Sehnsucht [Naruto Fanfiction]

Chapter 38 - New Town

Chapter 38 - New Town

Over a day later, she stopped off at a decent-sized town, still in Fire Country borders. She had stayed here before returning from a mission and was partial to their small bed-and-breakfast-style accommodation. It was basically an oversized cottage with a few small rooms spread across the two storeys. It was run by an older couple who were very sweet to her last time. When she arrived, the older man was in the front garden area and ushered her inside, where his wife would look after her. Luckily, they had a vacancy, and she paid upfront before she was shown her room.

She was on the second storey and placed her things in the room before she shut the door and went to the older lady to ask about laundry services. They had their own service for a small fee, and she gave her everything that required washing with a grateful thank you. Hitori headed out to wander around the town to find something to eat. The town had a small market, and she could get some fresh rice and meat, which would be sufficient for the moment. Since she was travelling, she wanted to ensure she had eaten well and could keep the pace up as best she could. When she returned to the cottage, she was tired enough to crash out for the night, even though the sun was only going down. After she showered, she curled up in her freshly made bed; she tried her best to fall asleep but found herself wondering what Itachi was doing back in Konoha. She had been much further away since they had met and for a much longer time, but it seemed that this time was much more challenging. Maybe it was because she knew that she would be gone for 2 whole years that it was more complicated.

"Ugh..." She groaned louder than she should have as she rolled onto her back and mentally scolded herself for being so loud in a public place.

Purposely, she slowed and evened out her breathing, controlling her body as best she could to prepare herself for sleep. Even though it would be restless, she forced herself to fall asleep anyway. Some rest was better than none...

The following day, she got up and went downstairs to have breakfast after changing into fresh clothes. The old man had placed her clean clothes in her room, and she packed up and thanked the old couple. They gave her a small bag with some rice balls and a bottle of juice to take with her. This was why she returned here to stay; they were so lovely, and she felt like they could be her grandparents.

Once she had gotten outside the town, she began at a decent pace for a run to cut down her time spent travelling. Since she had stayed overnight, she wanted to regain that lost time and not stop for the night again until she arrived. It wouldn't take her too long to get there from here since she had just passed the halfway mark in the town, so she could easily make her way there without resting too much. She would only stop to eat later tonight, and that would be all she would need since she would arrive in the middle of the afternoon tomorrow. Once she got settled in her new place in Kiri, she could familiarise herself with her surroundings and get a decent meal for dinner before turning in for the night.

She stopped to close her eyes and eat her rice balls about an hour after sundown and picked up the pace for the rest of the night. When it was around lunchtime the next day, she stopped to change clothes into something more tidy and found a small village and got a small meal to keep her going. As she headed toward Kiri, she slowed her pace and stopped to look at it. It was huge and awe-inspiring. She had lived in Konoha all her life, and looking at a brand-new hidden village was so different. It was so different, set out in the water, and the islands off the coast were beautiful to look at. She took in the scenery for a few minutes before approaching the gate. The guards were very polite and pointed her toward the Mizukage Tower once they let her through.

Making her way there, following their directions, she arrived about 15 minutes later, mostly because she was ambling, trying to memorise as much as she could about the new village she would be living in for the next 2 years. There was plenty of life and happiness in the streets, and in this way, it didn't seem too different from Konoha. It seemed that the past of shinobi being used and discarded as tools and the blood had been cleaned from Kiri. It would never disappear, but it would forever serve as a reminder that they should be more progressive and move on and find a better and more joyful life.