Hot Spring Town.
Tamayo Nara wore a dark expression as she walked beside Aburame Aoi, who was flaunting a skewer of grilled locusts she had in her hand.
Aburame Aoi had always been adorable, and she remained slender despite eating so much.
Tamayo Nara grumbled irritably, "Eat, eat, eat, that's all you know how to do! That Uchiha clan member is so infuriatingly annoying!"
Aburame Aoi rolled her eyes. "She's the main wife to begin with. The fact that she hasn't just come over and taken us out shows considerable restraint on her part."
Tamayo Nara: "..."
Aburame Aoi continued, "We're the ones trying to steal him away. What's wrong with her saying a few words? It's not like we'll lose a piece of flesh over it."
Tamayo Nara gritted her teeth. "No, she's too arrogant. I have to teach her a lesson."
Aburame Aoi snorted. "I'd advise you not to do anything rash. We're all one family now. If you pull something, Wakama will be the first one to come after you. He definitely favors her; you should have understood that from the very beginning."
"Aren't the Senju and Uchiha clans mortal enemies?" Tamayo Nara said grimly. "If I were to reveal her identity..."
"Pfft—" Aburame Aoi laughed. "Are you really from the Nara clan? How can you be so stupid? You still believe the Uchiha and Senju are mortal enemies?"
"Other fools might not see it, but you can't see it either?"
"The Uchiha and Senju clans are colluding to scam money from their patrons. Even if the patrons know, they still have to pay them to fight each other."
"If we don't get on board soon, we'll really be in trouble."
As long as the Uchiha and Senju clans were still "fighting."
The two clans could continue to swindle money from their patrons.
The Senju clan certainly didn't need the pocket change, but the Uchiha clan did.
In Aburame Aoi's view, the clashes between the Senju and Uchiha were just a way to fatten up the Uchiha clan.
The Senju clan was raking in gold daily from the Hot Spring Town and their wellness programs. Now, they were even growing all sorts of delicious fruits on the Senju clan grounds.
These were things that didn't exist in the ninja world.
Rarity creates value, and the fruits and crops grown by the Senju were incredibly delicious.
The nobles and daimyo of the ninja world still needed the Senju clan.
The greater the demand, the safer the Senju clan became. As long as they didn't mess up, they were guaranteed to prosper.
But the resources in the ninja world were finite.
As the Senju clan grew stronger, other ninja clans were bound to decline.
It might look like the Senju were taking money from the nobles, but in reality, the nobles' money was also taken from the exploited classes.
So who was being exploited?
Besides the ignorant common folk at the bottom, it was the major ninja clans.
If they couldn't change their way of life like the Senju clan, all that awaited them was death.
So, did the other ninja clans not want to pledge allegiance to the Senju?
They desperately wanted to, with great urgency.
But the Senju Princess used the previous coordinated attack against them as an excuse to shut them all out.
Tamayo Nara calmed down. "Could it be... that the benefits they offered weren't enough?"
"Isn't that obvious?" Aburame Aoi tossed the bamboo skewer into a nearby slop bucket, snorted, and said, "The Princess needs a pledge of fealty, but the leaders of the major clans are playing dumb. They're all wily old foxes, you think they don't see it? They see it, but they're unwilling to part with their interests... They need a catalyst."
"That's why Wakama sought us out to sound things out, but you've spent all your brainpower on infighting. No wonder Wakama was avoiding you like the plague before. You're a disgrace to the Nara clan..."
This tirade left Tamayo Nara speechless.
Although Aburame Aoi looked the youngest, she was actually the oldest.
She was a loli big sister, with far more life experience than Tamayo Nara.
She had seen too much through that deceptively small frame.
Tamayo Nara was silent for a moment, then said frantically, "I don't care! I'm just not resigned to this! That Uchiha actually spoke to me like that! She looks down on us."
"We are indeed not as strong as her. What's so shameful about that?" Aburame Aoi shot Tamayo Nara a sideways glance. "I suggest you take it easy. Don't get me involved."
However...
An hour later.
Tamayo Nara and Aburame Aoi hid in the shadows, staking out the courtyard where Senju Wakama had gathered them for hot pot earlier.
"...Are you sure? After we left, that Uchiha didn't come out," Tamayo Nara whispered furtively.
"She didn't. It's not like you haven't stayed in one of these villas before," Aburame Aoi said in a low voice. "You can tell how many people are inside by the color of the doorposts. The house isn't empty right now; there are about two people. It must be them."
"We've been out for so long, and she still hasn't left," Tamayo Nara said resentfully.
"She only gets to see Wakama once every seven days, and Wakama is so... capable. Is it any wonder they'd take a long time?" Aburame Aoi pulled out a skewer of glutinous rice balls and started nibbling.
Tamayo Nara clicked her tongue and said no more, her eyes filled with envy.
The two waited patiently for nearly another two hours.
Mmm... she was coming out...
A lovely figure in a luxurious outer robe, her cloud-like black hair styled into a flower bud bun, with a vibrant wildflower pinned to the side.
It had to be said, compared to Uchiha Yuki, the two of them felt inexplicably inferior.
Uchiha Yuki had been personally groomed by Senju Wakama. Her movements, her expressions, the way she walked, her makeup, and her attire—all of it was enough to captivate any young woman.
Senju Wakama personally saw Uchiha Yuki to the door.
Uchiha Yuki said softly, "I know the way. You should get back to your business."
"Let me walk with you for a bit," Senju Wakama said, seeming still a little worried.
"I'm not a child anymore. Don't worry, I'm very strong." Uchiha Yuki's beautiful eyes sparkled as she opened her arms to hug Senju Wakama, then turned and smiled. "Goodbye."
She turned and left, seemingly without a hint of reluctance.
If Hyuga Miyu had been there, she would have understood that "not looking back" was something Senju Wakama required.
But Aburame Aoi and Tamayo Nara clearly didn't understand.
They saw Uchiha Yuki leave without a backward glance, while Senju Wakama stood there, silently watching her go.
The scene made Tamayo Nara grit her teeth. "That woman is so cold..."
With that, Tamayo Nara and Aburame Aoi sprang into action.
The two moved stealthily, tailing Uchiha Yuki all the way out of the Senju clan's territory.
However...
Just as she left the Senju clan's lands, Uchiha Yuki quickly entered the forest. As she walked, she untied her outer robe and swiftly turned it inside out to wear it again.
The originally light-green Senju woman's robe had now transformed into an Uchiha man's battle robe.
Next, Uchiha Yuki casually plucked the flower from her hair, flicked her finger, and tossed the wildflower aside. Then, within seconds, the flower bud bun was replaced with a simple, tied-back hairstyle.
In less than half a quarter-hour, Uchiha Yuki had completed her change of attire.
The two women following her were dumbfounded. "This... Uchiha... is... a MAN!!!!!"
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