Akamaru was carrying several plates on his back as Kiba managed to make his way back from the galley, having liberated the chef of quite a few exotic foods. 'I hope he shares some of this with me' Akamaru thought to himself as Kiba rubbed his hands together, opening the door to enter his and Naruto's shared quarter areas. The blond was buried in the mission scroll, his eyes scanning over the lines. So intent was he that Naruto did not rouse from his reading until Kiba pulled the lid off of a giant bowl of ramen. Kiba and Akamaru both watched in amusement as the blond slowly opened his nasal passages, inhaling the delectable scent.

Neurons quickly relating to Naruto what the delicious smell was, the shinobi became aware of his companions, and more importantly, the food they had presented. Without saying a word of thanks Naruto immediately began to slurp the noodles noisily, eating in a quick and disgusting manner. Still, the bowl was half the size of the man, and did take him some time to polish off. In the meantime, Kiba had opened one plate carrier and handed a giant ham bone to Akamaru. Kiba turned and revealed his plate of crab legs and began to crack the legs in anticipation.

The bowl and meal finished in silence, before Naruto turned seriously to Kiba. "I just finished the mission brief. We seem to have gotten ourselves into a bit of a mess" Naruto's eyes held a rarely seen seriousness. It was enough to spook the Inuzuka, his hair immediately pricking. "It seems that there are multiple reasons for this trip north, and a distinct reason why we were sent as a team, even though we have relatively little experience working together as a unit." Naruto picked the scroll up from the floor and pointed to a bulleted section. "We were chosen as a core unit of infiltration, tracking and firepower, as it seems that several of the Akatsuki defections have coalesced here. To make matters worse, it seems that the entire Takumi village has recently disappeared. Rumors have it that they have joined up with some of the northern artificers in the land of snow that are dissatisfied with the new reigning royal family." Naruto paused as Kiba took this all in.

Though Kiba hadn't been involved in the incident involving the Takumi village armor, he still had strong memories of the fight against Ni. It was a particularly difficult battle for him and Akamaru, and preceded his recent accomplishments in nature chakra manipulation. Still, the idea that the entire village of weapons makers had headed north and joined with rebellious factions boded ill for the current mission.

"So, why were we chosen for this mission?" Kiba ventured, almost afraid of the answer.

"We were chosen because of our firepower potential" Kiba looked confused for a second, causing Naruto to sigh before continuing. "I have a strong wind element, you have a strong lightning and fire element, and Ino has a Kekkai Genkai combining water and earth style. On top of that, my multishadow clone and sealing abilities give me an edge in capturing difficult targets, while your clan line has a great ability to track and Ino a great ability to interrogate. Combined with her healing powers and both your and my destructive capabilities, and even Akatsuki will have a tough battle on their hands".

Kiba was quickly ready with a counter though. "You can't use your full powers though outside the village anymore though, the nations are already on edge about the powers that you and Killer Bee unleashed during the fight with Madara. You especially."

Naruto nodded in agreement. "Yes, my powers are limited in the open, but sealing jutsu are hard to trace back to a single source, and if we should encounter Akatsuki, my jutsu will be able to divert enough interested attention so that I'm not revealed. That's the current plan at least."

Kiba snorted derisively. "Doesn't sound like much of a plan to me. It sounds like a hope and a prayer at best. Still, it's Tsunade's decision. I am wondering why so much excessive firepower is needed though, even if Akatsuki is involved. You stated the powers of Ino and I correctly, but Akatsuki are to be killed on sight, not interrogated or sealed. Why the change in policy there?"

Naruto squirmed for a second, before pushing the scroll forward again. "At the bottom there are two bits of information that will tell you why the policy changed. I'm not sure you really want to hear all of it, so I'll let you read it yourself."

"Just tell me Naruto. You know I can take it." Kiba grinned, a bit of his boyish defiance returning to his face.

"The last two bits of information are the most disturbing. It seems that several weeks ago, it came to the attention of Hiashi Hyuuga that the body of his deceased daughter, Hinata, had been replaced some time ago by a body double. It is suspected that her real body was never recovered during the battle with Madara. At the grave site there was a body double creation, perfect in every detail. But with it was also the mark of an Ouroboros, the new symbol of Kabuto. It is suspected that Kabuto has taken hold of the Byakugan, and will use it in some form or another. At the Takumi village, the Ouroboros was also found carved in the ground. It was in the shape of a divination rotation."

Kiba found his face changed to a grimace. 'Hinata's alive.' Joy coursed through him at this though, quickly crushed by the next. 'That bastard Kabuto has taken her body.' Rage rushed through the young man, his fists tight against his thighs, his vision blurring with unshed tears. Akamaru turned and nipped lightly at Kiba's wrist. Visibly getting his emotions under control, Kiba nodded for Naruto to continue.

'Seems there is more to their relationship than I thought' Naruto mused sadly to himself. "The other bit of information is that Ino Yamanaka has been selected as the hidden ambassador to serve as a link between Konoha and the Snow village." This rocked Kiba as well. The ambassadors were something that Naruto had designed during his trip around the world to return the tailed beasts to their proper homes. It was set up so that all villages would have a contact in each village, of at least decent power and strength to represent a bond of trust between each of the nations. To be selected one had to be a Jonin, and a powerful one at that. No special Jonin were allowed, and each ambassador had to come from at least a special clan with abilities to raise and pass down to the other nations. Still, many villages were unable or unwilling to agree with the program. So far only the five great villages had traded with one another, the lesser villages choosing to conserve their strength.

"I hadn't heard that the Snow Village had a promising enough Jonin to send to Konoha. They've only really been around for something like six years now haven't they?" Kiba's voice was laced with concern for the kunoichi.

"Seems they have provided a more than adequate trade for Ino. A male ninja with the bloodline to manipulate and create chakra inside metals and other materials is the offered trade. He is also a lightning and fire element, a rarity in the Snow village. Furthermore, his weapons will find a great deal of use in Konoha. He is also a master of sealing jutsu, and comes from a wealthy merchant family." Naruto sighed, looking over the paper in hopes that the words were incorrect. 'It still seems like a low bargaining price for Ino…then again, I am infatuated with her. Thanks to the fox though, I'll be stuck in Konoha until the day I die.' Naruto let another sigh escape his throat as he looked over the scroll.

'Seems there is more to his relationship with Ino then I was aware of' Kiba thought to himself. Brown hair suddenly rose over the table, picking up the ramen bowl. "I think I'm gonna go grab a bowl for the both of us, back in a second." Kiba moved out of the room, Akamaru deciding to stay behind and rub against the Uzumaki's hand. Naruto smirked, and playfully ruffed the dogs hair, his eyes lost in memories of his childhood. Hinata had always been there for him, and had done a great deal for him when he was younger. He had fancied himself smitten with the girl, but she was honestly to shy and well-mannered for the boisterous youth. 'Kiba though, he makes sense to be with her. I wish those two had gotten together, it might have saved her from what has probably happened.'

"Ten minutes to docking!" A loud call from the deck roused Naruto from his musings. Akamaru perked his ears up, bounding out to retrieve Kiba from the galley. Naruto changed into his disguise, transforming into his female look alike ninja for the mission. 'Shizuna Nagito, my look alike ninja'. The ninja disguise had been created for Naruto during his two year sojourn when he needed some spare time. Shizuna was a leaf chunin, hardly known about with a strong affinity for the wind element and not much else. She was strong, but not much else. The real person had died during the war with Madara, but it was not recorded in the annals. Naruto asked that the name be left out, along with several other unknown ninja to serve as body doubles for several other important ninja. Shizuna had blood red hair, cut so that it grew in length before reaching the face. Her skin was pure white, and she had a graceful figure. Her garb was simple and black, with several gear packs strapped to her body. 'No summoning jutsu, no sealing jutsu, and no super powered wind jutsu…I hate being limited like this, it's really not fair.' Naruto fumed silently as he proceeded up the steps, the sea breeze quickly hitting his nose.

The town was in full view now, the port full of bustling citizens coming and going from each area. The Land of Snow's advanced technology was definitely being used to its advantage; Naruto could see trolley cars and lights dotting the street in different areas, turning the small port into a bustling epicenter of activity.

"Hey Shizuna, we're needed for a mission briefing". Ino called to the female ninja, Kiba already waiting by her side. 'No body flicker as well' thought Naruto bitterly. 'Being a chunin all the time really sucks'.

"I take it you both read the mission briefing?" Ino asked, looking over the two ninja. Nods allowed her to continue. "Well, the new parameters have changed slightly. Originally we were going to land in the capital city, but thanks to that powerful storm, we've been diverted off course. We need to find and secure passage on a train nearby in the next day or so. We're also going to need to find out more about the mystery attack that took place. Shizuna, I'll need you to make sure some our 'guards' get placed around the princess for the next few days. In the meantime, Kiba and I will scour the town for information. You focus around the market district and the bars, as they should be safer for a chunin." 'Not to mention your experience with gathering information in those spots with Jaraiya' Ino thought to herself.

The other two ninja nodded their understanding. "We're going to be staying at the Inn nearest the port, in case a quick escape is needed over the next few days. It shouldn't be too hard to find. We'll meet up there in a few hours to go over what we have found, alright?"