Chapter 43
Later that evening Team five found themselves in a local tavern, close to Muyo's house. Tomo sat looking down at her orange juice in an annoyed manner while Sakaki slowly sipped on her own drink. Osaka seemed to be miles away.
"Why can't I have any alcohol?" asked Tomo. "I just want to see what it tastes like. Please?" she asked.
"Nope" replied Kimura. He then chose this time to start drinking down the mug of beer he had been given. He paused, placing it back down on the table. "That's nice."
"I hate you" said Tomo sulking. "Besides I'm supposed to be a business person…isn't drinking the only thing business people do after they get rich?"
"I don't think that's all they do" said Sakaki. Tomo was now busy trying to get a little bit of food that had fallen into her drink out with her fingers.
"Anyway Tomo, as a ninja you have to be on your guard at all times" said Kimura. "Alcohol can impede your judgement and reaction times, so it wouldn't be a good idea to have any."
"Then why do you get to drink?" asked Tomo.
"Because I'm older and I am also in charge" said Kimura.
Tomo grumbled to herself again. She guessed if she wanted to she could go over and ask for a drink- but it seemed too much trouble just to try a drink. She blamed Yukari- if her teacher hadn't talked about beer so many times…Tomo was certain her teacher had led to her fascination to taste alcohol. And Kimura had most of the money, and he definitely wouldn't give her any to buy drinks like that. Tomo sighed- if only she had some money.
"This tastes nice anyway" said Sakaki as she quietly took another sip of her drink. Beside her Tomo noisily slurped down her drink.
"Yeah it's good" she said, holding in a burp. "But I just wanna try some."
Kimura sat looking at the two girls. Tomo stared back at him.
"What?" she asked.
"I was just thinking it's pretty easy to identify the most ladylike member of my team" he said to himself. Tomo picked up her fork, holding it in a threatening manner. "I'll buy you one pint if you put that fork down."
"Really?" asked Tomo.
"Nope." He ignored the evil look he was accustomed to now. "Besides we have a job to do, we'll have to carry on with it tomorrow" he stated.
"Why?"
Tomo turned to Osaka who was looking at the other three members of the team.
"Why do we?" she repeated.
"What do you mean?" asked Sakaki, before drinking her drink.
"We have a task to do" said Kimura. "We have a job to investigate the goings on in this town, and if necessary help the townspeople."
"But will they appreciate it?" asked Osaka. "Will anyone truly care or even know something happened?"
"Our task is to help, not to expect praise" said Kimura. "Well apart from Tomo" he added, watching as Tomo went for the fork again.
"Are you ok Osaka?" asked Tomo. The girl seemed a bit…intense. And she had noticed that in the last two or so weeks Osaka had seemed far less prone to drifting off or spouting non sequiturs. Tomo guessed the attack on the village must have affected Osaka.
"I'm fine" said Osaka. "Actually I've never felt better. I've been training a bit- I remember what you said Kimura."
"O-oh? What's that?" asked Kimura. Her tone of voice and way of speaking was different.
"You once said I was a thick skulled girl with a high level of retention" said Osaka. "That if I can understand a particular technique I can make full use of it. Well in the last few weeks I've found I can make use of a lot of techniques."
"Ok then" said Kimura.
Tomo paused. The atmosphere seemed almost hostile. This wasn't the Osaka she knew, this wasn't the girl she had known since school. Yet at the same time she was completely certain that this wasn't an imposter using a copying jutsu. She knew that this was Osaka- just that Osaka was different.
"So how about pudding then?" called out Tomo suddenly, attempting to change the discussion.
"Good idea" said Sakaki, who seemed as disturbed as Tomo felt.
They never got a chance to discuss the possibility of puddings (Tomo wanted chocolate) as a scream suddenly rang out from the outside. The patrons looked around confused, before a person stepped into the tavern.
"Someone's been killed!" he cried out. Kimura and Sakaki stood up. Tomo quickly finished her drink and ran over to join them. Osaka remained seated.
They stepped outside to find a small group of people gathered in the mild night. Sakaki stayed back slightly, not in any rush to see another body. Kimura and Tomo moved forwards, slowly passing through the small crowd. A man lay on the floor, one wound through his chest. In his hand he held a kunai knife.
Tomo poked Kimura and pointed. "Look, a headband" she whispered quietly, just about remembering they were supposed to be investors, not ninja in this town. Kimura turned to her.
"This man is a ninja from the Land of water" he whispered to her quietly. "Lets go back into the tavern" said Kimura as he watched the alerted guards running to the scene. They were still outsiders, so best to stay away.
"Want to get some pudding?" asked Tomo hopefully.
"Yeah" replied Kimura. "Also I haven't paid the bill yet. They might get a bit stroppy with me if I don't do that."
Tomo nodded, hopeful about the prospect of chocolate, as they rejoined Sakaki and re-entered the tavern. Osaka was still sat at the table, but she held up her hand and waved. They sat back down, Tomo contemplating while drinking the last of her drink. Finally she finished the last remnants and leant forwards across the table.
"I bet it was that guy at Iroto's factory" she whispered.
"What guy?" asked Sakaki. Tomo paused. Sakaki and Osaka hadn't been there- they wouldn't know anything. She pondered the best way to inform them
"At the factory there was some weirdo dressed in black" she said finally. That got the point across.
"Weirdo in black?" said Osaka.
"Yeah he smashed in through a window on the roof and killed some guy" replied Tomo. "Then he just vanished…well jumped through another window and ran off. He didn't just vanish into thin air- but that would have been cool."
"That's one way to make an entrance" said Osaka to herself.
"Well I guess that could be a possibility" said Kimura, as he pulled out the small menu from underneath his plate. "A strange murderer arriving in the town at the same time as us would match our luck recently."
"That's right" said Tomo. A master assassin, a guy who really wanted to fight her with a large sword, and getting a pervert as a teacher. Not to mention the demon fox she had contained within her. And those markings she had to have on her stomach to seal the spirit. It all seemed to go nicely together.
"So then, what pudding does everyone want?" asked Kimura.
Tomo almost leapt across the table to look at the menu, her worries from twenty seconds ago already forgotten. Sakaki sat back embarrassed as Kimura and Tomo tried to search through the dessert section on the menu first, pushing each other out of the way.
Iroto took a sip of whisky and placed the tumbler back down on his wooden desk. He pushed his chair out, looking out the window at the town. He turned as there was a tap on his door. Munro stepped in.
"I take it you've heard there's been another murder?" asked Munro. "Two people so far- and I promise you the other one wasn't killed by me."
"Yes I've heard" replied Iroto. "This is most annoying. Why did this bastard target this town?"
"I don't know. However I do know that the person recently killed was a ninja" stated Munro. Iroto glanced up in surprise. "No, don't worry he isn't one under your control. He was just visiting. And I found out something else as well."
"Please don't just leave me waiting" replied Iroto. "Carry on."
"Your former employee, the dead man- he in fact had a history I wasn't expecting. It turns out he was formally a ninja- a man from the Land of water. Evidently it seems he decided to start a new life" said Munro. "The other person also came from the Land of water."
"They may both come from the same land" said Iroto, "But I bet this killer is targeting me. However it'll take more then a few killings of people I don't even know to put me off. My plan is still going to go ahead, and tonight will occur as planned."
"I still say I should do it" said Munro in an irritated tone. "I would get the job done for certain."
"The three man ninja cell under my command will suffice" said Iroto. "They will get him, and if anything goes wrong I still have my second in command with me here."
"Yes" said Munro. Second in command? Munro didn't want any position of power- he just wanted fun. He decided that Iroto should make things more fun shortly or else Munro would get very bored…