"Sakura is dead? How can this be? Even I can't believe it! Baa-chan, we have to do something before all of our nin are wiped out!"

The village's current Hokage observed the village before her; a great ache pounding in her chest. The most recent death had to be one of the most painful she's had to experience; next to the one's of her dear younger brother and beloved, of course. Sakura was, to her, the daughter she never had-her most promising pupil. But now, she was gone.

"Yes, Naruto, I know. The most obvious plan of action would be to send out a squad to investigate. But who? We need as many shinobi here as possible to defend the village!"

"Team eight is still recovering from losing Shino, but I think they can manage. Send me with them! I can do it!"

"I respect your optimism." The Hokage gave a muted sigh, "But, we need you here."

"But-"

"No buts, Naruto! I will send Team Gai to do the mission!"

A frown found its way onto the young, blonde's face. No matter how much he did for the village, no matter how many missions went right, the outcome was always the same. Sighing, Naruto looked into the eyes of the older woman.

"Fine, they can do the mission!" Fleeing the building, a smug grin finally found its way onto the blonde's face. He chuckled to himself, sorting though this plan.

"I told her Team Gai could do the mission, but I never said they wouldn't need some help!" With that thought racing through his mind, he raced farther into the village.

"Hinata Hyuuga, get down here! You're late for your mission!"
"But I-" Hinata yawned, pulling herself from her bed with much required effort. "I don't have a mission today, Dad..."

"That's not what your…" He paused to suppress both uttering "ugh~" and shiver with disgust. "That isn't what your boyfriend says."

The young Hyuuga's eyes lit up at the mention of her boyfriend, and long-time crush, Naruto Uzumaki. She quickly tossed on her attire for the day, and raced down the stairs. But, the horrible feeling that something bad was to happen could not escape her; even as Hinata attempted to toss it aside as a simply case of the nerves. A few seconds later, she was out the door-greeting the young Uzumaki.

With her father's icy glare watching the two depart, she had to force back a shudder. He added one final note before the two were too far away; "Dunn get her pregnant!"

Hinata had always wondered why her father wasn't fond of her boyfriend-and even if he was-why did he have to make it so obvious?! She nodded, bowing to her father before darting off, hand in hand with the blond.

A dorky grin spread across his face, but it quickly disintegrated when Hinata pulled him to a complete stop outside the Hyuuga estate. She looked him over with dull lavender eyes" "We don't HAVE a mission today…"

Under the Hyuuga's watchful gaze, Naruto tensed momentarily, but soon he had laughed it off. "It's not a big deal!" He explained in a matter-of-fact kind of voice, "Granny and I were talking about a mission, and we're doing it for her! She just doesn't know we are…" Well, that was typical Naruto for you.

Hinata sighed, not exactly comfortable with his plan. "Naruto, it's not right! We should j-"

"Come on, Hinata!" Not really caring that she had more to say, "It'll be fun! And well, I can't do it without you!"

With a muted sigh, the young girl softly shook her head; "I'm not sure..."
"Please..?"

"Fine," She sighed, fidgeting with her hands in discomfort. "But on one condition."

That made the boy's face light up. With a grin, the boy replied. "Alright! You name it and it's done! As long a-"

"We take Kiba with us."

Naruto's smile faltered, his lips curled down. The previous color in his face had disappeared, and the gleam was no longer in his large, child-ish eyes. "Kiba? Are you sure? If you really wanted to get someone to tag along we could choose someone like Shika-"

"No." Her voice was strong; full of confidence-one of the many traits she had gained over the years. "No." She repeated, "It has to be Kiba."

It was as if with every word a weight was being placed on the boys shoulders. "Bu-But why HIM!?"

"Because he's my friend..." Hinata winced, her wall of confidence slowly crumbling. It had felt as though she had said the wrong thing. Naruto drew back, "I…-I guess I just wanted some alone time though."

"I understand…" She began to relax a bit, her face softening. The glee was returning to Naruto's face. "But, I really do think it'd be easier if the three of us worked together…" His shoulders drooped once again; his back hunched. He wouldn't have minded so much if it was someone else, but Kiba… He saw the way he looked at Hinata. He saw the way he looked at him-and quite frankly, Naruto didn't like it one bit.

"You have a point, but-" He continued, pushing to see how much leash Hinata would give him, "Kiba has changed. He's….-he scares me a bit."

Forcing a smile, the girl waved her hand as if to dismiss the thought. "Come on, Naruto! Kiba?! Scary?!" His face stood firm, and the Hyuuga averted her gaze to the ground below them. "Okay, so maybe you have a point…" Hinata looked up at him, eyes pleading. "But maybe this is what he needs! Some time with old friends!"

"We NEVER were friends. Rivals, maybe-but never friends." Naruto grumbled. "He just doesn't want me with you. That's all."

Hinata shook her head, a trace of fear visible on her face. "No!" Her thoughts screeched to her, trying to get the simple fact out of her head. "No!! It can't be true!" Kiba didn't like her-he COULDN'T like her. After all, all the Hyuuga wanted was an easy life-this would complicate things.

"Please. Naru-chan…-I'll make it up to you somehow. You just have to say yes..."

"Mmm, anything I ask?"

Hinata sighed, nodded her head slowly. "Yes, anything." For some reason, she felt like she had just sold her soul to the devil.

"Fine."

"She loves me. She loves me not. She loves me-" Sitting in the shade of an old oak tree was a young boy. He face was sheltered by a hood, which could be used as an effective way to hide his emotions. A clawed hand was out, gently patting the fur of a small dog next to him. And, in his other hand, was a daisy; it's petals as brilliant as the sun. He was slowly taking grasp of each one, tugging it from the center.

"She loves me not..." He grumbled, removing the final petal. Throwing it to the ground in silent frustration, the boy looked up at the sky. "What have I done!?" He yelled towards the heavens, seeming as if he were expecting some sort of response. "What have I done to deserve this living hell on Earth?!" He listened to the cold wind blow through his place of solitude.

"That's what I thought." He spoke aloud, this time turning his gaze to the canine next to him. "No one cares about me anymore, boy. Only you…" Curling up next to him, a possible attempt at comfort, the dog whimpered softly. He attempted to smile; an attempt that horribly failed. "At least we have each other..." He turned his face back towards the sky; his eyes clouded over with sadness-as if he had no place in this world. That's when he heard her.

"Kiba? Kiba?!"
His ears twitched, and he leapt to his feet. A smile curled onto his lips. "Hinata? Hinata!? I'm over here!" Arms extended, he attempted to wave the girl over. When she came into sight, the young boy felt as though his heart had done a back flip. Her dark hair was swaying in the mild wind; pale eyes fixated on him and only him. She had come back for him. Maybe she loved him after all!

"Hinata? Did you find him?!"

At the sound the sound of that all-too-familiar voice, a low growl formed in his throat. Hands immediately clenched to fists as the blond came into view-staring him down. With a voice filled with anger, he snarled the boy's name.

"Naruto…."

Author's Note

Crazygal66: And that 'tis the first official chapter! ^-^
Naruto: *frowns* I don't like Kiba very much right now…
Kiba: *frowns* Well, I'm not too fond of you either, Naruto!
Hinata: *sighs* Please stop you to!
Naruto/Kiba: *head bowed* Gomensai…
Naruto: What's going to happen in the next chapter!?
Kiba: I guess you should look out for the start of a fight...
Hinata: And our quest to find the killer begins~
Crazygal: *smiles* That pretty much sums it up, so please, keep reading! (And, R&R please!)

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters who are included in this story-instead they belong to the great and wonderful Masashi Kishimoto. Thank you~!