Interlude 13

Borders of River
Hiyako, Genin

She thought that being a ninja would be her ticket to not being such a scaredy-cat all the time, but everything she learns just gives her something new to be worried about.

She had been so worried about what she would need for this mission that she had packed way too much, and when the bag check came she learned that a lot of what she packed probably wouldn’t be useful. So now she was worried about being slowed down by all the extra stuff she was carrying, but she couldn’t just dump it either because what if she needed it later? That, and it would be mean to leave trash around.

So now she was stuck with too much stuff, a lot of which might not be useful, and on her first ever mission. She had messed up before the mission had even started!

No wonder her first sensei rejected her. She let out a long sigh, reaching up to rub her forehead of sweat. The heat of the desert was even worse than their teachers in the academy had told them. They had gotten more used to it by now, but there were a few that passed out on the first day.

“Hey- sensei we’re buying up rice right? Don’t we have our own farms?” Riku asked- sleepy eyes focused just enough to squint forwards while he walked. “Not big fields or anything- but I’ve helped with the planter boxes before.”

“How much food do you think a hidden village actually eats?” Sensei answered from the front of the line, glancing back and looking down at Riku. His wide brimmed straw hat kept his face and shoulders in shadows, and his white veil fluttered in the scant breeze of that cooling wind ninjutsu. He had shown them how to do it- but she was still having trouble. The only one who managed to pull it off over the last few days was Jun, and he had an affinity for wind.

Hiyako could barely manage water, wind was too much for her. She sent a furtive glance over at the boy with sandy blond hair, hair that was currently being kicked up by a small and inconsistently-strong breeze. His face was scrunched up in concentration, and his hands locked in the seal for ‘bird’.

Too focused to notice Azuko blatantly dominating the space next to him, practically lounging in the cool swirling air. Hiyako swallowed nervously, glancing back down at the sand as she angled her walking- just to be a little bit closer to him and the refreshing breeze he was maintaining.

If it was for a practical reason like this… then surely it was okay to be this close, right? She played with the hem of her blue sash, unsure of where to put her hands.

“Uh… A lot?” Riku asked, reaching up to scratch his head.

Sensei didn’t look too impressed, but then again he never really did. His eyes were always calm. He was probably bored by all their stupid questions. “An understatement, but yes. Sunagakure has maybe around ten-thousand people living in it, and ten thousand people require an enormous amount of food to sustain.”

He waved a little hand. “Even if Suna was right on the coastline and we could fish all we wanted to, we’d still be an importer of food. Even if Suna was surrounded by miles of fertile farmland, we’d still be an importer of food. Even if every tree in Suna was a fruit tree and every root was something you could dig up and snack on, we’d still be an importer of food. A city requires such an enormous quantity of food that you can’t sustain it without all of those combined, and even then you’re only one or two bad harvests away from another famine.”

“The first thing any city has to deal with is how they’re going to feed everyone present, and the easiest answer is bulk grains- It’s why money is based on rice. Rice is a crop you can grow a large amount of, easily weigh and divide out for taxation reasons, and store for up to a decade at a time. It’s a crop that can build up a surplus during fertile periods, and thus keep everyone fed during lean periods.”

“Hence why we buy up as much of it as we can. Suna exists where it exists for security reasons, but it makes us somewhat vulnerable to starvation if we don’t stay on top of the issue.”

Sensei did this occasionally, going into long-winded explanations about the world and how it worked, things that they were never taught in ninja academy and she had never really thought of before. She supposed she knew that a village required a lot of food, but hearing the conditions required to sustain one made it clear in ways it wasn’t before. Solid instead of abstract.

“Wait, don’t we have farms in Rivers?” Rin, with her pretty face scrunched up in mild confusion, interjected. “It was part of that deal with the First Hokage- wasn’t it? Suna received 30 square miles and they’ve been harassing us over it ever since.”

“Yep.” Sensei nodded. “It’s in one of the most productive spots in the Land of Rivers too, right on Ajisai River. It’s not enough to keep Suna fed on its own, but it is enough to put us in a substantially more comfortable position.”

“Wait- if it’s in the most productive spot, then why hasn’t the Daimyo of River done anything? Surely they’d want to take it for themselves?” Soma asked with a suspicious note in his voice, the hood of his armored poncho pulled up and partially covering his forehead. He was always ready for the worse case scenario, he was the one who told the rest of them about remedial lessons.

“I know this one sensei.” Chikako called out, her blue hair swishing slightly as she raised her hand. Naturally, she was completely fearless when it came to things like this. Hiyako didn’t understand how she could’ve possibly been rejected, she was too good at this. “May I answer?”

“Go ahead.”

“The Land of Rivers doesn’t have a Daimyo, the area is controlled by a collection of regional lords, clans, and bandit gangs. This lack of Daimyo means that protection of the region usually falls upon Tanigakure, who occasionally calls upon Sunagakure for aid. It is this alliance that pulled Sunagakure into the Third Ninja War.”

The rough and low tones of the other Jonin present answered at that. “It’s more complicated than that.” He shook his head. “Originally there was an uneasy understanding that Suna would retaliate only if any enemy ninja entered our allied territories. However, after the disappearance of Lord Third, many search teams were deployed. One such search team grew overzealous and entered into Konoha controlled territory.”

He let out a low and frustrated exhale. “This was seen as the opening of hostilities by Konohagakure, who took it as license to make maneuvers into Rivers, which in turn provoked Tanigakure to call upon our aid in an official defensive capacity and marked our proper entry into the war.”

“W-wait so- just because one group made a mistake- t-the whole village had to go to war?!” She cried out, stomach making little flip-flops at the thought.

“Eh. I wouldn’t worry about it too much.” Sensei called out from the front of the group, shrugging again. “If not them, then it would’ve probably been someone else. If not that situation, it probably would’ve been a different one.” He glanced back at her with those steady, bored eyes. “It’s easy to get caught up in the details, but who, where, and how doesn’t usually actually matter. There was a Third Ninja War already in progress, Suna would’ve almost certainly gotten involved at some point for some reason.”

“But isn’t it important to know who to blame?” Bazo asked in his usual way, growly and grumpy. He had quieted down a lot ever since being rejected by his Jonin sensei, much more thoughtful and dark. “We’ll just let them get away with that shit?”

“The most important thing is surviving.” Sensei refuted, turning his gaze towards him. “How and why you get into a fight doesn’t matter. What matters is that you come out the other side still breathing. Everything else is a bonus.”

“A ninja is one who endures.” Baki-sensei declared, repeating a truism that Hiyako was pretty sure she had heard before. “It is in our title- Shinobi no Mono, the People who Endure.”

“If you outlive your opponent, you’ve won.” Sensei finished the lesson with another one of his catchphrases.

“Pretty sure you said that before, Sensei.” Himeo declared, tilting her head and letting her orange locks fall to one side.

“I’ll say it as many times as I need to get it through your heads.” He grumbled. “You’re all new ninja. None of you need to worry about being super-dangerous or successful this early on. You just need to worry about staying alive, you’ll figure out the rest as you go along.”

That was strangely comforting to hear, because Hiyako absolutely didn’t have anything figured out right now.

“…Hey wait a minute…” Jun muttered quietly, glancing to either side of himself. Hiyako almost jumped to get away.

Azuko pretended to just notice. “Hey now! Why are you walking so close?! Are you trying to pull something!?” She accused their team leader with a hint of red on her cheeks, leaning forwards with a scowl and finger pointed at his chin. Jun let out a nervous laugh, raising his hands defensively and leaning back.

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

Hiyako wished she had the confidence to lie as boldly as that.

Zakuza rolled his eyes. As much as his forehead was soaked in sweat, his expression was steadfast.

—

“We’re here.” Sensei called out well into the Land of Rivers, the greenery around being more than Hiyako had ever seen in her life. The air was humid and cool, and the clouds rolled in great intimidating blankets over the sky. The wind was gentle and infrequent, and empty of sand or grit. All around her the sounds of insects and birds could be heard, a drone that started yesterday and had never stopped.

The desert sands turned into dry grasslands first, and then into progressively greener fields and forests, each one with some kind of creek or stream coursing through like immense veins of clear blood. Soon the rolling grasslands turned into rolling farmlands, gentle terraces filled with water and the tiny sprigs of green rice shoots. Farmers watched them as they moved along roads of packed earth and stone, the men with polite suspicion, the woman with nervous glances, and the children with excitable waves and laughs.