Mixed bathing with Tsunade and Shizune (fourth, fifth, and sixth updates)

"Hehe, what a coincidence, Qingyu- jun. Is there something you need to see me about so late?"

"Nothing much. Tomorrow I'm going to Tanzaku Town with Sister Tsunade, and the day after that I'm heading straight to the front lines. Before I leave, I wanted to ask Orochimaru- sensei some more questions about Secret Medicine Development."

Qingyu walked to the lab bench and glanced at the bottles and jars on it.

Liquids of various colors swayed gently in the glass bottle, and the label was covered with pharmacological notes.

Orochimaru put down the dropper and wiped his fingers with a white cloth.

"Regarding the Secret Medicine Development, we can certainly discuss it."

Orochimaru nodded, then changed the subject.

"By the way, Qingyu- jun, I heard you've learned 'Senjutsu'?"

Qingyu nodded.

This was no secret back at the front-line camp; Tsunade didn't deliberately hide it, and Minato Namikaze had personally witnessed him activate "Sage Mode."

"Yes, Orochimaru- sensei. However, my 'Sage Mode' is not yet complete; it can only be maintained for a few seconds at most."

"A few seconds is enough."

Orochimaru laughed.

"I also tried to cultivate 'Senjutsu.' You should have heard of the White Snake Sage of Ryūchi Cave. I cultivated there for quite a long time, but in the end—I failed."

"My body cannot withstand the infusion of Natural Energy, and I cannot perfectly fuse the three energies together like you do."

"Later, I changed my approach. Since my body cannot directly receive Natural Energy, I will store it through special methods. This scroll records my research direction: the Cursed Seal."

Orochimaru said, taking out a scroll.

Qingyu took the scroll, unfolded it, and opened it to examine it.

The principle of the Cursed Seal is roughly the same as what he knew before: through a special sealing technique, Natural Energy is forcibly injected into the ninja's body, allowing the body to passively adapt to and utilize this energy.

Or rather, most importantly, it contains cells of the Jugo Clan.

Because the Jugo Clan is born with the ability to enter Sage Transformation, the Cursed Seal, based on Jūgo's cells, essentially turns every Cursed Seal holder into a youthful version of the Jugo Clan.

Its drawback is that it is extremely risky. If the recipient's body cannot withstand the power of the Cursed Seal, they will die on the spot.

Even if the user survives, the Cursed Seal will continue to erode their will and body.

"Given Qingyu- kun's mastery of 'Senjutsu' and Tsunade's Medical Ninjutsu foundation, I think you might achieve some success in this area. I've recently been researching how to reduce the mortality rate of Cursed Seal, and I've already made a few preliminary test subjects, but the results haven't been very ideal."

He walked over to Qingyu and pointed to a passage of text on the scroll.

"Look here. The efficiency of Natural Energy conversion within the Cursed Seal is crucial. If the conversion is too fast, the human body cannot withstand it and will collapse; if the conversion is too slow, the Cursed Seal cannot provide sufficient power amplification."

Qingyu followed Orochimaru's finger to look at the text and pondered for a moment.

"Orochimaru- sensei, have you considered a phased adaptation process? This way, the body can adapt during the low-conversion-rate phase first, and then gradually improve."

Qingyu spoke.

What he was referring to were actually the "Cursed Seal - State One" and "Cursed Seal - State Two" from the original work.

However, Orochimaru's Cursed Seal experiment is still in its very early stages, and he doesn't yet have a clear understanding of many things.

Orochimaru's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Phasing it out—this idea is definitely worth trying. How many phases do you think would be appropriate?"

"Two phases. The first phase involves controlling the conversion rate within the body's natural recovery capacity, allowing the body to first build up tolerance to Natural Energy. The second phase will then further enhance the degree of adaptation and integration. If successful, the mortality rate of the Cursed Seal should be significantly reduced."

Orochimaru smiled slightly.

"Hehe, that's a very good idea, Qingyu- kun."

He turned around and walked deeper into the Laboratory, waving to Qingyu.

"Come with me, I want to show you something."

Qingyu followed Orochimaru through a long corridor filled with experimental equipment and arrived at another, larger Laboratory.

The furnishings inside this Laboratory were even more gruesome than those on the outside lab benches.

Huge iron shelves stretched from the floor to the ceiling, filled with glassware of all sizes.

Most of those glasswares contained specimens preserved in formalin solution.

Qingyu glanced at them and saw there were at least dozens.

Most of them are limbs of animals and spirit beasts, but there are also a few complete specimens that look like small snakes or lizards.

These specimens all share a common characteristic: they are deformed.

The psychic frog's hind legs were nearly three times thicker than its front legs, and they had an abnormal purple color.

The lizard's tail had grown extra bony spurs.

Another snake had large areas of its scales fall off, revealing bright red muscle underneath.

In Konoha, human experimentation is an absolute taboo.

However, there are fewer restrictions on the study of animals and spirit beasts.

However, Qingyu guessed that Orochimaru had probably crossed this forbidden line, but it just hadn't shown it yet.

His gaze as he looked at the animal specimens remained calm and normal, showing no sign of rejection or aversion.

Orochimaru stood in front of the iron frame, arms outstretched, as if displaying his collection.

"These are my test subjects for the Cursed Seal. Look at this psychic frog. It successfully withstood the power of the Cursed Seal, and the strength of its hind legs has increased nearly threefold. However, the price is permanent mutation of its muscle tissue and a significantly shortened lifespan. It can only live for a maximum of three more months."

His voice held no trace of pity or regret, only a cold, academic tone.

Qingyu walked to the iron frame and observed the specimens up close. He could sense the residual Natural Energy in these animals' bodies; although it was very weak, it was undoubtedly Natural Energy.

"Very nice."

Qingyu said.

Orochimaru turned around and faced Qingyu again.

"Qingyu- kun, if you're interested, you can conduct research with me."

Orochimaru said.

[Collectible Trait Detected: Cursed Seal]

[D-Rank Trait: Cursed Seal]

[Effect: Increases resistance to Cursed Seal by 30%.]

[Synthesis: Obtains an amplifying Cursed Seal, which will be upgraded to a higher-level trait.]

Qingyu looked at the words that popped up in front of her and a slight smile appeared on her lips.

Since the Trait System can enhance his adaptability to the Cursed Seal, there's no harm in giving it a try.

More power means more trump cards.

"Orochimaru- sensei, I'm very interested in the Cursed Seal research. Now that I've returned from the front lines, may I participate in your research?"

Orochimaru's smile deepened.

"Of course, my Laboratory desperately needs someone like you."

The following morning.

Before the sun had fully risen, the area in front of Tsunade's house was already bustling with activity.

Tsunade changed into an outfit that was easy to wear today.

The sleeveless, tight-fitting top accentuated her stunning curves, while the matching capri pants revealed her fair and smooth calves.

Shizune stood next to her, carrying a bulging backpack.

"Qingyu, hurry up!"

Tsunade called out towards the door.

"They've arrived."

--

Qingyu walked out from the entrance hall.

The carriage is already waiting at the village entrance.

The three of them left the gates of Konoha and boarded a carriage heading towards Tanzaku Town.

When you're not on a mission, you can be more relaxed.

With enough money, even ninjas can enjoy life just like ordinary people.

Even ninjas can issue missions and have other ninjas come and complete them; all of this is entirely possible.

Qingyu sat opposite Tsunade, glancing at her crossed legs out of the corner of his eye.

The hem of the capri pants just covered the calves, and the exposed part of the calves had smooth skin.

"Those legs are amazing!"

Qingyu pondered to herself.

The "Yin Seal" is great; no matter how much Tsunade trains, she will never develop muscular legs.

Otherwise, it would be a bit of a spoilsport.

Tsunade noticed his gaze, turned her head to look at him, and a slight smile appeared on her lips.

"What, haven't you seen enough?"

"The scenery is nice."

Qingyu withdrew her gaze without changing her expression and turned her eyes to the window.

Tsunade let out a soft, ambiguous hum, but said nothing more. She simply turned her crossed legs around and looked out the window again.

Tanzaku Town.

A large red-light district located in the southwestern part of the Land of Fire.

It's a place filled with casinos, hotels, and amusement parks, making it easy to violate the ninja's "three prohibitions."

Therefore, this is a famous and prosperous town in the Land of Fire, and it remained quite lively even during the war.

One morning, Qingyu and the others arrived here.

Tsunade was the first to jump off the carriage and headed eagerly towards the inn.

"Boss, we'd like to reserve the entire hot spring area for ourselves!"

The innkeeper was an elderly woman wearing round-framed glasses. Upon seeing Tsunade, she quickly came out from behind the counter to greet her.

"Lady Tsunade, it's been a long time. Of course, that's no problem. I'll arrange it right away. Please follow me."

Then the old woman told her daughter to hang up a sign outside saying they were not accepting customers that day.

Coincidentally, Qingyu and her group were also the first guests to arrive.

The three followed the hotel owner through the hotel's long corridor.

The owner opened the wooden door with a key, and a wave of warm, moist steam rushed out.

"If you need drinks, food, or anything else, you can use the call bell over there to let us know."

Tsunade nodded in satisfaction, took out the money for the entire bathhouse from her wallet and handed it to the owner, then eagerly Earth Flow into the bathhouse.

Qingyu followed behind and went inside, taking a look at the hot spring pool.

The hot spring pool was much larger than he had imagined.

The pool water was a pale milky white, with wisps of steam rising from its surface.

Several neatly trimmed pine and bamboo trees are planted around the bathtub, and there is a row of wooden shower areas against the wall.

"This place is nice."

Qingyu nodded.

"Of course, this is a very famous hot spring inn in Tanzaku Town."

Tsunade walked to the shower area, draped a towel over the wooden rack, and then turned to look at Qingyu and Shizune.

"What are you two dawdling for? Hurry up and change your clothes, wash up, and then get in the pool."

Seeing this, Qingyu went to her room to wash up, as she needed to clean herself before soaking in the hot spring.

When Qingyu came out, he found that Tsunade and Shizune had not yet come out.

Qingyu went to soak first.

Not long after, a soft gasp came from behind as someone Shizune tested the water temperature, followed by the splashing sound of Tsunade stepping into the bath.

"Phew—soaking in a hot spring is definitely the most comfortable thing."

Tsunade let out a long, satisfied sigh, her voice carrying a languid quality of complete relaxation.

Her arms were outstretched and rested on the rocks by the pool, her body submerged in the warm water, with only her shoulders and above exposed.

Her golden twin ponytails clung wetly to her neck, with a few strands sticking to her bare shoulders.

Qingyu glanced at it.

Shizune sat at the other end of the pool, her whole body submerged in the water, with only half of her face showing above the surface.

Her short hair was wet and stuck to her forehead, her face was flushed from the steam, and her dark eyes secretly glanced at Qingyu through the water before quickly looking away.

"Shizune, why is your face so red? Is the water too hot?"

Qingyu asked.

"No—no, the water temperature is just right!"

Shizune quickly shook her head, and ripples spread across the water's surface from her movement.

She submerged her face even further into the water, until it was almost above her nose.

Just then, Tsunade suddenly rose from the water.

She was wrapped in a white bath towel, which covered her private parts.

Water droplets slid down her collarbone, rolling slowly along the curved edge of the bath towel.

Qingyu's gaze lingered on the idiom "snow-capped mountains and red plum blossoms," then she casually shifted her attention to the bamboo curtain by the pond.

Tsunade seemed unaware of just how dangerous her appearance was.

She stretched out a hand and beckoned to Qingyu, her brown-gold eyes shrouded in a languid mist.

"Why are you going so far away? Come here and sit next to me."

"Sister Tsunade, are you sure?"

Qingyu raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Just come here when I tell you to. Stop with the nonsense."

Tsunade impatiently patted the water beside her, splashing a small spray.

She didn't seem to think about it that way at all; after all, in her eyes, Qingyu was still that little brat who needed her care.

"All right."

Qingyu walked over to Tsunade and sat down less than an arm's length away from her.

The warm pool water washed over his chest, carrying the faint, distinctive smell of sulfur.

"What's with all this talk of 'okay' and 'bad,' it's not like I'm forcing you."

Tsunade glanced at him, then rested her arms on the rocks by the pool again, leaning back slightly so that the water reached her shoulders.

She closed her eyes, exhaled a long breath, and relaxed completely.

Shizune sat at the other end of the pool, watching the two figures sitting side by side through the misty water vapor.

Lady Tsunade completely treated Qingyu like a younger brother, and her every move was natural and casual, without any reservations.

Qingyu also appeared completely at ease, leaning against the rock by the pool and closing her eyes to rest.

Shizune quickly lowered her head and buried her entire face in the water.

No, no, she still couldn't be as uninhibited as Lady Tsunade.

Qingyu sensed a faint ripple in the water coming from the other end of the pool.

He lifted his eyelids and glanced in the direction of Shizune through the misty steam.

She submerged her face in the water, with only a few wisps of black hair and bright red ear tips visible above the surface.

He looked away and closed his eyes again.

The hot spring water was at just the right temperature; the heat penetrated through the skin and into the muscles, relieving the fatigue accumulated along the way.

The bamboo blinds overhead swayed gently in the wind, casting shifting shadows on his face.

After an unknown amount of time, Tsunade suddenly opened her eyes.

"I've soaked enough, any longer and I'll get dizzy, kid. Shizune, I'm going out now."

She stood up from the pool, her wet towel clinging to her body.

Qingyu also stood up and followed Tsunade out of the bath.

Shizune followed, water droplets dripping from her short hair and sliding down the curve of her shoulders and neck.

Tsunade picked up a clean white towel from the wooden shelf, casually dried her hair, and then tossed it to Qingyu.

"Oh, right, kid, don't you know Fire Release? Help me dry my hair, it'll be uncomfortable going out all wet like this."

"No problem."

Qingyu said.

Tsunade over a wooden stool, sat down on it, and crossed her arms.

She walked barefoot on the wooden floor, her toes slightly curled, her ankles slender.

"All right."

Qingyu walked behind Tsunade and placed his left hand on her hair.

Golden strands of hair were damply wrapped around his fingers, bringing a cool, warm touch.

He concentrated his Fire Release Chakra in his palm, controlling its temperature and intensity.

A dry, warm breath rose from beneath his palm, stroking Tsunade's damp, long hair.

Water droplets evaporated into fine white mist under the rising heat, drifting in the air. The golden hair gradually dried between his fingers, regaining its original smoothness.

"Phew, that feels good."

Tsunade narrowed her eyes and let out a satisfied sigh.

Her shoulders relaxed.

Qingyu could see Tsunade's fair skin through her collar, and he could see the tender skin with visible blue veins.

"Your control of the heat is really good; no wonder your cooking is so delicious."

Knowing a lot of Fire Release Ninjutsu doesn't mean you can perform it with this level of precision. Your talent in Chakra control is truly impressive, kid."

"Sister Tsunade."

Qingyu continued to focus on her hand movements.

A few minutes later, Tsunade's twin tails were completely fluffy again.

Qingyu released her grip.

"Alright, Sister Tsunade."

Tsunade raised her hand and touched her hair, nodding in satisfaction.

She stood up from the wooden stool, stepped barefoot onto the wooden floor, and walked to the mirror in the shower area to look at herself.

"Good."

Tsunade was satisfied.

Just as Shizune was about to say something, she saw Qingyu turn around and walk towards her.

"Shizune, you should come too. Going out with wet hair will definitely make you catch a cold."

"I... I don't need it..."

Shizune subconsciously took a half step back, still clutching the white towel she had used to dry her hair.

"No need for anything, sit down."

Tsunade's voice came from the other side of the mirror.

"Now that this kid has learned to control the heat, he should be given more practice. You too, Shizune, you'll catch a cold if you don't dry your hair."

Shizune bit her lower lip, but finally resigned herself to sitting down on the wooden stool.

Her hands were on her knees.

Qingyu walked behind her and ran her fingers through her damp, short hair.

Shizune's body stiffened visibly, and the fine hairs on the back of her neck stood on end.

"Relax, it won't burn."

"I—I wasn't worried about that."

Shizune retorted, but still obediently relaxed her shoulders.

Her short hair was much easier to manage than Tsunade's long hair. Qingyu ran her fingers through the strands of hair a few times, and the warm Fire Release Chakra evaporated most of the moisture.

Shizune closing her eyes, she felt a warm current gently enveloping her scalp, a sensation that was both comforting and made her heart race.

Qingyu's fingertip accidentally brushed against her earlobe, and Shizune's ear instantly turned bright red, almost as if it could bleed.

"Alright."

Qingyu released her grip.

Shizune stood up from the wooden stool, lowered her head, and walked quickly towards the shower area, pretending to tidy up the towels, but actually just to avoid Qingyu's gaze.

After the three changed their clothes, it was nearly noon when they came out of the open-air bath.

The fatigue after the hot spring made Tsunade feel particularly relaxed. She took Qingyu and Shizune to the largest restaurant in Tanzaku Town for a sumptuous lunch, and then couldn't wait to head towards the casino.

"Sister Tsunade, it's only three in the afternoon."

Qingyu followed behind Tsunade, watching her twin ponytails sway playfully over her shoulders.

"That's perfect. Let's gamble from now until tonight, and we can even catch the casino's late-night snack."

Tsunade.

Shizune followed behind, carrying her backpack, and gave Qingyu a helpless, bitter smile.

The casino on Tanzaku Town is located on the busiest main street and is a three-story wooden building.

Two huge red lanterns hung at the entrance, with the words "Casino" written in gold powder on them.

Even during the day, the casino is brightly lit, and the sounds of dice clashing, gamblers shouting, and chips clattering all pour out from the open doors.

Tsunade pushed open the casino door, and that familiar aura rushed towards her.

She took a deep breath, as if she had returned to her long-lost second home.

"Finally back."

She exchanged a large amount of chips at the counter, then pulled Qingyu to sit down at a Sic Bo table.

Shizune, she stood to the side, placing her backpack at her feet.

"Come here, kid, sit next to me."

Tsunade patted the empty seat next to her, enthusiastically divided the chips into several piles, and then turned to look at Qingyu.

"Should I bet on big or small?"

Qingyu glanced at the swaying dice cup on the table and casually said, "Bet on big."

"Okay, I'll go with you, I'll bet on big!"

Tsunade pushed a small pile of chips into the "big" area, then gestured with her chin toward the dealer.

"Open it!"

The dealer lifted the dice cup; the three dice showed a total of fifteen points—a big win.

Tsunade's eyes lit up as she gathered her winnings in front of her, then glanced at Qingyu, her brown-gold eyes filled with smugness.

"I knew it! Bringing you here was the right decision. My luck is definitely going to be amazing tonight!"

In the time that followed, Tsunade's luck was indeed astonishingly good.

She bet on big, medium, and big, and small, medium, and small. The only time she lost a round or two was because she didn't listen to Qingyu's advice and changed her mind.

The other gamblers in the casino gradually noticed the commotion, and several people gathered around to watch the excitement.

"Lady Tsunade's luck is amazing!"

"Who is that black-haired boy next to her? He always seems to have a clue who he is."

"You're from out of town, aren't you? That's Lady Tsunade brother, Qingyu. I've heard he's an incredibly talented genius, a rare find even among ninjas."

"No wonder—with such a lucky star by your side, it's hard to lose."

Shizune stood to the side, watching the chips piled higher and higher in front of Tsunade, and then at the envious and jealous looks from the gamblers around her, and sighed.

As night fell, Tsunade left with Qingyu and Shizune, completely satisfied.

A few days later, the three of them arrived at the Eastern Coastline again.

Meanwhile, the Cloud Village also launched an offensive against the Konoha.