The sound of the leaves of the trees being moved by the wind made Toru raise his eyes to the sky. At this moment team 11 was about to leave the land of fire, they were escorting the leader of the Hyuga clan and his youngest daughter, Hyuga Hanabi.
(I had never left Konoha, but apparently Yamato-sensei had...)
Toru looked at Yamato for a few seconds, Yamato was talking to Hiashi about trivial topics, these topics, for the most part, were about Konoha, military forces, economics, basically things an old man would talk about.
(Hinata hasn't said a single word since we started the mission, I hope this won't affect our performance) Toru closed his eyes and sighed, they had been walking for hours and it would be getting dark before long.
"Nii-san, do you know where we will spend the night?" Hanabi asked, at the moment she was standing next to Toru.
At the question, Toru looked at Hanabi and remembered something Yamato usually does in situations like that, he puts his hands together and instantly wooden walls start to rise from the ground, they form a roof and a floor, basically Yamato's jutsu was able to create extremely sturdy temporary shelters.
"You'll see when it gets dark" Toru said, then fell completely silent.
This action made Hanabi pout, after all she didn't like it when Toru was completely silent, not only that, she felt it was her duty to make Toru talk. So in a quick Taijutsu move, Hanabi climbed onto Toru's back.
"What are you doing?" Toru said without changing the expression on his face.
Hanabi looked at Toru's face and while pouting, replied.
"I'm tired, and since escorting us is your job it should be fine right?" Speaking close to Toru's ear, Hanabi smiled, after all she was amused to do this kind of thing with Toru.
(It never changes, huh...) Toru sighed tiredly, in the past, every time he met Hanabi he had to suffer the same thing over and over again.
While Hanabi was having fun teasing Toru, Hinata was watching everything with a sad face on her face.
(Hanabi is strong, cute and very sociable... compared to her I'm...)
Hinata lowered her gaze, every time she looked at her sister, she was looking at someone superior in every aspect, this made Hinata feel pathetic, even though she had trained a lot and tried to change her way of being, in the end it ended up being the same, she was surpassed by Hanabi in a short time.
(I wonder if in the future I can be like her) Hinata thought, she had promised that in the future she would be someone worthy of leading the Hyuga clan, but in the end that could not be fulfilled.
"Looks like it's about to get dark, we should stick around" Making Hinata snap out of her thoughts, Yamato spoke.
(Time went by too fast, what should I do?)
Hinata lowered her gaze, the whole way she had been without saying a word, what made it even worse was that at no time did she concentrate on escorting Hiashi and Hanabi
"Ha~ it's about time, my feet are hurting" Ino said with a tired tone of voice.
"We should look for a place where we can't be easily ambushed" Crossing his arms, Hiashi spoke. For a second he closed his eyes, before opening them and looking at Yamato waiting for an answer.
"Yeah, I'll take care of that" Nodding his head, Yamato replied.
For a few seconds Yamato observed the terrain, the place was full of trees, which were separated by about seven meters, this made a slight smile form on Yamato's mouth, as he had enough space and support from the roots of the trees to build a shelter using the Mokuton [Wooden Style].
"Well..."
Everyone looked at Yamato, who was calculating the place where he will build the shelter. Only a second step, but he was already connecting the hand seals, after finishing with the seals, Yamato put his hands together.
"Mokuton: Shichūka no Jutsu [Wood Style: Four Pillar House]"
Saying that, tree roots sprouted from the ground, rising to a height of six meters all the roots began to join together forming four walls. Gradually the wood was molded into a huge house seven meters high.
"It's amazing, no matter how many times I've seen it" Ino dropped her arms over her shoulders as she looked at the house in front of her.
It was already the third time Ino had witnessed the Mokuton: Shichūka no Jutsu, and she always ended up impressed by the usefulness of Yamato's jutsu.
(Wooden style, eh... as I recall this jutsu belonged to the first Hokage).
Hiashi observed the house for a few seconds and recognized the Mokuton when he saw it.
Although it was strange that someone like Yamato would have a jutsu like the Mokuton, Hiashi decided not to ask.
"Wow, this is amazing, I've never seen a jutsu like this in my life" Hanabi said as she looked at Toru.
For a second Toru closed his eyes, when he opened them a sigh left his lips.
"Maybe Yamato-sensei will end up using that jutsu more than once on this mission" Crossing his arms, Toru approached the house.
At first glance it appeared to be a completely empty house, but upon entering they all realized that this was not the case, as that building was divided into different rooms, there were six rooms exactly.
Yamato looked at this with a neutral face, after all he had that strange feeling.
(I'll stay outside to keep watch...) Closing his eyes for a moment, Yamato thought. If they were escorting the leader of the Hyuga clan they were obviously going to have problems, so the best choice for this mission was team 11, which was led by Yamato himself.
"You can choose the room you want, I'll keep watch tonight" Yamato said and then left the place.
For a second Toru's eyes were fixed on Yamato.
"I'm tired from walking too much, so I'm going to sleep now" Ino spoke as she walked up the stairs, Toru looked at her for a second as she remembered what she had done all the way.
Ino spent most of the time complaining, every now and then she would talk to Hanabi or Hinata.
"I...I'm going to sleep too.... goodnight" Hinata said as she bowed, seconds later she walked up the stairs of the house and entered one of the rooms.
Hiashi looked at Hinata as she left and a sigh came out of his mouth.
"I'll go to sleep too, Otou-sama, Toru-Nii-san" Hanabi said as she tilted her head slightly forward.
After that, Hanabi entered the room next to the room that Hinata chose.
The last ones left were Hiashi and Toru, they just stayed silent while looking at the doors of the rooms.
"Ha~ I should go to sleep too... do the same boy..." as he sighed, Hiashi closed his eyes for a few moments, he was a little tired from the attitude of her two daughters.
Obviously they were both interested in Toru, though their interests were different. Hinata was interested in Toru because she was curious about the gray-eyed boy's personality, on the other hand, Hanabi was just having fun teasing Toru.
Hiashi was aware of this, but he could do nothing, he could only wait for what would happen in the future.
After a long sigh, Hiashi went upstairs and entered one of the empty rooms, leaving Toru alone.
(Only two rooms left. I guess I'll go to that one...).
Toru put his hands in his pockets and started to climb the stairs, it didn't take him long to reach the room next to Hinata.
When he entered the room, Toru made sure that the door was completely closed, even though the hinges were made of wood, these were so well detailed that they didn't make a sound.
"Still the same..." Toru sighed as he looked at the bed, which was completely made of wood. He knew that if he slept in that place he would have back problems the next day, but thanks to the fact that he had seen the Mokuton: Shichūka no Jutsu more than twice he was prepared.
From his pocket, Toru took out a summoning scroll, placed it on the wooden bed and clasped his hands together.
"Release."
Saying that, a small cloud of smoke appeared, a second after the cloud disappeared, it could be seen that there were some sheets on the wooden bed.
(That's better...)
Toru closed his eyes and sighed, after that, he took the scroll left over from the summoning and put it in his pocket.
Toru possessed some of these scrolls, these allowed him to keep some of his weapons and survival accessories, he had about five scrolls hidden in his clothes, in one of them were Toru's mother's daggers.
A few more minutes passed and Toru now found himself staring at the ceiling as he rested on the wooden bed. As usual, his face showed no facial expression, plus he had his hands under his head, pretending to have a pillow.
(I can't sleep...) Toru thought as he sat on the bed.
For a few seconds his gaze was fixed on the door, he didn't know whether to go outside and get some air.
(This is too strange...)
-Outside the wooden house-.
While the moon was at its highest point, a man watched her with a neutral expression on his face.
"You should be sleeping, Mr. Hyuga."
Closing his eyes for a second, Yamato turned around, but when he looked at Hiashi he noticed something, he has his Byakugan activated.
"Is something wrong?" The expression on Yamato's face turned serious.
"About thirty people, they're slowly approaching us" Hiashi said as he crossed his arms.
"I understand, it was already too strange that they didn't attack us earlier."
Yamato let out a sigh, he already knew that at any moment they would be attacked, but he didn't expect the ambush to deal so much.
"No wonder being the leader of the Hyuga clan they haven't tried to kill me on so many occasions" Hiashi sighed, he had lost count of how many times they had tried to kill him.
In view of what Hiashi had said, Yamato thought, now he had to do his job as a shinobi of Konoha and protect the man in front of him.
"In any case, thank you for telling me the number of the enemies, now go back to the house, I'll take care of hiding it so they can't find them."
Yamato looked at Hiashi with seriousness on his face, but a small laugh came out of Hiashi's mouth.
"No need..." Hiashi said, not for nothing is he the leader of the Hyuga clan.
For a few moments, Yamato looked at the moon rising in the sky and a smile showed on his face.
"Then we have to drive the enemies away from this place, I'll take care of hiding the house so they won't find the children."
After saying that, Yamato approached the house, looked at it for a few seconds and put his hands together.
"Well..."
Without taking his eyes off the house, the trees in the place started to move, covering the house completely, when it was all over, Yamato separated his hands and sighed.
"Then, let's take care of this" Hiashi said while looking Yamato in the eyes.
-Inside the house-
Still unable to fall asleep, Toru could hear the trees begin to cover the house.
(I guessed it...)
Toru closed his eyes and thought, it was very obvious that they were going to be attacked sooner or later, after all they were escorting the leader of one of the most powerful clans in Konoha.
(I'll go see...)
Toru got up from the bed and walked over to the door, but just before he opened it he heard a knock, someone was tapping lightly on Toru's door.
"Toru-kun... Are you asleep?"
On the other side of the door, Hinata's voice was heard. For a moment Toru's eyes looked at the floor before he opened the door.
"What's wrong?"
When the door opened, Hinata saw Toru, the expression on his face the same as always.
"I was wondering if... um... I... I was wondering if you wanted to... chat a little..."
Hinata looked down at the ground as she clutched the sleeves of her sweater.
Toru looked at Hinata for a few seconds before opening the door and stepping aside.
"Come in..."
Hearing Toru's reply, Hinata looked around the inside of the room before entering.
"You can sit on the bed, I'll do the same" With a neutral tone of voice, Toru spoke.
"Yes..." Hinata said as she took a seat on the bed next to Toru.
After that, the place was silent for a few seconds, before Hinata's voice is heard again.
"Toru-kun, you get along well with Hanabi, don't you?" looking down at the floor, Hinata spoke, her tone of voice was a little lower than usual.
Hearing the question, Toru looked at Hinata, before closing his eyes and sighing.
(I fail to understand the reason for that question...) Toru crossed her arms and replied:
"You could say that..." Toru said as he remembered Hanabi. He had known her for six years, so it wasn't uncommon for him to know a thing or two about her. Although getting along was never on Toru's mind, he pretty much always saw Hanabi as a child who needed attention.
After hearing Toru's answer, Hinata smiled slightly as she looked down at the ground.
"Hanabi always gets along with everyone..." Hinata said without looking away from the ground.
After hearing that, Toru could understand a little bit what was going through Hinata's mind.
"Hanabi has always been very strong and talented."
Hinata spoke again, to all this, Toru just kept silent as she remembered the day they were chosen to make up team 11.
(She said that she wanted to be strong...).
Toru got up from the bed and started walking around the room with slow and calm steps, this made Hinata raise her gaze so she could see Toru.
"It's strange..." Toru stopped and looked Hinata in the eyes.
"Huh?"
For a second Toru's eyes glowed because of the light from the lamp on the floor.
-Somewhere near the wooden house-
His footsteps echoed on the dirt floor beneath his feet.
Yamato surveyed the surroundings with a serious expression on his face. At his back was Hiashi, who had the Byakugan active so he could detect the enemies.
"They are close" Hiashi said while looking at the surroundings with his Byakugan.
*Wind sound*
From between the trees, ten people dressed in black colored clothes appeared. Each held kunai and shuriken in their hands.
"Are the missing ones hidden?" Yamato asked in a low tone of voice.
"Yes, ten of them are facing you, and the other ten are facing me. We are surrounded" Hiashi said as he raised his palms.
"Then we have to get them to come out."
Yamato looked at the five people in front of him, for a moment he sighed as he thought of a quick strategy.
"One will cover the other's back, each will have to fight against 15 enemies, are you ready Mr. Hiashi?" Yamato said without taking his eyes off the opponents in front of him.
"Yes, let's finish this quickly."
With that said, Hiashi's hands began to glow in a faint blue color, while Yamato just stood there looking straight ahead.
"Now!"
Yamato and Hiashi launched into the attack. Wasting no time, the enemies responded to the hostility of the men in front of them.
In a second, Yamato appeared in front of the five people who decided to show themselves. In response, the enemies attacked.
At first Yamato tried to use his fists to cause damage to the enemy, but that didn't work, as the opponents were agile, this forced Yamato to use his jutsu, in simpler words, Yamato decided to finish the enemies fast.
"Mokuton Hijutsu: Jukai Kōtan."
Clasping his hands together tightly, tree branches began to sprout from the ground, the enemies tried to dodge the strong branch tackles, but only one succeeded, as the others ended up trapped between the branches, with most of their bones broken.
While this was going on, Hiashi found himself fighting hand-to-hand with the enemies.
(Byakugan!) Hiashi said in his mind, instantly, veins began to swell around his eyes.
As he did this, the chakra points of the enemies were visible, in response to this, the enemies decided to retreat, they knew that if they received a hit from Hiashi they won't live to tell the tale, but they didn't know what that man in front of them was capable of.
"Jūkenpō Ichigekishin" Hiashi said, appearing in front of the enemies in less than a second.
At that moment, all they could see was the blast of chakra enveloping Hiashi's hands.
Only thirty seconds had passed, but a third of the enemies' strength had been pathetically defeated.
Those hiding in the trees were terrified, they feared for their lives, accepting that job had been a very bad decision.
But none of them had time to escape, because Hiashi was already in front of them.
"Jūken: Tenketsushin [Soft Fist: Tenketsu Needle]"
Hiashi's quick hand movements hit all the enemies hiding in the trees, all the blows were directed at the central chakra conduit, which left them in critical condition.
Yamato, on the other hand, was still fighting the remaining ten.
"Moku Bunshin no Jutsu [Wood Clone Technique]."
Clasping their hands together, roots began to come out of the ground, forming four wooden clones, all of these went on the attack, fighting two of each enemy.
"Mokuton: Fukushuu Senbon [Vengeful Needles]"
Yamato again clasped his hands together, instantly a wooden pillar came out of the ground, from which hundreds of thorns came out which were directed at two of the enemies.
"Mokuton: Moryuheki [Wall of Branches]"
One of Yamato's clones summoned a wooden wall, which protected him from the explosive paper that was sent out in the form of kunai.
(Only four left)
Yamato took a leap to reach the trees next to one of his clones.
"Mokuton: Ueki Tsuiraku [Falling Trees]"
Yamato and the clone clasped their hands together to use the jutsu, instantly, the trees began to fall, crushing the last remaining enemies.
When Hiashi looked at Yamato, he could tell that the man in front of him was born with the gift to kill.
(The jutsu of the first Hokage... it can be terrifying).
-On the roof of the wooden house...
Toru looked at the sky without saying a word, the conversation he had with Hinata came to nothing.
It's strange...
Huh?
Toru thought that Hinata's words were strange, that day when team 11 was formed, Hinata said that she wants to be strong with a determined expression on her face, but now, although he wasn't entirely sure, Hinata was comparing herself to Hanabi.
I didn't say anything... I'll go out for a while, you can stay here.
That's how that conversation ended, and Hinata fell asleep on Toru's bed, that's the reason why Toru is on the roof right now.
(Yamato-sensei knows how to use his jutsu very well)
Toru said after looking at all the trees that disappeared.
_______
Author's note: Hi, it's me, the author. I'm writing this note to apologize for not posting chapter these days, I've been so sick that every morning I woke up was agonizing, I was so bad I couldn't even move, but now I'm fine and I'll bring chapter every day.