Deceiving Those Above and Below

Bao Ji looked at the somewhat handsome young man before her, who did not quite dare meet her eyes, then at the round, plump fatty beside him. She felt like strangling them both.

I knew it. I searched everywhere for help and information, yet couldn’t find the slightest trace of Uchiha Yue. So this guy was originally supposed to die!

And then that dim-witted Doctor went and saved him!

Now all this trouble had sprung up!

Still, it was fortunate. Fortunately, the Beiyang people had come to her for benefits at a time like this and had not concealed the news. Otherwise, things would truly have become a huge mess.

The rich patron she had hooked had also entered this space. She had tried contacting him, but he seemed to have an important mission and could not spare the time to come over. Just as she was getting anxious, the appearance of the person responsible for all this could be considered helpful.

After all, he was the one who had saved her life.

Tsk.

But why did he have to be from the Beiyang Army?

If he had merely been an independent Reincarnator, she could have easily taken him down with threats and inducements. Now, she would probably have to bleed a little more.

"Captain Chu, since we are cooperating now, shouldn’t we be helping each other?"

Bao Ji seemed intent on making the first move as she cast a coquettish glance at the fatty.

"Haha, we’re only acting as guarantors this time. The person you should negotiate with is him."

Chu Yingxiong smiled but did not take the bait. The conflicts between their factions were one thing, but in this Faction Mission, they were indeed partners. He could not let someone else dictate the pace.

"Mm, that works too. Then I’ll talk with him."

A seductive smile appeared on Bao Ji’s face, as if she had made up her mind about something.

She then led Xu Yue into the tent assigned to her and erected a soundproof barrier…

Afterward, Xu Yue was practically drunk with satisfaction. An advanced Sage Body—was she afraid or not?

Xu Yue never refused bait delivered right to his door. Even if she had merely wanted to play with fire and obtain benefits without paying any real price…

With his familiarity with the human body, Xu Yue could make her utterly unable to stop.

And then he unlocked everything.

He had previously overheard the conversation between Eunuch Gao and this woman. It seemed she had hooked herself a wealthy patron.

Under such circumstances, she wanted to keep this secret even more than he did.

With that room to maneuver, Xu Yue’s demand was truly extortionate. He directly asked for two A-Rank Plots!

Naturally, the woman could not afford that. It was all paid by Tsukishiro Jubei, using his entire remaining fortune, and only because of the advantages granted by his status.

But in order to get out, he had no choice!

The contract stipulated that the two A-Rank Plots, already submitted for notarization, would only be paid after Xu Yue guaranteed Tsukishiro Jubei’s safe withdrawal.

Besides Tsukishiro Jubei’s payment, Xu Yue, who had sold himself for this, also obtained a B-Rank Plot as hush money, promising not to tell anyone else about the contents of their private discussion.

Likewise, Bao Ji was bound by the same confidentiality clause.

Thanks to this arrangement, when Xu Yue left the tent refreshed and invigorated and found Chu Yingxiong, he handed over a B-Rank Plot, saying it was the fee he had collected for making the introduction.

"You youngsters are full of vigor, I understand that. But when important matters are at stake, don’t let beauty cloud your judgment. That woman is very skilled; she definitely won’t pay any real price. So what happened? You didn’t even get to hold her hand, did you? Even that prodigy from Japan was wrapped around her finger. Still, forget it. Receiving a B-Rank Plot just for introducing someone is barely acceptable."

"The faction won’t take advantage of you either. You made the main contribution this time, but a B-Rank Plot is not much use to a newcomer for now. Based on your contribution, I’ll give you four C-Rank Plot Points as compensation. What do you think?"

Chu Yingxiong was also quite eager for a B-Rank Plot. At his Chunin level, that was precisely what he lacked most.

"Not at all. Without the faction backing me, how could I possibly have had the qualifications to negotiate with them? I’m already very satisfied to receive four C-Rank Plots. I heard that most newcomers might never even see Plot Points from missions."

Xu Yue lowered his head respectfully, appearing exceedingly humble.

"Haha, I think highly of you. You understand how things work."

Chu Yingxiong happily accepted the contract for the B-Rank Plot, while also taking on an enormous scapegoat burden.

Still, the odds of that burden ever exploding were not high. In Chu Yingxiong’s eyes, Xu Yue had merely made an introduction, and collecting a B-Rank Plot was perfectly reasonable.

In the eyes of Shogunate Gate, the two A-Rank Plots they had spent were meant to cover the entire operation, including getting Tsukishiro Jubei out directly, so even if they gritted their teeth, it did not count as too great a loss.

As for the woman who had paid hush money, all she wanted was for the details of their exchange not to be exposed. Otherwise, if it reached the ears of her petty rich patron, all her previous efforts would go to waste.

It was a happy ending for everyone…

As one of the main members responsible for reviewing the case, Xu Yue could easily play a double act with his Wood Clone and get Tsukishiro Jubei out without the slightest difficulty.

Moreover, during the interrogation, Xu Yue used his authority to learn some of Tsukishiro Jubei’s abilities and review the information he had displayed.

Even so, it still came as a surprise to Xu Yue.

Tsukishiro Jubei was not considered one of Shogunate Gate’s top experts. His role was more akin to that of a chief steward.

His main strength lay in management.

Yet even so, based solely on the information he had revealed, his ability to use the Naruto power system placed him firmly at the level of an elite Jonin!

If he had other Reincarnator methods as well, he was probably at least among the best of elite Jonin, perhaps even a quasi-Kage-level combatant.

Xu Yue had even considered giving up the two A-Rank Plots and taking him out right then and there.

But after thinking it over, he ultimately gave up. A Reincarnator of that level would certainly have quite a few life-saving measures, perhaps even a high-authority item that could let him leave the space.

The reason he was willing to pay the price of two A-Rank Plots was likely because he wanted to preserve his current identity as an Anbu captain.

Since Xu Yue could not crush him in one go, he might as well let him continue hopping around beneath his watch for the time being.

After closing the case and clearing Tsukishiro Jubei’s name, Xu Yue went to find Tsunade again that very day…

"You mean you suspect there is still something wrong with him, but you have no evidence? Do you want the Yamanaka Clan to…"

"No need, Sister Tsunade. It’s only a suspicion. Leave this matter to me for now. If I really uncover anything later, I’ll report it to you."

Xu Yue spoke with an obedient expression.

"I see. Then let this count as a small test for you. A ninja cannot only know how to fight head-on. Besides, once you know a Spy’s identity, there is actually nothing much to worry about."

Tsunade could not help smiling at Xu Yue’s words. This was all a chain reaction brought about by the enormous merits Xu Yue had earned, so she tried to satisfy any small requests he made.

Moreover, even though he had not directly raised Tsunade’s mission, but rather Konoha’s mission, it had also raised his bond with Tsunade to 10/30, bringing it level with Orochimaru.

In terms of the speed of improvement, it was far faster than back then, when Xu Yue had worked like a beast of burden for Orochimaru and seen only slow progress.

"You made a great contribution this time. You may ask for whatever reward you want. As long as it is reasonable, I will do my best to secure it for you."

Tsunade then brought up the matter of his reward, making Xu Yue’s heart stir. Judging by the mission where he had helped Orochimaru complete forbidden research, as well as the earlier mission where he treated wounded soldiers, if he obtained mission benefits directly, the space would deduct the Plot Points that had originally been part of the mission reward during settlement.

That was why he had not obtained even a single A-Rank Plot from the newcomer missions.

But in the end, rewards obtained directly within the story were still much better!

Originally, Xu Yue had only wanted to increase this mission’s Plot Point reward and see whether he could obtain an S-Rank Plot. But since Tsunade had opened the door herself, he naturally had to give it a try!

"Um, Sister Tsunade, do you have any recommended techniques that are extremely fast, useful for escaping, and also useful for attacking? What exactly was the ability used by Senior Yellow Flash?"

The obedient-looking Xu Yue wore a harmless smile.

Since you told me to ask, then of course I had to make a big request…

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No descriptions below the neck~