II
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Arc II Chapter 9
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Asami and her team entered the debriefing room, about to receive their mission. The room was beyond spartan. A simple desk, a few chairs, and a number of chunin assistants. The Hokage expected them.
“Ah, Masasane, a pleasure to see you. How is your team? After all, today is a big day for you all. You are about to receive your first major mission”, Hiruzen greeted them with his typical smile.
“They are ready, eager to prove themselves, Hokage-sama”, Masasane reported with a hint of pride.
“Excellent, a youth full of energy is the base for a bright future. I am also delighted to detect among your team a certain girl who decided to skip all of her assigned missions. Asami, would you care to explain yourself?” Hiruzen eyed her in particular.
Asami flashed an innocent smile. She had nothing to hide. “Not at all, Hokage-sama. All the accumulated fatigue exhausted me. I didn’t expect that the assigned D-rank missions would be so mentally and physically taxing. It took me a few weeks to recover from this strenuous experience.”
The present chunin dropped their pencils, unused to this level of audacity, right in front of the Hokage. Their mouths hang agape. Her team stood by her side, clearly uncomfortable with the entire situation.
Asami didn’t understand. She didn’t do anything wrong. The Hokage asked a question. She gave an answer.
Hiruzen puffed on his pipe, clearly amused. “Interesting excuse, one of the better ones I heard over the years. But to be honest, I thought the same when I was younger. D-rank missions are indeed boring, terribly boring. I couldn’t wait until we finally got a real mission instead of wasting our time with this useless genin stuff.”
Asami nodded. “They are terribly boring indeed, Hokage-sama.”
“Yes, I can only agree.” Hiurzen chuckled before extracting a file from a pile of papers. “I will assign you your mission then. I hope you won’t be disappointed. Your mission is quite simple, nothing dramatic. You are tasked with escorting a merchant back to Iwagakure.”
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Aritame, Yukihiro and Masasane gathered at the village gate. Aritame and Yukihiro packed light for such a long journey, only carrying a backpack. They were excited, motivated, ready to move out, but for the time being, they were forced to wait. They were waiting for their client, and for Asami.
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Masasane grew worried. “It’s unusual for her to be late. Normally, she is quite ... punctual.”
Aritame crossed his arms. “Perhaps our little princess spent too much in front of her mirror ...”
Aritame tensed up. A giggling girl tapped his shoulder. “Well, I might be considered a bit vain, but even my vanity knows its boundaries.” Asami stood behind him, smiling.
Her smile frightened Aritame. In his experience, a smiling Asami was a dangerous Asami. She had something evil in mind.
Aritame gulped. “How? How do you keep appearing always out of nowhere, Asami? How do you keep sneaking up on me? Are you sure you are not some kind of ghost, or what?”
Asami giggled. “Aritame, a kunoichi never reveals her best secrets.”
Masasane finally got the chance to take a better look at Asami. It was the usual Asami they all loved and knew. They knew Asami, and they knew her fashion preferences. They all didn’t call her their little princess without reason. She loved to dress up like nobility.
Clad in silk, Asami wore her usual hime-cut with an elegant yet functional kimono covering her skin and a black scabbard hanging from her hips. All in all, nothing unusual. Asami was prepared, as were they.
The client joined them soon afterwards. Together, they and the merchant departed, leaving Konoha behind. According to the guards stationed at the gate, they were already the third team today that left for Iwagakure. Quite a coincidence, one might suppose.
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The days passed, and her team marched through the endless forests typical for the Land of Fire. They were escorting their mysterious merchants, and they were soon about to reach Konoha’s northern border. They were getting closer to Iwakagure.
Night came, and they decided to camp in the wild. As usual, they avoided any towns.
Masasane gathered them to discuss their future route with Mitsuoki, their client. Aritame and Yurihiko didn’t care much, but that wasn’t the case for Asami. She listened. The reason was that their self proclaimed merchant was highly suspicious. She didn’t trust Mitsuoki even for a second.
Her instincts warned her. Something was wrong here, very wrong. An uncomfortable feeling accompanied her since they left Konoha. The feeling grew stronger with every day passing. Inconsistencies kept piling up left and right.
Why did this merchant and all of his guards possess such high chakra levels? They were concealing their chakra well, but traces still lingered. Why did they carry concealed weapons? Why did they keep watching their surroundings, never lowering their guard?
Mitsuoki couldn’t fool her. He was neither a merchant, nor was Mitsuoki his real name. He and his guards were in truth Iwa ninja in disguise, and they used her team as cover.
Mitsuoki spoke, “We shouldn’t take the route through Kusagakure, Masasane. I would recommend going through Amegakure instead.”
“...” Asami narrowed her eyes. What was he planning? Why did he avoid Kusagakure? Kusagakure was the shortest route available. It was the logical choice, but Mitsuoki chose Amegakure instead. Why? Probably to make tracking as difficult as possible. They never stayed at the same place for long. They were always on the move, avoiding major roads and towns.
Masasane scratched his head. “If you think so, Mitsuoki. I would take Kusagakure, but I guess Amegakure is also fine ...”
Asami took her chance. “Mitsuoki, why do you recommend Amegakure? Kusagakure is not only faster, but also safer. Amegakure has a reputation for being unstable.”
Mitsuoki chuckled. “Don’t worry, I am just planning to visit a few business partners along the way ...”
“Do you mean the kind of visiting you have done so far? You have led us again and again into the middle of nowhere for no apparent reason. I never saw you engaging in any sort of mercantile activity whatsoever. In fact, I think you should probably reconsider your calling and change profession.” Asami glared. She would get her answers, and she would get them now. She didn’t mind Mitsuoki risking his own life, but he should please refrain from endangering the lives of her team.
“This is enough, Asami. Stop bothering Mitsuoki. Don’t you see you are impolite?” Masasane admonished her.
“But ...”
“No buts! You stop now, Asami. Do you understand?” Masasane had enough.
“I understand ...” Asami sighed before accepting defeat, albeit only grudgingly.
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