How to Survive as an Uchiha 109 – Masks Within Masks

Masashi waited for Kagemune to disappear before turning around and opening the doors of the guesthouse.

As soon as the door opened, a wave of heat hit them.

"It's quite warm," Shisui said, his face showing a look of comfort.

The Land of Water lived up to its na—its humidity was oppressive. Being used to the pleasant climate of the Land of Fire, he felt uncomfortable here, his body sticky and clammy.

As the two walked into the building, they realized the guesthouse was more impressive on the inside than it appeared. While the exterior presented as an unremarkable apartnt block, the interior boasted exquisite architectural design.

A lavishly furnished lobby spread out before them, with red as the dominant color. There were fireplaces on both sides, radiating heat that ward the space.

Though the area was not very large, many small doors branched off in various directions.

Masashi looked up and noticed ventilation ducts covering the ceiling. His eyes narrowed slightly.

The door behind them closed automatically, and footsteps approached.

Soon after, a girl around fifteen or sixteen years old appeared before them.

She had delicate features, with jet-black hair falling straight down her shoulders. Her face was slightly flushed, and her large, bright eyes shone like polished obsidian. Her soft, full lips curved into a gentle smile.

She wore fairly revealing clothing, but it didn't seem indecent. Instead, it radiated the youthful energy fitting for her age.

Shisui averted his gaze.

It wasn't that he was shy—ninjas of his caliber would not falter so easily. It was simply that she reminded him of a particularly painful mory.

The girl noticed his reaction, and a hint of moisture appeared in her eyes.

"Welco to Kiri."

"That might be premature," Masashi said as he continued observing his surroundings. "For all we know, you might not be so welcoming tomorrow."

The girl froze.

In truth, she hadn't been working here for long. Guests were a rarity, and this was her first ti receiving any. She was unsure how to respond to the situation.

Suddenly, Masashi turned his gaze toward her, his eyes transforming into the three-tomoe Sharingan.

The girl's heart tightened, but she maintained her shy smile.

Masashi wasn't interested in her performance; he simply wanted to confirm whether she possessed chakra. He had already used chakra sensing earlier and hadn't detected anyone in the building with chakra.

He couldn't believe it, so he decided to double-check with his Sharingan.

"You're not a ninja?" Masashi asked as he deactivated the Sharingan. "Are all of you ordinary people?"

"Yes. This is a place ant to host important guests, and no ninjas are allowed," the girl said, bowing deeply. "You must be a noble from a distinguished ninja clan. Please allow to serve you."

"Sorry, but I'm neither noble nor distinguished," Masashi said bluntly. His curt deanor made the girl fearful of what would happen to her.

But in the next mont, his tone changed.

"No, this guy here is the noble and distinguished one." He slapped Shisui on the shoulder, pushing him forward. "Serve him well. I'm just an assistant—don't get the wrong person."

Shisui looked at Masashi in disbelief, his eyes clearly saying, "Masashi-nii! Can you act like a decent human being for once?"

Masashi felt that Shisui probably didn't understand his intent. Sorry, Shisui, but you're the better distraction right now.

"You're being unreasonable. Don't look down on working people," Masashi lectured. "Workers don't bully other workers."

"I didn't bully anyone…" Shisui muttered, feeling deeply distressed. He was convinced Masashi was acting irrational again.

Masashi couldn't be bothered to explain.

"Well, that's settled. I'm truly exhausted, so I'm off to get so sleep," he said, turning to the girl. "Please take to my room—one with a bath and a place to sleep."

"Y-Yes…" The girl, feeling as though she had just been pulled back from hell into heaven, was still dazed. She realized that Masashi was helping her, and her heart filled with gratitude.

Serving soone who was tough on the outside but soft-hearted underneath was more rewarding, though she had no choice in the matter.

The girl stood up and tugged a thin rope nearby.

The sound of bells echoed in the room.

After a while, another woman appeared.

Hikari? Masashi paused for a mont.

This woman had a completely different style of dress—a high-slit gown.

She was older than the girl, with an aura of maturity—essentially a contrast of "sweet young girl" and "seductive mature woman."

Kiri, it seed, not only practiced the Bloody Mist policies but also indulged in these antics, which likely explained their poor reputation.

Masashi waved his hand dismissively.

"Lead the way."

No need to make sothing as simple as getting a room so complicated.

"This way," the woman said with a deep bow.

She bent so far forward that Masashi worried her waist might not support the weight up front.

It was clear that Kagemune had ulterior motives for arranging accommodations like this for him and Shisui.

Hopefully, Shisui—despite his innocent appearance—would realize the situation soon and put his genjutsu skills to good use, perhaps gathering so useful intel.

Ahead of him, the woman swayed her hips as she led the way.

When they arrived at a room, she opened the door and bowed for Masashi to enter.

Inside, everything from the doorknob to the tallic-looking stove exuded luxury. Each wall was painted in deep hues, resembling orderly arranged oil paintings.

It was gaudy and over the top.

A faint rustling sound ca from behind.

When Masashi turned around, the woman had begun to undress.

Everything was proceeding exactly as he expected.

The woman removed the pins from her hair.

Masashi's gaze remained indifferent.

"I'm sorry, but I'm really tired. I still have work to do tonight. Let's arrange for another ti."

He liked tea, sure—but only tea, not this kind of "tea."

No matter how much soone faked a smile, they couldn't hide their true intentions. It was no wonder Kiri had devolved into such chaos. While the non-clan ninjas had seemingly lost their minds, the clan ninjas weren't much better.

The woman froze.

Though she was new here, her previous profession gave her a good sense of when soone was telling the truth or not. After hesitating for a mont, she put her clothes back on, bowed, and left, closing the door behind her.

Masashi walked around the room casually and easily discovered several surveillance devices laced with monitoring jutsu.

They really had underestimated him.

Destroying the devices without effort, he collapsed onto the sofa and closed his eyes.

When he opened them again, the sky outside had darkened.

There was another knock at the door.

"Co in."

The sa woman entered again, now wearing a full black gown.

"The Kiri clan families are hosting a gathering tonight. The Hōzuki family has invited you and your companion to attend. Will you go?"

"And who invited us?"

"I am your guide. Serving you is my responsibility."

"Alright, change into sothing more conservative."

The woman paused, then walked into the wardrobe. When she erged, she was covered in a sheer veil.

Masashi realized this was far from "conservative."

"There are no clothes here that et your standards," the woman explained.

"Fine," Masashi replied, not pressing the matter. He stood up. "Let's go to the banquet."

He smiled.

This trip to Kiri had already opened his eyes.

The ninjas of Kiri certainly had their own lives, but such a lifestyle had little to do with civilian ninjas. Through the luxury and excess, he could see the deeper rot.

Here, civilian ninjas struggled just to survive.

Masashi wasn't sure if Kiri had always been this way, but he knew that in those days, the Kiri ninjas had standards for living.

Most likely, the policies were to bla again.

So, if the Third Mizukage wasn't just outright crazy, then maybe he was an undercover agent who rose to power—or perhaps...

But Madara wasn't Obito. He had no personal grudge against Kiri.

Accompanied by the woman, they made their way out and wandered through a spiral staircase leading to the lower levels.

"Do they hold banquets here too?" Masashi asked.

"Yes."

The woman was sparing with her words.

Her eyes occasionally glanced around, carrying a faint sweetness.

However, the eyes that should have been enchanting and lively were instead empty and lancholy—the look of soone who had long cried themselves dry, eliciting pity just like Hikari...

A smile was rely a mask for pain too deep to articulate.

She resembled her too much.

"Later, stay close to ," Masashi said. "That way no one can touch you."

A flicker of light appeared in the woman's eyes, but like a candle in the wind, it quickly extinguished.

Still, she did move slightly closer to him.

And Masashi noticed this.

In his first life, anyone who dared play this sort of ga in Konoha had been crushed under his boot.

In Kiri, however, such behavior was rampant and unrestrained.

The spiral staircase seed endless. After a few turns, sounds began to emanate from below.

At the bottom was a door.

Before opening the door, Masashi asked, "What's your na?"

"Hikari."

Masashi's expression remained unchanged, but sothing shifted in his eyes. He opened the door himself.

A wave of noisy voices and shouting rushed toward him.

The scale of the banquet hall exceeded his expectations.

Long tables were arranged vertically across the hall, filled with people on both sides.

At the far end, a horizontal table sat a group of n, most appearing over fifty, with commanding presences that marked them as high-ranking individuals.

Servants moved back and forth along the aisle.

mbers of various ninja clans drank heavily, many holding won in their arms, exchanging boisterous laughter and inappropriate banter, behaving utterly unrestrained and absurdly.

Witnessing this scene, he couldn't help but frown.

They were like demons and monsters.

In the Warring States Period, many ninja clans had displayed this arrogant and absurd behavior, including the Uchiha and the Senju.

However, back then, Madara had been the Uchiha clan leader. He despised such nonsense and crushed it wherever it appeared. As a result, this sort of atmosphere quickly disappeared from the Uchiha clan.

Hashirama, on the other hand, didn't resort to violence but enjoyed chatting. He could sit and talk for an entire day.

If he couldn't manage that, the clan still had the black-faced duo of Tobirama and Muzo to enforce discipline.

Now, such foolishness seed to survive only in Kiri.

And it was rampant.

Masashi scanned the room but didn't spot Shisui.

"Hikari, finally willing to entertain your first guest?" A young man approached with a laugh. He wore an open chest and reeked of alcohol, holding a wine cup in his hand. "What a sha. If the Yuki clan had been willing to let you marry back then, things wouldn't have co to this."

Masashi gave him a glance.

He didn't recognize the family crest—likely from a weak ninja clan.

"Pardon , but I believe you're making her uncomfortable," Masashi said with a gentle smile. "Perhaps we could discuss this another ti?"

As he spoke those courteous words, his genjutsu had already invaded the man's mind, revealing his most embarrassing mories.

To his mild surprise, the woman was originally from the Yuki clan.

The man before him had once been one of her suitors. However, he had been deed too low-class, and the Yuki clan had rejected him, only offering marriage if he agreed to be a live-in son-in-law.

After seeing this mory, Masashi's assessnt of the man dropped to the level of trash.

Failing to woo a woman could happen any ti, but to co gloating after her fall from grace?

Utter trash.

When the three seconds passed and the man remained frozen, Masashi simply stepped forward and with a smooth, almost casual motion, guided him aside.

The force, while gentle in appearance, sent the man stumbling back several feet.

Nearby, a servant holding a tray froze in shock.

The boisterous noise in the banquet hall abruptly ceased.

All eyes turned toward them.

Hikari's mouth fell slightly open as she stared at Masashi, bewildered and unsure what to do.

Under the weight of all those gazes, she instinctively gripped the slit of her high-slit dress, clenching her legs together as her body trembled uncontrollably.

Masashi accepted a wet towel from a nearby servant with a nod and carefully wiped his hands. "How unfortunate," he murmured, "when one overestimates their position."

Everyone in the hall clearly heard his words.

Their faces darkened slightly.

But no one dared to challenge him. After all, the White Ghost's reputation spoke for itself.

"Masashi, no need for such formalities," called a voice from the table at the back. He didn't seem the least bit upset. Instead, his eyes darted between Hikari and Masashi, his smile growing satisfied. "After all, desiring beautiful won is just a common weakness among n. It seems she has served you well. I'll reward her for it."

"Pardon my ignorance, but I don't believe we've been properly introduced," Masashi said with a polite smile, his eyes studying the man who had spoken.

"Ah, where are my manners? Hōzuki Ketsuki," the man replied. "I oversee certain... arrangents here in Kiri."

"You're too kind," Masashi replied, "but I've grown quite fond of her company." He gently placed a protective hand on her shoulder. "Perhaps we could co to a more permanent arrangent?"

Feeling the scorching gazes of the n around them, Hikari's panicked expression turned paler as she unconsciously moved closer to Masashi.

"This isn't much of an issue," Ketsuki said with a slightly smug smile. "We're all friends here. If we can co to an agreent, she's yours."

His reluctance to part with her was clear in every word.

In Kiri's guesthouses, won like Hikari—who were born into bloodline clans and were once of noble status—were rare treasures. She had been the fad beauty of the Yuki clan. Though never becoming a ninja, before the clan's downfall, suitors had flocked to her.

Not only was she stunning, but she had also managed the Yuki clan's businesses in the Land of Water with remarkable success.

After Ketsuki placed her in the guesthouse, many had expressed interest, but he had never relented.

Now, with the White Ghost and the Teleporter visiting, he had played his trump card. Though ninja clans often guarded against bloodline intermixing, he believed Hikari's charms would make any young man forget such concerns.

What he hadn't anticipated was Masashi's direct approach.

"Please sit. Let's discuss this further," Ketsuki invited warmly.

"You're most gracious," Masashi replied with a pleasant smile. He guided Hikari alongside him as he approached the table.

Taking his seat, he noticed how Hikari lowered her head and stood quietly behind him.

"Ketsuki, might I ask about my clan brother?" Masashi inquired politely.

"He ntioned preparations for eting the Mizukage and declined," Ketsuki said. "It seems the Uchiha clan is... prudent in its approach."

Well done, Shisui. You've learned to see the layers beneath the obvious.

"I hope you understand. The Uchiha clan's position requires careful consideration of all possibilities," Masashi offered diplomatically.

"Of course, we understand completely. So, how does the Uchiha clan propose we cooperate?"

"The nature of cooperation is ever-changing," Masashi responded with a gentle smile, his eyes showing just a hint of warmth. "Recent developnts—our clan leader's appointnt as Hokage Advisor, for instance—have altered the landscape sowhat. Perhaps you could share your thoughts on how we might best proceed?"