The port was bigger than Rei had thought it would be, and she had to admit, she'd half-expected there to be no ships in the harbor. However, there were three big barges being outfitted for travel, and everyone was bustling around like it was some kind of market day, even as the snow began falling harder.
"Keep your hoods pulled low, just in case," Mangetsu warned. They'd outfitted themselves in nondescript grey cloaks before they encountered any people, and as the terrain shifted from snow-covered dirt and foliage to snow-covered streets, Rei noticed with a breath of relief that they fit right in. She couldn't see anyone's face, and they couldn't see hers. Even Mangetsu's ridiculously bulky sword didn't look too out of place; everyone seemed to be carrying something with them under their cloaks.
The tea house that Kisame had mentioned before darting off back to the village was small, but not something from a low-rent district by any means. When Mangetsu led them through the doors, the looming storm clouds and frigid air became a distant memory.
The faint herbal smell embraced her so tightly that she had to remind herself to walk forward, to follow Mangetsu, or she'd be left behind. Everything about the little establishment was cozy, from the deep green walls to the subtle lantern light to the tinkling chimes at the windows.
A few patrons glanced up at their entrance, but quickly turned back to their companions, disinterested. "Stay," Mangetsu muttered with a small hand movement, and Utakata and Rei hovered in the background while he made arrangements for them.
"What can you feel?" Utakata whispered, not looking down at her. His arms were crossed nonchalantly, but Rei could see the tension in his stance.
"Should I feel something?" she whispered back.
"Unblock your…" He didn't finish his statement, eyes flitting about the room.
"I can't just suck in random suspicious chakra from all over the place on a whim," she hissed. "That's not how I work."
"You're a sensory type!" he hissed back. "If I can feel it, you should be able to."
Mangetsu glanced back at them in irritation for a split second.
"Fine." In spite of what she'd just said, she could sense very tiny wisps of chakra floating about the room. None of the patrons of the tea house were Shinobi; there would be stronger chakra signatures attached to them. The man behind the bar, however, definitely was.
As was the man downstairs.
His signature was strong. Though he was at least ten feet below her and behind at least two walls, Rei could faintly sense his aura: yellow, lively, erratic. She glanced back over at Utakata. "Who do you think it is?" she whispered.
"Maybe the other Swordsmen. Maybe Anbu."
"What?"
He turned his eyes inconspicuously to the window to their right, and Rei did the same after a moment. People were passing to and fro on the street, purchasing food, trinkets, and tickets for ship fare, but no one seemed particularly strange. "There are three of them," Utakata said, inclining his head. "By the stall with the purple banner. The big one hasn't stopped watching the door of this place."
"They might not be here for us," Rei said as her pulse began to race again.
"Good catch," Mangetsu said aloud, turning back to them and motioning them forward. "But they are here for us." Before Rei could complete her heart attack, he amended his statement in undertone. "They're lookouts for Kazan here." The man behind the bar stepped out from behind it and bowed shortly in introduction. He was exceptionally short, likely only about as tall as Rei's shoulder, and completely bald. But his skin fairly crackled with energy.
"They do what they are ordered to do," Kazan said quietly. "And right now, their orders are to look out for your best interests. Kyoko!" he suddenly shouted. "To the bar."
A teenaged girl scuttled out of the kitchen, wiped her hands on a rag, and took Kazan's place at the desk. "Yes, sir."
"Please follow me." Kazan started for a curtain hanging behind the bar and swept it to the side just long enough for Mangetsu, Utakata, and Rei to pass through with him. "You actually arrived a bit earlier than I was expecting."
Behind the curtain was a long corridor lit only by dim flickering candles in iron sconces. Once, not terribly long ago at all, Rei would never have considered entering such a place with three men. But today, she kept pace with Utakata, refusing to move more than a few inches from his side. The candles threw large black shadows on the decorative forest-colored wallpaper, and Rei's ears couldn't pick up any unusual sounds due to the thudding of her heartbeat in her ears.
They descended a set of stone stairs into an almost complete darkness, and Rei surprised herself by grabbing onto Utakata's elbow. For balance, she told herself. After a moment, he shifted her grip so that he held her hand tightly in his and slowed his steps just enough to keep by her side.
"How far do the corridors reach?" Mangetsu asked quietly. The walls seemed to absorb his question, and the candles leapt excitedly.
"Not much farther," Kazan answered. "We're just barely above sea level here, so special care must be taken with all subterranean rooms. We use a lot of chakra…and money…to keep the water out." They'd passed several nondescript doors, but Kazan stopped before one that gave off the faintest pulsing chakra signature.
"Is that…?" Utakata asked, reaching forward as if to touch the door.
"Your Headmaster is very talented." Kazan rested his palm against the door for a moment before reaching for the knob. "He could make a fortune if he chose to market his security measures."
Behind the door was yet another hallway that seemed to stretch back in the direction they'd just come. Rei was running through escape strategies, should they become needed, when Kazan authorized the opening of one more door. That same yellow chakra Rei had felt in the tea house before suddenly became almost tangible.
"This is your contact." Kazan gestured into the room, lit much more pleasantly than the corridor, to reveal a tall, slender man in a black-hooded cloak, much like theirs. He had his back to them as he thumbed through a thin book that he'd grabbed from one of the many bookshelves lining the wall, and he didn't bother turning to them.
"Took you long enough," he muttered.
Kazan bowed up with offense. "Watch yourself, boy. You're here as a favor; nothing more."
The man turned to face them now, snapping the book shut and tossing it onto the small wooden table in the center of the room. "Don't remind me."
Rei took immediate notice that this man wasn't wearing a village headband, and he wasn't in the traditional blues of the Mist. Rather, his jacket was a deep green, and his pants of thin fabric and open-toed boots seemed more appropriate for a temperate climate than that of the wet, snowy atmosphere outside. When he brushed the hood from his head, he revealed grey-tinged dark hair, a face that hadn't seen a razor in days, and world-weary eyes.
Mangetsu had stiffened and his fingers flexed subtly, ready to reach for his sword. "Kazan. This is a Leaf Shinobi," he said through clenched teeth.
"Aren't you an observant one." The man from the Leaf took a seat at the table, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms. Despite his pose of relaxation, his eyes never strayed from Mangetsu. "Planning on using that sword on me? I hear you Mist bastards are vicious."
Mangetsu's fingers stilled. Kazan took Mangetsu's bicep carefully. "If you're planning on entering the Land of Fire, you'll need a guide."
"He'll guide us into an ambush." Utakata spoke for the first time, and the Leaf Shinobi snickered dryly.
"I suppose you'll just have to take that chance, won't you?"
Snorting with impatience, Kazan took a few steps forward and smacked the side of the foreigner's head, making the man start in surprise. Rei jolted in place, prepared to dart back down the dark hallway. "You're wasting time, and you're wasting my money. The barge arrives in a few short hours, and I need you all to be fast friends by the time you leave. Tell your side and get on with it." With that, the small man went back above ground, shutting the chakra-powered door behind him.
There were three very quiet, very powerful seconds that passed before Mangetsu asked the question. "Why are you in the Land of Water?"
When the man looked back to them, his grey eyes were unguarded. "To rescue my son."