The Red Maelstrom

[46] Overcast

If there was one thing Kohana would always appreciate about high-stakes missions, it was the opportunity to visit entirely new places. Where Konoha was a village brimming with forests and all varieties of greenery, and where Kirigakure was a village that primarily made its home atop peaceful waters and amid cool, damp atmosphere, Yugakure was a home upon plateaus boasting smaller units of communities sprawled across the lands. Kohana found herself quickly shedding her white jacket and rolling up the sleeves of her black shirt. Failing to prepare for the steam rising from several areas in their vicinity stifled her excitement, however, was embarrassing and unprofessional. The heat wasn't unbearable, so to speak, but it definitely brought Kohana a significant measure of discomfort. Sunny days, she could deal with, but hot and humid environments? Gods have mercy.

"Don't pass out again," teased Sasuke, which earned him a sharp elbow to the arm.

A canteen eased its way beneath Kohana's nose. "Want some cold water, Kohana? I got some before we left Shibazakura Lake."

Kohana breathed a sigh of relief. "I ever tell you that I might actually love you, Sakura?" To her right, Sakura rolled her eyes while Naruto hissed out an indignant warning. Kohana ignored them both, swiftly twisting the canteen's cap open and taking a large swig of the blessedly cool and fresh water. Oh, but Kohana could cry from the difference that swig made! She could forget about the sweat making her everything cling to her—well, everything, if only for a few minutes until they were introduced to the inn assigned to take them in. Kohana sniffed and childishly stuck her tongue out when a middle-aged local sent a pitying little chuckle her way.

"Don't sneer at the locals!" Sakura snatched her canteen away when Kohana angled it in her direction. "It's bad enough that we're shinobi entering a neutral zone."

"I still don't get why it's so bad," Naruto chimed in. "It's not like we're gonna start attacking people, y'know? We're the good guys!"

Someone sighed from behind. "It's not that simple, kids," Pakkun explained. "When Yugakure announced that they wouldn't be taking part in militant activities, they meant it. That includes—oh," he cut himself off abruptly, turning to Kohana. "Time to go," he declared, and with that, Pakkun disappeared with a loud poof that startled the passersby quite terribly. Even Naruto and Sakura yelped in surprise. Kohana snickered, but ultimately left them to demand answers from Sasuke. She had to escort their sensei to Yugakure before he could start complaining about her tardiness, the hypocrite.

"Ah, there you are."

Kohana grumbled under her breath. "Kakashi-sensei, you say that like I'm not your delivery mule."

Kakashi deflated, but recovered easily enough just to make a mess of Kohana's hair, as per usual. He began to mumble under his breath, but he was loud enough for Kohana to hear. "It might be time to stop expecting adorable and obedient kouhai. Yes, I'm old enough."

"Maybe it's your fault, Kakashi-sensei."

"Oh, how cruel," he said, but his lone visible eye was smiling.

"So..." Kohana started, twisting her torso to look back at the towering edifice behind him. It was a gaudy looking thing, maybe even beautiful; it was so red it was almost scarlet, with gold accents that glinted under sunlight and flames engraved into its thick, tall pillars. Truly, emblematic of the Fire Country. It was significantly taller than the Konoha's Administrative Building, too, and wider still, spanning a large plot of land that Kohana wondered would probably take hours to fully explore and days to appreciate. Maybe there were cool statutes and paintings and weapons and scrolls inside! Kohana had never quite seen a place so... extravagant.