After several days of travel, the caravan from Sunagakure finally reached its destination-a large marketplace on the border of the Land of Rivers.
The place was a stark contrast to the desolation of the Land of Wind. Though sand dunes were still visible in the distance, there was noticeably more greenery, and the air was damp with moisture.
The marketplace was enormous, packed with tents and simple wooden huts. Voices filled the air as merchants, travelers, and ninja from all directions moved through the crowds. A jumble of accents and vendors' calls gave the place a vibrant energy.
The air was filled with the aroma of grilled meat, the scent of spices, and the sweetness of fruit. To Sunagakure's residents, who lived in the desert year-round, it was all new and tempting.
Shira's parents soon found suppliers they knew and got busy counting goods and bargaining. The brothers Rani and Fūi remained vigilant, spreading out to opposite ends of the marketplace and watching for anything suspicious.
After helping his parents carry some goods, Shira got a little time to himself. He walked through the bustling crowd, curiously taking in his surroundings.
There were plenty of fruits, vegetables, and fabrics rarely seen in Sunagakure, as well as some unusual handicrafts from distant lands.
His sharp gaze swept over the crowd, unconsciously searching for anyone wearing a Konoha Forehead Protector-his hidden objective on this trip.
Suddenly, his gaze settled on a snack stall.
Two boys about his age stood there. One had his hair tied in a strange, spiky ponytail and was looking at the snacks with an expression of utter boredom and annoyance at the trouble;
The other was slightly plump, with reddish-brown hair and an orange short-sleeved shirt. His head was practically buried in the pile of snacks, his eyes shining as he excitedly pointed at one food after another, muttering, "This one! And this one! A little of everything, please!"
Shikamaru Nara! Choji Akimichi!
Shira's heart skipped a beat. It really was them. Two of the Konoha 12, alive and right there in their childhood.
Their foreheads were bare; neither wore a Konoha ninja Forehead Protector-because they were both still students at the Ninja Academy.
"Choji, hurry up and pick. We've been standing here forever. What a drag," Shikamaru urged with a yawn. Choji had clearly dragged him here.
"They all look so good! It's hard to choose!" Choji's gaze wandered over the various snacks, his hands carefully guarding his spending money. He didn't seem to have noticed Shira at all. His whole attention was absorbed in a "sacred" communion with the food.
Shikamaru curled his lip and finally noticed Shira, who was also looking at the snacks beside them. He gave Shira a lazy glance, and when he saw the boy's foreign-style clothes, a faint, almost imperceptible curiosity, the kind belonging to a child of a ninja clan, flickered in his eyes. But it was soon replaced by a feeling of "what a drag," and he had no intention of starting a conversation.
Choji finally made up his mind and pointed at the three-colored dango, speaking with a solemn sort of anticipation. "I'll have this one, please!" He carefully handed over the money, then took the dango and immediately held it like a treasure, his face glowing with contented happiness.
The stall owner smiled at Shira. "How about you, handsome young man? Would you like some? They're delicious."
Shira shook his head. He didn't have much money on him and didn't want to spend it carelessly. He was merely curious about the people from Konoha.
Just then, a gentle woman's voice called from nearby, "Shikamaru! Choji! Don't wander off. It's time to go back!"
A woman in a traditional kimono, with a gentle and graceful bearing, was waving to them. It was Shikamaru's mother, Yoshino Nara.
"Coming, Mom/Auntie!" Shikamaru and Choji answered at the same time.
Choji eagerly took a huge bite of his dango and turned to leave with Shikamaru, perfectly content. The entire time, his attention had been fixed on his snacks, and he had barely exchanged a glance with Shira.
Before leaving, Shikamaru glanced lazily back at Shira. He seemed to find it a little strange that a child from the Land of Wind was standing alone in front of a snack stall, but his "better to avoid extra trouble" nature immediately put an end to any thought of investigating. He casually muttered, "What a drag..." and followed his mother away.
Shira stood where he was, watching the backs of the two future friends disappear into the crowd, his heart full of emotion.
The brief encounter had been so quiet that it had barely caused a ripple. No conversation, no sharing, not even a proper meeting of eyes.
But it had given him a more grounded understanding of Konoha's "future." For now, they were all just ordinary children, each with distinct traits at the core of his personality: Shikamaru's dislike of trouble and sharp perception, and Choji's pure focus on food.
It left him a little less nervous about facing story characters in Konoha, where he would soon be going, and a little calmer as an observer.
At the same time, a thought arose in his mind: since he had met Shikamaru and Choji as children, perhaps meeting Might Guy, who might still be training like crazy, wasn't impossible either.
Hope lay just ahead. He took a deep breath of the air, filled with the mingled scents of spices and sweets, then turned and walked toward his parents' stall.