The next day, they left the hotel to calmly explore Yoshiba. The meeting wouldn't take place until the following day, so they had nothing to do but walk around.
"What is your business, if I may ask?"
"It's no secret. There are no iron mines in Takigakure, so we import the material from the Land of Iron, our neighbour. I've been responsible for years for meeting with both sides to negotiate shipments and such."
Seina nodded. Just listening to him was already making her bored again. She glanced at the street stalls, trying to sense the ninja, but it was impossible. He had left during the night while they slept, and she had lost track of him. She knew he couldn't be far, as her client was clearly his target. She spent the rest of the day on high alert, but nothing happened.
Nothing happened the next day either when Kobayashi had his meeting, nor at night when they slept one last time at the hotel before departing the next day. Nor the following day when they headed west toward Takigakure. If she hadn't seen the ninja with her own eyes and confirmed he was real, she might have thought she imagined it all. A small part of her, though, started to sense that something was off, and her instincts had always helped her out of trouble before.
With every meter they travelled closer to the border with the Land of Waterfalls, she grew more tense, knowing a fight was inevitable. Even Kobayashi noticed how close she stayed to him, discreetly scanning the surroundings with fully alert eyes despite walking for hours.
"We must be nearing the Land of Waterfalls," the client sighed, somewhat relieved, minutes later.
Seina knew that because they started to hear running water as they walked along the dirt path. Unlike the Land of Iron, where the vegetation was less dense and rocky hills were more common than rivers, the Land of Waterfalls could be heard from afar. It also had hills, like its neighbouring country, but the numerous rivers born further north had transformed the ecosystem into a more humid one, thanks to waterfalls cascading down those rocky hills and turning into large and small rivers flowing into the Land of Fire.
"Could we stop for something to eat?" the client asked, completely giving her away.
She nodded, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. It was clear they weren't alone, even though she couldn't detect them within her spell range, so the cover was blown. What adult would ask a 12-year-old child for permission to eat? She sighed as they approached the stream they had heard. Suddenly, an aura she hadn't seen before approached them, using the water to hide, entering her range of vision at an immense speed. Seina grabbed the client and leaped into the air, narrowly avoiding chakra threads tied to a kunai.
She landed on a large rock far away without even glancing at Kobayashi. The ninja in front of her was definitely not Murasame. He wore a black cloak with red clouds that covered him from the nose down to his knees. Underneath, from what little she could see, he wore a ninja uniform with dark pants and sandals. On his forehead, he had a Kusagakure headband with a horizontal slash through it, indicating he was a rogue ninja. Seina felt exasperation as she realized this guy was yet another ninja after Kobayashi.
"I don't know what Konoha is thinking, girl, but you'd better hand over your client if you know what's good for you."
The rogue ninja's killing intent was so strong that Kobayashi beside her started trembling and breathing erratically. Seina withstood it without much trouble, thanks to her mental barriers. At that moment, however, she realized she had only two options: flee with the client or fight to the death.
"I'm afraid I can't do that. Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"
"You asked for it."
She left her four clones with the client, knowing they could use the hiraishin to escape if necessary, and focused on the fight. Her opponent wasted no time, using a water jutsu that she blocked with an earth wall. He lunged at her with a kunai in hand, which she parried with her wakizashi, though she didn't want to engage in a kenjutsu fight. They exchanged a few blows before the ninja jumped away from the trajectory of a fire jutsu one of her clones sent at him. She took the opportunity to turn invisible.
"That won't work on me," said a voice behind her, and she was kicked into a tree.
What just happened? How had he detected her!? She spun in the air, propelling herself back against the trunk, and vanished, reappearing with the hiraishin behind the ninja, who was already charging at her clones. He blocked her attack with the same kunai a millisecond too late, and Seina managed to wound his right shoulder. He fell into a puddle and she was then attacked by a water whip despite her invisibility. That's when she understood: he was using the water he had created with his chakra to track her location.
"Katon: Haijingakure no Jutsu."
The water evaporated thanks to her fire jutsu. Ash scattered everywhere, hindering visibility for everyone. Luckily, her aura spells gave her enough information to know the ninja had moved, hiding on a branch. Seina took advantage of the brief moment of calm to have two of her clones disappear with the client using the hiraishin. She thanked her decision to place one of her smallest summons on Kobayashi, allowing her to monitor his well-being. A new torrent of water dissipated part of the ash, and she jumped before he could locate her. A gust of wind followed, clearing what remained of the ash.
"I'm done with you," he said, glaring at her from another tree.
He disappeared much faster than her eyes could follow. She had to defend herself using her wakizashi and several spells, but the ninja was incredibly strong. She felt a few hits she couldn't avoid, realizing he was pushing her onto the defensive so thoroughly that she couldn't form hand signs for any ninjutsu. Luckily, she still had those two hidden clones and her magic. Unfortunately, the ninja in front of her didn't seem to need hand signs to launch water jutsus, so he was managing to dodge all her attacks.
In a somewhat desperate counterattack, Seina switched places with one of her clones, using the academy jutsu. The clone was split in two by a water spear while Seina leaped behind the ninja, leaving him unable to dodge both her spell and the destabilizing genjutsu from her remaining clone at the same time.
"Confringo!" The spell pierced through the hastily raised water barrier, hitting the surprised ninja right in the face.
The explosion of fire tore off one of his arms and part of his torso. Seeing him fall to the ground, bleeding profusely, Seina knew the battle had shifted in her favour. The ninja used the same water jutsu she had seen Zabuza use to staunch his wounds, though his torso was so mangled that he could barely rise from the ground, managing only to kneel.
"Who are you?" she asked, panting.
But the ninja didn't answer. He simply looked at her with a defeated expression before trying one last time to kill her, using water from the river. Seina used the hiraishin to disappear before being drowned. When the water level returned to normal, she saw the ninja taking his last breaths, also bleeding from his mouth, so she cast the killing curse and ended his suffering.
Only then did she begin to notice the intense cold she felt due to her hair and neck being soaked, despite her clothes being waterproof, as well as the pain from several bruises and sore bones. Her racing heart was finally starting to calm. She was surprised to realize it was the first time she had been injured like this. Nothing was broken, and she wasn't bleeding, but damn, she could still feel the punches and blows from the water jutsu that had struck her.
She instantly dried herself off with a hot air charm, letting out a relieved sigh as she thanked her magic. She then washed off the sweat with a spell and used iryo ninjutsu to heal her wounds. She retrieved the corpse, sealing it in a scroll, and restored the clearing to normal. After that, she vanished.
"Seina-san!" the client called as soon as he saw her appear. "For a moment, I thought the worst!"
"I'm fine," she nodded.
"And what happened to that guy?"
"He's dead."
Her client's face, still pale, began to regain its normal colour. Seina sat beside him, exhausted from all the stress and the fight.
"It would be best if we flew the rest of the way," she informed him. "I know we still have another enemy ahead, that Murasame, and I don't even know who this ninja was. You have more enemies than you think."
"It seems so."
"I'm very sorry about the cold you'll endure," she said, one of the reasons she hadn't summoned one of her creatures earlier, "but I'm afraid it's necessary."
Seina summoned her dragon, casting a confundus charm on the client so he wouldn't realize it was a dragon and not some other creature. A few minutes later, they were flying the rest of the way to Takigakure. Ironically, she ended up doing what she had initially wanted to avoid… Fortunately, she didn't feel the cold thanks to some spells, though she did notice how the client shivered behind her, despite the extra jacket he had put on. It took them barely half an hour to cross the border and enter the Land of Waterfalls. Had they continued on foot, it would have taken hours.
When she saw the great tree of Takigakure in the distance, she got as close as possible, using several disillusionment spells to remain unnoticed a little longer. She stopped about 15 minutes' walk from the village gate, feeling a weight lift off her shoulders for having arrived without another fight.
"Let's go. We're very close," she ordered, casting another spell on her client just in case. "You won't be safe until we walk through that gate."
They walked in silence, avoiding the other visitors heading in the same direction, until she spotted the chunin at the entrance. She dispelled the spells, blending into the crowd, and walked slowly until it was their turn.
"Next."
Seina stepped forward.
"My name is Seina Uzumaki, tokubetsu jonin from Konoha. This is my client, Fuuta Kobayashi."
She handed over the scroll from the Hokage, letting them examine it as long as they needed, and then signed the register under the watchful eyes of the gate ninjas.
"Hisen-sama is expecting you in his office."
Seina followed the ninja's instructions, knowing that although they were alone, they were being watched. Since she had no ill intentions, she let it be. She only wanted to finish the mission once and for all. The residence of their Kage was on top of a hill, at the foot of a grand staircase, allowing a view of the entire village. It didn't have the grand appearance of the Hokage's mansion, but it was beautiful. They were made to wait in the reception area, under the watchful eye of another undercover ninja pretending to be a secretary.
"You may enter. Hisen-sama will see you now," he said minutes later.
Kobayashi rose from his chair, and Seina pushed herself off the wall where she had been leaning. Hisen was a middle-aged man with black and white hair and a well-groomed beard. She watched as he stood to greet her client, making sure he was well, before turning to her.
"Seina-san, well done. Thank you very much for accompanying Fuuta on his journey."
She bowed her head respectfully, accepting the thanks even though she had been paid for it.
"You may spend the night here to rest if you wish."
"That won't be necessary, but thank you for the offer."
"As you like. At least visit the village or have something to eat before you depart."
"I'll do that," she smiled.
For everything the mission had been, the ending felt abrupt and brief. She said goodbye to Kobayashi, who also thanked her for saving his life twice, and then she left the leader's house to explore the village. It wasn't like Konoha, with uneven terrain due to the geography; instead, everything was flat at the base of a gigantic, colossal tree. The village, ring-shaped, surrounded the tree as if it were a historical monument. The people, however, were very similar to those in Konoha. They went about buying, laughing, talking, arguing…
She stopped at a random restaurant to grab a bite to eat, even though she could have used one of her bentos, and bought a few seeds of local plants that didn't exist in Konoha. Just as she was about to leave the village to return to Konoha, she crossed paths with a dark-haired girl with greenish-grey hair and orange eyes. They locked eyes from opposite ends of the street.
"She's one of mine," Kurama said unnecessarily. They were so connected that she had sensed it without him telling her. "It's Chomei, the Seven-Tails."
Seina slowly approached the other girl, watching as she did the same. They met in the middle of the street, like something out of a movie. The girl, a jinchuriki like her, began to grin from ear to ear with the same enthusiasm as her brother. Suddenly, Seina knew she wasn't an enemy but an ally. She noticed how the villagers passed by, as if nothing unusual was happening, and wondered if they knew.
"Hi! What's your name? I'm Fu. I'm the jin-" Seina covered her mouth with one hand before she could continue.
"I know. My name is Seina Uzumaki."
"He talks to you too!? I thought I was the only one!" Fu exclaimed, as if it were nothing.
"Let's go somewhere to talk," Seina said with a sigh, smiling.
Fu surprisingly took her to her home. She lived alone in a small apartment with one bathroom, a bedroom, and a kitchen-dining room. They sat at the table to talk while Fu made tea.
"Chomei says you're the jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails."
"Of Kurama, yes."
"He told you his name!?" Fu smiled, surprised.
"We're friends," Seina replied. "So, you can talk to him too, right?"
"Yeah. Pretty much from the beginning. Chomei is really cheerful, so he doesn't mind interacting with me. But I never would have thought the same of K- of Kurama."
"I want to try something, midget," Kurama interrupted. "Bump fists."
Seina blinked in confusion but complied. She extended her arm, holding her fist out to Fu, who stared at her for a few seconds, unsure of what to do. Then, Fu blinked too, and with an understanding look in her eyes, she stretched out her arm and bumped her fist against Seina's. Suddenly, Seina was no longer in Fu's dining room in Takigakure. She found herself in some sort of infinite chamber, where an unknown light illuminated the spot where she had awakened. In front of her stood a colossal creature with six legs and seven tails shaped like orange wings. It was grey, with several horns on its head, and seemed to have a helmet-like face. At its feet was Fu, who was jumping around, looking up at what could only be Chomei.
"Incredible!"
Seina glanced over her shoulder and saw Kurama's dark red fur. She looked up, higher and higher, until her violet eyes met Kurama's red ones. He was gazing down at her with a smile as he leaned over. Then she turned to look at the other bijuu.
"Brother."
"Brother."
Chomei's voice was much higher-pitched than Kurama's and far more excited. Seina could feel the other bijuu's gaze on her as he lowered himself into a horizontal position before both jinchuriki.
"I never thought this moment would come," Chomei said. "I thought we'd live and die without ever seeing each other again."
"Times have changed," Kurama replied from above her head, lying down with Seina between his front paws. "I finally found a decent jinchuriki."
Seina sat on Kurama's paw, listening as the two bijuu talked at length about old times. After a while, Fu approached her.
"Looks like they could talk for days."
"Unfortunately, I don't have that much time," Seina said. "I need to return to Konoha."
"Are you here with your team?"
"No. I'm a tokubetsu jonin, so I did the mission solo."
"Wow! But you must be my age!"
"Twelve years old?"
"Exactly!"
"I was just promoted recently," she shrugged. "My genin team will be taking the chunin exams again this year. How about you?"
"Of course! It'll be my first time!"
"I'm sure you'll make it," Seina smiled, patting her on the shoulder. "How long have you been able to talk to Chomei?"
"Since forever. My parents died a few years ago on a mission, so they introduced me to Chomei and gave me this apartment, along with enrolling me in the academy. A few days after that, Chomei started talking to me, and we became friends," Fu explained in great detail.
They chatted for a while longer, but eventually, Seina had to leave. She had told Hisen she wouldn't be staying the night, so she had to depart before it got late. They said their goodbyes to both Fu and Chomei, promising they'd see each other again, and they walked her to the village gate, where she registered her departure.
"That was nice," Kurama said casually, though she knew he was excited about having spoken face-to-face with his brother.
"Why didn't you tell me you could talk like that with your siblings? Why didn't you try with Shukaku?"
"Shukaku wouldn't have been receptive. I sensed that right away. He needed the beating your brother gave him to come to his senses."
"Maybe next time we see him," she consoled him. She felt Kurama nod before retreating deep within her.
As soon as Seina entered the forest, far from Takigakure, she used one of her stones to return to the Land of Fire. She appeared just a few minutes from the gates of Konohagakure, as if she hadn't been thousands of kilometres to the north just moments ago. She finished the last stretch walking, feeling an indescribable sense of relief when she saw the gates of her home.
"Registration number?" asked the chunin on the evening shift.
She handed over her ID, letting them check it. After that, she headed to the Hokage Tower, knowing Tsunade-sama would still be there for a while longer. It had been over a week since she left Konoha, and even then, she had shaved off an extra day from the mission. Apparently, she wasn't the only one thinking that.
"Seina! You're back early," Tsunade-sama exclaimed when she saw her walk through the door. "How did your first solo mission go?"
Seina gave her an exasperated look, causing her master to raise an eyebrow. She pulled out the scroll with the body of the ninja who had attacked them.
"In the end, it was more work than expected. We were attacked by bandits and a rogue ninja. I had to use my summons to get through the last stretch to Takigakure, or we would have been attacked a third time."
"And the client?"
"Safe and sound."
"Well done. I assume the body of the ninja that attacked you is here?"
"Yes. He was a rogue ninja from Kusagakure. I didn't recognize him."
"You might earn a reward for his head," Tsunade-sama admitted. "I'll hand this over to the department. I expect your report tomorrow. You can go now, get some rest."
"Hai."
She bowed and left using the hiraishin. She appeared at home, tired from the journey, and saw Naruto and Sasuke sitting in the dining room. She also sensed Kakashi-sensei's presence in her room thanks to her magic barriers.
"Nee-chan! You sure took your time!" Naruto said, picking her up in the air.
"Hn. How did it go?" Sasuke asked.
"Good. Stressful, but good. I had to deal with a lot of people," she groaned, collapsing onto the couch. "Bandits, rogue ninjas from Kusagakure, ninjas from Amegakure… Ugh. Everyone wanted his head."
"At least you're not hurt," Kakashi-sensei said, appearing on the stairs and giving her a quick once-over.
"It wasn't for lack of trying. In fact, I brought back the body of the last one."
"A ninja?"
"A rogue ninja from Kusagakure. And to top it off, he had the worst outfit, can you believe it?" she joked to ease the slightly tense atmosphere.
Sasuke let out a snort, not expecting her words, while Naruto laughed at her feigned exasperation. Kakashi-sensei just rolled his eyes.
"What do you mean?"
"He was probably dressed in spandex like Guy-sensei!"
"Nah. He was wearing a horrendous robe. Black with red clouds," she laughed at the memory. Now that he was dead, it was almost funny. Where on earth did he get that ridiculous robe?
Kakashi-sensei choked when he heard her, causing the entire team to turn and look at him. Unlike his students' amused reactions, the jonin looked slightly horrified by what she had just said. Seina raised an eyebrow, not quite understanding what the problem was.
"What's up with you?" her brother asked with his usual tact.
"Did you say a black robe with red clouds?"
"…Yesss…" she stretched out the answer, confused. "Why?"
"That robe belongs to Akatsuki."
"What's Akatsuki?" Sasuke asked.
Kakashi-sensei seemed to realize that they had no idea what he was talking about. He frowned, contemplating whether to tell them or not, or if he had mentioned it before. In the end, he shrugged, probably figuring that now that they had a name, they would try to find out on their own if he didn't tell them the truth.
"Akatsuki is the organization Itachi belongs to. They're rogue ninjas, mercenaries from all the nations. They showed up a few years ago," he explained. Then he looked at her. "You only encountered one?"
"Yes."
"That's odd. They usually work in pairs."
She shrugged. She was sure that when she was attacked, there had only been one enemy. Otherwise, she would have seen their aura if they were within her range of vision.
"Do you know what else happened to me?" she said suddenly, remembering Fu.
She told them everything that had happened along the way: the bandits, the endless hours of walking, the villages and cities she visited, Takigakure, and her encounter with Fu. To say Naruto was interested in her encounter was an understatement. Hours later, when she had nothing more to tell, she went to her study to write the report Tsunade-sama expected the next day. Then, with all the time in the world, she took a long bath and put on her pyjamas for the first time in over a week. There was still some time before dinner, but no one was going to stop her from getting comfortable after so many days of mission work.