The next day at noon.
Takayama Tokugawa told everyone the greatest danger had passed, encouraging them to continue on without worry.
As expected, the second half of the journey went smoothly. They only ran into a few foolish bandits, who were quickly driven off by the supply convoy.
On the third-to-last day before the mission deadline, the supply convoy arrived safely in the Land of Grass.
The natural environment in the Land of Grass was much like Konoha's, with vast plains and dense forests. However, its resources were far inferior to Konoha's.
And the scars of war had yet to heal in this small country.
Vast swathes of conspicuous blackened earth covered the boundless grasslands.
Even after several years, the seeds beneath the soil still hadn't taken root or sprouted.
Neji stood atop a wagon, gazing into the distance. At the edge of his view, he spotted a collapsed bridge.
Kannabi Bridge!
During the Third Shinobi World War, Namikaze Minato's team had crippled Iwagakure's supply lines there, helping the Land of Fire win the war.
Strictly speaking, the Land of Earth hadn't lost, either. The only loser was the Land of Grass.
Yugito said, "The Land of Grass's foreign policy is to seek protection by attaching itself to powerful nations. So its leaders are as fickle as its name suggests."
Neji narrowed his eyes. "They side with whoever's stronger?"
Yugito nodded, then continued in a serious tone.
"During the Second and Third Shinobi World Wars, the Land of Grass allied with Iwagakure and Konoha. But behind the scenes, it often provided intelligence to its nominal enemies—or even to both great shinobi villages at once.
"That flexible foreign policy made Iwagakure and Konoha see it as an unpredictable factor that had to be watched, and even as a potential threat.
"During the Third Shinobi World War, Iwagakure and Konoha tacitly agreed to make the Land of Grass their battlefield partly for that reason."
The Land of Grass's tragic fate was a reflection of all the small nations caught between the great powers, struggling to survive in subservience.
But from another angle, the plight of small nations stemmed mainly from their own daimyō.
In a place barely larger than a palm, joining a great nation was the only way to ensure long-term development.
Even the Land of Rain, despite producing a genius like Hanzō, who had fought to earn a small nation's respect, had only found a temporary reprieve.
Would any of the Five Great Nations even give the Land of Rain a second glance now?
If the Land of Grass's daimyō willingly merged his country with the Land of Fire or the Land of Earth, either nation's daimyō would gladly accept.
The people of the Land of Grass could buy daily necessities cheaply from other places.
And when war broke out, their land wouldn't become a battlefield.
It would benefit both the country and its people.
The only ones left unhappy would be the daimyō.
But everyone knew that a small nation would never willingly merge with a great one.
Kusagakure came into view. Seeing that only half their escort remained, many of the guards couldn't hold back their tears.
The comrades who had fought beside them just yesterday had suddenly become cold corpses.
The mission was finally complete once they had escorted the supply convoy into Kusagakure.
After collecting their pay, Yugito and Neji politely declined Takayama Tokugawa's invitation. With three days left before their mission deadline, they planned to enjoy themselves in Kusagakure.
Late that night, in an inn in Kusagakure.
Neji lounged on the sofa, peeling a tangerine.
Glancing at the blurry silhouette in the bathroom, he grumbled to himself, Women are such a hassle. It's been almost an hour.
They had rented a single room with two beds.
At first, Neji had been a little reluctant.
But Yugito had her reasons.
She'd said Neji was a precious Byakugan Cub and she had to make sure nothing happened to him.
She'd also said that one reason the Fourth Raikage had assigned her to lead Neji's team was to protect him.
Neji had thought it over and decided she had a point.
So he'd agreed.
The main reason was that he'd only been a little reluctant. Calling it repulsion would have been too hypocritical.
The sound of rushing water stopped, and the bathroom door opened. Yugito emerged wrapped in a bathrobe.
Fresh from her bath, her skin glistened as if veiled in mist, looking alluring and tempting.
Neji couldn't help sneaking a couple of extra glances.
"What are you staring at?" Yugito glared at him fiercely, though she didn't look all that intimidating.
Neji was shameless as ever. He picked up the soap and headed for the bathroom, pointing at his eyes. "If I want to look, when can't I?"
The rustle of clothes being removed came from the bathroom. Yugito turned to look, but all she could see through the glass was a blurry silhouette.
But soon she frowned. "Neji, are you taking a Kunai into the bath with you?"
"A Kunai? What Kunai?"
Neji pretended not to understand what she was talking about.
Yugito froze, then quickly caught on. Her pretty face turned red as a monkey's bottom.
This kid really was well-endowed.
Men bathed much faster than women.
Ten minutes later, Neji stepped out of the bathroom wrapped in a bathrobe.
The first thing he saw was Yugito sitting on the bed.
For some reason, she had a pair of gold-rimmed glasses perched on her nose. Her loose bathrobe couldn't conceal the glimpse of white at her chest. Her waist was slender, and her hips pressed into the mattress with astonishing softness. Her long, jade-white legs were encased in black stockings, swinging restlessly.
Neji stared for a moment, realizing something was off about Yugito.
Yugito stole a shy glance at Neji, then worked up the courage to speak. "Neji, you..."
"Don't say anything."
Neji cut her off, then poured himself a glass of cold water and drank it in one go.
"Captain, what are you going to do?"
Yugito asked indignantly, "This is a mission from Lord Raikage. You're clever enough to guess what it is, aren't you?"
"A mission? That kind of mission?"
"Yeah!"
With his guess confirmed, Neji rubbed his temples, troubled. "But I'm only six. I'm still a child!"
"You're only six, but you're not a child anymore."
Yugito's words carried an unmistakable implication.
A ninja's cells were two to three times as numerous as an ordinary person's, so their bodies matured much earlier.
On top of that, Neji had spent two years soaking in secret medicine. His body's potential had been awakened to some extent, and he was already capable of fathering a child.
Neji sat down beside Yugito, clearly sensing how nervous she was.
"Lord Raikage told you to carry out this mission, and you just agreed?"
Yugito froze for a moment, then nodded firmly.
She hadn't expected Neji to ask a question that a ninja shouldn't even consider.
A good ninja had to obey orders absolutely and complete every mission to the best of their ability.
Neji's heart was a tangle of emotions.
The world of Naruto was also known as the Eye Saga of the Five Villages' Feuds, Black Zetsu's Quest to Save His Mother, and My Village Chief Grandpa, Dad, and Teacher.
The foundations of this world were so filthy they were beyond belief.
Ninja were emotionless killing tools.
They gave their lives for so-called "glory" and "pride," and took pride in doing so.
Ninja raised in such an environment had no self to speak of.
To become a true ninja, one had to set aside personal feelings and abandon the self.
Like Kisame.
But Neji couldn't do that.
Having lived through that era, he couldn't truly fit into the Shinobi World.
Whoosh!
Neji took out a Kunai and cut his finger. Blood dripped onto the bedsheet, and then he cut off the bloodstained piece and handed it to Yugito.
"This should be enough to show you completed the mission."
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