"Hello, can I help you with something?" I asked, giving the girl a quick once-over as I stepped aside from the doorway, letting Kushina in.
Both women, to their credit, didn't make a scene like you'd see in some anime - no screaming "Pervert!" or "Kyaaa!" They just lowered their eyes, pretending not to notice that I was standing there in nothing but a towel. Not wanting to waste time, I let Kushina in and turned to the well-dressed girl with a silent, So, what brings you here?
"Good afternoon, my name is Mezumi and... I'd like to speak with you. Alone," she said, calm as could be. A little too calm.
"I'm not looking to get married just yet," I shot back, trying to get a read on her intentions before deciding whether to let her in.
"That's not why I'm here," she replied, shaking her head with a faint smile. Well, she didn't look like a trained shinobi - her skin was too soft, and in that outfit, she'd have trouble moving, let alone fighting. And if it was a genjutsu... well, I hoped my fuinjutsu skills would be enough to handle it.
Without a word, I held out my hand, waiting for her to ask, "What's this for?" so I could explain that there was a barrier on the house and I couldn't let strangers in without physical contact. But she surprised me - no questions, just gently took my hand in hers.
"The barrier will let you through now," I explained, pulling her inside.
"I see you're on good terms with Kushina-san," she said as we stepped into the entryway, making it clear she knew my neighbor. Kushina, for her part, didn't give away anything about their relationship.
But I wasn't left in the dark for long - as soon as we reached the kitchen, Kushina took the chance to discreetly trace the symbol "Semyo" in the air with her chakra, out of Mezumi's line of sight.
Hello. And what's that supposed to mean? The feudal lords are interested in me now? But why would they care about me? More likely, they want to rope me into some business deal that benefits them, or maybe turn me into their servant. Sure, slavery is officially banned in the Land of Fire, but there's one kind that's perfectly legal - serving a lord.
A person in service to a feudal lord - anyone who owns land, from a city to a whole province - is technically free to leave at any time. They even get paid according to their contract. "So it's not slavery!" some might say. But... that servant has to obey their lord completely, and if they ever insult or disgrace their master, the shame falls on them, and the only way to wash it away is the simplest one - death.
So, in theory, you can leave a lord's service with a generous severance for loyal work, BUT all it takes is for the lord to accuse you of theft, betrayal, espionage, whatever, and your bones will never leave his land.
The funny thing is, to refuse a lord's offer of service, you need a really good reason, or else it's considered an insult to a respected person, and you're looking at a trial in the city where it happened, with penalties ranging from fines to hard labor, prison, or even death, depending on who you offended and how powerful they are.
"I want you as my servant."
"I think I'll pass."
"I'm offended. Die."
If you skip all the details, legal wrangling, and traditions, that's what this "not slavery" really looks like.
So I was only thinking one thing: "If it comes to that, where do I hide the body? And where do I run?" Because if things went down that road, I'd have to forget all my property, change my name, somehow change my appearance, and skip town - maybe to the Land of Earth or the Land of Lightning. They'd search for someone with my title using every method they had.
Lost in thought, I led my guests to the kitchen. We could've gone to the living room, but the couches and coffee table were for relaxed, casual chats, and "Semyo," young as she was, probably wasn't here to ask what cologne I used. Leaving Aika to keep an eye on the guests, I slipped away as the kettle started to boil, to get dressed properly. Towels are great at home in the summer, but they have a habit of slipping off at the worst moment - I nearly flashed everyone just putting the kettle on.
A beautiful woman deserves a proper welcome, and two beautiful women deserve the royal treatment. So I didn't mess around - put on my best kimono, tied my hair back, and came back to the kitchen just in time to catch the tail end of their conversation. The kettle finished boiling, and Kushina kindly poured everyone a cup of my favorite tea. The only sweets I had were some cookies that had the texture, but not the taste, of "Jubilee" biscuits.
"Ah, good tea is good in any weather," I said, savoring the hot drink.
Kushina sat to my left, and Mezumi - who'd been acting like a queen since she arrived - sat across from me.
After a few polite nods, I continued, "So, Mezumi... what brings you to my humble home?" I asked with my usual smile. Normally, with someone like her, you'd have to lay it on thick - say what an honor it is to host such a guest, apologize for not being worthy, beg forgiveness for the lack of hospitality, and so on, like the Japanese do. But since she'd already seen me in a towel, it was a little late for formalities.
With a graceful motion, she set her cup down, holding the base with her palm. She smoothed her bangs and spoke in a soft, captivating voice:
"For now, just call me Mezumi-san. I came to find out who you really are, Akira-san." Her voice was so enchanting, she could make a living recording audiobooks or ASMR videos - just with her voice alone. "Oh, and sorry for dropping by uninvited," she added, glancing at both me and Kushina, realizing she'd interrupted our plans.
She didn't explain why she came alone, without an invitation or any guards, but no one asked. What really bothered me was her interest in me.
She didn't want to get to know me or make small talk - she came right out and said, "I want to know who you are." And her "for now, just Mezumi-san" raised questions too. So if I pass or fail some test, I lose the right to call her "san"? Is that how this works?
"I'll do my best to answer all your questions," I replied, keeping my smile.
"Thank you," she nodded, and began her... interrogation. "Where are you from?"
"From the Land of Eter..." I started, but she cut me off.
"The Land of Eternal Frosts, I've heard. But where exactly?" Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Kushina's interest perk up. Yeah... she barely knew anything about my backstory.
"The Land of Iron," I answered simply. The Land of Snow and the Land of Frost wouldn't work for my made-up biography because they had hidden shinobi villages, but the Land of Iron was perfect - all samurai, and their information networks weren't as developed as the shinobi nations.
I figured they had some intelligence agency, but nothing on the level of the Hidden Villages, so it was a safe "homeland." Funny thing is, as I later learned, the Land of Frost didn't actually have that much frost or snow, thanks to the Haran Bay bringing warm, wet winds from the Land of Hot Springs and the Land of Lightning.
"Oh, then you must be from the Mottsuke Prefecture," she guessed, nodding.
"No, not at all. That's mostly samurai families. I'm from the Shoju plains." Yeah, I'd prepped for this, just in case I ever ended up in front of the Hokage or his right hand. The only people who could catch me in a lie about the Land of Iron would be someone from Mottsuke, or a well-educated official from there.
"Shoju..." She tapped her plump pink lips, looking up at the ceiling. After a few seconds, she looked down at my fingers and continued, "Yensaki, Gunumei, Hiritsaki, Morito, Takahashi, Hayami, Maruyama..." She started listing family names.
Crap. I know Hayami and Maruyama - those names are famous for awards from the Daimyo for blacksmithing, but the rest I'd never heard of... and they were probably from the Shoju plains. And she just kept going, already on the fortieth name... this girl had a hell of a memory.
When she finally finished, she took a sip of tea, then smiled at me, waiting. The question was clear, even if unspoken - did I recognize any of those names? I figured a regular local might know ten or fifteen, but an educated person - which everyone here assumed I was - should know at least half, and be able to say something about their history. And that was a problem - I'd never heard of half those names.
The only way I could have learned about them, even if I'd been in the Land of Iron, would be from Root's archives, which I'd always avoided for obvious reasons. Who'd have thought some feudal would be the one to trip me up? Shouldn't she be more interested in fashion, art, or social events? Why was she studying written records from a random prefecture in the Land of Iron?
As if reading my mind, she smiled wider and said, "So where are you really from, Zoldyck Akira? If that's your real name." My face didn't change. Maybe Stierlitz - the quintessential poker-faced spy - was close to getting caught, but rule number one of lying - never admit you're lying.
"I already told you where I'm from," I replied calmly, then added, "but let's just say... my memory isn't always reliable." Time to muddy the waters.
"What do you mean?" She leaned in, clearly interested.
Every isekai protagonist knows the rule - if someone digs into your past, blame memory loss. Realizing Mezumi could poke holes in my carefully crafted backstory, I went with plan B:
"I don't remember much about my past... in fact, I remember almost nothing from the last seventeen years. I woke up in a village near Tanzaku, with no belongings, no supplies, no memory of my name, birthplace, or anyone I knew. Strangely, I did know the city of Tanzaku, and Konoha, and lots of little things - names of countries, basic literacy, how to count. It's like waking up from a long, vivid dream - you remember bits and pieces, but the moment you try to grab a thread, it slips away." I laid it on thick, and Mezumi was practically hanging on my every word. Kushina didn't look as impressed, but that made sense - she had a giant nine-tailed fox sealed in her, so not much could surprise her.
"Then it all makes sense..." Mezumi whispered at the end of my little fairy tale.
What makes sense? How does it make sense? She didn't doubt my story for a second? Weird... I thought she was pretty sharp at first.
Even Kushina was looking at her, trying to figure out what was going on in her head.
Well... if everything makes sense, then the door's right over there, I wanted to say, but instead I just sat there in polite silence, blinking at the thoughtful-looking girl.
I was about to reach for the kettle to top off my now lukewarm tea, but at that moment Mezumi moved, stretching out her left arm.
With a dramatic flourish, she pulled up the sleeve of her furisode[1] to her elbow and touched the bare skin of her inner forearm with her right hand.
Holy shit! Ahem, I mean, I was seriously impressed... In Mezumi's right hand, a thick folder appeared out of thin air! I only caught a glimpse of the glowing fuin on her arm.
Ignoring Mezumi for a second, I shot Kushina a questioning look, pointing at my own forearm and raising an eyebrow.
Kushina understood, smiled, and turned her own forearm toward me, where even more complex and extensive fuin glowed.
A spatial pocket! I want one! Give me ten! Down with scrolls! Ahem, okay, I'll drool over that later.
But seriously... where did she get such advanced fuin? With Kushina, it made sense - she was an Uzumaki, Mito Uzumaki's heir. But who hooked Mezumi up with a seal master? And if you looked closely, even her amulet looked a little unusual - that green faceted stone seemed to flash every few seconds. Maybe it had a fuin too? An alarm or a protective matrix? If so, it made sense why she didn't bring bodyguards to my house.
"Yes... that's right," Mezumi murmured, reading through the document in the folder.
"What is she talking about?" Kushina and I wondered, exchanging a quick glance.
Finally, Mezumi seemed to find her way out of her thoughts. She looked up at us, clearly about to say something.
She opened her mouth... then closed it, reaching for her cup of now lukewarm tea. Patience, I guess. After a moment, she finally said something that made my brain freeze:
"I'm glad you're alive, big brother."
***
[1] Furisode - a traditional Japanese kimono with long sleeves, worn by unmarried women and brides.
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