Pervert

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

"Why so reluctant? You really are a selfish guy."

Shiraishi Yoshijo stared at her without saying a word.

"Alright, I won't tease you anymore. Just have them cultivate the Butterfly Seed without teaching them secret arts or having them sign summoning scrolls. That should work, right?"

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

"You really are far-sighted, having thought of every problem. You must have been planning this for quite some time, right?"

"A few hundred years, give or take."

A few hundred years. Shiraishi Yoshijo said with a strange expression, "In such a long time, has no one been able to help you?"

"There were some, but they all died. Human lifespans are truly too short, and their minds are so fickle. I've been deceived quite a few times, you know."

"Can't you use that ability of yours to manipulate life force to help people achieve immortality?"

Speaking of this, Mei's expression also turned strange. "This is the part of humans I cannot understand. Take your grandfather, for example; he was quite a selfish person himself."

"But ever since he received benefits from me and became the clan leader, he changed."

"If it weren't for the fact that he was still somewhat interesting, I would have killed him long ago."

"But it's a good thing I didn't do that, otherwise you wouldn't have come here."

"I am very certain that you possess excellent aptitude, but I don't know if you will change, so I cannot tell you what kind of help I need right now."

Hearing Mei talk about killing his grandfather, a vein throbbed on Shiraishi Yoshijo's forehead.

He thought it over and over, but he held back. After all, the man was already dead, and if he truly provoked this woman, he feared she would want to kill him too.

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

"It's nothing as boring as that."

Mei appeared behind him and whispered in his ear, "The aptitude I'm talking about is your mindset. I am certain you can break through the limitations of human thinking and won't look at me differently just because we are different species."

"If your way of thinking doesn't change, I am sure we will become great partners. Once you help me, the relationship between us will change."

"At that time, I will tell you everything."

Shiraishi Yoshijo thought it over and over, finally catching the drift.

"Are you saying I'm a freak?"

"An anomaly among humans—that seems to be how it's described. You humans really do have such a rich way of expressing yourselves."

If he weren't unable to beat her, Shiraishi Yoshijo would definitely let this woman know what a real freak was.

Come to think of it, Orochimaru was the true freak.

If he let Orochimaru and this woman have a conversation, perhaps they would spark some alternative chemistry.

Shiraishi Yoshijo wanted to go back, but there was still a question in his mind that stuck in his throat like a fishbone.

"Do my parents and uncle know about these things of yours?"

"Your father died too quickly; he died before I could even observe him properly. Your uncle is at most a proxy clan leader; he isn't qualified to know such things."

"As for your mother, I haven't even met her. Why do you still care about such things? This really makes me a bit disappointed."

He was completely regarded as a freak by this woman.

Shiraishi Yoshijo said with a dark face, "One last question. What exactly is that ability of yours to manipulate life force?"

"It's nothing more than absorbing the life force of others into myself and then transferring it to you."

The life force of others?

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

"Does the life force of others refer to my clansmen?"

"Of course. You didn't think I would share my own life force with you, did you?"

This woman.

Shiraishi Yoshijo suppressed the urge to strike and said expressionlessly, "You really are an anomaly."

"An anomaly? In my eyes, this is just a transaction."

"You use your life force to sustain me, and I help you obtain power. It's just each taking what they need."

Shiraishi Yoshijo stopped talking and turned to leave.

Mei still had no intention of letting him go.

"I haven't finished speaking yet. I don't care what method you use, you must help me spread the Butterfly Seed. I have quite a need for things like life force, you see."

Shiraishi Yoshijo said coldly, "If I don't do this, are you going to kill me?"

Seeing Shiraishi Yoshijo's expression shift, Mei's eyes rolled a few times, and she said with a smile, "How about we make a deal? You help me spread a hundred Butterfly Seeds, and I'll give you ten years of life force. How about that?"

Shiraishi Yoshijo couldn't hold back anymore and roared, "Don't underestimate me!"

Mei's expression turned cold. "And you, don't underestimate me. Killing you is an easy task for me. Don't push your luck, human!"

The two of them stood in a standoff, neither willing to yield.

About five minutes passed before Shiraishi Yoshijo compromised.

He was afraid of death.

Those who have died once know the value of life all the better.

Facing Mei, whose true capabilities were a complete mystery, he simply couldn't afford to gamble.

"I understand."

Mei broke into a smile.

"You look exhausted. We can talk about you raising Butterfly Seeds next time; go back and rest for now, and come visit often."

Shiraishi Yoshijo gave her a deep look before turning to leave.

Seeing Shiraishi Yoshijo depart, Mei happily rolled around on her bed.

"As expected, his weakness is his fear of death. Death is something all living things naturally dread."

"It's just, why weren't the people before him afraid of dying?"

"Humans are truly strange."

Upon returning home, Shiraishi Yoshijo was startled.

His house was suddenly filled with many people, each wearing a hostile expression.

Shiraishi Yoshijo spotted Takemoto Shuichi in the crowd and hurriedly asked, "What is going on here?"

"I'm the one who should be asking you what is going on!"

Takemoto Shuichi's face was flushed with anger, and after speaking, he waved his hand.

The people in the courtyard performed hand seals one after another and vanished using the Body Flicker Technique.

In the blink of an eye, only he and Takemoto Shuichi remained in the house.

"You've been gone for nearly two days; where on earth did you go?"

Shiraishi Yoshijo was stunned for a moment before he finally understood.

"I had some business at Butterfly Habitat Valley. I didn't expect to be gone so long. I'm sorry for making you worry."

Takemoto Shuichi had also raised Butterfly Seeds in the past, so he naturally knew of the existence of Butterfly Habitat Valley.

Hearing Shiraishi Yoshijo's apology, Takemoto Shuichi's expression gradually softened.

"In the future, try to notify Anna if you go there. If you had stayed away for one more day, we would have gone to Sarutobi Hiruzen to demand your release."

Shiraishi Yoshijo wiped the cold sweat from his forehead; he hadn't expected such complications to arise during this trip to Butterfly Habitat Valley.

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

"What do you think? People even went to find that brat Shimura Danzō. If you hadn't come back, Konoha might have erupted into a riot."

It was that serious?

Shiraishi Yoshijo was too embarrassed to say anything.

Takemoto Shuichi sighed and said, "Don't blame us for making a mountain out of a molehill. You disappeared right after the Hokage left your house; what was I supposed to think?"

Shiraishi Yoshijo scratched his head, feeling at a loss.

If one were to trace the blame, it was indeed his fault—no, it should be the fault of that woman, Mei.

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

Recalling what Mei had done to him, a bitter smile appeared on Shiraishi Yoshijo's face.

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

But before he could speak, his heart felt as if it were being gripped by someone, the pain causing cold sweat to break out on his forehead.

A voice echoed in his ear: "I advise you not to tell anyone about Lady Mei; the consequences would be very severe."

This voice—it was his own voice.

Could it be...

Heh, Shiraishi Yoshijo let out a bitter laugh.

As expected of Mei, her methods were truly airtight.

Feeling disheartened, he lost the desire to continue talking to Takemoto Shuichi.

"I understand. I want to rest for a bit. Grandpa Shuichi, you should go back too; let's talk about anything else tomorrow."

Takemoto Shuichi wanted to say more, but seeing the weary look on Shiraishi Yoshijo's face, he could only nod.

"Get some good rest."

Shiraishi Yoshijo returned to his room and collapsed onto his bed.

Having not closed his eyes for two days and two nights, his mind was utterly exhausted.

The moment he lay down, he immediately drifted into a deep sleep.