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Chapter 47 – Tales of Umaru: Part 1 – The First Night
"We're being followed," Mamoru whispered from his pocket inside Amaya's jacket.
"I know," the Jonin hissed. "I'm trying to lose them." The pair had only left Konoha an hour ago. The sun could barely penetrate the thick cloud cover. The storms had ended shortly before dawn, so Amaya had been able to leave much earlier than she thought. Now that she wouldn't have to camp overnight, she could reach the village by dusk.
However, shaking her pursuers would be wasting time she didn't want to spare. Said pursuers were keeping just out of range for her to get a good read on their chakra. Amaya couldn't even begin to guess who might be following her, but she was tired of playing keep-away. The kunoichi stopped, concealed herself behind a tree, and suppressed her chakra. A few minutes later, she heard two people stop near her tree and then heard voices. Voices she knew well.
Stepping out from her hiding place, Amaya put her hands on her hips and glared at Naruto and Sakura. "What exactly do you think you're doing following me?"
The two Genin froze, who had been arguing about where she went, and exchanged glances. Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, a grin on his face. "Well, a black cat crossed our path, so we had to take the long way home. Then we ran into you."
"Remind me I have a Jonin to strangle after I'm done with you." Naruto opened his mouth to say something else, but the withering look Amaya gave him silenced his protests. The auburn-haired shinobi shook her head and turned her gaze to Sakura. "The truth this time."
"I…. I passed you on my way to talk with Lady Tsunade. She invited me in so we could talk but then had to leave for a few minutes. I saw a half-written letter on her desk and a hawk on the windowsill. I was curious. The letter mentioned help was on its way. Since you were the last person to speak with the Hokage, I assumed you were being sent somewhere." The young girl finished, unable to meet her sensei's eyes.
"And then I got curious too, so I went and asked Izumo and Kotetsu if they knew where you were going since I overheard that they'd been filing mission reports yesterday. They had no idea, but that didn't mean much. You could've been going on some top secret mission for the Hokage and I figured you might be going to gather information on Sasuke. So we decided to follow you," Naruto chimed in unrepentantly.
"What happened to becoming Lady Tsunade's apprentice?"
Sakura swallowed. "She's too busy at the moment. We're supposed to start next week."
"And you. Aren't you supposed to be in the hospital?"
"I feel fine! I've kept up with you, haven't I?" Naruto replied.
The Jonin bowed her head and pinched the bridge of her nose. It was not okay to maim Genin, no matter how stupid they were. Once she mastered the urge, she spoke in a stern voice that could even make Kakashi take notice. "Go home. I have somewhere to be and someone waiting for me."
"You're not on a mission?" Naruto asked.
"No, I'm not…." Amaya swept her gaze around, surveying the area to make sure no one else was near. She looked back to see a grin on the young blond's face. Damn.
"So then why can't we come with you?"
"Because I said so."
The pink-haired girl dropped her gaze to the ground. "All right. I guess we'll go home. Not that I have anything to do. I'll probably just wind up sitting in my room, thinking about Sasuke and how I was too weak to stop him."
Amaya stared at her, amazed at the guilt-trip being thrown at her. She made the mistake of returning her gaze to Naruto. His shoulders were slumped, dejection written in every line of his body.
Damn them. Damn them both to hell. The Jonin held up her hands in defeat. "Okay, okay. You can come with me. Just behave." She turned without another word and continued on her journey, ignoring the sound of a high-five behind her. "I'm getting soft," she mumbled.
By the time the trio reached their destination, night had fallen. The trek up the mountain had taken longer than expected and even Amaya was tired. Naruto and Sakura were exhausted and couldn't wait to sleep.
The village of Umaru was nestled in a little valley surrounded by mountains and hills. The mountains faced south and had to be crossed to enter the valley. A route around could be taken but added another half day to any journey. The mountain trails were quicker but harder to navigate and traverse. The hills on the north side of the village were gently sloped and tree-covered. The village itself was small, maybe a hundred and fifty people in all. The houses were all single-story in a traditional style. Only a couple were large enough for seven or eight people. Most buildings were in need of repair. A few shops, mostly utilitarian in nature, were clustered together. The people of Umaru weren't rich, hand-woven baskets and hand-painted tea pots being their only noteworthy exports.
As they passed the first house, the tattooed ninja almost stopped but forced herself to keep walking. She couldn't have just felt the chakra she thought she did. It wasn't possible and yet the hair on her neck wouldn't lay flat. Amaya shook her head. She was tired and imagining things, though coming back in the morning to check things out couldn't hurt.
The younger kunoichi almost stopped too. As the trio passed an alley, she saw a flash of raven hair. Wild, desperate thoughts of Sasuke raged through her until she realized she'd only seen a stray dog, its black fur shining in the moonlight. Her mind slowly returned to thoughts of how tired she was, but part of her continued to fixate upon her missing teammate.
Naruto trudged next to Sakura, eyes drooping with sleep. But the moment he felt eyes on him, unfriendly eyes, he was wide awake. Glancing around, though, the Genin saw no one except a lone white, long-tailed cat sitting on a roof. He stared suspiciously at the cat, but the unfriendly eyes were gone.
Finally, the Leaf shinobi reached the local inn, one of the village's largest buildings. Amaya paid the smiling innkeeper. This was the most business he'd had in weeks. Minutes later, she laid down in her room alone, having bought Sakura and Naruto their own rooms, and fell asleep almost instantly. The Genin would barely remember their heads hitting the pillows. However, all three would look back wistfully at that first night's exhaustion-induced sleep, for it would be the only decent rest any of them would get in Umaru.
Amaya woke before the sun; she was in a strange place, unable to relax enough to sleep longer than needed. She quietly washed the worst of the previous day's travel from her skin with the basin of water and cloth the inn provided. Before leaving, the Jonin took the time to bandage her exposed skin to hide her tattoos. Tsunade had suggested it before dismissing her. The people of Umaru were a superstitious lot, and the uneasiness she'd felt from the innkeeper as he led her to her room confirmed the Hokage's warning. There was no need to attract any more undue attention.
Most of the village was still asleep, allowing Amaya to quickly make her way to where she'd felt the familiar chakra the previous night. The shinobi paused long enough to lock on to the general area the chakra still emanated from. Her prey obviously traveled this part of the village frequently. Otherwise, she should have been able to pinpoint his location right away. Tracking by chakra alone was difficult, though, without the proper innate aptitude. And so the sun was rising by the time Amaya found the right house. It was much the same as the other homes, but being on the outskirts, there was a large garden in the back. A soft humming told the ninja her quarry was tending his plants and enjoying the early morning weather. Summer had yet to fully give way to autumn, though the transition wasn't far away.
Quietly, she rounded the house to find the man she sought bent over some ripe tomato plants, the last harvest of the season. He stood as she approached and wiped his hands on his pants. "I figured you'd come by sooner or later."
The man before her was at least fifteen years her senior. His skin was tan from years outside, his hands permanently stained with dirt. Gray was beginning to creep through his short, black hair. Lines were etched into his face, more from stress and sadness than love and laughter. His clothing was simple and his feet bare. He hardly resembled the person she once knew, but his eyes were unmistakable: dark brown, hardened by his life as a shinobi, unsoftened by the years.
Amaya fought the fear that welled inside her. She knew he couldn't hurt her anymore. "Of all the places to find you. And you've taken up gardening no less."
A wry smile lifted the corners of his mouth. "Am I not allowed to want to live in peace? To have a hobby?"
"No! You ruined my life! Why do you get to be happy?!" The kunoichi couldn't keep the hate from her words. This man, along with two others, had sealed away her ninjutsu and genjutsu. "I want the scroll!"
"Look around you, girl. You think I have it? Here?" He barked a short laugh and ran an eye up and down her. "You don't look like someone whose life has been ruined."
Amaya took a step forward, anger building in place of fear. "You must have it. You're the only one left, and it wasn't in the cave when I was rescued."
He shrugged. "What does it matter? I don't know how to reverse it. None of us knew."
The auburn-haired shinobi stared at her former enemy for a moment and sighed. He was telling the truth. She shook her head. Had she really expected this washed-up ninja to be able to help her. Hadn't she recently told the Hokage that she would feel odd without her seal? "I hope you're happy here. Oh, and you're right. You didn't ruin my life. I have people who love me while you have no one." Without another word, she turned and walked away, leaving behind feelings she hadn't realized still resided in her heart.
As she made her way back to the inn, the village began to wake up. People were opening windows and doors to take advantage of the nice weather. She passed one of the shops just beginning to open. A man backed out of the doorway, his arms full of small woven baskets. The pair collided, but Amaya was able to catch the baskets that fell before they hit the ground.
"Oh, forgive me. I wasn't paying attention," the man apologized. His face was handsome and his hair a deep brown. He had an easy smile and a friendly voice. His clothes were simple, except for a gold chain around his neck.
"That's all right. I should've reacted sooner. I'm just on edge this morning."
"This village does that to people. It's all the superstitious nonsense that gets passed around." He paused when he saw her hitai-ate. "So you're from the Leaf village? What're ninja doing here?"
"We were sent to investigate the murders and other strange happenings. Hopefully, we can give you some peace of mind," the kunoichi replied, offering her free hand. "I'm Amaya."
The man shifted the baskets in his grip to shake. "I'm Masaki. If you have the time, would you mind coming with me to my storage building? So these baskets can be put up before they're delivered? I'd hate to risk dropping them again."
"Sure," Amaya smiled and followed him around the back of the shop. "So you're a basket weaver? Do you make any tea pots? I hear Umaru sells a lot of those too."
Masaki shook his head. "I don't have the skill for pottery. But I do well enough selling baskets."
"They are quite fine." The nin held one up. These, small as they were, were probably used as part of shrine offerings. "They're a bit heavier than I'd expect."
Reaching the small shed behind the shop, Masaki opened the door and began stacking his baskets on a partially empty shelf. The rest of the shelves and the floor were covered in baskets of varying sizes. He took Amaya's, stacking those save one. He took the lid off and tipped it toward the shinobi. Inside at the bottom was an elaborately carved wooden slab. "My son carves them out of the leftover maple wood. They add to the beauty, no?"
The Jonin agreed, and after a few more pleasantries, begged her leave of the shop owner. The sun was well up by then and she needed to get back to the Genin. Masaki wished her luck on her investigation and the two parted ways. Amaya was in a much better mood, thoughts of her old enemy now dispelled. She knew the rest of her stay wouldn't be pleasant, but she thought this was a good way to begin a day. She wanted to get answers more than ever, for the sake of the kind people in Umaru just trying to make an honest living.
