Chapter 2
A thousand questions were running through the young kunoichi’s mind, but Moegi forced these thoughts down as she flew past another row of trees. I have a task to complete at hand, and I can’t let it slip by my grasp and then result in something catastrophic later on…Although it is currently a period of peace, Moegi added wearily.
But the sudden hindrance on their way back home dominated the spaces in her head. If it was a normal injury, from years of hearing about how skillful Miss Haruno is, a place for rest and help from Lady Tsunade wouldn’t even be needed. Unless the damage was severe, a place for rest would be required and a few moments of interrogation might be held, but ANBU cops and Lady Tsunade wouldn’t have to be present for that either. So what is it that made Miss Haruno choose to call for help from these two very last resorts? Moegi shook her head in defeat, there would be no head or tail to this case unless Miss Haruno told her something first.
Besides Miss Haruno’s orders , Moegi tumbled deeper into her thoughts. There was that body lying before the medical ninja. At a glance, the body was around a hundred and eighty meters tall, belonging to a beaten man. Since most of the man’s upper body was blocked by Miss Haruno’s back, Moegi’s gaze could only capture what was left of his legs and feet: a pair of drenched boots and dark navy pants. Alarmingly similar to what a Leaf ninja could wear, Moegi realized, especially with the trademark pouch bandaged on the right thigh, there was no mistake in concluding that this person was a man of the Leaf.
Was that why Miss Haruno started talking about my active status in partaking missions? Moegi steered her body into the nine o’clock direction amidst her jump; she landed down on a huge trail, trampled flat and wide. If she traveled down north, which is where her hometown sits waiting for her, it would be likely that some sort of an inn or food shop would appear beside the path. Moegi dashed away, her steps thumping steadily as she heaved in and out large breaths. Recently, she has handled quite a lot of missions, partnered up with someone else or with her team and the tasks she was given were mostly C or B ranking. Judging from the supposed Leaf ninja’s attire, he would have at least been a Chunin , Moegi deduced. She dug her heels to the ground and pushed off with a larger momentum, sprinting past and scaring away a nest of slouching crows. This meant that it would be possible that they had met before or maybe he was out on a solo mission: peace had settled down between the borders of villages and lands, therefore attacking a large group of shinobis from different villages was deemed something risky and selfish to do. This precious period of stability should be protected, not threatened.
”Leaf shinobi, Chunin ranked and solo mission goes wrong,” Moegi mumbled to herself. She had seen the Hokage send a few male Chunins running out and in villages in the past weeks which Udon had explained to her that they were all going on escort duties (as disputes eased between the lands, many people decided it would be good to go traveling around when the New Year comes around), or for some of them, delivering messages and offering help hands to the other villages. The Shinobi Union planned earlier this year to build a track across the continent for easier access to the divided lands and nations. The Hokage himself has been working on the goal of a technical revolution and using this revolution as the lever to expand and unite people across nations as well as to stabilize and strengthen Konoha’s resilience and prevalence. This was one of the golden ages in Shinobi History.
Moegi hoped that this mysterious man wasn’t attacked on any of these missions, even if he was attacked, she hoped that the perpetrators were a group of bandits and not some secret organizations from other villages. A queasy feeling arose in her stomach as she came to a stop in front of a dumpling shop. The girl panted breathlessly while the palm of her hands stuck onto her waist for support as she scanned the shop in front of her. It was a wooden bungalow that held a tidy appearance: no scratches on the walls, no weeds growing in the corners nor were there any signs of recent burglary left on the exterior of the lodge. The cottage was topped with a matcha green roof and had a door that could fit a row of three men. Attached to the door’s frame and hanging down from the ceiling were three banners: two navy and one white, trapped in the middle with the word ‘sweet’ on it; the banners flapped and slapped against each other in the wind. Moegi carefully lifted one of the flaps and stepped inside.
The wafting scent of boiling anko dumplings tickled at her fingertips and drifted around her senses. At the slightest hint that there was food cooking somewhere, Moegi’s senses sharpened. At once she could tell that in the room on her left, sat an old woman enjoying a plate of dango, and somewhere at the end of this corridor, was a kitchen steaming with delicious cuisine. The toasty air fanned her hair and mellow lights shimmered from the dark ceiling. Moegi could almost taste the anko dumplings when she inhaled a deep breath through her mouth, its sweet scent lingered at the tip of her tongue.
“Hallo? Is the shop’s owner here?” Moegi peeked into the room where the old woman was. She saluted politely at the elder, who was chewing leisurely on the dango with her eyes closed; looking like two slits weaved onto the tanned, wrinkly face. A few strands of grey hair freed themselves from the tight bun that rested high on the back of the woman’s head and fell forward to her face. One particular strand was stuck onto the woman’s dry lips and she continued to chew on it without noticing.
The gran gulped down her last bite and laughed at Meogi heartily, “The shop’s owner? That will be Yuhito and I. My lovely husband," The senior flashed a joyful smile at the teenager before her, “My name is Motegi. Don’t just stand there, come and sit down.” Motegi rolled up her sleeves before pulling out a cup from her tea set and pouring some tea for Moegi. “It’s roasted green tea, I made it back a few days ago,” she spoke in a soothing tone, blowing into her cup, “would you like something to eat? We have anko dumplings that are just about to be ready, dango, taiyaki, and anmitsu. Sweets are popular choices for travelers these days.”
“I will just have tea. Thank you for the offer though, Motegi-sama. However, there is something else I want to request,” Moegi took a sip from her tea. The liquid burnt in the roof of her mouth but it filled up her chilled body with warmth as she swallowed it down.
“Oh?” Motegi set her cup down, her eyes finally opened—for just a bit.
“Does your shop provide any lodgings for travelers? There’s a friend of mine who was injured. My teammate is tending to his injuries right now, but I’m afraid he will need a place to rest before he can resume his travels again.”
“Ah, I see. We do have a few rooms in the back of the house for guests since it is near the year’s end and people are busy, we’re only left with two empty rooms. Would you like to have a look at them and then choose which one?”
“No, that’s fine, just give me the one with the best heat regulation and comfortable furniture. Thank you, Motegi-sama.”
“What a respectful child,” Motegi sighed contently, “alright then.” She got up at once and dusted her dress. Moegi watched with her widened eyes as the granny trotted towards a cabinet in the corner of the room and pulled out a ring of keys from the drawer, “ah, here’s the key for room six. Walk to the end of the corridor and turn left, you should find room six there.”
“Thank you very much, Motegi-sama!”
“Ha ha,” Motegi waved off the girl’s gratitude. “When your friend comes, tell him to order some food. Hunger drops its face around people quite often, particularly accompanying those that are in weaker conditions,” Motegi babbled, her eyelids closed once more. Moegi nodded gratefully and as the senior resumed drinking her tea, she hastily slipped away.
——
“Room six,” Moegi mumbled to herself as she jammed the key into the lock. The door’s hinge squeaked as she dragged it open. It was an empty square room, paved with tatami and separated by curtains. Behind the curtain opposite her was the bathroom, and the Motegi’s reminder spoke up in her mind telling her that the sink would be a bit hard to use. In the lodging’s center was a flat wooden table; on it were a few blank pieces of paper, a writing brush, and a half-full container of ink. Moegi rubbed her heavy eyes as she squatted down next to the desk. Picking up the brush and dipping it in ink, Moegi began the second part of her task.