The Open-Minded Female Ninja

At this moment, Iwasaki Shige's consciousness had begun to blur.

Wait, wasn't I on a secret mission at the border of the Land of Fire?

"Hmm~ Lord Iwasaki Shige, it's been quite a while since you last visited~"

As she spoke, a woman draped herself over him, pressing her red lips close to his face.

No... I'm on a mission... the border... the Land of Fire...

Amidst his chaotic thoughts, he vaguely remembered that he should be carrying out a top-secret mission at the border.

Yet, the scene before him was far too real: the scent of aphrodisiac incense, the woman's coquettish tone, the warmth of skin beneath his palms...

In the end, through gritted teeth and great effort, his reason gained the upper hand.

"Wind Style: Wind Cutter!"

Iwasaki Shige let out a low growl.

As his chakra surged, a blade of wind rapidly formed in his hand, which he hurled directly at the woman before him.

However, the scene of the illusion shattering that he had expected did not occur.

Blood splattered.

The woman who had just been cooing in his arms was pierced clean through by the wind blade.

Iwasaki Shige froze in place, staring blankly at the blood on his palms.

The metallic scent of iron entered his nostrils and quickly filled the entire room.

"Murder! He's killed someone!"

"The ninja lord has gone mad again!"

The sound of chaotic footsteps, wailing, and the crashing of overturned objects...

Confusion rapidly filled the private room.

The women who had been surrounding him were already terrified and scattering in all directions.

Soon, they fled the room, letting out even louder cries.

Their screams quickly stirred up a commotion in the tavern.

"What is going on?"

A cold, clear female voice pierced through the noise.

Soon, a female ninja dressed in shinobi gear with a sexy, graceful figure stepped into the room.

She was tall and wore a Sunagakure uniform, but the top three buttons of her jacket were undone, revealing a portion of her ample curves.

Her gaze swept across the scene, finally landing on Iwasaki Shige's face.

Clearly, she was the ninja hired by the tavern to keep order.

"You killed one of our people."

"I... I thought this was a genjutsu..."

Iwasaki Shige spoke incoherently.

In the end, he could only recount, point by point, how he had been executing a mission at the border of the Land of Fire.

The female ninja listened carefully, remained silent for a moment, and then sighed softly:

"Another case of mission stress causing someone to mistake a dream for reality... There have been quite a few such examples lately."

She took two steps closer, staring into his eyes:

"Do you still remember the content of the mission? Who dispatched you? What are your companions' names?"

Iwasaki Shige opened his mouth, only to find his mind a complete blur.

He tried hard to think, but no matter how much he struggled, he couldn't recall anything regarding the mission.

The mission details, the dispatcher, the names of his companions... all were as elusive as smoke.

"This... could it be that everything before was truly just a dream?"

"It seems your mental exhaustion is too severe."

The female ninja's tone softened.

"Many ninjas experience this after long periods of tension. Perhaps... you need to completely relax."

Iwasaki Shige knew she was right.

Iwasaki Shige had indeed heard of similar cases: ninjas who had been in high-pressure environments for a long time would experience mental instability when suddenly relaxing, mistaking dreams or hallucinations for reality.

He himself had once encountered a crazed Chunin in a tavern who insisted he was there to carry out a secret mission, only to be taken away by the medical team.

Back then, he had mocked those ninjas, never expecting that he would end up the same way so soon.

"But... it felt so real..."

Iwasaki Shige muttered.

"The terror of an illusion lies in how real it feels."

The kunoichi whispered, her fingers tracing his chest unconsciously.

"We ninjas are like this, dancing on the edge of a blade, wandering between life and death. Getting lost occasionally is perfectly normal."

"I often find some male ninjas to go wild with after finishing a mission, too."

As she spoke, the tip of her tongue lightly licked her lower lip, and she looked at Iwasaki Shige with a meaningful gaze.

Her fingertips glided down his chest, leaving a faint, ticklish sensation in their wake.

Just as Iwasaki Shige thought she was going to take it a step further and continue downward, the kunoichi suddenly chuckled and handed him a piece of paper.

"Although I sympathize with you, please pay the compensation first."

"Huh? Com... compensation?"

"Of course. Our tavern spent a lot to train her—posture training, etiquette instruction, special bedroom techniques..."

Iwasaki Shige took the bill with a heavy expression, only to find it was for a mere one hundred thousand ryo.

He couldn't help but heave a heavy sigh of relief.

"Whew~ That's fine, it's just the reward for a C-rank mission."

Thinking of the one million ryo bounty he had just earned from completing an S-rank mission, he let out a long breath and paid the money readily.

The kunoichi tucked away the receipt, her voice softening once more.

"Here, money can buy many things. As long as you can afford it, you can find any kind of woman you want."

As she spoke, she leaned directly toward Iwasaki Shige's ear and blew a puff of air.

The tingling sensation in his ear made Iwasaki Shige relax completely.

The lustful fire within his body had been thoroughly ignited by this kunoichi.

His aggressive gaze swept over the kunoichi's curvaceous body.

"Really? Does that include even you?"

As he spoke, Iwasaki Shige's hands began to wander.

The kunoichi giggled at his words, leaning down to press her soft lips against Iwasaki Shige's.

After a long while, the two finally parted.

"Of course~ If it's you, I might even waive the fee~"

She panted, her fingers undoing another button on her top.

Iwasaki Shige's last shred of reason finally snapped.

He let out a low growl and lunged, pinning the kunoichi beneath him.

Instead of resisting, she smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck and hooking her legs around his waist.