"Good morning, Naruto, Hinata, Sakura," the Hokage greeted the members of Team Kakashi, as Shizune led them into her office.
"What's up, Gramma Tsunade?" Naruto asked apprehensively, "Kakashi-sensei made it sound pretty urgent on the phone."
"It is," Tsunade nodded, "Even though the three of you had the last week off; after the beating Hinata received on Saturday, I would rather she had more than one day to recuperate. But this mission is of the utmost importance, and it needs a Byakugan user. So with Neji out of commission for the next few days and most of the other active Hyuga shinobi already in the field, Team Kakashi is my only option."
"I'm alright, Lady Tsunade," Hinata could not remove the grin from her face, and Tsunade's eyes were drawn to the young woman's left hand. Her ring was beautiful, and the Sannin could not repress a slightly twinge of jealousy.
"Good," their boss responded to the reassurance evenly. She took out the folder, looking over it once before handing it to Hinata.
"This is an A-Rank mission, and time is of the essence," Tsunade began, and then she settled back into her chair to explain in detail.
"Over the last few months there has been a series of incidents of thieves plundering tombs and ruins in the Lands of Earth, Air, and Fire, and the smaller surrounding nations," the Hokage announced, "The graverobbers had mainly been hitting lesser targets, and we haven't had much to go on. But last Friday they broke into the tomb of the second Kazekage. Needless to say, the Sand Village is furious, and they have asked for our help."
Sakura nodded, while Naruto refused to look up from the floor.
"And yesterday we had a break," the Hokage continued, "A stronghold of the Senju Clan, buried in a battle hundreds of years ago, was unearthed last month. Some suspicious characters were asking about the dig in the village nearby. And one of them matches a rough description of a thief suspected in one of the Land of Earth robberies."
"So you want us to go to this site and try to catch these thieves," Sakura prompted.
"You are to find the culprits, yes," Tsunade informed them, "But we also need to know if they are part of larger group, and where the things they stole are. Whether you do so by following them, or by catching and interrogating them is up to you."
"However," the elder healer fixed a canny eye on Naruto, "This is an important cultural find, and part of my clan's history, so try not to destroy it, OK?"
"Why do you need a Hyuga for this mission?" Hinata asked curiously.
"To deal with my clan's traps, should you have to follow them into the fort," the leader of the Leaf shinobi answered, "Also, if you choose to track them, your eyes will make things much easier."
Both young women nodded, but a shudder went down Naruto's spine.
"Hinata, I'm placing you in charge for this mission. You three had better get moving," the Hokage instructed, "You need to get to the dig before nightfall."
"Yes, ma'am," they all barked. As they turned to leave, Naruto's movements were somewhat stiff. Once they were out of earshot, he stopped trying to hide his discomfort.
"Man, why'd we have to get stuck with this mission," he groused. Hinata was both amused by and concerned for her fiancé, but Sakura looked annoyed and confused.
"What's wrong with it?" the pink-haired Jonin demanded.
"Come on, Sakura. Tombs, crypts, ancient ruins... you know what we might run into there?" the blonde man shivered at the thought. Realization dawned on Sakura, and she glared at him incredulously.
"Naruto, you're not still afraid of ghosts, are you?" she asked with a slight undertone of mocking
"Aren't you?" he shot back, "They're dead, but not dead. They aren't solid, so you can't fight them; but they can still touch you."
"They're not real!" Sakura insisted. Hinata was torn. She was enjoying watching their antics. But she also felt she should stand up for Naruto, even if she agreed with Sakura.
"Yes, they are. I saw Sagi when I was drowning," he insisted, not for the first time, "He woke me up, and pulled me part of the way back to the surface."
"You hallucinated from lack of oxygen," Sakura waved her hand dismissively, "Hinata, tell him he's crazy."
"We need to get moving," the younger woman said, avoiding the question, "We should get our equipment and meet at the front gate in thirty minutes."
"See, she agrees with me," Sakura said triumphantly, "She just doesn't want to contradict you."
Hinata hurriedly split off, racing towards the Hyuga Manor.
Hinata returned to her room, and gathered her equipment. Her gear was mostly packed already, but she added a handful of her sealing scrolls to her backpack, in deference to Naruto's fears.
Despite protests from Hinata and Naruto, the Hokage had forced her to spend Saturday night in the hospital, and on Sunday morning she swallowed her fears and returned to the Hyuga Clan's estate. She had been more than a little shocked to find her room had been unmolested. And the pristine state of her quarters had not been the only surprise awaiting her.
Hinata had just started unpacking her smaller bag when there was a knock at her door. The pale beauty approached the door apprehensively, but opened it aggressively.
"Hanabi," Hinata had not been expecting to see her sister, and she let it show.
"Good morning, sister," Hanabi said, unusually brightly, "May I come in?"
"Of course," the teen stepped aside to let her sibling enter. Once Hanabi was in the room, Hinata closed the door, and turned to find her sister staring at her with sparkling eyes.
"Well, let me see it," the tween demanded with breathless romanticism. Hinata frowned curiously, had it been anyone but Hanabi, she would have known immediately what they meant. But she did not expect the same desire from her sister.
"What?"
"The RING!" Hanabi almost squealed. Hinata grinned broadly, and held out her left hand. She walked over to the bed, and sat beside her sister.
"Byakugan," Hanabi activated her Kekkei Genkai to get a better look at the engagement band. She sighed contentedly, and looked up at her sister.
"Your choice in fiancés leaves something to be desired," Hanabi said slyly, "But this almost makes up for it. Where did he get it?"
"Naruto made it," Hinata informed her sister.
"You mean he designed it?" Hanabi asked uncertainly.
"No, he made it himself," the elder girl shook her head, "Just like Ginmaki."
"Huh," Hanabi could only grunt wordlessly, amazed, and unable to bring herself to compliment Naruto. Instead, the younger sibling changed the subject.
"Do you know what is happening here?" Hanabi queried, and Hinata shook her head 'no',
"Well," the younger sibling threw herself back on her sister's bed to dish, "You know that grandfather was removed as an Elder. Great aunt Hiroko has succeeded him as head Elder, and there are all sorts of rumors about who will take the open spot..."
Hinata returned to unpacking as Hanabi continued to gossip. When she reached the bottom of the bag, she wondered briefly at the absence of her kote before remembering that Naruto had borrowed them as he had escorted her to the hospital, so he could fix the damage Neji had inflicted.
As she returned to paying attention to Hanabi, there was another knock at the door. Hanabi's jaw slammed shut with a click, and the younger woman quickly maneuvered herself in a proper sitting position. Hinata shook her head slightly, concerned yet amused by her sister's deception. She crossed the space to the portal, and opened it again.
"Father," she smiled slightly, and embraced her patriarch lightly, "Come in."
"Good morning, Hinata," Hiashi said warmly, and took her invitation. Once inside he nodded to his other daughter, now kneeling stiffly on the bed.
"Good morning, Hanabi," the clan leader greeted the younger girl. Then he smiled apologetically and asked, "Could I have a few minutes alone with Hinata?"
"Of course, father," the falsely obedient tween hid her annoyance at being interrupted and excluded. She slid her legs out gracefully, and slipped silently from the room.
"First, let me say I am very proud of you, and quite happy for you," Hiashi prefaced. Hinata smiled, happy, but also sad. She had wanted most of her life to hear those words.
"You aren't upset about..." she trailed off, unconsciously clasping her hands to hide her engagement ring. Hiashi chuckled slightly, and shook his head.
"No," he said simply, then added, "Did Naruto not tell you that he had asked for my permission to propose to you? I could not let him off too easy, but I ultimately gave him my blessing."
Hinata looked briefly stunned, and then smiled wistfully. Deep down, she had worried the warmth her father had shown towards Naruto recently had been an act, part of his agreement to accept their relationship. She was finally able to believe that Hiashi cared about her and her beloved.
"But that is why I am here," he said sadly, "Because you and Naruto need to think carefully about how you plan to proceed."
"What do you mean?" Hinata asked uncertainly.
"You are slated to follow me as leader of the Hyuga Clan," he reminded her, "But Naruto has just gained his own Kekkei Genkai. So by right and tradition, he should be founding his own clan. Having the leaders of two clans marry is unheard of, and would be extremely problematic. Which clan would your children belong to, especially if they were born with both bloodlines? It would be easier if Naruto consented to join the Hyuga clan, but I do not think the Conclave of Shadows or the Fire Daimyo would allow that; concentrating two powerful bloodlines in our clan would make us too powerful. You could also set aside your succession. But in that case, Hanabi would become my heir, and the changes I know you wish to enact would probably be lost. Which is unfortunate, because with the removal of my father from the Elders, you could have strong support from them."
He sighed deeply, both from defeat and to catch his breath.
"I do not mean to influence your choice, or undermine your happiness," he reassured her, "and whatever you choose, I will do my best to support you. But this is something you two must understand and decide upon."
"Hinata!" Naruto's voice rose her from her remembrance, and instantly restored her smile. Those were decisions for the future, now was the time to bask in the glow of being committed to her beloved. She started to look around for him, but before she saw him, he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her gently. She felt her cheeks glowing slightly as he released her.
"Good morning, Sunshine," he told her, "Sorry I didn't get to say that earlier. So, how was everything at home?"
"Things are fine," she answered brightly, her blush fading, "My room had not been touched, and aunt Hiroko is the new Chief Elder. And Hanabi actually seemed happy for me, though she made it clear she is still mad at you."
"Yeah, I've got to figure out some way to make it up to her," he nodded, his eyes closed in thought. Then his blue orbs popped open.
"Oh, before I forget!" he exclaimed, pulling off his backpack. After a few seconds, he pulled out a towel, which he unwrapped to reveal Ginmaki.
"As good as new," he told her, grinning, "Actually, better than new."
She turned over the bracers. The sturdy, brown, leather straps had been replaced by softer, black suede. The new straps were doubled and riveted down the sides.
"There is a layer of metal mesh in between the suede," he explained at her questioning glance, "like a sandwich. Chakra reinforced metal. I'd like to see someone try to cut through them now."
"Thank you, Naruto," she kissed him lightly on one of his whiskers.
"You don't need to thank me," he grinned sheepishly and even turned a little red, "I probably should have thought of it in the first place."
"No," she shook her head, and insisted again, "Thank you."
"You're welcome, Hinata," he answered her properly.
"If you two are done," Sakura suddenly appeared between them, looking exasperated, "we should get moving if we want to reach the fort by nightfall."
"Don't remind me," Naruto shuddered again, as Hinata buckled her bracers back into place.
There were two entrances to the excavated Senju keep. Naruto and Sakura had each taken one gate, using a basic Genjutsu to enhance their vision in the darkness. Hinata was positioned in the middle, her Suigin Byakugan letting her observe both entrances and more. Despite the warnings of the Hokage and her assistant, Team Kakashi had arrived before dinner time, giving Hinata and Sakura a chance to interview the archaeologists, while Naruto stared at the ruins suspiciously.
"I have movement," Naruto hissed into his microphone. Then he continued more normally, "Never mind, it's just a couple of chipmunks."
As the hours started to wear on them, the young adults took turns taking half-hour naps, Hinata taking over for Naruto or Sakura, and both of them not quite covering for her.
"Sakura, wake up," Hinata said gently, just after two in the morning.
"It hasn't been thirty minutes," Naruto noted quietly.
"Something is coming," the sharp-eyed woman told her teammates, "Clouds, even though there isn't enough moisture to support them. And under them, people hiding with chameleon tarps. They aren't very good, but would probably fool civilians."
"How far?" Sakura whispered the question.
"Seven hundred feet," the Byakugan user answered, "Moving towards you, Sakura."
"Let's get them," Naruto cracked his knuckles.
"Hold your positions," Hinata phrased the order for both of her teammates, but there was no doubt who the gentle command was meant for, "We don't know how many there are yet, or if there is another group. So for now, we will wait and keep watching."
Naruto settled back down, and Sakura nodded, pleased with Hinata's analysis. The trio watched as the thick cloud bank rolled in, obscuring the moon and stars, removing all illumination from the artificial valley. Uzumaki's tentative grasp of the Cat's Eye Genjutsu was strained by the lack of ambient light, but both women could still see fine. A few minutes later, Sakura was able to make out the invaders. Had it not been for Hinata's warning, at this distance, she might have mistaken them for leaves blowing in the breeze. Instead she realized they were too dense, and the speed was wrong, and her eyes focused on the mass. Still, she took Hinata's warning to heart, and did not become so focused on this group that she would let any others slip past her.
As the group moved closer, their deception fell apart. The chameleon tarps remained the color of the forest floor, even as the terrain became more sand and rocks from the digging. Sakura shifted her eyes briefly to Hinata, and lifted three fingers. Now that the thieves were close, using sign language was safer than whispering into the headsets. Hinata shook her head, and showed four digits. Sakura returned her attention to the raiders, and nodded.
Naruto was getting frustrated. For all his growth, sitting still was still not his strong suit. Especially not when he could barely see, and the enemy was drawing closer. He wanted to leap down, smash their third-rate camouflage, and find out if there were any more coming by beating it out of these guys. Instead he took a deep breath and closed his eyes, focusing on his ears and nose. He could smell the oils the group Sakura and Hinata were tracking had used on their tarp; they were cheap knock-offs that would never have flown in the hidden villages. Then he caught another scent, moving in from the opposite direction. A pungent, familiar odor he quickly placed as Human sweat. He turned his head to help track the new target, keeping his eyes tightly shut, but focusing his auditory and olfactory senses on his discovery. He inhaled and exhaled slowly, picking up three distinct aromas, two masculine and one feminine. He also detected a rustling of leaves. His eyes snapped back open, and he looked to Hinata.
'Three more,' he signed carefully, 'from north. Moving here.'
He could barely make out her beloved's nod, and though he saw her hands move, he could not make out the individual words.
'What?' he indicated, 'can not see you.'
Hinata's mouth twitched up, and she whispered, "four over here. attack your group on my signal."
Naruto nodded broadly. He silently drew one of his stealth kunai in each hand, and returned to observing the smaller group.
Hinata carefully watched both groups converge. She did not want to let them enter the fort, for fear of damaging it. But if she started the attack too early, there was a chance Naruto's opponents might be able to run. Part of her knew she was being too cautious; unless the three people under that tarp were either extremely fast or Jonin level combatants, there would be little chance they would escape Naruto. But she had to play it safe. When the first group was less than twenty feet from the southeastern entrance, the Hyuga heiress decided she could not hold off any longer, lest they invaders try to make a break for the partially uncovered building.
"Go," she told both her partners, not bothering to conceal her voice. Sakura, almost as anxious as Naruto, instantly loosed two kunai. The blades caught the tarp covering two members of the larger group, dragging it away to reveal a couple of middle years, wearing leather armor and wakizashis. Both the hilts of the blades and the armor were worn with age and use. The woman was taller, and both looked malnourished. Her right eye was green, but her left was yellowed from damage. The man wore glasses, and the left lens was cracked. Both had short brown hair, but the woman had a hint of grey around her temples.
The uncovered thieves went for their weapons, but Sakura had already landed in front of them. She caught the woman's hand before the short blade cleared the sheath, and punched the man in the face. He crumpled instantly, and the other bandit's good eye widened in fear. The Leaf kunoichi tapped the other woman's forehead, and she dropped too.
Hinata landed behind the other two bandits, and instantly swung her hands around, incanting, "Rotation."
The sphere struck the unsuspecting raiders, and tossed them into the outer wall of the stronghold. As they hit the wall, the tarp fell away, revealing two men, younger than the two Sakura disabled, one painfully thin, and the other well built. The heavy thief slid down to the ground, while the slender man caught himself and stared at the teens with cautious anger.
Naruto landed amidst his targets with an exaggerated cry, and quickly lashed out with his right leg. He caught one of the invaders in the stomach, propelling her out from under the tarp. As she crashed to the ground, the clouds overhead started to thin.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu," Naruto split off six clones. Two collected the woman he had launched, while the other duplicates grabbed the stunned thieves. The original Uzumaki backed away, watching for any aggression. But the captured rogue just shuddered in poorly masked fear as they watched the shinobi in kind.
"That was easy," Sakura said suspiciously.
"We're thieves, not ninjas," the individual Hinata had failed to KO rasped, "we are sent to deal with locks and traps, not combat."
"Sent?" Sakura closed in, the dangerous glow in her eyes only partly due to her Genjutsu.
"Uhhh..." he stammered, realizing he had misspoken.
"So these guys are just small fry, huh?" Naruto noted, dropping his three prisoners with the others.
"I never could have guessed," Sakura said sardonically.
"Who is your boss?" Hinata stepped between Sakura and the talkative bandit. Her demeanor was firm, but not threatening.
"I can't tell you," he cast about for a way to escape. Sakura cracked her knuckles, and he blanched, and added, "I don't know who the boss is. We only have contact with the first team. Though I guess one of them could be in charge."
Hinata stared at him, her silver eyes gauging his reaction. Unnerved, the rogue continued babbling.
"But I couldn't tell you who they are, either. They always hide behind Genjutsu when we meet. I could tell you that there are five of them, and tell you what their outlines look like, but that's it."
"These guys are worthless," Sakura growled, "Let's just finish them and be done with it."
"W-Wait," he one of the thieves Naruto had left conscious stammered a protest, "I know where the first team is going next."
"Shut up, you idiots," the last awake rogue hissed, "These are Leaf ninjas, they aren't going to kill us."
"No, we won't," Hinata shook her head, "That would be a waste. The interrogation unit can rip out everything you know, piece by piece."
"Wait, we can make a deal," the second speaker proclaimed, "What I just said, it's time sensitive. They're moving tomorrow... well, today now."
Hinata stepped away, snapping open her phone.
"Kakashi-sensei, I'm sorry to wake you, but this is important..."
Many miles away, another group listened to the discussion between the Leaf teens and the robbers.
"Those $%*| little rats, they sold us out," a female voice cursed, "When I get my hands on them, I'm gonna !)&+$ their ~*#%, and then #*]!"
"Calm yourself," a male voice advised, "We knew this might happen, which is why they are bugged. Now we need to inform our Lord of what has occurred."
Deep in the middle of the Land of Forests, Team Kakashi began their stakeout of the innocuous hole in the ground.
"Is this really the tomb of one of the disciples of the Sage of the Six Paths?" Naruto asked incredulously. Sakura nodded her agreement, and Hinata activated her Byakugan.
"The cave expands greatly a few meters in," Hinata told them, "and little ways past that, I can see some decaying stonework."
"And the Hokage thinks it's that important to protect it?"
"Kujira Okubukai is reported to have learned most of the Sage's Water chakra techniques," Sakura sounded annoyed, "and created more than a few of his own. Who knows what kind of jutsu might be recorded in there?"
"Yeah, well," Naruto looked mildly embarrassed by his lack of knowledge, "In that case I guess we better keep this place safe."
"They are here," a voice reported over the radio.
"Incredible," one of the observers noted, "Almost as if you planned it."
"What makes you think I didn't?" the older, younger ninja hissed smoothly.