*Thud, thud, thud...*
The rhythmic sound of fists hitting a wooden post echoed through the clearing. The girl's hands were wrapped in bandages as she struck the post again and again. The hard wood was already dented from the repeated impacts.
*I'm almost at my limit. Any more and it'll affect my body... Just a little longer...*
Sweat covered her face, but she paid it no mind.
Finally, her body swayed, and she slowly sank to the ground, leaning against the unfortunate post, gasping for air.
"Ugh, my strength isn't growing as fast anymore. Looks like relying solely on hard training isn't enough to get stronger quickly..." she muttered to herself. "So this is a plateau. It's as frustrating as writer's block... My progress has basically stalled since last week, no matter how much I increase my training... In that case... it's time to go out! If training can't bring a breakthrough, then I'll find it in battle—on the edge of life and death!"
She looked up at the setting sun, her voice filled with passion. "Alright, next stop! The underground exchange!"
*Grroooowwwwl...*
Er... first, she had to figure out how to fill her stomach.
***
Looking at the public restroom before her, Touye couldn't help but sigh.
Why did underground exchanges always have to be located in toilets? And to make matters worse, a women's restroom, of all things! Were the higher-ups of this place all perverts?
Grumbling aside, she had to go in. The girl ducked her head and walked inside. She went to one of the stalls and knocked a specific pattern: two long, one short, two long, two short, two long, three short. After a moment, a woman dressed as a maid emerged from the locked stall.
The maid looked surprised to see such a young girl, but her training was excellent. She said nothing, merely gestured for Touye to follow her, and led the way deeper inside.
Touye followed without hesitation down a winding corridor.
Along the way, she saw masks hanging on the wall for those who wished to conceal their identity. She casually picked an owl mask and put it on. She didn't think anyone would recognize her, but it was better to be cautious for the future.
After an unknown number of turns, the maid led her into a large hall. The maid stopped at the entrance, made an inviting gesture, and left as soon as Touye stepped inside, not having uttered a single word. Touye was impressed by the professionalism of the exchange's staff.
Stepping inside, she ignored the crowd of rogue ninja and ronin who were loudly talking, drinking, and boasting, and walked straight to the counter in the corner.
As she approached, the hall gradually fell silent. Dozens of eyes, some hostile, some curious, fixed on her.
Reaching the counter, Touye hopped onto a stool (she was too short to be seen otherwise) and said to the clerk, "Excuse me, I'd like to accept a mission here. What are the requirements?"
The clerk was a young man with a professional smile. He stood up, bowed to the small girl, and replied, "Hello, miss. To accept missions at the exchange, you first need to register a codename. If you can present proof of chunin rank or higher, I can process your registration right now."
"And if I don't have proof of chunin rank?" Touye asked.
The young man showed no impatience and explained carefully, "If you do not have proof of chunin rank or higher, you'll need to pay a five hundred ryo processing fee and pass a small test to receive a codename."
Touye shrugged and took a small pouch from her pocket to get the money.
A wave of laughter erupted behind her. A man, around thirty to thirty-five years old, stood up and walked toward the counter. "Well, this is strange. Are kids playing their pranks here now? The underground exchange is really going downhill..."
The man came up behind her, the reek of alcohol washing over her and making her frown. "Hey, brat, whose kid are you? You got guts, coming here to joke around. You don't even look ten. Are you weaned yet? Huh? Hahaha..."
As he spoke, the man reached out with a large, calloused hand to grab her head.
The hall fell silent, the only sound the man's grating laughter.
Touye turned her head in disgust, hopping off the stool to dodge his hand. "Who gave you the right to bark like that, trash..."
The man was stunned for a moment, then flew into a rage. "You little bastard! What did you say!"
Touye just tilted her head and sneered as the man charged at her. She shot out a kick, striking him squarely between the legs. "Exactly what I said... idiot..."
Hit in a critical spot, the man's eyes bulged. He clamped his legs together, his mouth hanging open as he made incoherent gurgling sounds. Drool trickled from the corner of his mouth as he clutched his groin and slowly pitched forward.
The girl reached out, drew the katana from the man's side, and smoothly laid the blade against his neck. She smiled at the young man behind the counter. "Hey, it's okay if I kill him here, right?"
The young man didn't answer immediately. Instead, he took out a scroll from behind the counter and opened it.
"Nohara Daiki, male, thirty-four years old. Wandering samurai, originally from the Land of Wind. Became a wanted man after a failed attempt to assassinate his lord, subsequently fleeing the country. Bounty: five thousand five hundred ryo."
An unstoppable smile spread across Touye's face, the killing intent in her eyes undisguised. "Is that so... Just as I thought, a piece of trash..."
Without hesitation, she drew the katana in a swift arc. The sound of the blade slicing through flesh sent a shiver down the spines of everyone in the hall.
"Nice sword," she remarked, looking at the katana in her hand. The gleaming blade was completely free of blood. She hadn't used much force, but the blade had cut halfway through the man's neck with almost no resistance. The man's skills were mediocre, but his sword was undoubtedly a fine weapon.
The young man behind the counter showed no reaction to the corpse on the floor. He spoke to Touye calmly, "Although you don't have a codename with the exchange, and I'm not supposed to give you the bounty for this mission, with your skill, the little test will be no trouble for you. It's only a matter of time before you qualify, so making a small exception is fine. Please wait a moment."
With that, he took out a small bag from behind the counter and handed it to her. "The total is five thousand five hundred ryo. Please confirm."
Touye smiled at him. "Take out the five hundred ryo for the fee. The remaining five thousand is for you, as thanks for the detailed explanation."
The young man didn't refuse, pocketing the money. "Thank you very much. Now, would you like to process your registration?"
"Yes," Touye nodded.
The young man handed her a form.
She filled in some of the details selectively. When she reached the codename field, she thought for a moment and wrote "Dancer in the Snow." Finally, she bit her thumb and pressed her bloody fingerprint at the bottom to complete the process. She took the scroll the young man handed her, hopped unsteadily off the stool, and walked toward the exit. The hall remained deathly silent, everyone watching her leave before letting out a collective sigh of relief.
The young man, still wearing his professional smile, watched her go. He then took out another scroll and wrote a line on it.
"Dancer in the Snow. Real name unknown, origin unknown, no current warrant, no current bounty. Strength assessment: Chunin level. Recommended that those below chunin level avoid conflict."