Tales of a Ninja Magician: Of Journeys We Make

The Big Boulder

Boulder Town was a neat little corner of the Land of Earth. Etched in between the continental part and the entry to Land of Earth by sea, it was close to the edge of Land of Earth where it met Takigakure and the infamous Boulder Gulf. Entry to the Land of Earth by sea was dangerous due to immensely tall pillars of stone littering the seafloor and sticking out from the sea's surface. It took a seaman of profound skill to know the pockets of softer and deeper floor to navigate a ship through without tearing it to shreds or ramming one of those rising stone pillars by accident.

"Leaving into the plains like that..." Shige-H cracked a smile and stretched out. "After all the time traversing through the Land of Sound and all those forests, it makes you feel naked and exposed somehow."

Mana knew that feeling better than Shige-H did. The ninja magician had spent most of her life in Land of Fire, which was mostly just a dense pack of ancient trees standing side by side and covering all but pre-built pathways in an eternal shade. Despite being in less of a danger with there being nowhere for potential assailants to lurk, she always felt more exposed when stepping into a clearing or a place completely devoid of dense forests.

"Really? You got nothing to say?" Endo turned to Mana, putting it together that someone who grew up in Land of Fire would at the very least second the leader's motion, but Mana remained quiet. "Sometimes I'd prefer if you shut up and yet when you do–it feels creepy."

Endo winced as if expecting a playful smack across his head or at least a nudge, but he didn't receive as much as a verbal scolding. Given how often Mana and Endo used to bicker, this wall of silence confused Shige-H enough for her to skip her chance and discipline Endo from aggravating whatever issues Mana was working through.

"Ugh... How do you not sprain your ankle walking around this place?" Asuka slashed the silence's throat after kneeling down and rubbing the back of her calf. Her rambling wasn't entirely devoid of any point. This area of Land of Earth was a transitional one from the wetlands and viny forests of Takigakure to a more mountainous and rough area. As such, it was just lumps of grasslands atop other hills with actual large boulders sticking out in places.

Even when the Stars reached Boulder Town, the houses of that area merely mingled in with the boulders with each citizen building their home in soft spots in the middle of larger gaps in between two boulders and even the town's roads had to incorporate this landscape as it took wayward turns for no other reason than to avoid leading one rolling down that direction to colliding with a boulder. It didn't seem like this place had avoided the Coltan Conflict either, as the landscape still carried ridges and small craters where intense battles took place.

"Okay... I guess the name checks out..." Shige-H rubbed the back of her head. "Mana and I are going to snoop around this place. See if we can find a venue to book Mana's show for the tour. We'll also try to find us a caravan that can take us to Iwagakure after we're done in Boulder Town. You guys can dig around that other thing..."

It didn't seem that either Endo or Asuka needed any further explanations of what they were meant to look into. It looked as if though Endo was about to ask something as his relaxed index finger rose to point at Mana and Shige-H, but he settled down and reconsidered halfway through putting the question together in his mind. The Stars split up. One group was meant to look for signs of the conspiracy they came here to unravel, the other–for means to establish an alibi and a distraction for the true goal of a squad of Allied Ninja being in Boulder Town.

******

"You know... You've been awfully quiet this whole time. Ever since you looked into Asuka's mind. You keep assuring us it's nothing, that it's not about Asuka and that we can trust her, I think I believe you on that but... If you want to share what this whole thing is about..." Shige-H softened her tone when bringing the issue up to Mana the moment that the two split apart and turned the corner to lose sight of Endo and Asuka whom they've left behind for now.