60: Volatile Impressions

Watchtowers, jutting up above the forested treetops. The first sign of civilization after days as they approached from the north.

High walls. Fortified gates. These structures soon came into view from their vantage up in the surrounding hills.

Guard posts. Patrol platoons. The glimmer of blades and weapons.

Sights and sounds crept up one at a time, all coming together like individual brushstrokes forming one grand painting; An exceptional depiction of resources and power.

A place that prepared for and excelled at war.

That was Kana's first impression of the mighty institution known as Konohagakure, the shinobi village hidden by leaves.

Given that massive forests surrounded the village's exterior on three sides, the place was without a doubt aptly named. However, she could not deny that all the soaring fortifications and military installations gave off a considerably more formidable and foreboding feeling than the name suggested.

Kana took a deep breath to refocus her attention, shifting her thoughts to what might soon occur. It could turn out quite complicated, and she needed to be ready for anything.

The trio of Dan, Kana, and Tsunade slowed from their breakneck pace and approached Konoha's gates from an oblique direction, coming down from the forested hills rather than from the main roads. Such was the nature of their route through the wilderness, a route which was rewarded by a return in record time. Merely the better part of two days was all it took to travel this far.

Soon, traces of movement caught Kana's sharp eyes, revealing that Konoha shinobi to either side of the gate were reacting to their sudden presence.

Surely this was fine, right? She surely wouldn't be in danger... this time. A slight frown dragged at the corners of Kana's lips.

Kana allowed her senses to heighten and extend to everything around her; she grew distracted by the slightly labored breathing of her new... companions. The scent of sweat and grime clinging to all of their unwashed bodies. The feel of stark wintry winds and morning air prickling her skin as they hurried along the wide-open roadway. But still, she felt her nerves growing tense as they approached the bustling squad of well-armed guards.

And in this nervousness, she glanced back and forth between Tsunade and Dan, both of whom held formation in front of her.

Kana kept her silence though, recalling the hasty briefings Tsunade gave her over the last few days. While there was neither much time nor atmosphere for conversation during their mad sprints through rough terrain, Dan and Tsunade had been sure to emphasize the need for certain levels of discretion in the upcoming days.

For once though, all Kana had to do for the plan to work out was something she did quite well - keep quiet while others did the talking.

"Finally back... but our work is only just beginning." Tsunade sighed resignedly before looking to Dan, both slowing to a brisk walk as the gates drew nearer.

"I know it well, but everything on this end was prepared and ready last time I checked in. As well as could be..." Dan replied, very solemn in tone. The two exchanged nods at that.

Kana again glanced between the two of them hesitantly, and then at the soaring walls of their destination. What did Dan mean by 'last time he checked in', exactly? The two Konoha Jōnin had clearly considered a lot beyond what Kana was aware of... but it could be that she just lost track of some detail or another in the veritable avalanche of information she had absorbed over the last few weeks.

Narrowing her eyes skeptically, her attention drifted to the red armband newly adorning the left sleeve of her long kimono-style Yamakuni robes. It bore the crest of the Uzumaki, the symbol of Uzushiogakure.

Supposedly, as long as everything went according to plan, this armband was meant to circumvent potential dangers or troubles. Why exactly that was the case... remained to be seen. Regardless, Kana was convinced that what little risk might remain was offset by the enormous potential and opportunities this place could offer. Or rather, that certain people here could apparently offer...

If it was true.

After all this time, after all the bizarre experiences she had encountered recently, Kana simply had to find out for herself.

Family, future... perhaps she would come to understand such things better here. It was a chance she absolutely had to take. That was itself strangely disorienting to think about, but her goals seemed more within reach than ever.

Resolved with those thoughts, Kana glanced down and absentmindedly clenched a hand to her heart... trying to stifle the hollow and empty feeling that still emerged there sometimes.

When she next looked up, the trio had already reached the squad of gate guards - all wearing similar flak jackets with metal armor plates atop them. One of whom gasped and called out immediately,

"Tsunade-sama!  -and Dan-san, too!" the lead man said, running a hand through his short and scraggly brown hair in seeming disbelief, "Your return was eagerly anticipated! I'm glad to see the both of you back so soon."

Tsunade merely hummed in agreement with a stern look on her face, but Dan beamed a smile and chimed in with,

"I can't begin to tell you how glad I am to be back in one piece, Nishioka-san, but our mission is still ongoing. The two of us need to report right away, so we'll all head on through, understand?" By the end of his words, Dan's gaze had grown very serious once more.

The scruffy-haired man, Nishioka apparently, cast a long gaze over the trio of new arrivals and sniffed his nose slightly.

After a short silence, he rubbed his stubbly chin and raised an eyebrow in seeming contemplation, gaze focused on Kana's left arm. Or rather the armband, it seemed, judging by the angle of his eyes. Then with a satisfied nod, he lifted the hand from his chin and signaled the rest of his squad to back off, murmuring demurely,

"I see. Right you are. Please be on your way then."

After which, the trio were promptly ushered past the massive gate and into a sort of mustering plaza that lay before the village proper. As they passed by, each gate guard nodded to Dan and promptly directed their gazes elsewhere.

Was... was that it? Just like that, one could enter Konoha during a time of war?

Kana blinked at this unexpectedly simple encounter. Perhaps simplicity was the one thing she was not ready for. How... disconcerting.

Looking bemusedly over her shoulder back at the guards, Kana couldn't help but notice the Uzushio crest displayed proudly on the back of each shinobi's flak jacket. Perhaps... there was even more going on than she realized. Turning back around, Kana pursed her lips at the many thoughts flooding to her mind.

"This is.... not quite what I was expecting, but it will do. I need to find out what things for... my situation are looking like, so I will go on ahead. Take care Tsunade, alright?" Dan said, giving the Sannin one last hug, "I can meet up with you again at your family's estates, if that works?"

Tsunade returned the embrace tightly, whispering "Of course, but there's much to sort out before then. You be careful too, alright? Definitely meet up by evening at the least..." The Sannin's gaze seemed a bit glum from the perspective Kana could see, which made the girl herself a bit concerned.

Kana stood about a meter back from them, wondering slightly if the two embracing each other had forgotten her presence.

Somehow feeling as if she should not interrupt, Kana idly surveyed the surrounding sights.

Mostly tall trees and a few small outpost buildings surrounded the plaza, as well as several roads leading further into lands beyond the walls. While several paths seemed to exit the plaza, they really only trailed in three general directions - and most of those led further in towards a great rocky cliffside visible over the treetops.

While some buildings and foliage obstructed the view, Kana could still tell that a decent portion of the cliff had been carved into. She vaguely recalled that this was called the 'Hokage Rock' or something like that, supposedly a major landmark in the whole of Konoha. Well, that would be useful for navigating... probably.

Her attention abruptly snapped away from her musing, drawn by the sudden movement of Dan bidding his farewells once more and flickering away onto the trees and rooftops.

Tsunade watched him depart with a distant look still clouding her expression. After a few minutes just standing there, Kana glanced around the empty plaza and muttered, "Um...?"

Hearing that, Tsunade shook her head suddenly and turned to face Kana. A bit of a blush colored the blonde woman's complexion.

"Ah- alright Kana-chan, we'll be heading this waaaay~" she drawled with a stiff and gruff tone, pointing towards a path nearly opposite the direction Dan had departed in, "There I can show you to our clan's home! We might as well do that first, until Dan returns. The district has been set aside for the Senju Clan since the village's founding days-"

For some reason Tsunade began striding away vigorously, causing Kana to hurry after her. While the pace was quick, they weren't rushing like before. Was this out of consideration for the long journey? Or maybe they needn't hurry so much anymore? Kana pondered this as the Sannin continued to lightheartedly narrate a whole series of minor historical tangents, most of which made little sense to Kana.

This was in part because, as they drew further into Konoha, the streets grew more and more crowded, which had a profound impact on Kana's ability to focus.

So many people... hundreds if not thousands within view. All having their own conversations, bustling about noisily. An absolutely overstimulating amount of sensations flooded her senses. Inane words not meant to be heard, every sneeze and cough from all around, the shuffling of thousands of feet, the scents of countless things.

Her eyes darted around between every passerby, recalling Kaoru's warnings about avoiding trouble and suspicious people.

So many... people. So uncomfortable. How did Tsunade stand it? The Sannin just kept on her way, the crowd seemingly parting to get out of her path. Honestly, it would be better if they could use the rooftops and leave these crowds behind.

Kana felt herself grow more and more weary, more and more ill at ease. It was even harder to stay attentive and keep herself on guard when so many strange people surrounded her on all sides, even with Tsunade clearing a path.

Eventually the distress was too much, and almost by instinct Kana reached out a hand.

Tsunade halted her words mid-tale, something about a dango shop, and looked over her shoulder at Kana with a hint of surprise. The woman's eyes widened further when they met Kana's, for whatever reason.

The two stood stock still for a time as foot traffic flowed around them, Tsunade seemingly stunned. The Sannin's gaze softened as it trailed down towards the back of her sleeve, where Kana gently pinched the fabric's hem between two fingers. Two ever-so-slightly trembling fingers.

Or maybe it was not her hand that was trembling, but the bit of water blurring Kana's vision causing such an illusion.

Whichever it was, Tsunade swiftly grabbed hold of Kana's outstretched hand and pulled her in close, wrapping an arm around the young girl's shoulders. With a leap, the woman brought them both together off the streets and onto the rooftops.

This time, they moved onward in silence, Tsunade wearing a tender and troubled look.

But even as they navigated the cityscape, Tsunade never let go of Kana's hand.