Uchiha Chen suddenly remembered that Jiraiya had once told him about Hot Spring Village. He hadn't paid much attention at the time, so he'd forgotten all about it.
Now, seeing the young women leaving the village with smiles as bright as flowers, the memory buried deep within him abruptly resurfaced~
Hot Spring Village was famous not only for its hot springs but also for its countless beauties—every figure and shape imaginable. He'd gathered plenty of writing material here, and the inspiration for Make-Out Paradise, in particular, had come from the village's fair-skinned women...
Uchiha Chen looked at Izumitani Yoju and nodded solemnly.
"Since you're being so generous, old man, I'd be rude to refuse!"
"Haha! Come on in. I promise you won't be disappointed, Seishin."
Izumitani Yoju laughed heartily as he lifted the curtain and went inside.
Uchiha Chen quickly followed. Of course, it wasn't because men and women bathed together, nor because Jiraiya had influenced him. He simply wanted to experience the hot spring's therapeutic effects!
A few minutes later,
Uchiha Chen stared speechlessly at the spacious but completely empty bath in front of him.
So much for men and women bathing together! Where were all those youthful, beautiful... No, where was everyone else?
He hadn't asked for any special treatment!!
Forget it. The village chief had meant well, so he might as well enjoy the hot spring...
"Mmm~"
At the hot spring bathhouse, Uchiha Chen stretched with satisfaction, lifted the curtain, and prepared to leave. Izumitani Yoju had been waiting outside for some time. The moment he saw Uchiha Chen, he greeted him with a smile.
"Seishin."
"Oh? Old man, what are you doing here?"
Uchiha Chen glanced at Izumitani Yoju in surprise. Had the man really been waiting outside for him the whole time? He was far too welcoming.
"Hehe, Seishin, the banquet is ready. Please come with me."
"Oh, all right..."
"Seishin, our village may be small, but there isn't a trace of war here. Everyone in our village loves peace..."
As Izumitani Yoju proudly introduced his village to Uchiha Chen on the streets of Hot Spring Village, a small figure suddenly darted around a corner and crashed into Uchiha Chen. The small figure bounced off him and fell to the ground.
Uchiha Chen looked down and saw that the one who'd hit him was a little boy with slicked-back hair.
"Dan, this is our village's great benefactor. Hurry up and apologize!"
But the boy called Dan didn't listen to Izumitani Yoju. He quickly scrambled to his feet, pulled a face at Uchiha Chen, and stuck out his tongue.
"Bleh!"
Watching Dan turn and run, Izumitani Yoju's eye twitched repeatedly. That had been a swift slap in the face.
"Old man, forget it. He's just a kid."
"True. Seishin, come with me..."
Night blanketed the sky.
In a certain canyon,
A middle-aged man wearing a Sunagakure Forehead Protector and Chunin combat gear knelt on one knee.
"Reporting, Captain! There's a small hidden village called Hot Spring Village about ten miles ahead!"
Standing in front of the middle-aged man was a woman with her hair in a bun. She wore a backless outfit and had a curvaceous figure. She was none other than Pakura, an elite jōnin of Sunagakure and a user of the Kekkei Genkai Scorch Release!
Behind Pakura stood several hundred Sunagakure shinobi, lined up in rows.
"Hot Spring Village? I can't believe the secret path we worked so hard to open leads there."
Pakura rubbed her chin and murmured to herself.
"Captain, what should we do?"
"Pass the word down. Go around Hot Spring Village. Don't let the shinobi there discover us."
After a brief moment of thought, Pakura gave the order.
But just then, a cold, shrill voice rang out from within the ranks.
"No!"
The shinobi behind Pakura instinctively parted, opening a path.
Three figures slowly approached along it. The one on the left was exceptionally tall, while the one on the right was the exact opposite, extremely short. Only the man in the middle was of average height.
All three wore impassive expressions, but their clothes made it clear that they were jōnin of Sunagakure.
"We can't take a detour. It would cost us too much time."
"As for Hot Spring Village, its forces are pitifully weak. We'll just wipe it out!"
The man in the middle gave Pakura a cold glance before speaking in an icy tone.
"But we're not at war with the Land of Rivers. Isn't that a bit..."
Pakura gritted her teeth as she looked at the man before her. His name was Fuki, and he had recently been appointed the new Fourth Kazekage, Rasa's, chief of operations. The two men behind him were his brothers: the tall one was Yuki, and the short one was Jaki.
"A bit what? Too much? If the shinobi of Hot Spring Village inform Konoha's shinobi and cause our mission to fail, can you take responsibility?
"Pakura, don't forget that I'm in charge of this operation. You're just a squad leader."
Fuki narrowed his long eyes. His cold, shrill voice made Pakura deeply uncomfortable.
Pakura wanted nothing more than to blast Fuki in the face with Scorch Release, but she couldn't. Just as Fuki had said, she was only a squad leader on this mission and had to follow his orders.
Seeing Pakura fall silent, Fuki couldn't stop the corners of his mouth from lifting.
So what if she had a Kekkei Genkai? So what if she'd rendered great service in the past? In the end, she still had to follow his orders obediently.
Late that night, Hot Spring Village was still brightly lit, and everyone remained immersed in the joy of the banquet.
They had no idea that a force of several hundred was quietly closing in.
"Let go of me, damn it!"
A Sunagakure shinobi held a struggling little boy and brought him before Fuki. If Uchiha Chen had been there, he would have recognized the boy as Dan—the one who'd run into him.
"Lord Fuki, we caught a boy from Hot Spring Village."
"Oh? Kill him."
Fuki didn't even look at Dan before coldly giving the order.
"No!"
Just as the Sunagakure shinobi holding the boy was about to act, a figure flashed past and snatched Dan away.
It was Pakura.
"Pakura, what do you think you're doing?"
Fuki's expression darkened.
"He's just a child. How can you—"
"I won't let you kill him!"
Pakura glared furiously at Fuki.
"Pakura, understand this: this is war. You want the boy to live? Fine. From now on, you'll obey my orders without question!"
"Fine!"
"Hahahaha!!"
In a grove outside Hot Spring Village, a little boy with slicked-back hair lay on the ground. A Kunai was lodged in his back.
"Eh? The boy's still breathing? He's got a remarkable will to live."
"Perfect. I'll take him back. Lord Jashin will surely like him very much!"