When they arrived in the city, their entrance was completely different from Toji and Afro's. Although Kimimaro was still 'disguised,' they still carried Oto's proof of identity, which, in that commercial city, was worth its weight in gold.
The captain of the guard grinned from ear to ear and even offered to show him around the city, there was no doubt about it, Otogakure could almost be considered the center of world trade.
Pakura and Kimimaro declined the invitation, but Kimimaro still asked about Toji and Afro. When he found out that they had actually been there and had already left, he was excited. Pakura sighed, she was already ready to hide and spy again, but this time it seemed they couldn't go through the same routine.
However, after investigating a bit, Kimimaro was ready to leave quickly, having already identified a likely target. The captain of the guard didn't know much, but the old man the pair had spoken to had already been questioned, and the captain already had some idea of where the pair were going, it was precisely Saboten.
Kimimaro didn't want to waste any time, wanting to run straight there, however, soon after they left the city, Jugo's figure appeared in front of them, leaving them stunned.
Kimimaro was the first to kneel. Pakura rolled her eyes, but followed suit, technically, she had already joined Oto at that point, as kneeling is the standard attitude of a ninja meeting their leader.
-Jugo-sama. - Kimimaro spoke fervently.
Jugo looked at him for a moment, then at Pakura. He had left a Snake Clone following the two of them, so he was extremely clear about the development of their relationship. This pleased him greatly. Now that Toji planned to settle down, it was no longer appropriate to keep those two behind him. If it were up to Kimimaro, he would probably destroy Saboten during their fight.
Thinking about this, he shook his head and said. -The situation has changed, the mission is over.
Kimimaro was stunned, as was Pakura, but while the latter was happy that this pointless mission was finally over, Kimimaro felt as if his world had collapsed.
-Jugo-sama, can you tell us the reason?- He asked, confused, thinking that Jugo was dissatisfied with him because of the delay.
Jugo had already planned what to say before coming, after all, he knew Kimimaro's personality well, and asking him to end the mission would only seem like he was dissatisfied with him.
-I reached an agreement with Toji, he's no longer an enemy.- Jugo explained, surprising the pair. Kimimaro couldn't understand how his mission target had become an ally, but if Jugo-sama said so, it was a reality he would accept.
-So... did the mission failed?- He asked, confused.
Jugo shook his head. -No, the mission was only rescinded, you didn't say. Instead, I'd like to know how the other mission I gave you is going.- Jugo said, changing the subject, his gaze briefly turning to Pakura with interest.
Kimimaro seemed a little awkward, unsure what to say for a moment, looking at Pakura with a hint of exasperation. Should he say that he still hadn't decided on the best way to approach Pakura?
Pakura looked at the two of them, confused. -Mission? What other mission?
Kimimaro was about to answer honestly, but Jugo spoke up. He couldn't let Kimimaro directly say that he had told him to find a wife, right? That would probably infuriate Pakura.
-Of course, it's a mission to verify your loyalty.- Jugo explained quickly. -I asked him to keep an eye on you during this period, and so? How did it go?
Pakura frowned, annoyed, rolling her eyes. She didn't doubt it, in fact, she would have found it strange if Jugo hadn't let Kimimaro keep an eye on her. She was only pretending to be annoyed, she just wanted to see what Kimimaro would say.
Kimimaro was a little stunned, thinking Jugo was talking about the mission to find a wife, but seeing Jugo wink at him, he quickly understood. He adjusted his expression and spoke. -She fulfilled her role perfectly, and was also very useful, although she likes to complain quite a bit.
Pakura's gaze immediately turned furious at Kimimaro's final words, Kimimaro was confused by her angry look, and Jugo had to restrain himself from bursting into laughter.
Kimimaro is quite a character.
Shaking his head, he said. -Alright, you two, this mission is over. You don't need to rush back to the village. I'll give you a month of paid vacation. Now go have some fun. I've heard that the land of the hot springs is very pleasant at this time of year.
Before Kimimaro or Pakura could even respond, Jugo's figure disappeared.
The pair were a little stunned, especially Pakura, who was initially confused by the unfolding events, but then thought, where's the money? Wasn't this supposed to be paid vacation?
Before she could even complain, she noticed a scroll on the sand. Kimimaro noticed it too, he bent down, picked it up, and with a cloud of smoke, a large wad of money appeared on it.
Kimimaro and Pakura were speechless, well, there was the money.
For a moment, neither of them moved. Vacation? What was that? Since when do ninjas take vacations? I mean, except for breaks for major reasons like pregnancy, the death of relatives and friends, injuries, or things like that, there was no such thing as a vacation for ninjas.
Ordinary ninjas only took on missions when they wanted, so their 'vacations' were whenever they felt like it. If the contingent was low, there might even be a quota of missions per month to be completed, if the contingent was high, don't want to work? Who cares?
Of course, there were exceptions like wars, but apart from that, the life of ninjas was quite 'free' and 'busy', depending on themselves to decide.
Except for ninjas who served in a specific role, such as members of the Anbu or medical ninjas, in which case they could not choose their schedules.
Well, now that they both had free time, Kimimaro absolutely didn't want to take a vacation, but Jugo-sama ordered it... so be it, it's just a vacation, he could do that.
Pakura didn't care much, now that she had free time, she could find other ways to tease Kimimaro.
In the end, the two argued a bit and decided to follow Jugo's suggestion and go to the Land of Hot Springs.
Kimimaro was thinking that this time he needed to win Pakura over, and Pakura was wondering what kind of interesting situations Kimimaro would present to her.