The sun was hanging low in the sky by the time the two of them reached the market. They would have a limited amount of time to do any kind of shopping. Shinken knew Kazumi needed to rest so he took her to a restaurant where she could get some food and ice water.
“I have a few things to do in the market, but you can rest here. I’ll be back before the shops close.” He explained as he handed her a pouch of Ryo.
“Use this to get yourself something to eat and get some rest.” He said with a smile. She looked surprised but took the money without protest.
“Thank you...You’re very kind…” She said sheepishly. Shinken couldn’t be sure but he thought he saw a blush forming on her cheeks before she turned away and headed into the restaurant. Shinken didn’t have time to think about what that might mean at the moment so he quickly made his way toward the market.
He quickly found himself in a large crowd and had to push his way through to the ninja tools section. He knew that there had to be someone who would buy the items he had brought with him, but some of them were very specific in function. So he ended up spending nearly half an hour finding a merchant who was willing to purchase them. Eventually he came upon an old man who must have been in his late sixties. When Shinken showed him the Atium his eyes lit up with excitement.
“Oh...that’s a very rare metal. Very Valuable too. You say you wish to part with it?” The old man asked, doing his best to hide his interest.
“Yes both the sword and the shield as well as several other items, though they aren’t made of Atium. They belonged to a rogue ninja. I have them sealed in this scroll here.” Shinken said as he pulled the scroll from his bag. He showed it to the old man who looked it over with mild curiosity.
“Would you be interested in taking a look?” Shinken asked. The old man looked as if he was thinking it over for a moment before he responded.
“Well if they are of similar quality to the sword and shield I suppose taking a look couldn’t hurt.” He replied. Shinken nodded and bit his thumb drawing a rich red rivulet of blood which he then smeared across the unravelled scroll. There was a puff of smoke and Michio’s items appeared on the ground in front of him.
The old man quickly began examining the items. First he picked up the most unique of the items, the artificial eye. He turned it and examined it from different angles before placing it carefully on the counter of his shop.
“Had to be a pretty dedicated ninja to use this item. You think he removed his own eye, or do you think he was missing one already?” The old man asked. Shinken wasn’t sure if he was the one being addressed or if the old man was just talking to himself. Either way it was an uncomfortable question to answer, though Shinken had a feeling he knew the answer. It was Michio after all. He’d probably ripped out his own eye.
The old man then started to go through the rest of the items. He picked up the injection device and looked it over quizzically. It probably didn’t have much use to anyone who didn’t use their blood as a weapon and Shinken was pretty sure he wasn’t going to get anything for it, but then the man spoke.
“Hmmm so this device is used to inject chemicals into the user’s body huh? Well whoever was using it last was pretty strange. These chemicals would only change the PH balance of the user’s body. I don’t see how that could be useful...but if you put the right ingredients in here it could boost someone’s capabilities quite nicely. Not exactly the most conventional way to do it though. Most people use food pills or the like...though I could see this being more effective. You could deliver the chemicals faster, and at higher concentrations...I suppose I could find a use for it.” The old man mused as he put it beside the ocular implant. Shinken was surprised at how knowledgeable the old man was, but at least he was getting something for the item.
The armor and cloak were the last things the merchant looked over. He picked them up and tugged at the fabric. When he saw that it had some measure of stretch he grabbed a kunai and pressed it against the fabric. The weapon didn’t pierce the cloak or the armor. The old man nodded in appreciation.
“Pretty standard equipment. The materials are interesting though, and the craftsmanship is exquisite. I can’t think of anything that would seriously damage this cloak, and the armor would be very effective in protecting one’s vital areas… Yes I think I’m interested in all of your items. What was your name again?” The Old man asked. Shinken hadn’t given his name and he was pretty sure the old man knew that, but he didn’t see the harm in revealing who he was.
“Shinken Uchiha.” He replied. The old man seemed to grin a little when he heard the name.
“Uchiha huh? Then I’m sure you’re rather strong. If you find any more interesting items please bring them to my shop. I’m a merchant, but I also collect fine items like these. Speaking of collecting them I can offer you quite the payday for these. How does 28,000 Ryo sound?” The old man said eagerly. Shinken was floored at the amount the man was willing to offer so much without haggling.
“Uh..Yeah. That sounds like a deal to me.” He stuttered. The old man reached out his hand and Shinken took it in a firm handshake.
“Then I guess I owe you some money don’t I? It’s a good thing I have funds set aside for this kind of thing.” The old man said as he unlocked a compartment behind the counter and pulled out a large chest. He proceeded to diligently count out a total of 28,000 Ryo before sliding the money across the counter to Shinken. The Uchiha took the money and placed it in his wallet before giving the merchant an appreciative nod.
“I’ll be sure to come back if I find anything else interesting.” He said as he turned to leave. He was about to step through the door when the Merchant spoke up again.
“Oh I forgot to mention...if you need any more unique items yourself I have a plethora of contacts. I’m sure I could find you something to fit your needs, and if not I know a few craftsmen. I’m sure I could get you a good deal.” Just who was this old man? Shinken wondered if he was better off not knowing.
“Thanks. I’ll keep that in mind.” He said before exiting the shop.
With his errands done and having now wasted almost an hour he decided it was time to return to Kazumi. He made his way through the dwindling crowd and back to the restaurant he had left her at. It didn’t take him long to find her. She was resting at one of the corner tables. She appeared to be sipping on a glass of ice water. He came up to her table and sat down across from her.
“So how are you feeling now?” He asked.
“Better.” She replied. She certainly looked a lot better than when he had found her.
“So did you get what you needed?” She asked.
“Yeah I did. I figure we can rest here until the sun goes down and travel back to the village at night while it’s not so hot out.” Shinken answered. She nodded in agreement with him.
“That sounds like a smart idea. It gives me another hour or two rest as well.” She replied.
“If we’re going to be waiting I suppose I should get some food. I haven’t eaten since this morning.” Shinken said as he stood up and went to the counter to order. The restaurant didn’t have a large selection of food so he settled for some chicken dumplings and a bowl of rice. He also ordered a pitcher of water before heading back to the table.
“So you’re a sand ninja too?” She asked. This was probably the best time to tell her about what had happened to Jin, but somehow Shinken still felt a little uneasy.
“Yeah. I’m the new Kazekage actually.” He stated calmly. Her eyes went wide when he said this and she nearly spat out her drink. After swallowing hard she looked him up and down. Was he joking? No he looked dead serious.
“What...what happened to Jin? Is the village ok?” She asked nervously. Shinken took a moment to think about his words before he answered.
“Well...Jin is dead. I challenged him for leadership. We fought, and I won.” He explained. That wasn’t exactly how it had happened. He had really come back to the village with the intent to kill Jin in the first place, and he’d done it on purpose but she didn’t need to know that. Not yet anyway.
“You...killed him then?” She asked, looking rather nervous.
“Yes... when I left the village to hunt down a rogue ninja he marked me as a missing ninja and exiled me from the village. He didn’t stop there though. He killed my family to punish me. I couldn’t let someone so cruel lead the village… So one day I came back. He wouldn’t step down so we fought and I killed him. I took over as Kazekage that day.” He did his best to try and make her understand why he had done what he did, but he wasn’t sure how she would react. Kazumi was silent for a long time before she spoke again.
“Well… he wasn’t the nicest person… and you seemed to have your reasons for what you did. You sound like you want the best for the village, and you did save me out there today…” She seemed to be thinking about something as she spoke.
“You were kind to me… and you don’t seem like a bad person…” She kept pausing as if she wasn’t sure how to word what she was going to say.
“What I’m trying to say is I’ll follow you… Lord Kazekage!” She stated as she bowed in respect. Shinken was quite surprised at her reaction. Granted he had saved her life but he hadn’t been expecting her to pledge her allegiance to him. There was an awkward silence filled with tension that was only broken when the food and water arrived at the table.
“Thank you Kazumi.” Shinken said feeling grateful but also a little awkward.
“Of course.” She said matter of factly as if she’d been his ally for ages.
“Well...These portions are bigger than I thought they would be. Have you eaten yet?” Shinken asked. She shook her head in response.
“No. I didn’t feel very well. My Stomach was upset from the heat.” She answered. Shinken nodded. That made sense. Heat exhaustion often made one nauseous.
“And how are you feeling now? Do you think you could eat?” In all honesty he could probably finish all of this food on his own, but it was polite to offer and he didn’t want to be completely stuffed on the way back to the village.
“I think I could eat a little.” She replied.
“Good then have some dumplings and some rice.” Shinken instructed. She bit her lower lip and nodded in agreement as Shinken made a plate for her. The two ate together and talked for another hour before Shinken paid for the meal and they left the restaurant. It was starting to get dark out so they headed out of the market and towards the oasis.
Quote:
+2018 words
2018/500 Travel words
13,907/xx Total Words
Leaving to Oasis
