The third point, as Naruto had outlined, involved bringing a woman to Rose Street. Initially, one might think that simply using Genjutsu to achieve this would suffice.
However, when combined with the second point about blending into the environment, it became clear that forcefully taking someone wouldn't fit the game's intent. Instead, the key was to gain the woman's consent and have her willingly follow.
For Kisame, with his shark-like features, Kakuzu, with his scarred and stitched face, Hidan, with his foul mouth, and Itachi, with his quiet demeanor, this task was anything but simple.
Precisely because of its difficulty, the four of them admired Naruto's game design even more.
Naruto's games always seemed simple on the surface but were deeply intricate and challenging at their core. Each game tested them in new ways, becoming progressively harder.
In fact, they felt this game was more difficult than facing a powerful enemy.
Combat was their strong suit, but a test like this, which required no combat, exposed their weakest points.
However, despite the difficulty, they were grateful to Naruto.
To them, Naruto's thoughtfulness in designing these challenges showed that he took them seriously.
After all, Naruto's ability to command even the Shinigami proved that he was also extremely powerful. In addition, they also believed that Orochimaru's sudden increase in strength was due to Naruto.
In their opinion, as long as they continued to follow Naruto, they would sooner or later be able to gain the same invincible strength as Orochimaru.
The continual challenges felt like proof that Naruto cared about their development and strength.
As they saw it, achieving near-invincibility wasn't enough to stay by Naruto's side. Excelling in other areas would allow them to support him better and stand higher in his ranks.
So in their eyes, Naruto, who treated his subordinates with care and relied on leadership rather than brute force, was a leader worth following.
It was with this mindset that the four of them dedicated themselves wholeheartedly to the game.
'What should I do? What should I do?'
Kisame frowned deeply. If he were asked to fight, he could charge headfirst into any battlefield, but if he was asked to find a beautiful woman, he didn't even know how to start a conversation.
The night market was bustling with people. Yet, every time someone approached Kisame, they would instinctively avoid him. His intimidating presence was like a warning sign, keeping everyone at bay.
"Uh…"
Kisame wanted to cry but had no tears. He couldn't even get close to anyone, let alone win over a beautiful woman and convince her to follow him.
"Sigh!"
As Kisame sighed in frustration, a commotion caught his attention.
"That guy is amazing! He's caught so many fish… it must be a new record!"
"I've never seen the shop owner lose this much before. That guy is no ordinary person!"
Intrigued, Kisame walked over and saw a shabby-looking man with a pockmarked face scooping goldfish with a paper net.
Despite his aggressive movements, the paper remained intact, and the goldfish were rapidly disappearing from the tank.
The shopkeeper, on the verge of tears, was clearly distressed as her goldfish supply dwindled.
The reason why Kisame paid attention to the shopkeeper was because the shopkeeper was a blue-haired girl wearing a white kimono. Her sparkling eyes and delicate features made her one of the most beautiful women Kisame had ever seen.
Her tearful, helpless expression even tugged at Kisame's heart.
'This girl is definitely the most beautiful woman here. If I can win her over, victory is guaranteed!'
Kisame thought to himself and quickly began formulating a plan.
However, with no experience in matters like this, he couldn't come up with anything effective.
Just then, he overheard the murmurs of nearby onlookers.
"Look! If he catches one more fish, that'll make a hundred!"
"What's so impressive about that?" Kisame asked in doubts.
By relying on Chakra, he would have no problem catching ten thousand of them. Any Shinobi could do it.
Hearing this, a passerby snorted, "You really have small eyes. Take a closer look at the shop's sign."
Kisame hated it when people made comments about his small eyes, but he swallowed his anger for the sake of the game. Still, he discreetly left a Chakra mark on the man, so that once the game was over, he could find him to settle the score.
Turning to the shop's sign, Kisame noticed a scratched-out rule with a newly written one beneath it:
[My older brother was tragically killed yesterday, and all the family's money was stolen...]
Looking at the sign, Kisame quickly understood.
The gist of the situation was this: The blue-haired shopkeeper's brother had originally run the goldfish scooping stall. He had been murdered the day before by a villain who also stole all their money, leaving her unable to afford a proper burial. Even mortgaging their home wasn't an option, as the deed had been stolen. To raise funds, she had increased the game's price and added a special rule: anyone who could use a single paper net to catch 100 fish would win her hand in marriage.
That's why the blue-haired girl had tears in her eyes when she saw the pockmarked man catching a hundred goldfishes, but because Kisame observed carefully, he clearly saw the deep hatred buried in the blue-haired girl's eyes.
'What's going on?'
Before he could make sense of it, the pockmarked man was about to catch his 100th goldfish. Seeing this, Kisame didn't hesitate as he rushed forward and pinned the man to the ground.
"Who are you? What are you doing? Let me go!" The man shouted while struggling.
Kisame smirked coldly, "Nothing much. Your net broke, so it's my turn now."
As he said that, he took out a ticket and handed it to the blue-haired girl, saying, "Give me a paper net."
"Uh… oh, okay!" The girl was startled but quickly handed him a net.
With a flick of his wrist, Kisame dipped the net into the water. Using his Chakra and mastery over water, he scooped up not just the goldfish but nearly the entire pool in one go.
"Haha! No need to count, it's obviously over 100. But I don't need you to marry me. All I need is for you to come with me somewhere. If you agree, I'll also give you enough money to properly bury your brother."
Kisame grinned, proud of his clever approach.
He wasn't skilled at charming women, but since the shop's rules were clearly written, he figured there was no harm in using them to his advantage.
"Are you a Shinobi?" The girl asked, tears welling up in her eyes. She suddenly dropped to her knees and pleaded, "Please, Shinobi-sama, I'll go anywhere with you, and I don't even need your money. All I ask is that you grant me one request."
"Go ahead."
Kisame was not surprised by this. When he noticed the hatred deep in her eyes, he knew that she was in trouble.
He was just trying to assess her, and since she agreed to go anywhere, he would just help her solve the problem.
The blue-haired girl pointed at the pockmarked man being held down by Kisame and said hatefully, "I hope Shinobi-sama can kill him!"
"This…"
Kisame hesitated. While he was willing to do a lot for the game, outright killing someone wasn't on the table.
Bang!
Instead, he used Samehada to drain the man's Chakra entirely, leaving him powerless and collapsed on the ground.
"He's completely incapacitated now. If you want revenge, you'll have to do it yourself."
After saying that, Kisame placed a kunai in the blue-haired girl's hand.
The blue-haired girl didn't hesitate at all. Even though her body was shaking, she still stepped forward towards the pockmarked man with determination.
Seeing this, the pockmarked man could not move and could only beg, "Please, don't kill me! I've got no grudge with you! What do you want? I'll give you anything!"
"No grudges?"
The blue-haired girl trembled with fury, "Yesterday, I saw you kill my brother and robbed us blind with my own eyes. That's why I added the new rules to this goldfish game, hoping to attract a strong Shinobi. Most tourists here are just here for fun, and even Shinobi wouldn't usually cheat with Chakra. I thought the only way to get help was by luring a capable Shinobi … but I never expected you to show up yourself. I was ready to fall into my enemy's hands if it meant avenging my brother. But now, thanks to this Shinobi-sama, I can exact my revenge with my own hands. Now, go to hell!"
The blue-haired girl broke into a furious scream as she lunged forward, stabbing the kunai into the man's chest. Again and again, she struck, tears and blood mingling as she vented the anguish of losing her brother.
By the time she stopped, the pockmarked man's body has become unrecognizable, a bloody mess.
The crowd that had gathered to watch quickly dispersed in fear, leaving only Kisame standing in place.
"Is it over?" Kisame asked calmly, "My time is limited. You'll have to keep your promise and come with me now."
He had no interest in this tragic drama and only cared about completing the game. With such a heartbreaking story and the most beautiful woman involved, he was confident he'd rank first.
"Of course!"
The blue-haired girl replied. Her white kimono was stained red with blood, and tears mixed with streaks of crimson on her face.
She dropped the kunai, knelt before Kisame, and bowed three times deeply.
When she stood, she hesitated for a moment but then stepped forward resolutely, taking Kisame's large hand in hers.
"What are you doing?"
Kisame couldn't help but frown.
The blue-haired girl lowered her head and said softly, "My name is Aizawa Nana. Shinobi-sama… no, Danna-sama, please take care of me from now on..." (T/N: Danna means husband. But of course you all knew that… right?)