When Takeshi was informed that they would be going to one of the branches of the little-known exchange house, he expected a shady underground place where mysterious guys would pick a fight with him for some tired reason, and he would have to run away with Kakuzu.
It was basic, a cliché that should never go out of style. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. The good thing is that the alternative wasn't so bad.
—Fufufu, would you like me to refill your glass, my young sir?— a sweet girl with powerful attributes asked, leaning suggestively towards Takeshi with a bottle in her hands.
The Yuki's eyes trembled, fighting the instinct to look further down from the woman's face, and he nodded with magnanimity.
The golden-haired girl sat beside him, pouring the liquor and smiling mischievously at him, a manifest desire in her gaze that tempted the hormonal youth with impulses difficult to control.
—Get lost— Kakuzu growled with an empty expression, narrowing his eyes at Takeshi. The woman pouted and winked at the young man before gracefully withdrawing.
Takeshi couldn't help but steal a glance at the woman's backside, which swayed spectacularly, the effect amplified by the revealing dress she was wearing.
—Senpai, you have to be more courteous to the ladies, or we'll never find a wife— Takeshi warned with a sigh.
—Brat, I didn't come here to watch you walk into a walking bag of diseases. You can do your filth somewhere else and sometime else— the living fossil snorted.
Takeshi blinked a couple of times before smiling with feigned admiration in his eyes.
—Oh? Senpai was protecting me? That means a lot to me~
A fleeting murderous intent burst from Kakuzu, but he quickly controlled himself. It wasn't worth making a fuss in this place.
His eyes scanned the room, ignoring the prostitutes trying to earn some coins and the low-class pickpockets who called themselves professionals, concentrating on the people dedicated to the business that interested him.
They were in a dive bar frequented only by scum, but it was actually a cover for a small Exchange House.
Originally, he had come with the intention of verifying information about a target in the Bingo Book, but during their passage through Kusagakure, they stumbled upon a Chūnin who angered some noble from the Land of Earth, which ended up with his head in Kakuzu's bag.
Pure luck, but money was money.
—Well, I'm going to the bathroom, Senpai— Takeshi suddenly said, drinking the entire glass in one gulp and getting up from the table.
Kakuzu wanted to argue that he didn't need to know that, but he decided to give up. He had learned on this short trip that the damned brat wasn't afraid of him one bit, so threats lost their effectiveness.
Meanwhile, Takeshi entered the bathroom with a relaxed expression, attending to his business in the dirty, stinking place when particular sounds caught his attention.
Muffled moans and gasps were coming from inside one of the stalls. The Yuki rolled his eyes, unimpressed by how low some individuals stoop to satisfy their desire.
—Where are you, you damn whore!?— a large, rough-looking guy shouted, kicking in the entrance door and drilling Takeshi with his eyes.
His heavy footsteps echoed in the narrow space, closely followed by other generic tough guys who seemed to be his henchmen.
—You!— he pointed at Takeshi, his body tensing violently, like a spring about to release contained energy. —Have you seen any whore around here?
—No sir— the Yuki calmly replied, imagining this as his bar confrontation scenario.
Before the generic thug could utter his generic threat, a curse echoed from one of the stalls.
The thug's expression twisted into fury, and he approached the stall in question, ripping off the door with his hands.
Takeshi created some water with chakra and washed his hands, preparing to leave the place peacefully, but one of the henchmen held him by the shoulder with a severe expression.
—No, let go of me!— a masculine voice shrieked in the background. Takeshi sighed, preparing his chakra to get rid of these idiots and perhaps rescue a prostitute in danger, but his actions were cut short when he turned around.
The leader thug was holding a man dressed as a woman, with smeared makeup on his face and disconcertingly thick thighs.
—How dare you trick me!? Did you forget who you belong to!?— the thug exclaimed, but Takeshi decided he had seen enough.
With a swift motion, he channeled chakra to his fingertips and formed thin ice blades, slashing the throat of generic henchman number 1. Generic thug number 2 froze in place, which ended with Takeshi piercing his eye socket with the ice scalpel.
—Bo— generic henchman 3 tried to alert, but the blade struck the side of his head, slamming him violently against the wall as the other two bodies fell to the floor.
***************************
Kakuzu was counting the money from the Chūnin's head he had brought, when a door flew off and a roar of anger caught the attention of everyone present.
—Bastard, get over here!—
—Bar Fight!— a voice familiar to the ex-Taki-Nin shouted, and everything went to hell in a couple of seconds.
Some idiot broke a bottle and started laughing maniacally, another threw a chair, and the shinobi drew their weapons, engaging in a free-for-all battle in the cramped bar.
The prostitutes ran in terror while the people in charge of the real business silently fumed, exchanging knowing glances.
Kakuzu knew there would be trouble and didn't want to clash with the Exchange House. It wasn't that he was afraid of them, but he would hate to have to pay a fine because of his partner.
—Senpai, these people have gone crazy!— Takeshi announced, appearing next to Kakuzu with a look of fake surprise.
The older shinobi calmly counted his money, ignoring the chaos behind him. As soon as he was done, he put everything into a bag and stood up, nodding to the enraged worker and turning to leave.
Takeshi was about to follow him when a familiar woman blocked both their paths with crossed arms and an icy gaze.
—Not so fast, gentlemen— said the previously docile and kind, large-chested, golden-haired Onee-San. —We are a professional establishment, not just any bar where you can come and cause trouble without any consequences.
—In my defense, Onee-San, this looks like any other bar— Takeshi pointed out.
The comment did not amuse the blonde, and she quickly unsheathed senbon needles from somewhere and threw them at the Akatsuki duo.
—This is bullshit— Kakuzu muttered as he formed a hand seal, sending a gust of wind that rendered the senbon useless and struck the woman head-on, sending her flying over the brawling drunks.
A blur of motion passed next to Kakuzu, leaping after the woman.
Takeshi caught her in mid-air, preventing her head from hitting a wooden column and landing with the woman in his arms, like a princess.
—Are you alright?— he asked with a smile.
—Y-yes. Thank you— the woman said with slightly flushed cheeks. Takeshi was satisfied and put her down.
Suddenly, his chakra stirred, and a pressure fell upon those present like an invisible weight on their shoulders, stopping the fight.
—Control yourselves, we are in a professional establishment!— the Yuki warned, turning to the blonde with a thumbs-up.
She smiled timidly, cupping Takeshi's face in her hands with an expression of gratitude.
Immediately after, she buried her knee in the young man's groin without any mercy.
While Takeshi gasped on the floor, writhing and rolling like an insect to avoid the woman's furious stomps, and Kakuzu seriously considered abandoning him to his fate, a group of masked shinobi gathered outside the bar.
One of them extended his hand, receiving a small insect that carried information about what had happened.
The masked figure analyzed the situation and took a look at his forces, deciding it was still too early to act.
—We will follow them and keep watch. We will act as soon as we have more information— he announced to the shinobi accompanying him.