False Intelligence

Hyuga Kei returned home with a yawn and immediately saw Uzumaki Yuka kneeling at the entrance to greet him.

"Lord Kei." Yuka bowed slightly and placed the slippers before Hyuga Kei.

With Yuka's assistance, Hyuga Kei changed into the slippers. "Have you been waiting here the whole time?"

He helped Uzumaki Yuka up, her legs already numb from kneeling for so long.

"It's nothing. Lord Kei is the head of the household; this is what I should do."

Hyuga Kei was somewhat at a loss for words. He disliked this sort of male chauvinism as well, but it was impossible to change someone's deeply rooted beliefs with just a few sentences.

He had already refused this behavior many times, yet whenever Uzumaki Yuka learned roughly when Hyuga Kei would return, she still greeted him this way.

"Forget it. Just use Mind's Eye of the Kagura to check from now on. There's no need to keep waiting."

"It's fine. It won't interfere with the housework."

Seeing how impervious Uzumaki Yuka was, Hyuga Kei could not bring himself to say anything harsh.

Hyuga Kei collapsed onto the sofa and let his entire body sink into the soft cushions.

"Comfortable!" Hyuga Kei sighed lightly, picked up the prepared juice from the table, and downed it in one gulp.

Though his progress in Ryūchi Cave had been rapid, the quality of life there had truly been awful. If he wanted to eat anything each day, he had to go outside and hunt it himself, then grill it.

From time to time, three gluttons would also come by to mooch food and drinks.

"By the way, where did Izumi go?"

"Izumi took Hikari and Karin out to play. They probably won't be back until tonight."

"I see."

To make better use of his subordinates while looking after their well-being, Hyuga Kei also needed to make up for the childhood they had lost.

Uzumaki Yuka came to the side of the sofa. "Lord Kei, this is the blood Karin and I stored while you were away."

Lying on the sofa in a haze, Hyuga Kei waved a hand. "Don't store blood anymore. I have no use for it now."

Uzumaki Yuka felt as though thunder had struck beneath a clear sky. Lord Kei no longer had any use for them—did that mean their deal was void as well?

Everything she had now had been given to her by the man before her. If she no longer had any value, would she be cast aside again?

And how would she and her daughter survive in this cruel ninja world?

With a slap, Uzumaki Yuka dropped to her knees beside Hyuga Kei, her forehead repeatedly striking the wooden floor with loud thuds.

Her voice was already choked with tears. "Lord Kei, please don't abandon my daughter and me. I'm willing to do anything for you, as long as Karin can grow up safely."

Hyuga Kei, who had been groggy, was startled awake.

"What are you doing? I never said I didn't want you two. I still need you and Izumi to attend to my daily life."

"Then why have you never wanted me? Is it because I'm old and no longer beautiful, or because my body is too lowly? I know my body is not as pure as Izumi's, but please rest assured, Lord Kei, I absolutely won't interfere with the relationship between you and your future wife."

Hyuga Kei froze for a moment. His meaning had indeed been misunderstood. This woman had defined herself as a mistress Hyuga Kei kept.

He carefully looked Uzumaki Yuka over from head to toe. She was indeed quite beautiful, with a full, curvaceous figure. Her long straight red hair draped over her shoulders, lending her a fragile, slightly disheveled air.

More importantly, she had that intensely alluring mature charm.

"Alright, alright, stop crying. How could I not want you? I just felt the time wasn't right yet."

Hyuga Kei had also felt his desires running somewhat high lately after Tagorihime's teasing, so he might as well go with the flow.

It would also make his subordinate completely devoted to him.

Barefoot, Hyuga Kei lifted Uzumaki Yuka from the floor and kissed her on the lips. "My room?"

"Mhm." Uzumaki Yuka was no inexperienced girl, and she passionately responded to Hyuga Kei's advance.

(Alright, I won't write any further. It wouldn't pass review if I did.)

After several hours of passion, Izumi and the others were probably about to return. Uzumaki Yuka propped herself up, intending to prepare dinner.

Hyuga Kei pulled her back and kissed her forehead. "Don't think like that anymore. I'll protect you all from now on."

Uzumaki Yuka smiled radiantly. "You all? Do you mean Izumi, Hikari, and the others?"

"Of course. I never play favorites. They're still young, though, so we'll talk about it in a few years."

Sunagakure

Sunagakure was now in complete chaos. The Fourth Kazekage had been severely injured and fallen unconscious, while all fifty elite ninja who had gone out to intercept the enemy had been wiped out.

Even the ninja sent afterward to clean up the battlefield had been killed by mysterious ninja, leaving no survivors behind.

Now, they could only hope the Fourth Kazekage would awaken and provide some useful intelligence.

They did not even know what the attackers looked like. All they knew was that the enemy had come from the Land of Rain.

Had that Kimura Takuya made his move? Then why had the battlefield shown no traces whatsoever of Water Release, poisonous mist, or anything else?

"Quick, summon Lord Chiyo! The Kazekage's injuries are too severe. Get him to the emergency room!"

"Yes!"

Countless people bustled about for one man. They had lost one Kage to disappearance several years ago; if they lost another in battle now, Sunagakure truly would not be able to endure it.

There really were no more Kage-level powerhouses left at home who could hold things together.

Chiyo was finally brought over. When she heard that the Kazekage had been severely injured and fallen unconscious, she was likewise shocked. They had only just signed a peace treaty, yet someone had dared to ambush Sunagakure's Kage.

When Chiyo came to Rasa's bedside and saw the burns covering his body, she was startled. "Is this Steaming Danger Tyranny?"

The moment she thought of that ninjutsu, she immediately dismissed it. Steaming Danger Tyranny caused scalding wounds from hot water, while these were burns. They clearly did not match.

Besides, that technique had already been lost in Kirigakure. No one could use it anymore.

There was no time to dwell on that. Chiyo saw the fluctuations on the electrocardiogram growing weaker and weaker.

Chiyo swiftly began the operation. Rasa might have to end up like the Second Tsuchikage, wrapped head to toe in bandages, but at the very least, his life could be saved.

Takigakure

Ōnoki was utterly shocked as he looked over the intelligence. In just a single morning, every border outpost along the Land of Rain had been destroyed. Not one remained intact.

Even the number of survivors was pitifully small.

"Is this a warning from Amegakure?" Ōnoki was secretly alarmed. Since when had Amegakure possessed such power?

A ninja wielding powerful Five Release Ninjutsu had nearly slaughtered the enemy and shattered their forces.

Mysterious black monsters, blood sacrifice rituals.

Every word in the intelligence teased his nerves. What kind of power was this?

"Kitsuchi, give that mercenary group called Akatsuki another mission. Investigate the ninja who destroyed the border outposts."

"Understood, Father." The towering Kitsuchi walked outside.

In the Land of Rain, Pain soon received an exceptionally strange mission: hire the Akatsuki Organization to investigate the Akatsuki Organization.

At the Akatsuki Organization's mission assignment meeting, Deidara laughed loudly without the slightest restraint.

"The old geezer's really gone senile. I've never seen such a ridiculous mission—getting someone to investigate himself, hahaha! This is the funniest joke I've heard all year!" Deidara clutched his stomach and sprawled across the table, laughing so hard he could not straighten his back.

Hidan, that chatterbox, joined in mocking Ōnoki loudly. "Ōnoki, known as the most cunning old fox in the ninja world, actually gave such a muddleheaded order."

After everyone had finished mocking Ōnoki's absurd mission,

Pain said, "Well? Who wants to take this mission?"

Hyuga Kei raised his hand. "I'll take it. I'm very interested in this mission."

"When we hand him the fabricated intelligence, his expression when he faces us will surely be wonderful."

P.S. This is how the pace of taking in women will be from now on.