Escort Mission

"Why do you have dark circles under your eyes just like Tōyama? Don't tell me you were too excited to sleep, too? That doesn't sound like you," Uchiha Izumi asked, her eyes wide with curiosity.

"Well, this—this," Hyuga Gen stammered, his gaze darting away. He really didn't know how to answer that.

Thinking back to last night, it had truly been the death of him. He hadn't slept a wink, all because of those damned breasts—no, wait, and those lips too.

When Hyuga Natsu heard that Hyuga Gen was going on a mission to the Land of Waterfalls, which was outside the borders of the Land of Fire, she felt worried and reluctant to let him go. That was why she had stayed over at his place last night.

His house wasn't exactly small; it was a two-story building with three rooms upstairs. But when Hyuga Natsu asked to sleep in his arms, how could he possibly refuse?

As it turned out, they chatted while cuddling in bed, but Hyuga Natsu fell asleep very quickly. Hyuga Gen, however, couldn't drift off no matter how hard he tried. Who could handle holding a fragrant, beautiful woman like that?

The moonlight last night had been exceptionally bright, streaming through the window to bathe Hyuga Natsu in its glow. Through the moonlight, he could see her eyes, her face, her petite nose, her crystal-clear lips, and her glowing, soft breasts. The atmosphere and her beauty were beyond words; he could only hear his own heart pounding like a drum.

When Hyuga Natsu woke him up this morning and saw his dark circles, she stuck out her tongue in embarrassment after hearing his explanation, though she felt secretly pleased inside.

It meant she had a great charm over him. At the same time, she felt a bit worried that she might have affected his mission, but her heart calmed down when she remembered Hyuga Gen's strength and the fact that it was only a C-rank mission.

He had almost been late. Thankfully, Xia had woken him up. He wasn't sure what the consequences would be if he were late, but Might Guy's expression was currently looking quite dark.

Of course, Hyuga Gen understood. Knowing he was late, he could only offer an awkward smile.

For someone as youthful and passionate as Guy, who rose earlier than a rooster and slept later than a dog, Hyuga Gen arriving later than the client was simply not in line with his spirit of youth and passion.

Arriving late for a mission, especially after the client, made one seem unreliable and could very well affect the mission satisfaction rating. Therefore, ninjas were generally required to arrive five to ten minutes early.

"Ah, Tōyama, what are you two talking about?" Seeing Tōyama chatting heatedly with the client, Hyuga Gen hurried over to ask. Mostly, he just needed a way to escape Uchiha Izumi's questions.

"You guy," Uchiha Izumi said, rolling her eyes as she watched Hyuga Gen run off.

"We're talking about science. You wouldn't understand this stuff," Tōyama said huffily. Although they hadn't known each other long, Tōyama had already figured out his personality.

Because of Hyuga Gen's arrival, the client stopped talking and walked away. This annoyed Hyuga Gen, but annoyance aside, the client was god.

"How do you know I don't understand? I know plenty," Hyuga Gen retorted, feeling unconvinced. He had been a college student, after all—even if it was a mediocre school, he still possessed basic scientific literacy.

"Fine, then do you know how Konoha generates electricity? And why light bulbs glow?" Tōyama asked, seemingly trying to test him.

"Electricity is generated by generators, and bulbs glow when they have power, right?" Hyuga Gen looked at Tōyama as if he were an idiot.

"Generators? What are those? Saying bulbs glow when they have power is the same as saying nothing at all," Tōyama said with a look of disdain.

"Is your skin itching lately, kid? Daring to look at me like that—do you want me to teach you a few more moves?" Hyuga Gen glared at Tōyama with ill intent.

"Uh, Big Brother, I was wrong. It's my fault, please don't take it to heart," Tōyama immediately cowered. After all, under Hyuga Gen's guidance, he had gone from 180 to about 100 pounds, so he knew exactly how formidable Hyuga Gen was.

He who knows the times is a hero—no, wait, a wise man doesn't fight when the odds are against him, Tōyama thought to himself.

Seeing Tōyama's confused expression, Hyuga Gen realized that this world might not use generators for electricity; they might be using something else entirely.

So how did they generate power? Could it be that they used Lightning Style ninjutsu? Hyuga Gen pondered this, unaware that he had actually guessed correctly—it was indeed mostly generated through Lightning Style.

"Alright, stop chatting. We are on a mission. You haven't forgotten what you were taught at the academy, have you?" Might Guy suddenly spoke up.

"Listen to my arrangements: Dongyi, you take the lead to scout the path. Tōyama, guard the client. Izumi, provide support and observe the surroundings. I will take the rear," Might Guy commanded.

How can they be so lazy? This isn't a picnic. A mission requires the proper attitude. Protecting the client professionally and perfectly—that is the only way to live up to one's youth, Might Guy thought.

The three of them quickly took their positions. Orders had to be followed; the hierarchy in this world was quite strict. On a mission, those of lower rank had to obey those of higher rank. You could offer your own opinions, but the orders had to be followed.

Genin had to obey Chunin, Chunin had to obey Jonin, and so on. Regardless of whether the order was right or wrong, it had to be obeyed. If you followed orders and something went wrong, it wasn't your fault—the responsibility lay with the leader. But if you disobeyed orders, even if you were right, you were still wrong.

In the end, ninjas were equivalent to the soldiers of a nation, and for soldiers, obedience was their duty. In that regard, it seemed the same in every world.

Upon hearing Might Guy's orders, the atmosphere of the entire team instantly became solemn and professional.

Might Guy nodded as he watched from the back. That's more like it. This is what a ninja team should look like.

And so, the group proceeded along the planned route toward the northwest. The Land of Waterfalls was their destination, and they needed to escort the client to Longyue Village.

Hyuga Gen couldn't help but think of the first mission Naruto performed in Shippuden, which was also an escort mission—escorting an old man to the Land of Waves.

It started as a C-rank escort mission but eventually evolved into an S-rank mission, and the group nearly died on the way. If Haku hadn't been kind-hearted, Sasuke would have already been dead.

Of course, that was also thanks to their team leader being Kakashi; otherwise, they would have been wiped out. It went to show that having a powerful team leader was crucial.

For some reason, Hyuga Gen found himself secretly looking forward to some trouble arising during this escort mission.

It was a strange feeling. He clearly wanted to be a slacker, yet he was looking forward to trouble. Was he trying to show off? Hyuga Gen couldn't understand himself. It wasn't like him to hope for things to go wrong.

Could it be because he hadn't been beaten down by society yet that he had such thoughts? Hmm, when he put it that way, it seemed very likely.

No, he couldn't have thoughts like that. If Ohnoki suddenly showed up and hit him with a Particle Style, he'd be finished. And what about Pain or Obito? Who among them couldn't crush him? Did he really think he was invincible?

It was better if everything went smoothly without any surprises.