A knock at the door pulled Aroka's attention away from the journal in her hands, she closed the pages and slid it in a drawer before slowly moving to answer the door.
"Hello?" she blinked at the unfamiliar Senju.
"Imada-san, a message has come for you," he handed over a neatly rolled length of paper held in place by a thin cord.
"Oh, thank you," Aroka took the scroll, glancing it over curiously. The man excused himself before vanishing in a cloud of smoke.
Immediately, she could tell it was from someone back home. The chakra-laced ink became more legible as she unfurled it carefully, smoothing it down onto the desk.
Aroka,
I hope all is well. According to your last letter, you should have arrived back earlier this week. You have already remained in Konoha nearly two weeks longer than expected, I hope you will not delay your return any longer. If this letter reaches you, please let us know you are safe as well as when to expect you. If you have already left Konoha and this is received by someone else, please disregard this letter.
Your friend,
Imada Toru
Aroka had nearly forgotten that her return was long overdue. This was now the third letter she had received regarding what was supposed to be just a week-long visit. She'd had to tell a little white lie in order to get him to agree to letting her go in the first place, after all if she had told him the truth about how long she planned to stay, there was simply no chance of getting his approval.
Aroka set aside the letter and stood up to stretch. Toru could wait a bit longer; he always did worry too much.
Noticing a familiar line approaching, she carefully shuffled over to the door and opened it with a bright smile.
"Hi Tobirama," she greeted with an excited hug before ushering him inside. The Senju always visited her whenever he was able to get away from work, though admittedly that wasn't very often.
"I heard you had news about the ambush," he started, taking a seat at the small glass table near the foot of the bed.
"Yes, I figured out the bandits' motive. They were working for someone in the Hoki clan and communicated through a third-party messenger, which was why I didn't see it at first. After the attack the bandits left a message for the envoy near the border of the Land of Wind, then envoy the relayed it back to some members of the Hoki clan."
"What was the message?"
"They carved something into large stone by a river but I couldn't tell what it was." She recalled the open field she had watched them cross, heading straight to a prominent, jagged rock that was half submerged in the river. One of the bandits carved something into the side facing the water before the group retreated back the way they came. Because she was only able to make out vague shapes and outlines through Detailing, she couldn't distinguish what exactly the marking was. Judging by the brevity of the action, though, she knew it had to be something relatively simple.
Tobirama nodded thoughtfully, a plan already forming in his mind, "Do you know who in the clan hired them?"
"I don't think it was one person, considering the envoy usually met with multiple Hoki clansmen. I can give you the names of the ones he encountered." Grabbing a pen from her desk, Aroka listed out each person that seemed to have interacted with the messenger: six members in total.
Tobirama glanced over the list and nodded, "I'll look into this. Thank you, Aroka."
"Happy to help," she grinned.
And with that, he was up and gone.
She let her smile drop and sighed quietly.
He always visited her whenever he was able to get away from work, though it was never her he came for.
Mila knocked softly before the voice on the other side beckoned her in.
"I was hoping you weren't still asleep," she smiled, turning on the lights as she approached the desk across the room.
"I got up early today just so I wouldn't disappoint you," Aroka grinned, looking up from the book in her hands.
"How thoughtful. Anyways, do you want to go out? I hear there's a new string of restaurants opening near the library, the grand opening is going to be big!"
"I would, but I don't think I'm feeling up for it today, sorry."
"Oh? Do you not feel well?"
"Don't worry, I'm not sick or anything. You should go see the new stores, let me know if there's anything good and we can go some other time, ok?" she grinned encouragingly.
"Are you sure you don't want to come? You haven't left the compound in a few days, are you sure you're ok?"
"You know I've never been a big fan of the outdoors, now don't worry about me, go have fun! Tell me all about it when you get back."
"Well... ok, but if I find a good place you have to go with me next time, alright?"
"It's a promise!"
The door clicked shut and silence once again enveloped the room. Aroka smiled to herself, turns out Mila was a big fan of exploring the city, who would have thought? You'd be hard pressed to find her in the compound during the day, even after sunset she frequented the night markets and bright lights of Konoha. Mila was born and raised in their hometown, she had never even set foot in another village before recently, to her it must be like an entirely different world. Aroka envied her friend sometimes. The city never inspired the same kind of wonder in her, but maybe that was less to do with the city itself and more to do with her own limitations. She imagined it would feel like an adventure, discovering new places and seeing new things, like living in an ever-expanding world, how wonderful! The stories Mila would return with filled her with imagination for a world she could only dream of: the aromas of a passing restaurant, the brilliant shine of street lights at night, fireworks that lit up the sky. It would be nice to live in that world, wouldn't it? Aroka smiled to herself, moving to pick up the notebook she had left on her bed. But before she even made it halfway, she suddenly found herself on the ground.
For a moment, she simply stared at the floorboards beneath, fingers curling tightly into fists, before releasing a heavy breath and slowly rising to her feet once again.
"Good, you're here, now we can begin the meeting," Hashirama stated as his old friend and longtime rival, Madara Uchiha, entered the small conference room.
"Have you found anything new?" the man asked, taking a seat next to his younger brother who had arrived not long before him.
"Aroka was able to figure out some information about the purpose of the attack, it seems one of our initial suspects, the Hoki clan, was likely behind it. We've already sent some men to a spot near the border of the Land of Wind that could give us some more information."
"What are you expecting to find?"
"A message the bandits left for their benefactors. Aroka gave us a description of the area, we've narrowed it down to a five-mile stretch of this river," he looked to the map spread on the table, tracing his finger along a portion of the large river that lay between the Wind and Rain Countries.
Madara furrowed his brow, "What else?"
"That's all we have so far, once the scouts return-"
"That's all? It's been almost a week since our men were attacked and all your seer was able to find was some message those bastards left?" he demanded, a scowl now twisting his features.
"Madara, I know you're anxious to find them but you shouldn't blame her. They've been nearly impossible to trace, even for us, Aroka is doing all she can," Hashirama reasoned gently, though it did little to calm his friend.
"You are a fool if you believe that. Someone with her complete knowledge of the past could discover anything at all if they wanted to. You have become too reliant on her half-hearted words to think for yourself," his voice dripped with impatient rage.
"Watch your tongue, Uchiha," Tobirama warned. "You seem to think your clansmen were the only ones targeted. They killed two of our own, do not doubt our investment in their capture."
"Which is why it surprises me that you listen to her excuses so easily."
"What has you so convinced of her unwillingness to help?"
"The same thing that should convince you: logic. Unfortunately, you're too blinded by your own interests to see the plain truth, but I have no such impairment," he stood abruptly, leering at the younger Senju for a moment before exiting swiftly.
Izuna glanced worriedly after his brother, mumbling an "Excuse me," before following after him.
After both Uchihas were out of sight, Hashirama pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a long breath.
"Do you two have to argue every time?" he sighed, weariness seeping into his voice. By the time he looked up again, however, Tobirama had already turned down the hall. "Hey w-!" the thud of the door closing cut him off.
Hashirama stared at it for a moment, crestfallen, before dragging a hand down the side of his face in exasperation.
"Toru, sit," a middle aged man with thinning brown hair gestured to the only empty seat in the room. He, along with two much older men, sat around a small wooden table, each donning the intricate flowing robes unique to the Imada clan.
"Has Aroka responded?" the apparent eldest of them questioned, voice brittle as a dry leaf in winter.
Toru eyes never met any of theirs, instead he stared, unfocused, at the beautifully woven hems of their silks.
"No," he stated listlessly.
"This is the third time we have asked her to return, is it not?"
"...yes."
"Then you know what to do next."
Now his expression wavered with concern, "Can't we… can't we give her just a little longer? She'll come back, I'm sure." Despite his best efforts, his words were unconvincing, even to himself.
"We have given her enough time; you should never have let her leave in the first place. We cannot put the village at risk any longer, we will only do what is necessary," the first man spoke again, just a tinge of sympathy dulling his tone, "Go now, Toru."
Though he hesitated, the young leader stood up with a nod, eyes still lowered, and turned from the room.
