After leaving the gambling house, Akaseki headed straight to the room he had booked in the inn across the street. Sure enough, after he waited a while, the "boss lady" followed him over.
Once they both dispelled their transformations—
"So it was you." Akaseki discovered that she was none other than his "old acquaintance," Inuzuka Tsume.
"You really are the receiver, right? What's the verification code?" Inuzuka Tsume still eyed him doubtfully.
Unlike Akaseki, Inuzuka Tsume had recognized him long ago. Though she knew no sensory ninjutsu, her sense of smell was on par with a ninja dog's.
Seeing this, Akaseki realized that he would have to mask his scent next time, too!
"Eighteen points, three times," Akaseki said directly.
Only then was Inuzuka Tsume convinced. She cleared her throat and said, "Then listen carefully—"
"Hold on!" Akaseki hurriedly stopped her.
"Hm?" Inuzuka Tsume froze.
"Tell me a Hyuga joke first," Akaseki demanded.
"Huh? Why?" Inuzuka Tsume looked at him in bewilderment.
"What if you're secretly working with the Hyuga brothers, waiting to peek at my scroll afterward?" Akaseki stressed.
"I would never—" Inuzuka Tsume pursed her lips, but then her eyes shifted as she came up with something. "Hyuga Hiashi and Hizashi Hyuga had miserable childhoods—"
"Because everyone gave them the evil eye?" Akaseki supplied the punch line himself, clicking his tongue in dissatisfaction. This "Hyuga joke" lacked depth.
Akaseki shook his head and said, "Fine. Give me the code."
Hearing his grudging tone, Tsume protested, "Then you tell one, too! You could be in league with the Hyuga brothers!"
"I'm the receiver. What would I gain from working with the Hyuga brothers?" Akaseki muttered. Still, after a moment's thought, he said, "Of the Five Great Nations, which country does Hizashi like most and Hiashi like least?"
"The Five