Chapter 9 - Tour Guide
It was a cool breezy morning which would soon turn into a sweltering heat. Mizuki stood on her balcony sipping on a nice glass of iced tea. Today was her last day off before she left for Kiri tomorrow so she wanted to make the most of it. She knew that staying in her hometown for a month would make her miss her new home. She decided that for today she would go on a short hike after breakfast and stop by a waterfall to have a swim.
Preparations for the program didn't take as long as she had thought, everyone involved worked quickly and efficiently. It also helped that several teams had returned earlier than scheduled from their missions so there were more available medics in the village now. Tomorrow morning she would meet Tsunade and the other three teams at the gate. Travelling to the other villages would take at least 3 days so they wanted to head out as soon as possible.
After she fixed herself a quick breakfast and washed the dishes, she grabbed her bag and headed out. Mizuki approached the gates of the village and noticed that the two guards were slacking. Instead of diligently doing their job, Izumo and Kotetsu were napping in their chairs!
Mizuki decided to have a little fun with them. She weaved a few hand signs and watched them wake up disoriented.
"Oi, when the fuck did it start raining?" Izumo shouted. He grabbed his clipboard and held it over his head like an umbrella. Kotetsu tried to press up against his friend to share the clipboard as the drizzle got heavier. Mizuki couldn't stop herself from laughing which drew the two men's attention. Upon seeing their glares Mizuki allowed the little storm cloud she had conjured over their heads to dissipate.
She walked up to them with the sweetest grin she could muster. "Sorry, I had to!" She watched the two wipe off the water from their faces with great amusement.
"Sure you did." Izumo said sarcastically. He wiped the water from his face and flicked it at Mizuki. "Where are you heading off to anyways?"
Mizuki heaved her tote bag up onto her shoulder and shrugged. "It's my last day off before going to Kiri tomorrow, thought I would get my fill of the village before leaving for a month."
"Ah, gotcha. Have a nice day then." Izumo said.
"And watch your back when you're back Ishii, we'll get you back for that trick of yours." Kotetsu said with certainty, Izumo nodded in agreement.
Mizuki laughed and walked away. She learned that when someone breaks out your surname, they mean business. "Good luck with that, you two! Have a nice day!"
Izumo and Kotetsu waved at her and went back to their business before Mizuki interrupted them.
She had spent her last day off with Hinata walking around the forest and doing a little shopping. Hinata had shown her a waterfall near the village with the most pristine water. She wasn't prepared to have a swim that day so she promised herself that the next time she was free she would return there and go for a nice dip. Mizuki stepped through the trees and smiled happily when she saw the familiar waterfall leading into a medium sized lake. A small outcropping of rocks stood on the left shaded by some tall trees.
Mizuki startled when a voice spoke from behind her. "Are you stalking me?"
She turned and frowned at the person. "Hardly. I think you might be the one stalking me! How is it you're everywhere I am?" She asked, crossing her arms over her chest.
Kakashi raised a brow. "I was here first, you just failed to notice me." He shrugged.
Mizuki grumbled in annoyance. She really hoped he left soon because she really wanted to swim but didn't want him to see her in a bikini.
"What are you doing out here anyways? You're not running from Shikamaru again, are you?" She asked disappointedly.
Kakashi chuckled. "No, I'm not running from him."
"Then the council." Kakashi waved his hand dismissively. "What brings you out here?"
Mizuki smirked, she knew his habits well. "Just enjoying what the forest has to offer before leaving for Kiri tomorrow."
"I see. Well come on then, I recall I said I would show you around the next time I was free." He said casually, starting to walk away.
"W-what?" Mizuki was confused.
"Are you coming? There's a nice cave around this area that I think you would enjoy." He turned to look at her before walking again.
"I..b-but I was-" Mizuki looked at Kakashi then at the lake and back at Kakashi before letting out an exasperated sigh.
'I'll just come back another time.' She thought sadly, looking longingly at the waterfall.
They had been walking for nearly 10 minutes now and the whole time Kakashi could feel her glare on his back. He glanced over his shoulder to look at her, she didn't even bother hiding her disdain from him.
Kakashi gave her a closed eye smile. "Now, now, no need to look so angry. I promise you once you see the cave you'll be declaring to the world how great of a tour guide I am." He was relieved when he saw the crack in her facade and a small smile appeared on her lips.
He had been lounging in a tree when he sensed her chakra enter the area. She didn't seem to notice him so he could have just left but impulse had made him jump down. Truthfully, talking to her was much more inviting than staying in the office. And besides she will be gone for a month so, in an odd way, he'll miss her.
After a little more walking Kakashi announced that they were here. Mizuki looked around the place curiously, she didn't see anything too spectacular or, least of all, a cave. It just looked like they were by the side of a cliff surrounded by rocks and trees.
"I thought we were going to a cave?" Kakashi smiled at her and said nothing. He turned towards the cliff and started walking towards it.
Mizuki tilted her head. 'What is he doing?' She opened her mouth to tell him he was going to walk into a cliff but watched in bewilderment when he walked right through the rock.
"No way!" She shouted to herself. Without second guessing herself she followed Kakashi's lead and walked through the wall. The moment her hand touched the rock, it shimmered for a bit before things came into focus again. She now stood inside a massive cave and her jaw dropped in awe.
"It's so beautiful!" She exclaimed. Kakashi chuckled at her enthusiasm and nodded in agreement.
"It is. Not too many people know about this place because it's been forgotten over the decades."
"How could anyone forget this? This is wonderful." She whispered. The cave was illuminated by several torches placed all along the walls. In the center of the cave was a large lake with several stone platforms floating on top, each platform was connected by a wooden walkway. What captured her attention though was the masterpieces placed on each platform. Each platform had a beautiful wooden sculpture displayed proudly on top. There were sculptures of a grizzly bear, a pack of wolves, an eagle and a woman riding a horse. However, her eyes remained glued to what she thought was the best sculpture of them all and the biggest. At the center of the lake was an intricate bonsai tree that reached the ceiling of the cave. The leaves and branches of the tree extended widely to cover the whole lake. At the base of the tree appeared to be a slumbering dragon wrapped around the trunk.
"What is this place?" She asked in awe.
Kakashi walked to the edge of the water and looked up at the tree. Mizuki didn't know how she hadn't noticed but hanging all along the branches were kunais, shurikens, and other various weapons.
"This place is called 'the memories of the forest.' Nearly 300 years ago the people who lived in this area were skilled artists. They created this place as a recollection of sorts for major events that happened in this area." Kakashi gave her a brief history behind each sculpture. She listened with rapture, completely engrossed with what he was saying. "The weapons you see hanging on the tree are similar to the village's memorial stone. The names of the heroes are engraved on the weapons and hung high in the trees to symbolize the sentiment that they were watching over their family and loved ones."
"You said it's been forgotten? What happened?"
"Wars and disasters decimated the village, the ones who survived moved elsewhere. This place was discovered a century ago, Konoha had a restoration team that would visit this place to maintain it and visitors were even allowed. After the Kyuubi attack all those years ago this place was forgotten, it was just rediscovered a few months ago."
"Wow, it's amazing that they've managed to preserve it for so long. Will you assign a team to maintain this place or open it to the public again?" She saw him shake his head out of the corner of her eyes.
"Well...yes and no. This isn't the only part of it, there are more chambers in this cavern with other sculptures and gardens that haven't been documented yet. I am thinking of assigning a restoration team and historians to maintain and document this area before letting the village know about it."
Mizuki nodded her heading in understanding. "That sounds like a very good idea. A place as amazing as this deserves a place in our history books."
"It does. Would you like to see the rest of it?" Kakashi felt his heart clench a little at the stunning smile she gave him.
"Really!?" Kakashi chuckled and nodded. "Well then let's go!" Without thought she grabbed his arm and dragged him towards a passage she noticed off to the side. She had no idea if she was going in the right direction but when Kakashi hadn't said anything she assumed it was right.
For the rest of the morning and a good part of the early afternoon they explored the rest of the cavern. Just like Kakashi had promised there were more sculptures to be discovered and they were all spectacular! The architecture of the gardens were so elegant and magnificent. There were several plants that managed to grow in the dark cave but it was very unkempt. She could imagine the beauty of this place if it was tended to properly by a team of professional gardeners. He wasn't able to give her a history of the new sights like he was able to with the ones in the entrance but he promised her a preview of the manuscripts once the historics team documented the place.
"I love this place so much!" She gushed as they walked through the magical entrance back into the forest.
"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself." He smiled.
"Anymore cool places to show me?" She asked with a hopeful smile.
"I do but it will have to wait until next time. I think it's time I graced the council with my presence." He said, regretfully. When he saw Mizuki's smile drop a little he was tempted to say F the council but he knew he couldn't neglect his duties any longer.
"Oh, that's okay but I'm holding you to that. When I'm back from Kiri I expect another tour from the best tour guide in the world!" She exclaimed.
Kakashi laughed. "Of course, I won't disappoint. I hope you enjoy the rest of your day off, Mizuki." He said, giving her a closed eye smile but they quickly shot open again when he felt a body press to his front and arms wrap around his waist. Kakashi briefly caught the sight of blush forming on Mizuki's face before she vanished after hastily saying something he couldn't quite make out.
The blushing blonde woman left a dumbfounded Kakashi standing in the middle of the forest. Unbeknownst to her, he too had a blush covering his cheeks underneath his mask.