Konohagakure's Kakashi Hatake & Nina Sarutobi have only lived & prepared to die by the Shinobi rules.
Amid an intensive investigation into a spate of mysterious deaths, a birthday party for the elusive Copy-Nin sets off a chain reaction no one quite...
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(Monday> September 22> Amegakure> Village)
~Nina~
Nina delighted in the children's lively chatter and obvious thrill as they ambled to yet another store. All the tailors had turned her down thus far, citing an unwillingness to help those less fortunate or an inability to fulfil such a large order within the time constraints. Fortunately, the last seamstress imparted promiseful directions to a small shop that hadn't been far from the inn.
The shop's window display was filled with extravagant bolts of fabric and fancied-up mannequins wearing clothing that screamed impractical to the kunoichi. On the other hand, the children glued their grubby faces to the glass, making comments and pointing their sticky fingers to their favourite prints and colours.
Nina signalled to the Copy-Nin with a quick tilt of her head before slipping inside to try their luck while he stayed outside and supervised the dozen orphans.
The unmistakable whir of machines and muffled conversations drifted from the back end of the shop. Nina edged her way through the stock, and like in the bookshop, her skin crawled with the apparent lack of stock control. She stared blankly at the rusted bell that sat lonesomely beside a tatty excuse of, what she assumed, was an order book.
Oh well, beggars cannot be choosers.
The tinny ting sounded, and soon enough, Nina was greeted by an elderly man. His shoulders were slightly hunched; she presumed it resulted from years, possibly decades, of sewing.
"Can I help you?" he asked.
I fucking hope so.
Nina explained that they required two sets and a pair of pyjamas for each child and their short deadline. The man pencilled down the order onto a black page of the notebook.
"That's quite the order," the man remarked, sliding the pencil behind one of his ears. "But..."
Nervousness seeped out of Nina's pores, beading on her forehead. "But?"
"Tell me, child, these children, are they under the care of Kimi and Yuma at the village's orphanage?"
"Yes. I understand the..."
Momentarily abandoned by the man, Nina tsked her tongue. She was unable to determine what was being said out the back and was growing concerned about how much longer Kakashi would be able to hold out. She tapped her foot, eying off the bell.
A minute or two longer, the man returned and several others with him. Nina backstepped, purposefully positioning herself so that everyone was in view. The man—much shorter than her—shuffled towards her and cupped one of her hands in both of his.
"Bring them in, child," he instructed.
Nina got stuck there, weighing up the odds this was all a ruse. She scanned for signs indicating that they could be anything other than what they claimed to be. Before she could respond, the man had sent off one of the female workers, ordering her to do what Nina hadn't.
