Chapter 33: The Changes Dana Brought
Land of Lightning, Hidden Cloud Village
In a simple apartment, Ryosuke Kuroki's eyes snapped open. He fumbled for the weapon by his side and scanned the room for enemies. It took him a moment to realize where he was.
"It was just a dream."
He felt the back of his neck. It was slick with cold sweat. He decided to take a shower.
After dressing, he headed for the Mission Assignment Desk. His mandated leave wasn't over yet, but he was bored. He didn't have any friends in the village. A "vacation" for him was just sleeping and eating.
His squad had been on a mission that had unexpectedly escalated from A-rank to S-rank. They had completed the mission, but at the cost of two teammates. The village had given him an extended leave, but today, he was ready to end it. Sometimes, a vacation was harder to endure than a mission.
His squad hadn't been replenished yet. He'd just pick a solo mission. Anything would do.
At the crowded Mission Assignment Desk, a strange mission caught his eye.
Rank: D
Reward: 200 Ryō
Content: Go to the orphanage on the west side of the village. Accompany one child on a one-day outing within the village. Mission history will be verified.
For details, please consult the person in charge at the orphanage.
"200 Ryō? Seriously?" Kuroki muttered to himself. "Is that even enough for a meal?"
This had to be a new record low for a D-rank mission.
"Whatever. It's a way to kill time," he decided, and took the mission scroll.
But when he arrived at the orphanage with the scroll in hand, he began to regret his decision.
Dozens of children were running around, screaming and playing in the courtyard. Kuroki's mind went blank. He suddenly felt like this would be a perfect place for an ambush. Even the most skilled ninja would be driven insane by the noise.
"Sensei Keiko, when is Brother Dana coming back?"
"Yeah, yeah! He hasn't been here for days!"
"Sensei, is Dana sick?"
A group of children had gathered around Keiko Morita, anxiously asking about the person they cared about most.
"Dana had to leave the village for something important," Keiko explained patiently, as she had every day since he'd left. "You have to be patient. I'm sure he'll come play with you as soon as he gets back."
She finished her explanation and then noticed Kuroki standing off to the side.
"Excuse me, are you here for the mission?" she asked, expertly guiding him through the chaos to a quiet corner of the courtyard. As they walked, the children stared at Kuroki with hopeful eyes, which he found rather odd.
"This is your first time taking an orphanage mission, isn't it?" she asked. "Would you like me to explain?"
"Please," Kuroki nodded.
"I've seen your mission summary. You're an excellent Jonin with a clean record. The children are all here. Your task is to take one of them out into the village for the day. Please be sure to bring them back before dark, and don't leave the village. Here is the 200 Ryō for expenses." Keiko handed him a small coin purse.
Kuroki weighed it in his hand. It felt impossibly light. So this is what 200 Ryō feels like, he thought. Enough for a meal, with a little left over?
"What am I supposed to do with them?"
"There are no specific requirements," Keiko said with a smile. "Just walk around, get them something nice to eat, or even just let them play in the park for the afternoon. As long as you stay in the village, keep them safe, and make sure they're fed, that's all. The children are very well-behaved. We don't have many people taking these missions yet, so they're always very excited for a chance to go out."
Kuroki looked at the children who were peeking at him from a distance. He didn't know what to think.
"Would you like a recommendation?" Keiko offered. "Some of them are quite mischievous. They might give you a headache."
Kuroki was about to say he didn't care when he spotted a small figure with brown hair.
"That boy with the brown hair..."
"That's Amemaru. Ninomiya Amemaru," Keiko replied. "He's very shy. He might be a bit of a challenge for you."
"Ninomiya..." Kuroki's mind drifted back to a hazy memory of a man with brown hair.
"Captain, I heard you had a son! Have you picked a name yet?"
"Amemaru. I'm going to name him Amemaru."
"Huh? Isn't that the name of your sword?"
"Hehe. Amemaru has saved my life many times. I want to pass that luck on to my son."
"Your wife is going to kill you. Haha."
The memory faded, and Kuroki was back in the present, looking at the timid little boy.
Captain Ninomiya. It feels so long ago. Was it seven years? Or six? He had just become a Chunin back then. Their squad had been so close. When had he started to pull away, to stop getting close to his teammates, to stop making new friends? He barely knew the names of the teammates who had died on his last mission. At the time, he'd thought it was better that way. No attachments. When things went wrong, he could prioritize the mission without hesitation. He hadn't spoken to his old friends in years. So Captain Ninomiya was dead too.
What about the boy's mother? Kuroki didn't dare to think about it.
"If it's alright," he said, his voice a little hoarse, "I'll take that one."
"Of course. Please wait a moment." Keiko took the mission scroll and headed back to her office. As she walked, she wondered how Young Master Dana was doing. Would he be happy to know that his reforms at the orphanage were already having such a positive effect?
Dana was not happy.
No one would be happy after passing out twice in one day.
Before he even opened his eyes, he felt as if his body had been set on fire and then plunged into a bucket of ice. Every part of him felt like it had been ground into dust.
No... I'm only six. I don't want to be a goner. I can still be saved.
The more awake he became, the worse he felt. He struggled to open his eyes. He was staring at an unfamiliar ceiling.
"Are you awake? Do you feel any pain?" The voice belonged to the Third Raikage, who was sitting by his bed.
I feel pain everywhere. So much pain I want to pass out again.
"Water," he croaked. "Dad, I need water."
Ume immediately brought him a bowl of water, which soothed his burning throat, but his body craved more.
In the end, Dana ate enough food for three grown men before he started to feel better. Though his cheeks were still sunken, and he looked like a shipwrecked Sanji, the life had returned to his eyes.
He learned from his father that he had been unconscious for three days. After he had passed out, Arashi had carried him to safety, saving him from the collateral damage of the battle between the Third Raikage and Choza Akimichi. According to Arashi, the ground in that area had been cratered several meters deep, and the trees were shattered. It would probably take decades for the landscape to recover. Choza had grown to a height of nearly a hundred meters, but he had become as thin as a skeleton.
He had died in the end. Despite using every trick in his arsenal, he was no match for the Third Raikage. His father was a man who went toe-to-toe with tailed beasts. In this era, besides Madara Uchiha, who was hiding somewhere, his father had no equal. Then again, maybe even a doddering old Madara wouldn't be... No, no, too arrogant. You had to give the old battlefield rose his due.
"The ones who escaped," his father was saying, "we chased them to the border of the Land of Fire. Unfortunately, we only managed to catch one of them."
Oh, of course, Dana thought. If you caught them all, it would mess up the whole story.
Wait a minute. You caught one?!