The Undesired Second Chance

Chapter 20: Roses and Pricks

The ANBU ghosted along the corridor, pace brisk and silent. Despite her slender stature, she cut a remarkably imposing figure; the white mask all but glowed over the dark uniform, red paint almost black in the dim lighting. But behind that mask—behind the deadly shinobi gear and confident stride—she was grinning and actively keeping the spring from her step.

Today was the first day of the week, after all, and that meant that she would get to pop around to the shop with the indecipherable name and mooch some food off her friend. Not that it really counted as mooching, since she regularly brought her own food to contribute to their weekly dinners. Last time Minato and Kushina had brought some groceries with them, and the two of them made enough ramen for everybody to eat their fill and still have leftovers for later. Now, Akaiko wasn't much of a cook, but the least she could do was pick up some dango after work to bring as a dessert.

Looking back over the past months, it was unclear how having dinner at the shop came to be such a regular occurrence. She was happy that it had, though.

And she would be even more pleased to participate once she was done staking out her friend's house. The guy was just too... non-shinobi-esque: all open and honest. Sometimes he was a bit suspicious of things, to be sure, but he never really acted on that suspicion.

Axel just didn't scheme. Not like a shinobi would, anyway.

In fact, it made her feel a little guilty whenever she was on duty—keeping an eye on him from a distance. By now she was fairly sure that he either had no clue he was under surveillance or just didn't mind. She wasn't sure which was worse for her conscience.

A genin with a teetering stack of papers rushed past, not even registering her presence. Which was understandable, given the subtle genjutsu she had woven over herself to keep less careful glances away. Usually she didn't come through the halls—preferring, like most jonin, to use the windows—but she had the distinct impression that the Hokage was tired enough these days and really didn't need shinobi popping in from any entrance at any moment.

The war was stressful enough, having taken a sharp turn for the worse just barely over a year ago with not much improvement since, and... Well. Every once in a while, they were still getting reports on missing children.

At least the documents she was handing off today were not weighed with news of war, but rather about the funny new blacksmith in the otherwise abandoned district. Maybe the Sandaime would appreciate the anecdotes she had taken care to include. Like how the smith—what a clever codename—had started letting his customers try out kunai with test throws at the store's log sign through the open window. Or how that same sign—completely unintelligible—seemed to be the first thing any customer commented on, and how the smith looked a little more vexed every time. And that the different factions of local stray ninken seemed to have declared the property to be some kind of neutral zone.

Just funny or lighthearted observations and stories.

It was... relieving, to have some good news to hand over to her Hokage.

Even if it had been a bit weird at the start, doing spy work within the village bounds for once—she and her partner Inochi were usually sent out on long term infiltration missions, being away from home for months or more at a time. Being able to stay at home for a while had been a relief in and of itself.

Up ahead, a door swung open and her brisk pace came to an abrupt stop.

She pulled Koi—her ANBU identity—around herself like a shield, hands loose at her sides and ready to flick through signs at any moment. The chakra signature was familiar, but that was no comfort; she had never been able to put her finger on why, exactly, but there was something... almost wrong about it that always had her on edge.