Along the route from the Land of Grass border to the capital city, social order gradually returned, and instances of rampant, savage behavior became less common.
Inside the carriage, Seiya and the others continually grew more familiar with the newcomer, Karin.
Karin was a very diligent girl.
She kept herself humble, was very observant, and was always on time to serve tea and pour water for everyone.
Even though Yugito Nii emphasized that "everyone in Kumogakure is equal," Karin still insisted on performing service-oriented tasks.
Only by truly feeling that she was being useful could she somewhat put her mind at ease and stop worrying that the Kumogakure Shinobi, whom she had only just met, would abandon her.
Her behavior, like that of a stray kitten, made Seiya and the others sigh, What a pitiful girl.
Seiya and Samui had both met orphans, but they were all orphans who enjoyed Kumogakure's care.
Those orphans had some deficit in familial affection, but they never lacked material security or a sense of safety, unlike Karin.
Yugito Nii was an orphan herself, who worked hard to become a perfect Jinchuriki.
She shared some common ground with Karin regarding the mindset of an orphan, though her character had been honed over the years to be extraordinarily resilient.
There were too many displaced orphans in the world.
Previously, when Karin was a Shinobi from another village, Yugito Nii did not feel overly sympathetic.
Now that the poor little girl had joined Kumogakure, she began to feel a sense of care for her.
In short, Seiya and the others were all helpless with Karin's humble, servant-like behavior.
They could only rush to do what they needed to do before she could, giving her no chance to do it for them.
Half a month later, the four people's way of interacting was finally much more natural than at the very beginning.
After all, Karin was gradually becoming familiar with her new environment and had gained some understanding of her three unfamiliar benefactors.
The boy my age, Seiya, is a very handsome boy. He doesn't talk much and is quiet.
Electrical sparks sometimes appear on parts of his body. I heard he's training in a very powerful Nintaijutsu.
Seiya-kun looks so cool when he's training seriously! Whenever I look into his eyes, my little heart can't help but pound!
Oh, I can't believe there's such a handsome boy in the world!
The tea-haired older sister is Yugito Nii, Seiya-kun's Jonin instructor.
Wow, a Jonin, a legendary figure! She's so amazing! She became a Jonin so young.
The older sister is a very aloof person.
When she talks to the other older sister and me, she's always serious, but when she talks to Seiya-kun, she's kind and pleasant.
Is this the difference in treatment between outsiders and a disciple?
The blonde older sister is Samui, a Medical Jonin.
Wow, a Great Hidden Village is amazing! They can send out two Jonin at once for a mission!
How extravagant! The older sister has an incredibly explosive figure.
Even though she's completely covered up, the curves are truly magnificent!
Oh, I wonder what my figure will be like when I grow up?
Samui-nee is even cooler than Yugito-nee. She's always cold and barely speaks.
And her tone is the same for everyone, with no exceptions, even for Seiya-kun, whom Yugito-nee takes special care of!
But, even though Samui-nee seems distant toward Seiya-kun on the surface, she is very caring about him in daily life, attentive to his every need, just like a mother caring for her son.
Seiya-kun said that Samui-nee is his mother's closed-door disciple.
No wonder!
All three benefactors are very kind people.
They don't discriminate against me or bully me.
They even bought me new clothes and hair clips in the towns we passed through!
This is so good.
I really hope this road has no end, and we can keep going.
A month later, the group safely arrived at the Land of Grass's capital, the city of Suigyoku.
The escort mission was successfully completed.
Before saying goodbye, the merchants praised Seiya and the others profusely, happily stating that they would continue to commission Kumogakure in the future.
The Village's reputation was built up little by little in this way.
Seiya and the others were delighted.
They decided to take a few days off to rest in Suigyoku and recover from the journey before returning to Kumogakure.
Suigyoku, though called a city, was more like a large town in the Great Nations.
There were no skyscrapers or well-paved, interconnected roads.
There were only street vendors along the way and noisy, bustling markets.
Yugito Nii specifically put a wide-brimmed hat on Karin.
Otherwise, the girl's red hair would be too conspicuous, potentially drawing the attention of Grass Shinobi and causing trouble.
The streets were crowded. The four people walked along, looking for the best-conditioned inn.
As a Shinobi, Seiya had an awareness of professional news.
From the diverse information on the street, he keenly caught some vague phrases.
"...the Hidden Mist Swordsmen of the Seven are... coming to Suigyoku..."
"...Missing-nin... cruel temperament..."
"...Many people have been killed..."
Seiya paid attention and silently pondered.
The Seven Shinobi Swordsmen had been defeated by Might Duy and his mother, respectively, so the group was essentially defunct.
Two of the swords were still sealed in his mother's scroll.
As for the new generation of the Seven Shinobi Swordsmen, apart from Hozuki and Kisame Hoshigaki, the rest were mediocre.
Rumor had it that Hozuki died young due to a bloodline disease.
That left Kisame Hoshigaki as the only big name.
If Kisame Hoshigaki was the one coming to Suigyoku, they definitely needed to be careful.
With this thought, Seiya opened his mouth, ready to whisper a warning. Yugito Nii smiled gently at him, giving him a look of reassurance.
So, they walked in silence.
The four entered a relatively well-furnished inn to book rooms.
Three women and one man.
Yugito Nii and Samui, two women, had no qualms about sharing a room with Seiya. Thus, for safety, they chose a suite.
Then, Yugito Nii asked Karin if she wanted a single room or to stay with them. Karin chose to stay with them without hesitation.
Only with people around could she feel secure in this unfamiliar city.
Having booked the room, the four went upstairs together.
They had only gone a few steps when hurried footsteps suddenly came from above.
The four immediately stopped, flattened themselves against the wall, and drew their weapons.
Next, the footsteps neared.
A figure flashed out of the stairwell, rushing down the stairs.
The person misstepped, tumbled loudly, and rolled from the second floor to the first.
The gray cloth bag they were holding flew several meters away.
"Ouch!"
The middle-aged woman grimaced in pain. Struggling to get up from the floor, she didn't stop to nurse her wounds.
She hastily grabbed the bag and continued to limp toward the door.
Seiya frowned, sensing something strange.
This woman is too flustered.
She's so flustered that it's as if the building is about to collapse if she doesn't run!
Seiya was puzzled.
He glanced at the silent upstairs, then quickly asked, "Ma'am, why are you in such a hurry? No matter how fast you need to go, you shouldn't risk your life, right?"
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