An hour and a half later~
Ryuku, Hinata, and Kiba sat leaning against the neatly packed logs, stacked tightly one over another, covering nearly fifty square meters of space.
"Huuu, hu..." Huffing and puffing in exhaustion, all three of them reeked of sweat, their clothes completely soaked from head to toe.
"Arghh... We... we finally did it," Kiba groaned, collapsing onto the grass with his eyes tightly shut and a drained look on his face. Akamaru flopped down beside him, just as exhausted after helping move logs to the designated spot.
Hinata was breathing heavily, her clothes damp and her chakra long since dried up.
She had focused on gathering smaller branches instead of heavy logs, but even that had worn her body out. After burning through her energy with nonstop work, she had been running on sheer willpower toward the end.
Ryuku wasn't any better. Even with his remarkable chakra regeneration, the effort had drained him completely. His civilian body simply wasn't built for this level of physical output.
As he shut his eyes, a thought slipped through his tired mind.
Just how much stamina does Naruto even have? That twerp's a damn monster... All because of his Uzumaki lineage... And Kurama's factor...
After a good ten minutes of rest, Kurenai's voice drifted over from above the stacked logs.
"You three still have a mission left... if you haven't forgotten," she said with a teasing smile, her crimson eyes clearly enjoying their suffering.
Time to move my ass again...
Making up his mind, Ryuku pushed himself to his feet in one smooth motion.
"Deadline's by evening, Sensei. There's still plenty of time," he said in a low, calm voice. Then, glancing at the sorry state of his teammates, he added, "And we need to wash up first. Why don't we rendezvous at our second location in two hour? How about that?"
Hinata immediately nodded her head like a squirrel, silently thanking Ryuku for voicing what she had been too shy to say.
As for Kiba and Akamaru, they simply let out a tired huff without lifting their bodies, agreeing with his suggestion.
"Alright, then. We'll meet at the second location in two hours. Rest up, wash up, or do whatever you need in the meantime," Kurenai said, pulling out a folded piece of paper. "I'll go submit this form our client signed to the Mission Assignment Hall."
With that, she vanished in a puff of smoke.
Ryuku turned to look at the spent Hinata and Kiba, feeling slightly amused.
"Come on, you two, listen up. The second mission is to clean the stream. It's not that deep, so we won't need any nets. All we need are large trash bags, gloves, and garbage-picking tools."
Hinata gave a weak nod and asked softly, "D-Do we have to purchase them?"
At her question, Kiba lifted his head with effort and answered, his body clearly drained of energy,
"No... If it's trash bags and gloves, we have them at our clan, so leave that to me. As for picking tools, we can easily rent them from a shop…"
Hinata let out a small sigh of relief. She didn't have much money left, and asking her father for more was the last thing she wanted to do.
Ryuku nodded and said, "I'll head out first, then," before turning away.
I should let Hosho know about my leave too… he thought.
"W-Wait…" Hinata's voice suddenly called out from behind him.
Stopping, he looked back and saw her moving toward him.
"I'll... accompany you," she spoke softly.
Giving her a quick look, he smiled slightly. "Okay."
Seeing her clutching her right bicep with her left hand, trying to shield her chest, Ryuku immediately understood.
Her clothes had been drenched with sweat and stuck tightly to her body. She was clearly uncomfortable about heading home alone in that state.
I guess I'll drop her off... Hyuga residence is near the hospital anyway...
Leaving Kiba and Akamaru behind, who seemed to enjoy lying on the grass more than heading home, Ryuku and Hinata set off toward their own destinations.
Though, his decision to accompany her started feeling like a mistake pretty quickly.
---
Ughh, she can't keep up with my pace...
Hinata, drained of energy, was barely managing to walk, moving slower than a snail. Worse, the Hyūga residence was still a long way off. Unable to endure it any longer, Ryuku suggested, "Hey, Hinata, I'll carry you from here." And before the words were fully out, he was already taking action.
"R-Ryuku-kun? Wha—" Hinata gasped, startled. Her left arm was draped around his neck, while a strong hand gripped her waist securely. Her mind turned hazy.
What... What... What's happening...?
A calm voice brushed past her ear.
"Stay still. We'll be there in no time."
H–huh...?
Before she could even react, her surroundings blurred. The world spun for a second, and the next thing she knew, she was off the ground, carried from one house to the next as if her weight meant nothing to him.
The speed they moved was far beyond anything she had experienced, even when using chakra to boost her steps.
T-This is the Body Flicker Technique?
...Amazing.
Her nervous and worried feelings shifted into thrill and amazement.
She turned her face to look at Ryuku, whose long gray hair was swaying wildly in the wind, violet eyes fixed ahead with all but seriousness, and suddenly felt her heart thumping loudly despite the high velocity and the surrounding noises.
No...! The person I like is Naruto-kun... Stop thinking... Idiot Hinata...
Shaking her thoughts away, for the next few moments, she tried her best not to think about anything except for a certain obnoxious blonde.
Meanwhile, Ryuku was having plenty of difficulties himself. Keeping the technique stable, breathing in fresh air, holding Hinata tightly, avoiding unnecessary thoughts, and lastly, continuing to Body Flicker even though he could sense a strong, familiar chakra signature keeping tabs on them from behind.
Damn that Hyuga bodyguard... If you're so free, why not help Hinata yourself, you bastard...
Why the hell are you even hiding? Wait, are you a stalker?
His frustration was evident from his inner rambling.
---
Hyuga Kō, Hinata's appointed guard from her childhood, was a man of extreme devotion and dedication towards the little girl he had protected since a tender age. Despite the unbearable resentment between the Main Branch and the Branch Family, he, as an elite member of the Branch, felt no hatred for being appointed as the bodyguard of Hinata — a girl who had lost her fate of being the Hyuga heiress.
All he wanted was to protect Hinata and make sure of her well-being. The enmity between the Branch and the Main family didn't really affect him. Although, a sense of bitterness continued to linger in his heart ever since the Caged Bird Seal was etched onto his forehead.
It was back in his childhood, when he had just turned three.
Now, Byakugan active, he looked at Hinata, who was being helped out by a kid her age named Ryuku, and felt a sense of relief wash over him.
He had already checked Ryuku's background at the Academy, from Iruka Umino in person, and found the boy to be kind-hearted — a kindred soul.
A heart willing to protect his friends, and a powerful Will of Fire to sacrifice himself for the village...
The boy was already a Konoha shinobi from his heart!
The kind he respected!
"I hope the Clan Leader won't be too surprised seeing his daughter being carried by a boy her age..."
He smirked wryly, imagining Hiashi's reaction in his mind.