Summer arrives with a tidal wave of intense heat that scalds and penetrates. It has been five days since they departed for South Sea, a tiny village that sits on the border of the Fire and Wind countries.
It takes them almost three days to reach the town from the borders, and though arduous, the trek is pleasantly serene.
At their arrival, navigating the narrow streets and windy paths prove problematic. The village is marred by harsh terrains, overgrown nature and broken walkways.
Population is minimal, with residents mostly skewed towards their later years and are predominantly male.
By the murky waters that surrounds a tiny set of straw huts, Itachi and Izumi shadow their internal compass to an unremarkable shack that hides a stout, bearded man.
"May we inconvenience you for several minutes?" Itachi asks politely.
When the man grunts in acknowledgement, Itachi gestures for Izumi to follow through.
On closer inspection, the man's age is almost incongruent with the labour intensive task he is performing. Between his long, fragile fingers, he holds an unusually large hammer that disturbs the air on contact with a black coloured stone.
"You're the Konoha ninja, hey?"
The man mutters several incomprehensible words, then glances swiftly in Itachi's direction.
"We were asked by the Third Hokage to give you this," Itachi continues without signs of judgement.
The man takes the scroll, and though excruciatingly old, his hands are oddly nimble when it manoeuvres the opening of the parchment.
"Here you go," he says hoarsely.
And with incredible swiftness, he pulls out a stack of purple coloured stones from beneath the drawers.
"These need replenishing," he continues gruffly.
He does not state the stones' usage, and judging from his lack of concern, it may be a strong indicator of their market value.
"Take these to Cascades Mountain," he points to a mountainous region to the east, "and follow the directions on this map to this cave. Once inside, search for an underground chamber. You will find a marble-like basin filled with liquid sand. Please place the stones in there for replenishing. We will have a special person collect them when they are ready."
"Thank you, we will attend to this as instructed," Itachi says.
"Wait one moment," the man heaves, and his eyes move to rest on Izumi as if he only just noticed her presence, "Who is the young lady? For a good deal, I have grandsons who would like to-"
The tense atmosphere is immediate. Though Izumi is standing behind him, Itachi detects a sudden change in mood - perhaps revulsion and scepticism.
"Comrade," Itachi interjects coldly.
The fury is strangely noticeable from somewhere within his conscious mind. And without concerning himself with its origin, he turns for the door.
"Izumi," he says quietly, and she stares at him with that same fearful expression only he is capable of reading.
But to the outside world, Izumi's composure stretches beyond perfect. An element of her training as a ninja, and perhaps as her position in this world as a female.
When Itachi takes her arm, the stiffened muscles melt within his protective grip.
They depart for Cascades Mountain, a journey that sends a component of relief between the two ninjas.
Perhaps it is not what happened back at the old man's house - something like that would not be uncommon, considering Izumi's position as a kunoichi. Rather, it was his response towards her discomfort.
It may be the instinctive need to look out for each other as comrades, but he gets the foreign sensation that the need to protect stems from something much deeper.