Escort Mission

"Why do you have dark circles under your eyes just like Tōyama? Were you so excited you couldn't sleep, just like him? That's not like you," Uchiha Izumi asked curiously, her eyes wide.

"Uh... well..." Hyuga Gen's gaze darted away. He really didn't know how to answer.

Thinking back to last night, he'd nearly died. He'd barely slept at all. It was all because of those damned breasts—no, her lips too.

When Hyuga Natsu heard that Hyuga Gen was going on a mission to the Land of Waterfalls, which was already outside the Land of Fire, she'd been worried and reluctant to part with him, so she'd stayed over at his place the night before.

His house wasn't small, after all. It was a two-story house with three rooms upstairs. But Hyuga Natsu had wanted to sleep in his arms. How could he refuse?

They'd cuddled in bed and chatted for a while, but Hyuga Natsu had quickly fallen asleep. Hyuga Gen, however, couldn't sleep no matter how hard he tried. Who could resist having a beautiful woman who smelled so sweet in their arms?

The moon had been especially lovely last night. Moonlight had streamed through the window and fallen across the bed and Hyuga Natsu. It had illuminated her eyes, her face, her petite nose, her glistening lips, and her softly glowing breasts. He couldn't describe the beauty of that scene or the atmosphere in words. All he could hear was his own heart pounding.

In the morning, Hyuga Natsu had woken Hyuga Gen. When she saw the dark circles under his eyes and heard what he said, she'd stuck out her tongue bashfully, though inwardly she was pleased.

It meant she was very attractive. At the same time, she'd worried she might affect his mission. But when she thought of Hyuga Gen's strength and the fact that it was a C-rank mission, she'd calmed down.

He'd almost been late. Luckily, Natsu had woken him up. He didn't know what would've happened if he'd been late, but Might Guy still looked a little stern.

Of course, Hyuga Gen understood. Knowing that he'd arrived late, all he could do was give an awkward smile.

Might Guy was the sort to rise earlier than a chicken and sleep later than a dog, all for the sake of youth and passion. Hyuga Gen, on the other hand, had arrived later than the client for a mission. That wasn't in keeping with Guy's passion and youthful spirit.

Arriving late for a mission, especially later than the client, would make the client think the team was unreliable and could affect their satisfaction rating. That was why ninja were generally expected to arrive five to ten minutes early for a mission.

"Ah, Tōyama, what are you two talking about?" Seeing Tōyama chatting so animatedly with the client, Hyuga Gen hurried over to ask. Of course, the main reason was that he didn't know how to answer Uchiha Izumi's question, so he needed an excuse to get away.

"You rascal." Uchiha Izumi rolled her eyes as Hyuga Gen hurried off.

"We were talking about science. You wouldn't understand any of that," Tōyama said crossly. They hadn't known each other for very long, but Tōyama had already figured out Hyuga Gen's personality.

When Hyuga Gen arrived, the client stopped talking and walked away. That annoyed Hyuga Gen, but annoyance aside, the client was king.

"How do you know I wouldn't understand? I know plenty," Hyuga Gen protested. He'd been a college student, after all. Sure, it hadn't been a very good school, but he still had a basic grasp of science.

"Fine, then. Do you know how Konoha generates electricity? Or why electric lights turn on?" Tōyama asked, apparently testing him.

"Isn't electricity generated with a generator? And don't lights turn on when they have electricity?" Hyuga Gen looked at Tōyama as if he were an idiot.

"A generator? What's that? And saying a light turns on when it has electricity is no different from saying nothing at all," Tōyama said disdainfully.

"Have you been asking for a beating lately? You dare look at me like that? Want me to teach you another couple of moves?" Hyuga Gen glared at Tōyama.

"Uh, big brother, I'm sorry. I was wrong. Don't take it to heart." Tōyama immediately backed down. After all, under Hyuga Gen's guidance, he'd gone from weighing 180 to around 100, and he knew just how formidable Hyuga Gen was.

Know when to yield, and you'll stay on your feet. No, wait—better to avoid a fight when you're outmatched, Tōyama thought.

Seeing Tōyama's puzzled expression, Hyuga Gen realized this world might not use generators to produce electricity. Perhaps it used something else.

Then how did they generate electricity? Could they use Lightning Release Ninjutsu to make it? Hyuga Gen wondered. Little did he know, he'd guessed right: electricity was more or less generated using Lightning Release.

"Enough chatting. We're on a mission. You haven't forgotten what they taught you at school, have you?" Might Guy suddenly said.

"Listen up. Gen, scout ahead. Tōyama, stay by the client. Izumi, provide support and keep an eye on the surroundings. I'll cover the rear," Might Guy ordered.

This is far too lax. We're not out on a picnic. When you're on a mission, you have to act like it. Protect the client flawlessly and professionally—that's how you honor your youth, Might Guy thought.

The three quickly took their positions. Orders had to be obeyed. The hierarchy in this world was strict: during missions, lower-ranked ninja had to follow the orders of those above them. They could offer their own opinions, of course, but they still had to follow orders.

Genin had to obey Chunin, and Chunin had to obey Jonin, and so on. It didn't matter whether an order was right or wrong; they had to follow it. If they obeyed and something went wrong, they weren't to blame—the responsibility lay with the leader. But if they disobeyed, then even doing the right thing was still wrong.

Ultimately, ninja were like soldiers in a country. Obeying orders was a soldier's duty, and it seemed to be the same in every world.

As soon as they heard Might Guy's orders, the team's mood grew solemn. They looked quite the part.

Might Guy watched from behind and nodded. Now that was more like it. That was how a ninja team should look.

The group set off along their original route, heading northwest. The Land of Waterfalls was their destination, and they needed to escort the client to Longyue Village in the Land of Waterfalls.

Hyuga Gen couldn't help thinking of the first escort mission Naruto had gone on in Shippuden: escorting an old man to the Land of Waves.

It had started out as a C-rank escort mission, but gradually turned into an S-rank one. The group had nearly died along the way. If Haku hadn't been kind, Sasuke would already have been dead.

Of course, they'd also been lucky that their team leader was Kakashi. Otherwise, the whole team would've been wiped out. That was why having a strong team leader was so important.

For some reason, Hyuga Gen realized he was secretly hoping this escort mission would hit a few snags.

It was a strange feeling. He clearly wanted to be a slacker, yet he was looking forward to trouble. Was he hoping to show off? Hyuga Gen couldn't figure himself out. He didn't think he should be hoping for something to go wrong.

Could it be because he'd never been beaten down by society? Hmm, now that he thought about it, that seemed quite possible.

No, he couldn't think like that. If Ohnoki suddenly showed up and hit him with a blast of Dust Release, he'd be done for. And Pain or Obito could easily beat him up right now, couldn't they? Did he really think he was invincible?

It was better if everything went smoothly, without a single mishap.