Chapter 10

"Ka-chan, stop lazing around - they're trying to strangle me here, and you're just laughing!" I tried to appeal to Sai's conscience, but only provoked a new wave of amusement.

Kami, thanks to you that the tent walls are sealed with seals that don't let sound out, and also prevent peeking inside with the Hyuga dojutsu; otherwise, my embarrassment would become the whole squad's affair. Not to mention that I really don't want curious people to see this annoying pair of kunoichi in their nightwear.

After a while, they calmed down, and I was released. True, that didn't stop me from sulking, but according to the giggling couple, it made me even cuter. Ugh, darn it! Since dawn was almost breaking, we decided to get up instead of lounging around.

I dressed myself, firmly refusing any help, earning myself a couple of smiles. So, when we emerged from the tent, facing us were two smiling women and one disgruntled me, quietly grumbling about the unfairness of life. Moving away from the couple just in case, I sat on a small stump, adapted as a seat since yesterday, and tried not to pay attention to their whispers and quiet giggles.

Thank goodness I can't hear them; otherwise, I'd be as red as a tomato - for some reason, moms love to share stories about their children's most embarrassing moments!

The other shinobi cast curious glances our way but silently collected their sleeping gear and prepared for breakfast. Catching one of the dissatisfied glances thrown their way, Senju stifled a laugh with her palm, quietly listening to what Ma was whispering to her. Growing even more irritated and intensifying my gaze, I decided it was time for a little payback! And there'll be a celebration on my street!

"Stop giggling! Next time you decide to squeeze someone - squeeze each other. And no attempts to use me as a pillar or to suffocate me with your chest, especially if it's of such size! And if you think it's pleasant, you're mistaken!"

I accompanied my angry tirade with shaking fists... well, childish fist, undoubtedly adding considerable comicality to the action.

The effect was impressive! One chunin, returning with a handful of branches for breakfast cooking, dropped his load and got a wooden smack on the leg; the other, just gathering his sleeping bag, missed the roll and gracefully toppled headfirst into the ground.

Another, sitting on the ground and sorting through his supply of projectiles, dropped a kunai and nearly lost his main asset when it embedded a few millimeters from his trousers. The rest of the chunin began to blush rapidly, and Hyuga almost spilled his tea, pouring it into a cup from a small thermos.

Eh, not quite the result I was aiming for, but it'll do. The main thing is that the sweet couple is not laughing at me anymore. Though they tried to conceal their laughter as coughing, even a fool could see through it.

So, that's how our morning began, full of fun. After a quick breakfast, we gathered our things and were on the move again in a couple of minutes. Though this time, it was Senju who volunteered to carry me, but it didn't make much difference.

The second day of the journey turned out to be a mirror image of the past until Hyuga activated his Byakugan once again and almost immediately ordered the squad to stop.

"What's happened?" Senju immediately asked, seeing the jonin's face more serious than usual.

"Seven shinobi are approaching us from the right, all bearing the Kirigakure headbands."

"They're definitely coming towards us, not just passing by?"

"Definitely! When we stopped, they changed their course straight towards us, not to the point where we could have been, continue moving at the same speed. This group is targeting us."

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