I apologize for the long wait for this chapter. i ran into a rather severe case of writers block when it came to itachi and hana's wedding, after several failed attempts at a convincing wedding i decided to let my readers use their imaginations. rather lame i know but faced with a decision of either pulling a lame author's trick or completely abandoning the story, i decided to chose the less annoying option, it also happens to be much much safer.
Hinata shot up in bed, having been woken by the slight sound of movement by the side of her bed. As soon as she identified the intruder she relaxed her guard, she knew that the...individual...at the end of her bed was of little or no actual threat to her continued well being. The sound of slight giggling reached her ears before the figure moved closer.
"Your reaction time is getting better Hina-chan. Pretty soon I won't be able to sneak up on you at all!" The figure stated lightly.
"You wouldn't have been able to sneak up on me at all if I hadn't been sleeping Nezumi-chan!" Hinata replied indignantly. "Is there any specific reason that you're in my bedroom at 4 am? It seems a little early even for you."
"I have my reasons Hina-chan. I just came from the elders in the forest. They said your finally ready for the first step in becoming a rodent summoner!" Nezumi said excitedly, jumping up and down. Although she could appear much smaller, Nezumi had chosen to appear at her maximum size of three foot three inches (exactly one meter). Her cobalt blue fur shone in the moonlight, another signal of exactly how early it was.
"That's great Nezumi-chan, but why so early? Surely it can wait until morning."
"Because you have to receive your weapon at the setting of the full moon! Now get up or we'll have to wait another month!"
"Nezumi I already have a weapon! My deer horn knives are just fine , I don't want to switch weapons right now."
"Who said anything about switching weapons? This is another weapon to be used in conjunction with your other weapons or for you to use when your other weapons won't work as well. Now get up and follow me!"
Nezumi shrank down to the size of a common garden rat and ran out the door. She was followed minutes later by a rather tired Hinata, who was grumbling under her breath and promising death to whomever had introduced her favorite summon to the wonders of caffeine. (It was Naruto.) When she got outside Hinata was surprised to see the the largest rat she had ever laid eyes on sitting there waiting for her. He was at least 30 feet tall if not more and his fur was completely black. The minute he saw her he shrank down to the size of an adult human.
He looked at her appraisingly for a few moments before speaking.
"Welcome my child." He said. "The time has come for you to receive your birthright as our summoner." Instead of giving her a sword as Hinata expected, the giant rat motioned to Nezumi who then stepped forward to stand at Hinata's side. "Every rodent summoner has had a partner, who chose them by their own criteria. Over the past two weeks we have observed you in your daily life and interactions with others. At the end of those two weeks young Nezumi judged you worthy of her partnership, as well as her unique skills as a shape-shifter. She is the youngest of us to ever gain the skill, for her to chose you as a partner is a great honor. "
Having said his piece, the giant rat disappeared, leaving Hinata and Nezumi alone in the backyard of the main house.
Hinata turned to Nezumi. "So what did you mean by saying I would be receiving a weapon?"
Nezumi giggled. "Essentially that's what I am now. By fighting with you and for you I am essentially becoming a weapon, even if I can think and chose for myself, I chose to fight with you. Just like the dogs that the Inuzukas fight with, they are officially classified as a weapon in the ninja world, yet they are never treated as such."
Hinata nodded, "I see, so are you still a summon? Or did you give that up to become my partner?"
"I'm still a summon, it's just that you are now the only one who can summon me, and I can use your chakra (or that of someone with a very deep connection to you) to summon myself if I have to protect you and I'm not nearby." nezumi looked down at the ground, as if ashamed.
"There is a downside to our arrangement though: if you have need of a bigger summon then you can summon them, but it will take more chakra to summon them now. On the upside, since I am now your partner, it takes a lot less chakra to summon me, like barely any at all. Just enough for a low end c-rank jutsu, or so I'm told." Nezumi replied.
"I understand, but can I go back to sleep now? I might be able to catch another two hours if I hurry."
"Fine go back to bed, you lazy-butt." Nezumi said in fake exasperation.
Four months later
A flash of orange was seen moving past an alley way before disappearing into the darkness once again. The prey looked up fearfully for a moment before deciding it was nothing to worry about. Big mistake.
Chakra strings flew from the shadow where the flash of orange disappeared, completely ensnaring the prey.
"Will this cat ever learn?" A voice said, as the owner of said voice came out of the shadows. "I mean seriously, this is the twenty-third time we've caught it this way. Not to mention the twelve times we caught it with your bugs Shino."
"You would think so Naruto. But then it is only a cat. Not the smartest of animals." Shino said as he too appeared.
The cat seemed to glare at both boys as if daring them to release it and say that again.
"You two really shouldn't insult Tora." Hinata said as she bent down to pick up the cat. "Remember what happened last time?" both boys shuddered at the memory of the day when they had decided that only Hinata could carry the cat once it was captured.
The cat had tried to maul both Naruto and Shino, not very effectively, seeing as it was only a house cat, but rather unpleasant all the same. They would never look at a cat the same way again.
Hinata giggled at the look on both boys' faces before saying to Naruto. "You can release the chakra strings now Naru-chan. I don't think Tora-chan is going anywhere." Naruto complied, rather reluctantly, but considering his past with this cat and its close proximity to his Hina-hime, the reluctance is understandable. As soon as it was released the cat struggled for a second before Hinata began petting it and the ornery feline settled into her arms, purring contentedly. Naruto had nothing to worry about.
"Good job team!" Itachi said as he appeared next to Hinata. "You three are free to go as soon as we report to the Hokage. But remember not to be late tomorrow, I don't think Hana-chan would like it very much." All three genin nodded, bridezilla had nothing on a female Inuzuka the week of her wedding.
Itachi and Hana's wedding
Naruto sighed as he struggled into the formal kimono he had to wear that day. Four months of D-rank missions, intense chakra training, teamwork exercises, and ninja life in general could do nothing to prepare him for an entire day in this uncomfortable outfit. But he had to wear it since he was filling in as the brother of the groom, since Sasuke wouldn't even talk to Itachi, let alone participate in his wedding to an 'inferior woman.'
"Aren't you ready yet?" Itachi said from the doorway, interrupting Naruto's reverie.
"Sorry Itachi-niisan but this kimono just won't cooperate with me!" Naruto said in a frustrated tone.
Itachi stepped in to help him. "Well there happens to be a very good reason for that Naruto." he said with a chuckle. "You were trying to put it on backwards."
"Oh...that's a good reason." Naruto said as he fixed his mistake. "Hey why aren't you ready? We can't start without you. It's your fault that I have to wear this stupid thing in the first place!"
Itachi chuckled. "That's true Naruto. And I was on my way to my dressing room to get ready when I saw you struggling so I stopped to help you first. Since helping you tends include some form of a mess I felt that it would be prudent not to be dressed up."
Naruto looked offended, "Hey I'm not that messy!"
Itachi chuckled again, "If you say so kid. Now I'm off to get ready, can you manage to stay clean until at least after the ceremony is over? You have a very important part you know."
Naruto sighed, "I'll try Itachi-niisan, but it's the messes that usually find me, not the other way around. I prefer being clean."
"Well okay then. I'll see you out there Naruto." Itachi said as he left.
Naruto and Itachi were standing at the front of the ceremony hall. Between Naruto and Itachi was an Uchiha named Shisui, he was serving as Itachi's best man. On Naruto's other side was a jonin named Kakashi, he was looking rather put out at the moment because he had been told the wrong time for the wedding. Apparently Hana wasn't so sure that he would show up on time so his invitation had it starting at ten am. rather than at noon like everyone else's did.
Everyone turned to look to the doors at the back expectantly when the music started. As the doors opened Naruto saw the most beautiful sight he would ever see, Hinata. Her dress was the same as that of the other two brides maids Anko and Kurenai, but for some reason it just seemed to make her glow. It was light blue and cut just right so that the wearer didn't reveal anything but still looked exceedingly beautiful. Hinata and Kurenai both had smiles on their faces but Anko just looked pissed off, most likely because she was being forced into a dress, and it just happened to be tasteful and elegant. (Or as she called it: a circus tent.) after all three had made it up the aisle everyone turned back again to see the main attraction: Hana Inuzuka, soon to be Hana Mamoru. If it was possible she looked even more beautiful than her brides maids (and yes it was possible), her dress was pure white, as was traditional, and it was cut just as tastefully as the others. Following behind her were her three ninken in escort positions on either side and behind her. When the procession reached the front of the church the ceremony began in earnest. When it was finished there wasn't a dry eye in the house.
One week later
"Hina-hime, do you have any idea why old man Hokage called us in for a mission? I thought we were focusing more on training until Itachi-sensei gets back from his honeymoon." Naruto asked quizzically.
"I really have no idea Naru-chan but I expect we'll find out when he calls us in there, now won't we?" Hinata replied kindly. Just then the door to the office opened to reveal Kurenai, looking rather annoyed and worried for some reason currently unknown to the three genin and one rat sitting there.
After everyone was situated in the office the old Hokage began to speak. "I expect you three are wondering why I called you here today." Seeing them nod he started to explain.
"Your senseis and I have decided that you are ready for a C-Rank mission, to begin immediately after this meeting adjourns. You will be escorting a couple as they go to Wave Country on an extended vacation. After you arrive in Wave Country you are to gather information on the growing situation in that country for our analysis and possible intervention. You will most likely be gone for two to four weeks, so pack accordingly. We do not expect you to encounter any enemy activity on this mission but I would advise that you pack as if you were expecting such an encounter, just to get into the habit. Are there any questions?"
Naruto raised his hand. "Why are we going without Itachi-Sensei?"
"Perhaps your client can answer that for you." the Hokage motioned to the ANBU by the door, who opened it to reveal Itachi and Hana Mamoru.
"I trust that the three of you will handle this mission with the utmost care and respect, despite the fact that I just happen to be your Sensei. Please meet me at the gates in an hour so that we can depart." Itachi said softly yet firmly before leaving out the way he came in.
ooooooooooo
After they had set up camp for the night Itachi called them all together for a team meeting.
"I must confess to our using false pretenses to get us out of the village but it was necessary for the success of our real mission, which is much more difficult in nature than you were led to believe."
Itachi handed each of them a scroll before continuing. "This scroll contains all of the information you have clearance to know. And before you ask, as apprentices to the future Hokage, you three have a rather high clearance level, much higher than any regular genin, in fact it is higher than most chunin and even a few jonin as well. That means that none of your friends can know what you are about to read."
written on the scroll
The village hidden in the tide (shiogakure) is a top secret outpost village of konohagakure. Nobody knows of it's true loyalties other than the Hokage and a select few jonin who are considered trustworthy enough to know of it in case the Hokage should die without imparting the knowledge on to his successor. The only place that the information is acknowledged in writing is within the Hokage's black file which itself doesn't officially exist either.
It was built just after the third shinobi war as a way to avoid the desperate situation experienced by Konoha being attacked by most of the other major villages at the same time. It combines the power and advanced techniques of a major village with the anonymity and safety that comes with being a minor village.
Shiogakure itself is actually comprised of two separate villages. A front village on the coast which supports the village financially and the real village located underground and underwater a short distance away.
The ninja portion is in a hidden inlet bay situated with a medium sized valley around it and the valley is surrounded on three sides by mountains. The only documented way to officially access the hidden village is through a sea cave hidden by the tide for most of the day, hence the name of the village. It is rather hard to get to unless someone has a tide ninja escorting them. The front village is on the other side of the mountains and connected to the valley by a labrynth of tunnels.
It is located close to Wave Country, within three days journey for a shinobi.
None of the other hidden villages officially know about the outpost, but none of them officially have their own outpost villages either. Most of the five major shinobi villages (Iwa, Suna, Konoha, and Kumo) have an unofficial outpost, since their countries are so large. Mist does not since it is so small compared to the others. It was agreed in the truce after the second war that the outpost villages would be left out of all further hostilities between their linked villages unless specifically called upon by the leadership of the countries. In this way the villages can maintain their anonymity and protect the people if their linked villages fall. While it is common knowledge to the Kages of the villages that these outposts exist, they have made no effort to find them.
The village's true location is an S-Class secret and the front village is located two days travel away from the real thing. The only access to the valley is through an ever changing network of tunnels. Or over the mountain range surrounding the village. But even if one does make it over the mountains, a nearly impossible task. They won't be able to find the village because it is built almost entirely under water and partially underground. All training grounds are located on a series of volcanic and created islands near the underwater portions of the village.
When he was sure that they had read the scroll in it's entirety Itachi spoke again.
"I know that the information on that scroll may seem like a lot, but it is inconsequential compared to the information you aren't allowed to know at the moment. What you are allowed to know is that our true mission lies in Shiogakure, not in Wave, that was chosen as a cover simply because of it's convenient geographical location. There seems to be something happening in Shiogakure, an outside force is trying to subtly take over the village without alerting Konoha before it is too late. Fortunately, we did discover the plot and our mission is to warn the village leadership and render any assistance necessary to prepare for the fight ahead."
Naruto looked like he was about to ask a question.
"And before you ask, the answer is no. you will not be fighting if it can be avoided, your orders are to assist in the preparations and try to leave before the fighting starts. But just in case you are caught in the fighting I want all of you to carry your weapons at all times, and at least five chakra batteries in case your larger summons are needed."
"Now that the top secret portion is taken care of we can move on to more pleasant things. This will be a joint mission, we will be meeting up with team ten in twenty-four hours. They do not know the exact details of the mission, as far as they know Shiogakure is a minor village allied to Konoha whom we are delivering some intelligence to. They will not know more until we reach the village itself. In reality we are going to use Shikamaru's tactical genius to prepare for the attempted take-over of the village. We would have brought his father, but such an action would surely have gotten the attention of the one we suspect is behind this."
Kurenai chose that moment to step in, "If Itachi is done explaining then I think it is time to go to bed, we will have three watches, Naruto and Hinata, Shino and myself, and Hana and Itachi. Please try to keep the PDA to a minimum while you are on watch."
"PDA?" Naruto asked.
Hinata chose to put him out of his misery. "Public Displays Of Affection, Kurenai-sensei is asking that we all refrain from any displays of how we feel about each other while on watch. Though I think she was focusing on the kissing aspect." Hinata said with a blush growing deeper with each word. She was pleased to note that Naruto's blush matched her own by the end of the explanation.
Naruto was slightly confused about that statement, while he did feel that way about Hinata, and certainly wouldn't mind kissing her, he just couldn't see how she could feel the same way about him. In fact he was almost sure that she wouldn't feel that way. But there was enough of a doubt there that he could see that there was a possibility, however slight, that she felt the same way that he did, enough to make him start to examine their relationship and wonder if it could be more.
Hinata's mind was moving along a similar track to Naruto's. It was similar enough and distracting enough that neither of them noticed when their teammates left them for the night. In fact the only reason they even remembered to wake up the next shift was because it started raining halfway through their own shift. When that happened Naruto unsealed a tarp he had for such occasions and draped it across both of their shoulders, they stayed huddled together that way (for warmth of course) for the rest of their shift.
Oooooooooooooooooooooooooo
A day later the future Sannin did indeed encounter Team Ten, their reactions to the subterfuge used in getting them out of Konoha were pretty much what you would expect from them, Ino was annoyed, Shikamaru said the whole scenario was 'troublesome' before deciding to cloud watch until it was time to leave, and Choji just opened a new bag of chips.
Regardless of their initial reaction the genin of team ten after realizing the sensitive nature of their real mission and how important it was to the village felt 'honored' to be chosen. At least that's how Asuma put it, in reality Ino was looking forward to rubbing it in Sakura's face (the non-classified portions of course), and Shikamaru still thought it was troublesome, Choji thought it was cool though and trult did feel honored that he was chosen to help. And wherever Choji goes Shikamaru is sure to follow, if only to keep the boy out of troublesome situations. The lazy boy may have been looking forward just a bit to being the one to help plan the counter-strategy for the village leadership of Shiogakure, but he would never admit it in front of Ino, she would never let him live it down if she found out.
Ooooooooooooooooooooooo
When the two teams reached the town they were met at the cover office they were met by a very interesting genin team.
"You're who they sent from Konoha?" One of them asked in bewilderment. "I thought they were sending a heavy combat team and a master strategist!"
"They did send those teams just in miniature form." Itachi said jokingly. Then he proceeded to introduce all of the people brought with him. "And last but not least, I am the future Godaime Hokage Itachi Mamoru and this is my wife Hana." He said in closing.
"It's nice to meet all of you." One of the Shiogakure genin said in greeting.
"I am Mentoli Linosho," (pronounced men-toe-lie lee-no-show) "and these two are known as the twins, they don't want me to tell you their names, so you can just call them Twin G and Twin B, twin G is the boy and twin B is the Girl. Don't ask me why they do it that way because I really don't know, maybe they just want to confuse people who don't know their names."
"The twins don't really talk much so don't bother trying to get them to, I've been on their team for five months and I only just learned their real names yesterday, and maybe heard them speak six paragraphs in all the time I've known them."
This seemed to startle team ten, but not team eight, it's possible that dealing with a silent Shino on a daily basis had made them immune to such behavior.
Mentoli kept going with his mini speech, one that several of the newcomers were sure was quite rehearsed. They would be right, fetching visitors from the front town is a very common C-Rank mission for Shiogakure, only ranked so because of how confusing the tunnels can be, and most genin end up with a rehearsed speech that they use every time such a mission comes up.
"It's usually a two to five day trip through the tunnels depending on how the leading team decides to go, but considering the urgency of your mission, we'll skip the long way and make ourselves a shortcut through the tunnels. So let's go, before I decide to change my mind and we take the week long route."
As soon as they were gone the person running the field office sent a message to his mysterious benefactor. It read: 'Konoha ninja in area, send instructions.'
Three days later upon receiving that missive, the man responsible for the trouble cursed, if this message was to be believed then it was very possible that the Hokage knew of his plans to get his own village. This didn't bode well for his plans. If only the idiot who sent this message had included more details!
This type of situation was one of the reasons why he preferred to use operatives he had trained himself, not bribed bureaucrats who were only playing at the espionage game and couldn't do it for real if their lives depended on it! Which in this case it probably did. He sent a reply message to the idiot spy: 'takeover to begin in one week. get ready.'
Once the message was away the man called for his second in command. "How soon can we get our forces to Shiogakure?" He asked the man.
"It is normally a weeks journey for a ninja, but if we push them we can have our troops there in five days, no less than that if you want them combat ready. Even with the five day trip we will need to wait a day in order to have our forces at full strength. We can take that rest as we go through the mountain passes that are open this time of year."
the second in command started pacing. "If all goes well then we won't be spotted, there are few patrols that go through the passes, and what few there are will be full of men loyal to you that we inserted into their forces. Those men combined with the ninja we bring and those we already have inside should be enough to take over without much loss to the strength of your forces. We will be successful." The second in command replied.
"Good see that it is done, every day wasted in traveling is another day that I don't have my own village, and another day those fools can spend in preparation to foil our plans. Though I doubt they are smart enough to know what is about to happen to them." The instigator stood up.
"Send out the signal to our ninja inserted into their ranks for them to complete their assigned duties in six days, if all goes well then those peace loving fools will never notice the army assembling on their doorsteps just waiting to invade. Move out!"