"That's a lot of codewords," Yujin said in amusement.

"There are a lot of possible scenarios to prepare for," Keiko said.

Yujin shrugged. "Okay, uh...let's go with...oh, I dunno...'dango', any mention of Princess Genchi, 'boudoir', 'lingerie', 'panty shot', and 'bubble bath', respectively."

Inoue raised an eloquent eyebrow. "'Panty shot'?" she said archly.

Yujin shrugged. "What can I say? I was under pressure. Still, it's already been set so it's too late to change it now. Anyway, I've got to run. You kids have fun now, okay?" He slammed a smoke bomb into the ground and was gone.

Hazō turned to Inoue-sensei. "I know the dispelling didn't work, but I don't suppose that was one of your training sessions using that super-genjutsu of yours?" he asked hopefully.

Inoue-sensei shook her head, looking unusually serious. "I swear, it wasn't. This is the real deal as far as I can tell."

"How did you not see him?" Noburi demanded. "You're a jōnin, how did he sneak up on us?"

Inoue's shook her head again. "I don't know," she said. "Shikigami and I used to do E&E practice together; it was a tossup who would win, but I usually at least had a sense that he was around. Maybe I'm having an off day or maybe this Yujin really is that good."

Noburi sighed. "Fine," he said. "Okay, we need to infiltrate a village full of samurai with an unknown number of ninja. So, how are we doing this?"

o-o-o-o

"Halt!" the guard said, drawing his sword and holding it in a guard stance that owed a lot more to popular entertainment than to actual swordsmanship.

Inoue slung the chūnin's battered and unconscious body off her shoulder and heaved it forward so it landed at the guard's feet with a wince-inducing thump.

"Kid, this has already been a long day," she growled. Her scowl was clear even through the veil she wore across the lower half of her face. "I missed breakfast, I really need a bath, and I'm not in the mood for bullshit. Take this guy to your medbay and let me go talk to your leader."

"Who are you?" the guard demanded.

"Oh, for kami's sake," Inoue muttered. "I'm the one who just beat the crap out of your chūnin, you idiot. These are my students." She waved casually over her shoulder at where the genin stood, trying to simultaneously look casual and also keep a watchful eye out for threats.

Inoue turned and cupped her hands to her mouth. "Hey!" she yelled. "Guards! Olly olly oxen free! I need some guards here! Preferably some with a brain!"

"Hey!" the guard shouted, gesturing threateningly with his sword. "This isn't a joke! Get on the ground or I'll kill you!" He waved the sword again. "I warn you, the Liberator has trained me in the arts of the samurai!"

"Kaoru," Inoue said, not looking at the guard.

Hazō blurred forward, snatched the sword out of the guard's hands, and smashed him to the ground with an overhead elbow strike. The man went down like a bag of bricks, screaming in pain as his collarbone shattered.

Inoue glanced over. "Excessive, maybe?" she said. "I mean, sure, positive impressions can take many forms, but there's such a thing as too positive."

Hazō shrugged. "You heard him: he was trained in the deadly arts of the samurai. I couldn't afford to take chances."

Noburi facepalmed.

Inoue shrugged back. "Yeah, fair enough. Anyway— Ah, good, here you are! Good morning, gentlemen."

A dozen guards arrived at full civilian sprint, swords drawn. "What's going on here?" the leader demanded.

Inoue rolled her eyes. "Obviously, we're a bunch of ninja who just beat the crap out of your friends—first that patrol chūnin and then this idiot with the sword. Now, since I have yet to beat the crap out of you, it should be obvious that I'm here for a job. So, take me to your boss before I lose the last few shreds of patience that I am so generously holding onto."

The guard looked at her for a moment, then sheathed his sword and waved the others to do the same. "My name is Tanaka," he said with a bow. "Please, follow me."

Tanaka and two of his underlings escorted them to a small building in the center of town. Along the way the team were treated to the sight of dozens of new houses going up. The most interesting thing was the attitude of the peasants doing the work: excited, hopeful. Smiles were common and everyone moved with an energy that was very unusual for civilians.

The house wasn't ostentatious—one story, door opening directly into a sitting room the size of which suggested there were only two or three other rooms.

"Would you please wait here?" Tanaka asked with a bow. "Refreshments will be brought momentarily."

"Hn," Inoue said, dropping bonelessly into one of a dozen surprisingly comfortable chairs that circled a low table. "Make sure there's some teriyaki," she said. "I love teriyaki." She folded her hands over her stomach and let her eyes fall closed.

Tanaka bowed again and waved for one of his men to go fetch their food. Tanaka ducked through the inner door.

With the second guard standing uncomfortably in the corner the team couldn't talk without being overheard, so they sat in silence until a tall, broad-shouldered man walked in with Tanaka trailing a step behind.

"Good morning," the tall man said. His voice was a rich baritone with the tones of a trained orator; he stood straight and proud despite showing none of the signs of ninja training. "I am Fukui Taiki, the head of this village. How may I help you?"

"You can get our first month's pay," Inoue said, not opening her eyes. "A hundred thousand for me, fifty for each of the kids. Then show us where we're going to be staying and get us a hot bath."

Fukui laughed. "I must apologize; I seem to have forgotten the occasion of your hiring. It might have something to do with the veils."

Inoue opened one eye and gave him an oh really? look before letting it close again and settling a little more comfortably into the chair with a distracting wriggle. "Don't be stupid," she said. "You've got...what, six ninja? Eight?"

Fukui smiled. "A bit more than that," he said. "Our cause is righteous, and we have attracted people from all walks of life. Even ninja."

"Yeah, whatever," Inoue said. "Look, your people are probably chūnin at best. I'm a jōnin, you can't afford to not hire me. On top of that, my kids can beat your ninja into the ground. We're cheap at twice the price but I'm in a good mood so I'm giving you the friends and family discount."

"I see," Fukui said. "That's very kind of you."

"What can I say? I'm a kind person," Inoue said. "Speaking of which, wasn't there going to be some teriyaki?"

"I'm sure it will be along momentarily," Fukui said. "As to hiring you, I'm afraid I can't afford your prices. I could offer sixty thousand for you and ten each for your...genin, I'm assuming?"

Inoue's eye drifted open and locked on his face. She didn't appear to move, but suddenly Hazō was uncomfortably aware of what a beautiful woman his teacher was. Fukui shifted slightly and swallowed, clearly feeling the impact himself.

"Ninety and forty," Inoue said.

"I really couldn't go any higher than one hundred thousand for the four of you," Fukui said. "I will leave it to you how you divide it."

"One twenty," she said.

"One ten," Fukui replied. "And you will be paid at the end of the month like any other employee." He studied her seriously for a moment. "I'm afraid that's really my final answer. There's only so much tea in the cup."

"Include room and board and you've got a deal," Inoue said. "I'll warn you, Kaoru eats like a pig."

Fukui laughed and bowed. "Done," he said. "Tanaka, would you please escort our honored employees to their new house? I believe the crews are finished with number eighteen."

Tanaka bowed to his leader and then to the team. "Would you please follow me?"

o-o-o-o

"I have to admit, I didn't think that would work," Hazō said. He sat back with a sigh, enjoying the pleasant heat of the tub.

"Of course it worked," Inoue said from where she and Keiko lounged in the tub on the other side of the divider. "I'm the brash and abrasive one that everyone hates and yet wants to sleep with. Keeps the attention on me, lets you three be much more in the shade. Just remember to keep your veils on under your henge."

"Yes, sensei," the three genin chorused.

o-o-o-o

"Excuse me," Keiko said diffidently to the doctor. "My name is Kobayashi Aimi. I believe you have two patients who came in yesterday—a ninja and a guardsman? I was hoping I might speak with them."

"You family?" the doctor asked.

"No, sensei," Keiko said. "I simply wanted to apologize to them. My sensei is the one who put them here."

The doctor's eyebrows went up. "That's a first," he said. "A ninja apologizing for hurting someone?"

Keiko shifted uncomfortably and looked away. "Sensei is a great woman but she can be...impulsive," she said. "She is not always as patient as she could be. May I go in?"

The doctor studied her for a moment. "Sure," he said. "It's not like I could stop you anyway. Matsumoto is out already—he just needed a sling and some plaster—but Kawaguchi is in fourteen." He waved down the hall.

Keiko bowed and walked to number fourteen. She knocked softly on the door and called, "Hello? May I come in, please?"

"Yeah," said a voice from inside. Keiko slipped inside to find the ninja sitting up in bed, a bandage on his head and a cast on a leg and an arm.

"Who're you?" he asked.

Keiko bowed. "I am Kobayashi Aimi," she said. "My teacher is Takenaka Noe. She is...the one who attacked you yesterday. I am here to apologize for her actions. They were uncalled for and excessive."

The ninja stared at her in amazement. "Did she send you?" he asked.

Keiko shook her head. "No," she said. She shifted uncomfortably, one hand gripping the opposite arm. "She doesn't know I'm here. If you wouldn't mind not telling her? She would be angry, but I felt it was necessary. She is a good woman, really. Just...impulsive."

The ninja snorted. "Yeah, well, your 'impulsive' teacher broke my leg in two places, shattered my humerus, and gave me a concussion. I'm still seeing double."

Keiko hung her head. "I am very sorry," she said quietly.

The ninja sighed. "Yeah, me too. S'what I get for tangling with a jōnin. She is a jōnin, right? I've never seen anyone move like that."

"Yes," Keiko said. "She is very skilled." The last was said proudly.

The chūnin nodded, then winced and touched his head. "Yeah, that's for sure. Anyway, thanks for the apology, kid. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to lie here, try not to puke, and see if I can get some sleep."

Keiko bowed and slipped out.

o-o-o-o

"Hey there," Noburi called. "You guys mind if I join you?"

The trio of teenagers looked up as he walked over. "Sure," a red-headed girl said. "You're new, huh? Where are you from?"

"Hoshino, be polite!" scolded the other girl. She was perhaps a year older than her friend, fifteen instead of fourteen, with streaky blonde hair that she wore loose. "Hello," she said, smiling at Noburi. "I'm Fujioka Rina. It's nice to meet you." She eyed Noburi's blond-blue-buff and just-her-age form with an appreciative smile, twirling her hair around one finger artlessly. The boy sitting next to her glowered.

Noburi gave them a friendly smile and a small bow. "It's a pleasure," he said. "I'm Mukai Tsubasa; I'm a genin studying under Takenaka Noe. We just got hired yesterday. Mr. Fukui told us to take a day to settle in and meet people." He winked at Hoshino. "Best assignment ever."

Hoshino's eyes went wide. "A genin, really?" she said, leaning forward in excitement. "Ooh, that's so cool! I never met a ninja before my family came here."

"I did," the boy said. "A team of them stayed at my dad's inn. Didn't pay, took a case of the best sake with them when they left."

Noburi winced. "I'm sorry for that," he said sympathetically. "They shouldn't have done that. Ninja are supposed to protect people, not abuse them. That's what sensei has always taught us, anyway."

"Uh-huh," the boy said.

Noburi gave him an apologetic smile and then turned back to the girls. "So," he said with a smile. "I don't suppose you ladies would like to show the new guy around? Maybe tell me a little about yourselves?"

The girls were on their feet so fast it would have made a credible shunshin.