11
Akira walked slowly, and held her basket in the crook of her arm as her eyes wandered through the numerous shops and stalls. It was a bright morning in Nadeshiko, and as planned, she's out in the marketplace to do some "shopping".
Her eyes glanced at the basket in her arms, noting the vegetables and fruits she had bought to make it appear she's nothing but a civilian tourist, looking for the best bargain on fruits and vegetables. She craned her neck, as if trying to see past the growing crowd.
"Excuse me, miss? Are you lost?"
Akira looked up at the tall, broad-shouldered man towering over her. He had brown, cropped hair, large brown eyes, a strong jaw and a deep voice. His chest and arm guards along with the distinct saber on his left hip affirmed her suspicions that he's of the military units of Nadeshiko.
Feigning uncertainty, Akira sighed. "I'm--I'm afraid I am. I can't seem to remember where I... Gomennasai..."
The man smiled at her, an upward lift of his lips. "Well, lucky you, I happen to know this place like the back of my hand. You're a tourist?"
Akira frowned internally at the casual tone of his voice, but not wanting to blow her cover, she opted to go along with the shy but slightly flirty facade. "Yes I am." She faked a giggle. "But how did you know?"
"It's not always a pretty girl walks along the streets of Nadeshiko no Sato," he replied, a flirtatious glint in his brown eyes. He offered his right hand. "My name's Midori Riku."
"Hideki Aisha," Akira replied softly, accepting his hand and exposing more of her wrist, letting the loose sleeves of her kimono pool down to her arms. She feigned a blush afterwards.
"Nice to meet you. And where exactly do you want to go?" Riku smirked.
"I'm just actually walking around, looking for shops." Akira averted her stare. 'C'mon just ask me already,' she muttered in her head.
Riku's smile widened. "I know a good souvenir shop, and a cheaper place to buy fruits. Do you mind if..."
"No, no, I don't mind. That would be great, Midori-san," she replied brightly. "Arigato gozaimasu."
"You're most welcome. And no need to be so formal with me. Just Riku-san is okay."
Akira forced a blush on her cheeks, which made her look even more charming to the oblivious soldier. If, basing on the look on his face--the bright smile, the widening of his pupils, the facing of his trunk towards her and his slight forward lean--is to be judged, it's absolute fact that Midori Riku had unknowingly fallen into Akira's trap. Her subtle display of shyness mixed with slight flirtatiousness and confidence made a deadly mix, which Riku was already waist deep in the moment he allowed Akira's deceptively beautiful face and slender form to catch his eye.
She knew he was watching her the moment she walked into the busy marketplace--saw him perched lazily in one of the village's outposts and simply watching the civilians. She made sure she caught his eye, pretending to ask for directions, smiling coyly at the shop keepers who greeted her, and walking in a way that showed off her dark blue kimono and of course the subtle sway of her hips. The moment he followed her with his eyes and stepped off his post, Akira knew she had him twirled around her finger. It was only a matter of minutes before she completely had him under control.
As she walked timidly beside Riku, Akira wondered how her 'husband' was doing with his own sleuthing.
~~~~~~~~
Neji deactivated his Byakuugan and activated his Henge no jutsu. Slipping out of the alley's darkness, he joined the crowd of fishermen and tourists alike as he walked along the busy street. It was almost midday, and the town was in full swing, what with the preparations for the coming Fish Festival.
Based from his eavesdropping, Nadeshiko's leader, Takeda Kyoko, decided to hold the festival despite the current threat of terrorism from the foreign band of ninja. Some were baffled as to her intentions, but most were happy and excited about the coming festival. According to what Neji heard, it has been 2 years since the village last saw a celebration.
"Heh. It's just a waste of time if you ask me," Elderly Man 1 said. "All of our efforts should be on fighting off those ninja, not hanging useless flowers."
"Oh c'mon! It's been 2 years since this village saw something nice," protested Elderly Man 2. "It's getting boring, really."
"Good change of scenery, eh?" Said Elderly Man 3.
"And we get to see pretty gals too."
"You dirty old man! What will your wife think?"
"Sheesh, I don't think she'll care."
"Oi, oi, oi! It's not your turn yet! Cheating again, huh? Get your hands off..."
Neji continued walking, keeping his senses on alert for any useful information about this foreign group of shinobi who obviously had nothing better to do than loot. He began to doubt the village's military's skills, but then again, who knew what kind of shinobi they are against?
After walking around and seeing nothing that warranted his immediate attention, Neji went inside a small tea shop, and settling himself on one of the seats, ordered green tea and dango.
The waitress smiled at him. "Would that be all, Sir?"
"Yes, thank--" A flash of red crossed his peripheral vision and Neji stopped in mid-sentence. He turned immediately to the window, but the said flash was gone.
He turned back to the waitress. "Sorry, yeah. That's all."
The young woman beamed and bowed politely before walking away. Neji turned his attention back to the window.
They agreed to reconvene at 3 in the afternoon, at the forest edge, a few kilometers from the east dock of the island. Based from his initial survey of the island proper, it was the most deserted, probably because it was the dock opposite it was nearest to Kirigakure, and considering the ugly relationship of the two villages, that part of the island probably has the most number of military personnel. Not wanting to be discovered, Akira and Neji decided to meet up somewhere more sparsely populated instead.
The brunette frowned a little as he mused over what he had gathered so far. He had managed to extract information from several key informants: the Head of the Military Force (he disguised as a soldier), several native islanders, some gossiping fisherfolks. It wasn't easy to feign ignorance and although he changed his appearance with a jutsu, there were still some... members of the female population... who were overly eager to answer his queries. It made Neji wince now that he thought of it. He often scoffed at Kiba whenever he flirts shamelessly with the girls back at Konoha, and frankly, Neji was surprised how his curt replies and fake smiles made the young girls blush like mad. He knew he has his own share of admirers back home, but still, Neji didn't pay them much mind.
He began to wonder how Akira was doing, whether she was also flirting with someone to wheedle information from them. The thought of her green eyes lighting up in a fake smile made Neji frown more.
His dango and tea arrived and as Neji sipped the warm drink, his mind sifted through the information he had gathered so far. A lot of things still doesn't make sense, and as he glanced at the wall clock of the shop, he began to grow impatient, wanting to meet up with the red-haired kunoichi to discuss things with her.
'Was she able to find out a lot? ' he wondered. He glanced once more at the wall clock. It said 2:45pm. He stood up, left money on the table and walked out of the shop. The afternoon sun beat down on him, and the heat drew the people from the streets to the shops. Walking briskly, he made his way to the dock, blending in with the crowd and looking as inconspicuous as he could. When he was far away from the prying eyes of the civilians, he had let his jutsu down, activated his Byakuugan and dashed off into their meeting place. In a few minutes, he saw her out in the dock, her red hair a striking dash of color against the dark rocks of Nadeshiko's shore and the bright blue ocean.
She had sensed his nearing presence, and she spun around to face him, her brows knitted into a frown when he landed gracefully beside her.
"I thought we're not supposed to use chakra," she said, disapproval lacing her voice. "You were leaping on trees, with your Byakugan on. What were you thinking?"
Neji only regarded her silently, and it made the kunoichi feel like a housewife nagging her husband for not fixing the faucet. The idea was horrid, and she just sighed, not wanting to entertain the thought. The married couple act was starting to get to her and she shuddered. No way.
"There's a small hut," she said, pointing to her left. "Let's go in the shade."
She and the Hyuuga walked along the sandy beach of Nadeshiko, with Akira trudging slowly in her geta sandals and filled to the brim basket. Neji slowed his strides and took the basket from her.
"What's this?" he asked, looking at the assortment of fruits inside.
Akira didn't answer until they were inside the small hut. "Disguise. I went to the market."
They settled on a wide bench, overlooking the sea. The hut was actually more like a shed, with thatched roof, wooden posts, bare earth as flooring and a small table. It probably served as temporary resting place for fishermen in the past.
Akira untied her hair, letting her long locks free from the tight bun. That "walk" with the arrogant Riku guy was mentally and physically draining, because aside from pretending to be sweet and charming, her facial muscles hurt from all the fake smiling and giggling she had to do to make Riku spill everything. She opened her mouth a few times, rubbing her cheeks and exercising her facial muscles. She caught Neji looking at her strangely.
"My face hurt," she explained, rubbing her jaw. "Didn't think using my charm would hurt like this."
Neji's lips curled in an amused smirk. "And did it pay off?"
Akira tucked a strand of her hair that was blown by the ocean breeze. "It did." She looked at him. "How about you? Did your charm work, or did you scare our informants away with your death glare?"
"Hn."
It was Akira's turn to smirk. She humored the Hyuuga. "Oh. I always knew that's where your charm lies. The whole aloof thing makes the girls back home fawn over you." She made a face. "Though I never understood why."
"Me either."
Akira continued to rub her cheeks. "If there's anything good I'm getting from this mission, it's extra bragging rights."
Neji stared at the redhead, one eyebrow raised in question. Akira shrugged and continued, "A certain chuunin I know has a huge crush on you but she's quite mean and hoards the best seats in the faculty room all the time. I can get her to move her ass when I tell her I slept on the same bed with you."
"You're not serious," said Neji, quite unbelieving. Yeah, he knows he's quite popular with the female population, but... 'Seriously?'
The amused look from Akira's emerald eyes faded. "'Course not," she replied rather bluntly. "I can make her run like a banshee without you as a bragging right." She held her kanzashi on one hand as she twisted her hair in a loose bun at the base of her nape.
Neji sighed and watched as her hands adjusted her fringes. He caught a faint whiff of flowers as she tucked the kanzashi back in her red locks.
"Anyway, I made sure I gathered a lot of info in exchange for batting my lashes like an idiot the whole time," continued Akira. She unsheathed the dagger she kept in her obi and began slicing the watermelon. The humidity made her suddenly hungry. "But I'm afraid what I gathered isn't worth much. So, what have you found out?"
Neji looked away from her and stared at the ocean. "Well first of all, I learned that Nadeshiko and Kirigakure had been in conflict for almost a decade, with the two villages always warring with each other. Of course, with its shinobi forces, Nadeshiko didn't stand a chance.
Although back in the day, they weren't enemies but close allies. Kirigakure even helped train Nadeshiko's troops, and in times of war Nadeshiko gave manpower and served as Kiri's 2nd base and was used as a pit stop for all sorts of missions. Nadeshiko also provided resources to Kirigakure."
"And to the entire Land of Water."
Neji nodded. "Yes. Kirigakure weren't exactly allies in the same way as Konoha and Suna--since Nadeshiko is not a shinobi village. They're more like trade partners. They supply all marine needs of Kirigakure and the Land of Water, and was actually very prosperous." Neji paused and frowned a little. "Although, considering Kirigakure's leader at that time, it's strange how they managed to persuade a small, peaceful village like Nadeshiko to cooperate."
"Well, my informant told me that Nadeshiko's leader back then, Mitsuko-sama, didn't really believe in Yagura-sama's tyrannical ideas but the 2 villages got on well enough, with Kiri often helping in Nadeshiko's security issues," said Akira. She took one slice of the watermelon and gave it to Neji, who accepted silently. "I guess because there's a mutual need for each other that's why."
"Hn. True. I asked around about the group of shinobi that they're so concerned about and everybody seems to believe they're from Kirigakure. The reason is because Kirigakure's the only village that had openly expressed conflict with Nadeshiko."
Akira nodded. "Yeah, and if you look at it, it makes sense. Nadeshiko's okay with other villages, except Kirigakure." The redhead smirked. "Wrong choice of opponent, if you ask me."
"I heard the present Mizukage's trying to make peace," replied Neji. "There was even an attempt to a peace talk a couple of months ago."
"And then this shit happened." Akira sighed. "I won't blame Takeda-sama for holding a grudge against Kiri and doubting it's motives."
"But we're still not sure if these shinobi group is indeed affiliated with Kiri or with a shinobi village."
"My informant was there during the group's attacks." Akira paused to take a bite of her watermelon. "He said the group did not wear any hitaite or any sign of shinobi village. They also used a variety of ninjutsu, took some women and children, burned houses and stole goods. I asked him if they took something else, or was looking for something, and according to him, they weren't. If we are to base their motives on their actions, I think this group is just some low-life bandits."
Neji sighed and rubbed his temple. "Well, that's an option. I was able to browse through some of the books in their library, hoping for a clue. I found the document from the Daimyo of the Land of Water declaring Nadeshiko's forced secession."
"Whoa," said Akira, surprised. "Forced secession? You mean like--"
"--the Daimyo wiped off Nadeshiko from its map."
Akira took another slice of watermelon while looking at Neji. "Oh. That's..." at a loss for words, Akira instead took a bite, allowing Neji to go on.
"It all started when Yagura-sama, the 4th Mizukage and Terumi-sama's predecessor wanted to merge with Nadeshiko no Sato." Neji shifted and faced Akira. "Kirigakure had always wanted to expand their horizon and since they are living up to the name "Village of the Bloody Mist", they also wanted to acquire more leverage against the other shinobi nations. Seeing as they trained Nadeshiko's warriors, and that Nadeshiko has natural resources that they so lack, Kirigakure had decided it wanted Nadeshiko no Sato. Of course, Mitsuko-sama opposed the proposition. In Nadeshiko's point of view, they were independent enough and was not a shinobi village to begin with. It wants nothing to do with Kiri and shinobi in general. Mitsuko-sama made this known to Yagura-san, and of course, the latter was infuriated. Wars were fought, with Nadeshiko always on the losing end. The conflict grew to the point that the Water Daimyo was called to negotiate. No peaceful treaty was reached since the Daimyo sided with Kirigakure. The war would've continued but since it was affecting the trade of both villages, the Daimyo decided to forcibly secede with Nadeshiko. Kirigakure severed its ties with Nadeshiko and officially, the latter is no longer a part of the Land of Water."
The two shinobi were silent as they got lost into their own thoughts. Akira, frowning while slicing up more watermelon, and Neji looking out into the ocean, his pale lavender eyes pensive. It took a while before Akira broke the silence.
"Hmm. Seems like we're in deep shit." She looked up at the brunette shinobi. "If, let's say this shinobi group is indeed from Kiri, and they attack now and we get caught in the crossfire, it's gonna be an international issue."
"Why?"
"Konoha is allies with the Mist." Akira's emerald eyes pierced into Neji's lavender ones. "Regardless if it's in self-defense or not, Kirigakure will see it as a threat and will retaliate at Konoha." She shook her head. "I don't know if Tsunade-sama's suicidal or what for sending us here, but she just placed us and the village in a precarious situation."
Neji crossed his arms. "I don't think Hokage-sama's suicidal. For one, this mission was authorized, meaning it's in the books. Nadeshiko's leader knows we're here. Except of course our identity and the date we arrived."
Akira rolled her eyes. "C'mon Hyuuga, not everyone's as smart as you are."
Neji sighed exasperatedly. "I mean, if we're careful not to let our affiliation be known, Kirigakure will not be able to retaliate at Konoha. They wouldn't know, would they? Second, I'm sure Nadeshiko sought Konoha's help. Tsunade-sama won't meddle with other village's affairs, especially if they're not allies."
"Oh. She sort of mentioned that during the mission briefing."
"She did. That's why it's important we remain unknown."
Akira frowned at the brunette and glared. "You were the one using chakra so blatantly!"
To which Neji only scoffed. "Hn. This place is deserted. Nobody would sense my chakra."
"Fine, whatever." She took another bite of fruit. "I like you better that way, anyways. The brown eyes were kinda scary," she said, referring to Neji's henge.
Neji only smirked and took an apple from the basket and started eating. Akira finished her watermelon slice and drank from the small canteen of water Neji offered her.
"My informant brought me to the southwest part of the island. You know what we saw there?"
"What?"
"Nothing," replied Akira, "but ruins. The place looked like it was ransacked just recently. Have you been to the other parts of this island?" When Neji shook his head, Akira smiled. "I haven't too, of course, but I had my wolves scout the place and guess what? The rest of the island's untouched except for the south and west parts."
Neji's eyes widened fractionally in surprise. 'How was she able to summon her wolves and gather information that quickly?' "What are you trying to say?"
"What I'm trying to say, is that there's something there that this group is after." Akira sighed. "I asked around if there's a dojutsu that exists here in the village, but there's none apparently. So, we can tick off blood line purgers from our list. I asked if they have someone valuable, like a priest or priestess, even a jinchuriki perhaps. It turned out negative. So, I figured, it must be unrelated to us shinobi. When my informant told me about the dispute over the coral reefs, that's when I entertained the thought that maybe, we're making a mountain out of a molehill here."
"Coral reef?" Neji frowned in confusion.
"Yeah. Under all this water, there's a huge coral reef along the south coast of Nadeshiko, extending all the way to its west. It was discovered only a couple of years ago, almost the same time Kirigakure announced its desire to merge with Nadeshiko." Akira smiled. "Hey, but before we jump into the conclusion that Kiri wanted Nadeshiko's reefs, let me first share this bit of info I learned."
Neji remained silent so Akira continued. "Have you heard of Team Seven's feat which earned Naruto his own bridge? Yeah, the contractor slash villain of their little stint was Gato, the businessman which for a time Konoha had a deal with when it comes to supplying metals. Basically, our standard-issued kunai, shuriken, wire and others are made from Gato's metals. Now, aside from metals, Gato is also in all sorts of businesses: food, tourism, luxury items. When he died, he left his empire to his son, Toru. Shortly after Team Seven's mission, Konoha severed the contract with Gato's company but that's not important. What's important is that when Gato died, his business empire didn't. It lived on under Toru and he employed the same business principles his father used. That means bullying shinobi and civilian villages and monopolizing trade. For a time, Nadeshiko was a business partner of Gato, and Toru eventually, but the deal ended when the conflict with Kiri happened. Gato withdrew the deal with Nadeshiko and instead invested a lot in the Land of the Crescent Moon. However, according to my informant, it was all an act. Sure, he wasn't making business with Nadeshiko anymore, but he's still profiting off Nadeshiko's goods."
"How?"
"That's where the coral reef comes in," said Akira, her eyes bright with excitement. "It was discovered shortly before Kiri and Nadeshiko's conflict. The twist here is that it wasn't just Nadeshiko who knew about this reef but also Gato. How he found out is no longer important. What's important is that Gato also wanted to use the reef, but of course to be able to do so, he'll have to ask Nadeshiko's permission first. I guess it was a stroke of luck for old man Gato that Nadeshiko was in the middle of a tryst with Kiri because, all of Nadeshiko's efforts back then were focused on Kirigakure. So, he basically had free access to the reef. To make sure that Nadeshiko would remain ignorant of his backstabbing, he withdrew all deals with Nadeshiko to make it appear he's no longer interested in the village. But in reality, he's been siphoning the reefs from Nadeshiko to the black market, that nasty bastard!"
Akira sighed. "By the time Nadeshiko got wind that their reefs were damaged, Gato had already made billions. Now, Nadeshiko got lucky because Gato died and for a while, their reefs got the peace it deserved and remained untouched until recently."
"When this shinobi group attacked?"
Akira nodded to the Hyuuga. "Yup. My informant told me they think it is all Toru's doing, but of course, they don't have solid evidence."
"It's also possible that Toru-san and Kirigakure teamed up."
"Yeah, after all Gato used to hire Kiri nins in a lot in his business transactions." Akira heaved a deep sigh. "We are in deep shit, really."
Neji couldn't agree more, but opted to remain silent instead.
They stared at each other for a while before averting their stares back at the ocean. It was almost dusk and the sun was low on the horizon, casting a yellow-orange hue across the water. Waves tossed over the rocky shore, and leaves swayed along the ocean breeze. Akira closed her eyes briefly and allowed herself to be calmed by the sea.
She sighed and glanced at the brunette shinobi beside her. Neji was not looking at the ocean, but at her, and instead of being flustered at being caught staring, the Hyuuga merely smirked and stood up.
"Let's head back."
Akira sighed deeply. "Alright." She stretched her arms and followed Neji out of the hut.
They walked along the shore, listening to the crash of the waves. Neji did not bother performing a henge and Akira let him be, they were after all, along the deserted part of the island and as far as she can sense, there's no one around but the two of them. They walked in silence, each busy with their own thoughts. Akira brushed her hair out of her eyes.
Water was never her strong element, and she preferred tall trees and moist earth over rocky shores and waves, but right now, Akira found the ocean...beautiful. Free. Not bound by something or someone. And as every wave crashed against the dark rocks, the kunoichi felt it. In the dark recesses of her mind. Urging her.
Go. Now.
'Where?'
She had stopped walking without realizing it, and Neji turned around to tell her to keep up. But when he saw her staring at the ocean, he refrained. Against the setting sun, her hair was being blown by the wind, her eyes dark like green stones, her usual scowl replaced by something he couldn't place. Neji paused and watched her, silently activating his Byakuugan only to see the tumultuous chakra within.
'I trust you with this mission, Hyuuga Neji.'
Neji sighed and watched the silent kunoichi, wondering what could she possibly be thinking, and he couldn't help but consider the possibility that had been lurking in his mind since this mission started. He had been with her for almost a week now, had even shared the same sleeping space with her and yet he knew nothing. Nothing about this red-haired enigma that annoys him but piques his interest to no end.
'A hundred percent success rate, nothing less.'
And Hyuuga Neji had never failed a mission. Ever.
"Akira?"
She turned, brows raised as if in question.
He said nothing and waited, as if wanting her to decide if they'll walk on or stay. For a moment, they held each other's gaze before Akira looked down, sighed and walked towards him.
"Sorry," she muttered as she neared. "I was sort of thinking if I should fling myself over there but then I remembered the pay I'd get from this mission, and I changed my mind." She continued to walk with long strides.
Neji watched her for a while, noting how the frown was back on her face and her eyes losing the light in them, before catching up with her. "Hn. You should have."
"Because the pay's shit?"
"Hn."
To his surprise, Akira laughed, and with a genuine smile turned to the stoic Hyuuga. "Nah. You'll miss me."
Pale eyes followed the red-head's slim form.
"...Hn."
~~~~~~~~~
EDITED: 2/16/17