Naruto: Assassinating Minato Namikaze at the Start

Chapter 84 Wet Bone Forest

The bare trees, like dead skeletons, withered branches reaching towards the sky, are their last struggle.

Is this the origin of the name "Shikkotsu Forest"?

Mo Jingxian landed, her feet rubbing against the rotten, black and yellow leaves, each step making a creaking sound.

After much deliberation, he signed his name on the contract that Tsunade had brought.

On that scroll, his name was listed after Tsunade's.

Further ahead lies Hashirama Senju, the God of Shinobi.

There are a dozen or so other names, almost all of whom are from the Senju clan.

One reason for signing his name was to address potential health concerns.

In addition, he was very interested in the secrets Tsunade mentioned.

Furthermore, Mo Jingxian also wanted to meet that slug immortal. The history known by an immortal being is closer to the truth than what is recorded.

He always felt that his arrival was not a coincidence, and that the world was far more complex than he had imagined.

Sometimes I even wonder if the Golden Finger is really just simple trading?

It wasn't that Mo Jingxian was making unfounded speculations, but if too many coincidences happened to the same person, could it still be considered a coincidence?

The Slug Sage—he might know some clues, so he has to come no matter what.

Based on clues from the original work, it seems that it doesn't participate much in the ninja world's conflicts.

It doesn't show any particular purpose or desire; it's just an extremely long-lived homebody.

Of course, Mo Jingxian didn't completely trust her own judgment.

We'll discuss everything when we meet.

In short, the risk is not high and it's worth a try.

This place truly lives up to its reputation as a great realm; he had been walking for an hour and still hadn't seen the Slug Immortal.

I jumped onto a branch, and the dead trees stretched as far as the eye could see, offering the same scenery all around me.

Tsunade didn't come along, saying that the Slug Sage wanted to speak with him privately.

But come out here!

"You must be Mo Jingxian."

A delicate female voice suddenly rang out, and Mo Jingxian looked up in surprise.

What did he see?!

I rubbed my eyes. How did this enormous thing suddenly appear?

The Slug Sage is, of course, a slug, which is not surprising.

But... this is way too big.

Its length is unknown, spanning the entire field of vision.

It was so high that Mo Jingxian had to tilt her head back at almost a 90-degree angle, but she still couldn't see the top.

He was mentally prepared for its size when he came, but when the Slug Sage actually appeared in front of him, he was still speechless for a long time.

The blue and white lines look intimidating.

The tailed beasts are not even his juniors; in terms of size, they are not even his grandsons.

"Welcome to Shikkotsu Forest, rebel."

The slug fairy was used to it; most people who came here for the first time had pretty much the same expression.

Back then, Hashirama was even more outrageous than him.

Mo Jingxian's surprise lasted only a short time before he regained his attention and keenly noticed the other person's form of address.

"The Rebels"

He had heard about it from that mysterious woman in the ancient city of Loulan, but at first he didn't take it too seriously.

Now that the Slug Sage has reminded him again, he has no choice but to take it seriously.

Mo Jingxian raised her head:

"Great Immortal, why do you call me 'Rebel'? Is there any significance to this title?"

"You were merely marked by the rules, already appearing in the prophecy of the 'Immortal,' which is why I call you 'Rebels.'"

His voice was calm and even, devoid of any emotion; the Slug Sage was like a detached observer.

Mo Jingxian wanted to ask more questions, but it interrupted her with its voice.

"Tsunade asked me to treat you. Let me check your condition first," said the Slug Sage.

"Some secrets will come to you when the time is right, but as for more... I'm sorry! I cannot do that."

In fact, the Slug Sage has already revealed a lot of information.

Mo Jingxian astutely grasped several key words: "you", "immortal", "prophecy", and "cannot be done".

"You all": This word is easy to understand; it proves that the rebels are not alone, but where are the others, and who are they? We don't know. Make a note of this beforehand.

Immortal: This does not refer to oneself, but to the existence of an "immortal" in the past.

This information matches the stone inscriptions of the Uzumaki clan, so it is now almost certain that this history is true.

Prophecy: To be honest, he didn't really believe in this kind of talk. He understood that everything in the universe was in motion, and even if there really were "immortals," could they possibly see through all the laws of the universe?

Mo Jingxian remained skeptical and refrained from drawing conclusions.

"Cannot do": This sentence is quite interesting; it says "cannot do" rather than "cannot do".

This means it knows some secrets, but is blocked or punished by something and cannot reveal them.

As for what it was, Mo Jingxian kept it a question mark in her mind.

A small slug splits off from the main body.

It climbed onto Mo Jingxian's arm, its mouthparts attaching to the back of his hand.

It was a little cool, but he didn't feel any pain. He stared at how the slug operated.

after awhile,

The slug fairy spoke slowly, but his voice still betrayed no emotion.

"The rules," it said, "are not damage, but the power of the rules has left a mark; the lifeline has been severed, and it can no longer grow."

Mo Jingxian's heart tightened; it had discovered it.

But upon closer reflection, this makes perfect sense.

Tsunade once said that "worlds" have their own rules, and the rules of the Great World have been separated from the influence of the main world.

As the only realm beast in this world, the Slug Immortal has incorporated a portion of the rules into its being.

Discovering his secret wouldn't be difficult.

Fortunately, it didn't press for specific reasons, demonstrating a good sense of boundaries.

With this thought in mind, Mo Jingxian composed herself and spoke slowly:

"Great Immortal, is there any way?"

"Yes." The little slug climbed off his arm.

"Severing the lifeline and death are two different concepts. Yang Dun can be used to stimulate the lifeline to grow a second time."

good news.

He finally gained a clear understanding of his own situation and realized the logic behind the loss of his life.

"That……"

"No rush, let me give it a try."

The little slug returned to its original form, and a tube-like tentacle popped out from the slug immortal's body and connected to Mo Jingxian.

next moment,

A warm sensation flowed into my body, feeling somewhat similar to Tsunade's healing ninjutsu.

But it's not the same thing.

Before he could fully comprehend it, the energy instantly flowed throughout his body.

The arrival of energy makes every cell cheer, and the whole person seems to return to their original state.

A comfortable and wonderful feeling enveloped Mo Jingxian, and he almost groaned out loud.

Gradually, my breathing became regular, and I subconsciously used the upper breathing technique.

Sit cross-legged on the ground, with your back straight but not stiff, and your tongue touching the upper palate to relax your whole body.

There was no wind in the wet bone forest, and the scene seemed to be frozen in time, as if he had entered a state of enlightenment.

One session of practice lasts about two hours.

When Mo Jingxian opened her eyes again, she felt more relaxed than ever before.

He jumped up and hopped around a couple of times, then bowed deeply to the slug fairy: "Thank you."

His gratitude was genuine, and the benefits he received were greater than he had anticipated.

"Great Immortal, please don't hesitate to ask if there's anything I can do for you." He straightened his back.

"I will not refuse to do anything that I can do."

He firmly believed that there is no such thing as love without a reason.

The slug fairy gives benefits upon meeting someone, so he must have something in mind.

That's the best approach: discuss the terms first, then the feelings, so neither side gets hurt.

"Not now." The Slug Sage stopped typing Yang Release:

"A crisis is looming ahead, and I need your help."

Mo Jingxian nodded, "This tastes right."

If it says it has no reason, then it should just run away.

"Your breathing technique is very powerful. Keep practicing it," it said.

This breathing technique is indeed extraordinary; the moment the Slug Immortal's Yang Escape technique was introduced, the difference was immediately apparent.

Breathing techniques are used to modify the body for those who practice Yang-style escape techniques.

In the past, he had too little Yang energy in his body, so it wasn't obvious.

Just now, as soon as Yang Dun entered the body, it was guided by the rhythm of breathing and became docile.

The cells began to pulsate rhythmically, in sync with breathing, greedily absorbing the nutrients.

The Yang Escape technique entered the cells, seemingly progressing to a deeper level, but he couldn't perceive exactly where it reached.

The effect is very obvious.

My health is improving.

This led him to think further ahead, and he came up with an even bolder idea.

When I first learned the breathing technique, I could only practice it for one hour each day.

After ten months of hard work, the cultivation time has now been extended to two hours, and the effect has doubled.

What about five hours? Or twelve hours?

He was looking forward to seeing what changes would occur.

If one day we could make breathing exercises a regular practice, replacing our usual breathing...

"Hiss!" He was shocked by his own thoughts.

No active intervention is needed; one cultivates while eating, walking, and even sleeping.

He grows every moment; as long as he's alive and can move, his strength will advance a little bit each time.

Thinking about it this way, breathing techniques are the most fundamental of all.

Logically, he benefits from every breath, and the benefits increase over time.

This is the logic of exponential growth.

The strength that others need to cultivate diligently, fight to the death, and undertake endless missions to gain, he only needs to breathe.

He had been thinking a bit too far ahead, so he brought his thoughts back to reality.

The slug immortal's single Yang Escape technique was enough for him to digest for a long time.

Mo Jingxian looked up and glanced at the slug immortal, which was so large that its boundaries could not be seen.

"What a huge power bank!" This somewhat disrespectful thought suddenly popped into my head.

This visit was definitely worthwhile.

Now that the contract is in effect, he is essentially on the same boat as the Slug Immortal.

When it needs her in the future, Mo Jingxian will do her part without hesitation.

This is a relationship where we rise and fall together.

Thinking about it that way, I immediately felt at peace.

Mo Jingxian consulted the Slug Immortal, wanting to summon its clone to test the effect.

With approval, a cloud of white mist dissipated, revealing a giant beast nearly fifty meters long.

He stood atop the slug's clone, gazing into the distance, and suddenly felt as if he were looking down upon all the mountains.

But there was something even bigger beside him, constantly reminding him... one shouldn't get too cocky.

After a silent comparison in his mind, he realized that the giants summoned by the three ninjas were all over sixty or seventy meters long.

This is determined by the amount of chakra; it can't be rushed.

As the white smoke dissipated, the slug's clone returned to its main body, but it had lost two-thirds of its energy.

If we actually end up on the battlefield, we must be careful about this kind of large-scale, one-time energy input.

The slug sage remained silent, not even making a sound when its enormous body disappeared.

Mo Jingxian blinked, still unable to figure out how it did it.

Then he smiled and thought, "Whatever, they're on the same side now."

Just as he was choosing to return, the Slug Sage left a message in his heart.

"First gather the five elements, then distinguish yin and yang..."