Chapter 30: "Ninjas, Get Out!"
Once Genma and the shop owner, Mani, left the office together, Genma realized what he was up to.
Because Genma emerged safe and sound, Kurenai quietly slipped back into the waiting area. But upon spotting Kurenai, Mani immediately showered her with praise, then offered her a few gifts.
That sort of "showered with favor for no reason" behavior struck Kurenai as fishy, so she refused Mani's offer of more free outfits, merely grabbing a few extra handfuls of fruit and snacks from the lounge. Then she and Genma left together.
Genma entirely approved of Kurenai's fondness for the shop's high-end snacks, not to mention her unrestrained scooping them up—he even went so far as to take a bag and pack up even more. At that point, Kurenai felt a bit embarrassed.
Still, these were benefits that came with spending big money; the lounge's treats were indeed free for any paying customers.
Mani, on the other hand, didn't seem to find their behavior inappropriate at all. In fact, he wanted to gift them even more fruit and snacks.
But fruit and snacks were only good for light eating; it made no sense to take too many, so the two of them declined the surplus.
Under the gaze of Mani and his lovely employees, Genma, carrying a bag of snacks, left side-by-side with Kurenai.
They headed to the inn that Yūji had mentioned, only to bump right into Rittō, who'd just come back from wandering around.
"Hey, Genma! Kurenai! You're back so soon?"
Hitoshi Rittō was gnawing on some greasy food he'd bought somewhere, not caring about his messy appearance. Seemingly dissatisfied with the flavor, he rummaged out a bag of spices from who-knows-where and sprinkled it on a pig's foot.
One could say ninjas tend to love meat. But ordinary families are often too poor to provide such fare, and Rittō's barbaric way of eating was drawing stares from passersby.
From the look of things, it wasn't entirely a coincidence that he was at the inn's entrance, making a scene. Presumably he was flaunting his feast, and it seemed to be working: a bunch of local kids stood gaping from across the street.
Indeed, it appeared Rittō was doing it deliberately. He'd take big mouthfuls and then glance over at the children, wearing a smug expression.
Seeing Rittō's rude behavior, even mild-tempered Kurenai frowned. "Rittō, did something happen with those kids? Why are you provoking them?"
"Hmph!" Rittō snorted in frustration. "They started it. A bunch of little brats who want to kick out outsiders—why don't they go block the village gate and stop people from entering?"
Though Kurenai tried to dissuade him, Rittō refused to calm down. He just continued munching his meat even more aggressively.
"'Kicking out outsiders'…" Genma repeated, baffled. "We're all in the Land of Fire, so is there really such a big local prejudice?"
He pressed for more details. "Rittō, can you stop stuffing your face long enough to tell us what actually happened?"
"Yeah, Rittō," Kurenai added. "This sort of payback is—"
Not only were the kids staring, but so were lots of onlookers. The sudden crowd had grown curious as well. Kurenai was used to attention, but found Rittō's behavior rather embarrassing.
"Slurp… mm!" Rittō opened his mouth wide, gulping down one last chunk of meat. "Ugh… burp!"
He barely chewed before letting out a satisfied belch, looking every bit like a free-spirited drifter.
"Ha ha, sorry for letting you see that," he said, glancing guiltily at Genma and Kurenai. Yet even after apologizing, he kept licking the grease off his fingers.
Kurenai and Genma stood there dumbfounded. Finally, having finished sucking his fingers, Rittō grinned sheepishly, rosy-cheeked from the feast. "Basically, there's nothing much to it. I asked them if they knew anywhere with really tasty food. They kind of gave me the cold shoulder, refused to tell me, and got all aggressive. Then, well… that's how we ended up here."
Watching him go from "sulky victim" to "childishly smug" in a blink, Genma and Kurenai felt a mix of exasperation and amusement. Rittō's sense of right and wrong was strong—something a swordsman should have—but it was directed at children who had presumably slighted him. A ninja shouldn't hold grudges against mere kids.
"Enough. We're drawing a scene out here. You guys, get inside," a voice barked.
Before they could sort Rittō's situation any further, Kamase Yūji suddenly appeared, clearly annoyed.
From his expression, it seemed either something serious had happened, or the ruckus outside was really irritating him.
At once, the three turned from proud, spirited genin into obedient little ducklings, trailing Yūji into the inn.
He led them into a room; once they all sat down, he finally spoke: "News from the village just arrived—there's good news and bad news. Which do you want first?"
"Uh… sensei? News so quickly?" Rittō asked in disbelief. "It's only been half a day."
"Indeed. Likely the client contacted the village in advance. And I was staying here, so the intel happened to reach me," Yūji explained.
"Then let's hear the bad news first," Genma suggested, "so we can prepare accordingly."
Nodding, Yūji said, "Looks like you've got a sense of caution. Well, it's nothing too dire—it's just that you're required to remain here and continue the mission. I guess to you that might not be a 'bad' thing."
"Huh? For real, sensei? So we aren't going home?" Rittō all but cheered. The possibility of staying evidently thrilled him.
Yūji sighed heavily. "You're way too young and carefree. Do you have any idea how brutal ninja battles can be? And you're actually happy?"
"Ahem, Yūji-sensei. So… what's the good news, then?" Genma hurriedly changed the subject before Yūji could start lecturing Rittō again—otherwise they might not get dinner.
"Oh, the village wants us to stay and wipe out those mountain bandits. They're upgrading the operation, but we'll receive reinforcements."
"Wait, sensei," Kurenai interjected, face reflecting her alarm. "Didn't you say missions above B-rank were off-limits for us? Why is the village…?"
Yūji's expression dimmed further. "This year's graduating class is enormous, as you know. I guess it's my fault for not anticipating how things might take a turn for the worse. But we have three days—three days for me to coach you intensely, improve your odds of survival."
A resolute glint shone in his eyes, puzzling the trio.
"Teacher, three days won't be enough to significantly…" Rittō started to object.
Smack!
"If I say it's enough, it's enough. Cut the chatter," Yūji scolded. Then his stern gaze swept across Genma and Kurenai.
"R-right. We'll cooperate fully," Genma hastened to agree, practically cheering Yūji on.
"Sensei has always been reliable. So, um, when do we start?" Kurenai added, gazing at Yūji with earnest eyes—giving him a rush of fulfillment.
"Fine," he said. "Since you're so eager, we begin tonight."
"Urgh…" Rittō started to groan again, but Genma clamped a hand over his mouth and dragged him away.
"Sensei, we'll go grab something to eat now. Want to come?" Genma asked, forcibly changing the subject.
Yūji shook his head. "I need to prepare a few things first. You three go ahead."
Seeing he was busy, Kurenai gave a polite nod and left as well.
---
"Hey, Genma, let go! Let me stand up first," Rittō complained as soon as they were out of the room.
"Look, teacher's only trying to boost our survival chances. I want you to take this training seriously," Genma warned.
"Yes, Rittō," Kurenai added, "If sensei already finds it tricky, we can't afford to drag our feet."
Faced with their stern countenances, Rittō felt a bit hurt. Am I that unreliable?
The two gazed at him with concern, as though he were the weakest link. For a moment, he was speechless. Then Genma sighed and walked off, Kurenai following.
"Hey, wait for me!" Rittō yelled, scurrying after them. "Geez, I'm strong too, you know!"
Because Genma and Kurenai were in a hurry, and Rittō was determined not to be left behind, the three quickly reached the inn entrance.
Unexpectedly, the kids from earlier were still gathered across the street, glowering at them.
"Why are they so mad at you, Rittō? It looks like they hate all of us now," Genma remarked, suspicious.
Kurenai, her temper flaring, narrowed her eyes as if anticipating that Rittō must've done something wrong.
Rittō, who usually had nerves of steel, now felt rattled by their interrogation. "I didn't—I don't—look, I don't know anything!"
"Fine, then you go settle this," Genma urged. "They're blocking our path to dinner."
Rittō nearly teared up. All he'd done was flaunt a pork knuckle; now a bunch of kids was out for his blood, and, being a ninja, he couldn't exactly use force on them.
He finally realized his rashness had gotten him into trouble.
Seeing Rittō flounder, Genma sighed, then strode over to what seemed to be the children's leader.
"What's the grudge between you and my friend?" he asked, face expressionless and voice toneless.
"You're with that jerk—and you're a ninja too."
"Yeah, we're all ninja. So what?"
Genma frowned. The children's resentment was palpable.
Then, at once, it happened.
"Get out of our town, ninja scum!"
"Ninja bring nothing but disaster. Get out!"
"No ninja is a good person! Ninjas, leave our town!"
The first child roared, and then the others took up the cry, furious voices echoing all around, leaving Genma more confused than ever.
End of Chapter 30