Hashirama's eyes lit up at the sight of the alcohol, but he remembered that he was currently in "dignified and imposing" mode. He merely nodded, his voice low.
"Mm. How thoughtful."
Then he snatched up the crate of alcohol in a flash, hugged it to his chest, and turned back into that beaming old man.
"Genya, you really do understand me!"
Genya sighed and looked at Itachi.
A sigh came from beneath Itachi's mask, as though he were saying, I'm an Anbu squad captain, not a porter.
But he said nothing. He simply stepped aside, once again adopting the silence and unobtrusive presence expected of an Anbu.
They reached the entrance to Sunagakure.
Baki personally led a group out to welcome them, his smile sincere but weary. Sunagakure was poor, but it couldn't afford to lose face.
"Lord Hashirama, Lord Genya, welcome to Sunagakure. Your accommodations are ready. Please follow me."
Hugging the crate of alcohol, Hashirama nodded with a broad smile.
"Good, good, good. Thank you for your hard work."
Genya followed behind, his gaze sweeping over Sunagakure's streets. It was indeed poor, but everything had been swept clean. Every household had a basin of water outside its door to keep the dust down.
Children peeked through gaps in the doors, curiously watching these visitors from Konoha.
Naruto walked in the middle of the group, looking all around.
"Sunagakure... is smaller than I imagined."
Sasuke said nothing. His gaze swept over the surrounding buildings as he assessed the terrain where they might encounter enemies.
Sakura followed behind, reading a little introductory booklet about Sunagakure as she walked.
Naruto was still looking around, muttering, "Sunagakure is smaller than I imagined," when his gaze suddenly stopped.
Not far ahead, a red-haired boy was slowly approaching.
The striking character for "love" was