The garden was quiet once Ko left with Zassō.
Mira stayed bent over the patch, trimming the caps with careful hands. Each cut was precise. Too shallow and the fungus would bleed sap and spoil. Too deep and the whole cluster would bruise. Her hair shifted forward as she leaned, dark strands brushing her cheek, then falling back as she straightened.
Behind her, Dew watched.
He did not move at first. One hand rested against the edge of a clay trough, fingers half-curled, feeling the vibration of water running through the stone channel beneath. The garden hummed softly roots, insects, distant birds.
After a while, he lifted his hands and began to sign.
::Ko spoke this morning. Before you came.::
Mira paused, knife hovering.
::About Zassō?::
Dew shook his head slowly.
::About outside.::
Her brows drew together, just slightly. She wiped the blade clean on a strip of cloth and signed back, slower now.
::What outside?::
Dew's hands moved with the steady patience of someone explaining things many times over.
::The borderlands. Near the bamboo villages. Ko saw smoke. And bones.::
Mira's fingers stilled.
::Attack?::
::Harassment. At first.::
Dew lowered himself into a crouch, bringing himself level with the Fevercaps. He pressed two fingers to the soil.
::A clan that uses bone.::
Mira blinked once.
::…What?::
Dew's hands described it sharp angles, thrusting motions, fingers splaying like knives growing from skin.
::Kaguya.::
The name meant nothing to her. She shook her head once, short.
::Don't know them.::
Dew explain.
::War-born. Old blood. They fight for the joy of breaking things.::
Mira frowned, knife lowering to her side.
::They attacked Bamboo Village?::
:: Yes. Prodding. Testing. Burning storehouses. Taking heads for tropy .::
Her jaw tightened.
::Why?::
Dew's hands slowed.
::Because they can.::
That answer sat heavy between them.
Mira looked back to the Fevercaps, but she did not resume cutting yet.
::Ko said this?::
::Yes. He watched from the ridge.::
Mira nodded.
After a moment, Dew signed again.
::That's not all.::
Dew exhaled softly through his nose. His hands rose again.
::There were others. Red hair. Masks pulled down. Spiral markings on armor.::
Mira's eyes flicked up sharply.
::Uchiha?::
Dew shook his head.
::No.::
He traced a circle in the air with one finger.
::Uzumaki.::
The name was unfamiliar, but something about the way he signed it careful, respectful made her pause.
::Who?::
Dew shifted, choosing his explanation.
::A clan from the coasts. Long lives. Strong chakra. Known for seals. Barriers. They do not wander often.::
Mira tilted her head.
::They fought the Kaguya?::
::By accident.::
Dew's fingers mimed two paths crossing, colliding.
::The Uzumaki were moving through the region. Small team. Traders, maybe scouts. They walked into Bamboo Village while it burned.::
Mira inhaled slowly.
::And?::
::They fought.::
Dew's hands described a brief, violent clash. Explosions contained in lines. Movements snapping shut like traps.
::Ko said the ground was carved with symbols afterward. With Ink. Chakra seals.::
Mira stared at him now.
::Who won?::
Dew did not answer immediately.
::The Kaguya left. Laughing. Bleeding ko have said.::
::The Uzumaki stayed long enough to pull survivors from the fires. Afterward, Ko didn't linger, he didn't want to be spotted by them.::
Silence settled again.
Mira finally resumed trimming, though her motions were slower now.
::Why tell me?::
Dew watched her hands.
::Because the world is not forgiving to those who are ignorant. Even when we stay still someone will move us .:
She considered that.
::Will they come here?::
Dew's answer was honest.
::I dont know. But ripples travel through fog.::
Mira clipped a cap free and placed it gently in the basket.
::Ko worries.::
It was not a question.
Dew inclined his head.
::He listens outward. You listen inward. Both are needed.::
She huffed a silent breath, something close to a laugh.
::Zassō listens to mushrooms.::
Dew's smiled and respond.
::And sometimes the mushrooms are right.::
They worked in silence for a few moments after that.
Then Mira signed again, more personal.
::Are the Kaguya like the Chinoike?::
Dew's hands stilled.
::No. The Chinoike fight to survive. The Kaguya fight to feel alive.::
That distinction mattered.
Mira nodded once.
.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
.
Next Day, the Hollow was still sleeping when Zassō slipped away.
"Mm," he muttered, squinting at the dirt path. "Market day."
He slung a sack over one shoulder. It bulged oddly, a gourds, a clay flasks, a tied bundles of dried mushrooms. A hand-carved sign dangled from the rope.
("Herbal Solutions & Foggy Delusions Zassō's Traveling Remedies")
He'd scratched it crooked with the tip of his katana.
The path down from the Hollow twisted through trees and cedar, slick with mist. Zassō hummed as he walked, a low tuneless drawl. He passed a shrine stone cracked in half. Someone had scrawled it with soot kanji: "Abandon clan, abandon name."
"Now that's some dope graffiti."
As the sun rose, the trees gave way to a narrow trade road. Farmers were already out, their bodies bent low over baskets of rice sprouts or bundles of firewood. They gave Zassō a wide berth, whispering when his silhouette came into view.
Zassō grinned through smoke.
.
A straw-hat merchant squatted roadside, cart wheels sunk in mud. He cursed under his breath, slapping the cart that wouldn't move.
"Yo, friend," he said easy. "Cart givin' you attitude?"
The man shot him a glare. "Bandit, swindler, whatever you are, keep walking."
"Eyy!" Zassō clicked his tongue. "Nah, nah. You got me all wrong. I'm a businessman."
He dropped his sack, rummaged inside, and pulled out a corked gourd.
"Check this out. Bittercap brew. Loosens the joints, puts some fire back in them legs." He gave it a little shake. "Only one-ninety-nine ryo a gourd."
The merchant squinted. "Smells like swamp water."
Zassō popped the cork and took a swig himself. He shuddered hard, eyes watering.
"Oh, yeah," he said hoarsely. "Tastes like swamp water too. But see-"
He flexed his arm, veins jumping.
"Energy, baby. Pure stamina. I could push your cart all the way to Tanzaku Castle right now."
The merchant's brows lifted despite himself. "You could?"
"Easy," Zassō nodded. "For a separate fee."
The man chuckled despite himself. Dug out a bundle of ryo. "I'll take two. If it kills me, I'll haunt you."
Zassō passed him the gourds with a grin. "Cool. Then we neighbors."
He shouldered his sack and wandered on.
"
He found shade beneath a wayside pine. He laid out his wares. Fevercap bundles, Sleepcap powders, little clay pipes stuffed with moss. He chewed a dry stalk of grass, staring at the road as if waiting for pilgrims.
And pilgrims came.
A trio of wandering monks trudged up, robes patched, beads clacking. Their leader stopped when the smoke hit his nose. "Herbs?"
Zassō sat up. "Medicine for the spirit, or poison for the body. It all depends on how much is too much."
The monks exchanged glances. The leader sat, folding legs neatly. "We seek relief for the mind. Our path is heavy."
Zassō's grin bent soft. He pulled out a small packet of ground Dreamcap. "Put this in hot water. Three sips. You'll see what you want to see. Don't go past three. Unless you wanna talk to your ancestors."
The monk studied him, sharp-eyed. "Where did you learn such remedies?"
For a moment, Zassō think, pipe pausing at his lips.
""Family Treesrecipes," he said.
The monks nodded, as if that made perfect sense, and traded him a pouch of rice.
"Blessings upon you," the eldest said.
"You too, big monk."
They vanished into mist.
Further down the road, Zassō passed another group, two mercenaries Uchiha escorting a merchant and 5 regular guard. They eyed him hard but didn't draw steel. The merchant clutched his pack.
"Ronin?," one guard muttered.
Zassō blew a smoke ring, voice soft and amused. "Don't worry, folks. Ain't sellin' anything illegal. Just mushrooms and dreams."
They sneered but continue to move. Behind him, he heard.
"Shimura squad found dead by the river."
"Senju work?"
"Doesn't look like their style."
Zassō just walk silently, tugging his sack steady.
Zassō reached a small roadside hamlet. Mud huts, reed roofs, one crooked teahouse with its lantern unlit. Farmers drank there, shoulders slumped. Smoke curled from cooking fires.
He ducked inside. The air smelled of smoke, broth, and sweat. Farmers slouched over cups, muttering.
Inside, he set his sack down in the corner. Pulled out a little packet of herbs, waved it at the innkeeper. "Bittercap tea. Keeps your
Spirit upright longer. Double your sales."
The innkeeper snorted,
"Not interested"
"Aw, c'mon paps. Free sample." Zassō poured powder into a teapot before the man could protest. Steam rose, bitter and sharp. He poured a cup, slid it across the counter.
The innkeeper sniffed. Hesitated. Sipped. His eyes widened.
"…That's terrible."
"Ayy, but you don't feel tired no more, do you?"
The man blinked. Then blinked again, straighter now. "kami, the effects are fast." He rubbed his arms. "Feels like I could chop wood 'til dawn."
"Told ya." Zassō leaned back, folding arms. "So? Stock it?"
The innkeeper grumbled but reached for coins. "Five packets. No more."
Zassō grinned wide. "Pleasure doin' business."