Uchiha Compound.
Raizen picked up some meat and found Might Guy, who was on duty at the front gate.
"Guy, you must be hungry!"
"Let's grill some meat and eat!"
Raizen said with a beaming smile as he set up the equipment, lit the charcoal, and began grilling.
"Raizen, why are you in such high spirits tonight?"
Might Guy sat down beside him, picked up a few skewers, and placed them over the charcoal fire.
Raizen, of course, wasn't going to tell him he was here to admire a magnificent firework display.
"With enemies lurking in the shadows, how can I sleep in peace?" Raizen came up with a casual excuse.
He opened a bottle of juice and handed it to Guy, then opened one for himself and took a few gulps.
"Mhm, true." Might Guy nodded upon hearing this. "Raizen, don't worry. With Kakashi and me here, as long as it's not a Kage-level expert attacking, we can protect all of you."
Raizen nodded. "I trust in your strength."
As they ate and drank, Raizen would occasionally glance toward a certain direction in the distance.
It's been this long and there hasn't been an explosion yet. Did the clone fail? He thought to himself.
Just as the thought crossed his mind...
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
In a central area of Konoha, a series of deafening explosions rang out.
Plumes of fire soared into the sky, illuminating the entire night horizon.
Watching the bursts of fire, Raizen felt a great sense of relief and satisfaction.
"What was that?"
"What happened?"
Might Guy suddenly stood up, staring at the direction where the fire was rising. "That... that's the direction of the Shimura clan lands."
"An enemy attack?"
Kakashi was also startled awake and crawled out of his tent. "What's happening, Guy?"
Might Guy pointed toward the flames. "It looks like a massive explosion occurred at the Shimura clan estate!"
"The Shimura clan?" Kakashi looked in the direction Guy was pointing, and sure enough, he saw a raging inferno rising from the Shimura district.
"These truly are turbulent times," Raizen remarked with a sigh. "Last night our Uchiha compound was invaded, and tonight the Shimura clan is attacked. It seems the enemies hiding in the dark are watching our village every second!"
With that, Raizen let out a long yawn. "Guy, there's plenty of grilled meat left. Since Kakashi is awake, why don't you two finish it?"
"I'm sleepy. I'm going back for some shut-eye. I'll leave tonight's safety to you."
"What exactly happened?!"
"Why was there a series of massive explosions?!"
Danzō Shimura arrived from his hidden base with a large force, questioning an elder of the Shimura clan.
The elder wiped the soot from his clothes and said, "Danzō, you've come at the right time. Send men to search for the enemy immediately! Someone sneaked into our lands, planted a vast amount of explosive tags, and detonated them."
"In which direction did the enemy flee?" Danzō's face was dark, his expression thunderous.
"The enemy was too cunning; we couldn't lock onto a trace," the elder said indignantly.
Danzō roared, "A bunch of useless trash! Your homes were destroyed and you can't even find a shadow!"
"What are you standing around for?!"
"Put out the fires!"
Danzō's face was contorted with rage. Usually, he was the one causing trouble for others; no one had ever dared to bring trouble to his doorstep like this. Even Hiruzen Sarutobi had to compromise with him because of the power he held.
Danzō turned to a Root ninja and hissed, "Investigate!"
"Find out who has purchased a large quantity of explosive tags recently."
"How dare anyone provoke me? Once I find out who you are, I will skin you alive!"
Raizen slept beautifully through the rest of the night.
The next day, he rarely slept in. Knowing he might be stressed about the recent "attacks," the women didn't come to disturb him. It wasn't until midday that Raizen finally got out of bed.
After washing up, Haruko, his beautiful maid, enthusiastically prepared lunch for him.
"Haruko, your cooking is getting better and better." Raizen gave her a thumbs-up while eating the pork and millet porridge she made.
"I'm glad Master likes it." Haruko stood to the side, wearing a sweet smile.
"Have you eaten, Haruko? Why don't you join me?" Raizen smiled.
"No thank you, Master. Haruko has already eaten," she shook her head.
"Where did Kurenai and the others go?" Raizen looked around, noticing the house was quiet.
"The mistresses took the children to the lake for some fishing," Haruko replied.
"Fishing? That's a good way to pass the time."
After finishing his porridge, Raizen headed down to the lake.
"Husband, you're up!"
Kurenai saw Raizen approaching and waved to him warmly.
"How many fish have you caught?" Raizen asked with a smile.
"Not many, just two or three," Kurenai laughed.
"Yo, Raizen, Little Kurenai! You two sure have elegant tastes!" Anko Mitarashi suddenly jumped out from nowhere, grinning at the pair.
"Bean? What are you doing here?" Kurenai asked, slightly surprised.
"I heard a certain someone was attacked, so I came over to check it out." Anko strolled over and hooked her arm around Raizen's shoulder. "Raizen, don't you think you need a bodyguard?"
"A bodyguard? You?" Raizen laughed.
"Exactly! I'm a Jōnin. With my protection, your safety is guaranteed," Anko said with full confidence.
"If you want the job, sure," Raizen thought for a moment and nodded.
Anko grinned. "Then it's settled. I'll be your house bodyguard, specifically in charge of staying close to Kurenai."
"Deal," Raizen nodded.
"Now, let's talk about the reward!" Anko looked at Raizen with a sly glint in her eyes.
Raizen asked grandly, "Go on, how much?"
Anko replied, "30,000 Ryo a month, plus one bottle of Papaya Nutritious Juice."
Raizen paused. "30,000 Ryo is fine, but that juice is a bit troublesome."
"What's the problem?!" Anko asked urgently. The main reason she was here wasn't the money; it was the juice that had helped Kurenai "level up."
"Since you know about the juice, I assume you know its effects." Raizen glanced at Kurenai. Clearly, Kurenai had spilled the beans when she went to flex her "assets" the other day.
Kurenai gave a small, sheepish smile. It was true—Anko had tricked her into revealing the secret.
Raizen continued, "Normal papaya juice doesn't have those effects. Only this special variety provides the whitening and... growth results."
Anko nodded vigorously. After hearing Kurenai's boast, she had bought several buckets of normal papaya juice and drank them all to no effect. She had even thought Kurenai lied to her until she did some digging among the other women in the compound. They all drank a special juice that Raizen provided in unique bottles.
Raizen smirked. "This special juice is extremely rare, so..."