Nightfall.
Surrounded by women with voluptuous figures—
After all, the two of them had spent quite a bit of money here.
Kin and White Fang stumbled out of the Cloud Dream Pavilion, thoroughly drunk.
The chilly night wind sobered them up slightly.
Kin glanced sideways at White Fang.
"Disgusting adult, dragging a minor to a brothel."
Poof! Kin reverted to his original appearance.
Uchiha Kin was only thirteen this year—far from adulthood.
White Fang also shot him a sidelong look.
"Weren't you having fun too?"
This brat had absolutely no regard for the Three Shinobi Prohibitions.
Had he been the one leading? The kid had drunk even more fiercely than him, completely unstoppable.
And it was all his money being spent!
Some of the women had even suggested taking things further at a nearby inn.
If he hadn't intervened, who knew what might have happened?
White Fang sighed, pressing a hand to his forehead. This kid was... complicated.
Was this really a normal thirteen-year-old? Sure, shinobi matured early, but this was too much.
"I was just humoring you," Kin declared shamelessly.
They'd already gone there—who'd turn around and leave?
In that situation, what man could've walked away?
Even if he was just a teenager.
That part didn't matter.
"Heh." White Fang scoffed. "I was gathering intel. You? Not so much."
"How noble of you, collecting 'intel' in a place like that."
Kin fired back.
He'd already gathered all the evidence. Once he imprinted the Camera Technique, he'd have White Fang's secrets in his grasp.
Then he'd see how the man wriggled out of it.
Though, admittedly, they had picked up some useful information here.
Recent sightings of Cloud shinobi, movements in the Land of Lightning, even traces of the Raikage's presence—all learned from drunken chatter.
According to the women, the Raikage had been in this city just two days ago.
Unbelievable.
The two bickered all the way down the street, neither backing down, until they spotted a still-open tavern and stepped inside.
The place was packed, alive with clinking glasses and raucous laughter—more like a bustling market than a bar.
They found seats in a secluded corner, the only spot left.
After ordering some Land of Lightning specialties, White Fang got a drink, while Kin was served...
A glass of juice.
Kin: "???"
"I asked for alcohol," he grumbled, glaring at the waitress.
The tall, blonde waitress stared back impassively.
"Minors aren't allowed to drink."
Kin touched his face, realizing he'd reverted to his real appearance.
No longer the older guise he'd used earlier.
Chagrined, he sipped his orange juice.
White Fang laughed shamelessly.
"And you," the waitress turned on him, "should be ashamed, letting a child drink."
Kin's flushed face and reeking breath painted a clear picture of irresponsible adulthood.
White Fang could only duck his head and gulp his drink.
The kid had insisted—what was he supposed to do?
Satisfied, the waitress finally walked away.
Only then did the two dare to look up.
"Great figure, but too rigid," Kin remarked.
The waitress's ears twitched. Without turning, she flicked a spoon backward—
Thwack!
It hit White Fang square in the forehead.
"Me?!" He pointed at Kin, indignant. He's the one who said it!
But the waitress was already gone.
White Fang stewed in silent injustice.
Kin burst out laughing.
Served him right.
"—heard recently that Iwa, Kiri, and Suna shinobi have been spotted in our Land of Lightning."
A hushed conversation made both their ears perk up.
This was new intel.
A group of men were deep in discussion.
"No idea what they're up to."
"Maybe they're here to swear allegiance to us!"
"Or planning an attack?"
The Land of Lightning was united, but hardly a target worth invading.
"Better stay cautious. Shinobi from other villages kill without blinking."
"Enough talk—drink!"
The conversation drowned in clinking glasses.
Kin and White Fang exchanged glances.
This needed investigation. Whatever those villages were plotting, the intel was crucial for Konoha.
Amid the tavern's chaos, they kept eavesdropping.
Most of the chatter was drunken exaggeration or wild speculation.
Here, the war's shadow seemed nonexistent.
In smaller nations, taverns stood empty, and people crept through streets like ghosts.
Nothing like this.
Suddenly, the bar fell silent.
Kin and White Fang turned toward the entrance.
Two men with Cloud headbands walked in—classic dark skin, pale yellow hair.
"A toast to our Land of Lightning's shinobi!!"
The bartender raised his glass, and the tavern erupted in cheers.
"Cloud shinobi are loved here," Kin observed, watching the pair get swarmed by admirers.
"The Cloud Village and the Land of Lightning's daimyo are inseparable. The daimyo promotes them, so the people adore them," White Fang explained.
"And while Cloud strives to be the top village, they never neglect their homeland. That's why things are like this."
He knew each village's dynamics inside out.
The Land of Lightning and its shinobi collaborated closely. The Wind daimyo despised Suna, while Earth and Fire maintained distance—villages didn't meddle in politics, and nations didn't interfere with shinobi.
As the Cloud duo mingled effortlessly—
"Cloud's definitely mobilizing," White Fang muttered.
This city was the gateway to the war-torn lowlands.
Any Cloud forces heading into battle would pass through here.
The locals' enthusiasm likely stemmed from that.
Kin and White Fang drank in silence—
Though Kin eyed White Fang's alcohol longingly. This was his first taste of liquor in this world.
Late into the night, the two Cloud shinobi staggered out, drunk.
Kin and White Fang stood simultaneously.
White Fang popped a small pill into his mouth and tossed one to Kin.
"Sober-up pill."
Kin swallowed it without hesitation, bitterness flooding his tongue.
"Check, please!"
...
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(End of Chapter)