Sown

four

Konoha's eastern outer edge was a lot more rural than the center. From the Tatsumi Gate - the main entrance to the village - and along the outer wall towards the river there were not many signs of village life. Training grounds, small patches of forest, and a curved road that led both out of and back into the center past a Konoha Military Police station were littered lengthy distances from each other. If one continued on, however, they would begin to see the ground level out and clear of trees, giving way to people making their living in more indigenous ways.

This is where the farmers had laid their claim to the land. Not what anyone would call a populous group (in fact a minority in every meaning of the world), it was a well known fact that the people who spent their lives working under the beating sun deserved respect. It was them alone that supplied the village with most of their food and sustained the lives of thousands of shinobi who in turn risked their life and limb to protect their village and land.

Overhead Kakashi spotted the sizable owl. It still had a plastic basin clutched in it's talons, but unlike before its flight wasn't as distance focused. Instead he watched as the owl hovered to a stop, flapping its great wings quickly to stay adrift just yards ahead of where he walked now.

A voiced rang out in the distance, the words indistinguishable. As if a cue for the avian, it put more strength into its wings and rose up further in the sky, backing away from the ground it stared at before nose diving towards forward. He watched as the owl tipped the basin just enough to let a mist of water escape from the lip of the basin, casting a faint rainbow as the water pelted the land below. It circled a wide area for a while before raising its wings vertically, disappearing from Kakashi's sight and no doubt landing.

Walking closer, the voice he had heard before became more clear.

"My Hiko-Hiko! Thank you so much, you did such a good job."

Kakashi hummed inwardly. Of course.

The farm in front of him was filled with patches of different sprouts, both tall and short. What he estimated to be about half an acre was enclosed by a white wooden fence. Three domed greenhouses lined the right side of the property farthest from where he stood.

Closer to him in the center of the field stood the owl, its face tilted down into the woman Kakashi somehow knew he would see.

Hanae was nuzzling her face into the cheek of the owl that towered above her. Her head was about the size of its beak and her arms were stretched wide to hold either side of the heart shaped crest surrounding the owl's face.

As he stepped up to the fence, the owl picked its head up, staring the jounin down with piercing black eyes. The sight was startling, but not as startling as when it pulled its wings up at the shoulders, snapping its beak above his owner's head. Hanae jumped and turned sharply.

Spotted, or as he guessed in the bird's case heard, Kakashi waived sheepishly at the pair.

Upon spotting him, Hanae lit up. "Kakashi!" She waived broadly, hand coming dangerously close to the still snapping beak above her. The farmer turned her attention back to the flustered bird. "Hikoboshi, it's okay! I know him, calm down. He's a friend."

The owl, Hikoboshi, slowly lowered its wings and soothed his feathers back down. He was still a little suspicious of the man, but trusted the woman's words.

Kakashi hopped over the waist high fence, making his way towards Hanae as she jogged up to him. They were both careful to avoid the vegetation lining the ground.

"You know, when I said you should come visit I didn't think you would be so quick!" She had crossed two-thirds of the distance between them and came close enough for Kakashi to begin noticing the dirt on her face, hands, and knees.