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Mei Terumī looked at Shin hopefully. The benefits of signing the [Life Contract] were too tempting to resist.
“I’m not opposed to signing the contract with you, but I haven’t told you about the downsides yet. Don’t you want to hear them?”
Shin wasn’t going to deceive Mei. He wanted to explain the pros and cons clearly.
“First, once you sign the contract, your life will be in my hands. And if I die, you might die with me.”
This was equivalent to entrusting your life to someone else. No one would agree to this without absolute trust.
“Huh, that’s it? I agree!” Mei Terumī breathed a sigh of relief. She had been worried about the downsides, judging by Shin’s serious expression. She hadn’t expected it to be so simple.
Shin stared at her in disbelief. She agreed too easily! This was her life she was handing over.
“So I was right. Mei does have a thing for Shin,” Tsunade whispered to Kushina, Mikoto, and Konan.
Mikoto and Konan nodded in agreement. No one would so readily entrust their life to someone they didn’t have strong feelings for.
Kushina puffed out her chest with pride—As expected of her man, he was so popular.
Tsunade, Konan, and Mikoto exchanged glances. Was Kushina’s brain broken? Why was she proud? She had another love rival, and she was proud? They didn’t understand her thought process.
“Mei, are you sure about this?” Shin asked.
“I’ve already thought it over. What’s there to consider? You’re being so wishy-washy.” Mei Terumī muttered.
Shin’s face darkened. He’d been trying to be considerate, explaining the risks, and she was calling him wishy-washy? He placed a hand on Mei’s forehead, his white Six Paths cloak appearing, Twelve Truth-Seeking Orbs hovering behind him.
He looked awesome!
“Yin-Yang Release: Life Contract.”
Shin channeled his Chakra into Mei Terumī, leaving a faint, disappearing mark. He could now feel a special connection between them.
“Done.”
“That was it? Are you sure you’re not tricking me?” Mei Terumī said.
Thwack!
“Sense it yourself, and you’ll know if I’m tricking you,” Shin said, flicking her forehead.
“You bully! I’ll get you back one day!” Mei Terumī muttered, rubbing her forehead.
“Don’t bother whispering. I can hear you even if you think it.”
Mei Terumī stuck out her tongue at him, then focused on sensing the changes within her body. Her eyes widened in surprise.
Her chakra reserves had increased more than tenfold!
“I’m not sure if this counts as a Sage Body, but it feels exactly the same,” Shin said. Mei’s chakra and life force were now indistinguishable from those of someone with a Sage Body.
“Does this mean I can learn Wood Release now?” Mei Terumī asked excitedly.
“Don’t get ahead of yourself. I don’t think you can learn Wood Release,” Shin’s words dampened her enthusiasm.
If Wood Release was that easy to learn, every Senju would have it.
….
Shin then spent the next week trying to teach them Wood Release. He was starting to regret his decision.
Teaching five students was far more difficult than teaching one. And what he considered simple, they found incredibly challenging.
“I’m starting to lose hope. Maybe I should get out of here for a while.”
Shin was getting a headache from all their questions. He decided to leave the Land of Whirlpools for a bit.
He left behind his Wood Release training notes and a letter, then used [Yomotsu Hirasaka] to escape. By the time Kushina and the others discovered his “desertion,” he was already gone.
“Mikoto, what did that jerk write in his letter?!” Kushina demanded.
“He said he’s going out for a while to clear his head. He’ll be back soon,” Mikoto said, handing Kushina the letter.
“I think Shin-nii just didn’t want to teach us and ran away,” Konan said. She’d seen through Shin’s excuse.
Shin’s departure didn’t stop them from practicing Wood Release. He had left detailed notes on his training methods. If they couldn’t learn it now, it meant they truly lacked the talent.
Talent was essential, just like with the [Flying Thunder God Technique]. No matter how hard they tried, Kushina, Mikoto, and Tsunade couldn’t learn it. Only Konan succeeded.
It wasn’t that they were less talented than Konan; their talents simply lay elsewhere.
….
Shin, after leaving the Land of Whirlpools, had no particular destination in mind.
He inquired about the Third Shinobi World War and learned it was mostly over. The villages had withdrawn their main forces, but small skirmishes continued.
“I’ll go to Konoha.”
Shin decided to visit Konoha. He heard they were electing a new Hokage. and he wanted to see the spectacle.
If things went according to plan, Minato Namikaze would be the Fourth Hokage, also the shortest-lived Hokage.
Minato was a tragic figure, dying at his peak, killed indirectly by his own student, Obito.
It took Shin less than half a day to reach Konoha, which was filled with cheerful chatter.
“Perfect timing.”
He learned that today was the day they’d choose the Fourth Hokage.
“That old man Hiruzen is finally stepping down? I’m surprised.”
But even after stepping down, Hiruzen would still hold considerable influence in Konoha. As Minato’s teacher’s teacher, Minato wouldn’t disobey him.
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