This chapter has been revised as of 8/8/2021.
Chapter 6: A Dangerous Escort
Naruto threw himself in front of Daichi when the wave of smoke blocked his view of the treeline. The horse reared up, but the cart driver reined it back in before it could bolt away. He strained to make anything out in the darkness as footsteps and shadows surrounded the group. And then something large burst through the smoke right in front of him.
The bandit rivaled a bear in size, dressed in ragged clothes that hugged his muscular frame. He had a hungry look in his eyes when he found Naruto, and he raised what looked like an axe meant for tree cutting over his head. The axes blade looked uneven and chipped at the edges, and spattered with a dried red color. Even as he screamed at himself to do something, anything, Naruto's body locked up. Why wasn't he moving? No, he couldn't die like this… The charging man was mere feet away from burying his hatchet into Naruto when a wave of shuriken dug into his arm. Naruto came out of his trance while the axeman winced in pain, stumbling to the side.
"I'm gonna cave your head in, brat..." he growled. He yanked the shuriken out with a few drops of blood to show for it. Naruto smiled back and made a hand seal. He could do this!
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" He formed two of them, who jumped onto the axeman's arms. That forced him to drop his weapon, and Naruto slammed a fist into his gut while he had the opening. The bandit bent over and wheezed. Naruto uppercut him, hearing a crack from his jawbone. He tipped over backwards like a felled log. The two clones continued beating him down until he stopped moving. Naruto cracked his knuckles as they dispelled, and then turned back to Daichi. "Hey, get in the cart until we're done!" he yelled. Daichi, shaken for the first time since they met, scrambled into the caravan.
Naruto threw himself at another bandit with newfound confidence, summoning more clones to rob him of his pitchfork. He mid-air kicked the man into a nearby tree trunk hard enough to shake the branches on impact. Two down! Naruto worked his way through two more bandits, and then noticed a third one trying to draw a sword on Hinata. Her eyes turned completely white as she seemed to glare through the man. Her intensity kinda scared him, but he continued to watch as she pushed the bandit's slash aside with an elbow to deliver a two handed palm strike on his unguarded chest. Even Naruto could see the spurt of chakra appear when she made contact. The bandit took a few shaky steps back to hack up a mouthful of blood. Hinata looked hesitant for a moment, but her expression hardened again. Her enemy collapsed to his knees while she slid into a different stance, and then she knocked him out with a swift punch to the temple. He joined the other men on the ground, all injured to the point of not moving.
"Pay attention!" Sasuke yelled from somewhere behind him. Naruto turned around in time to watch him slide into the legs of a bandit, knocking the guy down. Sasuke flipped onto his feet and got behind the man fast enough to slam the back of a kunai into his head while he tried to rise. The bandit crumpled to the ground again. "You'll die if you stand around doing nothing," Sasuke continued, and then left to chase another shadow down in the fading smoke. Naruto followed his teammate with a growl. He could do just as much as him!
Another minute, and the ambush ended in the bandits' defeat. Naruto helped drag the unconscious bodies into a pile as Kakashi jumped down from the cart.
"Nice job, team," he said. He inspected their captured thugs as he spoke. "Once you got over the stage fright, you pulled it together." Kakashi picked up a set of bloody shuriken, the ones that stopped the axeman, and Naruto tried not to let any guilt show. As far as he knew, Sasuke and Hinata didn't freeze up and have someone snap them out of it. "There's eleven here. Hinata, how many did you initially see?"
"I counted twelve in the forest…" she said, her eyes still activated. "But now I don't see anyone nearby."
"Interesting. He most likely abandoned the rest to save his own skin, but I doubt he'll try a follow up attack." He pulled out some rope to restrain the bandits while Daichi busied himself checking the cart over for any damage. Naruto stuck his hands in his pockets and kicked at a stone in the road, frowning to himself. First Iruka-senshi, then Kakashi-sensei, and now Sasuke. He was never gonna hesitate and make someone have to save him like that again.
After tying up the bandits and messaging the local law enforcement to handle the rest, their caravan traveled down the road another few hours until the sky dimmed. Hinata went back to her periodic scanning, now very aware of how important her job was. Kakashi scouted out a clearing not far from the main path, so they guided the cart and horse there to camp for the night. Daichi's driver disconnected his horse while everyone else set up the area.
Hinata dug a pit for the fire, leaving Sasuke to set up the tents. Naruto ran off to find some wood to burn. He looked like he'd been sulking about something for the last section of their journey, so she didn't stop him when he volunteered for the job. It did begin to bother her how off kilter he'd been acting. They won the fight, so what was wrong with him?
Naruto mostly returned to his brighter self after dinner, so she let it go. Instead, Hinata checked her hands over for injuries. Her knuckles stung a little, but that was expected after punching someone's skull. There were more efficient ways to take someone down, but after seeing the effects of her Gentle Fist to his lungs, she'd been thrown off. She knew all about the theory of what damage to the chakra network did to nearby organs, but to see it in action was… unnerving. Brutal, even. She'd always taken her father's warnings about using the Gentle Fist seriously, but now it held a tangible weight. She could have killed someone with a single strike today, and she couldn't be sure how much control she had in the heat of the moment.
Hinata didn't fear a fight. If anything, she got too into training at times, pushing herself beyond limits just because she could, but she didn't think of herself as bloodthirsty. Maybe she frightened a few people back in the Academy when she broke a training post with an over-enthusiastic chakra palm, but that'd been an accident. There was a difference between going all out in a sparring match and ending someone's life. She couldn't bear watching people in unnecessary pain either.
Daichi sat down across from her at the fire, interrupting her debate on the merit of taping up her hands. He had the guitar again, but he looked frustrated as he tried turning the knobs on the end of it with his bandaged hand. Now could be a good time to speak to him. Better than thinking about the blood that bandit lost because of her.
"Um, do you… need help with that?" He stopped fumbling with his instrument and looked at her.
"Huh?" She might regret this later, but she continued on.
"I… You looked like you were having trouble," she explained. He raised a brow, and she looked away from him. This was stupid of her. She endured a long, excruciating pause before he responded.
"...You know how a guitar works?"
"I've played instruments similar to it before." He looked down at his guitar, his gaze intense, and then he sighed.
"Here," Daichi said. He stood up and handed it over. "Don't drop it." She took it with a sturdy grip, making sure she supported it on her lap like he did before. It felt heavier than other string instruments, but still hollow enough to carry around without impeding movement too much.
"I haven't been able to tune it right since that pick-pocketer tried to attack me a couple weeks ago. I'm lucky he only messed up my hand and not my whole arm…" He pointed at the thickest string out of the six. "This one starts at the low E note, and then A, D, G, B, and high E going down the strings." Her fingers picked the strings while he explained, playing random notes. She took her time checking the pitches by ear, adjusting the knobs when necessary while Daichi supervised.
"Is this correct?" With no pick to use, she strummed the guitar with her thumb. Daichi scratched his rough chin again, eyes closed as he listened, and then he nodded.
"Sounds about right to me." Hinata handed the instrument back. Daichi tried playing some different chords before he broke out in a smile. "Hey, that's pretty good. First time I had a ninja fix my guitar on the road. Gonna charge me extra?" Her face flushed red.
"Uh, no, I just... I was only curious about it"- He stopped her with a short laugh.
"Don't worry, it's a joke." Oh. Right. Before she crawled into her tent to escape the situation, Naruto abandoned his current argument with Sasuke and joined them instead.
"Hey, you gonna play something now?" he asked with a hopeful look.
"Nah, we were only tuning it. Maybe tomorrow I'll practice a song. Besides, probably not too smart to make a bunch of noise at night." Daichi wrapped up the guitar once more. Naruto rubbed the back of his neck.
"Yeah, I guess more bandits could hear us…"
The missing twelfth bandit made his way through the dense woods at a much faster pace than the rest of his group moved, hopping from branch to branch like a ninja as soon as he slipped out of the Leaf ninjas' range. When he felt sufficiently far enough, he slowed to a stop and fell to the forest floor in a three point crouch. The bandit stood up, checked his surroundings for any witnesses, and then burst into white chakra smoke. In his place stood a young woman with short, dirty blonde hair and pale blue eyes. The worn down flak jacket she wore and deliberately scarred leaf headband tied to her leg marked her as a rogue kunoichi.
"Kenzou's not going to like this news..." she said under her breath, checking the longbow strapped to her back for any damage. She left the treeline and entered a small clearing where a makeshift settlement of tents waited. The few thugs standing guard straightened up and allowed her to pass through unhindered. The kunoichi ignored the first larger tents where other bandits sorted through their stolen goods and rested. She needed the smaller, separate one near the back.
"Kenzou, I ran into something on the main road to Hanamoto's place," she said outside the tent's opening. She heard the sound of metal being shifted around, and then silence.
"Come in." She slipped through the tent flap and secured it behind her. A larger, older man kneeling on a blanket, his brown eyes focused on the metal club he polished with military diligence. Surrounding him were piles of various weapons, from shuriken and kunai to polearms and swords. His dark brown hair stuck up in the front, but he tied it into a long, tight braid down his back. A scar ran up his jaw and cheek, and his short sleeved button up shirt exposed thick arms tattooed with scrawled writing that formed precise circles. One shoulder had been consumed by a stylized tiger's head, and a scarred leaf headband rested over his forehead "What did you find, Haruka?"
"A merchant bought Leaf ninja along with him. Looks like a full Genin squad with a Jonin leader." His jaw clenched, and he met her eyes.
"What happened to the rest of your patrol?" he asked.
"Either captured or dead. I left before they realized I'd even been there."
"How unlucky, but at least now it's not an unpleasant surprise. They'll probably stay around the greenhouse until the merchant departs. We can't afford to wait that long."
"That's what I didn't want to hear. Should we postpone the operation to adjust our plan?" Kenzou looked conflicted, and then shook his head.
"No, I'll find a way around it." He stood up and retrieved a map from a nearby bag. "Get some scouts and set yourself up around the property, but don't approach those ninja. We'll watch them and see if we find an opening in their defense. If we have to abridge the length of our raid, then we will, but I'm not facing a Jonin on even ground if I can help it." Haruka considered that a reasonable strategy.
"I'll inform our men." She left as Kenzou marked on the map with a pencil, talking through his additions under his breath.
The second day of travelling seemed dull by comparison. They kept the same formation, Kakashi once again riding inside the caravan. Anyone that came close enough to steal from them lost interest as soon as they realized who was guarding the cart, and Hinata only had to watch them turn and run in the opposite direction under her telescopic sight. Either these bandits had a better sense of self preservation, or they'd been warned of the presence of ninja on this particular trade route. It made the journey feel significantly slower though, even after Daichi played melodies for their entertainment. Hours went by with nothing much to show for it. Naruto gave a loud sigh and rested his hands behind his head while he walked.
"Hey, so… where are we getting there again? Anytime soon?" he asked.
"Hanamoto Greenhouse is about… an hour away at this rate," Daichi answered. Hinata stopped her latest pass over the surrounding land when she heard the name, an odd chill going down her spine. Hanamoto? She recognized that from somewhere. "We'll arrive at the edge of the property around sunset." She nearly stopped in the middle of the road when the memory returned to her. She drew some attention when she hurried to catch up with the cart.
"You okay?" Naruto asked.
"I just realized that I've been to Hanamoto Greenhouse before," she said. It must have been years ago. Her father had taken her there on some kind of business for the clan. But why did it make her so uneasy?
"That's not surprising," Kakashi said. "Most larger clans in the village have business ties with outside families for resources, or at least make deals through the village itself."
"What do they need that for?"
"Usually discounts on raw materials or refined products, like medical herbs or weapons. A clan will make an agreement to come to the aid of a business if requested, and in return, that business will sell to them at a discount. Konoha buys the materials for medicine and supplies in bulk this way, and then we'll run some missions involving the companies at reduced price in return."
"So it's really just a bunch of favors?"
"That's one way of phrasing it," Kakashi said. Sasuke shook his head.
"Your grasp on economics is really impressive for a guy that struggled counting up enough money for two bowls of ramen," he said.
"Hey, I had a coupon! I can't just do 55% off in my head…"
"That's basic math, idiot." Hinata ignored Naruto's attempt to show Sasuke that percentages were not basic arithmetic skills. She decided to put more effort into recalling her trip to Hanamoto Greenhouse. It'd been around 4 years ago. Father was arranging a shipment of seeds for some of the gardens in the compound, a deal they most likely kept up until the present. And yet she felt like she forgot something important.
"Greenhouse up ahead," the cart driver announced. He slowed their approach to not wear out the horse. Kakashi was out near the front of their group in what felt like an instant, like hadn't been reading for the last few hours. Hinata spotted the greenhouse from a distance with her Byakugan not long ago, but seeing it up close made its size more evident.
Hanamoto Greenhouse functioned more like a partially indoor farm, with a massive collection of glass buildings surrounded by sweeping fields of different flowers and plants. All of it stayed protected by a well maintained chain gate behind a larger stone one, and they had both civilian and samurai guards posted around it as an extra measure. She couldn't help but stare at its sheer scale. How many different varieties of flora did they possess? How much work did it take to maintain so many plants? Naruto openly gaped at the fields, and even Sasuke looked stunned.
"Made it in one piece," Daichi said. He hopped out when the cart stopped, and then spoke to a guard for a minute. The solid wood gates creaked open to let them through. An older, well dressed man and a boy closer to her age waited on the other side. Their robes looked like something the average person would keep in the back of their closet for special occasions. Expensive and nearly spotless. The older man's black hair had a slight grey to it, the only difference from the boy next to him.
"Ah, good to see that Konoha has safely brought you back to us again, Mr. Kato," the man said, holding his arms out. He might have been a little dramatic, but Hinata couldn't detect much arrogance from him. His warm tone didn't come off as fake. The teenager looked a little bored by comparison. Daichi tipped his hat at the man, a genuine smile on his face.
"They always do." He shook the businessman's hand, then turned to face the four ninja. "This is Ichirou Hanamoto, he owns and runs this whole operation."
"We'll be watching over Mr. Kato on your property until he returns to the village, if that's acceptable." Kakashi slipped into what she considered his professional voice. While Kakashi and Ichirou discussed security and housing, the dark haired boy locked eyes with her. She tensed up before she even registered the reason. A spark of recognition hit them at the same time, and she suddenly knew why she disliked this place in the past. Katsuo.
"Is that you, Princess?" he asked, loud enough to catch the entire group's attention. With an expression Hinata could only describe as a love-struck smile that belonged in the depths of a cheap romance book, he crossed the distance between them in seconds. If she hadn't been so disoriented, she might have considered jumping on top of the caravan to escape. By the time she recovered, he'd grabbed one of her hands. It took more restraint than she thought she possessed to not render his arm useless with her other one. She represented her family with her behavior, she couldn't just lash out at a technical client. She had to stay professional.
"Your what?" she squeaked out. He dropped down on one knee and looked up at her with shining green eyes. She wanted the ground to swallow her. This had to be a joke. She noticed Sasuke trying to contain himself from saying anything, and it only doubled her embarrassment. He'd hang this over her head for the rest of the mission, wouldn't he?
"I've not forgotten the promise I made when we last met, and now you return," he continued, oblivious to the rest of the world and her own internal suffering. He couldn't possibly be referring to when she was eight, right? The offer she begrudgingly accepted so he'd be quiet? She had just wanted to play in the garden… "We are truly destined to be together!"
Hinata was speechless. Kakashi raised a brow, as if waiting for the punchline, and Sasuke looked too smug for her comfort. Naruto recovered first, pointing a finger at Katsuo.
"Who the hell is this guy?" At least someone felt similarly to her.
"That's the manager's son…" Daichi explained. Ichirou had enough class to be embarrassed in Katsuo's place, but that didn't help her at the moment.
"Wait, I didn't"- He pulled her away and cut her off, going on about a romance that she had no intention of starting in the first place.
"Uh, shouldn't we do something, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked.
"I'm interested to see where this goes," Sasuke said. He didn't move an inch even after Hinata shot him a desperate plea with her eyes. Such betrayal never stung as badly as it did in this moment. Kakashi shook his head.
"Don't involve yourself in clan politics, Naruto."