"You mean Naruto?" Shikaku asked after a moment of silence.
Yin Xiang nodded. "The person I want to protect is Naruto."
"What would you do if Naruto became a rogue ninja one day?" Shikaku asked. Given how the people of Konoha treated Naruto now, there was a real chance he might defect. If that happened, what would Yin Xiang do?
"He won't." Yin Xiang shook his head. "Naruto will never betray Konoha. If that day really comes, I'll crush my own jade with my hands." He looked at the jade on the shogi board as he spoke, though he was absolutely certain Naruto would never defect.
"Tomorrow, you'll take on a B-rank mission with Team 3," Shikaku said with a nod.
"A B-rank mission? What kind of mission?"
"Be prepared. There may be ninja on the road, and we may have to fight them. It's an escort mission."
Where are we escorting them?
"To the Land of Honey. It's a small country. This person has been staying in Konoha for a long time, after being chased here. She's the princess of the Land of Honey, and she has an escort with her. He's only a Chunin."
"The princess of the Land of Honey? If her escort is only a Chunin, then the ninja chasing her aren't stronger than Chunin either, right?"
"According to the escort, there were five Chunin on the other side. They withdrew after chasing her into Konoha, but there's still a good chance we'll run into them on the way back. Go home and get ready."
"Okay." Yin Xiang nodded. "Check."
"Huh!?"
The next morning, Team 3, Yin Xiang, and Shikaku arrived at the mission dispatch office to wait for the princess of the Land of Honey. But the five of them waited from morning until noon before the princess and her escort finally arrived. She looked bleary-eyed, as if she'd only just woken up.
She looked about the same age as Yin Xiang, no more than fourteen at most.
"So these are the people you've got? They're all children. Does Konoha really take my safety seriously?" the long-haired girl in a pale yellow kimono said haughtily.
"Don't worry. Two Jonin will be accompanying you. This is the safest team you could have hired," Shikaku assured the princess calmly.
Shikaku Nara, Konoha's sharpest strategist; Might Guy, the Blue Beast and Konoha's strongest Taijutsu user; Konoha's genius Neji Hyuga and Namikaze Yin Xiang; the hard-working genius Rock Lee; and Tenten, the most skilled weapons user among Konoha's Genin.
There wasn't a stronger team among the new generation of Genin available for this escort mission.
"Fine. Let's go." Hearing that two Jonin would be protecting her, the princess immediately felt more at ease. Jonin were extremely rare in a small country like the Land of Honey, so naturally, she felt reassured knowing two would be guarding her.
"You! Pick these things up!" The princess pointed at Lee, then at a large backpack by the entrance. It was probably full of food for the journey.
"Huh?" Lee paused, but still went over and hoisted the pack onto his back. "I'll treat this as training!" He clenched a fist and encouraged himself. The pack certainly looked heavy.
"Don't you dare drop it! This is the food I'll need for the journey!" the princess called after Lee.
"Don't worry!" Lee replied firmly.
"Honestly..." Yin Xiang sighed to himself. It looked like the hardest part of this mission wouldn't be fighting other ninja, but taking care of the princess.
"Then, I'll be counting on you all," the princess's escort said, bowing repeatedly to Shikaku and Guy. He was young, too, looking about seventeen or eighteen.
The group reached the village gates. Yin Xiang stretched. He was finally leaving the village again, and this time he'd be going to another country. He could treat it like a vacation. Chunin were nothing to worry about.
"You! Come carry me!" the princess said, pointing at Yin Xiang. He stumbled and nearly fell, pointing at himself. "Me? Carry you?"
"Your Highness, let me carry you instead," the escort offered as he stepped forward. Before, they'd traveled in a palanquin, but it had been destroyed when they were attacked, and the bearers had been killed. After that, the escort had carried her all the way to Konoha.
"No. I. Want. Him. To. Carry. Me!" the princess said, staring at Yin Xiang.
"This..." The escort looked into the princess's eyes. She was clearly very taken with him. The others hadn't noticed, but he'd guarded her since she was little and had practically grown up alongside her. He knew exactly what that look meant.
"What a hassle. Just what you'd expect from a princess." Yin Xiang sighed and formed Hand Seals. His shadow rose from the ground, walked over to the princess, and bent down. "My shadow will carry you." Then Yin Xiang walked off without looking back.
"Is this the Shadow Secret Technique? That's amazing!" Lee said, staring at the dark, indistinct shape.
"I'd heard Yin Xiang created the Shadow Secret Technique, but seeing it in person is still incredible," Guy said. "As expected, youth has limitless potential!"
"Yes, Guy-sensei!" The two of them inexplicably hugged each other and started crying.
"You!" The princess watched Yin Xiang walk away and stomped her foot, but then she climbed onto his shadow, which began moving forward.
"This technique... This boy..." As a Chunin, the escort could tell this was a technique he'd never seen before—not even heard of. Was it a self-created technique? With them escorting her, perhaps this mission really would...
"Hey, Yin Xiang. You're quite the charmer, aren't you? The princess fell for you at first sight," Tenten said, jogging over to him. The men hadn't noticed, but as a girl, she'd seen it right away.
"What good is being charming? You still like Neji Hyuga anyway, Tenten." Yin Xiang tilted his head and looked toward a tree.
"Huh?" Tenten froze. Could it be...? "No, no way. Yin Xiang couldn't possibly like me." She shook her head, muttering to herself.
"What are you standing around for? Let's go." Neji's voice sounded beside Tenten. She'd stopped walking when she froze, and Yin Xiang had already gotten some distance ahead. Tenten hurriedly answered, then walked alongside Neji.
"Hey, you kunoichi, come here a moment," the princess called to Tenten. Tenten looked back, then went over.
"What is it?" Tenten asked the princess with a smile.
"Tell me, what's his name? What kind of person is he?" the princess asked from atop the shadow.
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