A Pervert

Mei didn't need to guess what Shiraishi Yoshijo was thinking.

"You can't bear to, can you? You really are a selfish guy."

Shiraishi Yoshijo stared at her without a word.

"All right, I won't tease you anymore. Just let them raise Butterfly Seeds. You don't have to teach them Secret Techniques or sign Summoning Scrolls with them."

Shiraishi Yoshijo's eyes lit up, but then his expression darkened again.

"You really have thought of everything. You must have been planning this for a long time, right?"

"Only a few hundred years."

"A few hundred years?" Shiraishi Yoshijo asked with a strange look. "In all that time, couldn't anyone help you?"

"Some did, but they all died. Human lives are far too short, and people's ideas change so easily. I've been betrayed several times."

"Couldn't you use that ability to manipulate life force to help people live forever?"

At that, Mei's expression turned strange too. "This is what I can't understand about humans. Take your grandfather, for example. He was quite a selfish man to begin with."

"But after he gained benefits from me and became clan leader, he changed."

"If I hadn't found him a little interesting, I would have killed him long ago."

"But luckily, I didn't. Otherwise, you wouldn't have come here."

"I'm quite certain you have outstanding potential. I just don't know whether you'll change, so I can't tell you yet what I need your help with."

When Mei said she would have killed his grandfather, a vein bulged on Shiraishi Yoshijo's forehead.

He thought it over and over, but in the end he held back. The old man was already dead, and if he really angered this woman, she might decide to kill him too.

"What do you mean by potential? Ninja potential?"

"Nothing so boring."

Mei appeared behind him and leaned close to his ear. "By potential, I mean your way of thinking. I'm quite certain you can break through the limitations of human thought and won't look down on us just because we're different species."

"If your way of thinking doesn't change, I'm sure we'll make excellent partners. Once you've helped me, our relationship will change."

"Then I'll tell you everything."

Shiraishi Yoshijo thought it over and finally caught her meaning.

"So you're saying I'm a pervert?"

"An oddball among humans. I believe that's how you'd describe it. Your ways of expressing things really are quite varied."

If he weren't outmatched, Shiraishi Yoshijo would have shown this woman what a real pervert was.

Come to think of it, Orochimaru was the real pervert.

If Orochimaru and this woman ever got to talk, perhaps they'd spark some unusual chemistry.

Shiraishi Yoshijo wanted to go home, but one question still gnawed at him.

"Do my parents and uncle know about all this?"

"Your father died too quickly. I hadn't even had a chance to observe him properly before he was gone. Your uncle was only an acting clan leader at best, so he wasn't qualified to know about this."

"As for your mother, I've never even met her. Why do you care about that? I have to say, I'm a little disappointed."

She really did think he was a pervert.

Shiraishi Yoshijo's face darkened. "One last question. How exactly does that ability of yours to manipulate life force work?"

"I just absorb other people's life force into myself, then transfer it to you."

Other people's life force?

Shiraishi Yoshijo thought of a possibility, and his heart turned cold.

"Do you mean my clansmen's life force?"

"Of course. Did you think I'd give you my own life force?"

This woman—

Shiraishi Yoshijo suppressed the urge to attack her and said expressionlessly, "You really are an oddball."

"An oddball? As far as I'm concerned, this is just a transaction."

"You nourish me with your life force, and I help you gain power. We each get what we need."

Shiraishi Yoshijo said no more and turned to leave.

Mei still had no intention of letting him go.

"I'm not done talking. I don't care how you do it, but you have to help me spread the Butterfly Seeds. I need life force very much."

Shiraishi Yoshijo's expression was cold. "If I don't, are you going to kill me?"

Seeing that something was off with Shiraishi Yoshijo, Mei's eyes darted around before she smiled sweetly. "How about a deal? Help me spread a hundred Butterfly Seeds, and I'll give you ten years' worth of life force."

Shiraishi Yoshijo could hold back no longer. "Don't underestimate me!"

Mei's expression turned cold. "And don't underestimate me. Killing you would be easy. Don't push your luck, human!"

The two faced off, neither willing to give an inch.

After about five minutes, Shiraishi Yoshijo gave in.

He was afraid to die.

Someone who had died once understood the value of life even better.

Facing Mei, whose true depths he knew nothing about, he couldn't afford to gamble.

"I understand."

Mei smiled.

"You look exhausted. We can talk about raising Butterfly Seeds next time. Go home and rest for now. Come by often."

Shiraishi Yoshijo gave her a long look, then turned and left.

After Shiraishi Yoshijo was gone, Mei happily rolled around on the bed.

"Just as I thought, his weakness is his fear of death. All living things fear death."

"Why, then, were the people before him not afraid to die?"

"Humans are so strange."

When Shiraishi Yoshijo got home, he was startled.

A crowd had suddenly appeared at his house, and every face looked hostile.

He spotted Takemoto Shuichi among them and hurriedly asked, "What's going on?"

"I should be asking you that."

Takemoto Shuichi's face was angry. After speaking, he waved his hand.

The people in the yard formed Hand Seals and vanished with the Body Flicker Technique.

In the blink of an eye, only Takemoto Shuichi and Shiraishi Yoshijo remained.

"You've been gone for nearly two days. Where on earth have you been?"

Shiraishi Yoshijo froze for a moment, then understood.

"I had something to take care of in Butterfly Habitat Valley. I didn't expect to be gone so long. I'm sorry I worried you."

Takemoto Shuichi had raised Butterfly Seeds before, so he naturally knew about Butterfly Habitat Valley.

When he heard Shiraishi Yoshijo apologize, Takemoto Shuichi's expression gradually softened.

"Next time you go there, at least let Anna know. If you'd been another day late, we would've gone to Sarutobi Hiruzen to demand he find you."

Shiraishi Yoshijo wiped the cold sweat from his brow. He hadn't expected things to take such a turn when he went to Butterfly Habitat Valley.

"I promise this won't happen again. Does Lord Hokage know about this?"

"What do you think? Someone's already gone to look for that brat Shimura Danzō. If you didn't come back soon, Konoha would've been in an uproar."

Was it really that serious?

Shiraishi Yoshijo was too embarrassed to know what to say.

Takemoto Shuichi sighed. "Don't blame us for making a fuss. The Hokage had just left your house, and then you disappeared. What was I supposed to think?"

Shiraishi Yoshijo scratched his head, at a loss.

It was his fault, really. No, it was that woman Mei's fault.

If it weren't for her, he would've been back in ten minutes at most.

Thinking of what Mei had done to him, Shiraishi Yoshijo gave a bitter smile.

He opened his mouth, wanting to tell Takemoto Shuichi about Mei.

But before he could speak, it felt as if someone had seized his heart. Pain made cold sweat break out across his forehead.

A voice sounded in his ear. "I advise you not to tell anyone about Lady Mei. The consequences will be serious."

That voice belonged to Jo.

Could it be—

Shiraishi Yoshijo smiled bitterly.

As expected of Mei. She'd left no loose ends.

His spirits sank, and he lost all desire to talk to Takemoto Shuichi.

"I understand. I want to rest first. Grandpa Shuichi, you should go home too. We can talk about anything else tomorrow."

Takemoto Shuichi wanted to say more, but seeing how exhausted Shiraishi Yoshijo looked, he could only nod.

"Get some rest."

Shiraishi Yoshijo went back to his room and collapsed onto the bed.

He hadn't slept for two days and nights, and he was utterly exhausted.

The moment he lay down, he fell fast asleep.