Welcome back to the Smoke and Mirrors AU.

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As soon as the fight ended, Hattori assisted Yuta in getting up. With a glance around, no one had come yet to investigate the disturbance. They took the chance to infiltrate the city, running at top speeds.

In an instant they passed through the gate, leaping onto the roof of a building. “Yuta-san. You’ve been to Yamatari before. We need to locate somewhere to change clothing, and acquire masks.”

Yuta rested on the floor roof, lying down, as he groaned. “Give me a minute, Clan Head. Please.”

Hattori just sighed as he laid himself next to the boy. No one could see them from the streets, so resting for a short time wasn’t impossible. “He turned into rocks, Hattori-san. How is that possible?”

Hattori could only shake his head. “I don’t know, Yuta-san. A Genjutsu perhaps.”

Yuta frowned. “That’s not possible. We saw what a person looks like if they’re created by Genjutsu. They do not have that… aura of Chakra around their body. We saw it again, when he swapped places with that log.”

Hattori hummed as he watched the sky. The clouds were flying by, lazy and uncaring of the turmoil below. Hattori’s heart finally began to calm. “Yuta-san. The universe does not care what a Shinobi believes possible. It would be best to memorize that, and accept what has happened.”

The boy groaned in response. “My theory is that the Uchiha can create duplicates. Clones, if you will, out of Earth.”

Hattori chuckled. “The Uchiha’s primary elemental release is Fire. Moreover, they are masters in Genjutsu, not Ninjutsu. Tako left notes of them on the map. Nothing was written down about Clones.”

Yuta was silent for several moments. “The Universe does not care what a Shinobi believes possible.”

Hattori, with his own words used against him, had an odd look on his face. “Alright. Let’s say he can clone himself into earth golems. Describe what that technique would do, pros and cons.”

“I’ll start with the cons, they’re easier to determine.” Hattori approved of that line of logic. “High Chakra cost. Creating something on par with you in combat ability cannot be cheap. With it being the size of a dozen Dodan no Jutsu uses, that’s guaranteed.”

“High Chakra Cost. What else?”

“It’s likely he won’t be able to tell it’s been killed.”

“Why so, Yuta?”

Yuta paused at the lack of honorifics, but continued anyway. “A Ninjutsu like that is more than likely a one-time purchase. To keep it active over long periods of time, and keep a connection to it, would put a permanent dent in your Chakra Reserves until the Jutsu is disrupted or destroyed.”

“If it was connected, would he know at the moment of destruction?”

“Undoubtedly.”

“And if he had dozens of clones running around, just like that, could he tell the location of the specific clone that died as long as he remembered where it was stationed?”

Yuta frowned. Hattori could tell there were thoughts going through the kid’s head it was likely he would never understand. He wasn’t all that talented. He just had age on his side. With a frown, he turned his sight back to the clouds as he waited for Yuta to continue the conversation.

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“It’s possible.”

“Then, if all of those situations were what happened, he knows where we are.”

“Yes, Hattori-san.”

“And we don’t know when he will strike, if he ever does, and if it’s him rather than a Clone.”

“As far as I can tell, yes.”

“So far, this mission is not going so well.” The man sighed, putting his arms behind his head. He was tired. “Let’s get some rest while we can. My Bochigan is active even in my sleep now. If someone approaches I will wake up. We’ll need the energy.”

Yuta could only groan, and it was just several seconds until his breathing evened out. Hattori sighed as he stood up. He really believed I could do that. Hattori felt slightly bad about lying to the boy, but he would have refused to sleep if he knew Hattori would be putting in work during that time.

With a gentle lift, he heaved Yuta over his shoulder and began to move through the city. Since Mei had returned from Yamatari, she had mentioned a specific store a half dozen times. Ningu Saotome. It was a Shinobi-based shop that sold all kinds of equipment and gear that Bukai didn’t have.

It took several hours before Hattori was able to locate it. Yuta was still asleep, hefted over his shoulder. He walked into the store, completely oblivious to how odd he looked carrying an unconscious child like he was.

At the storefront was an elderly man wearing a simple handcrafted cloth Kimono. The colours were long faded, but were likely once a rich black and gold. The man had a weathered face, with a long scar running diagonal across his nose. He squinted at the man in full-Samurai armour who had walked into his shop.

“That boy you have, slung over your shoulder. What’s his relation to you?” The shopkeeper tried not to sound accusatory, but it was hard keeping calm seeing the scene in front of him.

“Clan member. He is just resting for now.” Hattori gave the man an odd look. “What’s it matter to you?” The older man squinted, but didn’t press the matter further.

“What have you come in for?”

“Armour, and masks.”

“I see. Samurai armour, like the ones you’re both wearing?””

“Yes. This colour is too bright, though. A much deeper, darker red.” Hattori activated his Bochigan. “Like the colour of my eyes.”

“I can work with that.” The man didn’t even seem phased at the Dojutsu. “What I sell is definitely of higher quality than that junk. For the cloth underneath, what colour?”

“Black.”

“The masks, then?”

“Just something to hide our faces, and eyes. We still need to see out of them however. Vision cannot be obstructed.”

“It’s difficult, but manageable. Any preference for colour, or design?”

“No. However, I need twelve sets of armour, and twelve masks. If you have any sealing scrolls, I’m open to purchasing those as well.”

“We carry only a few sealing scrolls. Right now, there’s three in stock.”

“How much will this order cost, and a separate price for three scrolls?”

He watched the man pull a slip of paper and a pencil out, and do some math. “The armour will cost 10,200 for all sets. The masks will cost 1,200. The scrolls will cost 3,000. Altogether, the order comes in at 14,400 Ryo.”

With all of the Yanmaru Clan’s funds on him, Hattori could afford it. The price was definitely steep, and not something they could recover from so easily, but it was doable. The benefit of completing this mission alone was more than double this.

“Alright. I will pay for it.” Hattori took a second to look around the man’s shop. “How much for a dozen Chokuto, as well?” Chokuto blades were three times the length of a Tanto, and the exact same shape. For a child, a Tanto was fine. For an adult, the lack of reach was awful.

“For making such a large order, I’ll sell them for half-off. Usually, a Chokuto costs 350 Ryo. I’ll sell them to you for 175 each. That comes to an extra 2,100 Ryo.”

Hattori nodded. He was already going all out for his Clan on this purchase. Weapons were essential to them, as they had few Ninjutsu at their disposal. “That’s fine. Do you know anywhere that sells scrolls of Ninjutsu?”

The old shopkeeper laughed for a few seconds before realizing Hattori was serious. “Sir, do you know anywhere that sells the planet, the sun, and the moon? Nowhere sells such things.”

He smiled wryly. “I see. When will our order be completed?”

The old man rolled the idea around in his head for a few seconds before answering. “The Chokuto you can take now, along with the scrolls. The armour sets and the masks have to be crafted. I’d say… come back in a week. I’ll have your equipment then.”

Hattori bowed slightly, careful to keep the sleeping Yuta on his shoulder. “Thank you.” He fiddled with a few coin pouches before setting the total for the order on the man’s shelf. The shopkeeper grabbed twelve Chokuto, and three scrolls, before handing them to Hattori.

“You do know how to use these, correct?”

“Not the scroll.”

“Press the scroll against what you wish to seal inside it, and insert Chakra. To unseal is a bit tricker. You must assert your will on the scroll for what you wish to bring out, and then retract some Chakra. Do not absorb the Chakra. Let it dissipate. The stagnant Chakra could be harmful.”

Hattori nodded thoughtfully. “I see.” With that explained, Hattori sealed 10 of the Chokuto, as well as the two Tanto Hattori and Yuta had been carrying. “Thank you.”

“Thank you for your business.”

Hattori wasted no time in leaving the shop. It was several hours more before Yuta awoke. Now, they were resting on the roof of the shop Hattori had made the purchase in. The older Yanmaru looked towards the younger, waiting for him to speak.

“You didn’t sleep.”

“No, Yuta. I did not.”

“My Tanto is gone.”

“It is.”

“Now, I have a Chokuto.”

“You do.”

“What happened while I was sleeping?” Yuta sounded exasperated. Hattori just smiled, amused.