With that thought, Reiji slowly stood up and strode toward Amai.
Seeing him approach, Amai jumped to her feet in panic, clutching her chest as she backed away.
"What are you trying to do?!"
Reiji said nothing. This woman clearly believed he wouldn't dare kill her—she looked like she had him completely figured out.
True, he'd gone through a lot just to infiltrate Kumogakure, with a very clear goal in mind. Failure wasn't an option.
But that didn't mean he had no way to deal with her.
With that in mind, Reiji picked up the pace.
Amai's brow twitched sharply as an ominous feeling crept into her heart.
It was true—if Reiji didn't want to blow his cover, he absolutely couldn't kill her.
Because if she died, he'd be the first suspect.
And the Third Raikage was the kind of man who'd eliminate anyone he even slightly suspected.
But what if this guy lost control? What if he went down swinging?
The thought made Amai snort coldly. That raw, unshakable pride of a Kumogakure shinobi surged from deep within her.
Lose control? Hmph! Only if I'm already dead!
And if he wants to go down with me—then come on!
With firm resolve, Amai stopped backing away, released her grip on her collar, and quickly began forming hand seals.
But just as she started, Reiji's speed exploded.
In a blur faster than the eye could follow, he appeared in front of her and grabbed the hand forming the seals.
So fast!
This guy's way beyond a standard Jōnin!
She had thought Reiji was only skilled in one space-time ninjutsu, but now Amai realized just how wrong she was.
His burst speed rivaled the Body Flicker Technique.
Which meant his physical prowess was far beyond that of an ordinary shinobi.
Reiji looked at Amai, stunned and wide-eyed, and couldn't help but find it amusing.
Back in Konoha, he had already taken out No.1, No.2, and No.3—three Jōnin who worked in perfect sync—and rescued Tsunade.
Now dealing with a no-name Jōnin secretary like her? Child's play.
More importantly, she'd better scrub herself clean when she got home. Otherwise, no matter where she hides, even to the ends of the earth, he'll find her.
Back when he fought Tenzō and the others, he wasn't that skilled with the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Otherwise, with how broken that jutsu is, it wouldn't have even taken a minute.
That was exactly why Reiji was so desperate for Konoha's Scroll of Seals.
The Kinjutsu recorded in there—any one of them, if fully mastered—could make someone a Kage-level ninja.
Of course, the Dead Demon Consuming Seal didn't count. Neither did those limited by low chakra reserves.
Mastering the Dead Demon Consuming Seal only made you a disposable Kage-level ninja.
While Amai kept struggling, Reiji swiftly pulled a syringe from the ninja tool pouch on his back.
In a flash, he jabbed it into her slender finger.
Blood quickly filled the syringe.
Seeing this, Amai's pupils contracted to needle points as she screamed, kicking and thrashing with all her might.
Reiji didn't budge. Instead, he asked softly, almost gently,
"Does it hurt?"
As he spoke, he brought her finger to his mouth.
The moment the blood touched his tongue, black and white stripes crawled across his skin. That familiar sense of disorientation washed over him once again.
Taking advantage of his distraction, Amai lashed out with a sharp kick to his chest, breaking free from his iron grip.
With a few swift steps, she retreated over ten meters, clutching her reddened wrist. Her expression darkened as she stared at him and spoke slowly,
"Death Controlling Possessed Blood... You really are with the Jashin cult!"
Reiji suddenly grinned, his mouth curling up.
"So you took Isamu's scroll!
I knew it!
When I went looking for you, you had vanished—so you ran off, huh?"
As he spoke, Reiji rubbed the wound on his temple, smeared the thick blood across his fingers, and started drawing on the ground with full concentration.
Amai kept her eyes locked on him in silence.
She'd seen Isamu's scroll and knew everything about the Blood Oath technique. She also knew what Reiji was capable of.
So she understood—if that brat really wanted to kill her, she wouldn't stand a chance.
But if she could die with her honor intact, she'd gladly accept death under the Death Controlling Possessed Blood.
As a ninja of Kumogakure, that was a conviction she held without question.
Soon, Reiji finished drawing—a magic circle with a large outer ring and a triangle at its center.
Without hesitation, he sat inside the circle, pulled out a kunai, and held it over his chest.
Amai, already steeling herself for death, suddenly let out a laugh. Her pale green eyes locked onto him.
"Reiji, are you really going to kill your own wife?"
Her tone was mocking, the smile on her lips brimming with spiteful satisfaction.
Reiji smiled too, the expression on his face oddly peaceful.
"Oh? So now you're finally admitting you're my wife?
You knew who I was all along, and still brought half the ANBU to test me?"
At that, Amai's smile vanished. Her stunning face turned cold as ice.
"As long as you threaten my village, I don't care if you're my husband—or even my son. I'll kill you all the same!"
Reiji looked at her—icy, untouchable, beautiful—and slowly shook his head.
"I don't buy it.
But I know you're just being stubborn—just like a dead duck flapping its beak.
So let me teach you a little lesson first."
As he said this, Reiji slowly reached under his own arms, right in front of her icy stare.
"Squeak squeak~ tickle tickle~"
In the next instant, Amai's wide, beautiful eyes went round as saucers. Her full red lips clamped shut tightly.
"Don't!" she gasped, twisting her body as her face flushed bright red.
Reiji ignored her protests. His wicked fingers kept moving, tickling her relentlessly.
"Get off! Hahaha! I'm gonna die—stop it, you devil, hahaha! Let me go! Bastard! If you keep going, I swear I'll get mad!"
Watching her writhing on the ground, laughing uncontrollably, Reiji smirked devilishly.
"Still gonna curse me?"
"I will! You bastard, hahaha~ It tickles so much—bastard! Hahaha~" Amai shouted, rolling around like a squirming little worm.
Her eyes squeezed shut, tears forming at the corners, her face overtaken by an uncontrollable smile.
Seeing she was still putting up a fight, Reiji doubled down, tickling even more enthusiastically.
After all, he was only touching himself—no pervy intent—so he had zero guilt.
"Still gonna curse me?"
"Hah... O(∩_∩)O Hahaha~ Curse you! You bastard!"
Amai kept laughing, her long golden hair sprawled out, her nightgown loose and disheveled, revealing flashes of white skin. Tears streamed down her face as she gasped for breath, but her stubbornness held strong.
Seeing her still refusing to give in, Reiji went all out—activating the Katō-style tickling technique, his fingers dancing like a piano performance.
Moments later...
The Amai who had been howling with laughter and thrashing all over the floor now lay flat like a lifeless salted fish, a frozen smile on her face, twitching every so often.
Reiji let go and slowly stood up, walking over to Amai.
At that moment, the normally aloof girl lay limp on the ground, completely drained of strength. She stared blankly at the cave ceiling, her eyes devoid of light.
Wait—
Did I break her?
Maybe I went a bit too far...
Scratching his head, Reiji thoughtfully pulled her nightgown back into place.
Just then, the disheveled girl suddenly sprang up. Ignoring her gaping neckline, she lunged and grabbed Reiji by the throat.
"You bastard! I'm gonna kill you!"
Eyes blazing with fury, Amai went straight for his nose with a bite.
"Whoa whoa—no biting!"
Reiji quickly reached out and covered her face with one large hand.
He wasn't worried about looking like Voldemort—he was worried this crazy woman would end up as another overgrown weed patch.
Everyone who had ingested or been injected with his blood...
Was already pushing up daisies. No burial needed.
"My blood is poisonous, you idiot."
Reiji scolded her like a fed-up husband, while Amai, hair wild and eyes red, howled like a berserker, shaking her head violently.
"I don't care, you bastard! I even said I'd wait for you to marry me, and this is how you treat me?!"
Reiji froze.
Wait.
She wasn't joking?
Besides, I'm not even legal yet! How am I supposed to marry you?!
"Ahem."
Reiji rolled his eyes and muttered,
"Enough drama. I'm letting go now, so stop trying to bite me."
He slowly released her.
The coldness vanished from Amai's face. She lowered her head, glaring at him like a sulky, wronged wife.
Seeing this, Reiji shrank back a little, taking two awkward steps in retreat.
"Can we talk now?"
At his words, tears welled up in Amai's eyes, but she stubbornly shook her head.
Reiji said nothing, stepped back into the magic circle, and silently began taking off his shoes.
Panicked, Amai looked like she was about to burst into tears and started nodding frantically, like a pecking chick.
Seeing her like that, Reiji finally slid his shoes back on and grumbled,
"What were you doing earlier? All that pride just to suffer more..."
He didn't speak loudly, but Amai heard it.
Immediately, her body trembled with rage, teeth grinding so hard it was audible.
She summoned a clone, brought over a low table and two floor cushions.
Reiji sat down first.
Amai, her long legs still shaky, carefully walked over and knelt down across from him.
"So tell me—if you already knew who I was, why bring people to investigate me? Don't give me some 'for the village' excuse."
As he spoke, Reiji poured a cup of hot water and placed it in front of her.
Amai lowered her head and gave a small shake.
Seriously?
Stubborn like a damn mule!
Fine, you asked for it.
Reiji narrowed his eyes and moved to take off his shoes again.
Instantly, Amai looked like she was about to break down. She shook her head wildly and cried out,
"I'll tell you! But... but to be fair... you... you go first. Why did you infiltrate Kumogakure?"
Her voice got quieter the more she spoke.
She was genuinely scared of this demon of a man.
Using Death Controlling Possessed Blood—to tickle someone?!
It was an insult to the entire Jashin cult!
And worst of all, it actually worked insanely well on her.
Just thinking about it made Amai's face turn bright red, like a baboon's behind.
Reiji finally let go, his eyes flashing.
Hmm... fine. Can't push her too hard all at once.
Let her off the hook—for now.
After a short pause, Reiji poured himself a cup of tea and spoke with a blank expression.
"Then let's start from your side of things."
He then calmly laid out everything that happened after Amai stole intel from Amegakure.
From Amegakure to Konoha, and then to Kumogakure.
Every step of the planning, every detail of the execution—he told her everything.
Except for Mizukuma's death.
When he finished, Amai sat frozen, completely stunned.
She never imagined that the brat who once pestered her about getting married had gone on to do such incredible things after she left Amegakure.
All at once, she had a moment of clarity.
This guy wasn't just pretending to act mature—he really was.
As that thought hit her, Amai couldn't help but recall the sweet things Reiji had once said to her. Her cheeks flushed instantly.
But just as the mood shifted, Reiji, master of mood-killing, gave her a cold laugh.
"You brought this on yourself."
"What the hell does that mean?!"
Amai slammed the table, her arrogance flaring back up.
"Heh~"
Reiji chuckled.
"If you hadn't sold the intel you stole, Amegakure wouldn't have suffered so much. They wouldn't have sent me to Konoha as a spy, I wouldn't have been discovered, and I wouldn't have ended up back in Kumogakure.
So really—you're the one who got your own village in trouble."
Amai was speechless.
What kind of bandit logic was that?!
So now, anytime you mess up a village, it's my fault?
It's all Mikiko's fault?
Wait... what does Mikiko have to do with me?!
Thinking that, the Amai who had just been scolded into submission suddenly straightened up and declared confidently,
"It's all Mikiko's fault! What's that got to do with me, Amai?!"