Chapter 18: Returning to the Yokota Clan and Migrating to the Southern Frontier Forest
After leaving Shikkotsu Forest, Shen glanced at the slug clone resting on his shoulder and smiled. Then he quickly rose into the air and flew straight toward the Yokota Clan.
"Wow! I really didn't expect Shen-kun to be able to fly. I've never seen the land from this kind of height before," the slug clone exclaimed as she peered down at the ground below. No matter how enormous the main body was, it could never reach such an altitude. Looking at the scenery spread out beneath them, the slug clone was filled with wonder.
"Hahaha, Slug Sage, if you ever want to see it, just tell me. I can bring you up anytime. Flight is an innate ability of the Ōtsutsuki Clan. Basically, as long as a clansman cultivates chakra, they can fly. The stronger they are, the higher and faster they can go," Shen said with a laugh, treating it as nothing more than a standard ability of the Ōtsutsuki.
"The Ōtsutsuki Clan truly is blessed by heaven," the slug clone said. After once again witnessing the uniqueness of the Ōtsutsuki Clan, she became even more vigilant. Even if Shen provided more information about the clan, that still did nothing to lessen just how formidable they were.
"Don't worry. The world of the future won't be weaker than the Ōtsutsuki Clan. If we manage things properly, counterattacking the Ōtsutsuki Clan won't be impossible." Compared to the more cautious Slug Sage, Shen was far more confident. Just thinking about the original story—where the ninja world had been able to resist the Ōtsutsuki invasion even without his involvement—made him feel that with his help, the shinobi world might beat the Ōtsutsuki Clan so thoroughly they would be routed completely.
Encouraged by Shen's words, the slug clone also grew more confident. She believed that her world would not lose to the Ōtsutsuki Clan.
Before long, Shen arrived at the Yokota Clan and landed directly in his own courtyard. Looking at the group of maids bustling about, he smiled.
"Ah, Lord Shen, you're back! How did it go? Did you find Shikkotsu Forest? Did you find the Great Slug Sage?" Yūko asked with concern as she looked at Shen descending from the sky.
"Yes. Here—this is the Great Slug Sage." Shen pointed to the slug clone on his shoulder as he spoke to the maids gathered around him so anxiously.
"Hello, everyone. I am a clone of the Great Slug Sage. You may all simply call me Slug," the slug clone said softly.
"Wow, how cute! Wasn't she supposed to be as big as a mountain? And her voice sounds so nice!"
Only then did the maids notice the slug clone on Shen's shoulder, and they immediately began whispering among themselves as they stared at her.
"The Great Slug Sage's true body really is as enormous as a mountain. But this one is her clone, though she still possesses an independent mind. The Great Slug Sage is a very gentle sage, so you can talk to Slug if you want," Shen said with a smile as he placed the slug clone onto Yūko's shoulder. He knew the clone would not mind such things.
"But don't go too far. The Slug Sage may treat you gently, but that is no excuse for you to be disrespectful toward her!" Shen still gave the girls, who had no real sense of scale, a warning. Though he himself was not very old, he knew perfectly well just how powerful the Slug Sage was.
"Yes!" ×N
"Hey, hey, Slug, are you hungry? What do you want to eat? Is pear okay? This pear is really sweet!"
Watching the group of maids treat the slug clone almost like a pet, Shen could only shake his head helplessly. As for the slug clone herself, she did not seem bothered in the slightest. She patiently answered all their questions, and she accepted everything they fed her without refusal. With her powerful acid, no matter how much ordinary food they offered, there was no way she would ever get full.
"Lord Shen, welcome back!" At that moment, Yokota Kiyomi arrived and greeted Shen.
"Mm, Kiyomi, you've worked hard."
"It was nothing. Has your injury been healed?" Yokota Kiyomi asked with concern.
"My injury is a bit complicated, but it's fine. With Slug here, there won't be any problem. How are the Yokota Clan's preparations coming along?" Shen had told the Yokota Clan the day before that they could begin preparing to relocate, so now he asked about their progress.
"They're still making preparations. We should be able to depart for the Southern Frontier Forest within three days. But with so many of us entering the forest, won't others notice?" Yokota Kiyomi asked worriedly. If Kaguya noticed, that would be a serious problem.
"Hahaha, don't worry. Your Yokota Clan was already being suppressed by the Fūma Clan before this. Now that the entire clan is entering the forest to live in seclusion, others will simply assume you're withdrawing to recover. The only ones who would pay attention to you are the other clans."
"And once they lose interest, then after some time even the common people will forget about you. After all, the only things they care about are food, clothing, shelter, and daily survival. As long as the fate of the Yokota Clan doesn't affect them, they won't pay much attention," Shen said confidently. He understood the mindset of ordinary people quite well, so he was not worried in the least. Given enough time, they would gradually forget the Yokota Clan. In a few years, there might not even be many people left who remembered them at all.
"If that's the case, then I'm relieved." After hearing Shen's explanation, Yokota Kiyomi visibly relaxed. Seeing that it was almost time for the evening meal, she asked, "It's nearly dinner time. What would you like to eat, my lord? I'll have the kitchen prepare it."
"Hmm… mafo tofu with minced pork!" Shen thought for a moment before answering.
"Wh-what?" Yokota Kiyomi froze on the spot. She had never even heard of those dishes before. What was she supposed to do? Lord Shen had just named foods she neither recognized nor knew how to make.
"Hahahahaha, it's nothing. Just prepare anything at random." Seeing Yokota Kiyomi's stunned expression, Shen burst out laughing. With his treatment finally in sight, he was in far too good a mood and couldn't resist teasing her a little.
Looking at Shen laughing so heartily in front of her, Yokota Kiyomi felt slightly aggrieved, but she still answered obediently. As for whether she would really "just prepare anything," how could that possibly be true!
"Shen-kun, who is this?" At that moment, Slug, who was being held in Yūko's hands, looked at Yokota Kiyomi and asked. She had sensed a reaction of chakra within Yokota Kiyomi's body. Though it was faint, it undeniably existed.
"Ah, this is Yokota Kiyomi, the young lady of the Yokota Clan—the person I'm working with. Her father is the clan head. As for Yokota Fuichirō, the one who met you before, that's her second uncle. Though I hate to admit it, that wildly arrogant samurai is the Yokota Clan's second-in-command," Shen said with a bitter smile, shaking his head. He truly could not understand how such a peaceful clan as the Yokota family had somehow produced such an idiot. Perhaps it had something to do with those seven or eight years of training outside.
"I see. In that case, it's fine. I am a clone of the Great Slug Sage. You can just call me Slug," Slug said with a nod of understanding. No wonder she had felt that the young girl standing before her seemed somewhat familiar. For a moment, she had thought Kiyomi might be a descendant of some human who had accidentally wandered into Shikkotsu Forest long ago.
"Yokota Kiyomi greets the Great Slug Sage." The moment she heard that the one before her was a clone of the Great Slug Sage, Yokota Kiyomi hurriedly bowed with great respect.
"Alright, now that everyone knows each other, and since there's nothing better to do, let's continue discussing chakra cultivation. Slug, you can also try cultivating Senjutsu Chakra." As he spoke, Shen picked up the slug clone, placed her back on his shoulder, and began walking toward the pavilion in the courtyard.
"Senjutsu Chakra is already being cultivated by my main body. There is a real-time connection between us, so there's no need for me to do it as well. I only need to remain responsible for supplying you with life force whenever you cultivate chakra, so that your injuries don't worsen," Slug said, shaking her head. The main body would handle the cultivation of Senjutsu Chakra; her own role was simply to look after Shen.
Hearing that, Shen nodded. Then, seated in the pavilion, he began another round of answering questions about chakra cultivation. Before long, everyone in the Yokota household who was free to listen came hurrying over.
Once again, Shen's not-so-large courtyard filled with people. Not only that, even the tops of the walls and the rooftops were occupied. Basically, everyone who wasn't busy with work had come. Shen had no intention of driving them away. He simply continued speaking slowly, sharing some of his own insights into chakra cultivation. He also taught everyone the twelve hand seals and instructed them to practice diligently, especially the parents of children around five or six years old, urging them to supervise their children carefully in both hand seal practice and chakra cultivation.
After remaining busy again until around eight or nine that evening, Shen finally dismissed everyone and at last got to eat dinner. After dinner, he took Slug with him into the hot spring to nourish his meridians, then tried cultivating chakra once more. Although he still could not increase the total amount of chakra he possessed, Shen could clearly feel that refining chakra had now become much smoother.
A calm night passed. With nothing else to do, Shen either practiced various ninjutsu or explained chakra cultivation to others. Three days passed in just this way. Finally, the Yokota Clan had finished packing everything. Looking at the large number of carts gathered in the square, Shen nodded. Since he would be accompanying the Yokota Clan into the Southern Frontier Forest, he deliberately used the Transformation Technique to alter his appearance into that of an ordinary person. The people around him all cried out in amazement when they saw him turn into someone else.
"Alright, stop staring. Once your chakra is sufficient, I'll teach you the Transformation Technique, as well as the Clone Technique and the Substitution Technique. I collectively call these three the Three Basic Techniques, and every single one of you must learn them."
"Since everyone is ready, let's set out." With that, Shen climbed onto a carriage platform. Though it was called a carriage, it had no canopy—only a low railing around the edges and a single seat.
Once Shen gave the order, the entire Yokota Clan began moving. In orderly formation, they formed a long line and slowly advanced toward the Southern Frontier Forest.
Along the way, they passed quite a few ordinary villagers. Watching the Yokota Clan prepare to relocate, the villagers pointed and whispered among themselves, but that was all. Afterward, they simply returned to their own affairs. There had already been many broken clans that moved away because of the Fūma Clan. What surprised them now was merely that even the Yokota Clan, which still retained some strength, had also chosen to move and recuperate.
They also encountered many samurai along the road. News that the Fūma Clan had collapsed overnight was already spreading far and wide, and the fortunate samurai families that had not yet been targeted by the Fūma Clan had naturally begun entertaining thoughts of taking advantage of the situation. So when they saw the Yokota Clan moving in force, they came out to investigate.
What they had not expected was that the Yokota Clan was not preparing to raise troops and seize territory, but instead intended to enter the Southern Frontier Forest and recuperate there. One had to know that the Southern Frontier Forest was no good place. Powerful wild beasts were everywhere within it, and it was not somewhere ordinary people could simply enter. In fact, no one wanted to go in unless they had absolutely no other choice.
And now the Yokota Clan had actually chosen the Southern Frontier Forest as their place of seclusion, which left everyone stunned. Many clan samurai believed there had to be some hidden scheme at work and warned that they should remain cautious, while even more felt that Yokota Ruma had gone mad by choosing the Southern Frontier Forest as a refuge, and that he would surely suffer for it later.
Unlike the samurai within the clans, the clan heads themselves were even more bewildered. With the remaining strength of the Yokota Clan, while they could no longer seize additional territory, protecting what they already had should still have been possible. There was simply no need for them to choose seclusion. And yet that was exactly what the Yokota Clan had done. It left every clan head baffled. Many of them assumed that the Yokota Clan must have received some kind of information and believed that a major power was about to interfere in the Southern Frontier. That possibility immediately threw the various clan heads into panic.
Of course, none of that had anything to do with Shen—or with the Yokota Clan any longer.