Chapter 32: Special Offer, One Million Ryō
After bidding a warm farewell to everyone in Root, Reiji weighed his wallet and strolled leisurely out of the mysterious organization.
Upon surfacing, he realized he had arrived at the southern edge of Konoha, atop Hokage Rock.
Unlike in later years, Hokage Rock wasn't bustling with activity.
Only the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, and the current Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, were present.
As the eastern sky began to lighten, Reiji stretched contentedly.
He had taken care of Kagami's situation, taught Danzō's little brother a lesson, and expressed his thanks to Mito Uzumaki.
He'd also left behind Flying Thunder God markers.
With everything set in motion, it was time to let this old brew ferment!
Picking his nose, Reiji ambled back to the Konoha guesthouse.
When he opened the door, a fresh scent greeted him.
Looking closer, he found someone lying on his bed.
It was Amai, dressed in pajamas, one shoulder exposed, sleeping soundly.
Maybe it was the noise of the door or the bright morning sun, but Amai's long lashes fluttered, and her beautiful eyes slowly opened.
"Ah~" She stretched without a care, her ample chest bouncing slightly, then leaned lazily against the bed, eyeing Reiji with a teasing smile.
"Yo~ Raimei, you're quite the charmer. Off on a date with your little sweetheart?"
Reiji smirked and nodded without expression.
"Right on. I visited Kagami-chan and Danzō-chan last night."
"Two of them!" Amai gasped, covering her lips in mock shock, her eyes sparkling with gossip.
"Did they get jealous?"
"Oh yeah, the fight was brutal!" Reiji covered his face, hiding the grin tugging at his lips.
"My love life's a mess. Tragic."
Amai perked up, leaning in eagerly.
"So? Which one do you like more?"
Reiji sighed and replied casually, "I want Kagami-chan's body, but I want Danzō-chan's fortune. It's a real dilemma!
Anyway, I caused a bit of drama last night.
Hehe, I love watching women fight!"
Amai's smile froze, her expression turning cold—then, just as quickly, she shifted back to her usual seductive charm.
"Raimei, forget about Danzō and Kagami.
I just got my hands on a powerful ninjutsu scroll. Let's study it together tonight."
Looking into her sparkling eyes, Reiji nodded eagerly.
...
Night soon fell.
Reiji, hugging his blanket, stood excitedly outside Amai's door.
Knock knock knock knock...
The rapid knocks echoed his impatience.
"I'm coming, I'm coming. So eager~" Amai's flirty voice called from inside.
The door soon opened. Amai stood before him in her Kumo ninja uniform, striking a graceful pose.
Reiji rolled his eyes and held out his hand.
"Let me see the scroll."
Amai ignored him, instead reaching out with her fair arm, gently grabbing his collar as she chuckled.
"Come in, let's study together~"
She closed the door behind them. Reiji tossed the blanket onto the bed and was just about to speak when another knock came.
From outside, a slightly urgent voice called out.
"Lady Amai, Tsuchishige-sama has a matter to discuss with you."
Amai instantly looked distressed, casting a pitiful glance at Reiji.
"Raimei, wait for me just a bit, okay? When I get back, we'll study ninjutsu under the covers."
Reiji rolled his eyes and waved her off.
"Yeah, yeah, go on. Just come back quickly."
Amai's eyes sparkled as she nodded sweetly.
She stepped outside and shut the door behind her. The moment it closed, her gentle expression vanished. She turned to her subordinate with a serious face and whispered, "Keep an eye on him. Don't let his chakra leave your sensory range."
The man nodded enthusiastically.
Inside, Reiji lay on the soft bed, a grin slowly forming at the corner of his lips.
Study ninjutsu scrolls under the covers?
Damn it! Want to check out my glow-in-the-dark watch instead?
With a cold chuckle, he raised one hand and swiftly formed a seal.
"Flying Thunder God Mutually Instantaneous Revolving Technique!"
In less than a tenth of a second, Reiji's real body switched places with a clone hidden in Konoha.
In the darkness, he closed his eyes, sensing Amai's location as a cold smirk crept into his thoughts.
"You idiot~ your ass gave you away a long time ago!"
...
In the Konoha guesthouse, inside a room tightly guarded by Kumogakure shinobi...
Tsuchishige, senior advisor and core figure of this diplomatic mission, meticulously examined every inch of the room.
As an elite Jōnin and a highly skilled sensory ninja, he had already combed through the space ten times.
The first sweep uncovered three listening devices, the second found one, and by the third, nothing remained.
Still, he didn't stop until he'd inspected it ten times.
Before long, seven or eight people had gathered in the small room. Amai, as captivating as ever, was among them.
Tsuchishige sat at the head of the room, scanning everyone silently while sensing their chakra flows.
"Alright, everyone's here. Let's talk business."
He finally broke the silence.
"During today's meeting, Konoha held a very firm stance. Of the conditions we proposed, they only accepted the third—Fūinjutsu.
Even then, they're only willing to exchange two types of sealing techniques.
Also, they want to extend the peace treaty term from five years to twenty.
Thoughts?"
As soon as he finished speaking, a burly man with blue hair stood up and shook his head gravely.
"Tsuchishige-sama, Konoha has no intention of reaching a deal with us. I looked into it today—they've signed extensive supply contracts with the Land of Fields and the Land of Iron.
And they've already locked in a peace treaty with the Land of Wind."
"What's your suggestion?" Tsuchishige asked flatly.
"Withdraw!" the man declared without hesitation. "Report this to Raikage-sama and prepare for war!
When the time comes, the Lands of Earth, Wind, and Water will jump at the chance to sink their teeth into Konoha!"
Tsuchishige rubbed his fingers in silence.
Starting a war with the Land of Fire was no small decision.
Right now, Kumogakure's two Tailed Beasts weren't battle-ready. The Eight-Tails' Jinchūriki was unstable, and the Two-Tails kept wandering off without warning.
Picking a fight now wasn't smart.
Just as the room fell quiet, Amai, already in sync with Tsuchishige's thinking, broke the silence.
"Kidnap someone from Konoha—force them to concede!" Her voice rang out crisp and cold.
"Who?" Tsuchishige asked, playing along.
"Tsunade. The Princess of Konoha—granddaughter of Hashirama Senju!" Amai declared.
Everyone in the room turned to Tsuchishige, interest sparking in their eyes.
Plenty had considered the idea, but only Amai or Tsuchishige had the standing to actually say it aloud.
Success would bring collective celebration—
But if it failed, someone had to take the fall.
They were all political players—no one here was clean.
"How do we pull it off?" Tsuchishige asked again, though he already knew the answer.
"Tomorrow night. Send a squad of no more than five elite Jōnin to infiltrate the Senju compound.
Silently abduct Konoha's princess and keep her hidden nearby.
Then act ignorant and continue negotiations. If they stall, we stall.
I guarantee Konoha will panic long before we do. And even if they're completely certain it was us—they'll have no proof!"
Amai laid out Kumogakure's bandit-style logic flawlessly.
At her words, the room's tension turned electric.
If they succeeded in kidnapping Princess Tsunade, those involved would claim the biggest share of the credit for a successful negotiation.
And they all knew why they'd joined this delegation in the first place—to make a name for themselves and claim the Two-Tails!
Fueled by ambition, the group launched into eager discussion.
Then Amai spoke again.
"My people will be involved—Raimei."
No one objected. Heads nodded in agreement.
As the one who proposed the plan and the Raikage's niece, she had both the authority and the right to assign personnel.
But that wasn't what Amai was thinking.
Raimei—Reiji—was Konoha's mole inside Kumogakure.
She was going to use the very blade Konoha handed her... to cut into Konoha's flesh!
Not only that, Konoha would have to swallow it. Otherwise, everything Reiji had done up to now would be for nothing.
That's why she kept him in her room—to act first, report later.
And even if Reiji intentionally botched the mission or held back, she could still use it as a chance to blow his cover.
Two birds with one stone.
The kidnapping team was quickly confirmed.
Tsuchiue would lead the operation. As a sensory ninja, he was well-suited for ambushing the ANBU guarding the Senju compound.
The remaining four, apart from Reiji, were all elite Jōnin from prominent families.
With the plan settled, Amai hurried back to her room.
Opening the door, she saw Reiji curled up with a blanket, fast asleep.
Seeing this, Amai finally felt at ease.
She had forgotten—Reiji didn't actually need sleep.
Crouching beside him, she watched his sleeping face.
Then, gently, she reached out and stroked his cheek with her soft, slender hand, a sweet smile forming on her lips, her big eyes filled with warmth.
Reiji, come with me. Leave Konoha. Kumogakure is your real home!
...
The night deepened.
A shadowy figure approached the small courtyard gate of Uchiha Kagami once again.
"Open up! FBI! Room inspection!"
In the quiet night, the brash shout and rapid knocking echoed far.
Moments later, familiar voices responded from nearby with shouts of "I love you," and Reiji cheerfully returned the greeting with his own "I love you!"
Wearing pajamas, Kagami Uchiha opened the courtyard gate, staring at Reiji, speechless.
"Keep it down! You're going to wake my son!" Kagami grumbled irritably.
No ID check needed. No one else in Konoha could be this unreliable.
In a flash, Reiji darted inside and smoothly shut the door behind him.
"My bad, my bad! Woke our kid up!"
Kagami's face instantly darkened. "My kid. Not yours," he said firmly.
"Same difference! We're practically family!" Reiji said warmly, throwing an arm around Kagami's shoulder and dragging him inside like he owned the place.
Kagami's face twitched as he blocked Reiji's path.
"Reiji, I know we're close, but you can't just barge straight into my bedroom! My wife's sleeping!
Now spill it—what's going on tonight?"
"Good news!" Reiji grinned, then quickly shared everything he overheard from the delegation's secret meeting.
Hearing this, Kagami's expression turned serious. He grabbed Reiji's shoulder and leaned in, alarmed.
"Then what are you doing here? Go report to Hiruzen immediately!"
Seeing Kagami's urgency, Reiji scoffed and rolled his eyes.
"That's all you ever think about—reporting!
This is a huge opportunity for your Uchiha clan—don't you get it?"
Kagami frowned.
An opportunity?
Wait...
Kumogakure was planning to kidnap Princess Tsunade—and Tsunade was a Senju!
With that realization, Kagami narrowed his eyes at Reiji.
"You're saying… we should build ties with the Senju clan? But they've long been—"
"You're right, but even if the Senju are scattered across the village, that doesn't mean they've forgotten their roots.
If the top brass won't open the door for the Uchiha, then start from the ground up!
Build relationships with the people, marry Uchiha girls off, have the boys marry outside...
That's how you slowly blend in!"
Kagami let out a weary sigh.
If only it were that simple. The Uchiha pride—you've never truly seen it.
Still, having an idea was better than having none. And this one… it had promise.
If they could reconnect with the scattered Senju, it would be a solid first step toward harmony between the Uchiha and the village.
With that thought, Kagami nodded seriously, eyes full of gratitude as he looked at Reiji.
"Reiji, I'll make my move during the kidnapping attempt—stop them all at once!"
"Not them—us. If I go through with the kidnapping, make sure you knock me out!" Reiji reminded him seriously.
Kagami nodded firmly. "Anything else I should keep in mind?"
"Yes!" Reiji patted his shoulder and said with a serious look:
"Make it as big a scene as possible!
Once the ANBU show up, let them take over—don't get involved. Stay low-key, stay humble.
People love humble guys!
Oh, and since you're with the Konoha Military Police, just say you were passing by on patrol."
Kagami froze for a second, then his eyes lit up as he got it. He nodded vigorously, eyes shining, looking at Reiji with even more gratitude.
Reiji just rolled his eyes and held out his right hand.
"Service fee—one million ryō!"