Three hours later.
Yechen and Tsunade arrived at their destination.
It was an island with an active volcano at its center, though judging by the surrounding environment, it had not erupted for many years.
Yechen followed Tsunade into the crater, then dove straight down to the seabed. Beneath the island lay a barrier entrance to Shikkotsu Forest.
When he entered the sacred land of Shikkotsu Forest, the sight stunned him. He had expected an underwater world, but instead, they had arrived in a natural cavern.
Towering stalactites filled the cavern as far as the eye could see, and the natural energy here was no less abundant than in the other two sage lands.
"We're here. Lady Katsuyu is at the very back."
Tsunade pointed toward the cavern ahead.
"Mm," Yechen replied, then followed Tsunade toward the Katsuyu Sage's dwelling.
Shikkotsu Forest, Mount Myōboku, and Ryūchi Cave were collectively known as the Three Great Sage Lands. The Katsuyu Sage was about the same age as the Great Toad Sage and the White Snake Sage; all were supernatural creatures that had lived for over a thousand years.
As they made their way through the cavern, they saw slugs of various sizes wriggling everywhere. These were actually all clones of Katsuyu's True Body.
The little slugs greeted Tsunade when they saw her. Rather than being frightened of Yechen, they regarded him with great curiosity.
Soon, the two reached a spacious cavern where Katsuyu's True Body resided.
Like the other two sages, Katsuyu's True Body was astonishingly huge, but that alone was not enough to surprise him.
What surprised Yechen was the vitality within Katsuyu herself. Even the Great Toad Sage and the White Snake Sage combined likely could not match her-and the difference was far from small.
No wonder Hashirama Senju had become