GSiN: Ch. 194

Ryouma shot Jiraiya, who was looking rather guilty, a glance. Leaving behind a curt "You'd better," he activated the Flying Thunder God Technique and vanished from sight in the blink of an eye.

At that moment, Hanzō still had no idea that the Seven-Tails he had been obsessing over was already gone.

When he saw Ryouma leave, his mind immediately started planning again, calculating his options. But then his eyes met Jiraiya's half-smiling face, and whatever thoughts had begun to rise were instantly forced back down.

This time, Ryouma had spared him, probably because back then, he had also spared the three Sannin. But if he kept being dishonest now, that really would be a one-way road to death.

Thinking so, he decided to say a few polite words to ease the sharp tension between himself and the leader of Taki. However, before he could even open his mouth, he saw Jiraiya impatiently unfurl the scroll Ryouma had left behind. Following the written instructions, Jiraiya quickly formed the hand sign for "Ram."

A sudden, intense feeling of dread surged through his chest. Instinctively, he reached out and shouted anxiously, "Wait, Jirai...!"

But it was already too late.

Before his voice had even finished echoing, jet-black curse marks burst out from beneath Hanzō's skin like a mass of greedy vines, crawling over his entire body in an instant.

He felt every muscle in his body seized by some invisible force, locking him in place. His legs went weak, and with a dull thud, he collapsed heavily to his knees. Under the curse's binding, not only was he unable to move, he couldn't even speak. All he could do was curse furiously in his mind.

He hadn't even done anything after being captured. Why did he have to suffer this?

Konan saw the state Hanzō was in and hesitated before saying, "Jiraiya-sensei, maybe that's enough..."

Jiraiya hadn't expected Ryouma's seal to work that well. He chuckled awkwardly, scratching his head, and relaxed his control over the curse marks.

"Hehehe, I just wanted to see how effective this thing really is."

Hanzō gasped for air, glaring as he snapped, "This is not funny!"

---

By now, dusk was setting in. The entire Taki village was bathed in the faint glow reflected from the mineral-lined cavern walls.

At the roots of the Hero Tree, Shiori crouched beside a massive root. After circling the area several times, she had finally found a clue to the Hero Water.

But there was bad news. The spring was tightly wrapped and protected by thick roots, and a sealing formula covered its surface.

Her knowledge of sealing techniques was, well, nonexistent would be putting it kindly.

If she tried brute-forcing it, say by chopping down the enormous tree, that she could do. But it would make way too much noise and definitely alert the entire village.

Besides, who knew how many years this tree had taken to grow so magnificent? She couldn't quite bring herself to destroy it.

Gently brushing her fingers against the surface of the seal, Shiori tried to see if she could slip her shadow-space inside. Just a little would be enough. As she focused, forcing her shadow into the narrow crevice of the tree hollow, a clear young male voice suddenly sounded right next to her ear.

"Are you trying to undo that seal?"

Warm breath brushed against her ear. She froze, instantly on alert.

She spun around sharply, the kunai already gripped tightly in her hand flashing coldly as she stabbed toward the source without hesitation.

Ryouma had only meant to play a small prank to startle her, and never imagined her reaction would be that intense. He dodged back in a flash, avoiding the kunai's edge, and hastily raised his hands.

"Whoa, whoa! Shiori, are you trying to assassinate your old teammate?"

"What kind of teammate uses space-time ninjutsu just to sneak up and scare people from behind?"

Shiori snorted softly. In truth, she'd already realized midway through her swing that it was Ryouma. The rest had been pure personal payback.

"I just saw how focused you were and couldn't resist teasing you a little..."

Ryouma raised an eyebrow, explaining with a grin as he stepped closer to her.

"Wait a second."

Shiori suddenly lifted her hand, signaling him to stop. Under his puzzled gaze, she continued, "When I was in the Land of Water, I ran into a few pale-skinned freaks who could perfectly mimic someone's chakra and even their appearance. So tell me, how can you prove that you're really Ryouma?"

"Uh... didn't I just use the Flying Thunder God Technique? Isn't that proof enough?"

It would've been fine if he hadn't mentioned that, but the moment Shiori recalled that warm breath against her ear earlier, the tips of her ears turned faintly red.

"That... doesn't count."

Ryouma spread his hands helplessly. "Alright, then how do you want me to prove it?"

Shiori pretended to think for a while, then pointed at the seal she'd been struggling to crack just moments ago.

"The Ryouma I know is really good with sealing techniques. So, if you can undo this one, I'll believe you."

"You could've just asked me directly. It's not like I'd ever say no to you..."

"Enough talk. Can you undo it or not?"

"...Fine."

Ryouma grumbled inwardly. Girls really were impossible to read sometimes.

He stepped up beside her, his Rikugan scanning rapidly across each node of the seal. Once he understood its basic structure and flow, he raised both hands, forming seals as he teased.

"By the way, sneaking here all alone... don't tell me you're after Taki's famous Hero Water?"

Shiori fell silent for a moment, then spoke slowly.

"The Hero Water is a naturally formed treasure. Power like that should belong to the strong. I'm just taking a little. Is that so unreasonable?"

"Reasonable, perfectly reasonable. But still..."

Ryouma had expected that kind of answer, but there were things that needed to be said upfront.

"The Hero Water has a nasty side effect. And if I remember right, you still haven't fully mastered your father's eye technique. Are you sure you can handle it?"

Shiori frowned, her eyes fixed on the faintly glowing seal.

"I've already made up my mind."

Seeing the fire in her eyes, Ryouma sighed softly.

"Alright. Just remember, don't push yourself too far."

With that, he stopped forming hand signs, pressed his fingers together into a blade shape, and pointed forward. In an instant, a clear, bell-like chime rang through the air.

The sealing formula spread over the wooden pillar faded away, revealing a narrow hidden passage beneath.

Shiori's eyes glimmered with the scarlet light of her Mangekyō Sharingan. She stepped forward without hesitation, adding over her shoulder.

"Mm. I'll accept that you're the real Ryouma."

"Well, thank you for your sharp eye and excellent taste."

Ryouma shrugged and followed after her.

Once they had both entered the hollow beneath the tree, he clapped his hands lightly. The sealing formula spread again, closing the entrance tightly behind them.

Click.

Hearing the sound, Shiori turned around, confusion on her face.

"Why did you close it?"

"Well, I'll be taking you out with the Flying Thunder God Technique later anyway. Besides, you don't want anyone finding out you came here to borrow their treasure, do you?"

Walking through the winding corridor inside the giant tree, the surroundings were so quiet it felt almost eerie, with only their footsteps softly echoing.

Ryouma brought up a topic. "Come to think of it... don't tell me you snuck out again?"

Shiori rolled her eyes and shot him a look. "What else? You think the Hokage's assistant wants to drag me back?"

What kind of stupid question was that? She had secretly infiltrated another village. Other than sneaking out, what other way was there to leave Konoha?

Ryouma didn't get angry even after being snapped at. He just chuckled and teased, "Well, dragging you back could be arranged... but I've got a big job on my hands. I'll pretend I didn't see you this time."

Their conversation drifted casually as they walked, and before long, they arrived at a space resembling a shrine.

A few dim oil lamps hung on the cave walls, their light flickering uncertainly, casting shifting shadows across the furnishings and adding a layer of mystery to the cavern.

Shiori's eyes were instantly drawn to the gourd-shaped bottle hanging in the very center.

"This should be the Hero Water, right?"

Muttering softly to herself, she stepped forward and took the bottle down.

She pulled out the stopper and sniffed lightly. A distinct scent rushed out, and she could clearly feel the liquid's strong attraction toward chakra.

Good. It's the real thing.

Thinking this, she deftly took out a glass container she had prepared in advance from her ninja pouch, planning to pour some in.

For others, the Hero Water was a temporary power-boosting buff. More stock always meant better survival odds.

But for her, it was nothing more than a switch.

All she needed to do was drink it, then use her Mangekyō eye technique to record this point in time. After that, she would be able to summon a clone of herself who had consumed the Hero Water anytime she wanted.

After filling one small bottle, she suddenly remembered something and turned to look at Ryouma.

At that moment, he was curiously examining the tree walls around them, the mottled lamplight dancing across his face.

Sensing her gaze, he turned around, a bit puzzled, and asked, "What is it? Is your container too small? I've got some syringes here. You could use those too."

Shiori shook her head lightly and asked, "Aren't you going to take some? Once I learn my father's Transcription Seal, I'll be able to place Ōtoshi on you. Then this Hero Water can become one of your trump cards too."

Ryouma's expression twitched. He hadn't expected to be getting promises like that.

As mentioned earlier, although Shiori had exceptional talent in ninjutsu and genjutsu, she was completely clueless when it came to sealing techniques. And since the Transcription Seal required the Sharingan to perform, he had no shortcut to help her learn it faster.

So he didn't even think about it before refusing outright. "I'll pass. This stuff isn't very useful to me."

During his previous fight with the Seven-Tails' jinchūriki, he had pretty much figured it out.

The Hero Water's effects conflicted with the Super Saiyan Mode.

Well, conflicted might not be the most accurate word. More like the effects overlapped. The Super Saiyan Mode's boost would directly overwrite the Hero Water's benefits.

It was worth noting that the same was true for the Eight Gates. This meant his dream of stacking buffs for triple-powered effects died before it was even born.

Since he refused, Shiori didn't insist. She carefully stored away the filled glass bottle, then tiptoed to hang the gourd back in its original place.

Although this trip had a few small hiccups, everything she came for had been successfully accomplished. It was time to go back and test whether the Hero Water could raise her chakra enough for her to unlock the Complete Body Susanoo.

In an excellent mood, she walked with light steps, came up beside Ryouma, and softly said, "Thanks. Things went so smoothly this time thanks to you."

"You're welcome. But... are you sure you want to head back right now?"

Ryouma wore a somewhat mysterious smile.

Shiori tilted her head at his words.

"If I'm not going back, what else would I stay here for?"

With both arms behind his head, Ryouma tipped his face upward slightly and said with enthusiasm, "Didn't I mention earlier that I had a big deal to discuss? My partner insists on treating me tonight. Local specialty whole roasted cow. How about it? Want to come join the fun?"

"Oh? Are you inviting me on a date?"

Shiori raised an eyebrow. She hadn't expected Ryouma to be this proactive today.

Ryouma froze for a moment at her question before chuckling and explaining, "It's just a meal. And after that, there'll be a big fireworks show. Think of it as making up for the fireworks festival we missed in Yu."

He paused, then added, "Of course, if you're busy, then forget I..."

"I'm going!"

Before Ryouma could finish, Shiori answered eagerly.

Thinking back on the things her father told her earlier, she had to admit some of it made sense.

At her current rate of chakra growth, if the Hero Water she collected today still couldn't let her activate the Complete Body Susanoo, she'd have to wait at least six more years for her chakra to accumulate enough. And by then, she and Ryouma would already be twenty-four.

Given the relationship between Rin and Ryouma, it wouldn't be surprising if they were married by then.

The image of Ryouma inviting her to his wedding flashed in her mind, and she involuntarily shuddered.

Absolutely not. That was one outcome she could never accept. It seemed she needed to take special measures.

She took a deep breath, slowly reaching out her hand toward Ryouma. Her gaze drifted aside as she murmured softly, "Researching the Hero Water doesn't have to be done immediately. And... it has been a long time since I last saw fireworks, so..."

"Hey now, why act all shy about it?"

Ryouma laughed and grabbed Shiori's hand.

But the moment he held it, he sensed something different about the texture, subconsciously giving it a gentle squeeze.

Compared to the battlefield years ago, her hands were clearly much softer now. Likely because, with the war over, she no longer trained her kunai techniques day and night.

Seeing Ryouma's hand still holding hers, Shiori's brows furrowed.

"How long are you planning to keep holding it like that?"

"Oh! Right, sorry!"

Ryouma finally snapped out of it. His behavior just now was borderline inappropriate.

He silently cursed himself, thinking he must've been contaminated by Jiraiya's influence.

Straightening up, he quickly focused his senses, locking onto a coordinate within the distant Kumo, and activated the Flying Thunder God Technique.

In an instant, the two vanished from the spot.