After Kakuzu steadied himself, he surveyed his surroundings. The stark contrast between this place and the barren, sand-blasted wasteland he had just left was striking. Here, the air was fresh and pleasant, the skies clear and bright. In the distance, rolling mountains stretched endlessly, while jagged boulders and flowing streams flanked the path. Towering trees with lush, green canopies dominated the landscape, their sheer size a marvel to behold.
"Well, well, the dimensional portal is closing, and yet another visitor stumbles in. Looks like I'll have to work again," a sultry female voice echoed, carrying a hint of allure.
The voice suggested a stunning beauty, but when Kakuzu scanned the area, he found no one.
"Over here, dear," the voice cooed.
Following the sound, Kakuzu's gaze landed on a peculiar figure. Most of its body was white, adorned with golden stripes. It had four antennae—or rather, two, as the other pair seemed to function as eyes. Its body was massive and slimy, thoroughly shattering any illusion of beauty.
Suppressing his initial disappointment, Kakuzu composed himself. This place, he mused, was elegantly called a sacred land of sage arts. In truth, it was a land of slugs.
"Hello, Miss Snail. May I ask your name?" Kakuzu inquired politely.
The bloated slug's mouth wriggled but offered no immediate response. Just as Kakuzu was about to speak again, the creature interrupted him.
"Miss Snail? Ptui!" It spat out a large glob of corrosive liquid.
Kakuzu's pupils contracted as he sidestepped the attack. Hiss! The spot he had just vacated sizzled as the liquid ate away at the ground, leaving a wide, eroded patch behind. The effect was clear—this stuff could strip flesh from bone.
"I am no mere snail! I am a noble slug!"
"Ah, my apologies, Miss Noble Slug," Kakuzu replied dryly. He wasn't fazed by the creature's hostility, he had faced worse. His primary focus was getting to the point.
The slug seemed to hold no grudges, and it was evident that it understood why Kakuzu had come. Twisting its plump body, it turned and began inching forward.
"I should introduce myself," it said as it moved. "I am the most beautiful slug in this land. To facilitate communication with you humans, I've even taken on a human name—call me Katsuyu."
"Katsuyu," Kakuzu echoed, though his expression betrayed discomfort as he glanced at the slug's jiggling rolls of flesh and the slime coating its body. The name felt too elegant for such a grotesque figure.
Suppressing the urge to retch, Kakuzu replied, "Well, greetings, Miss Katsuyu. You may call me Kakuzu."
Katsuyu turned, her four antennae swiveling to study him. The two atop her head drooped slightly in acknowledgment.
"Kakuzu, is it? Even if you're just a passing visitor to Shikkotsu Forest, I suppose I'll make the effort to remember your name," she said.
Shikkotsu Forest! Kakuzu's eyes narrowed. That was critical information.
"One of the Three Great Sage Lands, alongside Mount Myōboku and Ryūchi Cave," he murmured.
"You're better informed than most," Katsuyu remarked. "Unlike some fools who stumble in cluelessly and end up dying just as cluelessly."
Kakuzu nodded, confirming his location. Then he posed another question.
"Did Senju Hashirama once train here?"
Katsuyu paused mid-crawl, her gelatinous body trembling slightly. Turning to face him, she gave him an inscrutable look before resuming her slow progress.
"You know more than most. But that's not something you need to concern yourself with. Worry about your own fate instead."
"Oh? Is that so?" Kakuzu said calmly, glancing around.
Slugs lounged on tree branches, nibbling leaves. Others floated lazily on ponds, basking in the sunlight. Their sizes varied, but all exuded a distinct, otherworldly energy—the unmistakable aura of sage arts.
"Why haven't I seen anyone else?" Kakuzu asked.
From Katsuyu's earlier remarks, he had deduced that he wasn't the only one to come here seeking sage training. Yet, despite extending his sensory range across several kilometers, he found no trace of humans. Only slugs populated this place.
"Do failed trainees become your dinner?"
Katsuyu let out a soft, coquettish laugh.
The antennae on her head pointed to the surroundings.
"Haven't you noticed what we have the most of here in Shikkotsu Forest?"
"So, you mean…" Kakuzu's gaze shifted to the towering trees around them.
"That's right. In all three Sage Art sanctuaries, failure in training comes with different consequences," she explained. "At Mount Myōboku, if you fail to master Sage Art, you turn into one of those grotesque toad statues. At Ryūchi Cave, failure means being devoured by those disgusting snakes. And here, in Shikkotsu Forest, failing to master our Sage Art means your physical body will transform into one of these towering ancient trees, providing fresh air for our forest. Do you understand?"
Hearing this, Kakuzu raised an eyebrow.
The risk of death and total transformation was something Kakuzu had anticipated. As a cautious man, he had prepared for such an eventuality. He planned to risk only one of the hearts he carried to practice the Sage Art. If that heart failed, he would simply adapt and move on—these towering trees had nothing to do with him.
Yet, the slug-like being, Katsuyu, seemed to sense his thoughts.
"Hehehe, little Kakuzu, I forgot to mention something important," she said with a sly smile.
Kakuzu frowned. "Little Kakuzu? That sounds strange. Just call me Kakuzu."
"Alright, Kakuzu," she teased, "but actually, from the moment you stepped into Shikkotsu Forest, your fate was sealed. The entrance has already completely closed behind you."
"In other words, if you find mastering Sage Art too difficult and want to give up halfway, there's no way out for you."
"Heh," Kakuzu chuckled, unfazed. "So you think you've trapped me here?"
Katsuyu halted her slithering motion and turned to look back at him, her expression becoming even more indescribable.
"Don't put it that way. I'm not that kind of person," she replied, her tone playful. "It's just the nature of Sage Art sanctuaries. The entrance to this alternate dimension only opens every 20 years or so. If you want to leave freely, there's only one way—you must master our Shikkotsu Forest Sage Art, form a summoning contract with us, and use reverse summoning to exit."
"Otherwise, you'll have to wait twenty or thirty years—or prepare to become a tree."
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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