Four days later, the quartet finally arrived at the gates leading into the Fire Capital City.
Ishida barely spared the walls a glance as the carriage rolled through the massive gares. He'd seen them too many times to be impressed.
The capital wasn't like Konoha where the village felt new and restless whenever you entered, the city was old, very old that it was there when he was a young kid with dreams of making it in the big city.
With a glance, anyone could tell the difference between this city and any other in the land of Fire.
In comparison to Konoha, the streets were wider and paved in stone worn smooth by decades of carts and processions.
Buildings rose higher too, their facades maintained not out of pride, but expectation.
This was the Capital city of the Land of Fire.
This was a place that assumed permanence and nothing here was temporary.
Merchants didn't shout for attention, and no one rushed around like you'd see in Konoha. Here, everything already had its place, and newcomers were expected to learn it quietly.
Thankfully, Ishida was no newbie to the capital.
"Ishida-dono, where to?"
Ishida's expression turned contemplative for a moment.
"Take me to the inn from before." He finally said.
"Understood." The coachman said as the carriage began moving again.
Ishida then turned to Katsuro and Sumi who were seated with him in the carriage and smiled.
"Would you two prefer a single room or separate rooms?"
"Separate."
"Separate."
The two said at the same time and looked at each other before chuckling lightly.
"If I didn't know better, I would've taken you two for a couple." Ishida said with a smile.
"Thankfully, you do." Katsuro said with a small smile.
Ishida nodded. "What will you be doing during this time?" He asked.
The two shinobi exchanged glances before Katsuro began. "We will take turns watching you as you go about your activities."
He paused and gauged Ishida's expression only to see it had remained unchanged, something he could help but admire about the man.
"Our mission is to ensure your safety from Konoha to the capital and back." He said and with a smile, he added. "We will make sure no harm comes to you throughout your stay here."
"Hmm." Ishida nodded with a thoughtful expression. "Then I will entrust my safety to you both."
"You can count on us." Katsuro and Sumi said at the same time to which Ishida smiled and then looked out of the window and into the streets.
"This sight never gets old." He muttered to himself.
"You mentioned having a family here, Ishida-san. Will you be visiting?" Katsuro asked as he heard his words.
"Hmm, I would've loved to do that, but I am on a business trip." Ishida replied. "Maybe next time, it's not like they're going anywhere."
"I see." Katsuro nodded in understanding. "Keeping business and pleasure separate, eh?"
Ishida nodded firmly. "Like you with your missions. I'm not here to see them, but on a task for the young masters."
'Young master.'
This was a title Katsuro and Sumi had heard numerous times from the old man, yet when they asked, he would only smile and keep silent.
From the way he spoke, the two could tell that Ishida really respected and admired this Young master.
Katsuro had been with a lot of merchants during escort missions, yet only Ishida actually made him see this profession in a new light.
He had always seen them as snobbish greedy folks who wanted more than they already had, but with Ishida, he saw something else.
He saw a man who looked at the world like one huge game of shogi.
Katsuro couldn't quite put his finger on it, but being around Ishida made him feel like a piece already placed on the board, moved with intent long before he ever realized it.
The man didn't rush, didn't posture, and didn't waste words.
Every decision felt layered, like there was always a second and third meaning sitting quietly beneath the surface.
It made Katsuro wonder just how sharp the mind of this so-called young master behind him really was to have someone of Ishida's caliber respect and admire him.
While this was going on with Katsuro, Ishida was already making plans.
Left to him, he would've decided to get to work immediately but he knew he needed rest after this five day journey, not to mention, the heads of five minor businesses in the capital weren't so busy that they would meet with him on such short notice.
As a representative of the Lotus Store, he had to maintain the dignity of the store at all times.
The carriage rolled to a smooth stop in front of a familiar three-story inn tucked into a quiet side street just off the main merchant thoroughfare.
The coachman hopped down and began unloading the modest trunks while Katsuro and Sumi stepped out first, their eyes already scanning the street with the casual vigilance of shinobi who had done this a hundred times before.
Ishida followed at his own pace, letting them secure the space before he moved into the building.
The innkeeper, a stout woman with gray-streaked hair pulled into a severe bun, stood at the counter. Recognition flickered across her face the moment she saw Ishida.
"Ishida-sama," she said with a polite bow. "Welcome back. Your usual suite on the second floor is ready."
Ishida inclined his head. "You have my thanks, O-Tsuya-san. Three rooms this time, my escorts will require separate quarters as well."
O-Tsuya's sharp eyes flicked briefly to Katsuro and Sumi, noting the Shinobi attire they wore. She asked no questions. In the Capital, loose tongues lost customers.
"Hot baths will be drawn at once," she said instead, clapping once. Two young attendants immediately stepped forward to handle the luggage.
Ishida gave them a nod as he turned his attention to the inn. The interior carried a faint of sandalwood and roasted tea.
A pair of off-duty samurai were playing shogi in the corner, a trio of colourfully dressed men discussing in hushed voices as they nursed their sake, and one scholarly type hunched over scrolls in the window area.
None spared the newcomers more than a passing glance.
Ishida led the way upstairs. His suite consisted of two connected rooms: a small receiving area with low table and cushions, and a sleeping chamber beyond sliding doors.
Katsuro and Sumi's rooms flanked his room on either side, an arrangement Ishida had requested through a discreet note delivered to the inn two weeks earlier.
Close enough for protection, far enough for privacy.
Once the attendants withdrew, Ishida loosened the collar of his traveling robe and poured himself a cup of the complimentary barley tea as he watched the steam curl upward.
Katsuro lingered in the doorway. "We'll take shifts in the corridor tonight. One of us will always be within earshot."
Ishida nodded without turning. "Do as you see fit. I intend to retire early. Tomorrow will be busy."
Sumi hesitated, then spoke. "Ishida-san… do you require anything before we settle in?"
He considered her for a moment, young, competent, still carrying the faint idealism that Konoha seemed to breed in its shinobi.
Useful, if directed properly.
"Actually, yes," he said mildly. "There is a small teahouse three streets east of here called the Whispering Crane. If either of you happens to pass it during your watch tonight, I would appreciate knowing whether a certain regular customer; a man with a scarred left cheek and a preference for the corner table, is still frequenting the place."
The request was delivered with the same tone one might use to ask for extra futons. Katsuro's eyebrow twitched, but he didn't question it.
"We can manage that," he said. He had grown used to Ishida's method of using words.
"Good." Ishida took a slow sip of tea. "Then I will bid you both a restful night."
The shinobi withdrew, sliding the doors shut behind them.
Only then did Ishida allow the faintest exhale of satisfaction.
Phase one complete: arrival without incident. Escort team competent and, more importantly, curious.
Curiosity could be shaped.
…
He moved to the low table and unrolled a thin scroll from his inner sleeve: five names each heading one of the Capital's quieter, less-influential trading houses.
Aoyama Storeholders, Nakamura Transport Kin, Ueda Grain Brokers, Shibata Ink Makers and Morita Lodging Line.
None of them sat at the high tables with the great houses but that didn't mean they were weak.
However, none of them could afford to ignore a polite visitor from Konoha with a proposal like his.
All five owned or controlled modest plots of land and warehouses on the edge of commercial districts, vacant lots behind their workshops, underused courtyards attached to their inns, all properties too small for the major families to bother claiming, yet perfectly sized for a discreet foothold.
Tomorrow the courtesy visits would begin and Ishida needed to be at his best.
Ishida got up from the low table and extinguished the lamp before laying back on the futon, hands placed on his belly.
In the darkness, his eyes remained open a while longer before finally going shut.