The next dayTsukinoko arrived on time at the rendezvous with her new brigade, armband in hand. An adjutant and two boys about her age were chatting in the middle of the training field.

  One had tousled black hair and three bandages on his chin, dressed in a blue sleeveless tunic and white scarf, the other had a navy blue cap with Hanamaru's nameplate on it, his half-long brown hair sticking out, and a light gray sweater with his top covering the tip of his chin

  Apprehension and shyness gripped her, and she took refuge behind a tree, remembering the day before. The adjutant caught sight of Tsukinoko and pointed to her with his chin as he spoke to his pupils. There was no shortage of mockery, and Tsukinoko ended up cowering in the bushes

  The laughter stopped as adjutant suddenly crouched down right in front of her. He had a high ponytail holding his black hair, a scar on the left side of his face, black eyes and a goatee, earrings in his ears. Dressed in an ill-fitting animal-skin sleeveless vest worn over the military jacket and a mesh t-shirt

  He tries to reassure her by handing her a brand-new white armband, and she gives a small smile before tying it around her head.

  - The Chief told me to give you this," he says, before returning to the others. Right, we'll each introduce ourselves and then you can show me your progress. Start," he says to the one with the bandages. Tell us what you like, what you don't like, and what technique you've mastered.

  - Yo, I'm Hagane Takeshi. I love resting, I don't like working, and my specialty is weapons," he says, brandishing his giant kunai with pride.

  - I'm Kamizuki Mikio. I love white radish salad and eggs! And my specialty is the Katana and water handling," he chuckles, checking on his friend.

  They turned to Tsukinoko to await her presentation, who began to stammer a few inaudible words while twisting her fingers in shyness.

  - You've seen how she blushes," Mikio laughs, so sweet.

  - Shut up," sighs the adjutant. Well?" he asks Tsukinoko.

  - I'm Tsukinoko," she murmured. I like drawing, I don't like war and... I don't like war and my specialty is... Er...

  - What's that?" impatiently asks Takeshi from under his nose.

  - Two seconds I fucking choose!" she snaps, pushing him away. It's the guns too!

  - Well," cuts in the adjutant. I'm Betto Shikaru, head of the Betto clan. I like to look after my deer and gamble with dice, and I don't like fools, so behave yourselves. You're my first brigade of young soldiers since the Great War, and I hope my last. The sooner I can turn you into soldiers, the sooner I can get back to my job in peace," he boasts. We've been short-staffed since the G?me attack, so I'm obliged to be there.

  An Adjutant with a calm, reasoned mind, purely strategic, carefully chosen by the Chief.

  - It looks good... Mikio grimaces.

  - What motivation," says Takeshi in a low voice. He wants to get rid of us just to be safe!

  - Is it true? Tsukinoko shouts when she hears him. Why do you want to get rid of us, Master?

  - Shut up, are you stupid or what?! they panic.

  - Huh?!" she snaps. You're the fools!

  Shikaru gives them a pat on the head and the hollow of their heads resonates as they clash, cutting short their quarrel.

  - As I was saying, my specialty is handling shadows. Anyway, today you're going to show me what you can do.

  Without further ado, the boys set about bragging about their performance to Shikaru, while Tsukinoko remained in the background. Both employed a combined tactic with their weapons, which ended in failure. They were given a few tips, and then it was Tsukinoko's turn. Intimidated by the two boys who seemed so at ease, she didn't dare take the plunge.

  - You have the right to use your techniques with me.

  - Enormous! Takeshi calls out as she draws her sabers, whistling through the air.

  Flattered, her big, boastful smile intimidated her comrade to the point of making him look away, his cheeks red with embarrassment. Tsukinoko tests Shikaru a little, then opts for another tactic.

  She puts away her sabers, signs random incantations pretending to be slow, and as he emerges behind her as expected, her aura radiates, charged with electricity. Shikaru abruptly disengages as he understands her ruse, after taking a shot of juice in his finger.

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  Swords in hand again, Tsukinoko took off but suddenly found herself unable to move any further. Shikaru's shadow on the ground extended to her own, linked in front of him as he signed the rat's incantation

  With a smirk and a mocking look, Tsukinoko had been taunting him ever since she'd figured out his technique. Shikaru caught on and provoked her, but she chuckled wryly. Before he could retaliate, her aura expanded into two arms that swooped down on him, stopping dead in front of his eyes.

  - If you stop your dodging technique, I'll jump in with my sabers, and if you continue your technique, I'll electrocute you with my aura! Huh? I've won!" she shouts hilariously, still tied up.

  - But yes... Mikio was astonished. It's true that chakra doesn't cast shadows!

  Shikaru sneers and straightens up. Miming raising her arms behind her head, Tsukinoko then stows her swords in her grip.

  - Not quite, because when I dodge your attack you still won't be able to move, as I control your movements as you can see. But you have good intuitions," he continues.

  The new brigade continued throughout the morning, the water-loving pair inseparable, Tsukinoko on her side. Just before noon, to make it official, a portrait of the brigade was taken for inclusion in the village register

  Takeshi had taken the opportunity to give Tsukinoko some bunny ears, who had then left without greeting them, vexed, after Shikaru had given them free rein, having used an important matter as an excuse to go and rest.

  As the afternoon wore on, Tsukinoko had called Yukihyō to the foot of the camphor tree to leave outside the village, out of sight. A few branches from the tree had been enough for her to sharpen a hunting bow the evening before

  By sunset, the feline had returned to the village with several bloody trophies in his mouth. The Chief was waiting for them at the foot of the tree, his face tight. Yukihyō stopped in front of him, confronting him with her gaze, while Tsukinoko jumped shamefacedly to the ground.

  - Sorry Jījī... But look!" she continues, sensing the tension between him and her friend. We caught all this," she giggles, holding up some poor pheasants in front of him.

  - You promise not to leave the village again, Tsukinoko. I've already told you, I hope I won't have to remind you a third time. I'm already forced to keep an eye on you at all times.

  - Yeah yeah," she mumbles, pouting. Then you can show me how to cook them tonight!

  She dashes home over the rooftops with her game in one hand and her bow in the other. The Chief took a long drag on his pipe, watching her dark silhouette evolve over the rooftops, under the orange sky, Yukihyō sitting next to him.

  - Does she confide in you and your cousins from time to time? I hope she manages to make friends now that she's a young soldier. Because even if she doesn't say anything to me, I can feel that she's suffering from loneliness.

  Yukihyō sighed heavily. His gaze had lost its clarity despite the fire of the sky reflected in it. Tsukinoko had no one but her parents and the panthers.

  - I'm optimistic she'll pull through, she cares about this village. Still, do I need to worry?

  - What are you trying to say? Haven't you already imposed enough restrictions?

  - I saw in her a potential and an ability that you rarely see. But on the other hand, she gives the impression of being able to sweep an entire world aside on a whim. I don't know how to explain it. I find myself having to watch her and restrain her, mainly to protect her from others and from herself.

  Yukihyō watched Hanamaru, searching for his words, before sketching a tender but discreet smile from the corner of his blackish lips.

  - There's no need to worry, Chief. Ever since we met, when she was barely six, Tsukinoko has always had a single nindo , passed on by her parents. War and conflict of all kinds are unforgivable monstrosities . However, to protect those we love, to protect our family and friends, nothing is forbidden, and everything will be done to keep them safe. Hanamaru is her family now. Tsukinoko has all these qualities because she has a huge heart, impossible to corrupt or discourage.

  The last ray of sunlight swept the Chief's dreams away behind the forest. The panther had disappeared. With serene steps, he slowly descended the steps of the narrow staircase carved against the cliff, recalling the steps of his favorite recipe for stuffed pheasant.

  The Shikaru brigade's first day at work over, Tsukinoko made a detour to the Residence before returning home. Staring blankly at the Chief's desk, his gaze fixed on the floor, he was concerned by her discomfited expression.

  The young soldiers' first missions were of a simple level, to enable them to get to know each other and discover how a mission works in a fun way.

  - I don't care, I don't want to do any more at all.

  - Why is that?

  - Who cares? I said I don't want to do it anymore! The others are boring, stupid, I don't want to be in their shitty brigade! she shouts.

  - Explain, my little beast.

  The calmness of his voice resonates with Tsukinoko, who sighs as she slumps onto the high desk, her head crushed on her arms.

  - In fact they laughed at me... All day long. Actually, I don't care, I just want to go home anyway. Forget about your contract," she says suddenly, turning on her heels. I'm sick of this place.

  Before she steps through the door, the smoke from the Chef's tobacco seems to surround her, and he calls out firmly.

  - If I fucking leave!" she shouts again. I want to go home and see my parents again! I'm sure they're alive, they didn't abandon me! she admits. Even if they have wrinkles like you do now! I'm going to find them and I'll-

  - You no longer have a home. Your house is destroyed, so where will you go?

  Tsukinoko was speechless as she glared at him, before unfastening her armband and angrily throwing it at the feet of the desk. The Chief doubted Yukihyō's words for a moment, before realizing that his young disciple's objectives were not those he had entrusted to her

  At her wits' end, she couldn't hold back any longer and tears rolled down her cheeks, her eyes black. With a wave of his hand, he called her to him and she capitulated, before collapsing onto his lap

  Relieved by his comforting words, but with a heavy heart, she said nothing and simply buried her grief in the fibers of her kimono. She couldn't leave, having nowhere else to go.

  As best they could, they went on missions and training days together, with the occasional quarrel, but in the end they put up with each other. As time went by, Tsukinoko gained in self-confidence and became more and more assiduous.

  When she wasn't with her brigade, she'd go and see the Chief, bothering him about his work and telling him about her missions. He'd pretend to chase her away, but she'd sit cross-legged at his feet, chattering away. A month after their first mission, the brigade found itself with six D-rank missions, two C-rank missions and one B-rank mission completed, thanks to Tsukinoko's skills.

  Way of the ninja, code of conduct