Chapter 17 – Unable to Sleep at Midnight, Time to Stir Up Some Trouble!
The night was deep and tranquil.
All of Konoha had fallen into slumber.
The world was steeped in silence.
From time to time, the sound of the night wind could be heard whistling as it slipped through the alleys.
And somewhere unseen, a bird, roosting who knows where, let out a sudden and abrupt cry into the darkness.
The streets were completely deserted—there was not a single shadow of a person.
Rei, alone and solitary like a ghost without a family, walked along the main street, feeling a boredom that seemed to radiate from the very depths of her soul.
It seemed she would still need to gather more "Sunlight Points." The nights in Konoha were far too dull...
There was absolutely no trace of nightlife.
Suddenly—
A brightly lit izakaya appeared within his field of vision.
"..."
Rei immediately took back what he had just thought.
Who would have guessed Konoha had late-night bars?
How delightful!
Keeping pace with the times!
It appeared that even villagers needed to enjoy the pleasures of nightlife.
Without nightlife, what meaning was there in living?
Ignoring Namikaze Minato, who was following behind him, Rei strode boldly into the izakaya.
Standing at the doorway, Namikaze Minato's face showed a trace of hesitation: "..."
Should he enter or not?
Though alcohol was counted among the three taboos for shinobi, if something were to happen to Rei inside...
Namikaze Minato performed the Transformation Technique and entered the izakaya.
Yes—this way was fine.
He, Namikaze Minato, had not entered the izakaya.
It was merely an ordinary villager who had gone inside!
With chest held high, Minato cast a curious glance around the room.
The moment Rei stepped inside, he felt every gaze in the place turn toward him.
Ah!
All because he was too beautiful.
For a fleeting moment, Rei felt a pang of sorrow for his own beauty, then chose a seat in the corner.
With a sweeping gesture, brimming with heroic spirit, he ordered an entire table's worth of alcohol.
Money?
He wasn't worried about money.
The Hokage would be along shortly to pay the bill.
In his previous life, he had not reached the level of being able to drink a thousand cups without getting drunk, but his tolerance was still respectable.
As for whether Muzan's body could handle alcohol—he had no idea.
Still, Rei suspected Muzan could drink quite well.
His reasoning?
—None whatsoever.
Just a feeling.
After all, the body was his now, and surely his instincts would not fail him.
Drawing a deep breath, Amamiya Rei began downing bottles one after another, drinking alcohol as though it were water.
Not only Namikaze Minato, but even the other patrons of the izakaya were left staring in stunned disbelief.
Such... such a bold and unrestrained way of drinking...
Could she really drink like this without something going wrong?
The izakaya's proprietor wiped at the sweat forming on his forehead.
Even in the middle of the night, the village patrol units of shinobi were still diligently on duty.
Rei fancied himself "drunk beyond reason."
As it turned out—just as his instincts predicted—Muzan's body had an impressive capacity for metabolizing alcohol.
Though the entire table of bottles had been emptied, his mind remained clear; only the figures before his eyes swayed slightly.
Namikaze Minato's arrival confirmed Rei's suspicions.
Although Minato was soft-hearted, he was still the Hokage—a man who had risen step by step through the crucible of war, climbing to the position of Hokage from the rank of a civilian shinobi.
Rei certainly did not take Namikaze Minato for a softhearted fool.
He still needed to cause a little chaos to wear down Minato's vigilance.
Casting his gaze upon the mountain of empty bottles at Amamiya Rei's table, the transformed Namikaze Minato furrowed his brow.
And then, in the very next second, he saw Amamiya Rei swaying unsteadily to her feet.
"Hey!"
The izakaya proprietor immediately stepped forward to block his path, his expression tense—yet upon catching sight of his face, he paused for a moment, and then gently reminded him, "Miss, you have not yet paid for your drinks..."
The bill?
He was penniless.
If he wanted money, he had none; if he wanted his life, he had one to give.
Rei swayed again like an unsteady chopstick, making anyone watching wonder if she'd collapse at any moment.
Shaking his head vigorously, Rei slipped around the proprietor like a pillar being sidestepped, heading toward the exit.
Pretend not to hear—that was the strategy Rei had devised.
A drunkard, after all, could get away with almost anything on the street, even... well, worse.
"Hey!"
The proprietor grew anxious, thinking, truly, appearances can be deceiving—how could such a beautiful young lady be drinking without paying?
If it had been just a bottle or two, he might have been willing to treat her.
But this entire table—how much would it cost?
The proprietor intended to block her again, but a stranger's hand caught his arm.
His impatience vanished instantly upon seeing the money Namikaze Minato offered.
Minato handed the payment over without waiting for change, then hurried off in pursuit, keeping a careful distance behind Amamiya Rei.
Stepping out onto the main road, Rei's heated body was hit by the cool night wind, and he shivered, suddenly feeling refreshed.
Then, swaying his hips like a cat, he walked in an S-shaped path toward Konohagakure's main gate.
Though his steps were unsteady, his momentum was fierce.
That fierce air, however, deflated like a punctured balloon the moment he neared the gate.
Now timid and hesitant, he first stretched out a foot, then poked his head forward, inching toward the gate like a thief.
Fully aware of her intentions, Minato thought to himself: "..."
So she only had the courage to attempt escape after drinking?
Should he call her bold or cowardly?
It felt as though he had wasted the entire night.
Without hesitation, Namikaze Minato dispelled his Transformation Technique.
At the village gate, the sight of a sneaky figure suddenly appearing in the watchmen's line of sight made them pause.
Gate Guard A: "..."
Gate Guard B: "..."
Both narrowed their eyes in unison, recognizing the shadowy figure in the dark as the same young girl Shisui had brought into the village earlier that day.
Crouching down with both hands gripping her ankles, Rei crept along the half-height red wooden desk of the guard post, using its blind spot to inch toward freedom.
The two watchmen, with a perfectly unobstructed view: "..."
So stupid.
It was becoming unbearable to watch.
Letting her continue like this felt like an insult to their intelligence.
The two guards exchanged a glance, a malicious gleam flashing in both their eyes. They were just about to speak up and give the girl a fright when, before they could act, they caught sight of the Hokage out of the corner of their eyes.
They froze, the malice vanishing instantly, and straightened with perfect propriety, ready to greet him.
Namikaze Minato shook his head lightly.
The two guards immediately understood—he was telling them to act as though they had seen nothing and keep silent.
Amamiya Rei slipped past the gate of Konoha with ease.
So smooth, it felt... "unbelievable."
Standing just beyond the gate, he sniffed at the air, breathing in the scent of freedom.
So this was the freedom beyond the walls!
Rei's expression was still somewhat dazed, as if he had not expected to get out so effortlessly.
A moment later, joy at his narrow escape bloomed on his face—only to vanish completely when his eyes fell upon Namikaze Minato, who had appeared ahead of him without a sound.
***