Journey of Desires

- Did you hear what happened in the capital?

In one of the settlements on the border of the country of fire and the country of lightning, a conversation took place between a young man who had recently arrived from a neighboring city and his friends.

The boy wants to become a merchant, and therefore studies with a local village merchant who periodically carries their goods for sale.

When the boy was in the city, he heard very surprising and shocking information for ordinary residents, and now he was talking with his friends, sharing information.

- And what happened?

- Daimyo died a week ago!

- What?

The first friend was simply shocked, the boy was extremely impressionable, but the second, unlike the first, reacted quite calmly, and only said.

- Don't keep me in suspense, what happened?

- Well... Recently, some kind of Ninja exam was taking place in Konoha. And not only the Kage of the Wind Country arrived there, but also the Kage of the Lightning Country. And since the Raikage, who was the hardest to fight in the last war, was present, the Daimyo decided to come to this event in person.

- Did the Raikage kill the Daimyo?

- No, no... Not at all, according to rumors that I heard, our Daimyo died at the hands of one of the Konoha ninja.

After these words, the second friend was also surprised, and then, together with the first, stared at the speaker with an expression promising punishment if he continued to drag it out.

- Well... As far as I understand, Suna, Kumo and the new village from the Land of Rice Fields attacked the Konoha leadership together. As a result, the Hokage and his advisers died, and the fourth elder, who held out the longest, decided to take the enemies with him to the next world in the end, because of which he used some kind of jutsu that kills everyone in the area.

- Hm! What nonsense, if he had such power, why didn't he use it from the very beginning?

- Eee? Well... I heard that it kills the one who used it along with the enemies.

The expression on the face of the calm friend said everything he thought about such a technique, since he is interested in Ninja and their life and powers, it is not difficult to believe in such abilities, unlike the first energetic boy.

- And then what happened to the Daimyo?

- Daimyo? Ah! Yes, that's right! He was caught by this technique, at that moment he was nearby and they say that in an attempt to escape from the affected area he fell, and all that was left of him was the upper part of his body starting from the chest... Probably a terrible sight.

- I see, and then who will be the new Daimyo?

- They say that it has almost been decided to choose the eldest son of the previous one. But this is all bullshit, listen to this... The Land of Lightning declared war!

- Eeee! Why didn't you say that right away, they will definitely come here!

The energetic friend asked this question, in response to his words, the calm and the narrator looked at him as if he was an idiot. But then the calm one came to his senses and said.

- I forgot that you were just a child then... In the last world war, everyone didn't care about our settlement so much that even when the Kumogakure ninja came here, they didn't bother anyone, if they were here again, there would be a battle only if the Konoha ninja were here.

At that moment, the narrator made an expression of surprise, and then nodded towards the entrance to the settlement and said.

- Jinxed it.

***

In the capital of the Land of Lightning is one of the largest and most popular publishing companies in the Shinobi world.

Most of the popular and famous books were published here, and the exception is a very few who cannot get the opportunity to visit the Land of Lightning.

For example, the writer Jiraiya, who publishes his books in the publishing house of the Land of Fire.

Inside the building there were many rooms, in one of them sat three people, they had been talking for some time and now it was coming to an end.

A rather pleasant-looking man of about forty, he had no beard or mustache, clean-shaven with short black hair and brown eyes.

His interlocutors were a tall man with blue hair, and a fairly normal-sized girl with dark blue hair and white eyes, which, by the way, for the first time quite surprised the man working as an editor at the publishing house.

- Mr. Ban, the first and second volumes of your book are selling quite well, over the past two years of sales you have risen to fifth place in popularity, so we intend to continue our cooperation.

- That's nice to hear, the third volume is almost ready, and I will bring it to you tomorrow, but there will be no fourth, this is the last one.

The man frowned just a little, no one wants to lose what brings them profit.

- May I ask why?

- The subject of the books has exhausted itself, I don't want to write about anything else, and I have already described the cities and travels through them in full, the possibility that in ten years, when everything changes, it will make sense to make a new volume, but now it doesn't.

- Well, I understand you, and although I am sorry to say goodbye to you in advance, but if you create something else, we will be happy to publish your work.

- Thank you.

Then Ban and the girl stood up and headed for the exit of the building, a couple of turns and a descent to the first floor, the exit door, and here they were on the street, where they walked for literally a minute, after which a question was heard in Ban's direction.

- So... You're leaving?

- Yes, I have a few weeks left at most, and I'll fall into that state again, we've studied this world from A to Z.

The girl understands the reason for what will happen soon, and although more than three years have passed since they met, this time flew by rather quickly, she would like to go on a journey with Ban and Kiliya, but in her home world there is too much that is important to her, and she is needed here.

The same goes for Naruko and Orochimaru, they did not want to go on a journey with the relatives' duet.

- Hinata, don't worry, Orochimaru is a genius, he has already studied space magic quite well for such a short period, perhaps in the future... In forty or fifty years, we will meet again.

***

In the same city of the Land of Lightning, in the same publishing house, but much later, in another room sat the same editor man, his hair was gray but his eyes looked just as hard and bright.

Opposite him were two girls, Hinata who hadn't changed a bit in a decade and a half, and Naruko who decided to come along for the company.

- I must admit, I remember you well, and in so many years you haven't changed a bit, as if you were immortal.

- Oh, what are you saying, Mr. Nakamura, it just seems that way to you because we haven't seen each other for a long time.

- Ahem, ahem... Perhaps... Anything is possible, but let's get to the point, why did you visit our publishing house?

Hinata put her hand on the table and then with a soft *POOF* sound a rather thick folder appeared on the table.

- This is the fourth volume, Mr. Nakamura, I hope you can help me with the publication.