"Kaigetsu-kun…aren't we moving too fast?"
"We…we haven't built a foundation of feelings yet."
Samui clung to his arm, her head tilted, her voice barely a whisper.
At this moment, if Gojo Kaigetsu chose to push forward, she might actually give in.
However, Gojo Kaigetsu found that rather boring, perhaps a lingering effect from playing too many "Force the Female Subordinate" type games in the past.
He had already passed that naive and restless age.
What he enjoyed now was the bizarre scenario of "Second playthrough! The Tamed Kunoichi" where she was the one actively seeking him!
He didn't want it, but she insisted on giving it!
Having experienced the surprising bounciness of a kunoichi today, Gojo Kaigetsu withdrew his aggressive chakra.
"Hmm~ perhaps I was a bit hasty. Let's start by Making our feelings then~"
Gojo Kaigetsu smoothly wrapped his arm around Samui's shoulders, closing the distance between them.
He might not be able to have the meat, but he could still enjoy the soup.
"Ai, you seem a bit down. Let me tell you some ninja world jokes to cheer you up~"
"Hmm…"
People from Kumogakure were always open to compromise.
If Gojo Kaigetsu had pushed for more, Samui might have refused, or maybe not. But since it was just a little snuggling, a gentle shoulder massage, she didn't object and simply allowed it.
This, you see, was called the "broken seal effect."
With a soft, aloof hum that only a mature woman could produce, Samui appeared uninterested.
"At a Kumogakure training ground, this conversation took place: 'Hello, friend.' 'Hello.' 'Are you an ANBU ninja?' 'No.' 'Were you before?' 'No.' 'Do you have any immediate family members working in the ANBU?' 'No.' 'Then get your damn foot off of me, you're stepping on my toes!'"
"What's the most common thing in Kumogakure?" "Temporary difficulties."
"What's the advantage of the Kumogakure system?" "Successfully overcoming difficulties that don't exist in other hidden villages."
"…"
The muscles on the right side of Samui's face twitched slightly, but she remained unresponsive.
Gojo Kaigetsu's competitive spirit was ignited. He continued:
"A Konoha ninja and a Kumogakure ninja were chatting."
"Konoha ninja: The happiest thing is to walk under the moonlight with a blonde woman. Then, we part ways at the end of the road."
"Kumogakure ninja: Cowardly Konoha ninja. The happiest thing should be someone knocking on your door in the middle of the night, and when you open it, they say: Killer Bee, you're under arrest. And I say: ANBU-sama, you've got the wrong person, Killer Bee lives next door."
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
A great man once said, any small number, when multiplied by a large number, becomes a significant number.
Despite trying his best to control it, the slight smile × the ample bosom still resulted in a visible jiggle.
Samui had to stop walking.
But she quickly realized the protagonist of the joke was their Kumogakure's Jinchuriki!
Samui's face turned cold. She pulled away, not even allowing Gojo Kaigetsu to touch her.
"Kaigetsu-kun, that's not funny!"
With that, she clicked away in her crisp and sexy high-heeled sandals, disappearing into the night.
Soon after, Gojo Kaigetsu stealthily made his way to the low-rise building he used to observe Samui.
Before long, the unique chakra thread of the Heart-to-Heart Communication Jutsu carried Samui's intelligence towards Kumogakure.
[Samui: Today's intel: Gojo Kaigetsu might lose his advisor position. I will do my best to solidify his position.]
Gojo Kaigetsu was surprised.
Where was the "more children, more blessings" policy? Where was the sexual harassment accusation?
He had gone through the trouble of fabricating false information for Samui, and she didn't even transmit it. Instead, she sent this fragmented and nonsensical intel.
Unfamiliar with the inner workings of Kumogakure, Gojo Kaigetsu could only attribute this to Samui's own judgment.
"Well then… let's add a bit of artistic flair."
[Today's intel: Gojo Kaigetsu might lose his advisor position and requires significant financial aid from the village to consolidate his standing. I have mostly gained his trust.]
Gojo Kaigetsu stroked his chin, then vanished from the building with a flicker.
Upon returning home, he found an envelope bearing the Uchiha clan crest on his desk.
Gojo Kaigetsu opened it with an impassive expression:
[Root's surveillance of the Uchiha clan has become increasingly frequent.]
"Counting the days, the night of the Nine-Tails is approaching~"
"fools…"
The faces of Danzo Shimura and Homura Mitokado once again surfaced in Gojo Kaigetsu's mind.
Regarding the Uchiha, these two had perfectly inherited Tobirama Senju's will. Unrelenting surveillance, suppression, and distrust devoid of warmth.
Without him, this oppressive atmosphere would continue to linger in Konoha until the Nine-Tails rampage shattered the delicate balance. Danzo would then begin plotting the Uchiha's destruction…
"Then let me show you what a loving education looks like~"
…
…
Kumogakure
"Samui's intel says… Gojo Kaigetsu might lose his position as Hokage advisor?"
"And he needs financial aid from the village?"
The atmosphere in the Raikage's office was heavy.
The elder advisor leading the meeting had a glint of shrewdness in his cloudy eyes. "In that case, we need to consider the cost of supporting Gojo Kaigetsu's continued tenure as advisor."
"Supporting Gojo Kaigetsu requires money."
"We have two options. Instruct Samui to find new channels for intel gathering. For example, other high-ranking officials in Konoha, like Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane…"
Another advisor chimed in, "I've heard that Homura Mitokado has a fondness for women."
They discussed amongst themselves, completely disregarding Samui's personal feelings.
To these older generation ninjas, ninjas were merely tools to fulfill the village's and the client's requests.
Mabui shivered, listening to their conversation.
Raikage A, seated at the head of the table, frowned repeatedly. He made a decisive statement. "We will continue to support Gojo Kaigetsu as Hokage advisor! We will spend the necessary funds when required!"
"Gojo Kaigetsu is a foolish ninja, but compared to other advisors in Konoha, he is undoubtedly easier to control."
"We need such a fool in the advisor position."
"However, Mabui's recent progress in gathering intel has been too slow…" A tapped his fingers on the table. "Mabui, tell Samui to focus on her intelligence work. Money is not an issue!"
"We, Kumogakure, have plenty of…"
The words caught in his throat.
Even with his muscle-bound mind, he knew the village's finances were currently tight. Compared to before, tax revenue seemed to have decreased?
"Then… how much financial aid should we provide to Samui?"
The advisor in charge of finances answered, "According to our intelligence department's analysis, Konoha provides a maximum of thirty million ryō to support their deployed ninjas."
"We, Kumogakure, are not as wealthy as Konoha. We can only offer Samui a maximum of ten million ryō."
"Anything more, and we'll have to abandon the operation."
...