Hello! This is my first fan fiction; i hope you guys enjoy it! Also, this fic takes place in the time when Itachi is dead and the pain attack already happened. But I'm not adding all that war crap, so i don't think you guys need to worry about spoilers; I'll warn you before there are any, Enjoy!

Chapter 1: Mission

Light flittered through his window making Naruto flinch and open his sleepy eyes. Getting up from his bed, he yawned widely and looked at the clock. It was only 9:00 AM, plenty of time for him to get ready for his meeting with his team and have breakfast. Slipping of from the bed, he went to the bathroom to do his morning routine and changed into his regular attire. Grabbing Gama-chan from the side table, Naruto searched into his closet and pulled out his Hitai-ate. After tightening the object on his forehead, he checked his wallet to make sure he had enough money for breakfast and raced out the door.

"Sakura-chan!" The said kunouchi visibly flinched at the loud voice so early in the morning. She turned around and waited for Naruto to catch up with her before continuing walking. "Where are you heading to?" He asked while bearing his usual wide grin.
"To Ichiraku, same as you, I assume." She responded.
"Hehe! So does this count as a date?" Naruto asked hopefully while poking his fingers together and smiling like an idiot.
"Of course not!" Sakura smacked Naruto upside the head and walked faster to try and lose him. He just had to annoy her so early in the morning!
"Sakura-chan! That hurts!" Naruto whined as he jogged to catch up with her. Ignoring his complain, she briskly walked forward. Soon, they reached Ichiraku. Both of them entered and took a seat at the counter.
"Hey pops! They usual please!" Naruto hollered at Teuchi.
"Coming right up!" He answered and began preparing Naruto's meal that consisted of a dozen bowls of different variations of ramen.
"Miso ramen please." Sakura ordered kindly. In a matter of minutes, two steaming bowls of ramen were placed before the two friends. Naruto quickly began shovelling noodles into his mouth while Sakura delicately took a bite at a time.
"If you eat so fast, you're gonna have a stomach ache Naruto." Sakura scolded him.
"Daijoubu Sakura-chan! I have a really strong stomach. Besides, I do this almost everyday!" Naruto responded as he happily finished his second bowl and asked for another one. Sakura sighed and smiled. "Well, I need to do a few things for Tsunade-sama so I'm off." She said and paid her bill.
"See ya later Sakura-chan!" Came Naruto's muffled reply.
"At least eat before you talk!" She bonked him on the head and strode out of the ramen stand.
Boy, Sakura-chan sure is grumpy today. Naruto thought as he finished his last bowl of Ramen and paid his bill.

After leaving Ichiraku, Naruto walked around the village to find something to do. It was only 9:45 AM, still 15 minutes until his meeting with his team. As he strolled through the not yet busy streets of Konoha, Naruto's face lit up as he spotted a familiar friend in a nearby shop.

- ‑‑‑
Hyuga Hinata was getting the supplies she needed for a coming mission. She had woken up early this morning to train but had been interrupted by Kiba who notified her of a coming mission. In the middle of deciding between solider pills or food pills, Hinata felt a tap on her shoulder. Turning around, her eyes widened and face felt flushed when she stared at the person in front of her.
"N-naruto-kun!" She uttered surprised.
"Hinata! What are doing here?" He asked her, oblivious to her blushing face and surprised expression.
"I-i was just buying s-supplies for a mission coming up." She answered quietly.
"Ooh! I see! Mind if i join you? I also need to get a few things." He responded. Hinata nodded quickly. Naruto grinned and took a few items from the blushing woman's hand. "U-uh.. Naruto-kun, you didn't have to do th-hat." She spluttered but Naruto shook his head and smiled.
"It's alright Hinata! I got it." He responded. She hesitated for a moment but let him carry the items. He tagged along with her as she continued her shopping. Since Naruto was a chatter box, he filled Hinata in on what he had done this morning and his opinions on all of his friends. She just smiled and nodded at the appropriate time. It felt good to listen to him. Naruto was interrupted in the middle of his opinion on Lee's huge eyebrows by Sai, who dropped beside the two of them, making Naruto shriek and Hinata giggle. "What the hell!? Stop scaring me like that!" Naruto ranted to Sai.
"I apologize for interrupting your conversation, but Tsunade-sama wants you in the office. Our meeting has been cancelled." He informed them. Naruto stopped yelling abruptly and a questioning look was on his face. "What does she need us for? We just got a break from our mission." The blond ninja asked.
"Beats me" Sai answered. Naruto turned to the woman beside him. "Sorry Hinata but I gotta go! We will continue our talk later ok?"
"I-its ok Naruto-kun." She muttered. He grinned and leaped out of the shop. Sai nodded to Hinata and followed Naruto out the shop. Hinata watched them go and a wistful smile formed on her lips. Paying for her items, she exited the building and walked back to the Hyuga estate.

Naruto knocked on the door and entered when he heard the command from his Hokage. Completely oblivious to the tension inside the room, he nodded at his teammates and Kakashi before turning to Tsunade. "So Baa-chan! What do you have for us today?" Naruto yelled in her ear. A vein popped right above Tsunade's right eyebrow. Under normal circumstances, this would have earned him a good smack in the head but today, Tsunade needed to be calm and patient. What she was about to say to the people in this room would definitely cause a riot and to prevent that, she would have to be calm. "Team Kakashi, I have a mission for you. It is an S-rank hunt. We have the whereabouts of a certain rouge ninja and your team and a few more people will be bringing this ninja back to konoha, alive or dead." She looked around the room at the expressions of her students. Naruto and Sai hadn't figured it out yet. However, Sakura was beginning to suspect something as she could practically see the pink haired medic ninja's gears turning and her eyes widening slightly at a possible guess that was most likely correct, given Sakura's high intelligence. Kakashi in the other hand had already figured it out. The masked Jonin discretely shifted closer to the entrance so that he now blocked it and kept a firm gaze at Naruto and Sakura. "So who is this bastard we are supposed to bring back? Surely he can't be so dangerous that we have to send a huge team." Naruto pondered.
Tsunade took a deep breath and braced herself for what was coming. "The ninja that you are to hunt... Is Uchiha Sasuke."

Yay! A cliff-hanger! Doesn't every one love cliff-hangers! I will be updating the next chapter on Saturday. Since this is my first attempt at fan fiction, i welcome constructive criticism! More like i want it. Review and tell me what you guys think!

~ Thejollyhyuga