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Rustle… rustle…
The bush beside the trio sways wildly.
Whoosh…
A white rabbit jumps out of the bush.
"It's just a rabbit!"
Phew…
The girls heave a sigh of relief.
Rustle… rustle…
The bush shakes wildly. Ayaka and Hanabi tense up again.
Whoosh…
A figure with reddish-brown hair jumps out of the grass. There is a blue bandanna tied around her head. The figure leaps in the air and jumps on top of the rabbit. The momentum of the leap carries the figure forward. The figure slides for a distance and rolls a few times before stopping in front of the girls.
AH!
Ayaka and the girls warily stare at the newcomer.
'It's a girl!' Hanabi whispers to the group.
'How did you find out? Don't tell me you peeked at her!'
Ayaka whispers back.
"No! It's not like that."
Hanabi hurriedly denies it.
"There is a slight difference in the chakra pathway of a man and a woman."
"Oh? I see!" Ayaka nods her head.
Huh?!
The red-haired figure raises her head and notices the trio of girls.
Swoosh…
She hurriedly jumps back and points a scalpel towards the girl.
"Who are you guys? What are you doing here?"
The red-haired warily stare at Ayaka and her group.
"Hey! Before you ask others about their identity, you should introduce yourself first. Also, it's very rude to point a knife at someone you just met. Hmph…"
Yakumo snorts at the red-haired girl.
Umm…
"Indeed, it's my fault. I am sorry for that!"
The girl bows and apologizes to them.
"Wait! That's not what I mean… I mean to ask, who are you guys? And what are you doing in the middle of this forest?"
The red-haired girl raises her guard.
"Ehto! We don't mean any harm to you." Hanabi tries to calm her down.
"We are from a group of traveling merchants who were sailing through the sea. A few days ago, a large wave hit our ship and destroyed it. The wave washed us to shore and since then we have been wandering around looking for my brother who is a part of the crew!"
Ayaka cooks up a story on a whim.
'That's not going to work, Ayaka-chan! No one will buy such a story.'
Hanabi whispers to her. Yakumo also nods in agreement.
Hmm…
The red-haired girl places her hand under her chin and remarks.
"Hmm… there was indeed a Tsunami a few days ago. While on our way back, Sensei and I were also hit by it. But we were able to escape thanks to Sensei!"
The girl nods her head.
"…"
The trio of girls speechlessly stare at the red-haired girl.
'She bought it!'
"Alright! I will help you guys. There is a village nearby. I will lead you there!"
The girl waves her hand to lead them towards the village.
Umm…
"If you don't mind, could you tell us your name?" Hanabi asks the girl.
"Oh… where are my manners? I am Amaru!"
Amaru taps her head and sticks out her tongue to make a silly face.
"I am Hanabi. The girl on my right is Ayaka and on the left is Yakumo."
Hanabi introduces herself.
"Let's walk towards the village. It's pretty far from here."
The trio follows Amaru's lead.
"Amaru-chan, what were you doing so far from the village? And what do you mean by you also arrived here a few days ago?"
Ayaka has a friendly smile as she tries to gather some intel.
"Oh! I was out here hunting for some food. You know… my sensei is a doctor. He travels across the world and treats people wherever he goes to."
Amaru has stars in her eyes as she introduces her Sensei.
"Before meeting with Sensei, I was an orphan who lived in a coastal village near the Land of Fire. When I was small, I had a strange disease that was slowly eating away my body.
Everyone in the village would shun me away and no one was willing to help me because of my strange disease. But then I meet Sensei! He cured my diseases and since then I have been following Sensei and learning medical knowledge from him. I am his best apprentice."
She smugly raises her head.
Amaru continues to praise her Sensei for the rest of the journey.
"We are here!"
Ayaka's words snap her out of her monologue.
A wooden arc-shaped entrance appears in their vision. Multiple wooden fences are lined up against each other to form a protective wall around the village.
Amaru quickly hops towards the village and gestures the girls to enter.
"This is Nagano village."
"Oh, Amaru!"
"Amaru-chan!"
The nearby villager waves at her.
"You seem to be well-liked here!" Yakumo looks around in the village.
"Of course!"
Amaru nods her head.
"A few years ago, Sensei cured the plague inflicted on this village. Since then, the people of the village always welcome us with a smile."
Amaru waves at the villagers and leads the girls towards a small house.
"I will ask Sensei to accommodate you for a while. We will be staying for a while. So, if your brother happens to pass by, you can unite with him. If not, then I will ask Sensei to plan our next journey to your village. I am sure your brother will eventually return there."
Amaru assures them with concern in her eyes.
"Thank you!" The girls nod at her.
Amaru walks in front of the cottage.
Knock… knock…
She knocks on the door.
"Sensei! It's me."
"Oh, Amaru! You are back from the hunt!"
A weak, cracky hoarse voice sounds from the hut.
Creak…
An elderly man with long grey hair and beard opens the door. He has a thick, well-trimmed eyebrow. He also has yellow eyes with dark bags around them. A pair of tear troughs run down his cheek, giving him somewhat of a stern expression.
"Amaru and some guests!"
The elderly man smiles at the girls.
"I am back, ShinnōSensei. And look, I got us dinner!"
She waves the rabbit at Shinnō.
"Hoho! Amaru sure has grown up. But it won't be sufficient since we have a few guests here."
"Ah! I forgot about it."
Amaru sits in a corner and draws some circles.
"Haha… you don't have to worry, Amaru. I got some vegetables and fruits from the villagers. It's enough to make some rabbit stew for all of us." Shinnō points towards the stack of vegetables and fruits lying on the table.
"Then I will make preparation for our dinner!"
Amaru hurriedly rushes out to skin the rabbit.
Hmm…
The elderly man turns towards the girls. He smiles at them and asks them.
"You three are?!"
"It's like this…"
Ayaka narrates her 'story' to Shinnō.
"Oh! That's too bad. You three can stay here and wait for your brother!" He assures them.
"Then we will help with the dinner!"
The girls walk out of the house, leaving Shinnōalone.
Hmm…
"Konoha genins and three of them at that!"
Shinnō gazes at the door.
"If these three are here, that means their lost brother is the jounin of their team. How did they manage to track us down with such a speed?"
Doubts appear in Shinnō'smind.
"Are there more of such teams? If there are, then it might spell trouble for my plans." He brainstorms over the matter.
"Before that, I have to contact the fleet captain I sent to Benisu island."
He takes out a scroll and brush from his clothes. He jots down on the scroll.
Swish… swish…
Shinnō makes some hand signs and slams his palm on the scroll.
Poof…
The message on the scroll disappears in a puff of smoke.
"Scroll communication Technique"
Poof…
Another message appears on the scroll.
Hmm…
Shinnō's expression turns ugly as he reads the contents of the scroll.
"These girls infiltrated the sky ship and escaped the pursuit."
Crack… crack…
Shinnō clenches his fists in anger and closes the scroll.
"Thirty years ago, during the second shinobi war; it was a chance for my Land of Sky to rise and dominate this world. But these cowards from the Hidden Villages joined hands in order to suppress us. Especially the despicable Konoha who sent a team of Anbus to infiltrate our ranks and slaughter our people from inside.
I still can't forgive how my brother died in my arms. But this time, I will have my vengeance."
He raises his head and stares at the girls from the window.
"They think they can use a similar strategy to suppress us. This time I will make them pay the price in blood. Starting with these…"
Slash…