Chapter 6

Naruto had no time to react beyond getting in front of Daichi when the wave of smoke obscured his vision of the treeline. The horse reared up, but the cart driver was disciplined enough to rein it back in before it could bolt away. He strained to make anything out in the darkness as footsteps and shadows surrounded the group, and then something large emerged right in front of him.

The bandit was huge, dressed in slightly ragged clothes that hugged his muscular frame. There was a hungry look in his eyes as locked on to Naruto, and he raised what looked like a repurposed tree cutting axe over his head. The blade was uneven and chipped at the edges, and even as he screamed at himself to do something, Naruto's body locked up at the sight of the man running towards him. Why wasn't he moving?

No, he couldn't die like this… The bandit was about three feet away from burying his hatchet into Naruto when a group of shuriken dug into his arm. Naruto came out of his trance as the axeman winced in pain, stumbling to the side before regaining his focus.

"I'm gonna cave your head in, brat..." he growled, yanking the shuriken out with a few drops of blood. Naruto grinned back and made a hand seal.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" He created two of them, and they jumped onto the axeman's arms, forcing him to drop his weapon. Naruto followed them up with a punch to the gut. He bent over and wheezed, and Naruto uppercutted him with an audible crack on impact. He fell over backwards, and Naruto's two clones continued beating him until he stopped moving. Naruto cracked his knuckles as they dispelled, and then turned back to Daichi. "Hey, get in the cart until we're done!" he yelled. Daichi, looking stunned for the first time, nodded and went to hide.

Naruto threw himself at another bandit with a new sense of confidence, summoning more clones to take away his pitchfork while he jump kicked the man into a nearby tree trunk hard enough to shake the branches. He worked his way through two more bandits, and then watched as a third one tried to draw a sword on Hinata further off. Her eyes were completely white as she seemed to be glaring through the man, and she pushed the swing aside with an elbow to deliver a two handed palm strike to his open chest. He could see a spurt of chakra come out when she made contact, and the bandit took a few shaky steps back to cough up some blood. Hinata looked hesitant for a moment, but her expression hardened again. He collapsed to his knees as she slid into a more proper stance, and then knocked him out with a punch to the temple. He joined the two other men on the ground in different states of injury.

"Pay attention!" Sasuke yelled, and Naruto turned around in time to see him slide into the legs of a bandit, knocking him down. Sasuke flipped back onto his feet and got behind the man fast enough to slam the back end of his kunai into his head. He crumpled to the ground again. "You'll die if you stand there doing nothing," he continued, before leaving to chase another shadow down. Naruto followed with a growl, determined to show that he was just as good as him.

Another minute was all they needed to defeat the ambush, and Naruto was helping to drag the unconscious bodies in a pile when Kakashi jumped down from the cart.

"Nice job, team," he said walking over to inspect the bandits. "Once you got over the stage fright, you pulled it together." Kakashi picked up the bloody shuriken that had stopped the axeman, and Naruto tried not to look guilty. As far as he knew, Sasuke and Hinata didn't freeze up and need their sensei to snap them out of it. "There's eleven here. Hinata, how many did you see?"

"I thought there were twelve in the forest…" she said. "But there's no one left nearby."

"Hm, he probably abandoned the rest, but I doubt he'll try to attack us again after seeing what happened the first time." As he pulled out some rope to restrain the bandits and Daichi checked the cart over for any damage, Naruto stuck his hands in his pockets and kicked at a stone in the road, frowning to himself. First Iruka-senshi, then Kakashi-sensei, and now Sasuke. He was never gonna hesitate and make someone have to save him again…


When the bandits were tied up for the local law enforcement, the group traveled down the road another few hours until the sky began to dim. Kakashi scouted out a clearing not far away from their path, and they guided the cart there to make camp. Daichi's driver disconnected the horse to take care of it while everyone else settled down.

Hinata busied herself with digging a pit for the fire, leaving Sasuke to set up the tents and Naruto to find some wood to burn. He looked like he'd been sulking about something for the last few hours, so she didn't stop him when he volunteered for the job. It was strange for him though, and it was beginning to bother her. They'd won the fight, so what was wrong with him?

Naruto mostly returned to his normal self after dinner, so she let it go without bringing it up. Instead Hinata checked herself over for any hand injuries. Her knuckles stung a little, but that was expected after punching someone's skull. There had probably been a more efficient way to knock him out than that, but after seeing his reaction to her Gentle Fist hit to his lungs, she'd been thrown off. She knew all about the theory of what damage to the chakra network did to nearby organs, but to see it in action was… unnerving. She'd always taken her father's warnings about using the Gentle Fist seriously, but now it held more weight. She could have very easily killed someone today, and she wasn't sure how much control she had with her strikes in the heat of the moment.

Hinata wasn't exactly against fighting. If anything, she got too into training at times, pushing herself beyond was was strictly necessary just because she could, but she didn't think of herself as bloodthirsty. Okay, maybe she'd frightened a few people back in the Academy after breaking a training post with an over-enthusiastic chakra strike, but that was accidental. There was a difference between going all out in a sparring match and ending someone's life.

She was sitting by the fire, debating whether to wrap her hands up with tape to protect them better, when Daichi sat down across from her. He was holding the guitar again, but he looked frustrated as he tried turning the knobs on it with his bandaged hand. Maybe now was a good time to talk to him. It would at least keep her mind off potential murder better than she was faring now.

"Do you… need help with that?" He stopped struggling with his instrument and looked at her.

"Huh?" She was probably going to regret this later.

"I...you looked like you were having trouble…" she explained. He raised a brow, and she looked away from him, already feeling stupid. There was a long, excruciating pause.

"...You know how a guitar works?" he asked..

"I've played things like it before." He looked down at his guitar, and then back at her, his gaze more intense than it had been since the mission started. He sighed.

"Here," Daichi said, standing up to hand it over. "Don't drop it, it was expensive." She took it with a sturdy grip, making sure the instrument was supported on her lap as she sat down. It was a little heavier than other string instruments, but still light enough to carry comfortably.

"I haven't been able to tune it since a thug tried to rob me a couple weeks ago. Lucky he just messed up my hand and not my whole arm…" He pointed at the thickest string out of the six. "The standard tuning starts at low E, and then A, D, G, B, and high E going down the strings." Her fingers tested the strings as he spoke, playing random notes as she grew accustomed to them. A few minutes passed as she checked the pitches by ear, adjusting the knobs when necessary while Daichi supervised.

"Is this correct?" With no pick to use, she strummed the guitar with her thumb. Daichi scratched his chin, eyes closed as he listened, and then he nodded.

"Sounds about right to me." Hinata gave the instrument back, and he tried playing a few different chords before he smiled. "That's pretty good. First time I had a ninja fix my guitar on the road. That's not extra money, right?"

"Uh, no, I was just... I was only curious about it"- He stopped her with a short laugh.

"Don't worry, it's just a joke." Oh. Right… Before she could get too embarrassed, Naruto abandoned his argument with Sasuke over whether the tents were assembled right and joined them.

"Hey, are you gonna play something now?" he asked, sitting beside Daichi with a hopeful look.

"Nah, we were just tuning it. Maybe tomorrow I'll practice a song. Besides, it's probably not too smart to make too much noise at night like this." Naruto scratched the back of his head as Daichi wrapped up the guitar again.

"Yeah, I guess more bandits could hear us…"


The missing twelfth bandit was making his way through the dense woods at a much faster pace than a normal person, hopping from branch to branch like a ninja as soon as he was certain he was out of hearing range. When he got sufficiently far enough, he slowed to a stop, falling to the ground in a three point crouch.

The bandit stood up, glanced around for any witnesses, and then burst into smoke. In his place was a young woman with short, dirty blonde hair and pale blue eyes. The worn down flak jacket she wore and deliberately scarred leaf headband tied to her leg marked her as a kunoichi.

"Kenzou's not going to like this news..." she said to herself, checking the longbow strapped to her back for any damage. She left the treeline and entered a small clearing where a makeshift camp was constructed. The few thugs standing guard straightened up and allowed her to pass through unhindered. The kunoichi ignored the first few large tents where other bandits sorted through their stolen goods and rested, going for the smaller, separate tent near the back.

"I ran into something on the main road to Hanamoto's place," she said, standing outside the opening. She could hear the sound of metal being shifted around, and then silence.

"Come in." She slipped past the tent flap and secured it behind her. A larger, older man was kneeling on a blanket, his light brown eyes focused entirely on the metal club he was polishing. Surrounding him were piles of various weapons, from shuriken and kunai to polearms and swords. His dark brown hair stuck up in the front, but was tied into a long, tight braid down his back. A scar ran up his jaw and onto one cheek, and his short sleeved buttoned up shirt exposed arms were tattooed with scrawled writing that formed circles. One shoulder was taken up entirely by a stylized tiger's head, and his forehead was covered with his own scarred leaf headband. "What did you find, Haruka?"

"A merchant bought some Konoha ninja along with him, and it looks like a full genin squad with a jounin as leader." The man's jaw clenched, and he looked up at her.

"And the rest of your patrol?" he asked.

"Either captured or dead. I left before they could realize I was even there."

"How unlucky, but at least it's not a surprise now. They'll probably stay around the greenhouse until the merchant leaves again. We can't afford to wait that long…"

"That's what I was afraid of. Should we postpone the operation?" Kenzou looked conflicted, and then shook his head.

"No, I'll find a way to work around it." He stood up and moved to grab a map from a nearby bag. "Get some scouts and set yourself up around the property, but don't approach the ninja. We'll watch them and see if we find an opening in their defense. If we have to do a quick raid, then we will, but I'm not facing a Jounin on even ground if I can help it." Haruka nodded.

"Right, I'll tell the men the change in plans." She turned to leave as Kenzou began marking on the map with a pencil, talking under his breath.


The second day of travelling was much less exciting. They kept the same formation as they moved, with Kakashi once again riding inside the caravan. Anyone that came close enough to attempt to steal from them lost interest as soon as they realized who was guarding the cart, and Hinata only got to watch them turn and run in the opposite direction with her extended sight. Either the bandits here were smarter, or they were warned of the presence of ninja on this particular trade road.

It made the journey feel significantly slower though, even after Daichi began to play a melody from the back of the cart. After hours passed, Naruto gave a loud sigh and rested his hands behind his head as he walked.

"Hey, so… where are we gonna get there again? Anytime soon?" he asked.

"Hanamoto Greenhouse is about… an hour away at this rate," Daichi said, checking the sky. Hinata stopped her latest pass over the surrounding land when she heard the name, an odd chill going down her spine. Hanamoto? She strained to remember the details as Daichi continued. "We'll arrive at the edge of the property around sunset." She nearly stopped in the middle of the road when it hit her, drawing some attention when she had to catch up with the cart.

"You okay?" Naruto asked.

"I just… realized that I've been to Hanamoto Greenhouse before," she said. It must have been years ago if the details were this hazy. It was possible that her father had taken her there on some kind of business for the clan. But why was it making her feel uneasy?

"That's not surprising," Kakashi said. "Most larger clans in the village have business ties with outside resources, or at least make deals through the village itself."

"What do they need to make deals for?"

"It's usually for discounts on raw materials or refined products, like medical herbs or weapons. A clan will make an agreement to come to the aid of an outside business if requested, and in return, the business will sell to them at a discount. Konoha buys the materials for medicine and supplies in bulk this way, and then we run some missions involving the companies at a reduced price in return."

"So it's really just a bunch of favors? It's not that complicated!"

"Well, that's one way of phrasing it." Sasuke shook his head.

"Your grasp on economics is really impressive for a guy who was struggling to count up enough money for two bowls of ramen," he said.

"Hey, I had a coupon! I can't just do 55% off in my head…"

"That's basic math." Hinata ended up ignoring Naruto as he tried to persuade Sasuke that percentages were not basic arithmetic skills, trying to remember more about her trip to Hanamoto Greenhouse. She was sure it was around 4 years ago now. Father was arranging a shipment of seeds for some of the gardens in the compound, a deal that was most likely still going on now. And yet she felt like she was forgetting something really important...


"I can see the gates up ahead," the cart driver announced. He slowed the horse as they approached, and Kakashi was out near the front of their group in what felt like an instant, as if he hadn't been reading for the last few hours. Hinata had spotted the greenhouse from a distance with her Byakugan already, but seeing it up close made it feel even larger.

Hanamoto Greenhouse was more like an indoor farm, with a massive collection of glass buildings surrounded by sweeping fields of different flowers and plants. All of it was contained in a well maintained chain gate, and there were civilian guards posted around it as an extra measure. She couldn't help but stare as they reached the front entrance, wondering how many different varieties she could make out from where she was. How much work did it take to maintain so many plants? Naruto was openly gaping at the fields as well, and even Sasuke looked shocked.

"Made it in one piece," Daichi said, hopping onto the ground when the cart stopped. He spoke to the guard for a minute, and then the solid wood gates creaked open to let them through. An older man and a younger boy were waiting on the other side. Their robes looked like something the average person would keep in the back of their closet for special occasions, expensive and near spotless. They both had black hair, but the older man's had a slight grey to it.

"Ah, good to see that Konoha has safely brought you back to us again, Mr. Kato," the man said warmly, holding his arms out. He might have been a little dramatic, but Hinata couldn't detect much arrogance from him. The boy beside him, maybe only a couple years older than herself, looked a little bored. Daichi tipped his hat at the man, a genuine smile on his face.

"They always do," he answered, going to shake his hand. He turned to face the four ninja. "This is Ichirou Hanamoto, he owns and runs this whole operation."

"We'll be watching over Mr. Kato on your property until he returns to the village, if that's acceptable." Kakashi slipped into what she considered his professional voice, his favorite book nowhere in sight. As he and Ichirou discussed security and housing, the dark haired boy's gaze fell on her, and she tensed up before she could even register why. There was a spark of recognition between them, and she suddenly knew exactly why she disliked this place in the past. Katsuo lived here.

"Is that you, My Princess?" he asked, loud enough to catch nearly the entire group's attention. With an expression Hinata could only describe as a love-struck smile, he crossed the distance between them in only a few seconds. If she wasn't so stunned by it, she would have considered jumping on top of the caravan to escape him, but by the time she recovered coherent thought, he had already grabbed on of her hands. It took more restraint than she thought she had to not make his whole arm useless with her free hand. She represented the Hyuga clan with her behavior, she couldn't just lash out at a technical client. That wasn't professional.

"Y-your what?" she stammered, blinking a few times. He dropped down on one knee and looked up at her with shining green eyes, her face going red at the sheer intensity of it. Was this a joke? She could see Sasuke trying to contain himself from saying anything out of the corner of her vision, and it only doubled her embarrassment. He was going to hang this over her head for the rest of the mission, wasn't he?

"I have not forgotten the promise I made to you when we last met, and now you've returned," he continued, oblivious to the rest of the world. Wait, he couldn't possibly be referring to when she was 8, right? No one was crazy enough to- "We are truly destined to be together!"

The silence was deafening. Hinata was speechless after such a declaration. Kakashi raised a brow as he watched the exchange, as if waiting for the punchline. Sasuke was practically grinning for his emotional standards. Naruto recovered first, pointing a finger at the still kneeling teenager.

"Who the hell is this guy?" he yelled. Well at least someone was just as bothered by Katsuo as her.

"That's the manager's son…" Daichi said. Ichirou had enough class to try and look shamed in Katsuo's place, but that wasn't helping her at the moment.

"Wait, hold on"- she was cut off as he started to pull her away, going on about a romance that she had no intention of ever starting.

"Uh, shouldn't we do something, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked.

"I'm interested in seeing where this goes," Sasuke said, not having moved an inch even after Hinata shot him a desperate look. Kakashi shook his head.

"Never get involved in politics, Naruto."


AN: I don't think this arc will last too many chapters, but I'm trying to give it a slightly different tone than the Land of Waves mission in Canon, even if it means the lessons the characters learn from these antagonists end up being different in the long-run. Please leave a review if you have any questions or comments, especially since I'm going kind of off the rails from here on out. I like having feedback on the more original content so I know how to handle things much later on.