"Naruto-kun, I don't know about any hot spring holy land, but the most famous place in this country is Rose Street. Should we head there?" Hidan suggested.
"Rose Street? That'll do!" Naruto nodded in satisfaction.
'Just from the name, it was clear this would be a charming and romantic place. If even someone like Hidan, who seemed clueless about the Land of Hot Water, knew about it, it must be a popular tourist spot… especially for women.'
Led by Hidan, it took the group three hours to reach their destination.
"We're here. This is Rose Street," Hidan said, pointing ahead.
"This is it?"
Naruto floated into the air to get a better view of the street under the moonlight. It was more like a narrow alleyway than an actual street. Yet, the fragrant scent of roses filled the air, and upon closer inspection, every house along the street was adorned with blooming roses.
'No wonder it was called Rose Street, a name as simple as it was apt.'
"Naruto-kun, there doesn't seem to be any hot spring inns here."
While Naruto was observing, Kisame had already scouted the Rose Street.
Naruto wasn't surprised by this.
From his previous life's experiences, he knew that places like Rose Street, which were designed to highlight a singular feature, in this case, roses, often avoided mixing in unrelated industries.
Rose Street was too small to support much commercial activity anyway, so it made sense to keep it as a dedicated attraction for visitors.
But would they let this scenic spot go unmonetized? Of course not.
Naruto rose higher into the sky, scanning the area. His eyes lit up when he noticed what surrounded Rose Street.
"Just as I thought." Naruto murmured.
Around the alley, bustling streets were teeming with activity. Shops and stalls lined the roads, forming a lively commercial hub centered on Rose Street.
Even at night, the nearby streets were illuminated with the glow of night markets. Crowds of visitors, dressed in various styles, wandered about, clearly drawn to the area by Rose Street's reputation.
Whoosh!
Naruto descended swiftly and landed in front of the group. Shaking his head in mock disapproval, he said, "This won't do. Your outfits are absolutely inappropriate. Wait here, I'll be back in a moment."
Before anyone could respond, Naruto vanished and reappeared moments later, holding several sets of kimonos.
"Put these on. Once you're dressed, I'll explain the game rules, and we can get started."
Excited to finally hear about the game, the group quickly changed without asking questions.
In no time, everyone had donned their kimono, Naruto included.
Looking at everyone with their kimono, Naruto nodded with satisfaction.
Most of the tourists who come to Rose Street are young ladies.
The original Akatsuki's cloaks, combined with their menacing presence and Missing-nin's forehead protector, would have caused quite a stir, scaring away the young women that Naruto expected to see.
Now, dressed in kimono, the group appeared much more approachable.
Among them, Itachi, in a blue kimono, exuded a youthful charm, Hidan, wearing red, looked like a wealthy playboy, while Kisame and Kakuzu, in matching black-and-white ensembles, still resembled bodyguards who didn't quite look like good guys.
"Okay, this game is very simple. The game area is a ten-kilometer radius around Rose Street. You all have one hour to find the most beautiful woman you can. Bring her back to Rose Street, and we'll compare. Whoever brings back the most beautiful woman wins!"
After Naruto finished explaining the rules, he glanced at everyone to see if there were any objections.
Initially, Naruto's plan had been to visit the largest hot spring sanctuary in the Land of Hot Water and search for women there. However, upon arriving at Rose Street, it was clear there wouldn't be as many women lounging in hot springs.
During his brief trip to the night market to buy kimono, he had spotted plenty of beautiful women, which gave him the idea to widen the scope of the game, all under the guise of enjoying the sights.
Ahem, correction.
Naruto had been in a coma for three days and was worried that his nerve reactions had slowed down, so he wanted to quickly recover to his best condition by playing the game of finding girls.
Seeing that no one objected, Naruto nodded and declared, "Alright then. One-hour countdown starts now! Let the game begin!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Naruto vanished in a blur and rushed straight for the nearest night market.
Earlier, Naruto had been too rushed to admire the sights. Now, as he returned to the night market, he could take in the full picture.
The streets were lined with shops of all kinds, their bright lights illuminating the bustling market. Stalls sold everything from snacks to souvenirs to small games.
The streets were crowded with people dressed in colorful kimono, resembling a festival scene straight out of a Japanese anime.
'Women! So many women!'
Though Naruto kept a calm exterior, his heart was racing with excitement.
Since leaving Konoha, this was the first time he had seen such a vibrant gathering of women. They were chatting, laughing, eating snacks, and playing games at stalls.
'Heaven!'
'This is paradise!'
Naruto was thrilled, but as he approached the women, they all began to avoid him.
'Could it be… they've seen through me?!'
'No way, right?'
Naruto frowned slightly, puzzled. He was confident in his appearance. To ensure he attracted attention, he had even used the Transformation Technique to take on the form of a handsome protagonist from a romance novel. Wearing a pure white kimono, he was sure to catch the eye of any passerby.
'So, what was the issue?'
As Naruto pondered, he noticed even a shopkeeper was avoiding him, and even his face was filled with terror.
"Uh…"
Naruto then realized that he was so busy taking care of his appearance that he forgot to change his title.
[Aura of Menace: Passive ability. Enhances intimidation factor, creating an aura of dread that instills fear in others.]
At the moment, Naruto was still wearing the Aura of Menace title, which explained why ordinary people were scared of him. The fact they hadn't fled screaming was a miracle.
Knowing the problem, Naruto flashed and ran to a dark corner, and changed Aura of Menace to Lady Charmer.
[Lady Charmer: Increases female favorability and significantly lowers their guard.]
Bang!
With a puff of smoke, Naruto formed hand seals and reactivated his Transformation Technique.
Since his appearance just now has been seen by some people, it will more or less cause psychological trauma to these people, so it would be a good idea to make a change and start over.
This time, the moment Naruto stepped out of the shadows, he immediately caught the attention of a crowd of women.
Their cheeks flushed, and several covered their mouths in shy admiration as they glanced his way.
'Looks like it worked this time…'
Meanwhile, the rest of the group had also begun their search, though their approach differed from Naruto's.
To Naruto, this was just a game. But to the others, it was a test.
In their analysis, the challenge could be broken down into three key points.
The first point, and the most straightforward one, is their sense of aesthetics.
The second point is that by having them change into kimono and remove their headbands, Naruto is testing their ability to blend into the environment. Compared to the basic Shinobi skill of concealing one's presence, blending in requires precise control over their aura, which is a much more challenging task.
The third point, and by far the most difficult, is...