Another path

The village hidden in the mist

< I forgot to thank you in the previous chapter for the almost 10k views, I'm soooo happy you like it ! The plot is about to get more dense so don't hesitate to tell me if some points need more explanations.
I still don't own Naruto, Kishimoto does and maybe it's for the best >

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The village of the mist was surprisingly beautiful once you could make its features out of the fog.
Unexpectedly, it didn't look like a giant swamp, far from it.
The village was organised as a circle with at its center the mansion of the Mizukage and administrative structures, the habitations gravitating right around it and the shops on the next layer. The most peripheral part included the military buildings though their true control room was underneath the Kage tower, inaccessible to intruders thanks to a complex maze.

The houses and buildings were made of granite and the roofs of slate. The doors and shutters of the houses were painted in bright colors, ranging from a peaceful cyan to an emerald green, including all shades of red, purple and yellow. Sometimes the walls themselves were colored in soft shades of pink, yellow or blue.
There also were a few tenements in red bricks.
Trees seemed to freely grow among the buildings, often lacing them with their branches. Some others could be found neatly lined up on the wide pathways. If one looked closely, they could discern the flowering branches of the magnolia.

All in all, Kirigakure's peaceful, almost mysterious atmosphere was fascinating. Most of the shinobi were entranced by the mysterious charm it gave off.

Kakashi and Suzuka were taking notes of the architecture, thinking about how they could use it for Uzushio while Hakuchô was looking at the magnolia with a rare smile on her face. Arashi and Jin were chatting with their guide, learning a lot about the history of the village in the process.
They encountered the sixth group, taking a moment to chat together before going their separate way, Temari and Chôjūrô trying to prevent Shayô from getting too distracted and walking away.
Said sixth group met Lee and Neji, who were arguing, Tetsuya and Ino who were comforting the guide that it wasn't his fault, and Sakura who was still sulking because she wasn't on Sasuke's group but with Ino instead.
They decided to leave quickly so as not to be caught in the mess that was their group.
The fifth group, still arguing, passed by the the seventh one without noticing them. The Kumo nin sweat dropped at the scene and kept walking until they saw the eighth group. They greeted B who of course answered with... peculiar rhymes. Unfortunately for the Taki shinobi, Fū was with him and she was quick to pick on her fellow Jinchūriki's habit. Now there were two of them...
Both of them were still rapping when they crossed paths with the third group. Kayô and Megumi were quite amused by the scene, Muzai and Utakata not so much, especially when Fū jumped onto the latter and told B who he was. The bulky shinobi was ready to teach him how to rap but was stopped in his tracks by the guides who reminded them they had to continue the visit.
The third group was admiring the trees on the street and ended up bumping into the first group. Utakata and Sakuya both greeted their students while Megumi and Kayô were chatting with Higure and Tenten. They separated when Kayô had the bad idea of joking about Sakuya's age. Even for him, that was incredibly stupid to even to try to mention the topic. It was only because of the orders that Kayô managed to get away alive. Not for long though...
The first group was passing by the Academy when they met with the fourth group that was already there. There was a pregnant pause, each shinobi warily eyeing the others. The guides looked like they wanted to hide ten feet underneath the ground. Then Sakuya took one step in their direction and silently bowed, resuming her walk once done. Tenten, Higure, Enma and Hotaru did the same, leaving behind the Konoha nin who didn't even get the chance to say anything.

Thankfully, no one had gotten lost during the visit and they all got back to the hotel. It was one complex with four wings and the common rooms at the center.
The north wing was solely for the Kage and the three others were divided so :
Konoha and Suna in the east wing, Iwa, Kumo and Kiri in the west one and Uzushio and Taki in the slightly larger south wing. Due to some technicalities (such as the room in the wings), the contestants had to be divided so the amount of candidates per wing would be roughly equal and not based on the affinities or tensions between the villages.
This didn't fail to stir trouble. One could cut the air with a knife and it was starting to take its toll on everyone's mind.

That's why Tenten stepped out of the building alone just before dinner. The sun was only starting to hide but the thickness of the fog made the light hardly noticeable. It felt as if it was night already, the wind having cooled down and the sky being a soft shade of dark blue.
The crimson haired kunoichi inhaled deeply, relaxing as much as she could. A familiar presence approached her from behind, one she would always welcome.
The newcomer silently greeted her and breathed in deeply as well.

" - It feels nice out there, doesn't it ?

- It sure does. The scenery looks a bit like your village, though Uzushio is a lot more windy and less foggy.

- That's true... It's so very different than the weather in Konoha or in your village...

- There are many different places and they all are beautiful in their own way. This one has an eerie, mysterious aura. I'd like to come back here one day.

- I'm sure we'll be able to. This whole trip makes me crave for a long journey all around the world !... Would you join ?

The man standing next to Tenten looked at her with a surprised expression. She smiled at the sight - it was so rare for him to let his face show his feelings. She continued :

- I know it's kinda complicated since you're the Kazekage but... I'd really like to go around the world with you. I really like your company.

There a small silence before Gaara answered :

- I enjoy it too. "

Outside, the stars were finally shining and the moon rose in the sky, casting a soft light on them and the people watching their talk from afar.