Chapter Six: Do you Accept it?

Marching up to the table with a confident stride.

"So, Inoshiro, I take it that is your companion in my infirmary. I went out just before tea to check the rooms of the house and imagine my surprise to find an Root agent under my roof. What happened to her?"

"I'm not entirely sure, your highness".

He raised an eyebrow, taking a seat across from me – I picked up a piece of sushi.

"Can't say for sure, huh?"

"Uncle", Lady Yuki chimed in, her voice a soft warning.

"Indeed, I am not, your highness. When I found here she was terrible injured, there were over six poisoned kunai imbedded in her back. I barely had time to treat her with everything.."

"You treated her wounds yourself?", King Enma interrupted.

"Yes, your highness," I replied picking one of pink things from the table. Seeing that king Enma expected an explanation if sorts, I took my time chewing, concocting a story, "Back in my training days, I worked with several medical-nin. It was sort of an apprenticeship. I learned a lot about healing - treating wounds, identifying healing plants, making potions, antidotes. My skills are kind of rudimentary; I don't possess any Kekkei Genkai or secret techniques, but I can make do."

"You are a master of basic medical Ninjutsu? With a apothecary badge?"

I hesitated.

"I do not know about the badge part, but… yes"

He looked at me – I sipped my tea.

"How old are you? Eighteen? Twenty?"

I furrowed my brow in confusion. What did my age have to do with the anything? Then I realized - oh, I'm not me anymore, am I?

"I am sixteen, your highness."

The king sat back and tapped his fingers on the table in contemplation – I picked my hashi and the pickled things. As soon as it hit my mouth, my eyes closed, was I… in heaven?

"Sixteen, and already a master of basic medical Ninjutsu? Hardly old enough for the Chunin Exams..."

His words trailed off, leaving a loud silence in the tea room. I chewed though it. Well, I did know from where his shock came from. I would be very shocked too if I saw a high-school student/spy/surgeon dude at my breakfasts table.

This pickle things were enough to shock me, if I'm going to be perfectly honest.

"You have the documentation?"

I shook my head, "I've never needed papers to what I needed to do. Your highness."

At that, the monkey King Enma laughed, a sound that seemed to shake the entire room.

"Well, leaving all that at side. How did you meet her?"

The question hit me harder than I expected. I couldn't just spill everything about the forest, could I? Well, I could but… I don't know. I went with, "I sort of… found her, your highness."

That sentence did sounded better in my head – I eat a little more of heaven.

"You found her," he repeated, his tone neutral.

"Your old monkey, let the young genin eat. You can interrogate him later," Lady Yuki chimed in, saving me.

I glanced between them, then at Lady Momo, who nodded, signaling me to go on. But go on with what?

I put my pickled things down.

"No, I can answer," I said quickly. The king grunted his approval. "Well, I was going by the Tea Road..." I began, telling the story but leaving out the parts he didn't need to know. Not that it mattered much; King Enma's expression grew darker with every word.

But me, as I spoke, I battled my own thoughts, berating myself – how could I just let the message scroll out of my sight?

"You brought quite the amount of mud to our house, haven't you?"

"Uncle", Lady Yuki reprimanded.

"What you did was really brave, dear.", Lady Momo said, "Most people would've been scared stiff to deliver such an important message under those conditions.."

She must have noticed something in my face for she added, "Don't worry, the stablemonkeys already put all your stuff in the guest room where you'll be staying. No one has broken the seal of the message."

Monkey king Enma sighed – I picked my pickled things again.

"We've been catching wind of enemy movements in our borders, but this..." he mused, "An entire squad, right under our noses? I'll have to inform Hiruzen. I'll be seeing him in five days. I'll make sure your story checks out. Plus, the Baboon Patrol should be back any day now. They'll probably confirm your tale, not that I expect any surprises," he said, fixing his gaze on my pickled treasure.

"Hiruzen would've sent escorts for the genin's to the Chunin Exams if he'd known how bad it was", he sighed. "I know you tried your best, but from what I just heard, there was little more you could have done. Yet there will be so much more you'll have to do".

The Chunin Exams? Is there where a I was supposed to be going?

"You said been on the road for the past month, so you might not have heard. We've had a flood of reports from the western border lately. Trouble's been brewing with the veiled clans in the Land of Tea too. Seems they fell to some new criminal kingpin."

What? What is this exposition moment? I finished chewing and asked.

"Uh.. Which clans?"

He looked at me squarely and said, "All of them."

With a heavy sigh, he continued, "This guy took two lands in a week, then wiped out the third in a day. I'm certain you saw the those bodies by the road. That was just the start. This madness is spreading across the west: the Lands of River, Grass, Waterfall. Even whispers in the Land of Wind."

I nodded along, I hadn't seen any body's, but it wouldn't be good to showcase my ignorance now. So I kept the conversation rolling.

"The Land of Fire, your highness?"

He nodded. "Here too. There was a skirmish in the Nakka Providence. Now they're all bending to this Gumo Heika."

Gumo Heika??

"It sounds grim," Lady Momo remarked.

"It's worse than grim, sister," Lady Yuki concurred.

"He's even infiltrated Natsu Providence. I got reports last night that the Natsu veiled clans have succumbed to The Gumo Heika. Corpses are already piling up by the roads. He can't be everywhere at once, which makes pinning him down tough. But with the information you've carry… we might finally have a fighting chance to pinpoint his whereabouts."

I furrowed my brows, what?

"Sorry, I don't… understand."

"You don't need to, stop eating Tsukemono for a second.", I put my treasure down. "All you need to do is to leave here tomorrow morning. Don't worry we'll take care of your Root friend. Is a three days journey from here to Konoha. Do you know the way?"

"I'm not even sure where 'here' is, to be honest…"

He leaned in close, his voice low and intense. "I'm not going to lie to you. You'll be undercover, a lone traveler. No one must know your true purpose. Trust will be your best ally and your greatest enemy. You'll need to be vigilant, resourceful, and above all, brave. This isn't just any mission; it's a chance to save lives. This is a unofficial A rank mission, genin. Do you accept it?"

I looked at him.