But the two naturally couldn't argue with an old man. After being forced to eat two steamed buns, they finally left the small village.
"Village Grandpa must have been afraid we'd go hungry, that's why he made us eat so many steamed buns."
"He's a very good person."
The village head was the first person they encountered after arriving in the Land of Lightning, which improved their impression of the country somewhat. However, judging the quality of a nation couldn't be done based on just a few people. It was still necessary to go to the capital city to gain a more direct understanding, as it was the gathering place for all nobles and people of status and power. Large numbers of young people also flocked to the capital, eager to be recognized by the Daimyō and achieve great deeds. The attitude of the capital's people would directly reflect the Daimyō's attitude.
Having familiarized themselves the day before, Torifū directly summoned Aokumo and Ryūfū for transportation. The capital was an immense distance away; if they ran, it would probably take two days to arrive. The two cranes carried Torifū and Naori high into the sky, their figures concealed by the clouds, with only faint shadows of the two cranes visible soaring above the clouds.
"We should speed up. After investigating the views of the Land of Lightning's citizens on the war, we still need to meet with the informant in Kumogakure." Naori acknowledged this. Torifū was the captain of this operation, and Naori only needed to follow orders. Gathering intelligence wasn't a particularly difficult task; as long as they didn't do anything too outlandish, they generally wouldn't attract attention. However, going to Kumogakure to meet the informant would be more difficult. If discovered, Kumogakure would have an excuse to directly declare war on Konoha.
Although the capital was still far away, the two found various topics to chat about to pass the time. As they talked, Torifū suddenly remembered something and asked, "By the way, Naori, has the Two-Tails already been controlled by your grandfather or your father?"
Naori didn't know why Torifū asked this, then shook her head: "No. Since the Tailed Beasts were assigned, neither Grandpa nor Father had any intention of controlling them. Instead, they kept them sealed, waiting to hand it over to nii-san once he achieved something."
Naori then continued, "Didn't nii-san recently become a member of Hokage-sama's guard squad and secretary? Father gave the Two-Tails as a gift to nii-san. He should be completely proficient with it by now."
Torifū naturally didn't know these things, and he was even more surprised that Kagami had become the Two-Tails Jinchūriki. How should he comment on this? It seemed the Uchiha clan was very fond of cats. Both the Tailed Beast and the summoning animal were cats; perhaps they were a cat-loving family. However, the Two-Tails's abilities seemed quite fitting for the Uchiha clan.
The two chatted back and forth like this, and soon, they could see the capital city from the sky. It was much larger than Konoha Village and far more prosperous. Now that the ninja village system had been established, the Daimyō had essentially become useless, with no real authority, only guarding their own small territory. Wars were handled by the ninja villages, and diplomacy was also handled by the Raikage. But even so, the Daimyō remained the most esteemed person in the entire country; even the Five Kage had to yield to the Daimyō. Torifū had always found this very perplexing—why did such powerful ninja still have to humble themselves before the Daimyō?
"Let's land."
Aokumo and Ryūfū always obeyed Torifū's commands very precisely. The two cranes landed safely behind a patch of grass, without drawing too much attention.
"Phew, we're finally here." Torifū wiped away non-existent sweat, looking at the distant gate of the capital city. He had been to the capital of the Land of Hot Water, but it definitely wasn't as grand as this one; one could say it was heaven and earth. The size of the Land of Lightning's capital city could almost fit two of the Land of Hot Water's capitals. He wondered what it was like inside.
After dismissing Aokumo and Ryūfū's Summoning Jutsu, the two set off towards the city gate. Torifū and Naori's disguises weren't noticed by the guards, and they weren't subjected to detailed questioning. So far, everything seemed to be going relatively smoothly.
However, upon arriving at the capital city, the first thing to consider was lodging. They couldn't just sleep on the street, could they? Torifū and Naori weren't sure what day it was, but they tried several inns, all of which were completely full. After running around for a long time, they finally found an inn that was relatively clean. After paying for two days, Torifū and Naori entered the room to rest. Upon entering the room, they found two beds, which meant Torifū wouldn't have to sleep on a crystal bed.
"This capital city of the Land of Lightning isn't bad. When we went to the Land of Fire's capital back then, it felt pretty ordinary."
"I wonder if it's been repaired now."
Naori's initial impression of the capital city was quite good. If she had to deduct points, it would only be for the sheer number of people. Torifū lay leisurely on the bed, saying, "Several years have passed; it's definitely gotten better." Naori, being in a new place, was curious about everything, looking here and there, but then she realized that their own home had all these same furnishings and decorations. One could only say that the Uchiha were indeed a prominent clan.
Suddenly, someone's stomach rumbled, and then both of them said in unison, "Why don't we go out and eat on the street?" After speaking, they both smiled. This wasn't the first time; they were becoming more and more in sync.
"Let's go. Let's see what good food the Land of Lightning has to offer."
Naori skipped along with Torifū out of the inn. At that time of day, there were quite a few street food stalls. Naori walked ahead, ordering food, while Torifū followed behind, paying at each stall. After a single trip, they had almost sampled all the delicacies on the entire street. It cost around five hundred ryō in total, which wasn't much.
Naori didn't seem satisfied yet, so she bought a few more things, not much, just about one hundred ryō. Naori didn't want Torifū to pay for these purchases, so she took out her small wallet, ready to pay. But suddenly, a figure flashed by, and when Naori looked down, her wallet had been snatched!
Naori didn't shout but quickly followed. The person didn't seem tall and was very thin, looking like a child from behind. However, they ran incredibly fast. From the reactions of the city's people, this was likely a repeat offender. Thinking this, Torifū also followed, wanting to see if he could catch the thief.
However, since this was their first time in the Land of Lightning's capital, they weren't as familiar with the area as a local. The two were very unfamiliar with the roads, and the person managed to shake them off after just a few turns. Naori was very frustrated about this. Although the money wasn't much, having it snatched from her made her feel deeply embarrassed.
[T/N: A disgrace.]