The next morning, soft sunlight spilled into every corner of Konoha Village.
The Third Hokage sat behind his desk in the Hokage building, staring at the beautiful woman standing respectfully before him.
She wore exquisite black backless high heels, her hips swaying provocatively with every step she took.
The woman was dressed in a conservative Jonin flak jacket, yet even that stiff fabric couldn't hide the lethal curves of her body.
Hiruzen Sarutobi pondered for a moment, then nodded slightly.
"Leaving the village for a while?"
"Mmh... very well. I grant you fifteen days of leave."
At this point, Hiruzen still looked a bit uneasy, so he asked again:
"Since you are taking the Kazekage's Swift, you'll save most of your travel time. Fifteen days should be more than enough, right?"
Hearing this, Shuang Uchiha bowed slightly to the Third Hokage and spoke softly:
"It is enough."
"Thank you, Lord Hokage!"
Watching Shuang Uchiha push the door open and leave.
Hiruzen lowered his head, his eyes flickering with thought.
Finally, he let out a soft sigh, shook his head, and muttered to himself:
"I must be overthinking things..."
Rasa sat in the chair on the left side of the Swift's cockpit, swaying lazily.
Suddenly, he heard a crisp click.
He turned his head subconsciously and saw a beautiful woman stepping into the Swift.
Her upper body was covered by a conservative black Jonin vest.
Despite the modesty, the tactical vest still outlined her heavy, swinging breasts and narrow waist, sparking endless carnal fantasies.
Her aura was intoxicatingly seductive; every smile and glance dripped with charm.
Rasa looked at Shuang Uchiha as she entered; her beautiful eyes were wide with curiosity, scanning everything.
A brilliant smile spread across his face as he laughed:
"The Third Hokage approved it?"
Shuang Uchiha continued to inspect the seamless interior of the flying machine, replying casually:
"Of course. He gave me fifteen days."
Rasa frowned slightly. It wasn't that he thought the time was too short, but rather too long.
At the Swift's top speed, it only took half a day to get from Konoha to the Land of Hot Water.
Even including time for pleasure and the effort to hunt down the Evil God, three or four days was plenty.
Once he broke the Evil God and dragged the information he needed from its throat.
He had to return to the world of Manyū Hiken-chō.
Who would keep her company then?
After finishing her inspection, Shuang Uchiha walked slowly to the chair on the right side of the cockpit and sat down elegantly.
She gave a friendly nod to the female Chunin in the pilot's seat, signaling she was ready.
Then, as if reading Rasa's mind.
She dismissively waved her snow-white left hand and said in a soft, airy voice:
"Once we arrive in the Land of Hot Water and deal with that creature, I can enjoy the rest of my time there alone. I don't need you to babysit me."
At this point, a dim light flickered in Shuang's eyes.
She slowly stroked her own face—which remained as smooth and supple as a twenty-year-old's—and whispered to herself:
"When I think about it, aside from missions in my youth, I've spent my entire life inside Konoha."
"Even on missions, it was usually within the Land of Fire. I never had the chance to see what the rest of the world looked like."
"Even during the Great War, I was so consumed by the slaughter that I had no time to enjoy the view."
Rasa hesitated, then a flash of inspiration hit him. His lips curled into a radiant smirk as he chuckled:
"Once I've settled my business, I'll bring you to the Sand Village. I'll let you experience the unique, savage beauty of the desert properly, how about it?"
"Karura is due to give birth in about two weeks anyway. You can lend a hand and help me look after her."
Hearing this, Shuang Uchiha's eyes instantly lit up like stars, staring intensely at Rasa.
Her stunning face bloomed with a radiance as bright as spring sunshine.
She knew exactly what Rasa meant by that invitation.
And because she knew, she was ecstatic.
Shuang crossed her arms under her chest, pushing her massive, juicy breasts even higher. She smirked and said playfully:
"Hmph. What's so great about a never-ending desert?"
"Besides, Sunagakure is a Great Village. You must have countless medical ninjas. You don't need me."
"But since you're begging, I suppose I can lower myself to accompany you for a while."
Rasa shook his head and gave a slow wave of his hand.
The woman sitting in the center, who had been waiting silently, immediately began to operate the Swift with expert precision.
The machine shuddered for a split second upon takeoff, but quickly stabilized.
In less than twenty seconds, it surged to an altitude of five hundred meters.
It streaked through the clouds, heading straight for the Land of Hot Water.
At the same time, as Rasa's Swift took off.
Another Swift parked nearby, with the characters for 'Leaf' painted on its sides, immediately took to the sky as well.
It followed closely behind Rasa's vessel.
Rasa looked through the rearview mirror and saw the Leaf Swift tailing them. He couldn't help but laugh:
"Hehe. Truly interesting."
"The Third Hokage must have been hounding the Uchiha clan for craftsmen lately, hasn't he?"
Shuang Uchiha naturally saw the tailing ship too.
She nodded slightly, her voice tinged with a bit of envy:
"Yes. For the past six months, the Konoha elders have been desperately searching for master builders and puppeteers, trying to reverse-engineer the material of your Swifts."
"The result? After half a year, they've figured out the general chemical composition, but they have no idea how to fuse the materials together."
Rasa smiled. Of course they couldn't.
Not until the Boruto era, thirty years from now, would Konoha possess that level of technology.
The two began to chat casually.
Two hours later.
The Swift carrying Rasa and his party crossed the border of the Land of Fire.
The Leaf Swift trailing them immediately halted in mid-air, watching silently as they disappeared into the distance.
Inside the cockpit of the Leaf Swift, a white-haired boy with dead-fish eyes sat in the pilot's seat. He sighed boredly:
"What a pointless, dull chore."
The quiet, black-haired girl sitting next to him smiled and tried to comfort him:
"Kakashi, don't be like that. This is a mission assigned by the elders. Many people would kill for this assignment."
Kakashi Hatake snorted. He knew the only reason they got this easy, high-paying job was because of their master, Minato.
No danger, short duration, and full pay—it was a luxury mission.
Watching Rasa's Swift vanish from his sight.
He banked the machine, turning back toward Konoha.
Several hours later, as 1:00 PM approached.
The Swift finally entered the airspace of the Land of Hot Water.
Located northeast of the Land of Fire, it was a textbook example of a small nation.
Because it sat near several volcanoes, it was a land of endless hot springs, pleasant weather, and rich natural resources.
Yugakure, its hidden village, was known as the "Village Hidden in Hot Water." It was famous for its beauty and tourism.
It boasted the finest natural hot springs in the entire Ninja World.
After some time.
A handsome young man and a devastatingly beautiful, seductive woman.
Walking with their fingers interlocked, they strolled down the Land of Hot Water's famous Rose Street.
Though called a "street," it was actually just a humble, ordinary alleyway.
Interestingly, the people living here were obsessed with roses.
Every window, door, and courtyard was overflowing with roses of every imaginable color.
Whenever a breeze blew, rose petals would dance in the air, swirling around the passersby...
Shuang Uchiha had already discarded her ninja gear, changing into a stunning set of commoner clothes.
The soft wind caught her maple-brown dress, making it flutter and cling to her long legs.
Rose petals filled the air, and a thick, intoxicating fragrance saturated the wind.
Shuang reached out with a soft, delicate hand, catching a petal in her palm before letting the wind take it again.
"So beautiful..."
Looking at the picturesque scenery and the carefree people on the street.
Shuang Uchiha parted her crimson, pouting lips and let out a soft exclamation of wonder.
She had been here twenty years ago as a teenager.
But returning now, as a woman nearing forty, the experience was profoundly different.
Rasa inhaled the scent of roses and watched the locals.
He shook his head slightly and whispered:
"This is exactly why the ninja village here grows weaker every year."
Hearing this, Shuang Uchiha flinched and let out a long breath, her voice soft:
"You're right. The atmosphere is peaceful, but it rots the fighting spirit. Stay here too long, and you'd lose the desire to train, let alone kill."
If the world were truly at peace, living here would be a dream.
But given the state of the Ninja World, had true peace ever actually existed?
Every "peace" was merely a brief intermission between slaughters.
Every ten or twenty years, the world was destined to burn again.
The cobblestones were carpeted in rose petals. Shuang's high heels clicked against the stones.
Instead of avoiding them carefully like before, she stepped firmly and naturally on the fallen petals.
The two continued forward.
A few miles ahead lay the Village Hidden in Hot Water.
Yugakure was the only ninja village in the Land of Hot Water; its exact founding date was lost to history.
It was a bizarre village whose military power shrank with every war, a resource-rich place that worshipped pacifism.
In the Shinobi world, it was mocked as the "Village That Forgot War."
It was a miracle that such a weak village hadn't been swallowed by its neighbors yet.
Legend said the founders were a master and apprentice who despised conflict.
By some strange stroke of luck, they had discovered a miraculous ancient scroll.
After decades of study.
They had developed a unique set of techniques, establishing the strange ninja system of Yugakure.