Chapter 46: The Most Formidable Verbal Duel

"Damn it, where did that rascal A-Fei run off to!" Bai Mu had barely slept all night; the thugs downstairs kept singing their villainous songs without pause.

For the first couple of hours, he could only plug his ears, but as the night wore on, he surrendered and hummed along. The catchy, simple tune was actually rather pleasant.

"We murder and pillage,"
"We commit every evil,"
"There are no born villains,"
"It's just the hardship of life,"
"We are walking corpses,"
"We've fallen in love with this way,"
"Until we rot to the bone..."
...

Half-awake and half-asleep, he muddled through until dawn. In the mist, Shenless Town felt especially tranquil. Descending the stairs, he saw last night's drunkards discarded on the street, and the gatekeeper, Magnetic Fat Tooth, snoring thunderously atop a table.

Fat Dog seemed to have an endless supply of cups to wipe, likely because the rag was never clean, and the water in the bucket never changed.

Sanji was diligently scrubbing the tables and cleaning vomit off the floor, whistling with evident good spirits.

"Yo, good morning," Bai Mu greeted.

"Is that how people from Leaf Village greet each other? 'Good morning'?" Sanji remarked, saying he'd never heard anyone say that in his life.

"More or less. You'll have to get used to this sort of life, since in Leaf, everyone greets each other this way." Bai Mu smiled faintly.

"Really? Then I'll make sure to learn! Good morning!" Sanji was clearly delighted, waving cheerfully at Bai Mu.

Bai Mu glanced at the one-eyed old man polishing glasses and instinctively restrained his smile.

"Have you seen my cat? The white one," Bai Mu still wondered where A-Fei had gone.

"The one that talks? No, this town is full of thieves—maybe it got stolen?" Sanji shook his head.

"Damn, it must've been Rainba!" Bai Mu cursed furiously, unable to believe A-Fei just wandered off.

As Bai Mu ranted, a sound came from outside the door.

"Sir... I'm sorry, I won't dare again, please make your cat stop..."

Bai Mu opened the door: Rainba was crouched on the ground, holding up two fingers like bunny ears and hopping like a rabbit, while A-Fei clung to him like a barnacle.

"Don't stop, keep singing."

"I'm a damn rabbit, I damn well love carrots, my whole damn family are rabbits..." Rainba sang the rabbit song with a miserable face.

"...Is this really the elite jonin of the Hidden Rain Village?" Bai Mu's perception of Rain Village was completely overturned.

"This cat's got me by the vital parts... Please, call it off, I'll agree to anything, ow, damn it," Rainba's face was dark with strain.

"Alright, A-Fei, let him go. We still need him to take us to the exchange." Bai Mu sighed.

"What a pity for such a fine rabbit," A-Fei finally slithered off Rainba and resumed the shape of a cat.

"Damn, what on earth is this thing? Not a ninja beast, not really an animal, doesn't even have vitals!" Rainba hopped twice in place, clutching himself.

"Who knows? Take us to the exchange—no, first, let's find those three from yesterday. You've settled them in, right?" Bai Mu grinned mischievously.

"Don't worry, Old Ba's work is reliable. Only the best girls," Rainba patted his chest.

...

"Aiwu Pavilion."

In stark contrast to the dilapidation of Shenless Town, the building was adorned with fiery red lanterns and Japanese-style architecture—not exactly luxurious, but undeniably charming.

"This is true paradise, but it's also a money pit," Rainba clicked his tongue.

"I bet the three just stayed for a night," Bai Mu trusted Yahiko's resolve—he wouldn't be swayed by beauty, especially with Konan present.

"A bet? I love betting. I don't believe any man could leave Aiwu Pavilion once inside. I spent a whole month here once, lost all my will, my hair fell out, and if I'd had more money, I'd have rotted here forever," Rainba licked his lips.

"What do you want to bet?" Bai Mu looked Rainba up and down—nothing of value on him.

"Whatever you like, you choose," Rainba was unfazed.

"If I win, you join Akatsuki and fight for the Hidden Rain. I trust them," Bai Mu suddenly became serious.

Rainba was stunned into silence for a long moment before replying, "You want me as your mole?"

"??? Is your mind so filthy? You're just like Nara Deer Fortune," Bai Mu was baffled.

"Pah! From the first moment I saw you, I knew you were no good! Always inviting people to meals, up to no good, thief or scoundrel!" Rainba spat fiercely.

"Damn it, will you bet or not?"

"Five million ryo! I'll bet!"

"Is your worthless life worth five million?"

"Take it or leave it!"

"Fine, let's bet!" Bai Mu trusted Yahiko and Nagato—under Jiraiya's guidance, they'd never stoop to lechery.

"Heh... You're bound to lose. This isn't an ordinary brothel; none of Shenless Town's scoundrels are ordinary, and these girls know seduction genjutsu," Rainba grinned.

"Genjutsu only fails against strong will!"

The two entered Aiwu Pavilion together.

Like the tavern, Aiwu Pavilion was the heart of nightlife, but at this hour, it should have been... quiet!

Why was there shouting?

"I'm sorry, Mama... We're done with this," came a girl's voice.

"Rubbish! I'll see who dares walk out that door," barked a burly matron.

"Madam, everyone is free; they have a right to choose their own lives..." Yahiko's voice.

"Shut up! Don't think I don't know—it's you three stirring trouble. I kindly ordered my girls to entertain you, and you try to lure them all away!" Mama's furious voice.

"Damn! Persuading courtesans to go straight? Is this even possible?" Bai Mu and Rainba were dumbfounded, rushing into the hall to witness the confrontation.

On one side, Akatsuki's trio stood with a dozen gorgeously dressed girls behind them.

On the other, Mama of Aiwu Pavilion, flanked by fierce-looking enforcers.

"People are born free, we must never be imprisoned..." Yahiko was blocking her business, and no one cared for his explanation.

"Beat him to death!" Mama pointed, exuding overwhelming authority.

Nagato stepped forward, his cloak billowing without wind.

"Don't escalate," Yahiko quickly restrained Nagato.

"Yahiko-kun... This is our own choice, let us speak," a beautiful dancer gazed at Yahiko with pure eyes.

"Yes, sisters, let's speak for ourselves!"

The girls joined hands, faces resolute, standing tall before the enforcers, fearless.

"We were born in poverty, tossed by fate just to survive, unable to see our true selves," one girl began.

"We had to wear false masks, smiling at disgusting patrons. After so long, we've forgotten who we once were—only numb smiles remain," another said.

"Once, we had no dignity, exposed everything to outsiders. Now, awakened, we tightly wrap our wounded bodies—it's all we have left."

"Finding our true selves, we're no longer mere shells scraping by. We've forgotten our old pain and will embrace rebirth."

Hand in hand, the girls walked toward Mama.

"Yahiko... In the art of persuasion, I, Bai Mu, bow to you as the strongest," Bai Mu tugged at his mouth, stunned; he'd only hoped to witness their embarrassment, never expected such an outcome.

Bai Mu had always joked that Yahiko was the original 'Talk Kage,' but now he realized that with words alone, Yahiko could turn debauched courtesans into holy priestesses—overnight.

"Mama, what do we do?" The enforcers retreated; these girls were their golden geese, they dared not really harm them.

"Pah! I took you all in, raised you with my own hands, taught you skills, fed and clothed you. You're my property! It's my right to beat you to death!" Mama screamed hysterically, "Beat them to death!"

"If the price of freedom is the insight of life and death, then I won't shrink back," the girls stood tall, hand in hand, bracing their chests. Never had they been so brave.

Wooden clubs were about to strike their delicate skin.

"Stop!" Yahiko used a body flicker, placing himself between the two sides.

"Almighty Push." Nagato's long bangs seemed to brush in the wind, and the enforcers were thrown backward in a row.

"What... You intend to steal them by force?" Mama was sweating; she wasn't blind, and that move was no ordinary ninjutsu.

"We'll ransom these girls... Konan, please."

"...Alright." Though reluctant, Konan didn't refuse Yahiko's request. She fumbled for a stack of small silver notes.

"This is five million ryo..."

"Are you kidding! Five million for a dozen top girls? That's worse than robbery!" Mama was furious.

"If we die, you won't get a penny!" The girls were unyielding.

"Don't say Mama didn't warn you!" Mama's anger erupted; her hands formed seals rapidly in her sleeves.

"Genjutsu: Spring Chamber Flower Realm."

Petals of cherry blossom drifted from the void—one look at them would drag a person into an ambiguous illusion, stirring their deepest, dirtiest desires.

Mama was no ordinary madam; she had once been leader of the Spring Dance Thieves, notorious for seducing ninja from various villages, corrupting their minds with illusions, and recruiting them into her band. But her luck ran out when she tried seducing Jiraiya, who single-handedly wiped out her entire gang.

Mama had fled to Shenless Town and, with her wealth, opened Aiwu Pavilion for a quiet life.

But fate made her cross paths with Jiraiya’s disciples...

"Genjutsu... Reversal." Nagato's Rinnegan pulsed; the illusion rebounded into Mama's own eyes, and her cheeks flushed crimson.

"Sorry, but this is all we have," Yahiko left the money behind and led the girls away.