Red riot - Chapter 22 - Red boy

Character list:

Matsu:- The MC, a Kiri Chunin, with Uzumaki traits.

Himeko:- Kaguya clanswoman with their Kekkei Genkai, Genin, and violence enthusiast

Sharkbait:- real name ???, Genin that trained with Matsu, skilled combatant, expert bait for sharks

Hideo Munashi:- Former wielder of Shibuki and one of the Seven swordsmen of the mist. He’s dead now!

Jonin Akiko - Matsu’s Sensei and exasperated mentor of other children, Matsu returned her beauty to her.

Yumi:- Geisha of the Land of Vegetables, Matsu has plans for her

Hana:- Handmaiden and younger girl who acts as Yumi’s helper

Madam Yubaba:- Port Potato Okiya (Geisha den) matron, person who hired Kiri nin to secure Yumi’s procession.

Lord Edo:- The Lord that Madam Yubaba is claiming has sired Yumi. Unpopular man who has lots of enemies. Yubbaba hopes to cash in on this enmity. She just needs Yumi to survive Edo’s backlash.

Lord Fuza - the heir to the Land of Vegetables. He’s head over heels for Mara!

Lord Chen:- The Seneschal of the Land of Vegetables. If the Daimyo is number one, this guy is his right hand man!

Hotaru Uzumaki - Uzumaki clan leader who was captured and turned into Gengetu’s toy. He’s very, very dead now.

Hiroshi Uzumaki - Old shinobi of Uzushio, father to Mara, Grandfather to Momotaro. Blacksmith. Hideo’s target. 

Momotaro Uzumaki - Kid with a chip on his shoulder. 

Mara Uzumaki - sickly daughter to Hiroshi. Former Kunoichi of Uzushio.

                                                          ___________________________

Yumi, as a Geisha had been cultivated in such a way that she enjoyed various activities of her life. Dancing, tea ceremonies, socialising, poetry, music, and even accessorising when it was called for. 

In short, they were the perfect pastimes for a lady of some stature. 

It was amusing that there was so very little truly dividing her from those ‘above her’ on the social rungs of power. The noble ladies, daughters and their attendants. Having spent the last few months socialising with some of the Lords and their small courts Yumi liked to think she had a solid grounding and could definitely see herself among their number. 

The latest of her pastimes however might be seen as a bit… gauche. 

The kunai flew through the air and with a clunk bounced off the target. Around her, her ninja guards snickered at her. 

“Too much wrist,” said Jun ‘Sharkbait’ Nogawa, a Genin of Kirigakure. 

Sharkbait was an interesting boy in his earnest reactions and rather happy outlook on life. He also told a good deal of tall tales about using himself as literal bait for sharks which Yumi considered rather humorous. He had a good deal of skills that at first made her think of him as the servant of Himeko and Matsu. 

A Ninja servant perhaps?  

This impression was only strengthened on their trip with how he trod carefully around Himeko while deferring to Matsu. 

Then, on the third assault they’d faced by bandits, he’d shown that he was more than a simple boy. Beneath the affable exterior lay a boy who could single-handedly defeat a troop of five men without seeming to break a sweat. 

Sharkbait moved in and gently flexed her wrist to demonstrate the correct movement. “You need to flick just so at this distance,” he said indicating the stump that she’d been aiming at. 

“This distance? What happens when it is further away?” she asked. 

Next to her, Hana raised her own kunai and hurled it through the air. It spun end over end and bounced with a metallic ringing that was less than pleasing. 

“Don’t throw it like an axe!” snapped Himeko Kaguya. 

Hana stiffened and swallowed. “Ah! Yes! I forgot! It’s just that it’s so far away!” she said. 

Himeko sniffed. “That’s because you got shit all muscle,” said the brusque girl. 

Yumi eyed her surreptitiously. Himeko… was a girl with a lot of thorns, both physically and socially. She didn’t seem to care for the nuances of words or gestures. She was… forthright in what she said and sometimes that meant she came across as rather cruel or brutish. 

That wasn’t the case though. Yumi had observed the girl often watching the world with a sort of slow ponderance. It might take her a while, but the girl worked through whatever issue she was dealing with eventually and moved on. 

So often her ‘issues’ seemed to revolve around the last of the group that rounded out their motley band. 

Matsu, or rather Chunin Matsu, a title she learned meant journeyman ninja, was the leader of their group. He was a rather… pretty boy and he had a way of walking or standing that always seemed to cast him in a good light. Yumi hated that he did it so effortlessly and if she hadn’t seen more established Geisha in the Okiya in Port Potato she might have thought it was one of his ‘ninja’ tricks. 

Instead, she recognised it for what it was, skill. 

There had been only one time when Matsu hadn’t looked his best, and that had been a few mornings ago when he, Sharkbait, and Hiroshi had staggered back into the compound in the early hours of the morning. 

When they’d been confronted about what they’d been up to with how bedraggled they looked they’d ignored or changed the topic. 

Something that Himeko had been extremely peeved about. She’d demanded a fight from Matsu then. It had been, from what she could see with how fast they moved normally, the closest Himeko had gotten in the past few months to beating Matsu.

Which just made it all the more apparent, that something had occurred to tire Matsu out to this degree.

“They also don’t have access to chakra to make it fly true… or the improvements to muscle memory that come with chakra usage,” Matsu said, tossing a kunai up and down idly. 

Yumi glanced at him, intrigued by this. 

So often Matsu could throw out little comments like this and reveal things that demonstrated that he had a deep and widespread knowledge base. Often it wasn’t even about ninja skills. Not ‘true ninja skills’ anyway. 

If she asked about how to access her chakra he’d lead her on a chase verbally before she’d find herself discussing something else entirely while he smiled in his amused little way, which was as infuriating to look at as it was charming. 

With that being said he had no issue with letting her ‘play around’ with kunai or shuriken during the evenings when they broke camp. He’d even shown her how to fold wire that could be used to set hair into a passable lockpick. That and a handful of other, ‘basic skills’ that shinobi were taught but that could be picked up if one were to try their hand at them.

Here in the compound, there seemed to be a lot more time to themselves as Matsu worked on getting her an adequate invitation to court where the truly powerful of the Land of Vegetables congregated. 

Including the man that she and Madam Yubaba had decided to claim was her father. 

It was a nice tale, but one that wasn’t meant to lead to anything beyond adding an allure to her with clients. 

Matsu had heard that and decided to run in an entirely different direction. 

During the course of her great procession about the Land of Vegetables, she’d visited no less than seven nobles. All of them firmly entrenched against her ‘father’. She’d never outright told them, but rumours had made their way into the Lord’s ears. 

As a Geisha, she wasn’t unaware of the various motivations that drove men to desire her. 

Lust was a simple tool that she could wield but she’d since learned on this trip that you could also trigger people’s interest in her mind, or her heart, or even give them an idea of getting one over on her ‘father’ by ‘claiming’ her.

Should she enter the Capital’s Court, Yumi knew that she was very much going to be straddling the knife edge by placing herself under the scrutiny of Lord Edo. 

A series of thunks announcing a solid hit drew her out of her thoughts to reveal that Jun had stepped up and thrown a brace of kunai at once at the far wall where they formed a straight line with even spacing. 

Yumi and Hana clapped politely. 

Momotaro, who… well, to Yumi he reminded her of an alley cat that sometimes entered the Okiya. That cat was a prickly sort and his mercurial mood saw him interacting with you and it would depend on the cat who the interaction played out. 

Yumi, and many of the other girls had small scratches on them from the cat. Madam Yubaba insisted on not getting rid of it however as she said it taught the girls an important lesson in ‘reading’ their clients. 

From the stories some of the older girls told, that skill had often saved their lives. 

Still, she remained vigilant around Momotaro but he always seemed to focus his ire on that of her shinobi guards. 

“That’s not that impressive!” he said marching forward and grabbing a brace of five kunai himself. He tossed them out and Sharkbait’s line of kunai became more filled in. 

Yumi and Hana shared a look before clapping politely. It seemed the right thing to do. He had had a smaller target to aim for after all.

“Tch!” said Himeko. “You call that good?” she then threw a single kunai that punched a hole in the wall. 

She grinned savagely and Yumi considered smiling before she recalled how she’d peeked out of the carriage once during Himeko’s fights only to see a man with a hole in him collapse to the ground. Yumi suddenly recalled that the fun little pastime she’d been amusing herself with was very much a method of killing for these people. 

Yumi carefully put her kunai down on the table in front of her, deciding that perhaps she’d find something else to do. Hana wasn’t as affected though and waved her hands about with a naivety that Yumi envied. “Woah! That’s so cool! You’re so strong!” said the young handmaiden. 

Momotaro clicked his tongue. “I could have done that, but I didn’t, cause now you have to patch up the wall,” he said. “You’re such a dumb girl!” 

Yumi felt any and all sympathy she had for Momotaro vanish with that statement. 

She and Hana turned to glare at Momotaro in solidarity. 

Momotaro smirked as Himeko turned towards him and frowned. “So?” she said. 

Yumi and Hana almost face-vaulted into the ground. 

Where was her womanly pride?

Himeko tilted her head. “What’s me being a girl have to do with anything? I kick your ass every day. That makes you a weak boy?” 

Momotaro hissed at that and Yumi grinned knowing that Himeko had just scored a hit! 

It made her so happy to know that all that time she’d spent talking with Himeko during their carriage rides had sharpened her tongue. 

Before either Momotaro or Himeko could get into another fight, Matsu cut in. “He’s right about the wall though, you need to fix that yourself. You didn’t need to throw that hard.” 

Himeko sniffed. “I’ll patch it up later,” she said before jutting her chin. “Your throw Matsu.”

Matsu threw six kunai. 

They all thunked into position and Yumi blinked when he made what had been a line of kunai look like a silly face. He’d even incorporated the hole to make it look like a gap in the face’s teeth. 

“How long does it take to get this good?” asked Hana, throwing a kunai at the block of wood that was their target and missing by a large margin. 

Matsu tilted his head. “Couple months?” he said. “That is if you’re doing it for at least four or five hours every day. It gets harder when you have to throw against a moving target, or while you're moving yourself… so that takes it a bit further again… Some of the best shurikenjutsu users could do flips, and hit things behind obstacles,” he said. 

Sharkbait’s eyes flickered towards Matsu in a way that Yumi had learned meant that Matsu was one of those people. 

“You must really enjoy it!” said Hana naively. 

Without even knowing the extent of the faux pas, Yumi bit her lips. She, and by extension, everyone that was of age and curious enough to ask about shinobi had heard stories about Kiri…

“The instructors provided lots of motivation,” Matsu said casually as he tapped on the sharp edge of his kunai without a care that it might hurt him. 

Yumi’s eyes flicked to Himeko and Sharkbait who rubbed at their arms as though recalling something. It didn’t escape Yumi’s eyes that Sharkbait had many scars on his arms. 

She had to wonder… if things were as bad as they said… was he used as a moving… Yumi shook the thought off. No, surely that was just silly gossip. 

“Think you can punch a hole through the post?” Himeko said with a smirk to the other boy in the group. When Himeko glanced around she gave a subtle nod, approving of Himeko verbally baiting the hot-headed boy. 

Momotaro growled and wound back his arm, something that had all the shinobi smiling slightly. When he threw he did so with a roar. 

The kunai hurtled through the air and missed the training post entirely. 

Himeko grinned furiously. “Ha! You missed entirely!” 

“Shut up! You couldn’t do it!” 

Himeko hurled her own kunai and it hammered into the post making it shudder but not breaking through it. Now it was Momotaro’s turn to smirk as Himeko scowled. 

Then she narrowed her eyes. 

She threw again, only this time she wound back her arm and threw with her whole body behind her.

The kunai hit the top of the post, right near the tip and the kunai caused the post to explode in a shower of small flakes of wood. 

“What? That’s cheating! You aren’t allowed to throw there! That’s the weakest and thinnest part!” he shouted. 

Himeko grinned. “I’m not dumb!” she said while pointedly staring at Momotaro. 

Matsu shook his head. “If you’re going to fight, do it over there,” he said with a wave of his hand, giving up on keeping them from each other’s throats. 

Momotaro lunged at Himeko and the two tussled, tumbling over and positioning as they grappled and fought until they were in the arranged area. 

Yumi giggled. “They’re almost like childhood friends!” she said. “Maybe they’ll end up together one day?” she said teasingly. 

Sharkbait snorted. “Fat chance Momotaro has. She’s married to violence first, seond and third in her heart,” he said. 

Yumi nodded only to catch sight of Matsu considering the post with an intensity that had her watching him. 

Like all the times before, Matsu didn’t give any warning when he threw. He kept the action ‘tight’ as he liked to say. All the movement was in the wrist. A fast, sudden action that had the kunai in the air before she knew he’d moved. 

Having learnt to expect this, Yumi had shifted her gaze to the target. 

A heavy thunk heralded the kunai hitting the post only to embed so far into it that only the ring was left sticking out. 

Sharkbait whistled. “Daaaaamn, that’s something. How’d you do that if you mind me asking boss?” he said.

Matsu tilted his head ignoring Sharkbait, his eyes staring at the kunai. 

Yumi glanced at the missing top section of the post which had been bute forced. Then there was Matsu’s method. She wondered at the difference. He’d only used his wrist and he’d gotten it to stick in that far?

It must be one of his jutsu perhaps. Although, weren’t shinobi supposed to use hand seals. That was something she’d noticed about Matsu. 

He never made more than a handful if he used a ninja ability. 

Most of the time it was a single seal or nothing.

“Boss?” prompted Sharkbait again. When Matsu glanced his way he nodded at the kunai. “Good toss there,” said Sharkbait. 

Matsu merely nodded slowly, focusing still on the post before he glanced down at the next kunai in his grasp. Yumi hadn’t even seen him draw it. He stayed there, considering the blade and Yumi got the impression he was looking at something they couldn’t see. 

The hair on the back of her neck stood and Yumi blinked. What had—

She heard a thunk and looked over at the post to find that there was another kunai embedded in it. Matsu clicked his tongue. “Should have known it wasn’t going to be that easy,” he said aloud. Then he turned his attention to Sharkbait. “Sorry, It’s something that I’m working on right now, but I think it has some potential… I’ll show you later, yeah?” 

Rather than being put off, Sharkbait grinned. “Cool,” I’ll be looking forward to it,” he said. 

Another glance at the post had everyone pausing. It now had a lot of kunai sticking out of it. Yumi took a moment to inspect it. By her estimate, there must be as many as a hundred in the post and the wall behind it. 

Had they really thrown that many? No, they hadn’t. It had been the shinobi. 

Yumi shook her head and reaffirmed in her mind that while they might seem like children at times, they were cut from a different clothe. 

Yumi clapped her hands. “I think it's time for some tea?” she proposed. 

The others all nodded and joined her in the rooms she’d been allowed to claim. A teapot and leaves were deftly set up and within a few moments, everyone was sitting around. With the small heater deployed and the teapot set to rights, it fell to the host to lead the conversation. 

“I believe that we will be having some inroads into the court soon,” Matsu said.

Yumi perked up. “Oh? I didn’t… that is to say, it has taken much longer than the past courts.”

Matsu merely nodded, reaching out to raise the box with the tea leaves in it to sniff carefully. “Hmmm jasmine,” he said approvingly. He took a moment to savour the smell before returning his attention to Yumi. “It’s to be expected, the court here is much more complex than that of the regional towns and cities we;ve been working our way through.”

Matsu’s lips twitched upwards as he said ‘cities’ and Yumi supposed that for someone that had grown up in Kirigakure, their towns and cities would seem quaint. 

Yumi pursed her lips as she watched Matsu measure out the leaves. 

How had he taken over her tea ceremony? 

Damn it! He’d distracted her again with a topic she couldn’t ignore!

“So… what is the plan?” Yumi said. 

Matsu smiled. “The plan is to sit and wait. It Might not seem it but we have stumbled into a wonderful position with… Lady Mara’s hospitality,” he said.

Yumi nodded. It was rather unfortunate that the heir of her nation was obviously besotted with the bedridden woman, but then again it was easy to see what the man liked. Mara was a gentle soul and extremely pretty despite her illness.

An illness that seemed to be abating of late. 

Yumi had seen Mara take a walk around the compound just yesterday and this had sent many of the servants and her own family into wagging their tongues about tis miracle recovery. Yumi wasn’t sure why, but the family’s talk of it being a miracle always seemed false to her. 

She suspected more was at play but thought it best she didn’t pry. 

Himeko walked in, her hair a mess and a few cuts about her form but with an overall pleased air to her. “Teah huh?” she said, glancing at the arranged seating. Myumi noted that there was now a cup and saucer laid out for Himeko where she was positive there hadn’t been before. 

At the start of the trip she would have second-guessed herself and worried over it. Now she just ignored it. 

Matsu let himself lean back on his hands, his eyes flitting to the side for but a moment. “I think we’re going to need some more teacups,” he said casually. “We’re in for some guests.”

Yumi huffed. More Ninja tricks, but ones she knew better than to question Matsu’s knack for knowing when ‘guests were going to arrive. 

She knew it was unlikely but she really didn’t want bandits to walk into the room and wonder at why Matsu was smiling at them and offering them a seat at the fire instead of screaming in terror. 

It had been amusing right up until Himeko fell on the hapless men.

“Ah, we’re out of cups,” Yumi said. She started to turn to ask Hana to fetch some only for Matsu and Himeko to offer their own assistance. 

“I can fetch them,” he said. “I can grow some more,” she said. 

Everyone paused at that and turned to stare at Himeko. 

“You can grow… cups?” Matsu asked. 

Himeko nodded and then reached around the back of her head and produced a… was that a hollowed-out skull?

Himeko set it down with a hollow thunk. “They hold liquids great!” she said. 

Yumi and Hana stared in horror, she liked to think Matsu and Sharkbait did as well. For once Matsu had nothing to say. Himeko glanced around, shrugged and formed another skull cup. 

Sharkbait coughed. “Don’t do that! If we’re having guests what do you think they’re going to think if they walk in and see us drinking from skulls?”

Himeko narrowed her eyes. “That we’re badasses and they shouldn’t fuck with us?”

Sharkbait raised his finger before lowering it. He looked down at the skull as though weighing up if it was worth drinking from. 

“Himeko, we’re not drinking from a replica of your skull, epic as that might be,” he said with a cough. Hiemko grinned at this before Matsu moved on. “They’re the sort that will take it the wrong way I suspect. Let’s save that trick for another day, hey?” 

Himeko nodded and rose. “I’ll go harass the servants then,” she said, moving before anyone could tell her to stay. 

Everyone turned back to the skull cup. 

“Do… you think it’s clean?” Sharkbait asked. 

“Yeah probably, might have to get her to make a set,” Matsu said with a chuckle.

Yumi stared at them both.

Times like this were precisely how she knew shinobi were different from regular people. 

                                                              ___________________________

“Oh Lord Fuza you’re simply too much!” simpered Mara, playing up her act of being a Lady who was waiting to be rescued by some dashing noble. 

Fuza grinned, and Mara had to admit there was a lot to like in his grin. 

Innocent, bold, and just the slightest bit of cluelessness came through when he was like this. 

Fuza should thank his lucky stars that most kunoichi looked down on nobles. They were a weaker sort of people with their typically pampered lifestyle but that didn’t make them less human. 

Too often young women were told to focus on the children they would bear for their family. Well, Mara had done her ‘duty’ bearing one son into the world for her family. Things hadn’t changed with the clan though. They’d immediately jumped on her and demanded she bear another. 

When another did not appear in her belly she’d faced a lot of backlash, to the point that she’d been shunned and seen her status within the clan diminish. 

A dark part of her rather relished in the fact that she’d outlived those stuck-up Elders who’d so often come calling to have tea and look down their nose at her and her singular son. 

She’d endured the housecalls for years along with the casual aspersions upon herself, her husband, and her family line. She’d even endured the less than subtle offers to act as stand-ins by some of the more lecherous old men. 

She’d informed others of the man’s impropriety but it had been laughed off. An old man and his foibles, they’d said. 

Mara had hated the elders for that. 

She’d then done the most foolish thing in her life. 

She’d ignored all of the training she’d had as a kunoichi to manipulate and control her emotions. 

She’d told those old fossils what she thought of them. She’d tried to tell others.

The Elders had closed ranks around each other like a pack of wolves. Mara had been trained to deal with social attacks and turning favours in court with a look and nothing had prepared her for the absolute tarring and feathering she’d received from her own ‘family’. The only people who had stood with her had been her husband, father, and a handful of teammates. 

The Elders had seen her assigned to a different group in service to the Village. Instead of acting as a home-based sensor that had given her more time at home with Momotaro she had instead needed to patrol heavily contested areas. 

While on a team with just her husband and teammates. As pressure mounted with increased probes from Kiri, Kumo and even Iwa she needed to resort to acting as a chakra battery for her team with how often they came under attack. Sometimes it was three to four times a day. 

By the time Uzushio’s defense grid finally faltered she was riddled with scars and jaded to her clan. The sole light had been her son who had sadly developed a chip on his shoulder while she and her husband had been fighting. 

She could only put a bit of the blame for that at her father’s feet. She had almost given up on getting to steer her son from his headstrong ways, and she knew it was going to be an uphill battle but with Matsu halting her deterioration, she had options. 

“Oh Lady Fuza! I assure you I’m not enough! Not when each day I have to leave your side! You make me feel like a man with only half of himself when you’re not with me!” he declared while clutching at his heart. 

Oh this poor little noble. He simply didn’t have the training to deal with someone like her who’d had nothing but her soft skills to use when helping her family for months now. 

She reached out and made sure to lightly touch the back of his hand, giving him a subtle permission to reciprocate by being the first to initiate contact. “I don’t want that Lord Fuza. The truth is that I had to play coy and try and push you away while I was facing my mortality.” She mirrored his pose. “But… in truth… I too…” She let her lip wobble and her breath stutter. 

When Fuza reached out to put his hand on hers she met his gaze and imagined herself feeling a flame burning in her chest. 

Fuza smiled doppily. “I shan’t care what the court says! I think I shall talk to my father at once!” he said, leaning in so that he could claim her lips. Mara allowed her head to tilt and her lips to part in invitation.

A polite cough made them both pause and Mara mentally smirked even as she lurched a little like she’d been taken by surprise. 

“Young Lord,” said Chen, a relatively reedy-looking man with spectacles that were constantly sliding down his nose.  The man adjusted said eyewear before coughing again nervously.

“You shouldn’t be so hasty to declare yourself like this. … Lady Mara,” he said making sure to pause on the title Mara had claimed. “Is by her own admission destitute and only brings with her an old samurai blacksmith and his apprentice! The court would be in uproar considering that you have spurned the advances of so many others before!” 

“None of them were my fair Lady,” Fuza replied instantly and Mara had to give the young man points. He could be rather silver-tongued when he desired. Hopefully, that would translate to other oral skills if she decided to allow him to do more than kiss and tell. 

“There will still be… much a do about this should you persist in your decision,” said Chen. “Lord Edo alone,” the man said, his jaw clenching slightly as he uttered the name, “will see this as weakness and pounce. He’s been trying to gather a faction of his own for months now!” he said. “Why give them the kindling they need to help with what tiny spark they have?” the man implored. 

Mara noted this down and tracked it with the various other discussions she’d had with Fuza over the last few months. Despite never setting foot in it she had a rather good idea of how the Court worked. Who owed who favours, who despised each other, and of course, who was getting a little too buddy buddy in a bid to try and overthrow the current ruling Daimyo.

Mara had some ideas that she might whisper and manoeuvre Fuza into ‘dreaming up’ on his own, but that would come later. Today was about something else. 

“All this talk of politics has me rather sapped I’m afraid,” she said affecting a tiredness that was still all too easy to don like an old dress about herself. 

Matsu had worked miracles, but he wasn’t ever going to get her back to breaking boulders with a kick, or throwing waves of deadly riptides at her foes. 

Fuza was instantly at her side, supporting her. Bless his kind heart. She favoured him with a touch to his cheek and a smile that made the man melt as his smile became wobbly. 

“I think I smell someone brewing some tea up ahead, shall we impose?” she said. 

“Ah the servants will be surprised!” said Fuza with a laugh. Mara held back her smile as she directed them towards the large set of rooms that she’d assigned to Matsu and his entourage. 

They knocked once for politeness’ sake but then slid the door open. 

The group that was revealed was extremely eclectic in appearance. 

Matsu Uzumaki, a red-haired youth smiled and bowed in greeting. Himeko Kaguya scowled at them and merely grunted. Sharkbait waved casually. And then there was Yumi and Hana, both young girls but while Hana was a child wading after her mistress, yumi was a woman on the cusp of something more. 

She was a stylised beauty and her smile made everyone entering the room feel welcome. 

Chen missed his step as he entered and almost stumbled. “O-oh hello?” he said awkwardly. 

Matsu and Mara shared a smile. Excellent, the hook was baited, now to reel in the fish as Matsu would say. 

“Hello everyone, Lord Fuza, these are some wonderful people that I have been able to shelter of late, they are so entertaining!” she said with a clap of her hands like they were some spectacle to gawk at. 

Fuza smiled and waved at them but Chen tore his eyes away from Yumi to nod at the others only for his eyes to lock on the headbands and markings on the three shinobi’s attire. 

“You are… shinobi?” he said carefully, suddenly much more wary of the people within. 

Fuza paused, blinking as behind him the samurai that had been bringing him around for the past week without noticing the threats they were walking past stiffened. 

Matsu merely inclined his head. “Indeed, we are employed to safeguard our charge,” he said indicating Yumi with another nod. 

All eyes slid to Yumi and the girl blushed prettily before demuring, “I am sorry for causing such a hassle but… it is sadly necessary,” she said quietly. 

Mara watched Chen once more become spellbound with the gentle beauty. “You are in danger then… Lady…” he said carefully. 

Yumi kept her eyes down. “I am no Lady in truth. I am but a woman making her way about the fair nation to find one willing to share herself with,” she said. 

Mara had to give her credit, she’d skirted around calling herself a courtesan wonderfully but if you knew what to look for, you would understand what she meant. 

Chen worried at his lip and Mara could imagine that sharp mind of his, so good at administration tasks worrying at the problem before him. “You needed Shinobi escorts? In the Land of Vegetables? Truly?” he said. 

Fuza straightened as he caught on to what that would mean. He was good like that when issues were brought to his attention. “What could threaten you in our fair land?” he said with a serious lordly tone. 

Yumi continued to look down but let her eyelashes flutter. “I have been subject to quite a number of… ruffians and attacks I am sorry to say. The roads have not been safe for me but thankfully my… aunt understood my unique issue enough to hire my guard before I set out.” 

“Bandits and vagabonds have assaulted you? I have heard no such issues from the lords or the merchants that appeal to us,” said Fuza seriously. 

Chen snorted. “They would only care if it were their wagons being attacked. Much better for them if their rivals perished on the road, but no. that is not the point. Something has made them target you obviously, what would inspire such in these men beyond your beauty?” 

Mara gave Chen another look. Hmmm, it seemed the stiff man had some silver to his tongue as well. 

“It is of no substance, merely a rumour about my parentage you see,” said Yumi even as she looked up and met Chen’s eyes with a watery gaze. She breathed in at just the right time to make sure that any red-blooded man would notice her sizeable assets. 

Mara had to give whoever had trained the girl some points, she knew her craft when it came to seduction. 

“Who?” Chen said, his eyes twitching downwards but not actually looking at Yumi’s chest. 

Mara made sure to pout at Fuza, who had looked. Fuza’s eyes rose dutifully, aware of her gaze. 

Good boy. 

“Lord Edo is said to have… enjoyed my mother,” said Yumi. 

Chen and Fuza both blinked in surprise. “Lord Edo… has a daughter that is…” Fuza said. 

“A woman needs to find her way in the world while repaying her family in whatever way she can,” Yumi replied carefully. “My mo… the Madam, that is,” said Yumi and Mara held back her nod of approval, only the densest of samurai in the room would miss the implication that Yumi cared for the Madam and wouldn’t seek to ‘cut her out’ by simply absconding with Yumi. 

Yumi wet her lips, “I have to find a good… sponsor for my debut,” she said. She then gestured to an instrument that rested to the side. “Might I offer some entertainment while the tea seeps?” she asked, and the men could do nothing but nod. 

Yumi was a good musician. All through the song she held Fuza, Chen, and supposedly Mara spellbound. The samurai guard, stung from their revealed incompetence would occasionally relax only to stiffen and glance towards the obvious shinobi in the room. 

Despite that, they completely missed the way she and Matsu shared looks as the plan he’d suggested and she’d adjusted began to play out. 

By the end of the song, Chen’s spectacles were hanging from his nose as he stared at Yumi like she was a rare wonder that had fallen in his lap. 

Yumi served the tea and during that singular moment, she went off script. “Oh, dear Lord Chen, your glasses aren’t adjusted for you. Here, let me.” 

She reached up and plucked the spectacles from Chen’s nose before bending them slightly. 

Then she offered them back, holding them by the arms so that her fingers danced across Chen’s temples. 

“There, you look much more fetching when those aren’t sliding around on you,” she said granting Chen an honest smile. 

Mara could see it. Chen, for all his skills as the Seneschal of the Court, was not immune to Yumi’s simple charm. 

Mara glanced at Matsu and found the boy watching on with amusement. Hmmm perhaps he was more clever than she thought. It was a deft move to instruct Yumi to do that. 

When Fuza departed that evening, he wasn’t the only one to linger on the doorstep. Chen turned and looked back once at Yumi before smiling and nodding a blush across his face. 

Mara watched them go. 

Line, and sinker, as Matsu sometimes said. 

That night, when Matsu tried to ghost his way up to her in an attempt to practise his stealth she offered the shadow he hid in a smile. “That was rather well done, instructing her to adjust his eyewear.”

Matsu rose, his face not revealing what she knew was annoyance at falling short. “That’s the thing, that was entirely her idea. It was a spur-of-moment decision. It seems to have worked better than anything we did,” he said with a laugh and a twinkle in his eyes that made her think there was more to the joke than just what he was revealing. 

Mara decided to simply nod. “So, you have all your little pieces set up here now. Yumi will join me as part of my retinue of ladies when I take over as the Lady of Vegetables,” she said with a quirk on her lips. 

Matsu gave her a feigned indifferent look. Mara scoffed. “Don’t pretend you haven’t been angling for it. You’ve mentioned all the benefits I’d receive and how no one would dare look too deeply into the Lady of a Daimyo.” 

Mara scoffed. “You’re audacious you know? It is rather against the ‘rules’ for a shinobi to take over the ruling class. The other nations would be rather touchy about this. Hells! Most kunoichi would be offended to marry a mere noble.”

“Shinobi don’t care for rules, not really. They’re more like guidelines. Also? You’re not most kunoichi,” Matsu said, sitting next to her and looking up at the night sky. 

“And you are much blunter than people realise,” said Mara, leaning over and tapping him on the nose. “You need to hide the hand pulling the strings if you want to really be a mover and shaker Matsu.”

“Perhaps I didn’t want to use such methods on you and your family,” he said. 

Mara gave him a flat look to show what she thought of that suggestion. He offered back a shrug. 

“I don’t see why we pretend like we as Shinobi don’t influence the world. It is a figleaf excuse to say we don’t take over merchants businesses every day and co-opt them for our own needs,” he said. 

“Most don’t, they see it as beneath them. You’ve got a queer view of the world,” she replied. 

“And you’re more naive than you believe yourself if you think there aren’t entire organisations that grasp at what they can to claim it for themselves in a bid for power,” said Matsu, his eyes reflecting a reproachful look. 

Mara ignored him. He was far too young to try that on her. 

“So, why shouldn’t I ditch your little plan, and instead find a ship to the Land of Fire?” she said, probing him.

“You know that any and all vessels heading that way are tightly monitored. It’s why you’re here in the east. Also, you might not like what you find in Konoha. There you would be a minor player that would be watched and likely played with by the movers and shakers. You don’t know the webwork of politics in place and would be competing against actual shinobi and kunoichi while crippled, putting you at a great disadvantage.”

Mara made to poke him only for him to sway out of the way. 

“Too blunt! And too clever!” she said. 

Matsu nodded. “So people tell me, but… I don’t want you to falter, I want you to become stronger, and The Land of Vegetables? It can give you time to heal,” Matsu said, his eyes still turned starward searching for something beyond sight. 

“For when you make your bid for power I take it?” Mara said, probingly. 

“For when I become Mizukage, yes,” Matsu said without a care in the world. He said it like it was fact and that he merely needed to wake up one day and don the hat. 

“You… must give your sensei a lot of headaches,” Mara said, rubbing at her temples. 

Matsu turned and smiled at her. “I do,” he said. “Ready for tonight’s healing?” he said raising up his own hand to poke her. 

“What’s the rush?” she said, her heart hammering at the touch. Despite knowing it was good for her she found she couldn’t stop herself from nearly flinching these days when Matsu touched her. 

Such was the pain of the treatment. Worse, he had tens of bite marks to still fix if she ever wanted all of the scars to fade like the first few had. 

Matsu lowered his hand and Mara exhaled in relief. “Sorry,” he said. “I know it’s not fun, but it has been helping you recover.”

“I know, it’s just… maybe find a way to make it less painful in the future neh?” she said. 

“I’ll try,” he said seriously, and Mara knew that he would look into it for her. 

He then sighed and looked back at the stars “Also, I’m on something of a countdown now with Hideo dead. Someone will have to be called in to negotiate for the blade’s return. So I’ll need to wrap things up so I don’t lead any shinobi to your doorstep.”

“Ah,” she said realising he was correct, and that he had been looking rather further ahead than she herself had. 

She eyed him thoughtfully. “I hope you do it,” she said. 

Matsu glanced back at her. “I’ll find a way to make your treatment hurt less, or not at all. Don’t worry, I promised!” he said once again smiling earnestly. 

Mara thought about correcting him on what she meant but decided just to shake her head and smile. “Let’s enjoy the stars for a moment,” she said. 

Matsu didn’t respond beyond reaching out and squeezing her hand. 

                                                          ___________________________

Jin ‘Sharkbait’ Edogawa kicked his legs back and forth, watching as Himeko pile-drove Momotaro into the ground in what should have been a terrible fighting technique. 

That was if she hadn’t already battered and dismantled Momotaro as a threat in the past few minutes. 

Kid really didn’t get that he was throwing himself headfirst into a blender. The kid was proud, way too proud for his own good. 

Now that Sharkbait had spent some time around him, it became all too easy to fight him. 

He could read the kid’s tells ahead of time and lead Momotaro by the nose when he sparred with the kid. 

Not that the kid noticed. He’d only had a few spars with Sharkbait since they’d started squatting in the compound, and those had initially been close due to Sharkbait testing Momotaro rather than trying to win. 

Momotaro had apparently concluded there wasn’t much in between them instead of realising that Sharkbait was holding back. He’d turned his attention to slamming his face into the wall that was Himeko when she was fighting with taijutsu. 

Sharkbait kicked his legs back and forth, considering what he should be doing. 

He’d gotten the chance at some real combat during this mission with all the ‘bandit’ camps that they encountered along with supporting Matsu and Hiroshi against Hideo. 

That last fight… it had been eye-opening. 

He hadn’t thought that there’d be any chance of Hideo beating them when it was three against one. Especially with how he’d gotten off a sneak attack on the prick. 

That moment, that was something he’d remember till his dying day. That bastard had deserved it. 

But he’d still almost beaten them, admitted thanks to overcharging that sword of his, but still. It shouldn’t have been that close. 

Sharkbait could only conclude that he’d been the weakest link. If his initial strike against Hideo had been more immediately fatal they’d have been able to walk it off with a laugh, instead, they’d had to limp away from a series of patrolling samurai and guardsmen in between bouts of healing to crawl back to the compound. 

Matsu had once again come through for them all then. 

Sharkbait knocked a fist to his head. At the end of the day, that was the issue, he wanted to keep helping out, he didn’t want to get left behind but damn it was hard when you were trying to keep up with Matsu of all people. 

He headed off for one mission to the war front and came back with nine different jutsu to teach the other kids, along with being notably tougher in taijutsu. 

Heck! He’d flattened those Kaguya kids one after the other! That wasn’t something the old Matsu would have been able to manage without that trump card he had. 

Matsu… Matsu always seemed to be working on something.

Getting to be on this mission made that clear. Matsu wasn’t about to slow down. If anything, he almost seemed to be speeding up his efforts to get stronger. Back in the Academy, Sharkbait and the others hadn’t understood it. 

They’d thought that Matsu wanted to be seen as the best of their class. 

Instead, he’d been trying to save them all. 

Sadly… that hadn’t been possible. 

Sharkbait… He was honestly glad that Matsu hadn’t chosen him. Instead, he’d stabbed one of the people closest to him. 

That kind of scared Sharkbait a bit, even though Matsu had done it for them… it had taken him a while to reconcile it and realise that Matsu hadn’t had a choice in that situation. 

He’d been backed into a corner and been made to act. 

Sharkbait thought that over and his own experiences with Hideo. Maybe Matsu would want some help when it was time for him to kill Gengetsu. 

Sharkbait snorted. Yeah! Like hell, he’d be able to help. He’d just get in the way.

“What’s got you moping?” said Himeko. 

Sharkbait peered at her, confused that she was approaching him. “Nothing, just… annoyed that I’m so weak I guess,” he said. 

“So stop being weak,” Himeko said with a shrug before marching off. 

Sharkbait glared at her. “It’s not that easy!” he said. 

Himeko turned and scoffed. “That right there is why it’s so hard, don’t mope about it, just do it. Make yourself stronger,” she said. 

Sharkbait stared after her. It seemed like Matsu wasn’t the only one growing during this mission. Himeko seemed different, more willing to talk with people and she… actually had a lot to say that was worth listening to. 

He’d always thought she was just a no-brain brawler. 

“She’s right you know,” said a woman’s voice next to him. 

Sharkbait stiffened and threw himself to the side earning a mocking laugh as he turned and discovered Jonin Akiko sitting where he’d been 

“Wha? You? Since when?” he said. His rapid movement and loud voice had Matsu and Himeko appearing quickly. Both of them paused when they found the Jonin sitting on the deck. 

“Yo,” said the woman with a nod.

Matsu eyed her. “You changed your hairstyle,” he said only to smile at her. “It looks nice.” 

Sharkbait stared at Matsu. Of all the things to say he chose that? Weren’t they screwed? She wasn’t supposed to be here. They were supposed to be back on the road when she found them. They were all going to die!

“Hmmmm, good to see you noticed,” Akiko said. 

She then narrowed her eyes. “You’ve been busy.”

Sharkbait shifted, wetting his lips and watching Matsu and Akiko. This was how they’d go out, killed by Akiko instead of Hideo.  While Hideo had relied on that overpowered sword sharkbait didn’t think for a moment he stood a chance against Akiko. Not even if the old man helped out again.

Akiko reached into a pouch and pulled out a scroll. “I have some new orders that have been relayed to me by Falcon,” she said. 

This was it! This was it! They’d been caught! Sharkbait just knew it. His eyes darted to Matsu who was way too calm and collected. Shouldn’t he be freaking out as well?

“Apparently Hideo got himself killed,” Akiko said, slowly her eyes still locked on Matsu. 

Himeko turned, her eyes flickering from Matsu to Sharkbait and it was all Sharkbait could do not to smirk. Fuck yeah, that asshole was dead!

A smirk right now would be the worst thing he could do though so instead he stared at Matsu, looking for some sign of what to do. 

Matsu stayed quiet, waiting the Jonin out.

Akiko continued like nothing was wrong. “And I’m to seek out who has the blade and await contact with the team they’re sending. If whoever’s holding it is smart, they’ll get a pat on the head and some gold. If not we’re to slaughter them to send a message,” she said without a care. 

Sharkbait waited for the order that she’d investigate who did it. Only it never came. “That’s it?” he blurted. 

Akiko glanced at him. “Yes, while command are sad that Hideo died they’re not at all bothered. There are apprentices who are more than happy he’s dead. So we’re to secure the blade or intelligence of the blade and progress from there.” 

She turned back to Matsu. “Your mission finished?” she said. 

Matsu nodded. “Money is transferring hands,” he said and Akiko hummed. 

“Good, we’ll take move to a more discrete location and then set out looking for the blade… tomorrow,” she said. 

Matsu nodded while Sharkbait’s head swam. What was going on? Why was she being so calm? Couldn’t she smell the guilt on them? Why should they move? 

A door opened behind Akiko and old Hiroshi stepped out. “Matsu you…ah,” said the old man as his eyes landed on Akiko. 

Akiko didn’t even look around. “Don’t,” she said suddenly still not looking at the man. “I didn’t see you, and you didn’t see me, got that old timer?” she said firmly. 

The moment stretched out as Hiroshi weighed up his options.

“Very well,” said Hiroshi. He glanced at the others around the Jonin. “Good travels to you then,” he said before stepping back and closing the door. 

Sharkbait stared at Akiko who scowled at the wall with a patch of timber nailed over a hole.

That… that had been too blatant on her part. 

Sharkbait felt his swirling mind latch onto what just happened. 

Akiko should have suspected who was…

No, wait.

There was no way she didn’t want to ask questions. 

Maybe it was that she couldn’t…

Or shouldn’t?

Oh! What if she did and she just didn’t want to acknowledge it or have other shinobi arrive and question it?

Suddenly her focus on Matsu at the expense of everything else made sense. He… wasn’t really keeping his cool was he? Even this compound raised questions. 

So, by not asking Akiko was doing the same thing?

“Get your stuff and let’s go,” she said. 

Sharkbait sprinted into the house, almost knocking Hana over in his hurry. “Sorry! We have to go! Tell Yumi that we’re sorry but it was something we couldn’t ignore! Good luck with the wedding!” he called as he reached his sleeping quarters and stuffed things into a bag before darting back out to join Matsu and Himeko. 

Akiko looked them all over once before leaping away. They ran a slow route until they were outside the capital at a nearby inn. They stopped a few hundred metres off, well out of sight while still in the trees. 

There Akiko sighed. “Right, you two can head in, I need to beat some sense into my student and see what he thinks he’s learned,” she said. 

Himeko nodded and moved off. Sharkbait took a step only for him to pause. 

He bit his lip before turning. “I… also… I want to see how far I’ve grown!” he said. 

Akiko turned her head and for perhaps the first time that day, she actually took him in. 

Then she gave out a long, slow exhale. “Fuck! Your idiocy is catching!” she said to Matsu before she suddenly vanished and reappeared next to the red haired chunin. 

Matsu blocked with his arms and was sent flying through a tree. When he emerged without a scratch sharbait felt like grinning. 

“If you’re taking part in his lesson I’ll give you some freebies, never take your eyes off an enemy and never get distracted!” said a voice behind Sharkbait. 

Then Akiko kicked him so hard he felt some of ribs break. 

He tumbled through the air and ragdolled a few metres upon landing before weezing in a breath. It felt like the air was knives stabbing him as he inhaled precious air. 

Exhaling wasn’t any better.

The sound of a fight breaking out made him stay awake. Just barely. Then someone lifted him up and put him against a tree.

He opened his eyes and felt his head swim. 

It took a moment, but he found Himeko staring at him. 

Was that respect she had in her eyes?

If so it felt like pain.

She clicked her tongue. “Can’t believe I didn’t think of this before you,” she said before throwing herself into the fight to test herself. 

Sharkbait felt like he was the biggest idiot around as he struggled to rise, finding a way to push through the pain to stand. 

It might be stupid, but it was also progress, and that brought a smile to his face. 

He threw a kunai, and Akiko caught it, but she once again had to acknowledge him by looking his way.

Then the pain doubled and Sharkbait collapsed. 

Just before he blacked out, he thought he saw Akiko nod in his direction, but that might have been a trick of the light.

He at least felt like he’d taken a step forward.

                                                          ___________________________

A.N. Thanks go to my patreons for your continued support!