"IT BELONGS TO THE UCHIHA."
The word felt like a physical blow. Sasuke and Neji both froze. The air in the hallway felt like it had turned into solid glass.
Lee's usual sparkle vanished. He looked at Sasuke, seeing the raw shock on his friend's face.
Sasuke felt a surge of pure panic. He had been so focused on debating about the 'past' and 'present' that he had forgotten the simplest thing: a child is always messy.
Mini-Sasuke must have dropped his dirty shirt which held the most prestigious thing—THE UCHIHA'S CREST
The secret was out. They weren't just travelers anymore. They were hunted children.
Neji was absolutely fuming. His veins were practically popping under his skin, and he wasn't feeling sorry for Sasuke at all.
'I knew it!' Neji cursed in his head.
'I knew that little Uchiha brat would be the death of us! One job! He had one job—to change his clothes—and but...! Sasuke, your younger self is a total disaster!'
Lee looked terrified. He looked at Sasuke, then at Neji, his mouth hanging open.
"Sasuke," Neji whispered, his voice dangerously low and sharp.
"Your younger self just compromised this entire mission. Because of his carelessness, the lives of everyone in that room are now at risk. We are in a land we don't know much about but that...he just handed them the map to our door! "
Then they heard again the two Samurai talking, "Come, let's go talk to the staff over here. They can tell us exactly which room that little brat is staying in."
Neji turned around and looked at Sasuke again and continued, "If that staff member remembers which room we are in, the Samurai will be at that door in minutes. We don't have time for your 'gut feelings' anymore. We have to move."
Sasuke's teeth were gritted so hard his jaw ached. He didn't say a word, but his eyes burned with a dark, focused light. Neji was right. The secret was dead. Now, it was a race against the clank of Samurai armor.
Sasuke, Neji, and Lee stood frozen in the narrow hallway. The air felt heavy. They were trapped.
To their left, the two Samurai were finished talking. They could hear the heavy clomp, clomp, clomp of their boots coming closer.
If they went that way, they would walk right into the Samurai's blades.
"We have to go the other way," Neji whispered, his face pale.
They turned to run to the right, but Sasuke stopped so fast that Lee bumped into his back. At the end of that hallway, a man was walking toward them.
It was the clerk.
His face was white, and he looked like he had been through a nightmare. This was the same man Sasuke had hit with Genjutsu.
He was the one the Samurai had just let go. If that clerk saw Sasuke's face again, he would definitely scream.
Sasuke's mind was spinning. 'If we go left, the Samurai catch us. If we go right, the clerk points his finger and calls the guards. There is nowhere to go.'
Neji looked back and forth, his heart thumping. 'This is a total mess,' he thought. 'We are stuck in a corner. The clerk knows Sasuke's face, and the Border Samurai knows all three of us. One step in either direction and the whole hotel will be on top of us.'
Lee looked at the walls, looking for a window or a hole.
"Sasuke-kun, Neji... the circle is closing! My youthful heart is beating too fast!"
"Be quiet, Lee! Let me think.." Sasuke whispered.
They were stuck in the middle of a "T" shape in the hallway. The metal sound of the Samurai was getting louder from the left. The footsteps of the clerk were getting closer from the right.
Sasuke gripped his hands into fists. He looked at the ceiling and then at the floor. He was looking for any way out, but the walls were closing in.
They were seconds away from being seen by both sides.
Sasuke didn't wait any longer. He took a deep breath and stepped out toward the right—directly toward the clerk.
Neji's eyes nearly popped out of his head. 'What is he doing?!' he screamed in his mind.
'He's walking straight toward the man who knows his face! Is he crazy?'
But Neji and Lee had no choice. They kept their heads down and followed Sasuke, walking close to the wall. They tried to act like normal, boring guests.
The clerk walked closer. The hallway was narrow, so they had to pass right next to him. Sasuke kept his chin down, his dark hair hiding his eyes.
Neji held his breath, and Lee looked at his own feet so hard he almost tripped.
As they moved past, the clerk slowed down. He was looking right at them. He looked at Sasuke's yukata, then at Lee's shoes.
The three boys kept walking. They were almost past him. They were just one step away from the corner when the clerk's voice rang out, stopping them cold.
"Wait," the clerk said. His voice was shaky and confused.
Sasuke's thoughts raced, 'DAMN IT!!'
"Umm... have I seen you somewhere?"
The boys froze. It felt like the world stopped turning. Sasuke's heart was beating so loud he was sure the clerk could hear it.
Neji's eyes were shut tight than usual and Lee looked like he was ready to faint.
Slowly, they turned around to face him.
The clerk tilted his head, squinting his eyes.
He looked at Sasuke's face, trying to remember something through the foggy memory of the Genjutsu. He looked like a man trying to remember a dream that was turning into a nightmare.
"You three..." the clerk whispered, stepping a bit closer. "Have we met before? Your face... it feels very familiar."
Behind them, the sound of the Samurai's armor was getting even louder. They were trapped between a man who was starting to remember and the Samurai who were ready to kill.
_HI NO KUNI_
A gentle wind brushed through the quiet streets, carrying a flurry of green leaves that spiraled toward the sky. They danced in the light, drifting over the rooftops in a slow, rhythmic circle before settling on the stone paths below.
High above the settlement, a massive cliff towered over the buildings. Carved into the very heart of the mountain were four giantfaces, looking out over the horizon with silent, stone eyes.
The first was a man with long, flowing hair and a gaze that felt as old as the earth itself.
The second had sharp, narrow features, appearing as though he were carved from ice.
Beside him was the third—an older man with a shorter beard and a face lined with years of wisdom.
The last face was the most recent. It was a younger man with wild, spiky hair. Even in stone, he wore a bright, confident smile that seemed to promise a new beginning for everyone living in the shadows of the mountain.
The air was filled with a sense of waiting. Below the great cliff, the morning sun began to hit the red-tiled roofs, and the sound of the wind was the only thing to be heard.
The wind picked up, sending a fresh wave of leaves tumbling through the air. They skipped across the wooden balconies and swirled around the ankles of the people gathering in the streets.
Down below, the paths were becoming crowded. There were families of all kinds.
Grandfathers stood with their hands tucked into their sleeves, watching the younger generation with proud eyes. Young parents held the hands of their children, who were dressed in simple tunics and colorful scarves, hopping with excitement.
Walking among the crowd were the protectors of this place. They moved with a different kind of energy—quiet and steady.
These ninjas wore heavy, dark blue clothing under thick, olive-green vests. The vests were filled with pockets for scrolls and tools, looking sturdy and worn from use.
Their style was traditional and sharp. Some wore bandages wrapped tightly around their shins, while others had long scarves tucked into their collars.
Metal forehead protectors caught the morning light, reflecting the sun as the ninjas stood at the corners of the streets to keep order.
There was a deep sense of respect in the air; when a group of these vest-wearing ninjas passed by, the civilians stepped aside with a nod.
The fashion of the time was simple but meaningful—every ribbon and every piece of armor showed that they were part of something old and strong.
In one corner of the busy street, a small shop was preparing for the day. A young man with a kind face stood behind the wooden counter, hanging up the white curtains that fluttered in the breeze. Printed clearly on the fabric were the words-
Ichiraku Ramen.
The young owner moved quickly, setting out bowls and chopsticks. Beside him, a very small girl with bright, curious eyes tried to help. She was his daughter, barely tall enough to see over the counter, but she stayed close to her father's side, watching the crowd with a wide smile.
The smell of warm broth began to drift out into the air, mixing with the scent of the blowing leaves. For many of the ninjas walking by in their green vests, this shop was a favorite place to rest.
Seeing the young father and his little daughter working together made the morning feel even more peaceful.
Near the Ichiraku Ramen unveiled a group of three women who stood together under the shade of the red-tiled roof. The young owner watched them from the counter as he polished a bowl, his small daughter playing quietly at his feet.
"It is a big day," the first woman said, looking out at the leaves dancing in the wind.
"I am so happy we have a leader who cares this much. To think he is establishing a permanent Memorial Stone just to honor those we lost in the war."
The second woman nodded. "It shows his heart. He wants to make sure the sacrifice of every ninja is remembered forever. We are lucky to have such a Hokage watching over us."
"The ceremony isn't for another two or three hours," the third woman reminded them, glancing at the sky. "But people are already starting to gather. We should finish our errands before we have to go to Training Ground Three."
"Yes," the first woman agreed softly. "It won't be an easy afternoon, but it is a necessary one. We owe it to them to be there when the stone is unveiled."
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📊 BATTLE REPORT: 60-IRON 📊
LOSER: Uchiha Sasuke 👁🗨🔥
SNEAK PEAK LINES 💬
"A youthful meal is exactly what we need to prepare our spirits!"
"He's probably forgotten we even exist by now. "
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—With love, one forehead poke away from collapse,
Sakura Shinomiya 💫
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