Chapter 2: Koizumi Town
The Land of Rivers, as Shuji would describe it from his previous life, is akin to a demilitarized zone in the ninja world.
It has a dignified daimyo, functioning bureaucracy, and even a group of sword-wielding samurai. But it lacks a ninja village.
In this world dominated by chakra, this is akin to walking naked among wolves.
When trouble exceeds the scope of a samurai's sword, they can only send commission letters to Konoha, Sunagakure, or even Amegakure, exchanging money for foreign military power.
This peculiar political ecology has given rise to border towns like Koizumi, which are both deformed and vibrant.
The town lacks towering walls and strict checkpoints, with only a dirt road winding through it.
Spices from the Land of Wind and mountain delicacies from the Land of Fire converge here, and the air is perpetually filled with the unique scent of exotic goods.
Uchiha Itachi sat in an unassuming restaurant, a steaming bowl of beef stew before him, his eyes carrying a hint of barely noticeable confusion.
The journey was uneventful: they reached the border smoothly, completed the handover with local officials, received a briefing on the bandits, and then visited the local chamber of commerce as per usual.
"They're just a bunch of petty thieves," said the head of the chamber, a well-maintained, amiable middle-aged man, twirling his neatly trimmed mustache, speaking nonchalantly.
"Though they've plundered a few caravans, causing some minor inconvenience to trade." What followed was a lengthy exchange of pleasantries and empty wishes, with the core request being for the Konoha ninjas to resolve the issue swiftly.
Despite this almost perfunctory attitude, Shuji-senpai's face showed no sign of disturbance.
He dutifully recorded the information provided, which was no different from what was on the mission scroll, and then naturally shifted the topic: "Koizumi Town gathers products from three countries; it must have everything, right?"
"Of course, of course!" The head beamed.
"I heard the beef in the Land of Rivers has a unique flavor?" Shuji's tone was as casual as discussing the weather.
The head's eyes lit up, enthusiastically recommending, "Ninja-sama has good taste! If you want to taste authentic flavors, the beef stew at Zaemon's is a must-try in our town!"
With the conversation reaching this point, Shuji-senpai seemed to lose interest in continuing the dialogue, politely taking his leave. Now, they were sitting in this small shop called "Zaemon."
Itachi's gaze fell on the ceramic bowl before him. The amber broth gently rippled, with large chunks of perfectly stewed beef barely visible, the texture tender, easily separating into fibers with a gentle touch of chopsticks.
The reddish-brown meat soaked in the thick broth, its surface glistening with enticing oil, garnished with green scallions. The rising steam carried the rich aroma of spices like star anise and cinnamon, mingling with the beef's rich essence, enough to awaken the taste buds with just its scent.
"Senpai," Itachi couldn't help but speak, his voice lowered, "Aren't we going to complete the mission?"
"The mission will be done, naturally," Shuji replied nonchalantly, steadily picking up a piece of quivering beef and placing it in his mouth.
As the extremely tender and rich meat melted on his tongue, the intense meat flavor, accompanied by a subtle hint of spice, filled his mouth, causing him to contentedly narrow his eyes.
The various tensions since arriving in this world seemed to be quietly soothed by this pure taste.
He savored it carefully, capturing the faint aftertaste deep within the meat juice—the soul mark bestowed upon the beef by the unique pastures of the Land of Rivers.
Itachi reluctantly picked up his chopsticks, muttering a soft "I humbly partake."
Seeing this, Shuji's lips curled slightly, raising his hand to signal the busy figure behind the counter: "Boss, another serving, please."
His gaze fell on the lean shop owner meticulously wiping a ceramic pot, his eyes showing genuine appreciation: "The control of the heat is exquisite, the sauce's concentration just right, neither overpowering nor overshadowing the beef's natural flavor."
The shop owner, Zaemon, upon hearing this, his bronze face lit up with pride.
He wiped his hands with a well-worn apron, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes smoothing out: "The guest is truly knowledgeable! We use only the finest beef delivered fresh from the pasture every morning, slow-cooked for hours to achieve this flavor. Mastering the nuances requires as much effort as honing a fine jutsu." He used a metaphor understandable to ninjas, noticing the Leaf symbol on the boy's forehead protector.
"Would you like to try our grilled beef? We have two portions of prime cuts left today," Zaemon enthusiastically suggested.
"Please do," Shuji readily agreed.
A small charcoal grill was soon brought to the table. The owner personally served, laying the meat slices on the grill: "This is beef short rib, rich in fat; this is underblade steak, tender in texture. Would you like me to grill it for you?"
"Please, thank you," Shuji nodded with a smile, his gaze fixed on the sizzling, oil-dripping meat slices, casually asking, "I heard there's been unrest near Koizumi Town lately, with bandits frequently appearing. Is your beef supply still smooth?"
"Bandits, huh..." Zaemon skillfully flipped the meat on the grill, the oil dripping onto the charcoal, creating a cheerful sizzle, rising with a fragrant smoke, "It's true, but I heard it's mostly new, unfamiliar out-of-town caravans that suffer. The suppliers to my shop are old pastures with decades of experience, familiar with the routes and well-connected, so there's been no impact. Rest assured,"
"Moreover, caravans are now cautious, usually gathering enough people before setting out, and rarely stopping along the way."
Itachi's hand holding the chopsticks paused almost imperceptibly—the chamber head never mentioned the bandits' "selective" plundering, a crucial piece of information.
"Please enjoy," Zaemon distributed the perfectly grilled beef to the two.
Once Shuji leisurely finished the sumptuous meal, they left the restaurant, the sunset casting a warm orange glow over Koizumi Town's rooftops. The streets were thinning out, with distant shouts of caravans unloading and storing goods. A breeze carried the fresh scent of forest edges, mingling with the reassuring aroma of leftover market food. Shuji took a deep breath of this unique border town air.
The food was indeed delicious, though quite costly, with a bill of 750 ryo—a sum equivalent to several days' hard labor for an ordinary person, according to his memory of currency standards. However, considering the mission's reward was 30,000 ryo, this indulgence was within an acceptable range.
"Senpai, should we investigate the attacked caravans next?" Itachi quickly caught up with Shuji's stride towards the town's outskirts.
"No need," Shuji continued walking, his gaze towards the distant, gradually lit lights of Shirakawa Village in the deepening night, "Today, I've discovered two things."
"First, the bandits deliberately avoided caravans with deep local ties, so the local chamber's cooperation was superficial, and their information naturally perfunctory."
"Second, those bandits initially succeeded in fleeing to the Land of Rain, yet risked returning to the Land of Rivers' border, where they were being hunted. Such abnormal behavior points to two possibilities—"
Shuji looked towards the city outskirts, the distant village lights like scattered stars in the thickening night.
"Either they left something extremely important behind in their hasty escape, something they had to retrieve," his gaze sharply pierced the twilight, landing on the familiar village silhouette, "or, the answer is simpler—they are locals. It's not that they don't know the danger, but... their home is here."