A Simple Deal

This was some truly explosive gossip.

Asuka set down the Meat Can in his hand, then placed some water before the Orange Cat, his eyes shining as he said,

"Things like this aren't unheard of in the ninja world, but wasn't Rasa famous for being devoted?"

The Orange Cat lowered its head and sniffed the fragrant canned food before continuing.

"That was all I heard. After that male ninja finished saying that, they couldn't wait to get down to it.

I thought they'd keep talking afterward, so I crouched by the bedroom window until dawn.

Turned out I waited all night for nothing."

"What a pity!"

Asuka shook his head, then his expression turned serious.

"Don't stake out places until dawn next time. Everyone in Sunagakure knows you're my Summoning Beast. It would be easy for them to misunderstand and think I'm trying to gather Sunagakure's intelligence."

The Orange Cat took a bite of the canned food and muttered,

"You're right. I was nearly discovered that morning."

Asuka frowned and quickly asked,

"Then what happened?"

The Orange Cat patted its chest. Relief showed humanlike on its face as it slowly said,

"Near dawn, the male owner of that house came back. Then the male ninja in the bedroom tried to push open the window through the curtains and run away.

I was pressed against that window, remember? He almost shoved me off.

I got mad and kicked him back into the room through the window.

After that, the family started fighting and cursing. Everyone on the street was looking at their house, so no one noticed me."

The male owner?

Asuka's hand froze, and he asked in surprise,

"So, the man and woman you heard talking in the middle of the night were having an affair?"

"Yeah!"

The Orange Cat nodded with certainty, then reclined halfway across the table, its eyelids half-lowered as it said,

"What normal household has that much gossip?"

"Which household?"

It gave Asuka a suspicious look, its tone full of scrutiny.

"What, you want to have an affair too?

Even though that woman has more lovers than you can count on both hands, if she wants to keep her footing in Sunagakure, I doubt she'll get involved with a Konoha Ninja like you."

"Pah!" Asuka spat toward the Orange Cat, crossed one leg over the other, and said disdainfully,

"I was just asking.

We've known each other for so many years. Have you ever seen me associate with that kind of person?"

"..."

The Orange Cat subconsciously nodded. Thinking back, Asuka had indeed behaved himself all these years. The only improper woman he had ever come into contact with was probably the proprietress of that magazine shop in the village.

"She lives at 77 Great Desert Drifting Snow Street. The male owner is a genin with a good reputation nearby, known for being an honest man.

The female owner is named Mari. Her face is ordinary, but her body is seriously smoking hot. She's as slutty as those stinking foxes who love to flaunt themselves.

Not only does she like seducing married men, she also likes seducing married women.

Whenever her man goes out on missions, she brings other people back to the house.

I've personally seen it more than a dozen times."

At that moment, it stretched lazily atop the table and added in a gossipy tone,

"Oh, right. Mari recently found a new lover. His name is Yuzo, and he has some connection to Chiyo."

"He's Chiyo's lover?"

"No, he's the disciple of Chiyo's younger brother, Ebizo.

A while back, when I passed through the capital of the Wind Country, I heard the cats in the daimyo's residence say that one of the daimyo's concubines had taken a guardian ninja as her lover. That man was also named Yuzo."

"They're the same person?"

"Probably. There shouldn't be many people with the same name in Sunagakure."

Hearing that, Asuka's face showed a trace of emotion.

Ebizo's disciple really played around.

Still, that was normal. These ninjas constantly walked along the edge of death, so they were all a little twisted in the head.

Back when he was in Konoha, he often heard about this person cheating on that person.

But that honest man still hadn't divorced his wife. That once again refreshed Asuka's understanding of the word "endurance."

Thinking that, he gave the Orange Cat a thumbs-up and praised,

"Fei Fei, you really have a talent for collecting gossip."

Hearing Asuka praise it, the Orange Cat's mouth curled up, exposing its teeth as it laughed.

"Not easy. You finally noticed one of my strengths."

"Yeah!"

Asuka tugged at the Orange Cat's fat and sighed.

"When I signed a Summoning Contract with you, aside from how adorably fat you were, I mainly wanted to use you as a pillow.

But I didn't expect you to shed so badly—"

"That's going too far!"

Seeing Asuka about to bring up its dark history, its fur immediately stood on end as it snapped,

"Bastard, do you dare say that when you signed the Summoning Contract with me, you never thought about using the Transformation Technique on me and turning me into a catgirl?"

"You got too fat. You completely destroyed my interest in catgirls as a species."

"Die!"

Inside the room.

The cat's furious roars, Asuka's sharp gasps, and the sounds of shattering plates continued for a long time.

Three days later.

"Come on, Grandma. You wouldn't want to see a genius end up becoming useless, would you?"

Thud! Kankuro clutched his head, his face looking like it had been fitted with a mask of pain. He glanced at his mother's clenched fist and said resentfully,

"Why did you hit me? I just wanted to learn Puppet Master techniques from Grandma and practice my opening line."

"Where did you learn that?"

Karura stared at her son with an ugly expression. She could not understand how her formerly well-behaved son had started saying things that sounded so idiotic.

"For the past two days, I've often heard Brother Asuka muttering to himself. I learned it from him."

Uchiha Asuka? Hearing that name, Karura's brows knitted tightly as she asked in confusion,

"What have you been learning from him lately?"

"Puppet Master techniques!"

"He knows Puppet Master techniques?"

"Mm!"

Kankuro nodded solemnly. Then he raised a finger and said with complete seriousness,

"He told me that the only weakness of Puppet Master techniques is the human body, so I should build up my physique properly.

That way, even if an enemy bypasses my puppets and gets close to fight me, I can kick him right back.

He also—"

"Stop! Stop!"

Karura hurriedly cut off what her son was about to say next.

She had only spent two months recovering. She had not looked after Kankuro for two months. How had he become like this?

After taking several deep breaths, she grabbed Kankuro by the arm and sternly said,

"From now on, go learn properly from Lady Chiyo what Puppet Master techniques really are. Don't use those idiotic opening lines anymore.

You'll only make Lady Chiyo unhappy."

"Okaaay."

Kankuro gave a dry reply.

He had specifically sought out Asuka's advice for that opening line.

Even now, he still remembered Asuka patting him on the shoulder and saying,

"Kankuro, Grandma Chiyo has retired. She won't easily accept you as her disciple.

But if you spend two months learning Puppet Master techniques from someone like me, who doesn't know Puppet Master techniques, Chiyo will grit her teeth and take you in rather than let the village's future genius go to waste.

When the time comes, say that as soon as you meet her. Your chances of success will rise dramatically."

Creak!

As the door opened, Kankuro, following behind his mother, saw the absurdly large room before him.

It's huge! After entering, Kankuro looked around the somewhat empty room and could not help marveling inwardly.

There was no furniture in the room at all.

There was a pool in the middle of the room, though he did not know whether there were fish in it.

While he was distracted, Karura had already walked over to Ebizo and explained why she had come.

Chiyo's gaze then fell upon Kankuro.

Looking at Kankuro, who was glancing around everywhere, she recalled the Puppet Master knowledge Asuka had taught him that had nothing whatsoever to do with Puppet Masters. She sighed, then said in an aged voice,

"I'll teach him some basic knowledge.

Yuzo, go to my room and find some basic puppets."

"Yes!"

"Thank you, Lady Chiyo!"

Karura nodded in thanks. She knew that Chiyo was most likely willing to teach Kankuro out of consideration for Rasa.

At that moment, Kankuro's gaze suddenly fell on the ninja who had turned to leave.

So Yuzo is this guy. A child's eyes could not hide what was on his mind.

Ebizo, who was fishing, watched Kankuro stare admiringly at Yuzo's departing back and asked kindly,

"Kankuro, what are you thinking about?"

"Huh?"

Kankuro picked his nose like Asuka did and said in a childish voice,

"Yuzo is a real ninja. He can withstand the impact of more than three hundred jin and use his powerful will to complete an impossible mission."

???

The three of them were left full of question marks by those words.

Clack! The sound of the fishing rod dropping to the ground snapped Ebizo out of it. He considered what Kankuro had just said, looked at the admiration in his eyes, and hesitantly asked,

"Where did you hear those words?"

"When I was playing at Brother Asuka's house, I heard that cat say them."

Hearing this, a look of realization appeared on Ebizo's face as well. He glanced at Kankuro, who was being led away by the ear, then turned his gaze to his older sister Chiyo and slowly said,

"Sister, that person weighing over three hundred jin... should be the one beside the daimyo, right?"

Chiyo glanced at Ebizo, then picked up the fishing rod. As she cast the line, she said,

"The daimyo cut the funding, and you want to use someone close to him to persuade him to add some back.

The plan is somewhat underhanded, but under the current circumstances, it is one of the few things we can try."

"The village's funds have already reached a critical point. Otherwise, we wouldn't have resorted to this."

Ebizo set down his fishing rod, stood up with a sigh, and said,

"Sister, I'll make a trip."

Mm. Watching Ebizo's departing figure, Chiyo slowly closed her eyes. She sat there motionless, as though in meditation.

The daimyo... In another dozen years or so, would the village still have the ability to wage war?

"Lord Ebizo!"

"Mm!"

"Where are you going, Lord Ebizo?"

"Just taking a walk!"

As he exchanged greetings with pedestrians on the street, Ebizo's mind also raced.

It seemed the other side had known about this for a long time. What did he want by holding this leverage? Konoha's people likely did not know about it, or he could not possibly have heard nothing at all. Given Uchiha's relationship with Konoha, Asuka would most likely not tell those higher-ups about it.

The dead might keep secrets, but no one could know whether they had left behind some contingency before they died.

If the matter was exposed, the daimyo might cut the already limited funding by another portion.

Shaking his head, Ebizo headed directly to Asuka's home.

"Yo!"

Opening the door and seeing Ebizo standing outside, Asuka looked somewhat surprised.

"Lord Ebizo, it's been several months, yet you're still as energetic as ever."

"Heh, heh."

Ebizo stroked his beard and smiled kindly. When his gaze caught sight of the cat on the table inside, a glint flashed through his eyes. He smiled and asked,

"May I come in for a talk?"

"Of course!"

Asuka ushered Ebizo inside, poured him a cup of plain water, and asked,

"Did you come to see me because I'm about to return to Konoha? Are you planning to send me off early?"

"No!"

Taking the cup handed to him, Ebizo set it on the table and said in an aged voice.

"This Old One won't beat around the bush with a young man like you.

You know about that matter, don't you?"

Seeing Ebizo's certain expression, Asuka glanced at the Orange Cat sleeping sprawled across the table before looking back at him. Speechless, he said,

"The story about your apprentice and three hundred pounds?"

Ebizo's mouth twitched. Looking at Asuka's exasperated gaze, he slowly said,

"It was just a bad idea proposed for the village's future."

If Sunagakure's finances had not been so tight, bribing those nobles and having them whisper in the daimyo's ear would have been a decent idea.

Unfortunately, they lacked the funds, and the daimyo did not want female ninja getting close to him. They could only choose the cheapest option.

"It really was a bad idea."

Asuka nodded in agreement.

Honestly, he had never dreamed of making a move on someone close to the daimyo.

When he had carried out D-Rank Missions before, it was not as if he had never seen the daimyo's tastes.

All he could say was... they were bizarre. "Young man, how can we keep this matter from becoming known to everyone?"

An extremely aged voice pulled Asuka from his imagination. Looking at Ebizo's smiling eyes, he asked in confusion,

"If you quietly buried the daimyo's concubine, wouldn't that make it as though this never happened?"

"Your thinking is truly dangerous."

Seeing the serious expression on his face, Ebizo sighed wistfully.

"It is said that Uchiha Madara did not think much of nobles back then either. He once wanted to unify the ninja world. If Hashirama Senju had not been there, those nobles would have been in danger.

Still, from what you said, it seems only you and that cat know about this matter."

After a brief pause, he looked at Asuka kindly and continued,

"Young man, could you keep this matter secret for This Old One?"

"Sure!"

Asuka nodded readily.

Gossip was just something to listen to for a bit of amusement. He would forget it after some time anyway.

This time, Ebizo froze. Looking at Asuka, who had agreed so readily, he asked hesitantly,

"No conditions?"

"None."

"No money?"

"I have money."

"Women?"

"I keep myself clean. I'm still a virgin."

"Ninjutsu?"

"I've copied nearly a thousand ninjutsu. Even if I used ten a day, it would take me nearly half a year to get through them all."

"Then..."

Asuka looked at Ebizo with a toothache. Seeing that the other man still wanted to say something, he immediately raised his right hand and pointed at the sky, swearing,

"I swear on the Uchiha's honor.

I only heard this as gossip. I have no intention of spreading it.

In the Konoha of today, only me and three cats know about this.

In the Konoha of the future, only me and three cats will know about this.

You have to believe me. I'm the tightest-lipped man in the Uchiha."

When he heard that Uchiha Asuka had actually sworn on his clan's honor, Ebizo's drooping eyelids instantly lifted.

He examined Asuka from head to toe for a long while, thinking to himself,

The Uchiha clan valued their clan's honor above all else.

Although swearing on the Uchiha clan's honor meant there was a ninety-nine percent chance this matter would not leak, in all his years traveling the ninja world, this was the first time he had encountered someone so easy to talk to.

He could not help feeling uncertain.

If he were not afraid that the other party had some unknown backup plan, and of reigniting the war—

He would have wanted to keep Asuka in Sunagakure right now.

After pondering for a long time, Ebizo tentatively asked,

"How about... you ask for something?"

Asuka shook his head firmly and refused.

"No."

"Just take a little something?"

"???"

Asuka stared at Ebizo with a head full of question marks and asked in confusion,

"Didn't Sunagakure go broke from paying compensation?"

"If you don't take something, This Old One won't feel at ease!"

Hearing that, Asuka's mouth twitched twice before he said,

"I'm a Medical Ninja. I've long heard that Grandma Chiyo has a forbidden medical technique. Are you selling it?"

Selling it? He stared hard into Asuka's eyes. After looking at the clarity in them for a while, Ebizo asked doubtfully,

"How much are you offering?"

"Wait while I get the money."

With that, Asuka rose and walked over to the safe.

A moment later.

Smack! Ebizo looked at the money Asuka tossed onto the table, and the way he looked at Asuka changed.

This guy was incredibly sincere.

His sister's forbidden medical technique, Forbidden Technique: Reanimation Jutsu, was something no Medical Ninja without sufficient skill could learn.

According to his sister, there should not be more than five people in the entire ninja world capable of learning the forbidden technique in her hands.

The harsh learning requirements were one thing, but the consequences were also extremely severe.

He did not believe this Uchiha would use it on Konoha's higher-ups.

Thinking this, he lowered his head to look at the money on the table and said with some emotion,

"You should spend money more carefully..."

"I know. This money is my token of sincerity.

What Sunagakure earns, Sunagakure spends. Not a single cent goes home."

Hearing Asuka's forceful words, Ebizo's expression immediately turned solemn. Grasping one of Asuka's hands, he said seriously,

"Wait here."

After saying that, he got up and left Asuka's room, turning to run toward his own residence.

With this money, the village could hold on for a while longer.

As for Yuzo and the three hundred pounds, he believed this tight-lipped Uchiha.

P.S. Two-in-one.

I'll take another look at this chapter. Ebizo still feels kind of stupid.