In the town of Yutori, it was currently nighttime.
The streets were brilliantly lit and bustling with voices. Wandering ninja, shoulder to shoulder, lingered here with all manner of weapons. The aroma of food, the heavy scent of rouge and powder from boldly dressed young women, and attendants calling from the roadside to draw in customers filled the air.
If one had not seen it with their own eyes, who would have believed that such a description referred to a small town in the Land of Hot Water?
The dark clouds of war between Kumogakure and Konoha seemed not to have reached this town. It was brightly lit, crowded, and teeming with people, looking far livelier than Konoha itself.
Shisui Uchiha subtly lifted his chin toward Yuzuru Hyuga. At the moment, both had used the Transformation Technique to become plainly dressed, ordinary-looking middle-aged men, utterly inconspicuous within the town.
Following Shisui Uchiha's gaze, Yuzuru saw a ragged youth slumped helplessly in a dim alley off one side of the bustling street. The bloodstained scars on his body were a shocking sight.
Perhaps he had accidentally offended someone, been brutally beaten, and thrown in there. Or perhaps someone had simply drunk too much and decided to use him for amusement.
Yuzuru Hyuga and Shisui Uchiha withdrew their gazes.
On either side of the street, they occasionally saw ninja wearing Yugakure forehead protectors. Yet every one of them looked listless, devoid of even the slightest ninja-like bearing. At a glance, it was clear they had long been steeped in wine and women.
"Don't worry. Here, as long as you have money or skill, this is paradise!" A passing wandering ninja noticed Yuzuru Hyuga's thoughtful expression and laughed heartily as he staggered past with a bottle of liquor raised in his hand.
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