Chapter 7
If, in an autumn field,
a hundred flowers
can untie their streamers,
may I not also openly frolic,
as fearless of blame?
Ino made sure to make herself look more worn and dirtier than usual. She needed to sell the part like when she first arrived into this humble village. She split up from the rest of the team, running the rest of the way, while making sure the sweat streamed down her brows and her hair became windswept and unkempt in parts.
Her heart thumped for a second and took a single step into the village where technically her mission began before she knew it.
It was late afternoon instead of evening this time and Ino decided to look around the village. To an outsider she looked like an interested tourist, but beneath she was listening for any semblance of a clue as she made her way to Sakurako Ryokan Bathhouse.
It was a weekday and things were not as hyped as her time passing through on the weekend. People were moving around at a more busy pace than sight-seeing one.
The corner of her eye caught a kamon, a sort of clan crest that came attached with many surnames with an elite history: It was Saito and she couldn't help but notice their crest was a rendition like Sakura. Many businesses here contained this Saito kamon.
She wondered what this sakura theme at play was around here. Sakurako inn, Senbonzakura Org, and now the Saito kamon. Was Sakura a popular theme here or were they all connected?
Nothing else stood out to her after that as she bobbed and weaved her way to the inn she visited before.
Standing outside, she took another deep breath and made her way inside.
She let out a hello beckoning someone to come check her in.
The same woman from before, entered the room in her small but quick steps.
"Oh my, welcome again! Yamanaka-san, right?" The salmon vendor's sister greeted.
She bowed politely and Ino bowed back.
"Yes, my mission is done already, I rushed here so I could get in another hot spring bath before heading back home."
"A wonderful idea, let me get you checked in." She nodded and got to it right away.
Ino played the part of an off-duty ninja but kept her chakra sensory at an all time high. Nobody in this building could even take a footstep without her noticing. It was a technique she had been perfecting over the last year that her father before her had created.
With every dainty step she took, her chakra went into sensing chakra and even its vibrations. It was not something she could keep up with as long as Inoichi could, but she was getting to that point much sooner than he did at her age.
"Why don't you relax in the bath house and I'll have the cook prepare you a meal. You look famished!" The kind woman smiled.
Ino returned the smile. Was this woman innocent? It wouldn't surprise her if she was no more a part of the org than just accepting money and keeping her head down. Looks could be deceiving though, Ino knew that much from experience.
The hot springs at this establishment were very humble, having co-ed quarters for everything, even restrooms. Ino preferred it that way since many chakra she was sensing had more masculine strides.
Ino removed her towel as she slowly crept into the water. She was so focused on the sensing she couldn't actually enjoy a moment in this bath. She only had to play the part. It would look way too suspicious if she refused a dip into a hot spring at a ryokan in the country known for this very thing.
It wasn't long before she sensed a chakra approaching the bath. She casually moved her arms around the water, inhaling the steam, feeling her system being restored.
She sighed contently as the figure moved through the steam. Pretending as though she didn't notice a thing.
The broad figure entered the water opposite to her and sat, unspeaking for a long moment.
Ino made no movement on the outside despite her high alert.
Sounds of water movement came forward as the person appeared out of the steam.
"Hello again, I heard you were back." It was Sasaki.
"Sasaki-san," Ino smiled triumphantly, "do you lounge here much?"
"Sometimes, it is free after all for me." He kept distance still on the other side but clear of the steam wall.
Ino let an "Ah," and continued lazily moving her arms through the water.
"How was your mission in Kumo? That was fast."
"Who said I went to Kumo?" Ino wrinkled her nose, finding herself increasingly going into her interrogator facade.
"If you're going here from Konoha, where else would you go?" He threw up his hands defensively.
"Good point." She replied. "You know your stuff."
"I told you I was from Konoha!" He reminded.
She was guessing this was a fact he was proud of around these parts. Being even a genin in a non-ninja dominated village meant something special.
"That's right, you had ninja training."
He smirked, "If you noticed that means I'm still in shape."
"Definitely," She fake laughed.
"You completed your mission awfully fast." He turned back to topic.
Ino could feel the air growing more tense, despite their environment.
"Kumo borrowed me for a moment, that's it." She broke gaze with him and looked at the ceiling. "It's great that we're all allies now."
"You think so? You think all of that will last?"
"Nothing is guaranteed eternal. That said, it's far too soon to pick up on infighting. We're just rebuilding."
"It's a good time for another village to take advantage."
"Hypothetically," Ino shrugged. "But that's not my problem."
"If it's not yours, then whose?" He raised an eyebrow. Despite his age, he clearly stayed in shape this entire time away from ninja life.
"Yours?" She raised an eyebrow back.
The two stared at each other in silence for a long moment, waiting to see if the other would make even a twitch of a move.
The silence was deafening until he let out a roar of laughter.
"You're nothing but a kitten, but you can hold your own, I'll give you that."
Ino didn't waver in her stare, ready to break his arm in a split second if he moved towards her.
"Listen here, none of this involves you or Konoha. So here's my advice: go home. Let what's going to happen, happen. If you stick your nose into this, you may get your village dragged in, you never know."
"Dragged into what?" Was all Ino repelied, starting to feel the effects of staying in the hot spring too long. It had been 30 minutes, the limit.
"What's happening."
"And what is happening?" She asked, becoming agitated.
"A massive change of geography."
Ino pondered a moment. "You're interested in taking Kumo?"
"That's a bit ambitious, don't you think?" He snickered.
"Chunks or pieces of it." The wheels began turning in Ino's head. It would make sense to cause disarray in the center of Kumo to distract from land grabbing. "But the Land of Hot Stones is peaceful and has been for some time. I don't buy it that now of all times they would turn their back on that."
"Who said they were?" He asked. She saw his face becoming flushed as well. Him being more than double her age, it was probably hitting him more than her, she realized.
"You're about to faint, how about we get out and dressed. We can discuss this further inside. I need to know how my village can stay far away from this." Ino suggested.
Sasaki nodded, eagerly stepping out.
Ino followed, walking out the way she came on the other side, their eyes never leaving each other.
As she wrapped her towel around her, his eyes darted to her naked frame.
In any other scenario she'd be furious and scandalized at an old pervert, but she wasn't herself now: she was preparing to pounce if he so much as breathed wrong.
She eyed him as he grabbed a yukata bathrobe and slipped it on. She seemed more tense than he did and that worried her.
Without breaking contact, she reached for her own.
As soon as one arm slipped through she felt it.
"Mizushoheki!" Ino gave the hand signal Inu, creating a water barrier to protect her from the oncoming senbon barrage from behind.
It all happened in a split second but that's all it took for Ino to turn and see Sasaki running.
"Son of a bitch!" She yelled, giving chase not paying attention to her untied yukata and towel still wrapped around her.