📖 Chapter 15 – Rumors in the Village, Shadows of the Past
The dawn was pale when Sayuri knocked on Rei's door.
"Dress well. Today we're heading to the Village of the Red Maples."
Rei blinked, still drowsy.It was the first time his mother was taking him on an official trip outside their familiar surroundings.His mind, still unsettled from the stealth dungeon, couldn't decide whether to be excited or uneasy.
"Why me?"
Sayuri, adjusting her hair in front of the mirror, replied without looking at him:
"Because it's time you learn how real bonds are handled. And because you're growing, Rei. The world won't wait for you."
The journey was quiet.Shuri accompanied them, dressed in her usual neutral attire, but with a short sword visible at her side.It wasn't common to see her armed.Rei glanced at her from the corner of his eye without saying anything.
The Village of the Red Maples did not belong to any of the great nations, but it controlled important trade routes.When they arrived, the contrast was striking: polished wooden houses, stalls with exotic fruits, and children training with wooden kunai.
Rei watched them from a distance.There was something different in the air—rougher… more real.
Sayuri was received with measured respect.She wasn't a kunoichi, but the local leaders treated her with caution.
"Your mother," Shuri whispered, "is worth more to these villages than an entire ANBU squad."
Rei walked beside her while the adults negotiated inside the main building.Suddenly, a group of youths approached him.One of them, older, with scars on his cheek, recognized him.
"Isn't that Sayuri's son?"
"Yeah. They say he's being trained by a woman who used to be a chūnin from Kiri. Her name was… Shuri, right?"
Rei tensed.
The boy continued in a lower voice:"They say she was a spy hunter. That once she decapitated a traitor while blindfolded."
Rei turned slowly.The group scattered when they saw him looking at them.
He said nothing, but the seed of doubt was planted.
That night, there was a small lantern ceremony.Sayuri toasted with the leaders.Bored, Rei slipped away to the riverbank near the village.
There, Shuri was waiting—sitting on a rock, sharpening a small dagger.
"You heard them, didn't you?"
Rei sat across from her."Is it true?"
Shuri didn't answer right away.She finished passing the whetstone over the blade, then looked up.
"Which part do you want to be true?"
"That you were a chūnin from Kiri. That you killed people. That you were… a hunter."
Shuri sighed.Her expression was more weary than sad.
"I was many things, Rei. When I was your age, I had already killed more people than I'd like to remember. I was a chūnin, yes. I was sent to hunt deserters. I did terrible things in the name of the village."
Rei lowered his gaze."And why… are you here now?"
She smiled, but there was no joy in her eyes.
"Because Sayuri saved me. Not with jutsu, nor with power. She offered me a life where I could be useful without staining my hands any further. She gave me a second chance. And she asked me to protect what was most precious to her."
Her eyes locked on his."That person… is you."
Silence settled between them.The river kept flowing.
Rei clenched his fists.For the first time, he felt the world was wider… and darker than he had imagined.
Before they left, Sayuri handed him a small package—a leather-bound notebook.
"Start taking notes, Rei. Observe. Learn. You don't grow just by training."
"About politics?"
"About people."
Rei nodded.Beside him, Shuri walked in silence, but Rei no longer saw her the same way.Now he knew there were shadows in her past—shadows that still followed her.
And perhaps… one day, they would follow him too.