There were spiders in the drainpipe.

Correction: there were really fucking big spiders in the drainpipe.

Katsuko quashed one such enterprising specimen underneath her heel and sighed, folding her hands behind her head. There was barely enough space to sit up in the narrow alcove, but some miracle of ventilation meant that it was at least five degrees cooler than outside. She’d take what she could get.

A thick curtain of hardy desert vines covered the alcove, shielding her from sight and blocking her view of the goings-on of the castle. She’d been here for hours, it felt like; the kitchen smelled like spices and cooking meat, so dinner had to have been served by now. A subtle flare of chakra down in the courtyard made her tense for several long seconds before she recognized Hajime’s signature.

“Took him long enough,” she muttered, and pushed aside a few vines to peer through. Hajime was leaning against the low-built wall of the courtyard, hidden by several stacks of crates and barrels. He caught her eye and smiled, hands flickering in scout-sign. You alright?

Spiders, she signed back. Big F-U-C-K-I-N-G spiders.

His shoulders shook with quiet laughter. Personal problem. Mission going as planned. Will get you when it’s time for final phase.

Katsuko waved an affirmative and lay back as Hajime vanished, presumably to whatever part of the castle they were housing his and Genma’s fussy Grass Country merchant personas in. Her stomach rumbled loudly, reminding her that she hadn’t eaten since breakfast; with a sigh, she dug into her belt pouch and pulled out a ration bar, tearing the wrapping open with reluctance. No matter how much money the village poured into its Black Ops unit, they never seemed to be able to improve the taste of the little rectangular blocks of nutrients.

A couple of hours passed like that, alone in the alcove. Katsuko stretched as much as she was able to, keeping the blood flowing, and dozed fitfully. Her dreams were full of fire and smoke, the screams of the dying and the silence of the dead. When Hajime appeared in the courtyard again, chakra flaring in the signal for all clear, she nearly fumbled her swords in her eagerness to get outside.

Night had fallen; the shadows draped thick around them, effective as a cloaking jutsu. Hajime’s voice was a soft whisper in the dark. “Genma’s meeting Tsuda in the gardens in five. Come with me.”

Hajime showed her a little side door in the empty kitchens that lead to a staircase, then vanished in a puff of smoke. Katsuko blinked before realizing that he’d sent a clone and rolled her eyes. “Show-off.”

She buckled her swords at her waist and began the long climb up. At the top of the stairs a bright orange dot flared: a footman on a smoke break, back turned towards her. Katsuko ghosted up behind him, fingernails brushing the hinges of his jaw, and snapped his neck in one brutal twist. The man’s cigarette fell to the floor and sputtered; she ground it out with the heel of her boot and eased his body out of the way.