Xuanye gathered his wandering thoughts, put the matter of the ancestor on the moon aside for now, and strolled into Central Commercial Street.
Lanterns lined both sides of the street, and people bustled back and forth. It looked quite lively.
But to Xuanye, a transmigrator, Konoha's prosperity really wasn't much to look at.
What baffled him even more was the Shinobi World's bizarre tech tree.
They already had televisions, radios, and computers, yet when war broke out, intelligence was delivered entirely by runners on foot, Ninja Hawks, or carrier pigeons.
Xuanye shook his head, not bothering to delve into these holes in the world's setting.
"Xuanye, over here!"
A clear, pleasant voice called from outside a sweet dumpling shop up ahead.
Kurenai Yuhi had dressed up especially for today. Seeing Xuanye approach, she went to meet him with a faint blush and slipped her arm through his quite naturally.
Standing beside her, Mitaraishi Anko rolled her eyes hard.
While they were waiting, she had earnestly advised her best friend to play a little hard to get on a date with a man and never be too eager.
Yet the moment Xuanye arrived, Kurenai Yuhi had plastered herself against him, throwing all shame aside!
Xuanye smiled and ruffled Kurenai Yuhi's hair.
People in the Shinobi World matured early, and romance wasn't so complicated either. Hinata Hyuga, for instance, already knew how to have a secret crush at just a few years old.
Xuanye and Kurenai Yuhi made a handsome couple and were attracted to each other. After chatting a few times, they had naturally become boyfriend and girlfriend.
If he was going to enjoy life, he certainly needed a beautiful girlfriend by his side.
Xuanye had originally planned to have barbecue tonight, but since Kurenai Yuhi was waiting outside the dumpling shop with her best friend, having something sweet to tide him over wasn't a bad idea.
"Come on, let's sit inside. Everything's on me today."
Xuanye didn't turn his nose up at Anko for being a third wheel and generously invited her inside with them.
He had quite a good impression of Anko.
After Orochimaru defected from the village, Anko, as his personal disciple, had endured plenty of scorn and ostracism from the villagers. She had even been hauled off for several rounds of questioning by the Anbu.
Someone less mentally resilient would have broken down long ago, but she still cheerfully ate dumplings every day, keeping all her grievances bottled up inside.
The girl seemed carefree on the surface, but deep down, she was actually very strong.
She was probably holding on to a fierce determination to capture Orochimaru herself once she was strong enough and demand some answers.
"Kurenai!"
Just as the three were about to step into the shop, a resentful shout suddenly came from beside them.
Asuma Sarutobi strode over with a dark expression, staring fixedly at Kurenai Yuhi's hand on Xuanye's arm.
Kurenai Yuhi frowned. Rather than let go, she hugged Xuanye's arm even tighter.
"Asuma, I've warned you many times. Please use my full name! We aren't close enough for you to address me so casually. If you keep doing that, my boyfriend will be upset!"
Kurenai Yuhi spared Asuma no dignity at all.
Xuanye filled her heart and eyes, and she was afraid that Asuma's relentless pestering might cause him even the slightest misunderstanding about her.
With that, she pulled Xuanye and Anko straight into the dumpling shop without giving Asuma another glance.
Xuanye sat down happily on a bench, watching the show the entire time.
He didn't particularly hate Asuma. He simply thought the fellow was like a brat who had never grown up.
Relying on his father's position as the Third Hokage, Asuma had been nothing but a spoiled young wastrel, constantly quarreling with his old man.
Later, to figure out what the "king" his father spoke of really meant, he had run off in a fit of pique to join the Twelve Guardian Ninja at the daimyo's residence.
After spending some time out in the world and returning, he had finally wised up and understood that the "king" represented the next generation. Then he had begun practicing the Sarutobi Clan's traditional specialty, rushing to find Kurenai Yuhi and make babies.
Unfortunately, in this life, Kurenai Yuhi had already become Xuanye's woman.
The only reason he had yet to thoroughly devour this red rose was that he wanted to savor the pleasures of dating for a few more days.
But seeing how sweet and considerate Kurenai Yuhi was tonight, he could take her back to his large residence after dinner and complete that final step, putting an end to certain people's hopes for good.
"Kurenai, I'm leaving Konoha for the capital of the Land of Fire first thing tomorrow morning!"
Unwilling to give up, Asuma followed them to the shop entrance, trying to use his departure to win Kurenai Yuhi's sympathy.
That sort of trick might work on little girls, but it was completely useless against Kurenai Yuhi, who had eyes only for Xuanye.
Kurenai Yuhi didn't even turn her head, treating Asuma as though he were thin air.
She picked up the freshly served tricolor dumplings and lifted a skewer to Xuanye's lips, her gaze brimming with tenderness.
Xuanye glanced at the dumplings and said with a perfectly straight face, "Ordinary dumplings have no flavor. I only like them fed to me from your mouth."
Kurenai Yuhi froze, failing to catch his meaning for a moment.
Only when she saw Anko frantically waggling her eyebrows across from them did she suddenly realize that Xuanye was teasing her.
Kurenai Yuhi instantly blushed to the tips of her ears. She bit her lip, then finally shyly held a dumpling between her lips, closed her eyes, and leaned toward Xuanye.
Xuanye leaned in without hesitation, thoroughly savoring both her and the dumpling.
"Ewww! You two are sickeningly sweet!"
Anko folded her arms and made exaggerated noises of protest.
At the entrance, Asuma looked as though he had been struck by lightning. He stood frozen in place, his eyes nearly bloodshot with rage.
Xuanye leisurely swallowed the dumpling and smacked his lips.
He had to admit, sweets fed mouth-to-mouth by a beautiful woman really did taste good.
"Kurenai! You actually chose a pretty boy like this..."
Asuma completely lost it. Standing at the shop entrance with his fists clenched, he roared at the top of his lungs.
Xuanye raised his eyelids and gave him an indifferent glance.
With such poor mental resilience, no wonder all he could do was coast through life in Konoha.
Before Xuanye could speak, Kurenai Yuhi beside him took offense first.
Having just shared an intimate moment with Xuanye, her shifting gaze held an indescribable allure. She turned and leaned against his shoulder to complain:
"Captain Xuanye, I want to file a report with the Konoha Military Police Force!"
"Asuma Sarutobi has been following and harassing me for a long time. Just now, he was shouting outside the shop, seriously disrupting my normal life. Does the Konoha Military Police Force deal with hooligans who harass people in the street?"
Xuanye was inwardly amused.
So that dumpling she just fed me was her protection fee?
Since he had accepted his girlfriend's "protection fee," he naturally had to provide proper follow-up service.
Xuanye raised his right hand, clapped lightly twice, and casually pointed at Asuma by the entrance.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Two members of the Konoha Military Police Force on night duty instantly darted out of the shadows along the street and dropped to one knee outside the shop.
"Cuff him and take him away!"
Xuanye's tone was calm as he directly branded Asuma:
"I suspect he's an accomplice of the traitor Mito Qingteng! Mito Qingteng betrayed us and sold Konoha's secrets to an enemy nation. As captain of the Konoha Military Police Force, I absolutely will not allow any accomplices to remain at large in the village!"
His words rang with righteousness and commanding authority.
He was clearly abusing his position to settle a personal grudge and making baseless accusations, yet coming from Xuanye, the words carried an inherently convincing air of authority.
Beside him, Kurenai Yuhi cupped her face in both hands, utterly entranced.
This was the man she had chosen!
He could decide the fate of the Hokage's son with a casual wave of his hand. The way he issued orders so seriously was simply impossibly handsome!
With his maxed-out charm at work, Kurenai Yuhi automatically filtered out the fact that Xuanye was abusing his authority. Her mind held nothing but admiration.
"Yes, sir!"
The two Uchiha officers rose and lunged at Asuma without the slightest hesitation.
In the Konoha Military Police Force, Xuanye's orders took precedence over everything!
They had just arrested the Hokage Advisor's only son that afternoon. Arresting the Hokage's son tonight would make a perfect pair! If he dared fight back, they would beat him within an inch of his life all the same!
Asuma didn't even get a chance to resist. In a few quick moves, he was pinned to the ground, fitted with special handcuffs, and dragged away like a dead dog.
With the fly driven off, the shop finally grew quiet.
Enjoying Kurenai Yuhi's adoring gaze, Xuanye continued leisurely sipping tea and eating sweets.
But arresting the Hokage's son in the street caused far too much of a stir, and the news spread through the entire street as though it had wings.
Before the plate of dumplings was even empty, a silvery-white figure landed soundlessly outside the dumpling shop.
Or rather, the fellow had been crouching on the roof for quite some time and only now forced himself to jump down.
It was none other than the exclusive unit of measurement on Xuanye's attribute panel-Kakashi Hatake!
"Xuanye, Asuma is still Lord Third's son, after all. Isn't arresting him going too far?"
Kakashi wore an Anbu mask, his voice somewhat muffled.
Xuanye didn't even raise his eyelids, continuing to drink his tea.
Having been snubbed, Kakashi sighed helplessly.
The Anbu and the Konoha Military Police Force had no authority over each other. He hadn't come to rescue Asuma today, either, but to deliver a message for the Third Hokage.
"Lord Third has read the interrogation transcript sent to the Hokage Building this afternoon."
Kakashi lowered his voice. "Lord Third's position is that there may have been some misunderstandings in Mito Qingteng's case."
Xuanye smiled.
Just what you'd expect from an old fox who had spent his entire life playing political games.
A casually uttered "misunderstanding" both shielded Mitokado Homura and served as a warning and a probe aimed at the Konoha Military Police Force. Along the way, he also wanted to downplay this internal scandal until it disappeared entirely.
Unfortunately, Xuanye had no intention of playing along with Hiruzen Sarutobi's bureaucratic deflections!
The most annoying thing about dealing with these old fossils was all the beating around the bush.
Xuanye set down his teacup, turned to Kakashi, and uttered three words with an utterly sincere expression:
"That costs extra!"
Before you continue