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The next morning, Shin noticed Kushina's dark circles and asked, "Kushina, did you not sleep well last night?"
"You have the nerve to ask?!" Kushina snapped, glaring at him.
Shin, bewildered by her sudden hostility, wracked his brain trying to figure out what had he done.
He had tried to go to Kushina's room last night, but she had kicked him out.
But instead of sleeping, Kushina had stayed up, fully expecting him to try again. She had waited the entire night for a "late-night ambush"—but it never came. And after losing sleep over it, she was now nursing a grudge.
And it wasn't just her. Tsunade and Mikoto had done the same thing, eyeing him with a mix of resentment and frustration.
Shin had no clue what was going on, but if he ever found out the truth, he'd probably be banging his head against a wall.
After breakfast, Shin took the four girls to the training grounds. Besides Konan, the other three were clearly not in their best shape. Understandably so—they had all pulled an all-nighter.
"Are you all okay? Need a break?" Shin asked.
"I'm fine," Kushina said, shaking her head. Staying up all night wasn't a big deal for a shinobi.
"Though I didn't expect Mikoto and Tsunade to be the same as me." She gave Tsunade and Mikoto a strange look.
Mikoto blushed and looked down, embarrassed, but Tsunade didn't react. After all, she was in the same boat as Kushina; she couldn't tease her.
Kushina, Mikoto, and Tsunade could train on their own, but Konan needed Shin's supervision for Sage Mode training. It was a dangerous technique, especially now that Konan was in the final stages. Shin couldn't afford any mishaps.
Around noon, Mikoto stopped training to prepare lunch.
"Konan, let's take a break. Sage Mode training can't be rushed. You need precise chakra control."
Spiritual, physical, and natural energy had to be balanced in a precise ratio to activate Sage Mode. It wasn't easy.
Rushing the process would only lead to mistakes, and mistakes in Sage Mode training could be fatal.
"Okay." Konan nodded, wiping the sweat from her brow. She was mentally exhausted from focusing all her energy.
"Let's stop for today. We'll continue tomorrow." Shin said, seeing Konan's state
"I'll do as you say, Shin-nii." Konan leaned against Shin, blushing slightly.
"Konan! You're making us feel like third wheels!" Kushina and Tsunade complained. They both moved closer to Shin.
Shin, sandwiched between the three women, put on a show of being annoyed, but he was secretly enjoying their closeness, especially the pleasant scent surrounding him.
"Oh, I almost forgot."
Shin took out the summoning contract scroll he'd obtained from Orochimaru.
"Isn't that a summoning contract? Where did you get it?" Tsunade asked, surprised.
"From Orochimaru. I saw him in the Land of Rain, along with Jiraiya."
"You're interested in summons? I offered you a contract before, and you didn't even look at it." Tsunade sounded a bit hurt.
Did Shin dislike her slugs that much? It wasn't that he disliked them; he simply wasn't fond of slugs. The thought of those slimy creatures made him uncomfortable.
Of course, that didn't mean he liked snakes. He wasn't a fan of the snakes of Ryūchi Cave either.
"I'm going to use this to visit Ryūchi Cave," Shin announced.
"Why are you going there?" Kushina asked, curious.
"I have my reasons. I want to meet the White Snake Sage."
"Kushina, want to come with me to Ryūchi Cave?"
"No way! I hate snakes! Just thinking about them makes me shudder." Kushina refused immediately. She knew Ryūchi Cave was full of snakes; there was no way she was going.
"Not yet. Let's eat first. Mikoto's probably finished cooking."
After lunch, Shin signed the summoning contract.
He performed the hand seals, and a massive purple-striped snake appeared before him. Manda, Orochimaru's summon.
Manda was notoriously arrogant; Orochimaru had to offer sacrifices to get its cooperation. But Shin simply subdued it with his Rinne-Tenseigan. Controlling Manda was child's play for him.
"Are you sure you don't want to come to Ryūchi Cave?" Shin asked Tsunade, Mikoto, Kushina, and Konan.
"No, you go ahead, Shin. Be careful."
Tsunade, Mikoto, and Konan weren't fans of snakes. They had no interest in visiting Ryūchi Cave.
"Alright, I'll be going then."
Shin sent Manda back to Ryūchi Cave, then used the Reverse Summoning Jutsu to teleport there himself.
Shin wrinkled his nose. Snake scales had a distinct odor, and Ryūchi Cave was full of them.
Most of the snakes were ordinary, though. Few were at the level of a summoning beast.
He glanced at Manda and released his control over it. The snake immediately recoiled in fear.
"Well, well—looks like you do know fear." Shin smirked. "Where's that arrogance you always show to Orochimaru?"
"Who the hell are you? Where did you get a Ryūchi Cave summoning contract?" Manda asked warily.
For all its pride and arrogance, Manda wasn't an idiot. It was also a creature that bullied the weak and feared the strong.
"If you don't want me to control you again, then behave and take me to the White Snake Sage. If you refuse, I'll just control you again."
Manda was enraged. Orochimaru had never threatened it . That was why it was so arrogant when dealing with him.
But recalling the feeling of being controlled, it reluctantly agreed, lowering its head and leading the way.
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