Konoha Notes

Chapter 51 Contract
Shuji pushed open the familiar courtyard gate, his gaze sweeping over the empty garden. The dry landscape garden remained the same, the stone steps were still cool, but the figure with dazzling golden hair and a wine dish was nowhere to be seen.

The corridor was deserted.

Shuji's gaze fell on the tightly closed paper door. Silence reigned within; not even the soft clinking of bottles could be heard.

He walked to the edge of the corridor, but instead of opening the paper door rashly, he sat down on the smooth wooden floor with his back to it.

Do you need to replenish your chakra?

There was no response from inside the door, as if no one was there.

He continued, "The live slug can transfer your chakra to others, so this transfer must not be one-way."

Silence remained behind the paper door.

Tsunade leaned against the shadows by the door, her amber eyes half-closed.

Theoretically, this is feasible, but her grandfather was Hashirama Senju and her grandmother was Mito Uzumaki. Both of them possessed powerful chakra, and with the Yin Sealing Technique they later developed, she has always been the one providing healing and support to others, and others have been unable to fill the void left by her.

The kid outside has very strong chakra.

"Itachi's condition is not good." Shuji's voice broke the silence again. "According to Shizune-senpai's assessment, it seems that you will need to take action yourself to completely remove the alien energy from his body."

"Itachi's injuries were not external."

A barely audible hum came from inside the door. Of course she knew that the live slug was Tsunade's eyes, and what it saw was what Tsunade saw.

After a moment, the paper door was pulled open from the inside, just wide enough for one hand to pass through.

A huge spirit scroll was pushed out and landed on the floor behind Shuuji with a "thud".

"To transfer chakra through the live slug, you need to sign a contract with it."

This made Xiuji hesitate.

"If I've misunderstood anything, I have no intention of coveting the live slug. However, I must admit that, if you'd like, I have some questions I'd like to ask..."

"Stop being so presumptuous!" Tsunade's voice suddenly rose a little. "I don't want to be bothered by that old hag Momoka again, saying she's saving someone's life!"

Whether it's strength, strategy, or decisiveness, this kid should be able to withstand everything that comes his way compared to my current self. Consider it the price I pay for running away, and I'll entrust this power to him.

"This is your only chance," Princess Thousand Hands said indifferently. "Consider it payment for saving Shizune."

Since that was the case, Xiu Si stopped being coy, unrolled the scroll, cut his index finger, and used his blood to write his name and handprint on it.

Then, he would summon the live slug through psychic communication.

It wasn't originally this simple.

The earliest form of spirit communication involved establishing a good relationship with the spirit beast before forming a spirit contract.

The three great summoning holy sites, which have fixed summoning clans, will have a legacy contract scroll with ninjas who have a good relationship with them. Thus, a summoning contract is established first, and then the recognition of the summoned beast is obtained.

The same applies to Mount Myoboku and Yongji Cave.

Shikkotsu Forest is the only exception. The only summoning beasts offered by Shikkotsu Forest are the live slugs. All other live slugs, large and small, are split bodies of the Shikkotsu Forest Slug Sage. The size of the slug that can be summoned depends on how powerful the summoner's chakra is.

Moreover, the live slug has one advantage: it has a soft voice and a good temper. Even though its true form is an immortal, it is very polite to people. Compared with the spirit beasts of other holy lands, it lacks the element of getting to know someone through a fight.

"Summoning Jutsu!" A wisp of white smoke dissipated, and a tiny, soft, white slug, no bigger than a palm, appeared beside the scroll. It slightly raised its tiny antennae, its beady black eyes looking at Shuuji, its voice gentle and clear, carrying a strange sense of comfort: "Nice to meet you, Shuuji-kun. Thank you for summoning me."

It had clearly shared information with the other split entities and knew about the relationship between the boy in front of it and Tsunade.

"Greetings, Lord Slug." Shuuji nodded slightly, his attitude respectful. "This summons is not for battle, but because I have a request."

The little slug wriggled slightly: "Please speak, Shuuji-kun."

"I hope that you can act as a medium to transfer my chakra to Lady Tsunade," Shuji stated his intention directly. "She needs to replenish her power to heal my comrades."

The little slug seemed to pause for a moment, its tiny body revealing a human-like surprise: "...Replenishing Tsunade-sama's chakra?"

It carefully sensed the chakra transmitted by Shuji, and after a moment, its gentle voice conveyed certainty: "Understood, with your chakra. This is indeed feasible, Shuji-kun. As long as you trust me, are willing to open your chakra, and guide it to flow towards Lady Tsunade, I will ensure the stability of the transmission."

The slug added, "Furthermore, since Lady Tsunade has allowed you to sign the contract, you can summon me at any time from now on. I will do my best to assist you, no matter how small the matter is."

"I am extremely grateful," Shuji said sincerely.

The little slug slowly climbed onto Shuji's shoulder and reminded him, "We can begin now, Shuji-kun."

Inside the door, Tsunade's body trembled slightly.

An indescribable, powerful, and warm torrent surged into her body.

The body's energy, which had been excessively depleted, was quickly replenished, and the tired mind was nourished.

She leaned against the door frame, closed her eyes, her long eyelashes trembling slightly, letting the warm current surge and circulate within her body, repairing the invisible deficiency.

Time passed quietly in the courtyard, with only an invisible, warm energy flowing between the two.

After an unknown amount of time, the glowing light on the little slug gradually subsided, and it gently moved its antennae: "Shuji-kun, Lady Tsunade's condition has basically stabilized."

Upon hearing this, Shuji slowly reduced his chakra output.

The paper door was pulled open with a "whoosh".

Tsunade stood at the door, her long golden hair seemingly regaining its former luster. Her face still carried its usual languor, but the faint weariness between her brows had dissipated, and a sharp, powerful light, like molten gold, rekindled deep within her amber eyes.

She glanced at the little slug on the ground, then looked at Xiu Si, her gaze lingering on his face for a moment, as if trying to discern something beneath his calm expression.

In the end, she merely snorted, bent down, and picked up the wine dish from the ground—which still contained a little bit of clear wine. She tilted her head back and drank the remaining wine in one gulp, then casually tossed the empty dish onto the veranda.

"I'm going to check on that Uchiha brat. As for you, you have other things to take care of."

After saying that, she stopped looking at Shuuji and strode off towards the room where Itachi was staying.

Shuji watched her figure disappear around the corner of the corridor, then looked down at the little slug on the ground and said, "Lady Slug, you should go back now. Thank you for today. There are still some things I need to ask you about later."

“I’m always ready to serve you, Xiu Si,” the little slug replied gently. Then, with a “bang,” the scroll of the Wet Bone Forest disappeared along with it.

Shuji stood up; the ability to summon slugs was an unexpected bonus. With Tsunade's help, Itachi's problem should be resolved.

He still has to clean up the rest of the mess.

(End of this chapter)