A strange new life

6.20

Kumoko led me and I led Karin through dark tunnels. 

When the Iron Hide clan promised a guide to lead us back to human lands, I had expected overland forest travel, pretty sights, interesting vistas, and exotic places.

What I got was days of walking through dark tunnels.

This whole situation forced me to rely on my thread-sense (name still in progress) to navigate the twisting underground corridors – and after Karin’s third fall – to make sure the redhead didn’t kiss the ground anymore. Which was the reason why we walked hand-in-hand.

In the past days, I had more hand-holding than I ever thought I would get in my whole life. It was a shame it wasn’t with Best Girl Ino. Karin was pretty and nice, but she wasn’t Ino. I also don’t think Karin played for my side of the team. It was fun to tease her, but it was just that, teasing. There was no chemistry there, no spark. Maybe I wasn’t her type? What was even her type? Dark and brooding?

Navigating dark tunnels with my thread-sense was an unexpected boon, in a way. I could now ‘see’ more clearly than before. I had also become somewhat proficient in using my threads to puppeteer people. By that, I meant wrapping my threads around Karin’s body to ensure she didn’t lose her footing on the uneven, dark tunnel floor. 

This had become a habit after the third day of travel. I suspected Karin sometimes fell asleep while I piloted her body around. 

Huh, that was weird to think.

Most days, we walked in silence, ate rooty food prepared by the badgers, drank from underground lakes. Our guide, who had never been a badger in a good mood, was now worse. When she wasn’t complaining, she just ignored whatever Karin said. She set up a pace that would have been grueling if I wasn’t used to worse. Karin was the only one suffering, but she often just let me pilot her around. Not sure yet how that worked for her.

And talking about the redhead, she wasn’t in the best of moods.

I had negotiated a new contract with the patriarch to ensure she could leave the nest. But by the terms of that same contract, I couldn’t disclose information to anyone who wasn’t a part of it. Karin and Kumoko weren’t privy to what I agreed to pay, nor could I tell them. That made Karin more introspective and Kumoko angrier.

Kumoko was easy to figure out why. She wanted to be treated as an adult, not realizing her actions just pushed her into the silly cub category.

That raised another question. How old was Kumoko? The conversation with the patriarch left me feeling like he hadn’t taken another mate after his died, betrayed by her summoner, and that was a few decades ago, and Kumoko is his youngest… doesn’t that mean she’s decades old?

Maybe there was something here I was missing.

As for Karin, I suspect that she was imagining worse and worse prices than I promised.

Sure, the price was heavy, but after some consideration, I don’t think I minded it at all. I was even going out on a limb here and saying I would have done it for free. And even though I wasn’t a betting ninja, I was willing to bet a few cupcakes that had been the big’un intentions.

That went a long way to somewhat un-souring my whole experience with that contract business. Even though it still left a bad taste in my mouth. I wasn’t sure I wanted to rely on the badgers at all anymore, or even if I wanted a contract with them.

I was happy I’d managed to leave their nest mostly intact and trauma free, having only promised some menial chores in payment, my eye and to fight a killer legendary snake. No biggie. None at all.

The impression I got was that they – pardon the language – didn’t give a shit if I decided to just do the bare minimum and drag my feet, as long as I left them alone as well.

That left me with much to ponder regarding this. Fangirl-sama wanted to build a relationship, build trust, and a connection with the badgers. She didn’t mind that we'd have to work our asses off to pull it off. That side of me was thrilled at the prospect. Wasn’t meeting grumpy and traumatized allies and then winning them over a recipe for super loyal allies?

Not that I didn't want them to insta like me and be my promised shinobi companion and best buddies! Was that asking for too much? Couldn’t they, you know, just ignore that they’d been burned before by snakes and humans and ignore that I was a mix of both?

And if they’d really wanted to screw me over, why give me the chance to buy Karin’s freedom and why would he demand I help him kill Manda?

Yes, that Manda. The big evil snake Orochimaru made use of. The big evil snake that demanded human sacrifice every time it was summoned. Like I said, I was more than willing to do it. It even had a reasonable time frame. Five whole years.

I was still mid-ruminations when our meandering path led us across a bend and then to light. It was blinding, warm, and the second most beautiful thing I had ever seen.

Sun! Oh, how have I missed thee!

With eyes closed and a hand in front of my face to help block the so missed light, we stepped out of the underground and into an open plain field for the first time in weeks. By my side, Karin whimpered. I guess didn’t close her eyes in time.

“Send me back.”

I hadn’t even had the chance to gather my bearings when Kumoko’s squeaky growly interrupted my eye-squinting attempt to see my surroundings.

I looked at the grumpy she-devil, her tail lashing in frustration. She still hadn’t gotten over being punished, even if I don’t think the punishment was bad. I wasn’t going to abuse the clan’s patriarch cub, and if she wasn’t that bratty, I might even summon her to enjoy the sights in human land.

That was a nice thought. Maybe I could do it? Give it a few days, then summon her to 'taste-test' some of my oh-so-missed concoctions. I bet she’d like that. I mean, she was still a kid, right? I could make a honey-themed cupcake for her. Yes, I think that was a nice idea. I could make it my goal to un-sour the young’un.

“We’re at human lands,” Kumoko said, tail lashing again. “Send me back.”

I looked around. I wasn’t sure where we were, and I needed more information. I wrote words. Like a trained puppet, Karin read them for me.

“Which way to Konoha?”

“Follow the sunset,” Kumoko said. “Send me back.”

Right, better not antagonize the grumpy-devil anymore. I crouched, placed my hand on the ground, pushed my chakra until black lines drew the reverse summoning circle on the ground. Kumoko didn’t wait for me. She stepped into the center and glared at me.

“And don’t summon me.” She said before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

Yes, that kid needed lots of honey. So grumpy.

I looked around, cast my eyes toward the sun, which was already dipping toward the horizon. I looked at the peaceful field, the clear blue sky. Sniffed the air, felt a pang of nostalgia when I smelled flowers. Karin was looking down, even more dejected than the last few days.

“Where will you go?” I wrote.

It took her a while to answer. She looked at my words, at me, the ground, back at the tunnel. She shrugged, bit her lip. “I don’t know.”

Well, that decided it, didn't it? I still had two lives to repay her.

“Come with me to Konoha.”

“Would they even accept me?” Karin asked, not looking me in the eyes.

“Have you ever seen Konoha’s shinobi uniform?” I asked.

Karin looked up, tilted her head. “Green flak jacket?”

I nodded. “The red spiral in the arm and back. Don’t they remind you of anything?”

Karin scowled. Yeah, I could sympathize. Konoha might walk around with their allegiance branded on their uniform, but the village did nothing to prevent the Uzumaki from being wiped out. But I had a strong suspicion Karin would do fine in Konoha.

Even more if we managed to sell our sob story to Tsunade. It was just old story knowledge, but I had this feeling Tsunade was cool, and wouldn’t leave a kunoichi in distress, a member of the Uzumaki clan, hanging.

“I’m probably declared a missing-nin. What if they imprison me?”

I considered that. I don’t think it would get to that point. Worst it could happen was them exiling her, and if that happened, I think I could call in some favors. I mean, the Daimyo’s wife was my cupcake customer, if worse came to happen, it wouldn't be hard to arrange somewhere for Karin to stay in the capital. She didn’t need to live in Konoha.

“It won’t.” I wrote with all the confidence I could muster. I really hoped it wouldn’t. “And if it does, I’ll bail you out, I promise.”

Karin bit her lip, nodded.

I turned around, walked toward the direction Kumoko pointed us to. There was so much I had to do back at Konoha.