Suimon City

As the crowd gradually dispersed, they watched Uchiha Ao's receding figure.

Only Hiruzen remained, looking shifty. He put an arm around Kagami's shoulders and whispered, "Kagami, I never knew you had that kind of hobby. I always wondered why you'd marry a fellow clan ninja three years your senior. So it was because of that."

"What hobby?"

Kagami pushed his hand away, asking with a strange look, "I've been recovering these past two days. Did something happen? And Miho and I are truly in love. What does age have to do with it?"

"Tch, still playing innocent. Ao told me everything that day..."

Hiruzen pouted, then recounted everything that had happened that day, word for word.

"How about that? Nothing to say now, right!"

Hiss...

After listening, Kagami's face turned as red as a cooked shrimp, steam visibly rising from his ears and the top of his head.

"I, I..."

Only now did he understand why Ao had looked at him so strangely that day, and why Rinon, who had always been kind to him, looked at him as if he were a pervert.

No, that look was definitely one of disgust.

It's over, his lifelong reputation is ruined!

He didn't even know why he had said that. Perhaps it was because he lacked maternal love since childhood, or perhaps that scent reminded him of his wife's ample bosom.

After returning to the Village, how would he explain this to his wife, Miho?

"With her personality, would she throw a dozen Kunai at me the moment I walked in?

Or would she plant a hundred Explosive Tags at the entrance, blowing up both me and the clan grounds?"

Uchiha Kagami felt his future life was bleak, but his mind raced, searching for a solution.

No, it wasn't over yet. As long as Hiruzen didn't tell anyone else...

Thinking this, he immediately turned around, placing his hands seriously on Hiruzen's shoulders.

"Hiruzen, you haven't told anyone else about this, have you!"

"N-no."

"That's good. Ten, no, 200,000 Taels!"

Kagami Uchiha let out a soft breath and held up two fingers. "Can you keep this a secret for me?"

"Tch."

Hiruzen showed disdain. "Do you think I, as the eldest son of the Sarutobi Clan, lack this little bit of Silver Taels? However..."

As he spoke, his tone shifted. He glanced left and right, then grabbed Kagami's shoulder and pulled him aside, whispering:

"If you agree to one thing for me, I'll keep this buried."

"What thing?"

"I invented a Telescope Technique, but I haven't quite perfected it. If you do this, and then that..."

"You're asking me to..."

Kagami looked troubled.

"Troubled, are you?"

Hiruzen immediately stood up, deliberately raising his voice. "If you're troubled, forget it. I was just thinking of telling Hizuki and the others about you..."

"Whoa, whoa, I'll do it, I'll do it!"

"Heh heh, that's more like it. Once this technique is perfected, we'll share it together. Brothers won't let you down."

With that, Kagami left the place with a pained expression. Hiruzen watched his retreating back and chuckled.

"If this technique is developed, I'll be able to... heh heh...

Kagami, I'll keep this secret for the rest of my life!

Too bad Ao isn't someone I can relate to, otherwise, I could share the wonders of the Telescope Technique with him."

Land of Fire, Suimon City, entrance to Red Light Alley.

"Little brother, don't you want a woman with big breasts and a good body? We're having a grand opening sale today, only 5,000 Taels each."

A thin man who looked shrewd blocked Uchiha Ao, who was strolling through the district. He took out a flyer with scantily clad women printed on it and whispered his introduction with shifty eyes.

"No!"

Uchiha Ao stopped in his tracks and shook his head.

"Not enough."

He then held up three fingers. "I want three, and they must all be locals!"

Suimon City was a melting pot of people, and he had spent half the day searching for the Kinkisho but couldn't find its exact location.

Only then did he think of coming to this place to try his luck.

After all, he was a local. If he investigated deeply enough, he should be able to extract more information.

"Ah?"

The thin man was stunned at first, then overjoyed.

This, this was a big client!

"Yes, yes, sir, I guarantee you'll be satisfied. Please, please, please!"

Ao nodded and was welcomed in like a distinguished guest.

One crystal later.

That night, Ao alone battled the Three Demonesses, fighting until the very Dao was obliterated.

Chka...

Uchiha Ao flicked away the burnt match, took a deep drag of his After-Smoke, and exhaled smoke rings as he gazed melancholically out the window.

"Sigh, I was impulsive. Why did I even come in here?

There were simpler ways to gather information."

Yingning...

At that moment, the three women on the bed, with their different hair colors, all woke up from yesterday's storm. Their faces were flushed, and they lay limply on the bed, looking towards the window.

Seeing Ao still looking as energetic as ever, they exchanged wry smiles.

Could this gentleman be a Taijutsu Ninja? His stamina was too incredible.

They wanted to get up and quickly leave this "terrifying" guest, but their legs felt as if they no longer belonged to them, making it impossible to stand.

"Awake?"

Uchiha Ao heard the movement, gently extinguished his cigarette butt, and looked at the three women with a smile.

"Want to earn a little more money?"

"No more, no more..."

The three women quickly shook their heads. The most petite among them even started crying from fear, begging, "Sir, please spare us. We are just ordinary women, we can't withstand your torment. If you still want more, I'll talk to the boss and have him send in a few more sisters."

At this moment, another buxom woman beside them quickly chimed in, "As for the after-service fees, as long as you let us go, the three of us sisters will cover it!"

"You've misunderstood."

Uchiha Ao shook his head and chuckled, "I'm not looking to make money that way. I just want to ask you something. If any of you can answer it, I'll give you 2,000 Taels."

The three women's beautiful eyes lit up upon hearing this. After all, if they worked hard for a whole night, they'd only get 2,000-3,000 Taels from the shop. To get that much silver for free, who wouldn't agree?

The three exchanged glances, and finally, the woman with the most mature charm asked:

"May I ask what question you have, sir?"

"It's very simple."

Uchiha Ao took out a few Banknotes from his pants and placed them on the table. "You're all locals. I just want to ask where the nearest Kinkisho is to this city."

"Kinkisho?"

The other two women exchanged confused glances.

"What is that place?"

The woman with the most mature charm, however, showed a hint of understanding in her eyes.

This guest is indeed a ninja, and a rare Taijutsu Ninja at that. No wonder he's so fierce.

"It seems..."

Uchiha Ao pushed the Banknotes towards the woman, a smirk playing on his lips.

"You know this place."

The mature woman didn't hide it and nodded.

"I do know this place. However, as the price for this information, I'd like to ask you to add another 1,000 Taels on top of the original amount."

As she spoke, she looked up, her heavily made-up eyes meeting Ao's without fear.

"With your experience, you must already know my identity."

Hearing this, Uchiha Ao's eyes narrowed, flashing with a cold glint.

"To dare make such a demand after knowing my identity...

Woman, you're playing with fire!"

In the world of the Hokage, although ninjas were often romanticized, they were essentially assassins who took on missions and killed people.

Ordinary people would flee at the mere mention of a ninja's identity, but this woman...

The two women beside her quickly tugged at the mature woman's hair and whispered, "Asami-nee, what are you doing? It's just information, 2,000 Taels is enough. If you offend this customer, the three of us..."

"Don't worry about it."

The mature woman reached out to comfort them and said softly, "Your physical injuries are too severe this time. After this job, the money the boss gives won't even be enough for your living expenses, let alone your medical treatment.

Without this additional 1,000 Taels, it won't even cover our medical expenses. If we get another job like this later, you two might lose your lives."

"Asami-nee..."

The two women were moved to tears.

Uchiha Ao's hearing was astonishing. Although the three women were discussing in low voices, their words still reached his ears.

"I agree to your request, and I'll add another 3,000 Taels on top of that, but..."

He paused deliberately, enjoying the nervous expressions of the three women, then smiled and said, "You have to tell me your name first."

This woman has guts and is righteous. If I come here again in the future, I might be able to use her.

"My name?"

Upon hearing this, the mature woman looked at him in surprise but didn't overthink it. She replied softly, "My name is Namikaze Asami."