A Growing Affection

Chapter 58: Grass vs. Leaf

"What is happening?" Neji asked the leader of the first group of soldiers the two Leaf Ninjas encountered.

"Explosions at the east and south entrances," the warrior answered nervously.

"Hmm," Neji exhaled in consideration, "Naruto, head to the southern disturbance. I will go east."

The Hyuga Jonin then addressed the Toki's guards, "You men take up positions by the conference room, and guard the Daimyos."

Naruto nodded, and the two Shinobi split up. One of the other soldiers looked at his commander with a doubtful look.

"Sir, should we be taking orders from him?"

The lieutenant shrugged, "It is our duty to protect Lady Toki."

"We should keep working," the Daimyo of the Land of Birds insisted,  "Read through this as quickly as possible, and if necessary, sign it  now. That will confound their plans."

"Not that I don't trust Naruto and Neji," she quickly reassured Sakura. The Kunoichi nodded, but she too looked nervous.

"Right,  then," Haruna, lifted the edge of the first page of the document and  began reading, "Article I, the Establishment of the Mutual Advancement  Alliance between the Land of Birds and the Land of Greens..."

Neji raced down the hall, his arms trailing behind him. He rolled his  elbows, loosening the kunai hidden in his forearm sheathes. He turned a  corner, and saw a small group of guards. Of the twenty-three soldiers,  only five were still standing, and many of the fallen appeared to have  fatal injuries.

Saburo grinned as he saw Neji, and without taking  his eye off the Leaf Ninja, he swung his right arm back, wrapping the  now partially unwound chain around one soldier's neck. The smell of  burning flesh emerged from under the weapon, and the tall Grass shinobi  gestured again, throwing the unfortunate warrior into the wall.

"Get back," Neji counseled, "Take the injured and retreat."

"I  was getting bored anyway," Saburo ran his left hand through the center  spike of his bizarre hairdo. He then graciously took a step back,  allowing the Bird fighters to retrieve their own and escape.

"The great Neji Hyuga," he smirked, "Killing you will cement my rep forever."

"You  might be getting ahead of yourself," the Leaf Jonin was unconcerned,  though he carefully watched the chains trailing from his opponent's  wrists. He recognized the red color was from the temperature of the  metal, and that they were not burning their wielder.

"If you don't  mind, can we skip the opening round?" the Grass Jonin asked in a  friendly manner, "I'm already warmed up, and it's not really my style.  Besides, I already know what you can do..."

Neji did not answer with  words, but he slipped effortlessly into the Gentle Fist stance. Taking  that as an affirmation, Saburo began a complex set of hand signs. Hyuga  recognized the pattern as being part of a transformation jutsu, but was  not familiar with the specific technique.

"Ryu!" the top-heavy invader concluded, "Ninja art, Ursine Form Jutsu."

The  Grass agent began to sprout thick brown fur, and his mouth extended  into a short muzzle. His body grew, with his lower body increasing  faster than his upper body, until he was almost nine feet tall, and  evenly proportioned. His hair remained the same, except where his ears  shifted higher on his head, becoming more rounded. His fingertips  sprouted thick claws. Saburo rolled his wrists twice, unwrapping more of  his chains, so they once again trailed on the ground with his increased  height. The bear warrior also took on a fighting posture.