"Then, Katsuya. Did I pass the trial?" Naruto asked, anticipation flickering in his eyes.
"Yes, Naruto-sama, you have passed." Katsuyu's voice resonated through the clearing. A small slug detached from her massive form, carrying an ancient scroll in its grasp.
Naruto took the scroll, examining it curiously.
"Bite your thumb and place your blood on it," Tsunade instructed.
"Okay," Naruto nodded, following her words without hesitation. He bit his thumb, letting a few drops of blood fall onto the parchment before pressing his hand firmly against it.
"From now on, you shall also be my summoner," Katsuyu declared.
Naruto grinned as he wiped the remaining blood from his thumb. "Nice! So, does that mean I can summon the whole of you?"
Tsunade scoffed. "Hah! Not a chance."
Katsuyu's voice remained calm but firm. "Even Hashirama-sama could only summon a portion of me. My full form has never been summoned, and it is unlikely anyone ever will."
Naruto tilted his head. "Well, never say never."
Karin sighed. "Great, now he's going to try, isn't he?"
Tsunade smirked. "Obviously."
Naruto chuckled, rolling up the scroll. "Alright, so what's next? Do I just summon slugs and get free healing now?"
Katsuyu's eyes blinked in amusement. "You have taken the first step. But the true bond between summoner and summon is built over time. In due course, you will learn what it truly means to wield the power of Shikkotsu Forest."
Naruto smirked. "Then I guess I better start now."
"Before that, Naruto-sama, do you wish to learn Senjutsu?" Katsuyu asked, her voice calm yet filled with an air of expectation.
Naruto's eyes widened slightly before a slow smirk formed on his lips. "Senjutsu, huh?" He crossed his arms, glancing at Tsunade. "Did you learn it when you were here?"
Tsunade sighed, rubbing her temple. "I failed the trial. Even if I tried, my chakra control wasn't suited for it."
Katsuyu's calm voice echoed again. "Indeed, Senjutsu is not something that can be learned easily. However, you have passed the trial, which means you possess the potential to wield it."
Karin nudged him. "This isn't something you should take lightly, you know? If you mess up with Nature energy, you won't just fail—you'll turn into a slug. "
Naruto blinked. "Wait, what?"
Tsunade gave him a knowing smirk. "Yeah, that's the risk. Unlike other Sage mode, failing here won't turn you into stone. Instead, your body will slowly transform into a slug until you completely lose yourself."
Naruto shuddered slightly before shaking it off. "Well, that's… kinda gross." Then, his smirk returned. "But I'm not gonna fail."
He looked up at Katsuyu with determination. "So yeah, I want to learn Senjutsu."
Katsuyu's massive form shifted slightly, the mist around them thickening. "Very well, Naruto-sama. Your training will begin immediately."
"Then, what should I do?" he asked eagerly.
"You must sit still on the ground and try to absorb the natural energy while placing this on your head," Katsuyu instructed as a small slug detached from her massive form.
Naruto raised an eyebrow. "That's it? Just sit still?"
Tsunade chuckled. "You'll see soon enough why that's the hardest part."
Shrugging, Naruto slowly sat down, crossing his legs. The small slug climbed onto his head, its cool, moist body settling gently.
The moment it did, Naruto felt a strange pull in the air around him, like an invisible current trying to seep into his body. His breathing slowed as he focused, waiting for the sensation to grow.
Karin watched nervously. "Is he really gonna be okay?"
Tsunade crossed her arms. "That depends on whether he can maintain his balance… or if nature itself swallows him whole."
He smirked. This is easier than I thought.
Within moments, the energy began sinking into his body. His chakra stirred, merging effortlessly with the nature around him. His skin tingled, his senses sharpened, and for the first time, he felt truly connected to the world.
Katsuyu's many eyes blinked in surprise. "Incredible… Naruto-sama is already balancing the energy perfectly."
Tsunade watched with wide eyes. "That little brat… he's already entering Sage Mode."
As Naruto absorbed more Nature Energy, his transformation began. His pupils became slit-like, resembling a slug's eye stalks, while his sclera turned a glowing lavender.
Pale, vein-like chakra markings spread along his face, resembling slug antennae, pulsing with energy. Subtle organic patterns emerged along his arms, moving like liquid under his skin.
A faint chakra secretion coated his body, enhancing his resilience.
Naruto opened his eyes, now radiating power with a ripple-like glow. He clenched his fist, feeling the sheer adaptability of his new form. "So… what's next?"
Katsuyu's massive form shifted slightly as she regarded Naruto. "As I expected, you are truly beyond even Hashirama-sama in Senjutsu.
He took an entire day to master it, and that was only because of his rare Kekkei Genkai, Mokuton. But you… you achieved it in a single attempt without any failure."
Naruto grinned, standing up and stretching his arms. His new Senjutsu still felt natural, like a second skin. Then, with a smug expression, he tilted his head. "Alright, I know Sage Mode usually changes a person's appearance. So tell me—do I look even more handsome now?"
Karin rolled her eyes but couldn't hide the huge smile forming on her face. "Yes, Nii-san, you're just as handsome as before."
Internally, she beamed with pride. 'As expected from Nii-san!'
"I expected you to master Sage Mode, but not on your first attempt," Tsunade admitted, crossing her arms.
Naruto smirked, tilting his head slightly. "Oh? You had expectations for me?"
Tsunade scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Don't get ahead of yourself, brat. I hoped you'd succeed—I didn't think you'd make it look this easy."
Naruto chuckled. "Well, what can I say? I'm just built different."
With Senjutsu mastered and the summoning contract secured, their purpose in Shikkotsurin was fulfilled—perhaps even with an unexpected bonus in the form of Naruto's rapid mastery of Senjutsu.
With that, all three returned home, their journey in the sacred forest coming to an end.
Tsunade returned to her work, while Naruto and Karin returned to their training as usual.
Shizune, already busy at the hospital, looked up as Tsunade entered.
"Tsunade-sama, how did it go?" she asked curiously.
"It went really well," Tsunade admitted, rubbing her temples. "He got the summoning contract, and to top it off, he even learned Senjutsu. Honestly, I feel a little jealous."
Shizune blinked before chuckling. "Jealous of a child? That doesn't sound like you, Tsunade-sama."
Tsunade sighed dramatically, crossing her arms. "Hmph. Maybe not, but that brat keeps making the impossible look easy. It's frustrating."
Shizune smiled knowingly. "Or maybe you're just proud?"
Tsunade scoffed, looking away. "Tch. Whatever."
Inside, she felt incredible, but outside, she maintained a composed facade.
Naruto and Karin returned to training with the others.
They spotted Tenten, who mentioned she had some work at the shop yesterday and couldn't join them for training.
Over the past two years, Naruto had even managed to rope her into his training regimen.
"Senpai, I thought you were busy with the shop," Naruto said, flashing his usual smile.
Tenten ignored him, focusing on watching Sakura and Ino spar while chatting with the others.
"Oh, I've been ignored? That's a first." Naruto blinked, then nudged her slightly. "Did I do something to upset you, senpai?"
Still, she gave him no response.
And so, the silent treatment continued until Naruto was thoroughly exhausted.
"Alright, alright! I'm sorry, senpai! Just say something already," he pleaded, looking at her with a mix of frustration and amusement.
That's when he noticed it—a small smirk creeping onto her face.
The other girls chuckled, already knowing why Tenten was acting this way. She was getting back at him for leaving her out when talking about the small trip.
"Okay, I accept your apology," she finally said. "Do you know why you're apologizing?"
Naruto frowned, racking his brain to figure out what he had done wrong. After a few seconds of intense thinking, he gave up.
"Nope, senpai. I don't even remember," he admitted, scratching his head.
Tenten's eye twitched. "What? You don't even remember what you did wrong, and you're apologizing?" She crossed her arms, clearly irritated.
Naruto shrugged, scratching the back of his head like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I heard that guys should just apologize to a girl, even if they don't remember—or even if the girl was the one at fault."
An old man passing by overheard him and let out a chuckle. "Boy, you're gonna have a good life in the future."
Naruto smirked. "Thanks, Jiji. I know."
Both Naruto and the old man chuckled, but their laughter was short-lived as the old man's wife, who had been standing beside him, immediately started nagging him for his comment.
"I'm already apologizing, dear!" the old man pleaded, hands raised in surrender.
Seeing the poor man's fate, Naruto couldn't help but burst into laughter, soon joined by Tenten and the others. The entire group erupted in amusement as the old man gave Naruto a knowing look, silently warning him of the struggles ahead.