Reincarnation into the dark world of Naruto

"It's immediately clear where Hinata got her boundless energy. Her blue-haired mother could outmatch anyone in sheer enthusiasm. One clap of her hands—and the girl who had rushed in was sent off to prepare my clothes. Two—Hinata, who had the misfortune of crossing her mother's path, was dispatched to fetch a small medical kit. Three—before I knew it, I was being gently pushed toward a discreet door that blended into the wall.

As we walked, she provided the necessary explanations. Apparently, I was about to visit the clan's hot springs. According to Akinami, there was no better way to restore one's well-being. But first, I needed to wash up—hot springs were meant to be entered already clean.

She led me into a windowless room, dimly lit by the same glowing orbs as before, which seemed to function as a changing area. Then, she ordered me to strip. Completely. And place my clothes in a paper bag. My hesitant attempt to protest was met with a raised eyebrow.

Realizing my mistake, Akinami burst into laughter.

"Aki-ra-chan, don't be silly. I was going to examine you thoroughly anyway. The last thing I need in my house is fleas or mange."

Well, fine. I'll try to treat this like a doctor's visit. I undressed. But my body had its own opinion—my cheeks started burning suspiciously. Sure, my body was that of a child. But my mind was far from six years old, so stripping in front of a beautiful woman in her prime didn't come easy. Fighting the instinct to cover myself, I stood at attention, arms at my sides, blushing furiously.

That damn woman just laughed.

"Oh, Aki-ra-chan, you're such a cutie."

Cutie? Ugh.

"Didn't you bathe at home?"

"Of course we did, Akinami-san. But back home, men and women bathed separately. Unless, of course," I squinted slightly, "they had other intentions besides bathing."

"I see. Thanks for the clarification."

She narrowed her eyes slightly, scanning me from head to toe.

"Alright. Turn around. Raise your arms. Good, good. Nothing serious except for some bruises and scrapes. Follow me."

With that, she led me to another inconspicuous door.

And on the other side—I almost couldn't believe my eyes—was a shower.

Akinami adjusted the water temperature using the valves, then gestured to a shelf attached to the wall. She explained which products to use.

They had two kinds of soap here. The first was a disinfectant with an incredibly nasty smell that I was supposed to apply from head to toe and leave on for at least three minutes. She also firmly warned me not to taste it or get it in my eyes. As if I looked dumb enough to put that foul-smelling sludge in my mouth.

The second soap, a thick gel-like substance, was to be used after the first was washed off.

Noticing me eyeing the other bottles and containers, Akinami smirked.

"Want a quick lesson in makeup, Aki-ra-chan?"

Despite her teasing tone, her eyes remained cold. Like someone lining up a target in their crosshairs.

Finally, the explanations were over. She gave me one last appraising glance—free of even a hint of feminine interest—then left the shower room.

A hot shower.

God. How little it takes to be happy.

I stood under the steaming water for a moment, sighing contentedly, then reluctantly reached for the disgusting green sludge. If I had to apply it, I'd apply it.

My skin stung slightly.

I really needed to ask Lady Hyuga where they got their hot water from. Was it a wood-fired water heater? Geothermal springs? No, it smelled like regular hot water. No sulfur.

After waiting the required time, I eagerly rinsed off and applied the second soap.

Much better. No unpleasant sensations, just a faint lavender scent.

Finished, I turned off the water. Nothing unexpected—just two simple valves, hot and cold.

As soon as the water noise stopped, Akinami peeked in.

"All done? Good boy. Your clothes are here, come on out."

Her gaze held a faint note of approval.

"I see you figured out how to use the shower, Aki-ra-chan?"

"Of course, Akinami-san. It wasn't difficult," I replied as I headed for the door. "I used showers back home too—the controls were very similar. By the way, does your hot water come through pipes, or do you heat it yourselves?"

"We heat it ourselves, Aki-ra-chan. Who would waste chakra heating water just to run it through pipes? That would be ridiculous."

She squinted at me.

"Wait. Back home, it was different?"

"Of course, Akinami-san," I nodded. "We heated water in massive boilers, and everyone connected to the plumbing system used it."

"And how did you heat it? Stationary seals? The heat loss during transport would be enormous!"

She was genuinely baffled.

"No, of course not. We didn't use chakra at all. The boilers were heated by burning fuel—coal, for example."

This was truly a meeting of two worlds.

We just stood there, staring at each other in mutual confusion.

"Burning it?! And where did the smoke go? That's disgusting!"

Akinami looked utterly appalled.

She'd have a hard time adjusting to my world. Then again… I liked it here much more. The air was clean, even in the city. No smoke, no smog. And no stench, which meant—what? They had a functioning sewage system.

"Well…" I hesitated slightly. "I think they filter the smoke somehow, but cities back home aren't pleasant to breathe in. At least, not compared to Konoha."

"Unbelievable! How can you breathe smoke?!"

Akinami shook her head in exasperation.

"I've been to the Land of Snow on a mission before, and in the winter, their villages were nearly suffocating. There was a cloud of smoke hanging over the place. I saw what that leads to."

Then she clapped her hands together.

"Enough talking, Aki-ra-chan. Put on your underwear, and let's deal with those scrapes."

So, they did have underwear here.

The shorts looked like boxers.

So was it just peasants who didn't wear them? Or maybe they simply couldn't afford such "luxuries"?

The fabric was linen—no synthetics—secured with ties.

I actually started to feel human again.

But for some reason, an old saying popped into my head about free cheese and the places you find it.

Paranoia, calm down.

I was given proper underwear. That was a win.

I put them on.

Huh. No elastic bands.

I had to adjust the ties.

As soon as I was covered, Akinami called in her daughter with the medical kit and used me as a live mannequin for a first-aid lesson.

"This ointment goes here, this one goes there—this one needs to be applied in a thin layer, but this one—" she pressed hard "—needs to be rubbed in thoroughly."

Right into a bruise.

I hissed in pain.

"Come on, it hurts!"

Her daughter shut me down with a firm, matter-of-fact statement:

"Suck it up. You're a shinobi."