And I'm back with another chapter. I have finally got around to writing again, and am now focusing on the Wave Mission. Naru's team had their C-Rank, now Team-Eight gets their own taste of such a thing. This chapter is mostly about Hinata's team, skills, and her thoughts. I enjoyed writing her, adding bits of her personality from Cannon and my own thoughts.

Disclaimer-I do not own Naruto or any of its characters.

Chapter Dedicated to my returned Muse.

I~~~~I

Lavender eyes gazed ahead while goodbyes were exchanged before them. The C-Rank mission had been a remote success, even if the investigation didn't lead to anything solid.

Naru had known that the investigation wouldn't go far however, especially since she had discovered the seal that the woman had activated had been the cause for lapses in memory in the first place.

This left Team Seven and Team Ten ready to head back to Konoha and gather their pay, if the goodbyes could end already.

Naru had already wish Chiriku and the other Monks farewell, but Sakura and Ino felt the need to continue while Kakashi indulged them with an eye smile.

Asuma was amused by the scene and did nothing to stop it, while Shikamaru was busy talking to Choji and Sasuke was glowering just like Naru.

"Sensei, we need to head out before the sun rises or we won't be back by lunch."

Naru reminded Kakashi, her eyes narrowing further as she thought of the chance of missing lunch with Genma, Iwashi, and Raidou at Hayate's place with him and his fiancé Yugau.

Kakashi turned to his ivory student, raising a brow at the girl's urgency to return home. "Ma, Ma Aki-Hime, no need to ru-"

Naru raised her hand up, holding a bright orange book as she glared at her sensei in annoyance.

"You were saying?"

Kakashi sweat dropped, but within a minute, they were heading back to Konoha.

I~~~~I

"Hokage-Sama, would it be alright to have a C-Rank instead of a D-Rank mission? We have been doing D-Ranks for about three weeks now and it would be nice to finally have a change of pace."

Yuhi Kurenai spoke from behind her students, drawing out a gasp from Kiba, a frown from Hinata, and a non-vocal interest from Shino. Kurenai's maroon eyes met Hiruzen's deep brown, and the old Hokage found himself chuckling "I suppose so Kurenai-Chan. Very well, I'll grant you guys a C-Rank I know just the one."

Iruka frowned from beside the Hokage, looking over the Genin in worry. Hinata glanced to the Chunin and waved slightly, giving him a soft reassuring smile. "Send in the Bridge Builder!"

After the words left Hiruzen's lips, the door to the right side of Team Eight opened, revealing an old man. He had faded brown hair with a gotee, dark tan skin, and wore glasses. His head was covered by a straw hat and he had on a loose blue high-colored shirt and tan shorts. His sandals were a plain brown, and he held in his hand a canteen. Over all, Hinata and Shino both decided he must be a drunk that just so happened to build bridges. "Tch, these runts are supposed to protect me?"

The drunken slur was accompanied by a slight shower of spit, which Hinata waved to the side as she felt slight annoyance, hiding it well. The spit flew as the wind bent to her will, her eyes turning to meet Shino's unimpressed gaze. "Yes. I'm Yuhi Kurenai, the raven is Aburame Shino, the young girl is Hyuuga Hinata, and the hyperactive boy beside them is Inuzuka Kiba."

Kurenai smiled a bit too sweetly at the bridge builder, earning her a fearful gulp from the man. "Since this is only a C-Rank mission everything should be okay. You have three trained Genin and one Jonin after all."

Tazuna nodded at them, becoming unnerved by the dead stare Shino gave him through his glasses. He only loosened up when Hinata offered him a polite nod of her head, her lips settling into a tiny smile.

Hiruzen restrained himself from chuckling in amusement over the traded reactions, addressing the team.

"Alright, Team Eight you will be escorting Tazuna-San here back to the Land of Waves and defend against bandits along the way. Once you reach the Land of Waves, you will help Tazuna-San finish his bridge and head back home."

Hinata blinked at the Old Man, sharing a glance with him. "The Land of Waves Hokage-Sama?"

Hinata's small voice broke through the silence, the Sandaime smiling at Hinata. The young Hyuuga nodded as her eyes set into a determined gaze, her thoughts drifting to her friend.

Kurenai nodded, taking the confirmation of her student's question as a dismissal. "Meet at the gate in 2 hours."

The young Jonin spoke up to her Genin, vanishing in a puff of smoke. Kiba yelped in shock at the action, surprised. Hinata paused to wave at Sarutobi helping Kiba up, leading her teammates out. Her familiarity to the Village Leader shocked a couple Chunin and the Bridge Builder.

"Be careful Team Eight."

The Team nodded at the Hokage, shutting their doors as they left.

I~~~~I

"Hinata, Shino, when did you get here?"

The two mentioned Genin looked up toward Kiba as the boy walked over, confusion in his eyes. The lavender girl was standing beside the guard desk, Shino leaning on the wall beside her. Hinata was talking to the Chunin on duty, Izumo and Kotetsu. "Looks like your teammate is here Hinata-Chan. Have a good time on your Mission."

Hinata glanced back toward Izumo, nodding toward the brunette with a small smile. "Will do Izumo-San. Tell Raidou-San and Iwashi-San I said hello when they get back, and if we don't get back before Naru-Chan, her too."

Hinata removed herself from the Chunin's desk, Shino following her toward their brown haired teammate. As the three grouped together, Tazuna came over from the main road whilst drinking some of his booze, a flash of smoke going upward behind them. Kurenai appeared, dressed in her normal garb with a pack on her back. She smiled when she saw everyone, nodding.

"Alright, lets head out.

Hinata nodded without a word and followed her Sensei, falling into step beside the Jonin. Shino fell into step beside Kiba and Akamaru, who was let loose, Tazuna in the middle of them all.

They sent farewells to the guards and started down the path toward Wave.

Along the way, just as the gate was fading into the distance behind them, Kiba spoke up while cleaning out his ear. "Say Hinata, what was up with you and the Land of Waves? You acted like it was a big deal or something…"

Everyone perked up upon hearing Kiba's question, the rest of Team Eight glanced to the side at the Hyuuga to hear her answer. The lavender girl glanced away before speaking in a soft and semi-emotionless manner that mimicked Naru's own tone. "I s-suppose you could say it is important…N-Naru-Chan is not from Konoha, or at least her clan isn't. She w-wants to know more, and I w-want to help."

Kiba blinked at his teammate, frowning as his nose scrunched up.

"Akihane is a clanless orphan thought, so how could she-" Kiba brashly replied, cut off by Kurenai's sudden interjection.

"The Uzumaki Clan exists Kiba, or it did. As of the Second Shinobi War, it was destroyed. Very few survivors remain, Akihane being one of them."

Silence descended upon the group as their contemplated Kurenai's words, Tazuna struck speechless as he thought of an Uzumaki actually being alive.

I~~~~I

The group didn't talk too much after that, other than the occasional question from Kiba about Wave. Hinata and Shino had moved to the back of the group, while Kurenai stood on one side of Tazuna and Kiba stood on the other side as they conversed quietly. Hinata was looking down at the trail, mulling things over. Her eyes caught sight of a puddle ahead, her mind working quickly as she brought up her training. 'It hasn't rained in quite a while…It must be Ninja then. Who would they be after thought? Tazuna-San? Kurenai-Sensei? Either way…I need to stay on guard.'

Decision made, Hinata watched as their group passed the puddle, Shino glancing to her. "Hinata-"

He was unable to continue, a chain shooting out at his form. Acting quickly, Hinata shifted into her own stance, forcing her body to move even as she felt like freezing up. Chakra shot into her palms as they slapped into the chain before it hit her teammate. The chain rebounded, two ninja rising from the water of the puddle as it was drawn back.

"Well look here…we got ourselves some brats." The left one spoke up with a vicious look entering his eyes while he angled his gaze at Hinata and Shino. The other one looked toward Kurenai, Kiba, and Tazuna.

Hinata narrowed her eyes while they turned sharpened into a Byakugan, her right hand outstretched before her while her left was pulled back and angled to the ground. She launched forward as the chain was launched at her and Shino once more. She fell into an emotionless trance, much like when she fought with Sasuke or Naru. The Hyuuga slammed her palm into the chain again, shattering it as the chakra struck a joint.

The Lavander female channeled earth chakra into her hands while she flashed through hand signs at fast pace. "Earth Style, Mud Coffin!"

Her hands grasped each other, the right covering her left as the tips of her fingers wrapped around the knuckles of her left. The earth surrounding the two shocked Nin shot upward, covering the two nin and hardening at rapid pace. They yelled out in surprise, dropping their broken weapons. Shino was right behind her, his Kikaichu swarming the two Nin, swallowing their chakra.

Kurenai spoke up from behind them, walking over in order to check them and the enemy. Kiba rushed forward after getting over his initial shock, not bothering to check if the bridge builder was okay. "Hinata, Shino, are you hurt?"

The Jonin paused in front of her students, picking up Hinata's hands to survey them.

Hinata and Shino both shook their head, relieving the Kunoichi. After Kurenai finished she and the Genin turned back to the enemy nin. "Gozu and Meizu, Demon Brothers of the Mist…B-Rank criminals actually." The Demon Brothers were staring at them as well, only with more fascination and shock than anything else. "Alright then…why don't you two tell us all about why you attacked a Genin team?"

Kurenai gave the two nin a no-nonsense smile as she crouched down to meet their level, danger in her red eyes. Her words rang in their heads as they flinched backward, the Genin behind him taking out ninja wire to tie them up.

I~~~~I

The water reminded Hinata of time. The flowing was constant, even if it looked still. It could rush or be gentle, cold or warm, bring good fortune…or misfortune. There was never just one path, and the direction of the stream was ever changing. There were road blocks, places were you couldn't leave like whirlpools, and then there were places the deceived you with calm upper waters but dangerous under streams.

Water was a lot like time, and it made Hinata appreciate it just as much as Naru did. The Ivory teen's lavender maroon orbs would always gaze at it endlessly during training, and Hinata couldn't help but do the same under the heavy silence that had befallen Team Eight as they made their way over the foggy waters toward the branching islands of Wave Country. Tazuna was fidgeting in his spot, the deep gaze of Kurenai and her team settled on his shoulders. They all knew the man was lying about who exactly they were defending him from, but the Demon Brothers hadn't said another word on the fact, even with Kurenai's Genjutsu in use.

"Tazuna my friend…It's best if you tell them."

The boat man, another elderly man who looked worse for wear while also holding himself in such a way that spoke courage and pride, spoke toward the bridge builder in a forlorn tone.

"They are only children Tazuna…let them have a chance by knowing what they are getting into."

The man glanced back toward Tazuna, earning him a small gulp from his fellow man and a few raised brows from the Konoha nin. Hinata turned her gaze toward Tazuna, ignoring the water for the moment as her eyes started to narrow once more.

"I'm guessing that someone powerful is trying to stop you from building this bridge, correct?" Shino spoke from beside Hinata, his gaze just as unnerving as before.

Tazuna looked shocked at Shino's rather blunt question, but nodded as he added onto the facts.

"Y-Yes…His name is Gato, the billionaire tradesman. He came here not long ago and took our land hostage…since then he's been choking the life out of our people and making it increasingly harder to do anything to stop him! This bridge that I'm building…It'll loosen his control since we'll be connected to the mainland. This will make everything easier on the people and drive Gato from our lands. Please, I beg of you, help us!"

Tazuna bowed his head at the end, Kurenai looking at the man with cool calculating eyes. Hinata only closed her own eyes without a word, Shino's onyx orbs watching the Bridge Builder and his Sensei's reactions closely while Kiba shifted in the boat, huffing as he opened his mouth.

"I'll help!"

The man guiding the boat ordered Kiba to be quiet, the boy flinching but not wavering.

Hinata glanced to her teammate, thinking back to Naru. She shook her head, stopping those thoughts. Already she had focused on what Naru would do too much, she needed to choose for herself.

The decision would have been the same anyways.

"I will too."

Hinata said with conviction, turning to Kurenai. The Jonin sighed and glanced to Shino, the boy mulling over it for a few seconds before nodding. "I side with my team, Sensei."

Kurenai smiled gently at the three, shaking her head before turning to Tazuna.

"I'll need to send a letter back to the Hokage explaining the situation."

Kurenai added on, her eyes sharp as Tazuna released a breath he had been holding.

I~~~~I

There truly was nothing off about the walk toward Tazuna's house, or at least nothing seemed off. Team Eight specialized in tracking however, and so they easily located the man attempting to get the drop on them. A kunai launched at the Bridge Builder some meters away was knocked off course by Hinata's well placed strike.

The leaves ahead soon rustled and a body jumped from the trees, landing with a thud as a large cleaver blade collided with the ground behind them.

"A group of tracking specialists? Well this is unexpected."

The words came from the figure, whom rose to his full height as his dark hazel eyes met Hinata's lavender orbs.

The man was quite tall, taller than even Naru's Sensei, Kakashi even with his hair, and he had a very bulky build. His chest was left uncovered, and he wore gray camo pants in the baggy variety, along with black forearm guards and a large black strap that went diagonally across his chest, more than likely used to hold the blade he had hanging over his shoulder. His hair was a wild but short black, and his skin was lightly tanned. The bottom half of his face was covered like Hinata knew Kakashi's was as well, only in bandages instead of the infamous black mask. Finally, settled on his forehead in a reminder to his former allegiance, was a Kirigakure Headband, decorated with for wavy lines in a two by two grid, a slash driven through the middle.

"Missing Nin…And judging on the fact that you hold one of the Seven Blades of the Mist, you must be one of the Seven Swordsman…"

Kurenai addressed the Missing Nin, drawing his attention to her as her eyes glittered. Chakra was gathered at her fingers as she locked them together, ready to form hand signs.

"Everyone stay back here and don't jump in, you can't fight him, he's Zabuza Momochi, an A-Rank missing Nin!"

Hinata's throat felt tight, sweat drifting down her back as the stalemate began.

'Naru-Chan…Sasuke-San, I wish you were here to help.'

Hinata steeled herself for the battle, however, drawing up her chakra into her body while thinking back to Naru's training, and the practice she had with a new technique with Sasuke.

She could do this, and if not she'd go down fighting for her friends, she wouldn't give up.

Not because Naru wouldn't give up or Sasuke would use it as a way to say Uchiha's were superior, but instead because Hinata learned that nothing comes from letting it all happen without trying over and over.

With that thought settled, she chose to ignore Kurenai's warning, shooting right into Zabuza's space, her palm forcing chakra into the air, before shooting out a high powered gale.

"Palm-Dance of the Leaf…Thrust."

The blast shocked the nin, enough to get him further away from Hinata's team, even if it cemented her fate.

I~~~~I

And finished, just over 3k by 285 words too. It's still a little long but oh well I could only really end it here without feeling like it was rushed.

Drabble-Dance of the Leaf(Moon)

Naru hated not knowing how to do certain things, to stare at a weapon and wonder how to use it.

Her fingers always itched to grasp the handle of a new blade, to curl around and slip into the guards of different weapons that decorated the walls of the only armory she was allowed inside.

Behind her, a former classmate of hers would only shake her head as the ivory girl flitted around looking at the new merchandise, her eyes calculating as she looked over the different object laid before her very eyes.

And beside that classmate, a brunette Jonin smiled, coughing into his hands as his soft eyes gazed at the girl that was so enthralled with the entire store.

It was only when the child who had been offered a chance to learn more than how to wield a kunai settled her eyes on a small blade the size of her arm that she truly lit up however.

Her fingers brushed over the sheathe of the Tonto, before she tenitively pulled the blade down, grasping the bandaged handle with a black base.

She pulled the Tonto out, observing the shining blade made of a dark light metal with a certain light growing in her eyes.

She paused to look over her shoulder as a hand settled down upon it, her eyes flitting upward at the face of the man whom had brought her there.

"Hayate-San?"

Gekko Hayate only reached down to clasp his hand around the girl's own, helping her pull the slim blade out completely.

This drew her attention to the fine craftsmanship, the marks of the hammer that helped shape the blade shown along the glimmering surface.

He adjusted her then, placing her in a loose stance, stepping back to observe as the girl glided the blade across her arm, a simple Kata not yet perfected, but enough for the moment.

And then her lavender eyes turned to him, the maroon faintly seen around the edges as she stared at Gekko in a pleading manner.

Hayate only smiled at the girl, nodding as he glanced to Naru's former classmate and pointed at the blade.

"We'll take that one."