Lee and Guy would squeeze every spare second for push-ups. Neji was reliable. Everyone else just had to be ready to converge.
Normally Tenten would peel off on her own scout route, but right now she was still frozen in proposal-shock. Even Guy noticed.
"Yo, Tenten! Where's the fire? You usually hunt the pig yourself!"
"Huh? I—I'm going!" She bolted in the opposite direction from Neji.
"Should I tag along?" Ayato asked Guy.
The green duo were already face-down in dirt, cranking push-ups. Ayato felt like a third wheel. Better shadow Tenten—get to know the future wife.
"Don't you want to burn youth with us?!" Guy wailed mid-rep.
"It's just—she seems off. Helping her means faster mission, means more training later!" Ayato lied through his teeth.
"Three! Four! Five hundred before Neji finds the pig—or a thousand extra tonight!"
"I won't lose, Sensei!" Lee bellowed.
They're in the zone. Cool. Tenten was already fading into the trees. Ayato jogged after her.
She wasn't moving fast—deliberately slow, ears catching his excuse to Guy. No scouting pattern. This squad had farmed D/C-ranks for a year; boar hunts were autopilot. Neji would handle it solo.
Ayato caught up and fell in step. Tenten kept her head down, lost in thought.
"Tenten?"
"Eep?!" She jumped. How does he know my name?! Neji said it earlier—sneaky! Or… he's been watching me forever?!
"You okay?"
"N-Nothing!"
Ayato shrugged behind her. She says fine, it's fine. Still, spacing out in the wild was dumb. He stuck close—bodyguard mode activated.
They wandered in silence, no destination, no pig signs. Weirdly, the awkwardness melted anyway.
BOOM. Signal flare—standard Konoha red smoke.
"Target found!" Tenten whisper-yelled, then tree-hopped toward it.
Ayato followed, branch to branch.
They arrived to a dead boar and Lee doing burpees on the carcass.
Neji's Byakugan glare swept them.
Ayato's stomach dropped. Can he see through sunglasses? Changes were subtle, but still—paranoia.Relax. Neji's not gonna X-ray my eyeballs for fun.
Damn perv-eyes. No wonder Hyuga act like asexual monks.Soon I'll have my own set. Black-and-white beats blind.
Neji broke the stare. "Tenten, you're slow today. Patrol that far?"
"Sorry." Head down—no excuses.
"Whatever. Mission complete. Training this afternoon." Another glance at Ayato. Dead weight. Dragged Tenten's focus. Crank the PM session—he'll quit, squad back to two workhorses.
Tenten's mood tanked. First time Neji scolds me.All that guy's fault. Focus—become Tsunade-level. No distractions.
Lee cheerfully hoisted the pig. "Carrying the prize is training too!"
Konoha Training Ground – Afternoon
Mission turned in, squad assembled.
"Task done! Warm-up: 2,000 pull-ups, 3,000 jump ropes!"
Tenten, Neji, Lee attacked the bars. Guy faced Ayato.
"Youthful rookie—what's your name?"
"Ayato."
One meter away, the trio overheard mid-pull-up.
Tenten:Ayato, huh.Neji:No-clan civilian.Lee: "Five… six…"
"Just graduated?"
Nod.
"To embrace youth, you need the uniform!"
Guy whipped out a spare green jumpsuit—identical to his and Lee's.
Ayato scratched his head, smiling through the horror. "…I think I can feel youth in other ways."