The Mission Continues

Naruto arrived in the main hall and saw Hinata and Hiashi having tea.

Hiashi saw Naruto and said calmly, "You're here."

Hinata called softly, "Naruto-kun, you're here."

Naruto politely greeted Hiashi. "Hello, Uncle Hiashi. I'm leaving the village on a mission tomorrow, so I came to say goodbye. I was also hoping to take Hinata out for a walk." With that, he smiled at Hinata.

Hinata's face immediately turned red, and she lowered her head. Seeing her like that, Naruto was instantly smitten and gazed at her without blinking.

When Hiashi saw the two of them, he cleared his throat. They both snapped out of it, embarrassed.

Once Naruto had recovered, Hiashi said, "Oh, you're leaving the village on a mission? I thought you'd only graduated recently. Shouldn't you be doing D-rank missions in the village?"

Naruto replied confidently, "That's right, but D-rank missions are meant to help teammates build rapport. Sasuke and I have trained and sparred together since we were little, so we already work well together. As for Sakura, we can help her improve as we go.

"Besides, D-rank missions aren't much of a challenge for Sasuke or me. So I asked Kakashi-sensei to get us a higher-rank mission. It'll give us more of a chance to train."

Hiashi knew how strong Naruto was, so he said, "That's probably for the best. It'll help you improve."

Hinata said worriedly, "Naruto-kun, won't it be dangerous?"

Naruto smiled. "It'll be fine, Hinata. Besides, how can I protect you if I don't try to get stronger?"

At the thought of Naruto protecting her, Hinata lowered her head again, bashful. She was very happy.

Hiashi was also pleased to hear Naruto say that. "That's right. Young people should work hard to improve their strength. That's the only way to protect the people they care about. Hinata, you don't need to worry either. With Naruto's strength, do you really think he'll get hurt?"

Hinata knew she was worrying too much. With Naruto-kun's strength, nothing was likely to happen to him. Hiashi's question made her blush even more.

Hiashi knew what his daughter was like, so he said nothing more. Instead, he turned to Naruto. "Naruto, even though you and Hinata are only dating right now, I can tell you truly want to be with her. So I don't consider you an outsider. Take this." Hiashi pulled an envelope from inside his clothes and handed it to Naruto.

Naruto accepted it and asked in confusion, "Uncle Hiashi, what's this?"

"It's just some money," Hiashi said calmly. "When someone from the Hyuga Clan goes on a mission, how could we let the team leader pay out of his own pocket? Don't refuse. Since you're with Hinata, you're practically my son, too."

Naruto had been about to refuse, but Hiashi had put it that way, so he had no choice but to accept. He thanked Hiashi politely. "I understand. Thank you."

Hiashi waved a hand. "All right, go have fun. Just don't stay out too late." Naruto replied, "We won't." Then he and Hinata headed out together.

As they walked along Konoha's main street, Naruto said, "By the way, Hinata, I saw Neji when I came to find you earlier. He's still the same, isn't he?"

Hinata answered sadly, "Yes. Neji seems to be getting colder and colder. I'm worried about him, but I don't know how to comfort him."

Seeing how downcast Hinata looked, Naruto reassured her. "It's okay. I've finally figured out how to break the Caged Bird Seal. That's what's making him grow colder and colder. I'm sure he'll be better once we remove it.

"Besides, Uncle Hiashi has finally gained control over all of the Hyuga Clan's power. I'm sure those old fogies won't dare oppose him anymore. They might object when Uncle Hiashi tries to remove the Caged Bird Seal, but they won't be able to make much trouble. You don't need to worry."

Hinata asked excitedly, "Really, Naruto-kun? You can really break the Caged Bird Seal?"

"Of course," Naruto said proudly. "Do you even know who your future husband is? How could a little thing like the Caged Bird Seal stump me?"

Hearing Naruto call himself her future husband, Hinata lowered her head shyly, her cheeks red. Seeing her like that, Naruto was once again captivated.

He led Hinata beneath a tree and sat down, holding her in his arms. "Hinata, you're just too cute. I can never get enough of looking at you. What am I supposed to do? It makes me so sad to think I won't see you for several days."

Hinata lowered her head, cheeks red, and replied in a tiny voice, "I feel the same." But Naruto still heard her. Tenderly, he lifted her head, which she had lowered out of shyness.

They gazed into each other's eyes, seeing the deep affection they shared. At last, Naruto lowered his head and kissed Hinata. She closed her eyes and returned his passionate kiss. The setting sun over Konoha shone down on them, stretching the shadows of the two young lovers locked in an embrace far, far across the ground.

Early the next morning, Naruto arrived at the village gate, where they were supposed to meet. He was in a great mood and cheerfully took the lead. "All right, let's get going! We're off to the Land of Waves!"

Sasuke asked in confusion, "Naruto, you seem really happy today. I've never seen you this excited."

Sakura chimed in, "Yeah, Naruto. What's got you so happy?"

Naruto grinned foolishly. "It's nothing, nothing. I'm just excited because it's my first time leaving the village." Sasuke still looked suspicious, but said nothing.

Kakashi led the group of four. As they passed a puddle, Naruto immediately sensed that the water was created with a transformation technique. Kakashi didn't make a move, so Naruto kept quiet.

Naruto glanced at Sasuke beside him and saw Sasuke watching him. It was clear he'd noticed it too. Naruto nodded at Sasuke, who then returned to normal.

Kakashi deliberately fell behind. As soon as he passed the puddle, two ninja leaped out of it, wearing gloves linked by a sharp chain. They used the chain together to "dismember" Kakashi, then said, "First one."

They turned and attacked Naruto with the chain, saying, "Second one." Sakura was so frightened by the sudden turn of events that she couldn't move, but Naruto and Sasuke weren't.

Just as they charged at Naruto, he vanished from in front of them and reappeared behind one of them. Sasuke appeared behind the other, and the two of them each delivered a hard punch to the idiots.

They sent the two men flying. Seeing they couldn't take down Naruto and Sasuke, the two ninja immediately charged toward Tazuna. Sakura was still too scared to move.

Naruto and Sasuke were about to go after them when they saw the two men fly backward even faster than before. Kakashi appeared at the same time, alive and well despite having been "dismembered."

Sakura exclaimed in relief, "Kakashi-sensei, you're alive! I thought you were dead."

Naruto said, "Kakashi-sensei, are you done pretending to be dead? Sasuke and I were about to start planning your funeral."

Kakashi had been in a decent mood, but it immediately soured. He looked at Naruto reproachfully. "Naruto, why do you sound so disappointed that I'm still alive?"

Naruto replied lazily, "A teacher who makes his cute students worry might as well be dead."

Kakashi said helplessly, "But I showed up in time, didn't I? Besides, with you two here, nothing would've happened even if I hadn't stepped in. Naruto, you're too gentle with Sakura. That's not good."

Naruto was at a loss for words. "All right, I admit you're right. But Sakura's a girl, after all. We should let her find out how cruel the world is a little later."

Hearing Naruto's words, Kakashi thought with a sigh, He really is a kind person.

After hearing their exchange, Sakura thanked Naruto. "I'm okay, Naruto. I knew that, really. I just hadn't gotten used to it yet. I'll adjust soon." As she spoke, she raised a fist as if to encourage herself.

Naruto smiled too. "All right. I believe you can do it."

At that point, Kakashi turned to Tazuna. "Mr. Tazuna, I think you owe me an explanation."

Under Kakashi's gaze, Tazuna looked extremely uneasy. He stammered, "W-what?"

Kakashi said, "C-rank missions don't involve ninja. At most, you might encounter some bandits. The moment ninja are involved, it becomes a B-rank mission.

"I hid just now because I wanted to see who they were targeting. It's clear they were after you, which means this mission is at least B-rank. You concealed its true difficulty. We have the right to cancel it."

Tazuna realized he couldn't keep pretending, so he had no choice but to explain. "Do you know about the Land of Waves? It's an island nation controlled by an unscrupulous businessman named Gato. The country is so poor that I can't afford the fee for a high-rank mission.

"He controls all the ports, and I'm the only one who can build a bridge connecting us to other countries. That bridge could give the Land of Waves hope again, and he's afraid it'll threaten his power.

"If you don't protect me, Gato will kill me. So I'm hoping you'll continue to protect me and let me finish building the bridge. Of course, the choice is yours. Whatever you decide is fine."

After listening to Tazuna, Kakashi turned to Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura. "You decide. Should we continue or cancel the mission? The choice is yours."

Naruto and Sasuke both fell silent. Sakura nervously said to them, "Sasuke, Naruto, let's cancel the mission. A mission above B-rank seems like too much for us this early on."

Naruto smiled at Sakura. "I think we should continue the mission. We've already accepted it, so we should see it through, shouldn't we?"

Sakura was still a little afraid. She tried to persuade them. "But—but we have the right to cancel the mission!"

Sasuke said coldly, "I choose to continue, too."

Sakura exclaimed in surprise, "Even you, Sasuke?"

Naruto smiled at Sakura. "I know you're a little scared, but Sasuke, Kakashi-sensei, and I will protect you. Besides, it's not easy to get a high-rank mission. I'd hate to give it up just like that. And I promised Hinata and Hanabi I'd bring them back souvenirs. How could I quit?"

Seeing that both Sasuke and Naruto were determined to complete the mission, Sakura had no choice but to say, "All right."

When Sakura agreed, Naruto excitedly told Kakashi, "Kakashi-sensei, the mission's still on!"

Kakashi was relieved that they hadn't given up just because the mission was more difficult. Smiling, he said, "Then, Team 7, the mission continues." After making the announcement, he smiled at Sakura. "Sakura, don't worry. Your teacher will protect you."