Rodney, pondering the future, still couldn't resist asking. Nami and Nojiko were still nearby, and he couldn't ignore them.
"How's your body, Rodney-san?" Nami asked.
"Everything's fine. The treatment Katsuyu gave me was very effective," Rodney replied. "My body is gradually recovering. The muscle pain is going away, and I'll be up and walking soon."
"And how are the villagers doing?" he asked.
"All the treasures Arlong stole have been returned, and the villagers are vigorously rebuilding the village," Nami replied. "After all, their homes were destroyed. We plan to erect a statue in your honor, Mr. Rodney."
"A statue? I don't need that," Rodney waved him off. "I came here to destroy Arlong. I also want to thank you for saving me. Otherwise, I might have been devoured by passing monsters." Rodney smiled and continued, "If you really want to thank me, you could do me a small favor."
"Oh? Do you have to pay for this service?" Nami greedily crossed her fingers, demonstrating her love of money.
"Wait, Nami..." Nojiko looked helplessly at her sister. Ever since childhood, she'd been driven by a thirst for money. Alas...
"Payment? Yes, Arlong's reward will be paid to you. It can be exchanged for ten or twenty million beli. Will that be enough?" Rodney chuckled.
"More than enough!" Nami nodded eagerly, her eyes glittering with greed. After a moment's thought, she added, "However, since you've helped everyone, I'll only accept half. By the way, Mr. Rodney, what would you like me to do for you?"
"Finally, someone has a conscience…" Rodney whispered under his breath.
"From here, I intend to head straight to the Grand Line. I need you to escort me to Reverse Mountain," Rodney stated.
"The Grand Line? You're going to enter it right now?" Nami considered the situation.
Rodney had defeated both the Krieg Pirates and the Arlong Pirates, leaving him with no rivals in the East Blue. It was only natural that he decided to head to the Grand Line.
"There's no point in staying here any longer, Ms. Nami," Rodney confirmed her thoughts. "I know you're an excellent navigator, so I'm asking you to help me get to the entrance to Reverse Mountain, where people enter the Grand Line."
Hearing him call her an excellent navigator, Nami beamed with pride and smiled. However, she asked, "Alone? How are you going to navigate this current?"
"Let's just walk up. Isn't that obvious?" Rodney shrugged.
Rodney could ignore the raging streams and walk along the mountain walls, so he didn't have to worry about his own safety. He was perhaps the only person in the world who could do this.
"Oh? Right, you can walk on water, so no problem," Nami nodded and asked with a smile, "So when are you planning to set off?"
Nojiko shook her head and smiled. "It's okay, it's okay. You saved our village, so it's only right that we help you. You can rest and heal your wounds here. Let's make lunch first."
With that, she walked out with her sister, leaving Rodney free to focus on his recovery.
"Two delicate young ladies," Katsuyu remarked.
"Indeed. By the way, Katsuyu, I have a question for you," Rodney shared his guess with Katsuyu.
After some thought, Katsuyu replied, "That's impossible, Mister Rodney. Your contract is quite unique. I don't know when you made the contract with me, and I have no way to summon you back. Besides, this is the first time I've traveled to another world with such an abundance of natural energy."
The habitat of such summoners, like the Shikkotsu Forest, wasn't quite representative of the Naruto universe. Typically, ninja would form contracts with them and pass them on to their students, or ninja would stumble across them by chance and, after passing a test, be able to form a contract with these psychic beasts.
(Fragmented) Katsuyu, as a fragment of Katsuyu in the Shikkotsu Forest, knew that other worlds existed beyond their own. However, she had never traveled to other worlds, and Rodney's summoning here was her first.
"I see... But how am I supposed to learn Senjutsu now?" Rodney was worried.
"Well... ninja usually end up in the Hidden Sage's world because the natural energy there is more abundant, and it's easier for ninja to sense," Katsuyu explained. "Sages usually stay in sacred places. However, the natural energy in this world is very rich, more than twice as rich as in Tsunade-sama's world. It can be considered a treasure."
This was good news. If the East Blue possessed such rich natural energy, then what about the Grand Line? And what about the New World? For example, the Sea Kings there were on a completely different level than those in the East Blue.
Here, their length was only a few dozen meters, while deep-sea sea kings in the New World could reach several kilometers. The difference was like night and day. Therefore, natural energy in these places would have been abundant.
"By the way, Sister Slime, you mentioned Tsunade-sama before. Is she still the Fifth Hokage?" Rodney asked another question.
"No, Tsunade-san has already retired. The Sixth Hokage is currently in power in Konoha," Katsuyu replied.
— Oh. — In other words, the plot had progressed, and Konoha was now under the leadership of the Sixth Hokage. The era of shinobi was coming to an end…
"In that case, is it possible to summon them?" Rodney thought. "If Tsunade can be summoned through Slug's sister, then she could come to my aid if I'm injured."
The slime shook its head and replied, "I'm afraid that's impossible, Mister Rodney. Your contract is different from the ones Tsunade-sama and the others have. You can't be summoned back, so I can only come here or return. Frankly, I'm not entirely sure how this contract came about."
"Well... how should I put it? Someone helped deliver your contract to me. And I'm the only shinobi in this world. Sister Slime, would you consider becoming my spirit beast?" Rodney suggested.
Sister Slug's tentacles stirred, and her voice softened. "Of course, Mister Rodney. You are incredibly powerful, and I, too, am very intrigued by this world. After all, I've never been to any other world besides ours. Such unusual encounters are rare for those who have lived as long as I have."
- Haha, thank you, Sister Slime.
- My pleasure.
Having gained strength, Rodney got out of bed, although for some time he still felt weak, as if his body was hollow.
"Damn it, I need a source of the Tailed Beast's chakra…" he muttered under his breath.
In a way, his chakra was like a leaking vessel…
Slither's sister slowly climbed off his body. Her slime-covered body left stains on his clothes. After all, she was a slug, so a little slime was to be expected.
An icy chill ran down the spines of Nojiko and her companions. "Huh? What's going on outside?" someone whispered, and Rodney, instinctively sensing the approaching disaster, went to the window.
The orange grove, usually quiet and peaceful, was seething with an incomprehensible excitement. A group of people, their eyes ablaze and faces tense, were clearly arguing about something important.
The door swung open, and Nojiko burst into the room, pale and her lips trembling. "Mr. Rodney, the guards have arrived!" she cried, her voice ringing like crystal bells. "They demand we hand you over! You must leave!"
"Turn me over? Why?" Rodney, not understanding what was happening, felt the icy hand of fear grip his heart.
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