"It's been three whole weeks since I've traveled to the past and I haven't seen or met Kaguya Ōtsutsuki. I hope that my arrival didn't change anything, though."
Shigeo Hyūga was currently standing guard of the front entrance of Enperor Tenji's small kingdom. In case anyone attempted to trespass. He had worn the same outfit as the rest of Emperor Tenji's guards and also held a spear in his left hand. Shigeo had stood next to another male guard whom was older than him. The guard's name was Kayo.
"I don't know why, but my ancestral dad, Tenji put me on guard duty- of all jobs, though. I like to do fun stuff, instead of staying in one place all the time."
'This job is so boring...' Shigeo thought as he simply yawned.
"Hey! No yawning on the job. Stay alert!" Kayo had told Shigeo.
"Sorry, but this job is kind of boring." Shigeo said.
Kayo grunted. "Tch! The youth these days."
"What does that even mean?" Shigeo asked Kayo.
"It means that young people like yourself are too lazy to do something as simple as guarding. You young people rather leech off your parents and grandparents after they how hard they work. Back in my day... when I was a little boy, my father made me go out and work in the fields so that he could make me understand what hard labor really is." Kayo had begun his speech about hard work.
Shigeo had gained a depressed look as he begun to hear Kayo's speech. 'Ah, great. He's starting to sound like my dad.' Shigeo Hyūga then looked forward. And when he did, he gasped.
"And when I was thirteen... my father made me pick up a sword for the first time, and-" Kayo looked at Shigeo who was staring at the road which leads to the front entrance. "Hey! Are you listening? Look at me when I'm talking to you!"
"Who are they?" Shigeo asked as he pointed his right index forward.
"Huh?" Kayo then looked to where Shigeo was staring. He then gasped when he saw two people walking toward the front entrance.
There were two people from the Land of That walking toward the front entrance of the Land of That. A tall man with dark and short spiky hair named Genbu. He was wearing a long sleeved dark green shirt and white pants. And there was another man who was a foot and a half shorter than Genbu. He had long dark and long smooth brown hair. He wore a pinkish-red shirt and a pair of white pants.
"Tch! Those are the Prime Ministers from the Land of That!" Kayo informed Shigeo while snarling.
"The Land of... That?" Shigeo raised his left eyebrow.
"The Land of That is a Nation that is five times the size of the Land of Ancestors-and their manpower is three times the size of this country has!" Kayo had informed.
"Seriously?"
"Go inform Tenji-sama of the Minister's arrival!" Kayo yelled.
"Alright. Fine." Shigeo said, then turned back and ran toward Tenji's castle. As he's running, he couldn't help but think of what Kayo just told him. "Five times the country size and three times the manpower... with an army like that, the Land of That can easily take over this country at anytime they wanted.'
One Minute Later...
Tenji was sitting on his throne and and talking with the head of command of his army, Toshio. They were discussing important things, until...
"Tenji-sama!" Shigeo had quickly approached Tenji.
"How dare you interrupt me! Tenji-sama and I are in the middle of a very important-"
Tenji raised his right palm. "Now, now. I'm sure what Shigeo has to say is really important." Tenji told Toshio, then turned his attention toward Shigeo. "Go on, Shigeo?"
"I just got word that the Ministers from the Land of That-or whatever had came here." Shigeo had informed his ancestral dad, Tenji.
Both Toshio and Tenji gasped, surprisingly. Neither of them did not expect them to show up so soon.
'What are they doing here so early?' Toshio thought while his face looked visibly shocked.
'It's too soon!' Tenji thought, then clinched his teeth. "Bring them in!"
"You got it!" Shigeo thought then ran out of the throne room entrance.
One Hour Later...
"Shortly after I was asked to escort the Ministers from the Land of That into my ancestral dad's castle... I begun eavesdropping. Listening to their entire conversation."
Shigeo was standing outside the room where Tenji was discussing political things with the the prime ministers from the Land of That. Shigeo's pair of Byakugan was activated. Watching them. To him, nothing seemed suspicious. 'Nothing suspicious out of the ordinary.' Shigeo had thought.
"Is everything okay, Shigeo-san?"
Shigeo gasped when he heard a feminine voice. He quickly deactivated his pair of Byakugan and quickly turned his head to the right, four o'clock. He spotted Aino, whom seemed a bit concerned. "A-Aino?"
"You were staring at the wall for a long time-as if you were trying to see what was in that room." Aino said.
"Uh, m-me? Well, I guess you can say that I'm just concerned for Tenji-sama's safety. Heh." Shigeo rubbed the back of his head and gave her an embarrassing chuckle.
"I honestly am, too." Aino smiled, then walked next to Shigeo. "Ever since Tenji-sama was a boy... he was weighed with the burden of leading this nation all by himself."
"All by himself?" Shigeo asked.
"Mm-hmm." Aino nodded. "His parents died, separately."
"Huh?"
"Tenji-sama's mother, Harumi-sama... died in childbirth. And Tenji's father, Meiji-sama had died on the front lines when Tenji-sama was just eight years old."
"That's sad." Shigeo said.
"It is. After Tenji-sama was coronated as Emperor, the elders of this country begun teaching Tenji how to become a strong leader and how to defend this nation from enemies." Aino had informed Shigeo.
"That's rough. Losing both parents at such a young age and being forced to grow up fast and lead a country..." Shigeo said.
"Mm-hmm." Aino nodded again. "Tenji-sama is the last of the royal family."
"You seem to know a lot about Tenji-sama." Shigeo said.
Aino begun to feel embarrassed. "I-It's not what you think! I simply heard everything from the elders. Tenji-sama is older than me."
"Oh? How old is Tenji-sama?" Shigeo asked.
"Tenji-sama is thirty years old." Aino informed Shigeo.
"Oh..." Shigeo said. 'Thirty, huh... he's three years older than I am.' Shigeo blinked. "So, um..."
"Hm?" Aino blinked and stared at Shigeo.
"How old are you?" Shigeo asked Aino.
Suddenly, Aino slapped Shigeo across his left face. Leaving a reddish-pink hand print on his left cheek.
"O-ow! What was that for?" Shigeo asked as he rubbed his left face.
"Y-you shouldn't ask for a woman's age! It's embarrassing!" Aino yelled while feeling embarrassed, again. Her face was visibly pink.
"Alright, alright. Sorry that I asked." Shigeo said while rubbing his left cheek where Aino slapped.
"Ever since I met Aino on that day, I've been bumping into her quite frequently."
Meanwhile, within the Meeting Room...
Within a meeting room... Tenji was wrapping up his discussions with the Prime Ministers from the Land of That.
"We shall return in a few days to hear your answer." Suzuaku had told Tenji as he had stood up from the conversating table. "By the way, I understand that you have taken in a mysterious man into your ranks. THe one with the blind eyes." Suzaku said as he pointed at his eyeballs with two of his right fingers.
'He's referring to Shigeo!' Tenji thought.
"Yes. The man that we met at the front gate. I hear that he is a Shinobi from place called, the Land of Fire." Genbu said.
"Maybe we can use a Shinobi in our ranks as well." Suzaku laughed as he walked out the room. And so did Genbu.
Tenji clinched his teeth in frustration. He didn't expect the Prime Ministers from the Land of That to know that much about Shigeo.
A Few Minutes Later...
Shigeo Hyuuga, Tenji, Toshio, Kayo and a few guards had watched the two Prime Ministers leave the Land of That.
"Without a doubt, this recently discovered artifact is a fabrication by the Land of That." Toshio had informed Tenji.
"I am aware of that. The Land of That proceeds to make false claims against neighboring lands and pretext to war. That's how they've expanded their lands." Tenji informed his men.
"So, they're just a bunch of bullies who likes to rule over others and take people's lands..." Shigeo asked.
"That's exactly right. Their armies are three times our size. Even if we gave it all we got, there is no chance of winning." Tenji informed Shigeo.
"Tenji-sama. Sending in those two Prime Ministers mean that they're really serious. We cannot show weakness." Kayo said, respectfully.
"I know." Tenji nodded.
Shigeo turned his attention from Tenji to the front entrance where Genbu and Suzaku walked out from. 'There's no telling when they're going to come after this land, next. We're going to need a miracle to stop an army like the Land of That.'
"Tenji-sama! We can use that turtle to help stop the Land of That from taking over our land!" Toshio said with confidence.
"Eh!" Shigeo's heart sunk when he heard Toshio mention Karasuki. 'I have to get Karasuki back and soon!' Shigeo thought and felt nervous.
"Hm... that wouldn't be a bad idea, but I fear that it's too soon to use it." Tenji told Tohio.
"But, Tenji-sama!"
"If the Land of That ever prove hostile toward this Land or my people, then I will proceed to use it, then and there." Tenji told Toshio. Then, then turned to Shigeo. "Right, Shigeo?"
"Uh... right." Shigeo nodded, but his gut was having a bad feeling about it.