Mei didn't need to guess to know what Gisei Shiraishi was thinking.
"Why so reluctant? You truly are a selfish guy."
Gisei stared at her without saying a word.
"Alright, I won't tease you anymore. Just let them raise the butterfly seeds without teaching them the secret techniques or signing the summoning scroll, and it'll be fine."
Gisei's eyes lit up, but then his expression dimmed again.
"You really are thoughtful, considering every problem. You must have planned this for quite some time, right?"
"Only a few hundred years."
A few hundred years.
Gisei looked at her with a strange expression. "In such a long time, couldn't anyone else help you?"
"There were some, but they all died. Human lifespans are truly too short, and their minds are fickle. I've been deceived quite a few times."
"With that ability to manipulate life force, couldn't you help people achieve eternal life?"
Speaking of this, Mei's expression also turned strange. "This is what I can't understand about humans. Just like your grandfather—he was originally quite a selfish person too."
"But after gaining benefits from me and becoming the clan head, he changed."
"If he hadn't been somewhat interesting, I would have killed him long ago."
"Fortunately, I didn't do that, otherwise you wouldn't be here."
"I am very certain that you possess exceptional aptitude. It's just that I don't know if you will change, so I can't tell you right now what help I need."
Hearing Mei talk about killing his grandfather, a vein popped on Gisei's forehead.
Thinking it over, he endured it. After all, the man was already dead, and if he really angered this woman, she might decide to kill him too.
"What do you mean by aptitude? Ninja aptitude?"
"It's not that kind of boring thing."
Mei appeared behind him in a flash, whispering into his ear, "The aptitude I'm talking about is mindset. I am very certain that you can break through the limitations of human thinking and won't look at us differently just because we are different species."
"If your thinking doesn't change, I am certain we will become great partners. Once you help me, the relationship between us will change."
"At that time, I will definitely tell you everything."
(A wordplay in this fragment was lost in translation)
Gisei thought it over and realized the implication.
"Are you saying I am a pervert?"
"An anomaly among humans—that seems to be how it's described. You humans really have rich ways of expression."
If he could beat her, Gisei would definitely let this woman know what a real pervert was.
Speaking of which, Orochimaru was the true pervert. If Orochimaru and this woman were to exchange ideas, maybe they would spark a different kind of fire.
Gisei wanted to leave, but a question remained in his mind like a fishbone stuck in his throat.
"Do my parents and uncle know about these things of yours?"
"Your father died too quickly; he died before I could even observe him properly. Your uncle is at most an acting clan head; he isn't qualified to know such things."
"As for your mother, I haven't even seen her. Why do you still care about such things? This really disappoints me a little."
He was completely being treated as a pervert by this woman.
Gisei said with a dark face, "One last question. What exactly is that ability of yours to manipulate life force?"
"It's just absorbing the life force of others into myself, and then transferring it to you."
Others' life force?
Gisei thought of a possibility, and his heart went completely cold.
"Could it be... 'others' life force' refers to my clansmen?"
"Of course. You didn't think I would share my own life force with you, did you?"
This woman...
Gisei suppressed the urge to attack and said expressionlessly, "You really are an anomaly."
"Anomaly? In my view, this is just a transaction."
"You provide me with life force, and I help you gain power. Just each taking what they need."
Gisei spoke no more, turning to leave.
Mei still had no intention of letting him go.
"I haven't finished speaking. I don't care what method you use, you must help me spread the butterfly seeds. I am in great need of things like life force."
Gisei said with a cold expression, "If I don't do it, will you kill me?"
Seeing Gisei's wrong expression, Mei's eyes rolled a few times, and she said with a smile, "How about a deal? You help me spread one hundred butterfly seeds, and I'll give you ten years of life force. How about it?"
Gisei couldn't hold back anymore and roared, "Don't look down on me too much!"
Mei's expression turned cold. "Don't look down on me too much either. Killing you is an easy thing for me. Don't push your luck, human!"
The two confronted each other, neither willing to yield.
After about five minutes, Gisei compromised.
He was afraid of death.
Someone who has died once knows the preciousness of life even better. Facing Mei, whose background he knew absolutely nothing about, he really couldn't afford to gamble.
"I understand."
Mei revealed a smile.
"You look very tired. We'll talk about you raising the butterfly seeds next time. Go back and rest for now, come often in the future."
Gisei gave her a deep look, then turned and left.
After seeing Gisei leave, Mei happily rolled around on the bed.
"Sure enough, his weakness is fear of death. Death is originally something all living creatures fear."
"It's just, why were those people in the past not afraid of death?"
"Humans are truly too strange."
...
When he returned home, Gisei was startled.
There were suddenly many people in the house, each with an unkind expression.
Gisei saw Shuichi Takemoto in the crowd and hurriedly asked, "What is going on?"
"I still want to ask you what is going on?"
Takemoto had anger written all over his face. After speaking, he waved his hand.
The people in the courtyard formed hand seals one after another and left with the Body Flicker Technique.
In the blink of an eye, only he and Takemoto were left in the house.
"Disappeared for almost two days... where exactly did you go?"
Gisei was stunned for a moment before realizing.
"I had something to do and went to Butterfly Habitat Valley. I didn't expect to be gone for so long. I'm sorry for making you worry."
Takemoto was someone who had raised butterfly seeds before, so he naturally knew of the existence of Butterfly Habitat Valley.
Hearing Gisei apologize, Takemoto's expression gradually improved.
"In the future, try to notify Anna when you go there. If you had come back one day later, we would have gone to Hiruzen Sarutobi to demand you back."
Gisei wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. He also hadn't expected such an accident to happen during this trip to Butterfly Habitat Valley.
"I promise this won't happen again. Does Lord Hokage know about this?"
"What do you think? Someone even went to find that kid Danzo Shimura. If you hadn't come back, I'm afraid Konoha would have rioted."
That serious?
Gisei was so embarrassed he didn't know what to say.
Takemoto sighed. "Don't blame us for making a mountain out of a molehill. The Hokage just left your house, and you vanished. What did you expect me to think?"
Gisei scratched his head, a bit at a loss.
Speaking of this matter, it was indeed his fault. No, it should be blamed on that woman, Mei. If not for her, he would have been back in ten minutes at most.
Thinking of what Mei did to him, a bitter smile appeared on Gisei's face.
He opened his mouth to tell Takemoto something about Mei.
But before he could speak, his heart felt like it was being gripped by someone, hurting so much that cold sweat broke out on his head.
A voice rang in his ear: "I advise you best not to tell others about Lord Mei. The consequences will be very serious."
This voice was Shiro's voice.
Could it be...
Hehe. Gisei revealed a bitter smile.
As expected of Mei, her work is simply watertight.
He felt somewhat disheartened and lost interest in talking to Takemoto.
"I understand. I want to rest for a bit first. Grandpa Shuichi, you should go back too. We can talk about anything tomorrow."
Takemoto wanted to say something more, but seeing Gisei's exhausted expression, he could only nod.
"Rest well."
Gisei returned to his room and collapsed onto the bed.
Two days and two nights without closing his eyes—his spirit was already exhausted.
Lying on the bed now, he fell into a deep sleep immediately.