I looked at Katsuyu in shock. She was busy examining her own hands with a mixture of bewilderment and pure disbelief, turning them over and over like she had never seen fingers before.
Then she started touching her face, feeling her small nose, her eyes, her hair, and those pink lips.
"What?!" she muttered as her eyes suddenly went wide, and then she began touching every inch of her body while I just stood there with my mouth hanging open at the spectacle unfolding before me.
"It worked?!" I uttered in surprise, then slowly looked down at my own hands in surprise because I had genuinely not expected my blood to work on someone of her caliber.
'If that's the case, then the possibilities this ability could bring me are endless,' I thought as a slow grin formed on my lips.
Just thinking about it makes me want to beat the crap out of someone from joy.
I turned to look at Katsuyu again, but she was still checking herself over, running her hands across her new form. The sight made me a little uncomfortable for a moment, but before I could say anything, she simply disappeared from my sight with a soft *fft* leaving only a small cloud of dust where she had been standing.
'She already adapted to the body?' I thought.
I put my guard up immediately and looked around cautiously in case she attacked from somewhere, but even my monstrous senses could not find her anywhere in this small crater for at least a kilometer in every direction.
"Where is she?" I muttered, scanning left and right.
Then I felt it.
A faint whisper of danger. Not loud or not screaming like when I faced Mito, just a soft hum at the edge of my awareness.
I tried to move and get away immediately, but it was already too late because the next second I felt a soft and delicate arm wrap around me from behind, my entire body froze like I had been glued to the ground.
I could not move a single muscle because of the sheer weight hidden behind these delicate arms, and goosebumps spread all over my skin.
'Fuck, I need to get away!' I screamed in my mind with sweat running down my face while my senses shrieked nonstop inside my head, making me dizzy for a second.
"There there, Garou-sama. You do not need to be afraid of me hehe~"
Katsuyu's soft voice came from right next to my ear, and her breath sent a shiver down my entire spine.
'Something is not right,' I thought quickly, trying to figure out a way to survive this situation.
Shit! This is why I hate meeting final bosses without completing every side quest. Now what do I do? I need to know her intentions.
"From san to sama," I said, keeping my voice as monstrous and menacing as possible. "What do you want?"
I gave up struggling because her arms were unshakeable even after trying to pull away with all my power, like iron wrapped in silk.
"Why should I want something from my..." she paused, which made me curious.
"My?" I asked.
"Fufufu, nothing~ But I suppose time can change many things in this world, just as it always has."
The creepy laugh she let out made me narrow my eyes immediately, and I side glanced at her menacingly.
"Don't give me that creepy Doflamingo laugh, woman. What do you mean by that?"
"What is a Dofla bingo?" she asked in confusion as question marks formed above her forehead and tilted her head.
The cuteness of the gesture made me want to pat her head with my fists aggressively using every ounce of power repeatedly.
"Hmph," I replied with a shadow hiding my armored face. "When you pronounce the name of his greatness correctly, then I will tell you."
'Greatness my ass,' I thought as I only liked Doflamingo for his quotes because Miller liked his quotes and some of his taste in things transferred to me.
She did not say anything after that, so we just stayed in that position for a while.
Katsuyu hugged me from behind, and we both stared at the bamboo forest far away from this small crater until she finally spoke again.
Annoying.
"Tell me," she said in a sad tone, "do you know what it feels like to be a lonely slug woman for thousands of years in this harsh world?"
"..." I stayed silent.
"You may not know this, but being what humans define as normal was something I craved for a very long looooong time," She said.
Why am I being trauma dumped by gilfs while hugging me?
"Having normal legs to walk, a normal nose to breathe with, a mouth to eat, normal hands instead of weird tentacles so I could write or pick up a fork or a chopstick. Beauty to admire, and... to be able to Love like everybody else."
She buried her head into my spiky back which didn't bother her, and I could feel her warm breath through my armor.
"Thousands of years of being alone without finding anyone of my kind to be with. Thousands of years of watching civilizations rise and disappear while I remained alive and... alone. Thousands of years of mourning the dying moments of those little people I formed fake bonds with. Pathetic one sided relationships where they exploited my powers and gave me nothing back in return."
Her voice cracked slightly, and I felt something wet seep through my armor.
Tears.
"You know, all this power I accumulated through my endless struggles at the beginning of my existence could not help me avoid this curse of loneliness. And being an ugly, huge, immortal slug did not help my situation either."
"..."
"This was the biggest dream I had to achieve one day. To have a normal body like everyone else. And you just granted me that wish easily, without me even expecting it. You gave me hope and light to continue forward once more." Her voice was happier now, but she still buried her face further into my back and started sniffing me.
"I understand all of that," I said impatiently, "but can you please get away from me? I have a fiancée, and you are making me uncomfortable. As you said, you ain't ugly anymore, and it's creating problems."
My body could not handle this much stimulation from her aura alone.
Everything about her presence was overwhelming, and I had learned long ago that my sensitivity to powerful auras was both a blessing and a curse.
When I first met Mito, her aura combined with Kurama's had made me go berserk until her punch knocked some sense into me. The only reason I could control myself now was because my adaptation had done its job, building resistance over time through repeated exposure.
"Sorry, Garou-sama," Katsuyu said as she slowly released me. "It is just that I am so grateful for what you have given me that I do not know how to repay you."
Soru!
The moment she let go, I used one of the Rokushiki techniques and put a hundred meters between us instantly. I turned around quickly, locating her figure standing where I had left her, still completely naked.
I did not care about that anymore though, because my focus was locked on her, ready to deliver my strongest attack at the slightest hint of aggression.
Even though I felt strangely relaxed in her presence if we ignored the danger, even more than I did with my parents or Tsunade, I knew better than to let my guard down completely around an overpowered ancient being.
Better be safe than sorry, because you never know what someone like her had in store for you.
"Not even the slightest lust in your eyes," she said with a fake sad tone, looking down at her own body. "Is my body not that enticing to you, Garou-sama?"
"I conquered my lust a long time ago," I replied with disdain, looking directly into her beautiful moon like eyes. "My lust is reserved for my love life, so even if you were a goddess, I would still not hesitate to beat the crap out of you, woman."
'Besides, I literally made your body look like that through my blood virus, so lusting after my own creation would be weird.' I thought.
"Fufufu, how loyal of you, Garou-sama. Commendable." She chuckled, hiding her mouth with her hand. "Your fiancée must be very lucky to have you. I feel quite jealous, actually."
I could tell she meant it by being jealous, which made me smirk. "As you should be," I replied in a proud tone. "Now get down to business. Are you satisfied with my gift?"
"I am beyond satisfied, Garou-sama, and very grateful. Even though the transformation hurt terribly, but that is my only complaint. Be careful and don't do this to anyone else though without filling them the details. Not everyone is as calm as me." She bowed elegantly, which would have been pleasing to see if she had not been completely naked.
"No pain, no gain," I said.
She nodded in agreement.
'She is more talkative than before,' I observed.
Did the transformation mess with her mind? But I am sure the virus only stores genetic information, and I did not will any mental changes because that doesn't work, so maybe she is just opening up to me.
The way powerful beings perceived the world and life was different from ordinary people. When you reached a certain threshold of strength, everything around you slowed down.
For someone like Katsuyu, who was beyond just a simple "powerful," the world must seem almost frozen, as if time is stopped. That made it difficult for me to read her intentions, which was concerning. That's why she also could adapt to her newfound body really fast ( In my eyes ).
"So about our deal," I said. "The favours. Do you agree?"
She nodded. "I agree. But I need to ask you something first. Do you want to become my summoner, Garou-sama?"
I raised an eyebrow. "Did you not say that was impossible because I have no chakra?"
"Don't misunderstand me, Garou-sama. I told you the truth. But I can solve this issue by simply sending a tiny version of myself to stay with you at all times. That way, I can help you with summoning or anything else you need."
"What about the size and strength of the summon? Those depend on the chakra used, which I do not have."
"You do not need to worry about that. Just draw some of your blood whenever you need something from me, and I will handle the rest."
I nodded, seeing no reason to question her further. "Okay then. I will be your summoner from now on."
Her face lit up with a bright smile.
Wait, why is her face flushed suddenly?
Shit.
"Now that this matter is settled and you are my summoning master, I need to tell you two things about your body that I did not mention before," she said.
I stretched my body, letting my armor recede back into my skin as I finally stopped being so cautious. "What is it?"
"First," she paused and looked at me carefully, "you have an affinity."
I raised an eyebrow. "Affinity? Like chakra affinity?"
"Yes."
"But–"
"I know you do not have chakra," she interrupted, "but I am not talking about a chakra affinity. I am talking about a natural affinity."
"And what does that mean?" I asked, confused, because I had never heard of such a thing.
"When I examined your body with nature energy, I noticed the shining dots and some other peculiarities, but I also discovered your affinity. In this world, even non living things have an affinity that describes their existence, and you are no different. Having chakra makes it easier to determine what an individual's soul and body represents in nature, but you can check your affinity with nature energy as well. The result is slightly different from what chakra would tell you, but it is still quite the same." She tilted her head. "Do you want to know what it is?"
I listened without understanding half of what she said, but I did grasp the important part. "Yes."
"Well, your affinity is space and time."
I just raised an eyebrow at that. It was surprising information, sure, but what was the point if I could not use it? Even if I had an affinity for every single thing, it would not matter without a versatile energy like chakra.
Then a thought struck me. "Can I really not use nature energy?" I asked, excitement creeping into my voice.
If I could use nature energy, my life would become so much easier.
I had been stuck at Mid jonin level prowess for a while now. The assimilation had stopped increasing, and my original memories and powers from the One Punch Man world were not coming back.
No amount of training with Dai was helping anymore.
I had built up my resistances as far as they could go.
At this point, I could stand in a sea of fire for ten minutes without burning, and in my monster form, normal fire did nothing to me at all.
I have hit a bottleneck and the SEAL is making matters much worse.
"Hmm yes, that's the other thing I wanted to inform you. We will have to try and see if your body can handle nature energy," she replied.
Likr a ghost, without being able to see anything, her figure disappeared and gently materialized in front of me, but I didn't panic this time.
She extended her hand to touch my chest and gently felt my muscles with a flush on her face which made me deadpan for a moment.
"Stay still and do not move~ Do not worry about turning into a slug permanently, because I will expel the nature energy if anything goes wrong." She smiled mischievously.
"You sure you are a pro at this?" I responded with my fists clenched. "Because your punchable face says otherwise."
'I am literally a breath away from clapping this bitch. And I am sure she won't even mind.' I thought.
And her overwhelming aura is pissing me off.
"How vulgar of you, Garou-sama. You should not talk to women like that, unless you want to break their hearts?" She looked hurt, but her smile remained.
"I will talk however I want to whomever I want. Dick or pussy, if anyone acts out of line, they get punched."
"You would not do that to your loved ones, so that means you do not care about me, hmm Garou-sama? I feel hurt..." She drew small circles on my chest with her finger, and her eyes narrowed.
"Yes, I don–"
"Stay still unless you want to be my slug partner forever," she interrupted in a menacing tone, shadows under her eyes.
I closed my eyes with slight annoyance.
"I will send a small amount first to see if you can handle it.
Here we go."
A cold sensation spread from my chest quickly, then it radiated to the rest of my body.
It was uncomfortable but not painful.
Moments pass...
"Good so far, but you cannot circulate the energy yourself. I will do it for you. Let us send more until it saturates your body."
Another cold rush went through my body, stronger this time, and I felt sluggish, slow, and wrong.
I opened my eyes and looked up at Katsuyu only to see her boobs looking like mountain peaks.
Wait! Looking up?!
"What the fuck! Fix me, you woman, fast fast fast!" I yelled because I could not feel my legs anymore, and my head was spinning like crazy while the colors in my vision drained away fast.
"There, there, no need to be afraid," she said in a tone reserved for lost children.
Before I could lash out, my body returned to normal, and the world regained its color.
"What was that?" I clutched my head as the dizziness remained, already knowing the answer.
"You were turning into a slug, but I was here to help you." She sounded almost disappointed. "But I have to ask, Garou-sama. Have you used nature energy somewhere before?" She continued examining my body, and I could feel the cold touch of her nature energy probing inside me.
"No," I answered, though a strange familiarity tugged at my memory.
"Hmm, intriguing. Then why does it seem as if you have been using nature energy for a long time? Not properly, and not in large amounts, but even that tiny bit should not be ignored."
"I said I have not used it."
She looked at me for a long moment. "What did you feel when I sent the energy?"
"Energetic at first, like I had eaten a full meal and rested for an entire day. But later, when you sent it in waves, I felt like shit."
She nodded thoughtfully. "Well, Garou-sama, it seems you have been using nature energy all this time without realizing it."
I looked at her eyes for some moments.
Seeing she didn't say anything else then it means it was true.
Hmmm, interesting.
That cold feeling was not unfamiliar.
Every time I used the Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist, I felt something at the tips of my fingers.
Hmmm, I had always assumed it was just the technique working, but...
*step step step*
I stepped away from Katsuyu until I had enough space to move freely. Then I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and began.
Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist.
I moved into a praying mantis pose, then started flowing like water, extending my arms in circular, wave like motions.
I sped up gradually, my eyes still closed, until I was creating afterimages of myself moving in a huge circle, like a river circling a stone.
Water Stream Dance.
I opened my eyes just enough to see the wisps of blue energy trailing from my fingertips, confirming my suspicion.
That cold feeling, that blue wisp... was nature energy.
I had been using it in tiny amounts every time I used the Water Stream arts or the Whirlwind techniques.
I stopped moving and let the blue wisps disperse. When I turned around, Katsuyu had literal stars in her eyes and her mouth was hanging open.
"Close it unless you want to choke on a fly," I said.
She snapped out of her daze. "I have never encountered someone who could gather nature energy while moving. Perhaps your body is not as useless as you thought. Because you have no chakra pathways, there is nothing to stop you from using pure nature energy freely. You are the perfect vessel. With this, we can make you very strong."
"I never said my body was useless. Also, I have things to do, so send me back woman."
She frowned. "I suggest you stay here longer and train with me. You could become my Sage in a very short time."
I picked at my ear. "I do not have time for that right now. I need to rest, prepare for the next village council meeting." I extended my hand toward her. "And do not tell Mito or anyone about any of this. You will be staying with me from now on, so any information you have about me stays with you forever. Understood?"
She sighed. "Okay, Garou-sama. But my offer still stands. It would be more beneficial than wasting your time like this."
A small part of her body split off from her arm, taking the shape of her human form but much smaller. It climbed onto my shoulder and hid inside my clothes.
"Just send me back already," I said impatiently.
"Goodbye, Garou-sama. Have a safe trip." She bowed dramatically to make her naked chest hypnotise me but obviously, it failed.
I am immune to Genjutsu thankfully.
Then I puffed out of existence.
.
.
.
.
.
.
________________
Katsuyu's POV
After thousands of years, I finally met my chosen one.
But sadly, he was already with another woman.
*Crack.*
The ground cracked and a massive fissure spread as I stepped on it hardly from frustration.
'Sighhhh. It seems another century of loneliness is coming my way,' I thought as I looked up at the clear blue sky.
I will wait until his wife dies, and then I will take him for myself.
Or maybe I could do something about it?
No one will be able to notice if I really did something.
He was my last ray of light. If something happened to him, I would simply end my own existence and finally be free from this curse of immortality.
Pulling out a mirror to admire my new reflection. The beautiful woman in the mirror smiled back at me.
"My happy ending is near at last..."
But...
"Is it really that? But how? I thought it was only a myth from the very far past."
The End.