Chapter 105: The Grand Opening of Shadow Pot Shop

Konoha Village, the underground Spring Base.

Aoi Iro, the newly appointed secretary of Kato Mikaze, had just brought in a pot of cooled tea. Now, the office was occupied solely by Kato Mikaze himself.

Kato Mikaze sat behind his desk. On the desk before him lay two unsealed scrolls and a brand-new patient file.

That patient file needed no explanation—it belonged to the woman from the day before. As Kato Mikaze studied the records, it was clear she had been utterly destroyed, reduced to nothing but nourishing nutrients for the dark roots of Konoha.

Of the two scrolls, one contained a large sum of money, roughly equivalent to the amount Tsunade, that foolish big spender, had lost in recent bets.

The other scroll was far more intriguing: a ninjutsu scroll. It contained a secret technique from the Yamanaka clan—one that Kato Mikaze had long desired but had never obtained due to various circumstances—the Mind Transfer Technique.

“Tap, tap, tap…”

Kato Mikaze rested his chin on his hand, his lazy eyes darting back and forth, while a finger rhythmically tapped the desk.

In the spacious office, the tapping of his finger was the only sound, making the room feel exceptionally silent.

According to Aoi Iro, these scrolls and the new patient file were tokens of apology from An, the base’s internal affairs chief.

But this was clearly an excuse. Whether spoken by An or Aoi Iro, it was a mere pretext.

These items had obviously been sent at the behest of Danzo Shimura, deliberately presented to Kato Mikaze as a means to further win his favor.

Kato Mikaze deduced that after meeting him yesterday, Danzo had sensed from subtle signs that Kato Mikaze despised, even loathed, that woman.

Thus, Danzo’s initial attempt to court Kato Mikaze had failed, which led to An being replaced by Aoi Iro and to the delivery of this patient file and two scrolls.

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As Kato Mikaze examined the ninjutsu scroll in his hands, his soul’s vision flicked toward an unexpected visitor in his office.

A parasitic bug.

But not an ordinary one like those black parasitic bugs found in the hallway outside his office. This one was transparent.

This tiny creature was not only transparent in color but also incredibly small—less than a tenth the size of its black counterparts. Most importantly, its spiritual waves were almost undetectable.

Clearly, this little bug was far more advanced than its black brethren; it must be a special breed cultivated by the Yamanaka clan, specialized in covert reconnaissance.

Ordinary parasitic bugs excel at stealth and reconnaissance. But a transparent bug, less than a tenth the size of a normal one and honed for stealth, would have an exceptional ability to remain hidden.

Kato Mikaze was certain that if he practiced his family’s own spiritual transformation technique instead of the mutated nurturing spirit technique developed by the ninja system, he would never have detected such a well-hidden creature.

“Tch, this is an intensification of surveillance,” Kato Mikaze concluded inwardly upon discovering the intruder.

This little visitor was new to his office. Kato Mikaze was sure it hadn’t been there yesterday—it was evidently a new neighbor who had moved in today.

The ninjutsu scroll on the desk was genuine. Kato’s first jōnin instructor after graduating from the ninja academy was a jōnin of the Yamanaka clan from Konoha. He had enough insight to distinguish the authenticity of the Mind Transfer Technique recorded in the scroll.

Kato Mikaze had never told anyone he wished to obtain the Yamanaka clan’s secret technique—not even Tsunade.

The Mind Transfer Technique was a closely guarded secret of the Konoha Yamanaka clan. If word ever spread that Kato Mikaze had spied on the secret arts of a fellow village ninja family, his reputation would certainly suffer.

Even Tsunade did not know how Danzo Shimura learned about Kato Mikaze’s desire for the Mind Transfer Technique.

Coincidence? Don’t be ridiculous.

The first option Kato Mikaze ruled out upon discovering Danzo’s gift of the ninjutsu scroll was coincidence.

When he had unsealed the two scrolls in his office earlier, the first contained a large sum of money. Kato was not surprised by that—after all, Danzo had already given him a woman to curry favor; giving money was only natural.

The reason Danzo sent him the Mind Transfer Technique scroll, combined with the appearance of a transparent parasitic bug undetectable even by the spiritual transformation technique, eliminated the possibility of a leak from Kato or others.

This meant Danzo had a thorough understanding of the characteristics of the Kato family’s spiritual transformation technique.

Danzo knew the limits of the technique’s sensing ability, so he dispatched the transparent parasitic bug to intensify surveillance on Kato Mikaze. He also knew the spiritual transformation technique’s shortcomings in memory browsing, which was inferior to the Yamanaka clan’s secret Mind Transfer Technique. Hence, he gifted Kato with the scroll detailing the Mind Transfer Technique.

“Did he learn about the specific traits of the spiritual transformation technique from the Second Hokage, Hashirama Senju?”

“Heh, one hand tightens surveillance, the other coldly handles suspicious gifts, then intensifies the charm offensive again…”

“Women, money, secret ninjutsu… What’s next? A promotion? I can’t wait.”

“So this is the code of conduct in the shinobi world’s shadows. I love it. Danzo-sama, please turn up the heat! Aside from women, feel free to unleash all other sweetened bait at me!”

“What’s this? The Kou Shadow Shop just opened, grand opening sale, free returns if unsatisfied.”

As Kato Mikaze admired the cleverness of Danzo Shimura’s tactics while examining the ninjutsu scroll, he felt a mixture of amusement and wariness.

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“Lord Kato Mikaze, do you have any instructions?”

Kato pressed the communication button on his desk. Aoi Iro’s honest and respectful voice came through.

“Cancel all my appointments this morning that aren’t important. I want a quiet morning in the office to contemplate the important task Danzo-sama entrusted to me.”

“Also, schedule a meeting with Orochimaru for the afternoon. I haven’t seen him since returning to the base, and I have important matters to discuss.”

Kato casually instructed his new full-time secretary. He planned to spend the morning slacking off at work, studying the newly acquired ninjutsu—the Yamanaka clan’s secret Mind Transfer Technique.

He was determined to fix the spiritual transformation technique’s flaw in soul-splitting memory browsing. Danzo was already so courteous in offering sweetened bait; Kato had to accept it wholeheartedly, lest he disappoint the Kou Shadow Lord’s sincere care for his subordinates.

“Understood, Lord Kato Mikaze. Any other instructions?”

Aoi Iro respectfully asked again, proving herself a capable assistant under An, the base’s internal affairs chief.

Kato Mikaze blinked his lazy eyes and recalled he hadn’t had a sip of hot tea that morning at the Hokage residence with Sarutobi Hiruzen.

“Bring me another pot of hot tea. I dislike tea brewed with cold water. The tea you just brought wasn’t steeped with hot enough water.”

“Soddeshina!”

“Understood, henceforth I shall bring tea brewed with hot water only.”

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