ReaderXCharacter: Naruto/Akatsuki Version

ReaderXItachi - Setting Sun

Voices echo off the walls of the large, but crowded tea shop. As the only semi-traditional tea shop in all of Amegakure, it is the most popular place to be in the late afternoon. Located on the far side of the city and on top of a hill, it has the best view of the sunset, if one can even see the sun.

Amegakure has rain once every week, on Sundays, and on the days that it does not rain, it is cloudy, and it makes it hard to see the sun, but that does not mean there are not a few blessed days a week where the sun is visible and everyone can watch as the clouds turn different colors and the world begins to grow dark while showing off an amazing display of pinks, oranges, and purples.

On days like those, the shop is almost always filled from wall to wall with customers who wish to get a glimpse of the sunset from the best point a civilian can see from.

There is only one place higher up than the tea shop, and that is the tower of Amegakure’s ‘God’. The mysterious man resides inside the large tower and is rarely seen by anyone outside of it. It is taboo for anyone that is not tower unless invited or is a member of Pein’s shinobi force, also known as the Akatsuki. It is common knowledge in the village that the Akatsuki live in that tower, but everyone refuses to talk about it.

Luckily, today is Sunday, the day of rain. Which means that there are still many customers, but there are less than there would be if it was not raining. After all, not many people like to leave the comfort of their warm homes to visit a tea house, even if they are known for the best tea in all of Amegakure.

You strip free of your ordinary clothes and pull on the familiar uniform of the tea house, a kimono. The style changed again, going from Summer’s dull orange kimono and yellow sash to Fall’s soft red kimono and brighter orange sash. The fabric is a little stiff, as it has been in storage for almost a full year. However, it is clean, soft, and comfortable like it was last year, when you last wore it.

The orange sandals have a graceful, wind-like pattern to them created with red stitching. A smile lights your face as you slip them onto your feet, feeling the comfortable plushness to them. If only you could wear shoes like this every day, you find yourself thinking.

Two years ago, you hated the idea of wearing a kimono, but this was the only job opening you could find in the city that paid enough for you to stay here. You had just moved into the city from your village near Otogakure. You did not like the people there and eventually moved here. The rent was cheap, but you still needed money and went in search of work.

You found it rather quickly, as one of the hostesses from the tea shop quit a few days before you arrived and there were posters all around town for a new host or hostess to serve tea. You applied and got the job right away. At first, you did not like the job, as it was hard and the outfit made it uncomfortable. But as the time passed, you grew to like everything about the work, including the clothing.

The shop just opened for the day and your serving section is already full of customers. You slowly make your way through the rooms, going in to each room to address each customer’s needs and get their orders. In the entire building, there are four rooms, each can hold up to thirty tables with two people each while remaining comfortable. There are six hostesses and hosts working at one time, and a total of fifteen all together. On busy days, there are often seven or eight of you working at a time.

However, one hostess is new and you took on some of her tables so she can adjust before taking on twenty-four tables, which leaves you in charge of serving thirty tables at a time. Luckily, there are still multiple empty tables in your section and you do not have to take care of the full thirty, at least not until it gets more crowded later for the fabulous nighttime tea that is only served after dark.