Chapter 10

Upon entering the room, she took off her shoes, then threw herself on the bed, with bags still on hands. She really wanted to enjoy a little of care-free time before she would have to think about her next steps. It was far from being the first experience alone of the outside she had always dreamed of, but ending up in that place gave her a glimpse of an interesting aspect of civilian life she never had a chance to explore: business. The area was a turning point on the commercial route that bonded the Land of Earth with the Land of Fire and the rest of the Shinobi world. Although the two countries weren't politically in good terms, the ancient Silver Road had never truly lost its importance for the merchants. The Road wasn't as frequented as it used to be, but it was the safest way to cross the borders, so it wasn't unusual to meet a convey of goods or some merchants on the way. The inn and the eating place were a rest area before entering in the Land of Waterfall.

After a quick shower and a nap, she had gone to the eating place near the inn where a young man was rearranging the tables. He had explained to her that, since it was very hot in that moment of the day, most of the people would wait until around 3:00 pm to come out and eat. Travelers would arrive start arriving at this period too, so it had been quite a surprise to see such a young one like her in that place at that hour. As his first client, he served her the local specialty. Lunch went by quietly, as Fuu busied herself filling her empty stomach while the man was cleaning the counter. When she went towards the counter to pay, the owner made a gesture with his free hand as if sweeping away the very idea of her paying. Seeing her a little unsettled, he let a light laugh escape him then told her that it was on the house. At that moment, three people entered, a woman accompanied with two other men. The three were talking about something regarding a new contract with a fisher company, located somewhere in Kirigakure. The attention of the owner then drifted towards the new customers, and Fuu exited silently the place and turned around went into the small grocery store to buy some snacks and some other items she forgot to take with her when leaving her house.

Thinking back at her run away, Fuu realized it was the doom of destiny that she hadn't ended up in at the borders' gates. She would have either been imprisoned by the Land of Earth or given back to Taki were the same fate would have awaitened her. From now on, she would need to move carefully and hide her identity – that meant she couldn't be herself among others anymore without risking her life. This thought left her with a bitter taste. I should stay positive, just as Chomei always taught me, she thought, turning her head to look over the window. Chomei hadn't showed up once ever since yesterday night, and it was getting really anguishing, as if something was digging her from the inside. And this awful feeling was promising to follow her for the rest of her life. How can one live such a lonely life? Is it even worth living like this?

Closing her eyelids, she secretly hoped Chomei heard her and would intervene to correct her statement, reminding her life was precious.

Nothing.

There was no one beyond her eyelids except her. She puffed in annoyance; she could understand he had wanted to punish her with his silence, but she recognized she had acted childishly and she was really sorry what happened. Right now she needed someone she could trust and on whom she could rely on. She never felt so lost in all her life, and it was getting really hard to bear. Chomei? Chomei, please, forgive me... I'm so sorry Chomei... I beg you, please... forgive me...

She didn't know what else to say. She had no prior experience. It was the first time she had argument with Chomei and she was scared to death he would never forgive her for treating him like she had. However, thinking back at the stories she had read, it was actually quite common for friends to have arguments. Moreover, sometimes it was thanks to those hard times that they friendship would go stronger. She rolled on her back to face the ceiling. Time was all they needed. When he would feel ready, he would come back to her. She just needed to be patient – she who patience had none. Time to grow up Fuu, she told to herself. Feeling a little more confident, she jumped up and stretched her body. For the moment, she needed to focus on her next steps. So she turned to the small desk opposite the bed and picked up the flyers and the map the receptionist had given her; then she turned to the bed where she left the bags to empty them of their content. Picking up a red pen and a bag of spicy snacks, map laid in front of her, she settled to choose her next target.

At the time she fell asleep, the stars were already blinking in the sky.

On the following morning, soon after dawn, Fuu was already going down the stairs. She decided this place would have been the last one where Fuu of Takigakure was seen. Since the Land of Earth didn't have friendly relationships with her homeland as it was the ally of the Lanf of Fire. She probably had less than a week at worse before Takigakure-nin and reinforcement from the allied shinobi villages would get the authorization to cross the borders without starting another Great War, which gave her enough time to get off the grid.

As she descended the stairs, she crossed paths with the woman she had seen the day before. The lady stopped in her track and turned as if wanting to ask the young girl something, but thought against it and kept going up. Fuu didn't give it much attention and went straight to the receptionist to greet him and give the keys back. When she appeared into his line of sight, the man stood up, a ghost of a smile drawing on his face, and took the keys from the girl.

"Good morning! Slept well?" he said as he put the keys back behind the counter.

"Yes sir! I recovered from yesterday's trip now. Hehe, I was quite a mess, wasn't I?" Fuu said as she lowered her head in embarrassment, thinking back at how terrible she had looked the day before.

"Well... I understand it is part of Shinobi life but... Well, I still feel it's quite a young age for this kind of travels" the man looked rather upset at the idea. "Anyway, what's your next destination?"

"Kuroishi! I already read all the information necessary about my trip. Mmh, I was thinking about stopping in one of the two villages that are in the way, I'll decide once I'll be there".

"You should make a halt at Harago, it is situated next to a branch of Kosa River. There are grasslands all around. It's pretty. It changes from the never-ending dust. Oh, today is Friday, right? Usually on Fridays, some caravans stop there to make the full of water before they continue their journey. The nomads take every opportunity to sell their merchandise, even outside markets. You should take a look, they bring very interesting stuff from every part of the world."

"Oh, that's wonderful, thank you so much! I'll be leaving, then. Thank you again for everything sir!"

"Yeah, take care and all the best." she heard while she pushed the front door.

The landscape that appeared in front of her was nothing like the place she had been the day before. There was a slightly fresh breeze and the pale sandy color of the desert had been changed in a myriad of shades that went from stone red to golden yellow. The sun painted the brush stroke clouds in a similar way, but the most beautiful feature was how the light blue sky contrasted with the rest of the picture. She stayed a couple of seconds in contemplation to print the image on her mind, then she turned to the unpaved road.

It didn't take her too long to reach Harago. It was indeed a small village, with more or less tall houses clustered around the edges of the stream, joined by a old stone bridge. All around, the land was paved with a fresh green grass that made it difficult to think this place was in the middle of a desert. As she approached, a small crowd around a line of colorful tents. Women and men alike were screaming from their stalls full of goods of any kind, shouting prices and reduction promises to whoever came to buy from them. Some were already in front of the stalls, with their chosen pieces on hand, bargaining with the sellers. Others were walking around or chatting, or just watching over the children who were running up and down the street. Fuu looked in amazement at the buzzing crowd in front of her. She had never gone into a market before, so this kind of human activity was completely unknown to her. Back at Takigakure, she wasn't allowed to go shop by herself. Most of the time, the people in charge of her education and security provided her with the all the food and clothes she needed. When she turned 12, she had been allowed to wander in the shops at the center of the village, but only once a month, and usually at the end of the day when most of the people was already back home. Shibuki had once told her it was a privilege of being served, that in daytime markets were a place you should better because of the confusion and the brawls that occurred from time to time. She had known back then, that there were other reasons behind the ban, but she had preferred to keep it for herself.

A sweet smell lingered her senses and brought her right in front of a small a man with greying hair. He was sitting on a stool, carefully putting a bowl of sticky rice in a giant aluminum pan that contained caramelized red berries. The fragrant fruity smell that came out of the pan was still mouth watering even after the man put a lid on it. He then turned to pick up a dozen of small bowls. Looking back at the people standing in front of him, he told them it would be ready in one minute. Her stomach was growling. She didn't eat anything before leaving; she needed to save as much money as possible. She didn't realize how little money she had actually had until she had counted down what remained and realized how fast the money could go. On the other hand, she could still have a treat there then wait until dinner. The dessert – if that was it – looked hearty and affordable. She would make an exception this time.

Once she finished her breakfast, she wandered around the other tents and exchanged a few greetings with the merchants, refusing politely their offers. She was indeed looking for something, but she wasn't sure she could find it. The previous night, she had thought deeply about how to cover her identity, and the first thing to do was to change her looks. She could use a transformation technique but that would require a great amount of chakra. Not only the jutsu would be dissipated if she was hurt or too tired, but it would become easier for sensitive ninjas to locate her. She had an advantage in that field as she learned very young how to hide her chakra signature – a precaution her teachers took in case she found herself outside the village with no protection. But it wouldn't have been enough either because the odd color of her hair would make her identifiable even by a passer-by.

She walked absentmindedly towards the end of the line until something caught her attention. Next to the last tent was a woman sitting on the floor with few items displayed on sheet.

That's what I need!