Two days later.
Early morning, Senju mansion.
Senju Chen got up early and stood in the yard to stretch his muscles.
Last night he checked the ability panel again and confirmed that all abilities were in optimal condition.
Magic God Bloodline, War God Body, Soul Mutation, Uchiha Bloodline, Earth Grudge Fear, Demonic Statue of the Outer Path...
Of the eight skill slots, six are currently used.
There are still two vacancies.
If I can find something good in Shikkotsu Forest this time, I might be able to fuse it with a new ability.
"Little Chen, gone."
The voice of Tsunade came from the house.
Senju Chen turned around and saw that her sister had already changed her clothes, with Summoning Scroll hanging around her waist.
"Sister, are we going to Reverse Summoning?"
"Yes." Tsunade nodded, "Shikkotsu Forest has no fixed entrance and can only be entered through Reverse Summoning."
She walked to the center of the yard and ran her fingers over the scroll.
"Come here."
Senju Chen walked over and stood next to Tsunade.
Tsunade Hand Seals with one hand, and press the other hand on Senju Chen's shoulder.
"Remember, after arriving at Shikkotsu Forest, don't run around and follow me closely."
"Hmm."
"Also, Katsuyu in Shikkotsu Forest are all clones of Katsuyu Sage. Each Katsuyu can sense your status. If there is anything wrong with you, they will find it immediately."
"I know, sister."
Tsunade Take a deep breath "Reverse Summoning Technique!"
White smoke exploded.
Senju Chen felt a strong pulling feeling, and his whole body was pulled into a huge Uzumaki.
Vision is distorted, rotated, and blurred.
Then--
Keep your feet on the ground.
The smoke cleared.
Senju Chen Open your eyes.
The first thing you see is green.
Overwhelming green.
He was standing in a huge forest.
No, not a forest.
It's moss.
The ground is covered with thick moss, which is moist and soft and feels like stepping on a sponge.
It is surrounded by huge tree trunks and vines, but the surfaces of these plants are covered with a layer of mucus, shining with a faint fluorescence.
There is a fresh smell in the air, mixed with the smell of water vapor and plants.
Senju Chen looks up.
The sky is hazy white, and the sun cannot be seen, but the light shines down evenly, illuminating the entire Shikkotsu Forest.
"This is Shikkotsu Forest..."
Senju Chen whispered.
Magic God Bloodline reacts violently in the body.
He could feel that the Natural Energy concentration in this place was higher than Mount Myōboku.
No, it's not just a matter of concentration.
The feeling of Natural Energy from Shikkotsu Forest is completely different from that of Mount Myōboku.
Mount Myōboku and Natural Energy are "active", like a group of restless bugs, scurrying around.
Shikkotsu Forest and Natural Energy are "mild", like warm water, flowing slowly and penetrating into every corner.
What's more important--
Senju Chen can feel that the concentration of water element here is ridiculously high.
There is water everywhere in the air, on the ground, and in plants.
Magic God Bloodline felt an unprecedented sense of comfort, like a fish returning to the sea.
"Little Chen, follow up."
Tsunade's voice brought Senju Chen back to reality.
Senju Chen quickly followed in her sister's footsteps.
The two walked along a mossy path.
After walking for about five minutes, an open space appeared in front of us.
In the middle of the open field, squatted a huge Katsuyu.
Senju Chen stopped.
So big.
This Katsuyu was much larger than he imagined, at least twenty meters long, with a light blue body and a layer of transparent mucus on its surface.
It has two long tentacles with black balls at the top, like two eyes.
"Lady Tsunade."
Katsuyu spoke, his voice gentle and soft, with a special rhythm.
"Lady Katsuyu." Tsunade nodded slightly, "I'll bring my brother to have a look."
"Senju Chen." Katsuyu's tentacles turned to Senju Chen, "Welcome to Shikkotsu Forest."
Senju Chen bowed politely.
"Lady Katsuyu, excuse me."
"Don't bother." Katsuyu said with a smile in his voice, "Shikkotsu Forest rarely has guests come to visit. You are the first one in more than ten years."
Senju Chen felt something in his heart.
First in ten years?
It seems that Shikkotsu Forest is rarely open to the outside world.
"Lady Katsuyu, I want to show Little Chen around, is that okay?" Tsunade asked.
"Of course." Katsuyu said, "But some places are more dangerous. Do you need me to accompany you?"
"Then I'll trouble you."
"No trouble."
Katsuyu moved slowly, leaving a trail of slime on the ground with its huge body.
"Let's go."
Senju Chen followed Tsunade, but his eyes were looking around.
The environment of Shikkotsu Forest is completely different from that of Mount Myōboku.
Mount Myōboku is a mountainous terrain with rocks and waterfalls everywhere.
And Shikkotsu Forest is more like a huge greenhouse, with plants and water sources everywhere.
Senju Chen secretly left a mark when Tsunade wasn't paying attention.
The two walked for a while and Katsuyu stopped by a pool.
"This is the core area of Shikkotsu Forest." Katsuyu said, "All Natural Energy flows out from here."
Senju Chen looked at the pool.
The water in the pool is crystal clear, but there is a faint blue light shining at the bottom.
Magic God Bloodline's perception told him that the concentration of Natural Energy in this pool of water had reached a terrifying level.
"Lady Katsuyu." Senju Chen suddenly spoke, "Can I ask a question?"
"Please say."
"Shikkotsu Forest's Senjutsu practice, does it really need to consume life force?"
Tsunade's expression changed.
"Little Chen--"
"Don't worry, sister, I'm just asking."
Katsuyu's tentacles turned to Senju Chen.
"Yes."
"Shikkotsu Forest's Senjutsu practice requires the sacrifice of life force."
"Because my method of cultivation is to allow the cultivator's cells to continuously divide and regenerate, in order to sense and absorb Natural Energy."
"But the number of times a human cell can divide is limited."
"Once the limit is exceeded..."
"The practitioner's body will collapse."
Senju Chen was silent for two seconds.
"What about Katsuyu Sage?"
"Katsuyu Sage?" Katsuyu's voice was filled with confusion.
"That's... the strongest one in Shikkotsu Forest." Senju Chen said, "Mount Myōboku has Great Toad Sage, Ryūchi Cave has White Snake Sage, and Shikkotsu Forest should have a similar existence, right?"
Katsuyu was silent for a few seconds.
Then, it laughed.
"Senju Chen, you are very smart."
"But you guessed one thing wrong."
"Shikkotsu Forest does not have 'Katsuyu Sage'."
"Because..."
"All of our Katsuyu are the same existence."
"What do you mean?" Although Senju Chen already knew the answer in the original work, this sentence still had to be asked.
"It means..." Katsuyu's voice became distant, "The me you see now, and all the other Katsuyus in Shikkotsu Forest, are essentially clones of the same life form."
"We share consciousness, we share memory, we share perception."
"I am Katsuyu Sage."
"Katsuyu Sage is me."
One living body, countless clones, sharing everything.
This form of existence...
It is simply the ultimate form of Perfect Clone.
Senju Chen's heartbeat began to accelerate.
If this ability could be stolen from Katsuyu...
No, calm down.
Senju Chen suppressed the excitement in his heart and pretended to have a thoughtful expression.
"That's it." He said, "This is what's special about Shikkotsu Forest."
"That's right." Katsuyu said, "So Shikkotsu Forest's cultivation method is essentially imitating my form of existence - by constantly dividing cells, the practitioner's body is infinitely close to the state of 'my'."
"But after all, the human body cannot truly divide infinitely."
"So there will be a price."
Senju Chen nodded.
"I understand."
He turned to look at Tsunade.
"Sister, I've almost seen it, let's go back."
Tsunade was stunned for a moment.
"Go back now?"
"Yeah." Senju Chen smiled, "I promised you that I would come and take a look. Now that I've finished reading, it's time to go back."
Tsunade stared at him for several seconds, making sure there was nothing strange in his eyes, and then he breathed a sigh of relief.
"Okay, let's go then."
"Lady Katsuyu, thank you for your hospitality." Senju Chen bowed again.
"You're welcome." Katsuyu's voice was still gentle, "Senju Chen, you are a very special child."
"If one day you really want to practice Senjutsu..."
"Remember to be prepared first."
Senju Chen felt something in his heart.
What does this mean?
Is Katsuyu implying something?
But he didn't ask any more questions.
Tsunade has started Hand Seals.
White smoke exploded again.
Vision is distorted and rotated.
The next second, Senju Chen had returned to the courtyard of Senju's mansion.
Tsunade released his hand from Senju Chen's shoulder.
"Little Chen, are you really not going to practice Shikkotsu Forest's Senjutsu?"
"Don't worry, sister, this time it's really just for a look. At least right now, I'm not ready to practice." Senju Chen shook his head.
He told the truth.
At least Ontology doesn't plan to.
But the clone...
That's another story.
Tsunade looked at Senju Chen's expression and finally chose to believe him.
"That's good." She reached out and rubbed Senju Chen's hair, "Sister went to Hokage's Office, come back early in the evening."
"Okay."
Tsunade turned and left.
Senju Chen stood in the yard, watching her sister's back disappear at the door.
This time I went to Shikkotsu Forest and secretly left a mark. The next one is Earth Dragon Cave...