Boulder Town was a neat little corner of the Land of Earth. Etched in between the continental part and the entry to Land of Earth by sea, it was close to the edge of Land of Earth where it met Takigakure and the infamous Boulder Gulf. Entry to the Land of Earth by sea was dangerous due to immensely tall pillars of stone littering the seafloor and sticking out from the sea's surface. It took a seaman of profound skill to know the pockets of softer and deeper floor to navigate a ship through without tearing it to shreds or ramming one of those rising stone pillars by accident.
"Leaving into the plains like that…" Shige-H cracked a smile and stretched out. "After all the time traversing through the Land of Sound and all those forests, it makes you feel naked and exposed somehow."
Mana knew that feeling better than Shige-H did. The ninja magician had spent most of her life in Land of Fire, which was mostly just a dense pack of ancient trees standing side by side and covering all but pre-built pathways in an eternal shade. Despite being in less of a danger with there being nowhere for potential assailants to lurk, she always felt more exposed when stepping into a clearing or a place completely devoid of dense forests.
"Really? You got nothing to say?" Endo turned to Mana, putting it together that someone who grew up in Land of Fire would at the very least second the leader's motion, but Mana remained quiet. "Sometimes I'd prefer if you shut up and yet when you do–it feels creepy."
Endo winced as if expecting a playful smack across his head or at least a nudge, but he didn't receive as much as a verbal scolding. Given how often Mana and Endo used to bicker, this wall of silence confused Shige-H enough for her to skip her chance and discipline Endo from aggravating whatever issues Mana was working through.
"Ugh… How do you not sprain your ankle walking around this place?" Asuka slashed the silence's throat after kneeling down and rubbing the back of her calf. Her rambling wasn't entirely devoid of any point. This area of Land of Earth was a transitional one from the wetlands and viny forests of Takigakure to a more mountainous and rough area. As such, it was just lumps of grasslands atop other hills with actual large boulders sticking out in places.
Even when the Stars reached Boulder Town, the houses of that area merely mingled in with the boulders with each citizen building their home in soft spots in the middle of larger gaps in between two boulders and even the town's roads had to incorporate this landscape as it took wayward turns for no other reason than to avoid leading one rolling down that direction to colliding with a boulder. It didn't seem like this place had avoided the Coltan Conflict either, as the landscape still carried ridges and small craters where intense battles took place.
"Okay… I guess the name checks out…" Shige-H rubbed the back of her head. "Mana and I are going to snoop around this place. See if we can find a venue to book Mana's show for the tour. We'll also try to find us a caravan that can take us to Iwagakure after we're done in Boulder Town. You guys can dig around that other thing…"
It didn't seem that either Endo or Asuka needed any further explanations of what they were meant to look into. It looked as if though Endo was about to ask something as his relaxed index finger rose to point at Mana and Shige-H, but he settled down and reconsidered halfway through putting the question together in his mind. The Stars split up. One group was meant to look for signs of the conspiracy they came here to unravel, the other–for means to establish an alibi and a distraction for the true goal of a squad of Allied Ninja being in Boulder Town.
"You know… You've been awfully quiet this whole time. Ever since you looked into Asuka's mind. You keep assuring us it's nothing, that it's not about Asuka and that we can trust her, I think I believe you on that but… If you want to share what this whole thing is about…" Shige-H softened her tone when bringing the issue up to Mana the moment that the two split apart and turned the corner to lose sight of Endo and Asuka whom they've left behind for now.
"It's about who Asuka is. Let's just say… She has a pretty vague and out-there reason for wanting me dead and… I've not thought about it but… Someone with more ill will and penchant for pettiness would want her dead in my shoes too," Mana replied, not wanting to go too deep into the details. Mostly because of what it would reveal about her.
This whole time, Mana thought herself to be exactly who she placed herself as. She thought she was free of the pointless feelings of hatred, anger, and hate. That she could never get jealous or gun after revenge like the people she often met and clashed with. Seeing Asuka's mind and almost smelling her old festering wounds open up, realizing that she never truly healed them but merely sewn their shallowest layers up and left them alone, it truly distressed Mana like few things. If she was capable of those troublesome feelings, what else that she didn't like in other people was she capable of too?
Who could say that Mana wasn't also capable of murder–the one thing she swore herself she'd never stoop to.
This entire time Mana thought herself that if she was just that ideal person that she wanted to see in other people, if she showed people how much happiness to them and everyone else being that person wrought, that people would choose to change and be more like that ideal person. That they'd choose to be heroes when they saw Mana acting like one, that they'd choose to save lives instead of taking them when they saw Mana go out of her way to do just that. And yet… She wasn't even able to be that person herself anymore. How could she change anyone if she was just as rotten deep down inside? What if all she'd amount to was show those worst traits of hers to the world and then have people change in the opposite direction to the one Mana would like to see them change toward?
"Mana… I'm the leader of Stars, which might come up more often than both of us would like, but… I must know who Asuka is and what the history between you is. Maybe if the stakes weren't this high, maybe I could let it go but… Not now," Shige-H insisted in the softest imaginable way.
"Asuka is the daughter of Namikaze Shirona, the Fourth Mizukage," Mana replied. "She wants me dead because I'm the student of Uzumaki Tanshu, the Sannin that took part in her mother's downfall in the Kage Summit years ago. I'm getting a good feeling that she only became a kunoichi to avenge her mother. She's not that far away from that either. I may be the only living student of Uzumaki Tanshu. Yuki Shimo died on a mission. I'm not sure where Nara Sugemi is. Last I recall, he's been imprisoned in the Eden Prison Complex, but, after Eden's destruction, he disappeared and never resurfaced."
"I… I didn't know that so many of your friends and mentors were dead," Shige-H rubbed the back of her elbow.
"Yes. Before long, I'll have more dead friends than living…" Mana closed her eyes. "The best I can do is find new people to treasure and protect them better. Still… Loss is like a cursed ring, it always finds me and it doesn't seem like I can ever stop it from ripping another pound out of my heart, just when I think the last one grew back but not when the scars are already fully healed…"
"This explains, somewhat, why Asuka hates you, but… You weren't really acting like yourself lately either. I've never seen you lack the confidence to pull your own show off and to bomb like that, not to mention your constantly sour mood ever since we arrived in the Land of Sound," Shige-H pointed out. "There's something more between you two, isn't there?"
"Yes. It's not a part of me I like people seeing, but… I just can't help it. I… I hate Asuka too…" Mana clenched her fists and dug her teeth into her lip trying to stop herself from saying it but she's been through far too much with Shige-H to not tell the leader of Stars what she needed and wanted to know. Strangely, speaking about it with someone seemed to help, an ironic comparison came to mind, given how the two were surrounded by natural structures of shaped boulders and statues.
"You… Hate her? I thought you considered hatred a pointless feeling?" Shige-H leaned down to glimpse into Mana's eyes to get a better touch of what Mana was feeling since her words didn't really portray that accurately.
"Yeah, but… It's about my father. Early on in my career, my father still served as a Konohagakure chuunin, and he left on a mission to retrieve a scroll that was lost in a clash between a party of Konoha ninja and an attacking party. My father's squad was wiped out, my father survived, but he carried scars over his arms that never truly healed. It changed him and it drove him toward an abyss he eventually found himself in. In a way, it's just as much the fault of the ninja that did this to him as it is his own for falling down," Mana said.
"Okay… So, they were Kirigakure ninja, right?" Shige-H asked.
"It's never been found out. Officially the ninja wore Kirigakure headbands but Kirigakure denies sending ninja out to retrieve that scroll to this day. Those that knew about the mission of the previous party suggested that the intel on that scroll implicated Kirigakure in some way, so Kirigakure had every reason to never want its contents to see the light of day. This incident was one reason why that Kage Summit took place though, from what I know, Kirigakure still denied its involvement, stating that no sane ninja village would have had their ninja wear Kirigakure headbands on such a mission," Mana pocketed her hands and pulled her blazer in to wrap herself up in it as she tucked her cheek down.
"Wait, what? They have to wear their headbands on any official mission. That's international ninja law…" Shige-H scratched her head.
"True. Ridiculous, isn't it? A village laughing in your face for even assuming that it would uphold international ninja law and not just see its own best interests? That's what the Bloody Mist and its supporters represent. Political shambles, violence, bloodshed, and lawlessness. The entire rest of the world can drown in a sea of blood as long as the Mist thrives," Mana sighed, feeling the warmth of her own breath nuzzling against the tip of her nose.
"That's not entirely truthful, either. The Bloody Mist represents the survival of the fittest and the shrewdest. It has no problems stomping at its own eggs as long as they deem them weak," Shige-H shrugged. "So… I take it that Asuka is a supporter of the Bloody Mist's resurrection, then?"
"Who knows?" Mana sighed again, looking down with a hopeless stare at the rustling patches of grass sticking out of gravel and dirty hills. "Her mother tried to establish her own world order that's an even more extreme version of the Bloody Mist. Asuka idolizes her. If Shirona ever as much as spoke to Asuka about her vision for the world–Asuka ate them up asking no questions. What's even worse–she wishes to become Mizukage and have the power to bring her mother's vision to life."
"I see, I must say, Mana, I never thought that I'd have to deal with your hatred toward people from a particular country or exhibiting certain political beliefs but… I need to know if that is going to affect the mission or not?" Shige-H turned to Mana, trying to get a truthful answer out of the ninja magician.
"I don't like Asuka. I hate people from Kirigakure, and I absolutely despise the Bloody Mist and its supporters. But I hate just the mere idea of war even more. I don't hate to like Asuka to work with her on this. Though, as I've said before–after this, either I leave the Stars, or she does," Mana insisted.
Shige-H looked up. It baffled Mana how her friend and squad leader didn't immediately shut this thought down or try to affirm to Mana that she was more precious to the Stars as one of the founding members and that she'd never let Mana leave. It just made Mana feel that much less welcome and that much more expandable. Almost like Shige cared more about who was in direr need of her unwanted help rather than any other indicator when having the roster of Stars in mind.
"Someone's following us," Mana muttered as her sensory spiked up. Usually, just sensing a chakra signature wasn't all that noteworthy, but people have slipped past her so often that Mana spent more time learning to identify trackers compared to just ordinary ninja walking in the same direction. This chakra had a certain deep blue color to it, which implied malicious intent and history behind this man, and moved with the purpose of keeping the same distance between its owner and its intended target.
Not feeling like subtlety fit this occasion, or perhaps just flat out sick of nothing ever going smoothly, Shige-H turned around with her fists locked and loaded to pound a skull into the dirt. A tall and hunched over man in an overcoat and a cowboy hat walked behind them at a perfect distance to track someone and overhear a bit or two of their conversation without intruding into personal space or being noticed.
"Who are you and what do you want?" Shige-H demanded it of the man, letting him know his gig was up.
With a single motion of his hand, the man removed both his coat and flung his hat aside, revealing him to be a tall, slim, and a rather handsome man. The hunched upper body the two witnessed earlier had been caused by two rings formed by a pair of coiled whips. The rings crossed over the man's chest and he yanked them off, letting the two whips hit the ground with a hefty thud. It seemed as if though instead of leather, this pair had been made of steel wire strands weaved together into rope. It wasn't a crafty weapon, though it was one that just about anyone could make and one that would last a long time and be as efficient as a custom-made weapon.
The sheer practicality of this weapon was impressive all of itself. Still, the using twin steel wire whips must've been physically exhausting as the way these whips hit the ground suggested them to be quite hefty. Mana wouldn't have taken a man as fit like this one to be one who would choose such a fighting style.
"Konoha's Sorceress, I'll request that you come with us. Your face is well known around most of the world, so a little threat to its integrity will do wonders for spreading our message across," the man pointed at Mana, showing off steel claw attachments to his leather gloves and knuckles. If encased with chakra, something like this could easily rend flesh and rip entire throats out. A grip from someone wearing a glove like that would've been far more dangerous and destructive than the bite of any ferocious animal.
"What are we even doing here?" Asuka rolled her eyes. "How are we supposed to find any clues about a conspiracy with you just sitting here and sipping tea?"
"I'm listening to conversations. I'd rather not have ours take up the space…" Endo replied while his eyes looked away to a different table each time or a different group of passers-by in a quaint outside café serving rock-solid local cookies and tea. Toughness in local confectionaries must've been a theme, as most local vendors took pride in their jawbreakers. Even muffins were perilous to one's teeth around these parts as one could easily have their tooth stay imbedded in what one bit into, expecting soft, cottony cuddle with a taste of berries.
"You know, we didn't really get off on the right foot. Both of us were grumpy when we first met, but I think you're actually the most worthwhile ninja out of the Stars," Asuka leaned her head on her hand, pressing her cheek against her palm. Her sly smirk made it murky at best if she truly meant what she said or if she was just trying to rile Endo or play him into her hand for something useful to come her way somewhere down the line.
"Also, you tried killing my teammate a few times and put me to sleep with a genjutsu," Endo replied without sparing the time to look back at the newbie amongst the Stars. "I'd say that pretty much set where we stand. I'd have killed you the first chance I got if we didn't need you."
"I think that's bollocks. I think that a tough guy like you doesn't need anyone else. You think you could carve your way through this whole terrorist group, right?" the tip of Asuka's tongue wet her lips. Endo still didn't look back at her.
"Maybe. But that's not how I do things anymore. I'm on a team now and the Stars have pulled my ass out from some pretty nasty times. I trust them to know better than I do. Sometimes… Sometimes I don't really judge my own abilities accurately. True, often they undersell me too, but together we make a decent balance," Endo closed his eyes and sighed, finally feeling like Asuka had cracked through an adamantine shell and got a reaction. "Still, if Mana didn't oppose killing you so adamantly on that ship, I'd have cut you down the first chance I got, like the last spying bitch that tried hurting her."
"Oh… So protective… I wonder what's that about?" Asuka chuckled.
"Will you take this seriously for one damn second!?" Endo growled, finally getting riled up and switching his focus on Asuka fully. "For someone whose life hinges upon this mission, you're not even trying to do your part."
"You like her, don't you? That's why you're deflecting…" Asuka teased Endo some more, figuring that more teasing would cause a livelier reaction.
"Unless you start looking, or at the very least start sipping on that tea quietly, I'll smash your face right through this table," Endo hissed, realizing his folly in feeding the energy vampire and returning to his task of listening in on something that might help them out.
"Why don't you try then, big boy? I've been itching to see just how strong you were, what with all that tough talk and all…" Asuka leaned on both her hands, making a dreamy stare toward Endo and begging him to choose violence. "As I've said, you're the most interesting person amongst the Allied Ninja I've met yet. I want to see just how strong you are."
The waitress that was just about to bring Endo another cup of tea screamed out as the tray and tea she carried split into two, alongside the table that Endo and Asuka sat by. Asuka had rolled back and then offered her chair to the merciless slash of Endo's sword that left a charred trail across the place it split the various junk in his way into two.
"I'll warn you. When I fight, I fight to kill," Endo pouted his lips and placed one of the two katana that connected into a sword-staff on his shoulder. He knew that he had crossed all the lines and that he defied Shige's order and risked their entire mission here by causing a ruckus in the town square, but none of this would've mattered as long as he shut this annoying woman up for good.
Shige was wrong. She was dangerous and also just dead weight. They didn't need her at all.