The Way Into Mist Village (Naruto)

35: Sweeping the Island

[OP: "Notos"--The Oh Hellos]

Neji thought that the island's guards would attack them on the way to the village, but he forgot that Kiriame and Sotetsu knew how to navigate the mist and use it hide themselves. No one detected them.

It was actually a very short walk compared to before.

Kiriame told him and Hinata that she didn't think she'd been inside the village much, that Nokumo kept the guards out of it mostly, but some had families there...only not so many anymore.

The strong would be recruited for him. The weak usually would die of sickness or starvation over time.

Hearing her talk about it made Neji more angry than before at Nokumo and horrified Momo and Shoto.

The fog didn't seem to be sticking to Kiriame again, though they were more exposed to it. Hinata's cleansing of it had taken full effect on her.

Hinata offered to try again with Sotetsu, and he said he would prefer to wait. If it came to a fight, he didn't want to be distracted even more.

Hinata wasn't sure that was the wisest thing to do, but she couldn't talk him out of it.

Neji was not ready for what awaited them at the village.

The fog had cleared from it a little more, somehow, and the very dim lighting of some torches had made it look ethereal with a yellow glow.

"Like a postcard." Momo tried to put a nicer spin on it.

"I don't like this," Shoto said. "Shouldn't they not be out?"

"At night? I wouldn't think the would be..." Kiriame was also puzzled.

Neji wondered if the other guards on the island had already come looking for them.

But suddenly someone sprang out at them from behind one of the small houses.

They tensed, but it was only Niji.

"I didn't expect you to return so soon," she said. "I hope they didn't beat you."

"It's been a draw so far..." Neji recovered. "But we have an idea... What are you doing out here?"

"After you left I got to thinking." Niji waved her very thin hand. "About what might happen if you took the island. There were some people who heard you come in too. They snuck over to ask us what happened. The thought maybe we were in trouble with the guards. Mom and I decided to just tell them the truth, because it's not like they could tell the guard anything they didn't already know about you even if they asked us, and they never ask us anything here."

Momo looked worried.

"Did they get angry at you?" Hinata asked.

"No, they couldn't believe it," Niji said, "just like us, but I told them that the Mizukage was actually a nicer woman than we thought. And I told them what you told us about the world off the island. Some of them said it was crazy, but there's a few people my age or younger who don't like this island very much. It's so...dreary." She shivered. "So then they went to tell their families, and they told their neighbors, and to make a long story short, the entire village is now gathered in the center of the street talking about it. Some of them want to run if you come back, and some say that you'll never win. "

"I'm afraid, if that's how they feel, they might not like that we have so far managed to stay ahead of Nokumo slightly," Neji worried.

"But listen," Kiriame said, moving forward, "I think...I've met you before right, girl? Niji?"

Niji glanced at her. "Kiriame? Are you serious? I thought you died. You were in the guards this whole time?"

Kiriame nodded.