The twelfth training team of Konoha was rushing swiftly through the trees. The incredibly boring "C" rank mission was finally coming to an end, and the team leader was eagerly anticipating a break. Hot springs, a cup of warm sake, mmm. But heavy thoughts weighed on his mind. Seriously, where had it ever been heard of to send a jounin and three chunin to guard a merchant caravan? An entire damned month they had dutifully swallowed dust on the roads, escorting the caravan through two countries. Hizashi Hyuga grunted in dissatisfaction. I wonder what the Hokage is aiming at by sending his subordinates on such basic tasks? Could he be hinting at his complete incompetence as a sensei? Or maybe he's once again implying that he made a mistake by not disqualifying one of his students? No, that's nonsense. The Hokage had been extremely clear on that issue – Mitarashi-chan was not responsible for the actions of her former teacher. And Danzo... Danzo with his intrigues could go straight to hell with all the Bijuu, his plots meant nothing, especially with one of the most powerful clans of the Fire Country backing you.
Hizashi's thoughts inevitably turned to the team he had inherited three years ago. First of all, Mitarashi Anko. Despite everything the girl had been through, she hadn't broken. He clearly hadn't gone wrong by agreeing to take her in as a replacement for the genin who died during the exam. Anko would go far, at only seventeen, she was almost ready to become a jounin, and all she really lacked was experience. And, in fact, she wasn't getting much of it. "C" rank, just think about it. Ah, if only he could teach her to behave properly... An unattainable dream. The girl, who easily mastered water techniques from scrolls, absolutely refused to learn the proper manners. He would have to find her a good teacher in her element. But no, the few water masters who lived in Konoha absolutely refused to deal with, as one of them had put it, the "Orochimaru's whore." All he could do for her was to raise her level in taijutsu and improve her tactical skills. Well, that is, if we exclude the literal battle he had to fight with Sarutobi to get permission to provide his student with water scrolls from the vault.
The remaining members of the twelfth team were younger and, unfortunately, noticeably weaker. A typical representative of the Yamanaka clan, Tohori, was... a typical Yamanaka. Weak taijutsu, average genjutsu abilities, and practically no talent for chakra nature transformations. He would never rise above a chunin, that much was clear. Pity, a real pity. If it weren't for his laziness, comparable to the habits of the legendary Nara clan, he could have amounted to something. Unfortunately, you can't force someone to study, and Hizashi was powerless to instill solid combat skills into a future mind reader. However, no one expected that from him. So, he would eventually learn, gaining the necessary experience to properly understand the world around him... For a future ANBU internal security investigator, that was enough.
And finally, the third. Uchiha Kade. Completely hopeless from the perspective of his own clan as a fighter. Genetically incapable of awakening the Sharingan, he nonetheless remained a bearer of the Uchiha gene. Decent taijutsu skills and good proficiency in katon transformations. All was fine, but his envy toward more successful clan members and his haughty, contemptuous attitude toward everyone outside his clan made him extremely problematic in terms of teamwork. And Kade-kun absolutely refused to change his attitude toward those around him. The prospects for this particular Uchiha were quite grim. A power-hungry and ambitious teenager, humiliated by being considered nothing more than genetic trash within his own clan... A dreadful mix.
Hizashi shuddered, as if icy shards were falling down his back. Something was definitely wrong. His intuition, which had saved him many times during the Third War, screamed of danger. The jounin froze on the tree branch, raising his right hand. His disciplined team stopped almost synchronously. Strangely, but besides the feeling of danger, there was nothing else. The tense, painfully focused Byakugan revealed a single, poorly developed chakra source several kilometers away. This couldn't be a threat, it was a fact. Giving a gesture to change direction, the shinobi carefully began shifting toward the potential danger. The air was thick with a palpable murderous intent from afar. It seemed that team twelve would have to deal with an opponent who couldn't control himself. I wonder who that could be, since every genin gets experience in basic chakra concealment techniques. Samurai? No way, there had been no civil wars in the Land of Fire for the past six years. Outsiders? Perhaps, but that would be extremely reckless on their part. The Fire Daimyo had a sharply negative attitude toward anyone settling scores on his territory, so it could be said that the team was lucky. The bounty on the heads of such fools was smaller than for rogue ninjas, but it would definitely be enough for sake at a good restaurant with all the necessary appetizers.
Silence. Exactly, an ambush. The forest seemed to have died; the birds were silent, even the chirping of the ubiquitous cicadas had stopped. After signaling readiness for battle, Hizashi assigned his subordinates to sectors, keeping the main vector of potential attack to himself in case of an ambiguous enemy force. Kade would go right, Tohori would head left under the cover of Anko. One would support the group with fire techniques, the other would provide control, and Anko would protect the incompetent—Yamanaka—from those who might want to get closer to him. Heh, perhaps Tohori would find work suited to his specialty, and it would be useful to train the others with some real field interrogation. They were already used to killing, but they had almost no practice in extracting information. Surely, a visit to Ibiki-san's interrogation room didn't count, especially when the whole team had been retching their stomachs right outside afterward.
So here it was. Peasants with their carts on the forest road leading to Konoha, and bandits hiding in the bushes. What, one might wonder, did they need from these poor souls, who had nothing to offer? Hizashi grimly smiled, he would certainly give the bandits a chance to confess their sins before their last moments. Meanwhile, things were heating up. A skillfully sawed tree fell, blocking the path of the carts. Turning the oxen on a narrow forest road... That was no quick task. Well, it should be noted that the unknown bandits had planned this quite well. Wait a minute, these aren't bandits. Hizashi leaned forward tensely. No, definitely! Feudal guard soldiers, judging by their armor, from the Land of Waves. What the hell, did they want to die? And there, a samurai whose chakra he had sensed in the forest. Strange, why did his premonition of danger scream so loudly? The jounin furrowed his brow in confusion, carefully scanning the surrounding forest that had turned into a battlefield. No, nothing there. Meanwhile, the trained soldiers easily broke through the resistance of the bandits and began the slaughter.
Aha. A spike of chakra. Hizashi squinted, chakra flashes, one after another. All four centers at once, huh. At first glance, they were weak, but that could be a result of clever masking. Full readiness signal! Why activate all four centers at once? For example, that would be necessary if someone planned to open the Eight Gates or do something similar, gaining extraordinary abilities at the cost of destroying their own energy body. Hizashi didn't want to face such an opponent; he had encountered a shinobi from Iwa who had opened seven gates during the war, and afterward, he had been pieced together. Fortunately, Tsunade-hime was nearby at the time. But even with timely, qualified help, the rehabilitation period had taken five weeks. The jounin was about to signal a retreat when... No way! The initial ritual of activating the Byakugan? Where did that come from? And most importantly, who? Who dared to abduct one of the young Hyuga? The shinobi felt his rage and thirst for blood surge. Those responsible for this would not die easily!
It's time. Signals for covert movement and encirclement. The samurai seems to have sensed the chakra spike, look, he's approaching the cart. Hizashi froze in the branches of an oak by the roadside with a dense canopy. Alright, they're surrounding. The samurai is saying something, but at a distance of thirty meters, the words are hard to make out, and he's facing away, so it's impossible to read his lips. A brief pause, during which his soldiers take their positions. Here it is! A child appears from under the cart. Hmm, six years old? Seven? Maybe. Now, 'Yan' chakra to the maximum, this is going to require all the speed. They stand still. A younger officer, judging by the cloak, approaches the child and grabs him by the collar. Damn, the kid has the true Byakugan. Where did that come from? There are only two such children in the entire clan, but this is definitely not Hanabi-chan. And he's not like Tori-kun either. Not even like a thinner, younger Tori-kun. So, what does this mean? Someone dared to spill seeds into round bowls outside the clan without thinking about the consequences, huh? Nii-chan is going to be just thrilled. As for the one who enjoys a bit of fun on the side, Hizashi didn't envy him at all. They're going to tear him apart, no joke. So, what? The samurai raises his sword? Chakra to the channels, attack! From the tree, barely a moment behind the flying kunai, a black-green lightning bolt shot out.