[Late at Night]
[Hot Spring Inn]
Aoba once again finished soaking in the hot spring, changed into a bathrobe, and lay down on his bed.
Outside the window the bright moon hung in the sky, casting down a sheet of silver light.
The room had no lamps lit, but under the clear moonlight, one could still see everything clearly.
Aoba lay alone on the bed. At night with no one beside him, he really wasn't very used to it.
It seemed as if, in the unseen world, something had responded to his summons.
Suddenly, from outside, came the sound of knocking on the window.
"?", Aoba was a bit speechless, walked to the window, and opened it. Anko darted inside like smoke.
"In the middle of the night like this, what are you doing coming through the window?"
"In the middle of the night, who knocks on doors? Of course, coming through the window has more atmosphere," Anko said with perfect confidence.
In the room next door, the young girl who heard the faint sounds also secretly pricked up her ears.
———
[The Next Day]
Aoba and Anko were walking together on the street. Isaribi, because she wasn't feeling well, rested inside the inn.
Aoba originally wanted to check on her, but she refused, saying whatever happened she wouldn't let him examine her.
"Are you looking for something?", Anko saw Aoba glancing left and right and couldn't help asking.
Aoba nodded, "I'm looking for some suitable local specialty to take back as a gift for Yugao-nee and the others."
"Local specialty huh…", Anko's expression didn't change much, and instead she helped him think, "Orange daifuku, caramel pudding, taiyaki, honey cookies…"
"Stop! Stop!"
Aoba cut off her menu-listing behavior, "Why are they all food?"
"Because tasty things are the best."
Anko said it like it was the most natural thing.
"They're all what you like to eat."
Aoba was speechless, and started searching again.
Very soon, his eyes fixed on a rather eye-catching shop, with many beautiful kimonos hanging outside.
He turned to ask Anko.
"What do you think about giving kimonos?"
"Kimonos?"
Anko blinked, her face full of surprise.
Aoba asked curiously, "Is there a problem with that?"
"Aoba, do you know the difference between a yukata and a kimono?"
"Difference? One is more formal, the other more casual, right?", Aoba then said, "Then should I give yukata instead?"
The surprise on her face faded, and Anko's lips curled slightly, "Better stick with kimono. Compared to other places, the kimonos of the Land of Hot Water are a big specialty."
The Land of Hot Water had many hot springs, and many people liked to wear kimonos to attend festivals after soaking.
So kimono-making craftsmanship here was also quite excellent.
Only… Aoba didn't seem to know that giving a kimono had a special meaning.
But Anko didn't remind him. Who told this guy, while on a date with her, to bring up things like that?
"Then let's go take a look."
Aoba led Anko toward the shop he had noticed earlier.
This shop didn't have any gaudy, dazzling display lights.
What it had was a faint fragrance of cloth, and walls filled with kimonos.
Running the shop was an elderly white-haired woman with glasses.
She sat all alone at the very back of the store, the cashier's desk in front of her made out of a repurposed sewing machine.
She was currently working on making a kimono, her old hands steady without the slightest tremble.
Hearing the sound of the front door opening, the old woman lifted her glasses and looked over.
"Welcome! Are you here to buy some kind of kimono?"
Aoba: "I'll take a look first."
"Take your time, if you set your eyes on one just let this old granny know."
"Mm."
Aoba pulled Anko along to stroll around inside the shop.
After only a few rounds, he felt that just buying something ready-made lacked sincerity, so he went up to the old woman, "Excuse me, can I order custom-made?"
"You can, but you'll need to provide measurements, the fabric, and the style you want."
The old woman set aside her work, replying seriously.
As a ninja, with all kinds of dōjutsu, Aoba's eyes were a ruler.
He immediately wrote down the measurements needed, then based on each person's traits, wrote down the styles required. After choosing fabrics from the shop, he handed them to the old woman.
"Can you make them as quickly as possible?"
The old woman looked at the data on the paper and fell into deep silence.
More than twenty pieces…
She never thought that at her age she'd still need to push herself one more time.
She silently looked at Aoba, then at Anko, who was still chattering nonstop at his side.
Several times she wanted to ask something, but couldn't find the chance.
"You'll need to pay a deposit first. Come pick them up in seven days."
The customers' affairs were not something she should be concerned with.
"Alright."
Aoba paid a large sum, unable to help sighing in his heart that kimonos were expensive.
Fortunately, he had already looted Amachi once. Though it wasn't enough to trade for abilities, it was enough to buy kimonos.
Seeing this, Anko's face also revealed a smile of a plan's success.
———
After playing for several more days, Aoba and the other two finally left the Land of Hot Water.
But this time, they had one more person with them.
It was a man with slicked-back hair, tied up tightly from head to toe, even his mouth gagged.
It was Hidan, who had not yet joined the Akatsuki.
Aoba had taken Anko on a special trip to the Hot Water Village. When they arrived, Hidan had just been about to massacre it.
Fortunately, they were in time, and Aoba captured him.
But considering Hidan's special constitution and abilities, he didn't kill him. Bringing him back might even mean having a test subject he could use infinitely.
———
"You sure came back pretty fast."
Tsunade looked at the three before her, her expression half-smiling.
Anko laughed as she replied, "Well, with Aoba here, the mission was done really quickly."
"Is that so?"
Tsunade's expression softened as she looked at Aoba.
Aoba suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. On Tsunade's smiling face, he couldn't see even a hint of laughter in her eyes.
This mission, for Aoba, would normally take maybe two or three days, yet the round trip ended up consuming nearly ten days.
If there wasn't something fishy about that, then what was?
Anko, however, hadn't noticed the change in atmosphere at all. Pulling Isaribi in front of her, she began introducing.
"Hokage-sama, her name is Isaribi, she's a victim of Orochimaru's experiments. I want to take her as my little sister, can she join Konoha?"
"H… Hokage-sama!", Isaribi also nervously greeted Tsunade.
"...", Tsunade carefully sized up the slightly frail girl before her for a while, then glanced at Aoba.
She found that he too had shown a confirming nod toward her.
By rights, if an ordinary outsider wanted to settle in Konoha, they would have to go through screening.
But since Aoba vouched for her, there was no need for so many requirements.
"Back then, Orochimaru's experiments, Konoha bears a large part of the responsibility for not discovering them in time. Do you have a place to stay in Konoha?"
Isaribi was slightly stunned. She hadn't expected this Hokage to speak so kindly.
"Isaribi will live with me," Before she could speak, Anko answered for her.
"Alright."
Tsunade nodded, "Before you find a job, Konoha will provide you with a monthly living allowance."
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