"Shino, hurry up! We finally got assigned a mission and I am so psyched!" Kiba yells as he and Akamaru take off running. "You to Hinata, come on!"
Hinata smiled at Kiba's enthusiasm. "I'm coming." She said softly, picking up her pace, following Kiba out of the leaf village. She looked over her shoulder at Shino as he shook his head over Kiba's antics and whispered something to the butterfly perched on his finger. The butterfly flits away and he starts running to catch up to herself and Kiba.
Up ahead, Hinata sees Kiba disappear into the forest and she follows, running up a tree and begins leaping from tree branch to tree branch. When Shino catches up, keeping pace with her, he informs Kiba that they don't have to be in the rain village until tomorrow and have plenty of time.
As Kiba starts listing all the reasons why they should get there as soon as possible, Hinata wonders what this mission holds in store for them. The fifth hokage told them it would be a fairly simple mission. They were to escort an old art collector and his prized pieces to the village of the mist where he is going to donate his art works to the famous art museum, The Sanctuary of Art. The old man is afraid that on the journey to the museum art thieves will ambush him and steal his art. Hinata guessed that it is probably a valid concern but wonders if the old man is just paranoid.
She feels the dark cloud of bitterness she felt has been following her around begin to clear as she follows Shino, Akamaru, and Kiba through the forest. Lately, she had become a little depressed and gloomy, getting out of the village for little while would definitely improve her mood.
"Hinata?" At the sound of Shino's deep voice, Hinata was pulled from her thoughts and back to the present. "Are you alright?" "Oh yes, I am fine" she hurried to assure Shino. She gave him a little smile. She would forget about all her troubles for a little bit and just enjoy being on a mission, she firmly told herself. She WOULD stop thinking about him.