Chapter 198: The Hell Swamp
On the opposite bank of the wooden bridge, the three children sat slumped on the ground.
The bridge was less than thirty meters long, yet it took the three of them nearly an hour to cross. Especially Konan, who was relatively weaker; if Masahiko hadn't helped slightly with gravitational force, she wouldn't have been able to cross at all.
"Just as the rumors say, this Paralysis Grass can affect even Jonin." Nagato and Kushina could barely be considered two Jonin.
"Direct contact even affects me slightly. I'd better collect this." Masahiko directly plucked the Paralysis Grass wrapped around the bridge's ropes one by one. After adapting to it, touching it again had no effect.
Personally sealing all the Paralysis Grass into a scroll, Masahiko walked towards the three children with satisfaction.
"How is it? Recovered yet?" Masahiko smiled. "This trip is to broaden your horizons. If someone uses Paralysis Grass against you in the future, you need to be mentally prepared."
Nagato and Konan immediately agreed, while Kushina sighed helplessly. Seeing Masahiko collect all the Paralysis Grass, she had a bad premonition about future training.
Masahiko looked at their condition and narrowed his eyes. "Rest for another ten minutes. That should be about enough. We'll continue our journey."
"Sensei, there should be Living Salamanders in the stream here. Aren't we going to catch a few?" Konan asked in confusion.
Masahiko's expression stiffened. "Living Salamanders... it really is salamanders... I thought it was some kind of herb. What are Living Salamanders used for?"
"They are used to make Soldier Pills..."
Masahiko's expression turned strange, and he sighed inwardly. "Thank goodness I haven't eaten Soldier Pills... Feels a bit disgusting. The Akimichi clan really eats anything."
"Since they are living things, let's catch them on our way back. First, let's check out the danger zone marked on this map, the Hell Swamp... The name is truly majestic and domineering."
Konan hesitated but didn't say that they could catch dead ones... She also had a slight aversion to things like salamanders.
After resting for more than ten minutes, the three children had mostly recovered. Although their bodies were still somewhat stiff, they could walk smoothly.
Advancing another two kilometers, they arrived at the "Hell Swamp" marked on the map.
"Is it a cave?" Masahiko frowned and led the three children inside.
The cave wasn't deep. After walking less than a hundred meters, they saw the swamp in a depression ahead.
"It is said that the swamp mud here is very effective for treating external injuries caused by swords. Let's collect some." Just as Masahiko finished speaking, he noticed some blue gas columns erupting from ahead.
"This is..." Masahiko's face was filled with surprise. Having been in the Naruto world for over a hundred years, it was the first time he had seen this stuff... Gas (methane)!
Quickly stopping Nagato and Konan who wanted to move forward, Masahiko frowned.
The toxicity of the gas was not low. Even he wasn't sure he could inhale a few mouthfuls without being poisoned.
Normally, gas should be colorless and odorless. Since it appeared blue, it meant the gas was impure and possibly more prone to combustion or even explosion.
Masahiko hesitated for a moment, smiled, and explained a little about the properties of gas to the three children... Not that he didn't want to explain more, but he didn't know much either.
"This is the second training task. Find a way to collect the swamp mud. Be careful!"
After saying this, Masahiko stepped back a few meters and watched the three children rack their brains.
Nagato made the first attempt, using the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique. Although he suffered "heavy losses," one clone finally reached the edge of the swamp mud. However, before he could rejoice, the clone was "eliminated" by the corrosiveness of the swamp mud.
Masahiko was also stunned for a moment. "This stuff is so corrosive; how can it be used to make healing medicine? Is Hiruzen playing me..."
Later, he thought it shouldn't be the case. This stuff probably needed some special preparation before use. He almost couldn't resist adding a few points to Pharmacy.
"No, Witness Points are hard to come by..."
Afterward, the three children found the pattern of the gas eruptions. Nagato used a Shadow Clone to probe again. This time he passed successfully and collected some swamp mud with a sealing scroll. But...
The ground suddenly shook, and a behemoth drilled out from underground, directly swallowing Nagato's Shadow Clone along with the sealing scroll.
Masahiko was stunned for a moment. Not by the unexpected appearance of the monster, as he had sensed it early on. But the appearance of this monster...
"Is this the ancestor of the salamanders?" The corners of Masahiko's mouth twitched.
"Alright, the third training task is here. Catch the ancestor of the salamanders and sell it back to Konoha. It should fetch a good price..."
Masahiko spoke lightly, but the size of this monster wasn't much smaller than Gamabunta. The three children were fighting surrounded by gas and the swamp, having to use Wind Release to blow away the poisonous gas from time to time. The situation was perilous for a while.
"This won't do." Masahiko frowned and took a few steps forward. "Ignore the gas; I'll suppress it for you. Just beat up this big salamander ruthlessly!"
This time, the three children could finally fight without restraint.
Compared to when they went to sea, Nagato and Konan had improved a lot. Moreover, with Kushina by their side in this battle, facing the thick-skinned giant Summoning Beast, they managed to beat it until its skin split and flesh tore.
Seeing the situation turn bad, the "Salamander Ancestor" tried to burrow back into the ground, but almost knocked itself to tears. Masahiko had secretly reinforced the ground with Earth Release.
"I'll fight you to the death!"
This was the voice Masahiko dubbed for it in his mind, but obviously, it didn't have that backbone.
Determined to flee, it didn't linger in battle. After tanking a few jutsu, it headed straight for the cave exit, only to be kicked back by Masahiko.
Ten minutes later, in this frustrating battle, it finally surrendered its little life...
Just as the three children breathed a sigh of relief, they heard Masahiko say, "Hurry up and collect some swamp mud. This cave is going to collapse in two minutes!"
With such a large-scale battle, and this place not being as sturdy as Ryuchi Cave, it had long been crumbling. Masahiko was currently holding it up with repulsive force.
Just as they finished collecting the swamp mud, they watched the cave collapse bit by bit from the inside out.
"Run!" Masahiko shouted and disappeared.
The three children were stunned and ran towards the outside of the cave at full speed.
Like a warehouse explosion in a blockbuster cop movie, every time the three "protagonists" ran past a spot, the area behind them collapsed entirely. Finally, the three leaped out of the cave, and the cave disappeared completely. The aftershocks left the three of them covered in dust and dirt.
Masahiko walked over smilingly to the three who were still lying on the ground, dragging the giant salamander he had gotten out at some point.
"Good job. This training trip has come to a perfect end."
Kushina's small face was covered in dust. She looked up, gritting her teeth. "Great-Great-Grandpa, I just want to know... how did the cave manage to collapse layer by layer from the inside out?"
Masahiko snickered. "Hmm, this question... let me check some geology books when I get back. I'm not too sure either."
"Eh? Even Sensei doesn't know?"
Bonk!
Nagato's exclamation was cut short as Kushina knocked him hard on the head...
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