They got their admission tickets.
After leaving the Hokage Mansion, Shinmoku sensed someone following him.
It could only be the Third Hokage's Anbu.
That was understandable. He'd been gone for so long, and the village had changed beyond recognition.
Let them follow him. The most important thing now was to visit the hospital, just in case his arm had any hidden injuries.
Konoha Hospital was easy to spot. The nurse was gentle and beautiful, and after the doctor treated his arm with the Mystical Palm Technique for a while, he said it was no longer a cause for concern.
"Actually, you don't have to keep following me." Outside the hospital, Shinmoku said to Shinna, "Why don't you go home first?"
"I don't know the way."
"Oh..."
"Do you still have somewhere to go?" she asked.
"To restock my ninja tools."
Following the signs, the two found the shopping district. One shop, its sign decorated with pictures of ninja tools, was packed with people. It must have sold better-quality goods.
"Oh?"
As they entered, Tenten was sweating profusely as she carried a basket of kunai.
"What a coincidence!"
After setting the kunai on a shelf with a clatter, Tenten turned at the sound of Shinmoku's voice and smiled. "Yeah. What are you looking for?"
"Knives, kunai, shuriken, Explosive Tags..."
He'd lost everything, so naturally he needed to replace everything.
A big customer! Tenten beckoned him over, then grabbed his arm and led him toward the back room.
"Where are you going?" someone in the shop called out to her. The woman looked like her mother.
"My friend came to buy ninja tools! He's buying a lot!"
Tenten called back, then turned to Shinmoku with a sly smile.
"You know the drill."
"I do."
"What kind of knife do you want?"
"A short blade." Shinmoku gestured. "About as long as my forearm."
Tenten rested her chin in her hand and studied him for a moment, then led them to a storeroom. After rummaging around, she found a blade that fit Shinmoku's requirements.
"This is the best one we have. Give it a try."
"Okay."
The short blade in Shinmoku's hand seemed like an extension of his arm: nimble and precise. Its gleaming blue blade flashed, and azure arcs of electricity danced along it like a butterfly in flight.
"Not bad. How much?"
"Hm?"
Tenten's eyes were still sparkling. When she came back to herself, she said:
"Oh, right. Two hundred thousand ryo."
"And the other things..."
"I'll get them ready for you."
"Oh, right!" Shinmoku suddenly remembered. "Do you have a map of Konoha?"
"Hm?" She looked confused again.
"I forgot where my home is."
"..."
"..."
Shinna glanced at him, and Tenten fell silent for a long while too.
"We do."
The total came to two hundred and fifty thousand ryo. Shinna was about to take out some money when Shinmoku pulled out a scroll.
"Summoning Technique."
A few suitcases appeared. Shinmoku opened the smallest one. "Can you take common currency? I didn't have time to exchange it for Land of Fire currency."
"Uh... sure." Tenten looked as if she'd just discovered a whole new world.
After paying—
"So, what do you say? Want me to help you sneak out?"
"No need. It'll only be for today. I'll ask someone to help tomorrow."
"Got it. Bye."
"Bye."
The map was impossible to read.
Since it was a commercial map, it only showed the main streets, and the Uchiha district was at the very edge.
So he had no choice but to follow the general direction, walking and correcting their course as they went.
As they passed a corner, Shinmoku was studying the map with his head down when someone tugged at his clothes. He looked up and found someone blocking his path.
A woman in a tight skirt, with a fan on her back and black fishnet stockings; a man with face paint, dressed in children's clothes and carrying a... puppet?
And then...
Someone hung upside down from a tree branch, a gourd on his back, looking like a bat.
Across from them were Sasuke, Naruto, Sakura, and Konohamaru.
The atmosphere was a little tense. At least he didn't have to look at the map anymore.
"Are you Uchiha Sasuke?" He leaned out and glanced toward the other end of the branch. With someone watching, he had to put on a show.
"I am. Who are you?" Sasuke felt the man looked familiar.
"Shinmoku. Uchiha Shinmoku."
At that, Sasuke's pupils contracted instantly. He had been sitting on the branch and nearly slipped off.
"Is the Uchiha district still where it used to be? Has any of it been sealed off? Has any of it been given to another clan?"
"It's still there. Some parts have been sealed off, and some haven't," Sasuke answered instinctively.
"Then show me the way. I forgot how to get there."
Their conversation seemed to create a barrier, shutting out everyone else present.
"Hey!!!" a blond boy shouted angrily. "Sasuke, Sasuke, Sasuke! Do you only see Sasuke?"
"..."
Before anyone could answer, the pink-haired girl brought her fist down on his head like a sandbag. "Didn't you hear his name? He's an Uchiha! Don't you get it?"
"The Uchiha aren't..." Naruto trailed off and sheepishly shut his mouth.
Sharingan!
His eerie eyes appeared. Nothing could get the point across more effectively.
"So, what's your name?"
"Uzumaki Naruto!" he shouted.
"Hello," Shinmoku said calmly.
"Y-hello," Naruto replied, suddenly shy.
By then, Sasuke had recovered from his shock. He jumped down from the branch and came over to Shinmoku, looking as if he had a lot of questions.
"We'll talk on the way. Let's go."
"Okay."
On the way, Shinmoku explained what he could: he'd been away on a mission for six years, missed the massacre, and had returned to the village now that the mission was over.
Sasuke accepted this explanation.
Though they belonged to the same clan, they didn't know each other, and they hadn't lived nearby. Besides, Sasuke was preoccupied with the Chunin Ninja Exams. After they walked in silence for a while, Shinmoku recovered his memories, and they parted ways.
The place where he and Shinna lived was an estate with a large courtyard and long corridors. It had a spring and a well, and the paths were paved with bluestone.
Now it was overgrown with weeds.
Inside, dust filled the rooms, and parts of the roof had holes in them. Dust motes danced in the shafts of light.
"..."
Of the ninjutsu related to cleaning, Shinmoku only knew Shadow Clone. Shinna was a little better than him; she knew several Water Release Ninjutsu.
Well, then. Time to roll up their sleeves and get to work~
... ...
"Hokage-sama."
In the Hokage's office, the Anbu member who'd been following Shinmoku reported his whereabouts and activities to the Third Hokage.
"He's home now. Another Anbu is keeping an eye on him. So far, we haven't found anything unusual, but..."
"What is it?"
"I can't shake the feeling that he already noticed me—or at least knows I'm there."
"Mm, that's not surprising. They should be that perceptive."
"Should we keep watching him?"
"Yes."
"Understood!"