The Scroll Merchant

The early morning rain was relentless, a drumming rhythm against the shop's roof, yet Hikari barely noticed it.

She lay on her futon, staring at the dimly lit ceiling, the scene from last night replaying in an endless loop in her mind. Yumiko's broken sobs, the quiet horror of her past, the chilling precision of Hanzo's threat—it all converged into a suffocating weight.

Her usual cold pragmatism, her ability to detach and calculate, felt distant, obscured by a visceral surge of anger and a protectiveness she hadn't known she possessed.

Family.

The word echoed in her mind, a foreign concept from her previous life, where bonds were transactional, fleeting. But Yumiko…

Yumiko was different.

She was a silent, steadfast anchor in this strange new existence. To see her so utterly broken, reduced to tears by the same insidious forces Hikari was attempting to manipulate, ignited something fierce within her. It wasn't just about survival anymore. It was about them. About protecting this small, fragile corner of her life from the encroaching shadows of power.

She rose quietly, careful not to disturb Yumiko, who had finally cried herself to sleep. The shop was still, the air heavy with lingering sorrow. Hikari moved to her workbench, the familiar scent of ink and paper a small comfort. Her hands, usually precise, trembled slightly as she picked up a brush.

The intricate lines of fuinjutsu felt less like a tool of commerce and more like a weapon in a war she hadn't explicitly chosen, but had undeniably been dragged into. Hanzo had made his intentions clear: her "protection" was a gilded cage, and anyone she cared for was a hostage.

Nagato and his ideals offered another kind of leash, equally absolute. She was caught between two titans, but now, with a new, burning resolve, she vowed that she would not be merely a pawn.

---

The morning light filtered weakly through the shop window, painting the still, silent space in shades of somber grey. Yumiko was up, moving quietly about her chores, the familiar rhythm a fragile attempt at normalcy. But the heavy quiet between them, the lingering traces of tears on Yumiko's face, were a constant reminder of the previous night's raw confession.

Hikari watched her, a fierce, protective resolve hardening in her chest. Hanzo's threat hadn't just been a message; it had been a violation, leveraging Yumiko's deepest pain. Never again. Not while Hikari drew breath.

Her mind, usually a calculating machine of commerce and fuinjutsu theory, now spun with a singular purpose: protection.

Standard barriers wouldn't be enough.

Hanzo's shinobi were skilled, capable of dismantling most conventional seals. She needed something deeper, something tied to the very essence of her lineage, something that resonated with the primal bond she now felt for Yumiko.

She remembered fragmented images from the Mito scrolls, hints of ancestral techniques, powerful Uzumaki barriers that responded to blood, to family. It was a risky path, demanding a deeper immersion into her own chakra and heritage than she'd ever attempted, but the alternative – Yumiko's fear – was unacceptable.

For the next few days, Hikari closeted herself in the deepest part of her warehouse, pushing her fuinjutsu skills to their absolute limits.

She wasn't just drawing seals; she was attempting to weave a complex tapestry of chakra, using her own blood as a conduit, a binding agent for the array. It was painful. Each drop she offered from a pricked finger, each time she pressed her palm to the paper, a sharp, echoing connection vibrated through her.

The seals she designed were not just for deterrence; they were meant to be an extension of her will, a physical manifestation of her promise to Yumiko.

By the fourth night, exhausted but resolute, she had it. A series of interconnected, barely visible seals that, once activated with her blood, would form an impermeable, lineage-sensitive square barrier around the entire shop and adjacent living quarters. Only those with Uzumaki blood, or those explicitly recognized by Hikari's imprinted chakra, could pass through unhindered.

Anyone else would hit an invisible, unyielding wall, unable to breach the sanctity of her home. It wouldn't stop every threat, but it would certainly prevent shadowy figures from walking right in and whispering terror into Yumiko's ear ever again. The following dawn, before the village stirred, she painstakingly laid the seals around the perimeter of the property, a grim, silent ritual of defiance.

With Yumiko's physical safety addressed, Hikari's focus shifted to the looming specter of war. The cryptic message about the "Iron Triangle" weakening had gnawed at her. War meant resource scarcity, skyrocketing prices, and untold suffering for the common people – the very people she was now inadvertently supporting. It also meant Hanzo would likely demand even more from her. She needed to prepare.

---

For the entire following month, Hikari launched into a frenzied campaign of procurement. Leveraging her growing wealth and network, she began buying up goods on an unprecedented scale. Not just food and medicine, but raw materials, tools, fabrics, even a large quantity of high-quality chakra paper and ink for her own fuinjutsu needs.

She spread her purchases across different vendors and districts, using her assistants, Haru and Kin, to make smaller, less conspicuous buys, ensuring no single transaction raised too many eyebrows among Hanzo's observers.

The sheer volume of goods would have overwhelmed any ordinary storage space, but Hikari's fuinjutsu provided the perfect solution.

Using her perfected storage seals, she spent hours meticulously sealing crate after crate of supplies into compact, easy-to-carry storage scrolls. Rice, dried meats, medical herbs, bolts of cloth, even spare parts for tools – all vanished into the intricate, spatial folds of her specialized paper.

Her warehouse, despite the massive influx, remained surprisingly spacious, a testament to the efficiency of her sealing arts. This was not just business; it was strategic hoarding, a silent, pragmatic preparation for the storm she felt brewing.

She was building a personal reserve, a buffer against the chaos she knew was coming, ensuring her business could weather the worst, and more importantly, that Yumiko would want for nothing.

---

Despite the relentless workload, the warning from the paper crane lingered in Hikari's mind. The Akatsuki. They needed to know, or rather, to be prepared. Hanzo's plans, or the breakdown of his alliances, directly impacted their goals for peace.

She needed to meet them, to share the fragmented information she had, and to subtly probe their own intentions for the future.

She sent a carefully crafted message via paper crane, addressed to Konan. It was succinct: a request for a private meeting, at Hikari's residence, to discuss "matters of mutual concern regarding the changing political climate." She emphasized the need for discretion and preparedness, a veiled hint at the information she held.

The response arrived swiftly, another elegant origami bird – "Tonight. After the second bell."

---

That evening, a nervous excitement mixed with a steely resolve settled over Hikari. She had prepared a small, private room in the back of the shop, well within the perimeter of her new blood barrier. Yumiko, sensing the importance, retired early, giving them privacy.

Shortly after the designated time, a soft tap came at the shop door. Hikari opened it to see Konan, her blue paper flowers vibrant against the gloomy evening, and Yahiko, his usual earnest expression tinged with anticipation.

"Come in," Hikari said, stepping aside. As they crossed the threshold, she briefly laid her hand on the door frame, sending a minute pulse of chakra through the wood. The blood barrier, now active, shimmered imperceptibly, its ancient Uzumaki magic recognizing Konan and Yahiko as 'guests' through Hikari's chakra imprint.

There was no resistance, no visible effect, but Hikari felt the satisfying confirmation of her seal's function.

"Thank you for meeting on such short notice," Yahiko said, looking around the well-maintained interior of the shop with a hint of surprise.

"The matters are urgent," Hikari replied, leading them towards the back room. "And I prefer to discuss sensitive information on my own turf."

Just as they were about to enter the inner room, a third, familiar shadow detached itself from the dimness of the main shop floor. Nagato. He hadn't announced his presence, simply been there, waiting, as was his way.

"Nagato," Konan murmured, a slight note of surprise in her voice.

Hikari paused at the entrance to the inner room. She had anticipated Konan and Yahiko. She had prepared her barrier to allow them entry. But Nagato… she hadn't explicitly factored him into the mental 'whitelist' for her blood barrier.

She took a breath, ready to extend her hand to the doorframe again, to consciously add him to the authorized list, to allow his passage.

But Nagato didn't wait. He simply walked forward, his presence as silent and unstoppable as the Rain itself. He passed through the invisible square of Hikari's freshly laid blood barrier, into the protected space, without the slightest hesitation.

No shimmer, no ripple, no resistance.

It was as if the barrier simply wasn't there for him.

Hikari's eyes widened, her jaw almost imperceptibly dropping. The elaborate, lineage-based fuinjutsu she had painstakingly crafted, the barrier meant to repel all but her chosen few and those of her direct bloodline… he had walked through it like an open door.

This wasn't a trick of chakra or a clever evasion. This was raw, fundamental compatibility with the very core of her Uzumaki sealing art.

She stared at Nagato, who now stood calmly beside Konan and Yahiko, his Rinnegan eyes unblinking, their depth unsettling.

A confirmation, long theorized in whispers and obscure shinobi texts, slammed into her with the force of a physical blow. The Uzumaki clan. Their signature red hair, their exceptional life force, their unparalleled mastery of seals, and their distinctive ocular power, the Rinnegan, often dismissed as a random mutation. But if Nagato, with the Rinnegan, could bypass her Uzumaki blood barrier…

"Well," Hikari said, a small, genuine smile touching her lips, a rare sight for her. "It seems my suspicions were correct. It's… good to know there's another Uzumaki here in the Rain."

Nagato's eyes flickered, a hint of something unreadable in their depths, but he offered no verbal confirmation or denial, simply holding her gaze. Konan and Yahiko exchanged confused glances, clearly unaware of Hikari's implied meaning or Nagato's hidden lineage.

"Please, sit," Hikari gestured to the low table she had prepared. Once they were settled, the formal pleasantries gave way to urgent business.

Hikari wasted no time, her voice low and precise. "I received intelligence that the Iron Triangle alliance is weakening. Tensions are rising, and it signals impending conflict. I believe Hanzo is preparing for something big, likely a resource grab, which will undoubtedly impact everyone here."

She detailed her preparations over the last month, explaining how she had leveraged her growing profits to buy up vast quantities of essential goods – food, medicine, tools, raw materials – storing them within her mass storage scrolls in the warehouse.

"My aim is to ensure my operations can continue uninterrupted, and that the western district remains stable, even through a period of scarcity. It also provides a buffer for… personal needs." She glanced subtly at Yumiko's sleeping quarters. "But my resources, while substantial, are not infinite. I wanted to tell you this directly. What are you seeing on your end? And is there anything I can do, any specific supplies or information you need, to help your group prepare?"

Yahiko leaned forward, his earnest face etched with growing weariness. "We've felt the shift, too. The atmosphere in the village has grown heavy. Hanzo's patrols are more frequent, more aggressive. His men have been… making their presence known in our areas, threatening our members, trying to intimidate us. It's a clear escalation." His voice hardened with barely contained rage. "He sees our attempts to foster peace, to help the common people, as a challenge to his authority. He fears losing control. We resent his tyranny, his willingness to sacrifice our people for his own power. He is the disease plaguing this land."

Konan nodded grimly. "The tension is almost unbearable. We've had a few skirmishes, nothing major, but enough to show his intent. He wants us to break, to scatter. But we won't. Not when the people need us most."

Nagato remained silent, his gaze fixed on Hikari, listening intently to every word, his Rinnegan seemingly seeing beyond the immediate discussion.

"So, you're confirming my assessment," Hikari said, a grim line to her mouth. "War is coming, if it's not already here in a hidden form. And Hanzo sees you as an obstacle to his gains, not just an annoyance. That's a dangerous escalation." She paused, considering. "What are your immediate needs? Is it food, medical supplies, defensive tools? Anything my network can discreetly acquire or my seals can facilitate?"

Yahiko shook his head slightly. "For now, our greatest need is simply to avoid direct confrontation while continuing our work. We preach peace, but we are not naive. We've been preparing our own caches, building safe houses. The most valuable thing you could offer is continued intelligence, and perhaps a discreet way to move resources if the situation truly deteriorates. And… to know that there are others working towards stability, even in their own way." His eyes met hers, a flicker of genuine hope there. "We abhor Hanzo's methods, his very existence. He represents everything wrong with this village."

Hikari nodded, understanding. "Then consider my channels open for information and discreet logistics. Your principles, your goals for the Rain, they resonate more with me than Hanzo's methods. I believe a stable, prosperous Rain Village serves everyone's interests, not just a tyrant's." It was a calculated statement, just enough to show alliance without fully revealing her own complex, self-serving motivations.

---

As the meeting continued into the late hours, the sounds of the Rain Village outside seemed to grow heavier, mirroring the weight of the coming storm.

The conversation shifted to Hanzo's shinobi movements, potential supply routes, and the desperate conditions of the outlying districts.

Hikari listened intently, absorbing every detail, her mind already mapping out contingencies. The next few months, she knew, would be critical.

The fragile peace was about to shatter, and everyone in Amegakure would be forced to choose a side, or, like Hikari, carve out their own.