| [Aug. 29th, 2017|03:57 am] |
"They could be dead," Ryouma said, looking up from his attempt to stuff the tanuki down the back of Kakashi's yukata.
"It's a possibility," Kurenai admitted. "Stop that, you're supposed to be fourteen, not four. People are watching."
"Thirteen," Ryouma corrected, but he took the tanuki back and stuck it in the front of his own yukata, so it could survey the world. "I was a chuunin at fourteen. Do you think they're not dead?"
"I hope they're not dead," Genma said, picking up his chopsticks again. "Otherwise this mission just jumped straight up to S-rank."
"No one's been up there to check and didn't come back?" Kakashi turned his puzzle over and started from the other end.
"One of the sake sellers sent his assistant, after the deliveries didn't arrive. The boy came back two days later swearing he lost the trail. Common wisdom has it that he'd been drunk the whole time." Kurenai eyed him thoughtfully. "It sounds like a genjutsu, of course."
Genma grimaced, flicking his free hand in a warding gesture. "S-rank."
Kakashi put his puzzle down. The delicate girl's face creased in a frown. "For what purpose? They haven't concealed the theft. Hiding the village confuses civilians, but not other ninja…" He paused, and the rosebud mouth set in an ugly line. "Ambush?"
Raidou lifted a hand to scratch the back of his neck, pausing briefly as he encountered the elaborate twist of heavy curls. "Would you expect ANBU on this? I'd figure a chuunin squad, except for the Daimyou having opinions."
"If what you wanted was hostages from Konoha, you wouldn't want ANBU." Genma rustled in a paper bag and came up with a handful of fish-shaped taiyaki. He offered one each, courteously, to Kurenai and Raidou. "It'd be a lot easier to take chuunin down without bloodshed."
Kakashi met Ryouma's eyes. Both of them looked uneasy.
The wariness didn't suit those open, unscarred children's faces. Civilian faces, Kurenai reminded herself. All of them had been killers at a younger age than Ryuu and Ka-chan looked now.
"We'll scout tomorrow," she said firmly. "Kakashi and I will be able to identify any genjutsu. Perhaps you'll finally get a chance to test your defenses, Raidou."
Raidou grinned crookedly with Rie's gentle mouth. "You're on."
Kakashi gave an acknowledging little finger flick, and bent back to Ka-chan's puzzle. Clearly he had no intentions of moving on before he'd forced it to give up its secrets.
"We look awfully grim for a family enjoying the festival." Genma stretched, then patted the slight softness of Gendou's belly. "First we'll enjoy the fireworks and the bun throwing. I ate so much I'm as pot-bellied as old Tanuki-san himself." |
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