Chapter 4 — What the Hell
This ninja looked to be in his twenties, dressed sloppily and completely unkempt.
He reeked of alcohol as he staggered down the road. What was puzzling was that when the patrolling ninja saw him, there was fear in their eyes—mixed with disgust.
Yet they simply avoided him, as if dodging a pile of shit.
Ryusuke activated his sensory ninjutsu. This person's chakra fluctuations weren't strong—roughly at the level of a Chunin.
The strange atmosphere on the streets gave Ryusuke a deep sense of crisis. He chose to take the initiative, following the lone Amegakure ninja from a distance.
Ahead, the Amegakure ninja swayed unsteadily as he walked. When he turned the corner and saw a brothel, a lewd smile spread across his face.
Seizing the opportunity, Ryusuke quickly closed the distance.
As he came up beside the Chunin, he formed hand seals swiftly. With a light tap on the man's shoulder, a genjutsu was quietly activated.
The Chunin blinked his bleary eyes and looked to his side. He had already been hypnotized.
"Who's that?"
"Oh, so it's you, Daisuke. Why aren't you out on patrol?" he asked drunkenly.
"Heh, just bored. Thought I'd have some fun," Ryusuke—appearing as Daisuke in the Chunin's eyes—replied.
The Chunin gave a knowing grin. "I get it, I get it. Come on, let's go inside."
He pointed at the brothel in front of them.
But the lewd smile on the Chunin's face didn't seem directed toward the girls inside. His gaze was strangely naked as it swept over Ryusuke.
Ryusuke's lips twitched, goosebumps rising along his back.
Suppressing his disgust, the two walked into the brothel.
The owner was a mature young woman with alluring features. She puffed on a long-stemmed pipe and swayed toward them.
"Oh my~ Lord Kuroiwa."
She glanced at Ryusuke, who was supporting the Chunin. His handsome, sharp features made her eyes brighten slightly.
Kuroiwa laughed loudly. "The usual."
The owner stepped lightly forward, giggling as she leaned against Ryusuke.
With a teasing pout, she complained, "Lord Kuroiwa, honestly… you've changed again this time—"
Ryusuke immediately cut her off. "Prepare a private room!"
He was afraid she might say something that would alert Kuroiwa and break the genjutsu.
The owner took a drag from her pipe, looking somewhat disappointed. She shot Ryusuke a resentful glance.
She pulled a wooden token from her waist and handed it to Ryusuke, then leaned close to whisper in his ear, exhaling softly.
"If you ever have any special requests, you can come to me. I'll even do it for free."
"Damn it, I just got teased by a woman." Ryusuke roared inwardly.
But survival came first. He had a bad feeling and didn't have time to deal with the woman. Taking the token, he quickly headed upstairs.
Watching their retreating figures, the owner smiled knowingly.
"Ninja-sama really know how to have fun. Such a pity for that handsome young man."
Once inside the room, Ryusuke dropped the act and threw Kuroiwa onto the floor.
The Chunin, clearly hurt from the fall, staggered up angrily. "Damn it, Daisuke! How dare you?"
Already nauseated enough, Ryusuke stepped forward and smashed an elbow into Kuroiwa's neck.
Kuroiwa's eyes rolled back, and with a thud, he collapsed unconscious.
The noise carried downstairs. The owner took a drag of her pipe and chuckled. "My, how intense."
Ryusuke quickly searched the room and found some ropes used for binding.
Who knew why there were ropes and whips lying around.
He tied the man up thoroughly in a tight, elaborate binding.
Once secured, Ryusuke placed his hand on Kuroiwa's head. "Ninja Art: Mind Reading Technique!"
Kuroiwa's memories flashed before him like a slideshow.
"So this guy is the nephew of one of Hanzō of the Salamander's trusted aides. No wonder he acts so recklessly."
Ryusuke continued searching for important information.
But aside from that, this useless man's memories were filled with "alcohol," "women," "men," and other things that would probably get this book banned if described.
"My eyes… I'll have to ask Tsunade to cleanse them when I get back."
Suppressing his revulsion, Ryusuke dug deeper. Recently, during ninja meetings, this guy had actually attended half-drunk. A pure, unadulterated drunkard.
Still, he uncovered some key information. The words "Land of Iron" and "supplies" had been mentioned multiple times in the meetings.
Ryusuke stroked his chin in thought.
Based on memories from his previous life, Hanzō of the Salamander could no longer tolerate the three great nations fighting chaotically within the Land of Rain and took the initiative to spark the Second Shinobi World War.
But if the resource-starved Land of Rain wanted to declare war on multiple great nations, what would they need most? Supplies, obviously.
And the Land of Iron, as a neutral country, had long sold iron ore and accumulated vast wealth.
It all makes sense. Everything makes sense!
The time he was currently in was precisely the ignition point of the Second Shinobi World War!
And Amegakure's next major move would be to attack the Land of Iron.
"That's a huge piece of intel," Ryusuke thought to himself.
Knock knock knock~
Suddenly, urgent knocking came from outside the door.
"Gentlemen, that's enough playing around. The patrol unit outside requests both of you to come verify your identities."
The owner's voice from outside pulled Ryusuke out of his thoughts.
His heart skipped a beat. "Damn it. If they discover Kuroiwa unconscious and tied up like this, my fate as a spy won't need explaining."
Instead of opening the door, he walked to the window and looked down.
Two ninja were stationed below, guarding the entrance.
Based on Ryusuke's earlier observations, patrol squads usually consisted of at least five people, with either a Chunin or Jonin leading the team.
He wasn't strong enough to handle that many at once—nor could he afford to attract the attention of other patrol squads.
"Do I have to use Demon Possession and fight to the death?"
As Ryusuke's mind raced, the knocking at the door grew more urgent.
"Sir? Sir? Did you hear me?"
Ryusuke exhaled deeply, making his decision.
He walked over to Kuroiwa and directly used chakra to destroy the man's brain nerves. That way, even if Ryusuke escaped, his identity wouldn't be exposed.
He covered Kuroiwa with a blanket, then performed the Transformation Technique, taking on Kuroiwa's appearance.
Imitating Kuroiwa's mannerisms, he cursed loudly as he opened the door.
"Get lost! I was just getting into it!"
The owner snuck a glance into the room. A length of rope still lay on the floor.
She gave a dry laugh and ingratiatingly hooked her arm around Ryusuke's, pressing it firmly against her chest.
"The patrol officers are still waiting. I'm just a commoner—how would I dare offend them?"
"Don't worry. I'll compensate you properly."
The owner smiled apologetically, throwing him a flirtatious look.
Feigning impatience, Ryusuke shut the room door. The owner clung to him as they swayed downstairs together.
When the patrol ninja saw him, they all revealed looks of contempt.
"Kuroiwa, don't think that just because you rely on your second uncle, you can act lawlessly."
"The Shadow of the Village is Lord Hanzō—not your second uncle."
Though the patrol ninja's tone was stern, it carried a hint of bluster masking fear.
Ryusuke decided to gamble.
He mimicked the attitude he had seen in Kuroiwa's memories during interrogations.
"If you've got the guts, go find yourself an uncle like mine. You could struggle your whole life and still just be a Chunin."
"A piece of trash like you—how dare you bark at me?"
The atmosphere instantly dropped to freezing point, turning tense.