DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO (THOUGH I OWN A LOT OF NARUTO-THEMED STUFF HAHA, AT LEAST THAT'S SOMETHING)
Team 8
- In Yugakure -
The sun was high up in the sky and there were some clouds accompanying it as well, but despite that, it wasn't that hot that day for there were occasional breezes that blew on them. Team 8 was currently on the road for they were headed to Yugakure (Village Hidden in Hot Water) which is where their client was currently living at. They have been traveling for about a day and a half now and it's only a matter of time before they get there.
"I can't believe all my cousins and relatives get to go find hidden bunkers and I'm being left out…" Kiba complained
"Just suck it up Kiba, it's out of our hands anyway…" Sakura argued
"Sakura is right Kiba and besides, they have it all under control" Kurenai explained to him to which Kiba sighed
"I guess so… But what the heck is our mission anyway?..." he asked
"I do not know the specifics but Hokage-sama told us that our client would explain it to us when we get there" she replied
"Do we know who our client is?" Sakura asked
"I don't know much about our client but all I know is that he's related to a wealthy business in Yugakure" Kurenai answered
"Why didn't this person just hire shinobi from their village then Kurenai-sensei?" Choji asked
"Yugakure (Village Hidden in Hot Water)still has shinobi who live there, they guard its borders, perform odd jobs here and there, as well as keep the roads safe for tourists that visit there. Though the problem is that their military might is not up to par with other minor villages across the elemental nations, which is why our client hired Konoha shinobi" Kurenai retorted
And after a few more minutes, they finally arrived at Yugakure (Village Hidden in Hot Water). They were greeted by a gate with some shinobi stationed there, then guards looked at them and noticed that they were Konoha shinobi. They asked them to stop for a second so that they could ask a couple of questions to them, they also do this to civilians as well in order to ensure the safety of their small country.
"Halt, state your business here" he asked
"We are Konoha shinobi and a client who lives here has requested for us" Kurenai explained
"Do you have the documents?" one of the guards asked, Kurenai nodded and handed them the scroll that they were given by the Hokage the other day. The guard read it thoroughly and then handed it back to her, he nodded and gestured for his comrades to let them inside. The gate opened wider which allowed them to enter, Kurenai thanked them and gestured for her students to follow her.
Sakura, Choji, and Kiba continued to follow their sensei's lead, and as they were walking, they couldn't help but notice that the temperature in the village was a bit hot and that there was steam everywhere they looked, and this is to be expected when a place is named "Village Hidden in Hot Water"
"Where are we heading to Kurenai-sensei?" Choji asked
"Hokage-sama told us to head straight to the plaza where our client would meet us" she replied
"Are clients allowed to omit mission details?" Sakura asked
"Not necessarily, a client would have to talk to the Hokage directly and request for this mission, it would also cost a lot more to request these types of missions. And usually, missions like these could get a bit finicky and a bit complicated" Kurenai answered but her students were still a bit confused
Team 8 arrived at the plaza where they would meet their client, Kurenai saw a bench where they could sit and told her students to sit there for now so that they got rest their legs for a bit.
- 35 Minutes Later -
"*sigh* Why the heck is our client taking so long…" he groaned out
"Be patient Kiba, our client will be here any minute now" Kurenai told him
A man wearing samurai armor with an outfit that resembled a kimono underneath approached them, he sported black sandals, a belt, a pouch, as well as a katana that was sheathed and hanging onto his side. Team 8 noticed him and turned their attention towards the stranger, Kurenai asked if they could help with anything, "Are you the Konoha shinobi that Tamayori-sama hired?" the man asked
"We are and who's asking?" Kurenai returned
"My name is Shotaro Inakaki, Tamayori-sama told me to pick you all up and escort you back to the manor" Shotaro answered
Kurenai eyed him up and down first and once she was done, she then nodded and gestured for her team to follow the man back to where their client currently resided. It didn't take long for them to get there since the manor wasn't far away from where they were and after a couple of minutes, there they saw a mid-sized manor that was resting on top of a small hill.
It was surrounded by a metal fence with intricate designs as well as decorative finials on top of it, the fence encompassed a fairly large amount of land which contained all sorts of stuff like gardens, a fountain, a pond, statues, and a gazebo.
They finally arrived at the front of the gate where they met some guards who were stationed there, Shotaro approached them and informed them who he brought along. After a while of talking, everything was handled and they opened the gate to let them in.
Shotaro and Team 8 walked on a stone path that led to the manor's front door, it was a massive door that was black in color, and it also had door knockers that were really shiny. The manor on the other hand looked really lavish, it was very evident that a lot of money was put into making this house in the first place.
Kurenai and her students were impressed for it dwarfed the other houses they passed by earlier. And not only that, but they also compared this manor to the houses they saw back in their village. Heck, this manor might be even bigger than the Hokage's residence.
Shotaro used the door knockers and waited for the doors to open, it didn't take long for someone to open them. A woman wearing a maid's uniform opened one of the doors and nodded at Shotaro to which he returned the gesture. She also bowed down when Team 8 entered the manor as well, all four of them acknowledged her as well.
"Ahhh! You four must be the Konoha shinobi I requested! Come in, come in!" a man said
Team 8 turned their attention to the top of the stairs that were in front of the front door, there they saw a man wearing a well-cut suit, leather shoes, some jewelry, and glasses. The man looked like he was in his mid-forties but despite that, he looked good for someone his age, he then walked down the stairs and approached them.
"Welcome to my humble abode!" he said but they couldn't help but think that the term "humble abode" wasn't a good descriptor but then they decided to set the thought aside.
"We are and it's a pleasure to meet you Tamayori-san, I am Kurenai Yuhi and these are my students" she looked at them and signaled for them to introduce themselves.
"My name is Sakura Haruno sir, at your service" she smiled at him
"The name's Kiba Inuzuka, and this is Akamaru" Kiba said and Akamaru yipped
"And I'm Choji Akimichi, *sniff* *sniff* is that pork I smell?..." he asked, Kurenai and Sakura couldn't help but palm their faces.
"Oh ho! Why yes yes, my cooks are preparing tonight's dinner. They are cooking one of my favorite dishes, Kakuni Bossam" he replied with a smile
Kurenai laughed nervously because of Choji's introduction, she then thanked him for his hospitality and asked him what he needed them to do. To which he replied that they'll be discussing that over dinner.
"Don't worry about that for we'll talk about it over dinner. For now, please make yourselves at home" he said
"Now that I've brought them here, I'll be going now Tamayori-sama" Shotaro said to him
"Leaving already? You should join us for dinner Shotaro-san!" Tamayori invited him
"Are you sure Tamayori-sama?" Shotaro asked
"Of course! Of course! I expect you to be here later" he said
"Understood Tamayori-sama, I'll be heading out for now" he said and bowed down before leaving the manor
"Now where was I?... Oh right!" Tamayori remembered, he then took out a bell from his coat and rang it. And moments later, a maid came to his call and asked what she could do for him.
"Orihana-san, please show our guests their rooms" he told his maid
"As you wish Tamayori-sama, right this way" she turned her attention to them and led them to their respective rooms. They went upstairs where their rooms were located, Team 8 looked around while they were following Orihana and they saw all sorts of decorations such as paintings ranging from beautiful sceneries, self-portraits, and abstract art, there were also house plants, fancy vases, and expensive furniture.
They walked on a very shiny wooden floor, it looked as if it was polished to its maximum limit. Moments later, they finally arrived at their rooms. Kurenai was to stay in her own room while Sakura, Choji, and Kiba shared one room that was more than big enough to accommodate the three of them.
"Everything you need should be inside there, the bathroom is down the hall, and please don't be afraid to approach me if you need any assistance. The dining room is located at the left wing of the manor downstairs, please be there at six" she bowed down and then went downstairs.
Kurenai turned her attention towards her students who were in awe of the place since this was their first time being inside a fancy house as well as being treated like royalty. And somehow, she too couldn't help but feel out of place there. Kurenai wasn't broke but she still lived a simple life, devoid of anything fancy.
Putting that train of thought aside, she then looked at her students to tell them something, "Now listen to me, I want you three to be on your best behavior starting now. I don't want to hear any complaints about you three alright? Can you do that for me?" Kurenai asked them and all three of them nodded
"Okay good, you three should settle down for now and be downstairs before six. See you there in thirty minutes" she said as she went inside her own room
- Inside Her Room -
Kurenai closed the door and looked around, the room was spotless and looked very cozy. The room had a massive dresser, she opened it and saw just how much space it had. Kurenai was a bit jealous due to the fact that her dresser was smaller and could not fit all of her clothes, she then saw a large mirror where she can see her whole body, Kurenai looked at her reflection and looked at herself for a while, there was also a large window that overlooks another garden at the back of the manor, a study table and a chair, a bookshelf filled with all sorts of books, as well as a king-sized bed that was fitted with fresh sheets.
She placed her bag on the study table and sat down on the mattress, her butt sank down the foam and she felt how comfortable it was. Kurenai then wondered just how much the mattress cost though she was certain that it cost a lot, "Gosh… Is this memory foam? This bed feels better than the one Asuma has in his apartment, heck it even feels better than the one I have!" she thought to herself.
"I could definitely get used to this" she said to no one in particular as she stretched her body to release the pent-up tension inside.
- Outside Her Room -
Sakura opened the door to their room then all three of them entered, they all gawked at how pristine the room looked. Their room was almost identical to the one where Kurenai was currently at for it contained the same set of things but instead of having a single king-sized bed, there were three queen-sized beds with fresh sheets.
"I call dibs on the middle one!" Kiba said as he dropped his pack and jumped on the bed which bounced him up, he sighed for he couldn't help but feel extremely comfy on the bed.
"Hey! Don't just jump on the bed Kiba, what if you break something?" Sakura reminded him
"Relax… I didn't put that much force" Kiba argued
"Kurenai-sensei told us to behave, we're guests here remember" she returned
"Fine fine…" he retorted
"Hey, Sakura, which one do you want?" Choji asked
"I'm fine with either, Choji" she answered
"Well then I'll take the one on the left" Choji said as he placed down his bag beside the bed
All that was left was the bed on the right, Sakura approached the bed, took off her sandals, and laid down on it. She too also felt how soft and comfy the bed was, Sakura wished that her bed back at home was this soft but that didn't mean the bed she has in her room was bad by any means.
Sakura then got up and decided to freshen up before going to dinner, she felt a bit sweaty and sticky due to being out on the road for more than a day. Before heading to the bathroom, she also suggested to her teammates that they should do the same as well to which they agreed.
- 30 Minutes Later -
Kurenai and her students were now downstairs, all of them freshened up before heading downstairs as well. There they saw their client sitting at the end of a long rectangular table and Shotaro sitting beside him, "Come come, please take a seat. Dinner should be ready any minute now" he said to them.
"Thank you for inviting us for dinner Tamayori-san"
"It's my pleasure"
Kurenai and her students approached the table and sat down and moments later, Tamayori's chef and servants came out of the kitchen. Each of them brought different dishes and all of them smelled a symphony of aromas as the food passed by them, the servants placed all the dishes down on the table and also provided them with napkins as they placed them on their lap. Team 8 couldn't help but grin due to the way they were being served, this was most unusual to them after all.
"Dinner is served, we have prepared the following dishes for tonight: Sake-poached Chicken with Soba Noodles, Green Tea Beef Yakitori with Seasoned Rice, Tonkatsu Chicken with Caramelized Carrots, and Tamayori-sama's favorite, Kakuni Bossam (Braised Pork Belly)" the chef finished
"Splendid! Thank you for preparing these, we'll be sure to enjoy these" he said to his chef and the chef smiled as he left
Tamayori was the first one to dig in, he broke apart his chopsticks and began eating but he noticed that Shotaro and Team 8 were still looking at their empty plates. "What are you waiting for? Go on, dig in before it gets cold!" he encouraged them
"Itidakimasu (Thank you for the food)" all of them said as they broke apart their chopsticks, each of them picked what they wanted to try out. Kurenai and Sakura went with the Tonkatsu Chicken with Caramelized Carrots, Kiba picked the Green Tea Beef Yakitori with Seasoned Rice, and Shotaro opted for the Sake-poached Chicken with Soba Noodles. But Choji, on the other hand, couldn't decide which one to pick for he wanted to try all of them but he then remembered what their sensei told them earlier about being on their best behavior so he decided to simply go for the Kakuni Bossam.
All of them ate their respective meals and enjoyed every bite they took, each bite was like an explosion of all sorts of flavors that embraced their taste buds. Tamayori engaged in some small talk while eating to which all of them shared some stuff with him and vice versa, after a while of eating, they were finally done with dinner.
Another set of servants came out of the kitchen, and all of them were bringing a tray with a circular cover. They approached the table and placed down the trays, and then lifted up the cover to reveal what was inside.
"For tonight's dessert, the chef has made Purin (Japanese Custard), enjoy" a servant said
"Excellent, thank you for these" he said and the servants bowed down and left
They waited for Tamayori to take the first bite, once that was done, they then took their own bites of it. And tasting it was like putting heaven on your taste buds, it was rich, creamy, delectable, and overall, extremely hard to resist.
Tamayori swallowed the bite he took and talked to all of them, "Is it alright if we start the discussion now?" he asked
"Of course, Tamayori-san, go ahead" Kurenai said
"Very well, I believe you all know I am related to a very wealthy businessman here in Yugakure (Village Hidden in Hot Water), and that businessman is my father. However, he recently passed away and according to his will, his youngest child would inherit the family business, and that child is me"
"We're sorry to hear that Tamayori-san, our condolences" Kurenai replied and he thanked her kindness
"I have an older brother who lives outside of Yugakure (Village Hidden in Hot Water), he and I have had a very rocky relationship ever since we were children. When he heard the news, he visited me the other day and demanded that I should give him the deed to the business for he was the eldest but I didn't give in. I didn't give the deed to him because I do not think he isn't trustworthy and responsible to handle the family business at all, I also wanted to honor my late father's last wish. With that being said, I fear that he is out to get me so that he could have the business all for himself, I worry that my life is at risk" he explained
Kurenai and her students understood the situation, now they knew that their mission was to protect their client. "I see… But what about your brother? What should we do about him?" Kurenai asked
"I do not want him dead for I still want to fix things with him but if he so hell-bent on wanting me dead then I guess I have no choice but to get rid of him" Tamayori asked in a somber tone
"Very well then Tamayori-san, you can count on us" Kurenai said
"Thank you Yuhi-san, I appreciate it" he said
Now that they were done with dessert, servants came out of the kitchen once more and this time, they cleaned up their dishes and brought them back to the kitchen to wash. Tamayori told them that they should get a good night's sleep since they have been traveling for a very long time. Kurenai nodded and thanked him for the meal, she gestured for her students to follow her upstairs so that they could rest in their respective rooms. But before heading inside, she reminded them to still be alert in case of emergencies, all of them nodded and they went inside their rooms to rest.
(A/N: Hey there, sorry for the late upload, the reason is that I am still handling the courses I have to take for this semester. Also, I'll be uploading slower now because I have classes in two days so sorry about that but I hope y'all understand. Studies come first but I'll try my best to update whenever I can. Hope y'all enjoyed this chapter, that's all cheers! ^^)