The bustle of the people echoed in Toru's ears as he passed through the gates of that town, while Ino's eyes took in the buildings that made up the place.
'It's different from Konoha.' Toru thought, as if that wasn't obvious.
The buildings in the town were strangely more modern than those in Konohagakure.
'This is where the mission ends, huh...'
"All right, now that we've arrived," Yamato said.
He smiled calmly because he could see the fatigue in his students caused by the journey. It was good to see them more relaxed now that they were halfway through the mission.
"I'll escort Hiashi-san to his destination. For now, you can do some sightseeing. We'll meet back here at noon."
"Sightseeing? That sounds great!" Ino said. "I've saved up so much money from our missions, so... I'm going to buy a ton of clothes!"
Then she took off running at full speed. It was like watching some strange manga drawing come to life... Toru watched her leave and shook his head.
'She just leaves...'
"See you later, nii-san," Hanabi said, saying goodbye with a brief wave.
Yamato and the two Hyuga disappeared into the streets, leaving Hinata and Toru alone. Just like yesterday, they remained silent for a few seconds.
'Since we're here, I guess I should buy some food.'
Toru put his hands in his pockets and began walking in search of a restaurant or store, but Hinata timidly followed him.
"Huh? I... Toru-kun, wait for me!"
"I'm going to buy food. What about you?" Toru said.
"I guess I'll do the same... We could only eat rice balls and drink water during the entire trip."
Toru nodded in response and continued walking alongside Hinata. Although silence was present, this time neither of them felt uncomfortable. It was like so many years ago...
—Inside a Clothing Store—
Her eyes sparkled with excitement. Different types of clothing were displayed in front of her.
"I'm taking this one. I'm sure Sasuke will love it."
Minutes later, Ino left the clothing store with two paper bags, one in each hand.
'What should I do now? There's still a long time until noon...'
Ino looked around for something to keep her occupied until noon, but she had no luck.
"Maybe I'll go get something to eat."
For some reason, she felt lonely, even though she had been the first one to leave the team when she heard the word "sightseeing."
—Somewhere—
Everything was covered in trees. There was a stone path with wooden benches along the sides, and several people wandered around the area. Hinata and Toru were resting on one of those benches.
The wind caused the leaves to fall from the trees while the morning breeze blew Toru's hair in front of his eyes. Hinata sat beside him, eating an onigiri. Ironically, she had been complaining a little while ago that they had only been able to eat rice the entire time, and Toru was now sharing the same fate.
'There are still two hours until noon. I should do something until then...'
He looked at Hinata, who had a worried expression on her face. Given their conversation last night, it was clear what was bothering the Hyuga girl.
Without saying anything, Toru stood up from the bench and began walking toward the trees.
"Huh...? Where are you going, Toru-kun?"
"Are you coming?" he said, his face as deadpan as always.
Toru turned around and continued walking. Hinata stared at him for a few seconds before reacting.
"Uh... yeah, wait for me..."
Hinata picked up the food boxes and followed Toru. It wasn't long before Toru decided to stop. The place they were in was deserted.
"Where are we?"
Hearing the question, Toru looked up at the sky.
"Do you want to train with me?" Toru said, turning around.
"Train?"
"Yes. I figured a match between us would give us more combat experience, but if you don't want to fight me, I won't insist."
Hinata looked Toru in the eyes. For a second, she remembered the training she had gone through her entire life. It had practically consisted of being beaten until she managed to land a hit.
'If it's with Toru, I...'
Hinata looked down, but a second later she raised her gaze and replied with a faint smile.
"I'm not sure, but if you want to..."
This made Toru move a little farther away, stopping three meters from Hinata.
"Okay. The Hyuga have a fighting style different from any other ninja."
"Yeah, I guess," Hinata replied.
Toru raised his arms slightly, taking his fighting stance, which seemed strange to Hinata, but she soon adopted her own fighting stance. Open palms, absolute defense.
"You'll have to use your eyes, Hinata."
"My eyes? But if I use them, you'll..."
The expression on her face was uncertain, but Toru understood what she meant.
"If you don't use your eyes, it wouldn't be training."
Using your abilities in combat was natural. It was time for Hinata to understand that. The reason Hanabi was strong was because she never held back. Her training had always been more effective for that very reason.
Keeping that in mind, Hinata came to a conclusion.
"Well, but I don't think I can win..."
Toru sighed.
"Winning doesn't matter in training. Learning does. When this coin hits the ground, the fight will begin. Are you ready?"
Hinata nodded, and Toru tossed the coin. It fell to the ground, and she didn't waste any time: she activated her dōjutsu. The veins around her eyes bulged, and chakra wrapped around her hands in a light blue glow.
Toru took a deep breath. He never took his eyes off Hinata. Then, when the coin stopped moving, Toru launched himself into the attack. This was going to help Hinata with the inferiority complex she had.
"Huh?"
Hinata's eyes darted in different directions, searching for the gray-eyed boy, but not even a second passed before Toru appeared behind her. Attacking from behind was the most common tactic used by ninjas because it was perfect for an instant kill, but using the palm of her hand, Hinata struck Toru's fist, preventing it from hitting her.
Using the recoil from the strike, Toru spun through the air and raised his leg for a kick. In response, Hinata quickly jumped backward.
'He's so fast!'
She tried to read Toru's movements, but even when she used the Byakugan to see through him, he managed to slip away and strike quickly.
'He's as fast as Yamato-sensei.'
Hinata realized the extent of Toru's abilities. During their classes at the Ninja Academy, Toru had demonstrated that he could fight even though his clan wasn't good at using ninjutsu or any other type of jutsu. Unfortunately...
'What?'
Without giving her time to think, Toru launched another attack, disappearing and reappearing in front of her again and again. Hinata felt weak in front of him.
Using the palms of her hands, she tried to deflect every one of Toru's strikes. Each blow produced a wave of chakra that spread through the air.
'I can't counterattack!'
A drop of sweat slid down Hinata's forehead as she desperately tried to evade the attacks. Toru was too fast, but for some reason, Hinata was able to block his attacks.
'She can do more than she thinks,' he thought.
Spinning 180 degrees, Hinata managed to strike Toru directly in the chest, forcing him backward from the impact. His feet skidded across the ground until he came to a stop.
Then, Toru placed his hand over the affected area. It hurt too much, an unbearable pain that made him cough a couple of times.
'Did I let my guard down?'
That wasn't it.
'I didn't let my guard down. She's just strong.'
Toru sighed. After all, he hadn't been fighting at full strength from the beginning, but perhaps that had been his mistake: underestimating Hinata.
'I hit one of his chakra points. Is he going to be okay?'
"Don't get distracted," Toru said, appearing in front of Hinata in the blink of an eye.
The strikes connected once again, then again, and again, producing waves of chakra and wind that spread throughout the area.
Hinata's great ability to block Toru's rapid attacks was impressive. She always felt inferior to everyone, so being able to land a hit on someone as fast and agile as Toru gave her confidence a small boost.
'Even though I hit one of his chakra points, he's still fighting as if nothing happened.'
Hinata didn't have enough time to think of something that would give her an advantage, but she continued blocking Toru's strikes nonetheless.
'Hinata's confidence is growing.'
Toru could tell that Hinata's strikes were becoming stronger and her reaction speed was improving.
'I'll try increasing my speed a little more.'
In less than a second, Toru increased the distance between himself and Hinata. The two looked into each other's eyes for a few seconds.
Hinata's breathing was beginning to grow heavier, and the strain on her chakra was increasing. Toru saw this as a sign that the training was nearing its end.
Once again, with her Byakugan, Hinata could see Toru approaching from behind. Returning to her fighting stance, Hinata waited for Toru to attack.
'Here he comes!'
She turned around and tried to stop the attack, but Toru disappeared in front of her and instantly reappeared behind her.
'No!'
Covering her face with her arms, Hinata waited for Toru's blow, but...
"We're done."
Toru gently tapped Hinata on the head.
"What...?"
Hinata was confused.
"The training is over," Toru said.
The demonstration of Hinata's strength up to that point had served a purpose. Toru was certain that this girl would improve considerably in the future. Until then, he would simply observe.
"But I—"
"The food we bought earlier must have gone cold by now. Let's get some more." Toru put his hands in his pockets and walked forward calmly.
'I lost...'
Hinata watched Toru walk away at a slow pace.
'He's really strong.'
—Somewhere Else—
"Nii-san, onee-san," Hanabi said, raising her hand in greeting.
"It's time to return to Konoha, kids," Yamato said.
The mission was over.
"Nii-san, are you going to come to my house when we get back to the village?"
In response, Toru simply remained silent.