Masashi waited femuo disappear before turning around and opening the doors of the guesthouse.

  As soon as the door opened, a wave of heat hit them.

  "It's quite warm," Shisui said, his face showing a look of fort.

  The Land of Water lived up to its s humidity pressive. Being used to the pleasant climate of the Land of Fire, he felt unfortable here, his body sticky and cmmy.

  As the two walked into the building, they realized the guesthouse was more impressive on the ihan it appeared. While the exterior presented as an unremarkable apartment block, the interior boasted exquisite architectural design.

  A vishly furnished lobby spread out before them, with red as the dominant color. There were firepces on both sides, radiatihat warmed the space.

  Though the area was not very rge, many small doors branched off in various dires.

  Masashi looked up and noticed ventition ducts c the ceiling. His eyes narrowed slightly.

  The door behind them closed automatically, and footsteps approached.

  Soon after, a girl around fifteen or sixteen years old appeared before them.

  She had delicate features, with jet-bck hair falling straight down her shoulders. Her face was slightly flushed, and her rge, bright eyes shone like polished obsidian. Her soft, full lips curved into a gentle smile.

  She wore fairly revealing clothing, but it didn't seem i. Instead, it radiated the youthful energy fitting for her age.

  Shisui averted his gaze.

  It wasn't that he was shy—ninjas of his caliber would not falter so easily. It was simply that she reminded him of a particurly painful memory.

  The girl noticed his rea, and a hint of moisture appeared in her eyes.

  "Wele to Kiri."

  "That might be premature," Masashi said as he tinued his surroundings. "For all we know, you might not be so weling tomorrow."

  The girl froze.

  In truth, she hadn't been w here for long. Guests were a rarity, and this was her first time receiving any. She was unsure how to respond to the situation.

  Suddenly, Masashi turned his gaze toward her, his eyes transf into the three-tomoe Sharingan.

  The girl's heart tightened, but she maintained her shy smile.

  Masashi wasn't ied in her performance; he simply wao firm whether she possessed chakra. He had already used chakra sensing earlier and hadn't detected anyone in the building with chakra.

  He couldn't believe it, so he decided to double-check with his Sharingan.

  "You're not a ninja?" Masashi asked as he deactivated the Sharingan. "Are all of you ordinary people?"

  "Yes. This is a pce meant to host important guests, and no ninjas are allowed," the girl said, bowing deeply. "You must be a noble from a distinguished ninja . Please allow me to serve you."

  "Sorry, but I'm her noble nor distinguished," Masashi said bluntly. His curt demeanor made the girl fearful of what would happen to her.

  But in the moment, his tone ged.

  "No, this guy here is the noble and distinguished one." He spped Shisui on the shoulder, pushing him forward. "Serve him well. I'm just an assistant—don't get the wrong person."

  Shisui looked at Masashi in disbelief, his eyes clearly saying, "Masashi-nii! you act like a det human being for once?"

  Masashi felt that Shisui probably didn't uand his i. Sorry, Shisui, but you're the better distra right now.

  "You're being unreasonable. Don't look down on w people," Masashi lectured. "Workers don't bully other workers."

  "I didn't bully anyone…" Shisui muttered, feeling deeply distressed. He was vinced Masashi was ag irrational again.

  Masashi couldn't be bothered to expin.

  "Well, that's settled. I'm truly exhausted, so I'm off to get some sleep," he said, turning to the girl. "Please take me to my room—oh a bath and a pce to sleep."

  "Y-Yes…" The girl, feeling as though she had just been pulled back from hell into heaven, was still dazed. She realized that Masashi was helping her, and her heart filled with gratitude.

  Serving someone who was tough oside but soft-hearted underh was more rewarding, though she had no choi the matter.

  The girl stood up and tugged a thin rope nearby.

  The sound of bells echoed in the room.

  After a while, another peared.

  Hikari? Masashi paused for a moment.

  This woman had a pletely different style of dress—a high-slit gown.

  She was older than the girl, with an aura of maturity—essentially a trast of "sweet young girl" and "seductive mature woman."

  Kiri, it seemed, not only practiced the Bloody Mist policies but also indulged in these antics, which likely expiheir poor reputation.

  Masashi waved his hand dismissively.

  "Lead the way."

  o make something as simple as getting a room so plicated.

  "This way," the woman said with a deep bow.

  She bent so far forward that Masashi worried her waist might not support the weight up front.

  It was clear that Kagemune had ulterior motives fing aodations like this for him and Shisui.

  Hopefully, Shisui—despite his i appearance—would realize the situation soon and put his genjutsu skills to good use, perhaps gathering some useful intel.

  Ahead of him, the woman swayed her hips as she led the way.

  When they arrived at a room, she opehe door and bowed for Masashi to enter.

  Inside, everything from the doorknob to the metallic-looking stove exuded luxury. Each wall ainted in deep hues, resembling orderly arranged oil paintings.

  It was gaudy and over the top.

  A faint rustling sound came from behind.

  When Masashi turned around, the woman had begun to undress.

  Everything roceedily as he expected.

  The woman removed the pins from her hair.

  Masashi's gaze remained indifferent.

  "I'm sorry, but I'm really tired. I still have work to do tonight. Let's arrange for aime."

  He liked tea, sure—but only tea, not this kind of "tea."

  No matter how mueone faked a smile, they couldn't hide their true iions. It was no wonder Kiri had devolved into such chaos. While the non-injas had seemingly lost their minds, the injas weren't much better.

  The woman froze.

  Though she was new here, her previous profession gave her a good sense of when someone was telling the truth or not. After hesitating for a moment, she put her clothes ba, bowed, a, closing the door behind her.

  Masashi walked around the room casually and easily discovered several surveilnce devices ced with monit jutsu.

  They really had uimated him.

  Destroying the devices without effort, he colpsed onto the sofa and closed his eyes.

  When he opehem again, the sky outside had darkened.

  There was another knock at the door.

  "e in."

  The same womaered again, now wearing a full bck gown.

  "The Kiri families are hosting a gathering tonight. The Hōzuki family has invited you and your panion to attend. Will you go?"

  "And who invited us?"

  "I am yuide. Serving you is my responsibility."

  "Alright, ge into something more servative."

  The aused, then walked into the wardrobe. When she emerged, she was covered in a sheer veil.

  Masashi realized this was far from "servative."

  "There are no clothes here that meet your standards," the woman expined.

  "Fine," Masashi replied, not pressing the matter. He stood up. "Let's go to the ba."

  He smiled.

  This trip to Kiri had already opened his eyes.

  The ninjas of Kiri certainly had their own lives, but such a lifestyle had little to do with civilian ninjas. Through the luxury and excess, he could see the deeper rot.

  Here, civilian ninjas struggled just to survive.

  Masashi wasn't sure if Kiri had always been this way, but he khat in those days, the Kiri ninjas had standards for living.

  Most likely, the policies were to bme again.

  So, if the Third Mizukage wasn't just ht crazy, then maybe he was an undercent who rose to power—or perhaps...

  But Madara wasn't Obito. He had no personal grudge against Kiri.

  Apanied by the woman, they made their way out and wahrough a spiral staircase leading to the lower levels.

  "Do they hold bas here too?" Masashi asked.

  "Yes."

  The woman aring with her words.

  Her eyes occasionally gnced around, carrying a faint sweetness.

  However, the eyes that should have been enting and lively were instead empty and mencholy—the look of someone who had long cried themselves dry, elig pity just like Hikari...

  A smile was merely a mask for pain too deep to articute.

  She resembled her too much.

  "Later, stay close to me," Masashi said. "That way no one touch you."

  A flicker of light appeared in the woman's eyes, but like a dle in the wind, it quickly extinguished.

  Still, she did move slightly closer to him.

  And Masashi noticed this.

  In his first life, anyone who dared py this sort of game in Konoha had been crushed under his boot.

  In Kiri, however, such behavior was rampant and urained.

  The spiral staircase seemed endless. After a few turns, sounds began to emanate from below.

  At the bottom was a door.

  Before opening the door, Masashi asked, "What's your name?"

  "Hikari."

  Masashi's expression remained unged, but something shifted in his eyes. He opehe door himself.

  A wave of noisy voices and shouting rushed toward him.

  The scale of the ba hall exceeded his expectations.

  Long tables were arranged vertically across the hall, filled with people on both sides.

  At the far end, a horizontal table sat a group of men, most appearing over fifty, with anding presehat marked them as high-ranking individuals.

  Servants moved bad forth along the aisle.

  Members of various ninja s drank heavily, many holding women in their arms, exging boisterous ughter and inappropriate banter, behaving utterly urained and absurdly.

  Witnessing this se, he couldn't help but frown.

  They were like demons and monsters.

  In the Warring States Period, many ninja s had dispyed this arrogant and absurd behavior, including the Uchiha and the Senju.

  However, back then, Madara had been the Uchiha leader. He despised suonsense and crushed it wherever it appeared. As a result, this sort of atmosphere quickly disappeared from the Uchiha .

  Hashirama, oher hand, didn't resort to viole enjoyed chatting. He could sit and talk for aire day.

  If he couldn't mahat, the still had the bck-faced duo of Tobirama and Muzo to enforce discipline.

  Now, such foolishness seemed to survive only in Kiri.

  And it was rampant.

  Masashi sed the room but didn't spot Shisui.

  "Hikari, finally willing to eain your first guest?" A young man approached with a ugh. He wore an ope and reeked of alcohol, holding a wine cup in his hand. "What a shame. If the Yuki had been willing to let you marry me back then, things wouldn't have e to this."

  Masashi gave him a gnce.

  He didn't reize the family crest—likely from a weak ninja .

  "Pardon me, but I believe you're making her unfortable," Masashi said with a gentle smile. "Perhaps we could discuss this aime?"

  As he spoke those courteous words, his genjutsu had already ihe man's mind, revealing his most embarrassing memories.

  To his mild surprise, the woman was inally from the Yuki .

  The man before him had once been one of her suitors. However, he had been deemed too low-css, and the Yuki had rejected him, only marriage if he agreed to be a live-in son-in-w.

  After seeing this memory, Masashi's assessment of the man dropped to the level of trash.

  Failing to woo a woman could happen any time, but to e gloating after her fall from grace?

  Utter trash.

  Whehree seds passed and the man remained frozen, Masashi simply stepped forward and with a smooth, almost casual motion, guided him aside.

  The force, while gentle in appearance, sent the man stumbling back several feet.

  Nearby, a servant holding a tray froze in shock.

  The boisterous noise in the ba hall abruptly ceased.

  All eyes turoward them.

  Hikari's mouth fell slightly open as she stared at Masashi, bewildered and unsure what to do.

  Uhe weight of all those gazes, she instinctively gripped the slit of her high-slit dress, g her legs together as her body trembled untrolbly.

  Masashi accepted a wet towel from a nearby servant with a nod and carefully wiped his hands. "How unfortunate," he murmured, "when one overestimates their position."

  Everyone in the hall clearly heard his words.

  Their faces darkened slightly.

  But no one dared to challenge him. After all, the White Ghost's reputation spoke for itself.

  "Masashi, no need for sualities," called a voice from the table at the back. He didn't seem the least bit upset. Instead, his eyes darted between Hikari and Masashi, his smile growing satisfied. "After all, desiriiful women is just a on weakness among men. It seems she has served you well. I'll reward her for it."

  "Pardon my ignorance, but I don't believe we've been properly introduced," Masashi said with a polite smile, his eyes studying the man who had spoken.

  "Ah, where are my manners? Hōzuki Ketsuki," the man replied. "I oversee certain... arras here in Kiri."

  "You're too kind," Masashi replied, "but I've grown quite fond of her pany." He gently pced a protective hand on her shoulder. "Perhaps we could e to a more perma arra?"

  Feeling the scorg gazes of the men around them, Hikari's panicked expression turned paler as she unsciously moved closer to Masashi.

  "This isn't much of an issue," Ketsuki said with a slightly smug smile. "We're all friends here. If we e to an agreement, she's yours."

  His reluce to part with her was clear in every word.

  In Kiri's guesthouses, women like Hikari—who were born into bloodline s and were once of atus—were rare treasures. She had been the famed beauty of the Yuki . Though never being a ninja, before the 's downfall, suitors had flocked to her.

  Not only was she stunning, but she had also mahe Yuki 's businesses in the Land of Water with remarkable success.

  After Ketsuki pced her in the guesthouse, many had expressed i, but he had never relented.

  Now, with the White Ghost and the Teleporter visiting, he had pyed his trump card. Though ninja s often guarded against bloodliermixing, he believed Hikari's charms would make any young man fet such s.

  What he hadn't anticipated was Masashi's direct approach.

  "Please sit. Let's discuss this further," Ketsuki invited warmly.

  "You're most gracious," Masashi replied with a pleasant smile. He guided Hikari alongside him as he approached the table.

  Taking his seat, he noticed how Hikari lowered her head and stood quietly behind him.

  "Ketsuki, might I ask about my brother?" Masashi inquired politely.

  "He mentioned preparations for meeting the Mizukage and deed," Ketsuki said. "It seems the Uchiha is... prudent in its approach."

  Well done, Shisui. You've learo see the yers beh the obvious.

  "I hope you uand. The Uchiha 's position requires careful sideration of all possibilities," Masashi offered diplomatically.

  "Of course, we uand pletely. So, how does the Uchiha propose we cooperate?"

  "The nature of cooperation is ever-ging," Masashi responded with a gentle smile, his eyes showing just a hint of warmth. "Ret developments—our leader's appoi as Hokage Advisor, for instance—have altered the ndscape someerhaps you could share your thoughts on how we might best proceed?"