"Oh, oh, oh, oh~~ It's Suikyō-hime~~ She's looking this way~~~"
Kiba, with hearts in his eyes, was so excited that he bit through the wooden skewer of his beef stick. There was no doubt that this beautiful and elegant Suikyō-hime perfectly fulfilled all of Kiba's fantasies about a princess, and even exceeded them.
Shikamaru also spoke with some perplexity: "Indeed... she's a very elegant beauty... not what I expected."
"True, we're seeing a beautiful princess, but we can't tell her personality now, can we?"
Shino also raised his hand to push up his sunglasses, then gave his fair assessment.
Undoubtedly, as a very cautious person, Shino would not make hasty decisions based solely on appearances.
"No, no, no~~ Look at her gentle eyes, that pinkish-purple color is so beautiful~~ She's definitely a gentle princess!"
Naruto and Kiba, with their arms crossed over their chests, clearly shared the same aesthetic appreciation.
There was no doubt that this Suikyō-hime's appearance and attire, at the very least, made them extremely satisfied.
Observing Naruto and the others' expressions, Hinata, sitting in the ox-drawn carriage, subconsciously curved her lips into a slight smile: Good, since these fools were deceived, it means her initial disguise was successful.
"Are they your companions?"
Konan, sitting behind Hinata, quietly asked. Hinata nodded noncommittally to her question, then modestly lowered her head slightly: "More or less, I suppose. At least, they're a group that's quite useful. Though, sometimes they don't listen very well."
As the ox-drawn carriage moved forward, it quickly arrived at the Akihabara office building. This was originally supposed to be the office building Danzō prepared for himself, but as a leader in the shadows, he wasn't qualified to appear.
So, the one standing here to welcome Suikyō-hime was still the Sandaime Hokage (Third Hokage).
Alighting from the ox-drawn carriage, Hinata maintained her outwardly serene and delicate posture. Then, placing her left hand over her right, she bowed deeply to the Sandaime in front of her. Since she was to be a gentle and serene princess, her etiquette and demeanor had to be perfected. As the saying goes, courtesy never hurts.
"It must have been a tiring journey for you, Suikyō-hime-denka (Princess Suikyō). I am Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Sandaime Hokage, and it is an honor to receive you here."
The Sandaime was clearly very pleased with the princess's politeness. After all, besides being the leader of Konohagakure, his age certainly made him her grandfather's generation, so being treated with such great respect was not out of place.
"You are too kind, Hokage-sama. I have long heard that you are a benevolent and diligent elder. It is my honor that you would stoop to receive a junior like myself who has made such a presumptuous visit."
Hinata's reply was clearly flawless, and her deliberately slowed and softened tone conveyed a sense of warmth like winter sunshine, which drew murmurs of admiration from the surrounding onlookers. After all, approachable superiors always gained favor more easily.
"Hey, hey~ Did you hear that, Shikamaru? Her voice and her reply, she's definitely a gentle and polite princess!"
Naruto, who had followed along, excitedly spoke to Shikamaru, his heart fluttering: "How about it? Didn't I tell you? You lost this bet!"
"Tch~ I don't recall any bet about this. Well... anyway, I finally met a woman of the second type."
Shikamaru, scratching his ear, gave a dishonest reply, which made Chōji beside him turn his head in confusion: "What's a 'second type of woman'?"
"Think about it, what kind of women have we seen so far? Hinata, Sakura, Ino, and my mom... they're the first type of women, so~ you know what I mean, right?"
Shrugging, Shikamaru clearly had no intention of staying there any longer: "Alright, let's go. We've browsed enough, it's about time to head back~"
As for Hinata's side, there was apparently nothing worth mentioning next.
As the supplier of figurines, the Land of Waves indeed reaped astonishing profits. One of the terms was free escort by Konohagakure (Hidden Leaf Village) ninja during every delivery. After all, figurines were an extremely profitable product, and Konoha was the leader of the Five Great Ninja Villages, so sending specialized escorts was not excessive.
The Land of Waves, in turn, needed to provide a fixed quantity of figurine products monthly to supply the sales volume in Akihabara. Konoha Publishing House would deliver the new figurine model art books to be produced to the Land of Waves on time each month. As for remuneration, after deducting escort costs and copyright fees, the Land of Waves would receive forty percent of the total income, which was generally considered generous.
"Then, I have arranged accommodation for you here. If you wish to sightsee, you can call the arranged personnel at any time."
With the business settled, the Sandaime Hokage naturally didn't intend to stay long. After all, the Chūnin Exam was approaching, and he had a pile of matters to deal with. The reason he took the time to personally meet with Suikyō-hime to discuss the profit sharing of the figurine industry was simply because this matter was equally important.
"I wish you and Konohagakure prosperity in battle. I will stay here for one day and return to my country tomorrow, so please do not worry."
Although Konohagakure directly took 60% of the profit, Hinata didn't think this was unacceptable. After all, by utilizing Akihabara's sales platform, one had to be mentally prepared to pay the price, as channels and platforms were the most valuable hardware in large-scale commercial activities.
After seeing off the Sandaime, Hinata and Konan's group were respectfully invited into the inn where they were staying. It was evident that the inn had put a lot of effort into it; not only was the interior decoration extremely luxurious, but there was even a specially excavated indoor hot spring. The guards around were also specially selected female Anbu, clearly showing considerable meticulousness.
"As expected of Konohagakure. To be able to arrange such luxurious accommodation makes me feel a bit overwhelmed."
Lazily shedding her heavy Jūnihitoe (twelve-layered ceremonial kimono), Hinata sank into the warm hot spring. She had to admit, maintaining that gentle and dignified princess demeanor was indeed quite tiring, but image-building work itself was like that.
"You must be tired. Get some rest after your bath."
Although Konan's words and expression remained calm, her actions were quite considerate. The beautiful blue-haired woman meticulously peeled and sliced a pear, then placed it by the edge of the hot spring within Hinata's reach. Turning over in the water, Hinata lazily opened her mouth: "Alright, scrub my back. This body has been lying down for several days, it needs a good cleaning now."
"Okay."
Konan had no objection to Hinata's request. She calmly took off her kimono, then wrapped herself in a bath towel and entered the hot spring. Her gentle fingers glided across Hinata's smooth back, almost imperceptibly, yet they were hands that could easily kill.
"This is too boring. Say something. For example, why did you join the Akatsuki ? Was it because of Pain?"
Comfortably closing her eyes and letting Konan massage her, Hinata asked with ill intent. Although she knew all the truths about Konan and Pain, this information obviously couldn't be leaked casually. And using this conversational method to confirm Konan's thoughts was also a way of gathering intelligence.
"Pain and I were orphans from a young age. During the Fourth Great Ninja War over a decade ago, our country was drawn into the war, and my parents and relatives died at that time, as did Pain's. So, Pain and I hope to end the conflicts and turmoil in this world in a better way."
Konan's tone was calm and natural, which meant she didn't think these goals were unspeakable, but on the other hand, it also meant that she was willing to sacrifice everything for her and Pain's objective at any time.
"Is that so... Speaking of which..."
Raising her hand, Hinata took Konan's right hand. Looking at the ring on the blue-haired woman's right index finger, the 'White' (Shiro) mark on it made her frown slightly.
"I once met a woman named 'White' (Haku). Like you, she also lost her family due to the war. I originally hoped to keep her by my side, to give her a stable life as she wished, but..."
Turning to face Konan, who was close by, Hinata's tone slightly lifted: "She was obsessed with her previous companion and refused me. So, I want to confirm something, Konan."
Raising her hand to cup Konan's cheek, Hinata's eyes slightly narrowed: "Tell me, if there was a way to achieve your and Pain's goal, but it required you to sacrifice Pain, what would you choose?"
"Would you, like Haku, willingly give up the imminent realization of your desire for a companion? Or would you, for the sake of achieving your and your companion's desire, ruthlessly sacrifice your companion?"
With her cheeks cupped by Hinata's hands, Konan's expression and eyes remained unchanged. Her pale golden eyes were like calm mirrors, without the slightest ripple.
"Our wish is above all else."
Without any hesitation, Konan gave this answer, but it didn't surprise Hinata, nor did it earn her approval.
"You said so, Konan. Then, I think I can gently test how firm your resolve is."
A strange smile appeared on Hinata's face. She gently raised her head, slowly approaching, and pressed her cherry lips against Konan's slightly cool cherry lips.
"!?"
Undoubtedly, Konan's body suddenly trembled slightly. Hinata, observing her reaction, abruptly curled her lips into a smile. Releasing Konan's lips, the Byakugan (White Eye) girl maliciously spoke:
"It seems... unlike Haku back then..."
"You lied, Konan."
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(PS1: Hmm~ o(￣▽￣)o~ Konan is awesome~~ I really think she and Haku are the same type, especially since the character on her ring is 'White' (Shiro). I strongly suspect the original author set these two female characters to be the same type.)
(PS2: Tsk~~ No choice~~ My resistance to gentle female characters who have experienced misfortune and are full of loyalty and self-sacrifice is negative~~)
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