*Chapter 5: Yuzuru Namikaze! The Great Infiltration Mission!*

Let's reintroduce her.

Yuzuru Namikaze was born in the village of Konoha in this parallel world. Her father is a ninja, while her mother comes from an ordinary background. So although Yuzuru received traditional ninja education from a young age, she also grew up surrounded by modern life.

After all, times are changing, and many clans have gradually become accustomed to modern life.

Especially since middle school, Yuzuru has been studying outside the village and has grown increasingly used to city life. She even got accepted into the Fine Arts Department of Tokyo University of the Arts.

This led to a fierce argument with her stubborn father about whether or not she should go to Tokyo to pursue her studies.

At the time, her father shouted and threw a row of shuriken at her. "School? What's important is that you find a husband! Preferably one who can move in with us!"

His daughter blocked the attack with a kunai and shouted back without hesitation, "Quit bossing me around, old man!"

They fought from dawn until dusk, and by the time all the tatami mats in the house had turned to dust, both father and daughter were lying on the ground, gasping for breath.

Her father gave her an ultimatum: "If you dare go to Tokyo, don’t bother coming back!"

"Unless you bring a husband home," her mother chimed in with a smile.

Her father initially didn't want to agree, but when he saw her mother pull out a bill estimating the cost of repairing the house, he bit his lip and didn’t argue.

He'd heard Tokyo was a place for romance. Maybe she'd bring back a little heir!

When Yuzuru left home, her mother gave her a white silk handkerchief.

It was embroidered with a design: a white crane spreading its shining wings in the dark.

"Go, Yuzuru, like the white crane that sings in the underworld as described in the waka poetry."

"Yes, Mother."

"But don’t forget to bring a man back."

"…"

"If he refuses to return, consider bringing him back with a baby in your belly."

"Mom!"

"And if he still refuses, bring back his head."

"Understood!"

During her studies, Yuzuru, with her cold and aloof personality, made no friends.

Since she had always been fond of manga, she started drawing some of her own work.

Though she veered a bit off course, creating works inspired by the “Manly Men” genre...

This might be because her mother used to be a fujoshi. Although her mother’s interest was more family-friendly, Yuzuru was drawing R99-rated content.

Through a bizarre twist of fate, Yuzuru was mocked for her awkward drawing of bananas, which led her to go buy some books for practice…

“Miss, you wouldn’t want anyone to know your secret, right? So just come with me quietly…”

Those words still echoed in her ears.

That senior, Oda Shingo, dared to blackmail her!

Even though she hadn’t seen any real dangerous content, just watching the depictions of blackmail in anime made Yuzuru feel deeply sensitive.

Now, she had developed thoughts of silencing Oda Shingo.

But before that…

"Oh right, my notebook!" Yuzuru suddenly realized that the notebook she had bought…

Ah—

She realized that due to the intense tension she'd felt along the way, she had squeezed the notebook so hard it had become a crumpled ball of paper, practically ready to turn into pulp with a little water.

“It's all because I inherited my dad’s freakish strength!”

Yuzuru clutched her head and screamed in frustration.

All I wanted was to be a refined lady like my mother! To live a quiet life and occasionally draw R99 doujin for my own comfort.

Yet, this so-called "refined lady" remained blissfully unaware of her own contradictions…

Yuzuru, after a long time, put on her ninja outfit again, covering herself with a trench coat.

She checked the address on her phone’s Line app and set off!

Leaping across rooftops, Yuzuru's gaze was sharp.

You are guilty of three crimes: First, you embarrassed me by knocking over my shopping bags; Second, you tried to blackmail me and desecrate my dignity; Third, you caused me such panic that I destroyed my own notebook.

With the composure of a character from a historical drama reciting their accusations, Yuzuru made her way to Oda Shingo’s residence.

“Wicked Oda Shingo, I shall rid the world of you for the sake of all women!”

"Just like the Honnō-ji Incident! While Akechi Mitsuhide let Oda Nobunaga escape back then, I won’t let Oda Shingo off today!"

Images of many historical heroes flashed through her mind.

The female warrior Tomoe Gozen from The Tale of the Heike.

Tachibana Ginchiyo, known as the "White Plum of Chikuzen."

The righteous girl Kaihime, considered the finest in the East.

Mhm, I will punish this pervert! Yuzuru felt as though every step she took was on the path of justice.

But the thought of injuring or killing someone made her feel uneasy.

“Tokyo’s weather is always so gloomy,” Yuzuru whispered to herself.

She brushed aside the stray hairs from her bangs and looked up at the sky.

The sun was almost gone, its bright light barely visible, with more darkness closing in as though to swallow everything.

Although she’d gained some freedom after coming to Tokyo to study, she couldn’t help but feel that the sun here was always dim.

She had never experienced the so-called warm sunshine in Tokyo…

A chilly breeze blew through, and as the sky grew darker, so did Yuzuru’s mood.

Arriving at an apartment near the train tracks, Yuzuru checked the address suspiciously.

Was this shabby apartment really his home?

And… there was clearly no one inside.

The pervert wasn’t back yet. I should scope out the environment first.

Yuzuru carefully observed her surroundings and took out a metal pin to pick the lock.

Inserting the thin object into the narrow keyhole, she slowly worked it around, trying to find the key point.

Click—the lock loosened, and the door opened.

Yuzuru was startled.

"I barely even started, and it’s already unlocked?" she muttered, pressing on the latch.

It was stiff just a moment ago, but now it wasn’t just soft—it had no tension at all.

There’s no time to waste! Yuzuru quickly pulled out the pin, hastily tried to reset the lock, and then snuck into the room.

Yuzuru was one of those ninjas who had all the skills but was still level 1 in experience…

“Excuse me,” she muttered softly to the empty room, not being able to take her shoes off due to the situation.

Huh? This room… is much tidier than I expected.

The room wasn’t well lit, and with it being dusk, it was even darker. She couldn’t turn on the light, but Yuzuru was used to working in the dark, so observing the room wasn’t a problem.

In many manga, boys’ rooms were always messy.

But this pervert Oda Shingo’s room, though furnished with only a broken cabinet, a simple desk and chair, and no sofa, was surprisingly clean.

“I didn’t expect this guy… to be somewhat neat…”

Though there were a few trash bags in the corner, they were tied tightly and clearly arranged with care.

Nothing suspicious was under the old bed… Yuzuru felt a tinge of disappointment.

She had briefly hoped, as seen in many manga, that boys would hide things like naughty magazines under their beds…

"Right, the computer definitely has something incriminating…" Yuzuru quickly moved to check the computer.

Of course, she couldn’t turn it on, so she checked the disc drive—empty.

Yuzuru frowned. “Could it be… this pervert doesn’t look at anything inappropriate…?”

She felt oddly disappointed, as if something was missing?

Just then, Yuzuru suddenly grew alert, her gaze quickly darting to the door.

Someone was coming!

Oh no! The window’s sealed shut! I didn’t follow Dad’s advice: never enter a space with no exit! Yuzuru cursed herself.

Click—

The door lock sounded softly. Yuzuru immediately realized: Oda Shingo was back!

She acted swiftly, instantly hiding inside the cabinet.

The cabinet contained only a single winter coat, so Yuzuru easily concealed herself within.

The old cabinet had some cracks and a few holes, through which she could see the room.

She didn’t realize that, according to certain professional terms, this situation was similar to a famous "peeping hole" scene…

Sure enough, the pervert had returned. Yuzuru narrowed her eyes, instinctively placing her hand on the shuriken at her waist.

She watched silently as Oda Shingo struggled to carry some things into the room, going back and forth several times.

A new desk and chair set, along with two large bags.

Yuzuru was puzzled as she watched him start assembling the desk and chair.

Even though the furniture in the room was old, it was still usable, right? Is he replacing it with something new?

"Alright, when Yuzuru gets here, she can sit right here." Oda Shingo, having finished setting up the desk and chair, wiped the sweat from his brow and patted the seat, satisfied with how sturdy it felt.

Yuzuru? He’s calling me by my name!

 Yuzuru was irritated.

In Japan, it’s customary only for close friends or significant others to address each other by name, especially at this age. Usually, it’s reserved for childhood friends or romantic partners.

But what did he mean by "sit here"?

Could this desk and chair be for me?

Yuzuru’s mind conjured an image from a manga, where the female lead is bound to a chair in a close-up shot.

Maybe the villain would even leer at her long legs and say something creepy like, "Those legs…"

Yuzuru gritted her teeth. This pervert truly deserved to die!

(End of the chapter.)