As far as the eye could see, rows of towering trees pierced the clouds.
These trees had no leaves on them, and their branches were like inverted spikes growing on the trunks, their bodies a ghastly white, giving off an eerie feeling of bones.
The forest was filled with a moist and refreshing scent, and when Tsunade arrived, she took a light breath, feeling a comfortable sensation throughout her body.
This white bone forest was teeming with an incredibly dense amount of natural energy, and on the ground and ghastly white trunks, one could visibly see some blue and white slugs, with slimy liquid spilling from their mouths, flowing down the branches.
This was indeed Shikkotsu Forest, one of the Three Great Sacred Lands of the Ninja Realm for summoning creatures.
The entire space was the territory of Katsuyu.
As far as Tsunade knew, Shikkotsu Forest had existed in the world long before the concept of a ninja emerged.
The ruler here was a gentle and kind giant slug, with the smaller slugs here being split-off avatars from that giant slug, possessing special abilities like division and spitting corrosive liquids.
"Lady Tsunade, what brings you here?"
A slug crawled out from the depths of the forest, much larger than the palm-sized ones beside it, yet still only a small mountain compared to Tsunade.
But Tsunade knew that this was still not Katsuyu's true body, just an insignificant avatar.
During her first contract signing, Tsunade had the opportunity to see Katsuyu's true body, which was a gigantic creature beyond words.
It was unimaginable that such a magical creature existed in the Ninja Realm.
Although Tsunade was a human many generations younger than Katsuyu, in her gentle nature, she preferred to address her contractor as 'Lady'.
Katsuyu was an unusual existence among the Three Great Sacred Lands.
Compared to the mysterious Mount Myoboku and the savage Ryuchi Cave, the slugs of Shikkotsu Forest were the most docile creatures.
"It's been a while. Konoha had some issues recently, and I have some matters I'd like to discuss with you."
"I see, though the Ninja Realm is indeed restless right now, it seems another great war has broken out."
Katsuyu slightly lowered her body, her tone filled with a touch of compassion.
Having lived for a millennium, she could be said to have knowledge of history.
Humans and ninjas were like a curse without end, an inseverable chain of causes, with war and destruction permeating this land.
Upon hearing this, Tsunade also fell silent.
War was indeed not a pleasant memory.
Her brother and lover had both died on the battlefield, with young men continuously offering their lives there.
After this war, Konoha would once again be filled with orphans devoid of parents.
"So, what is it that Lady Tsunade wishes to discuss with me? Though I may not be able to provide answers, I do know a bit about most things in the Ninja Realm."
Katsuyu spoke in a gentle voice.
Tsunade gathered herself from her sadness, raising her head to look up at Katsuyu's enormous head, from which two large white antennae extended.
"I recall you once told me that the Great Toad Sage of Mount Myoboku possesses a Sage Talisman capable of resurrecting the dead, correct?"
"Yes, Gama-Maru does indeed have such a thing."
Gama-Maru is the true name of the Great Toad Sage, and in rank, Katsuyu is considered equal, without any hierarchical relation.
"Would such an object be casually lent to humans?"
Tsunade posed her crucial question.
It seemed far too dubious.
If it were Jiraiya, Tsunade might be able to rationalize it, as Jiraiya had signed a contract with Mount Myoboku from a young age.
But Minato had only signed the contract with Mount Myoboku in recent years; could their relationship really be that amicable?
Mount Myoboku was a summoning sacred land that had existed for thousands of years; surely they had long since seen through matters of life and death.
"Lent to humans? No, that object consumes Gama-Maru's life force and Sage Art Chakra, and under normal circumstances, it is never used. To my knowledge, Gama-Maru only used it on a human over a thousand years ago."
Katsuyu accurately provided Tsunade with the answer to this matter.
"Used it over a thousand years ago? On who?"
Tsunade was shocked.
What a distant era. The ninja hadn't even appeared back then, had they?
"A man named Otsutsuki Hamura, the ancestor of Konoha Village's Hyuga Clan."
This name hadn't been mentioned before, but somehow, it was connected to the Hyuga Clan… Speaking of which, the Hyuga Clan was currently in a dilemma due to the departure of some of its branch family members.
"So, under normal circumstances, the Great Toad Sage would not bestow the Sage Talisman on humans, correct?"
"Correct. If it were granted, then the person saved by Gama-Maru is likely the Child of Prophecy from his dreams."
As a fellow ruler of the Three Great Sacred Lands, Katsuyu was privy to some of the intricate details of the other leaders.
Ninjas capable of signing a contract with Mount Myoboku were figures who could call forth storms within the Ninja Realm, yet if such people were to die unexpectedly, the Great Toad Sage would absolutely not wield the Sage Talisman to resurrect them.
If the situation warranted the use of the Sage Talisman, it could only be related to the Child of Prophecy.
"What is the Child of Prophecy?"
Tsunade was a bit confused, feeling that there was something somewhat mysterious about Mount Myoboku.