Chapter Two:
The Mission has gone wrong….
The desperate Rescue attempt!
After a tiring first day back in Konoha, Naruto met up with all his comrades, learned of new information on the Akatsuki, met up with Iruka and had forty bowls of ramen, and then finally returned to his home. Naruto learned that Neji had since moved out to live with Tenten which worked out since it gave Akina her own room. Naruto returned home and was greeted by Hanabi who looked identical to Hinata's twelve year old self. The only real difference was Hanabi's total confidence and her long hair. She even wore Hinata's old jacket. After catching up on things Naruto thought he'd get a nice long sleep. He was wrong unfortunately, as early in the morning about five in the morning there was a loud knocking at the door. Naruto brushed off the first knock, but after the second and third knocks on the door Naruto decided whoever it was, wouldn't quit until he answered the door.
"Okay, I'm coming damnit!" Naruto yelled at the door as he put on his jacket and answered the door. At the door was a man in an Anbu mask.
"Naruto-san, the Fifth Hokage has requested your presence at Konoha hospital immediately," The man told the teen.
"The hospital? What's going on?" Naruto asked.
"Please come with me Naruto-san," The man said.
"Okay, lets go," Naruto replied and quickly followed the Anbu to Konoha hospital, where he was promptly lead to Tsunade who was sitting on a bench outside of one of the emergency rooms.
"Nee-chan? What's going on?" Naruto asked looking concerned.
"Its about Team Kakashi's mission…. They were ambushed and setup," Tsunade told the teen.
"What!" Naruto shouted in shock.
"I just finished treating Kakashi, he's out of danger but he'll be down for a little while. If he hadn't sent Pakkun to get help, it would have been too late,"
"So how is everyone?" Naruto asked.
"Well I just told you about Kakashi. Sasuke is alright and is asleep in his room, and Sakura was hurt pretty bad but she'll survive," Tsunade told the teen.
"Okay and what about Akina-chan and Hinata-chan?" Naruto looking extremely worried.
"Naruto…. Meet me in my office in thirty minutes," Tsunade told the blond and as she walked away and left Naruto standing looking even more worried.
From there Naruto quickly hurried to Tsunade's office to meet the older woman. Judging from her tone and her look something was terribly wrong which made Naruto start to sweat. Naruto arrived at her office and knocked on the door.
"Come in Naruto," Tsunade told the blond, knowing he was the one at the door.
"Nee-chan, what happened to Hinata-chan and my sister?" Naruto asked.
"Uzumaki Akina and Hyuuga Hinata have been kidnapped…. By the Cloud…." Tsunade told the teen.
"What! How? Why?" Naruto asked in shock with a hint of anger in his voice.
"The mission I sent Team Kakashi turned out to be an ambush. Their targets all along were Akina and Hinata. The Raikage himself was there in person and was the one who took down Kakashi. Sasuke and Sakura were taken down by several Jounin level ninja and Hinata and Akina were knocked unconscious and taken away. They passed the border and entered the Lightning Country and are currently stationed in an outpost just inside the border. I imagine that after a little torture and interrogation they will be moved into the Hidden Cloud Village and probably killed. Hinata being a Hyuuga will probably have her eyes removed and examined for their own purposes," Tsunade told the teen.
"Like hell they will! I'll kill them! If they hurt them, I'll tear them apart!" Naruto said in a fierce rage.
"Naruto! You will calm down and listen to me," Tsunade demanded instantly getting the blonde's attention. "You can't be irrational, we're in deep trouble here. They're in the Lightning Country we have no say and no power. If we enter their country they could declare war for our trespassing,"
"Nee-chan, you are not suggesting to me that we abandon them are you?" Naruto asked.
"Naruto! Who the hell do you think you're talking to? They're my little sisters, I'll die before I'll abandon them," Tsunade told the teen.
"Then what do we do?" Naruto asked when suddenly there was a knock at the door.
"Good, I see they've arrived," Tsunade said with a smirk. "Enter!" Tsunade demanded. The door opened and a group of familiar faces entered the room.
"Damn, what troublesome thing do you want so early in the morning?" A certain lazy Jounin asked.
"You know what you're here for!" Tsunade told the Jounin. "Nara Shikamaru, I want you to lead this recovery mission. You are to enter the Lightning Country and rescue Hyuuga Hinata and Uzumaki Akina. Joining you on this mission will be Hyuuga Neji, Inuzuka Kiba, Rock Lee, Akimichi Chouji, and Uzumaki Naruto! For this mission you all are to leave your Konoha head protectors here with me. You are to do this as if you are not a part of Konoha so that the Hidden Cloud Village cannot declare war falsely on the village. Do you understand the mission given to you?" Tsunade asked the group.
"Wait!" Sasuke yelled entering through the door with bandages around several parts of his body.
"Uchiha Sasuke, what are you doing here?" Tsunade asked.
"I'm coming too!" Sasuke demanded.
"What? You are in no condition to join on this mission, go back to the hospital immediately!" Tsunade demanded.
"I will not!" Sasuke declared. "I'm going. We let our guard down, we got ambushed and two of our friends were taken. I promised my brother I'd protect them when he wasn't around and I failed him. For the sake of my honor and my promise to Naruto, I will go and get them back!"
"Sasuke!" Naruto said in shock at the raven-haired teen's declaration. "You don't have to do this!"
"No! I do! Tsunade-sama, please! I beg you to allow me to go!" Sasuke pleaded.
"Sasuke…. All right, you can join Shikamaru's team on this mission. But do not become a burden because of your injuries and be sure to follow Shikamaru's commands," Tsunade told the teen.
"I understand, I will not let you down," Sasuke stated to the Hokage.
"Everyone, you are to return to your homes and prepare and meet Shikamaru at the front gate in thirty minutes. You are all dismissed!" Tsunade told the group. The shinobi quickly departed from the office and to their homes to prepare after leaving their Konoha head protectors with Tsunade.
At the end of the thirty-minute time limit the group met Shikamaru at the front gate.
"Okay, its time. We're going to pair up and travel in small groups. If we're separated from the main group I want your partner right there next to you. Kiba, you and Akamaru are with me and we'll lead the group. Naruto you and Sasuke are the second group. Chouji, Lee, you guys will be paired up with Neji. Each group has a way of tracking as well if we are all separated. Kiba and Akamaru are my trackers. Naruto, your fox like senses and sharp hearing can pick up nearby enemies much like Kiba and Akamaru can. Chouji and Lee, you have Neji's Byakugan. We'll travel very similarly to how we traveled during the Sasuke retrieval mission. Kiba and myself up front. Naruto and Sasuke will be in the middle. Then Lee, Chouji, Neji you guys will make up the rear with Neji using his Byakugan. Remember this is a rescue mission. Our first priority is to locate and rescue Akina and Hinata alive and well," Shikamaru told the group. "If there are no questions, lets move out guys,"
Then team quickly exited the village and hastily made their way toward the Lightning Country.
"Shikamaru, how far into Lightning Country are we going to be? Will there be any Konoha backup?" Neji asked the Jounin.
"According to our information it won't be but a few miles past the border. Cloud's outpost was setup so they could easily watch the border after all. As for backup, I'm not sure. I imagine Tsunade-sama has something up her sleeve but I recommend that you treat it as if there will be absolutely no backup what so ever," Shikamaru informed the group. "What I'm more worried about is the amount of fire power waiting for us at the outpost. I assume that the Raikage himself will be there as well as several Jounin and many Chuunin level shinobi,"
"I see, so in many ways this mission is far more dangerous then the Sasuke mission," Neji mentioned to the group.
"Indeed, the Sound Four has got nothing on someone at Kage level," Shikamaru added.
"I don't care who's there. They got my sister and they got my girlfriend. Anyone dumb enough to get in my way is going down!" Naruto said harshly.
"Naruto remember to keep a level head. We can't get caught or be killed, and we can't reveal ourselves as Konoha shinobi. Even if the Raikage recognizes us from the Chuunin Exam, he can't declare war against Konoha falsely. We must do this as rogue ninja. The moment we gave Tsunade-sama our head protectors we became temporary missing-nins," Shikamaru told the teen.
"So then we don't have to limit the use of the Byakugan or the Sharingan?" Sasuke asked.
"We shouldn't have too, since we're technically missing-nin," Shikamaru replied. "By the way, Lee, when using your attacks please try and refrain from saying Konoha's name in any of your attacks,"
"Will do Shikamaru-kun," Lee replied.
The group traveled for several hours at top speed until they finally reached the border to the Lightning Country. The group slowed down decided stealth would be key as the group stuck to the ground moved slowly.
"Neji, I need you to check the area out with your Byakugan," Shikamaru said to the Hyuuga boy.
"Okay, I'll get right on it," Neji replied. "Byakugan!" Neji said activating his bloodline's special ability. Neji scouted the area for several minutes before deactivating his Byakugan. "We're clear for the moment but I've posted the outpost. When we continue onward the danger will rise. We should take this last moment to prepare,"
"You heard him guys. You each have five minutes then we're moving in," Shikamaru told the group.
"Hinata-chan, Akina-chan, hold on. No matter what I will rescue you both. I don't care who gets in my why, Kage or no Kage," Naruto thought to himself as he prepared for what was to come.