Bubble Bath?

Land of Fire border.

"Captain Kagami... no signs of battle to the south either." A male ninja stood behind Kagami Uchiha, hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and spoke.

"..."

Kagami Uchiha, his back to the speaker, was silent for a long moment before replying in a hoarse voice, "You've worked hard. Go rest for a while."

"...Yes." The male ninja lifted his head, opened his mouth as if to speak, then let it dissolve into a silent sigh, answering in a low tone.

Among these jonin, none treated their subordinates better than Hiruzen and Kagami. Now, watching their captain wear a grim face day after day, their own hearts were heavy.

These past days, under the patrol zones Hiruzen Sarutobi had deliberately arranged, Kagami Uchiha had scoured nearly the entire border. Aside from encountering a few suspicious Cloud ninja, he hadn't found a single trace of Uchiha Ao.

The news left Kagami both somewhat relieved and somewhat troubled. No trace meant Uchiha Ao hadn't been killed—at least not near the border. But infiltrating the Land of Lightning for reconnaissance, especially without the Border Defense Force's help, meant his survival odds were less than thirty percent by past precedent.

"Thirty percent..." Kagami Uchiha gazed faintly toward the Land of Lightning. "Even with my strength, deep in the Land of Lightning, I wouldn't have more than fifty percent..."

Just then, a figure suddenly appeared behind him, reporting at a rapid pace: "Captain, there's a signal from the northeast!"

"Captain, intense chakra fluctuations from the northwest!" Another figure appeared right after.

"Could it be..." Kagami Uchiha's eyes sharpened. "Let's go. Come with me!"

"Yes... Which direction first?"

"Northeast!"

One day earlier, Shimosaka Raiden Castle.

"Kinkaku and Ginkaku? Those two?!" Watching the pair's backs as they entered the shop, Uchiha Ao's mouth twitched.

Those two were ruthless enough to kill two Kage in the future—ambush or not, with their strength, his meager Transformation Jutsu would be exposed on the spot if he lingered in their sight. But turning and walking away outright would be too suspicious.

Thinking on his feet, he pretended to be looking for someone outside the door, then deliberately stepped into the shop next to the ramen place. In his haste, he didn't even read the store's name before entering.

The moment he crossed the threshold, a cloying fragrance hit him. At the front counter stood a voluptuous, golden-haired woman with a charming face, her eyes lighting up at the sight of Uchiha Ao.

"Welcome. Do you have a preferred dancer, sir?"

"..."

Uchiha Ao stared at the scene before him, frozen in place. Where the hell did I end up? Dancer? Kabukicho? Bubble bath?

Gulp! He swallowed hard, his mind racing. If he rushed out now, there was a high chance Kinkaku and Ginkaku would spot him—with their strength, any stir in the surroundings could trigger their vigilance. For now, the only option was to commit!

With that thought, drawing on some experience from his Previous Life, he grinned and wrapped his arms around her. "How about you?"

The Blonde Beauty spat at him playfully, her face blooming like a peach blossom. "Sure, if you can keep up, ah..." She lightly slapped his wandering hand from a certain rounded spot, pouting, "Behave."

Uchiha Ao chuckled and put his hand back. "What's the rate here?"

"Not expensive."

The Blonde Beauty covered her mouth with a light laugh. "Fifty Thousand Taels."

"Fifty Thousand?!"

Uchiha Ao's eyelid twitched.

Wasn't that expensive?

These past days in this world, he had more or less figured out the general standard of prices.

The purchasing power of one tael of silver in this world was roughly equivalent to ten yen from his previous life. Fifty thousand taels meant five hundred thousand yen, over twenty thousand RMB.

If not for the fact that this receptionist woman looked good and felt great to the touch, he really would have wanted to curse: Are the girls here inlaid with diamonds or what?

The Blonde Beauty seemed to sense Uchiha Ao's dissatisfaction and said meaningfully:

"Guest, please don't be angry first. Our high price has its reasons. Please follow me first."

For the sake of the two soft mounds on his arm, "Little Cangcang" ultimately held his patience and followed her into a secluded room.

The moment he entered this room, Uchiha Ao heard all kinds of mixed noises coming from every direction—both people's conversations and the bustle of the streets, the hawking of merchants.

"This is..."

He looked at the Blonde Beauty with a strange expression.

The Blonde Beauty introduced with a smile: "This is our store's newest specially made room. Through ingenious design, the room can pick up all kinds of ambient noise from a twenty-meter radius of the street, giving you, the guest, a feeling of being outdoors. But any sound made inside the room won't carry to the opposite side.

Of course, this service is only for guests who need it. If you don't need it, our normal charge is only Ten Thousand Taels, and you can have both me and another Charming Dancer serve you together..."

As she spoke, she pressed herself closer to Uchiha Ao, nearly half her delicate body hanging onto him.

"No need!"

Half a second later, Uchiha Ao raised his hand with a serious expression. "I want this service!"

As the most proper and upright man in all of Uchiha, it wasn't that he wanted to play this kind of game. Rather, he had keenly caught the key information—ambient noise from a twenty-meter radius.

From his observation, the noodle shop next door, even counting the private rooms, probably didn't exceed fifteen meters in total area.

If he could use this thing to catch a few stray words from Kinkaku and Ginkaku, then this Reconnaissance Operation might be completed on the spot!

Thinking this, he immediately pulled several banknotes from his chest, but before handing them over, he cautiously asked one more question.

"If I choose this service, how many dancers will accompany me? Hmm... counting you.

Five?

Or six?"

It wasn't that he was greedy for beauty; it was mainly about playing the role all the way through, otherwise he'd invite suspicion later.

"..."

The Blonde Beauty was startled, then covered her mouth with a light laugh. "As long as you can hold out, the girls won't stop."

Slap!

Uchiha Ao slapped the banknotes onto the table, his expression stern. "Bring it on!"

For this mission, he would go all out!

Inside the noodle shop's private room.

"Oniichan, the Reconnaissance Ninjas sent to the Land of Fire these past few days have all returned, they say. The intelligence... though a bit vague, says Uzumaki Mito... reportedly hasn't appeared in Konoha for several months.

I reckon the rumors about her bad condition should be true."

Ginkaku held a lamb leg in one hand and sake in the other, speaking with a mouthful of mumbled words.

"This is a good opportunity. Relying on that guy Tobirama Senju alone, he can't block our attack at all!"

"Tch, what's the use."

Kinkaku, sitting across from him, curled his lip and took a sip of sake. "That guy A keeps dragging his feet on making a decision. With just the two of us and our ninjas, we can't rally the whole village to start a war."

"Mmph... what a nuisance. How about we just kill him!" Ginkaku tore off a chunk of mutton and chewed loudly.

"..."

Kinkaku thought for a moment, then shook his head. "We can kill him, but not now. Since we've secured the right to command the front lines this time, we can continuously drain the ninjas under A's faction. By then, with the numbers shifting in our favor, starting a war will be as easy as a word from you and me.

Once we deal with Konoha, the Nine-Tails inside that woman Uzumaki Mito will be ours for the taking!"

"Ha~"

Ginkaku wiped his mouth and took another gulp of beer. "As expected of my brother, you're clever!"

As he spoke, he looked toward the wall behind Kinkaku, his gaze turning deep.

"By the way, brother, what do we do about that rat eavesdropping in the corner?"

Kinkaku, sitting nearby, seemed unsurprised. A cruel grin curled at the corner of his mouth as he said harshly:

"That would be... kill him!"