Is it a pursuit? Probably not. Judging by the chakra signatures, it felt like one Chunin and three Genin.
Shisui Abura decided to investigate. Leaving a clone leaning against the tree in his camp, he slipped into the forest, moving rapidly toward the source of the chakra.
It didn't take long to reach his destination. Peering down from a thick branch, he saw a group of four resting around a campfire—one woman and three n.
They were all dressed in the standard Takigakure (Hidden Waterfall) attire, with the village's forehead protectors clearly visible.
The leader was a burly man in his thirties, likely the Chunin captain. The other three—two boys and a girl—appeared to be Genin. They were eating quietly, having set up several rudintary traps around their periter.
So, they're from Takigakure.
Shisui lowered his guard slightly. He retreated a few hundred ters, then began walking back toward them openly, making enough noise to be noticed.
When he closed within two hundred ters, the female ninja sensed him. She imdiately alerted the group, clutching a kunai and staring into the darkness. "Captain, Naoto, Yuki! Soone's approaching. Chakra signature detected—likely a shinobi."
The others sprang into a defensive stance. But as Shisui stepped into the firelight, he waved with a casual, friendly grin.
"Hey! It's been a while!"
Regardless of whether he actually knew them, Shisui knew that "Takigawa Shuu's" personality dictated a friendly first strike.
Takigakure was a small village—maybe two or three thousand households and barely six or seven hundred active ninja. Even if they weren't close friends, everyone in the village usually recognized a familiar face.
The boy nad Naoto froze, then dropped his weapon and sprinted over, pulling Shisui into a bear hug. "Brother Takigawa! It's really you! It's been months—I almost didn't recognize you!"
He turned to the others. "Yuki, Captain, Harusa-nee! He's from our village. We graduated in the sa year!"
With Naoto's guarantee and the familiar face, the tension evaporated. The team stowed their weapons.
Shisui politely pushed Naoto back, patting his shoulder with a lighthearted scold. "For a ninja, you're far too relaxed.
If I were an enemy using a Transformation Jutsu, you would have just handed your life."
"No way! How could I mistake your face?" Naoto grinned, though as he leaned back, he blinked. "Wait... Brother Takigawa, what have you been eating out there? You feel much more solid, and you've definitely hit a growth spurt."
He asured himself against Shisui, realizing the latter was now half a head taller. Up close, Shisui's face—while still warm and sunny—held a more mature, defined contour than the boy rembered.
"Alright, we can catch up later. It's been a long journey back," Shisui said, before turning to the Chunin with a formal bow. "Genin Takigawa Shuu, reporting in, sir!"
The middle-aged ninja nodded stiffly. "Sato Yoshisuke, Chunin squad leader. I'm Naoto's captain."
The female ninja stepped forward as well. "Yoshitoshi Harusa, the team's sensor."
The youngest of the group, Yuki, approached with a smile. "I'm Yuki. I didn't expect to run into a senior out here. I graduated two years after you.
I'm neighbors with Sumr-senpai—she used to coach in shurikenjutsu and ntioned you quite a bit."
Sumr (Natsumi). It sounded like a girl's na—evidently another of Takigawa's old acquaintances.
"I see. How is... Sumr doing?" Shisui asked, gauging the reaction.
At the ntion of the na, the team's eyes lit up with interest. Even Sato Yoshisuke, who had returned to tending the fire, pricked up his ears.
"Oh?" Yuki rubbed the back of his head with a wry smile. "She's fine, but a few weeks ago, she officially started seeing her squad captain."
"Ah, well, good for her. It's nice she found soone to rely on so quickly."
Naoto chid in quickly, "Don't get the wrong idea! Brother Takigawa already has a fiancée back ho. He and Natsumi-nee were just friends."
He ant to clarify, but the revelation only made Harusa's eyes gleam with more curiosity. She looked ready to pull Naoto aside for a full interrogation on village gossip.
Shisui skillfully redirected the conversation. "Everyone, I'm currently protecting a rchant caravan a short distance away. I've been gone for a bit and I'm starting to worry. Why don't you join us at our camp?"
The team looked to their leader. Yoshisuke nodded. "Very well. We'll head over."
On the way back, Naoto was a chatterbox.
Thanks to him, Shisui easily integrated into the group, piecing together "his" past experiences, social circles, and the personalities of his supposed friends. However, Naoto eventually hit on a more serious topic.
"By the way, Brother Takigawa, why are you out here? Wasn't your caravan mission supposed to go to the Land of Fire?"
Shisui was prepared. He let his smile fade, his expression darkening slightly.
"The mission... we were headed for the Land of Fire, but we were ambushed near the border of the Land of Grass. Rogue ninja.
The caravan guards were decimated, and I got separated from my team. On my way back to the village, I ran into Ryuji Ida's caravan being extorted by ronin, so I stepped in."
He spoke casually, but the atmosphere turned somber.
Separated?
Yuki and Naoto might have taken it at face value, but Harusa and Yoshisuke knew the grim reality of the word. "Separated" during a massacre usually ant the others weren't coming back.
"I see," Naoto nodded solemnly. "The borders have been restless lately. Was it that hilly area east of Grass?"
"Exactly. You know it?"
"Know it?" Yuki interjected, his voice tinged with frustration. "Lately, there's been a bunch of Iwagakure (Stone) Anbu operating there, supposedly hunting for a Leaf traitor. We aren't involved in the war, but we're getting caught in the crossfire."
Naoto added, "It's not just Iwa. Shinobi squads from the Land of Earth are constantly slipping across our borders. Between that and the influx of ronin and samurai fleeing the war, the security in our country is falling apart."
"Is it that bad?" Shisui probed.
"Terrible," Yuki grunted, chewing on a piece of grass. "The local landlords and minor nobles are being harassed daily—manors raided, granaries burned.
They're forced to pay us just to run regular patrols and clear out the trash. That's actually why we're out here; we took a commission from the Lord of the nearby city."
"A Lord's commission?"
"Yeah," Naoto explained. "The Lord hired a group of wandering ninja as guards, but it was like inviting wolves into the house.
They ate his food, drank his wine, harassed the won of his household, and even took over his guest villa. The Lord couldn't take it anymore but was too scared to act himself, so he reached out to the village for help."
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