In Shuji's terms from his previous life, the Land of Rivers was like a demilitarized zone in the shinobi world.
It had a daimyo who ruled, a working bureaucracy, and even sword-bearing samurai. It did not have a shinobi village.
In a world where chakra decided the balance of power, that was like walking naked among wolves.
Once trouble went beyond what a blade could solve, they could only send commissions to Konoha, to the Hidden Sand, even to the Hidden Rain, and trade money for foreign force.
This odd political ecology had given rise to border towns like Koizumi, warped yet full of life.
The town had no soaring walls and no stern checkpoints. A single dirt road wound through it.
Spices from the Land of Wind and mountain delicacies from the Land of Fire converged here. The air always held a mixed scent of goods from afar.
Uchiha Itachi sat in an unremarkable eatery. A bowl of steaming beef stew rested before him. A faint confusion flickered in his eyes.
Their schedule had gone by the book. They reached the border, completed the handover with local officials, took the brief on the bandits, then paid a visit to the merchants' guild as usual.
"Just a few petty thieves," said the guild's head, a plump, well-kept man with a pleasant smile. He twirled a neatly trimmed mustache and spoke with airy indifference.
"They did hit a few caravans. Trade has been a little inconvenienced." Then came the long courtesies and empty well-wishes. The core request was simple. Konoha should resolve the issue quickly.
Faced with such near-perfunctory attitude, Senior Shuji showed no ripple on his face.
He recorded the information by the book. It was no different from what the mission scroll contained. Then the topic shifted. "Koizumi brings together the goods of three countries. I imagine you have everything."
"Of course, of course." The smile widened.
"I have heard the Land of Rivers has distinctive beef." Shuji sounded as casual as discussing the weather.
The man's eyes lit up. He recommended warmly. "You have good taste, sir. For the true flavor, Saemon's braised beef is the town's signature. You cannot miss it."
At that, Senior Shuji seemed to lose interest in further talk and took his leave politely. Now they were seated in a small shop called Saemon.
Itachi looked into the earthenware bowl in front of him. Amber broth rippled gently. Large chunks of beef, stewed to a perfect doneness, loomed and sank. The grain was soft. A light touch of the chopsticks teased apart clean, distinct fibers.
Red-brown pieces soaked in a rich sauce. A sheen of fat glowed on the surface. Bright green scallions dotted the top. Steam rose with the warm perfume of star anise and cassia. It mingled with the beef's mellow savor. The aroma alone woke the tongue.
"Senior," Itachi could not hold it in. He kept his voice very low. "Are we not going to do the mission?"
"We will do the mission." Shuji answered offhand as he lifted a trembling piece of beef and placed it in his mouth.
The meat melted on his tongue, the soft richness unfolding at once. The beef's deep savor filled his mouth with a subtle spice. His eyes narrowed in wordless satisfaction.
The shinobi world was tight and stifling. With that bite of beef, Shuji felt the world was not so bad after all.
Itachi helplessly picked up his chopsticks and murmured, "I'm starting."
Seeing that, Shuji's lips curved. He raised his hand to the figure busy behind the counter. "Master, another serving please."
His gaze rested on the lean shopkeeper who was carefully wiping a jar. His eyes held genuine praise. "Your control of heat is superb. The sauce has the right weight. It does not drown the dish. It brings out the beef's true flavor."
At his words, Saemon's bronzed face brightened.
He wiped his hands on a well-worn apron. The lines at his eyes eased. "You are a connoisseur. We use the best beef delivered fresh from the ranch every morning. It takes hours of slow stewing to get this taste. To master the balance takes as much effort as studying a fine jutsu." He had noticed the Konoha emblem on the boy's forehead protector, so he chose a comparison shinobi would understand.
"Would you like to try our grilled beef too? I have two choice cuts left today," Saemon offered with warmth.
"Please do," Shuji agreed with pleasure.
A small charcoal brazier came to the table. The shopkeeper served them himself and laid the meat on the grate. "These are short ribs. They are well marbled. And this is zabuton. It is tender. Would you like me to grill for you?"
"Thank you. I would," Shuji said with a smile. He watched the meat sizzle, fat dripping and hissing, and asked in a tone of idle chat, "I hear things have been unsafe near Koizumi these days. Bandits have been active. Has your beef supply stayed smooth?"
"Bandits..." Saemon flipped the slices with practiced ease. Fat hit the coals with a cheerful hiss. A wisp of smoke rose, fragrant with char. "It is true. Though word is, it is mostly new caravans from outside who do not know the routes. My suppliers are ranches of decades. They know the roads and the people. No trouble for them. You may be at ease."
"And caravans are careful now. Most wait until they can hire enough guards before they set out. They also make fewer stops," he added.
The hand holding Itachi's chopsticks paused almost imperceptibly. The guild had never mentioned that the bandits were "selective" in their targets. That was a key detail.
"Please enjoy." Saemon divided the perfectly grilled beef onto their plates.
By the time Shuji finished the sumptuous meal at his own pace, the setting sun had gilded the roofs of Koizumi Town with a warm orange-red. The street crowds had thinned. From afar came the shouts of caravans unloading and storing their goods. A light wind blew. It carried the clean scent of grass and trees at the forest's edge. It mixed with the lingering food smells of the market that felt somehow reassuring. Shuji drew in a long breath of the border town's unique air.
The food was excellent. It was expensive too. The bill came to 750 ryō. By the currency standard in his memories, that was several days of hard work for an ordinary person. Still, with a mission reward of thirty thousand ryō ahead, this bit of luxury was within bounds.
"Senior, should we go question the caravans that were attacked?" Itachi quickened his pace to keep up as Shuji walked toward the town gate.
"No need." Shuji did not slow. His gaze drifted toward Shirakawa Village, where lamps were starting to glow in the dusk. "We learned two things today."
"First, the bandits deliberately avoid caravans with deep ties to local people. That is why the guild, though outwardly cooperative, does not truly care. Their information is perfunctory."
"Second, the bandits had already escaped to the Land of Rain at first, yet they returned to raid along the Land of Rivers border where they are wanted. That kind of behavior points to two possibilities."
Shuji looked past the walls to the countryside. Scattered lights in the distance glittered in the thickening dark like fallen stars.
"Either they fled in such haste that they left behind something important and had to retrieve it." His eyes cut through the dusk and settled on the familiar outline of that village. "Or the answer is simpler. They belong here. It is not ignorance of danger. Their homes are here."
Chapters in advance there: patreon dot com/Thaniel_a_goodchild
Chapter 3: Undercurrents Beneath the Lights
Shirakawa Village lay quiet by the trade road in the early dusk. A neat wooden fence encircled the homes. The heavy village gate stood open.
A few villagers chatted on stone blocks by the gate. They paid little heed to the approaching figures at first. When they saw the Konoha emblems and shinobi garb, their faces grew solemn. The leading man stepped up and bowed. "Honored shinobi, what brings you to our village?"
Shuji's calm gaze moved over them. He drew a scroll from his breast and unrolled it. "Konoha shinobi, here by order of the Land of Rivers daimyo." His voice was not loud. It carried an official weight. The villagers straightened and exchanged looks. The lead man stepped back and held his tongue.
Itachi sensed how Shuji's bearing here differed from the ease he had shown at the restaurant in Koizumi. He masked his thoughts and kept a steady calm that matched Shuji's. He watched in silence.
"Where is the village chief?" Shuji asked.
"At... at home," a villager answered at once and pointed the way.
They walked into the village. Night had just fallen, yet Shirakawa already shone with points of light. Warm glow spilled through paper windows and traced the shapes of the houses. The peace looked carefully maintained.
The grand inn at the center stood out most. Its curved eaves and bracketing showed clear in the lamplight. The entrance, however, was rather quiet. It made a subtle contrast with the lights in other homes.
Moving along the lane, Itachi felt gazes behind shutters and fences. He held a relaxed posture with tightened focus. His eyes watched the edges. Shuji's stride stayed even as he went straight to the chief's house.
An elderly man with white hair and a slight stoop waited in the lantern light. He hurried forward when he saw them and ushered them inside with respect.
Once they were seated in the simple hall, the old man spoke carefully. "I am Shirakawa Keisuke, the village chief. What matter do you two gentlemen wish to investigate today?" His callused hands twined together without thinking.
"I thought the chief might have some idea." Shuji leaned forward slightly. His eyes rested on the old man's face. A faint smile touched his lips without warmth. "You must be familiar with the bandits harassing the trade road near your village."
"This... this..." A fine sheen appeared at Shirakawa Keisuke's temple in the oil-lamp glow. "The daimyo's office did send people to ask... but I truly..."
"Oh?" Shuji tapped the table with a fingertip. The clear click cut the air. "Let me ask another way. Are all registered villagers of Shirakawa present in the village right now?"
"Ev—" Shirakawa Keisuke began.
"Senior." Itachi's clear child's voice sounded at the right moment and broke the brief silence. "I noticed some houses with dark windows when we entered. They seemed unoccupied."
The old chief's body tightened in a way that was hard to see. He hurried to explain. "A few families... have gone out to make a living..."
Shuji's gaze moved over the furnishings. They were not lavish, yet the materials were solid and the workmanship was fine. His tone was even. "From what I see, your village lives rather well." He paused and spoke with intent. "With such steady comfort at home, it is rare for young people to leave."
"Y— yes." Shirakawa Keisuke dabbed his brow with his sleeve. "Because the road is busy. Traders often stop at the village inn." He worked to keep his voice level. "The young see the world. Their hearts... grow restless."
"I imagine the bandits have hurt business." Shuji's eyes seemed to pass through the paper window and fall on the inn that had grown so still. "That inn is fine, yet the door stands quiet."
The old man lowered his gaze. His voice sank. "It is as you say. I pray day and night that you will rid the road of this trouble soon."
Shuji withdrew the pressure he had been applying and spoke more gently. "In that case, do you have anything to share? We want the same thing here." He met the old man's eyes. "Any small detail may matter."
"Yes. Yes. Only... I truly do not know anything useful..." Shirakawa Keisuke sounded helpless.
Shuji showed no change. He went through the routine questions about village numbers and recent outsiders, then rose. "We will stay at the inn. If you find anything, tell us at once."
In their room at the inn, the oil lamp cast a steady light. Itachi checked the windows and doors, then the quiet outside. He turned to Shuji. "Senior, did you find something at the chief's house?"
Shuji had returned to his usual mild manner. Seated on the tatami, he smiled a little and asked back, "What do you think, Itachi?"
The eight-year-old genin thought for a moment and answered in order. "You believe the bandits are connected to this village, and the village leadership knows, perhaps even participates. That is why you changed your attitude at the gate and in front of the chief."
"If you already thought that, why not pretend to notice nothing when we entered? Why not keep it low and gentle to make it easier to find clues?" Shuji watched him with interest.
That was exactly the doubt Itachi still held.
Shuji had laid out two possibilities back in the restaurant at Koizumi. The bandits stayed for important lost goods, or they were locals. Now it seemed he leaned toward the latter.
"Showing that we are not easy to handle is a setup," Shuji explained. "Too much warmth invites tests and trouble. After we arrived, the attention on us from behind windows was far more than for ordinary travelers. That alone is telling. A village with such a fine inn must host guests often. A place used to travelers should not react so tightly to strangers."
"So I chose to pressure the chief and act as if we already knew something. If I had been too mild, a man of his experience could have smoothed everything over and left no gaps." He paused. "Judging by his reaction, the young who left and the bandits are hard to separate from this village."
Itachi nodded slowly. These bits of observation and judgment were not in the Academy curriculum.
"What would you do next?" he asked.
Shuji did not answer directly. He looked at Itachi. "If you were leading, what would you do?"
The young Uchiha considered seriously for a moment. "I would try to use genjutsu on the chief to obtain more precise information, such as a likely hideout. Once we had a location, we could move to eliminate them."
"A good tactical line," Shuji said with approval. Then he shifted the topic. "What might we face after using genjutsu?" He held up a finger. "First, the chief truly does not know the core details, and genjutsu yields little. Second, the bandits are hidden somewhere in the village. Third, they are lying low in the hills outside."
"The last two are especially complex." Shuji sat straighter. His gaze was calm. "Without hard proof, and if they show no open hostility, those 'bandits' might be nothing more than neighbors or kin in the villagers' eyes. The brief emphasized that the Rivers pursuit teams do not even know their faces. That means that even if we find the target, we may see people who look like simple villagers living by dawn and dusk."
He looked into Itachi's clear eyes that were already deeper than his age. "What will you do then? If you act at once, you will likely provoke a strong reaction. Without iron proof, people tend to trust those they know. They will question, argue, and block. You cannot predict what they will do."
The room fell silent. Only the lamp wick gave a faint crackle now and then. The young Uchiha furrowed his brow and sank into thought. This problem of hearts and rules went beyond missions solved by force. The lamplight cast his intent profile on the wall. The shadow stretched long.
Chapters in advance there: patreon dot com/Thaniel_a_goodchild