Naruto and Hinata walked down the dirt roads of Konoha. "Who do you think we should gather for this mission?" Naruto looked at Hinata. "We need to have 3 squads. The normal 3-man is what I was thinking, and Kakashi should be on another team. We'll be able to handle ourselves, but I'm not sure about the other teams.

"U-u-umm, w-well we should b-bring a non-tracker so all 3 c-can have a t-tracker. So Kiba and Shino on d-different teams." Hinata rationalized.

"Why don't we take S-sasuke, N-naruto?" Hinata gazed up at Naruto.

"Sure we can take the dobe. I'll show him that we're just as good as him, but can we leave the Banshee behind?"

"H-hai, no one w-wants her on their t-teams anyways." Hinata concluded.
"I wonder why Naruto is asking me about all this stuff..." Hinata pondered.

-after 20 minutes of walking down the road-

"Lemme get this straight. The teams are you, me, and Sasuke; Choji, Ino, and Shikamaru, and the last team is Shino, Kiba, and Kakashi?" Naruto asked –for the 5th time.

"Y-yes. C-choji, Ino and S-shikamaru work really w-well together. So they didn't need a t-tracker."

"Oh look we're here!" Naruto yelled as he ran up to the Nara household.

"Hey Naruto. Why do you have to be so loud?" Shikamaru glanced at Naruto from his perch in a tree, it was obvious he'd been sleeping. "Hey Hinata how're you?"

"I-I'm good. W-we need to ask you if you come with us on a mission. W-we need you to gather C-choji and Ino and r-report to Tsunade's. W-we're going to gather the r-rest of the groups."

"I'll meet you there." And with that Shikamaru dissipated into the shadows.

"On to Shino's house then?"

"H-hai."

The Aburame family were out studying bugs in the field behind their house. Their mansion was big, but what was the real beauty was the giant Colony House, where they stored different colonies of bugs for research.

"Hey Shino!" Naruto waved hysterically.

Shino walked calmly toward the two of them.

"What is it that you need?" Shino spoke, showing almost no emotion behind his mask.

"There is a crisis at the Sand, we've been sent to organize 3 teams to go and help with... I actually don't know yet. Baa-chan hasn't explained it in full, just get Kiba and Kakashi to head to Hokage's Tower.

She'll probably brief us there."

"Hai Naruto." Shino muttered as he dissolved into bugs.

"Ugh..."Naruto shivered. "That just isn't natural."

"C-come on N-naruto-kun. We have to get Sasuke."

"Hai Hinata! Let's go!"
Naruto blasted off into the trees with Hinata at his tail.

-5 minutes of tree jumping later—

"We're here!" Naruto exclaimed.

"I can see that." Sasuke stated. "but just what is it you're doing here?"

"Sasuke-teme! We need to go to Baa-chan's office for a debriefing. There is trouble in the Sand!"

"What type of trouble?" Sasuke questioned.

"..."

"..."

"You don't know do you."

"That's why we need to go to Hokage's Tower. Come on Dobe!" Naruto leapt away with Hinata at his side.

Sasuke followed after sitting a moment and looking back through the kitchen window, at the only picture in the Uchiha Estate that he didn't burn of his brother.