Chapter 63: Sudden Softening

Chapter 63: Sudden Softening

Suddenly freed from the assassin's grasp, the mayor knew better than to believe he had somehow mustered the strength to escape on his own.

When he turned around, he saw two masked children holding kunai against the subdued assassin.

He didn't know who these children were, but it was clear they were on his side.

And if they were protecting him, they were either working for the Daimyō or were ninjas from Konoha.

However, the Daimyō personally sending his men to protect a mere border-town mayor was unrealistic. That left only one possibility—they were Konoha's Genin.

Before he could process the situation further—

"SLAP!"

A fiery slap landed on his face, sending his head whipping to the side.

"Look at yourself! What kind of a mayor are you?! Shameful!"

It was none other than his wife, who had just slapped him back to reality.

The mayor stood there, stunned, trying to comprehend the situation.

Meanwhile, Raido and Kurenai seized the opportunity to knock out the female assassin and take her away.

The boldly dressed woman was most likely an enemy spy—and being a ninja, she might possess hidden tricks. That meant extreme caution was necessary.

And as for Genma, he found himself in a different kind of "strict watch"—because Kurenai didn't trust him at all.

After tying up the woman securely, Kurenai pulled out a black cloak, wrapped her up even tighter, and personally carried her.

Because based on what had just happened—Raido was also under suspicion.

"Oi, Kurenai, can I come out now?"

Earlier, Kurenai had very aggressively shooed Raido away, saying she needed to add extra precautions to restrain the woman.

"You can come out—but I'm carrying her. And don't get any ideas."

"Cough, cough. Kurenai, I'm not like that mayor! What kind of person do you take me for?" Raido protested dramatically. "Just trust me!"

He walked over and finally got a good look at the assassin—only to see that she was wrapped up like a mummy.

He sighed in disappointment.

Seriously? Kurenai is basically Genma's wife—why am I getting monitored too?

Despite his silent frustrations, Raido forced a strained smile so Kurenai wouldn't suspect anything.

"Alright then, should we go meet up with Genma now?"

"Yeah, let's hurry. He's probably getting anxious."

Kurenai could tell that Raido's smile was fake, but calling him out wouldn't change anything.

As they walked, Raido's mind wandered.

Why do I feel weird?

Why does it feel like I'm afraid of Kurenai, even though she's not my girlfriend?

Am I turning into another "wife-fearing" man like Genma?!

His thoughts spiraled into self-doubt, but his body moved on autopilot, following Kurenai toward Genma's location.

When they arrived, they saw Genma sitting calmly, reading a book.

As soon as he noticed them, he greeted them with a friendly smile.

"So, how did it go? Kurenai, is that bundle on your back the woman?"

Genma glanced at the tightly wrapped package and couldn't believe his eyes.

"What, do you want me to unwrap her so you can take a good look?" Kurenai's tone carried an unmistakable warning.

Genma immediately shook his head, hands raised in surrender.

"Nope! Not necessary! Let's just take her back to sensei—he'll handle the interrogation better than us."

Unlike interrogations, Genma preferred direct mind-reading techniques.

But none of them had sensory abilities, and the exact workings of sensory ninjutsu remained a mystery to him.

Some used smell, some used sight, some relied on insects, and some had pure mental abilities.

Among these, Genma had none—his strongest trait was his absurdly high mental resilience, but that was nowhere near the level of Yamanaka Clan's mind-probing techniques.

At Kurenai's suggestion that they should keep someone watching the mayor, Genma nodded.

"Good point. I did overlook that. Raido, you stay behind and keep an eye on him—it's your turn to monitor the mayor anyway."

"Ugh... fine, fine."

Raido grumbled but didn't argue.

He had no choice but to accept his role, especially since he had already gotten so many advantages from the sword tournament.

Once Raido left, Genma grinned at Kurenai.

"Alright, let's head back and hear what Sensei thinks. I have a feeling our mission is about to get a lot more complicated."

"Mhm." Kurenai nodded, tightening her grip on the ropes securing the assassin before following Genma back.

—

Meanwhile, Yuuji was in his room, grinning ear to ear as he sat before a giant plate of steaming meat.

Just as he raised his chopsticks to take a bite—

"BANG!"

The door was kicked open.

Yuuji froze mid-bite, his chopsticks still holding a piece of meat.

"Why... why are you two back so soon?"

He blinked at Genma and Kurenai, then glanced at the mysterious bundle on Kurenai's back.

Without missing a beat, he shoved the meat into his mouth.

The aroma of roasted Non-Fish meat filled the room—it was impossible to ignore.

Both Genma and Kurenai sniffed the air, their eyes narrowing.

"Wait a minute... is that Non-Fish?!"

Genma's stomach rumbled in betrayal.

Kurenai's cheeks puffed up, her ruby-red eyes fixated on Yuuji with accusatory intensity.

"Sensei, you're eating alone?! And that's a HUGE portion! Unacceptable!"

Yuuji sweated nervously, realizing he had been caught red-handed.

"Cough, cough. Ahem, uh, Kurenai... what's that on your back?"

He tried to change the subject, but Kurenai remained unimpressed.

With a huff, she finally explained:

"A female assassin. Possibly a ninja. We brought her in for interrogation."

She hesitated slightly, then avoided mentioning how revealing the woman's clothing was.

Genma, however, caught on immediately.

"Cough. Yeah, Sensei, she might be a kunoichi. We need you to interrogate her."

"Oh, I see. Just leave her here. I'll handle it after I finish eating."

Yuuji's casual tone and self-satisfied smirk made both of them seethe.

"Unbelievable! Sensei is hoarding food while we worked so hard!"

Kurenai snapped, tugging on Genma's sleeve.

"We're going out! I want to eat something bigger than his whole plate!"

Her glistening red eyes held a mix of frustration, determination, and a hint of childish poutiness.

Seeing this expression, Genma instantly gave in.

"Alright, alright! Let's go!"

As they stormed off, Yuuji sat there speechless, watching them leave.

"...That was a whole serving of dog food right in my face."

With an exasperated sigh, he turned back to the bundled kunoichi and slowly unwrapped the black cloak.

The moment he saw her, he was stunned.

She was breathtakingly beautiful—long silky black hair, delicate features, and a small, soft mouth.

For a moment, he just stared.

"...Damn it. They just had to send a pretty one."

Just then, the kunoichi stirred, her eyelashes fluttering open.

Yuuji hesitated, then unexpectedly placed a warm blanket over her shoulders.

He didn't know why he did it.

Maybe it was because he was bad at interrogations.

Or maybe...

Maybe it was because his heart had suddenly softened.

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