12 Chapter 12

The party proceeded as planned as the Prajñā ninjas prepared some booze and roasted pig.

The group is having fun except for Asahi who is still lost in his thoughts but they still choose to stand close to their leader, vigilant that the ninjas' friendly attitude is just a ploy.

All of a sudden, a young Prajñā ninja approaches the group and asks Udon;

"Uhm...Are you really the 'Hundred Days, Hundred Women' Mamushiki Udon?" The young Prajñā ninja asked of out the blue, piquing the interest of the kids, even Asahi while Udon himself was a bit embarrassed.

"What's that?" -Reiki

"Don't you guys know about the legend of the 'Hundred Days, Hundred Women' of Mamushiki Udon?" The Prajña ninja asked as the three children shook their heads.

"Mamushiki Udon is a very famous wandering author who wrote the diary 'Hundred Days, Hundred Women which talks about the story of a man trying to woe different women every day which lasted for a hundred days but every woman rejected him. It is treated as a sacrilegious item by the men on what not to do to woe a woman."

Hearing the story, the group of four Yoko village all have different reactions while Udon doesn't react as if he heard nothing.

Reiki on the other hand had a 'WTF' expression plastered on his face.

Meanwhile, Asahi had a blank expression, lost in his thoughts as he was unable to enjoy himself knowing the danger that was brewing on the Land of Whirlpools.

"Wow!" Different from the rest, Osamu seems to be genuinely impressed by the story as he asks; "Is that true?"

"Uhm! Our leader and Big Bro Udon are best friends and he often tells us about their time together whenever he's drunk." The Prajñā ninja confirmed causing the veins in Udon's forehead to pop up.

'Damn that punk!' Udon cursed the Prajñā leader in his head.

Seeing Udon's sour expression, the nearby ninjas laughed as the fun continued whether Asahi liked it or not.

The party lasted until midnight as ninjas, at this point many of the ninjas were wasted and drunk meanwhile the children were also resting for their journey tomorrow.

At this point, Udon and Yazuke aka the oni-masked ninja, now without his mask, are the remaining awake.

"So you guys also joined on this mess huh?" Yazuke asked with a sleepy face as he stared at the stars in the sky.

"That's surprising given the fact that Yokogakure is known to be a peace-loving village and never joined the war."

"So you heard?" Udon replied as he nodded, admitting their involvement in the issue while staring at the reflection of his face on the booze in his hand.

"With all the buzzing outside, who wouldn't?" Yazuke shrugged as he chugged another bottle of beer.

"Haha, I guess so..." Udon chuckled but his laugh was dry, 

"...well, it's not like there's anything I can do, it's inevitable." He added with a fake smile.

"We're just a pawn for those at the top, there's someone else that will do it even if we didn't" His eyes were lackluster and dull

"Still...to break the decades of seclusion of your villages, Konoha must've been involved in this huh?" Yazuke pieced the puzzle together as he formed a preliminary guess at the situation.

"Keiki was...ambitious..." 

Without further explanation, Udon shut his mouth as the two continue drinking under the shining stars.

The destruction of the Uzushiogakure is inevitable.

The village had grown dangerous in the eyes of those at the top and planned the death sentence of the village, they didn't care whose hands would get dirty, as long as they got the job done and so, 'they' volunteered.

Since it's inevitable, they must at least take a piece of the pie is what the second Yokokage and the elders in the village thought.

"Just a pawn in a game of the big leagues huh?!" Yazuke broke the silence as he said with a disdainful voice, clearly showing dissatisfaction with the situation.

Unlike them, the Prajñā group even though was located near the Land of Fire, was unwilling to bow to the five great shinobi villages and become their allies. They are a mercenary group who work for themselves, but it is also because of that they can do the way they want.

They don't carry the responsibilities that the ninja village like Udon carries, which is why even though he is dissatisfied, Yazuke never ridicules Udon for his actions.

"You don't look good, much worse than your last visit here." -Yazuke

"Haha really, well it's been ten years, you'll look worse as you get older." -Udon

"HAHAHA, well I hope your age also didn't dull your strength." -Yazuke

"HAHAHA, why don't you come and check out you punk!" -Udon

"AHAHAHA no thanks, you're Mr. Bigshot now, eh??"

Yazuke teases as he hands over a book to Udon where the latter's picture is posted with a note that says;

"This..." Udon replies with a wry smile seeing himself in the bingo book with the bounty of 20 million ryo. 

"I even heard that a man named Kakuzu is looking for you, you're dead punk HAHAHA" Yazuke continued teasing as Udon laughed and rebutted;

"HAHAHAHA, you'll need ten more Kakuzu to scratch me punk!" 

"Whatever punk, I'm sleeping" Udon added as he turned around and went to his tent with his arms raised saying goodbye.

"Don't die out there punk!" Yazuke yelled as he also went back to his tent.

"Me? die? HAHAHA don't make me fucking laugh" Udon mumbled under his breath as he lay and sleep.

As soon as he falls asleep, a pair of eyes shut open.

While everyone was sleeping, a small figure was wide awake and had sneaked out of the area without anyone knowing.

*********

"LEADER! WAKE UP! LEADER!" 

The drowsy ninjas were awakened by the screaming of a child as rushed and saw two children shaking Udon, waking him up.

"W-what's the matter?" 

"B-BIG BRO ASAHI IS MISSING!!" The two yelled simultaneously, worry was plastered in their face.

"WHAT?!!"