Once the goats had been dropped off and the owner had thanked the squad with a hot meal, the sun had already fallen behind the mountains. Dusk fell over the village and the easiness that Rei had been feeling throughout the afternoon had evaporated.
She was safe, she told herself. She wasn't in the barracks. She was with her own squad.
"It'll be nearly midnight by the time we make it back," Utakata observed. "We might want to camp out for the night." Rei could not even fit into words how much she did not want to do that.
Niko Sensei surveyed the purpling sky and looked as if he planned to agree, but then he must have caught sight of Rei's face. "No, let's get back. Sleeping out in the open isn't the best idea."
"What's wrong with camping?" Koichi asked as they started back in the direction of the Academy. "I used to do it with my parents all the time. And my feet are killing me from all this walking."
They continued to walk in silence for a time as the daylight faded completely from the sky. No one spoke until Niko Sensei said, "I'm going to speak honestly for a while. So listen up."
If it was possible, the three younger Shinobi grew quieter.
"More so than any other hidden village, the Mist is fractured." Rei could barely discern her Sensei's voice. "We lost so many in the war, and we haven't yet recovered." As one of the few subjects covered at the Academy, the Third Great Ninja War was something that Rei was familiar with. She'd been little when it had ended, so she didn't have any memories of the war itself. "Because our nation is made of islands, we were safer than most of the others. We thought so, anyway. We didn't have much in the way of warfare here, but we traveled across the ocean to fight on the mainland for years."
Utakata was the one setting the pace. He kept an even stride, like he wasn't listening. Koichi, however, kept his voice low when he said, "We would have been better off just staying out of it."
Utakata proved he was listening by chiming in darkly. "That never would have happened. The war gave the Mist a chance to prove its prowess and to weaken the other villages. The Mizukage couldn't have passed that up."
Clearing his throat, Niko Sensei said, "Listen. The village is on the edge of collapse, and most of us know it. We lost too many Shinobi in the war. We're weak. Our leaders are inhumane. And the other villages are becoming aware of that fact."
"But they're weak, too," Koichi pointed out, walking a little more quickly to match Niko Sensei's steps.
"The Mist has fewer Shinobi left than any of the other Five Great Nations." Niko Sensei's words were coming faster, with agitation, with nerves. "Part of that is due to the Mizukage's cruelty. Part of that is due to the war. But regardless, it has become common knowledge. The village hasn't been able to build security back up completely, so we're infiltrated by spies often. The truth of the matter is that the Village Hidden in the Mist is doomed."
When Niko Sensei stopped talking, he was breathing much too hard. It was too dark to see his face clearly, but Rei could see the exaggerated movement of his chest and shoulders. He had to stop walking for a moment and braced himself against the trunk of a tree. "Formation Two. Check the perimeter," he hissed.
Rei had never performed a formation with this squad, but she knew it by heart from her classes. She fell to Niko Sensei's left flank with Koichi on his right and Utakata between them. They all kept their senses tuned for intruders, and Utakata extracted his pipe from his jacket to blow a surveillance bubble. It rose above their heads and disappeared into the darkness. After a few seconds, Utakata confirmed that no one was near them. Niko Sensei exhaled in obvious relief and sank into a trembling crouch.
"If anyone outside of our organization had heard me speak those words, I'd have been sentenced to death," he said. Rei's skin prickled with goosebumps. "Shinobi risk their lives every day for their villages. What we are doing is a little different. We're trying to destroy everything that our village currently stands for. Make sure that you are able to live with that."
When Niko Sensei had recovered his breath, they continued their trek. They couldn't see the shape of the moon through the mist, but its blurry, pale light was high in the sky when they arrived back at the Academy. The lights in the streets still blazed, and people still came in and out of restaurants and bars. "I'll deliver your payment to you in the morning," Niko Sensei said. His eyes were shadowed, like he hadn't slept in weeks, and Rei felt her lips part in surprise at the drastic transformation. "Boys, we'll all meet at checkpoint one at noon tomorrow. Get some sleep."
Koichi offered Rei a tired, but still excited smile. "I have so many more Jutsu that we can work on, now that you know some basics. See you tomorrow!" Utakata nodded to her, which was more than Rei had expected considering how she had used him as a test dummy.
The boys headed off together in the direction of the apartments, and Niko Sensei said, "Rei, come with me. We'll stay with the Headmaster tonight."
"Doesn't he live at the Academy?" she asked.
Niko Sensei didn't answer, just shook his head in negation. It was more of a movement warning her to stop talking than an actual response. Despite what he had told them and how haggard he looked now, Rei had a hard time tempering her excitement. She'd successfully performed a Lightning Style Jutsu that wasn't really weak. That was huge!
They passed a darkened boutique, and when Rei glanced at their passing reflections in the large glass windows, she almost didn't recognize herself. Her hair had come loose from its ponytail at some point throughout the day and was trailing loose over her shoulders, tangled and wild from the activities of the day. Even in the darkness, she could see that her eyes were bright and shining.
Niko Sensei led Rei to a two-story cylindrical building behind the Academy, and its six visible windows were all shining, illuminating the street below. "This is where Headmaster Iwa lives?" Again, Niko Sensei didn't answer directly.
They went up the steps onto the concrete porch and Niko Sensei took several seconds to check for anyone who might be watching before pressing his palm to the door. A dull pulse of visible energy rippled outward across the door from his hand, and a few moments later, Headmaster Iwa pulled it open. He looked Niko Sensei up and down for a moment before stepping aside to allow them entrance. "You look like you've had better days."
Niko Sensei walked in and Rei followed, looking around the inside of the house with great interest. It was beautiful. The living room stretched the whole length of the house. It was painted a cheerful yellow with white accents across the floor and ceiling. Charming paintings and pictures of flowers decorated the walls, and a dining room table separated the kitchen from the living space. A couple of sofas and recliners were placed strategically near a fireplace. Bookshelves dotted the walls. Rei suddenly wasn't convinced that she'd ever want to walk outside again.
"I had a panic attack." Niko Sensei unbuckled his weapons pouch and tossed it onto a side table by the door. "The first in years. But we made it back, so I'll try to sleep it off."
Headmaster Iwa turned his attention to Rei, who still hadn't moved from her place just inside the door. "Reimi. Welcome." He motioned her forward then stepped behind her to close the door and lock the three different latches. Peeking through the nearest window, he performed a rapid series of handsigns before pressing his palm to the secure door. The same energy pulse Niko Sensei had created before emanated from his hand. "Now," he said, drawing the curtains to the two windows nearest him, "what brings you here tonight?"