Testing the Waters * East of the City

Ai's gaze swept across Ōnoki's face before returning to the window. The street was bustling with people: vendors pushing carts, women leading children, and several people dressed as Ninjas standing by the roadside talking.

"You're right," he said. "This kind of thing really isn't up to us to decide."

"Yeah?"

This was said by Ninja from Sunagakure. A glanced at him and realized that he wasn't even looking at them, as if what he just said was an illusion.

"Oh? Do you have some brilliant idea?"

"The Land of Fire has set this precedent; our nation cannot remain indifferent."

The implication is that if their country doesn't treat them as well as the Land of Fire, they can use this as a pretext to file a lawsuit and fight for better benefits.

Ai laughed, "Oh? I didn't expect you to treat Ninjas so well over there?"

The Kirigakure scoffed, "Those big shots at the top probably already made their decisions. What's the point of us discussing this here?"

The Land of Wind glanced at him, snorted coldly, and said nothing.

A brief silence fell over the teahouse. Ōnoki watched them silently.

Ai looked at him and smiled.

"Kid, you don't seem to talk much."

Ōnoki remained silent.

Ai continued, "Aren't you curious about the treatment in your Iwagakure?"

Ōnoki thought to himself, "This guy is such a chatterbox. He's big and burly, but he's quick-witted. He thinks he can get any information out of a kid like me? No way!"

"Not curious."

Ai wanted to say something more, but Ōnoki quickly added, "I have nothing to say to you, don't talk to me anymore."

"Don't you want to know what Konoha is like?"

Ai interrupted Ōnoki before he could finish speaking, and her words made Ōnoki frown. "You'll find out when you get there."

Ai raised an eyebrow.

Do you think we can get in?

Why not?

"We're Ninjas," A said, "And Ninjas from another country at that. Do you think Konoha will let us in?"

Ōnoki hesitated for a moment, then looked up and found Ai staring at him with a very good mood.

Damn! This guy!

You're treating me like a child!

Suddenly, someone from Sunagakure chuckled.

"You people from the Land of Lightning, you really think too much."

Ai turned to look at him.

"What's the meaning?"

The people from Sunagakure gave a short laugh.

"Do people from the Land of Lightning try to get close to everyone they meet?"

Ai turned to look at him.

"I was just chatting."

"Chatting?" The Sunagakure Ninja turned his gaze from the window to A's face. "Every sentence you say is asking questions. Do you think others can't tell?"

The corner of Sunagakure's mouth twitched slightly. "Do you people from the Land of Lightning think everyone else is stupid?"

The room fell silent, and Ai's expression darkened.

What a nosy idiot.

The Kirigakure Ninja said indifferently, "None of those sent as guards are easy to deal with. I really don't understand the point of this gathering."

The implication is that you two are both idiots, unable to understand even this simple logic.

Ai gave a cold laugh.

Alright, so there's another one here who likes to take advantage. It's nice to have that intellectual superiority, huh? Very well.

"I don't care what you're up to, but ultimately, neither of you can beat me," Ai said with a smile. "How about this, I'll beat you up, and you'll tell me the information, okay?"

The two adults' faces darkened, and their eyes clashed with a menacing intensity.

They were thinking the same thing at the same time.

If you see them on the battlefield again, those two won't live to see it.

Ōnoki sat on the side, head down, staring at the table.

He thought to himself, "These three guys are all idiots. If they want to fight, they should just say so. Why beat around the bush like this?"

They're playing games here before anything's been settled; what they really want isn't the Land of Fire's opinion on how to treat Ninjas, but rather information about other villages.

Those two who didn't reveal their names were clever, but that also showed they lacked the confidence to expose their surnames. But this Yotsuki A was a fool.

He had heard of the Yotsuki Clan; it was a large clan, and only an heir could inherit the Ai lineage.

The guards for this trip should be people with no influence. If that's how it is in the Land of Earth, then it must be the same in the Land of Lightning.

This Ai actually dared to openly reveal his name, wasn't he afraid that the nobles of the Land of Lightning would be wary and suppress their village?

The other three were also curious about who Ōnoki really was.

After all, they had never heard of this little dwarf before.

Someone with such a face and height is someone you could never forget after seeing them just once, yet they have absolutely no memory of each other.

While it's true that it's difficult for children to become famous, it's not impossible for someone to become famous at a young age. Besides, as the Ninjas from the Land of Water said, aren't all the people sent here shrewd and capable?

This is a major event concerning the Shinobi Village and their clan; it cannot be treated lightly.

All the guards on this trip were adults, except for Ōnoki, who was a little dwarf.

At first, it was indeed difficult to judge his age, after all, he looked quite old, but his act of entering the Ninja Tools shop to pick out an unsuitable weapon at this time revealed his age.

Weapons from different countries have different designs, resulting in subtle differences in feel when used. Unless absolutely necessary, Ninjas won't stuff unnecessary items into their Ninja Tool Pouches, as that would affect their attack speed.

Only speed can determine victory or defeat.

Therefore, Ōnoki's behavior is very suspicious. Why would he buy such a useless thing? A souvenir?

Ai decided to approach and strike up a conversation after seeing this scene.

Sure enough, the voice sounded like that of a young boy.

In an instant, Ai realized that this child was definitely not an ordinary Ninja; he must be an elite soldier sent there, just like them.

Then we must find out who he really is.

To be sent on this mission at such a young age, this child must be no ordinary person.

The two people who heard the sound immediately understood the key point and gathered together.

That's why we're looking at each other in bewilderment now.

It's difficult to find out the identities of other people, especially this Ōnoki. He hasn't said a word after all this talk; he's as stubborn and unyielding as a rock.

They just killed the conversation; sitting here is pointless except for glaring at them and thinking about how to tear them to pieces.

At this moment, it seems there is no other way but to go home and return to their own homes.

But it wasn't all for naught. The Ninja from the Land of Water thought to himself, "Knowing the names of Yotsuki A and Ōnoki is a bonus."

So he stood up and politely said goodbye, "Well, I have other things to do, so I won't stay here any longer. Farewell."

The person from the Land of Wind also stood up. "Me too, and you two may also return."

But Ai reached out and blocked the two of them.

"Don't be in such a hurry to leave." He smiled, his thick, dark arm stretched out across the room, showing no intention of moving aside. "We've been chatting for so long, and you still don't know your names."

The Sunagakure Ninja stopped and turned to look at him, his lips pressed into a thin line.

The Ninjas from the Land of Water also stopped, their shoulders slightly tense.

The teahouse fell silent. The customers at the next table had long since left, leaving only a few of them. Ōnoki looked at them and raised an eyebrow.

"There's no need for that," the Sunagakure representative said casually. "We won't be seeing each other again."

Ai laughed, "That's not necessarily true."

The Land of Water looked at Ai, thinking to themselves that this calamity was inevitable.

"Mizuno," he said, "Mizuno Kazuhiko."

Ai looked at the other person.

The Sunagakure man glanced at Mizuno, then at A, and remained silent for a moment.

"Jiro Sata," he said.

Ai nodded, her smile widening.

"You two have such lovely names, I'll remember them."

Neither Shada nor Mizuno wanted to talk to him.

Ai didn't mind, withdrew her hand, and took a step back.

"Alright, that's all the questions," he said. "Take care, everyone."

Shada glanced at him, turned and left, with Mizuno following closely behind. The two figures swayed for a moment before disappearing around the street corner.

Ōnoki remained seated in his original position.

Ai looked down at him.

Aren't you leaving?

Ōnoki ignored him, simply stood up, dusted off his clothes, and walked towards the door. As he passed Ai, Ai suddenly spoke.

"Little brat."

Ōnoki stopped in his tracks.

"Your name is Ōnoki, right?" Ai said. "I'll remember that."

Ōnoki looked up at the tall young man and chuckled, "I'll remember that too, Yotsuki A."

Ai was somewhat taken aback by the expression on Ōnoki's face. The child's face now vividly displayed both playfulness and composure, completely different from his previous well-behaved demeanor.

This kid is definitely not simple.

His footsteps quickly disappeared outside the door, leaving Ai alone in the teahouse.

He stood in the empty doorway, chuckled, turned around, walked back to his seat, picked up the now-cold tea, and drank it all in one gulp.

"Boss! I'm hungry! Four servings of Soy Sauce Dango, please!"

"Okay! Coming right away!"

Ōnoki felt very unlucky.

He walked down the street, his pace much faster than when he came.

The shops and people on both sides of the street were still the same, but he couldn't muster any interest in anything now.

The tension I felt in the teahouse hadn't completely dissipated; it felt like something was stuck in my chest.

He knew perfectly well why those three people had reluctantly sat around the same table; they wanted to use him as a breakthrough point to gather information about the Land of Earth.

"How shameless! "Ōnoki thought, pursing his lips. "Just you wait. If we meet on the battlefield, I will show no mercy!"

As he walked, he found himself back near the Post Station.

He looked up at the signboard and stopped in his tracks.

Go back? There's nothing to do if he goes back now. The guards all know he's a kid and take good care of him. He doesn't even have to do patrol duties. He just sits in his room alone, spacing out. And training in a place like this just doesn't feel right.

If we continue exploring, what if we run into those same people again?

Ōnoki stood at the intersection, hesitating for a moment.

Then he turned and walked towards the east of the city.

He had looked at the map before he came. The Post Station was in the west of the city. If you walked through the Pleasure Quarter and continued for a while, you would reach the east of the city.

Men are all lecherous; no one will go to the east side of the city, so you probably won't run into those people there.

Having made up his mind, he started walking towards the east of the city. He crossed a grassy area, and suddenly the view opened up before him.

Pleasure Quarter.

The Pleasure Quarter is quiet during the day; the magnificent buildings appear less ambiguous and more solemn under the sunlight.

The lattice windows were tightly closed, and the warm curtain hanging in front of the door swayed gently in the breeze.

Occasionally, a few women in kimonos would come out of the alley, see him, smile, and then walk away.

Ōnoki walked past quickly with his head down, the tips of his ears slightly red.

After passing through the Pleasure Quarter and walking a little further, the street scene changes again.

The houses here are a bit shorter than those to the west, but they are neater. The roads are also wider, with trees planted on both sides, casting a cool shade underneath.

There were fewer people on the road, and occasionally a vendor pushing a cart would pass by, shout a couple of times, and then fall silent again.

Ōnoki slowed down, finally feeling like he was doing some shopping.

He walked to the entrance of a shop and looked up at the signboard.

Izumoya, a shop whose purpose I couldn't quite place, but it had everything.

Bamboo baskets, wooden carvings, paintings, and some other things he didn't recognize. He stood at the doorway and looked around for a while.

The shop owner, who was sitting inside, noticed him. The young man came out, leaned down slightly, and asked, "Is there anything I can help you with?"

Ōnoki shook his head and continued walking forward.

A red-haired woman passed by him and entered the Izumoya.

"Aotsugu, what's that?"

The young man called Aotsugu shook his head. "Who knows?"

"Could he be Ninja from another country...? I think he..."

"It's none of our business anyway, let's leave it at that."

Inside the warehouse behind them, there was a rustling sound, and after a while, a flash of light appeared, and a small dark figure darted out from the crack in the door that could never be closed properly.

As Ōnoki passed by a teahouse, he heard people talking inside.

The voices were soft and intermittent, like casual conversation. Ōnoki hadn't intended to linger, but the words drifted into his ears, causing him to unconsciously slow down.

"... The repairs over in Konoha are progressing very quickly. Last time I went, they were still paving the road, but this time it's already up to the village entrance..."

"Really?"

"Why would I lie to you? I saw it with my own eyes. Those Ninjas really work fast; they can do in one day what we do in ten or Half a Month."

"Of course, they're Ninjas."

Ōnoki slowed down completely.

He turned his head and peeked inside through the half-open window. Two middle-aged men were sitting inside, one wearing a short jacket and the other a kimono, with tea and snacks in front of them, chatting animatedly.

"But what's the use of fixing it quickly? The key is whether it's comfortable to live in," said the woman in the kimono.

"It's comfortable! How could it not be? My cousin lives there, and he says Konoha is so lively now. Before, nobody went out, but now the streets are full of people. Sellers, shoppers, and kids running around everywhere."

"They don't fight?"

"Why are you fighting? They're from the same village now. My cousin said that these days, even Ninjas greet each other when they meet."

"Really?"

Why would I lie to you?

"I thought those guys only knew how to kill."

"Haven't you heard those Biwa Hōshi sing? They've been misunderstood for a long time. They're just Ordinary People like us..."

Ōnoki stood outside the window, listening to their conversation. He thought to himself, "This is quite novel. When did Ninjas become Ordinary People?"