And the road of flowers is so long

Another working morning began as usual and did not portend anything out of the ordinary. Akina opened the library door, thinking that as always, it was the first one to arrive, and was immediately pinned against the door by a disgruntled Yuki. "Admit it!" she said, looking sternly at her friend. "In what way?" Akina feverishly went over the events of yesterday in her mind and absolutely did not understand what she could have done so illegal. "You were seen last night in the park with Haku," Yuki said with the air of an interrogator exposing a criminal. "And..." drawled Akina, clearly not understanding what was wrong with that. "Are you seeing him?" Yuki asked, looking intently into her eyes, as if this way she would be able to tell a lie. "No," Akina said, not without surprise. "But you were together last night," Yuki persisted. "They were," Thibault said. "Isn't this a date?" Maury continued in the same tone. "No. He just asked me out for a walk. I had no reason to refuse my friend, " Akina explained. "A friend?" TO A FRIEND!!! In the evening, they only go on romantic dates under the moon, and with a friend you can also go for a walk in the afternoon, if you go to the store on the way, " Yuki explained the significant difference, in her opinion. Akina considered this strange pattern, but then simply shrugged. "Did he suggest anything, hint at anything?" Yuki suggested, thinking that the girl just didn't pay attention to something. "No," Akina said. "Tried to hug you, kiss you, molest you?" my friend persisted. "Nothing like that," Akina said firmly, and walked away from her and into the back of the reading room. "And what did you do?" Yuki wondered. "We talked about everything, read the newspaper," Akina said. Yuki stared at her like she was an idiot, dumbfounded. "You were alone with a guy like that, and you...all that shit... " she couldn't even finish the sentence out of indignation. Akina just grinned and went back to her department. She ran her eyes down the rows of thin books and picked up one of them. I opened it and began to read:(Agnia Barto-A lesson in the garden). Soon, the other female employees arrived at the library and, after a short chat, dispersed to their respective departments. After a while, the bell hanging in front of the door rang. This meant that a visitor had arrived. To Yuuki's question, "How can she help him?" He replied: "I need Akina Thibo." Yuki rang the appropriate bell, and Akina appeared in the reading room, exiting her department. Standing in front of her was Kotetsu, the Hokage's gatekeeper and assistant. "Five wants you," he said seriously, as if the girl had done something wrong. He started to walk out of the library, and his silent command to follow him was out of the question. Akina walked away to the anxious stares of her friends. The girl followed the man through the village and was lost in guesses. Why would Tsunade suddenly need such a small fry like her? They soon reached the Hokage's residence and went up to the second floor to her office. "Since Nabu is unable to serve as a secretary right now, he recommended you for the position," Tsunade said. Akina sighed with relief. "I need to write a letter to a feudal lord who invited me to the harvest festival. You have to say no very politely. Can you handle it?" - the Fifth voiced her task. "I'll try, Lady Hokage," Akina replied with a slight bow. Shizune escorted her to a side room. "You're sure she's good for this," Shizune said incredulously. "Just because she can't use kunai doesn't mean she can't write," Tsunade replied. The secretary's room was very small but bright. A desk with writing materials, a chair, and a hanging cabinet that contained paper and envelopes. After about an hour, Akina brought out the finished letter and gave it to Tsunade. At that moment, team 7 was in the office, apparently receiving another task. The fifth read the letter and was satisfied. "It's perfectly written, and the handwriting is beautiful. It's not for nothing that Nabu recommended you." "If you need anything else, please let me know, Lady Hokage," Akina said with a slight bow. "Since when did Granny Tsunade become a mistress," Naruto chuckled. And immediately became an addition to the wallpaper in the office of the Fifth. Akina froze in fright, having seen firsthand that it was better not to anger the Fifth. "You ill-mannered brat!" Tsunade said, burning with righteous anger. Her brown eyes were flashing. "Idiot," Sai and Sakura both sighed in unison. "Well?" Ryoko asked eagerly when Akina finally returned to the library. "I'm Tsunade's new secretary," Akina said. The girls threw their arms around her, cheering. "We should definitely celebrate," Asemi suggested. Everyone agreed with her. After the working day was over, the girls went to the nearest cafe and sat down at an empty table. We placed an order. "You're so lucky," Marie said with undisguised envy. "It's a big responsibility," Akina said, hoping to cool their enthusiasm. After a while, the Uchiha brothers, Haru and Haku, entered the cafe and sat down at an empty table not far from them. Akina was slightly surprised to see them in the same group, but she didn't show it. She looked around at her friends: languid sighs, blurred looks of admiration, enthusiastic whispers: "What beautiful guys. What a blessing to see them so close. What do I look like? Maybe one of them will look at me." "I'm one of those idiots in love," Akina thought, clutching her head. She was about to say that she had dined with them last night, but she bit her tongue just in time. Two days later, she was summoned again by Tsunade. When she entered the office, she saw Uchiha Itachi and Hyuga Neji standing there. "They're getting their assignment," Thibo guessed. "There's a mission for you," Five said. Akina froze, thunderstruck. "For me?, " she managed to say faintly, feeling herself start to shake a little. "Don't worry, nothing supernatural. That feudal lord to whom you wrote is simply delighted with you as a secretary, and asks that you conduct his correspondence of a sensitive nature, " Tsunade explained. "But doesn't the feudal lord have his own secretary?" Akina wanted to ask her, but the question hung in the air, because she could not afford to argue with the head of the village. "The mission is paid according to the S - rank mission," Tsunade said, as if answering her silent question, cutting off any further discussion on the subject. "Neji and Itachi will go with you. Uchiha, the group leader. You will leave as soon as Akina is ready, " Five said in a commanding tone. Akina barely held back a heavy sigh and left the Hokage's office. But after taking a few steps, she heard Tsunade's voice: "You have understood your tasks. Try to find out at least what this cursed artifact looks like during this mission." Fumi didn't feel very good about her daughter leaving the village, but she didn't talk about it, only occasionally sighing sadly as she packed her things for the journey. Akina took one last look at herself in the mirror in her room and hid under her clothes the pendant, an emerald drop entwined with grape leaves, which she had worn for as long as she could remember, and which, according to her mother, she should have cherished like the apple of her eye. "This is probably the first time in the village's history that a mission isn't performed by a shinobi, "she thought with a chuckle. "Everything will be fine," Akina promised, hugging her mother good-bye as Itachi waited for her at the gate. Neji was waiting for them at the village gate. They rode almost half the way with a merchant train bound for the nearest town. Then they had to go through the forest, shortening the path. They didn't talk at all on the way. The guys didn't get along with each other. Neji believed that a renegade and traitor had no place in the village. Meanwhile, an enraged Sasuke entered Tsunade's office. Naruto came after him, trying to stop him. "Why was our team disbanded? Why was this necessary?" Sasuke was indignant. "First of all, no one disbanded your team. Itachi is just on a special mission. Second: there's a special mission for you, too...and for you, Naruto. You will stay at Thibault's house for a few days. Haku will be there too." "What a lousy assignment for a genius ninja like me," Naruto said, sounding annoyed and a little haughty. "You can just listen to the rest of it first!!!" Tsunade protested, raising her voice. — We have information that the Thibo family is being targeted. The target will most likely be Fumiko and Yasuharu. You must not allow them to be captured, much less killed. That's why I sent Itachi and Akina out of the village so that the enemy would have to disperse their forces. It's a good thing the mission turned up, " said Five. Sasuke sighed, and they left the Hokage's office. "Why wasn't their security assigned to the Anbu?" wondered Naruto aloud. "You idiot. If an Anbu prowled around their house, it would naturally be noticed, and most likely they wouldn't attack. In that case, we'll never know who it was, " Sasuke explained. "And why didn't Grandma send you and Itachi to guard Akina?" Naruto continued. Sasuke thought about it. "So as not to arouse suspicion. Haku and I live on the same block as them, so our visit won't alert the attackers. And Naruto generally goes where he wants, " he mused as he walked towards his neighborhood, leaving Naruto's question unanswered. They walked slowly through the forest. As the day slowly wore on, it was impossible to avoid spending the night in the woods. Akina looked around in awe. In the six months she'd spent in the country, she'd clearly lost the habit of traveling. "Come to me," she distinctly heard a melodious female voice that she didn't recognize. The girl froze in place and listened. Birds chirped, insects buzzed, and trees rustled. Nothing else. I imagined it, she decided. "Are you tired?" Neji asked, noticing her hesitation. "No," Akina said, quickly catching up with them. "This method of movement probably seems like a turtle to them," the girl thought. Itachi chose a small clearing to sleep in. They decided not to build a fire. Akina sat down next to a nearby tree and took out a thin book from her bag, which she hadn't finished reading as she continued reading: (Rabindranath Tagore — I Love My Sandy Beach). Uneasy thoughts lingered in her mind all this time: "It's strange why Tsunade chose them as her guides. It's hard to imagine people who don't get along so well with each other. And S-rank Jounins guarding a regular clerk. It's all very strange." "Come to me," she heard the beautiful female voice say again, and her whole body shivered. Only the hallucinations weren't enough, she thought. Neji was getting ready for bed. Itachi was supposed to be on the clock for the first half of the night. And all was quiet and peaceful until a strange man in a shinobi suit, mask and kunai appeared right in front of them. "Surrender!" Resistance is useless. You are surrounded! " he said menacingly. The boys slowly got up from their seats. Neji took a quick look around. The veins in his temples were visibly straining as byakugan was activated. The air smelled of roast meat. "If you hand over the artifact you're carrying, no one will get hurt," continued the would-be robber, who was joined by several others, apparently for greater intimidation. Akina instinctively touched the pendant. "Really, they need it. Although I don't think they'd send such fools for a Shinju Seed, if that's what it is. Okay, cool times call for cool decisions, she thought as she got up from her seat and walked over to her bodyguards. "And what artifact do you need?" Akina asked, coming close to the bandit who was speaking while feeling the angry stares of her guards on her. "Like you don't know." A scroll with a secret technique. And don't try to deceive me, " the robber said seriously. "No one's going to. And you think we're walking around carrying a valuable artifact. Besides, I'm not a shinobi at all. You must have been following us, which is why you came to these conclusions, " the girl said calmly. A look of bewilderment crossed the Shinobi's face. Thibo's attentive gaze did not miss this. "They weren't following us. We probably just fit the description of another group, " Akina guessed. The bandit examined her carefully. She was wearing a long-sleeved orange tunic and black breeches. She wasn't wearing any special equipment or weapons. "So...we... made a mistake," Berk finally realized. Even through the mask, you could see his face flush with embarrassment. "I guess so," the girl shrugged. "Sorry to bother you," the losers said, bowed, and disappeared. The idiots didn't even bother to search us to check the truth of what I said, Thibo chuckled to herself. Akina, with a sense of accomplishment, intended to return to the tree she was sitting under and finish reading her book before it was completely dark, but was rudely stopped by an enraged Itachi, who grabbed her arm. "And what was that, let me ask you," he said sourly. Her gaze met his ruby gaze. For the first time in her life, Akina saw an activated sharingan. "They could have taken you hostage or killed you," Neji said. What a consensus, she thought. "But they didn't kill me," the girl said. "It was reckless, stupid, and dangerous," Itachi continued in the same tone. "Yes, for them. They would have been maimed for nothing, or even killed. I'm not going to leave a mountain of corpses behind me!" She said firmly, trying to free herself from his grip, but he didn't seem to notice. "Don't do that again," the Uchiha said, calming down a little and finally letting her go. "I obey and obey. Itachi-san, " she replied with a frown, moving away from him. "They were sent to protect me, and I have to protect them from them," she thought wryly. "Not timid. But this is clearly not a good thing, " Itachi thought, casting her anxious glances. "It looks like the mission won't be as easy as it looks at first glance. We need to keep an eye on her," Neji decided to himself. After a meal of dry rations, Neji and Akina went to bed. Itachi remained sitting under the tree where the girl had been earlier. Akina quickly fell into an uneasy sleep. "Come to me," she heard that voice again in her sleep, but it was more insistent. Akina jumped up as if scalded, looking around. "It's really a genjutsu," she thought, looking around. The landscape hasn't changed. She looked at Neji, who was not far away from her. He was sleeping peacefully, but his breathing was barely audible. She got up from her seat and walked over to him, touching his shoulder, calling his name, then shaking him. The guy didn't react. Akina rushed towards Itachi. He, too, was asleep, leaning against a tree, and also did not react to external stimuli. "Poison? But we all ate the same thing. Or the poison was put on them to neutralize them. I'm basically defenseless. But how could they have missed it? They're trained to recognize poisons, she thought feverishly. Fear gradually gripped her entire body. Behind every bush there was an enemy ready to cut her throat. "Child, come to me," the voice called again. "Shut up!!! Akina shouted, covering her ears with her hands. As if that would drown him out. "Come on!" the voice kept saying. Akina ran away from the clearing. She found herself on a narrow path that kept twisting in different directions. My heart was pounding, and fear was driving me forward. Losing track of time, she didn't know how long she had been running through the forest. Then, exhausted, she tripped over a tree root and fell into the stream. Standing up, she looked around in surprise. The stream was shallow. Through the clear water, river pebbles and clear sand could be seen. But that wasn't what struck her most. Large lotuses grew along the banks of the stream, exuding a pleasant fragrance, and their petals gave off a faint glow. The smell calmed her down a little. Something told her that she should follow the stream, which she did. Akina walked slowly and finally came to a small lake with a stream flowing into it. Sunlight suddenly hit my eyes. The surface of the lake was covered with the same lotuses. And on the bank, with her feet in the clear water, sat a young, very beautiful woman, a blonde with long, slightly curly hair, sprinkled with small pink petals and transparent blue eyes. Akina had never seen such beautiful women. She smiled when she saw her, got up and walked towards her, her fingertips barely touching the flower petals. Her semi-transparent robe didn't hide her gorgeous figure. Akina stared at her in fascination, once again convinced that she was the victim of some forbidden technique. "You finally came. I missed you so much. I was so afraid you wouldn't hear me, my child, " she said, hugging her. The girl froze, not quite believing what was happening. "Who are you?" Akina finally asked. "Don't you recognize me?" We used to see a lot of each other before, and you really liked it here, " the mysterious woman said, slightly offended. Akina was taken aback. It was such a beautiful place and one she would hardly have forgotten. "Shinju," she thought for some reason, remembering an old legend. But without counting on a positive response at all. The woman smiled affectionately and nodded. Akina looked at her in shock. "But ... why did you call me?" Is the artifact in danger?" Thibo asked, slowly realizing that the dream was too realistic. "An artifact?" - the goddess was surprised, pretending that she did not know what she was talking about. "Shinju seed," the girl took the pendant from her neck and handed it to her, sure that this was the one she was talking about. The forest was filled with the clear, lilting laughter of the goddess. "Oh, my flower," she smiled, " so you think this thing is my seed?" "Yes," Akina said honestly, not knowing what she could do to make the beauty laugh. Shinju came close to her and touched her forehead with her lips. — You've probably noticed how easy it is for you to grow all sorts of plants. When you leave, even the most hopeless ones come to life. Ever wonder why? the goddess was saying. "I just like it," Akina said. "A thirst for knowledge. You like to read and learn new things, don't you?" Shinju continued. "I like it too. With books, I travel all over the world, even to the most incredible worlds, " the girl replied. "And you'd like to have the power." It is said that the seed can grant any wish. What would you like? The woman asked again. Akina thought about it. Power. The goddess's words touched a painful subject for her. Of course, I didn't want to be helpless and rely on my brother forever. I wanted to protect and help myself. "To make everyone happy in their own way," she said. The goddess looked into her eyes and smiled sweetly. "What's the point of all this talk," Akina said, slightly offended. "Because my seed isn't an artifact, a scroll, or a grimoire. It's you, my treasure, " Shinju replied, gently running her fingertips over her face. "You're lying! I'm just an ordinary person. I don't have any abilities, " the girl recoiled from her. "A goddess can't lie," Shinju said with a slight chill in her voice, as if the girl had insulted her. "Then what is it?" What have I kept all this time? she pointed at the pendant again. "It's Shinju's tear. A gateway to my world, to the bright side of the moon. If you want to come to me, just touch the stone and say in your mind: "Goddess, open the path of flowers for me." And you'll be close to the stream. And you don't have to keep it. He is inextricably linked to you. It can neither be lost nor stolen. A tear will always appear nearby. And only with your help can an outsider get in here, " the goddess explained. Akina paused thoughtfully. My thoughts spun like a merry-go-round in my head. The knowledge that all these misfortunes were due to her weighed heavily on her. "I know you're scared and confused. You have an incredible power hidden in you, but it's still dormant. Someday she'll wake up, and only you can decide what to do with her. Now close your eyes. It's already morning, " Shinju smiled. The girl obediently obeyed the goddess ' request. "Akina, Akina, wake up!" She heard Neji's voice in her sleep and felt him shaking her shoulder. Opening her eyes, she looked around. Still the same clearing. Neji moved away from her to roll up the canvas he'd been sleeping on. So did Itachi. "A dream. It was just a dream after all, " she realized with a sigh of relief. After a short breakfast, they set off. The thought of the events in her dream haunted her, making her pause thoughtfully. "If all this had happened in reality. How would I use my divine power?" She wondered, finding herself wondering if she knew the answer to that question. All the legends that my mother told me, like bedtime stories, persistently said that her ancestors had some mystical powers that could awaken with the power of thought. And none of the legends said exactly what powers the Shinju seed possessed. "More questions than answers," she thought with a sigh. Neji spent the entire trip thinking about how to get the girl to talk, since he wasn't a talkative person himself. Naruto or Lee would be useful here. After yesterday's incident and the fight with Itachi, she seemed to have completely withdrawn into herself and didn't want to interact with any of them. Although her reckless act had unsettled both him and Itachi a little. Recalling what she did, the guy noted that the girl was not at all afraid of those people, which, of course, spoke in her favor. "The crossing must have tired you out," he said as he drew level with her. "Previously, long marches were not uncommon for me. So don't worry about that. Neji-san, " Akina replied coldly. And he realized that he wasn't going to get anywhere right now. Neji continued on in silence. Neither he nor Itachi tried to start a conversation with her again, so as not to make things worse.