The next day.
The Yūhi residence.
As Seiryū ate the breakfast Kurenai had carefully prepared, he nodded again and again, praising her cooking and saying it was getting better every day.
Beside him, Shinku Yūhi did not even spare a glance at Seiryū's medicinal ramen. He had long since gotten used to the boy's strange tastes.
After slurping a mouthful of ordinary tonkotsu ramen, Shinku looked at Seiryū and asked, "Are you confident you can fully subdue the Dragon Vein Chakra?"
All he knew was that Seiryū had lost control again.
He did not know the details, but the thought of the Dragon Vein Chakra still lurking inside Seiryū's body worried him.
Seiryū slurped a mouthful of noodles coated in black broth and nodded. "It shouldn't be a big problem. In a few days, I'll head to Rōran. Maybe the queen has a way to help me take complete control of the Dragon Vein Chakra."
Hearing that, Shinku let out a quiet breath of relief. "That's good."
Kurenai was also eating normal ramen. Since she rarely had a chance to leave the village, she wanted to go to Rōran with Seiryū.
"Seiryū, can I go with you when the time comes?"
"Sure. We'll go together."
"Yay!"
Kurenai beamed. As long as she was with Seiryū, she did not care where they went.
Seeing how happy she was, Shinku felt a little jealous. His daughter was no longer as attached to her father as she used to be.
Her whole heart was set on Seiryū now.
Had he adopted a future son-in-law without realizing it?
No, that was not quite right. It was more like he had raised one himself.
He did not object to Kurenai being with Seiryū. They had grown up together, and if they ended up marrying when they were older, that would not be a bad thing.
At least he would not have to worry about Kurenai's future.
In the end, Shinku decided to let nature take its course.
He put the thought aside and smiled. "Just be careful when the time comes. Every time you leave the village, something huge happens. I hope this trip will be a little more peaceful."
The corners of Seiryū's mouth twitched. "I hope nothing happens too, but trouble always seems to find me."
Shinku rubbed his brow. "In any case, with your current strength, you are already among the strongest in the shinobi world. Just remember to protect Kurenai. Don't let her get hurt."
Seiryū smiled. "I will. Kurenai's life is more important to me than my own."
"Good."
To Kurenai, those words sounded almost like a confession. Her face flushed red, and she lowered her gaze, too shy to look at Seiryū.
After breakfast, Shinku left for work.
He had duties to attend to. Although the war had briefly come to a halt, there was still plenty for him to handle.
As for Seiryū, he planned to visit his unreliable teacher, Jiraiya.
Yesterday, Tsunade had kept him at her place under the excuse of observing him for possible aftereffects. Because of that, he had not been able to leave until nightfall, when he finally returned to the Yūhi residence.
Today, he needed to visit Jiraiya. After all, he was still Jiraiya's student.
Just as Seiryū was about to leave, someone came to visit.
It was Rin.
She had brought gifts and had clearly come to check on him.
Many people knew about Seiryū's previous rampage, and Rin had been very worried about him.
When Seiryū saw her, he was a little surprised. Then he smiled. "Rin. Come in."
Today, Rin was dressed in casual black clothes with a white ribbon tied around her waist, giving her a graceful, slender look.
She wore white shorts, a pair of small boots, and had tied up her already long brown hair in a simple style, with longer bangs falling on both sides of her face.
It made her look lively and youthful, with a quiet charm mixed in.
In Seiryū's mind, the outfit was nearly perfect.
The only point off was, in his shameless opinion, the lack of tights.
"Sorry for disturbing you," Rin said politely.
At the entryway, she took off her small black boots, revealing white socks, then changed into slippers and followed Seiryū into the living room.
After placing the gifts on the table, Rin sat down on the sofa and looked at Seiryū.
A little embarrassed, she said, "I heard you were injured again. I was worried, so I came to check on you."
As if remembering something, Rin quickly added, "Oh, right. Hinata-san wanted to come too, but Ichiraku Ramen has been busy lately, so she couldn't get away. She asked me to send you her regards."
Warmth rose in Seiryū's heart. "Thank you. I'm fine. I've already recovered."
See?
When they heard he was injured, they all came to visit him.
How could he not be moved?
He swore he would never let them down.
"It's good that you're okay."
Rin gave him a shy smile, then searched for something else to say. "By the way, where are Uncle Shinku and Kurenai? Are they not home?"
"Uncle Shinku went to work," Seiryū replied. "Kurenai is changing. We were planning to visit Jiraiya-sensei."
"I see."
Rin nodded and smiled. "Has Jiraiya-sama returned to the village too? I heard from Minato-sensei and his wife that Jiraiya-sama was at Mount Myōboku."
Seiryū smiled helplessly. "He probably came back because of me."
Rin pressed her lips together. "Of course people would worry. Minato-sensei said the Dragon Vein might not be weaker than the Nine-Tails. If something goes wrong, it would be extremely dangerous."
Seiryū was the person she liked, though she had never said it aloud.
But the worry in her heart was no less than anyone else's.
Otherwise, she would not have gathered her courage and come to visit him despite feeling so shy.
Seeing the concern in Rin's eyes, Seiryū said, "I probably won't lose control again. In a few days, I'll go see if I can completely subdue the Dragon Vein and make it obey me."
"Will it be dangerous?"
"I am Konoha's strongest genius, so don't underestimate me. Last time was just an accident."
"Mm. I believe in you."
"With you saying that, I feel even more confident. For your sake, I'll give it everything I've got."
"Mm."
Rin blinked.
What did Seiryū mean by that?
For her sake?
Her face suddenly flushed, and her heartbeat sped up.
She was starting to look like steam might rise from her head.
Too embarrassed to meet Seiryū's eyes, Rin instinctively looked away and said softly, "D-do your best."
"Hahaha. You're getting cuter and cuter, Rin."
Seiryū chuckled. "By the way, I forgot to say it earlier. That outfit really suits you today. You look great."
"Mm."
Rin felt her cheeks burning. She did not need a mirror to know her face must be bright red.
Because of her shyness, her voice became very small. "Th-thank you. You look good today too."
Seeing Rin so shy, Seiryū was in a wonderful mood. "You have good taste."
Kurenai was almost immune to his praise by now, while Tsunade could shamelessly nod and accept it.
Rin's shy, adorable reaction, on the other hand, made Seiryū find her even more interesting.
She was still the same as before. A single compliment was enough to make her blush.
Very cute.
"Eh? Rin!"
Kurenai, who had changed into a small red kimono, greeted her happily when she saw her. "Don't you need to practice Medical Ninjutsu today?"
Rin suppressed the shyness in her heart and smiled at Kurenai. "I'm taking the day off. I also came to visit Seiryū and see you."
"Hehe, perfect!"
Kurenai giggled. "Then let's go to the hot springs together later. We were planning to go after visiting Jiraiya-sensei. It should help Seiryū recover."
Rin's eyes lit up, but she still felt a little embarrassed. "Is that okay? Won't I be intruding?"
"How is that intruding?"
Kurenai waved her hand boldly. "It's not like Seiryū is short on money. He's rich. He made me worry so much before, so of course he has to treat us."
She and Rin were best friends.
Good things were meant to be shared.
Besides, Seiryū was paying. Treating one person or two people made no difference.
Seiryū looked at Kurenai speechlessly. Did she think his money fell from the sky?
His savings had not been all that impressive lately.
He did not even have enough to buy another house.
But if it was to treat Kurenai and Rin, he certainly did not mind.
He smiled at Rin. "Come with us, Rin. Now that I think about it, I don't think I've ever gone to the hot springs with you two before."
"G-go to the hot springs together?"
Hearing that, Rin seemed to imagine something embarrassing.
With a poof, the blush that had just faded from her face returned, even redder than before.
Go to the hot springs together?
Mixed bathing?
This, this, this was way too embarrassing!
Kurenai also connected Seiryū's words to mixed bathing. Her little face flushed, but she still glared at him.
"You pervert! Who wants to soak with you?"
She huffed and said, "We soak on our side, and you soak on yours. Did you pick up bad habits from Jiraiya-sensei? You actually want to take a mixed bath with us? Shameless!"
Seiryū had definitely been influenced by bad company.
He actually wanted to soak in the hot springs with them?
Absolutely not.
It was too embarrassing.
Seiryū looked innocent. "I never said anything about mixed bathing, did I? You two imagined that on your own. But why did your minds go there? Could it be that..."
"..."
Although Seiryū did not finish his sentence, both Rin and Kurenai blushed deeply.
Neither of them knew how to answer.
Kurenai's blush deepened even further. Embarrassed and angry, she pounced on Seiryū, clawing at him.
"Awful Seiryū! You're twisting your words on purpose. You definitely did that on purpose!"
"Hey, hey, hey, I'll fight back! Stop it!"
"You can use your hands, but don't bite! You're almost twelve. Why do you still bite people like you did when you were little?"
"I will bite you! I'll bite you to death! You're too awful!"
"Don't push me too far, or I'll have to take action."
"You wouldn't dare. Are you really going to hit the cutest girl here? Die!"
"Bakudō #61: Rikujōkōrō!"
With Seiryū's Bakudō, the world fell silent.
Kurenai was frozen in place by Rikujōkōrō.
Seiryū walked over and hummed. "I told you not to bite me. Now I'm going to flick your forehead."
Pop!
"Woo..."
After being flicked on the forehead, Kurenai let out a small cry of pain.
Seiryū flicked her two more times. Kurenai quickly surrendered and begged pitifully for mercy.
"Woo, woo, woo. I won't do it again. I admit defeat. I won't bite you anymore."
"Begging won't help. Today, I'm going to flick your forehead until it swells."
Seiryū looked cold and ruthless as he huffed. "Even that troublesome woman can't handle me now, yet you still dare to bite me?"
Watching the two of them, Rin almost could not hold back her laughter.
They had often played like this back at the Academy.
She was already used to it.
Pop.
After being flicked again, Kurenai was almost in tears.
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)