Going into Heat

It truly lives up to its reputation as the library of the Daimyo's Mansion. The enormous room occupies two to three hundred square meters, and the entire library is as high as five stories. Inside, bookshelves are densely packed according to the type of books, and each bookshelf is filled with books.

After handing Taiichi over to the curator, the attendant relayed the Daimyo's instructions: Taiichi was permitted to choose any 10 books on Ninjutsu from the library. With that, the attendant returned to wait outside the library.

Inside the library, the elderly librarian led the young ninja through a maze of books. The vast library, with its thousands upon thousands of books, made Taiichi feel as if he were immersed in an ocean of knowledge—the crystallization of human wisdom over hundreds and thousands of years.

Taiichi's fingers trembled involuntarily. He wished he could pack up all the books here and take them back to Konoha, but he restrained himself. No rush, no rush, there will be opportunities in the future. Taiichi silently comforted himself.

Led by the curator, Taiichi ascended the spiral staircase in the center of the library to the third floor. Compared to the dazzling array of books on the other floors, this floor appeared exceptionally spacious—the entire floor consisted of only a few antique mahogany bookshelves placed in the center.

"This collection houses Ninjutsu manuals gathered from various regions by Daimyo throughout history." The curator carefully stroked the edge of the bookshelf, his voice tinged with pride. "Although the number is small, every single one is a masterpiece."

Taiichi's gaze swept across the bookshelves, and he found that each bookshelf was neatly arranged with forty or fifty scrolls and books.

Some of the scrolls had yellowed edges, clearly indicating their age. He noticed that the topmost scroll was bound with gold thread and had a "secret" seal on it.

"That's a manuscript left behind by the Second Hokage when he traveled through the Land of Fire in his youth," the curator explained, following Taiichi's gaze. "However, because it's sealed, I don't know what's recorded inside."

Taiichi nodded knowingly and began to carefully browse the books. He first picked up a book titled "Detailed Explanation of Fire Style Chakra Nature Transformation." As he opened the title page, the librarian immediately reminded him nervously, "Please handle this book with care; it's nearly a hundred years old."

"This library was originally built during the time of the First Hokage Daimyo." The librarian proudly introduced while supervising Taiichi's book selection, "Each Daimyo would order people to search far and wide for precious books. Look at that book, <Research on Earth Style Defensive Jutsu>, it was a gift left behind by the First Raikage during his visit to the Land of Fire."

Taiichi carefully selected ten books covering Chakra Nature Transformation, basic Sealing Jutsu, and Taijutsu training. The librarian meticulously recorded each book he took, repeatedly instructing Taiichi to take good care of them, as if Taiichi was a piece of flesh being cut from his body.

Just as Taiichi had selected ten books and was about to leave, his gaze fell upon an inconspicuous book in the far corner under a bookshelf. As if guided by his inner voice, Taiichi stepped forward and picked up the book. The title read, " On the On the Transformation of Chakra Matter and Energy".

"Director, what's the story with this book?" Taiichi asked the director, who was standing to the side, while holding the book.

"This one... let me think, it's quite old." The librarian kept tapping his forehead with his fingers for a full two minutes. "This is also an old book; it existed before the library was even built. However, everyone who has read it says it's nonsense, so over time no one has taken it seriously."

As Taiichi listened to the curator's introduction, his eyes were fixed on the book. A voice inside him told Taiichi that this book was very important. Taiichi followed his heart and picked out a book on Taijutsu from the books he had already chosen.

"Director, here's your copy back. I want this one, 'On the On the Transformation of Chakra Matter and Energy'."

"Have you thought it through?" the curator asked again to confirm. Seeing Taiichi nod, the curator led Taiichi back down to the first floor, carefully wrapped the selected books, and solemnly handed them to Taiichi: "I hope you will treat them well."

Taiichi carefully took the package, feeling its heavy weight in his hands. He knew that the knowledge contained in these ancient texts might be the most important gain from this mission.

After leaving the library, Taiichi, led by the attendant, arrived at the gate of the Daimyo's Daimyo's Mansion. Before leaving, Taiichi said to the attendant, "Please tell the Daimyo Taiichi I will not let him down."

He then left Daimyo's Mansion with the help of his attendants.

Turning the corner at the end of the street, and looking back, he could no longer see Daimyo's Mansion. Cold sweat poured down Taiichi's forehead, and in just a moment, he felt his back was soaked with cold sweat. After breathing heavily for a few moments, Taiichi finally managed to calm himself down.

That was really exciting. In the reception Reception Hall, his Chakra Perception sensed several auras no less powerful than his that were hidden around the Daimyo, and there were more than ten auras weaker than his that were scattered around the reception Reception Hall.

If he had answered even one wrong question earlier, he might have lost his life. "Damn it, being a spy is really inhuman," Taiichi cursed inwardly. Fortunately, he had safely passed the first step, and as long as he was careful from now on, there shouldn't be any major problems.

As for the information, that's a matter for the Hokage to consider; what information to reveal is not his concern.

Composing himself, Taiichi walked briskly toward the Post House.

Perhaps it was because of his cheerful mood, but when Taiichi arrived at the Post House, Taiichi couldn't help but feel that the Post House had become particularly welcoming. Of course, compared to the insincere Post House in Konoha, the Post House in Kyoto was indeed worthy of being the face of the Land of Fire to the outside world.

Not only does it occupy a huge area, but its decorations are also extremely luxurious, allowing people to feel the prosperity of the Land of Fire as soon as they enter.

Entering the small courtyard assigned to the three of them, they saw Saori sitting on a stone bench as soon as they entered.

At this moment, the quiet girl was engrossed in reading a book. Her white training uniform made her look exceptionally capable. The night breeze occasionally ruffled the strands of hair on her cheeks, and the focused girl could only spare a moment to tuck them behind her ears. This quiet and beautiful scene made Taiichi stop at the door. When did Saori become so beautiful?

Perhaps it was Taiichi's arrival that startled the girl, or perhaps it was the prolonged stare that alerted her. Saori looked up from her book, her bright eyes fixed on the doorway.

"Taiichi, you're back!" A joyful exclamation came from the girl's lips, waking Taiichi from his reverie.

"Hmm." Taiichi blushed slightly, realizing he'd been staring at a young girl in a daze. He quickly composed himself, walked forward as if nothing was amiss, and his gaze swept over the book on the table—<Advanced Sealing Jutsu Theory>.

Taiichi felt a little guilty. Looking around and not finding any trace of Yohei, he asked first, "Hasn't Yohei returned yet?"

Saori shook her head slightly, and strands of hair beside her ears drifted down to her cheeks as she moved. "No, she's probably still out playing. I heard the night market in Kyoto doesn't close until very late."

"Did you have fun? Kyoto's night view is quite lively."

"I got bored after wandering around for a while. It just seems like there are more people than in Konoha, nothing special." Saori continued turning the pages of her book. "I might as well have come back sooner; it's good to read more."

Good girl, you're so hardworking and diligent. If you don't get stronger, who will? It can't be that guy Yohei who's still wandering around somewhere, can it?

"I've started learning Sealing Jutsu too. If I encounter any problems in the future, Saori, you'll have to help me." Taiichi pointed to the book Saori was reading and made a request.

When Saori heard that Taiichi was also learning Sealing Jutsu, her eyes lit up. She closed her book excitedly and said, "Really? Then we can learn together! I'm currently learning the nested structure of multiple seals, but I always have some nodes that I can't connect smoothly."

Upon hearing Taiichi realized that this was the difficult part of the Multiple Lamp Array he had learned before, so he sat down opposite Saori. After thinking for a moment, he took out the book "Detailed Explanation of Sealing Jutsu Structure" that he had brought back from the Daimyo's Mansion from his Ninja Tool Pouch.

I had briefly browsed through this book when it was in the library, and it happened to contain this kind of knowledge.

"What a coincidence! This is a book I just found. It contains knowledge about Sealing Jutsu. It might come in handy!" Taiichi said, turning to the yellowed pages and pointing to a diagram marked in red. "Look at this triple structure. Doesn't it also fit the meaning of multiple nesting?"

Saori leaned closer to examine the book, her hair falling onto the pages, carrying a faint, pleasant fragrance. She suddenly exclaimed softly, "I see! If written this way, the originally flat structure becomes three-dimensional, allowing for the nesting of even more techniques."

As if struck by a sudden realization, she grabbed a pen and paper and began to calculate rapidly. Taiichi watched Saori's focused concentration but didn't disturb her. He simply took out a new sheet of paper from his Ninja Tool Pouch and handed it to her when Saori was almost out of paper.

I also learned from Saori's calculations and felt that my Sealing Jutsu was gradually improving.

The two discussed the problem head to head until late at night, as the noise outside the courtyard gradually subsided. When Saori finally solved the problem that had been troubling her for days, the latest notification appeared on the panel in front of Taiichi.

[You have begun learning Sealing Jutsu, and your understanding of them has improved!]

[Your skill Sealing Jutsu has been upgraded, experience points +100]

"Great, it's finally solved, Taiichi. Thank you so much this time." Saori said happily, holding Taiichi's hand. Clearly, solving this problem had greatly improved her Sealing Jutsu.

Seeing Saori's excitement, Taiichi was also pleased, but suddenly he slapped his forehead. "I almost forgot about that."

As he spoke, he took out two Sealing Talisman from his Ninja Tool Pouch and handed them to Saori. "I was going to give these to you before the mission, but I got distracted. These are the Multiple Lamp Array Sealing Talisman I used in the last competition; they can save your life in a critical moment."

Saori took the Sealing Talisman, her fingertips trembling as she ran her fingers over the runes on its surface. This level of Sealing Talisman was considered a treasure even within her family. The materials were precious, the production process difficult, and the preservation challenging. In addition, it required highly skilled Sealing Jutsu techniques, making this kind of Sealing Talisman extremely rare and valuable.

"This is too precious—" Her voice was so soft it was like a feather falling to the ground; if it weren't for the late hour, Taiichi wouldn't have been able to hear her clearly.

"Take it," Taiichi smile, pointing to the sheets of paper she had just worked on. "Consider it tuition!"

"However, remember that these Sealing Talisman need to be infused with Chakra every three days and maintained once a week, otherwise the Sealing Talisman inside will become ineffective."

"Yes, I know." Saori's voice was faint as she carefully put the Sealing Talisman into her Ninja Tool Pouch. Suddenly, she noticed a small ink stain on Taiichi's sleeve and instinctively reached out to wipe it off for him.

They both froze, the night wind swirling leaves between them. Saori hurriedly withdrew her hand, turned and ran back to her room, leaving only the words, "I'm going to rest now," echoing in the air.

Taiichi stared at the closed door, slightly taken aback and finding it somewhat amusing. Perhaps his body had influenced his soul, for he had actually begun to admire an eleven or twelve-year-old "little loli."

Shaking his head to clear his mind, Taiichi looked up at the night sky. The moon was high in the sky, and even the hustle and bustle of the night market outside the courtyard had gradually quieted down.

"Why hasn't Yohei come back yet?" Taiichi thought to himself as he sat down on the stone bench to wait for Yohei. He then took out the book " On the On the Transformation of Chakra Matter and Energy" from his Ninja Tool Pouch and began to study it carefully.

Time passed second by second, and before they knew it, the moon overhead had crossed the midline and begun to move westward. In the courtyard, the soft sound of turning pages grew increasingly rapid, and the noise gradually increased.

Just as Taiichi was about to lose his composure and prepare to go out to find Yohei.

The creaking sound of the door hinges scraping together was particularly abrupt in the dead of night, and the jarring noise clearly startled the person who First Gate.

After a short, sharp sound, the door was immediately held shut, and the person First Gate moved it even more slowly and carefully, trying to make no sound at all.

When the door opened completely, the person First Gate visibly breathed a sigh of relief, but when he looked into the courtyard, he was instantly dumbfounded. There sat Taiichi on a stone bench, his eyes fixed intently on him. "This— Taiichi—, let me explain!"

"Sneaking!"

"It's late at night!"

"Disorganized and undisciplined!"

Taiichi stood up and walked step by step toward Yohei, his powerful aura forcing Yohei to retreat. Taiichi circled Yohei once, his nostrils twitching.

"You've been drinking? I had no idea my teammate was a 20-year-old adult?"

Suddenly, a fragrance wafted into Taiichi's nostrils. This was different from the faint fragrance on Saori's body; it smelled more like the pungent odor of cheap rouge.

Considering Yohei's late return, Taiichi suddenly turned around, his eyes filled with disbelief. "You went to a brothel!"

"That— Taiichi, it's not what you think." Yohei waved his hands repeatedly, his face full of anxiety, and explained in a flustered manner, "I—I was just pulled in by them and did something, I didn't do anything!"

"Then what else do you want to do?" Taiichi low voice, sounding somewhat disappointed.

"This—that—" Yohei was already rambling incoherently, his eyes darting around, trying to find an excuse to get away with it.

"Was it its original form, or did it transform?" Taiichi suddenly asked.

"Of course it's transformation." Yohei answered without thinking, but as soon as he finished speaking, he covered his mouth and chuckled foolishly at Taiichi.

Taiichi looked at Yohei with a strange expression, then sighed, "Forget it, I can't control that much. Just know what's going on. A ninja, a ninja, only one who can control themselves can be called a ninja! You should go and rest."

"Taiichi, you... you won't blame me, will you?" Yohei was starting to panic. "I promise I'll never do it again!"

"It's alright. As long as you feel it's okay, then I have nothing to say. It's just that we're on a mission now, and not returning home late at night is against discipline."

"Yes!" Seeing that Taiichi wasn't angry, Yohei's cheeky side resurfaced. "Taiichi, you have no idea, that girl—"

"Get out!" Taiyi said, raising his Taiichi to kick him, but Yohei seemed to have expected it and ran back to his room in a flash.

Just as his door was about to close, Taiichi's voice came, "Wait." Then, Taiichi tossed two Sealing Talisman into the room. "Keep them for self-defense. I've written down how to use them on a piece of paper."

Yohei looked at the two precious Sealing Talisman in his hand, and after a long while, he uttered a "Thank you!" before closing the door.

Looking at the light coming on in Yohei's room, Taiichi rubbed his temples hard. How did he end up with such a friend? Could he really be taking Jiraiya a role model? Thinking back to how he had used Tsunade as an example before, a scene involuntarily flashed into his mind.

Ahead, the older generation of Konoha's "gambling, prostitution, and drug addicts" are laughing wildly with their hands on their hips; behind them, the new generation of Konoha's "gambling, prostitution, and drug addicts" are bowing and learning.

A chill ran through him, Taiichi shook his head violently, as if trying to shake the image out of his mind. No, at least Saori and he wouldn't feel that way.