Uzumaki Mito's Double Temptation

At six in the evening, deep within the Senju Clan compound, outside Uzumaki Mito's residence.

The air was thick with a stifling heat, making even the cicadas' chirping in the treetops sound particularly grating.

Several ninjas wearing Uzumaki Clan attire paced back and forth outside the wide gate like ants on a hot pan.

"Why isn't he here yet?"

A middle-aged man abruptly stopped, turned, and glared with bloodshot eyes at a young clan member behind him.

"Xiuren, you rascal! Did that Uchiha Ao get the message or not? Didn't you say you already delivered it?"

"I did deliver it."

The young ninja who delivered the message shrunk his neck. "I delivered it to the gatekeeper... But that Uchiha gatekeeper, though he looked arrogant, he'd still do the job after taking the money... probably."

"Probably?!"

The other Uzumaki ninjas were so angry their beards almost stood on end. "That ten thousand ryo was originally our travel expenses to get back. You said it was needed for the job, so giving it to the gatekeeper was fine.

But now, Uchiha Ao still hasn't arrived. If this delays things, can you take responsibility?"

"This, you can't blame me."

Xiuren's face turned red from the scolding, and he couldn't help but mumble softly, "The Uchiha Clan's security is strict, and I couldn't get in, so I had to entrust it to someone else..."

"You dare talk back!"

"If we can't get someone, when we return to the village, you'll be assigned to a stealth mission!"

"I, I..."

The young man's face turned pale with fright. He knew better than anyone what a stealth mission entailed. He'd heard that few who undertook them ever returned alive.

"Enough! What's with all the shouting here!"

At this moment, Longya's sudden roar interrupted their argument.

"Will complaining about each other here solve anything? Why aren't you thinking of a solution!"

Upon hearing this, the other Uzumaki ninjas all lowered their heads in shame, staring blankly at their shadows on the ground, unable to utter a single word for a long time.

Heh, I actually believed these few good-for-nothings would have a solution... A hint of determination flashed in Longya's eyes. He gritted his teeth.

"No, we can't wait any longer. This mission request concerns the safety of thousands of our clan members in Uzushiogakure. There can't be any mistakes.

Since he's not coming, I'll go to the Uchiha compound myself to invite him! Even if I have to kneel at the entrance, I'll bring him here!"

With that, he straightened his messy collar and prepared to leave.

With a creak, the door opened a crack. Little Tsunade, with her two little buns, poked her golden head out and called out crisply:

"Grandpa Longya, I'm going too."

"Little Tsunade?"

Longya was taken aback, then said gently, "Don't be silly, Grandpa is going to ask someone for a favor, and besides..."

"Grandpa Longya, did you forget?"

Tsunade hopped out, hands behind her back, tilting her small face up confidently. "Teacher Ao knows me, and he has a good impression of me. If I go, the chance will definitely be higher."

Longya looked at Tsunade, his thoughts racing.

He had heard that people from Uchiha Ao's clan were generally eccentric. If Tsunade was really familiar with him, the chance of getting him to agree should be higher.

"Alright, then I'll trouble you, Little Tsunade." Longya immediately nodded.

Yay!

Tsunade jumped for joy, secretly delighted.

Hehe, this is great!

This way, she could spend more time with Teacher Ao.

"Little Tsunade, what are you spacing out for? Let's hurry."

"Okay, Grandpa Longya."

Just as the two were about to leave, leisurely footsteps could be heard from a distance.

A tall figure appeared, hands in his pockets, strolling slowly out of an alley.

"Teacher Ao!"

Little Tsunade's eyes lit up as she was about to move. She pulled away from Longya's hand and skipped towards him. "I knew you'd come!"

"Tsunade-chan is here, how could teacher dare to be late?"

Uchiha Ao stopped, a smile on his lips. He casually ruffled Tsunade's little head. "Haven't seen you in a few days, have you grown taller again?"

In the brief moment he was ruffling her head, he managed to glance around. This time, there were no warnings from the Anbu.

Hmph, these bastards are quite well-informed.

Perhaps because he had been ruffling her head for a while, Tsunade's little face turned red. She shyly lowered her head, but her heart was full of joy.

Teacher Ao's hands are so soft and smell so good!

"Ah, so comfortable..."

At this moment, Longya and the others quickly stepped forward, their faces filled with almost fawning smiles. "Lord Sou! You've finally arrived! We were just about to come and pick you up!"

The young man named Xiuren, in particular, looked at Sou with eyes so excited it was as if he were looking at his own father. The intensity of his gaze made Sou feel incredibly uncomfortable.

What the hell is going on with these young people from the Uzumaki Clan? Are they that desperate?... Although he was complaining inwardly, Sou maintained a proper smile on his face and greeted them.

"You are too kind. Since I accepted the village's commission, I naturally had to come."

Besides the reward Tobirama had promised, Sou was also interested in the Uzumaki Clan's sealing jutsu abilities. If he could pick up a few sealing techniques along the way, this trip would be worthwhile.

After all, in the Shinobi World, sealing jutsu could be considered a BUG-level existence.

Afterward, the two chatted for a while longer. With his high emotional intelligence, Sou managed to coax a beaming smile out of the old man Longya in just a few words.

Their brief interaction also eased Longya's mind. Sou's demeanor was much easier to get along with than he had imagined someone from the Uchiha would be.

Creak!

The mansion gate opened, and Uzumaki Mito, dressed in a luxurious kimono, walked out slowly.

Although she was over fifty, time had not left many marks on her face. She looked no older than thirty, at the peak of a woman's charm. Her red hair was tied up, and her voluptuous figure was subtly revealed beneath her loose robes, exuding the unique allure of a mature woman.

"Lady Mito," Longya and the others quickly bowed.

Mito nodded slightly, her gaze falling on Sou. A hint of admiration flashed in her beautiful eyes. "You must be Sou-kun? You truly are a distinguished young man. No wonder Tobirama speaks so highly of you."

Sou composed himself and acted with utmost propriety. "Lady Mito, you flatter me. This junior is unworthy of such praise."

"Being too humble is hypocrisy," Mito chuckled, covering her mouth lightly. She gestured to the side, inviting him in. "Come in for a cup of tea."

Tsunade saw this and moved to follow, but Mito stopped her.

"Little Tsunade, you wait outside."

"Huh? Why?" Tsunade's small mouth instantly pouted. "I want to listen!"

"Be good," Mito said gently. "After this great battle, Grandma will take you to Uzushiogakure to see the sea, how about that?"

Tempted by the prospect of the sea, Tsunade reluctantly agreed.

Inside, the aroma of tea wafted through the air.

"There are no outsiders here, so I'll be direct."

Mito invited Sou to sit, took a sip of tea, and then got straight to the point: "You must have received Tobirama's request. Facing that Cloud Village outpost, what's your confidence level with your strength?"

"Hmm..."

Sou put down his teacup and, after a moment of thought, replied:

"To be honest... only forty percent.

If the intel is correct, that Cloud Village outpost has at least three Jonin, and even more Chunin.

With my current strength, I can at most fight to the death and kill one Jonin."

What he said was half true and half false. If he relied solely on taijutsu, it would indeed only be thirty percent.

However, if he used the Sharingan and Wood Style, he had at least a sixty percent chance of wiping out the entire group of Cloud ninjas.

In reality, the mission scroll from Tobirama didn't force him to hold his ground. He even tacitly allowed him to retreat if things turned unfavorable. But if he did that, the reward for Wood Style would be gone.

The reason Sou "showed weakness" was purely to see if he could pry some good stuff out of this rich woman.

"Forty percent?"

Even so, Mito was somewhat surprised by his words.

Keep in mind, that was three Jonin. Even for elite Jonin she was familiar with, like Hiruzen and Danzo, completing a mission of that difficulty would likely only give them about a fifty percent chance.

No wonder Tobirama recommended this person. It seemed he truly had some strengths.

With this thought, Mito no longer hesitated. She took out an exquisite wooden box from her sleeve and gently pushed it towards Sou.

"This is a secret medicine I refined using the Nine-Tails Chakra, combined with the Uzumaki Clan's sealing jutsu and medical ninjutsu."

Mito opened the box, and a blood-red pill lay quietly within, emitting astonishing energy fluctuations.

"The user's chakra will be immense for two days, and it will automatically recover every morning.

If it weren't for the difficulties back home, I originally intended this for my own child. As long as you accept this mission and wholeheartedly help my clansmen, this pill will be yours."

Looking at the blue pill in the wooden box, Sou's heart surged with excitement.

He had initially approached this with a "let's try" attitude, hoping to get some Nine-Tails Chakra from this active Nine-Tails Jinchuriki to research.

He never expected her to throw out a trump card right from the start!

At this moment, a sentence suddenly appeared in his mind:

The child has a weak stomach and wants to eat soft food.

If he took this pill once every few days, the speed at which his various ninjutsu would improve would be unimaginable!

Just as he was about to agree, Mito saw his eyes flicker and thought he was still hesitating, believing the stakes weren't high enough.

The still-charming Uzumaki princess suddenly pursed her lips and smiled, leaning forward slightly. Her cleavage was partially visible, and a mature, alluring scent wafted towards him.

"It seems Sou-kun still doesn't feel it's safe enough."

Mito's red lips curved slightly as she dropped a bombshell:

"I heard you're interested in my late husband's Wood Style? As long as you accept the mission to clear out the Cloud Village's stronghold, besides the pills, I can make the decision to teach you one of Hashirama's Wood Style Sage Art ninjutsu."

"!!!"

Sou's head snapped up, his eyes shining brightly.

Holy crap, this is one surprise after another!