A tail behind him?
Neji's pupils shrank sharply.
He turned around on instinct, one hand already pressing against the ninja tool pouch at his waist.
Teizawa merely waved a hand. "Bring them over. Don't hurt her."
"Yes!"
Two Suna ninja answered and moved out.
Before long, a slender figure was escorted out from behind the roadside thicket.
Her steps were unsteady.
The hem of her white kimono was stained with mud and bits of grass. Her long black hair spilled over her shoulders, the soft strands stirring gently in the night wind.
Moonlight fell across her face.
Her pale eyes were filled with panic and stubbornness.
Hinata Hyuga.
Neji was completely stunned.
"Hinata..." His voice turned hoarse. "Why are you here?"
Hinata bit her lip and said nothing.
Her fingers twisted the corner of her clothes, and her body trembled faintly.
Although she was not weak, she was nowhere near enough to stand against two jōnin from Sunagakure.
Right now, she was utterly alone.
For a moment, Hinata did not know how to answer.
Yes. Why had she followed him?
She had simply seen Neji leaving the village alone in the middle of the night, and a strange unease had risen in her chest. Before she knew it, she had followed him as if possessed.
She wanted to call out to him, but she did not dare.
She wanted to turn back, but she could not bring herself to.
And so she had followed him all the way here.
Teizawa's eyes brightened slightly.
He had been regretting the fact that he had not found a chance to come into contact with Hinata during this trip to Konoha.
The young lady of the Hyuga clan. Gentle, obedient, and graceful, like a proper yamato nadeshiko.
Those pale eyes and that shy demeanor had always made him want to find a chance to get to know her.
He had not expected the girl to deliver herself right to his doorstep.
He waved at the two Suna ninja holding Hinata.
"Let her go."
The Suna ninja released her and stepped aside.
Hinata rubbed her reddened wrists.
Her head remained lowered, and she did not dare look at anyone.
Teizawa walked up to her and looked down at her.
Under the moonlight, her small face looked pale and delicate. Her long lashes trembled faintly, like butterfly wings.
There was a faint fragrance about her.
It was not the scent of powder.
It was a clear, clean scent unique to a young girl.
"Hinata-san..."
His voice was very soft, carrying a trace of amusement.
"It isn't safe for you to be outside alone this late."
Hinata raised her head and met those deep eyes.
They were far too aggressive, as if they meant to swallow her whole.
Her heart skipped a beat, and a blush rose across her cheeks.
Her lips moved, and her voice was as soft as a mosquito's hum.
"I... I came to find Neji-nii-san..."
Teizawa smiled. Under the moonlight, that smile looked especially gentle.
"Neji-nii-san is going to Sunagakure as a guest. Do you want to come too?"
Hinata froze.
She looked at Teizawa, then at Neji.
Her eyes were filled with confusion.
Neji opened his mouth.
He wanted to say something, but swallowed the words back down.
He knew what Teizawa was planning.
But he did not dare say it, and he could not say it.
"I... I don't know..."
Hinata lowered her head, her fingers twisting tighter.
Teizawa did not press her. He only smiled.
"That's fine. Take your time thinking about it."
He turned and walked toward the group. After taking two steps, he stopped again.
"Hinata, follow me."
The corner of Neji's mouth twitched, but he said nothing.
Hinata stood where she was.
She watched that receding figure, her heartbeat still refusing to settle.
The night wind lifted her long hair and stirred the hem of her white kimono.
Moonlight fell over her like a thin veil of silver.
In the distance, Teizawa had already leaped onto the carriage.
He sat on the driver's bench with the reins in his hands, gazing at the moonlit road ahead.
That faint smile still lingered at the corner of his mouth, and something flickered in his eyes.
Hinata.
He had thought there would be no chance.
Unexpectedly, she had come to him on her own.
This trip to Konoha had truly been overflowing with gains.
Teizawa ordered his men to erase every trace Neji and Hinata had left along the way.
Footprints, scents, chakra residue.
Every clue that might allow someone to track them was wiped clean.
Suna's ANBU were deeply familiar with this kind of work.
After a few jutsu, even the grass along the roadside was restored to its untouched state, as if no one had ever stepped there.
As for the uproar that the disappearance of the Hyuga clan's genius and young lady would cause in Konoha, that was no longer something he needed to consider.
The blame would not fall on him anyway.
Neji had followed him of his own accord.
Hinata had followed Neji of her own accord.
He had merely been kind enough to take in two homeless Konoha ninja.
...
Three days passed in a blink.
Teizawa's group did not return to Sunagakure by the fastest route.
Instead, they took a detour and advanced in the direction of the Land of Wind.
He planned to meet Orochimaru along the way.
And while he was at it, he would make a deal.
That mad scientist hiding in an underground laboratory in the Land of Rice Fields had quite a few things that interested him.
That evening, the group made camp in a forest.
A bonfire was lit.
The Suna ANBU sat together around it, eating rations and speaking quietly among themselves.
Teizawa sat alone a little farther away.
Several boxed meals bought from a nearby village were laid out in front of him.
Inside were grilled fish, rice balls, and several side dishes.
He ate with satisfaction.
After wiping his mouth, his gaze landed on the two figures nearby.
Neji leaned against a tree with his eyes closed, looking as though he were dozing.
Hinata sat beside him with her knees together, both hands placed properly on her lap. Her head was lowered, and no one knew what she was thinking.
"Hinata..."
Teizawa's voice sounded through the dusk. "It's time to sleep."
Hinata's body stiffened slightly.
Neji opened his eyes, and anger filled his Byakugan.
He shot to his feet and stood in front of Hinata, glaring at Teizawa through gritted teeth.
"You bastard... when are you going to stop?"
Teizawa leaned against the tree trunk, hands tucked into his sleeves, the corner of his mouth carrying a faint, teasing smile.
"You don't like it? Then shall we practice some more?"
His tone was light and casual.
As if he were saying, "The weather is nice today."
Neji's fists clenched until his knuckles turned white.
Images from the previous two nights flashed through his mind.
The first time he resisted, the Kazekage personally made his move.
Punch after punch.
Each blow landed in the most painful places, yet avoided serious injury.
Neji had been completely crushed. Even after giving everything he had, he could not touch the corner of the man's clothing.
He had simply been beaten.
His whole body had been bruised purple and blue, and the pain had made him grit his teeth.
Hinata had cried beside them, begging him to stop.
Only then had the Kazekage halted.
On the second night, Neji resisted again.
And was beaten again.
Hinata could not bear to watch anymore. With her face red, she said, "I'll go."
Then she took the initiative to climb into the carriage.
Since then, every night had been the same.
Although that bastard truly had only gone to sleep and had not done anything improper to Hinata, the situation itself still felt wrong.
Neji clenched his teeth and was about to speak.
Hinata suddenly stood up.
"Don't..."
Her voice was soft, yet exceptionally clear.
She walked up to Neji, raised her head, and looked at him with pleading in those pale eyes.
"Neji-nii-san, I'll go."
Her face was as red as a boiled shrimp.
The blush spread from her cheeks to the tips of her ears, then down to her neck.
But she did not retreat.
She only lowered her head and silently walked toward the carriage.
Teizawa stood, brushed the bits of grass from his clothes, and followed behind her.
When he passed Neji, he stopped and patted him on the shoulder.
"Don't worry. It's just sleeping."
His voice was light, carrying a trace of amusement.
"If I really wanted to do something, could you stop me?"
Neji's lips moved.
He wanted to say something, but swallowed it back down.
Because he knew the bastard was telling the truth.
He could not stop him.
That man's strength completely overwhelmed his own.
That feeling of helplessness, of being pinned down so thoroughly that he could not move, was something he never wanted to experience again in this life.
(End of Chapter)
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