Tales of a Ninja Magician: Of Journeys We Make

A Nostalgic Ambush

"You seem deep in thoughts. What's bothering you?" Damisan slowed down to match Mana's pace. He must've noticed that ever since the Stars set their foot in the Fire Country the magician has been completely spaced out. "Missing home?"

"I won't lie, after I've realized that my stay in Getsugakure was being cut short, for a moment, I considered returning to Konoha," Mana admitted.

"What made you reconsider?" Damisan wondered, setting a pace somewhere in between that of the rest of the Stars and Mana so that the lagging pair didn't lose their teammates. The balanced pacing between the two small groups made Mana slightly pick up hers and somewhat keep it up with the rest of the group.

"Deliberating multiple times about the reasons I left in the first place," Mana closed her eyes. Just admitting it right now made her unable to help herself. She flashed back to it all. Jigoku, her return and seeing the world changed in just a mere six months that she's been away. All the attempts at her life, people she knew and loved who used to know and love her acting like they either didn't know Mana or knew her and hated her. It was tough admitting to oneself which was worse.

"Sorry, Mana, we don't have time to drop by Konoha for a casual visit," Shige-H turned her eyes back to the magician for a quick glance. "I know it's tough, but... You were the one promising the Supreme Leader the most intense mission schedule she's ever seen."

"Yeah..." Mana said, gulping her sorrow down and looking on to the road ahead. She knew these paths and these roads. Even if she's traveled them on the ground level, she's covered them alongside Meiko, Shimo, and Kouta when they traveled to the Wind Country in search of the Box of Ultimate Bliss. They were headed in the same direction, so it only made sense they'd tread the same roads. Because wilderness and thick leafage had surrounded those roads, where one couldn't have expected a mercenary or bandit attack at any time, renovating these roads was more trouble than it was worth.

"So, a martial arts tournament..." Endo spoke up. "An event centered on unchained combat to find out the true No. 1 competitor in the world sounds just like my kind of thing, but... I won't be able to use a sword, will I?"

"Not necessarily," Damisan shook his head. "It's true that before the Sun Disc arena was purely about hand-to-hand martial arts. Even manifesting chakra or using it to augment oneself was forbidden. Something's changed not too long ago, however. The Sheikh now not only allows but encourages men and women of different paths and fighting styles in life to clash in the arena. Martial artists, ninja, samurai, pirates, mercenaries, and bandits... All castes and all layers of violent warriors are permitted, though the rules of each even differ. It's tough to say for certain what the Sheikh will decide his rules for the event to be but it won't be strictly about technical martial arts."

"I'm glad one of us is excited," Asuka cracked a smirk with the corner of her lips. "I'll be sitting this one out."

"Like hell you will!" Endo shook his fist at the blonde. "We don't tolerate freeloaders here on Stars! You'll have to fight like your life depends on it if you want to stick around or we'll kick you out and replace you with the first chance we get!"

"I wasn't aware replacement was an option. I'd have replaced Endo long ago..." Mana joked as the first thing after rejoining the group with a quick dash to put her parallel between them. A loud cascade of laughter washed over from all sides. Even Endo, who bit his lip and looked to be restraining himself from lashing back at Mana, cracked a grin in the end after the first instinct to attack her settled down.

"I must not have tried to kill or maim you enough times for you to like me yet," surprising everyone, Endo used his wit rather than his blade. "Give it time."

"Mana, I've been meaning to thank you for..." Shige-H spoke up before the magician raised her forearm bent upward as a signal to stop. The Stars all stopped and scattered like an exploding firework spewing sparks in all directions. Covering the most space possible, each member of the Stars began scouting the area for what may have triggered Mana's warning.