After marking the bandits, he followed Mei into the main hall.
Mei pulled out three butterfly larvae and signaled Gisei to take off his shirt.
Gisei sighed, remembering the pain he went through when Eisawa first passed on the secret technique to him. He had no idea how painful it would be to host three of these things at once.
Thinking for a moment, the unique green glow of medical ninjutsu lit up on his hand. He quickly blocked all nerve transmissions in his chest area.
Mei asked curiously, "What are you doing?"
"Making sure I don't feel any pain."
"Pain?" Mei smiled and blinked at him. "Do you think I'm as crude as your uncle?"
Mei tapped his chest three times with her finger.
Gisei was stunned.
The muscles on his chest seemed to flow like water, opening up into three small holes. The larvae slowly crawled inside without any resistance.
Why does this ability look so familiar?
Jugo's Sage Transformation?
Gisei looked at her weirdly. "You can use Sage Jutsu?"
"What is Sage Jutsu?"
"Then what is this ability of yours?"
"Manipulating physical changes. When your chakra control reaches a certain level, you can do it too."
After Gisei put his shirt back on, he restored the nerves in his chest. He felt no pain at all.
He stared at Mei for a while, hesitating before asking, "Do you know about natural energy?"
"I don't know it."
After Mei replied, she saw Gisei still looking at her with a strange expression. She seemed to realize something.
"You seem to know something I don't. Is it related to your ability to foresee the future?"
Gisei kept his mouth shut tight.
This woman doesn't know Sage Jutsu, but she can actually use this kind of ability? Just how abnormal is her chakra control?
With that level of control, there's no way she wouldn't be able to sense natural energy, yet she claims she doesn't know it.
He remembered the sensory abilities the butterfly larvae gave him and started silently calculating this woman's capabilities in his head.
Extremely skilled at space transportation, absorbing vitality, manipulating physical changes, inhuman chakra control—and she likely had sensory abilities too.
The more he calculated, the colder his heart got. What kind of abnormal existence is she?
Mei narrowed her eyes, looking him up and down strangely. "Is it really okay for you to think about these things right in front of me?"
Gisei: "..."
"I don't know what this 'Sage Jutsu' you're talking about is, and I can probably guess why you're asking, but I can't tell you."
"You seem to desire Sage Jutsu very much. After you help me, I can definitely help you achieve your wish."
Hearing this, Gisei became more and more curious about what exactly Mei needed him for.
He knew Mei was definitely hiding some critical information. If he could figure out what it was, he could definitely find her weakness—and a fatal one at that.
"I advise you not to have any strange thoughts. My temper isn't very good."
Mei's gaze turned icy cold.
Gisei was speechless. This mind-reading ability is simply a bug; she knows whatever I think.
No, it's probably the Castle inside my body telling her. How am I supposed to play against that?
Dismissing those unrealistic thoughts of rebellion, he spread his hands quite shamelessly and said, "No one wants their life held in someone else's hands, let alone someone like me."
Mei's face softened a bit. "I have tried my best to show my sincerity. I won't have any harmful thoughts toward you. Why can't you just trust me?"
You talk about killing me if I say one wrong word, and you expect me to trust you...
Gisei completely lost his temper. "These butterfly larvae are already inside me. You should be able to use that ability to manipulate vitality to ripen them instantly."
"Their bodies might be mature, but their minds are still a blank slate. Forcing them to grow like that isn't a good thing."
"So I have to wait another few years?"
"Five years. When the time comes, I will help you ripen them."
Gisei pursed his lips; he was completely under Mei's thumb.
"How were those bandits sent here? Can a summoning jutsu actually bring people inside?"
"Space transportation technique. How could you ask such a stupid question?"
"...Okay, your level is just too high."
Gisei dropped the subject and was about to leave when Mei's voice sounded from behind him.
"It seems you haven't even started spreading the butterfly larvae. Can you tell me why?"
"Before I have the ability to protect myself, I won't do that kind of thing. There is already a sword hanging over my head; I don't want to hang a few more."
Gisei didn't bother hiding anything. After all, his thoughts couldn't be hidden from the Castle inside his body, which meant they couldn't be hidden from this woman.
"Alright, since you say so, I won't force you. But you have at most thirty years."
"What happens if that limit is exceeded?"
Mei didn't answer. She just gave him a look that said everything.
Gisei immediately understood, his mouth twitching. "You'll kill me?"
"That's what you said yourself."
Gisei rolled his eyes. "I think there should be more trust between us. Can you stop peeping at my thoughts all the time?"
"That proposal isn't bad. Do you have any good ideas?"
Gisei extended his hand and made a universal gesture—rubbing his thumb and fingers together. "Need more money!"
Mei froze for a moment, and her expression became colorful.
"I have no money!"
"So you are making me work for free? I am still a minor. If this were my old life, you could be dragged out and shot for child labor violations."
"What nonsense are you talking about? Anything other than money is fine."
Gisei blinked at her. "You seem to be proficient in Sealing Jutsu too. Do you know about Cursed Seals?"
"Cursed Seals?"
"Similar to Sealing Jutsu, but completely different. I need a Cursed Seal that can control people."
"Using butterfly larvae is enough for that."
"No, I need a specific Cursed Seal. It must have strong concealment—at least not easily discovered by others—and it must be controlled by my will."
Mei frowned for a moment, then nodded. "I understand. It needs time to research."
Research?
Gisei looked at her strangely.
"What is that look? Your clan's secret techniques were almost all developed by me. Without my space technique, you would still be running around carrying huge butterflies on your backs right now."
"Speaking of which, I have worked for free for your clan for hundreds of years, and you actually want me to pay you!"
Gisei: "..."
Time to slip away. Seeing that Mei was getting ready to explode, Gisei ran—very fast.
After returning home, Gisei wrote down all his plans on a piece of paper.
Lightning Body Flicker, body research, Sealing Jutsu, Ninjutsu, Digestion Jutsu, Secret Techniques, poison powder preparation, absorbing chakra...
Looking at the dozen or so experiment plans on the paper, Gisei began to worry.
Time!
Now he had to join the Anbu to execute missions, make time for his work at the hospital, and still find a way to make money to raise more summoned butterflies...
Gisei sighed, looked up at the ceiling, and muttered to himself, "Why did it turn out like this?"
Thinking of his previous "salted fish" days of doing absolutely nothing, he shook his head.
After his uncle died, he had never known a moment of peace.
In the end, he had become the very person he hated the most—a workaholic.