The bright moon hung high in the sky, stars twinkling faintly.
Inside a tavern.
Hinata Ayato lounged on a soft sofa, with a voluptuous lady on each side. In front of him was a grill plate piled with premium beef.
Normally, taverns didn't allow grilling, but the tavern owner—intimidated by Ayato's reputation—could only tolerate his unreasonable request.
Of course, Ayato did pay.
The seductive lady in a black slit dress picked up a freshly grilled slice of beef, gently blowing on it until it cooled. With a flirtatious smile, she held it up to Ayato's lips.
"Lord Ayato, please open wide. Ah—"
"Mmh, delicious." Hinata Ayato ate the beef, and the lady in a white dress beside him softly wiped the corner of his mouth.
Bliss!
A whole day of "hard work" was all for this moment.
Ayato wrapped an arm around the lady in the black dress, his hand pausing on her exaggerated chest.
"No need to stuff so much padding, right? It ruins the feel."
He slid his hand inside her dress, pulled out several pale padding inserts, and even squeezed her "baby pacifiers" for good measure.
The woman tilted her head, giggling. "Would Lord Ayato dislike that?"
Most of the tavern hostesses were formerly ANBU kunoichi, so their bodies were all lean and toned, without even a trace of excess fat.
In short—very pleasant to touch.
"Don't say that. Any woman who can amuse me is a good woman." Ayato squeezed once more.
"You're awful." she shot him a half-hearted glare.
The lady in the white dress, appearing tipsy, leaned into Ayato with a sultry expression, slowly bringing her lips toward his.
"Lord Ayato, won't you come in the back with us?"
Ayato was handsome, powerful—sharing a night with him would surely be heavenly.
Earning money and spending the night with an attractive, strong ninja?
What a dream.
"Sorry, next time. I have an appointment tonight." Ayato raised a finger to her lips, his eyes shifting to the tavern's entrance.
Creak—
The door slowly opened.
A tall man with long white hair stepped inside, wooden clogs clicking as he walked.
One of the legendary Sannin—Jiraiya!
His lustful eyes scanned the tavern, lingering on the hostesses, before he swaggered toward Ayato.
"Yo, Ayato. Looks like you're enjoying yourself."
Hinata Ayato sipped his drink, glanced at him lazily, and replied, "You pervy old man, you're late."
"I stopped by to check on Naruto. They're all training seriously. Seeing them reminded me of the old days." Jiraiya took a seat opposite him, pouring himself a drink.
After arriving back in the village, he had, from a distance, watched Naruto and the rest of Team 7 train. The scene brought back memories—of himself, Orochimaru, and Tsunade training together long ago.
"Sigh… Team 7 really is like how we were." Jiraiya took a long sip.
Naruto and Sasuke bickering, Naruto getting smacked by Sakura…
Back then, he and Orochimaru would argue—and he would get smacked by Tsunade.
The only difference was that Tsunade hit much, much harder than Sakura.
"You're wearing something that thin? Be careful or I might make a mistake~"
Ayato ignored Jiraiya slipping into nostalgia, and continued sliding his hand up the thigh of the lady beside him. His fingers touched something moist.
"Mmh…" The woman blushed, letting out a soft, sweet sound.
"No need to get so worked up. You two won't be getting me tonight." Ayato said dismissively, wiping his hand on the hem of her dress.
In truth, the tavern only offered companionship—not anything indecent. Actual intimacy was forbidden, especially since the hostesses were all former ANBU who now gathered intel and kept an eye on village affairs.
But… Ayato was too strong. And he tipped too well.
"Lord Ayato, you're awful." the woman huffed, then stood. "Excuse me, I'll go to the restroom."
Jiraiya sighed. "Ayato, are you even listening?"
"Yes, yes. Very touching story." Ayato answered casually—not having listened to a single word. He had heard this same spiel too many times before.
Back when he left the village and traveled with Jiraiya, he had heard these "stories" countless times.
"You really haven't changed." Jiraiya smiled with a hint of relief.
Nothing changing—that was best.
"Is Big Boobs Sis still angry?" Ayato asked.
By "Big Boobs Sis," he meant Tsunade.
Tsunade… was indeed very big.
Jiraiya's face twitched, a dark line appearing across his forehead. "You sure have guts. I can't believe you actually did that."
When Ayato was fifteen, he got drunk and, thinking he was dreaming, ended up sleeping with Tsunade.
Tsunade, also drunk, also thought it was a dream.
When she woke up… she was silent for a long time.
And then she went berserk.
Tsunade swore she'd kill him!
"She wasn't just angry. She's been looking for you all over the world." Jiraiya shuddered at the memory of her fury.
"If she learns you're back, she'll come to the village. Good luck surviving that." Jiraiya said with schadenfreude.
He had loved Tsunade for years, chasing her endlessly without success—yet this brat got her in one drunken night.
He had been bitter for a long time, but what could he do? Reality was cruel.
"Is that necessary? I'm such a charming, handsome man—it was my first time too, you know." Ayato said.
"You'd better talk things out with Tsunade when the time comes. I haven't seen her since that incident." Jiraiya muttered, then glanced around. "Still… this is a great place for gathering material."
He mimed a spyglass with his hands, ogling the tavern hostesses like a greasy middle-aged uncle.
Ayato hugged the woman in the white dress closer, took another big swig of alcohol, and said, "Enough. What do you want from me? You're not here just to reminisce."
"That's part of it. But yes, business." Jiraiya's face turned serious.
"When men drink, women shouldn't be listening." Ayato patted the white-dressed woman on the backside.
He liked beautiful older women—but he wasn't the type to let women interfere in important matters.
"Understood, Lord Ayato." She stood up and left—once ANBU, always sensitive to matters involving intelligence.
Jiraiya's expression hardened. He looked straight at Ayato.
"I've heard a lot of rumors… Orochimaru is planning something big."
"Orochimaru? That little sissy is planning to destroy the village, right?" Ayato said bluntly.
"You already knew?" Jiraiya was stunned.
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