Konoha was exactly how I'd imagined it to be, very underwhelming. I never found any interest in a village surrounded by trees. Since the five years I've spent in this virtual world now turning into a reality, I've travelled to the four nations and gathered whatever I could, saving Konoha for last for, well, very good reasons. One was that I didn't want to be like every other idiot who gets trapped in a silly fan fiction and somehow disrupts an entire story line. And two, well, I honestly just didn't want to come through. Thinking about those two reasons, I probably should've made a third.. fourth.. and fifth one to deter me from ever thinking of trying to come here because as it is, I couldn't quite escape the eyes of two cloaked figures that looked rather menacing in those black and red dresses.

"Well miss," Kisame started, "You look rather pale, why not have some tea with us."

I'm not going to lie and say I planned this whole trip out, I just made sure that I'd arrive in Konoha during an inconsequential time, and it turns out that I suck at planning. I really do.

I laughed off the suggestion and waved my hands in a shooing motion.

"I don't really have money for that kind of service"

I quickly darted in the other direction, stopping at a local shop to grab a drink. I actually was kind of thirsty and rather out of breath. I walked in the shop and laid down my bag of goodies to order myself some tea. I began to wonder then why I wasn't so stressed out at what exactly just happened. It was probably because of the five year experience of seeing stranger shit, I really did think I was desensitized to it all by now. Thinking about it, I never felt the need to panic when I first got here. Instead I looked at it as an opportunity to do what I always wanted to do, which was travel around, draw cool things, and sleep whenever I wanted to. Things I knew I probably would've never achieved going through a four year process that would at most only guarantee a job as a cashier.. maybe not even that really.

I sighed.

"Besides.. The views here are amazing.."

The tea was brought to me a few minutes later and I set it aside to place all my arts and crafts on a table that should've sat four but I took the whole thing, saving only little space for my cup of tea; the owner didn't seem to mind as business apparently ran very slow and I looked to be the only customer for the day.

"What you got there?" The owner asked, whilst cleaning a mug, wanting only to spark a conversation to pass the time.

I didn't mind.

It always got lonely too quick for me.

"Just a bunch of paintings and stuff I bought and made"

The owner nodded, "From around here?"

I shook my head, "I haven't gotten to getting a good vantage point to paint this place yet"

The owner seemed a bit surprised at that, "Oh a painter are you? You must be new here? Where'd you come from and how many.."

The questions seeped through faster than I could answer them and I began to blush as the questions turned into compliments as the man admired my work from not too far away. The counter wasn't more than a few seats apart from where I was sitting so he got a good enough look at what I had set out on the table.

Before the man could continue on, he turned away and greeted some other customers with just as much exuberance as when he was talking about my arts.

"Come in come in! What can I get for you two!"

I turned to look at the newcomers because I was just rude like that.

"A place to sit" Kisame answered back.

I was an absolute idiot.

—

The woman that stood before them didn't look to be anywhere past her mid-twenties and by the way she dressed, both Kisame and Itachi knew she wasn't from around here.

Her hair was short, in a brown bobbed mess, stood around the same height as Itachi but slightly shorter. All meaning she was dwarfed by Kisame's physique. Her attire was composed of a light pink one piece dress that looked to resemble a kimono combined with a pair of very rough looking boots.. topped with a strange apparel on her head. Together with the bag she had on her back, they were all indications that she was a traveler, a somewhat unassuming looking traveler.

Otherwise a safe encounter.

Which is why Kisame offered her to join them for some tea but she ran away with, well, above-civilian-like speed.

"This is what I get for trying to be nice" Kisame said, fairly irritated it seemed.

"Why'd you bother?" Itachi asked, "Knowing what kind of reaction you'd get.."

Kisame looked at Itachi with what looked like hurt on his face.

"C'mon.." Itachi began, "Let's just go get some tea.."

The two began their walk in silence and arrived at a shabby looking tea-shop. It was actually Itachi's favorite place.

Both of them heard animated chatter coming from inside and as they lifted the blinds from the shop, they were greeted with that same animated sounding chatter.

"Come in! Come in! What can I get for you two!"

Kisame looked around noticing there was only a single table with benches lining on either side but it was preoccupied by a smaller lady.

"A place to sit" he answered.

At that moment the smaller lady looked behind and Kisame raised his brow at the familiarity that happened only a few minutes ago.

"Ah" the smaller lady sounded.