[Truth 11]

Kiba and Rini sit watching the lights zoom by. While sitting there they end up looking at each other in the twinkling lights. The two of them start to slowly move closer as their eyes close. When their lips finally touch it's as if every wish is granted at once.

"I've fallen for you Rini." Kiba whispers his lips inches away from hers.

"I love you too." Rini leans forward to kiss him again.

The two of them fall into the kiss forgetting the world around them. Once the shooting star shower ends Kiba walks Rini home holding her hand this time. They walk slowly, neither one of them wanting to leave the other just yet.

"I guess… we should say night here huh?" Kiba rubs the back of his head once they get to the door.

"I guess so." Rini flushes. Rini sneaks in one more quick kiss before heading in. "Night." She closes the door.

"Night." Kiba grins happily.

A few months have passed since Kiba and Rini have become a couple. Their friends pick on them from time to time, but other than that they are very supportive of them. The two of them are truly happy with one another, getting in a date when they can.

With summer close to its end the weather is cooling down with what seems to be a few rain storms. Rini walks to the Hokage's Office glancing down at the puddles from the rain last night. When she reaches the office Kakashi is there with Kiba and a guy with dark glasses and a hooded coat hiding his face along with a girl that has the Hyuuga eyes and dark-blue hair.

'Rini?' Kiba glances over at her surprised to see her.

"You wanted to see me my lady?" Rini walks in a bit curious about the situation.

"Yes." Tsunade nods from behind her desk. "I'm forming a team to go looking for Orochimaru's hideout. Kiba, Shino, and Hinata are the best trackers next to Kakashi and they'll be needing a medical ninja just in case." She glances at all of them.

"M-me?!" Rini points to herself with wide eyes. "I'm going to be the medical ninja?"

"That's right, I feel like you're ready this." Tsunade gives a slight smile.

"C-congratulations Rini." Hinata shyly pipes with a quiet hand clap.

"Yeah, congratulations Rini." Kiba nods with a soft smile.

"Thanks." Rini flushes slightly playing with her hair a bit.

After a discussion over the mission they all head to pack for the trip. While packing Rini realizes she's going to have to leave Nao with the Haruno's. After making sure she has everything and saying bye to Nao, Rini heads for the main gate.

"Everyone ready to go?" Kakashi stands in front of his team.

"Ready." They nod.

The five of them, six if you count Akimaru, head out. The five of them jump from branch to branch as they head for the area.

'I wonder… if we'll find Orochimaru or… Sasuke.' Rini's eyes shake as she continues on.

"What's up Rini?" Kiba runs next to her, Akimaru on the other side of him.

"It's nothing, I was… just thinking." Rini smiles over at him but then seems more serious as she looks ahead.

"Yeah me too." Kiba glances over at Akimaru. "I can't help but remember the last time we faced his lackeys." He clenches his fists.

"Getting nervous?" Kakashi glances back at them.

"Not on your life." Kiba chuckles. "Plus I have to show off how strong I've become."

"I would like the chance to show my training as well." Shino chimes in.

"I do too." Hinata pipes with a bit more volume.

'That's right, this mission will show how much each of us has grown.' Rini glances at all of them.

They all continue to run. After a couple of hours they stop at a tea house for a break. Kiba and Rini share a small thing of dumplings only to be teased by Kakashi with him calling them 'Newly Weds.' They blush at this but manage to brush off the comment.

As night falls they find an ash mark of a person. They determine that it has to be one of the Anbu ninjas. Kiba and Akimaru warn everyone about others being near with a large smell of blood in the air.

They all run to where the smell is coming from finding an entrance to a hideout in a cave. As they enter the other Anbu are found with curse marks on them having eaten away all their Chakra.

"There's a lot more of them down the way." Hinata uses her Byakugan.

"Let's go Kakashi-sensei." Kiba stares down the dark hall.

"Yes, there's no time to waist." Shino sends his bugs down.

They all head down the hall with their guard up. When they reach the end of the hall they find a steep drop to a pit where there are countless bodies along with those that are half alive.

"This… this is afoul." Hinata steps back with fear.

"This is… overwhelming." Rini covers her mouth and nose feeling sick from the site and over powering smell of blood.

"Looks like they were fighting each other." Shino glances down at them.

"They have a falling out?" Kiba stares confused.

"We should ask one of… watch out!" Kakashi glances up to see the walls falling apart.

They rush for the exit with Akimaru finding a way out. As they make it out the hideout is destroyed and washed away.

'How… how can anyone do this?' Rini falls to her knees in disbelief.

'Rini.' Kiba places his hand on her shoulder.

"Well we did find Orochimaru's hideout." Kakashi scratches the back of his head.

"They most have decided the others were no good and decided to destroy the evidence along with the weak links." Shino stares down at the mud pit.

"We should head back to the Leaf Village." Kakashi sighs glancing down at the mud pit.

"But we can't really call this a success. We need to be able to bring back something." Shino turns to him.

"He's right." Rini stands up. "We need to be able to tell them something about Orochimaru and his followers." She turns to him with a serious expression.

"Well we do know that they can't be far behind." Hinata chimes in. The others turn to her. "That trap was placed on a timer so they can't be too far off."

"Alright then, let's get after them." Kakashi nods in agreement with the others.

They head off to find men frozen in crystal along with Shino's bugs. After seeing that; they take a sample sending Pakkun, a ninja dog, back to the village with the sample. Once Pakkun is gone they make camp in a large hallowed out tree.

"Why aren't we going after them?" Kiba growls impassionedly.

"We can't do anything until we here back from my bugs and Lady Tsunade." Shino glances over at him.

"He's right Kiba, might as well gather our strength for now." Kakashi lies back.

"It really will be better if we gather our strength." Rini glances over at him.

"Fine." Kiba backs down scratching the back of his head.

Kiba and Rini use Akimaru as a big pillow as they lie back on his warm fur. Hinata relaxes on a soft bed of muss while Shino and Kakashi keep watch.

The next morning Kiba and Hinata keep watch as the other two sleep while Rini checks over the supplies. Later on that day they are back on the move. Kiba and Akimaru can't find a sent but Shino can sense his bugs that had been hit by the crystal jutsu.

It's decided that Shino will go looking for his bugs, to make new ones that'll be immune to the crystal jutsu, while the others look for clues. Rini stays close to Kiba, since she's trained with him more and understands what he'll do better than the others. After sometime of exploring Akimaru stops suddenly.

"A dog whistle?" Kakashi lifts an eyebrow when they meet up near the camp.

"That's right." Kiba nods. "Akimaru swears he heard one." He glances down at the big dog.

"So they have a dog with them?" Hinata ponders.

"No." Kiba shakes his head slightly. "A human's sent is hard enough to hide. A dog's is pretty impossible to mask."

"So then why the whistle?" Rini ponders.

"Well for now, let's focus on patrols and then come back to it." Kakashi stares up at the sky.

The others nod then head off again. As they explore it begins to rain. Rini and Kiba run back to the camp almost completely drenched along with Akimaru.

"Looks like you guys made it back just in the nick of time." Kakashi waves to them as the rain begins to fall furiously.

"That was close." Rini laughs taking off her tub-top ringing the water out from it.

'A birthmark? It's an odd shape.' Kiba spots her birthmark.

"I didn't know you had a mark like that on you." Kakashi glances over at her shoulder.

"Oh yeah, this is a birthmark and I guess… it's also the Earth Sage's mark." Rini touches her shoulder.

"Wow really?" Hinata's eyes sparkle with a spark of interest and wonder.

Feeling water drops on her shoulder Rini glances up. "Looks like we aren't the only ones taking shelter in here." she points up to the bats.

"Bats huh?" Kakashi glances up at them.

"Wait that's it!" Kiba's eyes widen.

"What do you mean Kiba?" Rini glances over to him with the others.

"That's why there was a dog's whistle; one of the guys must use bats." Kiba points up. "Bats respond to noise the same way as a dog and there sent would already be in the forest making them the perfect messengers." He explains.

"That would explain it." Kakashi shows the bats away with a Kuni. "But that also means that our enemy probably knows we're here."