The following morning, I had no idea what to do with myself. Over the years, five a.m. wakeup had become non-negotiable, and I usually put the following hours to good use. An intensive stretch routine led into backbreaking physical conditioning, punctuated with chakra exercises.

The stretching part I could do, but beyond that? Well, I couldn't be in anything less than peak physical condition, both for optics and because I was going to Sōgen no fucking Kuni. Yes, it would take a while to get there, especially since we'd no doubt be moving at a snail's pace, but even with chakra reinforcing our bodies and speeding up recovery, training accidents still happened. I couldn't risk it.

Antsy, I tried to find something to occupy my time. Studying first and foremost; I needed to know what I was getting into.

There wasn't much publicly available on Sōgen no Kuni. I wanted to learn about the nomad groups, especially the nomad ninja Clans that, if they were anywhere else, would have banded together to form a Hidden Village. I found some information on the latter in the shinobi library (no bloodlines—those would have been scooped up by the surrounding villages), but none on the former. I guess they were so far beneath notice that Iwa didn't even care enough to write down a single name.

Short-sighted and annoying, but I guess I understood. Our mission to that nation was an extreme oddity, and they were situated in the west, well beyond every major village. When the war kicked off, that entire region might not even realize.

Whatever. I guess it was up to me to submit any information I happened across while I was there, not that anyone would acknowledge or appreciate my efforts.

The entire country was essentially a black hole for information, which begged the question; how did we deduce that Yamasaki Toyokazu was there? I couldn't find record of any other specific missing-nin sightings, even though we knew there were plenty holed up in the abandoned outposts. I could only assume our informants were specifically on the lookout for him, and that said a lot. Yes, he killed a comrade, which was terrible. But did that warrant such attention?

What did he do? Or, better yet, what did he know?

I doubted I'd learn the answer to either of those questions. I doubted I'd even see the man personally; if Biwa-sensei and our sensor found him at all, they'd take him down without involving us.

Annoyed with my lack of results, I closed the book I was flipping through with a clap that earned me a stink eye from the librarian, slipped it back into place on the shelf and left the building. Hands in my pockets, I squinted up at the sky. It was…almost noon. Kinda. Probably an hour till, or more, but the fuck else was I supposed to do?

I paid for some questionable street meat as a treat and meandered to the front gate early. Once there, I found Iwao already waiting for me. I chuckled.

"You too, huh?"

He cracked me a rare grin. Well, it was rare when directed my way.

"I can only look at kunai variants for so long. Specialty weapons aren't my style."

That went for all of us. Generally, if you were good with jutsu, you didn't want your hands full.

I was glad to see Iwao here, because that meant I could make the time go by faster. Not by talking; god no. With Iwao? That just sounded uncomfortable.

"Hey, slap me when other people get here, okay?" I asked, fluidly sinking into a crisscross. I took his sigh as an affirmation.

"Don't act like you won't enjoy it," I deadpanned, closing my eyes and sinking deep into a meditative trance.

My canals were fully explored. So were the major tributaries, and even hundreds of minor ones. Anyone would call that a job well done, but I knew there were more secrets in my body. Secrets that only I would be able to unlock.

Seals. Built into our very bodies. Small, almost unnoticeable in effect, but they existed. They helped regulate the flow of chakra between the parts of my body, directing it without conscious thought. It was a phenomena I noticed back when I discovered Flash Flooding in the hospital all those years ago, but my awareness wasn't honed enough at the time. I thought that perhaps Intent, a concept that seemingly defied logical understanding, was at the helm.

Now I knew better. I was starting to gain an insight that possibly none before me had. And the finer my insight became, the more I realized.

My canals were kinda like trees. The main channels were like the trunks; rigid, unmoving. Disturbing one was akin to inviting catastrophe. The tributaries were like limbs; still important, but they could be limber. They could bend.

The further away from the trunk I traveled, the smaller the scale I worked with, the more flexible the wood became. Changing their shape was not impossible.

I wondered what I could do with that.

Then, in what felt like no time at all, a sharp pain brought me to alertness. Without opening my eyes, I brought a hand up to my face, and my surroundings began to filter in. I heard voices, and felt the stiffness in my joints. Humans weren't supposed to sit so still for so long. Especially not on stone. My butt hurt.

"Our team has never been so far west before," Iwao was saying, as if he hadn't just smacked me across the face. Yeah, I asked him to, but other people wouldn't just assume that.

"There's little of note," A smooth, feminine voice replied. "Some agricultural centers, but the best ones are so far away that trade is impractical. Some hidden villages, but they pale in comparison since it is more peaceful. Few shinobi from them are of note."

Something about that voice was very familiar, and I opened one eye.

"You're going to be the sensor joining us, hmm?" I wondered, trying my best to appear unphased, even as my heart beat heavier. "It's been a while. Endo-sensei."

Years ago, I had realized immediately that Endo Ayumu was gorgeous. As someone who had once been an adult, it was impossible not to recognize. But, back then, I was little more than a baby. I recognized she was hot, but that didn't—couldn't—actually make me feel anything.

Needless to say, that wasn't the case anymore.

Fuck.

"Brat," she returned, neutrally. "I see you've become more insufferable over the years."

"You don't know the half of it," Biwa-sensei grumbled, appearing out of thin air. Our clients hadn't even appeared yet, but the sun wasn't directly overhead. We were all still early. "I wasn't aware you two knew each other."

"She sponsored my early enrollment in the academy," I explained, eyes never leaving her own. They were hazel, and speckled. "And I resent that, for the record, sensei. I've gotten much better over the years. You knew me back then, Iwao—isn't that right? Don't lie."

"Long strides can't always make up great distance," he sniped back, appraising Sexy-sensei in a new light.

My grin widened at the banter. "Witty, as always. I cringe at the memories of my actions back then. You'll find my presence much more tolerable these days."

Hopefully, one day, my past would cease to haunt me.

Sexy-sensei spoke somewhat formally, if I remembered correctly, so I'd mirror her. I'd at least try to tone back the abrasiveness. There was a lot I wanted out of her on this mission, so I couldn't afford to annoy her too much—this opportunity probably wouldn't come around again.

"If your personality has changed as much as your chakra, I imagine so," he said, brow furrowed as she stared right through me. "I've never seen chakra behave in that manner. It's possibly the strangest in the village."

Not necessarily a compliment, but I took it as one anyway.

"Only possibly?" I said with faux disappointment.

"Top three, definitely," she deadpanned.

Biwa-sensei chose that moment to cut in, shooting Sexy-sensei a look that was met with a raised eyebrow. Interesting.

"Since this is a client mission, we cannot, of course, use the tunnels," he announced. Only Iwa shinobi were supposed to know about our man-made path through Sekitsui. "We'll have to take the long way around. North into Streams, and then we'll hook west, passing through the corner of Swamps and then into Steppes. It will be a long journey, and the landscape will not be favorable for their for wagons. Be prepared; we may be called upon to work outside our normal capacity. However, we have been paid extra to do so."

Great. Geographically, we'd be in for a treat. Couldn't wait to get started.

- - - { ワナビー } - - -

The caravan we'd be escorting was probably far from what my teammates expected, but I knew how these things worked from my time on Earth. Only people with means (or at least wealthy sponsors) went on Mission trips. The fact that foreigners to the Land of Earth commissioned Iwagakure ninja should have tipped Iwao and Daigo off to that.

Our services weren't cheap, but we offered discounts to our natives (or charged premiums for non-natives if you're a cynic). The mission scroll Biwa-sensei had received mentioned that their Church resided in Rivers; a border nation that was decimated by Konoha and Suna in the last war. I could infer that we were chosen because they currently hated both villages, and no one in the country wanted to hire from either nation. River had their own minor Hidden Village, who our clients paid to escort them to Iwa, but they were understandably unwilling to trek clear across the continent to Steppes.

The group had arrived several days ago, and were no doubt enjoying luxury for the last time. In a while, they must have thought, but perhaps ever. Not to sound like a hack fortune teller, but I saw the shadow of death hovering over them.

None seemed to notice. They cheerfully greeted one another as they assembled, some snacking on lunch to go, shying away from us as civilians normally did. The head of the group, a refined man in his late thirties with a precisely shaped, pointed mustache (I give it a week before it grew wild) was the only one to bridge the gap, speaking softly with Biwa-sensei about their course.

Most of the group was young. Not incredibly so, by my past life's standards—the median age was probably around twenty-five. And around a third to half of them were women. Taking such a group into this environment should be criminal.

It made me furious. I wanted to rage at the leader, at the group at large. Shout at them until they understood what they were walking into. But I couldn't say anything.

I prayed that they knew something I didn't. But I doubted it. They didn't strike me as forward thinkers.

Iwao picked up on my dark mood, and raised an eyebrow at me.

"They're all going to die, you know that, right?" I murmured, scowling. He was probably the only other person on this squad that would give even a little bit of a shit.

"You care about that?" he replied evenly, though surprise was still evident in his voice. I scoffed.

"Of course I do. I know you think I'm a complete asshole, and that I don't care about anyone other than myself. But that's never been true about me, even at my worst. It's so…avoidable. They're taking it like a joke. It's pissing me off."

He sighed. "I get it. And sorry."

I sighed. "It's fine."

We were silent for a moment, hearing but not listening to the chatter around us.

"Maybe we should give them the benefit of the doubt."

I scoffed.

"Really. Maybe they know what they're doing. Maybe they've done research, or they've arranged for protection amongst the natives."

"You're in denial," I stated. "But whatever. It's not like we can do anything about it now."

I wished I was a better person. I wished I could follow my moral compass, consequences be damned. But no. I was weak. I couldn't disobey commands, even commands that were only implied.

We didn't speak for a couple of minutes. In that time, the wagons arrived, driven by oxen. There weren't as many as I feared; only three. If the path grew unmanageable, my team and I wouldn't have to work as hard to get them out of any ruts or whatever. Between my and Biwa-sensei's gravity powers, we should have many fewer issues than most other teams in that regard.

"What if we did meddle, but it was for the good of Iwagakure?" Iwa murmured, barely moving his lips as he spoke. I shot him a side-eye.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Well, the entire reason that we'd be going against Iwagakure's best interests by attempting to scare off these people is that we'd be sacrificing mission pay," he explained. "But look at them. They're not hurting for money. What if we went to Steppes, completed our mission, and then helped them see reason once we got there. They'd be begging us to escort them back, which, of course, wouldn't be free. It would double Iwa's income. And if we impress them, we might even earn ourselves some repeat customers in the future."

"Transforming a one-off escort mission into something with longevity," I murmured, keeping the grin from tugging at my lips. "Iwao, you're a genius."

Look at our little leader. I felt so proud.

"It's what my tou-san would do in this situation," he said with a shrug, and though I kinda doubted that—Yuudai wasn't as nice as his son—I accepted the statement. I would be glad to have someone like Iwao heading the Red Ogres. I would do my damndest to get him there.

"Should we ask sensei?" he asked me.

"Nah," I decided. "He's a grouch. He doesn't care about these people, and he doesn't really care about the money. He'd say no just to save us the hassle. Sometimes, it's better to ask forgiveness than permission."

Iwao didn't seem convinced, but he seemed to go along with it anyway.

"We'll still have to plant the seeds now," I warned. "We just need to make sure we don't go too far, too quickly. I don't have your people skills, so that will probably fall mostly to you."

"Don't pawn all the work off on me," he said. "You work on the girls. You're a kid; they'll want to pamper you. Let them."

I blew a soft raspberry, but resigned myself to my fate. In both lives, I was raised exclusively by men and tired, old women. I didn't have the energy to pretend to be feminine. But I'd do my best.

- - - { ワナビー } - - -

Imai Kasaiki was, in some ways, what Ayumu expected. She'd known the moment she set her eyes on that scrangly, little child, looking so much like a drowned rat in the dim firelight all those years ago, that there was something more to her. The ferocity, the hunger in those eyes couldn't be manufactured by any external force. She would be great because she had to be. To her, there was no other alternative.

Though she was hardly full grown currently, the years hadn't tempered her nature in the slightest. It was in her posture, in the way she moved. A sense of assurance that nothing could bend or break her. She was unyielding. Steadfast.

Kukkyō no Kasaiki. She had to admit, it fit. Hanzo must have been some judge of character to see as much after only one interaction. She wondered what exactly she had done to demonstrate it to him, but a good shinobi was only curious when they were paid to be.

That was why Ayumu hadn't been following the girl's career. Not through the academy and beyond, once she had signed the girl's form and spoken to Yoshiro-san. She was content to take her eyes off the plant, let others take the trouble of watering it for her, and check in much later to see how it had grown.

But it was time, now. That little brat she once knew was no longer beneath her bosses' notice, and that didn't refer solely to the Tsuchikage. Iwa's supreme commander was almost obligated to take notice of his son's team. Those just below him? Not so much.

Due to her high-index chakra sensitivity, Ayumu had, several years into her tenure as chunin, cultivated a certain skill that made her very desirable. She could, with one hundred percent certainty, tell if a person was lying. She could tell other things as well, but that alone was valuable enough. If someone was plotting, she could smell it from a mile away. A face could lie, but chakra could not.

Which was why she was, at the first opportunity, scooped up by the Red Ogres. T&I, internal investigation, counter-espionage. And more rarely, she saw field work, like today. Ayumu was in high demand everywhere. In fact, it almost felt strange to be outside without a mask over her face these days; ever since her genin team graduated, less than a year after she'd met Imai, she'd worked almost exclusively within the organization in some form or another.

Ayumu surveyed the girl in front of her critically, a signature frown pulling down her lips. Fooling the jonin's senses would require no less than a perfect, unyielding hold on every iota of chakra in a person's body. She'd thought such a state to be impossible to achieve. Turns out, she was wrong. Imai's chakra was perfectly smooth. She alone had the potential to lie to Ayumu.

Funnily enough, it was her face that betrayed her. She was usually called in to use her gift against people with total control of their physical tells, but here she was, faced with someone possessing a perfected, unheard of skill, who fell way behind in something that should have been considerably easier to achieve.

So, she could still easily discern that Imai Kasaiki was scheming. Her and that other boy on her team; Commander-sama's brat. They were clearly manipulating their clients to some end—what that may be, she hadn't a clue. She sincerely doubted that the girl would allow herself to be manhandled by these young civilian women otherwise, once their surroundings had been cleared and camp had been set for the night.

They fretted over her damaged hair, even cutting it in a style that Imai was clearly displeased with. The fretted over her inability to cook, teaching her skills that "any girl should know." Ayumu felt demeaned just witnessing the spectacle, so she couldn't imagine how or why the young kunoichi bore it.

Ordinarily, Ayumu wouldn't have paid it a second thought. As stated, a good shinobi was only curious when they were paid to be, and if Tsuchibokori no Biwa didn't see fit to call her out on it, neither would she.

But in this case, she was being paid. Underneath every more overt task she'd been assigned with this mission, she had another. And, given the context of that task, she was quite curious about what the still-little girl was up to.

However, though it would have been more conducive to remain quiet and observe, even the ordinarily cold jonin couldn't help but feel a twinge of sympathy when the ladies brought out the cosmetics.

She supposed there was that additional matter the Tsuchikage mentioned. And beneath it, another.

"Imai," she barked, summoning the girl curtly. With poorly hidden relief, she excused herself from the huddle and all but jogged to Ayumu's side.

"You look ridiculous," Ayumu stated. "You don't have to let them treat you like this just because they're clients."

Let's see if she could catch anything by fishing for information.

"Of course I know," the genin scoffed. "Please. However, in case you've forgotten this about me, I'm never one to turn down free instruction or services."

Ayumu connected the dots—at least the dots Imai wanted connected—easily enough. It was a strange direction to take this interrogation.

(Endo Ayumu didn't have conversations, anymore. She only had interrogations.)

"Haven't you learned enough about disguise in the academy?" the jonin asked, knowing that Yoshiro-san wouldn't have left such a gap in their education.

"I know how to make myself look like a civilian, of course. I even know how to make myself look like a River civilian. But there are regional variants, and I can't be expected to memorize all of them. Might as well learn to blend in with this particular group from those who know best."

In a way that made sense. In another, it was stupid.

Weak. Ayumu was disappointed.

"You can observe them yourself just fine, and that should be enough," she pointed out smoothly. "I should hope you have the skill to form a sufficient Henge. No one you will encounter in Sōgen will be able to see through that."

Imai had the gall to look disappointed in her.

"Appearance is only half the disguise," she said in a tone that made Ayumu want to throw her back to the wolves. See if she pitied the girl ever again. "If we run into any missing-nin—and I truly hope we do—no disguise will fool them if our clients view us as powerful ninja. However, if those women think me to be one of them, think me to be weak, they will treat me differently in the face of crisis."

Ah. The supposed missing piece. Correcting a fabricated misunderstanding with a more believable feint—that was a decent tactic. She rescinded her disappointment.

"You're hunting missing-nin," Ayumu repeated, pretending to fall for it while internally feeling a strange mix of annoyance and entertainment.

Imai's answering smile appeared sinister.

"Haven't you heard? The Tsuchikage is offering Merits per head. And I sorely need B-ranks."

She had, in fact, heard that. And she wasn't surprised Imai wanted to capitalize. Ayumu, of course, had been briefed on the arrangement Imai had with the Tsuchikage, but the genin didn't expect her to. She was baiting her towards another tangent.

But was Imai flexible enough to adapt when things didn't go her way?

"So long as you don't expect me to save you if you bite off more than you can chew," she said neutrally, not allowing herself to be put on the backfoot in this conversation. "Your sensei and I will likely part ways with you once we reach Sōgen no Kuni, you know."

"Aww, there's no need for you to worry so much over me," she said smoothly, and if Ayumu was a worse ninja, she would have clucked her tongue in irritation. "I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself."

"An objectively untrue statement," Ayumu said wryly, as she wasn't close to full grown yet. The jab was uncharacteristic, and aimed to throw Imai off her tempo.

The girl just laughed, no offense discernable in her tone. She had held firm.

"Did you just call me over to insult my new haircut, or was there something you wanted?"

What a little shit. Imai Kasaiki had found an opening and paused the test herself. If her personality wasn't so brusque, that wouldn't have worked naturally. However, since it was so in line with her persona, Ayumu didn't dock too many figurative points.

"The Tsuchikage was vague on the matter, but he asked me to work with you to study your chakra," she said, because pressing her own agenda would have clued Imai in. It was time for a temporary retreat.

The genin's eyes lit up. Ayumu wondered if her skill in impassivity was lacking, or if she simply currently had no desire to hide her emotions. There were ninja who chose to be freely emotive when the situation didn't demand the alternative, and Ayumu didn't understand them. Why risk the possibility of slipping up?

Besides, she found it easier to apply the practice at all times, rather than cherry-pick when she wanted to throw it to the wayside.

"Have you seen my bounty from Konoha?" she asked, not to brag in this instance. Ayumu nodded. "I fought a powerful sensor to earn it. Yes, I showed a couple skills that no enemy of ours would want in Iwa's hands. But I'm relatively certain that the main reason they assigned such a high value was due to my chakra. They know something about it, and it scares them. I want to know what that is. I want to know if there's some potential I'm overlooking."

Ayumu ruminated on that for a moment, squinting as she peered through the child before her.

"Well, there is quantity to consider," she said. "Whatever trick you used back then to increase your reserves has set you up for an unusual degree of growth. Chakra begets chakra—if you keep going at this rate, you may have the third greatest reserves of anyone in Iwa."

Of course, a mere human couldn't be expected to compete with a jinchūriki.

"Here we go with third best again," she complained, but there was a glint in her eye that wasn't there in the last instance. Ayumu bet she already knew about Han and Roshi, likely through her sensei.

"My gut tells me there's more to it, though," Imai said, and Ayumu was inclined to believe her. The sheer quantity wasn't nearly the most unique thing about her chakra.

"You're keeping a firm control over it, to a degree I've never seen," Ayumu stated. "What is the point of that? It can't be easy—it must provide you some utility."

Imai cocked her head to the side. "That…isn't a simple question to answer. You're wrong, first of all; it's not just easy to maintain. It's entirely effortless. In fact, returning it to its original state would likely be an active process at this point."

"One you should practice nonetheless," Ayumu cut in. "To a sensor, that state is entirely distinct. Those from Konoha have likely already been notified, and once your notoriety grows between villages, others will be able to identify you from that alone, through any disguise you may otherwise be wearing."

Imai nodded in appreciation, but continued her explanation.

"It's less so that the chakra state provides benefits, and more that the skills behind it grant me special capabilities. Perfect awareness over my chakra allows me to counter most if not all genjutsu, theoretically, and it allows me to instantly copy or otherwise learn jutsu so long as I possess the requisite skills. Those are two examples, but there are others."

"If you're right about Konoha recognizing a potential in you that you are not aware of, I would consider the possibility of that not being the case," Ayumu advised, not batting an eye at the claims even if she didn't fully understand the mechanics. "Perhaps there is a direct benefit that you are overlooking."

"But then how would they know what that is?" she asked, perplexed. "If I haven't figured it out, how could they?"

Ayumu cocked an eyebrow.

"I am…confused by your rationale," she admitted. "You're convinced that Konoha knows something about your ability. But you don't think that Konoha understands how it works?"

"Well, I know they know how it works," she clarified. "That's not a question in my mind. But I highly, highly doubt they have or have ever had anyone who can replicate it. I can't even imagine that it's anything short of wholly unique."

If not for her tone, Ayumu would have called such a statement foolishly prideful. But she didn't mean it as a boast; there was honest confusion there.

However, this was important for any distinguished shinobi to learn.

"There is no such thing as a wholly unique ability in the Elemental Nations," Ayumu said with vehemence. "Everything can be replicated. Even bloodlines, in function if not form. Those kinds of assumptions will get you killed."

"No, no, you don't understand. You're missing important pieces," the child claimed, though she didn't seem inclined to reveal what those pieces were. Ayumu was a ninja; she wouldn't ask about another's techniques.

"There is no such thing as a wholly unique ability," she repeated, and Imai huffed. "Humor me. Consider that Konoha has another example to look to. What does that imply?"

"That said example either decimated them in the past, or was one of their shinobi," she said, reluctantly. "Either way, they were powerful."

"Exactly. Perhaps, when you return to Iwa, you should do some research. You know what signs to look for better than anyone."

The girl nodded reluctantly, and Ayumu was stuck with a thought. "If that wasn't it, what did you think Konoha was so scared of?"

"Well, my chakra itself," she replied. "It's a different color, now; that's plainly observable. Biwa-sensei tells me that my intent is different too. I wanted to know what Minato—the sensor I fought—felt, and if it bore any similarities to anything else you've experienced."

Ayumu had been wondering about that, but she had thought the unnatural feeling to be tied to the strange flow of her chakra, combined with her emotional state. She felt cold, peaceful. Unnatural. But everything else about the girl was unnatural too, so it didn't feel exceptionally out of place to the jonin. Although she was quite aware her own standards were skewed.

"Were you not like this before you achieved this chakra state?" she asked, and Imai shook her head.

"It was a recent and sudden change. Before then, my chakra was an ordinary, light blue. I haven't spent much time around sensors before then, so I don't know if there were any early signs that would have indicated this impending metamorphosis. I somehow doubt there were any, but I'll never know for sure."

It seems Ayumu was missing the trees in the forest.

"You said something about intent," she recalled.

"Yes. This isn't the place for a demonstration," she jerked her head in the direction of the clients. "Suffice to say it's quite…alarming."

"That's your killing intent," Ayumu gathered. "Have you tested other intents?"

"No. I theoretically know how to use them, but in practice…it's much more difficult."

That was normal. For ninja, killing intent was by far the easiest to manifest. Ayumu had heard that kinder humans skilled with chakra—monks especially—had an easier time conveying other emotions.

"Something to work on," she mused. "Well, I'm not sure how much help I can be in unraveling that particular mystery. I've never felt anything remotely similar either."

The "not even from bijuu" was implied. She imagined that Imai was wondering whether or not Konoha had mistaken her for a jinchūriki. Even out here, such a title shouldn't be uttered aloud.

"That's too bad," Imai said. "Still, thank you for your help. Even if we didn't find anything conclusive, you have shared some valuable insight."

Her eyes flicked upwards to the night sky.

"I'm suddenly concerned about how distinguishable my chakra network is to sensors. That's definitely something I need to take care of. But I've quite forgotten what it even felt like before. Over the next few days, would you mind giving me some feedback and instruction on the matter? Really wouldn't want to risk my cover being blown on an upcoming mission, and Biwa-sensei can't help me in this regard."

Internally—only internally—the jonin snorted. Agreeing would open her up to all sorts of other requests. After all, Imai had already learned to fear sensors; that was a lesson most shinobi her age didn't experience until much later in their careers. She knew how to keep her eyes on the prize, that was for certain.

Though Ayumu half didn't want to agree on principle, she nodded regardless.

"Sure. Why not?"

Her job was to evaluate the girl, after all. At least it might make the time go by faster.

- - - { ワナビー } - - -

Keeping the grin off my face and my chakra calm, I turned to find the missionaries in a circle around the fire, seemingly in some sort of prayer circle. I could continue my personal assignment and join them—no doubt I'd be well-received. They were here to proselytize, after all. But the thought of doing so made me so uncomfortable that I couldn't bring myself to it.

I decided to pass them to reconvene with the rest of my team. Daigo, with Biwa-sensei's permission, had decided to make a fire like our clients, so I might as well offer my hunting services and save the contents of my inventory for another day. With how much I ate, I had stocked it to the brim, so there was no shortage. But still, it was a good practice to abide by.

However, though I gave the missionaries a wide berth, I still heard the tail end of their prayer. It was so startling that I was brought up short, freezing for several moments as my brain reset.

This is what they all said in unison.

"Let new blood wash clean,

all old blood that has been,

May our sacrifice appease Jashin,

'till the day comes for him to receive us"

Excuse me…WHAT THE FUCK?

- - - { ワナビー } - - -

AN: Hey guys! Mission is underway, let's have a smooth trip. Nothing is going to go wrong, not with the missing-nin nest, not with her chakra, and definitely no with the group of Jashinists they're transporting. Everything is going to be a-okay!

Unfortunately, and I'm really sorry about this, the next chapter is probably going to be delayed. My dad is coming in, and he's going to help me knock out all the remodeling that needs to go into my new house, plus help me prepare for wedding stuff. Not going to have time for writing until he leaves on Friday.

I don't have a Ptrn. If you've gotten just five bucks of enjoyment out of this story, please consider buying my original work on amazon (information in my bio). Between the two sites this fic is posted on, I have over 2900 readers. If even half of you choose to support me in this fashion, I would have considerable bargaining power when it comes to getting future books published. More publishing deals means I can quit my day job, which translates into more time for fanfiction. It's a one time thing, and you even get more of my writing out of it.

Plus, you should totally check out my other fic on archive. Across the Totem-Verse, (username Poncho_o). It's a Spider-Man, Across the Spider-Verse fic.

Have a good one!