Chapter 20: Mikiko's Fault! What Does That Have to Do with Me, Amai?

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As this thought crossed his mind, Rinjin slowly stood up and strode toward Amai.

Seeing this, Amai immediately jumped to her feet, clutching her chest as she backed away in a panic.

"Y-You... What are you trying to do?!"

Rinjin didn't answer. This woman had clearly assumed that he wouldn't dare kill her, as if she had already figured him out.

She wasn't entirely wrong. Rinjin had invested a lot of effort infiltrating Kumogakure, and his mission was critical—failure was not an option.

But that didn't mean he had no way to deal with her.

With this thought, Rinjin's pace quickened.

Amai's brows furrowed deeply as a sudden sense of foreboding gripped her.

It was true—if Rinjin wanted to avoid exposure, he couldn't kill her. Her death would make him the prime suspect.

And the Third Raikage was not the kind of man to hesitate—if he suspected someone, he would act decisively.

But what if this guy lost control? What if he decided to go down with her?

The thought made Amai snort coldly, a surge of Kumogakure ninja pride welling up from deep within her.

Lose control? Hmph! Not unless I'm dead!

As for going down together? Fine, bring it on!

Strengthening her resolve, Amai stopped retreating. She released her grip on her robe and began forming hand seals at lightning speed.

But just as her hands moved, Rinjin's speed suddenly surged.

In an instant, he appeared right in front of her, moving so fast that her eyes could barely track him. He grabbed her hands before she could complete her seals.

So fast!

This guy—his abilities are definitely beyond those of a typical jōnin!

Amai had initially thought Rinjin's only impressive skill was his space-time ninjutsu. But now, she realized how wrong she had been.

His explosive speed rivaled the Body Flicker Technique, which meant his physical strength was far beyond that of an ordinary person.

Rinjin looked at the stunned expression on Amai's face and found it amusing.

Back in Konohagakure, he had taken down three highly coordinated jōnin to rescue Tsunade. Now, dealing with a "blank slate" jōnin secretary like her was child's play.

And the best part? She'd better wash up thoroughly when she got home, or even if she fled to the ends of the earth, he'd still find her.

Back then, his mastery of the Flying Raijin Jutsu had been shaky. Otherwise, with its absurd capabilities, the entire operation wouldn't have taken more than a minute.

This was precisely why Rinjin coveted Konoha's Scroll of Seals so much.

The forbidden techniques recorded within—mastering just one of them could elevate someone to kage-level strength.

Well, except for the Dead Demon Consuming Seal. Uh... insufficient chakra reserves don't count either.

Mastering that technique would only make someone a disposable kage-level fighter.

As Amai struggled, Rinjin swiftly retrieved a syringe from his ninja pouch.

Before she could react, he jabbed it into her slender finger, drawing blood into the syringe.

Seeing the crimson liquid fill the tube, Amai's pupils shrank to pinpoints. She let out a sharp cry and began kicking and punching, struggling with all her might.

Rinjin remained unfazed. Instead, he asked gently, almost tenderly:

"Does it hurt?"

As he spoke, he brought her finger to his lips.

The moment her blood touched his tongue, black-and-white patterns crept across Rinjin's skin, and a familiar feeling of disorientation washed over him.

Taking advantage of his momentary daze, Amai delivered a powerful kick to his chest, breaking free from his iron grip.

She quickly retreated several meters, clutching her reddened wrist. Her expression was icy as she stared at Rinjin, enunciating each word with chilling clarity:

"Curse Technique: Death Controlling Possessed Blood! You're with the Jashin Cult! I knew it!"

Rinjin suddenly laughed, his lips curling into a sinister grin.

"So, it was you who took Isamu Inoue's scroll! I knew something was off!"

He rubbed the bruise on his temple, smearing a hand full of sticky blood, and began drawing on the ground with intense focus.

Amai said nothing, her gaze fixed on Rinjin.

She had read Isamu Inoue's scroll and knew everything about the Curse Technique: Death Controlling Possessed Blood. She also understood Rinjin's capabilities.

If this former brat from Amegakure wanted her dead, she wouldn't stand a chance.

But if she could preserve her honor, she would rather die under that cursed technique.

As a ninja, as a Kumogakure ninja, she had that resolve.

Soon, Rinjin completed drawing an intricate array: a circle enclosing a triangle.

Without hesitation, he sat in the center of the array, pulled out a kunai, and began positioning it over his chest.

Amai, who had been bracing herself for death, suddenly burst out laughing. Her pale green eyes sparkled with derision as she sneered:

"Rinjin-kun, are you planning to kill your wife already?"

Her words were laced with mockery, despite the smile on her face.

Hearing this, Rinjin chuckled as well, his smile full of amusement.

"Oh? So you finally admit you're my wife? If you knew my identity all along, why bring so many ANBU to test me?"

At this, Amai's smile vanished instantly. Her stunningly beautiful face turned as cold as ice.

"If you dare threaten my village, I don't care if you're my husband or my son—I'll kill you without hesitation!"

Rinjin stared at her icy demeanor and shook his head lightly.

"I don't believe you. But I know you're all talk right now. So, let me teach you a little lesson."

With that, Rinjin reached out his hands—not toward her, but toward his own armpits.

"Tickle, tickle~ Tickle, tickle~"

The next moment, Amai's beautiful eyes widened in shock, and her luscious red lips pressed tightly together.

"Stop!" she managed to choke out, twisting her body awkwardly as her face flushed bright red.

Rinjin ignored her protests, his hands moving mischievously as he tickled himself.

"Get away! Hahaha! Stop it, you bastard! You demon! Hahaha! Let go, or I'll get really mad!"

Watching Amai writhing on the ground like a helpless worm, Rinjin's grin turned wicked.

"Still want to curse at me?"

"Yes! You bastard! Hahaha~ Stop it! Hahaha~" Amai persisted, tears streaming down her face as she laughed uncontrollably.

Her golden hair spilled across the ground, her robe loosened to reveal smooth, pale skin. She gasped for breath between fits of laughter, but her stubbornness remained.

Seeing her defiance, Rinjin intensified his assault, his fingers moving with the precision of a pianist.

Before long, the once-defiant Amai lay sprawled on the ground like a lifeless fish, her face frozen in a rigid smile, occasionally twitching.

Rinjin finally stopped and stood up, looking down at her.

The once proud and aloof woman now lay limp on the ground, staring blankly at the ceiling of the underground chamber.

Uh-oh.

Did I overdo it?

Scratching his head, Rinjin thoughtfully adjusted her robe to cover her properly.

At that moment, Amai suddenly sprang up, her disheveled hair flying as she lunged at Rinjin, her hands wrapping around his neck.

"You bastard! I'll kill you!"

Her eyes blazed with fury as she bit toward his nose.

"Wait, wait, wait! No biting!" Rinjin quickly raised a hand to cover her face.

He wasn't worried about losing his nose; he was more concerned about her turning into a patch of wild grass.

After all, those who had ingested or injected his blood before had long since become fertilizer.

"My blood is poisonous, you idiot," Rinjin scolded her like a frustrated husband. Amai, however, screamed in rage, shaking her head like a crazed berserker.

"I don't care, you bastard! I can't believe I once thought about marrying you, and now you're torturing me like this!"

Rinjin froze.

Wait... she wasn't joking about that?

Also... I'm not even of age yet! How was I supposed to marry you?!

"Ahem..." Rinjin cleared his throat awkwardly. "Let's stop this, okay? I'll let go now, but don't try biting me again."

He cautiously released her, and Amai, no longer icy, glared at him like a wronged wife.

Rinjin took a step back, his expression wary.

"Can we talk this out?"

Tears of humiliation welled up in Amai's eyes, but she stubbornly shook her head.

Rinjin sighed, retreating to the array. He began removing his shoes.

Seeing this, Amai panicked and nodded furiously like a chicken pecking at grain.

Watching her frantic agreement, Rinjin smirked as he put his shoes back on.

"See? You could've just cooperated earlier."

His voice was soft, but loud enough for Amai to hear. She trembled with rage, her teeth grinding audibly.

Calling forth a shadow clone, Rinjin set up a low table and two cushions.

He sat down first, gesturing for Amai to join him. Reluctantly, she dragged her sore legs over, kneeling across from him.

"Let's talk. Why did you bring people to investigate me, knowing who I am? And don't give me some excuse about the village."

Rinjin poured a cup of water and placed it in front of her.

Amai lowered her head, shaking it slightly.

Seriously? You're as stubborn as a mule!

Rinjin narrowed his eyes and began removing his shoes again.

Terrified, Amai frantically nodded and blurted out, "I'll talk! But... but it's only fair if you tell me why you infiltrated Kumogakure first!"

Her voice grew softer and softer.

She was genuinely afraid of this devilish man.

Using Death Controlling Possessed Blood... to tickle someone?! It was a disgrace to the Jashin Cult!

But what was worse was how effective it had been on her.

Blushing furiously, Amai felt utterly humiliated.

Rinjin smirked, his eyes gleaming.

"Fine. I'll go first. But this all starts with you..."

He then recounted everything that had happened after Amai stole intelligence from Amegakure's information unit. From Amegakure to Konohagakure, and finally to Kumogakure, he laid it all out, leaving nothing out—except for Mizuguma's death.

By the end, Amai was stunned.

She couldn't believe that the brat who once declared he'd marry her had orchestrated such breathtaking schemes.

Suddenly, she understood—this man wasn't pretending to be mature. He truly was far beyond his years.

Her cheeks flushed as she recalled the sweet nothings Rinjin had once whispered to her.

But Rinjin, ever the mood killer, sneered.

"This is all your fault. You brought this on yourself!"

"What do you mean?!" Amai slammed her hands on the table, her fiery temper flaring up again.

Rinjin chuckled darkly.

"If you hadn't sold the intel you stole, Amegakure wouldn't have suffered such heavy losses. They wouldn't have sent me to infiltrate Konohagakure, and I wouldn't have been discovered and reassigned to Kumogakure. So really, you're the one who doomed your village!"

Amai was speechless.

What kind of twisted logic is that?!

Does this mean every village you mess up in the future will somehow be my fault?

Is this... Mikiko's fault?

Right! Mikiko's fault! What does that have to do with me, Amai?!

Realizing this, Amai, who had been cowed by Rinjin's scolding, straightened her back and declared righteously:

"It's all Mikiko's fault! What does that have to do with me, Amai?!"