The Scarlet Shadow [UNDER EDITING]

Chapter 3: A Visit

Nothing out of the ordinary happened during the one-day travel of the Scarlet members until they reached their destination. Upon entering the large gates of the Shadow village, Hanabi immediately looked out from the small window and saw a bustle of crowds going about their way.

It was the village’s grand festival the next day so it was no wonder why they were busy setting up stalls and decorations. But what really caught her attention was the enticing smell of food and that made  her grandfather lecture her because he knew that Hanabi would improperly behave.

"Now that we are here, you must be on your most behave attitude. I do not want you to go rampaging around like a lost bull in a city. We are seeing the chief village so act like a lady for once. Don't speak vulgar words even if the situation is not to your liking. Is that clear, Hanabi?" her grandfather said sternly.

Haru butted in and told her not to become a red bull on a loose which earned him a glare from his cousin. And as a response to her grandfather’s lecture, Hanabi simply nodded.

When their carriage came a stop, Hanabi could see men standing at the entrance of the huge house they just entered in. Before stepping out from their ride, her grandfather reminded her to behave like a lady. Haru followed and she was the last one to come out.

They walked towards the men on the porch and Hanabi's eyes immediately looked at the lady standing at the farthest right. The lady with the silver hair was giving out a friendly aura, making the Scarlet ninja think if she had seen her somewhere. Judging from her neat and sky blue kimono, Hanabi concluded that she was brought up well, especially that she was chosen to greet the guests that night.

Haruto, the chief village of the Shadow sect, came up to welcome them and also apologize for the sudden change of plans. Kazuki, Hanabi’s grandfather, said that it was no big problem since they didn’t have any major plans that day. With their greetings coming to an end, Chief Haruto turned his attention at Hanabi who was standing just behind her cousin.

"Let us all have dinner and have this beautiful lady meet my nephew," said Haruto.

Entering the long hallway, Hanabi chose to be on the last line and was being quiet until the silver-haired lady approached her.

"It’s been a while since we last saw each other, Hanabi," she greeted. As she smiled, she covered half of her face with a fan, just how every lady was trained to do.

With that kind of greeting, Hanabi did meet her somewhere, but she could not really recall when and where she stumbled upon a fine lady. If she was this beautiful, it would not be that easy to forget her. Still, no matter how sweetly the lady smiled, Hanabi somehow felt that she was simply pretending to be kind to her.

Seeing her confused reaction, Kagura introduced herself and recalled how they met and separated 10 years ago. And since she knew about the tragic assassination, Kagura was careful not to mention her father. However, she immediately got irritated when Hanabi responded in a way she didn’t expect.

Looking down on her with a grin curved on her lips, Hanabi said, “Oho, that is why you looked familiar. That was because you were that loser who overreacted when your boyfriend got defeated by me.”

After saying those words, Hanabi snorted and left Kagura stunned. When they finally arrived at the dining hall, Hanabi felt like she just entered the paradise of food. Varieties of dishes were served and she could also smell the faint scent of sake. Without being told, she sat on an empty seat and started to taste the mouth-watering food. Her eyes sparkled as the meat touched her tongue and her lively reaction was seen by the chief.

"I bet you liked it," Chief Haruno commented.

"I love it," she replied with a thumb up.

On the other hand, her grandfather was staring daggers at her because of her unlady-like actions. And in order not to let the chief village see more of Hanabi’s lack of manner, Kazuki brought up the subject of the chief’s nephew who was not yet present at the banquet. Kagura, who was seated near Chief Haruno, stated that there was something he needed to take care of that was why he was late.