AN: Thanks again to anyone/everyone that is reading. Hope you're enjoying it!

Disclaimer: Don't own.

Naruto sat on a rock near the front gates of the village as he waited. He was early, but that was okay, he wondered if he should've gone to walk with Minoru. He frowned at himself. He sighed and looked around, a smile finding his lips when he caught sight of the younger man. He stood and dusted his pants as Minoru smiled back at him from the distance.

"Ready?" Minoru asked once he was close enough.

"Sure am."

And with that they set off to their travel.

After a few hours, they took a break near a river. Naruto looked at the sky and guessed it was maybe around 3pm. "I'm thinking that we'll maybe get there in another four to five hours. What do you think?"

Minoru considered and looked down the river, "Maybe once we're in the outskirts we should wait out for a later time. Use the night as our cover."

Naruto nodded and sat down on a fallen tree. His eyes wandered to his partner as he squatted down and drew in the dirt with a stick. "What are you thinking?"

Minoru smiled and looked at the older man, "How did you know?"

"You have that look on your face."

Minoru chuckled and stood from his squatted position, clearing the drawing with his foot before moving to sit next to the older man, "Don't tell me that I need to worry about my face now too"

Naruto laughed and shook his head, "No, I don't think it's something to have to worry about with others."

Minoru gave Naruto a sideways glance and smiled, "I suppose you're right."

"What's on your mind?"

Minoru shook his head, "It's nothing... Nothing I should be worried about at least. Just the thought of starting to take assignments by myself is kind of...nerve racking."

Naruto nodded in understating, "I admit, it takes a bit of getting used to especially if you're used to working with teams. But it's nothing you can't handle."

Minoru nodded, "Yeah, I think so too." He stood and gestured, "We should get going."

They continued their way and reached the outskirts as night fell and took to the trees. They traveled until they could scope out the area, planning out the best to get in and out quickly and effectively. The building they needed get into resembled a three floor temple made or of stone. It was safe to assume that whichever area or floor was well guarded was the place they were looking for. Minoru caught Naruto's gaze from a few trees away and made a circle in the air with a finger. They spread out, taking count of the guards they spotted. They both took note that the third floor was better guarded than the bottom two.

"It's safe to say that our best bet is the third floor," Naruto whispered, "But as to getting in there and knowing where we are going is another story..."

Minoru stared at the older man as he tried not to laugh and his own terrible pun. The corners of his mouth twitched regardless, and soundlessly slapped a half gloved hand over Naruto's mouth.

Naruto was suddenly serious and the half gloved hand moved away, "All jokes aside, if we're trying to get in there without being noticed and no one being the wiser we need to at least be able to know where we are going." He looked at the younger man, and dark blue eyes widened a fraction before turning to him.

"I have an idea," Minoru took out his sketchbook and flipped it open to a blank page. He quickly drew an insect that looked a lot like a wasp.

Naruto watched with slight horror as the wasp seemed to have crawled out from the paper and flapped it's wings open, "W-what?"

Minoru looked at the older man with amusement, "It's going to be my eyes," he gave the wasp a look of approval as it buzzed in between them, "Plus no one wants to deal with a wasp. Reduces the chance of someone trying to kill it and then giving us away when they're left with a piece of paper."

Naruto watched as the wasp flew away and Minoru closed his eyes. He watched the younger man closely, and saw how the brows furrowed. Moments later the midnight blue eyes reopened with a flicker and the wasp came back and landed in his sketchbook to turn back into a drawing.

"We're trying to reach the northeast end of the floor. There's guards there, but we can handle them if needed."

Naruto nodded and they spread out again. They maneuvered in trees before soundlessly hopping into the rooftop. Their steps were quick and soundless as they moved, they swung off and caught themselves on the ledge near the two windows for the room they were aiming for. Naruto peered inside and signaled that the coast was clear.

Minoru slid the window open, and slipped inside the dark room. He crouched down anyway, letting his eyes adjust. He was thankful he knew the layout of the room, so he didn't feel so blind. He moved away from the windows before standing and walked across the room and the desk that day there. He eyed there file cabinets that lined the wall behind him. And decided to test the desk first. It wasn't a surprise when he found it locked. He sighed and crouched down to be eye level with the keyholes. He dug in the small satchel around his waist and took out a small leather case that contained lock picking tools. The metal tools were soundless from practice, he mentally cursed the darkness and froze when he heard footsteps down the hall. He waited until they disappeared before continuing. To his relief the lock turned and he slowly opened it to reveal papers and folders. Again be cursed the darkness. He looked at them closely, quickly, it wasn't what he was looking for. Two drawers later he found a scroll and quickly unrolled it - it was the plan Kakashi asked for. He rolled it back up and stuffed it into his pouch.

The scrolls were still missing, and he knew this was taking longer than expected. He opened the last drawer and found nothing, he was about to close it when he realized that the depth didn't match the thickness of the drawer. He looked again confused and trailed his fingers along the inside crevice. He reached into his holster and took out a kunai and gently slipped it into the crevice and much to his surprise it popped out. He lifted the panel revealing a wooden box underneath. He grinned, Sneaky. Half gloved hands opened the latches to find the scrolls he was looking for inside. They were stuffed into his pouch and the box was replaced before the locks were locked again.

Minoru froze again when he heard footsteps down the hall again and awaited for them disappear. He moved back to the window he came through left the same way he got in. He leapt onto the rooftop and across into the nearest tree. He found Naruto a few trees away, and smiled at him before they retreated back into the forest.

Once they were on the edge of the out skirts they found a place hidden among brush and rocks to camp out for the night. They still had a long way back home, but at least the hardest part was over with.

"You did a good job back there."

Minoru smiled from where he sat on his sleeping mat across from the small for they made, "Thank you." Naruto moved to sit next to him, "Cold?" He asked with an amused smile.

Naruto smiled back and shifted so he could rest his head on the younger man's shoulder, "Maybe."

Minoru pressed a smile against the blonde crown, "Get some rest, I'll keep first watch."

Naruto lifted his head and shook, "No you go ahead," the dark eyes gave him a questioning look, "Its fine!" Minoru laid down and Naruto leaned back against a rock. He looked at the fire for a moment and then back down at the younger who had rolled over onto his side and started dozing off. A smile tugged on his lips as he let his fingers thread into the dark unruly hair, and felt the young chunnin relax further into sleep.

Naruto liked the idea of mornings. Preferably when he woke up next to Minoru. Otherwise, he didn't really enjoy mornings. If given the chance be would sleep in. But he liked the idea of them. He especially did not like trekking through the forest right when the sun was coming up. He looked up ahead at Minoru, at the limber body as he hopped onto a log and walked on it from end to end. Naruto nearly tripped on a tree root and cursed at himself.

Minoru chuckled, "Maybe you should stop being so distracted."

Naruto flushed and glared at the younger man that shot him a smug look.

As they reached a clearing, they both turned when they heard sudden footsteps behind them. The forehead protector told them the nin was from Ishigakure. Naruto eyed the female nin for a moment, noting her dark red hair and the dark violet Kimono like top she was wearing, "Can we help you?"

The kunoichi tilted her head for a moment before making a few more steps towards the pair, "Depends," she started and looked between the two men, "Hatake?"

Naruto instantly knew this wasn't good. He instantly knew she knew who she was looking for when her eyes darted to Minoru. Before either one of them could react the ground beneath them shook and cracked. The ground erupted into what looked like a chain made out of stone and grasped around Minoru, effectively holding down his arms, and took him up and out of reach. Naruto glared at the kunoichi, "Let him go! What the hell do you want?"

She smiled, "No," she answered, "I need him, he's going to make much needed leverage towards the Hokage. You however," the ground took Naruto in a much similar fashion, "I don't need you or any witnesses."

Minoru struggled, "Stop it!" He looked at the kunoichi and then at Naruto who was trying to struggle against the tightening stone, "Stop it!" He watched in horror as Naruto's color changed - he couldn't breath - she was crushing him. He felt something inside on him shatter - his control was gone. He drawed out chakra from the stone around him, he drew it out as if it was air, he absorbed it and it started to crumble apart. The kunoichi gasped, staggering, and the stone let go of Naruto who gasped and choked on air as he hit the ground. Minoru fell as the stone broke away but he kept drawing the chakra, kept taking it until the woman fell to her knees and color drained from her skin.

Naruto's attention snapped to Minoru and starred. The younger man was radiating chakra, and he was shaking, heaving. He turned his attention to him, normally blue eyes were a steady light blue. Naruto moved, closing the distance between them and held out his hand, "Transfer it to me!"

Minoru felt like he was fire, he felt like he couldn't focus, he felt like he had just ran a marathon and couldn't catch his breath. His body was buzzing, everything was buzzing, everything felt like it was on the brim of rupturing - of tearing apart, "Naruto - but -"

"Just do it!" His voice was stern, and it sounded off, because deep down he was panicking, "Trust me!"

Minoru's vision blurred and he tried to reach out a heavy hand to the older man but found himself staggering and losing his balance as his body screamed at him. He doubled over in pain, and vaguely he heard screaming. Belatedly he realized it was coming from him.

"Minoru!"

He heard the panicked voice. Heard it fall away as darkness claimed him.