Chapter 52 – Kurenai, Hayate, and Yugao Leave the Village
The two gatekeepers' eyes had been immediately drawn to the staff of the new parlor—they were all beautiful women.
Izumo and Kotetsu, barely containing their excitement, were greeted by attendants dressed neatly as service personnel. The staff explained that they could choose a girl from the photo wall, and she would provide them with a massage.
Ahem. A perfectly legitimate massage, of course.
Each man made his choice, and the staff led them into a dimly lit room. For these two Chūnin, the experience was like country bumpkins stepping into the big city for the first time.
Even before the massage began, the courteous service already left them satisfied. Where else in Konoha could you find such politeness? They even brought out fruit platters first!
Not long after, a knock sounded on the door, and two young women in black stockings entered. Izumo and Kotetsu looked closely—it was indeed the girls they had chosen from the wall. Exactly as in the photos. No tricks.
Their hearts relaxed.
After about an hour of massage, the two men stumbled out of the parlor, utterly content. Kotetsu even paused to look up at the shop sign again, reluctant to leave.
A pinewood plaque hung above, glowing pink letters spelling out: Pansi Cave.
"The money was well spent," Kotetsu murmured. His fatigue had melted away as if by magic.
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Back at the main gate, Izumo Kamizuki and Kotetsu Hagane had only just begun their shift, but they were already counting the hours until they could head back to Asakusa Old Street. Their plan was simple: barbecue at the Akimichi place, then straight next door to Pansi Cave.
But a sharp voice suddenly interrupted their whispering:
"What are you two laughing about? Why are you grinning so lewdly?"
The two jolted in surprise. Looking up, they saw three familiar figures: their old classmates—Kurenai Yūhi, Gekkō Hayate, and Uzuki Yugao.
Seeing them dressed for travel, Kotetsu asked curiously, "Heading out on a mission?"
Before they could answer, Izumo frowned and blurted, "Hey, Hayate, are you even allowed to leave the village right now?"
The moment he said it, the atmosphere changed.
Hayate, who had once served in the Hokage's personal ANBU, had been among those detained when the Fifth Hokage first took office. Many of Sarutobi's direct ANBU operatives had been arrested during the transition, Hayate included.
That night was still vivid in their minds—at a simple classmates' gathering, Hayate had suddenly been taken away by Kakashi, backed by a squad of Hyūga with their Byakugan active. Everyone had been shocked. Yugao, Hayate's girlfriend, had nearly attacked in desperation, but Kakashi stopped her. Their other friends restrained her too—striking at Kakashi, an ANBU captain, would have been disastrous.
Besides, Kakashi had assured them that Hayate was safe and urged them to wait.
The very next day, most of the captured ANBU were released. But none of them retained their positions.
Now, Izumo's careless words only reopened old wounds.
Seeing his friends' darkened expressions, he quickly stammered, "Don't misunderstand, I didn't mean anything bad! I was just… worried."
Hayate's complexion was already poor—pale face, dark circles, and that persistent cough. Hearing Izumo's remark, a faint flush colored his cheeks, and he hacked a few times before whispering hoarsely, "It's fine. Yugao and I confirmed at the Hokage Building."
At once, Yugao rubbed his back gently, her eyes narrowing at Izumo. "The Assistant himself said we shouldn't dwell on the past. We can take missions as usual. My Hayate is no criminal—how can you speak like that? Are you saying we can't even leave the village now?"
"Hey, hey, Yugao, calm down. Izumo didn't mean it like that," Kotetsu said quickly, trying to diffuse the tension.
But Yugao was not the type to back down. "Then what did he mean? The way he said it, it's as if Hayate is still under suspicion!"
Her fiery temper contrasted starkly with her graceful appearance. But when it came to her boyfriend, Gekkō Hayate, she was utterly uncompromising.
Kurenai Yūhi finally stepped in, frowning. She had been the one to call Yugao and Hayate out for this mission.
"Enough, Yugao. Don't waste energy. And Izumo, you too—watch your words. Let's go, we need to set out."
Her crimson eyes softened as she glanced at Hayate, silently asking him to calm his girlfriend down.
Hayate gave a faint nod, murmuring comfort to Yugao. He hadn't taken Izumo's words too seriously—just a sting of discomfort. They were old classmates, after all. No need to make enemies over something so small.
With both Kurenai and Hayate coaxing her, Yugao finally quieted down, though her expression still held a trace of anger.
Kurenai exhaled in relief, then said, "Let's go. We need to reach the Land of Fire's capital quickly."
Izumo and Kotetsu, who had stepped aside to let them pass, exchanged glances. Curiosity lit their eyes.
Izumo couldn't resist asking, "What kind of mission takes you all the way to the Capital?"
Kurenai shot him a glance, her tone curt: "Confidential."
Izumo scratched his head awkwardly, watching the trio's backs as they departed.
Kotetsu smirked. "Serves you right. Big mouth. You just offended them."
"Tsk," Izumo muttered, rolling his eyes. "I was only worried about Hayate. What if the Hokage decided to pursue it? Wouldn't we get dragged into trouble too?"
"Us?" Kotetsu paused, then chuckled and waved it off. "No way. Look—didn't all of Sarutobi's old ANBU get dealt with already? The ones released are fine now."
He tilted his head toward Izumo, speaking more softly. "Hayate was freed the very next day. Nothing has happened to him since. You're just overthinking, kid."
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