The journey escorting the princess of the Land of Fire went without incident. After all, this was the central region of the Land of Fire, a place with stable governance and good security. Add to that the presence of a top-class Jōnin like Guy, and the trip was smooth and peaceful.
Asuna remained persistent in her attempts to seek instruction from Kirito. He continued to politely decline. Tenten, ever straightforward, had even offered to train Asuna herself, but the princess had also refused.
Having grown up in the daimyō's household with elite education, Asuna held deeply rooted prejudices against ninja. In her eyes, shinobi were not only unproductive members of society but also consumed massive national resources. Their battles weren't honorable duels like those between swordsmen, but brutal, ruthless slaughter.
If Kirito had simply been a strong swordsman, Asuna might not have shown such interest. What drew her in was the fact that he wasn't a shinobi at all, yet still held such overwhelming strength. Being bested by a ninja was expected. But for a non-ninja like Kirito to possess such power? That made her desperate to understand how.
However, Kirito's stance remained firm. The swordsmanship he practiced was born of assassination, brutal, efficient, and completely divorced from the idealistic glory Asuna sought.
And so, with no further incident, the group arrived safely in Konoha.
Nothing unusual had happened along the way, but upon their arrival, a grand welcome awaited.
The noble clans of Konoha, led by the Hyuga family, had assembled in force before the village gates to receive the princess of the Land of Fire in proper ceremony.
Kirito, as always, had no interest in such pomp and protocol. With the escort mission complete, and his side quest for rare metals also concluded, there was nothing more tying him to the group.
Still, there was one figure in the crowd that caught his eye.
Among the Hyuga clan's representatives, all lined up with their characteristic pale eyes, one girl stood out, Hinata, heiress of the main family.
Dressed in an immaculate white kimono adorned with the Hyuga clan crest, with her hair tied loosely by a crimson ribbon, Hinata stood with quiet grace. Her silver-white eyes, clear and ethereal, gave her the air of a flower untouched by worldly dust.
Kirito lifted his hand slightly in greeting, offering her a warm smile.
"Ah, "
His small gesture went unnoticed by the others, overshadowed by the dazzling presence of the princess, but Hinata saw it instantly. She wanted so badly to respond, yet with all the stern elders of the clan standing at her side, she couldn't bring herself to act.
…
As the official representative of the Land of Fire, the princess and her entourage now had to meet with the various noble families of Konoha for formal introductions. Guy's team, having completed their mission, was required to report to the Hokage at the tower as part of the standard procedure. Kirito, not technically part of the escort team, was free to go.
With nothing else to do, he returned to the dojo where he worked. His current role was essentially head of security. Naturally, in a place where people trained and sparred, disputes were bound to arise. His job was to step in and de-escalate things when necessary.
Originally, the dojo would issue missions to the village to hire shinobi for this position. But thanks to Tenten's backing, and after the previous incident involving Inuzuka Kiba, Kirito had proven himself capable. The staff had no objections to hiring him directly.
Upon returning to the dojo, Kirito noticed something odd. While the facility was never exactly crowded, most of the training areas were usually in use. Today, however, it was completely empty.
He figured it out quickly enough, everyone must have gone to gawk at the visiting princess.
"Heh heh~ Isn't that Kirito down there?"
A familiar voice echoed from above.
Kirito instinctively looked up, and saw several figures clinging upside-down to the ceiling.
It was none other than Team 7: Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke, and Haruno Sakura.
Each of them was holding a cleaning tool. The dojo must have hired them for a mission, cleaning dust off the rafters and windows. After all, it made more sense to hire ninja than to rent scaffolding.
Kirito had been classmates with them back in the Academy, so naturally, he lifted a hand in greeting. But just as he did, his eyes narrowed.
Naruto, in his excitement to wave back, lost focus, and let go of the bucket in his hand!
"Naruto!" Sakura's eyes widened in horror. Her jaw dropped. That bucket didn't just contain water, it was filled with a special high-strength solvent used to clean stubborn stains from walls.
While harmless to most materials, if it touched the dojo's wooden floors, it would cause instant chemical damage, carbonizing the wood and leaving irreversible scorch marks!
The dojo's client had warned them repeatedly: under no circumstances was that liquid to be spilled!
That was the entire reason they had hired ninja for the job!
"That idiot…" Sasuke clicked his tongue. He could intercept the falling bucket if he moved fast enough, his reflexes were certainly up to the task. But he, too, was holding a bucket and a rag.
Down at the reception counter, Kakashi was crouched in his usual lazy pose, casually flipping through his favorite yellow book. Upon seeing the situation unfold, he let out a resigned sigh and began to close the book, preparing to intervene.
However,
At that moment, his dull, half-lidded eyes suddenly sharpened.
His pupils contracted.
Something, or someone, was moving.
And fast.
<><>---------------------------------------
45 Advanced Chapters on p(a)treon
p(a)treon.com/Aaltairr
200 P.S = 1 Extra Chapters