A Turn of Fortune * The Underworld

The guards pressed closer, their blood-stained shoes crunching over the pebbles on the stone pavement.

Each sound felt like it was crushing Luotai's heart.

Luotai took a few steps back with his arm around his mother, his heel stepping into a sunken crevice, and he swayed before regaining his balance.

He knew he couldn't escape.

This bodyguard was much faster than him. He had chased him in the alley for a full quarter of an hour, and no matter which way he turned or disappeared, his eyes were always glued to his back.

And with his mother right behind him, he couldn't run away.

In this situation, we have no choice but to take a desperate gamble!

He drew the Short Sword from his pocket, held it horizontally in front of him, his legs trembling, but he did not retreat.

"Luotai!" his mother cried out in surprise from behind him.

Luotai did not turn around.

He thought that if he died, they would probably spare his mother.

Masato wanted his life; it had nothing to do with an old woman with mobility issues.

He pinned all his hopes on this idea.

The guard glanced at the broken knife in his hand, a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth, then drew his own and declared loudly, "You've got guts! Let's settle this with one move!"

It was at this moment that Mokushō landed on the alley wall, holding a small Five-yen Coin in his hand.

He crouched on the wall, witnessing the impending massacre with perfect clarity.

Luotai charged forward headfirst, but the guards' blades were already locked onto his vitals.

Following this trajectory, a single cut would sever a person in two.

Mokushō muttered to himself, "Oh dear... this means his mother's wish won't come true. That won't do; it will damage his reputation."

He tossed the coin high into the air; the small metal reflected the sunlight, spinning and shimmering as it fell.

As the coin landed in front of her, Inari's red eyes suddenly lit up.

The guard's blade came slashing down.

This strike should have precisely sliced through Luotai's neck, severing the carotid artery, and then passed diagonally down through his body.

But just before the blade touched his skin, his wrist suddenly felt as if it were being pulled by an invisible thread, and it veered to the right.

The blade grazed Luotai's shoulder as it slashed down, cleaving through the air.

Luotai had no idea what was happening.

He only knew that the knife had missed him; he had no time to think about why. He simply closed his eyes, put all his weight on the knife, and thrust it forward with all his might.

Neither of them reacted the moment the blade pierced their hearts.

A moment later, the guard looked down at the Short Sword embedded in his chest, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth and dripping down his chin.

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but blood gushed out first, silencing his voice.

He swayed twice, then fell backward, crashing onto the stone floor and kicking up a small cloud of dust.

Luotai was still holding the knife.

The blood on the hilt of the knife trickled down the back of his hand, warm and sticky.

He looked down at his hands, stained red, his fingers trembling violently.

This was his first murder.

The feeling of taking someone's life filled him with immense terror; the Short Sword slipped from his hand and clattered to the ground.

He took two steps back, collapsed to the ground, and finally began to gasp for breath.

After a long while, Luotai still hadn't gotten up from the ground.

A hand reached out from behind and gently placed on his trembling shoulder.

It was a thin, calloused hand, the skin as rough as dried tree bark, but the palm was warm.

"Luotai." His mother's voice came, "Luotai, it's alright, it's alright."

Luotai slowly turned his head. His mother was looking down at him, her eyes, etched with fine wrinkles by time, as gentle as ever.

She didn't ask him who he killed, nor why he got into such trouble; she simply pressed her hand tightly against his shoulder, as if to give him strength.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say sorry, wanting to say that we had to leave immediately because more people would come looking for us.

But it felt like something was blocking my throat, and I couldn't say a word.

He could only hold his mother's hand tightly in return, then get up and pull her along quickly towards the other end of the alley.

Their figures disappeared around the corner of the alley, leaving only a slowly cooling corpse on the stone floor.

Mokushō jumped down from the wall, tucking the Five-yen Coin in his hand into his sleeve.

"So this means my luck has turned around... wait?"

He noticed a figure suddenly leave the area, and judging by the direction, the figure was heading towards the casino they had just visited.

"Oh no... I forgot to make myself invisible..."

Masato was in a good mood today.

He lost some money, but met an interesting person.

Although the person rejected his offer, his attitude wasn't distant; there would be opportunities to gradually win him over in the future.

He thought he might be able to invite Inari to have a drink with him.

Then the first bad news arrived.

His subordinate whispered the story in his ear at lightning speed.

The smile on Masato's face gradually disappeared, not because the traitor named Luotai had escaped.

Luotai couldn't have gone far. The guards he sent were skilled fighters from the Land of Lightning, making it incredibly easy for them to deal with an unarmed middleman.

What gave him a headache was that the bodyguard was notorious for his love of chasing people. In the past, he would just tease people like a cat playing with a mouse, but this time he actually stumbled into a brothel while chasing someone!

"Which one?" the Masato asked.

The subordinate lowered his head, not daring to look him in the eye. "Tamamoya."

Masato closed his eyes briefly.

Tamamoya, the most famous brothel in the entire Yuhara Street, is so renowned that even nobles from the Land of Fire have to send invitations half a month in advance just to get a glimpse of the courtesan Tamamo-no-Mae.

More importantly, the powerful backer behind Tamamoya is someone he cannot touch.

He was a local bigwig who had been operating in the Land of Hot Water for three generations. Even officials from the Daimyo's Residence had to pay their respects first.

His men, while chasing someone, stormed into the other person's property, injuring their people and smashing their belongings.

In the end, this debt will all be attributed to him Sparrow White Masato.

He had no choice but to bid farewell to Inari and hurriedly head to Tamamoya.

When he arrived, the main hall of the brothel was brightly lit.

The courtesan Tamamo-no-Mae sat in the main seat, dressed in simple everyday clothes, her long hair casually tied back, but her face still held lingering anger, as cold as ice water in the first month of the lunar year.

Several guards stood beside her, one of whom had a bandage wrapped around his arm; he was the debt collector whose wrist had been broken by her bodyguards.

Bloodstains and shards of porcelain remained on the ground.

Having spent so many years in Pleasure Quarter, Ya Masato has seen it all.

He straightened his clothes, bowed slightly to the courtesan, and said in an impeccably sincere tone, "Lady Tamamo-no-Mae, tonight's incident was due to my people's lack of manners, which disturbed you and your sisters. I, Sparrow White Masato, will bear all the losses and will bring generous gifts to apologize in person another day."

Tamamo-no-Mae tapped her fan lightly with her fingertips, her voice neither warm nor cold. "Your people did more than just cause a disturbance. When he rushed in, my guests were waiting in the room next door. When that sword struck, my Tamamoya was stained with blood, and now we can't open the shop to attract customers."

"All the money my brothel earned last night has gone down the drain, Master Masato. If your generous gift isn't enough, I'll be very angry."

Masato cursed the guard eight hundred times in his heart, but still wore a gentle smile on his face, "I failed in my duty to discipline him, and Madam was frightened. Madam, please just name your wish for compensation."

"Compensation is easy to discuss." Tamamo-no-Mae picked up her teacup and slowly took a sip. "However, tonight's trouble can't be resolved with money. Your men injured my brother, do you understand what that means?"

Masato glanced at the debt collector and frowned.

The debt collector was skinny, with dark circles under his eyes, and his skin and hair were scraggly and unkempt. He looked like an ugly ghost. Did this guy even deserve compensation from a Masato like him? He was lucky he wasn't killed!

"He's just a debt collector, isn't he? If Miss Tamamo-no-Mae doesn't mind, I can help you find one..."

Tamamo-no-Mae frowned. "What did you say? You rude wretch, how dare you belittle my brother!"

"How could he possibly be your brother? Lady Tamamo-no-Mae, please don't spread such nonsense. It's bad for your reputation. So, are you interested in silk? I can help you with that..."

Tamamo-no-Mae's face turned red with anger, "You bastard!"

Before she could finish speaking, the paper door was pushed open from the outside. A burly middle-aged man strode into the main hall, followed by seven or eight burly guards, his imposing presence like a typhoon crashing into the room.

Masato's heart skipped a beat.

The person he least wanted to see arrived.

The newcomers were another faction of Yuhara Pleasure Quarter, his mortal enemies who had been fighting him on this street for at least three years.

One controlled the gambling dens and liquor stores on East Street, while the other occupied the brothels and teahouses on West Street. They usually kept to themselves, but their behind-the-scenes conflicts never ceased.

This time, his men barged into the other side's territory, which was tantamount to handing a knife to the other side.

"Masato!" The arch-enemy stood in the center of the main hall, his voice so loud that the entire Tamamoya could hear him, "Your men have come to my territory to cause trouble, injured my men, and almost hurt my sworn sister! You've got some nerve, don't you think these rules are just for show?"

Masato's smile turned cold, "My people were in the wrong in this matter, and I have already apologized to Madam. They should apologize where they should, admit their mistakes, and be dealt with accordingly. Do you have any further instructions?"

"I wouldn't dare offer advice." The arch-rival spread his hands. "Your men stormed into Tamamoya, injured people, smashed things, and scared all the customers away. Everyone there saw it. If word gets out that anyone can break the rules on my turf, who will dare to do business here in the future? My demands aren't high: hand over the land deeds for Rōchōya and Seikōbō, and we'll call it a day."

Masato's expression finally changed.

Rōchōya was his most profitable brothel, Seikōbō was his base disguised as a gambling den. Together, these two establishments accounted for nearly half of his wealth.

The other party didn't come to seek justice; they came to take advantage of the situation.

Tamamo-no-Mae clearly understood how outrageous her Big Brother's asking price was, and she smiled smugly.

Masato's face turned ashen. "My men only killed one person here, and you want two land deeds from me?"

"The fact that your men dared to act on my turf shows you don't respect me at all. If I don't teach you a lesson today, will your men be barging into my backyard next time?"

"I wouldn't dare," Masato glanced at him sideways, "I'll just keep a close eye on you and find a chance to kill you."

The arch-rival took a step closer, the two now less than an arm's length apart. The candlelight flickered in their locked eyes. "Go back to the Land of Lightning. This is not a place for you."

Masato clenched his fist.

He wanted to smash the teacup on the table into his rival's face, and then lead his men to fight him to the death.

But he couldn't. His men had already intruded into the other side's territory—that was an undeniable fact—and the Land of Land of Lightning's plans had reached their most critical moment.

If we make a scene tonight due to a moment of impulse, losing the two land deeds is a minor matter; the major issue is losing control of the Land of Hot Water.

He gritted his teeth and forced out two words: "I can only give you Rōchōya, not Seikōbō. This is my..."

Before he could finish speaking, another subordinate rushed in through the side door and whispered a few words in his ear.

Masato's expression shifted from anger to shock, and from shock to disbelief.

The bodyguard he sent to deal with Luotai, the trusted confidant he brought from the Land of Lightning, is dead.

He had been stabbed through the heart, and his body lay in an alley not far from here.

And Luotai, that dark-skinned small-time businessman, ran away. How did he manage that?!

The subordinate whispered, "It was that Inari! He's the one who made this happen!"

"Masato," his arch-rival urged, "I won't let this go if it's just like this!"

Masato took a deep breath, suppressing his surging anger and fear back into his chest.

He straightened up, his face regaining its unhurried, confident smile, though his lips were still twitching slightly. "I can't give you Seikōbō. I'll exchange it for three shops: Rōchōya and three shops. As for compensation, that'll be settled separately."

His arch-rival raised an eyebrow, clearly somewhat surprised by his concession, but that surprise was quickly replaced by satisfaction.

He nodded and extended his hand to Masato: "Deal. I hope you remember this lesson, keep your people in check, and don't let those unruly individuals cause trouble again."

Masato grasped that hand with just the right amount of strength, his smile remaining perfectly unchanged.

He released his grip, bowed slightly to the courtesan, nodded to his mortal enemy, and then turned and led his men out of the main hall of the Tamamoya.

As soon as he stepped out the door and turned the corner of the alley, his face instantly darkened.

Today he lost two land deeds, paid a large sum of money, lost a capable subordinate, and lost a traitor who knew too many secrets.

It's all because of that guy named Inari!

Is he from the Land of Water? A spy for the Daimyo the Land of Hot Water? Or a hidden agent sent by Konoha?

In any case, the fact that Inari was able to rescue Luotai right under his nose and kill his bodyguards along the way Inari that he is no ordinary gambler.

"Inari, find him! Bring him to me!"

His men responded and dispersed, their footsteps quickly swallowed by the night.

Masato stood alone in the shadows.

Rōchōya consists of three shops, plus a compensation payment enough to buy half a street.

He gave a cold laugh.

Hiroyama is really asking for an exorbitant amount, daring to take advantage of my misfortune and steal so much from me!

It's alright. Once the Land of Land of Lightning's fleet blocks the Land of Land of Whirlpools' sea routes, and once the Daimyo of the Land of Hot Water discovers that his Hot Spring Street has been infiltrated by the Land of Lightning's Ninjas, these shops will eventually return to him with interest.

As for that Inari, he would personally stuff the Chips into his mouth, letting him slowly play with his Chips on his way to the Yomi.