Naruto: Kazama Ascendant

by Justareader80

AU A letter discloses truths that had been hidden and Naruto is actually given the tools necessary to achieve his goals. Armed with a new sense of purpose, Naruto sets out to forge his path and revive his once great clan.

11. Chapter 11

Naruto: Kazama Ascendant

Chapter 11: Elsewhere

Konoha's eating establishments varied a great deal in the quality of their food and atmosphere. The village contained some restaurants that were furnished with the finest china and were capable of catering to the discerning tastes of the most finicky Hyuuga or the Fire Daimyo himself. Others were of such quality that an observant diner would have to wonder about the low population of stray dogs and cats in the area.

Two jounin instructors found themselves in a comfortable bar that catered primarily to the village's ninja population. While not as fancy as some of the village's other drinking establishments, it was a comfortable place where a ninja could come to unwind without the hassles of most civilian restaurants. The tables were widely spaced and the murmur of quiet conversations provided a soothing counterpoint to the stressful nature of their profession.

The two ninja, having been dismissed for the day, had just received their drinks and were beginning to unwind. One of them, a striking red-eyed kunoichi, swirled the clear liquid filling her saucer before glancing towards her companion and asking, "How do you think this should work?"

Her companion seemed to ignore her question as he fished around for something in his jacket. 'Probably looking for another cigarette...'

Kurenai took a small sip of the warm sake that she had poured moments ago as she considered the meeting she and her drinking companion had just walked away from. Having finished their mission for the day, Team Eight had been going their separate ways when Kurenai had received a messenger hawk requesting her presence at the tower. She had met by her companion in route to the tower and discovered that he shared the same destination.

They had found the Hokage sitting comfortably in his office, shuffling some paperwork as he awaited their arrival. He seemed affable enough, smiling warmly in greeting and asking them if they wanted anything to drink. It had taken the young jounin a second to remember that she was meeting with Lord Hokage and not someone's kindly old grandfather.

After the initial pleasantries were out of the way, the meeting had been short and to the point. The Hokage had inquired about the progress of their respective teams and whether they were prepared for higher-ranking missions.

Apparently satisfied with the answers he had received, the Hokage had then gone on to brief them on a mission that had been received that afternoon. He then requested for them to bring their teams by in the morning, foregoing any training they may have planned for the day. It wasn't until they were preparing to leave that she realized what had been strange about the meeting.

She had just sat through a meeting involving a father and son and they had barely even acknowledged each other. While there had not been any overt signs of hostility or rancor, both Sarutobis had seemingly gone out of their way to refer to the other only in relation to their respective ranks.

Frowning slightly at her drink, she thought, 'Trying to maintain a bit of professional separation is understandable as a leader can not be seen as favoring a particular subordinate, but to simply ignore your own flesh and blood is carrying the act a bit too far. According to various rumors, their relationship has been strained for quite some time… But to actively avoid acknowledging your father or son, respectively, seems childish and a bit… sad.'

The crinkle of cellophane brought the kunoichi back to the present. Her educated guess had proven to be accurate as her fellow jounin had drawn a half empty pack of cigarettes from his pocket. After lighting the newly found cigarette, Asuma inhaled deeply and offered, "I figure that we have two options. First, we can hold their hands and walk them through the process. The second option is that we let them run the mission. Personally, I really don't feel like babysitting them and would rather let them figure things out for themselves."

Shaking her head slightly at the rather blunt summary, the kunoichi responded, "Do you really think that would be wise? This will be their first C-ranked mission after all."

Asuma gave a careless shrug as he responded, "They have to learn some time and the earlier the better. Despite the dangers, I think that the old man is being a bit cautious by assigning both teams to this mission. It is a good opportunity to assign them some additional responsibilities, as the dangers will be minimal. Besides, it should not be too demanding as both of our teams have been raised with the realities of the ninja world since they were born."

Kurenai watched the man across from her for a long moment. Despite whatever appearances and affectations he may put forth, she knew that he was a capable ninja. Still, some appearances actually reflect the truth… "I think that you just want to get out of doing all the work."

The bearded shinobi simply shrugged, giving her a crooked smile as he responded, "I wouldn't say that it is the primary reason… It just happens to be a nice benefit."

Thinking over the suggestion, she could not spot any obvious flaws. It would be interesting to see how her team would react to being left to their own devices. If anything, she would admit to being concerned with how the leadership role would be decided and how her team would interact with Asuma's.

'Not that it matters too much in the end, as we will still be there to offer guidance when called for and to assume command if things begin to come apart…' Having resolved their general approach to the mission, Kurenai decided to turn towards more mundane topics. "So, how are things going with your team?"

Looking up from where he had been glancing over the menu, Asuma responded, "Okay, I guess. I just expected to have to play a bit more active role in their training. But with all three of my students coming from shinobi clans that rely heavily on their clan techniques and having worked together since they were small children… It leaves me feeling a bit useless."

Kurenai snorted softly in understanding, as she was familiar with the feeling. Training her team was not turning out how she had expected and, if she wanted to be truly honest, her skill set was ill suited for training her team. While her specialty in genjutsu rounded out a weakness in Team Eight's overall composition, it held little value for training purposes.

"Do you think I have a walk in the park? It is not as if I can give detailed lessons on advanced Juken taijutsu or guidance on the proper care for kikai bugs. Really, my role in the team seems to come down to teaching a bit of basic field craft and keeping Kiba from insulting our clients while the team completes its missions."

The red-eyed jounin finished her saucer and paused in her speech as she reached for the porcelain bottle to refill it. "The kid is a lecher in training if I have ever seen one. He makes vile and lewd comments about practically every woman he meets… our clients, women he sees walking down the street, the daughters of our clients…"

A thoughtful frown fell over the young jounin's face before she continued, "The only exception seems to be Hinata... he has never said anything about her and he seems to act almost deferential towards her. It is a bit odd as I even had to smack him around a bit before he would stop leering at me."

Asuma exhaled a stream of smoke as he chuckled. "Hiashi probably had one of the branch members threaten to make him a eunuch if he so much as looked at her wrong."

Having some experience with the leader of the famed Hyuuga Clan, Kurenai responded, "That bastard isn't the type to care enough about her to do something like that. I have never met a more useless father or a more cold-hearted bastard."

Shrugging, the bearded jounin took a drink from his saucer before offering, "Such an action would not necessarily result from him caring about her. It would revolve around perception and respect. If he were to allow or ignore the disrespectful treatment of the clan's current heiress, then he would be endangering the honor of the whole clan… At least that is how he would see it."

XXXXX

It had had the makings of such a peaceful day. The weather was warm without the intensity that would come later in the year. The few clouds that graced the sky this morning were moving across the vast stretch of blue at a languid pace. 'A perfect day for less troublesome activities.'

Shikamaru sighed heavily as he tore his attention away from the sky and glanced around the street as he and his teammates trekked towards Hokage Tower. Ino was leading the way towards their destination at a pace the betrayed her excitement. 'Sometimes that girl can be so troublesome.'

They were traversing the village to receive their first C ranked mission briefing. The announcement of a higher ranked mission had broken Ino from whatever mood had taken hold of her a couple of days ago.

The only thing that Shikamaru knew that corresponded with this shift in the blonde girl's behavior was the departure of Team Seven on an escort mission. There could have been several reasons why this event would upset her. It could have been that she had been denied the ability to stalk her 'Sasuke-kun' or the opportunity to demonstrate her innate superiority over the infamous 'Forehead girl'.

While he didn't like seeing Ino depressed, Shikamaru had learned several years ago that it was far more preferable to simple keep his thoughts and concerns on such subjects to himself. It saved him from being smacked upside the head if she thought he was meddling in her affairs. It also saved him from hearing about her latest scheme to capture the interest of the last member of the 'noble' Uchiha Clan.

In all honesty, he wasn't being totally fair to his teammate. Shikamaru had noticed some positive shifts in Ino's behavior over the past couple of weeks. While she had always been a diligent student at the academy, he had noticed that she had recently become even more driven. As with several other subjects, the young Nara had concluded that it would be less troublesome if he kept these thoughts to himself. 'Girls really are quite strange.'

The kunoichi in question choose that moment to glance back at him and Chouji, and past them to Asuma-sensei. Having satisfactorily completed her survey, she returned her attention to the road ahead with a bounce in her step. 'Probably wanted to make sure that we had not fallen behind or stopped at one of the roadside restaurants… Troublesome girl…'

With a sigh, he turned his attention to his other friend. Long experience and a great deal of familiarity allowed him to see that even Chouji was excited and a bit nervous about their destination. It was small observations that betrayed his friend's mood… The rate at which the young Akimichi was consuming his chips and a slight tension around his eyes to name the most obvious.

Shikamaru sighed heavily, shoving his hands into his pockets as he returned his attention to the sky. He had, of course, known that the easy missions couldn't last forever. It had just been a matter of time before the rookie teams would be expected to take on more challenging assignments. 'So troublesome…'

XXXXX

The Hokage shuffled through some of the endless paperwork that defined his existence as he waited for the remaining member of Team Eight to appear. Shifting his eyes slightly, he analyzed those that had already arrived. The current generation of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio was conversing quietly with Hyuuga Hinata. Aburame Shino was displaying the Aburame Clan's usual stoicism as he stood nearby, quietly observing everyone as they milled about the mission room.

His own son was slouched against the wall, apparently at ease with an unlit cigarette hanging from his mouth. Yuuhi Kurenai simply fidgeted nervously nearby as she watched the door with growing impatience. The Hokage smiled as he thought, 'The young woman is apparently bothered that it is her charge that is delaying the briefing… I imagine that his next team meeting will be a bit more taxing than usual.' The Hokage returned to his attention to the paperwork at hand, as everyone patiently waited for the wayward genin.

It was another seven minutes before the genin in question entered the room, accompanied by his companion. The slight amount of killing intent lacing Kurenai's glare silenced whatever excuse the boy had intended to offer.

Clearing his throat, Sarutobi captured everyone's attention as he gestured for the teams to step forward to begin the briefing. "Good morning. Now that all members of Teams Eight and Ten are present, we can begin." The Hokage smiled inwardly as the group's female jounin twitched at the comment.

"As you are fully aware, it has been about two months since your class officially joined the ninja forces of Konoha. In that time you have been assigned a variety of missions that are intended to build cohesion within your teams and allow you to sharpen your skills before undertaking more demanding, more dangerous missions."

"Your senseis have indicated that your skills have advanced sufficiently to take on greater responsibilities and I happen to agree. The general responsible for Fire Country's western region has requested our assistance in hunting down a group of bandits. This group severely injured a garrison patrol that stumbled across their encampment about one week ago. That encampment was located approximately ten miles south of the primary trading post with Wind Country and, hence, is a major concern of local merchants and traders."

Scanning the genin before him, Sarutobi continued, "The group has since vanished without a trace. The general believes that the group has moved deeper into the surrounding wilderness until things cool off. This mission has been assigned a high C rank, but has the possibility of escalating to a B rank due to the possibility of low ranked missing nins working with the bandits. Therefore, I have decided that Teams Eight and Ten will both be assigned to this task."

XXXXX

Ino had to strain to keep from grinding her teeth as the loud dog boy spouted off another comment about how they should be traveling at a quicker pace. The road they were traveling along was unremarkable and that made for a long and boring trip. In order to maintain general alertness, the dual senseis had deemed it the perfect opportunity to practice different traveling formations. The current formation had placed her near the complaining idiot and his dog.

'Of all the teams we could have been assigned to work with, it just had to include that thickheaded, perverted prick.' This title was well earned, at least in Ino's opinion, due to the feral boy's chauvinistic views. The fact that he was a loud-mouthed bastard that felt inclined to share his stupidity with others only served to exasperate the situation.

While it seemed an elementary deduction that teenage boys would act like perverted idiots around girls, it seemed that she had been cursed to draw a disproportionate amount of their attention. While some would be satisfied with the occasional glance or with making fairly innocent comments about her; generally about what she was wearing or briefly about how attractive she was; there were a few that would discuss things that would make her skin crawl.

Kiba just happened to be the ringleader of this little group and that fact had not ingratiated the feral boy to the blonde kunoichi or the other female members of their class. What was the most galling was that the group of perverts made no attempt to hide their conversations. In fact, they seemed to go out of their way to make sure she overheard them in many cases.

'I would not be surprised if the idiots had some addle-brained notion that I would fall all over myself if I knew of their interest.' Snorting in disgust, Ino thought, 'As if I would ever let those brainless idiots touch me like that! They had a lot of nerve to insinuate that I was the type of girl that would do those unspeakable things… well, unspeakable if it involved them.'

While a good number of the shinobi attending the academy had been a bunch of perverted morons, there had been several exceptions to this trend. Sasuke-kun and Shino had always held themselves apart at the academy, so they had never been guilty of talking about her behind her back. Shikamaru and Chouji had more interesting, 'less troublesome' pursuits, namely clouds and chips, to waste time discussing girls much, if at all.

'Of course that did not stop the lazy duo from taking offence on my behalf.' Ino smiled warmly as she remembered a specific instance. It had occurred near the end of their tenure at the academy, when the class had been moved outside for 'advanced taijutsu training' and sparring practice.

Two of the brainless idiots had taken it upon themselves to become exceptionally vulgar with their comments. As was their practice, they were careful to ensure that Iruka-sensei did not overhear them, but they showed little restraint otherwise. A lewd comment here… An inappropriate motion or groan there… While subtly and tact had never been their strong suits, they had been in rare form that day.

Just when the situation was becoming intolerable and Ino was planning out her retribution, a fist the size of small garbage can slammed into the pair and sent both of them sprawling into the dirt. One of them had been knocked unconscious by the attack, while the other seemed to have twisted their ankle in the fall.

As she observed the aftermath of the 'accident', she couldn't help but notice a thin tendril of shadow withdrawing into the tree line surrounding the sparring grounds. When she located the lazy duo, she found Chouji apologizing convincingly to Iruka-sensei for letting his technique get out of control. Shikamaru was standing off to the side and simply shrugged his shoulders when he noticed her inquiring gaze.

It was memories like that that endeared her teammates to her like few others. The three of them had always been close, as close as any siblings could be. Being an only child herself, she had always thought of them as brothers. 'Remarkably lazy and unmotivated brothers, but brothers none the less.'

Even as they had matured, Ino's view had not shifted. The three of them had essentially been raised as siblings. It had not been uncommon for each to stay at one of the others' house for extended periods of time if missions or other matters had called one set of parents away. And, as often as not, family gatherings included the other members of the infamous ninja trio. The very idea of either of them 'checking her out' or making obnoxious comments like the other idiots brought forth the urge to scoff at the notion's absurdity and shiver in revulsion.

With the exception of those four, every other male at the academy had been beyond redemption. 'Well…' Now that she thought about it, Naruto had been another exception. While there were times when his pranks required him to have precepts of good taste beaten into him, he wasn't perverted in general.

And while he had been obvious and… exuberant about his affections for Sakura, the general trend of these affections always seemed rather pure and innocent, almost bordering on worship. Furthermore, while he was always fairly aggressive in his pursuit of her attention, there had always been an undercurrent of naivety about his interest.

As she had several times over the past couple of weeks, she wondered what type of situations had formed Naruto into the person he was and what would cause him to act in such a way. Naruto was actually a lot more complex than she had always believed him to be. While some of that may have been how little attention she had paid her fellow blonde, it was more that he simply hid many aspects of his personality. To this end, she resumed analyzing what little she knew about him.

'He is an orphan… He didn't seem to have any close friends at the academy nor am I aware of any from outside. He has always been very loud… He acted out in class from nearly the first day… He liked being the noticed, whether for his bright color choices or his pranks… He liked attention… good or bad; he simply wanted the attention of others. That seems to have shifted a bit, but it still holds true.'

'He is a very open person… No, that is not quite right… While appearing to be an open book, Naruto is actually fairly private. He only shares what he wants to. He seeks attention, but not at the expense of letting others too close… Has he been hurt in the past? That would explain some of the suspicious looks he cast my way when we first began training together.'

Shaking her head as she had been down this path before, Ino continued, 'Given what I know now, I am willing to bet that Naruto was more interested in being Sakura's friend and spending time with forehead girl than dating her and everything that would entail. Why he fixated on her is a mystery that probably even Naruto would have difficulty solving.'

She held no illusions now that she wouldn't have minded having at least a few more boys like Naruto around. He was willing to help her train and had showed her several exercises that allow her to improve her abilities. Her father had even complimented her on improving herself outside of usual team training. None of the other shinobi from their class were willing to help her train… they were too lazy, too anti-social, or interested in something other than training.

The thought about her father brought up a rather non-linear thought. He had always been fairly protective of her, especially as she was growing up. He had always warned her to be wary of being alone with shinobi, even ones that she trusted. The reason was fairly simple... While fairly rare, instances of assault and rape were not unheard of in Konoha's ranks. It was odd that, despite all her father's warnings, those thoughts had not even registered in relation to Naruto. It didn't fully occur to her until now that she had been spent an inordinate amount of time alone with Naruto before Hinata had joined them.

Caught off guard by this thought, Ino tried to analyze it. In the end, she had simply never been concerned about him. Even when she had been unconscious after her failed Shintenshin no Jutsu attempt, the thought of him taking advantage of her had never crossed her mind. Something instinctive told her that Naruto would sooner kill himself than do anything to hurt either Hinata or herself. A bit startled at the force of that mental assertion, the young Yamanaka decided to push her thoughts of Naruto aside in favor the other person to enter her life.

'Hinata…' For Ino, Hinata's presence over the past couple of weeks had begun to fill the void that had been left when Sakura had declared herself to be Ino's rival. While they had been in the same class for years, she had rarely interacted with the girl during their time at the academy. The smaller girl had always been a shy, introverted soul and Naruto's presence only served to exacerbate those aspects of her personality. What surprised Ino the most was that, despite the vast difference in their personalities, she found herself becoming genuinely fond of the Hyuuga heiress.

Despite appearances, Ino did not have that many close friends and even fewer female friends. Sure, she had a large number of acquaintances from the academy, but no one she was willing to share confidences with. All of them had been focused on their social status within the academy to such an extent that they would have betrayed her if it had been to their advantage. 'Even Sakura had turned out that way in the end…'

Shaking herself mentally from the maudlin thought, Ino concluded, 'I should make some effort to keep in contact with them, all the same. Given a bit of maturity, some of the girls from the academy could turn out pretty well.'

While only time would tell, Ino believed that Hinata would prove to be an excellent confidant; especially for those topics she didn't feel comfortable talking about with her teammates or Naruto. She was a lot more level-headed then most of girls their age…, except when it came to Naruto.

Upon reflection, Ino concluded that it had been a remarkable couple of months. Her skills had improved a great deal since graduation and she had somehow managed to develop two new friendships in the process. All in all, life was going pretty well.

XXXXX

The first light of the morning found Hinata double checking her equipment in the room she had shared with Ino and Kurenai-sensei the previous night. Her sensei had already left and the faint sounds of Ino in the adjoining bath were the only sounds to interrupt her thoughts. Hence her thoughts seemed to gravitate towards the blonde kunoichi.

To Hinata, friendship was a new experience. Despite that fact, the young Hyuuga had quickly come to appreciate how both Ino and Naruto had been treating her since they had begun training together. Over the past couple of weeks, they had practiced nearly everyday together, simply sparing with each other and practicing various chakra exercises.

It was a far more relaxed learning environment than home or even the academy. While they would point out her mistakes and suggest how to correct them, it was with a smile and a helping hand. No anger, no condescension… They didn't look down upon her if she stumbled or made a mistake. They didn't tell her that she was weak or a disgrace to her clan.

In truth, it had taken a couple of days to get over the initial awkwardness, but a solid friendship had begun to develop between the two girls. To Ino's way of thinking, this was inevitable at the two girls had been spending a large amount of time together. To Hinata, it was a novel experience.

On the other hand, Hinata wasn't positive that she would ever get over the awkwardness she seemed to experience constantly around Naruto. That did not stop her from valuing the experience beyond description. In addition to any other reasons, Hinata quickly noticed that Naruto was a very enthusiastic training partner. He pushed himself and those around him to improve each and every day. He went out of his way to assist others. He even encouraged her to spar with him using the Juken.

Of course, this required her to activate her Byakugan in his presence. It had taken her several days to suppress to more… amorous thoughts that occurred to her during these matches, but she eventually managed to put the opportunity to good use.

The odd thing was that young heiress wasn't quite sure if Naruto understood exactly why she blushed as often as she did during their sparring matches. Regardless, Naruto never teased her about it.

These facts only served to endear the blonde shinobi to her all the more. She had admired his drive and determination for so long… He simply never gave up and that simple fact deserved to be rewarded. She wanted for him to succeed… to be able to overcome the various obstacles that others had placed in front of him. Above nearly everything else, she wanted Naruto to be happy.

She wanted to see him smile. She wanted to hear him laugh. She wanted to see him triumph over those that had cruelly persecuted a defenseless child. On a more selfish note, she wanted to play some role in that success. And, in the darkness of the night, she admitted to wanting so much more than that.

Her other training partner had turned out to be a bit of surprise. Ino supported and encouraged Hinata, something that the young Hyuuga deeply appreciated. Even though Ino a bit pushy and tended to concentrate on the more superficial parts of life, her heart was in the right place. She was also patient and non-judgmental when Hinata would become flustered around Naruto.

The young heiress let out a small sigh as she remembered that it could be a couple of weeks before she saw him again. A slight scowl appeared on her face as the thought brought forth some of the less pleasant thoughts and conclusions that had come forth in the few days since she had last seen the blonde shinobi.

Lost in her thoughts, the young Hyuuga didn't notice Ino's approach. "You should try and cheer up a bit." The Hyuuga heiress let out a startled 'eep' as she spun around to face the blonde kunoichi only to find her smiling at her in a comforting manner.

"We will be back in the village before you know it. Naruto may even be there to greet us upon our return." Ino smiled at the flustered girl as she added a tad too innocently, "Perhaps you could even have another picnic with just the two of you and you tell each other about your missions."

"I… I… I…" Ino intervened before the dark haired kunoichi could complete her sentence.

"It's okay, Hinata. I am not going to tease you about your feelings… at least not too much." Smiling at her shy friend, Ino added, "I am happy that you have been able to finally spend time with Naruto. The fact of the matter is that you have quite a few people that wish you the best of luck."

Hinata could only stare blankly at Ino, slightly aghast, as she thought, 'Have my feelings become that obvious?'

Ino smiled softly at the dark haired kunoichi, causing Hinata to relax a little. As if reading the other girl's thoughts, the blonde kunoichi continued, "It's obvious to everyone except Naruto that you have a crush on him. It has been obvious for quite some time."

The blonde kunoichi resumed her preparations for the day as she continued, "When I first met you back at the academy, you were the one of the shyest and most soft-spoken people I had ever met. But your shyness was always taken to new heights whenever you were around Naruto. Whenever he was anywhere near you, you began stuttering and would most often be sporting a severe blush. But you have made quite a bit of progress over the past couple of weeks." Making one final adjustment to her hair, Ino whispered, "If anything, I am a bit jealous."

At the sharp intake of breath from the young Hyuuga, Ino quickly continued, "It is not like that. It's just odd that you have made far more progress with your romantic interest than I have ever made with mine. You have gone from having a hard time saying a straight sentence in his presence to being able to enjoy several hours a day in his company."

Ino frowned slightly as she continued, "And he actually welcomes your company, instead of…" Instead of continuing with that depressing thought, Ino turned to finish packing. After a moment, she carelessly added, "I really don't understand what you see in Naruto, but I guess there is no accounting for taste."

Hinata's embarrassment vanished and her eyes narrowed as she felt a flash of anger at Ino's implied insult. Ino didn't notice as the Hyuuga heiress quickly repressed the surge of emotion that leapt through her, hiding it behind a mask that she had worn for most of her life. However, instead of simply hiding her resentment, this feeling caused Hinata to ask a simple question after a slight pause in the conversation.

"Ino, how w… would you describe the perfect boyfriend?" At Ino's inquisitive gaze, Hinata clarified, "Not anyone in p… particular, but what are the traits that you would look for in a person you would pursue a relationship with?"

Ino glanced over at Hinata for a moment before beginning to answer, "Well… Obviously, he would have to be a shinobi. He would be handsome and talented… Strong, but modest." Ino's voice took on a slightly softer tone as she became distracted by her daydream. "He would be gentle and kind… He would have a sense of humor and have a great smile. It wouldn't hurt if he was slightly bashful and a good listener…"

As Ino trailed off, Hinata waited a couple of seconds before softly making her point, "How many of those attributes does Uchiha-san possess?" The taller girl's head snapped towards Hinata, only to meet a pair of uncharacteristically angry lavender eyes.

As Ino opened her mouth to reply, Hinata continued, with a tone far more assertive than was her custom, "To my knowledge, Uchiha-san is neither kind nor gentle. I… I have never seen him tell a joke or smile kindly at another. While he is an excellent s… shinobi, he is very arrogant and g… generally ignores those around him. I am not s… sure if he is a good listener, but I doubt if anyone knows that as he generally spurns the company of others."

Ino was about to rebuke Hinata for her derogatory comments about Sasuke-kun when the normally shy girl continued, "T… to me, N… Naruto-kun represents all the things you described a… and more. I would appreciate if you did not degrade h… him in my presence as I do not say anything about Uchiha-san."

The comments were very mild by most standards, but coming from Hinata, they may as well have been yelled at the top of her lungs. Ino was left speechless as the smaller girl finished her packing and left the room to join the rest of the team.

XXXXX

Shino had long been a student of human interactions. His studies had progressed a great deal, as the academy had been a veritable feast of information with regard to human behavior. Friendships and rivalries, attraction and repulsion, ambition and lethargy. As was his clan's practice, he had played the role of the unobtrusive observer, attempting to understand his surroundings.

While missions gave him the ability to observe a greater number of people, it lacked the depth of his time at the academy. But this mission provided him with the unique opportunity… the opportunity to observe known quantities under new circumstances. Each of the genin assigned to this mission had been known as individuals… now he could observe them in a team environment and after having been separated for several weeks.

The members of Team Ten had an interesting group dynamic. Yamanaka seemed to be the driving force behind the group overall, generally prodding and harassing two male genin into action. The girl was loud and assertive, resembling Kiba's role in Team Eight if only in that regard.

Whereas Hinata and himself generally ignored Kiba's ranting and complaining, Team Ten seemed to have a much more collegial relationship. It was easy to see that teamwork came easily to the trio. Perhaps it was due to their personalities… or perhaps it is due to the length of their relationship with each other.

Personally, he thought that he would have little difficulty in working with the members of Team Ten. While he didn't have the close personal ties the other two male genin shared, his relationship with Shikamaru and Chouji had always been fairly amicable. Where many others at the academy seemed incapable of sitting still and appreciating a bit of quiet, the pair would often join him by the large tree near the academy where they could talk quietly and simply observe their environment.

He was not very familiar with Yamanaka as a great deal of her time at the academy had revolved around the Uchiha and, as such, he had had little interaction with her. He imagined that, as long as she was professional and didn't possess an aversion to his companions, they could work together with few difficulties.

The apparently new friendship she had struck up with Hinata spoke well her as he had found Hinata to be a good judge of character. Still he was slightly confused by this new development as, to his knowledge, the two kunoichis had not been very close at the academy, having such different personalities and interests. And yet he had observed the two kunoichis interact with each other in a familiar manner indicative of some level of friendship. In all honesty, Shino was slightly taken aback by the interaction between Hinata and Yamanaka.

This particular study was complicated by that fact that their friendship appeared a bit strained this morning if the body language of the two girls meant anything. A quick analysis of the personalities involved led the quiet Aburame to conclude that Yamanaka was probably the source of the conflict. It was a relatively straightforward conclusion as Hinata, while not as shy as she had been while attending the academy, still preferred to avoid confrontation.

In truth, she was one of the least confrontational people he had ever met. She did not get involved in the squabbling that seemed to involve every other kunoichi in the academy. That spoke well for his teammate… Or it simply indicated that her interests lied in another direction.

The young Aburame was shaken from his thoughts when Asuma-sensei began speaking, "We have decided that this mission is an excellent opportunity for each of you to gain valuable experience. You have obviously spent a great deal of time training in your individual specialties and with your fellow team members. This mission will give you the opportunity of working with other ninja and with other teams."

Well familiar with avoiding responsibility, Shikamaru voiced his suspicion, "What you mean is that you want us to do all the work… How troublesome."

Asuma offered the youth a crooked smile as he offered, "Well, since you are so talkative this morning, what is the first step in completing this mission?"

Shikamaru sighed heavily as he responded, "Intelligence. We need to locate and observe the enemy to…"

Irritated that the lazy Nara was being asked for his opinion instead of him, a certain Inuzuka decided to interject. "Don't worry about it. Akamaru and I can easily track down the bandits. We will have this mission wrapped up by tonight." The brash statement was met with variety of expressions, ranging from bored indifference to outright annoyance.

'How can we operate with any efficiency when my teammates can not even master their own emotions?' Observing the odd collection of individuals, Shino concluded, 'Perhaps some things are meant to remain a mystery.'

XXXXX

Ino sighed heavily and rolled over to glance at the person lying a short distance away, knowing full well that Hinata was still awake, despite appearances. But that didn't make what she was about to do any easier. Thinking back over the past couple of weeks, Ino realized that she would either have to make more of an effort to control her mouth or become more accustomed to making apologies.

Ino had thought a great deal about what Hinata had said. Unfortunately she had also thought how her jibe at Naruto had contrasted with her previous thoughts about the blonde shinobi. Her thoughts had essentially boiled down to one, simple question: 'Is it really that much of a stretch to see a good person and a friend as a romantic interest?'

Taking her chance to smooth over their discussion from earlier, Ino attempted to apologize, "I sorry if I offended you earlier. I didn't mean the comment the way it sounded. It is just…" And that was it. Ino could not pin down exactly what caused her to make that comment to Hinata.

Hinata responded quietly after a long moment. "It is alright… Love is an odd thing... Universally sought, yet poorly understood."

Ino looked over towards Hinata in confusion. She found the smaller girl staring at the tent's ceiling, her pale eyes seeming to glow as they caught the limited light from the camp's low fire and the moon. The statement left Ino even more tongue tied than before, as she tried to understand where it had come from.

Of all the reactions she had imagined to her apology, Hinata cutting her off with a vague philosophical statement was not one of them. Studying the motionless girl, Ino observed that the sense of melancholy that she had commented on earlier seemed to have intensified during the passing day.

The girl lying beside her shifted slightly, but did not alter her focus from the tent's ceiling. "For years I thought that I was in love with N… Naruto-kun. My heart would race every time he was near. I would watch him constantly from afar, whether he was planning a prank or practicing in the forest. He often occupied my thoughts even if I hadn't seen him for several days."

A soft sigh escaped the shy girl as she continued her whispered monologue, "But how could I love him if I did not know him? Prior to joining you two in training, I had not exchanged much more than a sentence or two with him and those were simply stuttered greetings. I thought I knew him, based on simple conjecture and observation." There was a slight pause before the shy girl concluded, "But the last few weeks have shattered those illusions… He is far more complicated than I imagined."

Ino listened to the girl lying beside her, wondering where this conversation was going. 'Is she talking about herself or indirectly commenting on how little time I have shared with Sasuke-kun?'

"He is not perfect and has his faults just like anyone else." Hinata, unaware of the mental questions her comments had raised in her companion, reflected back on the picnic she had shared with Naruto not so long ago. "He is often… imprecise in his speech. He has fears and insecurities. There are times when he is depressed and short tempered."

"But for all his faults… I find myself falling for him even more. These traits add a depth to him that did not exist before. They even seem to highlight his admirable qualities instead of detracting from them."

A warm smile, barely visible in the darkened tent, blossomed on Hinata's face as she continued, "He is generally kind and supportive, encouraging to those around him. He is diligent in his duties and resilient in the face of adversity. He genuinely cares about the feelings of others and what is important to them. He is willing to go to great lengths to help a friend."

The ghostly refection from the young Hyuuga's eyes disappeared as Hinata, sighing, closed her eyes before continuing. "I no longer daydream of him sweeping me off my feet. I find myself simply wishing to spend more time with him… to hear him laugh, to listen to him complain, or to simply sit together in comfortable silence. Such thoughts cause me to feel… remarkably content."

Hinata paused as she reflected on the time she had spent with the blonde shinobi since graduation. Everything had been so much simpler before she had gotten to know Naruto. But, despite the complications, she would not trade the time she had spent with him for the entire world. She held conversations with him, sparred with him, and tried to impress him with her skills, both martial and culinary. Since getting to know him, Naruto no longer sat on a distant pedestal in her eyes.

No, he had become something tangible… a real person with faults, pains, and burdens. It seemed almost inevitable that her crush would simply evolved, growing in both depth and breath. At times Hinata even imagined that her daydreams were not so impossible… that they had been transformed into something obtainable. It wasn't until after talking to her father that she realized exactly how much she had been deluding herself.

Ino watched in the darkening tent as Hinata paused once again, lost in her thoughts. The smile had slipped from the other girl's face, only to be replaced with an emotionless mask.

When she began speaking again, there was an almost imperceptible change in her tone. While the young girl had been talking softly so as to not be overheard, her voice fell even further, so much so that Ino had to strain to hear her, even across the short distance that lay between them.

"But I have recently come to a troubling conclusion. As a Hyuuga, I will never have the freedom to pursue a relationship with N… Naruto-kun." Hinata swallowed heavily as if making that statement had cost a great deal.

"There are two possibilities that can come to pass over the next couple of years. I can be confirmed as the clan's heiress or I can be passed over in favor of my younger sister, Hanabi. As heir, I would be expected to marry from within the clan in order to 'maintain the purity of the bloodline'."

The girl's distain for this possibility laced her words like a fine poison. It was so unlike the normally mild-mannered girl that Ino was left to reflect on how unusual this conversation was. "That possibility holds little appeal, as I have… never been comfortable with my family, extended or otherwise."

The bitter tenor of the young heiress's voice slipped away and was replaced by the girl's usual soft tones. "It has been generations since a main house member was allowed to marry outside of the clan. If I were to be passed over, I would most likely be placed in the Branch family, relegated to the role of a second-class citizen within my own family."

"There is one dispensation that is granted to the Branch family members that is denied to the Main Branch… That is the ability to marry outside of the clan. However, the clan elders must confirm this choice and it is traditional for the outsider to marry into the Hyuuga Clan. I cannot see them approving of Naruto-kun and I don't think he would be happy submitting himself to the clan's structure."

Ino really didn't know how to respond to this latest statement. In fact, this whole conversation was rather surreal. For one, this was the most she had ever heard the shy girl say at one time. It was also about her family, a remarkably personal topic for such a private individual to discuss.

Her comment about the difficulties in marrying Naruto, whatever her reasons, seemed to hold a grain of truth. The Hyuuga Clan was among the most conservative and traditional clans in Konoha. It is not difficult to imagine how the Hyuuga elders would react to Naruto, being a rather loud and boisterous person known for pranks and practical jokes.

Nor was it difficult to imagine how he would react to them attempting to run his life. It saddened her that her new friend seemed resigned to giving up her dream just when she was becoming close to the object of her affections.

"But you cannot choose to fall in love nor can you choose to stop it. It is a sad thing to be so close to your greatest wish only to realize that it will forever be out of your reach." There was another pregnant pause in the conversation. "Perhaps some feelings are destined to remain unknown and unrequited." Hinata fell silent for some time, apparently contemplating something, and Ino was reluctant to interrupt the girl's thoughts.

The young heiress resumed speaking in a manner a bit more upbeat than the soft tones that had composed the majority of conversation. "But being married isn't necessarily the only way to make the person you love happy and content. I have read that if you truly love someone, you are more concerned about their happiness than your own." The young girl shifted her position slightly before she continued, turning to look at Ino for the first time since beginning the conversation. "It appears that I will need to be content to be his friend and offer any support I can to help him to achieve his dreams."

Ino noted that Hinata's voice had taken on an interesting inflection during the later part of her speech… an odd combination of acceptance and resolve. The young Yamanaka didn't doubt that Hinata would follow through with her vow.

On a side note, Ino was slightly troubled to hear Hinata speak so eloquently about love and marriage, topics she herself had devoted a great deal of thought towards. Hinata's view seemed so much more… mature when compared to her own and that left her feeling uneasy. She didn't like feeling like a child, but the inference that her views more resembled that of a fairy tale than real life was clear.

It was also troubling to hear that she was simply going to give up her dreams. Even if Ino didn't understand what drove the Hyuuga heiress, simply giving up went against everything that she believed in.

To succeed or to fail… those are two outcomes that could result from any action. It went against her very nature to not even try. And yet the girl before spoke of pushing away her feelings and denying herself the chance to even try.

'Is it cowardice to simply not give up or is it nobler to forgo a dream that is destined for failure? Hinata spoke of her own feelings, but what about the object of her affections? Is it fair to him to deny him even the knowledge that someone cares for him? Is it fair to deny him the ability to make his own decision? Hinata spoke of their friendship, of caring for him for so long…'

The blonde kunoichi responded, "My mother always says that you should stay true to yourself. If you are unwilling to acknowledge and pursue your dreams, the currents of life will sweep them away. Despite what difficulties may lie ahead, you shouldn't give up on your dreams, Hinata. Nothing is set in stone… and, despite what you may think, Naruto could surprise you… both with regards to what would make him happy and what he would endure to achieve that happiness."

XXXXX

It had taken two days to pin down the bandits' location. This delay was due more to the confusion the local army units had created during their search than to any difficulties in tracking down the bandits themselves. Even though the trail had been a little over a week old, Team 8 had been able to follow the bandits quite easily.

Asuma lit a cigarette, ignoring the snort of disgust from his fellow jounin, who was leaning against the large rock located in the middle of the clearing.

It had been an interesting process to observe how the leadership of the mission had worked itself out. Team Ten had apparently appointed Shikamaru to be their spokesperson. That this had been accomplished without argument or much discussion surprised the bearded jounin, as he had believed that Ino would have at least attempted to grab the spot. The role of spokesperson had quickly evolved into team leader. The only voice of dissension had been from the Inuzuka, as the other two members of Team Eight had given their unvoiced assent after some reflection.

It amused the cigarette smoking jounin quite a bit that the near dead last of the academy had been appointed mission commander by his peers. 'Just goes to show you that the academy instructors still don't know their ass from a hole in the ground.'

His thoughts were brought back to the present when Shikamaru began the final walkthrough of the assault plan. "Our goal is to subdue and pacify the camp. The general wants to make a public show of bringing the bandits to justice through a series of trials."

Asuma, deciding that now would be a good time to ensure that the group's priorities were straight, offered, "That being said, we are not going to hesitate to eliminate any threats to our team. If you or one of your teammates is in danger, I fully expect you to act accordingly. That means you are to use deadly force to avoid any threat or injury."

Shikamaru acknowledged the comment with a nod before he continued with his briefing. "The camp is arranged in a circular formation on the crest of a low-lying hill. The surrounding area has been cleared of underbrush, but remains moderately forested. They are well situated against assault from an army patrol, possessing both high ground and clear lines of sight. This appears to indicate some military influence in their setup."

"Our surveillance of the camp, which was led by Hinata and Shino, has identified forty-three targets within the camp. They appear to have four sentries posted around the camp at all times with periodic sweeps of the surrounding areas by small patrols. Again, the level of discipline in these aspects of their setup should be noted."

"Hinata has also indicated that four, possibly five, of the targets have chakra systems developed enough to indicate some ninja training. We are currently unaware of their skill level, but Hinata has estimated that none of them are above the rank of low chuunin in terms of chakra capacity."

Glancing around at the assembled ninja, the young Nara couldn't help but observe Kiba's petulant scowl as he mentally cursed both Ino and Chouji for forcing him into this position. Sighing softly, he continued, "As you know, we have been observing the camp for the last twelve hours to get a feel for our adversaries. Based on the gathered intelligence, the best opportunity to subdue the bandits with minimal force and risk is to attack the camp during the early evening."

Looking over the five other genin, Shikamaru continued, "The first phase of the operation will be carried out by Ino and myself. In preparation of the evening meal, the cook will exit the camp to obtain water from the nearby stream. He has done so unattended for the last two meals and will be out of sight of the main camp. This leaves us with an opportunity to drug the water that is to be used for the evening meal. We should be able to introduce a subtle soporific to dull the bandits' senses."

Ignoring the disgusted snort from the feral genin, Shikamaru continued, "The second phase of the operation is to eliminate the roving patrol that will likely be sent out immediately after dinner. This will stop them from surprising us later on or escaping in the confusion. Asuma-sensei and Kiba will accomplish this task. Between the two of them, they should have no trouble tracking down and disabling the patrol after they are a safe distance from the camp."

"In the third phase of the operation, Kurenai-sensei will utilize a wide area genjutsu to induce sleep in preparation of our teams entering the camp. This effort should be made easier by the soporific we introduced. We will also take steps to subdue the possible shinobi. During the surveillance phase of the operation, Shino marked these individuals for elimination."

"As soon as the genjutsu begins, Shino will instruct his allies to disable these individuals. His allies should be in place as they are currently infiltrating the camp through the forest canopy. If any of the bandits prove to have sufficient training in the shinobi arts to recognize the genjutsu, they should be distracted enough for the kikai bugs to subdue them quickly."

"The forth and final phase of the mission is to move into the camp and restrain the individual bandits. Asuma-sensei and Kurenai-sensei will be responsible for the storage scrolls containing the restraints provided by the army. The duel application of the drug and the genjutsu should prove sufficient for these circumstances. However, everyone should be cautious to ensure that they can support their teammates if a problem arises."

"Once all the bandits have been secured, we are free to signal the reinforced patrol, which is situated nearby. Given the distances involved and the terrain, the patrol should reach our location about forty five minutes to an hour after the signal."

"Hinata and Shino will be responsible for overseeing the potential ninja. Shino's kikai should ensure that they remain unconscious. If they should awaken, Hinata will be able to disable the possible shinobi with her family's techniques." Glancing around at the assembled genin, the young Nara asked, "Are there any questions or comments?"

XXXXX

The Konoha teams were settling in for the night after having turned the bandits over to the garrison patrol. Ino was absently playing with her remains of her dinner as she turned recent events over in her mind. A thought occurred to her as she looked up to find that Hinata also appeared to be reflecting on the mission. "Hinata, do you mind if I ask you a question about the Juken?"

The pale-eyed girl frowned almost imperceptively before responding, "You can ask… But I may not be able to answer some questions."

Ino accepted the answer, not really expecting anything else. However close a friendship may be, ninja simply didn't discuss certain aspects of their clan's abilities. "When we were preparing for the assault, you mentioned that you couldn't see a person's tenketsus unless the person is using chakra… How are you able to use the Juken against Naruto in the sparing matches if you don't have a target?"

The Hyuuga heiress considered the question for a moment before responding. "Well, y… you don't need to see a person's tenketsus to use the Juken. Even if it is undirected, the presence of foreign chakra in a person's body can be very painful… It can be debilitating to an opponent even without removing their a…ability to use chakra. But I w…want to become stronger, so I have been training to see a person's tenketsus even when the person is not actively channeling chakra."

Hinata blushed when she realized that she had been rambling a bit, but continued, "But that does not answer your question about Naruto-kun…"

Hinata colored further for some reason before moving closer to Ino and continuing in a low voice, "Naruto-kun is a bit of a special case… All ninja have a visible chakra system. This system holds clues that communicate a ninja's chakra r… reserves and their experience with different kinds of jutsu. These clues can be studied to give a fair representation of an individual's jutsu level. For instance, your chakra reserves have grown a great deal since you graduated from the academy."

Ino's sense of pride at her progress warred with a sudden sense of exposure. The blonde kunoichi couldn't help but feel a slight uneasiness at having her abilities measured and catalogued in such a manner. 'If Hinata is able to do this, what is stopping others in village keeping tabs on fellow ninja? Are there others in the village besides the Hyuuga Clan that analyze a ninja's progress in such a way?'

If Hinata noticed Ino's reaction, she ignored it as she continued. "The tree climbing exercise and your jutsu training have greatly increased your reserves and y… your abilities. But your overall reserves are nothing compared to Naruto-kun's. It is hard to describe… He practically glows even when he is resting."

Hinata's tone took on a husky, breathless quality as she concluded, "And when he is performing a jutsu… it is simply breath taking." The pause in the conversation became a bit awkward as Ino waited for Hinata to shake herself from her thoughts. The smaller girl eventually did and found Ino watching her with a small smile.

Hinata began pressing her fingers together in a nervous fashion as she continued, "Sorry about that… His c… chakra system is one of the most developed in the village. The only ninja that I have seen with a chakra system anywhere near as developed is Hokage-sama. I would not be surprised if there were only a handful of ninja in the village with chakra reserves anywhere near the size Naruto-kun's. This fact makes his tenketsus standout like stars in the night sky."

A/N

It has been a while, but this story has not been abandoned. I decided to buy a condo and it needed some renovations… They became a bit more involved than I thought they would be and with life, work, etc… well you get the gist of it.

As for the chapter, some additional character development for Teams Eight and Ten… It simply served to show that teams besides Team Seven have their own quirks. If nothing else, this chapter served to add a bit of color to the story, specifically Ino and Hinata. In case it wasn't obvious, this chapter coincides with the Wave mission and will have been completed by the time Team Seven returns to Konoha.

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