Part 3: The Mission

On the other side of Konoha, Kakashi was summoned into Lady Tsunade's office.

"Well?" Tsunade said, not even turning to face him, as her head was buried in a scroll.

"I think I found the perfect pair of shinobi for your little undercover operation."

He said, leaning casually against the door frame with a book in one hand.

"It's not some 'little' operation, Kakashi", she said, slamming down the scroll. "It's a major underground drug ring and these shinobi better be cut out for the job".

"Oh I'm sure they'll do just fine" He said in a smug tone.

"Who is it then?" Tsunade was starting to get impatient.

"Hinata Hyuuga…"

Kakashi began. Tsunade nodded in approval.

"and… Naruto…"

Tsunade's eyes shot open and she coughed as if she had choked in her own spit.

"… Uzumaki".

"You can't be serious!" She said, attempting to regain her composure. "That punk!? Go on an undercover A rank mission!?"

"Sure, he's a little reckless, but who better to keep him in line than an experienced stealth kunoichi like Hinata… besides, I think they'll really sell that whole 'newlyweds' undercover idea you had going."

"But Naruto's been to the Land of Rice Patties already. It would be foolish to send him undercover there, he might be recognized!" Tsunade said, seemingly grasping for any reason not to send Naruto on this mission.

"Tsunade," Kakashi said in a patronizing tone. "You and I both know you're no stranger to appearance altering jutsus…"

Tsunade's brow furrowed as she instantaneously weighed the pros and cons of strangling Kakashi right then and there. But she refrained. He had a point.

"Very well. Give me an hour to prepare, and then bring them in for their briefing."

By this time, Naruto and Hinata were enjoying an early lunch down on the training field. They had stopped by one of the local stores in the village to pick up some rice cakes and waters before resuming their training. Naruto was in the middle of telling Hinata about his adventures with the pervy sage, Jiraya, when Kakashi approached them.

"Greetings you two!" Kakashi said in a cheerful tone.

"Enjoying your afternoon?"

"Hey Kakashi sensei!"

Naruto hollered as bits of rice cake went flying out of his mouth.

Hinata opted just to wave her hand as she chewed her bite.

"By the looks of it, you two have been working hard".

Kakashi scanned the nearby trees. There were signs of intense training, evident by the footprints scattered among tree trunks and scratches from the decoy kunai knives skimming the bark and nearby branches.

"Yeah!" Naruto said, enthusiastically.

"Hinata and I have been training since dawn this morning!"

"Well, I'm happy to see you two have hit it off so well."

This remark went straight over Naruto's head but had caused Hinata to nearly choke on her rice cake and practically turn purple for a brief moment. Kakashi smiled down at her.

"Anyways, it's lucky I ran into you two. Lady Tsunade has actually asked me to escort you to her office, she has a mission for the two of you."

"A mission!?"

Naruto leaped up with excitement.

"For us!? Did you hear that Hinata! Lady Tsunade wants to send us on a mission! Ooooh, I wonder what it could be?"

Hinata was shocked by the news, but felt relieved to have an excuse to avoid going home for a little while longer— and to spend more time with Naruto. What awaited her back home was surely an explosive lecture from her father. What had Neji told him? What would her father do to punish Hinata for Naruto breaking Neji's nose? She shook the thought from her mind.

"Lets not keep her waiting"

Kakashi said in his usual lighthearted tone as he started walking away.

Naruto scrambled to finish his rice cake and pack up the remnants of his gear as hastily as he could before grabbing Hinata by the arm and dragging her to catch up with Kakashi.

"Alright!" He yelled enthusiastically.

The three of them stood silently in Lady Tsunade's office for a few moments while she ruffled through some papers on her desk. Hinata and Kakashi stood at attention, while Naruto was trying his best to contain his excitement by bouncing his shoulders and making intense eye contact with Tsunade, hoping he might will her to speak.

"I'm assuming Kakashi has told you why you're here."

"Yes Grandma Tsu—I mean Lady Hokage, ma'am"

Naruto corrected himself, not wanting to piss her off and get thrown off the mission.

"You have an assignment for Hinata and I.'

"That's correct". She nodded.

"An 'A' Rank mission in the Land of Rice Patties".

"'A' Rank mission, huh?" Naruto grinned.

"Are we going to get to kick some major bad guy butt?"

"No." Tsunade replied flatly.

"It's a recon mission— and recon mission only." She said, eyeing Naruto carefully. "You'll be going undercover to gather information about a secret drug ring that's been active there recently, and whose effects have been poisoning the town."

"Recon mission? Undercover? That sounds so boring!" Naruto moaned.

"Shut up, you brat!" Tsunade hissed.

"This is a serious matter! We are allies with the Land of Rice Patties and we have sworn to protect their people. Whoever these drug lords are, they're very dangerous. Young people in the village are becoming addicted and overdosing on this new drug. We don't know where they are or what else they are capable of so we can't risk going in hastily and scaring them off— you hear me!?"

Naruto had no response, he simply nodded. Clearly he was getting on board with what Tsunade was saying.

"Hinata"

Tsunade said, shifting her attention to the kunoichi who was nervously stroking her hair.

"Y-yes ma'am?" Hinata's spine stiffened.

"I know this is your first 'A' Rank mission, but your byakugan makes you extremely qualified. Additionally, I trust you'll be able to keep Naruto here in line." She rubbed her temples impatiently.

"Y-you said this would be an undercover mission?" Hinata asked in a mousy voice.

"Ah yes. You and Naruto will be going undercover as a newly wed couple and will be staying at a local Inn. It's one of the only tourist attractions in the Land of Rice Patties, so it's the best cover we've got."

Hinata's face turned beat red and everything after the phrase 'newly wed couple' was a blur. 'Is this actually happening!?' She thought.

"Wait a minute!" Naruto interrupted.

"Newly weds? Does that mean we'll be sharing a room? What about Hinata's privacy!? And this Inn, won't they recognize us as Leaf Village shinobi? Not much of a cover if you ask me."

"Excellent point Naruto…" Tsunade said, approaching him. The yellow-haired ninja had in fact visited the region before on previous missions.

She placed one hand on his shoulder and made a hand sign with the other.

"Appearance altering jutsu" she yelled.

Instantly, Naruto's hair shifted from blonde to brown, and grew in length. His eyes turned a dark shade of umber and the whiskers on his cheeks became less pronounced, yet did not completely disappear. His height and build remained mostly the same.

"Whoa!"

Naruto ran his fingers through his hair.

"Grandma Tsunade! That jutsu is amazing".

Tsunade sighed as she made her way over to Hinata next and repeated the same steps. "Sexy jutsu, age reversal jutsu… it's all the same Naruto, nothing a genin ninja can't do." She said reluctantly. As she performed the jutsu on Hinata, her hair shrunk up to shoulder length and turned light shade of brown. Her eyes shifted from their misty purple color to an icy blue. Hinata and Naruto both stared at each other, taking in the changes that had just occurred.

"For the duration of this mission, you will hence be known as Nagato and Hanami Tanji, two ordinary travelers from the Land of Waterfalls. Hanami, you're a school teacher, and Nagato, a farm aid. These details are vital to the success of this mission, therefore, you will memorize them. Do you understand?"

"Yes Ma'am" the two shinobi repeated in unison.

"Good. Here are your bags". She handed each of them a plain canvas backpack. "Inside you will find a map, a few pairs of civilian clothing, some rations, and a tree top tent, as well as some blankets and emergency supplies."

Hinata and Naruto each grabbed a bag.

"Oh, and before I forget" Lady Tsunade recalled, reaching into her pocket. "You'll each be wearing these" She held out her hand to reveal two golden bands. The two young shinobi reached out to grab them. Hinata shakily placed it onto her left ring finger.

"Any questions?"

Naruto shook his head, a serious look of determination dawned his face as he slid the ring onto his finger. Hinata gulped and then shook her head as well.

"Then let's not waste anymore time. It takes approximately a day and a half to get to the Land of Rice Patties and the Inn has been informed of your estimated arrival. I suggest you go home, change out of your ninja clothing and collect any remaining things you'll require for this mission. Then leave the village before the sundown."

Naruto nodded and he and Hinata left the Hokage's office, neither of them knowing what to say to the other as they walked outside toward their respective residences. Finally, Naruto spoke.

"So… the whole ring thing. Kinda weird huh?" He chuckled awkwardly.

"…yeah." Hinata said, her voice dazed.

"Uhhh, do you need to get anything from your place?" He asked.

"I-it would be nice to leave my leaf village headband in my room…" Then a thought suddenly dawned on her. "But… if Neji, or my father sees me with this altered appearance… who knows what they'll think? A- and I still haven't talked to them about last night!"

Suddenly, the thought of confronting her family was becoming overwhelming. Her chest was tightening and her breathing becoming shallow.

"Why don't we stop by my place first, then I can go with you to collect your things, y'know, incase Neji or your father are there." He placed a hand on her shoulder.

Hinata simply nodded, feeling relieved that she wouldn't be alone, but unsure of how to show her appreciation for this gesture. Naruto's house was on their path anyway.

The two re-entered Naruto's apartment. He set the canvas bag down on the couch and rummaged through his kitchen, grabbing some of his favorite snacks for the journey. Then he stepped into the bathroom to change out of his orange pants and jacket and into the outfit provided by Tsunade. It was a plain pair of tan pants with a green shirt and brown vest. He caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. It felt strange looking like someone else.

As he exited the bathroom, Naruto grabbed a few kunai and shuriken from his training bag. "You never know, right?" Hinata nodded in agreement as Naruto placed the weapons into his canvas backpack.

Naruto removed his leaf village headband and set it on his nightstand, giving it a longing look before turning towards Hinata and the door,

"Well, that's everything for me. Let's get a move on, so we can make part of the journey while it's still light out."

The time was now 4:13 pm. The Hyuuga compound was on the way out of the village. Hinata's chest started to tighten again as they got closer.

"N-Naruto…" She said in an anxious tone.

"Yeah?" He said, eyeing her curiously.

"D-do you think it would be alright if we snuck in through my bedroom window, so I can avoid seeing Neji or my father?"

"Uh, sure? I guess." He said, in a supportive but still confused voice.

"Thank you. I'm just not sure I"m ready to face them yet. It should only be a minute."

Naruto helped Hinata pry open her bedroom window and the two crawled inside. Hinata hastily leapt to the door of her room and locked it to prevent anyone from entering. As she was rummaging through a few drawers and placing extra supplies into her bag, Naruto looked around her room. It was immaculately clean. Everything was in it's place, but it felt very… cold. It was hard to imagine Hinata actually spending time in this place— and there was no evidence that she actually did— no photos on the walls, no knick knacks or family heirlooms. He suddenly started to grasp what Hinata meant by 'feeling like she didn't have a family".

Just then, there was a voice on the other side of the door and the door knob appeared to be jostled. "Hinata. Are you in there?"

"Y-yes F-father." She said, fear rising up through her spine.

"Open this door at once. I demand an explanation for your callous behavior last night!"

"I—I can't. I have been assigned a mission by Lady Hokage and must leave at once."

"Likely story! Open this door immediately! And who is that in there with you?"

Clearly her father was using his Byakugan to sense his daughter's presence and likely sensed the presence of Naruto as well—although maybe hadn't quite figured out that it was the nine-tailed fox demon yet, and Naruto very much wanted to keep it that way. Hiashi had never been a fan of Naruto's and discovering him on the other side of his daughter's locked door was certainly no way to win him over.

Hinata threw her headband on the bed and turned to Naruto "We have to go!"

Naruto nodded in agreement.

"Hinata! Open this door right now right now or you are DISOWNED!"

Hinata slipped through the window as those words struck her brain, echoing inside her mind as she closed the window behind her. Then she and Naruto bolted before her father could break down the door and follow them. They made it about 20 yards away into the forrest and ducked behind the bushes for cover before Naruto turned around to face Hinata, her eyes flooded with tears. She collapsed on the ground, sobbing. Naruto softened his gaze and knelt down beside her.

"I'm so sorry Hinata…" he said, patting the back of her shoulder.

Hinata wiped her tears off on her sleeve and rose to her feet, composing herself quickly.

"We have to focus on the mission". She sniffled.

Naruto was surprised at how she pulled herself together, almost like she'd done it a thousand times before.

"Right." He said quietly. "Let's go!"

Without thinking, he grabbed her hand and lead them toward the forest.

A/N: Hey thanks for reading. I appreciate you taking time out of your day to enjoy this story.

I wanted to talk a little bit about the undercover names that I chose for Hinata and Naruto and why I chose them.

華未~ Hanami ~

meaning:

"華" is flower. "未" is not yet.

For Hinata, I liked this name and how it's written because I think in many ways Hinata is a flower that has not yet bloomed. She's still coming into her own and finding her strength and place in the world.

永人~ Nagato ~

meaning:

"永" is forever and ever. "人" is human.

For Naruto, although he possesses the demon, he also possesses the most human-like qualities of all the characters in the Naruto universe. His loneliness and desire to belong to something bigger than himself as well as protect those he cares about is what makes him "eternally human"!