Mission Link:

It was a bright day in Kumogakure, the sunshine offsetting the chill in the air. A kunoichi walked along one of the countless mountain paths around the village. Dressed in a purple turtleneck and black corduroys, the only thing that identified the young woman as a ninja was the traditional hitai-ate worn as a headband in her black hair. Today was an easy mission, one which would just require running errands around Kumo. After a time, she arrived at the address she had been given. Sitting out on the porch of the little house was an elderly woman, knitting what looked to be a baby blanket. “Lady Ninaro?” she questioned.

“That’s me. Oh, dearie, are you the shinobi they sent for me? Let me just get you the list. Come, come.” Ninaro set down her project, and Kameko followed her in. Handing her a neatly written list, the old woman introduced her to her dog, Cho, and her cat, Akemi, and showed her to where the cat food and then to where the cleaning supplies were. “Take your time, I’ll just be sitting out front,” Nanami told Kameko before moving to do just that.

Looking over the list, Kameko decided to go into town to make the purchases first. With all of the seijutsu ninja, it was acceptable to bring animals into essentially any business, so she decided to bring Cho with her. Getting his leash, she headed into town with the little dog trotting beside her. Her first stop was a general woman’s store. Starting with the underwear, she headed into the lingerie section, walking right past the more sensual items to the practical minded ones. Scanning the rows of packaged panties, she soon located the size and style requested and got two pairs. Carrying them with her, it never occurred to her to be embarrassed about it, she went to the perfume counter. Naming the brand mentioned, the clerk got out a boxed bottle, and she paid for the underwear and the perfume together.

With the bag hanging from her right forearm, the same arm that she was using to hold onto the leash, she made her way down the avenue to a tea shop where she purchased three boxes of green tea before continuing down to the flower shop. As she entered the shop, a bouquet of floral scents hit her nose. Breathing in the heady aroma, she paused looking through the rainbow of colors until she found the shelf of neatly sorted packets of seeds. Collecting one packet of rose and one packet of sunflower seeds, easy to identify by the little pictures on the envelopes, she carried them up to the counter to pay from them.

The miscellaneous items bought, she made her way to the farmer’s market. This was intentionally her last stop as the potatoes were easily going to be the heaviest item, and this way she wouldn’t have to lug them around the village with her. Fortunately Cho was a well-trained dog and was perfectly content to just trot along beside her. With a practiced eye, she looked over the produce before selecting four apples, three tomatoes, and the eleven sweet potatoes. Before picking up the heavy bag that contained the produce, she pulled out her list to double check that she had everything, and thank goodness she had done so; she had almost forgotten the ramen! Finding a little grocery, she purchased the two packs of instant ramen, juggling the bags that she already had. “Good dog, Cho,” she praised the older dog, thankful that he was a calm enough dog that she could hold onto his leash with just a finger… that was all that she had free. Perhaps trying to multi-task wasn’t her best decision, but there was nothing to do for it now.

Fortunately, the market wasn’t far from Ninaro’s house, and she didn’t have to hold onto the several bags for very long. Greeting the old lady with a smile, Kameko passed by her on the porch as she went inside. Setting down the bags on the table, she unleashed Cho before putting away the various goods, leaving the panties and perfume on the table for Ninaro to put wherever she preferred them, careful not to invade the woman’s privacy. Akemi obviously didn’t like feeling ignored in place of the dog and began twining around Kameko’s legs, crying for food, although the plump kitty clearly was not starving.

Obligingly, Kameko fed the cat before moving on to the other chores. The young woman vacuumed, dusted, and washed, dried, and put away the dishes that had been left in the sink. Double checking her list, Kameko confirmed that she had done everything  and stepped out onto the porch. “I believe I’ve got everything. Would you like to double-check?”

“I believe you, dearie. Now hurry along and enjoy the rest of your day. Thank you for your help!” Kameko replied that she would and, with a wave, left Ninaro to her knitting, her mission here complete.