“Are you leaving, Mana-chan?” one of the janitors asked the magician as she was packing her things and walking through the empty hall. The magician felt a bit embarrassed to look the man in the eyes as she had often asked him to postpone doing his job when she wished to meet her fans after the show.
“Yeah…” Mana nodded.
“Won’t be meeting the fans this week?” the man asked with a wide smile that made his black and rich moustache line bend like an upwards crescent moon.
“I guess not” the magician shrugged, she just didn’t feel uplifted enough to show her real face to the fans just yet. There were so many things happening all around her, both present and the past. Acting on the stage was easy, forgetting loss of a friend on the stage was not too hard but off-stage, when your life isn’t pre-planned and practiced to perfection anything could’ve happened. The girl just felt quite likely to burst into tears if certain notes of her deeper psyche were played.
“That’s too bad… People may start thinking you’re avoiding them…” another voice came, one from a man who had recently entered the hall as Mana hadn’t noticed him during the show. The face of a man she actually tried avoiding, one she should’ve seen but didn’t because it’d have been too hard. The face of Shimo’s father.
Mana blanked out, she felt that her mouth was wide open and that her eyes were gapping to the extent that they were beginning to itch. Still she couldn’t find a word to say, luckily she didn’t have to.
“Maybe we can talk outside?” the man asked after removing his top hat and pressing it to his chest. It made the magician remember how she saw the man when he picked Shimo’s unconscious body up after a grueling mission cleaning the dishes. Now the man’s hair was rarer in the center, beginning to grow a bit balder and decently greyed out “ the stress of losing one of his heirs didn’t help…
“I uh…” Mana lifted her thumb up pointing it to the back exit, trying to make up an excuse to just run away and leave the man behind but she realized that it wouldn’t be fair, not to him, not to Shimo. She was there when this man’s son died, she asked the Hokage for the mission where he died, she made a lot of calls that lead to the young man’s death. Mana didn’t really blame herself for her friend’s death directly but deep inside she was looking for reasons to do it.
“Sure…” she relented and followed the man outside wrapping a scarf around her neck and buttoning her coat before leaving the hall.
“You didn’t come to visit, we didn’t see you at the funeral either…” the man started, Mana just closed her eyes and lowered her head. If the man had something negative to say to her, if he felt like she had some far distanced role to play in his son’s death she’d accept that. Maybe it’d finally be a reason to hate herself, hating herself, blaming herself would’ve been simpler. Much simpler than to accept that something so terrible just happened because of a call she had no say in, because she had no possible way of saving her friend and it was something just meant to be.
“I couldn’t… I wanted to come and see him off but…” Mana looked down at her rubbing her boots at the cold and rough road. It wasn’t a willful motion, just a mindless instinct. A childish one.
“I wanted to ask you how you’re holding up but… It’s like we’ve feared. Does the other young man know? I’m sorry, I forgot his name…” the man shook his head asking, his eyes were warm and kind and Mana felt a bit confused, betrayed even by how lightly he was letting her off.
“Sugemi? I’m not sure, last I’ve heard of him he was still imprisoned but from what I know it’s not a mandatory imprisonment. He had a couple of chances to have the prison administration oversee his case but didn’t, I think he may have grown fond of solitude and imprisonment” Mana replied awkwardly, despite no negative intent or words coming out of the man’s mouth she still felt like she was somehow an enemy of his family.
“You’ve been back for a couple of weeks now and… I hope you’re not blaming yourself or think we blame you for what happened, right? We kept waiting for you to come and visit us, thought we could help you cope with your loss, having experienced one of our own but you’re just… Shutting yourself off, not unlike your imprisoned friend. Having lost plenty of people in my youth, this isn’t the way to deal with it, back when we lived in Kirigakure neighbors, entire families living nearby just disappeared. That tyrant was overthrown because all the losses only made people grow closer together, had he driven us apart he’d have succeeded” Shimo’s father said.
Mana felt warm tears running down her eyes and down her cheeks, warming up the dead chilled face of hers. She felt angry, sad and all sorts of boiling emotions she couldn’t even comprehend, her clenched fists shook as the magician grinded her teeth so she didn’t break down in tears. The man hugged Mana with one arm, like her own father used to do, and she pressed harder against his chest wanting to explode in a confusing fit of emotions but even she was scared of the lack of clarity of what exactly would come out of it.
“Nobody blames you, for any of it. Even more, you gave us a sense of resolution by seeing to it that the bastard got what’s coming to him. Just know that you’re always welcome in our house if things get too rough, you seem to be doing quite well financially so I’m not quite sure what other help we can offer. We’re grateful to you, Mana, not blaming you” the man’s own voice was beginning to shake, clearly it wasn’t easy for him, must’ve been a thousandfold worse than it was for Mana.
Shimo’s family had lost their son for the first time when he just upped and left on a journey of self-discovery on Hokage’s authorization. Then so shortly after his return the young man left again without giving his family more than a brief hello, barely showing his growth off or talking to his folks. How could these people talk of resolution? What did this primitive form of payback possibly solve? To Mana it was completely inconsequential, the only thing she liked about Francho being sealed away into the Box of Ultimate Bliss was that he’d be unable to hurt anyone else. She looked for no resolution or revenge in his defeat, despite her feelings at the time saying otherwise.
“We kept fighting, for a long time before Shimo died. We bickered about everything. I just wish I could’ve told him… I’m not even sure what… I just wanted him to know that he’s still my friend” Mana cried out doing her best to weep silently.
“He knew, give my boy more credit than to hold grudge on a young woman. He always must’ve had your best interest in mind, he cared about you and the mission objective most of all. He couldn’t have blamed you or hated you, not my boy…” the man persevered even if he clearly had trouble keeping his composure. Shimo’s father was a successful businessman in the village and had a reputation for cold and cool-headed, accurate decision making. Still, it was clear that his family meant a great deal to him, it became clear at that moment that he’d give his vast wealth away just to bring his boy back.
“If I had a chance to bring Shimo back, I would’ve. Even if that meant sealing my own soul away, I would’ve…” Mana looked the man in the eyes swearing it like a promise.
“It wouldn’t have stood well with him, that boy would’ve waltzed right back to afterlife and dragged your soul back down” the man smiled followed with a bittersweet laugh. Mana wanted to share that laugh but it was too painful at that moment to even put up a smile.
*****
Having received no message from the Hokage about how testing Meiko went or if the blacksmith was even being tested Mana wanted to meet Kiyomi again, talk about this whole team thing. The magician waited for the Yamanaka to come to one of Mana’s shows but for some reason neither Meiko nor Kiyomi did. The magician had a couple of guesses as to why, she didn’t think that her friends thought lowly of her skill, more likely they didn’t wish to distract her. Maybe they knew that they’d be let in for free and take someone’s seat, someone who would make Mana money normally.
Mana didn’t attend the Hokage inauguration ceremony that week, her show was quite crowded that day which meant that people were in festive mood. The newly chosen candidate must’ve been loved by the village if the mood was so good. Once the kunoichi saw the man’s picture in the papers her father read she was shocked “ it was the same tall and wide shouldered gentleman who saw her the week before after the show belittling her craft and talking about how “he had Mana all figured out”. Knowing who the man was made the girl a bit hesitant about visiting the Administration building.
Throughout her relatively lengthy walk to the Yamanaka district the magician heard plenty of rumors and hearsay about the new Hokage “ the Sixth. She had read his name in the papers with a little of backstory which was greatly expanded upon by all the rumors and overheard conversations. As a ninja Mana was able to hear it all and process all of it in her head with slight effort and extension of her senses.
The man was called Ogame Okoto, he belonged to no clan, which was an oddity. Usually non-clan ninja didn’t amount to much.
“Did you hear about this new Hokage? Says he was an ANBU for a long time. Probably killed his fair share. First time a Black Ops sits in the public chair”
“I like it “ a man who can kill any filthy thug in his village, someone with a zero-bullshit policy. The village can definitely use it!”
“Did you see his shoulders? His strong arms? Probably can snap a bad guy’s neck with a flick!”
“Something trustworthy in a guy who’s been killing threats to village security for decades!”
Various opinions reached Mana and most of the villagers talking about the Sixth just ate the man up. The girl had always felt herself a part of the village but now she couldn’t help but feel like a black sheep. She had no trust to hand for a man who was a licensed killer, he was lying, acting behind everyone’s backs, spying and killing as an ANBU for decades. ANBU had very limited accountability and the only thing to worry with these people was that they got their job done: torture, murder, deceit was not above a Black Ops operative. A lot of people may have thought of ANBU as heroes while thinking of the Black Ops from another villages as some sort of monsters.
Mana thought of herself as someone elevated above the simple minded patriotism. To her such a man was not inherently bad, ninja killed, not all were as pro-life as the magician and it would’ve been stupid to distrust someone just because he was a cold blooded killer in this world. That being said, while it didn’t take away one’s trust it should’ve granted none either. This was a man who for the longest time convinced the village that he didn’t even exist, killing solely by the orders of the ANBU captain who was accountable to the Hokage but barely revealed the full roster of his men or the magnitude of the Black Ops’ operations.
Just being hated by the man didn’t make Mana hate him in return, she could take being disliked or distrusted. A man she looked up to as a kid and looked at as a father-mentor figure most of the time shown only disgust in her ideals and dislike towards her personality, after all. Still, after feeling so secure and safe and trusting towards the Fifth, it’d take some time to get used to the man’s strict square face. It didn’t help that Mana didn’t approve of his supposed “zero-bullshit policies”. Wars have been won by rehabilitating criminals and giving out second chances in return for their services. This sudden realization that her own political beliefs differed from those of the wide village majority awakened new thoughts and feelings inside Mana. She was rarely the one for political banter but maybe that’s why the grownups always bickered and fought over these things?
A couple of chuunin vest wearing blond haired and bright blue eyed guards asked Mana if she was looking for someone or something. It was odd of them to do so, it wasn’t forbidden for outsiders of the clan to walk around the Yamanaka district “ after all, the district was filled with fresh vegetable stores and flower stores making up most of the clan’s profit. For some reason the most skilled mental ninja in the village were also amazing gardeners.
After replying to them that she was looking for Yamanaka Kiyomi the two pointed Mana at the direction where the main residence of the clan elite was. The magician didn’t really feel like she’d be allowed to wander around those parts being an outsider of the clan and a relatively unimportant ninja but then the magician heard a sarcastic joke about her aiming to get the clan out of business having brought the village superior communication technology from another Universe. Judging from the giggling faces of those grown men they were goofing around but to Mana it brought an influx of new thoughts.
The Yamanaka clan probably had all the reason in the world to look at her with actual hate. The fact that these two even knew who she was as a ninja was surprising but a clear example of how impactful new communication technology was for the Yamanaka clan, the clan who took pride in their telepathy jutsu wielding ninja. Granted, they’d be out of their minds to blame Mana for anything “ the magician hadn’t brought anything that could control or read anyone’s mind which were the signature and by far the better known abilities of the clan.
After looking around Mana pushed the wooden chest-tall fence gate open and entered the estate. She wasn’t stopped or attacked which actually made the magician feel weird and a bit worried. This was the home where the future heiress of the clan resided, a tall and exquisite classic marvel of architecture and expensive furniture using only the finest woods as its materials. Why wasn’t it better protected? Then again, it only protected a simple yet luxurious household and a brilliant garden surrounding it that lead to rows of hills of flowers behind the house.
“Ah, Kiyomi’s friend…” Mana heard a soothing female voice to her side where a woman was tending to a garden of heavenly smelling flowers that spread their gracious present to the world whenever the cold autumnal breeze blew their way. It may not have been the best weather for these flowers but they appeared to be holding their own.
“Excuse me for trespassing, if I am… You seem to know me. I am trying to find Kiyomi” the magician bowed to the woman without clearly knowing who she was.
“Ah, my daughter is actually out. She planned to move to train in the clan’s resort further east. Not the best time to visit the beach but she said she wouldn’t be looking for a tan” the woman smiled before returning to her gardening. Mana was not sure what Kiyomi’s mother did with the soil of these flowers but they appeared to be holding up like it was the middle of June. “I am Yamanaka Mei, by the way, Kiyomi’s mother, nice to meet you. My daughter told me enough about you to identify you by your chakra alone, leaving your entertainment career behind”
Mana was about to bow again and leave but then she felt curious, “You’re a sensor ninja, ma’am?” she wondered.
“Yes. While initially I felt troubled by the size of your chakra “ it felt like it belonged to a grown up ninja and not a genin, you have a certain… Calmness to it and Kiyomi always noted how calm she felt around you despite your naïve and childish nature. I think you may develop a very notable signature in the future, one of the colored ones” the woman explained before finishing tending to a patch of flowers and wiping her head, she then gasped after realizing that dirt got on her forehead and began cleaning it erratically.
“It’s just chakra, just like anybody else’s…” Mana shrugged with a slightly lyrical tone, she didn’t make much of her own chakra signature seeing how she wasn’t anyone important or amazingly talented in this world.
“Not really, while chakra is a universal construct, present in anyone and anything, in a certain state, in people it sometimes grows to resemble the people it is found in. Scary people feel like dark swampy abyss, swallowing you up and making you fear for your life and gasp for air, kind people feel warmer and make you wish be around them” the woman revealed looking at the merciful autumnal Sun gracing the cold soil with some of its warm motherly embrace.
“Am I kind? Do I have the signature of a hero?” Mana wondered.
“No. Your signature is not yet developed fully. It feels different, it has a very deep abyssal feeling almost like that of murderers but… It isn’t a bad feeling, more like soothing. Your chakra feels like a crystal clear cold lake on a hot summer morning. It’s refreshing and nice to be near. You should visit more often, Konoha’s Sorceress” Kiyomi’s mother explained, it was clear that she didn’t wish to elaborate on Mana’s signature and its nature but she saw the pain and disappointment in Mana’s eyes when the magician was told that her chakra didn’t feel even remotely heroic or warm.
“I will… I should be going though, nice to meet you, Mei-san. I will try to catch Kiyomi before she leaves the village so I need to rush” Mana bowed and excused herself to which the woman nodded before planting a sprout of some sort to the ground, could she have been planting flowers in autumn? Then again, who was Mana to question a Yamanaka gardener?
“You may not manage, if you don’t try to catch up to her on the road. The resort is a good four hundred kilometers east on the Ceylon road. It’s surrounded by small cafes and houses and thick forests so Kiyomi is unlikely to speed too much” the woman suggested.
“Thank you for your help, ma’am” Mana bowed once again and ran off. She was in a rush to catch up to her friend and speeding around the village would’ve raised too many curious eyes and too much of a ruckus. It was a really odd feeling being able to move really fast, fast enough to get to another side of the world in minutes, but then being unable to use that speed most of the time…
Still, Mana had to catch up to Kiyomi before the blonde left the village. Chasing her around on the way to the resort would’ve been much harder as the kunoichi would be unsure about the speed her friend was moving in or if she decided to stop for rest in one of those small inns and cafes on the Ceylon road.
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