The scene shifts to a cramped, steaming food stall tucked away in a narrow alley. The air here didn't smell like the expensive incense of the hotel; it smelled like charred wood and heavy grease.
Neji stood with his arms crossed, his eyes still tightly shut as part of his 'blind' act, while Naruto and Mini-Sasuke stared at the menu board with desperation.
"One Miso Ramen dattebayo! Extra pork! Extra noodles!" Naruto shouted, slamming his fist onto the wooden counter.
The cook, a man with a face as hard as a mountain rock, didn't even look up from his grill.
"We don't sell ramen here, kid. This is Tetsu no Kuni. We eat meat and bread. You want soup, go to Hi no Kuni."
Naruto's face fell as if he had just been told the sun was never coming up again.
"No... no ramen? How do people even live here?!"
"Just give us three orders of the grilled beef skewers and six steamed buns," Neji interrupted, his voice calm but sharp.
"And pack them to go. We are eating at our... residence."
"Wait! Make it ten skewers dattebayo!" Naruto added, his stomach letting out a roar that sounded like a hungry beast. "And four of those spicy meat pies!"
The cook began tossing meat onto the fire, the sizzle filling the air. As the food was ready, he started stuffing the skewers into brown paper wraps and stacking the heavy, hot buns into a large, grease-stained box.
Mini-Sasuke watched the meat with a predatory gaze, his small hands twitching. "Is the bread soft?" he asked quietly, his voice muffled by the high collar of his dirty cloak.
"Soft enough for a brat," the cook grunted, sliding the massive box across the counter.
"That will be 1,200 Ryo," the cook stated, wiping his hands on a dirty apron.
Naruto instinctively reached for his pocket but realised he did not had the 'honourable Gama-chan' anymore, and his face paled.
"Uh... Neji... I just remembered. Ino has the frog. I have everything in it only so...Zero Ryo."
Neji's brow twitched. He let out a long, suffering sigh that seemed to carry the weight of the entire Hyuga clan.
Slowly, with trembling fingers, he reached into a hidden pocket in his vest and pulled out a small, perfectly folded leather pouch.
This was his secret emergency savings—money he had been keeping for 'important mission supplies' or perhaps a new hairbrush.
One by one, he laid the silver coins on the counter, his heart breaking with every clink.
"There," Neji said, his voice trembling with hidden pain. "My savings are gone. I hope you enjoy the meat, Naruto, because for the rest of this mission, you are eating snow."
"You're the best, Neji!" Naruto cheered, grabbing the heavy box of food. "I always knew you were a generous genius dattebayo!"
"I am a fool!" Neji muttered, grabbing Naruto's collar to drag him outside the stall. "A blind, poorl fool."
Inside the steam room, Sakura, Tenten, and Hinata were huddled together behind the big rock, shivering as the water started to cool.
"If Ino doesn't show up in five minutes, I'm going to weave a dress out of floor mats,"
Tenten whispered, her teeth chattering.
Suddenly, the door slammed open. Ino and Karin marched in, looking like they had just survived a war. They were covered in slush, their faces red from the wind, and they were lugging massive bags of clothes.
"Don't say a word!" Ino shouted into the mist. "We walked into half the buildings in this district! If I never see another bathhouse sign again, it'll be too soon!"
She began throwing the bundles of clothes toward the rock. "Sakura! Mint green! Tenten! Pink! Hinata! Purple! Put them on now, or I'm leaving you here to become statues!"
The three girls scrambled out of the water, grabbing the dry, fresh fabrics. It was a chaotic mess of limbs and towels as they tried to dry off and dress at the same time.
Sakura stepped out first. She looked incredible in the mint-green off-the-shoulder shirt, her pink hair pulled into a high, messy ponytail. She looked like a high-class traveler, but she was scratching her arm. "Ino... is this wool? It's a little... bitey."
Tenten emerged, fighting her pink zip-up hoodie. "I'm stuck! The zipper is caught on the inner lining! I'm going to be a pink cocoon forever!"
Hinata stepped out last, and even Karin stopped grumbling to stare. The long purple tunic fit her perfectly, and her new short bob made her look sophisticated and mysterious.
She immediately turned red and tried to hide behind Sakura. "I... I feel very exposed with my hair this short..."
"Okay, move it!" Ino yelled, already stripping off her frozen boots. "Our turn! And we're doing it right!"
Ino and Karin didn't just walk into the water; they collapsed into it. Since they had Naruto's frog purse, they didn't just pay for the basic bath. They paid for the Premium Gold Package.
"Excuse me!" Ino shouted to the attendant while she was already halfway in the water.
"Bring us the scented oils! The rose petals! And the expensive fruit platter! Charge it to the frog!"
Ino and Karin looked like two drowned, luxurious queens. Ino was floating on her back with a slice of melon in one hand, her blonde hair fanning out like a golden reef.
Karin was sitting next to her, her glasses completely white with steam, shoving a grape into her mouth.
"Karin," Ino sighed, popping a strawberry.
"Naruto's money tastes... delicious."
"It's the taste of victory," Karin mumbled, her glasses sliding down her nose into the bubbles.
"And 1,800 Ryo for all those clothes? We should be world leaders."
They burst into a fit of giggles, splashing the expensive scented water at each other. They were so busy being 'rich' on Naruto's money that they forgot the boys were currently freezing in an alleyway waiting for the others to have the food together.
The Grand Pavilion was silent, save for the low whistle of the wind against the massive glass pane.
Sasuke stood by the window, his silhouette sharp against the moonlight. His black eyes were cold, tracking the movement of the snow below.
"They're taking too long," Sasuke muttered.
Lee, who had been practicing 'silent' squats in the corner to keep his leg muscles from freezing, jumped to his feet.
"Perhaps they have been delayed by the sheer weight of the shopping bags! Or maybe Naruto-kun has found a ramen-less tragedy he cannot walk away from!"
"Regardless, we can't stay here while the group is scattered," Sasuke said, grabbing his old, tattered cloak.
"We're going out. If the Samurai find them looking like a bunch of commoners instead of orphans, this mission is over before it starts."
They stepped back out into the biting chill of the main city. Sasuke moved through the shadows like a ghost, his eyes scanning every alleyway.
Beside him, Lee was trying to mimic Sasuke's 'cool' walk, but he was shivering so hard his teeth sounded like steel on steel.
"Sasuke-kun! Look!" Lee pointed a trembling finger toward the main market place.
Emerging from a narrow side street was a bizarre sight. Naruto was leading the way, balancing a massive, grease-stained box of meat on his head like a crown.
Behind him, Neji was walking with stiff, robotic steps, his face a mask of pure tragedy, while Mini-Sasuke followed closely, his nose twitching at the scent of the beef skewers.
"Hey! Sasuke! Gejimayu!" Naruto shouted, his voice echoing too loudly for an act of 'orphans'. "Look at this! We got the foods! No ramen, but this meat is basically a gift from the heavens!"
Sasuke stepped out of the shadows, his brow twitching. "Keep your voice down, you idiot. Do you want to invite the whole city to dinner?"
Neji stopped, his arms crossed over his chest, his eyes still closed. "Sasuke. I hope the room you found is worth it. Because I am currently bankrupt. My savings have been converted into steamed buns and grease."
"The room is fine," Sasuke said, his voice flat. He glanced at the box of food. "Where are the girls?"
"That Ino took my Gama-chan and who knows what she did with it..." Naruto grumbled, readjusting the box on his head.
"She looked like she was ready to punch a hole through a mountain if she didn't bought the clothes. "
Sasuke sighed, looking at the rag-tag group. Between a 'blind' Hyuga mourning his wallet, a loud-mouthed ninja with a box on his head, and a mini-version of himself staring hungrily at a meat pie, they looked like a circus troupe.
"Follow me," Sasuke ordered, turning back toward the hotel. "And Naruto? If you drop that box, I'm leaving you in the snow cause I am really hungry. "
"I got it! I got it!" Naruto chirped, though he nearly tripped over a frozen puddle immediately after.
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SNEAK PEAK LINES 💬
"Can I do a snow cannonball?"
"I asked for extra pork in my ramen and forget the pork he did not gave me ramen only!"
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—With love, one forehead poke away from collapse,
Sakura Shinomiya 💫
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