"Let's go. I've found Jiraiya-sensei. Oh? Minato and Kushina are there too."
Seiryū had no interest in continuing his argument with Kurenai, so he locked onto Jiraiya's location.
He took Kurenai's hand in one hand and Rin's in the other, then activated the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Whoosh!
The three of them vanished and reappeared at Jiraiya's usual residence.
Rin glanced at Seiryū's hand holding hers, and her face turned red again.
It was not the first time he had held her hand, but because it had happened so suddenly, her heart still began to race.
Seiryū let go of the two girls and walked up to the door. He knocked loudly and called out, "Sensei, we're here."
"Can you not make so much noise every time you show up?"
Kushina opened the door and looked at him helplessly.
She had told him about this bad habit more than once, but he never changed.
Seiryū grinned. "Yo, Kushina. You're looking even prettier today. Did you do something different?"
Kushina froze.
Why did this feel so familiar?
A moment later, her expression stiffened.
Damn it. This was exactly the same as a few days ago.
This brat was definitely doing it on purpose.
Gritting her teeth, Kushina snapped, "Are you trying to start a fight?"
Seiryū hesitated. "Were you waiting for me to compliment you too?"
"What do you mean, waiting for compliments? Forget it. You're acting strange again."
Kushina had long since gotten used to Seiryū's nonsense, so she moved on. "What are you here to see Jiraiya-sama for?"
Yesterday, she and Minato had gone to Tsunade's house to visit Seiryū.
Once they confirmed that he was fine, they had finally relaxed.
As she spoke, Kushina noticed Kurenai and Rin standing behind him.
Her expression turned even stranger.
Seiryū really had no sense of danger.
"I haven't seen Sensei since he came back to the village, so of course I had to pay him a visit," Seiryū said. Then he asked curiously, "By the way, why are you and Minato here at Sensei's place?"
"Because of you."
The moment Kushina mentioned it, she became annoyed. She planted her hands on her hips, slipping straight into her Red Hot-Blooded Habanero mood.
With a dangerous smile, she said, "You destroyed my house. Did you forget? Until the new one is built, we have to stay here for a while."
"Besides, Jiraiya-sama barely uses this place anyway. He spends plenty of nights away doing his so-called research."
As she said that, Kushina gave Seiryū a strange look.
Ever since Jiraiya had learned about the complicated relationship between Tsunade and Seiryū, he had fallen into a life crisis, and his research had become even more intense than before.
Seiryū looked guilty. "What do you mean I destroyed your house? More importantly, I don't have to pay for it, right? Let's make that clear. I'm pretty poor lately."
Kushina clicked her tongue. "Tsunade already compensated us. The other houses you destroyed are being repaired with village funds too."
"She did that?"
Seiryū was surprised. Then he laughed. "She didn't even tell me. That woman really does care about me."
Kushina gave him a thumbs-up. "You really do say whatever you want."
Then she stepped aside. "Come in first. Kurenai, Rin, you two come in as well."
"Thank you, Kushina."
"Thank you, Kushina-san."
Kurenai and Rin greeted her naturally. They were all familiar with each other, so there was no awkwardness between them.
After letting the three of them inside, Kushina looked at them with clear curiosity in her eyes.
"So why did the three of you come together?"
Kurenai said, "After visiting Jiraiya-sensei, we're going to the hot springs."
The curiosity in Kushina's eyes grew stronger. "The three of you? Is this a date?"
As she finished speaking, she looked at Seiryū meaningfully.
Well, well. He was not even trying to hide it anymore.
So bold.
"Hehe, it's not a date."
Kurenai was not embarrassed. She often went out with Seiryū. "Seiryū just wants to relax, and soaking in the hot springs should help him recover."
Rin felt a little shy and explained softly, "I'm off today, so I just came along..."
"Oh, I understand. I understand."
Kushina drew out her words and looked at Seiryū again, her face full of teasing. "As expected of you, Seiryū."
Seiryū was speechless.
He understood now.
Kushina loved gossip.
"Jiraiya-sama and Minato are in the backyard discussing Sage Technique training. I'll go call them."
"No need. We'll go together. I can't believe they're training without me. I want to learn Mount Myōboku's Sage Technique too."
"That works."
The group headed toward the backyard.
Jiraiya was one of the Sannin and a high-ranking shinobi of Konoha. On top of that, he was a best-selling author, so he had plenty of money. His house was naturally quite spacious.
It even had a private backyard.
"Yo, Sensei, Minato!"
When Seiryū saw Jiraiya and Minato, he waved at them. "You two were training in Mount Myōboku's Sage Technique without calling me? I wanted to learn it too."
"Why is it you?"
The corners of Jiraiya's mouth twitched the moment he saw Seiryū.
Thinking about Tsunade and Seiryū's relationship made him feel exhausted all over again.
He had once thought he might finally have a chance with Tsunade, but somehow, in the end, Tsunade had ended up entangled with Seiryū instead.
The blow had been brutal.
So brutal that Jiraiya still did not know what kind of expression he should use when facing this disciple he was so proud of.
That was also why he had not gone to visit Seiryū at Tsunade's house yesterday.
Seiryū said, "Of course I'm here to visit you, Sensei. Yesterday, that tyrant Tsunade ordered me not to leave the house, so I could only come today."
Jiraiya fell silent.
Tsunade's house was basically your house too, wasn't it?
He would not have thought much of it before, but now the thought only made him tired.
Minato glanced at his teacher, wisely chose not to comment, and smiled at Seiryū.
"Recovered already? You look full of energy, so I guess there are no aftereffects."
"Nothing serious," Seiryū replied. "I'm a Medical Ninja too, so I understand my own condition."
Minato nodded. "That's good."
The group exchanged a few simple greetings.
Jiraiya looked at Seiryū. Although things still felt awkward, he was a carefree person by nature and had mostly adjusted by now.
"So, you want to go to Mount Myōboku and train in Sage Technique?"
"I do," Seiryū said. "After all, I still haven't signed a summoning contract with Mount Myōboku. If I want to go there, I'll need your approval and the approval of Mount Myōboku's sages."
He smiled. "As the disciple of Jiraiya, the Toad Sage, I still don't have a contract with Mount Myōboku. People would laugh if they heard that."
Jiraiya clicked his tongue. "I was thinking the same thing. I clearly took you in as my disciple first, but you somehow ended up learning all of Tsunade's skills."
"And the worst part is, even Tsunade..."
He stopped himself.
Forget it.
He did not want to bring up such a painful topic.
Jiraiya continued, "If you want to learn Mount Myōboku's Sage Technique, I won't refuse, and neither will the sages there."
"However, you've already mastered Shikkotsu Forest's Sage Technique. I don't know whether you can also train in Mount Myōboku's Sage Technique. As far as I remember, no one has ever practiced the Sage Techniques of two Great Sage Regions at the same time."
He knew about Seiryū's situation.
Seiryū could use Sage Techniques, but he could not enter Sage Mode.
That had always puzzled Jiraiya, and he had never found a proper explanation for it.
He also had no idea whether Seiryū could learn Mount Myōboku's Sage Technique. There were simply too many strange things about the boy.
Seiryū shrugged. "We might as well try. There's nothing to lose."
"Fine."
Jiraiya nodded and used the Summoning Technique to call forth Mount Myōboku's contract scroll.
After spreading it out, he said, "Sign the contract first. Once you do, you'll be able to summon the toads of Mount Myōboku."
Seiryū nodded and signed his name on the scroll.
No surname.
Just Seiryū.
Since he had already mastered the Summoning Technique, there was no need to learn it again.
As long as he had a clear idea of which summon he wanted to call, he could perform the technique successfully.
"Summoning Technique!"
Seiryū bit his thumb, formed the hand seals, and pressed his palm to the ground.
With a puff of white smoke, a small toad appeared in the yard.
It was none other than Fukasaku of Mount Myōboku.
As soon as he appeared, Fukasaku scanned his surroundings.
"Jiraiya-boy. Minato-boy. So it's you two."
Finally, his gaze landed on Seiryū, and he nodded. "And you must be Seiryū-boy. Impressive. To summon an old frog like me on your first try is no small feat."
He was not unfamiliar with Seiryū.
He had already heard about him from Jiraiya and Minato.
Seeing that Fukasaku had been summoned, Jiraiya was not surprised at all. He sighed and said, "With this brat's talent and chakra reserves, I think he could summon the Great Toad Sage himself if the old man allowed it."
"An Uzumaki body together with the Yin Seal. Yes, it is possible."
Fukasaku nodded.
Then he seemed to sense something. Surprise appeared on his face.
"Hm? Why does this Yin Seal feel so unusual? This chakra leaking from it... is that Dragon Vein Chakra, the energy that flows through the land?"
He looked at Seiryū in astonishment. "You sealed that kind of chakra inside your Yin Seal? Well now, you really are something."
Fukasaku had lived for a very long time.
Mount Myōboku also had records of many powerful chakras that existed throughout the shinobi world.
He recognized the aura of the Dragon Vein Chakra.
To seal chakra comparable to a Tailed Beast inside the Yin Seal required incredible skill.
For someone so young to pull off something like that was truly remarkable.
"As expected of a sage of Mount Myōboku. You recognized the Dragon Vein right away."
Seiryū only smiled.
He was not surprised.
In the past, Gamabunta had known about the Box of Ultimate Bliss and Satori. The toads of Mount Myōboku clearly knew a great deal.
Fukasaku stroked his beard and said, "The region where the Dragon Vein rests is rich in natural energy. It is only strange that no being comparable to the Great Sages of the Three Sage Regions ever appeared there."
"Otherwise, the land of the Dragon Vein might have become a fourth Sage Region."
Seiryū nodded. "I see."
Fukasaku did not dwell on the topic. "You summoned me as a test, didn't you? If there is nothing else, I should return."
"My wife is waiting for me at home. Breakfast should be ready by now."
"Sorry for troubling you, Fukasaku-sama."
Seiryū gave a dry laugh, then added, "I plan to visit Mount Myōboku soon to train in Sage Technique. That should be fine, right?"
Fukasaku nodded slightly. "Mount Myōboku does not refuse those who seek Sage Technique. Since you have signed the contract, we naturally have no reason to reject you."
He paused, then continued, "However, I can sense that you have also signed a contract with Shikkotsu Forest. Did their Sage Technique not suit you?"
Seiryū said, "I learned it, but my Sage Technique is a little strange. I can use Sage Techniques, but I can't enter Sage Mode."
"Hm? Something like that can happen?"
Fukasaku looked surprised, then interested.
"Would you mind showing me?"
(To be continued.)