Traveling through Naruto with Heroes of Might and Magic.

Jingyin sighed softly, "My lord, it has nothing to do with gambling skills; it's just that your luck has never been related to gambling."

She only dared to say these words in her heart.

If I say it to their faces... I'm afraid I'll get beaten up!

Listening to the soothing sound of the stream, Tsunade stretched and yawned, her large eyes flashing, making even Shizune, who was also a woman, swallow hard.

Tsunade skillfully manipulated the dice with her fingertips.

This... is the main reason why she doesn't want to return to Konoha.

Become Hokage? With her status as the granddaughter of the First Hokage, the disciple of the Third Hokage, and the princess of the Land of Fire, she is naturally the most logical successor.

But... once I became Hokage, the peaceful life I had was gone forever.

……

Bang!

The green wutong tree and the slug appeared together in an environment filled with bluish-gray miasma.

"Is this the Wet Bone Forest?" Qingwu wondered to himself.

I can't see anything clearly.

As if guessing what he was thinking, the slug's gentle voice rang out: "This is just the outer perimeter, and also... the first test."

After saying that, the slug disappeared with a "bang".

Qingwu: "..."

The test has already begun? They haven't even specified what the test will be like.

Forget it, let's see what tricks they have up their sleeves.

Qingwu took her first step into the pitch-black miasma.

A short while later, he sensed that something was wrong.

He felt dizzy and even hallucinated: Anko and Yugao stood side by side, smiling and waving at him, and then he saw Iruka stabbing Naruto with a kunai.

"..."

He shook his head vigorously.

He knew it was an illusion, an illusion that made absolutely no sense.

But the system notification didn't sound, which means it's not an illusion, so...

"The miasma is poisonous!"

Without hesitation, Qingwu unleashed the intermediate-level water-based spell, Purification.

A ripple-like glimmer flashed across his body, and the hallucination vanished, along with the dizziness and nausea.

He realized that this miasma was not ordinary poisonous gas; it might have the effect of corroding chakra and disrupting perception, because he could clearly feel the agitation of his chakra.

Fortunately, his chakra reserves weren't very high, even though his physical and mental abilities were strengthened, making his chakra reserves slightly higher than before.

But he didn't deliberately refine it.

In this special environment, having less chakra becomes an advantage in getting through the miasma!

The rest was simple. Qingwu, who possessed the power to break Orochimaru's curse seal, used [Purification] from time to time to expel the toxins, and soon they were out of the miasma area.

He understood that the B-rank "Fine Ailment Extraction Technique" in medical ninjutsu was probably used to pass this test.

"Oh!"

Just then, the giant slug that Tsunade summoned reappeared beside her.

"I didn't expect you to pass so quickly. Be careful from now on."

"I understand." Qingwu nodded seriously.

He cherished this opportunity and knew that without Tsunade, he would never have been able to find this "sacred place" that might be in another dimension.

After passing through the miasma-filled area, a different landscape appeared before us.

This place is covered with bottomless swamps, the surface of which is covered with withered branches and leaves, appearing solid on the surface but actually...

Qingwu sent out two centaurs to scout ahead, but they didn't go far before the centaurs got stuck in the swamp.

Before being swallowed by the mud, Qingwu recalled them and replaced them with two more.

The swamp area also has miasma, although it is not as thick as before, so thick that you can't see your hand in front of your face, but it still has the function of disrupting perception.

Fortunately, he had a "shortcut" to it.

Just as Qingwu was thinking this, the difficulty of the swamp area increased.

Not only do they have to deal with the swamps that are everywhere and they can easily get stuck, but tiny slugs, no bigger than the palm of their hand, are also starting to appear in the swamps.

These small slugs are not strong individually, but when there are many of them, especially in this environment, they become exceptionally troublesome.

They are very good at ambushing, not only can they blend into swamps and vegetation, but they are also not easy to kill.

The centaur's spear pierced through them, but they miraculously healed each other and quickly regained their strength to continue harassing his advance.

The most crucial point is that Qingwu dared not use large-scale magic to "clear the field".

Who knows if excessive killing might offend the Slug Immortal's true form?

The journey was arduous, and it took Qingwu almost half a day to get through the swampy area.

Qingwu breathed a sigh of relief only when the giant slug appeared with a "bang".

This means that the second test has also been passed.

"Even when Lord Hashirama passed the test, he wasn't as fast as you." The slug seemed eager to chat with him.

Qingwu felt exhausted. "I'll rest for a while before continuing."

"Hehe..." The slug made a sound like a soft laugh. The little slug that had just attacked him gently perched on his shoulder.

The little slug was warm and soft, emitting a soft green light, and Qingwu immediately felt refreshed.

This thing's medical ninjutsu can not only affect the body, but also soothe the mind.

"No wonder slugs can restore chakra in the original work."

After thanking him, Qingwu took out a soldier's ration pill and swallowed it, then closed his eyes to recover his strength and spirit as quickly as possible.

When he opened his eyes again.

Tsunade's giant slug hadn't left yet; instead, it reminded her, "Next comes the core test."

Qingwu's expression turned serious. "I'm ready."

Upon reaching the third level, the terrain changes once more.

The previous miasma and swamps are all gone, replaced by a natural environment filled with birdsong, fragrant flowers, and towering trees.

The towering ancient trees block out the sun, their trunks so thick that it takes more than ten people to encircle them, and sunlight casts dappled golden spots through the intertwined branches and leaves.

Qingwu clicked his tongue in amazement; these trees were much taller than those in the Death Forest.

I'm afraid... a single tree could yield many units of timber resources.

"Ha..." Qingwu chuckled to himself, realizing that his thoughts were really jumping around, that he would have such an idea at a time like this.

Here, with the change in environment, he could clearly feel that the natural energy in the air was several times more concentrated than before.

"wrong!"

Qingwu frowned; the natural energy here was different from that in his territory.

Taking a breath of air brimming with natural energy, he actually felt the chakra in his meridians slightly warming up...

Chapter 162 The Body of Nature

A slug's soft, sweet voice came from behind, carrying a hint of warning:

"This is the core area of ​​the Wet Bone Forest. The natural energy here seems peaceful, but it also has a pure and domineering side."

"If you can perfectly fuse your chakra with natural energy here and withstand the backlash of the energy, you can master Sage Mode."

"Celestial arts?" Qingwu muttered.

He understood, but he didn't come to the Wet Bone Forest for immortal techniques. Since it was the core area and the natural energy was so abundant, perhaps he could find the essence of nature.

"There is another option."

The slug's gentle voice continued: "If you cannot fuse your own chakra with natural energy, you can also use medical ninjutsu to resist injuries and illnesses and pass through this area. After that, you will be eligible to sign a summoning contract with the slug."

"!!" Qingwu suddenly realized.

So, does this mean that Hashirama Senju completed the Sage Mode trial, while Tsunade, and even Sakura in the future, were unable to condense Sage Mode chakra, but gained the qualification to summon slugs because of their superb medical ninjutsu?

But... what injury? What injury?

The thought had barely formed when a sharp, tearing pain shot through his lower abdomen.

I'm sure I'm right, my chakra feels like it's about to burst into flames.

Damage to his meridians directly affected his movements, and the fusion of natural energy and chakra further harmed his body.

"Pop!"

With a slight sound, the skin on his arm split open, revealing the muscles connected to the meridians.

Qingwu gritted his teeth, cold sweat instantly soaking his forehead and sliding down his cheeks.

"This is the core test of Shikulin."

There was a hint of worry in the slug's voice: "If we can neither fuse with and acquire immortal techniques, nor withstand the damage to our bodies from the violent natural energy..."

Qingwu gritted her teeth and asked, "What will happen?"

“On Mount Myōboku, you will become stone,” the slug said quipped, then added, “In Shikkotsu Forest, you will become nourishment for the great trees.”

"!! No wonder those trees were so tall and lush."

Qingwu slowly straightened up, the excruciating pain in his lower abdomen had not lessened at all, and the burning sensation in his meridians was still spreading. He activated the water-based magic [Heal].

The wound healed quickly in the blue-green light.