Seeing this, Orochimaru stepped forward unhurriedly and explained:
"Don't worry, I'm only interested in your Hozuki clan's Water Release constitution."
"He won't be in any life-threatening danger."
He licked his lips:
"If you're still worried, you can come visit him in the Land of Sound at any time."
"My base will always welcome you."
That wasn't a lie.
He truly had no intention of using Suigetsu for any dangerous experiments; he only wanted to study the Hozuki clan's unique liquefaction physique.
Even so, Mangetsu remained wary, his face filled with distrust.
Seeing this, Gento spoke:
"How about this–if you're not at ease, then go with Orochimaru to his base."
"After confirming there are no problems, come report to the Anbu of Hidden Gento Village."
Hearing this, Mangetsu nodded without hesitation:
"Alright."
He understood that this was the other party giving him a way out.
Gento nodded inwardly.
To truly subdue someone, you had to win their loyalty.
In the original story, Orochimaru indeed had no intention of harming Suigetsu, so he felt at ease letting Mangetsu go along.
Once he confirmed his younger brother was safe, this talent would be his.
As if on cue, a system notification sounded in his mind:
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for completing the mission: Ninja Blade Prodigy!]
[Reward: Mangekyo Sharingan Awakening Card ×1]
Gento felt reassured.
On the other side, Mei's gaze kept drifting toward Gento.
This Uchiha clan head was not only powerful, but also knew how to win people over.
With just a few words, he made a reluctant genius willingly accept the arrangement.
She had already begun to form some thoughts in her mind.
"Haa…"
She let out a soft sigh, her tone carrying a trace of emotion.
"In truth, the current fate of many clans in the Hidden Mist was caused by the Fourth Mizukage."
She glanced, intentionally or not, at Kimimaro standing behind Orochimaru.
The Kaguya clan that child belonged to was one of the victims.
She continued:
"In addition, we have discovered that the Fourth Mizukage is a puppet being controlled by someone."
She nodded toward Ao.
Ao stepped forward and briefly explained what he had observed with the Byakugan.
The Mizukage's chakra network was abnormal, with foreign chakra inside controlling his movements; this was a typical sign of being under genjutsu.
Mei's gaze swept across everyone present.
Orochimaru showed little interest, quite indifferent.
Gento was even calmer, with no sign of surprise in his eyes.
This made her feel somewhat frustrated.
Shouldn't a normal person be shocked upon hearing this news?
Seeing her slight awkwardness, Gento took out a specially made kunai from his robes and handed it over.
It was a special Flying Thunder God kunai engraved with runes.
"Don't worry."
"When you've gathered enough strength and are ready to overthrow the Fourth Mizukage's rule, you can come to Hidden Gento Village to issue a mission."
He looked at Mei:
"At that time, as long as you pay some special compensation, I will take action to help you overthrow Yagura Karatachi and make you the Fifth Mizukage."
The Fifth Mizukage?!
Mei's heart jolted, a burning light flashing in her eyes.
As for the so-called special compensation…
To hire an expert like the Uchiha, paying some price was only natural.
It was just unclear what this "special compensation" referred to.
She took the Flying Thunder God kunai and gripped it firmly in her hand.
Gento did not linger and waved to Mei in farewell.
Orochimaru boarded the ship they came in on with Jugo, Kimimaro, and the Hozuki brothers.
He was about to call Gento aboard when he saw Gento shake his head.
"You go ahead."
He could sense the Flying Thunder God mark left in Hidden Gento Village in the Land of Hot Water, allowing him to return directly.
It was just that the distance was great, and the chakra consumption would be enormous.
With the amount of chakra he currently possessed, he could barely manage it.
He had Itachi grab onto him as he rapidly formed hand seals:
"Flying Thunder God!"
Chakra surged wildly as space twisted.
In the next moment, the two had already appeared inside the Clan Head's Office in the Mission Hall of Hidden Gento Village.
Gento checked his body–less than ten percent of his chakra remained.
He shook his head helplessly.
It seemed he was still too weak.
With this amount of chakra, a single long-distance Flying Thunder God nearly drained him dry.
He said to Itachi:
"Go record the mission yourself."
"I still have some things to investigate."
After speaking, he turned and left the office, heading toward the Desire Hot Springs.
After being busy for so many days, it was eventually time for him to relax and enjoy himself.
…
He made his way skillfully to the innermost outdoor hot spring reserved for the clan head.
This carefully constructed private space was fully isolated from outside view.
The hot spring was filled with rising steam.
With a thought, Gento released Konan from Yomotsu Space.
Konan appeared by the pool, looking at the unfamiliar surroundings with a hint of confusion in her eyes:
"Gento-sama, this is…"
"This is the hot spring in my Hidden Gento Village."
Gento pointed toward the changing room inside.
"Go change into a swimsuit."
"Let's have a proper bath together."
"Mhm!"
Though somewhat shy, Konan obediently nodded and walked toward the changing room.
Inside, rows of wooden lockers lined the walls.
Because Gento often brought female companions here, the lockers were stocked year-round with all kinds of women's swimsuits.
Conservative, sexy, cute, mature…
All styles were available.
Konan stood before the lockers, her gaze sweeping over the revealing swimsuits, her cheeks warming a little.
After hesitating for a long time, she finally chose a pure-white one-piece swimsuit.
…
Outside, Gento showed no restraint, directly removing his outer clothes by the pool, changing into swim trunks, then leaning by the pool as he waited.
A moment later-
The door to the changing room opened softly.
Konan slowly walked out.
She wore a pure-white one-piece swimsuit.
The fabric clung to every curve of her body.
The design was simple, with a neckline cut just right, revealing a stretch of fair skin.
The curve of her chest was perfectly supported, full and lifted, subtly swaying with her steps.
Her waist was slender without a trace of excess, leading down to the pronounced curve of her hips, outlining an alluring silhouette.
Her long, straight legs stepped barefoot on the stone.
The usual coldness on Konan's face had disappeared.
She lowered her head, her cheeks tinged with a faint blush.
Her usual icy demeanor had completely faded, replaced by a gentle, shy charm that stirred the heart.
Konan walked out awkwardly, her hands instinctively trying to cover herself, though this only made her more enticing.
She had never worn such clothing, nor had she ever exposed herself like this in front of a man.
Seeing Konan in a swimsuit, Gento straightened up in excitement.
He could only think: the swimsuit Konan in games was nothing compared to this!
What was the point of seeing it in a game?
Only by seeing the real thing could one understand what true "impact" meant!
Noticing Gento's unabashed gaze roaming over her, Konan grew even more nervous, her hands not knowing where to rest.
Gento no longer waited. He rose from the pool, walked over, and picked her up by the waist.
"Ah!"
Konan let out a soft cry and instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck.
Splash!
Water splashed everywhere.
Gento jumped into the warm pool with her in his arms.
The warm water instantly enveloped them both.
He placed Konan in front of him, letting her face away as she leaned against the edge of the pool.
At first, her body was stiff, but the warm water gradually helped her relax.
Her body, long kept in a state of tension, finally experienced a rare moment of ease.
Gento could feel her tense muscles slowly softening.
He no longer hesitated and gathered chakra into his fingers.
"You've worked hard these years infiltrating the Akatsuki."
He leaned close to her ear.
His breath made Konan's body tremble a bit.
"Let me help you relax properly."
As his words fell, his fingers accurately pressed onto her chakra points.
"Mm!"
Konan couldn't help letting out a soft, hurried moan.
...
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