From Darkness to Light

A Picnic With Three Kunoichi

Seventy-six. Seventy-seven. Seventy-eight. Seventy-nine. Eighty.

That was it for pull-ups. Now time for abdominal crunches. Tengen let go of the tree branch and fell back to the ground before front flipping into the air and hooked his legs back onto the branch, dangling with his vision upside down. As per his routine, he immediately put his hands behind his head and began his crunches. The weather today was nice and clear, a light blue sky with great white clouds scattered here and there. The temperature was on the hotter side, but the occasional breeze of wind kept him cool as he continued working out.

Thirty-two. Thirty-three. Thirty-four. Thir-

Right before completing his next rep, he stopped and noticed three figures approaching him from the corner of his eye. So, they've returned.

Stopping his workout short, he did one more crunch and backflipped off of the branch and onto the grass. He stood under the shade of the tree as he watched the three women casually make their way over to him.

"Back already, eh? It's good to see you're all safe." Tengen crossed his arms and leaned against the tree. The three women arrived just in front of him and fixed their eyes on his, each wearing a neutral expression tinged with a faint smile.

"Ha! What are you talking about? That was just a trailing mission." Makio retorted back with a raised eyebrow and confident grin.

"It's good to see you again, Tengen-sama. " Hinatsuru spoke with a calm smile, as prim and proper as always. Not wanting to be left out, Suma immediately chimed in as well.

"I-I-It's good to see you again, Tengen-sama!!"

"Ha, I'm glad you're all back. Here, I brought you all a little something from the manor." He nudged his head over to the base of the tree's trunk where there was a tall present wrapped in purple cloth. With furrowed brows, Makio walked over to it and untied the top, unravelling the fabric to reveal four wooden bento boxes stacked on top of each other. The three of them let out a low noise of surprise. "This is for us?" Hinatsuru asked modestly.

"Of course. A flashy meal for three flashy kunoichi. Please, don't hold back." He nodded with a smile.

The four of them sat under the shade of the canopy of the tall and thick evergreen tree. The area around them was a grassland that had been mowed with scythes by the Uzui clan's gardeners, creating a serene park-like environment where the forest met the mowed grassland in a natural and seamless way. Nearby was a small pond, barely 20 meters wide but deep enough to have koi fish and algae thriving in it.

Sitting with their legs tucked under them, they each put their bento boxes on their laps, opened them, and marveled at the delicious contents inside - rice, salted mackerel, steamed veggies, and sweet potato all neatly tucked in their own compartments.

While each of them were gazing at the fine meal before them, Tengen just looked at them with a soft smile, happy to treat them.

"This looks amazing!!!" Suma exclaimed, excited to dig in.

"Thank you for the meal." Hinatsuru broke apart her chopsticks and began eating gracefully. Makio did the same, still processing the concept of having a meal this good prepared just for her. Such a thing was uncommon for shinobi, who ate bland meals designed purely to provide them the necessary variety of nutrients needed to maintain optimal bodily function and efficiency. Compared to those mundane meals, this indeed was a delicacy.

As they all enjoyed their food silently, Tengen broke the silence. "So, what are we looking at?"

Immediately shifting her psyche and snapping back into her professional kunoichi self, Hinatsuru spoke matter-of-factly, "There are fifteen guarding the lower walls and entrances of the castle. Up on the walls, we spotted a total of thirty marksmen, however inside the castle there could be up to five hundred strong soldiers. Infiltration will be difficult. If we want to weaken their military strength, I would recommend setting a fire at the barracks when the enemy is asleep. That way, we can destroy part of their weapon storage and cause chaos and panic."