Hitomi had noticed that the watch over her in the village had tightened somewhat, but not enough to draw suspicion from other ninjas. 'So you're making your move old monkey.' Another thing that changed and was more noticeable was that the missions she was given were exclusively done with teams, never solo. 'Maybe he's waiting for me to slip up.' She was currently resting in a small plaza close to the training grounds. "Mother!" Hanabi came rushing to her, nursing a bump on her forehead. "Oh, come here." This girl had managed to carve a place for herself in that jaded heart like her half-sister. "What happened?" The brunette pointed to a trio of older kids with a certain headband, who were clearly retreating at her sight. 'Bullies?' She put a hand on Hanabi's head and directed some healing chakra to the bump, making it better. "Mother will take care of this, wait here."
"Shit! Why is that outsider here!?" The bigger boy of the group was cursing their luck. They ran like bitches, hoping that they had lost the woman. "So you bullied my kid...?" There was a screeching halt, as the female was right on their escape path. "Not going to answer?" Her killing intent made them hallucinate a huge tiger about to devour them. "Will you repeat it?" Her smile was as sweet as licorice, which only made them more scared. "No madam!" Hitomi gave them a last smile and turned away. "Good boys."
Mother and daughter walked back to the compound, spotting an exhausted Hinata trudging slowly in the same direction. "Which kind of missions?" The look they got was of defeat. "Was I that hard to care for as a baby?" Oh dear, the dreaded D-ranks that every ninja and their grandmother hated. "So it was babysitting then."
A few weeks later, both Team 7 and 8 met at the Hokage office to finally get their first C-rank mission. Hiruzen watched the two groups and selected the missions for each one. "Kakashi, your team will escort a bridge builder to his native land, the Land of Waves. Meet here at ten tomorrow." He turned to the trackers. "As for you, there's a caravan for a nearby village towards the north. Be at the gates at midday sharp." The two jōnin bowed to their leader and went with their teams to get ready.
Kurenai had been curious about how exactly Team 7 got a pass, as Kakashi was notorious for having a 100% fail rate for the genin assigned to him. But that didn't matter right now. "This will be your first mission out from the village's walls." The Yuuhi wanted the best chance of survival for her students. "Stock up on quality weapons and food rations, in case we get attacked by bandits." Shino raised a hand. "But we might get attacked by nuke-nin as well, for they also work as mercenaries in certain cases." The woman nodded. "Correct, we might be relatively safe by being close to Konoha, but that is no reason to lower our guard." She smiled sadly, if these kids were the norm among graduates, the mortality rate would be much lower. "Dismissed."
A peculiar sparrow flew from a certain office's window and went to a certain female. "So those pricks are going there..." Hitomi fiddled with a piece of paper, mulling over the words. "Brother... I should inform him." She wrote a quick note and gave it to the bird, letting it depart to its destination. 'Maybe I can make those two meet.' A raven came into existence before her and was tasked with delivering a different message to a certain group.
The felines had broken off the wolf group for their duties, promising to meet up someday. And a new split seemed to be imminent. "Oh~ so Tsun-tsun wants to know our medical procedures?" Kyou was smiling like a Chesire at the interest of the Senju. "Quit with the nickname! And I want to learn it so I can improve my own skills, and that counseling business you mentioned sounds like what I need as well." Shizune was happy for her master, she had carried a crux for so long, suffering for it, but now she was starting to shed it. "Very well, so I shall guide you two to the other continent, you better prepare yourselves."
Kigen was frowning at this, while Roppoi soothed Naruto, as the didn't want them to leave. "Calm down, my pup, we might stay apart for now, but we will meet again when time is right." The little fox shook his head. "I want them to stay with us!" The black wolf brushed his bristled fur. "Tsunade needs help, she has wounds on her heart that doctors back home can help heal." Blue eyes met golden ones. "But she is fine... right?" The female shook her head. "It's not a real wound, it's more like a deep sadness that she has to learn how to make it get smaller." This made Naruto accept better the parting, having lived with a similar grief until he met these strange canids.
Hiruzen saw his chance when the child of the foreigner finally became part of the shinobi system and was out on a mission, he had the hold over the woman and he would get his answers. "ANBU, go to your assignments." He disliked to bring out open animosity against his charges, but in this case, it was a necessary evil. He checked over some files once again, mainly a blood sample analysis that partially matched the woman to the feline beasts. 'To put an agent within Konoha, hidden in plain sight...' Sarutobi Hiruzen wouldn't forgive an attempt on the village he swore to protect, even if he had to make an entire clan or several his enemy in the process.
Hitomi was facing the Hokage once again along with her fellow clan leaders and teammates, standing before select few ANBU with chains over her. "Hey monkey, care to explain this treatment?" The woman's smirk unnerved the crowd as if she cared little for her situation or had a hidden ace. "Silence Hitomi, I shall make the questions here." She whistled mockingly. "So you finally inflated your shriveled nuts." Tsume had to choke back a giggle and Hitomi's laughter made the Hokage cringe slightly. "Are you in league with the beasts of the new continent?" Hitomi put up a neutral face. "I 'am' one of these beasts, as you must have figured." There was a chatter rising at this claim. "What are your intentions by coming to Konoha?" Hiruzen felt that things were going too smoothly with her compliance. "Oh... that. I was bored with the constant war back home, so I decided to make a private test."
"Which kind of test?" Hitomi smiled. "A simple one, what will happen when you cross the most apart branches of a tree?" Hiruzen frowned at this. "What about your matrimony to Hiashi?" The woman smirked. "He's nothing compared to my past lovers, they were much more... satisfying." Tsume had to hide her smirk. "Do you act as a spy?" Hiruzen went to the important part. "We Henran have no need for your backwater techniques or location. We came here to keep watch on the moves of a bitter foe of us." Hitomi had a serious expression. "My tribe, along with their allies, have been involved in a centuries old war" This alarmed the Hokage, because if the war had bled over the Elemental Nations... "But my existence is insignificant. If you kill me, my daughter shall be taken by summons per my will. Even if I am the child of a leader, my life has no value." She was ready to die right now, it was no different from the battlefields she had to face in the past, despite the lack of bloodshed and action.
Tsume and Shibi knew this side of her very well, having glimpsed parts of it during missions. "If I may comment, Lord Hokage, our teammate might disregard her life, but what about her tribe?" The Aburame's glasses glinted eerily. "From what I have garnered by observing Hitomi, her kind has strong bonds among fellow warriors." In other words, kill her and the village might get retaliation from the foreign beasts, and they could bring it down if they wanted. "I see..."
The sparrow sent for Wave had landed by a giant bear, gesturing to the paper on its leg. "Why would she sent a message now?" A man walked in, ignored by the animal, and picked the mail. "Well... she didn't say anything about not maiming, only to not kill." The bear snorted at this and approached the man, clearly interested. "Konoha ninja, one of them is Kakashi Hatake." Now it plopped down on his mat, huffing in mockery. "So you wanted the green one..." The male sighed, his partner could be a pain to deal with. "Once we finish with that tyrant, we will go to Konoha."
Author note? Team 7 shall go on the standard Wave mission, but with extras, and Team 8 might meet a certain wolf group.
Well... there's a poll about Hinata in my profile, vote, please. m(_ _)m