Xin could really ask Suzune about.
But what about the advice you were going to ask? Suzune thought, blinking her big eyes and biting her lip, feeling puzzled. After a moment of hesitation, she asked:
"Captain, have you just returned to the village after completing a mission?"
"Yes," Xin replied, smiling. "We were guarding the Land of Fire's shipping routes at sea. We had a little skirmish with some Mist Village shinobi and managed to snag a weapon. The mission is almost over."
"You once promised to take us out, but you didn't," Suzune said quietly, her tone a little downcast as she recalled the past.
Xin felt embarrassed, a slight blush warming his cheeks. This was awkward.
He had indeed promised to take his team out to gain some experience, but after clashing with the higher-ups, he had refused to work, and the whole plan had fallen through.
Now that Suzune had brought it up, Xin felt awkward.
"Ahem, there will be opportunities in the future," he said awkwardly.
"In that case, Captain, you'll have to tell me all about your recent mission as compensation,
okay?" Suzune suggested with a playful smile.
"...."
Ah, the downsides of being born into a noble clan.
Xin sighed and started recounting his mission in detail, almost as if he were telling a story. Suzune listened attentively, hanging on every word.
Meanwhile, outside the training grounds, Meiko stood with her arms crossed, growing increasingly impatient.
Time passed, and still, neither Xin nor Suzune had come out. This made her even more frustrated.
It had been over an hour-why hadn't they come out yet?
Did they really have that many questions to go over?
An elite jonin asking a chunin, one who he had once led, for advice-what sense did that make?
Meiko was starting to suspect that Xin had ulterior motives.
Using training as an excuse to invite Suzune out, only to ditch her what was he really up to?
Ugh!! So annoying!
Lost in her irritation, Meiko didn't notice someone approaching her.
"Um, hello there. My name is Nawaki. What's yours?" A voice said, interrupting her thoughts.
Irritated by the disruption, Meiko looked up, frowning. She was in no mood for pleasantries and replied coldly:
"You must be a guest from the Cloud Village. If you're looking for a guide, please find someone else. I'm busy!"
"Uh..."
Nawaki, who had worked up all his courage to approach and introduce himself, stood there like he'd been struck by lightning. The rejection hit him like a bolt from the blue, leaving him frozen in place.
A guest from the Cloud Village?