Weekend.
The sun was shining brightly and the temperature was warming up. Makiya was taking a rare day off, strolling down the street with his four subordinates in a very leisurely manner.
"Captain, you're actually taking a break today!?" The female voice in the team was full of surprise.
"Yeah, Captain, you... this isn't a Shadow Clone, is it?" The boy next to her was also curious.
"No, I'm not a man of steel. I need rest too," Makiya said, resting his hands behind his head and leisurely enjoying the warm sunlight.
He hadn't expected the management regulations to be passed and officially implemented so quickly. He thought there would be a lot of back-and-forth bickering, but Hiruzen Sarutobi had managed to be efficient for once.
"Captain, what does the Three-Tomoe Sharingan actually feel like?"
"I really want to awaken the Three-Tomoe too."
"Give it a rest. You haven't even awakened the Sharingan yet, and you're already thinking about Three-Tomoe?"
"I'll hit you..."
Makiya didn't put on airs and would occasionally guide his team members in their training. After they got to know each other, they dared to joke and play around in front of him.
Passing by the ninja tool shop, Makiya led the team inside. The owner of the shop was named Tenka, a very shrewd businessman who was reportedly negotiating with other stores to jointly establish the Konoha Chamber of Commerce.
Tenka was very enthusiastic toward Makiya, putting down his current work with a smile to attend to them. Since Makiya took charge of this street, public security had improved significantly, and various penalties and management systems were relatively fair and just.
"I want to order a set of fireproof battle clothes. The clothing store owner said he couldn't do it and recommended you to me," Makiya said, getting straight to the point.
"A fireproof battle suit? Do you have any specific style requirements?"
"Yes, I'll draw it out."
Tenka nimbly pulled out paper and a pen. Makiya drew the style of the battle suit he had in mind. The design had traces of Minato Namikaze's sleeveless coat combined with the captain's haori from the Gotei 13, looking much better than a standard ninja flak jacket.
Tenka entered his professional state, asking a few more questions based on Makiya's requirements and agreeing on a pickup date. Ten minutes later, Makiya left the ninja tool shop.
He didn't require the new battle suit to completely withstand his flames. When the enemy wasn't strong, he would control the flame temperature to avoid exposing his physique as much as possible.
But there was no helping it when he got into the heat of battle. That was the downside of playing with fire; if he wasn't careful, he'd end up "being honest" with the enemy.
Walking along the street, the group chatted casually as they approached a corner. Suddenly, Makiya's footsteps paused, and his eyes narrowed slightly.
"Captain, what's wrong?" The four almost bumped into Makiya and quickly sidestepped, asking curiously.
Following Makiya's gaze, they found that it was a very famous large bathhouse.
"Captain, do you want to go for a soak? How about I treat you today?" the girl asked with a smile.
"Forget it. If you go for a soak today, you'll be seen completely," Makiya said with a curl of his lip, offering well-intentioned advice.
"Captain, are you saying there's a pervert peeping?" The girl was shocked and immediately scanned the area around the bathhouse, but found nothing unusual.
"Spread out and stay back a bit. Don't alert the target!"
"Yes!" Although the four had discovered nothing, they immediately took the order and began to act.
In Konoha, civilians and ninjas lived together. It was too easy for a ninja to do some minor bad things; with just a Transformation Jutsu, a civilian wouldn't be able to tell the difference.
Everything around the bathhouse looked normal. The ivy surrounding it was covered with thin snow, the surface of which was flat and pure without any abnormalities.
In Makiya's perception, a powerful soul was clearly hidden within the messy vines, standing out quite conspicuously.
The wall next to it was the outer wall of the women's bathhouse. A gap had mysteriously appeared in the originally solid and thick wall.
Makiya could even vaguely hear the sounds of playing and splashing inside.
'That's not right. Isn't Jiraiya at the front lines? Who could it be?'
Makiya was utterly baffled. Even before the management laws were enacted, peeping at the women's bathhouse was strictly forbidden in Konoha. Now that the laws were in effect, it was a one-stop process of fines, detention, and seeking forgiveness.
'Could it be Lord Third? No, that old man watches through his office. There's no need for him to take such a risk. It can't be Kakashi, surely.'
Makiya pretended to be passing by coincidentally and slowly approached. At the moment he neared the wall, he suddenly struck.
"Way of Binding No. 1: Sai."
By the wall, a wretched middle-aged man disguised as ivy was staring with wide eyes, focusing intently. Hot air puffed from his nostrils, and the oil paint on his face was distorted by his exaggerated expressions.
"Oh ho, yes, exactly like that! Run around, make a fuss... So bouncy, so white."
The "Oil" character on his forehead protector betrayed his identity. Jiraiya pulled out a notebook and began recording and sketching simultaneously, his mind and body feeling joyful. He felt the smoke of the battlefield drifting away, his soul purified by the undulating waves of the "cafeteria."
Suddenly, a mysterious force flowed through his entire body. Jiraiya was forced to drop the precious materials in his hand, and his arms were uncontrollably pinned behind his back.
"Nani!?"
Jiraiya was startled and quickly extended his foot to catch the notebook while struggling violently.
Makiya took a deep breath and shouted at the top of his lungs:
"Guests inside, be careful! Someone is peeping!!!!"
"ONE IS PEEPING!!!"
"PEEPING!!"
The massive voice traveled into the bathroom, echoing within the sealed space.
There was a brief silence inside the bathroom, followed by a burst of piercing screams.
A female ninja with canine teeth was very fierce. She suddenly stood up and delivered a flying kick, shattering the thick wall.
Boom!
'Damn it!' Jiraiya thought to himself. He flooded his arms with chakra and broke free from Makiya's Way of Binding. At that moment, the wall cracked, and the sound of something tearing through the air accompanied by steam swept toward him.
The combat instincts of the Sannin were no joke. Jiraiya's body reflexively dodged. Then he focused his eyes, looked again, and looked once more...
Within a thousandth of a second, Jiraiya suppressed his body's dodging instinct and returned to his original position with a blissful expression.
Makiya's dynamic vision was at its peak. He clearly saw the peeping tom, who looked like Jiraiya, wearing a strange smile. Even though he had broken free from the restraint, he stayed in place.
A fair and tender jade foot splashed water droplets, passed through the wall, and kicked Jiraiya hard in the face.
Makiya took a step back to avoid Jiraiya, who had turned into a flying projectile.
"Oh, it's Captain Makiya. So, did I kick the peeping tom unconscious?" As the wall collapsed, the fierce woman covered her vitals and greeted Makiya with a smile.
Cold wind poured into the bathroom from the gap, and an even more piercing scream erupted from behind the woman.
'Sister, what have you done? Are you sure you weren't rewarding him?'
Makiya had a forehead full of black lines and shouted to the only woman in the team, "You stay here to maintain order. The rest of you, follow me!"
After saying that, he turned and ran in the direction where Jiraiya had flown.
How could Jiraiya, one of the Sannin, be knocked out by a single kick? That guy clearly had a face full of enjoyment!
"This is bad!" After hitting the ground and getting up, Jiraiya looked up and saw the boy rushing toward him. He had seen Makiya Uchiha's profile and knew that he was in trouble today.
"This is bad!" In the office, Hiruzen Sarutobi exhaled a puff of smoke. Jiraiya was still too young and hadn't mastered high-end material-gathering techniques. He hoped today's lesson would make him wake up.
"This is bad!" An Anbu member who happened to be passing by was at a loss. Lord Jiraiya was having a conflict with Makiya Uchiha for a very subtle reason. Which side should he help?
Suddenly, the Anbu member's mind cleared as he remembered his wife seemed to have come for a soak today. Wouldn't that mean...
Lord Hokage above, today I'll give it my all against Jiraiya!
The Anbu member's anger rose from his heart, and courage was born from his rage. He jumped onto the roof, pulled out a long staff-like ninja tool, pointed his left hand, and shouted at Makiya, "I'm here to help you!"
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