I'm Inside Naruto Manga

Following the directions given by the official at the office, Logan arrived in front of a large mansion. Two red lanterns adorned the entrance, casting a gentle glow in the still dim evening light. There were guards lazily stationed at the gate, waiting for their shift to end.

'The place is much bigger than before. Looks like she's doing well.' Logan commented as he stood across the street, evaluating the entrance. Then, he prepared to go up and ask.

At this time, a group of people happened to pass by. Several maids surrounding a girl, with two Samurai accompanying them. The girl's appearance was youthful, and the clothes she wore clearly distinguished her from the common folk.

"Excuse me, I was wondering if..."

Before Logan could finish his opening remarks to the two guards, he was interrupted.

"Welcome back, Hanazawa-sama. Please watch your step."

The previously lax guards suddenly became energetic, held their heads high and acted like professionals, but they completely ignored Logan, walking past him to greet the group.

Logan awkwardly withdrew his hand and turned to see that the girl, escorted by her entourage, was indeed heading towards the mansion, 'Hanazawa-sama... I don't recognize that name.' Logan thought as he glanced at the plaque, 'I am in the right place too.'

The girl referred to as Hanazawa nodded and, with a hint of nobility, walked in without saying a word. However, as she was about to step inside, she paused and turned to look at Logan, who stood out awkwardly. She pointed at him with her slender finger, her meticulously groomed eyebrows displaying confusion.

"What is this man doing here?"

Her voice was quite pleasant, but her tone was far from gentle.

The guard was taken aback for a moment, unsure of how to respond.

In order to prevent misunderstandings, Logan spoke up first: "Hello, may I ask if Hoshino Sumika is here?"

The girl named Hanazawa frowned after hearing this, "Who are you to address Hoshino-sama so casually?"

'Not very welcoming, huh? Didn't I already speak respectfully enough?' Logan was feeling a bit troubled, but he was relieved after knowing he was in the right place.

"What are you doing here so late?"

"I'm here to..." The girl in front of him might be sixteen or seventeen years old, so it's not worth arguing with her. Logan thought for a while. In order to avoid suspicion, it was not easy to say 'meet an old friend'. After all, the agreement between the girl and him at that time was a little bit... ambiguous.

'I had no choice but to repeat what I had just said in the office.' Unexpectedly, when the girl named Hanazawa heard this, a look of understanding flashed across her face. Then, she looked at Logan up and down, and said in a troublesome and bored tone, "I'm sorry, Hoshino-sama does not meet with unrelated persons."

After saying that, she lost interest and led her entourage inside, slamming the door behind them.

"So unkind." Logan didn't feel angry, and just scratched his face, 'Capital's development seemed to have made city people more sophisticated than I remembered.'

Fortunately, the guards at the gate, perhaps out of boredom or pity, explained to Logan that Hanazawa was the next in line to be a ceremonial envoy. She came here a few months ago to train, and with the prosperity of the Capital, there are many people who come to visit Sumika. Some of them even flirt with her under the pretext of interested in the culture. Logan had the bad luck of meeting Hanazawa. After all, it was normal for people to be turned away by the aloof Hanazawa.

Out of the guards' sight, Logan walked under the shadowy eaves, feeling a little embarrassed. He looked back at the illuminated mansion, its pavilions and towers hidden behind the front. Although he was not determined to see Sumika, he still wanted to follow through on his past words. After all, even a brief chat would be better than leaving things unresolved.

'Should I come back tomorrow?' When Logan saw that there were no security patrols around, he jumped onto a roof beam. The officials in the office told him that the ceremonial envoy had to go to work in the inner city during the day, and Sumika's affairs were becoming more and more important. So even if he wanted to, he would still have to wait until evening to see her.

'I came here to help Akatsuki do bad things... But if I do the bad things first, I have to leave immediately for safety. And if I steal information and then come back to contact her it could lead to big misunderstandings if discovered.'

Logan paced back and forth on the roofbeam, deep in thought. Suddenly, the door of the house beneath his feet was banged open, and a burly man, holding a hoe, stepped out and glared up at him.

"Who the hell is stomping around..."

The sudden angry shout startled Logan. Seeing the situation clearly, he felt guilty and quickly ran away, leaping several times to distance himself from the house's owner. The man, seeing Logan disappear into the twilight, could do nothing but swing his hoe in the air in frustration.

Logan's face flushed as he ran away. He looked once more towards the brightly lit mansion next to the inner city and shook his head, 'I just wanted to see someone. As a Ninja, visiting in a Ninja's way shouldn't come off as too ridiculous, right?'

…

"Hoshino-sama, Hanazawa-sama has returned." Sumika was sitting in the room. Hearing the message from the maid outside the door, she responded with a soft acknowledgment.

The room was large compared to an average person's quarters, with a significant portion neatly filled with scrolls and books. A tea table and a zither were placed near the window, and the door to the balcony was open, allowing some moonlight to spill in. In the room, the boudoir bed and the dresser next to it were the only places that revealed a distinctly feminine touch.

Sumika put down the book she was reading and moved to sit in front of the mirror. What is reflected in the mirror is a beautiful face, which still has that kind of serene and gentle beauty. Sitting under the soft lamp light, her face showed signs of fatigue. Having matured beyond her youthful self, she now carried the responsibilities her position required.

In busy, complex times, people often reflect on their past selves at night. Sumika lost herself in thought for a while, and then began to take off her cumbersome clothes.

Layer after layer of silk slipped off, revealing her delicate skin. A maid brought in a bath bucket, and as the cool water provided some relief, Sumika submerged her now well-defined figure into it. The room quieted down, with only the soft sound of her arms moving through the water breaking the silence.

Sumika's long hair was hanging loose as she was humming a tune. This was one of the few moments when she could completely relax. However, this tranquility was soon interrupted by an unexpected change.

Logan quietly climbed into the balcony on the third floor. From the outside, this appeared to be the main building, where the highest-ranking people lived. However, he had already checked the first and second floors, but there were no familiar figures, as most of them were just maids. So he felt that this room with the light on at the third floor seemed like the right place.

'The two hidden sentries hidden in the courtyard are of average quality.' Logan thought as he admired the view of the city's nightscape from the balcony. He can see a small piece of the night scenery of the Capital, and the flickering flames of the inner city walls were faintly visible. Logan pressed his hand against the half-open door, sensing someone inside.

'But the sound is not right, there is the sound of water...'

Logan didn't intend to sneak in with bad intentions, 'Since I'm meeting an acquaintance, should I say hello in a low voice first, 'Ahem, is anyone in there? I don't mean any harm~' like that?'

'But that feels very awkward, especially if the one inside was someone else.' After thinking of this, Logan decided it was reasonable to take a peek first.

However, once he peeked, he found that he couldn't move away his gaze.

The wind suddenly became stronger, and the half-open door moved. The girl inside, or should I say a woman, Sumika subconsciously looked over.

Their eyes met, and in such an unexpectedly favorable encounter, both of them froze.