"I don't know why either."
Even Katsuyu had been unable to explain Seiryū's condition, so Fukasaku naturally had no answer.
He could only say, "Perhaps the Great Toad Sage will be able to see something. This is the first time I've encountered a situation like yours."
Seiryū nodded. "Thank you, Fukasaku. I'll find time to visit Mount Myōboku."
"I'll be waiting for you. If there is nothing else, I'll take my leave."
Fukasaku glanced at Seiryū, nodded, then canceled the Summoning Technique and returned to Mount Myōboku.
Jiraiya looked at Seiryū and asked, "When are you going to Mount Myōboku? I'll go with you."
Jiraiya strongly suspected that Seiryū was the Forbidden Child mentioned in the Great Toad Sage's latest prophecy, so he was deeply concerned.
Perhaps once the Great Toad Sage met Seiryū in person, he would be able to give a clearer prophecy.
This was no small matter.
Jiraiya had not even told anyone else about the Forbidden Child yet.
He needed a proper answer.
Seiryū thought for a moment, then said, "Let's wait until I get back from Rōran. I want to settle the Dragon Vein problem first. Once I become the perfect Jinchūriki of the Dragon Vein, something like last time shouldn't happen again."
"The perfect Jinchūriki of the Dragon Vein?"
Jiraiya was stunned for a moment. Then his expression turned serious. "Are you sure about this?"
"That depends on whether the Queen of Rōran has a way to control the Dragon Vein. If she doesn't, I'll just have to suppress it slowly over time."
Seiryū continued, "There shouldn't be any danger. As long as I'm prepared, the Dragon Vein's will won't be able to affect me. Last time was just an accident."
The Dragon Vein could not act on its own at the moment.
What happened last time really had been an accident. Seiryū had forced himself into a corner, which gave the Dragon Vein's consciousness an opening. Even then, he had still held the initiative. It had only amplified the darker, more extreme side of him.
There was also the necklace Tsunade had given him, the one that had belonged to the First Hokage. It had remained sealed away the entire time. Otherwise, it might have had some effect.
But it was a gift from Tsunade.
To Seiryū, it was practically a token of affection. He did not want to risk destroying it.
"The Queen of Rōran?"
Jiraiya's expression turned strange. That was an oddly specific title.
Kushina's eyes, however, lit up with gossip. A meaningful smile appeared on her face.
Could this queen also be one of the girls Seiryū liked?
She already knew three of them.
Tsunade, Kurenai, and Rin.
Could the Queen of Rōran, Sāra, be one of them too?
This boy really was fickle.
No, perhaps that was not quite fair.
Seiryū's way of seeing things was different from an ordinary person's.
Otherwise, the previous incident would never have happened.
Seiryū explained, "Her name is Sāra. She is the Queen of Rōran. The royal bloodline has the ability to control the Dragon Vein Chakra, so she might be able to help me fully control it."
Jiraiya asked, "Do you need me to go with you?"
Seiryū shook his head. "No need, Sensei. Tsunade will be coming with me, and it shouldn't be a difficult trip."
When Jiraiya heard that Tsunade was going too, the corner of his mouth twitched.
"Fine. I have no interest in being a third wheel."
After chatting for a little longer, Seiryū prepared to say goodbye.
He still had to take the girls to the hot springs.
However, whether out of curiosity or simply because she wanted to relax, Kushina decided to go with them and dragged Minato along.
Seiryū did not mind.
It was not as though he could actually bathe with Kurenai and Rin.
Mixed bathing was for adults. He was still just a child.
Jiraiya did not join them.
He had been blacklisted from every bathhouse and hot spring inn in Konoha and was banned from entering.
Seiryū and the others headed to the hot spring inn.
After a wonderful soak, they went to Ichiraku Ramen for a meal. Naturally, they saw Hina working there.
As she watched the group interact, Kushina's eyes began to shine. She leaned toward Minato and whispered, "Something's not right. Minato, did you notice? The way Hina looks at Seiryū is strange."
"And Seiryū seems interested in Hina too."
Question marks practically appeared over Minato's head.
He had not noticed anything at all. He tilted his head, scratched his cheek, and whispered back, "Could you be mistaken? Seiryū and Hina? That seems..."
"You don't understand."
Kushina looked like an expert as she whispered, "Being saved by someone leaves a deep impression on a girl. I started liking you after you saved me too."
"Hina was saved by Seiryū, and she has been living at his house. Look at her eyes. It's exactly the same as the way I used to look at you."
"She hides it well, but she can't fool me."
Back then, Minato had been very popular too.
Kushina had always been on guard against the girls who tried to get close to him, so she was extremely sensitive to looks filled with affection and admiration.
Hina definitely had feelings for Seiryū.
That kind of gaze could not be faked.
And Hina was most likely one of the "them" Seiryū had mentioned.
Kushina's curiosity was burning hotter and hotter.
It felt like solving a puzzle. She wanted to uncover every single person Seiryū liked, one by one.
This was far more interesting than training Ninjutsu.
Minato stared at her, dumbfounded. He thought his girlfriend was letting her imagination run wild.
"You really think you can tell all that just by looking? What, did you awaken a Dōjutsu?"
"The Uzumaki Clan doesn't have a Dōjutsu Bloodline Limit. Nagato's Rinnegan was transplanted into him by Madara."
Kushina sighed. "You really don't understand girls at all. If I hadn't made the first move, you would still be as dense as a block of wood."
She could not help glaring at him.
Then she continued, "Besides, Seiryū is handsome and has an incredible presence. Even someone like Tsunade fell for him. Do you know how terrifying that is?"
The most shocking thing about Seiryū was not his strength at such a young age.
It was the fact that he had made a woman like Tsunade fall in love with him.
And even more unbelievable was the fact that Tsunade did not seem truly opposed to Seiryū liking more than one girl. In Kushina's eyes, that should have been completely intolerable.
Although Seiryū's way of perceiving things was not normal, Tsunade's reaction still surprised and shocked her.
It was enough to show how much Tsunade cared about him.
"Uh, you have a point."
Minato gave a dry laugh.
After hearing Kushina put it that way, he started to think it might not be impossible after all.
He looked at Seiryū and Hina with surprise in his eyes.
Could there really be something between them too?
Hina had not awakened Kagura's Mind Eye, but her senses were still sharper than an ordinary person's. She soon noticed Minato and Kushina staring at her.
She looked over suspiciously. "Kushina, Minato, is there something on my face?"
"Nothing."
Kushina did not feel embarrassed about being caught at all. Instead, she smiled. "I was just thinking that you seem prettier than the last time I saw you. Did you get a beauty treatment?"
"Uh..."
Hina felt that her close friend was acting strangely, but she did not dwell on it.
She simply chuckled. "Where would I get the money for something like that? Haven't I always looked the same?"
Kushina said firmly, "No, you're different. Your smile looks prettier than before."
"Prettier than before?"
Hina grew even more confused. She touched a finger lightly to her lips, glanced at Seiryū without thinking, and smiled.
"Maybe it's because Seiryū is fine. I was really worried before."
"Uh..."
Kushina had not expected Hina to be so honest, and for a moment, she was stunned.
But that only made her more certain.
Hina really did have feelings for Seiryū.
Kushina teased, "Oh? Worried about Seiryū? And in what capacity?"
Hina's face flushed for no apparent reason, but she tried to stay calm. "Of course as his tenant, and as someone older who worries about him. I'm only able to live here because of Seiryū."
Kushina laughed. "Is that really all?"
"O-of course. What else would it be?"
Under Kushina's stare, Hina felt as if her secret had been seen through. Her voice became slightly flustered.
Seeing that, Kushina was completely convinced and could not help chuckling.
"Hehe. Let's say that's all, then."
Hina fell silent.
Oh no.
Had Kushina really noticed something?
Hina had already decided to keep her feelings hidden, so there should have been no chance of being exposed.
Had Kushina awakened Kagura's Mind Eye or something?
How else could her observation be so sharp?
Kurenai, who was slurping noodles beside them, had not really paid attention to the conversation. She was starving and only cared about eating. Her eyes were fixed on the chashu in Seiryū's bowl as she waited for a chance to steal it.
"Mm..."
Rin tilted her head and quietly stole a glance at Hina.
Looking at Hina's beautiful face, Rin felt a trace of pressure in her heart.
As expected, Hina seemed to like Seiryū too.
Seiryū did not react much. After slurping a mouthful of noodles, he smiled at Hina and praised her.
"Hina, your cooking is getting better and better. You could open your own ramen shop."
"I'm still far behind Boss Teuchi."
Hina smiled.
She felt that Seiryū probably had not heard anything.
For some reason, she breathed a sigh of relief.
No matter how much of a genius he was, Seiryū was still only eleven or twelve years old. It was impossible for him to understand too much.
Of course, what she did not know was that in Seiryū's mind, she was already one of them.
He slapped away Kurenai's hand just as she tried to steal his chashu, ignoring the cute pout she gave him. Then he raised an eyebrow at Hina.
"Hina, bring me another bowl of extra-spicy tonkotsu ramen."
"Extra-spicy?"
Hina froze for a moment, then quietly reminded him, "Most people can't handle that."
Seiryū waved his hand. "It's fine. It's not for me anyway."
He glanced at Kushina and snorted. "I'm treating Kushina to it. Since ramen can't even keep her mouth busy, the Red Hot-Blooded Habanero might as well eat extra-spicy ramen."
The corner of Kushina's mouth twitched.
"You brat."
Was this little guy trying to get revenge?
How petty. Had she not only gossiped a little?
Besides, he was not even hiding it anymore. What was there to be afraid of?
"Uh..."
Hina blinked.
Then, with a poof, her face turned bright red.
It was over.
Seiryū must have understood what Kushina had meant earlier.
That made her panic.
W-what should she do now?
She had no intention of disturbing Seiryū's life. If he found out what she felt...
How was she supposed to face him?
"I... I'll get back to work first. Please enjoy your meal."
"Right, right. Extra-spicy ramen. I'll make it now."
The flustered, slightly clumsy Hina looked cutely different from her usual calm, capable self.
Seeing her friend's panicked reaction, Kushina could not help laughing. "That reaction is really interesting."
She pulled her chair closer to Seiryū and gave him a meaningful smile.
Lowering her voice, she asked, "Come on, tell me. Is Hina one of the 'them' you mentioned? Who else is there? Tell me."
"I'm very curious now. I want to know everyone you like. Is that Queen of Rōran one of them too?"
Gossip was in a woman's nature.
And Kushina was definitely a woman.
Looking at the gossiping Kushina, Seiryū curled his lips. "After you finish the extra-spicy ramen, I'll tell you."
"Fine. I'll eat it."
Kushina was a little conflicted. She did not actually like spicy food.
But for the sake of the gossip burning in her heart, she decided to make the sacrifice. Besides, she was an Uzumaki. Her vitality was strong.
Then she paused, and her tone turned threatening as she whispered, "But you'd better tell me after I eat it, or else..."
Seiryū raised an eyebrow. "Eat it first. Then we'll talk."
Threatening him?
How laughable.
Even Tsunade could no longer threaten him. Did a Nine-Tails Jinchūriki who had not even opened her heart to the Nine-Tails think she could?
Even if Kushina became the perfect Jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails, she still would not be his match.
What?
Seiryū might not keep his word?
So what?
Everyone thought something was wrong with his head anyway. If he was not actually unwell, he could pretend to be. Could they really hold it against someone with a "condition"?
Since they wanted extreme, he would give them extreme.
Soon, the still-blushing Hina brought over a bowl of ramen with a terrifyingly red broth. The blush on her face might have been from the heat rising off the spices.
She handed the bowl to Kushina.
Kushina stared at the noodles and steeled herself.
For the sake of gossip, she would risk it.
"Hiss... ha... hiss... ha..."
She finished the entire bowl of extra-spicy ramen, even drinking the frightening red broth down to the last drop.
Tears streamed down her face, and her lips were swollen from the spice. Kushina stared straight at Seiryū.
"Talk."
Seiryū gave her a thumbs-up, genuinely impressed.
"Respect."
Kushina was panting like a husky, her voice barely coming out from the spice. "If you lie to me after this, you're finished."
Seiryū nodded. "Yes."
"And?"
"And what?"
Kushina froze for a moment.
Then her eyes grew dangerous, and her red hair began to rise around her.
She had fully entered her Red Hot-Blooded Habanero state.
"Hina, Kushina is paying for this meal. We'll chat another day."
Ignoring Kushina, who was about to explode, Seiryū smiled at Hina, who stood nearby like an exquisite porcelain doll, the blush still lingering on her face.
Then he grabbed Kurenai and Rin by the hands.
With a thought, he activated the Flying Thunder God Technique and slipped away.
Only the stunned Kushina and the dumbfounded Minato were left behind.
(To be continued.)
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◇ 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.)