The pack animals' bells rang out again, and at last, weary and covered in dust, the Sunagakure caravan saw the familiar wind-carved rock formations in the distance and the faint outline of the village entrance.
Back in Sunagakure, the dry, scorching air gave Shira an odd sense of relief. At least this was his home.
After saying goodbye to his parents, Shira did not go home right away. Instead, he slung his little bag of tea over his back and headed for Granny Chiyo's secluded courtyard.
He knocked gently on the courtyard gate.
"Who is it? Come in, the gate's unlocked." A voice came from inside. It was still Granny Chiyo's, but her tone was less sharp and impatient than usual, a little more subdued.
Shira pushed the gate open and entered. Chiyo was sitting under the veranda, leisurely tending to several batches of freshly dried medicinal herbs.
Her expression was still somewhat indifferent, but the gloom and hostility between her brows, which had seemed impossible to dispel, really did seem to have faded considerably.
"Granny, I'm back." Shira stepped forward and bowed respectfully.
Chiyo raised her eyes and glanced at him, then snorted. "Hmph, you little brat, you're hard to kill. Didn't die out there."
But her gaze fell on the little bag on his back. "What are you carrying? Acting all sneaky."
Shira took out the two packets of tea, carefully wrapped in oil paper, and handed them to her. "I saw some tea on the way and thought you and Lord Ebizo might like it, so I bought a little."
Chiyo took the tea, unfolded a corner of the oil paper and brought it close for a sniff. A faint trace of satisfaction flashed in her cloudy eyes. "Mm, bitter mist tea from the Land of Rivers border. You've got some taste after all, brat. You know this old woman likes it for a pick-me-up."
Instead of dismissing it with her usual biting remarks, she carefully wrapped the tea back up and set it beside her. Only then did she look at Shira again and ask a question she already knew the answer to. "What happened while you were out? There's something a little different about the look in your eyes."
Shira stirred inwardly, knowing he could not fool the old woman's eyes, and gave her a brief account. "We ran into bandits on the road, but Brother Rani and Brother Fūi were amazing. They drove them off. I also saw a lot of people at the market who'd fled from other places."
He did not mention Might Guy. That was a secret he had to keep buried deep.
Chiyo fell silent for a moment. The warmth on her face gradually faded, replaced by the indifference of someone who had seen the world's hardships. "That's how the world has always been. The great nations contend, the small nations suffer, and ordinary lives are worth no more than grass. See enough of it, and you'll get used to it."
Her words were cold, but Shira heard a trace of helpless sorrow in them.
Just then, the courtyard gate opened again, and a figure strolled in. It was Ebizo. He still looked as though he had no quarrel with the world and could harm neither man nor beast, utterly unruffled.
"Oh? Little Shira's back?" Ebizo seemed a little surprised to see Shira, but his smile soon deepened.
"I hear you made a great contribution on this trip. At your age, you fought bandits bravely and protected the caravan. Word of what you did has already reached the village."
Shira's heart jumped. Good grief, did word spread that fast? He hurriedly bowed. "Lord Ebizo, I only did what I should. It was all thanks to Brother Rani and Brother Fūi."
"Hehe, young man, it's good to be modest." Ebizo took a puff of his pipe. Through the swirling smoke, his ever-narrowed eyes seemed to open a sliver, glinting with shrewdness.
He walked over and sat down beside Chiyo, then continued as though making casual conversation. "But in this world, standing out too much isn't always a good thing. Especially for a child with potential but without enough backing or the ability to protect himself."
Shira's heart clenched, and he looked up at Ebizo.
Ebizo was still smiling, his tone unhurried. "The tree that stands above the forest is the first to be battered by the wind. Sunagakure isn't a united front, either. You used to be unknown, and nobody paid attention to someone so inconspicuous. But things are different now..."
He paused meaningfully and took a puff of his pipe.
"Some people will want to invest in you early and draw you to their side. But others will want to nip you in the bud before you truly grow strong enough to threaten their interests or those of the people behind them. There may even be people from outside who take an interest in you."
Chiyo snorted from the side but did not contradict him, tacitly agreeing with her younger brother.
Ebizo looked at Shira. His tone was still gentle, but it carried an unquestionable seriousness. "Little one, remember this. Until you have enough power to make everyone shut up, caution is your best protection."