After her encounter at the supreme ramen shop, Murasame returned to the inn she had chosen for her stay in Konoha to rest her traveling bones.
Konoha was a nice place. The inn's view was lovely, and the food was good. Above all, the hot spring was absolutely wonderful.
She thought that perhaps she should have come to Konoha first. But then she realized she never could have afforded a nice inn like this if she hadn't built up her funds in the Land of Sand. She was confident she had made the best choices.
She had the next day free since she no longer needed to search for her target, so she decided to walk around selling the swords she had brought as a cover.
She had permission from the Sand to be here, so there was no problem, but she felt it wouldn't look good if she returned without any income. With that in mind, she loaded the swords onto her cart and made her rounds.
A few shinobi stopped to look, but these were standard-issue swords from a common tool shop, not particularly high-quality. She found no buyers, and time just slipped by. —If only she could, she wanted to display the self-made masterpieces stored in her other scroll. She especially wanted the kunoichi she had met, the one who seemed so interested in ninja tools, to buy one of her prized creations.
Feeling a bit melancholy, she decided it would be more fruitful to deepen her own knowledge rather than fruitlessly sell swords. She began to tour and explore Konoha.
Meeting the owner of that ramen shop had been a coincidence, but she had known of another famous clan from Konoha since her time in the Land of Water.
The great "Uchiha Clan." She had heard they also had many remarkable artisans and wanted to meet them. She asked a nearby person for directions.
—"I'd like to meet the artisan of the famous 'Uchiha rice crackers'..."
It was a casual question, but the answer she received was almost too cruel: "The Uchiha clan was annihilated."
She was speechless at the fact that techniques, honed and passed down by artisans, had been extinguished without a trace. As if to distract herself from the shock, she spent the rest of the day wandering the village.
And then, the day she had been waiting for arrived.
Today, she would finally get an answer from the man named Kakashi Hatake. Her body was trembling, and the corners of her mouth curled into a grin.
Of course, there was a chance he would refuse to meet her. In that case, she would just have to stalk the shop's "regular" and find him that way. It pained her to think of betraying the ramen shop owner's trust, but...
Mulling over her plans, she ran until the ramen shop, Ichiraku, came into view.
And in front of the shop stood 2 boys, 1 girl, and a white-haired man who had covered most of his face, save for his left eye.
Ramen shop customers, she thought. To choose this place out of all the others, they must have excellent taste. Setting aside her own snobbery after only a single visit, she greeted the owner.
"Hello..."
"Oh, missy! Perfect timing. This is the man you were lookin' for, Kakashi!"
"...?"
Her mind went blank at the unexpected words. The plan was just to hear if he would meet her today. Things couldn't possibly move this conveniently.
"Hey. Are you the young lady from the Land of Wind who had business with me?"
"You've got amazing luck, missy. Their mission for today just ended, and they were grabbing lunch before their afternoon training."
That was an incredible coincidence.
One of the 3 shinobi standing next to the man named Kakashi—the shop's regular—must have suggested this place for their post-mission meal. If so, that person was her savior.
But that could wait. First, she had to talk to Mr. Kakashi.
"Y-yes... I've... always... wanted to meet you... sir."
She was bad with words at the best of times, but now she was so nervous she could barely speak. Her face flushed red with a mixture of embarrassment and elation.
—But, she wondered, why were the girl and the black-haired boy standing next to him staring at Mr. Kakashi—their own teacher—like he was a criminal?
Noticing their gazes, Mr. Kakashi seemed to panic and started talking to them in a hurry.
As she watched this strange scene, she realized something her excitement had prevented her from noticing: Mr. Kakashi was not carrying the Decapitating Carving Knife, "Kubikiribōchō."
...Of course. It was one of the Mist's famed ninja swords, after all.
Even if it was a trophy from defeating Zabuza himself, if he paraded it around, the village higher-ups might confiscate it. He must have it hidden in a scroll or somewhere safe.
The fact that he was being so careful made her happy. It meant he understood the blade's value.
But she couldn't back down. Since he was actively hiding it, this wouldn't be easy. She had to find a way to guide the conversation and get him to show it to her.
But she... had zero social skills.
She was incapable of "guiding" a conversation. Her only option was to ask with all sincerity.
Steeling her resolve, she bowed her head deeply.
"I am Murasame, from the village of Sunagakure... I came here to ask you to show me something, Mr. Kakashi, to improve my own craft."
"Wow, all the way from the Land of Sand to Konoha? That's incredible," the girl with him said, impressed.
Murasame gave her a small nod and turned back to Mr. Kakashi.
A look of panic flashed across his face. He really is hiding it, she thought. She felt guilty for her pushy request, but she couldn't back down now. She held his gaze.
Kakashi Hatake was panicking.
He had heard from his student, Naruto, that someone wanted to see him. After finishing their mission for the day, he had agreed to meet them during the break before their afternoon training.
The person who showed up was an unfamiliar girl, looking strangely excited. He wondered what she wanted, and then she said she needed to see something he had, for "her craft."
But he didn't own anything that would be useful to an artisan. What could this girl possibly want from me? The moment he had that thought, he realized. There was one thing, currently resting in his pocket.
—The masterpiece by one of the Legendary Sannin, Jiraiya-sama: 'Icha Icha Paradise'!
Don't tell me this girl is an author, and she came all the way from the Land of Sand just to see this rare book!?
It was true, that would explain her talk about "her craft"—but!
"...Sorry, but I really can't show that to you."
"—! Please, I'm begging you!"
"No, I can't. You're far too young to see this!"
He could admire the girl's—Murasame's—enthusiasm. But she was clearly still a kid, about the same age as his own students.
He couldn't possibly let her read an adult novel! He may be chronically late, but he was still a responsible adult!
"It's fine! I can't tell many people, but—I've seen it (Kubikiribōchō) several times since I was about 5!"
"At 5!? You saw this (Icha Icha Paradise)!?"
"I was allowed to look at every single part! —But I'm sure there are things I couldn't see back then! That's why I want to see that (Kubikiribōchō) just one more time!"
"Every single part!? —N-no... but still..."
What were the people around her thinking, letting a 5-year-old read this book!?
The girl's terrifying words sent his normally unflappable mind into chaos.
This was bad. He had to calm down, to talk her down—but before he could, his own students had surrounded him.
"You're being so stingy, Kakashi-sensei! She just wants to see it! You can't be a cheapskate, believe it!"
"Yeah, she did come all the way from the Land of Sand... it's kind of sad to send her back with nothing."
"...Whatever. Just show her so we can start training."
"N-no, you guys... you don't understand... but..."
This was bad. He was being cornered by his students, who had no idea what was happening. —In a way, this was more dangerous than the Land of Waves... As a person...
"Sensei, I'll ask you, too. This missy is just dedicated to her craft. She's not here for any weird reasons."
"Mr. Teuchi!? But—"
"Daaaah! All you've been saying is 'but' and 'but,' Kakashi-sensei! It's so annoying! Just show her already, believe it!"
"Hurry it up, Kakashi. Our training is already delayed because you're always late!"
Cornered by Mr. Teuchi and again by his students, Kakashi understood: there was no escape.
If he refused the girl now, his students' trust in him would plummet. In that case, he would at least grant her wish. Whatever the consequences...
Having reached a state of enlightenment, like a sage, Kakashi retrieved the item sleeping in his pocket and handed it to the girl.
Yes... he handed an adult novel (Icha Icha Paradise) to an unfamiliar minor.
"KYAAAAAAA! WHAT ARE YOU GIVING HER, KAKASHI-SENSEI!?"
"I know that book! You're not supposed to let kids read that!"
"...You've fallen."
And thus... the team's beatdown of their Jonin leader began.
"...This book's... 'holy sword of man, piercing the guard of a woman's heart'... is..."
"Whoa, missy! That's enough of that!!"
Total chaos!
It took a full 30 minutes for the situation to be resolved.
As he humbly accepted his students' fists, Kakashi sent a silent message to his departed friend.
(If you were alive... what would you say to me right now... ...Obito...?)
▼▼▼
"Ahem... so, you're not an author, you're a smith specializing in ninja tools."
"Yes. I'm sorry, my words were not clear."
"No, no, I'm the one who jumped to conclusions. My mistake. Haha..."
They both bowed, resetting the conversation.
Next to him, Mr. Kakashi's female student muttered, "Even if it was a misunderstanding, what kind of adult gives an adult novel to a minor?" but Murasame felt this was her own fault for not explaining herself well.
She felt terrible, but she couldn't take up any more of their time. She steeled herself and stated her true purpose.
"...A few days ago, I heard that you defeated the 'Demon, Zabuza Momochi.' I came because I wanted to see the Decapitating Carving Knife, 'Kubikiribōchō,' that he carried. ...I know it's a shameless request, but... would you please let me see that sword?"
She bowed her head with all sincerity—but the response she got from Mr. Kakashi and his students was a blank... and slightly awkward... look.
"Y-yeah... this is really hard to say, but... I left it. Back in the Land of Waves."
"—? . —W-w-w-why!? It's one of the Mist's famed ninja swords! How could you just leave it behind!? Don't you know how valuable that blade is!?"
"It's not that I don't... I just... didn't feel right taking it."
"B-but... you had one of the Seven Ninja Swords right in front of you! Didn't you want to use it!?"
She looked not just at Mr. Kakashi, but at his students as well.
They were just a bit younger than her—about Suigetsu's age. At their age, they should be the ones with the strongest admiration for "swords"—and yet...
"It was way too big to carry, don't you think?"
"It was heavy enough just lifting it to stick in his grave, believe it..."
"Pointless... It's just a tool."
She couldn't believe what she was hearing.
It was true that a child lacking muscle would have trouble handling the Kubikiribōchō, but how could they be so... uninterested? The black-haired boy had even lumped one of the Seven Ninja Swords in with any other common tool...
"Are we done here? Let's start training, Kakashi."
"Hm... yeah, I guess so. Sorry about this, miss. If no one has taken Zabuza's sword, it should still be in the Land of Waves. I'm sure he wouldn't mind if you just went to look at it."
The black-haired boy declared the conversation over, and Mr. Kakashi, having no reason to object, gave her the information in a kind, considerate voice.
—But the Land of Waves was an island nation, relatively close to the Mist.
For some reason, travel to the country had been cut off a year ago, but it had recently reopened. That meant it was probably crawling with Mist shinobi.
—Come to think of it, given the timing, that was probably why these people had fought Zabuza in the first place.
That made it even more likely that Mist Hunter-nin were currently in the Land of Waves, cleaning up Zabuza's remaining subordinates.
The information was appreciated, but unfortunately, it was impossible for her to go.
"...Yes. Thank you."
She couldn't explain why she couldn't go near the Land of Waves, so the conversation ended there.
She had found Mr. Kakashi, but it had all been for nothing. Her target, the Kubikiribōchō, was in a known location, but she couldn't reach it. Her spirit was on the verge of breaking.
—What on earth did I come here for...
"Wa-wait, please!"
She was so in shock she had almost forgotten her other purpose! There was still something she had to ask this man!
That's right! Even if he had no interest in swords, he was clearly a kindhearted person who had respected his fallen enemy, Zabuza, enough to not steal his blade. If so!! He would never disrespect his own late father's keepsake!!
"P-please, tell me about the White Fang of Konoha's—about the White Light Chakra Saber—"
"Oh, that? ...It was broken a long, long time ago."
"...I... see.... Thank you... for your time."
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