In the middle of the night, a figure stealthily retreated from an apartment window. His movements were so light and graceful, it was almost an art form.
The man landed without a sound and did not stay for long. He reminded himself that many of his predecessors had been caught because they lingered at the scene, basking in their success instead of leaving promptly.
He hurried away but still managed to alert someone else.
A beam of light shot toward him, and the man panicked, sprinting away. He didn’t dare look back or stop.
Hearing the footsteps behind him getting closer and closer, he couldn't help but feel a sense of despair in his heart, and thought to himself, ‘It’s over.’
The alley blocked out the moonlight.
The next moment, with a loud bang, he was slammed against the wall by a tremendous force. It was like a giant opening a can of fish with his bare hands, brutal, crude, and shocking.
With a bang, the man's head hit the wall. His mind went blank from the violent impact, leaving only a silent void.
“Patience is the key to life.”
After a severe concussion, the man woke up in a daze, not sure if his skull was cracked.
Seeing that the man who caught him was dressed as a Kirigakure’s Anbu, he couldn't help but gasp.
Just as he was about to scream, the owner of that handsome face frowned, and a hand like an iron fan slapped him across the face without hesitation.
Slap, slap, slap!
A few more slaps, and the man was completely dazed.
"Where’s the stolen goods?" Naruto asked coldly, his face fierce, exuding an aura that suggested he’d kill the man if he didn’t get a satisfactory answer.
"Stolen goods?" The man was stunned. He couldn't remember anything and even forgot what he had just done.
Slap!
Another slap, and the man instantly sobered up.
"Please stop!! I’ll talk! I’ll talk! Don’t kill me!!" The man begged, tears streaming down his face. The fear of death drove him to kneel down and obey subconsciously.
"What did you steal? Hand it over now!" Naruto grew more impatient, gripping the man’s neck and slowly tightening his grip.
"I stole... some money. It’s all here." The man said in a squeezed voice, "Please, don’t kill me! Cough, cough, don’t... kill me!"
Hearing this, Naruto took the money and then tossed the man aside like a trash. Under the moonlight, he counted the money and glanced at the man again.
The sound of rustling bills made the man shiver, cowering against the wall, trembling.
"Please!! Don’t kill me! I really didn’t do anything else, I just stole some money! I’ll never do it again!! Please!"
"Just stealing money? You sound pretty bold. Were you planning to kill and rob too?" Naruto threatened as he subtly tossed the money into the sealing space.
"Keep your mouth shut and don't let me run into you next time, otherwise…"
“Yes!! Yes!”
Seeing this, Naruto whistled and left happily.
After a long time, the man on the ground slowly got up. Clutching his neck, his face flushed red, he looked around to make sure no one was there before scrambling away like a beaten dog.
The alley was only about ten meters long, but the thief fell seven or eight times. His legs were so weak they trembled, and he crawled and stumbled his way out of the alley.
After running for who knows how long, he stopped at a puddle. Under the dim streetlight, he could clearly see the handprint marks on his neck and he shuddered violently.
"A madman! He really wanted to kill me! A madman! It was just some money!!"
"That Shinobi... he’s a devil! Has he never seen a thief before? Does he have to go for the kill? Senpai, I’m sorry, I’ve tried my best in this line of work."
"Ugh, I can’t do this anymore!! I... Senpai!"
Meanwhile, multiple scenes of ‘justice being served’ unfolded across Kirigakure.
Thieves and petty criminals, all in the same night, made a silent pact to change careers because of one man.
With the money he’d ‘worked for,’ Naruto moved into a more luxurious accommodation that very night.
Mei leaned against an alley wall and sighed softly. She had thought that no matter how skilled the intruder was, he would leave some clues.
But as it turned out, he did leave clues… too many of them.
She had followed the unusual traces all night, circling the village she knew so well more than a dozen times.
As dawn approached, she felt that her opponent this time was exceptionally cunning.
"Ah!" She couldn't help but yawn. Staying up all night chasing a criminal was too exhausting.
"Forget it, I’ll go back and sleep. I’ll..."
Halfway through her sentence, Mei suddenly turned her head and looked around vigilantly.
‘It appeared again! That damn sensation was back. The intruder must still be nearby! Maybe he was watching me right now!’
‘If I left now, he might slip away again.’
‘No, I can't leave!’ But Mei is really tired, and it's impossible for her to keep going like this. Her subordinates are unreliable, and she doesn't trust them with this.
As she was hesitating, she turned her head and caught a glimpse of the tallest hotel in Kirigakure.
"One room, please."
"Y-yes? Mizukage... Mizukage-sama?" The girl at the front desk was instantly wide awake, staring at the living, breathing, and alluring Mizukage in front of her, wondering if she was hallucinating.
"Yes, one room, please hurry up."
"O-of course, Mizukage-sama." The girl’s hands trembled as she fumbled with the keys, dropping the pen several times before finally looking up nervously at Terumi Mei.
"Um... Mizukage-sama, we only have one luxury suite left."
"Book it!" Mei didn't even blink. She was not short of money, and she couldn't leave easily now. So she could only rest here for a while.
‘If that person leaves, I will sense it and wake up immediately. But if he stayed and kept watching me, then I will rest here to lull him into a false sense of security, then deal with him after she woke up…’
While she was thinking, the girl handed her the room key.
"It’s... it’s done, Mizukage-sama."
It was dawn now, and there were few people in the lobby and corridors. After receiving the room key, Mei took the elevator to the top floor, walked down the plush carpeted hallway, and opened the door to her room.
“Phew~”
After waking up, Naruto stared at the gold-patterned ceiling, feeling utterly refreshed, ‘It really feels good to be rich. Even my quality of sleep has improved a lot.’
Looking at the sunset outside the window, he patted his stomach to confirm he’d only slept for a day. After missions, he sometimes slept like this, not caring about anything else.
The Shinobi’s physique is somewhat special. Sometimes he could sleep until the next day, so he always used this method to figure out how long he’d slept.
Feeling hungry, Naruto remembered the room service and ordered a meal.
Across the hall.
Mei woke up slowly, and wiped the drool from the corner of her mouth. Seeing the unclosed curtains and the sunset light streaming through the window onto the soft bed, she was momentarily dazed.
‘Had I overslept?’
Growl...
‘So hungry. Whatever. I’d already overslept, so I might as well order some food first. I couldn’t starve to death, after all.’