However, since Furina had helped so much, Tachi had already prepared a reward in mind. He was just caught off guard by how direct she was.
"Of course I have something. But compared to simple monetary thanks, I feel there's one thing that would suit your preferences much better."
"Oh? What is it?"
Seeing Tachi act all mysterious, Furina's curiosity was piqued. She wanted to see what kind of reward he could offer that would actually appeal to her.
"From our earlier interactions, I heard Miss Furina mention your plan to head to the Land of Iron and find a suitable blade. Isn't that quite the coincidence?
Before I became a ronin, I was once a samurai of the Land of Iron. Although I later left due to certain circumstances, I still have some connections there."
"And then?"
Though Tachi was still holding back the details, Furina could more or less guess his intention. Given Tachi's strength, he must have held a considerable position in the Land of Iron back then.
That naturally meant he knew many other important figures there. With connections, things would naturally be much easier to handle.
"Then Miss Furina has probably guessed what I mean. The best swordsmith in the Land of Iron right now is my good friend. Although I had to leave the Land of Iron due to certain matters and felt too embarrassed to contact him afterward,
since Miss Furina has helped me so greatly, today I'll swallow my pride and ask him to forge a suitable blade for you."
"This reward does suit me perfectly. Then I'll have to trouble you, Mr. Tachi."
Hearing how powerful Tachi's connection was, Furina's face lit up with a full smile. Even the way she addressed him became more respectful no longer as casual as before.
It had to be said that Furina had some real talent for face-changing, like in Sichuan opera. If this trait were put into a game, it would probably be quite impressive.
...
"Until we meet again."
"Goodbye."
After waving goodbye to Tachi, Furina took the letter he had written and looked it over. There was nothing particularly special about it.
After some pleasantries, it detailed Furina's help to him, then asked his friend to assist in forging a blade, and stated that he would personally visit to express thanks in the future.
"Though sometimes he's a bit blunt, he's still a straightforward person. Helping him wasn't in vain."
For Tachi to leave the Land of Iron and become a ronin, there must have been something he found difficult to speak about otherwise, he wouldn't have cut contact even with old friends.
But this time, to repay the favor, he was willing to go this far and even promised to visit in person. That counted as giving it his all.
"Fujita Kazu? I don't recall hearing that name when watching Naruto. As the top swordsmith in the Land of Iron, he shouldn't be so unknown, right? Whatever doesn't matter as long as he can forge a weapon."
Muttering the name of Tachi's friend, Furina realized she had no impression of him. But there were plenty of people she didn't remember one more didn't make a difference so she quickly put it out of her mind.
"Let's go, let's go. Now that we've got the mission prop in hand, all that's left is to collect the reward."
"Mm-hmm."
Uchiha Hikari had long grown accustomed to the incomprehensible words that often popped up in Furina's speech. She had once asked out of curiosity what they meant, but after finding that she still didn't understand even after the explanation, she gave up.
After all, she didn't want Furina to think she wasn't smart because of it.
...
After leaving the Land of This, the journey to the Land of Iron went smoothly the whole way as if the mission had truly been completed and no more obstacles would appear.
"You two young ladies, we'll be entering the Land of Iron's territory not far ahead. The climate there is cold, with snow covering the ground year-round. Wearing just thin clothes will definitely be too cold for you here, take these."
Since the journey was long and there was no rush plus Uchiha Hikari needed a better environment to recover Furina hadn't chosen to travel on foot. Instead, after paying some silver, she joined a merchant caravan heading to the Land of Iron.
Though it was slower, the conditions were far better than surviving in the wild. Even without Uchiha Hikari's situation, Furina had no interest in playing savage. Enduring hardship for no reason wasn't her style.
"This really helps a lot. Thank you so much. We've actually been feeling a bit cold for a while now. Without your help, we really wouldn't have known what to do. Once we reach the Land of Iron, I'll settle the cost of these clothes with you."
Looking at the cotton-padded coats the caravan leader handed over, Furina didn't refuse. Though for her and Uchiha Hikari, this level of cold was nothing,
they were currently presenting themselves as ordinary people out traveling not ninja who were impervious to heat and cold. If they were going to act the part, they had to commit fully.
Besides, even if the two of them weren't afraid of the cold, wearing something warm in this environment would definitely be more comfortable than thin clothes. There was simply no reason to refuse.
"No need, no need. You two are just hitching a ride it doesn't cost much. And the amount you gave me earlier already far exceeded my expectations. Consider these clothes part of my service."
Furina nodded and didn't insist further. She had paid extra earlier precisely to make the journey more comfortable, and the caravan leader was clearly a sensible person.
Along the way, the food and lodging for the two of them had been better than even the leader's own well worth the extra money she had spent.
"Here, put them on. Don't catch a cold, or I'll feel bad."
Ever since she had grown close to Uchiha Hikari during this time, Furina had started throwing out flirty lines left and right. Or rather, that was just how she was she had been like that back at the ninja academy too.
She would only act proper and restrained when first meeting people. Once she got familiar, her true nature came out.
"Thank you."
"No problem. We're good friends who's keeping score with who?"
But faced with Furina's flirty antics, Uchiha Hikari only blushed a little at first. Afterward, she got used to it and showed no embarrassment at all, which left Furina a bit puzzled.
If it was just adaptation, wasn't this adaptation speed a little too fast? You're not Mahoraga or something.
...
After delivering the clothes to Furina, the caravan leader returned to his own carriage. Before that, someone had already been waiting inside.
"Captain, aren't you being a little... too good to those two young ladies? They may have paid extra, but it doesn't warrant treating them this seriously."