

Liuyun muttered to himself. The Elder was far harder to deal with than Uchiha Fuchu, and Liuyun was not sure how to handle him.

He turned and walked farther in, beyond the boundaries of the Uchiha Clan Compound.

The trees grew denser as he went. Half an hour later, Liuyun reached the end of the woods.

His Shadow Clone had been training there.

As soon as Liuyun arrived, he saw his clone panting, his face sallow and exhausted.

Liuyun dispelled the Shadow Clone without hesitation!

Poof!

A flood of memories from the Shadow Clone rushed into him, and Liuyun absorbed them calmly.

He created another two hundred Shadow Clones, assigning half to develop the Ice-Ice Fruit and the other half to work on Genjutsu. Then he headed for a shady spot.

He sent out his Mental Energy and confirmed that no one was nearby.

Without hesitation, he bit his finger and performed the Summoning Technique.

Poof!

A soft, squishy creature appeared before Liuyun.

As for how it felt... rather like Tsunade's chest. Not bad, he supposed!

"Hello, Lord Liuyun! Lady Tsunade has already told me about you. What can I do for you?"

Katsuyu's voice was gentle and sweet, soothing to hear.

"Use the Reverse Summoning Technique for me. I need to visit Shikkotsu Forest and give the Slug Sage something!"

"Understood, Lord Liuyun! Please hold on to me!"

"Okay!" Liuyun did as she asked.

Poof!

Smoke billowed around them, and Liuyun and Katsuyu vanished.

The scenery changed as space shifted.

It was dark and damp, with rotting branches and leaves everywhere.

He could faintly make out slugs crawling in the distance.

"Lord Liuyun, we're here! What did you need?"

Liuyun did not waste words. He knew the slugs here were all part of the Slug Sage's true body.

If he told the Katsuyu before him, she could pass the message to her main body.

He took out the Sealing Scroll Mito Uzumaki had given him, handed it to Katsuyu, and said evenly,

"This is the Sealing Scroll given to me by Mito Uzumaki, the First's wife. It contains nearly all of Konoha's Ninjutsu!"

"That includes the First's secret Wood Release techniques and the Uzumaki Clan's Sealing Jutsu! I'd like to leave it in your care!"

"That way, if the Senju Clan ever falls, it can rise again!"

"L-Lord Liuyun, is that true?"

The small Katsuyu before him was stunned. She clearly found it hard to believe.

She carefully opened the scroll. Multiple Shadow Clones, Flying Thunder God—one familiar Konoha technique after another appeared on it!

Wood Release, Sealing Jutsu...

She had thought Liuyun had most likely come to learn Sage Mode. Instead, he had brought the Senju Clan's legacy for them to safeguard.

"Child! Mito Uzumaki entrusted this scroll to you!"

The voice that came from Katsuyu was clear and delicate, yet carried the weight of ages.

Liuyun knew the Slug Sage's main body was speaking through her.

"That's right! Grandma Mito asked me to keep it! But it isn't safe with me. You know I'm a member of the Uchiha Clan!"

"And I'm certainly not taking this thing along on every mission!"

"The more I thought about it, the more sense it made to leave it with you. After all, you're the First's summon!"

"You're close to the Senju Clan. If the clan runs into trouble and you bring it out then, no one will have anything to say!"

"This contains so many rare techniques. Don't you want them for yourself?"

The Slug Sage could not understand him. He had been handed a mountain of gold, yet he wanted to give it away.

He was just like that fool Hashirama Senju.

"With these eyes, I've already memorized every technique in it!"

Liuyun pointed to his Three-Tomoe Sharingan.

"The Three-Tomoe Sharingan? Now I understand why Mito Uzumaki entrusted it to you instead of her own granddaughter!"

Surprise mingled with understanding in the Slug Sage's aged voice.

"We accept your request! But we'll only hold it for now."

"If the Senju Clan faces disaster one day, you'll still be the one to give it to them!"

"Agreed!"

Liuyun had come to leave the scroll here. He did not want to carry that dangerous burden with him at all times.

If the Senju Clan truly faced disaster, he would naturally retrieve it.

"As for Teacher Tsunade..."

"I understand! I won't tell anyone else!"

"Thank you, Slug Sage! I'll be going now!" His purpose here was fulfilled, and he had no reason to stay.

Gone the moment he got what he wanted!

(Please send flowers, boo-hoo!)

Liuyun's Susanoo, Mikoto's White...!

"Wait, child! I sense none of the Uchiha Clan's arrogance or malice in you!"

"Would you like to learn Shikkotsu Forest's Senjutsu?" the Slug Sage suddenly asked.

Liuyun paused, then shook his head. "Not now! Ask me again in a few years!"