Chapter 75: Another Sannin (Part 1)

Sansho casually passed the important item to Haseo before walking away with a slight smile shortly afterward.

Haseo carried the Summoning Contract Scroll as if it were an awkward sack. He stood there for a moment, stunned, before finally realizing he had just accepted something quite sensitive. Standing there like that wasn't helpful—he had to decide what to do next.

The problem was, he couldn't immediately figure out how best to handle or store it.

For starters, Haseo knew he couldn't just carry such a huge scroll around the battlefield—only experts could do that. He couldn't guarantee that the scroll would never be lost, stolen, or damaged under all circumstances.

As for storing it at the Front-line Camp or returning it directly to the Hidden Leaf Village, he also found those options unsafe. Places he couldn't constantly monitor, semi-open facilities without full protective measures—those clearly weren't suitable places to preserve such a rare scroll.

"Lord Haseo," said the giant slug, addressing its new contract ninja. "My main body resides within the Shikkotsu Forest, one of the Three Secret Regions [three legendary hidden areas known only to a few]. I've lived so long that even I can no longer remember exactly when my life began. By staying by your side, I can absorb your excess chakra, and if you ever need to fight, you'll be able to summon me again… As for the summoning ritual, depending on the amount of chakra you channel into the summoning array [Summoning Jutsu], different portions of my body—in varying sizes—can be summoned. In short, the size of my summoned form is practically limitless."

After Sansho's departure, the slug introduced itself to its new master.

No matter how powerful someone's chakra might be, actually pulling the entirety of the slug's existence from the Shikkotsu Forest into this world was impossible. Such an event had never occurred, nor would it likely ever happen… Even if someone did possess enough chakra to manage such a feat, would someone so overwhelmingly strong even require assistance from the slug during battle?

So, what the slug said wasn't wrong.

Oh, right—the Shikkotsu Forest!

What the slug said suddenly clicked in Haseo's mind. Looking toward the massive creature now resting atop his shoulder, he asked, "Slug, am I allowed to travel to the Shikkotsu Forest?"

Through the Reverse Summoning Jutsu, Haseo naturally had the ability to reach the Shikkotsu Forest. But the deeper implication behind his question was whether he would be permitted entry… Even though he now held the summoning contract scroll, access to such a secret location still ultimately depended upon the consent of the region's master.

"There's no issue, Lord Haseo," reassured the slug gently, showing no sign of resistance despite Haseo's sudden inquiry. "You're definitely allowed into the Shikkotsu Forest. Since you've already signed the contract scroll and obtained authorization over it, you have been officially designated by Lady Sansho as her successor. This means the entire Shikkotsu Forest is open to you. But… You're planning to go there so soon? Just out of curiosity, or is there something else on your mind?" All the slug wanted to know was why Haseo was in such a hurry to go there.

"What's called a hidden realm is naturally one of the most mysterious places in the world. I'd definitely like to visit some, but… there'll be plenty of time to see Shikkotsu Forest eventually. No need to rush." Haseo had only asked casually; he wasn't someone easily driven by curiosity. So for now, Haseo had no plans to head toward Shikkotsu Forest.

He then patted the summoning scroll resting in his arms and continued, "I just want to temporarily store this scroll within Shikkotsu Forest. Placing it inside such a hidden realm would certainly make it far safer than any other place I know."

Haseo naturally wanted to witness these so-called hidden realms, but right now wasn't the time for him to indulge his curiosity freely. For one thing, he wasn't a member of the Senju clan, and secondly, he was merely a newly contracted ninja who had just forged a summoning contract with Katsuyu. Overall, the trust between them was built solely upon the bond mediated by Sansho and thus remained extremely limited.

If Haseo now proposed exploring every nook and cranny of Shikkotsu Forest and uncovering its secrets, Katsuyu likely wouldn't stop him based on her displayed personality—but Haseo saw no need to do that. After all, things like this would come naturally as both sides got to know each other better. He didn't need to rush, nor did he have any reason to damage Katsuyu's perception of him.

"Oh, so that's your idea… Indeed, if you leave the scroll with my main body residing in Shikkotsu Forest, it will undoubtedly be much safer than leaving it out here." Understanding Haseo's intentions, Katsuyu split herself into two again. One crawled off Haseo's shoulder and pressed her body against the Summoning Contract Scroll before instantly disappearing from the spot together with the scroll.

The remaining Katsuyu twitched her antennae-like appendages on her head and spoke, "It's already been delivered to my original body. The scroll will be properly safeguarded."

After storing the scroll securely within Shikkotsu Forest, Haseo no longer needed to worry about keeping it safe himself. Leaving the summoned beast bound to the contract to guard it—could there be anything more reassuring?

Soon afterward, Haseo also walked out of the forest area and returned to the Konoha base.

The Katsuyu still clinging tightly onto him would help monitor and regulate his chakra reserves to prevent overflow or leaks. But surely even she found this approach quite unusual. She had seen many people possessing large amounts of chakra before, yet never had she encountered anyone whose chakra growth rate surpassed their physical development capability—not even in all her countless years of existence as a summoned beast. An abnormally strange person bound to suffer from an equally bizarre condition!

Then, draped with a giant slug, Haseo inevitably attracted sidelong glances from passing ninjas on his way back to base. Their gazes looked at him as though he'd done something immoral and perverted.

You clowns—you can't even begin to understand what it feels like to be so full, can you? Do you even realize how amazing Katsuyu's voice sounds?

Well, of course they couldn't possibly get it. Upon returning to his tent, Haseo began rummaging around until he found a loose, light gray haori. Putting this garment over his standard ninja attire effectively concealed the massive slug clinging tightly to his body.

After all, keeping his summoned beast constantly in plain sight would definitely be inconvenient. Even if he didn't care about public perception, Haseo still needed to consider the secrecy of the Summoning Jutsu.

Ninja often kept their secrets hidden, even if it wasn't always by choice. Take Haseo himself as an example—he'd also been forced to wear such mismatched attire, hadn't he?

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