Author: G.A.M.M.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

The Story So Far:

Four years have passed since Pain's attack on Konoha and Madara has been defeated. Tsunade did not survive and Danzo rules Konoha with an iron fist, using a puppet Hokage. Life in the village has changed for the shinobi of Konoha. Between Orochimaru's assault, Pain's attack, and the battle with Madara, one out of every four of Konoha's shinobi was killed and nearly another quarter was too badly injured to remain in active service. With their village destroyed, their coffers running dry, and their forces depleted, Konohagakure was forced to adopt new protocols to protect its sovereignty.

Danzo and his puppet, the Rokudaime, worked with the Council of Konoha to create a new system for the shinobi of the Leaf. Off-duty shinobi are now protected by ANBU operatives within the limits of the village at all times, and a partner system has been instituted to maximize the amount of missions Konoha can accept. Jonin, ANBU and Chuunin now work in teams of two, and the village is slowly paying off its debts and securing its position in the Great Shinobi Alliance of the Five Hidden Villages.

However, trouble looms just over the horizon for Konohagakure and the world. Unrest is beginning to creep across the land, though only the wisest have begun to sense it.

Soon the world will be thrown into chaos and the fires of war.

The only hope the world has rests in the hands of the man who didn't become Hokage and the woman who foreswore her love for him.

Uzumaki Naruto and Hyuuga Hinata are now officially a duo partnership in the ANBU. Naruto is has given her a codename as stupid as his is.

The Rokudaime is about to send the duo on their first mission. Little do they know it's a blast from the past.

The Land of the Waves awaits.


Chapter 4:

'Return to the Waves'


When they finally stopped to set up camp that night, Naruto could tell that Hinata was exhausted. He had pushed her hard, granting only a few five-minute breaks to take some water and chew on a ration. He was impressed that she had made it as far as she had.

'Her basic profile wasn't exaggerating.' Naruto thought sourly. 'Normal chakra capacity… her control must be off the charts- possibly even better than Kakashi-sensei's.'

That didn't mean he couldn't give her hell if he wanted to though.

He ordered her to make a pit for a fire and fetch wood. After she was done he made her go refill their canteens at a stream several miles away while he cooked a simple dinner over the cozy fire he had lit. Hinata came back soaked, having fallen into the river in the darkness. Naruto had been tempted to make a snarky remark about her eyes not being as great as she thought they were, but he abstained. Even he was capable of feeling sympathy sometimes. He knew what it was like to be soaked and frozen to the bone on a mission and it was not fun.

Fortunately it was spring and Fire Country wasn't very cold that time of year. She dried quickly enough and ate her meal in silence. Technically he could withhold information on their mission until the hour before they struck, but Naruto wasn't the kind of person to not give someone a chance. He had been given a chance once and he was thankful ever since. Who was he to deny her, an heiress, the same privilege?

He sat and stared at her for a while, watching the way she would eat her food, drink from her canteen, rub her hands by the fire. He had always seen her as proper and withdrawn. Last night he had thrown the withdrawn part out the window and now he was bordering on doing the same with proper. Her hair was a wild tangle of blue-black locks, making her look almost feral. He wasn't sure if it was because he was wild himself, or if it was just her, but he found that look strangely alluring.

When she finished he shook his head of the annoying thoughts and got down to business.

"Alright, I'll give you the details of the mission now." Naruto set down his own food, going since finished in his lap, and brought the file out from his backpack. "Here."

Hinata accepted the documents graciously, putting her own empty bowl to the side of the stump she was perched on. She was a faster reader than him and finished in fifteen minutes.

Her voice awoke him from his reverie. He had been studying the way her ANBU gear accentuated her curves again. He told himself it was to evaluate her physique, so he could know how she would hold-up in combat. It was a poor excuse.

She was striking, plain and simple. He could admit that much. It didn't mean he would do anything stupid.

"Interesting. Weren't you on a mission in Wave as a Genin? I've never been there before."

Naruto hunched forward on his rock so he could look her in the eyes. "Yeah. It was a C rank to help escort some old drunk who needed to finish a bridge. Without it the nation would have crumbled."

"Sounds like it was pretty important for a C rank."

"Yeah, well some big shot named Gatou thought so too. He hired some Chuunin known as the Demon Brothers to take our client out. After that failed, he sent a Kiri missing-nin called Momochi Zabuza. Kakashi-sensei took him down, but some really tough kid disguised as a hunter-nin saved him. We ended up fighting them again later and they both died."

"Wow. So you basically completed an A rank mission as a Genin, that's pretty impressive."

"Yeah, it was supposed to be our first C rank too." He chuckled. "It was actually me who insisted we go on after we learned of the old man's deception. I was a real idiot back then. We could have easily been killed. If Kakashi-sensei wasn't a genius, we probably would have died.

"You must be a magnet for trouble to get screwed that bad on your first C." She jibed.

Naruto shrugged it off and moved to set up his tent. "Yeah, maybe. Either way I always get out of it somehow. I do have a one-hundred percent success rate in the ANBU you know."

"Hahahah… hahaha… ha…" Hinata clutched at her sides, bursting into a seemingly random fit of laughter.

"What the hell? What the hell's so funny?" Naruto demanded. "It's true damnit! It's not like all S ranks are like this one! It's just that its so important that slapping an S on it will make the shinobi take it more seriously... and the client will pay us more." He paused. "… Okm you're still laughing. Seriously- I'm getting a little creeped out now."

After a few more moments of unbridled hysterics Hinata rose to her feet to help him, wiping a tear from her eye as she went. "Everybody called you 'dead last' back at the academy. Now everyone knows you're the Fourth's son, but back then you were a nobody." She paused for a moment and looked at him. "Sorry, I didn't mean it like that."

Her superior raised an eyebrow. "Don't mention it. I know what you mean." He said softly.

'Too bad you don't know the other half of the equation.' Naruto toyed with the possibility (in his opinion, certainty) of her hating him for containing the Kyuubi. It would probably get her off of his team, but it was a fleeting fancy. The only ones outside of the older generation who knew were Sasuke, Sakura, Shikamaru and Shino. Sasuke and Sakura he had told… and they had witnessed the power firsthand. Shikamaru had already suspected, but it was confirmed when he was Hokage. Shino had just come up to him day and made a comment on how they both housed something others didn't understand. He still didn't get that one.

"Anyway," she continued, "it was my Father who demanded I be trained by the best. I'm pretty sure it's why Hokage-dono made me your partner. The Hyuuga hold a great deal of sway over the council. If he appeased my Father then he would have a better chance of restoring the power of the Hokage."

It was a blatant lie, at least the part about why she had ended up his partner. Naruto didn't need to know that.

Said blonde nodded his agreement. "Yeah, well since the Hyuuga are one of the oldest, largest, wealthiest, and overall most powerful clans, I would think he would. When do you take over anyway?"

Hinata frowned. "When I turn twenty and select a husband to carry on the family line. You know that."

Naruto smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, I guess."

"Naruto-san, What is it like to be strong?"

"What?"

The Hyuuga heiress looked at him strangely. "I mean, you've always been so strong. I just wondered what it would be like… to be you."

Ordinarily if anyone asked that sort of question, Naruto would have blown them off. For some reason, he found himself wanting to answer, wanting to share some of himself with her. 'It's because she is my partner. Of course that's why.'

"To tell you the truth its not that great." Naruto replied flatly. "Really, I have the same kind of fears everyone else does. I don't want to die. As shinobi we suppress our emotions and I've done a damn good job, it's kept me alive when I thought I was done for sure. It's strange really. All of the most successful ANBU seem to be like that. Kakashi-sensei is a blank slate of killing power and skill on the field and look at what he is- a living legend."

"Why do you think he turned down becoming the Rokudaime Hokage?" Hinata questioned, off kilter.

Naruto gave her one of his trademark cheesy grins. Something she hadn't seen in years. "Kakashi-sensei is way too much of a lazy ass to be the Hokage, even more than Shika-san. He'd show up late, get plastered, and probably just use that fancy scrying orb to peep on women."

Hinata giggled, unable to control herself. "Yeah, probably. Is he really right up there with Jiraiya-sama?"

"Yes and no. Kakashi-sensei probably has a dirtier mind and he's never seen in public without one of his smut novels, but Ero-Sennin was nearly an artisan pervert."

"Artisan pervert?"

Naruto coughed and winked at her. "Yeah, he was pervy to such an extreme you couldn't call it anything other than an art."

It was strange for him to talk so freely these days. Naruto found himself enjoying their conversation. Perhaps this wouldn't be so bad.

"You're sure you were spared his tendencies?" She leered at him suspiciously.

"Heh, not to let you down, but if you haven't noticed I'm not really into that stuff. I'm a shinobi. Emotions and love, they just get in the way."

"Yeah…" Hinata agreed. "I know. Believe it or not, I know…"

There was a sad look on her face. At the same time, she seemed proud. 'Weirdo.'

They finished making the tent in silence. It was only after he saw her taking her bedroll off of her pack he found himself wishing she had made a rookie mistake and brought her own tent. 'That's right… sleeping together in the same tent. Shit...'

It was going to be hard to forget that kiss with Hinata lying right next to him.

Once they had both settled in, he broached the topic of the previous night as subtly as he could. "So… sorry I let you get so smashed last night. You just went after them one after another all of a sudden."

If the Hyuuga knew what he was talking about, she didn't show it. "Yes, but it was my fault really."

"No, it was your first time, it was my responsibility to make sure you didn't drink too much."

'Where is this coming from. Why am I being nice to her? She got what she deserved. Stupid Shika-san and his stupid ideas.'

"I'm flattered." Hinata gave him a calculating stare. "I know you think it is your fault, but really it is not. Anyway… sorry about that other thing as well. I wasn't thinking."

Naruto shifted uncomfortably in his sleeping bag. 'Could it be she actually remembered?'

"I'm not sure I know what you're talking about Hinata-san." He said, being avoidant.

A faint blush came to her cheeks. "I mean about k-kissing you."

'So she did remember. Awww crap.' He rubbed his temples gingerly with his fingers. After a beat he raised his head so it rested in his palms and looked her straight in the eyes.

"Don't worry about it." He dismissed gruffly. "Stuff like that happens all the time when you get too screwed up. I don't hold it against you, or think any less of you because of it."

A small smile formed on her lips. "What? No nervous rebuttal that you didn't mean to take advantage of me? I'm shocked."

In the darkness Naruto furrowed his brows. 'Okay… so she stuttered- something she hasn't done in years, meaning she was either very nervous or very embarrassed about something. Probably embarrassed. She's also trying to play it off lightly. Good, its probably nothing.' His self-assurance helped calm his fears considerably.

"Yeah, well it's not like I had a choice." He muttered with some irritation.

"Is that so?" Hinata had just sprung a trap and Naruto knew it.

"Uh yeah?" He replied dumbly.

Hinata grinned inwardly. This was payback for all those years of pointless affection.

"So now you're saying you didn't like it, then? Am I so unattractive? Or is it that you always separate work and pleasure?" She rolled over so she was nearly side by side with him and propped herself up on one elbow. "Don't get me wrong Naruto-san. I just want your honest opinion is all. I mean, I have to choose a fiancé soon, right?" She reasoned.

Objectively, he was a good choice. He was strong and possessed prestige and wealth. Subjectively, Hinata would have rather died first. She would not go back to being the 'old' her.

He met her challenge straight on. "Look, I'm not gay or anything okay? I don't care what that Sasuke-teme told you, but it's not true."

She shot him a disapproving look.

"Yes, I enjoy getting kissed by beautiful women. No, it's not like I didn't enjoy it… but you're my partner Hinata-san. That's all." He appraised her for a moment. "If you're asking me to help you look pretty for your future husband then the answer is no." He teased.

It had the desired effect. She didn't know whether to take him seriously or not, and she didn't know whether it mattered to him or not. Safety in ambiguity.

"Ermm… I never said you were gay and I've never heard that rumor…" She trailed off. "You're right accidents happen. Goodnight Naruto-san."

He was a little baffled by her one-eighty at the end there, but he decided he didn't care. "Goodnight Hinata-san."

It wasn't until she was half asleep that she realized Naruto had called her beautiful.

Why did that make her heart beat faster?

I didn't matter, she decided. She had gotten over that boy a long time ago.


"You know, the last time I was here we had to take a ferry to get across. I guess that bridge really is useful." Naruto made his first step onto the great structure.

It had taken only half the day to reach the bridge. They had broken camp at six a.m. and pushed hard. Again, Hinata had didn't raised a single complaint the entire way. She was actually turning out to be a halfway decent ANBU… for a rookie anyway. The black ops. Jonin questioned exactly how far she had come since she was the shy and incompetent heiress he once knew. He hadn't seen any of her fights with her suitors. He had heard she was the pride of the Hyuuga, but he knew how rumors worked. He doubted she had truly surpassed Neji, even if she did beat him in a spar. He was a genius after all.

They were dressed in their civilian clothing. Hinata was maintaining a minor genjutsu to change her eyes to discreet looking green ones with normal pupils. Naruto found it irritating. He liked her eyes… in a totally platonic sort of way. The green ones just looked wrong on her, though it didn't stop the numerous men they passed on the road from leering at her. A threatening glance from Naruto was all it took for them to stop. Killing intent was a beautiful thing.

"It's pretty impressive," Hinata acknowledged, "to build a bridge this long must have been a monumental achievement in engineering. That old drunk must have been better than you thought Naruto-san."

"Yeah I guess." He gave her a bemused glance and fell into step a little closer to her. "You know you really don't need to use the honorific right now. I mean we are undercover."

Hinata almost missed a step.

"Sorry, hard to break the habit. Besides," she added, "no honorific… isn't it a bit.. I don't know... intimate?"

Naruto jerked involuntarily. That had hit a nerve. Hinata struggled not to break out in a satisfied laugh. She knew that woman would never make him think the same way about intimacy.

"It's still a little weird. Shouldn't you just call me 'Naruto-kun?'"

The Hyuuga's serene masked slip for a fraction of a second and something ugly passed across her face.

"It's different. I'm a woman if you didn't notice." She insisted uncomfortably, trying to shift the topic.

"And that changes this how?"

Hinata stepped one closer to him, linking left her arm in his right and laying her hand on his wrist daintily.

"Fine then, have it your way." She chirped sweetly. "Naruto-san."

Naruto sighed. She really was too flippant for her own good. "So now you're using me as practice huh? How much lower can I sink?"

Hinata clutched him somewhat painfully and gave him a subtle smile. "I wouldn't call what you're referring to as low, but I am interested in what happens when you do go lower."

'Stupid innuendos.' The Uzumaki fought down a blush.

"You could put Shika-san on the ropes with that tongue of yours." He said bluntly.

She smirked and turned her eyes into little upside-down U's. It vaguely reminded him of Kakashi-sensei.

"Who says I haven't?"

"Point taken."

The rest of the walk across the bridge was made in silence. Hinata gazed out at the ocean while Naruto stayed on a low level of alert, watching for any suspicious activity. After an hour the end was in sight and Naruto breathed a sigh of relief. Civilian clothing always made him feel self-conscious, especially traditional robes. Hinata may have been at home in them, but he was going to be happy to get off of the main drag and switch into ANBU gear. Normally they would have been able to stay in the city, but the mission intel. mentioned something about Naruto having a high profile in Wave, and that it would be risky if he was recognized. Naruto couldn't recall why he might be a high profile character in Wave, but he agreed that drawing attention was a bad idea.

They were almost off the bridge when Naruto saw trouble.

A couple of kids were picking a fight with a younger one. There was something vaguely familiar about the black haired victim, but he couldn't place it. When the three drew knives Naruto was tempted to act, but under cover he couldn't really do anything. He felt Hinata's grip on him tighten and he squeezed her hand in sympathy.

"You guys wouldn't mess with me if my nii-san was here!" The younger boy, maybe fourteen, shouted defiantly.

The biggest kid of the three assailants, a punk with dyed red hair, took a step forward and pushed the boy to the ground. "Yeah, well whoever he is, he ain't here."

"Yeah," another one jeered, giving the boy a good kick, "I don't care who your older brother is, but your daddy needs to be taught a lesson, wimp."

"He's made our lives hell. Our fathers were killed over this stupid bridge. If it weren't for your precious prick of a father, this stupid chunk of concrete wouldn't even be here!"

Suddenly Naruto realized why the kid looked familiar. Another kick hit the boy, this time in the jaw. Naruto's eyes narrowed in cunning.

"Hey Hinata-san." He whispered as they drew closer. "I think I have a way to get us a place to stay and some inside help, if you follow my lead."

She looked at him, a little confused. "What do you want me to do?"

"Just knock those three boys out when we get close. Do it quietly and quickly. I know that kid- I think he can help us."

"Okay."

Another thirty seconds and they had closed the distance. The three older boys had delivered a few more blows to the smaller boy, but nothing too serious. When they got too close the biggest boy turned.

"What do you want?" He asked gruffly, his voice low and rough.

Hinata took the opportunity and ran with it. "I want you." She sighed breathily, watching as the boy's eyes widened in delight. 'Kids are just too stupid these days… as if. I doubt this kid's every going to be a shinobi, let alone the strongest in the world.'

She wrapped her arms around him, shoving off of Naruto, who looked pissed. She spun the boy so she was between all three. Her eyes glittered dangerously. "Punks."

They didn't even have time to let out a yelp. Hinata hit the big one with two fingers and the one on her right with an identical move. The third one was taken down by a sound hit to the head from Naruto. All three crumpled to the ground noiselessly. Hinata gave Naruto a happy grin. Somehow he found it disconcerting.

"You," the boy on the ground wheezed painfully, "why did you help me?"

Naruto had to stifle a laugh. The boy was denser than he was as a kid. "Now Inari-chan, what kind of nii-san would I be if I didn't back you up every once in a while."

Inari's eyes widened. "No way… Naruto-niisan?"

"The very same."

For several minutes the two were reenacting Hinata's worst nightmares of Gai and Lee proclaiming their bonds. It was like the old Naruto come-again. Finally she shook her head, completely disgusted.

"Niisan? There is no way the two of you are related." She made an act of moving her gaze back and forth, as if she was watching a professional tennis match.

"No," Naruto replied, offering Inari a hand up, "but I saved his old fart of a grandpa's ass once. Those kids are deranged if they think he's you're pops, by the way."

Inari, though bloodied, shrugged it off. "Yeah, for some reason it just didn't seem important at the time… Niisan, why are you here?"

Naruto cast a suspicious look around, making a big show of trying to be secretive. Hinata had to stifle a giggle out how ridiculous he looked. Real ninjas were never so obvious.

"Actually, I'm on a mission. Look, Inari-chan, it would mean a lot to me if you could take me to see your gramps. I think he could help me out."

"Well he didn't name the bridge after you for nothing." The youth replied glibly.

"What?" Naruto shot him a blank look.

"You mean you don't know, niisan?" Inari pointed to a large stone archway overhead. "See? 'The Great Naruto Bridge.'"

"So that's what they meant by high profile…" He looked at Hinata meaningfully. "Looks like I'm great now too. Hiashi-sama would be proud."

"My Father doesn't know." Hinata corrected.

"Wait, really?"

"Of course not. That information is classified. You know that."

"You never said anything about it last night."

"So? Its obvious."

It suddenly changed everything. She was hiding something from him. Only enemies hid things from him. He should hate her. "Hiashi-sama has a lot of pull. He could find out if he really tried. Do you know why he didn't?"

"No. Its the law, and Hokage-dono suggested I keep it from him despite any pressure he might put on me." She replied hotly. "Is there a problem?"

Hopefully that would throw him off the scent. The Rokudaime had said he wouldn't tell her Father. She certainly would not. Not after his reaction two years ago. As to why the Hokage had wanted to keep it from her Father, he hadn't divulged that information. 'Probably some sort of power-play.' The heiress deduced.

Naruto's tone relaxed considerably. "No. No, if it was an order that's different. We'll talk about it later."

"'There is nothing to talk about."

"Excuse me!" Inari interrupted. "But I think we should go now, people are staring."

Naruto and Hinata locked eyes for a second, then turned to acknowledge Inari's claim. A small crowd of people had gathered and several men in uniform were approaching them.

"Yeah… lets go." Naruto consented. Hinata wordlessly agreed.


Half an hour later they arrived at a sizable mansion. Apparently Tazuna had made it big after building the bridge. On the way, Inari explained that he had become the governor of Wave. He would have called him a daimyo, but considering the size of Wave, Naruto thought Inari had used the right word. The two guards posted at the front gate nodded to Inari casually and let him through without any questions. After walking up the path to the estate and passing through a small garden they came to the large double doors at the house's front. Inari took out a key and let himself in, Hinata and Naruto in tow. Before they went any farther he begged them not to tell Tazuna that he had been in a fight. It wasn't the fight itself, but that he had lost… and Naruto suspected Tsunami would be pissed.

One quick agreement and a simple medical jutsu (compliments of the Hyuuga heiress) later and they were led up the stairs and to the doors of Tazuna's study.

"Hey gramps, we have some guests here to see you!" Inari rudely pounded at the door of the office. When there was no response he threw the doors open.

"GRAMPS!"

Tazuna sat in a comfy chair, head on his desk, drooling, with a pitcher of sake and an empty cup still in hand. Hinata gave Naruto a special smile, nodding her head that she too was reminded of Tsunade at that moment. Inari reminded Naruto of himself, because he crossed the floor with no consideration to a drunken old person and slammed his fists down on the table.

"Huh, wuh? Whazzat?" Tazuna literally jumped out of his chair and landed on his ass, looking completely off his rocker. "Inari… whadju doin' here? Hic!"

"Gramps… we have guests and you're toasted." Inari whined.

"I am not toashted… that much." The old man picked himself up and sat back down in his chair. "Now who hash come to vishit us?"

Naruto decided to get it over with. "Yo, Tazuna-san. What's shaken? I see you finally acknowledged me with that bridge of yours." He extended his hand to shake the confused old man's. "And here I thought that you would try and name it something more fitting… like.. I don't know? 'The Super Awesome Bridge That Tazuna Made,' or something."

His words sounded like the old Naruto, but his heart was not in it. They were there are business. He couldn't afford any distractions, even one as hilarious as a drunken drooling Tazuna.

"Actually I did want a name kinda like that… it was Inari who decided to name it after that brat…" Tazuna sobered up instantly at hearing someone compliment him on his bridge. He leaned back and reached for the glasses on the top of his head. Suddenly the world came into focus again. Tazuna let out a snort of contempt. "You look just like him."

"Actually, Tazuna-san," Hinata moved to stand next to Naruto, politely cutting into the conversation, "he is Naruto-san."

It took him a few moments, but Tazuna eventually found the energy to sit back in his chair and take a better look. "Well blow the bridge and call me a farmer… never thought I'd see you again, brat. What were they feeding you over there, steroids? You must have grown two feet, I barely recognize you."

"That's probably because you're as blind as a bat without your glasses you old fart!" Inari rained on his parade with more than a little enthusiasm, something akin to Konohamaru.

"Shut it you disrespectful runt." Tazuna waved his fist angrily in the air. "Back in my day… Ah shit. I'm saying 'back in my day.' Now I'm really going senile."

"Yeah probably." Naruto agreed.

Hinata snickered softly.

"I thought you were on my side?" Tazuna asked dryly.

"Only if you let me and my friend stay here for a couple of nights; no questions asked."

Tazuna looked from Naruto and then to Hinata. If a light bulb could have appeared above his head it would have. "Oh I get it… trying to elope now are we? Quite the catch you got there, brat." Tazuna let out a couple of suggestive whistles and winked at them. "Just keep it down will ya, an old man has to sleep."

Hinata's face turned beat red. "But we're not-"

"Heheheh, no need to be shy now." Tazuna leered, drinking in the site of the flustered Hinata. "On second thought make all the noise you want!"

"BUT-"

"Don't worry, gramps. She can be quiet if she needs to. Come on Hina-chan, let's go find a guest room." Naruto grabbed her hand and sauntered out smugly.

He'd probably pay hell for calling her that later, but the look on her face was absolutely priceless.

For a moment, Naruto felt like a boy again.

Tazuna gave them the thumbs up and a toothy grin, gazing at Hinata's ass as she left. "Who ever knew he'd land a babe like that."

Inari shot him a dirty look. "Don't you think you should have at least asked how he's been, gramps?"

Tazuna sat up straight; looking wise in a way only the Sandaime could have matched.

"Son, when you land a babe like that, people don't need to ask you how you've been- they already know."


A/N: Overhaul complete. Honorifics fixed and minor content added.