The group split with a quiet rustle.
The town was small but busy, nestled between the Wind and Fire Countries. Shops lined the streets, selling all kinds of goods. People filled the roads.
Dosuke walked a step behind Tatee.
Tatee Hyuga had changed her appearance before leaving Konoha. Blue contact lenses hid her white Byakugan eyes, a Hyuga clan trait that enhanced vision. She wore a plain, long-sleeved linen shirt. Her black hair was tied into two ponytails that swung as she moved. A black skirt reached her ankles. Her small feet gripped wooden clogs.
Clack-clack. Clack-clack.
"Sister, can you be less obvious? Everyone is staring," Dosuke said, feeling helpless as Tatee took small steps.
* Are we here to scout or not? *
Tatee hurried to Dosuke, hiding her mouth with a fan. She whispered, "Relax, it is like we are here to shop. I know what I am doing."
Tatee squatted at a stall, bargaining with a dog seller. She pulled Dosuke into it.
When they left, Dosuke carried bags of goods. Tatee held a snow-white puppy and a bag of free dog food.
They watched the town as they walked, blending in as rich kids out for fun.
"Dosuke, look ahead," Tatee said, tugging his arm.
Dosuke froze, then acted normal. He glanced where Tatee pointed.
A ramen shop stood ahead. Four Sunagakure ninjas sat at the back, eating. One middle-aged man led three young kids. They were not an elite team.
Dosuke wondered why they were here. He looked down, pretending to check a stall's items.
His arms grew heavy. Tatee had placed the puppy in his hands. She skipped toward the Sunagakure ninjas.
"Are you ninjas?" Tatee asked, tilting her head, her eyes curious and shy.
The older Sunagakure ninja tensed. "Who are you?" His hand slid toward his ninja pouch.
"Me? My family is from the Flower Country. We sell scented tea. Are you ninjas?" Tatee said, looking innocent.
"Our family has only samurai. On our way here, bandits attacked our caravan. Two rogue ninjas killed our guards. Only my brother, my father, and I are left. Can we hire you?" Tatee said, her voice sad.
"We are from Sunagakure, one of the five great ninja nations. Rogue ninjas? Even I could beat them," a teenage Sunagakure ninja boasted.
"We are still genin, but we can do C-rank missions. Our teacher is a chunin," another kid added.
"Quiet," the Sunagakure chunin snapped. "Miss, if you want to hire Sunagakure ninjas, post a mission at our village office. We cannot take private jobs."
"Oh, okay," Tatee said, sounding disappointed.
"Sister, will they help us?" Dosuke asked, his voice hopeful.
"They said no. Let us go," Tatee replied, her voice low.
"What? How will we get home? We might die. Mom will never see us," Dosuke said as they left the ramen shop, looking defeated.
"Teacher, we cannot ignore them. Our mission ends soon," one Sunagakure kid said loudly.
"Yes, we cannot do that," another agreed.
"Wait, miss. If you can wait, meet us at this ramen shop tomorrow at noon," the Sunagakure chunin called.
Tatee turned, bowing with teary eyes. "Thank you, thank you so much!"
Outside the shop, Dosuke sighed. "Sister, you scared me, asking them directly like that."
"Relax, Dosuke. I checked with my Byakugan before we entered. Many stalls here are from the Flower Country. I saw bloodstains and fresh scars on a Flower Country cart at the hotel," Tatee explained.
"Pretending to be Flower Country merchants is safe. Those Sunagakure kids are too young to suspect," Tatee said, taking the puppy from Dosuke.
Her clogs clacked as she walked. Tada-tac. Tac-tada.
Dosuke's confidence faded. * I thought being reborn gave me an edge, but this world has five-year-old graduates and six-year-old chunin. Kids here grow up fast. Without my knowledge of the story, I am nothing special. *
Their skills came from surviving danger.
"Dosuke, what are you doing?" Tatee called, seeing him lag behind.
"Coming, Sister," Dosuke said, hurrying to catch up.
At the hotel, Soda Nakajima asked, "Report your findings."
"I checked the southeast. Two rogue ninjas, likely genin. They took a job from the underground gold exchange to guard a merchant from bandits," Takuto said.
"Dosuke and I found Sunagakure ninjas. I could not use my Byakugan up close. The leader is a chunin, with genin students. They are here on a village mission, ending tomorrow," Tatee said.
"Tatee even posed as a robbed Flower Country merchant to test them. The chunin agreed to escort us back after their mission," Dosuke added.
"The northwest had rogue ninjas too. Small countries hire them because big village ninjas cost too much. Good work, Tatee, Dosuke. I will note it in the mission log," Soda said.
"Tomorrow, Dosuke and Tatee, meet the Sunagakure ninjas to confirm the escort job. I will pose as your father. Takuto will act as a servant. Rest now. We move in the morning."
The group split to rest.