As the sun set, Sakura, her mind troubled, made her way to Shibuki's home for the banquet. She should have been conducting a more detailed investigation of the Waterfall Village, but the appearance of Shuying had left her somewhat distracted.
When she arrived at Shibuki's residence, he had already prepared a lavish dinner, which included some of the Waterfall Village's unique delicacies. Sakura, however, had little appetite.
"Captain Sakura, you're back. Please, get ready to eat," Shibuki said with a welcoming smile.
"Alright," Sakura replied, taking her seat at the banquet table.
Although it was a banquet, no alcohol was served. Sakura was not yet of drinking age, and while Shibuki was much older than her, he hadn't reached that age either.
Another person was also present at the banquet, an old man named Senji whom Sakura had met during the Suien incident last year. He had always served Shibuki.
"Welcome to the Village Hidden in the Waterfall, Lady Sakura," Senji said. "We are deeply grateful for your help last time."
"You're too kind," Sakura said with a wave of her hand. "Please don't mind my sudden visit."
"Not at all. You are the benefactor of our village," Shibuki said, his face wreathed in smiles.
After the exchange of formal pleasantries, Sakura felt the time was right. Her expression turned serious. "Leader Shibuki, I would like to ask you about someone."
"Ask about someone? Who?" Hearing Sakura's formal address, Shibuki's expression also grew solemn.
"Shuying. I was wondering if there is such a person in the Waterfall Village," Sakura asked directly.
"Shuying?" Shibuki thought for a moment and shook his head. "I've never heard of her."
"Is... is that so..." Sakura said, a little disappointed. "Her parents died in the Suien incident last year. In your final count, were there any orphans who lost their parents?"
"That... I didn't pay much attention," Shibuki said apologetically. "After the incident, I was busy rebuilding the village. Senji handled those matters. Senji, do you know?" Shibuki then turned and asked the old man beside him.
"Hmm..." Senji closed his eyes and thought for a moment. "There was indeed one child who lost both parents. But according to other villagers, their family came to the village by chance after encountering bandits on the outside and decided to settle here. As for their daughter's name, I'm not sure."
"I see." Hearing Senji's words, Sakura felt a small sense of relief. It seemed she had likely been overthinking things. As long as such a person existed, that was good.
"Did something happen?" Shibuki asked.
"It's nothing," Sakura shook her head. "I think I might have run into her this afternoon. I was just a little curious."
"Oh, I see." Shibuki nodded, then looked at Sakura with a hesitant expression. "Um... actually, our village..."
Just then, the door to the room slid open with a click, and a strange cry reached their ears.
"Brother Shibuki, I heard a Leaf ninja came to the village today! Where is he?" A girl with dark skin and orange eyes burst in excitedly, shouting loudly.
Seeing the girl, Shibuki's face stiffened, and he immediately scowled. "Fu, don't be rude! Leave at once."
Hearing the name Fu, Sakura was slightly taken aback. She turned to look. A very lively-looking girl with short, blue-green hair came into view. The girl's image unconsciously overlapped with a certain image in her memory.
Looks like I found her, she thought. But I should test her first. Sakura then spoke up. "And who might this be?"
Shibuki was about to speak, but Fu beat him to it. She looked at Sakura and grinned. "Hi, I'm Fu! You must be the Leaf ninja."
"That's right, I'm a Leaf ninja," Sakura nodded. "Are you a ninja too?"
"She..." Shibuki only managed to get one word out before Fu cut him off again.
"That's right, I'm a ninja too!" Fu said, pumping her small fist. "I heard you Leaf ninja are really strong. Can you spar with me?"
"Don't be ridiculous!" Shibuki finally lost his patience and snapped at her.
Fu stuck out her tongue cutely. "What's the big deal? The people I see day in and day out are all the same. Let me make some new friends!"
"My apologies, Captain Sakura. Fu has been strictly disciplined since she was a child, so she can be a bit willful. Please forgive her," Shibuki said, clasping his hands and bowing apologetically to Sakura.
"It's alright," Sakura shook her head. "Is she part of the new generation of ninja you're training in the Waterfall Village?"
"...Yes, she is." Shibuki finally sighed and admitted it. What else could he do? Fu had already admitted it herself. Now he could only hope she wouldn't expose herself. The existence of a Tailed Beast was something that absolutely could not be revealed to other villages unless absolutely necessary, not even to allies.
"She's very good," Sakura said with praise. "It seems the Waterfall Village is developing quite well now."
"What, you think I need you to tell me that?" Fu said, dissatisfied.
"That's enough, Fu. You can go back now," Shibuki said with a wave of his hand.
"I know. Hey, what's your name, Leaf ninja?" Fu asked, looking at Sakura.
"I'm Sakura Haruno. It's nice to meet you," Sakura said to Fu with a warm smile.
"It's nice to meet you too, Sakura," Fu said, then thought for a moment. "I live behind the village's divine tree. You have to come find me to play when you have time."
"Fu!" Shibuki scolded.
"Alright, alright, I know," Fu said with a wave of her hand.
"Wait, have you eaten? Would you like to join us?" Sakura quickly asked.
"Uh..." Fu glanced cautiously at Shibuki, then quickly shook her head. "No thanks, I've already eaten. You have to come find me to play!"
I definitely will, Sakura silently promised.
After Fu left, Shibuki apologized again. Sakura didn't mind. The trip to the Waterfall Village had been successful, despite a few minor interruptions.
However, Sakura noticed Shibuki's hesitant expression and guessed he had something to say. "Leader Shibuki, is there something you wanted to talk about?" she asked.
"Uh... um... well..." Shibuki's face grew awkward. He gritted his teeth and said, "It's like this. Although the village's reconstruction is much better than before, we... we still need some... some funding... I was wondering if your village could help us out a bit."
Sakura was a little speechless. So he wanted money. That's why he had been so warm to her. And here she thought he was just grateful. But this wasn't a decision she could make.
"I see," Sakura said after a moment's thought. "I can't make the decision on this matter, but I will report it to the Fifth Hokage. The specifics will have to be discussed by the village."
"Then I'll have to trouble you. I hope you can put in a good word for the Waterfall Village," Shibuki said gratefully.
"I don't think it should be a big problem," Sakura calculated mentally. The Waterfall Village was located on the border between the Land of Earth and the Land of Fire. Given the opportunity, both sides would want to win over this small ninja village.
"Thank you so much," Shibuki said again.
As time passed, under Shibuki's hospitality, Sakura ate and drank her fill before returning to rest. Overall, this reconnaissance mission had gone very smoothly. The Seven-Tails Jinchuriki had foolishly revealed her own location, and Shibuki had even given her an excellent reason to visit the Waterfall Village again.
So, once she returned this time, she could basically start implementing the Tailed Beast capture plan. Tomorrow, she could go check on the Jinchuriki's situation and confirm things again. Everything was going so smoothly.
And yet... the image of the girl in the fox mask, Shuying, reappeared in her mind. Although Senji had confirmed that such a person existed in the Waterfall Village, she couldn't shake the feeling of unease. Shuying hadn't shown any malice towards her, but it wasn't impossible that she was just like herself, conducting a preliminary investigation first.
Who is she...? I'll investigate more tomorrow when I go see the Jinchuriki...