Kiyoshi sat down, his gaze flickering slightly. His keen perception observed every detail in the room, confirming there were no cameras or listening devices before he leisurely reached for the menu.
With a click, the door that had just closed was pushed open again.
"Here is the menu."
Seeing his sister leading someone in, Atsui diligently picked up a menu, entered the private room, and handed it to Kiyoshi.
Being a sushi-themed shop, it naturally featured various styles of sushi. The Land of Lightning, aside from possessing many ninjutsu and Bloodlines from other nations, had also brought in cuisines from across the world. This variety allowed the Land of Lightning's culinary styles to be diverse, making it easy for them to infiltrate other countries under the guise of restaurants and act as informants. Of course, other nations had many similar informants embedded within the Land of Lightning; it was essentially a game of mutual penetration between the great powers.
"I'll start with these for now."
"Certainly, guest."
Atsui nodded, took the menu, and started to head back, only to hear Kiyoshi call out to him.
"You enrolled in the Ninja Academy this term, didn't you?"
"...Yes."
Atsui glanced at his sister's face. Seeing that she didn't show any particular reaction, he quickly nodded.
"Samui, your younger brother is both clever and industrious. In the future, he might even be more outstanding than his older sister," Kiyoshi said.
"Haha, not at all!"
Hearing Kiyoshi's praise, Atsui laughed immediately. He knew his fellow compatriots were all trying to find ways to bring Kiyoshi back home. To be praised by someone of such unusual status truly made him feel special.
Unlike her happy brother, Samui's heart tightened slightly. She opened her rosy lips, her tone carrying a trace of unease:
"My foolish brother has only just enrolled, that's all."
Samui then told Atsui to hurry out and report the order to the kitchen instead of lingering there. Atsui had no choice but to leave. She always felt that Kiyoshi harbored ill intentions. She hadn't forgotten that Kiyoshi had used Atsui to pressure her before.
"I see," Kiyoshi paused before continuing, "I've mastered the ninjutsu I learned before. Give me some more Lightning Style techniques."
Kiyoshi, as usual, chose to be a freeloader. His merits were insufficient to choose many techniques within the Uchiha, so he mainly selected Genjutsu and Fire Style. As for the Land of Lightning, he naturally went for their specialty: Lightning Style. One can never have too many skills, and Kiyoshi didn't mind expanding his repertoire.
Samui lowered her head and lightly touched the summoning seal on her wrist. After a thin puff of smoke dissipated, a yellow scroll appeared, engraved with the shape of a lightning bolt.
"I can give it to you, but the people you used to know all want to see you..."
Samui wanted Kiyoshi to accompany her to a certain place where many people he knew as a child would be. Kiyoshi's constant refusal to express any intention of returning to the Hidden Cloud had begun to make her anxious. She was fine, but it would be troublesome if her brother also faced punishment from the village.
"That won't be necessary. The ninja world is unstable lately; it's better not to move around," Kiyoshi shook his head in refusal.
Did she take him for a fool? If he weren't a transmigrator, he might have fallen for these emotional cards. Having lived two lives, how could he believe such nonsense? It was more likely a case of a fellow countryman stabbing him in the back.
"However, I can tell you some intelligence regarding the Hidden Leaf," Kiyoshi's smile didn't fade as he shifted the topic, revealing some news.
What he spoke of were insignificant tidbits, such as the Hidden Leaf having a stronghold in a certain location and the number of troops stationed there. Though they were minor details, they were enough to pique Samui's interest. Taking things without giving back was shortsighted; people's patience is limited, and Kiyoshi wanted to keep this source flowing for a long time.
Sure enough, Samui's eyes brightened upon hearing this news. No matter how well they could infiltrate the Hidden Leaf, they could only do so as civilians. Many truly secret things were only known to the ninja clans. Wasn't this attitude a shift in Kiyoshi? If this continued, she should be able to get Kiyoshi to return to the Land of Lightning, right? Starting to reveal Leaf intelligence—didn't that represent that Kiyoshi wasn't as loyal to the Leaf as she had previously thought?
However, before Samui could daydream further, she heard Kiyoshi suddenly tap the table.
"But, compared to a ninjutsu, secret intelligence is a bit unequal. I need you to do me a favor."
For a ninja, intelligence is vital, ranging from the outcome of a small skirmish to the victory or defeat of a war between nations. Kiyoshi sized Samui up. Her sweater couldn't hide the vast curve of her heart; it looked very towering. Even from the side, one could see Samui's voluptuous curves. Perhaps because she hadn't undergone ninja training in a long time, those curves tightened with her breathing. Her belly was slightly rounded but didn't look burdensome at all. The overall effect was aesthetic, giving off the vibe of a mature woman. Yet, paired with Samui's indifferent little expression, the contrast only made Kiyoshi look more.
"What... do you mean?"
Samui pursed her lips tightly, not understanding why Kiyoshi was constantly hounding her. Could a momentary unintentional remark have made him hold a grudge for this long? Feeling Kiyoshi's gaze, an absurd thought appeared in her mind. She had this thought last time, and the current situation only intensified it.
Heavens. Kiyoshi actually felt this way toward a much older woman like her...
"Last time, I discussed some issues with you regarding the routes of the Lightning Style through the meridian system. This time, I want to go a bit deeper and let you understand my meridian system so you can pick out more suitable Lightning Style ninjutsu for me."
Kiyoshi smiled slightly. This smile was neither warm nor malicious, but it sent a shiver down Samui's spine. This guy indeed had bad intentions toward her.
"What, unwilling?"
Kiyoshi's tone turned a few degrees colder. He looked as if he might just leave without even taking the scroll.
"...No, we can continue our discussion."
In the past, Samui definitely would not have accepted Kiyoshi's request. But Kiyoshi hadn't come here in a long time, and the pressure from the village was making her nearly unable to breathe. Especially since she had a younger brother who had just entered the Ninja Academy. She bit her lip, gripped the hem of her skirt, and took a few steps toward Kiyoshi.
"Good."
A bright shadow drew closer and closer to Kiyoshi, hanging not far from his face. Kiyoshi had prepared many more words, but he hadn't expected Samui to break so easily and agree directly. It seemed the pressure from the Hidden Cloud side was even greater than he had imagined.
Through his previous small bouts of manipulation combined with the long-term high pressure of her mission, Samui was no longer holding onto her bottom line so firmly. Releasing pressure step by step is like evaporating the water of life. Like a pitiful flower, in order to survive, she would take root deeper and deeper into the dark, hopeless earth.
The current Samui was exactly like that. Having experienced darkness once and compromised for it, her tolerance for darkness had increased significantly. Where there is one, there will inevitably be a second time.
Hearing Kiyoshi's words of praise, Samui only felt her cheeks burning. This made it seem as though she were impatient.
"First, go under the table and see if there's enough space."
***
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