Undercover * Namikaze

Izuna looked up at her, swallowed the snack in his mouth, and his eyes suddenly lit up. "Nothing happened. By the way, you've changed your clothes? This outfit looks really good, much better than your soaking wet clothes from before."

Yūko gave a very faint smile.

She changed into a light purple kimono, with delicate white bellflowers embroidered on the cuffs and hem. A plain sash was tied around her waist, and her long hair was styled into a simple bun by her maid, adorned only with a silver hairpin.

She looked much gentler and her complexion was better than before.

"Thank you," she said softly.

"Where did you get this outfit?" Izuna asked casually.

Yūko sat down opposite him, looking down at the hem of her dress on her lap, and said softly, "It was prepared Sōichi Mr. Soichi. When I went in to change, I saw many women's clothes hanging in the wardrobe, for spring, summer, autumn and winter, all new."

She paused, a little embarrassed, and pursed her lips. "I don't know when he prepared them. The maid said that all the clothes were sewn to my size."

Izuna said "Oh, oh," and gave her a thumbs up. "Then he really loves you. A single man can't possibly have so many women's clothes in his house, unless he's been waiting for you to move in."

Yūko's face flushed instantly, from the tips of her ears to her neck, and she stammered, "No, that's not how it is. How could someone like him..."

"Of course you would." Izuna raised an eyebrow. "Aren't your clothes proof enough?"

Yūko blushed for a moment, then lowered her head. "But our child is still gone..."

When was the child born?

"Last night, shortly after sunset, I went into labor, but I don't know when I gave birth."

When did you go to look for it?

"In the morning, not very early."

Did you find the child's body or remains in that place?

"No..."

Izuna looked troubled. He had little concept of childbirth; he thought it would only take an hour or two at most for the baby to be born. If that were the case, and the woman went to find the baby during the day, the child would have already been dragged away and eaten by scavengers.

But Hashirama, who had Hashirama the birth of his child, knew that childbirth takes at least ten hours, otherwise so many men wouldn't be lingering outside the delivery room, worried and anxious.

So he said, "Childbirth takes a long time. If you went into labor yesterday, your baby must have been born at least this morning. Try to recall exactly when you went out to look for your child, or any significant event that came to mind."

Hope ignited in the woman's eyes. "It was after the morning bell rang! I ran there as soon as I regained my strength!"

Tobirama pondered, "The morning bell should ring no later than 7 a. m."

"Although the child is fragile, he can still hold on for an hour, which means your child was found by some kind person before you arrived," Hashirama said confidently. "Don't worry, your child will definitely be alright."

Yūko's tears immediately streamed down her face. She sobbed and whispered her thanks, "Thank you, thank you all..."

Izuna waved his hand. "Well, as long as the child is alright, that's good. In that case, what we need to do now is find the child."

"Then I'll investigate."

The four looked in the direction from which the sound came, and then they saw a Black Cat.

The Black Cat, with a stern face, raised its head slightly at them with a reserved air.

Izuna looked at the Black Cat, then at Madara sitting next to him. "Madara-kun, is this your Summoning Beast?"

Ban raised an eyebrow. "You don't know?"

"Well."

"It's been a long time, Master Izuna," the Black Cat greeted him.

Izuna gave an awkward laugh, unsure of what to say.

The Black Cat walked up to Yūko, circled her, and sniffed her. "Hmm, I remember your scent. Don't worry, your child will be found."

Yūko wiped away her tears and bowed deeply to the cat.

After accepting the greeting, the Black Cat left the Reception Room and disappeared into the courtyard.

After the Black Cat left, Madara looked at Izuna: "You seem surprised, but you're not surprised that I have Summoning Beast, you're surprised that my Summoning Beast is Nishiozaemon. What did you think my Summoning Beast was?"

Izuna looked at him, her face showing difficulty, as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.

Madara couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at his reaction.

Izuna hesitated once again, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

Madara, I can't bring myself to tell you that your Summoning Beast is Nine-Tails!!

Now Hashirama was intrigued too. "Could it be that the Summoning Beast is difficult to obtain?"

Izuna said, "Don't ask, the answer is it's bigger than a cat."

A slight smile appeared on Ban's previously gloomy face.

Relieved, Yūko knelt down beside them, watching their interaction with great interest, thinking to herself, "These people have such a good relationship."

"Sorry to keep you all waiting." Sōichi walked in. "Let me introduce myself first, I'm Namikaze Sōichi."

"Namikaze?!"

Everyone turned to look at Izuna in an instant.

Izuna: "..."

Namikaze Sōichi looked at him and asked, "Is there a problem with my surname?"

"No, it's nothing." Izuna chuckled dryly and waved his hand. "I just think you might be perfect as the Yellow Knight."

"The Yellow Knight? That's...?"

"Don't worry about me, you can continue." Izuna gestured for him to continue, a cryptic smile on his face.

Namikaze Sōichi looked at him, puzzled, then lifted his robe and sat down on the tatami mat in the main seat.

He sat upright, his hands resting naturally on his knees, looking at Izuna and the others with a gentle expression and impeccable manners.

"Your presence today is an honor to my humble abode. The gatekeeper was ignorant and only recognized you as the young lady's friends, failing to recognize your identities. Please forgive any slights we may have received." He said, bowing slightly.

Izuna smiled and said, "We're here to bring Miss Yūko. As for our identities, we can discuss that later. Sōichi is here, it's more appropriate for us to hear what you have to say first."

Sōichi nodded slightly, his gaze involuntarily drifting towards Yūko.

Yūko had just cried, and her eyes were still a little red. When she heard his voice, she lowered her head and gently twisted the hem of her clothes with her fingers on her knees.

The two were separated by a large part of the side hall. Neither of them spoke first, yet it was as if a very thin thread was connecting them, making the air in the entire room quiet.

Sōichi as Izuna turned to Yūko first and spoke softly.

"I heard from the doorman that you came earlier. Why didn't you tell him? If I had known it was you, I would have let you in."

Yūko's fingers tightened around the hem of her dress. "You kept me around because of that child, didn't you? Now that the child is gone, how can I face you... Someone like me..."

"Yūko." Sōichi's voice turned somber, carrying restrained anger and unspeakable heartache.

Yūko fell silent.

She bit her lower lip hard, afraid that she would burst into tears if she opened her mouth.

Sōichi looked at her, his chest heaving a few times, and finally softened his tone. "You think what I care about is the child? What I care about is the child you and I have. What would I do with this child if I didn't have you? I want you because you are you, not because you are carrying my child."

Yūko looked up in a daze. Her gray-blue eyes were still brimming with tears, yet something seemed to have lit them up.

She understood.

If a man elevates her to this level in front of others, unless he's acting, it Uwagi he truly loves her.

However, Yūko was still a little uneasy. Sōichi seemed to be used to Yūko's behavior. He slowly, firmly and clearly expressed his feelings.

"I love you, Yūko. Will you be my wife?"

Yūko's lips trembled slightly. She opened her mouth, the word "willing" almost escaping her lips.

"Wait a minute!" Izuna suddenly interrupted.

Everyone in the room looked at him. Yūko froze on the spot, Sōichi also turned his head slightly, looking at this unconventional young man with some surprise.

Izuna raised a hand, his expression serious, even somewhat solemn. "I apologize for interrupting such an important moment, but I have a question I'd like to ask Mr. Sōichi first."

"Please speak."

"If you really love her that much, why didn't you redeem her from the Pleasure Quarter sooner?"

Izuna's gaze met Sōichi's eyes directly. "You can't possibly not know what Pleasure Quarter is."

"Leaving a woman there, even if she doesn't need to entertain customers, she's still meat on someone else's chopping board."

"Since you care about her so much that you want to marry her, how can you bear to let her stay in a place like that for even one more day?"

Yūko's eyes, which had just lit up, dimmed again, and her head slowly drooped down.

She had been waiting for the answer to this question for a long time, but she didn't dare to ask, and she never did.

Sōichi didn't avoid the question, but gave Yūko a deep look before turning back to Izuna, his tone calm. "This matter concerns something I want to discuss with you all. If you'd like, I'll begin from the beginning."

Izuna nodded and made a "please" gesture.

The side hall fell silent again, and the copper bells under the eaves jingled softly in the wind.

"This is a long story," Sōichi moment's thought, his tone unhurried.

"Gentlemen, you are new to this place and may not be familiar with the local powers in the Land of Land of Hot Water. This Hot Spring Street looks prosperous, but it is a melting pot of all sorts of people. Behind each shop stands several different forces. Among these forces, there is a man named Masato who is quite famous here, but I think you may not have heard of his name."

Izuna blinked. "I've never heard of it."

"On the surface, Masato is a merchant, but secretly, he's a pawn planted in the Land of Hot Water by the Land of Lightning." Sōichi lowered his voice. "He's been operating in the Land of Hot Water for three years, openly running gambling dens, lending money, and acquiring shops, while secretly gathering intelligence for the Land of Lightning, securing sea routes, and planting spies."

Izuna slowly sat up straight, his expression becoming serious. "So, the matter of hiding people at the Shipyard was orchestrated by this person?"

"That was Sōichi of his moves," the minister nodded. "However, that move wasn't completed. Many things happened that disrupted his original plan. That's why you're all here today."

"And what about you?" Madara suddenly asked, "What role do you play in all of this?"

Sōichi raised his head, his gaze clear and honest. "I am Undercover Agent sent by Hiroyama Boss to infiltrate Masato's inner circle."

There was a moment of silence in the room.

Sōichi continued, "I approached Yūko because of a mission. At that time, I needed a reason to make Masato trust me and lower his guard."

"I need to find a reason for myself to want to go to the Land of Lightning, otherwise why should I, an outsider, go Land of Lightning?"

Upon hearing this, Yūko looked up at Sōichi.

"So I went to the Rōchōya and chose Yūko, who had just arrived there. Her blonde hair and eyes perfectly explained my aesthetic sense, making Masato think that I was just attracted to the beauty of the Land of Lightning. Although it was a bit vulgar, with this reason, I could successfully establish myself by his side."

He paused here, looked at Yūko, and his expression softened, "But I never expected that the longer we spent together, the more I couldn't let her go. At first, I was the one accompanying her, but later she was the one supporting me. Every time I went to Rōchōya, I was ostensibly dealing with Masato's spies, but in reality, I just wanted to stay by her side."

Yūko looked like she was about to cry from emotion.

Although Izuna didn't want to, he still poured cold water on the idea, "If you care so much, why not redeem her?"

"Redeeming her would be easy, but that would directly expose my true feelings and cause the plan to fail." Sōichi bitter smile. "Masato wouldn't care about an ordinary Courtesan, but if he knew I had genuine feelings for her, Yūko would become my weakness. So I can only wait."

"I want to gain control of Rōchōya before I can rightfully bring her out of the Pleasure Quarter and marry her."

"So, you've been working for Hiroyama all along," Tobirama said.

"Yes." Sōichi. "Hiroyama knows I care about Yūko, and although the evidence in Rōchōya isn't as important as that in Seikōbō, it still left quite a few clues because it's convenient for 'buying goods.' If we can take down Rōchōya or Seikōbō, then we'll have captured half of Masato."

Izuna frowned. "So last night, Hiroyama went to the docks in Hiroyama manner because the information you provided allowed him to find something wrong with Masato, and he wanted to wipe out the docks in one fell swoop?"

Sōichi shook his head. "No, what happened last night has nothing to do with me. It was Luotai's doing."

"Luotai?"

"A middleman who used to work for Masato. Last night, he defected to Hiroyama Boss at the dock and revealed Masato's hidden manpower in the Shipyard and the naval defenses. Otherwise, I would have had to wait a while longer."

"Although we dealt with Masato, things were more complicated than expected. Masato's sudden execution threw his men into chaos, and they wouldn't even obey my orders, which led to Yūko's accident."

"She ran away all by herself; she's lucky to be alive," Izuna suddenly said. "If I hadn't pulled Miss Yūko back from the riverbank, there wouldn't be a 'later' now."

Sōichi his eyes, and his fingers slowly tightened around his knees.

After a long while, he spoke again, his voice a little strained. "It was my negligence. I thought the people at Rōchōya wouldn't dare to touch her, and that as long as no one knew she was carrying my child, she wouldn't be in danger."

"But I was wrong. Pleasure Quarter that place, no matter whose woman she is, as long as she's still a Courtesan, she'll never be truly safe."

Izuna didn't reply. He looked at Sōichi, as if judging whether this person was worthy of the tears Yūko had just shed.

"However, gentlemen, there is another matter I have asked of you today."

"Please speak," Hashirama.

"The schemes that the Land of Lightning and the Land of Water have laid in the Land of Hot Water are not just aimed at the Land of Whirlpools."

Sōichi raised his eyes and looked at the four people present. "When I was working for Masato, I discovered that his people were planning an assassination. The location is the Early Summer Festival in the Land of Hot Water this year. We don't know who the target is yet, but for them to go to such lengths to prepare, they must be no Ordinary People."

He paused briefly, then said, "If possible, I would like to request that you esteemed gentlemen stay in the Land of Hot Water for a few more days, preferably until the festival is over."

He looked at Hashirama with sincere eyes. "I know this request is presumptuous, but in the current situation, the Hiroyama Family alone cannot hold the line. If you gentlemen are willing to help, the entire Land of Hot Water will remember this kindness."

Izuna raised an eyebrow and held out his hand. "That's easy, just give us the money and we'll take care of it."

Sōichi and said, "You're so generous, sir. What price would you like?"

Izuna pulled the folding fan that Haruto had given him from his sleeve, snapped it open, and pointed with his other hand. "First, money. We need four times the amount for S-Rank Mission."

"No problem." Namikaze Sōichi smiled. "After all, we're entrusting this to the four of you, so we still need to pay this price."

"You're quite perceptive~" Izuna praised him, then held up a second finger, "Secondly, before we leave the Land of Hot Water, you'll have to take care of my brother's cat. After all, he'll definitely find the child for you, so you have to reward it."

"No problem, the chefs in my household will be at your disposal for the next few days."

"Third, prepare clothes for the four of us to wear to the Early Summer Festival. They must fit well and look good; don't try to fool us with ordinary clothes."

"OK."

Sōichi blinked, waited for a while, and seeing that Izuna didn't speak again, hesitantly asked, "Is it that simple?"

"It's that simple." Izuna nodded. "Do you agree?"

"Yes, of course I agree." Sōichi sigh of relief, even a slight smile appearing on his face. "This is much better than we expected. We are truly grateful that you didn't deliberately make things difficult for us."

Izuna suddenly laughed, a hint of mockery in his voice. "Hmph—it seems you want me to make things difficult for you. Fine, let's add another one."

Sōichi, on high alert, said, "Please speak."

"After this is over, you will bring your wife and children and come back to Konoha with us to settle down."

Yūko's face instantly turned bright red, and she retorted in a small voice, "Not, not my wife yet..."

Namikaze Sōichi was completely baffled. "... Uh, of course you can?"

He genuinely didn't understand what was so special about himself that made Izuna want to win him over.

He was Ordinary People, and his body was relatively thin among Ordinary People. Only his mind was still quite sharp, but he couldn't think of anything important. He believed that he could only take care of himself. If Izuna wanted him to Chamber of Commerce President, he would not be qualified.

Furthermore, why did Izuna want him to go to Konoha, a place where extraordinary people reside, when they had just met?

Tobirama frowned beside him and lowered his voice, "Hey, what are you doing?"

Izuna turned his head and said in a voice only Tobirama could hear, "I'll find you an apprentice."

Tobirama: "?"