Chapter Ninety-Six: Your Highness, the Princess, I Am Truly an Innocent Virgin

The black rat-headed Root operative, an unnamed man unworthy of having one, stood rigidly in place, waiting for Kato Yukaze’s answer across the desk.

He had never even considered courtesy. He was here to relay an order on behalf of Elder Danzo Shimura, the second most powerful man in the Leaf Village; why would he bow to a newly promoted Leaf jonin?

He had done the same thing before when delivering similar orders to other Leaf jonin. That was just how he handled things.

But this time, instead of quietly waiting as he usually did, he suddenly felt a surge of killing intent rush toward him from behind the desk across from him, rising from Kato Yukaze and bearing down on him.

Along with that killing intent came a hidden fluctuation of chakra. The pent-up fury boiling uselessly inside Kato Yukaze exploded outward, and he immediately unleashed his jutsu: Wind Release, Wind Senbon Technique.

On the other side of the office, in the lounge area, Tsunade was lying on the sofa pretending to be asleep. She had also heard the order the rat-headed man had delivered, and then she sensed the chakra ripple from Kato Yukaze’s jutsu.

At first Tsunade tensed up, her body following suit as though she were about to rise and stop him.

She could not understand why Kato Yukaze had suddenly decided to move against a fellow Leaf ninja, and worse, against a Root ANBU under Elder Danzo Shimura.

Kato Yukaze, whose soul perception was always active, immediately caught Tsunade’s subtle movement.

He at once secretly used the Spirit Nurturing Technique again, sending out a strand of soul thread to establish a soul link with her, intending to calm her down first.

In truth, Tsunade had still been asleep just moments ago, but Kato Yukaze had gone and done something wicked again... and in an instant, he had jolted her awake.

"Little white rabbit, be good and keep pretending to sleep. Let me deal with this big black rat first. Once he’s gone, your husband will continue dealing with you, right here."

"Don’t worry. No one will interrupt us later, because I’ll set up a high-grade concealment trap, the kind that even hides soul fluctuations. No one will ever notice."

Hearing Kato Yukaze’s shameless words inside her mind, Tsunade thought about it for a moment and quickly understood why he had so recklessly moved against a fellow village ninja.

Remembering what had just happened, she could not help feeling a wave of uncontrollable restlessness rise in her heart.

"Bah! Who’s the little white rabbit? You’re the little white rabbit, you lecherous bastard!"

"And I wasn’t pretending to sleep! You were the one who got me like this just now. So what if they catch you? Also... how did I never realize you were this shameless? You even want to ‘deal with’ me. Just wait, I may beat you up later..."

"I’ve been perfectly honest. I was just sitting properly on the sofa, practicing our Kato clan’s secret taijutsu, and you came over and threw yourself right on top of me, refusing to let go..."

"Bah, shameless... and, and don’t make things too ugly. It’ll be hard to explain to Lord Danzo."

"Don’t worry, I know my limits. I’m still working under Danzo right now; I’m not stupid. You should be thinking about how you’re going to help me cool off later."

"Bah! Don’t you usually go to that upscale club near Hokage Rock? Then go there again. Don’t think that just because I’m a woman I don’t know what kind of place that is!"

"Unjust accusation. What are you talking about? I don’t understand a word of it. I’m still an innocent little virgin!"

"That club was taken me to by that old geezer Jiraiya. Later I took some friends there a few times. I only went there to take baths. You know this—I don’t have any hobbies besides liking you and soaking in a bath."

"Get lost..."

"Yes, ma’am, Princess Little White Rabbit."

"That bastard!"

"I’m still here."

"...Get lost. And stop peeking into my thoughts!"

"Yes, Your Highness, my princess. One last thing: I really am an innocent little virgin, pure as can be. You have to believe me!"

"Get lost!"

Tsunade then relaxed her tense body, reached out to tug the thick blanket around her, and turned onto her side into a more comfortable position.

"This idiot. It’s such a hot day, and he wrapped me in such a thick blanket. Does he think my body still isn’t hot enough?"

While Kato Yukaze was happily flirting with Tsunade through their soul link, he had not forgotten the big black rat sitting in front of him.

"If I remember correctly, the Leaf ninja work regulations make it very clear that conveying an order from your superior to another Leaf ninja is part of your job."

"Hey, you over there—the big black rat. Has your superior ever taught you the proper courtesy of saluting a higher-ranking ninja when you meet one on the job? If not, I can teach you myself how to respect your betters!"

As he spoke, Kato Yukaze directly unleashed his jutsu and barked at the Root ANBU across from him.

By then, the rat-headed man was already dazed by the killing intent Kato Yukaze had erupted with, and he was barely resisting that pressure.

He had not reacted to Kato Yukaze’s jutsu at all. He only felt a sharp pain at the key point between his brows, as though something needle-like had pierced the skin there, then stopped just beneath the surface without going any deeper.

"When... so fast... senbon?"

He tried to raise his hand to pull the senbon out of his forehead, but under the crushing pressure of Kato Yukaze’s killing intent and presence, he could not even lift his arm.

Even when he strained to look up toward the vital point between his brows, he could not see any senbon stuck there at all.

"Not senbon? Then what is it?" His eyes, visible through the mask on his face, showed confusion.

"What are you looking for? Looking for this?"

Kato Yukaze’s teasing voice sounded again by his ear.

Seeing the rat-headed man’s confusion, Kato Yukaze leisurely adjusted his posture, leaning back in his office chair and propping his feet directly on the desk in front of him in a thoroughly lazy, infuriating, and discourteous pose, all while continuing to watch the man before him.

Then he withdrew a portion of his killing intent and presence, enough to let the man move again. At the same time, he kindly controlled his jutsu so that more of the Wind Senbon would reveal their shape from their hidden state.

As Kato Yukaze withdrew some of that murderous pressure, the rat-headed man immediately felt the weight on his body lighten. He could move again.

But he still did not dare reach up and touch the wound between his brows.

Because more translucent, pale-green senbon had suddenly appeared around even more of his vital points: his brow, his temples, his throat, his chest...

Those pale-green transparent senbon floated silently around his body, flickering in and out of sight. Yet the sharp wind-nature chakra on them made him certain they could easily pierce straight through him.

Only then did he realize that a cold sweat had already broken out all over his body. Thinking back on what Kato Yukaze had just said, and then looking again at Kato Yukaze’s current posture and expression, he cautiously avoided the senbon around him and respectfully formed the hand seal for a salute, performing the proper etiquette for greeting a superior ninja.

"…Lord Kato Yukaze, I am a subordinate of Lord Danzo Shimura. My codename is Black Rat. You may call me Little Black, or Little Rat..."

"I have come here under Lord Danzo Shimura’s orders to sincerely invite you to the Spring Base. I hope you can depart as soon as possible."

This time, the rat-headed man repeated the order he had just given, but with far more politeness than before.

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