What the Hell, Sichuan Opera? (New book, please collect)

The ninja looked to be in his twenties, dressed in a slovenly, unkempt manner.

He walked down the street reeking of alcohol, and what was puzzling was that the patrolling ninjas looked at him with a mix of fear and disgust.

They steered clear of him, as if avoiding a pile of steaming dog excrement.

Yusuke activated his sensory ninjutsu; the man's chakra fluctuations were not strong, generally only at the level of a chunin.

This wave, the advantage is mine!

The abnormality on the street gave Yusuke a deep sense of crisis, so he chose to tail the lone Amegakure ninja, keeping a distance.

The Amegakure ninja ahead staggered forward, and when he turned the corner and saw a brothel, a lewd grin appeared on his face.

Yusuke seized the opportunity and quickened his pace.

As he reached the chunin's side, he quickly formed hand seals and tapped the man on the shoulder, silently activating a genjutsu.

The chunin looked at his side with sleepy, bleary eyes, already hypnotized.

"Who is it?"

"Oh, so it's you, Daisuke, why aren't you out on patrol?" he asked drunkenly.

"Heh heh, I was just bored and wanted to find some fun," Yusuke, appearing as Daisuke in the chunin's eyes, replied.

The chunin gave a knowing, man-to-man grin: "I get it, I get it. Come on, follow me inside."

He pointed to the brothel in front of them.

However, the chunin's lewd smile didn't seem to be directed at the prospect of the brothel girls; his gaze was actually staring at him quite nakedly.

No way, no way, is there really a plot twist like this?

Yusuke's mouth twitched, and goosebumps rose on his back.

Suppressing his nausea, the two walked into the brothel.

The proprietress was a mature-looking young woman who approached with a swaying gait, puffing on a long pipe.

"Oh my~ so it's Lord Kuroiwa."

She glanced at Yusuke, who was supporting the chunin, and her eyes lit up slightly at his handsome, rugged features.

Kuroiwa laughed: "The usual."

The proprietress took a few light steps and leaned against Yusuke with a coquettish laugh.

She pouted playfully: "Lord Kuroiwa is really something, changing partners again this time..."

Yusuke immediately cut her off: "Prepare a premium room!"

He was terrified that the proprietress would say something that might make Kuroiwa notice the anomaly and break the genjutsu.

The proprietress puffed on her pipe, feeling a bit let down, and shot Yusuke a resentful glance.

She took a wooden tag from her waist, handed it to Yusuke, and then breathed softly into his ear.

"If the guest has any needs in the future, you can come find me. It's on the house."

Damn it, I actually got flirted with by a woman. Yusuke roared internally.

But his life was at stake, and he felt that something was wrong. Too busy to deal with the woman, he grabbed the wooden tag and hurried upstairs.

Watching their retreating figures, the proprietress gave a knowing smile.

"Ninja lords really know how to play, it's just a pity for this handsome young man."

Entering the room, Yusuke stopped pretending and tossed him onto the floor.

The chunin was clearly hurt by the fall; he shook his head and stood up angrily: "You bastard Daisuke, how dare you?"

Yusuke, already disgusted to the limit, stepped forward and slammed an elbow into Kuroiwa's neck.

Kuroiwa rolled his eyes and collapsed with a thud, knocked cold.

The sound reached the floor below, and the proprietress puffed on her pipe, laughing: "The battle is certainly intense."

Yusuke quickly searched the room and found some rope.

God knows why there were ropes and whips lying around.

He proceeded to hogtie the man.

After binding him, Yusuke placed his hand on Kuroiwa's head: "Mind Reading Technique!"

Kuroiwa's memories flashed before him like a revolving lantern.

So this guy is the nephew of Hanzo the Salamander's confidant. No wonder he's so unscrupulous.

Yusuke continued to inspect, searching for important intelligence.

However, other than that, the waste's memories contained nothing but "alcohol," "women," "men," and some content that would get this book banned if written out.

My eyes! No, I must find Tsunade to wash my eyes when I get back.

Yusuke suppressed his nausea and continued to probe. During the recent ninja meeting, this guy had actually attended half-drunk; he was a pure-blooded alcoholic.

However, he still managed to uncover some vital intelligence; the terms "Land of Iron" and "supplies" were mentioned repeatedly during the meeting.

Yusuke rubbed his chin, lost in thought.

According to his memories from his past life, Hanzo the Salamander could no longer tolerate the three great nations warring within the Land of Rain, prompting him to initiate the Second Shinobi World War.

But if the resource-starved Land of Rain wanted to declare war on multiple great powers, what would they need most? Supplies, without a doubt.

As a neutral nation, the Land of Iron had long traded in iron ore, accumulating vast assets.

It all made sense now; everything clicked!

The time he was currently in was the very precipice of the Second Shinobi World War!

And the next major move for Amegakure would be an assault on the Land of Iron.

What a massive piece of intelligence, Yusuke mused to himself.

"Knock, knock, knock!" Urgent rapping suddenly echoed from outside.

"My lords, stop playing around. The patrol unit outside is asking for the two of you to verify your identities."

The innkeeper's voice from outside the door jolted Yusuke out of his contemplation.

Yusuke's heart skipped a beat: Damn it. If they discover Kuroiwa in this state—bound and unconscious—the fate of a spy like me goes without saying.

Instead of opening the door, he walked to the window and looked down.

Two more ninjas were guarding the main entrance downstairs.

Based on Yusuke's previous observations, a standard patrol squad started at five members, usually led by a Chunin or Jonin.

His current strength was insufficient to handle so many, and he certainly couldn't afford to draw the attention of other patrol units.

Should I use Incursio and fight to the death?

Just as a fierce internal struggle raged in Yusuke's mind, the knocking at the door grew even more frantic.

"My lords, my lords, can you hear me?"

Yusuke let out a long breath, having made his decision.

He walked over to Kuroiwa and used his chakra to destroy the man's neural pathways, ensuring that even if Yusuke escaped, his own identity would remain hidden.

Yusuke covered him with a quilt, then cast a Transformation Jutsu to take on Kuroiwa's appearance.

Mimicking Kuroiwa's mannerisms, he cursed as he threw the door open.

"Get lost! I was right in the middle of things!"

The innkeeper snuck a glance into the room, spotting a length of rope on the floor.

She gave a dry laugh, ingratiatingly hooking her arm through Yusuke's and pressing it firmly against her chest.

"The patrol officers are still waiting; a lowly commoner like me wouldn't dare offend them."

"Don't worry, I'll make sure to compensate you well."

The innkeeper offered a fawning smile, casting a seductive glance at Yusuke.

Yusuke feigned impatience as he shut the door. With the innkeeper clinging to him, the two swayed as they headed downstairs.

The patrol ninjas looked at Yusuke with expressions of disdain. "Kuroiwa, don't think that just because you have your second uncle, you can act lawlessly."

"The shadow of this village is Lord Hanzo, not your uncle."

The patrol ninja's tone was stern, though it carried a hint of bluster.

Yusuke decided to gamble, imitating the demeanor he had seen Kuroiwa display during interrogations.

"If you've got the guts, go find an uncle like that yourself. You've spent your whole life struggling and you're still just a Chunin."

"How dare a piece of trash like you bark at me!"

The atmosphere between the two sides instantly plummeted to freezing, becoming tense and ready to snap.