Koto walked into the village, a pack on her back filled with her essentials and the beautiful sea stones she found herself selling or occasionally gifting to particularly friendly faces on the road. She took a deep breath inward. The air smelled like new spices, meats roasting, and the breeze from the forest brought the smell of nature to her. She moved forward, glancing at the many stalls along her way. People seemed friendly - they smiled and nodded at her when she met their gaze, even though she was clearly an outsider. She wore the band of the Land of Lightning around her waist, cinching her green dress. The other tell-tale sign that she was an outsider was her lovely brown skin and visible tattoos on her lower legs, which were both relatively uncommon in the Land of Fire.
Her path took her to a lovely, cozy-looking tea shop. She noticed a "Work Available" sign outside the door and decided to step inside for a cup of tea. If it was friendly enough, she'd probably apply. Ordering a cup of a light peony tea, she enjoyed her conversation with the apparent shop owner, a lovely middle-aged lady with laugh lines on her face. Koto inquired about some part-time work - the owner gladly accepted the help, getting her a light brown apron and letting her know she could begin the next day.

"Do you know of any good lodging nearby?" Koto asked. If not, she wasn't opposed to camping in the lush forest.

"Why, if you'd like, we have an available room around back. You could use the kitchen when needed, and you'd have a comfortable bed, a small reading nook, and your own bathroom and shower," Yua, the shop owner, said.

"I'll take you up on that, if you don't mind," Koto smiled.

"A nice girl like you, we'd be glad to have you." Yua led her through a hallway to the back of the building, out a back door, and to a door on a part of the building to the side. She opened the door to a small but airy space and handed Koto the key. "Just don't throw a party or anything… at least, without inviting me," Yua laughed.

Koto bowed. "Of course, Miss Yua, thank-you."

The women parted ways as Koto got comfortable in her new living space. She felt like this stop on her journey would prove to be a good one.

The next day she got up with the sunrise. It was now a habit from all of her time sleeping outside. She noticed a light on in the tea shop kitchen so she took her apron with her as she approached, figuring there might be some early-morning prep work. Walking into the kitchen she was proven correct, as Yua and a young gentleman were filling glass bins with fragrant tea leaves and gathering tea pots and cups that had been cleaned the night before.

"Good morning," Koto bowed to the pair. "Is there anything I can help with?"

"Koto!" Yua greeted. "Yes, there will be, but first: grab a tea cake and something to drink if you'd like. You need to eat before working. Secondly, please meet my son, Akihito."

Koto grabbed a tea cake and leaned against a counter to the side of the room. "Hello!" Akihito chirped brightly. "It's nice to have a guest!"

"Thank you," Koto smiled, munching on the small baked good.

"And having such a pretty guest," Yua whispered to her son, nudging him.

"Mom…" he muttered, blushing.

After eating, Koto was guided through morning prep work. She focused on the front room - tidying the small tables and comfortable cushions, preparing the tea bar at the center of the room, and eventually opening the windows and the door. They were open for business.

There were already a few older men waiting outside the door, clearly regulars waiting for their morning tea and conversation. They all greeted Koto as they walked in, welcoming her to the shop. She had to chuckle - she should be welcoming them!

The morning was uneventful, and the afternoon brought slower business. Eventually a tall man with white hair and his face partially covered walked in, two younger ninjas following him: one with blonde hair and a loud mouth, and one with pink hair and an annoyed look on her face. They took a seat by one of the windows, and the white haired man pulled out a book.

"Master Kakashi, I wanted to stop by the ramen stand," the blonde complained.

"Naruto, you always want ramen. We want tea and cakes - let us win this once without all of the complaining," the pink haired woman shot at him, looking ready to hit him.

Koto approached, already smiling. "Hello, welcome in. What can I get for you all?"

The pink haired woman smiled brightly now, ignoring the blonde named Naruto. "Green tea please, with a plate of your tea cakes!"

"Of course," Koto bowed. "They'll be right out."

Koto gathered the necessary items and came back out - a platter with tea already steeped in the pot, three cups, and a plate of six cakes. She figured Naruto would eat a lot, since he was missing out on something as filling as ramen.

She placed the platter in the center of the table, pulling the cups towards her and picking up the pot to fill them to disperse among them. As she was doing this, Naruto reached greedily for some tea cakes, and in his excitement bumped into Koto's hand, spilling tea onto the table.

"Oh no! Watch out please, it's still hot!" she warned them, pulling a rag out of her apron pocket to immediately try and block the hot tea's path. The two younger ninjas also grabbed napkins to begin helping Koto as she apologized again. Naruto was also apologizing, and the pink-haired one was scolding him. The white haired man sighed and set his book aside in a safe spot. He also grabbed a napkin to help. He seemed to notice something on Koto and stopped, looking up at her face.

"Your bracelet is from the sea," he said. "Where are you from?"

After the puddle of tea was adequately mopped, she looked at the only one of his eyes she could see. "Yes, I'm from the southern coast of the Land of Lightning. If any of you want some sea stones, I have plenty - some jewelry I made, too."

"Ooh, I'd love to see some!" the pink-haired woman said. They briefly chatted - the woman's name was Sakura - and agreed she'd return later in the day so Koto could show her some items.

The white-haired man, who Koto remembered was called Kakashi by Naruto, had continued staring at her. Naruto was happily eating some tea cakes and sipping tea. "I've heard people from the Land of Lightning usually have some interesting jutsu," he said suddenly.

Koto met his gaze. "You'd be right. Every land has their unique practices. I grew up alone in a rural area - people get creative with their chakra," she said.

"Do you have a particularly unique jutsu? Anything that can be taught?" Sakura asked.

Koto smiled. "I don't have anything that I know of that can be taught, unless you want to learn to play an instrument - but that's not a jutsu I have. What I can do is sing - a genjutsu, it usually hypnotizes opponents to stop. You find similar practices in the Land of Sound though."

Kakashi just nodded, proceeding to look into the distance in thought. He eventually returned to his book. Sakura and Koto exchanged a few more pleasantries and Koto returned to work. They didn't need any refills on food or drink, and left her a tip. Very friendly people, Koto happily noted. She was looking forward to meeting Sakura later.