Disclaimer: I do not own the Naruto Franchise that belongs solely to Masashi Kishimoto; I do not own Heaven's Lost Property, High School DxD, or any other Anime I borrow themes from. The only thing I claim is my OC's and original Story Plot.


Author's Note (A/N): Hey everybody I'm back with another chapter and this one will be one you will all enjoy. A little drama, tension, and revelations to get the blood pumpin. Just what the doctor ordered. So strap yourselves in and enjoy.


Chapter 16

Reinforcements Arrive

"How long do you plan on pacing around my dear?" Dino's gentle rumbling like voice called out as his eyes paced left and right repeatedly while shining with mirth in his eyes. The reason for this was because he was watching as Shoko wore out the hardwood floor in his office. She was repeatedly walking back and forth in front of his desk and she had a distraught look on her face. "Sir I'm sorry but I can't help it. I'm worried about him." Shoko responded as she looked at Dino with concerned eyes.

"It's understandable my dear but you must understand that he's growing up, not to mention he's quite powerful and resourceful. He will complete this mission and be back before you know it." Dino said in reassurance but again underlining his understanding eyes they shined with a barely hidden mirth and amusement as he watched one of the strongest Kunoichi's in history pace back and forth in front of him because she was worrying over her partner who she thinks of like a son was gone off to another country without her on an important mission. She was acting like an overprotective parent and it made him happy to see this side of her but he also thought it was funny.

"I know he'll complete the mission sir. I have faith in him but I'm worried now. Especially with the report we just got this afternoon. He's hurt. He fought Zabuza Momochi and that bastard seriously hurt my Naruto!" Shoko said and at the end her voice raised as she was quite upset that Naruto somehow went up against one of the former members of The 7 Ninja Swordsmen of the Hidden Mist. Not only that but he nearly got killed by one of them. It sent a surge of panic and worry not to mention white hot fury upon hearing this news earlier in the day.

"It is quite surprising. To have a shinobi of his caliber operating under Gatō's banner is not something that we expected. He's quite the formidable opponent. Even young Kakashi couldn't beat him but we know he couldn't go full out with his client and team so close by." Dino said as he browsed through the report he received about an hour earlier. It was sent by Aspen along with a letter from Naruto to the Hokage who Dino passed along as soon as he read the report from Aspen who mention what that letter was for.

"That runt still has a long way to go in terms of swordsmanship; and if I was there he would be dead at my feet." Shoko said with a dark edge to her voice. She was really upset with what happened and the fact that she stuck herself inside the village because of a certain someone was riling her up. "I'm sure that would be the case. Even if Zabuza and Kakashi teamed up they still wouldn't be able to beat you. Of course you would come out of such an engagement with some injuries of your own. You're still not quite back to your prime in terms of power but you're a lot closer than you were 6 years ago." Dino analyzed idly.

He was right Shoko's overall power has increased dramatically since she recovered from her fatal injuries three years prior. Ever since Naruto revived her she's thrown herself back into her training to reclaim the lost power she used to wield back during her prime which was during the Third Shinobi World War. Back then she had a fearsome reputation that garnered her quite a lot of attention both good and bad.

"It won't be long before I'm back to my old power sir. It won't be long." Shoko said as she finally stopped pacing back and forth. She sounded confident that she could regain what she lost. "Are you sure about that Shoko? In terms of power and skill yes you are very close to what you once were there is no doubt about that but can you handle being that way again? Your spirit isn't completely healed yet. You won't be able to use that special power of yours that gave you your moniker if you don't confront the demons of your past." Dino said in sympathy while looking at the young woman who tensed up at her leader's words.

"I don't think I'll ever be able to use that power again sir." Shoko said in shame as she looked down at her hands before she clenched them. "In time you'll learn about yourself my child. You will regain all that you've lost and I have a feeling young Naruto will be the one to help you on your journey." Dino said reassuringly with his own grandfatherly smile. Shoko cracked a smile at this as she sat down in her chair. She shared a close relationship with Dino who she saw as a surrogate father. He cared for her for years and has always been there for her. For that she's eternally thankful to the old man.

"Hello am I interrupting?" A husky voice cut into the conversation.

In that very same second a blade was pressed up against the neck of the person who spoke up. Balalaika was reclined in a relaxed position in the chair next to Shoko and said woman had her beautiful blade pressed against the jugular of the blond haired woman. "To what do I owe this unexpected pleasure from you this afternoon Balalaika? You do know it's rude to barge into a room and interrupt a conversation like that? I thought your mother would have taught you better manners." Dino said idly as he sipped some of his tea. He had it out as he reread the report Aspen sent him that reached the village about an hour and a half ago.

"I have been enjoying the amenities this village has to offer for the last week now. They certainly live up to their reputation." The King Pin said in a relaxed tone despite having a very sharp blade pressed against her neck. "Is that so? I'm glad to see tourist are enjoying them. But I thought I said no smoking in my office?" Dino implored and in a silver flash the cigarette that was lit in Balalaika's mouth was cut clean in two by Shoko's sword.

"Now that's just rude I could have put it out." The scarred blond haired woman idly said. She reached into her breast pocket to retrieve her packet of smokes and the second it was revealed it suddenly went up in a small ball of flames. "I was serious young lady. Defy me again and I might have to punish you." Dino said as he peered at Balalaika from over his tea cup. The look in his eyes were gentle but behind that laid something that was overwhelmingly powerful.

The flames didn't even so much as burn the woman's skin but she still looked at her hand and nails as if to see they were ok even though all three occupants of the room knew such thing couldn't hurt her in a million years. "I see… I tend to forget such things." The Hidden Stone King Pin said while idly moving Shoko's blade away from her neck with one finger. Shoko pushed back on her sword and the grinding of metal on metal was heard in the office.

"Now, now that is enough. Shoko stand down. Balalaika if you are here to talk then stop antagonizing Shoko." Dino said as he micromanaged two of the most powerful woman in history. It was a very awkward scene to witness especially if you knew and saw what the two women were capable of back during the war.

"As you wish." Balalaika said as she looked to Shoko who looked like she wanted to cut the woman's head off. "Shoko." Dino said in a patronizing way. He sounded just like a father scolding their daughter. Shoko scowled at the blond haired woman before slowly taking her sword away from her neck which was being blocked by her finger. Shoko's sword disappeared back into her seal and the purple haired woman crossed her arms over her chest.

Shaking his head Dino looked to Balalaika to being speaking. "Now what is it that you wanted to discuss?" Dino implored. "Oh I was out window shopping earlier when a stray thought came to mind. Where is that fascinating young man I met when I first got her? I haven't seen him in over a week. And those two young girls either." Balalaika asked and she smirked when she saw Shoko's scowl increase.

"Oh… and why would you be interested in them?" Dino asked in curiosity. "Oh I think you know why Lord Dino. Black shaggy hair in that style. I don't think so. Not in this village. So I'm just going to go out on a limb and assume that since he was under a transformation his natural hair color is blond. Bright blue eyes in that particular shape and they even appeared just the tiniest bit amethyst. Round face and thin frame. He's definitely no Yamanaka that's for sure and no one else in this village has blond hair in that style… boy this is the hardest mystery to solve." Balalaika said with sarcasm in the end.

Yet again Shoko had her sword pressed up against Balalaika's neck and again the woman was blocking Shoko's sword with her finger. The sound of metal on metal was heard in the office again. "Stop playing games. Just say what you have to say already." Shoko said with a freezing glare. "Now girls I thought I said no more fighting in my office?" Dino said as he locked eyes with both woman and they both felt an immense weight settle down on their shoulders. It was a simple look but both women knew just what the man in front of them was capable of even in his old age.

"I'm sorry Lord Dino it's just that I'm so happy to know that Minato and Kushina's son is still alive. We all thought that he died on that night." Balalaika said with a mocking happy look on her face. At this point Shoko was trembling in rage and she wanted nothing more than to cut the antagonistic woman's head off.

"Is that so? So what do you intend to do now that you know your greatest rival went off and had a child. What are your intentions with her child?" Dino asked as he eyed the King Pin carefully. "My intentions? Oh my! Whatever do you mean? You're not suggesting that I would harm Kushina's child are you?" Balalaika asked with a fake scandalized look on her face. It wasn't fooling anybody and it wasn't meant too.

"That's exactly what he's asking and you better consider your answer carefully Sofiya." Shoko threatened. The mocking look on Balalaika's face was wiped off and she grabbed Shoko's sword with her bare hand without being cut and forcibly moved it away from her neck. "You don't get to call me by that name. On Kushina could." The King Pin said with a glare in Shoko's direction. This time Shoko didn't back down and returned the glare but they both stopped when the weight returned to their shoulders only this time it was three times as powerful. Dino calmly placed his tea cup on his desk and as soon as he did the entire room started to lightly shake. "Now girls I don't think I made myself clear. There will be no fighting in my office so either behave yourselves or I'll have to punish you. Do you understand?" Dino said and an edge was starting to creep into his voice.

The two women let go of each other reluctantly while keeping their eye on the old man sitting in front of them. "Need I remind you child, that while you may be the strongest Kunoichi in the world that does not mean you are above the rules. You are a guest in this village and more importantly you are a guess of my establishment right now. I won't tolerate such belligerent behavior." Dino scolded while eyeing Balalaika to see her response. The woman smirked and relaxed back into her chair.

"Still as scary as ever. Between you, Lord Hokage, and Danzō I would find myself in a spot of bother if I was to anger you further so I'll play nice for now." Balalaika conceded. "You talk as if I'm not relevant." Shoko said with a glare. "Oh I was only mentioning people who are a threat to me. Besides you already have your own rival to worry about. You're lucky I didn't bring her along. I know you wouldn't be able to control yourself if you saw her. You have no idea how tempting it was for me to bring her." Balalaika stated while eyeing Shoko.

Shoko's eyes turned dead as she watched the Kingpin closely. She took her sword away from Balalaika but it was clear that there was a lot on her mind. "In regards to Kushina's son I want to meet him again and formally this time." The Hidden Stone Kingpin requested. "Why would you want to meet him?" Dino asked. "Because I want to see if he's worthy." Balalaika stated but this time she had more of a serious look on her face. "Worthy of what?"

"I want to see if he's worth of the legacy Kushina left behind. That woman was the strongest kunoichi in history and she long since surpassed Lady Tsunade and took her title as strongest. Her power shook this world to its core and she was what every aspiring kunoichi and swordswoman wanted to be. I want to see if that little brat is worthy of her name. Not to mention Minato and his pedigree. He has a lot to live up to and I will be quite upset if the son of my greatest rival turned out to be a disappointment. Poor Kushina would be rolling around in her grave if her son turned out to be a wimp." Balalaika said with finality in her voice.

"You're wrong about Kushina. She would never be disappointed in her son. She would just want him to grow up happy and safe. Whether he became a shinobi or not would not affect how she feels about him." Shoko said in defense of the woman she loved above all others. Shoko could feel a pain in her chest just thinking about the red haired woman.

"Well then you should be happy to hear that her son is quite powerful for a boy his age not to mention quite resourceful and skilled." Dino informed while drinking more of his tea. "Is that so? Well that's good to hear. I'm more eager than ever to meet him. So I'm to assume you sent him out on that little mission to get rid of Gatō?" Balalaika inquired. Dino raised his eyebrow at this. "And just how would you know about that?"

"Oh come now sir. Gatō is a business partner of mine and what you're doing is only going to hurt my profits in the end. It could cause problems between our two families if he was to suddenly die." The Kingpin stated. "Yes it can create problems on your end but are you suggesting you're going to get in my way if I don't back off of your associate?" Dino probed in curiosity. However it wasn't just curiosity, it was a veiled threat.

"I may have to. But I can be persuaded quite easily to turn the other way and ignore this matter completely if you grant me two things." Balalaika offered while looking into the eyes of Dino. The robust old man hummed to himself in thought. "And these two wishes of yours?" Dino inquired. "A chance to meet Kushina's legacy and 30 percent of the profit you gain from Gatō's death." Balalaika revealed.

"Absolutely not!" Shoko cut in.

"Granted." Dino said simply.

"What! Sir you can't be serious?" Shoko turned on Dino when what he said finally registered in her mind. "I said granted. I will arrange for a meeting between you and Kushina's son and you can have 30 percent of our profit. However Balalaika I will be presiding over this meeting of yours. If you try anything against her son you will have to deal with me. Am I clear?" Dino instructed.

"Crystal." Balalaika said with a smile on her face that would send a shiver up your spine. "However you will have to wait for some time you see. This mission will take some time so he won't be back for at least another two weeks." Dino informed in an afterthought. "That is fine. I must return to my village as it stands already. I've been absent for too long. However I'll return once all of this is done. Please contact me when he returns." Balalaika requested as she stood up from her chair.

Dino had written a contract during the entire length of their conversation and he had just put his finishing touches on it. He rolled up the scroll and placed his stamp on it. He stood as well with the scroll in his hands. Seeing this Balalaika smirked and reached out her hand to shake Dino's. Dino and Balalaika placed their hands together with the scroll in between their hands and shook in a formal way while placing their other two hands on top.

What they just did was the formal tradition between two King Pins when they make a contract or deal with each other. Even though they were Mafia they had a special code of conduct and rules that they must follow. It was something that all Mafia had to abide by even if you hated the other person. Not following this code was a serious offense and could get you killed. When they shook hands they placed their chakra into the special chakra conducting paper the contract is made out of and it recorded their signature onto the paper. This action finalized the deal between the two parties.

Taking the scroll and placing it into her large green coat Balalaika bowed to Dino with the old man doing the same. "It's always a pleasure doing business with you Lord Dino. Till next time." Balalaika said as she turned to leave Dino's office. Before she left she turned to Shoko and gave her a taunting smirk. "You be good Biohazard… Oops I forgot you're not that same person as you were before." With that last parting shot the Kingpin of Hotel Moscow left Dino's office leaving behind a tired old man and a seething young woman.

Once Balalaika was gone Shoko rounded on Dino with rage clear in her eyes. "WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?!" Shoko screamed. She had tears pooling in her eyes. "I did what was best my child." Dino explained. "You let the most dangerous woman on the planet near Naruto. What if she tries something?" Shoko angrily questioned. "She will then have to deal with me and you. Not to mention Hiruzen and perhaps Danzō if he ever comes knocking." Dino explained calmly.

"That doesn't matter she's no ordinary woman or did you forget that?" Shoko said while shaking. "Shoko my dear. Balalaika already knew Naruto was still alive. She probably knew he was never dead to begin with. Sooner or later she was going to reveal herself to him. What would happen if she decided to meet him on her own when none of us were around? He would be all alone against a force he could not possibly begin to understand. We are lucky that she decided to do what she did today." Dino pacified.

Shoko fell down into her chair and started to cry. "This isn't completely about her is it?" Dino probed. "I CAN'T BEAT HER!" Shoko screamed. "She's too strong. Never in my life have I been able to defeat her. Only Kushina could but she's gone now and I'm all alone with her son and I'm not even strong enough to protect him. It's hopeless. Not to mention if Balalaika brought along that dog of hers then it would be pointless to continue. It's two against one and I'm not even as strong as I used to be. All the while they only got stronger since the war." Shoko sobbed as she covered up her face. She was crying uncontrollable because she felt despair settle into her heart.

"I thought you would have said it was 4 against 1?" Dino wondered as he got up from his desk and walked over to Shoko. "The Raikage has his village to lead and no one knows where that wanderer goes. He just goes wherever he feels like. So it's 2 against 1 and it's against the two people who would want to see me dead." Shoko cried as Dino wrapped his arms around the young woman. "It's ok my child. It will be ok." Dino said as he patted the head of the broken woman whose life was completely unfair.


Hokage's Office

"And that is the scope of your mission. Is that understood?" Hiruzen stated as he sat behind his desk with the robes of the Hokage draped on his body like usual. "Yes Lord Hokage. We understand our mission." Kurenai assured as she stood in front of Hiruzen's desk. She was not alone however. Anko stood next to her and behind them were their teams. Team 8 and 6.

"Very good. You will leave in one hour. Time is of the essence so do not be idle. Dismissed." Hiruzen commanded. "Yes Lord Hokage." Everyone chanted as they quickly left their leader's office. "Anko Kurenai please stay behind for a moment." Hiruzen requested before the squad leaders could leave with their teams. After explaining to Anko and Kurenai some more classified details regarding the mission Hiruzen dismissed them as well. Once they were gone Hiruzen turned around in his chair to look out at his village through the large windows of his office.

'Naruto I hope you are ok my boy.'


With Team's 6 and 8

The two teams were in the compound outside of the Hokage tower and their squad leaders were in front of them. "Ok guys I want you to hustle double time. We have to leave within the hour so gather your stuff and meet me at the main gate as soon as possible." Anko instructed while looking at her team. Ami, Kasumi, and Fuki all looked back at Anko and shook their head yes. Nothing much changed in their appearance since their time in the academy but they all looked older.

"That's right. I want you guys to hurry ok." Kurenai instructed to Kiba, Shino, and Hinata. They all shook their heads yes but Hinata had a worried look in her eyes. With that both teams scattered at top speed to get to their homes.


Hinata's POV

"Naruto's in trouble?" Hinata blurted out during the meeting with the Hokage. Everyone just got the news that Team 7 requested reinforcements to The Land of Wave's. "Yes Hinata. Team 7 is in a spot of bother. They received word that enemy reinforcements are operating in the country they are in and it's only a matter of time before those Shinobi act.

"In the report it was stated that both Kakashi and Naruto took some injuries during their initial engagement with the enemy. That enemy being none other than Zabuza Momochi. Ex member of the 7 ninja swordsmen. He however was severely injured as well but he is expected to recover and attack Team 7 again. Also as for the enemy force it composed of 4 Jōnin and 16 Chūnin." Hiruzen said with a grave tone.

Everyone widened their eyes at this. "That many?!" Anko asked in shock. This was not something she was expecting to hear. "How on earth could there be that many Shinobi operating like that and go undetected all this time?" Kurenai question with a confused and shocked look across her beautiful face. "Lord Hokage if I may speak?" Shino spoke up in his monotone voice. Acknowledging the Aburame Clan heir Hiruzen shook his head at Shino. "Sir I fail to see how our teams will be adequate enough to deal with such a force. Surely a more suitable team could handle this situation?" Shino inquired with his Clan's ever famous logic and realism.

"It's a good thing you mentioned this Shino. At this moment we don't have all the resources to send a better team equipped to handle this situation but in the following days we should. Either way it goes the Hidden Leaf will be occupying the Land of Wave's with our Military soon enough. You all will be the first step in this process." Hiruzen elaborated while smoking his trusted pipe. "I understand Lord Hokage." Shino relented after hearing what his leader had to say.

During all this Hinata was deep in thought about what she had just heard. 'This was supposed to be a simple C-Rank mission. It shouldn't have turned out like this. And you ended up getting hurt for it. Please be ok Naruto.' Hinata thought to herself.

"And that is the scope of your mission. Is that understood?" Hinata came out of her thought when she heard the voice of her leader. Once Hiruzen dismissed them Hinata aimlessly wandered to the main courtyard outside the Hokage's office where she waited for Kurenai and Anko to show up.

"Hinata are you ok?" Shino asked. He was standing next to Hinata and he being the keen observer that he is noticed how troubled she was. Of course he already knew why and even he was worried for Naruto who is a good friend of his. Even if Shino makes it slightly difficult for them to hang out because of his stoic behavior. "Oh… yeah I'm ok Shino. Thanks for asking." Hinata said reassuringly. "He will be ok. Naruto is strong and resourceful not to mention he's a lot more powerful than he lets on. But of course this is something you've known since the day you first met him. Am I right?" Shino elaborated.

Hinata bowed her head at this. "You're right. He is a lot stronger than he lets on. The only reason he hides this is because it's not easy for him to open up and trust people. The day that I met him we both were kind of at a low point and we both latched onto each other for support, also certain circumstances at the time made it so that we had no choice but to interact with each other. In the end it paid off." Hinata explained in her soft voice.

"I understand. However I can tell one of these days he will show all of us the real him. The side of him that only you know about." Shino predicted. "You may be right. Are you mad at him for keeping some secrets from you?" Hinata timidly asked. "Logically I can understand based on what I know of him why he would feel the need to do these things but on a… friendship level I will admit that I'm a little put off by the fact that he's hidden things from us. Things that only you know." Shino confessed although he was caught between his logic and his feelings.

"I'm sorry things had to be this way Shino. However I promise that once this is over I'll asked him to sit down with us and talk. It will do us all some good." Hinata offered with one of her gentle smiles. "Logically that would be the best course of action." Shino responded. Hinata could do nothing but smile at this. As an Aburame Shino wasn't the best when it comes to showing emotion. The people of his clan preferred and encouraged logic and reasoning over emotions and feelings. However being around Hinata and Naruto for many years it's allowed Shino to open up more than he would have otherwise. It's what allowed Shino and Hinata to have a close brother/sister relationship and it's helped form a friendship between Naruto and Shino.

"The idiot probably got himself hurt because he was careless and he froze up. I can't wait to rub it in his face that I had to bail him out." Kiba bragged as he walked up to Shino and Hinata. He was conversing with the all-girls team of squad 6 and he failed at impressing any of the girls especially Fuki. "You shouldn't say that Kiba. Besides Naruto would never freeze up. The enemy he was facing was someone way out of their team's league." Hinata said in defense of Naruto and his team.

"Tsk… whatever. I don't know what you see in him Hinata?" Kiba said in a lower tone of voice. Hinata lowered her head a little at this. This was a problem that's been going on since their days in the academy. Hinata knew that Kiba harbored some feeling for her but because of the fact that she and Naruto were practically attached at the hip made it difficult for him to make a move on her. It also didn't help that not only did she not express an interest in Sasuke like everyone else in the class which was the reason which caught Kiba's attention in the first place but Hinata also didn't show any interest in any boy besides Naruto which really angered Kiba. It made it worst that everyone could see how close they were yet they both denied that anything was going on between them which left Kiba in an awkward position.

It's the main reason that lead to several confrontations between Kiba and Naruto over the years. Hinata didn't have any feeling for Kiba but she still wanted him to be her friend yet she also didn't want to hurt his feelings. But in that regard she didn't want to hurt anyone if she could help it and that sentiment goes double for her friends. It's left her in a tough spot as well.

"Ok guys I want you to hustle double time. We have to leave within the hour so gather your stuff and meet me at the main gate as soon as possible." Anko's voice cut through the air gaining Hinata's attention. Hinata could tell that Anko and Kurenai just heard some things they probably didn't want to hear. As a Hyūga Hinata was trained since she could walk to read body language and understand people's emotions. She could see that the two women were tenser than earlier.

"That's right. I want you guys to hurry ok." Kurenai encouraged. She too had a serious look on her face. Hinata shook her head like everyone else before jumping away at high speeds towards her clan compound.


Hyūga Clan Compound/ Clan Compound District

Reaching her compound in minutes Hinata entered without much trouble and entered her room. As a shinobi you have to optimize your room to be able to gather all of your equipment in a timely fashion so that you can be in and out fast. So with this in mind Hinata didn't have to do an extensive search for all of her equipment. It was all tightly packed up in neat stacks on one of her shelves. As she was gathering her stuff she heard a shuffling of feet behind her.

"Sis?" A girl's voice spoke up. Turning around Hinata saw Hanabi her little sister standing behind her. "Hanabi? How are you?" Hinata asked in surprise. She didn't see her sister all day. Kurenai wanted her team to do an early morning exercise so Hinata left before her sister woke up. "I'm doing fine sis… what's going on? Where are you going?" Hanabi asked Hinata with a concerned face. Just like with any other Hyūga, Hanabi was specially attuned to reading people and their body language. She saw Hinata run past her room a minute ago and she wanted to make sure she was fine.

Hanabi now at the age of 7 nearing 8 has changed a little since the time she first met Naruto and his girls. Hanabi's hair has grown out to the middle of her back and obviously she's gotten taller but she's maintained a toned body due to the intense training members of her family must go through. However what sets her apart from other Hyūga is her gentle nature. Due to spending a lot of time around Naruto and his girls Hanabi has retained her gentle and more childlike nature. Her father wanted to push her in her training at the behest of the Hyūga elders and such training would have made her cold and arrogant but do to being exposed to Iris and Chaos she's been able to let loose and still be a child. However being exposed to the Uzumaki twins had a lot more positive effects than normal.

Being around the twins actually helped with Hanabi's skills and training. The three girls would have regular friendly sparing matches that would go on for a surprising amount of time and that experience did wonders for Hanabi's growth and development as well as the friendship that came along with it.

"I have an emergency mission that I need to go on. I'm going to be gone for a little while." Hinata said as she didn't stop what she was doing while addressing Hanabi. "An emergency mission? Did something bad happen?" The little girl asked. She could see a weight on her sister's shoulders. Something was bothering her. "No it's nothing bad Hanabi don't worry." Hinata said with a fake smile. Hanabi frowned at this and came up to her sister before giving her a hug. This stunned Hinata and stopped her from moving. "Hanabi?" Hinata questioned in shock.

"It's Naruto isn't it?" Hanabi asked in a whisper. "How?" Hinata blinked in surprise. "You get like this whenever you're worried about him. Did something happen to him on his mission?" Hanabi asked in slight worry. Hinata blushed at what her sister stated but hearing the concern in her little sister's voice brought a smile to Hinata's face. Just like when they were younger Hinata returned Hanabi's embrace and rubbed the top of Hanabi's head.

"Naruto and his sensei got injured on their mission and now Naruto's team is heavily outnumbered by enemy ninja. My team as well as another is being sent as reinforcements. I don't completely know what's going on but it's something big. Lord Hokage said that he wants to occupy the country Naruto's team is in and he's going to be sending more ninja out that way. It's confusing but all I know is that I have to go help Naruto and his team out." Hinata explained the best she could but her voice sounded uncertain in some aspects.

"Will big bro be ok?" Hanabi asked in concern. After spending so much time around Naruto Hanabi came to see the blond haired boy as her older brother. With how close he was to Hinata it wasn't so unnatural to her. "Yes he will be fine. You know every once in a while Naruto can get a little reckless. I just have to help him out this time that's all." Hinata said in reassurance. Hanabi smiled at this. "Yeah your right. Besides Iris, Chaos, and Eva are with him so he should be fine." Hanabi said in confidence. Ever since meeting the Uzumaki family Hanabi has become close to them.

With Naruto she saw him as her older brother and Naruto welcomed that affection since he didn't know what it was like to have a younger sibling or a sibling in general. Until Anko came along Naruto didn't understand that concept. Along with Hanabi the Konohamaru squad, were the only people Naruto considered his younger siblings so they meant a lot to him.

With Evangeline it turns out that Hanabi showed even more curiosity with the little fairy then Hinata did when they first met. Hanabi showed in intense curiosity with Eva and was eager to learn everything about her. Eva was happy about this and it went to her head a little. She then took an instant liking to Hinata's younger sister and she's one of the few that she lays in their hair other than Naruto.

With Iris and Chaos she grew very close with. Not only are they her best friends but she also sees them as her siblings. The three girls are inseparable and they are very similar to Hinata, Henrietta, and Aria in that regard. In Iris Hanabi found a confident person who she could confide in and respect as well as understand. Iris often time's acts just like a princess and is very elegant in everything she does. Just like a rich noble which Hanabi is so the two girls can understand each other in that respect. With Chaos Hanabi found the wild and crazy sister that you somehow get attached to. Even though Chaos teases Hanabi mercilessly at every chance she gets Hanabi knows that the carefree girl cares immensely about her and her twin sister. Despite all that Chaos does Hanabi feels safe around the other girl.

"You're right Hanabi, they will be just fine. Now I have to go ok. Please be good alright." Hinata said as she kissed Hanabi on the forehead with the younger girl blushing in embarrassment. "Ok. But please be careful ok." Hanabi requested. "Of course. I promise ok." Hinata said as she patted her sister on her head just like she always would which is an action Hanabi not so secretly likes. With that Hinata walked with her sister to the front gate were surprisingly enough Hiashi was standing with his arms folded.

"Father?!" Hinata asked in surprise. "I see you have an important mission to go on. Do not disappoint Hinata." Hiashi stated in his commanding tone. His eyes are normally cold but even so Hinata stood her ground. "I will do my best father." Hinata calmly replied. Seeing this Hiashi shook his head in approval. "I see. Then don't waste anymore time get going." The Hyūga clan leader said with a nod of his head. Smiling a small smile Hinata turned and placed one last kiss on Hanabi's head and bowed to her father before racing off across the rooftops to the main gate.

Hiashi was left standing there with his youngest daughter who watched as her older sister took off. Hiashi turned to see Hanabi smiling and raising his eyebrow at this he addressed her. "What are you smiling about?" Not being deterred Hanabi smiled more. "I'm just glad you and big sis are getting along better now." Hanabi stated. Frowning a little Hiashi folded his arms and started to walk back into the compound.

"I suppose I owe this all to that Uzumaki boy." Hiashi said which stopped Hanabi in her tracks. "How?" She asked. "Did you honestly expect me not to know about him? I understand why you two would keep your involvement with him hidden from me but I'm the clan head of this house for a reason, not to mention a ninja. Secrets won't stay hidden from me for long especially inside my own house." Hiashi said in a matter of fact tone.

"You're not angry with us?" Hanabi asked timidly. "Angry? No. In the beginning yes but I stopped myself from acting when I saw just how much his influence boosted your sister's performance in her training not to mention her growth. On the very first day that she met him Hinata came home and did twice as good on her training then she did ever before. I decided to hold off judgment until I could learn more. Then you became involved with him and your growth increased as well. I decided to wait until you two were comfortable to reveal him to me. However you two took to long for my liking." Hiashi explained as he and Hanabi made it to the large training hall in the compound.

"We're sorry father we never meant—"Hanabi started to apologize but she stopped when Hiashi held up his hand. "It is fine, you and your sister's growth and performance are both satisfactory, and I see no reason to hamper it. However he will formally introduce himself to me when the time is right is that understood Hanabi." Hiashi commanded. "Yes father." Hanabi complied. She looked out the window and saw a small orange bird on a tree branch. Hanabi smiled at this.


Main Gate

Hinata just touched down at the main gate and she could already see Anko and Kurenai were there. Everyone else showed up only minutes apart from each other. "Ok did you get everything you need? Is everyone ready?" Kurenai asked in one final check of conformation. "Yes sensei." Team 8 chanted. "You guys good to go?" Anko asked nonchalantly. "Yeah we got it?" Ami said. Her purple hair was still in its asymmetrical format.

"I'll go check us out." Anko said as she jogged over to the booth next to the gate. Izumo and Kotetsu were sitting idly by bored out of their minds since this was the job they were stuck with most of the time. "Team 6 and 8 checking out." Anko said as she filled out a quick sheet. The actual procedure was more complex than that but it was village secrets.

Coming back over Anko nodded to Kurenai who nodded back. "Ok let's get going."

With that both teams formed up on their sensei's and walked out of the main gate. "Ok teams we will be putting in overtime. We want to reach The Land of Waves in two days max so I don't want to hear any complaining from any of you. Got that?" Anko explained. Everyone complied with this since they could tell it was serious.

Right before they could take off the heard the sound of high heels clicking on stone and everyone turned around to see a tall blond haired woman with a cigarette in her mouth walking out of the gate. She wore an expensive red business suit with a large green overcoat with gold design's. She had scars all across the visible spots on her body that bespoke someone who has survived many battles. She walked with a commanding and superior purpose that no one else could achieve.

She walked right by them but her eyes passed over them and stayed on Hinata for a moment longer. With that she continued her walk. "Good luck on your journey. You'll need it." The woman said before disappearing from their view. "Was that?" Kurenai said with pure fear in her eyes. She was looking to Anko who was lightly trembling. "That was… but I haven't seen her since…" Anko whispered.

"Kurenai sensei who was that woman?" Kiba asked while trembling. For some reason the second she came near them Akamaru hid in his hood and refused to come out. All of his more animalistic senses were going off and warning him of danger.

"Someone you don't ever want to face in your entire life. Now come on let's go we've wasted enough time." Anko cut in as she looked at the spot Balalaika just stood. Anko knew the woman was long gone. Her speed far greater than anything she or Kurenai were capable of.


Two days later

"Ok were here." Anko spoke up. The two teams had raced all the way from the Leaf Village over to the Land of Waves with minimal intervals of rest and brakes. For Genin the trip was quite taxing but due to their training they pulled through. Anko and Kurenai being Jōnin didn't feel the strain too much. They only need a few minutes to catch their breath and they would be fine. Right now the teams were in a small clearing that was misty and provided great coverage for them. It was early morning and the last two days were nothing but nonstop travel.

"Mr. Tazuna's house is north of here and at a normal pace it will take us 30 minutes at the most to get their so let's get going so we can finally have a moment to rest." Kurenai said as she hefted her backpack further up on her back. Everyone was carrying a backpack with their supplies and equipment in it. With the added weight it made the travel a little bit more uncomfortable but they all managed. For Anko and Kurenai the weight was almost unnoticeable since they've had years to get use to such things.

Everyone agreed to this since they would finally have time to rest. Hinata during the trip kept using her Byakugan to scout the area ahead and around them for precaution and with her range she could see Tazuna's house in the far off distance. About half a mile after that was when her vision started to become blurry as she reached her limit to how far she could see. At that far off range she would start to lose detail in her vision and chakra signatures would start to become a blur and mix together. Luckily none of that was the case here since everything she needed to see was well within her range of superior sight.

However Hinata noticed some interesting things. For one another clearing was in the area they were in and with her eyes she could see residual chakra and Yōki in the area. A unique thing that Hinata discovered over the years was that her Byakugan was sensitive to Yōki and other energy signatures. She found this out when she showed a clan member a piece of ice that Naruto created and they said they couldn't tell what it was despite the fact that the chunk of ice was overflowing with Yōki since he had created it earlier that day. At most they said they could tell that it was similar to the ambient chakra that resides in nature that all Hyūga are taught to identify and separate from a Human or Animal chakra signature so that they don't mistakenly confuse the two.

Hinata thanked the clan member and left before they could question her further. It confirmed for her that her eyes had adjusted and became use to identifying Yōki all because of her extensive exposure to Naruto and his mixed energy signature. As it turns out Hanabi is also sensitive to Yōki because of her overexposure to Naruto and his daughters who give off their own unique energy. One thing Hinata discovered was that both Iris and Chaos could make themselves completely invisible to her Byakugan.

With Iris it was like Hinata was looking at Nature itself. Iris's signature completely matches that of the ambient chakra nature gives off. But a more accurate thing to say would be that Iris's signature matches all of the living things in nature. Chaos on the other hand matched the areas in nature that lost a lot of life or things that were not alive like stones or other such objects. Normally she could see them but if they wanted to they could go completely invisible to her eyes and they've done it many times over the years especially when she would play hide and seek with the girls or when Chaos wants to sneak up on her to either scare or prank her. This is almost all the time.

Judging by the amount of chakra and Yōki in the clearing she could tell that Naruto recently just created all that energy and she could tell that he just left since there was as small trail moving back toward Tazuna's house. She couldn't see any other signature in the clearing but she thought she could see another signature that she was unfamiliar with but she couldn't tell because Naruto's chakra was very thick and hard to see through.

Hinata didn't bother mentioning this since at the pace they were going they would beat Naruto to the house by a good margin and she thought it would be funny to see his face. With that in mind Hinata turned off her Byakugan and focused on where she was going. Soon they reached Tazuna's house and knocked on the door.

Seconds later they heard footsteps and the door was opened and a woman with blue hair in her late twenties was standing there. They could see Kakashi a few paces behind her on his crutches. "Hello who are you?" Tsunami asked in confusion. She saw their headbands so she knew they were leaf ninja and Kakashi was the one to encourage her to open the door.

"Hello mam we are shinobi from the leaf. We were sent here to reinforce our team that is already here." Kurenai said politely. Tsunami turned to Kakashi who was waving at Kurenai with his ever famous eye smile. "Please come in." Tsunami granted while stepping inside. Kurenai and Anko bowed to the woman since they were entering her home. The six Genin did the same as they passed by. "Hello Kakashi." Kurenai said as she raised an eyebrow at Kakashi who was leaning on crutches.

"Man Zabuza must have really wrecked your face for you to be using crutches Kakashi." Anko snidely said with a grin as she looked Kakashi over. "Yeah it wasn't my best performance but can't win them all can you?" Kakashi replied with his eye smile. He was trying to cover up his embarrassment since he knew he was a powerful shinobi and to be in this state was not his proudest moment.

Just then the door opened up behind everyone and Naruto was the person to step into the house and they all watched as his eyes widened upon seeing them. "Guys?" Naruto said as his eyes instantly locked with Hinata who had a small smile on her face but he could see that a small pool of worry was inside of her eyes as they trailed down to his shoulder and neck.

"Naruto?"


Author's Note (A/N): Hey everybody how was that? I hope that got your blood pumping and your brains racing. I had a blast writing this particular chapter so I hope you enjoyed reading it.

So now the question is what has Shoko so worried about Balalaika? Why is does she so such animosity towards the woman? What is Balalaika's connection to Minato and more importantly Kushina and why is she so interested in Naruto? Finally reinforcements are on the way and we see who it is now. A lot is going on and there is more on the way so stay tuned for more everyone!


That's the end of chapter 16 I sincerely hoped you enjoyed it.

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Published: 11/10/15