You Really Do Go to the Hair Salon Often

"The hot springs of the Land of Hot Water truly live up to their reputation. Compared to this place, Konoha falls behind by more than eight streets." Duke soaked in the spring with a towel on his head, only his head above water as he let out a lazy sigh.

Wisps of steam rose from the spring, forming a hazy mist overhead, dreamlike and ethereal. In the hot spring, a beauty revealed her fragrant shoulders, her snow-white, jade-like skin, delicate collarbones, and petal-soft crimson lips making her look like an elf from a dream. Her slightly languid expression and the strand of black hair tucked behind her ear made Asuma's heart race and his face flush nonstop.

At that moment, young Asuma was both impulsive and on the verge of collapse. This is bad, I'm going to get bent! Someone save me! Teacher Zixiao, where are you? Your son is a monster!

"Asuma, if you keep looking at me with those lecherous eyes, I'll kill you." Duke tilted his head back against the stone edge, exposing his flat chest... Well, it could not exactly be called flat. There was still some muscle there.

"What nonsense are you talking about? How could I possibly look lecherously at a man?" Having been exposed, Asuma snapped in embarrassment and tried to argue, "That was clearly a look of envy! That auntie just now wanted to take you to the women's baths, but you insisted on coming to the men's baths. You really don't know how to cherish an opportunity!"

"Are you sure? Kurenai is in the women's baths." Duke glanced at Asuma and said indifferently, "I don't mind, but someone had better not cry later."

"I was wrong. Please, accept my kneeling." Asuma surrendered. "Please don't go to the women's baths again. If you really have to, then absolutely don't go in when Kurenai is there."

"Asshole, you make it sound like I go to the women's baths all the time!" Duke cursed helplessly.

How would I know whether you've been there or not? If I were as gifted as you, I'd go every day. Asuma muttered inwardly, then put on a flattering smile. "Where did Teacher Zixiao go? You can't enjoy authentic hot springs like these in Konoha. It'd be a waste to miss this chance."

"He said he was going to a secret base to collect intelligence. I don't know if that's true, though. He might be at the hair salon." Duke decided that once they got home, he would tell Aunt Natsuki about this.

"That's amazing! It really feels like being a ninja—three people covering while one handles the contact." Asuma immediately perked up and pulled Duke along. "Let's go take a look too. I've never seen what a secret base looks like!"

"What's there to see? If you're interested, go by yourself. Don't bother me. I want to soak a while longer." Immersed in the spring, Duke could not summon any energy.

A short while later, outside the hot spring inn.

Duke and Kurenai followed behind Asuma, both of them deeply dissatisfied. In the end, they had still been dragged out by Asuma's loud fussing. The three wandered around while looking for the address Zixiao had left behind. Along the way, Asuma generously treated them to takoyaki—mainly for Kurenai, with Duke as an extra.

"Found it. This is the place." Asuma excitedly pointed at the storefront before them. It was a pink establishment with its door left slightly ajar. Two scantily clad young women stood outside, striking seductive poses as they solicited customers.

"..." Duke and Kurenai exchanged a look. This kind of secret base was really... understandable, yet unexpected.

Duke grabbed Asuma, who was about to walk inside, his expression strange. "Are you sure it's here?"

"That's right. This is the address written down." Asuma pointed at the street number on the wall. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, but..." Duke was interrupted by a figure pushing open the door and stepping out. It was Mitarashi Shixiao, his hands all over the older sister beside him.

"Customer, come again next time!"

"Hehehe, I definitely will. You're much prettier than the old hag at my home!"

The coquettish older sister put on a shy expression, gave Shixiao a fragrant kiss, and said reluctantly, "Remember to ask for me again!"

"..." Duke. I'm definitely telling Aunt Natsuki when we get back. You're dead.

"..." Asuma. So this is what a hair salon is... So profound.

"..." Kurenai. Men really are all scum.

"..." Mitarashi Shixiao. I must have opened the door wrong. Shouldn't they still be at the hot spring baths?

On the bustling street, a cold wind blew past, and the scene fell silent for a moment. Zixiao was drenched in sweat, not knowing where to put his hands. It's over. My image as a wise and mighty strict teacher... No... This is a disguise to cover my identity. As ninjas, they should understand!

"Ahem, if I said that woman just now was my contact, would you believe me?" Zixiao hurriedly explained, trying to salvage his image.

The three shook their heads in unison. As if we'd believe that. We're not blind. You were obviously enjoying yourself.

Zixiao forced a smile and looked at Duke. His limbs stiffened as he opened his mouth. "Duke, you understand me best. You know I'm not that kind of person. Hurry and explain for me. This is all a misunderstanding."

"'You're much prettier than the old hag at my home!' What do you think will happen if Aunt Natsuki hears that... I'm really looking forward to it!" Duke snorted and gave him a sinister smile.

"It was all an act, meant to cover my identity." Mitarashi Shixiao shuddered as though a bucket of ice water had been poured over him, coldness spreading through his entire body. That omen star in the sky is shining awfully brightly tonight!

"The lipstick mark on your face was also for cover?" Duke pointed at Zixiao's left cheek. The lipstick print was still there, so there was no point trying to argue.

"..." Zixiao burst into tears. I already said it was acting! You can't blame me for acting too well!

"Alcohol, women, and money—those are the Three Prohibitions of Ninja. As a teacher, you should at least have the awareness to set an example. Even if you don't, you should still lead by example in front of us juniors. Yet during a mission, you actually played at rescuing fallen women. You've truly disappointed me." Duke looked like he hated that Zixiao had failed to meet expectations. In truth, he knew perfectly well that Zixiao had indeed made a small sacrifice to maintain his cover for the mission. But knowing was one thing, accepting it was another. With a virtuous wife at home, it was bad enough that he was not at home cooking; he even dared to use his position to drink with courtesans and play with women.

"But I really didn't..."

"Teacher, it isn't scary for a man to make a mistake. If you recognize your mistake and correct it, you still have a chance to start over." Duke waved a hand to interrupt Zixiao, staring straight at him as he spoke righteously, his tone exceptionally forceful.

"So... so?" Zixiao trembled like a sieve. At that moment, height was no longer an advantage. In spirit, Duke was the true giant.

"Sometimes the truth isn't important. What matters is what people say it is. So... you understand, right?" With his back to the moonlight, Duke's expression was cloaked in shadow, and his words sent chills down the spine.

Three days later, on the road back to Konoha, the three happiness-filled youngsters walked together in front, their laughter and chatter never stopping. Mitarashi Shixiao trailed behind them in a daze, carrying large and small bags, surrounded by an extremely low-pressure aura that made him seem utterly out of place, as though they belonged to two different worlds. His starving wallet reminded Zixiao that the little nest egg he had secretly saved for a year had once again been emptied. The feeling was so painful that it was as if his body had been hollowed out.

"Teacher Zixiao, walk faster!" Duke stomped hard several times on the puddles beneath his feet, venting his dissatisfaction.

"I know, I know!" Zixiao replied weakly. Over the past three days, he had lost more than just money—he had also lost the authority of a team captain. Even Kurenai, who had always been so well-behaved, now dared to raise her voice at him.

When carrying out missions, ninjas must never lower their guard, because death often came in an instant. The moment Zixiao stepped through a puddle, four long blades shot out of the water. The crisscrossing attack left no room to dodge, and the still-dejected Zixiao was skewered into a bloody gourd.

"Teacher!?" The three were horrified.

"The Jonin is taken care of. Next are you little brats!" Six ninjas emerged from the puddles. They were uniformly dressed in black robes, each face marked with strange red tattoos.

Duke and the other two stood together, forming hand seals as they prepared to attack.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"

Duke had initially intended to use Ice Release to kill the enemy, but when he saw Asuma use the Great Fireball Technique, he changed his strategy and released Wind Release to support him. The wind fed the flames, dramatically increasing their power. Blazing fire swept forward, forming a wall of searing heat that pressed down on the six ambushers.

"Ninja Art: Genjutsu: Falling Cherry Blossom Vision Technique!"

Kurenai used the strongest Illusion Technique she had mastered, enveloping all six of them. Her goal was not to kill them, but to trap them. The ambushers trapped in the illusion stiffened for one second. That one-second delay was enough for all of them to be swallowed by the raging flames.

When the flames dispersed, only charred corpses remained on the ground. The three did not relax their vigilance. They drew their Kunai and stood back-to-back in a Manji Formation.

"Not bad teamwork. You killed my subordinates so easily. Konoha Genin, you've opened my eyes..." An ethereal voice came from all directions, echoing so that it was impossible to determine the attacker's location.

"Be careful. The enemy is nearby," Kurenai warned. The enemy had not shown himself, and the slightest lapse in vigilance could bring a fatal strike.

"Ninja Art? Camouflage Concealment Technique!" After waiting for a while, the enemy hidden in the dark ran out of patience and planned to use an invisibility technique to approach and ambush them. This was an A-rank invisibility technique that used chakra to control the refraction of light around the body, making the user appear as though they did not exist. It was Iwagakure's prized invisibility technique, nearly unstoppable against ninjas without Dōjutsu.

Under the oppressive atmosphere created by the enemy, Asuma and Kurenai gripped their Kunai tightly, sweat sliding down their faces. Faced with such a situation, neither of them had a good solution.

"Ice Release: Blizzard!"

Duke broke away from the formation, formed hand seals with both hands, took a deep breath, and exhaled fiercely. A frigid gale surged forth, carrying snowflakes and tiny hailstones, freezing the bushes ahead into a forest of snow. Within the frozen thicket, a black-robed ninja holding a scythe was covered in ice, his face full of shock.

"My invisibility technique didn't work? You... don't have the Byakugan. Could it be the Uchiha Sharingan?" The black-robed ninja with bloody tattoos on his face forcibly broke free from the ice and knelt on one knee. His limbs were severely frostbitten, and he had lost the ability to move.

"It limits sight, but it can't evade tracking by scent. You can make yourself transparent, but you can't hide the information carried by chakra. Even if you hide both scent and chakra, you still can't escape detection through touch. Your invisibility technique has far too many weaknesses. Whether it's a ninja with Dōjutsu or a sensory-type ninja, either could easily find you." Duke explained. His string of words did not leave the ambusher dazed, but it did leave Asuma and Kurenai utterly stunned.