IZUNA

7

Izuna brushed the wrinkles out of her skirt and gazed at her reflection thoughtfully.

To blend in with her current palace setting the daimyo had gifted her with several silk robes to wear. She was grateful but she also felt strangely about it. It wasn't as though she had never worn such garments as the Uchiha clan was a prestigious clan. What was throwing her off was the fact she was dressing so... civilian.

Civilian...

Shinobi...

She was a shinobi—-a kunoichi, not a civilian.

Not anymore.

She let out a quiet sigh.

She could feel it. There was a growing separation between her past and present self.

She should've expected it. This was a completely different world after all. There were bound to be some changes around and within her.

Sometimes she wondered if she was still herself... if this was all some sort of strange dream...

She shook herself from her thoughts and stood, undoing her lavender robes to reveal a dark tunic beneath.

There was work to be done.

::

She darted along the palace roof.

Moonlight could not pierce through the thick clouds above making it easier for her to move unnoticed as she stealthily trailed behind a group of men dressed in dark colours.

She could tell that they were harbouring a secret.

The way they held themselves so secretively was an obvious sign that they weren't shinobi. A shinobi would know better than to dress so suspicious.

It was like holding a sign painted in bright colours that read: NOT AN ASSASSIN OR ANYONE SUSPICIOUS. PLEASE IGNORE ME!

Not discreet at all.

They did get one thing right, however.

Nighttime was the best for discreet business. Even the incompetent could somehow manage to remain unnoticed using the cloak of night.

Secrets thrived in the dark.

As did shinobi.

She watched the men disappear into a building.

I wonder what you think you're trying to hide in there?

She followed.

::

This... isn't good.

She counted fifty men at least.

Some of them were so blatantly civilian it hurt but most of them held themselves like warriors.

She knew that she could easily handle them. She only wondered if she could handle all of them while protecting others.

"In three days we strike."

That's... an ominous way to start a meeting.

She listened to their words carefully and memorized each face with equal precision. To her dismay, she could recognize the faces of various noblemen and workers from the daimyo's own court.

"Why wait three days?" Someone asked.

Yeah, she thought from her hiding place. Why wait?

"Because that is when Mitagawa-sama will return with a hundred more to aid us along with shinobi from Kaze no Kuni." A nobleman explained with a smirk. "The daimyo is a peace loving fool. We need someone wiser and stronger to lead us."