Genzō then took care of delivering the cargo. The carts were taken to one of the main warehouses, where several workers began checking boxes, verifying inventories, and unloading merchandise.
The mission was officially complete.
Although they still had to return to Konoha.
Genzō appeared shortly afterward with an expression considerably more relaxed than the one he had shown during the ambush.
"Thank you so much for everything, Kaito-sama."
Kaito nodded.
"Then our work ends here."
"By the way. There's a good inn near the plaza. The food is excellent and they have rooms available. Everything is already paid for. It's my thanks for everything."
Kaito rolled his eyes.
"I told you it wasn't necessary, that it was part of our mission. But since you went to the trouble, we won't refuse."
Genzō smiled, delighted.
Kaito then said goodbye and walked with his team to the establishment.
The place occupied two floors and had a wide hall on the lower one. Several lamps illuminated wooden tables distributed without much order, and the smell of roasted meat, hot broth, spices, and alcohol filled the air.
Merchants, travelers, and some mercenaries occupied most of the seats.
Chōji stopped as soon as they crossed the door.
He inhaled deeply.
"Yes."
Ino looked at him.
"Yes what?"
"Mr. Genzō was right."
Kaito watched him without a word.
"You can determine the quality of a place by the smell?"
Chōji looked at him with absolute seriousness.
"Yes."
"Don't question his skills when it comes to food," Ino warned him. "He's probably the most qualified person in Konoha."
Chōji nodded.
"Thanks, Ino."
"That wasn't exactly a compliment, Chōji."
As Genzō had said, they were already expected. So checking in was relatively easy.
Ino took the best of the three rooms. The view looked out toward the center of the capital.
"Rest. We leave first thing tomorrow," Kaito said.
Ino planted a hand on her hip.
"First thing means...?"
"Before dawn."
Her face fell.
"That's not first thing. That's still night."
"Then we'll leave at night." Kaito walked toward his room.
"That wasn't a suggestion!" Ino shouted at him.
Kaito opened the door to his room.
"Good night, Yamanaka."
Ino pointed at him.
"One of these days I'm going to get you to hold a normal conversation with me."
"Good luck with that."
Ino slammed the door hard and went in.
Kaito was left speechless.
Chōji also went into his, with a bag of food he had bought downstairs.
"I think she likes you."
"Where did you get such stupidity from?"
"From how much she talks to you. She doesn't usually go to that much trouble with strangers."
Kaito ignored his words and entered the room.
He didn't even admire the interior.
He simply let himself fall onto the bed and closed his eyes.
"I miss you so much, Hinata-chan." He murmured before falling asleep.
…..
A few hours later.
"AAAAAAAAAH! PERVERT!"
Kaito opened his eyes suddenly.
For an instant he remained completely still. Then he recognized the voice, closed his eyes again, and let out a deeply tired sigh.
"Ino..."
A crash came from the adjoining room.
"THERE'S A PERVERT AT THE WINDOW!"
Kaito then vanished from the bed.
Ino's door burst open at almost the same time Chōji came out into the corridor still half-asleep, with messy hair and an expression of absolute confusion.
"What's going on?"
"Go back inside. I'll handle it," Kaito said, and Chōji went back in.
"What the hell is going on, Yamanaka," Kaito said from outside.
Seconds later, Ino opened the door; she had a blanket covering her body and her face red with pure rage.
"Someone was watching me through the window!"
Kaito blinked. Then he looked toward the end of the corridor.
"We're on the second floor."
"I KNOW THAT ALREADY!"
Kaito growled in annoyance and went in.
Ino walked behind him still wrapped in the blanket.
Kaito immediately observed the open window. The curtain moved gently with the night air. He approached and ran two fingers over the frame.
Ino pointed over there.
"He was right outside! I opened my eyes and there was a face looking at me. It was terrifying."
Kaito closed his eyes and his breathing slowed. His Kenbushoku spread, covering the entire premises.
3D images and chakra signatures reached his brain as information at incredible speed.
First the closest presences appeared. Ino behind him. Several people in the adjoining rooms awake because of the scream.
Kaito expanded the range.
The street, the rooftops, the alleys. Searching for movement. Until he sensed a presence moving rapidly across the buildings on the other side of the street.
Kaito opened his eyes abruptly.
"I found him."
Ino stopped arguing immediately.
"Where?"
Kaito set a foot on the frame.
"Stay here. I'll be right back."
He said and vanished the next instant.
Ino ran to the window and looked outside. She managed to make out a shadow landing on a distant rooftop before disappearing again.
"He's fast." She couldn't help saying.
On the rooftops, a hooded figure ran desperately.
He had expected to find a girl alone.
A tourist, perhaps.
Then he had seen the Konoha headband on the table and had immediately understood his mistake.
What he hadn't expected was to feel a presence behind him.
He turned his head and stopped. But there was nothing.
And then he kept running.
He jumped over an alley, landed on another building, and used a pipe to propel himself toward a higher rooftop.
His breathing was starting to quicken.
Then a voice spoke in front of him.
"Good evening, gentleman."
The man braked so violently he nearly fell.
Kaito was sitting on the cornice.
One leg dangled calmly into the void while the other remained bent. He was still wearing the simple clothes he had been sleeping in and his hair was slightly messy.
The man stepped back instinctively.
"How...?"
Kaito yawned.
"It's almost midnight to be spying on girls, don't you think?"
The stranger looked back, calculating the distance.
Kaito saw him do it.
"Don't."
But the man ignored him.
He turned and jumped.
"Hahahaha, Konoha ninjas are so stupid." He laughed to himself the way a pervert would.
However. He didn't reach the next building.
A hand grabbed the back of his clothes in midair and, an instant later, he felt his entire body being yanked violently backward.
"WHAT?!"
Kaito landed back on the rooftop and dropped him.
The man rolled several times before stopping.
"Listen, I can explain."
Kaito looked at him.
"You were watching my subordinate sleep. Are you a special class of pervert?"
"When you put it that way it sounds worse."
"I'm having a hard time finding a way to say it that sounds better."
The man went pale.
"I didn't do anything!"
"You'll have to explain that to her."
Terror appeared immediately in his eyes.
"To the blonde?"
"Yes."
"I'd rather go with the guards."
Kaito considered it.
"Smart decision."
When Kaito returned, coming back in through the window of Ino's room.
He ran into a scene he would not forget for the rest of his life.
In the middle of the room, dressed only in her pink underwear, Ino was bent over.
Her adorable, slender, and sexy body, with a single undergarment, was simply hypnotizing. Under the dim light of the lamp, her perfect legs, her waist, and her slender shoulders looked incredibly sensual.
The most imressive thing was the thong she was wearing. It traced her wide hips and disappeared between her ass cheeks.
Kaito swallowed hard, and after appreciating the beautiful view, he cleared his throat to make his presence known.