Chapter 25: Shikkotsu Forest
The wind howled past her ears...
A grey, overcast sky overhead...
Sakura felt herself plummeting through midair. She fought to right her body and looked down—
Nothing?
No. It wasn't nothing. It was white. Pure, endless white.
"Oh my?"
Something down there had apparently noticed her — and then Sakura heard a soft little pomf, and felt herself land on something incredibly squishy.
She clutched her slightly spinning head, and only then did she manage to look around properly.
White. Just white. And at the very edge of her vision, a long winding ribbon of blue, like a river.
"My, my. To think that after all these years, I'd actually have a visitor. And such an adorable little visitor at that~~"
A gentle, lilting woman's voice drifted through the air. In front of Sakura, a slug roughly the size of her palm shimmered into view, complete with two little antennae on its head and a soft, plump body.
"This is... Lady Tsunade's slug?"
"Oh ara~ It seems she's even a little visitor from Konoha~~"
"What do we do... What do we do..."
Hiruzen was pacing in tight circles, frantic. Sitting nearby, the Monkey King was placidly counting how many laps the old man had done.
320...
321...
322...
Hiruzen was beside himself with anxiety.
When you used the Summoning Technique without a binding contract, there was a very real chance you'd be flung into some unknown pocket dimension instead of arriving at a known summoning site.
He had not, in his wildest imagination, expected the normally composed Sakura to do something this reckless.
She was on Jiraiya's level for sheer impulsiveness.
The difference was that Jiraiya had been a beneficiary of cosmic dumb luck — by sheer happy accident, his unanchored summoning had spat him out at Mount Myōboku. But you only got dumb luck once. Lightning didn't strike the same idiot twice. Did it?
In a situation like this, only space-time ninjutsu could yank Sakura back. But even if the Fourth Hokage himself were to come back from the dead, without a Flying Thunder God seal anywhere on Sakura's person, even Minato would be helpless.
— Shikkotsu Forest —
"So that's what happened~~"
"Sakura summoned a creature without a binding contract first? That was a very reckless thing to do, you know~~"
The slug's voice wasn't just gentle. Her personality was gentle. Among all the great summoning beasts, she was famously one of the easiest to deal with.
"Tell you what~~ I'll send Sakura back home first, and then I'll have a little chat with the Third Hokage to smooth everything over. That should take care of it~~ Even after Sakura signs a contract with the Monkey clan, if she ever needs my help, I'll be glad to come~~"
The slug — about the size of Sakura's forearm — gently slithered up onto her shoulder. Her sweet voice was practically melting Sakura's heart.
"Mm-hmm! Thank you, Lady Slug!"
With a soft pomf, the slug and Sakura vanished from the spot.
In the moment of their departure, the entire Shikkotsu Forest gave a faint, knowing tremble.
"Such a little fibber of a visitor~~"
"But unexpectedly cute, I think~~"
In all of Shikkotsu Forest, there was only ever one slug — and that slug was the Slug Sage, Katsuyu.
Every slug in existence was a fragment of Katsuyu's body, her divisions made manifest. Even the slugs Tsunade summoned were no exception.
A creature who had lived for over a thousand years. There was no possible way Katsuyu had failed to notice Sakura's clumsy little white lies.
But Katsuyu didn't care.
She didn't know how Sakura had managed to land in Shikkotsu Forest, of all places, without a contract.
But that wasn't important to her.
The fact that Sakura had been able to find her way here at all, without a contract — that meant the two of them had a bond. And that was enough.
Pomf~~
A small puff of smoke bloomed in the exact spot where Sakura had vanished, and Hiruzen — who had been about three seconds from giving up and running off to dig through every scroll on the Summoning Technique he could find — froze mid-stride.
"SAKURA!!! Do you have ANY IDEA what you just did?!"
The instant his eyes locked on to that pink-haired little troublemaker, Hiruzen nearly exploded.
He had finally — finally — chosen a successor. The village had finally produced a real prodigy after years of waiting. And the thought that his entire plan might have been undone by one rogue use of the Summoning Technique—
He'd have regretted that for the rest of his natural life!
"Eh? Heh, heh — sorry, Master, my bad..."
Sakura had been planning to laugh it off and move on, but when she actually saw the look on Hiruzen's face, she meekly lowered her head and accepted the scolding.
"Lord Third, it's been a while~~"
A familiar voice drifted into Hiruzen's ear, and only then did he notice the little passenger riding on Sakura's shoulder. His pupils contracted.
A slug.
The Slug Sage of Shikkotsu Forest...
Sakura had launched herself all the way to Shikkotsu Forest?
That was — unbelievable luck!
Thank every god in the heavens she hadn't accidentally launched herself to the Ryūchi Cave! In the Snake Sage's domain, she'd have been processed into snake droppings inside of three hours!
"Ka-Katsuyu?"
Hiruzen's voice came out a little disbelieving.
"Long time no see, Lord Third~~ I was actually in the middle of a nice nap when this little child came tumbling out of the sky and landed right on top of me~~"
Katsuyu's words finally allowed the iron fist around Hiruzen's heart to loosen.
The heavens really did have eyes.
Cosmic dumb luck. Twice in one generation.
"It would seem this child has a connection to Shikkotsu Forest."
Standing nearby, Enma rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"Yes, indeed~~ This child is very cute~~"
Katsuyu's syrupy voice made the tips of Sakura's ears go warm.
"Well, in that case, I'll take my leave."
Enma let out a small sigh, glancing at Sakura with genuine regret.
He had actually rather liked Sakura himself, as a potential summoner. But since she had been chosen by the Slugs first — well, what could he say. Some bonds simply weren't meant to be.
Besides, the Slugs had always been on good terms with Konoha. There was no reason to sour relations between the Monkey clan and Shikkotsu Forest over a single child.
"But Sakura hasn't actually signed a contract with me yet, you know~~"
Katsuyu's words made Enma stop mid-step.
"Slug Sage, what exactly do you mean by that?"
He turned back, puzzled.
Even as the chieftain of the Monkey clan, Enma was still a junior in the presence of the Slug Sage.
"If Lord Enma would like to form a contract with Sakura, that would be perfectly fine~~ After all, Sakura is the successor that Lord Third has chosen~~"
Katsuyu glanced once at the silent Hiruzen, her voice as gentle as ever.
"Since Sakura was able to summon me without a contract in the first place, I don't actually need one~~ Lord Enma, please don't worry~~"
That left Enma genuinely thrown.
The vast majority of shinobi could only summon from one species of summoning beast. The only exceptions were beasts a shinobi had personally raised from infancy, or some other extraordinary workaround that allowed them to bond with multiple species.
And the summoning clans that had developed full civilizations of their own all had their pride. As a general rule, they would not enter into a contract with a shinobi who was already bound to another species.
But Katsuyu's meaning was clear — she didn't mind in the slightest if this little girl was also bonded to another clan.
That particular detail forced Enma into deep thought.
If even the Slug Sage wasn't going to mind... did he really need to mind?
Off to one side, Hiruzen Sarutobi stood very still, eyes downcast, the picture of perfect Zen detachment.
Enma you old fossil what are you STANDING THERE FOR. The Slugs just told you it's fine. What the hell do you have to object to?!