Island of Storms [Sakura]

Chapter 14 | Recollection

"Sh-Shiso! Slow down! I'm going to fall!" the young woman worried, monitoring her feet to keep from tripping over the smallest of things. She looked up as they came to a stop to find that they were at the back of a large crowd, large being relative to the size of the town. "How are we already here?!"

She asked this in shock, as it was usually a five-minute walk to that area from where she lived.

"Kirai!" The two women turned to see Hoshu, a lumber worker. He had made his way toward the commotion after realizing almost no one was in town. "So this is where everyone was. Hey Shiso, how are you doing? I haven't seen you in a few days."

He smiled as a blush grew on the Shiso's face.

"I went across the bridge and picked some herbs," she responded, reaching up and playing with the necklace she was wearing. Kirai smiled at seeing the interaction.

"Ah well, I missed you, it's always so lively when you're around!" he laughed, causing the woman to turn a deeper shade of red.

"She's starting to speak," Oginku muttered. He had worked in the bar, carrying supplies for the majority of his life.

"I am sure you all have heard my tales of the hidden island!" Iro started. "That I have been searching for someone willing to go to it and reopen it!"

Murmurs were heard but quieted down as some of the crowd hushed those around them. "I have finally found someone who wishes to do so!"

A handful of people cheered, some of them clapping in excitement. Iro had talked about the island and the ancient hidden village since before anyone could remember. Many people saw it as a way to revive the village, as there would surely be resources on an island such as the one in her stories. "I have handed the comb over to her! The key to getting past the Wall of Storms! She and her group head out tomorrow morning to find the lost island!"

"I saw that comb once. It had a rare gem in the middle of it," a woman whispered to her husband.

"Iro said it's a royal comb, didn't she? The person she gives it to has to be worthy of running a village?" Kirai asked Oginku quietly. He gave a nod.

"She's always talked about how it's the key to getting past the rain, but I'm not sure how it would work. Maybe some type of jutsu that a shinobi put on it?"

"Could it still work after so long...?"

He gave a shrug and Kirai glanced over at her two friends to see that Hoshu was flirting with the woman, bringing a smile to the brunette's lips.

"Ah! Thank you for your time!" she heard a girl say suddenly from the front of the crowd.

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"They went off into the... what did you call it?" Ino asked.

"It's known as the Sea of Eternal Storms. It's a small area north of here that's had a storm going for longer than anyone can remember; hundreds of years. Lady Iro tells the story she learned from her ancestors that it's actually a wall of storms surrounding the island rather than just a massive cloud."

The blonde nodded.

"So what happens when they come back?"

"Lady Iro has talked about maybe making a village, everyone is pretty excited to go there."

"You're going to make a village there? That sounds like a lot of work."

"A lot of people have become interested in becoming shinobi after this whole thing with paying to keep our village safe. Lady Iro put forward the idea of a Hidden Village and everyone was for it."