By now, Iwasaki Shige's awareness had begun to grow hazy.
Wait, wasn't I carrying out a secret mission on the border of the Land of Fire?
"Mmm~ Lord Iwasaki Shige, it's been quite a while since you last came here~"
As she spoke, a woman draped herself over him, bringing her red lips close to his face.
No... I'm on a mission... the border... the Land of Fire...
Through his muddled thoughts, he vaguely remembered that he was supposed to be carrying out a top-secret mission at the border.
But the scene before him felt all too real: the scent of desire-stirring incense, the woman's coquettish murmurs, the warmth of her skin beneath his palm...
Finally, after he gritted his teeth and struggled, reason gained the upper hand.
"Wind Release: Wind Cutter!"
Iwasaki Shige let out a low growl.
As chakra surged, a Wind Blade swiftly formed in his hand, and he hurled it straight at the woman before him.
Yet the illusion did not shatter as he had expected.
Blood splattered.
The woman who had just been cooing atop him had her body pierced clean through by the Wind Blade.
Iwasaki Shige froze, staring blankly at the blood on his palm.
The smell of rust reached his nose and soon filled the entire room.
"M-murder!"
"The ninja's gone mad again!"
A jumble of footsteps, sobbing cries, the crash of overturned objects...
Chaos swiftly engulfed the private room.
The women who had surrounded him scattered in terror.
They soon fled the room, shouting even louder.
Their cries quickly caused an uproar in the tavern.
"What's going on?"
A cool female voice cut through the noise.
Soon, a kunoichi in ninja attire stepped into the room, her figure shapely and alluring.
She was tall and wore a Sunagakure uniform, but the top three buttons of her shirt were undone, revealing part of her full curves.
Her gaze swept over the scene before finally settling on Iwasaki Shige's face.
Clearly, she was the ninja the tavern had hired to keep order.
"You killed one of our people."
"I... I thought this was genjutsu..."
Iwasaki Shige could barely string his words together.
In the end, he could only give her a full account of how he had been carrying out a mission on the border of the Land of Fire.
The kunoichi listened carefully, fell silent for a moment, then sighed softly.
"Another case of mission stress causing someone to mistake a dream for reality... There have been quite a few lately."
She took two steps closer and looked into his eyes.
"Do you still remember what your mission was? Who sent you? What were your companions' names?"
Iwasaki Shige opened his mouth, only to discover that everything in his mind was a blur.
He tried hard to think, but no matter how much he struggled, he could not recall anything about the mission.
The details, who had sent him, his companions' names... all of it was as elusive as smoke.
"Then... was everything before this really just a dream?"
"It looks like you've pushed yourself far too hard mentally."
The kunoichi's tone softened.
"Many ninja experience this after being under constant strain. Perhaps... you need to relax completely."
Iwasaki Shige knew she had a point.
He had indeed heard of similar cases: ninja who spent long periods under intense pressure could become mentally disoriented when they suddenly relaxed, mistaking dreams or hallucinations for reality.
He himself had once encountered a crazed Chunin in a tavern who insisted he was there on a secret mission. In the end, a medical team had taken the man away.
Back then, he had mocked those ninja. Had he really ended up just like them so soon?
"But... it felt so real..."
Iwasaki Shige murmured.
"That's what makes hallucinations frightening. They feel too real."
The kunoichi spoke softly, her fingers idly tracing across his chest.
"That's how we ninja live, dancing on a knife's edge, hovering between life and death. Losing ourselves now and then is perfectly normal."
"I often find a few male ninja to go wild with after finishing a mission myself."
As she spoke, the tip of her tongue lightly brushed her lower lip, and she gave Iwasaki Shige a meaningful look.
Her fingertips trailed gently down his chest, leaving a faint tickle in their wake.
Just as Iwasaki Shige thought she would go further and continue downward, the kunoichi suddenly chuckled and handed him a sheet of paper.
"Although I sympathize with you, please pay the compensation first."
"Huh? Com... compensation?"
"Of course. Our tavern spent a lot on training her: posture training, etiquette lessons, special skills in bed..."
With a grave expression, Iwasaki Shige took the bill, only to discover that it was for just a hundred thousand ryo.
He could not help letting out a deep sigh of relief.
"Whew~ Thank goodness. That's only the pay for a C-Rank mission."
Remembering that the S-Rank mission he had just completed carried a reward of a full million, he let out a long breath and readily paid.
The kunoichi put away the receipt, and her voice softened again.
"Money can buy plenty of things here. As long as you can afford it, you can find any kind of woman you want."
As she spoke, she leaned right up to Iwasaki Shige's ear and blew softly into it.
The tingling sensation at his ear made Iwasaki Shige relax completely.
The kunoichi had thoroughly stoked the lust within him.
His predatory gaze swept over her curvaceous body.
"Really? Does that mean even you are available?"
As he spoke, Iwasaki Shige's hands began to wander.
At his words, the kunoichi giggled, leaned down, and pressed her soft lips to his.
Only after a long while did they part.
"Of course~ If it's you, I might even do it for free~"
Still panting, she undid another button on her shirt.
The last thread of Iwasaki Shige's reason finally snapped.
With a low growl, he abruptly rolled over and pinned the kunoichi beneath him.
Rather than resist, she smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck, winding her legs around his waist.