Chapter 15: Entering Shikkotsu Forest
After a deeply satisfying sleep, Shen woke at around four in the afternoon. Seeing the sun already beginning its descent toward the horizon, he was momentarily stunned. Why hadn't Yūko and the others woken him?
After changing into the clothes prepared by the Yokota clan, he let out a quiet sigh of relief. At last, he was no longer stuck wearing that set of plain white robes. He still wasn't entirely accustomed to these new garments, but at the very least, they were far better than something completely devoid of color.
Stepping outside, he noticed a group of maids gathered in a circle, chatting softly among themselves. He walked over without hesitation.
"Yūko, why didn't you wake me?"
"Ah, my lord, you're awake. Well… you looked so exhausted that I didn't have the heart to disturb you. But please rest assured, Clan Head Ruma has already personally led a group into the Miasma Forest to search for the entrance to Shikkotsu Forest," Yokota Yūko replied respectfully as Shen approached.
"Uncle Ruma went personally?" Shen's expression shifted slightly. "The Miasma Forest is deadly to ordinary people. It's manageable during the day, but once night falls, it becomes extremely dangerous. Hurry and send someone to call them back."
Hearing that Yokota Ruma had personally gone out for his sake stirred something in Shen's chest. The Miasma Forest was no trivial threat—one careless mistake, and they might never return.
"Yes, I'll inform Miss Kiyomi immediately." Yūko was briefly taken aback when she heard Shen address Yokota Ruma as "Uncle Ruma," but she quickly composed herself, bowed, and hurried off.
"Alright, since I don't have anything pressing to do, I might as well guide you all in your chakra training."
Glancing at the maids standing respectfully nearby, Shen decided to use his idle time to teach them the basics of chakra cultivation.
"Really?!" The maids' eyes lit up with surprise and delight. This was an opportunity few could ever hope for. Even the clan elders had never received such direct guidance. As expected, serving as Lord Shen's personal attendants came with undeniable benefits.
"Mm. First, tell me what problems you've encountered in your cultivation. I'll help you resolve them. But as for the actual training, that's something you must handle yourselves—I won't intervene directly. A case like Yūko's is extremely rare. She succeeded because her talent is exceptional and her sensitivity to chakra is unusually high. Don't expect me to personally cultivate it for you."
"Please rest assured, my lord—we'll work hard!"
"Good. Then ask whatever questions you have."
...
Thus began the chakra training Q&A session.
What Shen hadn't anticipated, however, was that more and more people would gradually be drawn in by the session...
Before long, even Yokota Ruma and the others who had returned joined the gathering. At that point, Shen simply relocated everyone to the courtyard. He sat within the pavilion while the others sat on the ground, listening intently as he explained various insights and techniques related to chakra cultivation. Many of them, after having their doubts clarified or gaining new understanding, revealed expressions of sudden realization.
The session continued until around eight or nine that evening, only coming to an end when Shen grew too hungry to go on. He was certain that by tonight, quite a number of Yokota clan members would successfully cultivate chakra. Given time to accumulate strength, they would undoubtedly become a considerable force under his command in the future.
"My lord, why did you suddenly decide to guide us today?" Yūko finally asked during dinner that evening, unable to hold back her curiosity.
"What? You didn't like it?" Shen teased lightly.
"No, no, that's not it. It's just… it feels like you've changed."
"Oh? Changed in what way?"
"Mmm…" Yūko thought for a moment, then smiled warmly. "You feel much easier to approach now. Yūko likes the way you are now, my lord."
"Is that so? Didn't you once say my body was too thin and frail?"
"Ah! My lord, you knew? Th-that… please don't be angry! Yūko was just speaking nonsense!"
"Hahahahahaha!"
In his excellent mood, Shen laughed heartily and continued teasing her for a while.
The night passed peacefully. As for anyone whose thoughts strayed in questionable directions—go stand in the corner and reflect on yourselves.
The next morning, after completing his training, Shen stretched lazily. Before long, he would head into the Miasma Forest to search for the entrance to Shikkotsu Forest. He truly hadn't expected it to be located so close to his place of seclusion. That was undoubtedly good news. Even in the future, when he chose to live in isolation, he would still be able to visit Shikkotsu Forest with relative ease.
"My lord, please be careful on your journey," Yūko said, leading a line of maids to see him off.
"Mm. While I'm away, continue cultivating your chakra. Most of you have already developed some by now. As for those who haven't, help them—share your experiences and insights with each other," Shen instructed before departing.
Back then, he truly hadn't misjudged her. Among all of them, Yūko possessed the greatest talent. After checking her condition that morning, he discovered that although her chakra reserves were still limited, the remarkable thing was that she possessed all five elemental attributes—most likely influenced by his own chakra.
Rising swiftly into the sky from the Yokota estate, Shen soon ascended above the clouds. From this vantage point, he could already see Lake Nogawa. After determining the southern direction relative to the lake, he immediately sped off in that direction.
As the Miasma Forest drew nearer, Shen found himself growing slightly tense. He couldn't help but wonder whether he would be able to leave a favorable first impression on the Slug Sage.
Before long, he arrived above the Miasma Forest and surveyed the area, attempting to find any traces of the Slug Sage's presence. Her true body was enormous—if she had appeared in a forest like this, there should have been some visible signs.
But to Shen's disappointment, although the Slug Sage was indeed massive—so large that even a single clone could tower several stories high—the miasma here was equally overwhelming. It was still early morning, and the poisonous fog had yet to disperse. Dense white miasma had already risen above the treetops, leaving nothing visible but an endless sea of white, broken only by the occasional tip of a tree on higher ground.
After descending into the Miasma Forest and taking a few breaths, Shen immediately felt a sharp discomfort. He quickly circulated chakra throughout his body, and only then did the sensation ease.
Moving swiftly through the forest, Shen followed the trail discovered by the Yokota warriors the previous day—the path once taken by Yokota Fuichirō and the Fūma clan.
As he advanced, Shen gradually noticed something peculiar. The poisonous miasma seemed to be drifting outward from the same general direction.
Normally, miasma formed from toxic gases released by microorganisms decomposing organic matter within the forest. In theory, it should be distributed throughout the area, merely varying in density. But this phenomenon—of it appearing to originate from a single direction—was highly unusual.
Suddenly, Shen recalled what Shikkotsu Forest looked like in his previous life. That place had been filled with enormous fungal growths, with poisonous vapors saturating the entire environment—certainly not somewhere ordinary people could survive.
At that moment, Shen became certain. This miasma was leaking out from Shikkotsu Forest itself. If he could locate its source, then he would undoubtedly find the entrance.
With that realization, Shen began carefully observing the flow of the surrounding miasma and advanced in the direction from which it was emanating. Sure enough, the deeper he went, the faster the miasma spread and the denser it became. Soon, visibility dropped to less than a meter.
Without hesitation, he activated his Byakugan—and immediately noticed something unusual ahead. There was a patch of empty space. Yet from within that void, miasma continuously poured outward.
Shen instantly understood—he had found the entrance to Shikkotsu Forest.
He shot straight into the void, and in the next moment, the world around him twisted violently. By the time nausea surged through him, he was abruptly ejected and slammed into something that felt like a tree trunk made of soft cotton.
After steadying himself and turning around, he saw a smooth, rounded white trunk before him. Shen immediately recognized it as one of the massive mushrooms that filled Shikkotsu Forest.
Without hesitation, he ran along the mushroom's stalk, heading upward. When he finally reached the cap, everything before him was still shrouded in white, but faintly, he could make out other towering mushroom stalks rising in the distance.
Climbing onto the tallest mushroom nearby, Shen gazed out across Shikkotsu Forest, which resembled a vast sea of clouds, and couldn't help but marvel.
If not for the countless giant mushrooms growing here, it likely wouldn't be possible to sustain such an enormous Slug Sage. Moreover, the reproductive rate of the slug clan was nowhere near as high as that of the toads.
He scanned the surroundings in every direction, but all he saw were endless layers of cloud-like mist. There was no sign of the Great Slug Sage whatsoever. At that moment, Shen felt a deep sense of frustration.
Why was it that someone like Yokota Fuichirō could encounter the Great Slug Sage simply by getting into a fight, while he himself couldn't find even a trace of her after coming all this way?
What Shen didn't know was that, from the moment he stepped into Shikkotsu Forest, the Great Slug Sage had already sensed his presence from afar. Not long after, she separated a clone from her body and sent it swiftly in his direction.
Sitting atop the mushroom, Shen fell into deep thought, wondering whether he should create some kind of disturbance in Shikkotsu Forest—just as Yokota Fuichirō had done—to attract the Great Slug Sage's attention.
No… that wouldn't be wise. What if it ended up making the Great Slug Sage dislike him instead?
Does that mean I'm destined to remain a chūnin for the rest of my life?
Wait… how much chakra does a chūnin actually have?
I'm not still a genin, am I? Probably not. Back then, that second-rate guy could barely manage a single Great Fireball before running out of breath. I can fire off at least twenty now—there's no way I'm still at the genin level.
...
As his thoughts drifted further and further off track, Shen remained completely unaware that the Great Slug Sage was already nearby—and had even entered the detection range of his Byakugan. Ever since entering Shikkotsu Forest, he had deactivated it, and thus failed to notice anything unusual. Moreover, the Great Slug Sage moved by slowly wriggling forward, making almost no sound at all.
It wasn't until she was less than a kilometer away that Shen finally noticed a massive figure moving through the sea of clouds in his direction.
Seeing the Great Slug Sage drawing closer, Shen's face lit up with surprise and delight. As expected, perseverance paid off. His luck wasn't bad either—choosing a secluded place so close to Shikkotsu Forest had allowed him, on his very first visit, to actually encounter the Great Slug Sage.
"You must be that unusual person. I am—" the Slug Sage's clone began in a gentle, composed tone, but before she could finish, Shen excitedly cut her off.
"I know, I know! You're a clone of the Great Slug Sage, one with independent consciousness! The Great Slug Sage possesses an immense body and is the oldest among the sages—even older than the ones from Ryūchi Cave and Mount Myōboku!"
Looking at the slug clone calmly addressing him, Shen couldn't contain his excitement—it was as if a devoted admirer had just met a legendary figure in person.
"Uh… that's correct, I suppose. But we don't seem to have met before. How do you know about me? There shouldn't be any records of me in the outside world," the slug replied, clearly puzzled. Having spent her entire existence within Shikkotsu Forest and rarely encountering humans, she found it difficult to understand how Shen knew of her.
"As for that… I truly can't say. You only need to know that I've always held great admiration for you. Ah, and I haven't introduced myself yet. My name is Ōtsutsuki Shen. I belong to a branch family of the Ōtsutsuki clan. I came here this time hoping that you might be able to heal the injuries I sustained during my childhood training."
With a composed smile, Shen introduced himself and directly stated his purpose.
"The Ōtsutsuki clan? The extraterrestrials the toads speak of? What is your relationship with that Ōtsutsuki Kaguya?" the Slug Sage asked. She had never encountered the Ōtsutsuki before, so Shen's unusual appearance hadn't particularly concerned her. But the moment she heard his clan name, her tone noticeably cooled.
"You can rest assured on that point. I am not aligned with Kaguya. My relationship with her is… complicated."
"Kaguya is a criminal of the Ōtsutsuki clan. She committed an unforgivable offense, and I was once part of the force sent by the Ōtsutsuki clan to capture her."
"However, I had no intention of opposing Kaguya. During the pursuit, I faked my death and escaped. I do not agree with the Ōtsutsuki clan's ideology, so I chose to sever my ties with them."
"Even so, Kaguya remains unaware of all this. After consuming the fruit of the Divine Tree, she has already been influenced by it. Her mindset has begun to shift toward dangerous extremes. In her determination to resist the Ōtsutsuki clan, I fear she may eventually take actions that go too far."
"But I lack the strength to stop her. Because of the injuries I suffered in my youth, my power has stagnated—I can no longer grow stronger. That is why I've been living in seclusion. This time, I searched carefully for Shikkotsu Forest in the hope of seeking your help."
"If you doubt my words, you may peer into the depths of my heart to judge whether I am lying. However, I ask that you refrain from probing my memories. There are things I do not wish for you to see—matters tied to the future of the entire world."
Shen spoke all of this with a trace of tension as he faced the Great Slug Sage's clone. What he feared most was being rejected simply because of his Ōtsutsuki identity. If that happened, then his path forward would be nearly cut off entirely. That was precisely why gaining the Great Slug Sage's approval was so critically important to him.