All in all, the walk through the Village was surprisingly nice. Considering how hectic my life has been so far, this rare moment of actual peace and quiet did more for my state of mind than I had originally thought it would. The surrounding forest was lush and vibrant, with a pleasant fragrance almost like that of fresh-cut grass. The sun was bright overhead, though slowly dipping towards the horizon, painting the sky in various shades and hues of golds and purples, but the enormous lake, its surface glittering like someone overturned a bag of diamonds, kept the air cool and pleasant.
The beach itself was an almost pure white like snow and the waves lapped gently, almost lazily, at the shore as Tsubaki and I took a leisurely stroll along Taki's beachfront properties.
'This really feels like the shinobi version of Miami… Just missing some more palm trees and a Will Smith back when he was still cool.'
While technically everything underneath Kusunoki Oboku's massive branches belonged to Takigakure no Sato, the actual village itself ended up surprisingly small. A collection of quaint wooden houses arrayed in a sort of terrace style as it climbed up the various hills and hid itself amidst the thick forests on the edge of the massive lake. There didn't seem to be much in the way of human settlements outside of the houses we first arrived at, save the occasional small temple or shrine that surrounded the other edges of the lake.
The difference in population density between a major and minor village really was staggering. You could probably fit all of Taki's people in a single suburb of Konoha. Meanwhile, the entirety of Konoha could easily be shaded by Kusunoki Oboku.
As it stood, though we had been out for a simple walk for almost an hour now, long enough to see the beginnings of what promised to be an absolutely gorgeous sunset, we had made it barely even a fifth of the circumference of the lake. For a civilian it'd probably be a days' travel just to go round it once, especially since the areas further away from the village proper had become overgrown or were just outright wilderness. Even for a rank and file shinobi, it'd take a couple of hours at the least, probably a bit less for me since my transformation.
Which is why we eventually decided to turn around and move back towards the village for now. We'd go scouting further tomorrow, when we had more time and a better lay of the land.
The white sands crunched softly underfoot and Tsubaki sighed as the (admittedly beautiful) village came into view again, her sights set on the horizon, now a molten orange as the sun dipped below Kusunoki Oboku's gargantuan branches, caught between the canopy of the tree above and the crest of the waterfall on the edge of the lake below.
"What a pretty place." She said somewhat wistfully as we stood there, still holding hands, Tsubaki not having let go since she led me from the guest house and (somewhat surprisingly) me finding myself not really struggling against her.
I glanced at the woman beside me, an unfamiliar weight in my chest that took me off guard. While she still thought of herself as Mizuki's fiancée, she really had been a stranger to me when she first showed up at the prison so long ago. In the month or so since then, she had been nothing but supportive and helpful, even saving my life back when we first ran into Suien, yet seemingly never expecting affection out of me in return. The only time I had shown her any intimacy at all was when I suddenly kissed her when I broke her out of her cell and that had been more a manipulation tactic to override her concerns and common sense given how pressed for time we were.
This, the hand-holding, the stroll along the beach, was the most romantic we've acted since I woke up in this world. Somewhat to my surprise, despite everything that I had going on, despite everything that I was currently scheming towards… I found that I actually rather enjoyed this.
'This… this is nice…' I thought to myself as I watched Tsubaki close her eyes, enjoying the last rays of sunshine on her face, bathing her in reds and golds.
"Tsubaki… I…" I suddenly started to say, startling the both of us, as she turned towards me with wide eyes.
"Yes… Mizuki?" her voice came softly, hesitantly.
"… I-"
I would never know what I was going to say as at that moment, I could suddenly feel a familiar presence rapidly close in our position. I tensed up, though I relaxed as the Body Flicker revealed it to be Daigo, the son of Saburo, our grumpy guide through the waterfall caves and our newly (and involuntarily) appointed baby sitter.
"Hey guys, it's- oh!… ohhh… uhm, don't, that is, uhm d-don't mind me!" the young man sputtered, his friendly smile gone as his eyes flitted from Tsubaki to our intertwined hands before his entire face went red and he turned so fast on a dime it actually send some sand spraying up.
'… Is he… is he saluting? What?'
"Oh, hello. Daigo, right? Did you need us for something?" Tsubaki spoke up kindly and despite the young man having turned his back to us, I could see the redness creeping up his face all the way to the tips of his ears even from this angle.
"Oh, it's nothing Tsubaki-san! Dinner is about to be served at Shibuki-sama's house, in honour of the capture of the traitor Suien! You are cordially invited to attend!" Daigo managed to squeak out.
All the while still saluting empty air.
For a moment, the three of just kept standing there before I lightly cleared my throat.
"Thank you, Daigo. …uhm, dismissed?" I tried and though he still looked embarrassed, at least the young man finally let his hand fall to his side, though he still didn't turn to face us.
"If you would follow me." He instead said somewhat stiffly before he began moving towards Shibuki's mansion, Tsubaki and I following along after exchanging a somewhat confused glance.
//
As it turns out, Taki's idea of a 'dinner' was more along the lines of barely disguised political manoeuvring as Tsubaki, the Akamichi and I followed Tiger's footsteps as he was pretty much trapped by societal convention to make the rounds past each individual Elder and their complete retinue before we had even managed to enter the grounds of the mansion proper. To his credit, the stern ANBU captain dealt with basically being turned into a social ping-pong ball with commendable calm composure and I was privately glad that clearly the Elders had already dismissed Tsubaki and I as important players. The ANBU masks were acting like lightning rods for inquisitive glances and thinly veiled inquiries, leaving Tsubaki and I to mostly just hang back and enjoy the splendour carefully put on display at the mansion.
Taki as a whole isn't exactly a wealthy village, but standing within these four walls you wouldn't be able to tell, considering it appeared as if every Elder dug deep into their own wallets to spruce up the place a bit to impress the foreign dignitaries.
"I've never even seen so many paper lanterns gathered in one place. Aren't they worried about a fire hazard?" Tsubaki said as she looked around with wide eyes, impressed though slightly concerned as we were dazzled by the various glowing lights and shimmering precious metals around us.
"Considering the proximity of the lake and their connection to it, I wouldn't be surprised if most Elders here can pull a jōnin-level Water jutsu out of their ass, just to be on the safe side should anything happen." I murmur back, unable to just fully relax and allow myself to enjoy the party for what it was, my mind instead constantly trying to pick apart my surroundings for any tactical advantages.
Which were annoyingly few. Being considered a background NPC in a setting like this was wonderful for stealth, but it was utterly abysmal for closing in on my actual target for tonight, the distracted-looking Shibuki. Even Tiger, as leader of the Konoha delegation, was only allowed a brief word with the impeccably clad young man, before he was expertly whisked away by the main Elder Senji and his cronies for another round of introductions and senseless prattle.
The sun had begun to dip below the horizon, having disappeared halfway past the edge of Tsukihime's cresting waterfall by the time we were finally all assembled in the foyer of Shibuki's mansion and guided to the main hall for the actual dinner-part of the dinner party.
The walls were richly panelled with a deep red-brown lacquered wood, polished until they gleamed as much as the lanterns and torches set beside them, each panel inset with carved depictions of flowing water and mountain spirits. On the far wall hung an enormous (and undoubtedly expensive) tapestry of Takigakure's great tree, its roots embroidered in metallic thread that glinted like veins of gold whenever the lanternlight shifts. In indoor fountain was placed below it, its gentle murmurs symbolizing Tsukihime's connection to the ancient tree.
Placed centrally in the room was the dining table, a meters long slab of dark wood polished to a mirror gleam, with intricately carved flower and lotus designs along its sides and many legs. The surrounding cushions on the floor were arranged in perfect order, each embroidered with swirling leaf motifs. The seating hierarchy was unmistakable.
At the head, Shibuki sat on a cushion slightly raised above the rest. His posture was flawless, his hands folded in his lap, but with each of the many courses that were brought out over the following hours, his plate remained practically untouched. All he accepted from a steadily more desperate looking serving girl was a single bowl of a miso-like broth, but the lack of steam that had at first coiled up from it in lazy swirls showed that even that had already started to cool. His eyes kept drifting, unfocused, toward the tapestry, as if he could feel the weight of it hanging directly on his shoulders.
Immediately to Shibuki's right sat Senji in surprisingly austere robes, considering the grandeur of the mansion and contrasting with the rich silks that almost hid Shibuki's lithe form from view. His words were low and measured as he addressed Tiger across from him, the only one of our company seated so close to Shibuki to honor his status as the leader of our delegation. Tiger kept responding to Senji's blasé questions and the occasional hidden barb with practiced neutrality, his mask not betraying any emotion as the two men somehow managed to keep a conversation going without really saying anything, almost like two combatants carefully circling each other, examining the other for any weaknesses, pleasantries thrown like kunai.
It's difficult to tell if Shibuki feels more suffocated by the overbearing politeness or by his fancy dress robes.
The other Elders, seated close by, clearly knew better than to try and interrupt Senji during his verbal sparring, but still the way they sat stone-faced and statue-like next to the pair lent a silent weight to each of Senji's murmured words. Thanks to them giving Tiger the silent treatment, that side of the dinner party quickly turned a rather depressing affair, though further down the table, where the Akimichi, Tsubaki and I were seated, things were thankfully a bit less stiflingly formal. Surrounding us were several of Taki's ninja, such as Saburo and his son Daigo across from us.
Daigo kept trying (and not exactly succeeding) in keeping a conversation with Tsubaki going, the poor youth completely red faced and stammering at her every question and kind smile, but bravely forging ahead nonetheless.
Though his father, caught between annoyance and amusement, did have to intervene and prevent his son from planting his elbow in the miso soup. Several times. Though Saburo gave up when the distracted kid tried to then eat said broth using nothing but chopsticks.
'Guess that explains his reaction at the beach… apparently, even hardened killers for hire aren't immune to puppy love. Or do shinobi call it genin-love instead?' I think, somewhat amused at the kid's antics.
Spread further around us were several of Taki's more prominent civilians, some of them here because their wealth allows it, but most of them seem to have been invited based on their merit. Craftsmen mostly, the equivalent of a medieval guild master I'm guessing.
Not the worst company to be sure (they have better table manners than Fujin and Raijin at least, but then again so does a well-trained ninken), but unfortunately for me, an absolutely abysmal source of intel.
Well, shinobi-relevant intel, at least. The intel they did possess classified more as gossip truth be told, though I did learn some interesting wood-working tips from a carpenter to the Akimichi's left (who himself couldn't quite hide his interest as he was talking with a nearby pastry chef).
Still, while the company was pleasant enough, the food excellent and the surroundings genuinely mesmerizing, the longer I kept shooting hidden looks at Shibuki placed so far away from me behind an almost literal wall of obstinate geriatrics, the more annoyed I began to feel.
Most of the villagers could tell me plenty about the legendary warriors that had protected their village in the past with the power of the Hero Water, but that was literally all they knew about their famed trump card. Even the ninja couldn't say much more, not even on what the Hero Water even really did to someone to give them such a boost, and it wasn't just an unwillingness to share with outsiders I don't think.
As both Mizuki and I have shown in the past, I can be one charismatic son of a bitch when I put my mind to it, after all.
In fact, Taki villagers seemed more than eager to keep telling tall tails of their heroes, it was just that it had been so long now that access to the Hero Water had been severely restricted, most had never even seen it work in action.
The last person to have taken it was Shibuki's father and by the tales of those who had actually managed to catch a fleeting glimpse of the man's final moments (which was a surprisingly small amount of people, even though everybody at the table could seemingly replicate the full tale from memory), the man had been wreathed in a pseudo-Jinchūriki cloak and smashed an invading force of over a hundred ninja leading close to three hundred bandits to pieces with dragons made of hardened water large enough to swallow the sun whole.
Which might sound completely outlandish to your average person in the Naruto world, but as someone who was familiar with the Naruto Shippuden powerscaling, I realized that such a feat would barely be enough to get someone an S-Ranking in the Bingo Books, especially since the power-up was only temporary (on account of your life quickly becoming temporary as well).
But from what I understood of the little that the villagers and shinobi could tell me, even Shibuki's dad didn't exactly know what the effects of the Hero Water would be once he took it, other than it'd end up killing him afterwards. If even he himself didn't understand the workings of the Hero Water fully, then these cowering non-combatants who had only watched the massive battle from afar were less than useless to me.
With a frustrated sigh I found that, despite the glorious glazed duck and various lotus-wrapped steamed fish, my appetite had disappeared and with a muttered apology I excused myself from the table (to the badly disguised joy of Daigo, which caused his father to roll his eyes in exasperation and Tsubaki to hide a well-meaning smile behind her hand). Bowing towards the head of the table more so for politeness' sake than anything (pretty sure Shibuki didn't even realize I was here, since I doubted he had even seen half of these people seated at his table even enter his home, as lost in thought as he was) before I made my way out of the main dining hall.
The surrounding corridors were like a tightly woven maze filled with artworks and heirlooms, though the various windows and sliding doors provided an admittedly beautiful view of the massive tree standing tall above the lake below, its glittering surface reflecting the pale moon far above. Even from here, the rushing of the waterfall was an ever-present soothing rumble in the background and I found myself coming to a stop at one of the windows, just taking in the sights.
Which is why I caught a subtle shift of shadow on the neatly trimmed garden patch below the window.
'Someone is on the roof!' I immediately realized as I saw the blurry shadow of a foot hurriedly blend in with the surrounding darkness of the night.
Not wanting to alert the shadowy figure that I'd spotted them, I instantly forced my body to remain completely still, my expression remaining unchanged save for a sudden tightness around my eyes.
What to do? Did I act? Alert someone? Let it play out (whatever it was), take advantage of the confusion?
'No, too risky. The only worthwhile thing here for me is Shibuki. If this is an assassin, maybe one sent by Suien somehow, then I lose all intel about the location of the Hero Water. I cannot allow that!'
Mind made up, I gave no warning of any kind. I simply exploded into motion, shattering the wooden framework of the window as I threw myself through it and up, the tips of my fingers brushing against the underside of the roofing above me. Since I had never stopped with my prison-cell inspired training, I was pretty much a master at the Wall-Walking exercise and it took only the thinnest layers of chakra to snap out and glue myself to the rough tiles.
My momentum carried my body further though and with the tips of my fingers as an anchor point, I whipped over the edge of the pagoda style roofing, leg shooting out in a brutal knifing strike.
"Hey! Watch it!" a young feminine voice called out to my surprise, my shin impacting what clearly felt as a forearm.
I finished my spin and the other figure was pushed violently away from me, tearing up some of the roof shingles as I landed on my feet, hand already dipping into my shuriken pouch.
'They blocked it? I know I'm no Tsunade, but still, a surprise attack like that should've easily snapped bone. Just how strong are they-'
Before I could finish the thought, the dust between me and the would-be assassin/spy/whatever began to settle enough to the point I could make out some details. Rather glaring details. Such as the mint-green hair. Or the bright orange eyes that were now glaring at me from a surprisingly young face.
"Aww man, the hell is your problem huh?! Attacking innocent ladies like that in the dead of night!?" Fū, Jinchūriki to the Seven-Tailed Chomei, Taki's walking, talking nuclear bomb, pouted at me as she shook out her arm with an exaggerated wince, somehow completely ignoring how that kick would've slashed straight through a tree trunk (and the tree behind it for good measure).
My mind went blank as I just stared at the most dangerous person this side of the massive waterfall behind me, cold sweat clinging to my back, suddenly abruptly familiar with the sensation of being the coughing baby in this match-up.
"Innocent ladies don't crawl across rooftops in the dead of night." My mouth pointed out to her.
'Oh… oh fuck me sideways…' My brain pointed out to me.
Fū freezes up at my words, sheepishly rubbing the back of her head in a way that's eerily similar to a certain well-known blonde as she chuckles self-consciously.
"Hehe… uhmmm… about that… please don't tell anyone that I'm up here?"
//
AN: I wanted to get more done in this chapter, but I'm really struggling with kicking it into gear. The story feels almost lethargic at this point and I just wanna get to the cool parts already. Also, there's this particularly shitty yet popular Naruto fic that seemingly manages to update pretty much every other day and as silly as it is, I can feel it ramping up the pressure on my end to match that upload speed. So I'm publishing this part already to keep you from waiting too long.