What Yumiko feared the most since coming to this world had happened because of a simple rejection
She, of course, didn't realize it yet, but time would show her the consequences of her existence as a whole.
Considering Danzo's nature, Yumiko's suspicion toward him grew when he took her side. She shouldn't have been afraid—after all, she was a loyal shinobi of Konoha, and the man had no reason to harm her.
Maybe use her? Well, that was the only thing he could do to her.
Sighing, Yumiko pushed all those thoughts aside before fixing her gaze on the window. She kept glancing at Danzo several times, trying hard to read him, but it was a failure.
After a few hours of just staring outside, the carriage suddenly stopped.
'Isn't it too early to stop?' she pondered. Suddenly, she heard Santa's voice.
"Who are you, and what do you want?" His tone was no longer nonchalant; it was laced with authority and seriousness.
'Are we being attacked?'
Raising her guard, Yumiko stood from her seat, pulling out a kunai.
"Hehehe, what a nice catch. Give us everything you have, and we might leave you alive."
Yumiko's expression became blank. Stupefied, she thought skeptically,
'I'm guessing these are just a bunch of idiot bandits... Well, they have no chance against us'
A fight broke out immediately after their statement. Their screams rang loud and clear, but not a second later, silence took over.
"Shall we seal them, boss?" Seiza asked.
"Go ahead" Santa nodded at him.
After sealing the unlucky bandits, they departed again as if nothing had happened.
Their trip to the Land of Grass remained uninterrupted, and when they finally arrived, four Chunin from the Grass Village welcomed them and stayed close by for extra protection.
Yumiko found the act strange. From what she could tell, the negotiations seemed more important to the Land of Grass than to Konoha.
Upon entering the village gates, their carriages stopped. The shadow clone Yumiko had created dispelled itself, and she received its memories.
'Interesting. They were much nicer than those bastards. I guess the more power people gain, the greedier they become'
Yumiko sighed before stepping out of the carriage, allowing the elder and two civilians to go first. The latter shot her hard glares, but she paid them no mind.
She smiled and nodded respectfully at the civilians from the other carriage, and they responded with the same level of respect.
"Did you enjoy your trip, Yumiko-chan?" Seiza asked with a shit-eating grin, earning an eye roll from her.
Despite her annoyance, Yumiko answered casually "It was relaxing. Also, I got close to Elder Danzo. Who else gets such an opportunity nowadays? Considering how important and powerful he is, I must feel honored." Crossing her arms, she smirked.
Seiza froze in place, his eyes widening in realization. The tension that was formed between them was broken by Sasamaru's barking.
Yumiko shifted her gaze to the dog before her smile dropped a little
'Weird. I almost forgot about him... It seems I'm really distracted. I should fix that before it bites me in the ass later' She sighed heplessly
✦•┈๑⋅⋯ ⋯⋅๑┈•✦
"You can stay nearby. I trust you guys are mature enough not to cause any trouble" Santa said, eyeing them pointedly.
The three of them nodded quickly in understanding.
"What about you, Santa-sensei? Will you not stay with us?" Natsuki asked curiously
He answered shortly "Yes. I'll be inside the negotiation room. It will take us a few hours to finish, so in the meantime, you can wait for us at the inn or explore outside. I'd prefer the former, though," he mumbled the last part.
Needless to say, since the three kids were well-trained, they heard him clearly.
The team was nearby the inn, as for the negotiators, they were preparing themselves inside to head off .
At the sight of their clients, Santa glanced at his team before nodding.
"See you later" he said casually before leaving with the others.
"Shall we enter the inn?" Yumiko asked.
Natsuki shook her head. "I'll take a look around. You guys go rest."
Yumiko raised an eyebrow.
Something felt off about the way Natsuki avoided them. However, Yumiko chose not to push, assuming she had personal issues unrelated to her.
With that, Seiza, his dog, and Yumiko went inside the inn. They didn't get too comfortable, knowing they were in a foreign village.
A few hours passed, and Yumiko remained seated on the futon in her small room, playing sudoku.
Deciding she had enough, she stood up to go outside, but before she could take another step, someone knocked on her door.
She made her way over and opened it, only to find Seiza standing beside Sasamaru in the doorway.
"Yumiko… Remember when I said Natsuki has been acting weird lately?"
Yumiko nodded, prompting him to continue. His lack of formalities showed how serious the situation was.
"I think it's because of her clan. She's struggling to adjust to the cursed seal, even though..."
Realizing he had said a little too much, Seiza stopped mid-sentence and looked around cautiously.
Understanding his need for privacy, Yumiko did the only thing that came to mind. "Come in" she invited him inside.
Seiza blinked a few times, letting Yumiko's words sink in. He hesitated, but after remembering the urgency, he shoved his emotions aside.
After settling on the futon, Seiza began explaining more about his friend's situation.
"Natsuki's status as a branch member made her have many restrictions, one of which is her own freedom. Usually, the cursed seal wasn't a big deal for her, but that jerk of a clan leader proved otherwise" Seiza gritted out, glaring at nothing in particular. His anger was evident, fueled by the unfairness of it all.
Still, he maintained his composure and continued.
"There are rumors about the clan's prodigy, Neji Hyuga. They say his father was sacrificed for the clan leader just because he failed to protect the heiress... I don't know what made Natsuki's anger rise, but something must have happened, or at least is happening."
While Seiza was explaining, Yumiko looked at him with conflict while in deep thought
'That man… If I remember correctly, he sacrificed his brother as part of a peace treaty with Kumo. I can't recall all the details, but I know it was Neji's father's choice to die… Either way, I can't tell them, since I have no connection to the Hyuga clan' She looked at Seiza helplessly while thinking
'I just hope Natsuki doesn't cause any unnecessary problems… I don't think she would, she is mature enough to not dream and venture off in dangerous zone because as much as I know, that seal has no way of being taken off'
"I'm really shocked... Never did I imagine Natsuki holding such rage for her clan. This is really..." Yumiko shook her head solemnly.
"We should find her and talk to her. I know she's struggling, but she needs to know she's not alone. She has us—her friends to lean on," Seiza sighed before mumbling "She has a bad habit of keeping her feelings to herself..." He chuckled sorrowfully.
Seiza's rare display of emotion left Yumiko feeling somewhat unnerved. She was used to him being loud and carefree to an extent.
Having had enough of her thoughts, she declared, "Let's go. We need to find her and set her straight. We're her friends, and we must show her that life isn't all darkness"
Getting up, they prepared to leave the inn