She woke up well-rested, warm under the blankets, and a little stiff. After finally getting to her destination, she still had to push herself to find a secure inn, seal her room with the best security seals she had, and make sure everything was ready for her long rest.
Her first round of sleeping took four days. She only woke up because her stomach was too upset to sleep peacefully. She stayed awake long enough to order some food, take a shower, and eat. She then fell asleep once again.
This routine followed for a week. She would sleep most of the day, get up to eat, use the bathroom, and sleep again. Little by little, she gained back her strength. She was finally out of immediate danger.
This did not mean that she was ready to strain her body, but it did mean that she could start training it. She started by heading out to the village for some light physical exercise. She then slowly added some chakra exercises to the mix.
Her chakra control was not as refined as she liked, but she also knew that it was from removing the seal. She still got overwhelmed when she was in a crowd or when strong emotions were close to her, but she was slowly getting the hang of it.
After another week, it was time to go. She didn't have a lot of money left. She had to sell some medicinal plants and balms for enough money to get to Konoha. She wasn't healed enough to attempt healing others for money.
She packed her things and went on her way. A caravan heading to Konoha offered to take her, but she refused. While they had hired protection, the guards were not shinobi, and she would be in more danger if she traveled with them.
She opted for a shortcut to Konoha. There was no road, but it was frequented by shinobi. It would lower her chance of getting attacked by bandits. She had her identification documents in her tight pouch so they would be easily accessible.
Her unsealed weapons were all in visible places. She didn't want to look suspicious by not carrying any weapon on a road frequented by shinobi, even if she had no intentions of fighting. Hopefully, things will go well.
She used her sensing abilities passively. While her net was covering a good range around her, she wasn't actively pushing it to locate anything in range. This would help her keep the range up without using too much chakra.
She finally reached Konoha. It was a challenging journey, and every night, she had to sleep in the trees. She was also stopped by the Shinobi patrol twice. Still, thankfully, they weren't hostile once they realized she was cooperative.
The second group was actually some Chunin returning from a mission, and they accompanied her during the last day. One of the Chunin had a slight leg injury—not enough to hinder him, but enough to slow them down from returning to full speed.
Shiori offered to heal him, and they accompanied her to Konoha. It's been a while since she practiced tree running, and she could tell they were going slower to accommodate her. Still, it was fun for her.
She avoided using it when traveling alone since she never knew what may come up and needed to preserve all the chakra she could. Still, with their destination, it was safe this time. She still didn't let her guard down and was on the lookout, but she felt safer than before.
She was currently standing in a line for civilians to have their documents checked. The chunins bid her goodbye when they reached the gate since they had to report back to the Hokage. She didn't mind.
All she had to do was wait and head to the Tsunade-sensei's apartment. While she hasn't returned to Konoha in a long while, the Hokage still maintained an apartment for her in case she ever changed her mind since the Senju compound was destroyed during the Kyubi attack.
Shiori had the keys to the apartment. She just had to show her documentation and the official letter from Tsunade-sensei, which allowed her access. It was finally her turn.
"Name and reason for the visit?" The first guard asked while the other was going through her documents.
"I'm Shiori. I'm here to train and rest before heading to Sunal." She said calmly.
"To Suna? What for?" He asked curiously. It was not every day that a young kid traveled such a long journey by themselves.
"I'm a traveling medic in the land of fire, but I want to get my license for the land of wind next. Before heading there, I want to train for the exam, and Tsunade-sensei has allowed me access to her apartment." She said confidently. While some of her skills were rusty, she was sure she could bring them up to standard before reaching Suna.
The second guard then gave him a signal, and they returned her documents to her. "Everything checks out. As per the procedure of traveling medics, you should report to the hospital tomorrow," he said with a small smile.
Shiori carefully took her documents and bowed before heading through the maze-like streets. Although she was not familiar with Konoha, she remembered enough from her previous visits to find her way.
She stopped at only a few stalls to get some food and basics for a few days. These many people in such close proximity overwhelmed her, like an itch on her skin that wouldn't quite go away.
She rushed through the transactions, not caring about the pleasantries. When she finally got to the apartment, she sorted through the bags mechanically. Once she was done, she went to the spare room to rest.
She woke up to the sound of knocking on her door. The apartment was in a shinobi complex with retired ANBU and Jonin, so she wasn't worried about intruders. She carefully walked up to the door.
"Who is it?" She asked without opening the door. She could feel the chakra of the person. They were a he, and he was not trying to hide his presence
"Hokage-sama has summoned you," the voice said. It was a monotone voice, and there were no shifts in chakra. It was probably someone high-ranking. She opened the door and saw a man standing there.
He looked like an average Konoha Shinobi, with dark hair and standard attire. There were a few scars on his face and arm, but nothing distinctive. He held out a scroll to her.
She took it and inspected it before opening it. It had the Hokage's official seal, so she was not very suspicious. She opened the scroll and read through the content. It was a simple summon requiring her presence regarding her payment for services she performed while she was in the land of fire.
She looked at the bottom of the letter and saw that she had to be there in half an hour, which meant that she still had some time. "Thank you for delivering the summons. I know my way to the Hokage tower. I will be there on time," she said with a slight bow. She had a bedhead from her nap, and her clothing was wrinkled and dirty. She wanted to look presentable.
The Jonin seemed to understand her intention, and he nodded in acknowledgment before shunshining away. Shiori closed the door and rushed to get ready.
She managed to make it in time with five minutes to spare. Her heartbeat was a little too fast, and her breathing was ragged, but she made it in time. She showed her letter of summons and identification documentation to the secretary on the ground floor to gain access to higher floors.
She already knew the way, so she easily made it to the top floor. Hokage's secretary was sitting at the desk in front of the office. He looked like he was waiting for her. He motioned for her to come close, and after double-checking her documents, he gave them back to her.
"Wait here outside the door; when the group before you come out, it's your turn to go in." He said in a lazy but calm voice. He was clearly trying to be less intimidating since she was so young. She appreciated the gesture even if she liked being treated like an adult.
She nodded in understanding and stood at a respectable distance from the door. She didn't want to get accused of trying to listen in to Hokage's private meetings by being too close to the door. She kept her eyes down, looking at her hands and feet and trying to pass the time.
The man started humming a tune as he was working on some documents. It calmed her nerves to a degree. This would be the second time that she would get to meet the Hokage. The man had an intimidating presence, even if he tried to appear to her as a kind, caring grandfather figure.
She knew that it was because of Tsunade-sensei and her relationship with her, but she didn't want to know what he would do if she ever stepped out of line. So, she liked to avoid him if possible, despite the man giving her an open invitation to visit anytime.
She was broken out of her thoughts when the doors in front of her opened. A group of Genin, along with their Jonin sensei, came out. The Genin were chatting animatedly, but the Jonin seemed to zoom in on her unfamiliar presence as he stirred his students away.
Shiori didn't blame them. You could never trust strangers, even if it was your own village. She slowly walked into the office. It was just as she remembered from her last visit. The Hokage was sitting behind his desk, looking at her as she approached.
She could barely feel a buzz of chakra, no doubt from the hidden ANBU, but she held her senses back from reaching out. She didn't want to come off as hostile. Once she was close enough, she bowed deeply and waited to be acknowledged.
"Rise Shiori-chan. It is good to see you." The Hokage said with a kind smile. His presence still felt big and strong but not as scary as she remembered. Maybe she had also grown up a bit since their last meeting.
"Likewise Hokage-sama. You called for me?" She said. She couldn't help the slight shake in her voice. She just wanted to get done with this meeting.
"There is no need for such formalities, Shiori-chan. I just wanted to know how you have been since our previous meeting." He said in a kind voice. Shiori knew that while it was a request, she didn't have the option to refuse.
So she just gave a recap, telling him about some of the villages she visited and things she learned along the way. She did not talk about Yuki or her encounter with Orochimaru. She knew that it wouldn't be a good idea.
The Hokage could surely tell that, but he didn't push her. He didn't need to. She wasn't a shinobi under his command, and he trusted her loyalty to Tsunade.
"It's good to hear Shiori-chan. I've heard about your intention to get your license for the Land of Wind. Do you have any plans on how you want to proceed?" He asked as he took out his pipe.
"Yes, Hokage-sama. There are some materials I need to study, but I think I already have most of what I need. I also need to practice my skills. Would it be possible for me to volunteer in the hospital?" She asked hesitantly. She knew that the man was already aware of her intentions, but it was still hard to make a request to him.
"Of course. It would be a wonderful idea. The hospital can always use the extra support from someone capable like yourself. I will assign you to the shinobi section since it would be a better use for your skills. I will send someone to take you to the hospital along with a permission letter tomorrow morning," he said with a smile.
Shiori knew that it was a trick. They probably wanted to assess her skills and capabilities while getting free labor from her. Still, it was a price she was willing to pay.
"I would be grateful, Hokage-sama." She said with a slight bow.
"Get some rest for the night. You will have a long day ahead." He said as he dismissed her. She bowed as she exited the room.