The ninjas woke up, gathered their things, and as usual, Jay complained about how early they had to wake up. They walked all day through the forest.
The forest was dense and foggy, with tall trees and moss-covered trunks. The moist air was filled with the scent of wood. Only rare sunbeams broke through the clouds, illuminating the ground. The sounds of birds could be heard everywhere, and occasionally mysterious noises could be heard in the distance. And only Jay, as always, complained about everything. Zane walked beside him, just listening to his whining.
- You tell me, Zane, why do we ALWAYS have to wake up SO EARLY?!
Jay said irritably.
- Because it's necessary...
Zane replied.
Cole and Kai walked together, arguing about who was stronger.
- I'm stronger!
Cole said.
- No, I'm definitely stronger than you!
Kai replied.
- No, you're wrong, I've already shown it!
Cole continued.
- Ha, you're just lucky, you don't understand how to do it!
Kai laughed.
Meanwhile, Niya and Master Wu walked ahead of everyone, discussing what they would do in the village of Sorai.
- Sensei, you said we need permission to stay in the village of Sorai. How will we do that?
Nia asked.
- It's not the easiest task, but it's not the hardest either. We need to get to the main temple in the village of Sorai, where the main family of the Hirao clan lives. After that, we'll explain everything to them, and then we'll see what happens.
Master Wu replied.
***
By evening, the ninjas reached the village of Sorai, and the first thing they saw was a five-meter-high fence surrounding the village. It was tall, made of dark wood, with small holes through which the inner light barely shone. There were two guards at the gate.
- So we've been walking here for TWO DAYS for...
Jay gestured at the fence.
- THIS?!?!
- Ha-a... Jay, just be quiet already!
Kai and Cole shouted at him at the same time.
- As I told you before, the Hirao clan was one of the top three strongest main clans: the first clan, Seiken, the second clan, Kayen, and the third clan, Hirao. That was the strongest trio of clans at the time, but then they closed themselves off from everyone, so we could expect this.
Master Wu said.
- Sensei is right, if we want to get in there, we need to get past those guards first.
Zane pointed out.
- Got it.
Cole replied.
- Well then! Let's go...
Kai was about to go when suddenly someone screamed.
- A-a-a-a!!
A girl fell right onto him from the fence.
At that moment, Kai found himself lying on the ground, with the girl who had fallen on top of him.
All the ninjas were surprised, looking at Kai, who was lying on the ground.
- WHAT THE HELL!!! WHO ARE YOU?!
Kai shouted, looking angrily and surprised at the girl.
- P-hah-hah!!!
Jay and Cole couldn't hold back and started laughing.
Niya barely held in her laughter, while Zane and Master Wu alternated between looking at them and each other.
- Ah, oh!
The girl exclaimed.
- DON'T "OH" ME!!! GET UP NOW!!!
Kai continued yelling at her.
The girl quickly got up off him.
- Quiet!
She said, interrupting him.
Jay and Cole were still laughing, while Nia joined in, unable to hold back her laughter. Zane just smiled.
- QUIET?!! YOU FELL ON ME, AND NOW...
Kai wasn't calming down.
The girl interrupted him.
- I'm serious!
She looked around, checking if anyone was nearby.
- If I get caught because of you, IT'LL BE BAD FOR EVERYONE!!!
She warned.
- Fine.
Kai obeyed.
- So you two, keep it down, my head hurts because of you.
Cole said, walking over to them and extending his hand to Kai.
- Give me your hand.
He added.
Kai took Cole's hand and stood up.
- What's your name?
Niya asked the girl.
Just then, they heard the guards approaching.
- Not the time for this! Follow me!
The girl said and quickly ran in the opposite direction from the guards.
- Well then... after her!
Jay said.
Kai ran after her first, then Cole, Jay, and Niya, with Zane and Master Wu following behind.
The girl reached a small hill by the fence, jumped onto it, and without hesitation, jumped over it. The ninjas did the same, and in a moment, they were on the other side of the fence.
- Could we do that?!
Kai, Cole, and Jay asked at the same time.
The girl looked at Zane, Niya, and Master Wu.
- Are they always like this?
She asked.
- Well... almost.
Niya replied.
The girl looked around.
- Let's go.
She said, turning and walking ahead.
- Why are we walking like this?
Jay asked, stopping and looking at the girl.
She sighed heavily, turned slowly, and looked at him with a smile, as if she already knew such a question would come up.
- ...because it's more fun this way.
She answered, continuing to walk ahead.
- Really?
Kai said sarcastically, raising his eyebrows.
- Yep.
Cole added, walking beside him and looking at Kai.
***
A few minutes later, they reached an inconspicuous house standing in a cozy corner among the trees.
- Is this the place?
Zane asked, looking around.
- No, you're mistaken.
The girl replied, taking out a key from her pocket and unlocking the door.
She went inside, and the ninjas followed her. The house was small, wooden, with three rooms and a kitchen. The living room was modest: a sofa, a few chairs, and a small table. Even in this simple interior, there was a certain coziness. The faint scent of wood filled the space.
- Something like this...
The girl said, closing the door.
- Do you live here alone?
Master Wu asked, inspecting the space.
- Yep.
She replied, sitting on the sofa, crossing her leg over the other and leaning back on her arms.
- So, who are you? And... why did you even come here? Don't you know what Sorai is like?!
The girl asked, looking at them with understanding and a bit of annoyance.
The ninjas looked at each other.
- Can we sit?
Master Wu asked, nodding to the sofa.
- Yeah, sit wherever you want.
She replied.
Master Wu sat in a chair, Zane and Niya settled on the floor, and Cole and Kai comfortably sat on the sofa.
- I'm Master Wu, the eldest son of the First Golden Master, and these are my students: Kai Kayen, Cole Terran, Jay Raidzi, Zane Yukiseyu, and Niya Mizugami. And you...?
Master Wu introduced himself, watching her closely.
- Me? I'm Elis... Elis Hirao.
The girl said with a pause, as if hesitating.
- Now, let's talk about something else... why did you come here?!
She asked.
Master Wu took a deep breath and began explaining everything to her.
- We're looking for a true master of the wind element from your clan.
He said.
- We need his help. We believe he can help us stop the oncoming threat.
Elis raised her eyebrows slightly, looking at him in surprise.
- A wind master?
She asked, crossing her arms.
- Why him specifically?
- Because only he possesses the powers we need to fight this threat.
Master Wu explained.
- We've already found other element masters, but without the wind master, we won't be able to execute our plan. This is very important.
Elis looked at him thoughtfully, then relaxed her shoulders and smiled slightly.
- What did you mean by saying "Sorai is a place"?
Zane asked, still trying to understand what it meant.
Elis looked at them with a look of disbelief.
- Ah, about that...
She sighed.
- For many years now, no one has been allowed to leave Sorai. Did you see the fence and the guards?
The ninjas exchanged surprised looks.
- So that's why you jumped over the fence a few minutes ago?
Cole asked, raising an eyebrow.
- I wanted some excitement.
Kai said sarcastically.
- No, I specifically waited for you to appear, then jumped.
Elis replied, turning back to Master Wu.
- So, as I understand it, you need permission to stay in Sorai, right?
She asked, looking at Master Wu.
- Exactly.
He replied.
- Then... tomorrow, I'll take you to the main temple. But... I can't promise it'll be quiet.
She said with a slight smile.
- You mean... with music?
Jay asked, trying to joke.
- How did you guess?
Elis laughed, getting up from the sofa.
- And you'll sleep in that room.
She pointed to one of the rooms.
- And in the next one, it's me and... Niya? Right?
- Yep, that's fine.
Niya confirmed.
- Then it's settled.
Elis said and headed to her room, leaving them to discuss the plans for the next day.
The ninjas spent a few more minutes sitting in the living room, discussing the details of the next day. Kai, Jay, and Cole were arguing among themselves about who would sleep on the bed and who would sleep on the floor.
- I'm not sleeping on the floor, that's your spot, Kai!
Cole declared loudly, laughing.
- I wouldn't sleep on the floor either if it weren't for your sneakers being there.
Kai replied, mocking Cole.
- I'm fine with anything as long as I don't end up in the room with you two!
Jay added, laughing as they continued arguing.
Meanwhile, Master Wu and Zane were sitting at the other end of the room, discussing more serious matters.
- Tomorrow, we're going to the main temple. How long do you think this will take?
Master Wu asked, his face serious.
- If everything goes according to plan, a day or two at most. But Sorai isn't exactly a place you can predict.
Zane answered, folding his arms across his chest.
- We need to be ready for any unforeseen situations. And, of course, we need to find out more about the one who might be the wind master.
Master Wu added.
Zane nodded, thoughtfully looking out the window.
- Yeah, it won't be easy, but if we can find him in the temple, we should be able to get permission to stay here.
While the others continued arguing, Master Wu and Zane remained absorbed in their thoughts about the next day, knowing that challenges lay ahead, but they were ready for them.
***
After a few minutes of calm discussion of the plans, the ninjas went to their room. In the room where Jay and Zane were supposed to sleep, there wasn't much space on the floor, but it wasn't a problem for them. Master Wu, Cole, and Kai took the bed, each trying to find the most comfortable spot for themselves.
When everyone lay down, the peace didn't settle in the room as much as the trouble that started later. Kai and Cole fought for the blanket half the night.
- Why did you take it?!
Cole whispered, trying to grab the blanket that Kai had pulled to himself.
- Because I got the bed first!
Kai replied, tugging the blanket to his side.
Cole tried to yank the edge of the blanket, while Master Wu from the other bed quietly sighed, hearing the noise.
- Would you two stop? You're not letting anyone sleep!
He muttered, trying to fall asleep, but the laughter from Kai and Cole kept him awake.
Zane, on his side of the floor, just shook his head and pulled another blanket over himself, used to noisy company. Jay, who was lying next to him, also had no desire to interfere in this little battle and decided to focus on getting some sleep.
In the end, Kai and Cole couldn't come to an agreement about the blanket, and each ended up on their own side of the bed, completely abandoning the idea of sleeping together.
And while everyone was trying to fall asleep, thoughts about the next day continued to wander in their minds.
Thus, the fifth day of the ninjas' adventure ended, but not the war between Kai and Cole for the blanket.