Protection of a Toad-Like Man [Solo]

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Ami walked out of the Sun village gates, another solo mission scroll in her hand. This one required her protect someone important, which she guessed was some kind of diplomat. She wasn’t one for politics but she was in the mood for killing someone or something, having released her inner desires for bloodshed the last time she was tasked to protect the supply house of Gekkousato. It still disturbed her that she found bloodshed to be appealing, especially since she was not a fan of fighting. Perhaps she needed to thank Jayy, or rather the demon who possessed him. Ami was still struggling with her inner turmoil as she reached the village gates, looking around for the person she was tasked to protect. Her lavender eyes scanned the area, and seeing nothing but desert sand, she guessed that she had once again gotten the meeting place wrong. Great…she turned to one of the guards, giving him the secret code. He looked at her for a moment before pointing to the north.

Thanking him, she would walk towards the mountain range, looking up at the sky. It was almost sun set, the perfect and also not so perfect time to travel. She wondered why people often chose to travel after sunset, being the most dangerous time of the day. The young girl would arrive to find a carriage, where she guessed the important person was sitting in. Ami moved to where the carriage was, speaking in a low whisper. “Hyuuga Ami,” she would only give her name. She would hear a grunt. She could see a shadowy figure inside the carriage, and judging from the voice, guessed it was a man. That was all she needed to know, as she went to the back of the carriage, looking for the others who were supposed to be escorting. She was going to follow the guards and the carriage from a safe distance, in secret. If anyone or anything were to attack, she would be ready to ambush. There were five guards that would escort the diplomat. Although they had good build, she was unsure whether they would hold up against sudden ambushes. Guess that was why Gekkousato wanted a shinobi on the job.

Ami would watch as the carriage began to move forward. She had received information that they would be traveling down Kataki Road, which she knew by now was far safer than that of other places. But she still had to keep on a lookout, just in case. The girl noticed that by now the sun would already have set, having been replaced by a crescent moon. At least the weather was nice, the humidity lowering significantly after having left the Sun Village. The skies were clear, with a soft breeze blowing. Not a bad night to travel, she guessed. In a couple of hours her target would reach Kataki Road where it would stop for the night. Apparently even the guards figured that traveling at night wasn’t such a good idea. They would set up a tent for the important man, and when he stepped out of his carriage, she would finally be able to appraise his appearance. He was an old man, slightly chubby with greying hair. At first glance he didn’t scream importance except for the amount of jewelry he wore on him. It was like he was a walking jewelry showcase window, having many rings on his sausage-like fingers and gold chains around his neck. His sense of fashion was also questionable, as he wore a dark green cloth-like gown that did nothing to his appearance than making him look like a toad. Did all important people dress like this…she wondered to herself, shaking her head at him in disbelief. And it wouldn’t stop there, as she saw the tent that the guards had set up for the man. It was probably the size of her room almost in her compound, and the amount of furniture they put there could be used in a normal house. If this set up didn’t scream for burglars, she wasn’t sure what would.

Ami would now sit around ten meters away from the tent, keeping her distance and yet maintaining a watchful eye on it. She leaned her body against a tree as she sat on the floor, gazing up at the sky. The one thing she liked about doing missions by herself was this peacefulness, the ability to reflect without the prying eyes of others. She heaved a small sigh, thinking of what she would do when she got back to her own village. The girl’s thoughts drifted to her teammates Jayy and Karite. She was beginning to miss them quite a bit, even though she hadn’t actually spoken to Jayy since he tried to kill her. Her eyes would drift back to the tent and the guards who had now set up a campfire out front. Even though the tent and fire were off to the side of the road, it was an invitation for anyone to attack. She only hoped that there would be no attack tonight, the exhaustion of her recent adventures finally catching up to her. It was going to be a very long night, with Ami trying to keep herself awake and alert every ten minutes while all the others were fast asleep. Her eyelids felt heavy, and she could feel her body giving in to sleep, as she slowly closed her eyes.

How long she had slept for she wouldn’t know when she would be awakened by footsteps. The girl’s hands immediately traveled to her weapon pouch as she stood up, scanning along the trees until it rested on the tent. None of the guards seemed to have notice the sound but she was sure that they were indeed footsteps. Ami would make her way silently towards the tent, activating her Byakugan. If it was someone who used chakra, or some animal, she was ready. Her fingers lightly touched the hilt of her sword as she walked. She would stop for a moment, listening intently to see if the footsteps could be heard again. She crouched down as she neared the tent, her eyes darting back and forth among the bushes and trees. In a second she would see exactly what it was and it would make her heart melt. It was a fox, who had first glance seemed too cute to be a threat. But she would still watch its movements closely, in case it was going to attack or try to steal something from the toad man. And it would prove to be relatively harmless, as the fox turned around a couple minutes later, perhaps uninterested at what the humans had. She was glad she didn't attack the cute animal, and would go back to sitting against the tree, waiting for morning to come.