We escorted Kobaru through the southern district. Not all of it was shady, but the part at the edges of the village was another story, and that was exactly where we found ourselves now.
The change hit me fast. The lively noise of the old market gave way to something heavier, like the air itself grew thick. The streets narrowed, the crowd thinned, and the voices around us dropped into low murmurs. The air smelled less of fresh spices and more of smoke, damp stone, and cheap alcohol. Cracked walls leaned over crooked alleys, laundry hung between buildings like tired flags, and stray dogs nosed through piles of trash for scraps.
Shops here weren't dressed up with colorful banners or friendly signs. Instead, rough wooden planks displayed goods with no effort to look inviting. Chipped weapons laid out in uneven rows, bottles with cloudy liquids that probably weren't safe to drink, crates of strange parts I didn't want to identify. A man squatted on the corner selling what he swore were "special pills," little more than pressed chalk tablets. Another hawked a pile of masks so badly painted they looked like they'd scare children more than inspire them to play ANBU.
Kobaru, naturally, walked like this was his kingdom. He pushed his cart proudly, humming under his breath, while keeping up a running commentary about how this shortcut would save us precious minutes and how the southern crowd always appreciated a good merchant.
The rest of us weren't buying it. Sena kept her smile polite but her eyes sharp, constantly scanning the alleys. Kaen shoved his hands into his pockets, muttering something about "idiotic detours." In a low voice, Shisui, as always, stayed quiet, letting us handle the situation. He looked like another shinobi in the group, but I could feel him watching everything at once. Us, the street, the shadows moving along the walls.
Kobaru puffed his chest and declared, "I have a lot of friends here. We are safer here than anywhere in Konoha. Trust me, I am Kobaru the Honest after all!"
Sena nodded with a convinced look that was so flawless it almost fooled me. It certainly fooled Kobaru, who nodded in satisfaction and kept humming. Then it happened.
I sensed a cluster of chakra signatures moving closer, directly from the left side. Before I could give them a non-verbal warning, Sena's voice cut in, calm but cautious. "We have multiple enemies approaching from the left. Weak chakra signatures, so they are most likely civilians, but they are heading straight for us."
Kaen gave a short nod and slid into a defensive stance, hand brushing his weapon. They were civilians, which meant we didn't need to prepare anything lethal if things turned hostile. Still, I didn't like surprises. I decided to set a trap.
With a flick of my hand and a puff of smoke, a kunai appeared in my palm. Kobaru's eyes bulged. "Young shinobi, do you know how to make storage seals?"
I gave a short nod in confirmation, already focusing. Chakra flowed into the kunai, degrading its edge as I used it to carve sealing marks into the ground around the cart. My hand moved fast, symbols taking shape in the dirt before fading into faint lines of chakra. Kobaru started sweating. He was probably worrying I'd test his "indestructible kunai" claim and shatter his sales pitch in front of witnesses.
Once I finished, I glanced at Sena and Kaen. Kaen scowled. "Next time, don't act on your own without taking our approval. Maybe I don't like your plan."
I rolled my eyes. The idiot must have forgotten I wasn't supposed to be talking. Unlike Sena, he couldn't read my intentions from a single look. Still, he turned back toward the street, muttering curses under his breath, and prepared for a fight.
Sena moved closer to Kobaru, her voice warm and firm. "Honored merchant, please put your back to the wall and do not move. I will make sure you remain safe."
Kobaru nodded quickly, looking more nervous than before. Sena tugged the cart closer to the wall and positioned herself in front of both him and the goods. I gave her a small nod before stepping up beside Kaen, placing ourselves between the approaching signatures and our client. Shisui stayed further back, arms loose at his sides, his sharp eyes giving away nothing.
Moments later, a group of eight men spilled out of a narrow side street. They weren't villagers out for a stroll. Their clothes were mismatched, patched tunics, torn vests, and sandals that had seen too many winters. A few wore old shinobi flak jackets, the kind so faded and battered they looked like they had been scavenged off corpses rather than earned.
Their faces told the rest of the story. Hard eyes, unshaven jaws, and expressions carved with hunger and spite. One had a scar slashed across his nose, as if someone had once tried to split his face in half. Another chewed on a twig with lazy menace, his gaze fixed on the cart as though he could already smell the coin inside. The tallest carried a thick wooden club across his shoulder, and the shortest grinned wide enough to show a row of teeth that were mostly missing.
Weapons hung at their sides. Rusted blades, cracked kunai, even a sickle tied to a rope belt. They were not disciplined and they were not professional, but there were eight of them, and numbers could give courage where skill could not.
The group stopped as soon as their eyes landed on us. Their gazes slid over Shisui and Kaen, lingered on Sena, and finally locked on Kobaru's cart like wolves sighting easy prey.
Kobaru peeked out from the side of the cart, and to our surprise, he spoke in a friendly tone. "Oh, it is you, Hidaka. Are you here to escort me? No need, I already hired protection."
The man with the scar on his nose narrowed his eyes. "Kobaru, you scammer. Last week you sold me pills, swearing they'd awaken my full chakra potential."
Kobaru nodded cheerfully. "Indeed. I am sure your body is brimming with chakra now."
Hidaka yanked off the ragged cloth hat covering his head, and the sunlight bounced off his scalp so fiercely it nearly set the paper scraps on the ground smoking. His seven companions almost collapsed, choking back laughter with red faces as their shoulders heaved. One squinted through his fingers like he was staring at an eclipse.
I nearly doubled over laughing. Kaen wasn't as restrained. He exploded with laughter, clutching his stomach. "Your head is now brighter than your brain." He almost dropped his weapon, tears forming at the corner of his eyes.
I facepalmed, doing my best to stay in character as the mute shinobi. Sena glanced around, calculating routes of escape, and leaned close enough that only we could hear. "If things go bad, I'll throw smoke and get him out the back. Flash tags at the alley mouth will blind anyone who follows. You deal with the stunned enemies while we gain distance and cover the retreat. Clear?"
I gave a short nod. Kaen was still laughing like an idiot.
Sena's pouch was filled with shinobi tools and tags. She was generous with them because her parents could afford crates of the stuff. I could make my own seals, but the chakra ink was expensive. Once I earned more from missions, I would stock up properly, but for now I envied her arsenal.
Kobaru, still smiling, spoke again. "It might be a minor side effect. Do not worry. I will ask the master who created them. He surely has a cure for this issue. Soon your hair will fly free while your chakra surges to new heights."
Hidaka's face darkened, his bald head trembling with rage and flashing under the sunlight like a furious disco ball. "As if I'd fall for your tricks again!" He roared, snapping his head toward his men. "Beat the hell out of him and take his cart as payment for his lies!"
The street erupted with motion. Weapons flashed, feet pounded against the dirt, and in a heartbeat, the quiet district turned into a battlefield.