TALES OF THE WARRIORS: Nabiki
It didn't take long for the ninjas to reach the village where the goods had been stolen from. The villagers expressed their gratitude and the head of the village offered them many gifts. The ninjas politely refused, instead telling them to be better prepared to deal with future raids. Nevertheless, they did take the opportunity to have a light lunch before they left.
Every stolen good had been returned, except for one; the beautiful necklace that was in Nabiki's possession.
Nabiki could feel it inside the pouch she had on her belt as she walked. Turns out none of the villagers had ever seen the necklace before much less own it. Maybe it belonged to some woman of a high social status. Or maybe it belonged to a merchant who was trying to sell it. The former seemed more likely. Even though she knew that she had to find a way to return it, the pink pearl was simply gorgeous.
At that moment Tenzo decided to address his team, snapping Nabiki out of her daydream. "All right everyone, now that we have completed our mission, it is time for us to head back to the clan. Remember to be sure we are not being followed and that we leave no trace. Are we clear?"
"Hai!" Everyone said.
At once they took off, some flying some running. Nabiki ran alongside the feline and the crane while Tenzo took the lead with a langur and the rest behind them. From time to time, the group would stop, and several chosen members will go back a bit to check if they were being followed. Others would go ahead to scout for upcoming threats. Once the coasts appear to be clear, they would all take off again. When it comes to ensuring the safety of fellow ninja and keeping the secret entrance that leads to the clan hidden, one can't be too careful.
After an hour, the ninja's managed to reach a place that was littered with giant boulders. Tenzo quickly found the secret entrance and led the group into a long dark tunnel using only one small torch. The entrance was then sealed, giving the impression that to the casual observer, there was nothing but a bunch of rocks. Thirty minutes later, they reached another secret entrance that can be activated only by placing the pebbles on the ground in certain spots on the wall.
"Okay Bao-kun, now remember where to place the stones." The langur said.
"Hai Eito-san."
The feline, now known as Bao slowly picked up the ten pebbles and began placing them in certain holes in the wall. It took him a while because this kind of puzzle was very tricky and needed a lot a memorization. After five minutes he started to hesitate with the last four pebbles.
"Uh, anyone want to help out?" He asked sheepishly.
"I'd help Bao-kun, but I always get stuck at this one as well." Said Nabiki.
Eito shook his head. "Like this again Bao."
The crane used his beak to pick up the last four pebbles and placed them in their proper spots. There is a click and a section of the wall lifts to show a door. Tenzo opened the door using a key hidden beneath some dirt in the wall. It opened, and sunlight came through, temporarily lighting the dark tunnel and briefly blinding the shinobi. Everyone walked through the door way, with Nabiki pulling on a chain outside to close the entrance once more.
The stone path led the group all the way to a large village hidden in the mountains. Large being a relative term considering that it looked more like a city than anything else. This is the home of the Hidden Mountain ninja clan. Besides the ninja who live here, there were to name a few also Japanese Macaque, Japanese Serow, Silka deer, a few Tanuki, weasels, chickens, goats and many birds. These made up most of the normal villagers who have been taught some form of karate to defend themselves in case the shinobi were unable to hold off a large army alone.
The group greeted the villagers with a few bows and respectful hand signs while heading towards the main head quarters of the ninjas. At the entrance was the Head of the Village and the master of the ninja academy; a black swan with a red bill, dark eyes, clad in the robes of a village leader.
"Welcome back by young shinobi." He said. "Was your mission a success?"
Tenzo stepped forward. "Junichiro-sama. My warriors and I have managed to retrieve the stolen goods from the bandits and returned it to the Hoshi Village. We have managed to cover our tracks so that no one can follow us here."
"Excellent work Tenzo-san. You have performed admirably. Is there anything else to report?"
Nabiki bowed before Junichiro. "Junichiro-sama, permission to speak?"
"Of course young gazelle."
She reached into her pouch and pulled out the necklace. "This does not belong to any of the residents we helped. I have come to believe that it belongs to a noblewoman, but I am not sure who."
"May I see?" Junichiro takes the necklace from Nabiki. His expression becomes serious.
"Is something the matter sensei?" Tenzo asked.
Junichiro looked up. "Would you be surprised if I told you this necklace comes from China?"
There was a pregnant pause. The black swan waited for them to speak up for a few seconds.
"Well that narrows it down." Bao says sarcastically before getting smacked in the head by Tenzo.
"Show respect to our leader!" He scolded.
Junichiro ignored the exchange. "It's all right Tenzo. It is indeed from China, most likely belonging to a high status woman."
"Permission to ask a question." Bao said.
"Granted as always."
"Why would bandit's travel to China just to steal a necklace?"
"I do not know. I may suspect it had been stolen and later traded until it reached this land. Or something like that. Anyway the necklace is not the major issue here. There have been some reports that have me very concerned. But we will not discuss this yet. For now you have the rest of the day off. Tomorrow I will be discussing the reports with you and the other ninjas. And your training will also resume."
The shinobi bowed. "Arigato sensei."
"And Nabiki-chan. You may keep the necklace for now. Until you decide to do something else with it."
Nabiki looked up in surprise but smiled and bowed in gratitude. With that said the young ninjas left the presence of their master and returned to their homes. The gazelle said farewell to her friends as she entered her home. She had moved into this cottage when she was eighteen and had been here for two whole years now. After taking a quick shower and changing into a more casual kimono, Nabiki took the opportunity to make herself a small vegetable dinner and a cup of white jasmine tea. Feeling relaxed she sat on the back porch of her home, fiddling with the necklace.
Her mind turned back towards Junichiro's words. He seemed really concerned about something to the point he wanted all of the ninja there to listen. It was a rare event and she never had to deal with it since she started training at age five.
"Whatever it is, I only hope it will not affect the clan too much." She said to herself. "Perhaps it has something to do with tomorrows training."
With this in mind, she decided to go and meditate in the garden. It was after all a beautiful day.
Meanwhile Junichiro was looking over the reports. He looked at one scroll and let out a deep breath. He placed it to the side before getting up and looking out the window, eyes towards the mountain wall as though trying to see beyond it.
"Something is going to happen. I just know it. What are you planning, Zolton?"
