"He really is sick, and quite severely so. It's not going to be easy to handle..."
Leaving the Hokage Office, Tsunade, who now knew more about Seiryū's condition, made this judgment.
Whether it was his abnormal sense of taste, his occasionally unreliable behavior, or his excessive reactions when faced with danger.
All pointed to one thing.
Seiryū was indeed sick, and quite severely so.
It was even more troublesome than her own hemophobia.
This was a psychological illness. He couldn't feel it himself and wouldn't think he was sick.
That only confirmed further that Seiryū was sick.
She knew about her hemophobia, but Seiryū didn't even know he had a problem.
That was the core issue.
"This situation has completely piqued my interest. I will cure you completely!"
Tsunade decided to try and fully cure Seiryū's illness. It was a condition she had never encountered before, extremely difficult to deal with, but it intrigued her deeply.
Of course, it was also because Seiryū had left a good impression on her.
Combining that with his past experiences, being Jiraiya's disciple, a descendant of the Uzumaki Clan, and sharing a degree of emotional trauma with her...
Tsunade decided she would put some effort into him.
After all, she planned to stay in Konoha for a while.
During that time, she might as well try treating Seiryū.
As for the consultation fee, she would naturally collect it. She had heard this kid was quite rich...
A few days later.
A remote location near the Forest of Death, within the Third Training Ground.
Looking at the sudden appearance of the blonde older woman who startled him, Seiryū calmed himself before speaking in utter despair, "Tsunade-sama, I already told you I'm not sick. If you want to scam money, go find someone else. Forcing a sale is outright robbery and should not be encouraged."
"Medical-nin must have medical ethics!!"
This was the place where Seiryū researched and replicated Kidō.
He carried great secrets, and some things could not be revealed yet.
His reputation as a genius had already spread throughout Konoha, but what needed to stay hidden had to remain hidden. Developing dozens of Ninjutsu and Sealing Techniques in a short time...
If word got out, it would be too shocking.
That would already go beyond the scope of genius. It was something no ordinary human could achieve.
If it became known, it would only draw more covetous eyes. People might even risk everything to eliminate him.
He had to be cautious.
Of course, that wasn't the main point.
The main point was that Tsunade had set her sights on him. For the past few days, she had constantly insisted on treating his illness.
He clearly wasn't sick, so why treat him?
And the consultation fees were ridiculously expensive.
He wasn't going to be a sucker.
He didn't know which bastard told Tsunade he was rich, but now, his precious savings had become her target.
Tsunade, this shameless blonde older woman, this gambling pauper, was actually using treatment as an excuse to go after his money. It was infuriating. She didn't act like an adult at all.
Moreover, ever since Tsunade started bothering him...
Even his progress in researching and replicating the newly acquired Bakudō package had been delayed. This made Seiryū feel incredibly helpless.
"Let's not talk about that for now..."
Tsunade ignored Seiryū's complaints and sarcasm. Since she was sure the kid had a mental illness, she could be more tolerant.
She looked him up and down curiously and asked slowly, "What Ninjutsu did you just use? Was it the Adamantine Sealing Chains? But the Adamantine Sealing Chains I remember don't look like that..."
She already knew quite a bit about Seiryū.
She knew he was a descendant of the Uzumaki Clan, a disciple of Jiraiya, and a highly talented genius.
When she arrived, she happened to see Seiryū using a Sealing Technique similar to the Adamantine Sealing Chains, but it looked slightly different from what she remembered.
That made her extremely curious.
'As expected, she saw it…'
Seiryū sighed helplessly in his heart, then formed a hand seal with his left hand and bent the index finger on his right hand.
"Bakudō #4: Hainawa."
As the seal was completed, a golden rope of light slowly extended from Seiryū's fingertip, twisting like a spiritual snake.
Seiryū explained briefly, "It's not the Adamantine Sealing Chains. Kushina-nee hasn't taught me that Sealing Technique yet. This is a new type of Sealing Technique I developed myself..."
"Developed it yourself? You can already do that?"
Although Tsunade knew Seiryū was a genius, she hadn't expected him to be this much of a genius.
He could already develop new Sealing Techniques at his age?
"Oh right, I heard you also secretly learned my Monstrous Strength..."
"Hold on, that wasn't secretly learning. It's a Chakra application technique similar to Monstrous Strength that I developed myself. There are no copyright issues!"
Seiryū was extremely wary of Tsunade, who was clearly after his money.
He was afraid she'd use that as an excuse to charge him copyright fees for "Monstrous Strength."
That was exactly the kind of thing she would do, since she was a gambling pauper.
"You brat..."
Seiryū's wary expression made Tsunade curl her lip.
What kind of person did this kid take her for?
She was kindly planning to treat his illness, and he was looking down on her?
"If there's nothing else, Tsunade-sama, please leave. I really am not sick, I don't need treatment, and I need to continue training..."
Seiryū began to send her off.
Now, his obsessive-compulsive focus had shifted to researching and replicating Bakudō.
Everything else had to wait.
Although Tsunade was magnificent and beautiful, and had once been the person he wanted to apprentice under...
He was a man of principle. When focused on something, he would not be half-hearted. The path to success required such dedication.
Women would only hinder his progress in replicating Bakudō.
Tsunade crossed her arms, a posture that made her appear even more magnificent, and said with a smile, "Training? I can teach you too. Anything Jiraiya can teach you, I can as well. I'm certainly no worse than him."
"You happen to use Monstrous Strength, so I can instruct you on it."
"I also possess the bloodline of the Uzumaki Clan. Although I haven't studied Sealing Techniques deeply, my knowledge of them is definitely not inferior to Kushina's."
Tsunade also had Uzumaki bloodline. Her grandmother was Uzumaki Mito.
Although she hadn't focused on Sealing Techniques, she did know the Yin Seal.
Frankly, Kushina's knowledge might not even be better than hers, and she was more than capable of teaching this kid.
"Hmm?"
Hearing this, Seiryū's expression became strange.
Was his charm really that strong?
They had only met a few times, yet she was actively offering to teach him?
Something wasn't right.
Very wrong.
The only thing Tsunade could possibly want from him was the small amount of money he had, right?
Tsunade was a gambler, and not a lucky one. In the original work, to avoid debt, she would even transform into a young girl to fool her creditors. Absolutely shameless.
Seiryū had to stay alert.
His money had great purpose. He couldn't let beauty and magnificence blind him.
But then again, Seiryū felt he shouldn't judge Tsunade so harshly. She did have her moments. So, he asked hesitantly, "Is it free?"
If it was free, then his principles and obsessive-compulsive disorder could perhaps take a back seat...
(To be continued.)