"First stop, Tanzaku Town?"
Sogetsu eyed Tsunade up and down, suspicion written all over his face.
"You're sure this isn't just because you won for once and want to go there to keep the streak going?"
"Ahem. Of course not!"
Hands on her hips, Tsunade glared at him. "Do I look like the type who can't tell priorities apart?"
You tell me, he thought silently.
It wasn't that he didn't trust her. It was that her gambling addiction was… impressive.
This was the woman who had, in a single night, almost managed to bet away Konoha Hospital. If ANBU hadn't intervened, she might have tossed herself in as collateral too.
Under that background, her "reputation" spoke for itself.
His doubtful stare actually made Tsunade's cheeks heat up a little. She wanted to argue, but even she didn't have full confidence.
"There just happens to be a seal south of Tanzaku Town," she muttered. "We're just, you know, passing by."
"Forest of Quiet Spirits is directly south of Konoha. Tanzaku Town is southwest."
Sogetsu's face didn't twitch. He raised the scroll and pointed out the nearest mark.
"There's about a hundred and seventy kilometers between the two. Lady Tsunade, are you sure that qualifies as 'on the way'?"
"W-well, it's all… south-ish, right…"
Caught out, Tsunade suddenly looked very much like a guilty schoolgirl. Her pale fingers twisted together; she pouted.
"I was just thinking… We've got a lot of places to hit. And you, dressed like that, are going to draw attention. So we go to Tanzaku Town first, buy you some clothes, set up a cover identity…"
That, at least, was a reasonable excuse.
There were more than a dozen seals on the scroll, scattered all across the Land of Fire. Even if he took off the ANBU mask, the combination of "mysterious masked shinobi" and "Tsunade of the Sannin" was about as low-profile as a bonfire at midnight.
Tsunade's concern wasn't entirely misplaced.
That didn't mean he was buying it.
"You could have said that while we were still in Konoha this morning," he pointed out mercilessly.
"I forgot."
Tsunade spread her hands, innocence itself.
Faced with such a shameless "female rascal," even Sogetsu felt a little helpless.
"Fine. We'll do it your way and hit Tanzaku Town first." He sighed. "But we're agreeing now—one day. No more."
"Deal~!"
A sly glint flashed in her eyes as Tsunade grinned, clearly pleased with herself.
With their route decided, Sogetsu stopped arguing. He focused on moving as fast as possible. The sooner they reached Tanzaku Town, the sooner they could leave.
—
The journey passed without major incident.
By the time they saw Tanzaku Town's neon glow, the sun was already skimming the horizon.
Sogetsu was exhausted. He'd barely slept the previous night and they'd been traveling almost nonstop all day.
"Huff… huff…"
He bent over, hands on his knees, lungs burning as he dragged in air.
"Tsk, tsk. Brat, your stamina's pathetic. How are you this frail?"
Tsunade, by contrast, looked entirely fresh. She wasn't even slightly out of breath. Her beautiful eyes curved with amusement.
"How about it—call me 'big sis,' and maybe I'll teach you a few tricks."
"No need, Lady Tsunade."
Sogetsu straightened, drew in a deep breath, and steadied his pulse. "Just don't forget what you promised."
"Yeah, yeah, I know."
Tsunade's gaze grew colder for a moment—then she huffed and turned away with a snap.
"If you don't want my teachings, I won't force them on you. Hmph."
With that, she stalked into Tanzaku Town without another look.
"Women are trouble…"
Sogetsu sighed and trailed after her.
Despite having run plenty of missions, this was his first time in Tanzaku Town. He decided that since he was here, he might as well see it properly.
The town was the Land of Fire's most famous pleasure district—casinos, game parlors, hotels… everything a gambler could want. Calling it "paradise" wasn't far off.
Neon lights blazed overhead. Laughter and shouts mingled with the clatter of dice and the ring of slot machines. People flowed through the streets in constant waves. It gave Sogetsu a strange sense of déjà vu, like he was back in his previous life, wandering a city nightlife district.
He'd already removed his ANBU mask by then. He followed Tsunade to a hot spring inn; they registered separately for rooms.
The city's prosperity seemed to rub off on her. Tsunade's mood visibly brightened. She didn't so much as lie down. One tossed-off sentence of "I'm going out," and she was gone like a gust of wind.
Sogetsu didn't even need to guess where.
Straight to the nearest casino, obviously.
"There's still time. Might as well walk around."
Night was when Tanzaku Town truly came alive. It would be a waste to turn in early.
Women in vivid makeup and daring outfits stood along the streets, calling to passing customers with honeyed voices and practiced smiles.
"As expected. They call it a 'pleasure town,' but there's a lot more going on beneath the surface."
Sogetsu strolled along aimlessly, like a transparent man drifting outside the noise, quietly observing the streams of locals and tourists.
He noticed something quickly.
A small, but very real portion of the crowd… were shinobi.
Missing-nin? Foreign spies?
Or both?
"No wonder Jiraiya likes to gather intel here."
He watched two rough-looking men duck into a back alley, chakra flaring faintly under their cloaks.
"Places like this have always been natural information hubs."
"Psychological Stealth" was active around him, smoothing his presence right out of the minds nearby. To most of the crowd, he was barely even there—a vague blur the brain automatically filed under "unimportant background."
Which was why what happened next caught his attention.
Thud.
Lost in thought, Sogetsu walked straight into someone. The impact rocked him back two steps.
"Namu Amida Butsu…"
The man he'd hit sounded genuinely surprised.
Then he recovered and bowed deeply, hands pressed together.
"My apologies, young man. I was preoccupied and failed to notice someone ahead. Please forgive my carelessness."
"No harm done."
Sogetsu rubbed the back of his head and smiled in a guileless, honest way.
"It's my fault too, Master."
The "monk" in front of him was young, maybe in his early twenties. He wore plain white robes, his hair gathered at the top of his head and tied into a long braid down his back. Under his left eye, a Roman numeral "V" was tattooed on his skin. A small black mark rested on his chin.
"If you're unharmed, then I'll take my leave," the monk said with another small bow.
He turned to go.
"Master, wait."
Sogetsu called after him.
The monk paused and glanced back, uncertain.
"Is something the matter, young man?"
"Meeting is also a kind of fate, isn't it?"
Sogetsu's smile widened. "I'm Uchiha Sora. And you are…?"
"So you're of the famed Uchiha clan."
The monk blinked for half a second, then smiled as well.
"I am Jigen—Cixian—just a wandering monk."
"Cixian, huh. Good name."
Sogetsu's tone was light, but his eyes were extremely deep.
"Pleasure to meet you. I hope we'll cross paths again."
"If fate allows."
Cixian pressed his palms together once more, then walked away at a brisk pace.
"Cixian…"
Sogetsu watched his back recede into the crowd, his gaze gradually cooling.
He'd been under "Psychological Stealth" the whole time. The flow of people and even the occasional shinobi had all unconsciously skirted around him without noticing.
All except Cixian.
Who had not only noticed him, but walked straight into him.
Not on purpose?
He snorted inwardly.
"My veil only folds human heuristics—not whatever's riding that monk's chakra."
That excuse might work on children.
On him? Not a chance.
"So even Cixian has shown up…"
Sogetsu tilted his head back, studying the moon hanging in the sky.
"This ninja world just keeps getting more interesting."
—
Some distance away, Cixian's steps slowed.
As if sensing something, he turned and looked back the way he'd come.
"Must be my imagination…"
He stared down the street, frowning slightly.
"The way that kid looked at me… something about it felt off."
AUTHOR'S NOTE — BONUS & EARLY ACCESS
◇ I'll drop one bonus chapter for every 10 reviews(leave a review/comment!)
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 50 chapters ahead on P@treon: patreon.com/StrawHatStudios