After marking the bandits, he followed Mei to the main hall.
Mei took out three Butterfly Seeds and gestured for Shiraishi Yoshijo to take off his shirt.
Shiraishi Yoshijo sighed, remembering the pain he'd felt when Shiraishi Eizawa had passed on the Secret Technique to him.
He had no idea how painful it would be to raise three at once.
After a moment's thought, he lit up his hands with the green glow unique to Medical Ninjutsu and blocked all the nerve signals in his chest.
Mei asked curiously, "What are you doing?"
"Making myself unable to feel pain."
"Pain?" Mei smiled and winked at him. "Do you think I'm like your uncle?"
Mei tapped his chest three times with her finger.
Shiraishi Yoshijo froze.
The muscles in his chest parted like flowing water, opening three holes. Three larvae crawled inside at a leisurely pace.
Why did this ability look so familiar?
Jugo's Sage Body?
Shiraishi Yoshijo asked, puzzled, "Can you use Senjutsu?"
"What is Senjutsu?"
"Then what is this ability of yours?"
"I can manipulate changes in the body. You'll be able to do it too once your Chakra control reaches a certain level."
After putting his clothes back on, Shiraishi Yoshijo restored the nerves in his chest. He didn't feel any pain at all.
He watched Mei for a while, then asked hesitantly, "Do you know about Natural Energy?"
"No."
After replying, Mei saw that Shiraishi Yoshijo still looked puzzled and seemed to figure something out.
"You seem to know things I don't. Is it related to that ability you have to foresee the future?"
Shiraishi Yoshijo clamped his mouth shut.
This woman could use an ability like that without knowing about Senjutsu. Just how monstrous was her Chakra control?
With that level of Chakra control, she shouldn't be unable to sense Natural Energy, yet she claimed she didn't know about it.
He remembered the perception the Butterfly Seeds had given him and began quietly weighing up the woman's abilities.
She was exceptionally skilled at space-time movement, could absorb vitality and manipulate changes in the body, and had inhuman Chakra control. She probably had heightened perception, too.
The more he thought about it, the more chilled he felt. What kind of being was this monstrous woman?
Mei narrowed her eyes and gave him a curious look. "Is it really wise to think all that right in front of me?"
Shiraishi Yoshijo: "..."
"I don't know what you mean by Senjutsu, but I can probably guess why. I just can't tell you."
"You seem to yearn for Senjutsu. Once you've helped me, I'm sure I can make your wish come true."
Hearing that, Shiraishi Yoshijo grew even more curious about what Mei wanted him to do.
He knew Mei was hiding something important.
If he could get his hands on that information, he'd definitely find her weakness—and a fatal one at that.
"I suggest you don't get any strange ideas. I'm not exactly easygoing."
Mei's gaze turned cold.
Shiraishi Yoshijo was speechless. This mind-reading ability was downright broken. She knew everything he was thinking.
No, it was probably Jo inside him telling her. How was he supposed to get anywhere like this?
After giving up on those unrealistic ideas, he spread his hands with easy resignation. "No one wants someone else holding their life in their hands, especially someone like me."
Mei's expression finally softened. "I've done my best to show you that I'm sincere. I have no intention of harming you, so why can't you trust me?"
One wrong word and she threatened to kill him. How was he supposed to trust her?
Shiraishi Yoshijo had completely given up. "The Butterfly Seeds have already entered my body. You should be able to use that ability to manipulate vitality and make them mature."
"They may be physically mature, but their minds are still blank. Forcing them to grow isn't a good idea."
"So I should wait a few more years?"
"Five years. I'll help them mature then."
Shiraishi Yoshijo pursed his lips. Mei had him completely under her thumb.
"How did you bring those bandits here? Can Summoning Technique bring people into this place?"
"Space Formula. How could you ask such a stupid question?"
"Fine. You're just way out of my league."
Shiraishi Yoshijo left without another word. Mei's voice rang out behind him.
"You haven't done anything to spread the Butterfly Seeds. Can you tell me why?"
"I won't do that until I can protect myself. There's already a sword hanging over my head. I don't want to hang a few more."
Shiraishi Yoshijo made no effort to hide his thoughts. There was no point when Jo inside him could read them, which meant he couldn't hide them from this woman either.
"Fine. If that's how you feel, I won't force you. You have thirty years at most, though."
"What happens after that?"
Mei didn't answer. She just gave him a look that made him figure it out for himself.
Shiraishi Yoshijo understood immediately. The corner of his mouth twitched. "You'll kill me?"
"That's what you said."
Shiraishi Yoshijo rolled his eyes. "I think we should have a little more trust between us. Could you stop prying into my thoughts all the time?"
"That's a good suggestion. Do you have any ideas?"
Shiraishi Yoshijo held out his hand and made a gesture everyone understood. "I want more money!"
Mei paused, her expression turning complicated.
"I don't have any money!"
"So you expect me to work for free? I'm still a minor. Back in the day, I could've had you dragged out and shot for that."
"What nonsense are you talking about? Anything but money is fine."
Shiraishi Yoshijo winked at her. "You seem to be quite good at Sealing Technique, too. Do you know about Cursed Seals?"
"Cursed Seals?"
"They're similar to Sealing Technique, but completely different. I need a Cursed Seal that can control people."
"You can do that with Butterfly Seeds."
"No, I need a Cursed Seal. It has to be highly discreet, not something people can easily detect, and I need to be able to control it with my own will."
Mei furrowed her brows for a moment, then nodded. "I understand. I'll need time to research it."
Research?
Shiraishi Yoshijo gave her a strange look.
"What's that look for? I developed almost all your clan's Secret Techniques. Without my Space Formula, you'd still be carrying butterflies around everywhere."
"Come to think of it, I worked for your clan for hundreds of years without pay, and now you're asking me for more money!"
Shiraishi Yoshijo: "..."
Time to make a run for it. Seeing that Mei was about to lose her temper, Shiraishi Yoshijo ran off at top speed.
After returning home, Shiraishi Yoshijo wrote all his plans down on paper.
Lightning Body Flicker, body research, Sealing Technique, Ninjutsu, a digestive technique, Secret Techniques, Poison Powder Preparation, absorbing Chakra
Looking at the dozen or so experimental plans on the page, Shiraishi Yoshijo began to fret.
Time!
Now that he'd joined Anbu, he had missions to carry out. He also had to make time for the hospital, and earn money to raise more Summoning Butterflies.
Shiraishi Yoshijo sighed, looked up at the sky, and muttered, "How did things end up like this?"
Remembering his carefree days as a slacker, he shook his head.
Ever since his uncle died, he hadn't had a moment's peace.
In the end, he'd become the very kind of person he hated most.
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