Time flew by.
The one-month vacation ended, and the new semester began.
The miserable students had to start class again...
"Ugh, time flies too fast. In the blink of an eye, I have to go back to school. It's all Tsunade, that bad woman's fault! She delayed the progress of my Bakudō replication..."
Grumbling under his breath, Seiryū reluctantly climbed out of his warm covers, forced to become a wanderer once again.
During the twenty-odd days of vacation, Tsunade had been instructing him on the techniques for using Monstrous Strength.
But Seiryū felt that Tsunade's intentions were impure, and he had evidence.
She was just a bad woman!
After more than twenty days of training, although Seiryū's Super Strength couldn't yet achieve Tsunade's effortless level, it had improved significantly.
To put it simply,
The physical burden and chakra consumption were reduced, and the power of Super Strength had also increased.
He grew stronger, and he didn't go bald.
Taking out a Kakashi with one punch was no problem!
Getting dressed and washing up took five minutes.
"Morning, Uncle Shinku, Kurenai."
Seiryū greeted the Yūhi father and daughter at the dining table, pulled out a chair, and sat down.
He looked at the breakfast in front of him and was stunned. "White porridge with pickled mustard tubers? What happened? Did the family go bankrupt?"
Shinku rubbed his brow, too lazy to argue, and replied, "Kurenai just woke up late and didn't have time to prepare."
He had already confirmed with Tsunade that Seiryū was indeed sick, suffering from an illness that even Tsunade wasn't confident she could cure.
Seiryū's talent might genuinely be the result of a mental illness.
Alas, he hoped it wouldn't worsen later.
Seiryū was already so unreliable now. If it got worse...
Just how crazy would he become?
Seiryū looked at Kurenai, who had faint dark circles under her eyes, and couldn't help but ask curiously, "Kurenai, did you have insomnia yesterday?"
Kurenai glared at Seiryū, her eyes filled with grievance, and her voice carried sorrow and indignation. "You dare to ask? If it weren't for your Genjutsu, would I have been scared... would I have been unable to sleep?"
"Uh..."
Hearing this, Seiryū gave an awkward smile. So, it was his fault?
But remembering that Kurenai had requested it yesterday, he became self-righteous again. "How can you blame me? You were the one who asked for it, saying you wanted to personally experience Genjutsu to help your understanding."
The grievance in Kurenai's eyes deepened. "Then, then you shouldn't have used that kind of thing to scare me!"
Seiryū refused to take the blame. "The Jutsu of Hell Viewing amplifies the fear in your heart, and the Here Is Not the Place Jutsu makes you believe you're somewhere else. I can't control the specific effects that appear. Those are your own illusions."
Kurenai whimpered mournfully. "Then don't tell me those ghost stories before casting the Genjutsu! That was too scary. I still feel a little afraid just thinking about it..."
Although it was her suggestion, the hateful Seiryū told her many ghost stories before casting the Genjutsu, just to make her experience the illusion more immersively... The combined use of Hell Viewing and Here Is Not the Place truly made her feel like she was there.
It was just too immersive, and it scared her half to death.
Last night, when she slept, she kept feeling like there were other "people" in her room, and that a ghost was hiding under her bed... How could she get a good night's sleep?
Seiryū laughed. "Just tell me, was the experience maxed out?"
Kurenai: "..."
It was too maxed out. It nearly made her cry.
Pouting, she didn't want to talk to Seiryū. He was becoming more and more detestable!
After breakfast.
The two of them walked toward the Ninja Academy, carrying their school bags.
Kurenai ignored Seiryū the entire way, just following behind him.
Seiryū simply shrugged, not caring. She would get over it in a few days.
"Seiryū, Kurenai, long time no see."
As the two walked, a gentle voice reached them.
They turned their heads and saw Rin.
Rin jogged over, giving them a cute smile. "What a coincidence."
Seeing Rin, Seiryū also greeted her with a smile. "It's Rin. After a month, you've become even prettier."
"Oh..."
Rin paused, her cheeks turning slightly red, and she nodded her small head slightly.
She looked a little shy. "Th-thank you for the compliment. Seiryū, you also look better, and you've grown taller..."
Seiryū gave a thumbs-up. "You have good taste!"
"Stare~"
Kurenai's gaze shifted back and forth between Seiryū and Rin, feeling inexplicably displeased.
She stepped forward, grabbed Rin, and started walking. "Rin, don't talk to that detestable guy Seiryū. He's too wicked!"
Rin was pulled along, still puzzled. "Huh? What's wrong?"
"Let me tell you, he used Genjutsu to scare me last night!"
"Seiryū wouldn't do something like that, would he?"
"Why wouldn't he? He's too hateful! He used Genjutsu on me..."
"Is... is that right?"
After spending time together, Kurenai and Rin had become very good friends.
They would discuss theoretical class topics and the essentials of practical lessons together.
Seiryū: "..."
Other people talk badly behind someone's back, but you do it right to their face.
You're really something, Kurenai.
The three of them walked toward the school.
Now Seiryū was the one following behind Kurenai and Rin.
They quickly arrived at the Ninja Academy and walked into First Year Class B.
There were already quite a few students in the classroom.
What surprised Seiryū was that the King of Tardiness, Obito, was actually not late.
Had he not run into an old grandmother or grandfather today?
That was truly rare.
When Obito saw Rin, his eyes immediately lit up, and he rushed over to fawn over her. Kurenai, well, she was just a bonus. "Long time no see, Rin, and Kurenai!"
"Hello, Obito."
"Good morning."
Rin and Kurenai also greeted him.
Seiryū stepped closer, familiarly patted Obito's shoulder, and laughed. "Yo, not bad, Obito. You actually weren't late? Didn't run into any old grandmothers or grandfathers in the village?"
Obito slapped Seiryū's hand away and pouted. "I did run into someone, but I woke up very early today, so I didn't waste any time."
To leave a good impression on Rin and to see her sooner.
Obito woke up early today and took the grandmother home ahead of time.
That's why he wasn't late!
"You really ran into someone?"
Seiryū clicked his tongue and couldn't help but say, "Obito, there's something I feel I should mention. You haven't run into any 'unclean things,' have you? How is it that you always run into old grandmothers or grandfathers who need help?"
"It's a coincidence!" Obito dismissed it. Running into them was just a coincidence. What other reason could there be?
They couldn't be waiting for him on purpose, right?
That makes no sense!
Then he asked curiously, "Also, what are these 'unclean things' you're talking about?"
"..." Hearing this, Kurenai's body trembled, and her expression became somewhat unnatural.
The 'unclean things' Seiryū mentioned... were those things!
The kind of things that scared her badly yesterday!
That's right, Obito was late because he frequently ran into old grandfathers and grandmothers.
This was just as abnormal as Seiryū's unreliability.
If Obito wasn't lying, once or twice was a coincidence, but too many times was suspicious.
Could it really be those things?
Could it be that those things actually exist in this world...
(To be continued.)