It's only when you return to your own soil that you truly grasp how precious the word home is.
Back when Ayumi still served as a shinobi, she didn't realize that at once. Only after she began running long-term missions did she understand what Konoha meant to her. The atmosphere her people created; the faces of past Hokage carved into the cliff, their stony gaze seeming to watch over and protect, granting peace at night... there was something deeply familiar in all of it.
She loved coming back to her village, knowing she'd completed a mission that genuinely contributed to its growth and stability. Unfortunately, she didn't get to savor that feeling for long. One failed mission and her career collapsed like a house of cards: from shinobi she began retraining as a fishmonger.
In her mind, the only step lower would have been selling her body - something a small number of courtesans did in Konoha. Not openly, of course; but those who knew where to go could spend the night with a woman for a good price.
Sadly, years of shinobi training and the knowledge that came with it didn't help much with running a small business. Ayumi could feed herself off the income, but real savings? Not a chance. And she needed savings badly for house repairs - floors rotting a little more each year and a roof that leaked every rainy season.
That kind of grinding routine - just enough to keep her fed - no prospects for the future, and the loneliness, paired with old injuries, slowly wore down the mind of a woman who hadn't had time to start a family. The only thing that kept her from leaving this world early was a faint hope that maybe the future would change. Ayumi was endlessly grateful to that stubborn little hope - it let her live long enough to meet Akira.
It's remarkable how an ordinary person can change the course of others' lives with just a few words. Ayumi chose to trust Akira and accepted his offer to work at his restaurant. At first, it felt like swapping one needle for another. Yes, a manager's job paid more than selling fish, but nothing in her life changed fundamentally. Not right away, at least.
She kept waiting for the day her employer - knowing the circumstances of her former life - would want to taste her fruit. But neither weeks nor a month later did he say anything of the sort, not even with a hint.
For some reason, Ayumi had been sure that a man who hired only women for his restaurant staff would want to "use" them somehow. But that never happened. On the contrary, the bulk of the heavy flirting and suggestive nudges came from her colleagues - and Akira behaved as if he didn't notice any of it.
Finally accepting that she wouldn't have to change jobs again, Ayumi began to lean into her role as manager, determined to embrace her new fate for real. A month and a half into her McDonald's work, she realized her job wasn't meaningless - and that money wasn't everything. The smiles on patrons' faces, happy shrieks of children on the play area - it all showed her she was useful again to the place she lived. Useful not only to Akira, but to the people she served with honest work. That understanding lightened the burden of disappointment that had weighed on her heart since her injury.
The man who had helped her indirectly began to attract her. She paid closer attention to his words and deeds, trying - as she'd been taught at the Academy - to sketch his psychological portrait. She noted his habits, how he behaved around different kinds of people, and even learned to tell when his smile was genuine and when it was just for show.
*"He's a mirror of a man,"* Ayumi realized, accepting that his very name fit him perfectly.
In her eyes, Akira had a startling knack for carrying himself so people would see only the positive traits they wanted to see. A born actor - or a spy - depending on your angle. Perhaps the scariest part for Ayumi was that she could not, by any means, understand who he really was.
She'd gathered hazy hints, yes, but nowhere near enough to form a whole picture. One thing she knew, though: those who caused trouble for Akira had a remarkable tendency to reconcile with him quickly - or simply vanish.
For example, there was that time when, for three days straight, rowdy types would swing by McDonald's and cause a fuss, upsetting other guests.
Within two days the commotion stopped - and Ayumi quickly connected it to a visit from a few restaurant owners from nearby streets who, on leaving Akira's office, had dust on their trouser knees. Or those thugs who came to demand a cut of the Tanzaku restaurant's revenues. Their gang was wiped out that very night.
There was another thing she didn't quite understand: for reasons unknown to her, her employer loved money. As someone who had once killed for money, she understood its value and the comfort it could buy. But why did Akira strive so hard to multiply his wealth? She couldn't figure it out. By his income, you could say he lived rather modestly.
No mansions the size of five or ten homes, no gold ornaments; even his dishes were reasonably cheap, no crystal. His kimonos were handmade, yes, but without gaudy touches like gold or silver thread. And people of his means tended to chase high society: keep purebred horses, practice archery, host lavish events to court the nobility with gifts and snag invitations to their circles.
Akira? If he splurged, it was for his own fun - and even then, not as often as her colleague Saiko liked to think.
Be that as it may, Ayumi was happy with her job now. The duties weren't heavy; assignments were simple and not frequent. Her salary with bonuses meant she didn't have to worry about paying Akira back for the apartment - and, for someone who didn't care for luxury, it was more than enough to live on.
Back in Konoha, she moved on to one of her responsibilities: auditing Akira's business locations. She had to check revenue and expense reports, whether operations were running smoothly - say, at McDonald's - and detect any issues, present or emerging. She chose to start with her employer's new ventures: the library-bookshop, the women's clothing boutique, the spa. Akira had already introduced her to the managers as his right hand, so she could walk in everywhere like she owned the place.
First, Ayumi went to the clothing shop - she knew that kind of business better thanks to her Tanzaku experience and, well, being a woman.
They'd done a beautiful interior in a cozy wooden house: marble-white slabs instead of boards, display windows instead of regular panes, and the entryway widened twofold. The windows drew special attention - two vitrines, each with three wooden mannequins in dresses that flattered their crafted figures. Ayumi found the mannequins a smart touch for attracting customers.
*"As expected of Akira-san,"* she nodded and stepped inside, where one of the two associates greeted her at once.
"Good afternoon, Ayumi-san. Are you here to pick out something for yourself?" the young woman asked warmly, bowing to her like a subordinate to a superior.
At first Ayumi meant to decline. But after a quick once-over, she decided, *Why not? In Tanzaku I only bought two going-out outfits. I'll get something for strolls and for dinner places. And I can see how they work with my own eyes.*
Back in Tanzaku, whenever she had a free moment, Akira would drag Ayumi along to various cafes and restaurants, and she'd unintentionally caught his bug for exploring new lunch and snack spots. Before meeting Akira, she'd dined out only a couple of times, not counting escort missions.
An hour later, with two bags in hand, she left Rumi and headed toward the library. Halfway there, she remembered the sealing scrolls she carried. Stowing the bags away, she made it more comfortably to the L-shaped building, where a plaque by the entrance bore the same crest the Silver Palace mall.
She spent a bit longer in the library, mostly hunting for a suitable novel.
*All right, that leaves the spa, the charity foundation, and McDonald's. Then I can rest till the end of the week... Oh, right - better save the spa for last so I can properly unwind before day's end," she decided, and set off for the foundation, the office build she'd personally supervised from start to finish.
Thankfully, during her absence the foundation's account hadn't dwindled; some clans and kind souls still donated. Five percent of McDonald's profits alone wouldn't have been enough for meaningful aid.
"Ah, Ayumi-san, I'm so glad you're here. I didn't know what to do with the letters," the foundation manager, Rina, said with a touch of distress.
*Funny, when you think about it - all the managers under Akira-san are women. If it were anyone else, you'd be lucky to see even one woman in a minor leadership post. Or... does he specifically insist on hiring women as managers because they're easier to influence? Food for thought,* Ayumi mused as Rina pulled a sack out of a cabinet - stuffed with... envelopes.
"What is that?" Ayumi asked, surprised.
"Letters of gratitude from people we helped," Rina answered with a happy smile. "It's just... I didn't know if I was allowed to open them. I wanted to wait until you came back or until Akira-sama dropped by. Unfortunately, I forgot to mention them when he visited the first time..." She blushed a little.
*"Not surprising. Watch him long enough and even I forget what I was thinking about five minutes ago,"* Ayumi thought. After a moment, she took out her chakra switch and pinged Akira. The reply took fifteen minutes.
"He says: 'Though I founded the charity, the most important work is done by you - the staff. So I suggest you all open the letters together now and read them. If you want, you can even write replies,'" Ayumi relayed, watching Rina nod with a smile after every third word.
"Wonderful! I'll call everyone in. Ayumi-sama, would you like to read a few thank-you letters with us?" the manager offered at once.
"Well, I should know what people think of our foundation," Ayumi nodded, mirroring the manager's smile.
[By the way, Akira-san, I've been meaning to ask. Why do you insist on hiring only women for managerial roles, and, wherever possible, mostly young women as staff? The reason can't just be drawing more customers, can it?] While Rina and the other three staffers arranged the break room for reading, Ayumi sent off the question that had been on her mind. This time, the answer came in a minute:
[Haven't I answered this already? Unlike men, women in the Land of Fire have limited job options - if they're allowed to work at all. Why shouldn't I help them?]
Reading that, Ayumi smiled warmly.
*When it comes to helping, Akira is genuinely sincere,* she thought. Perhaps that trait was what drew her most to him.
They began reading together, carefully sorting the letters back into their envelopes. When some of the girls started crying over a few letters, Ayumi knew she'd chosen the right people for the foundation. Honestly, even she - after all she'd lived through - almost cried at a few written by children. The writing was awful, full of errors, some characters barely legible, but everyone felt the soul they poured into their thanks.
[Dear aunties and uncles from the foundation. My name is Kuruchika, I am 5 years old. I live with my papa in Okuyashi village. A funny merchant-san promised to deliver this letter to you when he could. I don't know if it got there, but I hope you find out you saved my papa. At first I didn't believe it when the village elder, Grandpa Moe, said there is a foundation that helps people for free, but he promised his friend in another village got help from it. A week after I asked for help, a young shinobi came. He said he was a genin or a genius. I didn't really understand. He gave my papa those very expensive medicines and three days later papa got better. I thought papa would leave me too, but you helped us. Thank you, thank you, thank you...] And to the end of the page, the little girl wrote that same word over and over.
*"Am I here to cry, or to work?"* Ayumi thought. Realizing one more letter would break her, she excused herself quickly.
"All the best, Ayumi-san," the foundation staff called after her, wiping their wet eyes.
****
After finishing up at McDonald's, Ayumi returned home to drop off some reports and was about to go grab a bite and then end her day with a visit to the spa - but something changed her plans.
While pouring herself some cold tea by the window, she noticed the neighbor across the way step out of her apartment and back in several times like she kept forgetting something. Ayumi knew that neighbor; they'd been introduced long ago. But even without any introduction from Akira, she knew this woman - Uzumaki Kushina. Hard not to know the woman once chosen by one of the village's most remarkable Hokage. Her anxious behavior, the done-up eyes, the bright yet simple outfit - it all piqued Ayumi's curiosity.
"Where is she going?" she asked herself - and her intuition immediately guessed she was headed to meet a young man.
Her curiosity then flooded her with questions: *Who is this young man? Is it Akira, by any chance? And if not, then who?*
She'd long since realized her employer was more than casually interested in that woman. In her view, someone of Akira's calibre wouldn't be spending time at a neighbor's place that often for nothing. Even a child could see that. The real question was how close they were - and for some reason Ayumi really wanted to find out.
She tailed her discreetly. A crowd is perfect cover. In the northwestern park where Kushina turned off, the trees became natural screens. There, on one of the paths, Kushina and Akira met.
Once she confirmed they were intimate, Ayumi was about to turn back - but the way her employer took Kushina by the hand and led her into the bushes set her curiosity ablaze. She needed to know what they were about to do.
Climbing a tree was no trouble for a former shinobi; not falling off the branch, however, took effort once she saw how "the affectionate pair" was kissing.
The first thing that caught Ayumi's eye was Akira's triangular back as he pressed the poor neighbor against a tree with his kisses. The second thing: the redhead's legs spread wide, and Akira's hand moving actively between them - clearly not to help his partner keep balance. She couldn't see Kushina's face, but she would've bet that even if Kushina were taller than Akira, she wouldn't have noticed anyone witnessing their indecency.
When Akira lifted Kushina's leg with his free hand and began a steady rhythm with his hips, Kushina's hands, looped around his neck, went limp, and her barely stifled moans carried even to Ayumi.
At some point, Kushina's legs wrapped around Akira's waist and the leaves of the tree behind them began to shake noticeably.
Ayumi knew she should leave - it was wrong to watch. But... there was something both enchanting and hypnotic about this wild coupling in the park's untamed corner. It wouldn't let her even look away.
A beautiful man and a beautiful woman surrendering to love out in nature. It seemed so natural and right to Ayumi that she forgot entirely that doing such things outside the home was... generally frowned upon.
Not to mention that peeking at such things while taking care of herself raised its own questions about social morals.
By the time she reached the spa, Ayumi was already relaxed and thoroughly satisfied.