It was a mild spring morning in Mangura. Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura were sitting with their teacher in a common room on the school grounds. It was a medium-sized room that wasn't particularly furnished. On the right side was an antique chest of drawers made of dark solid wood. The files of the individual students were kept there. In those documents the essential things about the students were written down. This included the personal details, as well as fighting styles and other things. There were large bonsai plants in the corners of the room. The dark floorboards creaked every time you stepped on them. A large lamp hung from the ceiling in the middle of the room. The three friends and their teacher were all sitting on the floor. So that it didn't get too uncomfortable, Joe Jamoto had offered the three of them a pillow, which they had gratefully accepted. A wide, red carpet led from the entrance to the back of the room, where there was a huge sliding wall.Joe Jamoto, who had made space across from the three friends, was explaining to them the ranks and teaching them about the different fighting techniques.
Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura listened intently to the words of their teacher. However, the blond boy was a little surprised at the man. He wondered how he could reach the highest rank and become a teacher even though he is only twenty-five years old. However, he initially kept his questions to himself. The black-haired man now suggested rules and behavior. However, the three friends were not surprised when Joe Jamoto informed them that there were hundreds of such rules. He made it clear to them, however, that treating all villagers with respect is the top priority.
After much more information, the man finally ended and got up.
"Well, that should be enough for the time being. I doubt that you can remember all of these things, but you should keep the most important ones.I still have a lot to do, so today you can get to know the village better. I expect you back here in the morning. "
With a short, traditional bow, Joe Jamoto turned and disappeared behind the sliding wall.
"Why is he talking so strangely?" Asked Naruto when the three friends also got up and left the lounge.
"He just expresses himself more eloquently, a lot of people do that here." Sasuke didn't say anything, he just breathed in the pure spring air.
You were now on the main square of the school grounds. To her left and right were several buildings with Chinese roofs. The students lived in these buildings. From this place three paths led to different parts of the village. The path to her right led to the training ground, the middle path to the heart of the village, where the market square was located. After a few kilometers the left path led to a fork in the road.If you choose the path on the left, you get to the large, idyllic Shiro Lake. If you follow the right path, you will be directed to a famous tea house.
"This village is so fascinating, I think the first thing I do is go to the market square and look at the shops," announced Sakura, beaming. Without another word, she left the two boys and followed the middle stone-paved path. Naruto watched her go until she was out of sight.
Suddenly a boy shot out of one of the houses. He had very short, brown hair that stood out on all sides. He dashes past Naruto and Sasuke into the lounge. Confused, Naruto followed him with his gaze. Sasuke, however, paid him no attention.
A large cherry blossom tree grew in the middle of the square. There was a wooden bench in the immediate vicinity. A girl with long, light brown hair was sitting on the bench. She seemed Naruto's age. Next to her was a boy with short, blond hair who seemed a little older.He talked something incomprehensible to her, but the girl stared stubbornly in the opposite direction.
"I'm going to have a look around the village.", Sasuke said and the fox cub nodded almost unconsciously. He watched the two of them on the bench and the Uchiha heir just sighed and shook his head as he walked down the left path. The blond boy on the bench looked annoyed and rose in a flash. Then he rushed away.
Naruto took a deep breath and carefully approached the girl. When she saw him, she turned her head so she could see him. Her azure eyes met his. She held his gaze for a few moments, but then turned away again. Now Naruto had reached the bank. Only now did he notice how pretty the girl was. Her delicate face added the finishing touches to her beautiful appearance. Naruto got a strange feeling and his stomach seemed to cramp up.Still he wanted to speak to her, but couldn't think of the right words. Now the girl paid him her attention again. She gave him a scrutinizing look.
"You're not from here, are you? I've never seen you before," she said. Her voice sounded benevolent and melodious.
"II just got here," Naruto replied, embarrassed.
The girl's features softened a little.
"I thought so. I'm Ayuna.", She introduced herself and made the same traditional bow as Joe Jamoto did before.
"I'm Naruto.", The fox cub replied and also bowed. "I'm sorry if I'm so straightforward, but who was that?" He added curiously.
"You mean the boy who was here with me? That was Jay. He is a student of Sensei Jamoto. But let's talk about more interesting things. Tell me a little about yourself! What brought you here? And what are your goals." ? "
The blond boy was pleased with the interest Ayuna showed him.He took a seat next to her and they looked deep into each other's eyes.
"I came here with my two friends Sasuke and Sakura to get a training. Actually, we didn't plan to settle here, but the teacher says that we probably have no choice."
"Don't you like this place?" Ayuna asked with a trace of disbelief.
Naruto hastily shook his head.
"No, no, that's not the reason. Well, maybe I have to get used to everything first. Now everything is completely alien to me."
The brown-haired girl nodded understandingly and her gaze wandered up to the cloudless sky.
"And what about you? Are you also a student of Sensei Jamoto? What do you think of him? And what is life like in this village?"
"Yes, I am also a student of the teacher. What do I think of him? Well, let's put it this way, he does a lot of confusing things. And as far as the village is concerned, it is very nice here, but got through the positive things the negatives easily forgotten. "Naruto smiled. He wondered if Ayuna was deliberately speaking in riddles so as not to give him detailed information.
"What do you mean by that?"
Ayuna got up from the bench and looked briefly at Naruto.
"Oh, nothing important. I have to go now, I'll see you for sure. See you then."
She bowed again briefly, then turned on her heel and disappeared into the house opposite. The blond boy sat pensively on the bench. He wondered if he could have said something wrong that would explain Ayuna's sudden departure.
Meanwhile the brown-haired boy stepped out of the lounge again. He had a sullen expression and swore loudly to himself. Naruto watched him with a smile until he disappeared from the seat. Thereupon the blond boy got up from the bench and followed the path that Sasuke had previously taken. He found that it was a quiet village. The individual districts were surrounded by a lot of nature.After a few meters he finally came to the aforementioned fork in the road. A rather large rock seemed to separate the two paths. Two simple wooden signs were attached to either side. The right sign read: 'Shing Tea House' and the left: 'Shiro Lake'. Naruto decided to look at the tea house first, as he had never been to one before.
It didn't take him long to get there. It was a very modern looking building with the typical Chinese roof, the dark blue color of which complemented the bright exterior wall of the house perfectly. The house was surrounded by exotic flowers and other plants with fascinating shapes. A pebble path led to the huge entrance to the tea house. Overwhelmed by this sight, Naruto stepped towards the entrance and carefully opened the double doors, which were filled with countless signs and signs. When he entered he was surrounded by a soothing scent that was roughly comparable to a mixture of aloe vera and lavender.There weren't many villagers in the tea house yet, which was probably due to the early time of day, the fox cub suspected. On the left, a dark staircase led to the next floor, where there were a dozen people. On the right side there were several tables and chairs, also made of dark wood. A woman and a man sat at one of the tables and talked animatedly about something. Antique lamps hung from the ceiling and gave the room a cozy atmosphere. A little further back there was a large reception desk where there was a skinny man with short black hair. There was a door and a few plants next to the counter.
"Can I help you in any way?" Asked the man at the counter. Naruto wondered why the man had said 'you' even though there was no one else there except him. But then he speculated that it was probably another form of politeness.
"No, thank you very much, I'm just looking around."Naruto replied, hoping to have been respectful enough.
"Please allow me to comment, but you're not from here, or am I wrong?" The man wanted to know and Naruto took a few steps towards the counter.
"That's right, I've only recently been here."
"Well, then you will surely see a lot of interesting things in Mangura.", The man claimed.
Their conversation, however, was interrupted by two arguing men who made loud accusations and threw insults around themselves. One of the men, who seemed to be quite old, which you could tell by his gray hair, tried to get the other, much younger man at the throat.
In a short time the two men had drawn the attention of all the guests in the tea house. Another man, about forty, rushed out of the room near the counter and tried to resolve the conflict between the two arguing.