Chapter 597: Master and Servant
The four people at the table sucked in a sharp breath.
Anjo, in particular, knew Lord Urokodaki's character well. He was someone who would never deliberately exaggerate or distort an enemy's strength. Therefore, if that Byakugan girl could repel Lord Urokodaki, a veteran elite Jonin, what level of ninja must she be?
And if the Byakugan girl, who was considered the weakest link, possessed such strength, just how powerful must the team led by Kakashi Hatake be?
Furthermore, what kind of mission, and what kind of enemy, required such a team to handle them?
He suddenly raised his head.
"Orochimaru," Urokodaki said calmly. "It is obvious that they are looking for Orochimaru, because rumors say he has been hiding near the Land of Sound... Only an enemy of that caliber would require Konoha to treat the matter with such caution."
"You are absolutely no match for either party. To put it bluntly, even if the four of you added your strengths together, you wouldn't be enough for that weakest Byakugan girl to defeat with a single hand. So, once you finish eating, hurry back and do not linger here any longer. Additionally, if you run into comrades from our village, share this information with them."
"I command you to move quickly. If you happen to encounter them, retreat three steps to avoid conflict, and under no circumstances should you make an enemy of them!"
"Do you understand?"
The four replied in unison, "Yes, my Lord!"
Urokodaki Ukon gave an imperceptible nod and turned around, preparing to leave.
"By the way," he paused suddenly as he reached the doorway, "be careful with your speech when you are outside in the future. Do not rashly discuss the powerful, and be careful lest a slip of the tongue brings disaster! Especially when discussing ninjas of the caliber of Sakura-kun and the Uchiha—"
Before the Cloud Ninja could finish his sentence, the heavy door of the izakaya was suddenly pushed open, and a piercing northern wind cut his words short.
A black-haired woman appeared at the doorway.
She had delicate features and a slender build, with a vibrant, heroic aura between her brows.
She was a civilian.
Urokodaki turned to look, able to judge this instantly just from her appearance. The calluses on her hands, the distribution of her muscles, the forehead protector representing a hidden village, and, most importantly, the aura of chakra—none of these existed within that woman.
So, how did a civilian dare to block the doorway in front of a ninja?
Urokodaki frowned, initially wanting to shout a harsh rebuke, but a sudden sense of warning inexplicably flared within his heart. It felt as if someone were shouting at him, telling him not to do it!
In the subtle atmosphere, the two faced each other in a silent standoff for two seconds.
The black-haired woman knit her beautiful brows slightly, her expression remaining indifferent as her crimson lips parted lightly: "Move."
Anjo was instantly infuriated—what audacity! A mere civilian woman, not only blocking the doorway without yielding, but actually daring to speak to a ninja in such a manner! That was a grand figure whom even he, Anjo, as a Special Jonin, had to treat with absolute respect!
He wanted to leap up in anger and teach the woman a lesson on behalf of Lord Urokodaki. However, just as his hips left his seat, he suddenly realized where the subtlety of the atmosphere lay.
That was right... If that impudent woman needed to be ordered out of the way, Lord Urokodaki would have spoken up himself. He was not the type of pretentious person who needed a subordinate to do everything for him just to show off his noble status! The fact that Lord Urokodaki remained silent meant there must be a reason for it!
What was he wary of!
Urokodaki Ukon actually could not clearly explain what he was wary of either.
He only knew that his sixth sense, which had warned him between life and death multiple times, was currently warning him not to provoke this seemingly fragile woman!
Either his never-wrong sixth sense had made a mistake, or...
The woman before him was so strong that he could not see through her at all!
The winter wind howled, bringing a bone-chilling cold into the izakaya, yet sweat broke out on Urokodaki's forehead.
The Cloud Ninja's expression appeared cold and rigid, but his brain was working at frantic speed, thinking and judging. Should he trust his rational judgment, or the warning of his sixth sense?
If it was the latter, then what kind of background did the woman in front of him have to make his heart panic so much?
The black-haired woman did not receive an answer, her elegant brows furrowing even tighter as she took another step forward.
"Are you going to move or not?"
she asked impatiently.
Urokodaki knew he had to make a choice.
This brief standoff had already attracted the attention of a few people. If this dragged on any longer and drew everyone's eyes, it would be too late.
"My apologies," he managed to force a polite smile, stepping aside to clear the path, "please come in."
The woman stepped into the room without any hesitation.
Following closely behind her was a young man dressed like a noble young master, looking travel-worn but carrying a smile on his face.
He strode over the threshold, bypassed the Cloud Ninja, and followed behind the black-haired woman.
To anyone looking, they appeared to be a master and servant traveling together.
Yet Urokodaki broke out into a cold sweat, his pupils shrinking violently the moment he saw that noble young master!
"Lord Urokodaki?" Anjo carefully tugged at Urokodaki's sleeve, "What is wrong with you?"
The Cloud Jonin completely could not answer Anjo's question.
Could he tell him that when that woman brushed past him, every single cell in his body was screaming, and the urge to flee erupted like a flash flood?
Could he tell him that before that man appeared, he hadn't noticed at all that there was another person behind the woman?
Could he tell him that he had just felt as though his very blood had been frozen solid?
Urokodaki could only respond with silence.
It wasn't until that man walked past that he realized he was gasping for breath.
The Cloud Jonin forcefully suppressed his rapid breathing and gave Anjo and the others a meaningful look.
"Let's go!"
Leaving their half-eaten food behind, the Cloud Ninjas walked out of the izakaya in a somewhat disheveled and flustered state.
Inside the izakaya.
The master and servant walked straight to the counter and called over the bartender to order food and drinks.
"The celestial king covers the earthly tiger," the man dressed as a noble young master suddenly blinked, a strange and monstrous Mangekyo Sharingan pattern flashing across his eyes for a split second.
Spurred by the secret code and the Sharingan, the bartender froze for a moment, a triangular shuriken pattern surfacing within his own eyes as well.
"The pagoda suppresses the river demon," he said quickly in a dull, completely emotionless voice.
After a brief daze, the bartender returned to normal.
He had absolutely no idea that he had unconsciously become a mailbox for storing intelligence, nor did he know that in that brief instant, something magical had taken place.
In fact, he had already forgotten that a pair of individuals looking like a master and servant had just ordered food here.
"Pairing a secret code that absolutely no one could guess with the Mangekyo Sharingan creates an absolutely secure key. Passing intelligence with this method is completely foolproof," the noble young master smiled slightly, uttering words that completely contradicted his outward persona.
The black-haired woman ignored him, merely glancing backward. Seeing Anjo and his group fleeing in panic, a look of ridicule appeared on her indifferent face.
"Hmph... Cloud Ninjas."
The man also turned his head to look, shaking his head dismissively, "It's just as well to scare them away. It saves us from having to guard against those ill-intentioned little bugs when we go to trouble Orochimaru."
"However, by doing this, the identities we went through so much trouble to create are completely exposed, aren't they? What happened to our agreed-upon secret infiltration?"
"Or rather, did you expose us on purpose?"
"Have you already grown impatient with playing the role of my maid... Sako-chan?"
The man winked at the black-haired beauty.