Shinji and his group were traveling through the forest, heading toward the Land of Wu.
This land was home to the largest film and television production base in the entire ninja world, along with countless related companies large and small.
One could say celebrities and performers were everywhere you looked.
Of course, they had not come here to chase stars.
According to intelligence provided by the Underground Exchange, five popular actresses had died in suspicious "accidents" within just one month.
Naturally, many film production and talent agencies were growing anxious.
They wanted the culprit found quickly so they could restore public confidence and get back to work and making money.
Yet none of the Five Great Nations showed much interest in taking on such a mission.
It was only after mercenaries who accepted contracts from the Exchange began disappearing one after another in the Land of Wu that everyone realized just how deep and murky the waters really were.
Truth be told, the people running the Exchange didn't particularly care what the actual truth was.
But they had to give their clients an explanation — damaging their reputation in the underworld was something they simply could not afford.
That was how the assignment ended up in Shinji's hands.
The terms had already been agreed upon: if the culprit turned out to be an ordinary nobody, Shinji would still receive a cursed object as payment — he wouldn't be working for free, and he would get his money as well.
If, however, the culprit proved to be powerful or unusual, the reward would be two cursed items, but he would have to bring the body back for examination.
After all, those people weren't fools.
Their entire partnership rested on a fragile thread of mutual trust. Whoever broke that trust first would face the other's unrelenting wrath — a loss far greater than any possible gain.
When they stopped to rest, they suddenly heard cries for help coming from not far away.
"Sasuke, go check it out and report back."
"Got it."
Sasuke — whose hair and eyebrows had already grown back — nodded coolly, then dropped the firewood he had been holding.
"I still think he looked cuter when he was bald. At least he'd blush back then… Hmm, I need to figure out a way to trick him into shaving it all off again."
Sasuke, who had only walked a short distance, had no idea that he had once again become the target of Shinji's "wicked schemes."
Whether he would manage to keep the hair he'd worked so hard to grow back remained to be seen.
Sasuke returned quickly and explained what he had seen.
Two rough‑looking men were chasing a woman. He asked if they should intervene.
Shinji lost interest the moment he heard this. He told Sasuke to go back to building the fire and preparing food — to mind his own business.
A hint of surprise crossed Sasuke's face, but he asked no questions. He simply obeyed and set to work starting the fire.
Shinji's reason for ignoring the situation was simple.
This was such a remote, desolate place — not a single village anywhere nearby. Where would a delicate, defenseless woman come from?
And how could she keep escaping from two strong, capable men?
If this were Journey to the West, she would definitely be a demon in disguise, struck down three times by the Monkey King.
Right now, he couldn't tell whether these people had come looking for them on purpose, or if this was just a coincidence.
But either way, he had already given them a chance.
If they chose to back off quietly now, everyone could go their separate ways without trouble.
But if they insisted…
"Help! Someone please save me!"
Suddenly, a disheveled, beautiful woman came running out from the trees. She pretended to trip and fell right in front of Shinji and his companions.
She lay there for a moment, eyebrows knitted in a feigned frown. When she realized no one was rushing to help her or even paying attention, she quickly got up, wincing in pain.
Then — looking panicked but moving with surprising precision — she threw herself straight into Shinji's arms, leaning against him as if she were boneless and completely weak.
"You wicked woman! Let's see where you think you can run!"
Shinji watched with an amused, knowing smile as two burly men caught up and delivered their lines with incredibly awkward acting.
As long as I don't feel awkward watching this, then the awkwardness is all yours, he thought.
"Save me, please save me!"
The woman kept begging, trying her best to look pitiful and helpless.
Anyone with a shred of human kindness would never let a defenseless woman fall into the hands of two obvious villains.
But today, she had met her match.
"Are you two fine gentlemen here to take your wife back home?" Shinji asked calmly.
This question completely threw them off script.
They stood frozen for two or three seconds before one of them finally reacted.
"Y-yes! She's my woman! She dared to cheat on me while I was away! Be smart and mind your own business, or else… hmph!"
"I knew it," Shinji said, nodding as if everything made sense.
Then he suddenly feigned righteous anger. "I absolutely despise women who lack virtue! You two go right ahead and handle her as you see fit!"
This… This wasn't how the script was supposed to go.
What were they supposed to do now?
The two men exchanged confused glances, clearly at a loss, then quickly looked toward the woman clinging to Shinji.
She too seemed stunned by Shinji's sudden display of cowardice and moral outrage.
But she quickly recovered, gritted her teeth, and began wiping away fake tears.
"Please, do not be deceived by these two villains! I am a widow from the village nearby, but these men… they desired my beauty and have been chasing me all this way…"
And so began a long, dramatic tale about a virtuous woman being hunted by lustful evildoers.
Shinji listened with half‑closed eyes, feeling utterly bored and sleepy.
By now, even Sasuke and Tamamo Hotaru realized something was very wrong.
First of all, where was this "nearby village"? There wasn't one for miles.
And even if there was, how could a delicate woman possibly outrun two strong men for such a long distance?
Once they understood, they simply sat back and decided to enjoy the show.
"Quiet, you wicked woman!" Shinji shouted, interrupting her dramatic story.
"These two gentlemen clearly look like the type who uphold justice and protect the weak! You have no honor, and now you dare to accuse your victims before anyone else! You deserve to die a thousand times over! Get out of my sight!"
After his furious tirade, he unceremoniously shoved her straight toward the two "heroes."
There. Now they could continue their little performance.
Shinji was genuinely curious about what they would do next — would they fly into a rage, or just slink away in defeat?
A moment ago it had been two men staring blankly at each other. Now it was three people staring blankly at each other.
The script had completely fallen apart!
The woman simply couldn't understand. She was a beautiful, delicate lady throwing herself into his arms, telling such a heartbreaking story… instead of feeling sympathy, why was he so angry?
And why did he just push her away like that?
Didn't he feel even the slightest bit of regret?
Wasn't her skin fair and soft enough?
"Er… right… You're a smart guy," one of the men muttered awkwardly.
"Hahaha… Come along, my beauty. I'll make sure to… love you properly when we get back," the other added with forced, dry laughter.
They continued acting like villains with terrible delivery, while Shinji and his friends watched like an audience.
The mocking smile on Shinji's face was completely undisguised.
The woman's expression turned ugly. She finally dropped the act altogether.
"Hmph. So the Demon God Akagi is truly different from ordinary people. I suppose such cheap tricks won't work on you."
Shinji felt completely drained. Lady… could you please go take some acting classes before you try to scam people next time? I'm begging you…
____________________
For more advance chapters visit my patreon
patreon.com/kane45
Tier: 10$ Casual Reader - +20 Advance Chapter
20$ Intermediate Reader - +40 Advance Chapter
40$ Expert Reader - +80 Advance Chapter
Update: "Monday to Friday - Update 3 Chapters a Day"
"Saturday and Sunday - Off"