Hoshino Maki shuddered, and the toothpick in his mouth fell to the ground. His crossed leg snapped back down like a spring.
Halfway through lowering it, Hoshino Maki froze.
Wait, no one here would dock his pay or send a superior to inspect him. He was the superior!
Pakura, who had just walked in, caught him in that strange pose. Her crystal-clear, amber eyes narrowed to slits as she crossed her arms and said sarcastically, "Lord Hoshino, is there a rat in the office?"
"There wasn't one just now. There is now."
"Hmph!"
Pakura tilted her head slightly, choosing not to trade barbs with him.
"Go on. What did you want me for?"
Hoshino Maki lowered his leg and leaned back in the large chair.
"I'm going to Amegakure too."
Seeing Hoshino Maki furrow his brows, Pakura explained:
"Rasa is guarding the village. There's no point in me staying here. I'm practically getting rusty. I might as well go meet the Fourth Raikage."
"What do you mean? Are you trying to be Jing Ke?!"
Was this woman some kind of battle maniac? Could she really not go a day without fighting?
Pakura didn't know what Jing Ke meant, but she could tell from his tone that he was against the idea.
She fell silent for a long time, lowering her eyes as she spoke in a deeply dejected voice. "I didn't know before how many problems the village had. I thought that as long as we won the war, the villagers would be able to live better lives. But the village doesn't seem to have improved at all. People are still struggling just to get enough to eat. I walked all over the village today, and it seems like the only thing growing is the number of gravestones. I recognized so many of the names on them."
Pakura took a deep breath and gave a self-mocking smile. "I don't know if what you're doing is right, but I think my old way of thinking was wrong. The village needs to trade these prisoners for resources now. Your safety matters. Do you understand?"
At some point, Hoshino Maki had straightened his back. He braced both elbows on the desk, interlaced his fingers, and stared intently at her. "What do you know?"
Pakura shook her head without answering.
The atmosphere grew heavy. After a long silence, Hoshino Maki finally said, "All right. I'll let you know when we leave."
Pakura nodded and turned to leave without another word.
Hoshino Maki tapped his index finger lightly on the desk. His eyes were fixed ahead, but his thoughts had drifted elsewhere.
Over the next few days, Sunagakure enjoyed a rare spell of calm. Everything seemed to be moving in a better direction, and before long, the day of departure arrived.
The entrance to Sunagakure was a long canyon. You had to pass through it to see the village in its entirety.
This terrain, easy to defend and difficult to attack, had kept Sunagakure safe, but it had also limited the village's commercial growth.
The blazing sunlight streamed through the narrow passage, falling on the group about to set out.
"Is everyone here?"
"Yes."
Hoshino Maki looked around. There were five people in the party: one representative each from Kojima, Pakura, Chiyo, and Chōjūrō, along with Hoshino Maki himself.
Of course, that was just on the surface. The Anbu would be providing protection in secret as well.
After all, idiots like Danzo, who traveled in groups of three, were a rare breed.
But with a lineup like this, there was no way the atmosphere in the group would be pleasant.
Hoshino Maki and Chiyo's representative chatted and laughed, while Kojima and Pakura stayed silent unless spoken to, like a pair of bodyguards. Chōjūrō's representative wore a cold expression, his triangular eyes turned skyward, radiating an unmistakable stay-away-from-me attitude.
They were all exceptionally powerful ninja. Though they weren't traveling at full speed, they still moved quickly, reaching a border outpost between the Land of Wind and the Land of Rain as dusk fell.
"Lord Hoshino."
The ninja at the outpost greeted Hoshino Maki warmly. If they hadn't seen the other important figures behind him, they probably would have been even more familiar with him.
After dinner, Hoshino Maki sat by the campfire, thinking about the negotiations with Kumogakure.
The troubles facing Sunagakure had been the talk of the village. There was no way the spies didn't know. If the Cloud Ninja didn't use the opportunity to drive the price down, they'd be amateurs.
Hoshino Maki couldn't predict the future, so all he could do was consider as many possible scenarios as he could, in case anything unexpected came up.
"My lord."
A young-looking ninja with a few freckles on his face came over to Hoshino Maki.
Hoshino Maki looked up and smiled when he saw who it was. "Yi, long time no see."
The ninja named Yi scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "I didn't think you'd remember my name, my lord."
"Of course I do. You're an excellent ninja."
"You're too kind, my lord. I'm just an ordinary Genin. I'm not good at anything."
Hoshino Maki stood up, placed a hand on Yi's head, and ruffled his messy hair. "Is that so? I think you're quite capable. You're the most diligent one when it comes to keeping watch at the outpost. You clean your ninja tools every day, and everyone here speaks highly of you. With you protecting the village, we can all rest easy. If your brother were still here, he'd be proud of you."
Yi's body stiffened. He trembled slightly, as if using all his strength to hold back the emotions burning inside him.
He stood there, clenching and unclenching his fists. His lips moved before he finally murmured:
"That's right. He'd be proud of me. He definitely would."
The uncertainty in his eyes faded, replaced by resolve.
"Is someone giving you trouble?"
Hoshino Maki frowned at his unusual expression.
Yi shook his head. "No. My lord, could I..."
His gaze swept around them, and he looked as if he couldn't bring himself to say it.
Hoshino Maki followed his gaze and noticed the outpost's patrolling ninja glancing their way from time to time. After a moment's thought, he nodded. "Come with me."
Hoshino Maki led Yi toward a sand dune not far from the outpost.
"My lord, are you going out this late? It's not safe around here at night. Giant Scorpion Ants often appear nearby."
When they reached the outpost gate, the guard saw Hoshino Maki approaching and quickly stood up to respectfully advise him.
"It's fine. I'm just taking Yi for a walk nearby. We'll be back soon."
Hoshino Maki was determined to go, and there was nothing the others could do to stop him.
The two of them headed toward the top of the hill, one following behind the other.
Yi stared at the back of the person in front of him. His hand slipped into his sleeve, then came out again. He repeated the motion several times. At last, he took a deep breath and gritted his teeth, firming his resolve. A kunai's cold glint flashed between his fingers.
"Have you decided?"
The person in front didn't turn around. His voice was calm.
"D-decided what?"
Yi slipped the kunai back into his sleeve and forced himself to sound calm.
"Yi, you know, you have another strength. You're terrible at lying."
As he spoke, Hoshino Maki climbed to the top of the hill first, taking in the desert beneath the boundless sky.
The wind whipped at their clothes, but Yi was sweating profusely.
"My lord, when did you find out?"
His throat felt like parched earth, his voice hoarse and desperate.
"I knew from the moment our eyes met. After all, you can't hide the look in your eyes when you want to kill someone, Yi."
Hoshino Maki turned around and spoke evenly. "Now it's my turn to ask you: who told you to kill me?"
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