Yorimitsu had no home, no family, and not even a single brick in Konoha to call his own.
After joining the ANBU, he had to handle odd jobs within the organization, so he lived in the ANBU quarters.
Now that he finally had three days off, staying there was out of the question. If the captain saw him around, he might just assign a new mission and ruin his vacation.
Wearing casual clothes, Yorimitsu slipped out of the Forest of Death where the ANBU was based and wandered through Konoha with his usual caution.
He stopped and looked toward the distant Hokage Rock.
The massive stone faces of the First, Second, and Third Hokage towered above — so huge they could trigger trypophobia in anyone who stared too long.
The closer he got to the Hokage Monument and the Hokage Building beneath it, the more he could feel the weight of those colossal faces pressing down.
This village wasn't the bright, hot-blooded place the manga made it out to be.
It was heavy with death and grief.
Everyone was like Kakashi from the story — they'd lost a teammate, a teacher, or a friend. Nearly everyone was a little mentally broken.
This was a village of the psychologically scarred.
During the Second Great Ninja War, most of Konoha's shinobi were fighting on the front lines, leaving the village half-deserted.
After half an hour of aimless wandering, Yorimitsu decided to find a cheap inn for the night.
"My wallet…?"
When he reached for it, he realized his pouch was empty.
After thinking back carefully, he concluded it must have been left at Tsukizuru Tavern, so he headed there.
Outside the tavern, the voluptuous, alluring hostess had just finished taking out the trash. When she spotted the same ninja from last night walking toward her, her teeth chattered in panic.
It's over.
Had her identity as a spy been discovered?
That handsome young man from last night — he'd killed her partner.
Her partner had never met her face-to-face to keep her identity secret, yet somehow, she'd still been exposed?
What should she do?
Pretending not to see him, the hostess turned and hurried back inside.
Gripping a sharp fruit knife, she began slicing lemons behind the bar.
When Yorimitsu sat in front of her, she looked up. "Would you like the same sake as last time?"
"Give me back my wallet first. I can't order anything without it."
"Eh?"
The hostess stared at the Konoha ninja, clutching and unclutching the knife in her trembling hands.
So he wasn't here to arrest her?
"What are you staring at? My wallet!"
"Wallet? What wallet?"
He really came to look for a wallet? That excuse was too absurd to be fake.
After such emotional whiplash, her chest rose and fell with nervous excitement.
Yorimitsu jumped off the stool and walked toward the back courtyard.
"Sir! The back area's under repair! You can't go in!" she shouted, blocking his way.
She was terrified.
When she woke up last night, everyone was gone — her underground partner, the handsome guest, all vanished.
There was a patch of ground that looked disturbed, as if someone had dug something up and filled it again.
Pushing her aside, Yorimitsu entered the back yard. It really was under repair — floor tiles dug up everywhere.
"I told you it's being fixed. How about this, sir — go rest upstairs. I'll search the back for your wallet," she said, wrapping her arms tightly around his.
"I recognize you now — you were here last night! Why did I pass out? Why did you leave? Weren't we going to explore yin and yang release together?"
"You fell and hit your head. I prefer lively partners, not limp ones," he said flatly.
Her chest pressed against his arm as they walked upstairs. "What's your name?" he asked.
"Qiaoyi."
Inside a private room, Yorimitsu said, "Qiaoyi, my wallet had fifteen thousand ryō in it. You have to find it and pay me back."
Konoha shinobi were notorious for their poor pay.
After a month of near-death missions, Yorimitsu had earned only ten thousand — and the extra five thousand came from pestering his captain.
Qiaoyi went downstairs to search.
She looked through the yard, the side room, every table and chair — nothing.
When she returned, she composed her expression, eyes fluttering seductively.
"Dear ninja, I couldn't find your wallet… but perhaps I can compensate you in another way."
She'd heard he liked enthusiastic responses — so she gave it her all.
Downstairs, the first customers of the day came in for a drink.
After a few minutes, dust began to fall from the ceiling.
The planks creaked rhythmically above.
Twenty minutes later, the door to the upstairs room opened.
Qiaoyi adjusted her shoulder straps back into place, panting softly before closing the door again.
Inside, Yorimitsu lay lazily on the bed. "You said it yourself — since you lost my wallet, I'll be staying here for three days."
"I'll make sure your loss is fully repaid… in every possible way," she promised breathlessly.
Satisfied, Yorimitsu lay back with his eyes half-closed.
So young, so inexperienced. Last night he thought she wasn't soft or lively enough — but actually, not bad. Quite nice, actually.
Three days later, Qiaoyi stood at the door, heartbroken as she watched him leave.
That Konoha ninja was so tight-lipped. Three days, and she hadn't pried a single word from him.
The tavern's ceiling had to be reinforced afterward — was Konoha's information security really this strong?
Still, she was sure of one thing: that handsome ninja wasn't there to investigate her.
Yorimitsu returned to the ANBU under cover of night.
When he opened his locker, his wallet was there.
Stunned, he picked it up. How could that be?
He was certain it hadn't been there three days ago.
Behind him, his captain's voice sounded out of nowhere.
"Fox, I took my five thousand back and added ten thousand for the B-rank mission reward. You've got twenty thousand now. Count it."
Counting didn't matter anymore.
Yorimitsu just wanted to know — that beautiful tavern hostess, Qiaoyi… why was she so passionate these past few days?
Wait a minute. That much enthusiasm… could she be a spy?
Whatever. Spy or not, that was Konoha's problem, not his.
Even if the village burned, it had nothing to do with him.
Female spies were great — always investigating, deeply investigating.
"Let's go," said the captain. "We're tracing the intel from the Iwagakure spy we captured."
Yorimitsu donned his fox mask and sighed behind it.
Last time, a team also went to 'follow the trail' — none of them came back.
Anyone daring to spy inside Konoha wasn't weak. It was hard to tell who was the vine, and who was the melon.
After strapping on his iron ANBU armor and standard ninja blade, checking every piece of gear, Yorimitsu followed his captain and two teammates out of the ANBU base.
He only hoped it would be a simple C-rank mission this time.
Please bookmark, recommend, and keep reading this new book!