Disclaimer: I do not own NARUTO. I do not take part of the creation, production and distribution of the said anime. The characters belong to Kishimoto Masashi. This fic is written for pure enjoyment and is highly fictional. If such occurrences happen to the original plot, then it is a case of pure coincidence.

Chapter IV

"I am giving that neck contraption thirty minutes to live or else, Hyuuga Neji." The order of the current head of the Hyuuga Clan, Hyuuga Hiashi, resonated in Neji's head as he went and dispose the neck contraption-also known as radio that ninjas used in missions- as far as he could. Hell hath no fury than a Hyuuga Hiashi scorned. Actually, he hid it securely in his room where he could have privacy while listening to the current findings of their mission but knowing the prowess of the Byakugan, the seed of technology was soon found by the Hyuuga head himself. And so, he had to explain that the Hokage assigned him for a very special mission.

Their mission, that is, to locate and capture a certain person we shall hide in the name of Anonymous Genin # 1683.

Neji didn't give out the details. That is a sign of unprofessionalism, and the Hyuugas are the epitomes of the exact opposite. Hiashi-sama understood that and did not asked for anymore questions. A simple "Hokage-assigned mission" was enough.

At first, Neji really wanted to say that the mission is stupid, and that he has no intention of finding who Hinata-sama's new love is. Served the Hokage right for not noticing Hinata-sama's feelings until it was too late. However, the Hokage showed no sign that he figured that part yet. In fact, it seemed like the Hokage still doesn't know Hinata's true feelings. Talk about density.

However, when the Hokage looked straight at him in the eyes and said, "I need your help," all his serves-you-right-you-bastard feeling were completely washed away and he felt himself agreeing to the mission. Such a tensai he is.

There was a slight noise in the the earphone connected to the radio before the voice sounded, "Agent Tensai. Agent Tensai, this is Agent Slim. Do you copy, over?"

In this mission, they had to use codenames of their preference. That is through the order of their leader, Supreme Intelligence (Shikamaru), that they should remain unknown as much as possible for poison ivies guarded the very existance of Snow White (Hinata). They were split into groups of two; Agent Nice-Guy (Lee) and Agent Hetachonchires (Sasuke) were assigned to get the list of names of the people Snow White had encountered within the last two months; Agent Shades (i.e. Shino), Agent Loveless (Kiba), and Agent Red (Akamaru) were assigned to interrogate the persons Agents Nice-Guy and Sensei reported; whilst Agent Tensai (Neji) and Agent Slim (Chouji) were to observed Snow White for any sign of an Anonymous Genin # 1683.

"Copy here, Agent Slim. What is your status?"

"Currently in the park, Agent Tensai. Target has come in contact with a female acquaintance."

"Acquiantance?"

"Yes. We shall refer this female acquiantance as Kunai.

"Something wrong, Hinata? You seem to be uncomfortable," Tenten blurted out all of the sudden. They were peacefully seated at a bench near the fountain, when Hinata suddenly paled.

Hinata, being Hinata, didn't want to worry her cousin's teammate so she decided to lie. "O-ofcourse… I-I'm f-fine-"

The weapon mistress held up her hand, signaling for her companion to stop. "You're not good at lying," she pointed out in an affectionate way. "And they're beginning to bother me as well. But let's keep the pretense for a while, 'kay? A certain tensai seems to enjoy this game so well."

"Al… Alr-right…"

"Agent Tensai, Kunai Buns just said you're name."

"Calm down. She won't kill you, Chouji. I mean, Agent Slim."

"What if she throws a kunai at me? She's already playing with one."

"Right or left?"

"Left."

"It means, 'You're annoying. Give us some time alone," Neji replied, on the look-out for possible spies in the Hyuuga Compound that Kunai Buns persuaded to become her accomplices. Unfortunately, he found none. "If she changes it to the right ran as fast as you can."

"Why?"

"It would mean, 'I'll crush you' so be prepared. She can be very blood thirsty."

"Why am I in this position, again?"

He sighed. "Snow White issued a meeting with Kunai Buns yesterday afternoon. She'll know for sure we're conducting a mission if I get closer to her. Please oblige."

"Umm… Agent Tensai?"

"Yes, Agent Slim?"

"She's now wagging the kunai close to her bun. Same hand."

Neji smirked. "It means, 'I won't kill you. You're not Hyuuga Neji.' Relax, you'll make it to your date."

"You know, you're right. I can't stand it anymore," Tenten whispered to the Hyuuga heiress. She glared daggers of death, doom, and destruction at Chouji who was pathetically trying to hide behind the tree right in front of them. 'Idiot.'

"How about on the phone?" Hinata suggested.

The brunette thought about it for a moment, considering the possibilities of privacy and also the hazards. 'They've tap-wired it; that's for sure.' "How about we meet at the town square? There are many people there. We'll lose them."

"No… We can't talk properly there… Everyone would be screaming… And," she added in a softer voice, "surely the others would be there as well. They might hear us."

"You're right, but there's a big chance they have tap-wired your phone…" She shrugged. "Well, I guess I have no choice…" Tenten then struck the wooden bench with the kunai she had been flipping. It buried to the hilt.

"Agent Tensai, Kunai Buns just stabbed the bench with a kunai and I believe my life is in danger."

"Run, Agent Slim, as far as you can."

"I just love privacy, don't you?" Tenten exclaimed in victory. "So Hinata, what do you want to tell me again?"

This is Tenten, her Neji-niisan's former teammate, sparring-partner, rice cooker, personal advisor and lots more. She is now a jounin and contented of being one. Although they were not on the same team anymore, they still see each other during day off's. If there were anyone Hinata could trust in keeping her secrets that would be her cousin's bubbly female-fatale.

So it wasn't hard when she said, "I just told Rokudaime-sama that I like him…" together with the glorious details of that almost wonderful afternoon with her one love.

"Wow," Tenten concluded. "Wait a minute. How am I supposed to help you if I haven't been in your position? I don't have a love life."

Hinata blushed. "Anou… Anou… Neji-niisan said that… you give excellent advice."

"He did?" she asked disbelievingly.

"And that you always help him… always there to… umm… cheer him up when he's down…"

"He did?" Her brown eyes softened.

Hinata nodded though she was not looking at her companion.

"Wow!" Tenten shook her head, her mind fabricating the fact that her anti-social, stoic, unsmiling, former teammate Hyuuga Neji said that to his cousin. Wait a minute! What if Hinata's fooling me to help her? She glanced at the Hyuuga heiress warily who has now blushing furiously. Nah! She can't be that. She wouldn't lie to get what she wants.

Tenten cleared her throat, now with renewed vigor. "So the guy told you to walk up to him and kiss him." She glanced at Hinata and saw that the timid girl's cheecks were tainted red. "I take it you can't."

Hinata could only but nod.

"Well, if it really bothers you so much, the last choice would be to tell it to him."

"Eh?" Hinata raised her head hastily. "I already told him."

"What I meant was, tell him you love him. Not Rokudaime Hokage-sama, Genin-person or whatever you'll call him. Tell him you love Uzumaki Naruto; the only person who you loved through all these years even though he was a pea-brained, untalented but hardworking… genin."

Hinata's pearly white eyes shined with awe.

Neji sneezed for the fourth time. He was granted permission to leave the Hyuuga Compound provided that he will never bring the neck contraption within fifty radius of the estate. Neji agreed. He never liked technolog that much. Hyuugas are a little old-fashioned and would stick on the traditional equipments.

"You okay, Tensai?" Shikamaru asked with concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Neji assured his companions. He and Agent Slim returned to the base (some part of the Fire Country Territory) and reported their-or Chouji's, for that matter-immediate retreat from their assignment. Snow White's accomplice had just shown signs of murder mode and the boys were not ready to lose a comrade yet.

He sneezed again. "Must be the weather." His opaque eyes wandered freely across the apparatus Shikamaru was working on. The genius called it "computer" and he was now looking at the 'monitor' projecting an image of Loveless and Shades interrogating a guy to a bloody pulp.

"Still no answer?" Shades asked over his shoulder. They were currently interrogating a genin who visited Hyuuga Hinata. Actually, he just went to the Hyuuga compound to deliver ramen but the boys got paranoid and interrogated him. The poor genin was bleeding badly, chained to the wall while Loveless was sitting in front him.

Loveless looked at him tiredly. "He keeps on repeating and repeating that- ''

"I only went to Hinata-sama to deliver the ramen!" Loveless kicked him.

"Don't interrupt!" Loveless glared. "He said he only went to Hinata-chan to deliver ramen."

"I see," said thoughtfully by Shades. "Red, bite him." The familiar did as he was bid and went to the poor guy. "Pardon but we don't buy that crap."

"But it's the truth!" He screamed as Red got closer to him and lightly bit his leg.

Loveless looked annoyed. "She smiled at you, man! When you were giving the ramen, she smiled at you!" he bellowed. "Do you deny it?"

"But I-!"

"Do you?" Then he started shaking the poor guy.

"I was-!"

"Don't shout at him and answer the question. I tell you, Agent Loveless is being kind to you," Shades said in an icy low voice. "Or do you prefer my method instead? "

The genin looked crazy enough to cry. "No, sir."

"Therefore, did she or did she not smiled at you?"

He gulped. "She did."

"You see?" Loveless directed the question to Shades. "He admits it." He punched the poor individual. "Liar. You told us nothing was going on."

"SHE JUST SMILED! SHE JUST SMILED AT ME! WHAT HAVE I DONE WRONG?" The genin wailed like a wounded calf. "I JUST WANTED TO BE A PART-TIMER! I JUST WANTED TO BE PART OF ICHIRAKU! IS IT A SIN?"

The two jounin glanced at each other and grudgingly nodded in defeat. Shades picked up the phone from his pocket whilst Loveless went to comfort the guy.

His hand wandered to his kunai holster and pulled out a vial containing green unknown liquid. He performed a handful of seals and showered the guy with the contents of the vial. "May you're soul reach heaven and cloud bed is soft." The guy paled. Loveless grinned. "Actually, it's a forgetting potion we got from granny. You won't remember anything that ever happened in this room in just a," he snapped his fingers and the guy instantly fell down, "snap."

"Supreme Intelligence, this is Shades and Loveless reporting." Red started rubbing his head on the back of Shades' legs. "And Red." The dog barked happily, hearing his code name. "The guy's innocent, again. Yes… troublesome. So, did Nice-Guy and Hetachonchires find anything? Not yet? That's bad. What about Tensai's and Slim's assignment? Immediate retreat due to Kunai Buns? Oh, Tenten's with Snow White."

"That's mission impossible for Tensai if Tenten's with Hinata," Kiba commented while treating the genin's wounds with another medicine. "No offense, Tensai!"

"Wait," Shino just remembered something. "Supreme Intelligence, aren't you supposed to be at the parade? Isn't Desert Lily (i.e. Temari) going to kill you?"

"Ohh! That's bad," Kiba mumbled under his breath.

"Troublesome! Chouji take over!"

"How do you use this 'thing'?"

That was the last thing they heard from the cellphone.

"Temari, your boyfriend is not here," Kankurou reminded her again, for the one thousand eighty-ninth time, frantically searching the equally frantic crowd. As if she didn't know he's not around?

"He is not my boyfriend. I repeat, he is not my boyfriend!" The desert lily whispered vehemently to her annoying brother. Still she scanned the crowd, hoping to see a pineapple head guy. 'What's taking him too long?'

"Are you distracted?" Gaara asked her from the front seat.

"Of course not, Gaara-sama," she assured her youngest brother. "Merely… perplexed… because normally Ino would be dragging him across town just to see the parade."

"He might be on a mission," the redhead presumed.

"That's impossible!" she said acidly. "That guy is the laziest ninja I had ever known! I had to force him to take the Jounin Selection Exam just so he could raise himself one level! He's so… so…"

"Troublesome?" Gaara assumed in a calm voice.

"Yeah!" Damn it, she was so angry she could deforest Konoha.

"Temari, may I remind you that no matter how troublesome it is you should not raise your voice in the Kazekage's presence," the puppet-master sweetly reminded his sister.

Temari froze. "Right. Pardon me, Kazekage-sama."

The man in question eyed at her. " It's absurd, this thing you call love."

"I, Rokudaime Hokage-sama, greatly acknowledge your presence and hope to tighten our ties with your country," avowed the blonde who was pacing around the room. Why did he felt so tense all of a sudden?

His cellphone rang. "Hello? Oi, Shikamaru, any news? None…" He sighed. "Yeah… I know. Troublesome. What? Desert Lilly? Oh, you mean Temari! No, they're not here yet. What? Calm down, I can't understand you. Ohh… She'll tear you alive… Well, I'll back you up. Yeah, I'll back you up. What I meant was, I'll do something about it. Don't worry!"

"You better make sure of it!" The call ended.

A knock sounded at the door. "Hokage-sama?" The voice came from Sai.

"Yes?"

"The Kazekage coach is fast approaching."

He straightened his coat and arranged his hat. "I'll be out shortly."

"Troublesome," Supreme Intelligence muttered under his breath.

Tensai looked at him out of the corner of his eye. "What did he say?"

"That he'll back me up. This is troublesome. Troublesome!" The strategist kicked a log, hard. The innocent log dropped to Slim's side. "She'll tear me apart."

"S. I., calm down," said his friend over the monitor. "Rokudaime-sama already said he'd help you."

"That's what I'm worried about!" he snarled and seated himself on the cooling grass. He went meditating, tips of his fingers connected to form a plan.

Tensai stared at the turmoil and smirked. He leaned further against the tree.

After a minute, Supreme Intelligence finally spoke up,"Slim?"

"Ye, S.I.?"

"Contact Hetachonchires, Loveless, Nice-Guy, Red, and Shades. I need them here. Pronto," Shikamaru ordered.

"Yes, sir."

"I may not like it, but we have to use our last resort."

Hetachonchires - It supposed to be a Greek character that I find hard to pronounce. Found it from POT's Fuji Syuusuke's new counter, The Gate Keeper of Hetachonchires. Never really fond of Greek, though.