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Chapter 61: Capital of the Land of Grass
The sun went out.
A shirtless villager bent over the soil, and suddenly the burning heat on his back cooled noticeably. He raised his head on instinct and smacked his lips.
"Hey! How strange, where did that cloud come from?"
He looked left and right; the rest of the sky was clear. Only directly above him floated a single cloud.
"Never mind. It's nice to have some shade."
He returned to his work and paid no more attention to the lone cloud.
In the nearby woods, Konan watched the villagers' reactions with Uzumaki Honoka at her side.
After flying for half a day, the Sky Ninja fortress arrived over the vicinity of the Capital of the Land of Grass just around noon. Honoka shaded her eyes with a hand and stared up at the lone cloud.
"Lady Konan, it looks like the fortress hid itself perfectly. From the ground there's no sign of anything strange; it's safe."
This was her first time so far inland in many years. Her face shone with excitement. Her long hair looked even more crimson under the bright sunlight.
Konan hummed, then headed toward the main road.
"Let's enter the city."
The capital of the Land of Grass lay not far ahead. Honoka chattered as she walked, eyes wide with curiosity about everything she saw on land.
"Lady Konan, what about Uncle Kameda? Is he not coming down?"
Konan shook her head.
"He has other duties. He won't come with us."
"Kameda will take the others and enter the city from another direction to procure supplies."
Konan eyed Honoka up and down when supplies came to mind. Then she pulled a thick stack of bills from her pocket and handed it over.
"Buy whatever you want in the city. I'll pay for it."
Konan was generous. Money was no object.
"L-Lady Konan." Honoka blushed and fidgeted, but she accepted under Konan's unyielding gaze.
She had a long list of things she wanted: clothes, shoes, toiletries, cosmetics, and more private items a girl would not feel comfortable asking Kameda for. The Land of Grass was fairly famous in the shinobi world. Its capital was not grand, but it was a decent-sized city with many shops and merchants. Everything was available for purchase.
They entered a large clothing store first. To avoid trouble in public, both used a transformation technique to appear as ordinary girls. Alex curled into a paper tube, wrapped a strand of Konan's hair, and dangled like a plain accessory at Konan's right cheek.
In the women's section, risqué lingerie and fishnet stockings dazzled Alex's paper eyes. Konan remained composed and cool.
Honoka stared at the bizarre lingerie and turned bright red. She lowered her head shyly, as if wanting to bury it in her chest.
As the capital attracted merchants and nobles with eccentric tastes, such shops stocked items meant to entice.
Honoka tugged at Konan's sleeve, pointing to a fuzzy tail on a rack.
"Lady Konan, look at this fox tail. It's so pretty and silky. Should we buy it to play with?"
Seeing no one paying attention, she stroked the tail. The soft touch made her eyes narrow with delight. She stopped when her hand reached the top and found a metal ball.
The smooth, cold orb puzzled her. She poked it with a finger.
"Why would a fox tail have a metal ball on the end?"
Alex's paper figure trembled with amusement at Honoka's innocence. Konan glanced at the metal ball without comment and quickly led Honoka away to the regular clothes section.
That tail was not something for a young girl to play with.
A middle-aged woman greeted them in the normal clothing area.
"Welcome, beautiful customers. Can I help you find anything?"
To prevent Honoka from embarrassing herself, Konan decided for her.
"Pick out some bras and a full outfit for her."
She added, "Keep it normal."
This shop did have unusual items; Konan did not want Honoka led astray. The woman smiled at Honoka's shyness.
"What size is she? I'll bring some to try on."
Honoka stole a glance at Konan, who only looked back briefly, and then she lowered her head and whispered, "C... my size is C..."
Alex found this amusing and discovered Honoka was wealthier than she looked. The woman returned with normal items, and Honoka began trying them on.
While Honoka modeled, Konan browsed. Passing the hosiery section, she hesitated.
She fiddled with the paper tube at her brow and murmured, "Alex, what color do you like?"
Alex perked up. Faced with racks of black, white, blue, purple, and flesh-toned stockings, he decided at once.
Kids pick one. Alex wanted them all.
Three small black characters floated across the paper tube: "Get them all."
Konan smiled faintly. Alex had an odd insistence on such things, and she indulged him. It was one of the few ways she could repay him.
She cleared an entire shelf and paid. Then she found an empty fitting room and stored the purchases in a scroll. She did not want Honoka to know what she bought. It was a secret belonging only to her and Alex; she would only wear them for him.
A short time later, Konan returned to Honoka.
"How did it go? Are you done?"
Honoka nodded happily. "Yes, I've paid."
"Good. Let's leave."
They shopped for hours and finally left the capital satisfied. Alex was already drowsy—just watching made him tired. Indeed, shopping appeared to be a hidden instinct among women.
On the road outside, people thinned and then vanished, and the capital disappeared behind them. Konan stopped with an unreadable face.
"Honoka, you sensed it, right?"
Honoka's expression grew tense. She nodded. "Yes, Lady Konan. It seems someone is following us."