The Slug Sage (1)

At that, Yui shook her head.

"If there's a power stronger than chakra, of course I want to learn it!"

Yui continued helplessly, "But..."

"But what?" Katsuyu asked anxiously. She badly wanted to know why Yui had refused.

"A friend of mine in Konoha has gone missing. I need to find her."

"Do you have a way to send me back to Konoha?"

Hearing that, Katsuyu thought for a moment.

"Then will you come back to learn Senjutsu after you find your friend?" Katsuyu asked.

As long as Yui didn't refuse, she wouldn't be disappointed. After all, someone had finally managed to reach her.

Yui nodded.

"Of course..."

Katsuyu let out a sigh of relief at her answer.

"That settles it," Katsuyu said. "But since you're already here, let's sign a Summoning Contract!"

"We need to sign a Summoning Contract before I can send you back to Konoha."

"Otherwise, if you fly back the way you've been traveling, it'll probably take more than a year."

A Summoning Contract? Yui was a little confused. She thought she had already signed one with Xiaoyou. Could she sign another?

Still, it should be possible. Sasuke in the original story, for example, had contracts with the snakes of Ryūchi Cave and a hawk.

"By the way, Katsuyu, if I already have a contract with a Summoning Beast, can I sign another?"

Katsuyu looked puzzled again.

But a moment later, she seemed to realize something and said angrily, "Didn't you say you hadn't summoned anyone?"

"If you have a Summoning Contract with another Summoning Beast, why did you get caught in spatial turbulence?"

"Uh..." Yui scratched her head sheepishly.

How was I supposed to explain this to her?

Forget it. I should just tell her the truth before this misunderstanding gets any worse!

"Here's what happened, Katsuyu..."

Yui told her all about how the Hyuga Clan had imprisoned her.

It wasn't exactly a secret, anyway.

After hearing Yui's explanation, Katsuyu was rather angry too.

"The Branch Family? Imprisonment? Hmph..." Katsuyu snorted. "The Hyuga Clan is still the same as ever. They haven't changed in a thousand years."

"But don't worry. Even though you already have a contract with another Summoning Beast, you can still sign one with me."

"Oh, so that's how it works? All right!" With her question answered, Yui agreed without hesitation. Although she felt a little aversion toward slugs like this, reminding herself that this was Katsuyu was enough to win her over.

"Okay, then. Let's sign the Summoning Contract."

Katsuyu was pleased to hear her agree.

But instead of immediately taking out the Summoning Scroll, she offered, "You must be tired after traveling for so many days!"

"Come sit on my head!" Katsuyu said gently. "I'll take you farther inside for a look."

"But..." Yui was puzzled. Why wouldn't she sign the Summoning Contract now? She was getting anxious. A year had already passed, after all.

"Could you send me back to Konoha soon?"

Hearing the urgency in Yui's voice, Katsuyu felt rather helpless.

"Uh..."

"It's not that I don't want to send you back as soon as possible, but there's nothing I can do. My clone isn't in Konoha right now."

"We have to wait until my clone is summoned to Konoha. Only then can I use reverse summoning to send you there."

Katsuyu explained helplessly.

Yui was disappointed to hear that.

"So that's how it works?"

"Then if your clone isn't summoned for another year, doesn't that mean I'll have to wait a year before I can return to Konoha?"

Katsuyu nodded.

Yui was left speechless.

Fine, whatever. As long as I can get back.

With that thought, Yui accepted Katsuyu's invitation.

"All right, then. Take me inside for a look."

As it happened, her chakra was almost exhausted after flying for so long.

She slowly descended onto Katsuyu's head.

To her surprise, Katsuyu's head wasn't sticky as she had imagined. Instead, it was smooth and soft, like lying on a big, comfortable bed.

Katsuyu was happy to have Yui sitting on her head.

Sensing the small wounds on Yui's body that had yet to heal, Katsuyu activated her healing technique, surrounding her entire body with green light.

"Mmm... That feels good..."

As comfort spread through her body, Yui knew Katsuyu was healing her!

Once her wounds had healed, the bandages on Yui's body were no longer needed.

She casually unwound them as well, revealing fair, delicate skin.

"To think you're only thirteen. You have a lot of chakra, too-probably three or four times as much as most people your age."

Yui was surprised to hear that.

"How could you tell my age?" Yui asked in confusion. She could tell someone's age just by healing them? Wasn't that a little too absurd?

Katsuyu chuckled.

"I happened to notice your bone age while I was healing you."

"Oh, so that's how." Understanding dawned on Yui. She had almost forgotten that bone age could be checked too.

"By the way, I still don't know your name!"

"My name is Yui..."

"I see. Then I'll call you Lady Yui."

"Why?" Yui asked.

"Because I'm only a clone!"

"Lady Yui..."

Katsuyu carried Yui over the enormous mountain range formed by her body, chattering away to her the whole time.

Yui wondered why this Katsuyu was so different from the one in the original story. She was unusually talkative.

After crossing the mountain range formed by Katsuyu, Yui saw a sight she would never forget for the rest of her life.

"Wow... It's so beautiful..."

Trying to describe it with words alone would only diminish the beauty of the scenery before her.

In the distance stood an enormous mountain range, with a vast azure lake stretching out before it.

Countless towering trees grew around the lake. Their leaves were enormous-if she had to compare them to something, they were even larger than the Katsuyu beneath her.

"Lady Yui... Isn't it beautiful?"

Sensing Yui's feelings, Katsuyu spoke with a smile.

Yui nodded, staring blankly at the scenery ahead.

A little while later, Katsuyu carried Yui down into that beautiful landscape.

"Lady Yui, I need to head back now. My main body will come to meet you in a moment."

"Your main body?" Yui asked in confusion. "Wasn't that mountain-sized one earlier your main body?"

Katsuyu shook her head.

"Of course not. My main body is about five times larger than that."

Yui was stunned. Even something that enormous wasn't Katsuyu's main body? Just how big was she, then?

Katsuyu set Yui down on the ground, then undulated back the way they had come.