Chunin Exams: The Expected and Unexpected
Ryuu was fascinated at how clearly he could see his breath up in the mountains.
"Cold up here, isn't it?" Kushina eyed her team with a knowing grin. "We're almost there."
"Is it always this cold?" Masumi prepared for cooler weather, but it was still a bit too much.
Yuina placed a hand on Masumi's arm as a sign of condolence. "Cool, yes, but no, not always this cold."
"How would you know? You've never been here either."
Yuina gestured up to the visible mountain tops. "It's winter, so it's colder than usually. Even if it were summer it would be cool, though. Air pressure decreases with higher elevation. The air expands making it cooler the higher up you go."
Yuina could start to see the outskirt of Iwa. It dipped slightly lower than the surrounding mountain tops. It likely helped protect them from wind-induced erosion, while acting as a natural barrier. It certainly hid the place for those unknowing.
She stood in line as they reached the check in point. She handed over her documents for the Iwa-nin to review. They had their own list of confirmed participants and 'guardians' to confirm their claims. Everything checked out and they were allowed in.
It was impressive what they could do with stone. Lots of potential danger for young kids, but otherwise they did they best they could in the environment to be habitable. The buildings being stone meant it took less energy to heat.
Yuina gave her parting words before anyone could suggest eating or going to the inn together. "It was nice seeing you again Inoichi. Nice meeting the rest of you." She dipped her head.
"Eh? Where are you going?" asked Kushina.
Yuina gave a peace sign. "To be a tourist!"
She could hear her questioning Orochimaru as she separated from them.
She'd been working overtime in preparation for this trip. It would be a shame not to make the most of it after all of that.
She spotted a stoat before entering the stone building that had the name of the market engraved. Inside was a bombardment of colour. The village from the outside might have looked bleak at a glance, but they did well with interior design. The walls were covered with decorative cloths utilized as wallpaper.
First things first, she needed a sweater. Yuina recalled being adjusted to the cold, but that wasn't this body. She eyed the wool.
She walked to one merchant stand who promptly ignored her while helping someone who came after her. "Fine, don't take my money." She looked to the stand next to the one she was at and the lady was looking at her. Yuina smiled and her eyes crinkled. "Do you want my business?" She was younger than many of the other sellers and had less customers.
The merchant finally took notice of her headband and gulped before looking around. She looked back to Yuina. "Please take a look!"
Yuina walked the few meters and touched the fabric. It was smooth. Yuina clapped her hands together. "They're so pretty."
The merchant's eyes sparkled a little. She became more confident. "Really?"
Yuina held one up to herself to compare the size to herself. "Yup! But…" Yuina hesitated waiting for the merchant to take more interest. "Are you sure it's a fair price." Yuina continued before the merchant could voice her indignation. It was cheaper than the stalls immediately around her. "The Land of Earth's textiles are always so nice an intricate. There's some that get sold in the Land of Fire, but they're popular so they're hard to come by and the prices are so much higher." She spoke in a loud tone. "Maybe I should buy some extra to take back with me." Yuina brought her fist to her mouth to ponder.
The merchant loved that an outsider took interest in her craft. "It's the threads and knots," she happily explained. "There's a bunch of traditional thread patterns that others can't be bothered to put the effort in. Say, how much does it sell for. Er, purely for curiosity."
Yuina gave her a price that was five times the price she was selling it for. "I'll take this and that."
Yuina visited several more stalls throughout the building before leaving for a popular restaurant. They were known for their mushroom dishes to which they cultivated themselves. They thrived in Iwa's climate making it one of their delicacies.
She placed her order and waited for food before digging in to the assortment of food all by herself. It was nice comfort food. Something one could easily overeat and become drowsy eating.
"Is it true you grow the mushrooms yourself?" she asked the server.
"I don't, but the boss does." He eyes the empty dishes in disbelief that a girl so small ate it all.
She played stupid. "That's so cool! Do you grow anything else?"
"Just the mushrooms. They grow quickly and don't take up much space."
"Is it because of the weather?"
"Oh. No." He eyed her forehead protector. Ninja were so oblivious to basic society. "There's plenty of produce that will grow in these temperatures, but farming takes a lot of space."
Yuina tilted her head confused. "I don't get it." He wanted to roll his eyes. "Why not use hydroponics? You won't have to worry about the soil freezing, you can grow them vertically like mushrooms
It had been annoying with how much depth she had to talk to the Hokage about this. It even required a few heads of other departments to consider the validity and to take action to start using it themselves before considering whether she could share with other nations increasing her suspicions of Konoha using food as a source of bargaining power even though it was within the Daimyo's power.
"Hydro like in water?"
"Hm!" Yuina nodded. "Nutrient infused water for the water and nutrients and UV LEDs to imitate the sun."
The words UV LED made him confused. "You can grow crops without dirt and sun?" That was the basis of agriculture.
It wasn't the most cost-effective method, but it was effective. "Do you not do that here?"
"Uh…no?"
"Oh." Yuina frowned as she directed her gaze downwards. "It's super easy. I'm used to eating some foods all year." She looked up in a panic and raised her hands in front of her. "Not that the food isn't delicious. It was an easy 10 out of 10. Sorry! You're working." She slapped her cheeks. "I should learn to keep my mouth shut. I'm sure cultured-meat helps."
"It's alright. We do take pride in our livestock."
"It's all livestock?! You don't, you know?" Yuina made vague motions with her hands.
"I'm not sure what you mean."
"Cultured meat is cultured meat. The Land of Earth is so different. Wait until I tell Orochimaru-sensei. Or maybe not. He probably already knows. I wonder if there's anywhere he hasn't been." She turned to look out the window where a bird flew on the sill. She picked up a few grains of rice that stuck to her bowl and fed it to the bird. "Say ahh."
Yuina paid and left. Three days. They made good time so she had three days until the start of the chunin exams. She'd have to use her time wisely. The general populations cared about things that effected them. Affordability. Wealth. Medicine. Food. Shelter. Convenience. Technology. Desire could lead to more spying, but Yuina didn't think a comfortable life with basic needs was something worth withholding even if the Hokage did tell her to hold back on some ideas. She could demonstrate fighting during the exam to the people who would care for such things.
The sun would be setting soon. She would meet Orochimaru, who should have made his presence known while she did her own thing, at the inn. She could continue tomorrow.
Yuina reached the inn where there was a group outside. She did a double take as it was a group of mikos and priests but in nun looking uniforms. Once again the world made no sense.
"Do they have to preach at every exam? We should stop letting them in."
"I don't know why you complain so much. They're good messages!"
Yuina walked past them when one of them surprised her. She hadn't been able to tell because of the veil inspired cloth covering the top and sides of her head. Her glasses a different shape. Shiganina?
"Zabuza! I said don't go wandering off on your own!"
Yuina looked back to the voice yelling. There were five Kiri-nin gathered together. One clearly their supervisor while a boy younger than the rest wandered off ahead of them.
"Just let him go. He gives me the creeps."
"Yeah, I don't want to be around that demon."
"That name is stupid. Big whoop. He killed some people. So did we."
They continued to talk and Yuina clued in that Zabuza was the child known throughout the nations as Demon of the Hidden Mist. A boy her age who defeated a graduating class before he enrolled. She was uncertain whether Kiri's enrollment started at a later age or if he killed them that young, but it was a notable feat that couldn't be ignored.
And he was here.
Presumably for the Chunin Exam.
Kiri's equivalent prodigy.
Yuina slipped her way into the building left with her thoughts.
The day had been going so well, and it had to end this way.
She may need to recalculate.