Shinobi Isekai: Round Three

No Money

Benihime waved happily back at Gai's dad as she followed Sakumo out of the immigration office, the burly man returning her farewell exuberantly. He was fun. She liked him.

"Did you finish your paperwork?"

She looked up at Sakumo with a smile. "Yuppers! I'm a full blown citizen, now!"

He chuckled lowly. "Not yet, I'm afraid. There're still a few things that need doing."

He held open the door, letting in a blast of frigid air that set her teeth on edge. She'd never seen snow. Ever. In either life. It got pretty cold in the desert, but there wasn't enough precipitation for snow to happen. The weather around the temple was temperate year round, so, despite the ridiculous amount of rain, it never got cold enough to turn it to snow. It was really pretty to look at, she admitted, but she was already shivering and she wasn't even out there.

Mushi must be freezing!

She turned to Sakumo and raised her arms at him with a pout. He raised an eyebrow at her, the corner of his mouth twitching.

"What's this?"

"I'm cold," she whined. "And I don't have shoes!"

He looked down at her bare feet and sighed tiredly, giving in to her grabby hands and crouching down in front of her.

Ha! Sucker.

She threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck as he hooked his arms under her knees. He stood, lifting her with ease and shifting his grip on her before stepping out into the winter cold. Mushi complained from his hiding place inside her hair, burrowing closer to the warmth of her scalp.

"Where are we going," she asked, swinging her feet happily.

"To the hospital. All new immigrants are required to undergo a medical screening."

She buried her face in his back, not at all happy with that. They wouldn't be able to see her seal, would they?

Not to worry. I'll deal with it. You have more important concerns at the moment.

Oh?

You're being followed.

Tch. How unlucky.

Really, she kind of expected it. Things were going too smoothly. The old geezers in charge were probably trying to lull her into a false sense of security by letting her go through all this with as few hang ups as possible, all the while keeping a close eye on her from the shadows. Well, two could play at that game.

...

In the spring, when the beetles weren't all hibernating.

Hmph, I can do it. No need to get Mushi's wings in a bunch.

Awesome. How the heck did other jinchuriki function without their bijuu buddy front and center? She couldn't fathom it.

Sakumo carried her through the snow, going much slower than necessary. She upped her shivering, hoping to trigger his parental instincts with her suffering child act, but he kept his steady pace. Tch.

She took the opportunity to actually look at the village. She'd arrived in a panic, after all, and hadn't had the chance to sight see in the whirlwind of activity since saving Sakumo's life. Far from the dreary, grey toned monotony a lifetime of American propaganda had led her to expect from a military dictatorship, it was actually pretty colorful. Blues, yellows, and reds all stood out against the stark white of the snow, reminding her of her cousin's homes in rural Mexico. Except, you know, tall. It looked like Konoha grew upward instead of outward, precarious high rises leaning to one side or another and connected by lines of wire or planks of wood. There was scaffolding everywhere, even though there wasn't a lot of visible construction. She imagined it probably made life easier for the shinobi in the village.