Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or anything else concerning it besides a poster I got from a friend….

Author's note: I am sorry it took so long but I kinda forgot where I was going…forgive me! But I have a new direction! So on with the show!

Chapter 3 First Impressions

The setting sun painted the world a flame tipped brush as the shadows lengthened and seemed to take on a life or their own. The gates of the Leaf Village grew tall and imposing in the eerie light. The trees were subjected to an early autumn as the leaves seemed to burn. However, this beauty was lost on three very lifelike and impatient shadows. One shadow began to hop from tree to tree until it landed on a tree near the gates next to other shadows. Actually it was underneath them.

"I can't believe this! Where the hell are they?" The golden eyes of the upside-down shadow glowed.

"Calm down, Nekomi. Being angry isn't about to get us anywhere."

"Kaito, we've been waiting for over an hour!"

"Nekomi. Chill. They probably figured we were no shows or something, seeing how we were so late."

"So?"

"So, we can wait. They'll come back eventually."

"In case you haven't noticed the sun is beginning to set!"

Finally the third shadow moved, "Nekomi. Kaito. They come."

"You sure, Mizuki?" Kaito asked doubtfully.

Nekomi swung up to the top of the branch and looked for herself, "He's right! They're our age too! This won't be a total loss!"

"Really?" Kaito stood, "Awesome! There are some cuties there too!"

"Kaito! You idiot!"

"What? The only girls I've seen for the last month are Kimike, Akane and Nasami and they're nuts!'

"True," Nekomi grinned at him and prepared to jump down to meet the group from Konoha.

"Wait, Nekomi," Mizuki stared at the approaching group, "Observe."

Nekomi and Kaito stared at each other before finally settling back into the shadows of the trees.

"Alright then. From our information we know that there are two Hyuugas, most likely the black haired boy and girl," Kaito reviewed.

"Hmm," Nekomi nodded, "The pink haired girl must be Sakura Haruno, the medic. As far as the other two boys go, I have no idea who they are."

"The one with the glasses is an Aburame." Mizuki spoke, his eyes fixed on the boy.

Nekomi grinned, "Which makes the other boy a Nara!"

"Yes. Now listen," Mizuki commanded.

"As you wish, O' Imperious One," Kaito mocked.

"Kaito. Shut up."

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Sakura and Hinata ran out of the gate, leading the three boys. They were followed by Naruto, Kiba, and Choji.

"Awww man! We missed them!" Naruto yelled in frustration, "I wanted to see them before we left!"

"Jeesh, Naruto. We'll see them when we get back. Besides we've got a mission," Kiba and Akamaru reprimanded.

"Can you blame him? After all, we did miss lunch when we first came out, and now we're missing dinner too."

"Is food all you think about?"

"What ever! Let's just go already!" Naruto shouted, "The sooner we finish this lame mission, the sooner we get back!"

He and the other two boys sped off calling out a hasty, "See ya!"

When they were out of the remaining five looked around anxiously.

"Does anybody see them?"

"No, they don't seem to be here yet," Neji responded to Sakura's query.

"What a headache," Shikamaru sighed.

"What are you complaining about? It's your fault that we're late!" Sakura glared at the errant chunin, "If you had been where you were supposed to be-!"

"S-Sakura…."

Sakura stopped and turned her attention to Hinata, "Yes?"

"W-Well… I-I was thinking… What if they are already here?"

The group remained silent as they considered it. The sun's orange flames painted them in macabre colors as it burned in one last attempt to last through the night. Finally Shikamaru broke the silence, considering Hinata's words, "Makes sense. They could observe us and the village at length without leaving their cover."

"But why?" Neji asked.

"I don't know. Hinata, Neji, check the forest." Shikamaru ordered.

"O-Okay"

"Right, Hinata take the left." Neji commanded. Hinata nodded as she began to use their kekkai genkai.

"Byakugan!"

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Nekomi stood, "Let's go," she had heard all she needed to. She had identified all the teens below and identified her target. Though he did seem too weak to be a ninja much less have the ability to use any jutsu.

"Yeah. I don't think I want to explain the Shadow Chakra to them," Kaito stretched as he watched the Hyuugas began their search, "After all, secrets have a nasty habit of spreading; kind of like the flu."

"True," Nekomi nodded slightly, her eyes focused on the questing Hyuugas, "Then it's agreed. Mizuki?"

"Jumping Shadow," He responded, proceeding to sign the jutsu as the others were already doing.

"Let's go, then." Nekomi said, every trace of the random, fun loving teenager completely gone. Nekomi had a goal and nothing was going to get in her way.

"Hinata," Neji called after futilely scanning his side of the road, "Do you see anything?"

"I- I do! There are three of them!" Hinata spoke excitedly. Neji spun around and searched for them.

"What- What is this?" He asked, shocked.

A worried look crossed Sakura's face at the tone of his voice, "What's wrong?"

Neji was silent for a while, his eyes tracking something before speaking, "There are three ninja heading this way." He stopped, watching. Shikamaru and the rest were silent, waiting for the rest.

"There!" Hinata pointed, "Do you see it?"

"Yes. It seems they are using some kind of jutsu to move," he paused searching, "But it seems like the Byakugan is unable to see through it. They appear to be little more than shadows."

"Well, they are from the Village Hidden in the Shadows," Shikamaru pointed out, "So it's not really surprising, especially if what the Hokage told us is true."

"Not to mention that they are the children of some of the most powerful people in their village," Sakura added in agreement.

"True. They're near!" Neji announced, returning to his normal vision.

Nekomi, Mizuki, and Kaito stopped a few feet away from the group assembled below.

"I never realized that those Hyuugas would be so damned creepy," Kaito shook his head, "I mean, what's with the white eyes?"

Nekomi rolled her eyes. "Yet, you're still going to hit on the girl aren't you?" She shook her head, disgusted, "Perv."

Kaito ignored her, watching the scene below before turning to Mizuki, "They've stopped?" He asked.

Mizuki scanned the group below, his eyes glowing. Finally, he nodded in satisfaction, "Yes. Let's go."

The three chunin moved out, circling the group below before leaving the cover of the trees and landing in front of the group below. For a moment the two parties stared at each other, the Leaf ninja assessing the three Shadow ninja dressed in shades of black and grey, their eyes unusually brilliant colors, and their movements silent, as the Shadow ninja evaluated the motley assortment of the Konoha 12 and their power.

Mizuki was the first to speak, "Aburame," he said, nodding at Shino. Obviously Shino had earned his respect. "Hyuuga," Mizuki spoke, staring at Neji before nodding. He scanned the others, his emerald eyes briefly resting on them before dismissing them.

The silence soon became unbearable before Nekomi finally spoke up, unable to stand it.

"You must be Sakura Haruno, correct?" She greeted the pink-haired girl, "Which makes you Hinata Hyuuga," she smiled at the shy kunoichi.

"Um…yes. H-how..."

"The taíyokage gave us information on the Leaf Village 11, as you were the most likely to greet us. Of course, we weren't expecting to be stood up. Especially by such a cutie," Kaito said the last with a grin and wink for Hinata. She blushed, her face turning a brilliant shade of red as she began to mumble.

"So you're the Shadow Ninja," Shikamaru mentally assessed, interrupting Kaito's exchange, "You're late you know."

Upon hearing this Nekomi rounded on Shikamaru, her temper flaring, "Us! We waited for two hours! Of course we were late, we ran into some interference. Where were you?" Nekomi spat, glaring at Shikamaru.

"Where here now aren't we? What's the big deal?" Shikamaru sighed.

"We were waiting for 2 hours!" Nekomi yelled, getting madder by the second.

"Jeesh…. Calm down."

"Why should I?" Nekomi screamed.

"Women," Shikamaru sighed in disgust.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Nekomi glared.

While Shikamaru and Nekomi argued the rest of the greeting party was getting acquainted with Kaito and Mizuki.

"The hokage has instructed us to be your guides during your stay here," Neji explained.

"Nekomi will be with Hinata and me for most of the time," Sakura informed the boys who did not seem pleased at the prospect of being split up. In fact they were looking less like teammates and more like bodyguards, with each passing minute, or maybe that was just her.

"Great! That means I'll be able to see this cutie again," Kaito grinned, handing Hinata a brilliant purple flower, "But sweetness, take care of Nekomi, all right?" Kaito asked fixing a gemstone blue gaze on Sakura, "She's a handful and has a habit of getting herself into trouble. Don't let her. Understand?"

Suddenly Sakura found herself being watched by two pairs of unnaturally bright eyes.

Sakura nodded, smiling nervously, "We'll keep an eye on her, don't worry."

"Good," Kaito and Mizuki nodded, their eyes boring into her before Kaito grinned impishly, his eyes twinkling with mischief, "By the way if you ever have trouble with Nekomi just remember; she'd sell her soul for a brownie and a book. Just bribe her and she'll be your slave."

"That doesn't sound too healthy," Sakura spoke as her medical training came to the fore.

"It's not, but it keeps the addict happy."

"Who's an addict, pervert?" Nekomi asked ominously, having snick up behind him; "Not me, I hope."

"Of course it's you. Who else would it be?" Kaito blithely replied.

"Shut up! At least I don't hit on every girl I see!"

"Enough. Both of you," Mizuki's voice cut through the bickering, "It is late and we have had a long journey."

"Oh! I'm sorry. Please, come with us," Sakura replied, embarrassed. Moving quickly, she walked towards the village, herding Nekomi and the other two Shadow shinobi in front of her.

"Um… Where are we staying?" Nekomi asked.

"Y-You will be s-staying with Sakura and K-Kaito and Mizuki will be staying with at me and N-Neji's house. If that's okay," Hinata whispered to her hands.

"That's fine by me, but I'm more worried about you," Nekomi grinned.

"M-Me?"

"Yeah. After all, you're the one who has to live with Kaito for the next few days. And he is a womanizer," Nekomi was now grinning like the Cheshire Cat.

With that last remark, Hinata's whole face began to turn the color of a tomato as she began to mumble things to herself.

Unable to take it anymore, Nekomi laughed aloud, "I'm just kidding! He wouldn't try anything!"

"Oh…"

Still laughing Nekomi walked through gates of Konoha, following Kaito and Mizuki to the beginning of their mission. But for now, her laughter held only goodwill that faded into the burning sky.