Together, We Are a Team

Hinata wiped away the sweat on her forehead and shifted back into a fighting stance. She then charged at Tenten and just as Tenten was about to block her hit, Hinata ducked down and kicked Tenten's feet off the floor.

Tenten winced as she hit the ground and quickly rolled to the side before Hinata could strike her with her palm.

Hinata didn't give her any time to recover and as soon as Tenten got back up, she attempted to strike again.

Tenten's eyes widened and she gasped when Hinata managed to hit her shoulder, causing her to stumble back. She held out her hand in defeat. "You win, Lady Hinata."

Hinata simply smirked and then she smiled brightly at the children who were gazing back in awe at her.

"Taijutsu is super important for a ninja. It enables you to have close hand-to-hand battles and improves your physical strength, as you guys saw demonstrated by Lady Hinata. Let's give her a round of applause!" Tenten clapped along with the children. "Alright, let's go inside and review before you guys go home!"

"They're so precious. I can't wait to see them lead us in the future." Hinata sighed contently and fixed her robe. "I'm sorry if I hit you a little too hard."

"No worries! And yes, we never know what they're truly capable of. It's always a pleasure to be able to teach the next generation of shinobi. Thanks for coming by, Lady Hinata...your skills have improved. I was a little surprised at how fast your reflexes were." Tenten replied as she tightened her weapon pouch round her waist "Neji would have been proud to see how great you've become."

Hinata's eyes saddened at the mention of her dead cousin. She knew he and Tenten had yet to establish an official relationship, but she saw the way they looked at each other. It was truly a tragedy that they didn't get to be together.

"He'd be proud of you, too, Tenten."

"...thanks." Tenten gave her a genuine smile. "I'll take it from here, since I know you're busy. Thanks for coming again." She made a small bow to Hinata.

"Just let me know anytime you need me again, ok?" Hinata smiled back at her and waved goodbye as Tenten went inside the academy along with the children.

She wiped some dirt away from the bottom of her robe and then proceeded to walk out of the academy. To be honest, she truly did enjoy teaching kids like this. It felt good to see how their eyes lit up in hope and in awe whenever she had the chance to show them anything.

Her eyes looked up at the sky and she guessed it was probably a little past noon right now...which meant she should be heading back to the Konoha headquarters right now to check up on the trading stocks. She also remembered that she had to send out people to restore medical supplies at the hospital.

"...I wonder what Naruto's doing..." Hinata sighed. Sometimes she wished they could have the same duties so that they could see each other more often. She really did miss him more each day, especially since they've gotten so much closer as husband and wife now.

She wondered if he was in love with her yet, considering everything he's been doing lately. Though she desperately wanted him to feel the same way and love her like she loved him, she knew she had to be patient. She wouldn't rush him or force him to come to a conclusion about his feelings yet because honestly...she was scared. She feared that even if he did come to love her, he would still have a place in his heart for Sakura. She feared that she would never be able to compare to what Sakura meant to him. How much she loved Naruto, that was probably how much Naruto loved Sakura.

She was quickly torn out of her thoughts when she felt a chakra coming up fast behind her.

"Lady Hinata, the Hokage has requested your presence at the the headquarters."

Hinata nearly jumped at the sudden voice behind her and she turned to see Shino. Her eyes immediately lit up. "Shino! My goodness, I haven't seen you like 3 months!"

"The Hokage sent me on a mission and I just recently returned. I hope you have been well." Shino made a small bow to her.

"Yes, I've been ok. It's just been a bit busy lately because the Chunin Exams just ended." Hinata let out a small sigh. "...oh! What were you saying earlier?"

"Ah, the Hokage wanted you in his office."

"Now?"

"Yes, immediately."

Hinata blinked curiously. He's never once requested her presence before. Was it something urgent?

"Ok, let's go, then."

Naruto was standing in his office, looking out at the village.

He felt a little worried about this upcoming mission...partly because he was going to send Hinata on it. He couldn't find anyone else with the abilities he wanted, so she was the best option. Yes, she was his wife, and yes, she was the head Lady of the village, but more than that, she was still a kunoichi.

"Hokage? You called me?"

Naruto turned around to see Kiba. This was another reason why he was worried. He was sending out his wife with her two former teammates...and he knew they were just close friends, but it still bothered him to see her with any other man.

He's been wondering why he felt like this, though. The only jealousy he's ever known was whenever he saw Sakura and Sasuke together, but with Hinata...he just felt so much more irritated and annoyed whenever she was with another man. He seriously wanted to pummel down whoever even looked at her with any sense of desire in their eyes.

But, he quickly put aside his emotions and focused on the mission at task. He knew they worked well as a team. Since the Fourth Great Ninja War, he also knew they have yet to spend time together as a team since he and Hinata got married shortly after. Their chemistry and their skill as a team was what he needed the most for this mission. He shouldn't be allowing his own personal feelings to get in the way of crucial matters like this.

"Yes. I have an A-Rank mission for Team 8." Naruto nodded.

"Team 8? Then that means Shino and Lady Hinata-," Kiba was cut off when the door opened to reveal none other than Hinata and Shino.

She walked in and blinked curiously when she saw Kiba. "Kiba...?" She glanced at Naruto, wondering why her team was called.

"Alright, since Team 8 is here, I'll explain the details of this mission."

Hinata's eyes widened. A mission? "Team 8...then, Kurenai Sensei, too?"

Naruto shook his head. "No, I decided to leave her out because the ninja academy is promoting the young ninjas to Genin level, soon. Kurenai's daughter will be promoted along with the class."

Hinata simply nodded. Though she was still a little surprised that he would send his own wife on a mission, she knew that she was a kunoichi before she was anything else. She would gladly honor the ninja way, whether she was married or not. And considering the fact that Naruto was sending her out on a mission proved that he too, knew the importance of her being a shinobi.

"You guys have great team chemistry...and that's crucial to this mission." Naruto picked up three scrolls from his desk and threw it to each one of them. "These scrolls contain confidential information pertaining to the main five Hidden villages. I repeat, it is confidential information. Do not open them, do not peek, do not even have the slightest hint of curiosity. Do I make myself clear?"

The three of them were a bit taken back by his seriousness and just nodded without hesitation.

"Good. Now again, this is an A-rank mission. It is a state-level matter. I need you three to deliver these three scrolls to Kumogakure in the Land of Lightning. Make sure it gets to the Raikage. The reason why this mission is dangerous, is because there has been recent attacks in the mountain regions leading up the village. From what I've heard, these ninjas are not typical...they're rebels."

Hinata narrowed her eyes. "Rebels?" She didn't get it. How can there be rebels? The Fourth Great Ninja War just ended. The Five Great Shinobi Nations were an allied force now. There shouldn't be any logical reasoning why there would be ninjas rebelling...unless they apposed the alliance of the shinobi nations.

"Yes. Rebel ninjas. I'm pretty sure the Raikage will send in security forces to make sure they aren't a problem anymore, but until that happens, there will more attacks. Just beware of your surroundings. Kiba, you have Akamaru, so I know you two will have keen senses when it comes to checking the perimeter. Shino, your bugs will be a huge help if you guys end up going in battle. Hinata, your Byakugan is pretty self explanatory. If I don't hear you guys report back in a week, I will send reinforcements."

"When do we leave?"

Naruto let out a small sigh and stayed quiet for a few moments before he replied. "Immediately."

They didn't say anything further and just bowed to Naruto before they turned to go.

"...wait, Hinata. Stay for a minute." Naruto glanced at Kiba and Shino. They both understood and left first, closing the door behind them.

"Sorry that I have to send you." Naruto apologized and walked over to her.

"Why are you apologizing? I understand my duty." Hinata reassured him. "We'll be apart for a whole week, though. I won't be too fond of that."

Naruto laughed softly. "Yea...I know. Just be careful, ok?"

"Mm. I'll take my leave, then." Hinata took a step back. "We'll be sure to report back. Failure won't be an option for us."

"Ah." Naruto quickly grabbed her hand and pulled her back before she turned to go. Hinata was taken by surprise when he lifted up her chin and kissed her lightly on the lips. "You can't leave for a whole week without giving me that."

Hinata blushed at his statement and then she let out a small laugh. "...I'll take my leave now Naruto." She said once again.

This time, Naruto let her go and he watched as she departed from him and closed the door. Man...a whole week of not seeing her was going to be torture for him.

After packing a few things, they all met up at the gate.

"Did something good happen?" Kiba immediately teased her when he noticed her dazed expression.

Hinata blushed and she slightly glared at him. "No, nothing happened." She hated how they saw right through her. She could never keep secrets from them.

Kiba just smirked at her response and shrugged. "Alrighty, whatever you say."

Hinata pouted and she turned away from him, tightening her bag over her shoulders. She couldn't help it. Just thinking about how Naruto's been lately made her heart race. She never imagined him to be so intimate with her like this. It was a bit overwhelming. "Anyways...you guys ready?"

Kiba and Shino both nodded at her.

"Sorry, Shino. You just came back from another mission and now you're doing one right after."

"I have nothing better to do." Shino just shrugged.

"Keh. At least you get two missions in a row. This is the most exciting thing I've done since the war was over!" Kiba crossed his arms and jumped onto Akamaru.

Hinata took out a small map from her bag and examined it. "It'll take us about three days to get there and three days to get back. So it's six days in total for this whole mission. We'll take a short rest once we reach Shimogakure, near the Land of Lightning's border."

"Sounds good. Let's get going then. We'll have to be there by the time the sun sets." Kiba patted Akamaru to indicate him to start running. "Hope you two can keep up with Akamaru!"

"That won't be a problem," Shino muttered as he also dashed ahead.

Hinata followed closely along, tagging right alongside Akamaru. "Don't worry about me. My speed has increased, also."

Kiba smirked at his two teammates. "Feels kinda good to be with you two again!"

Hinata let out a small laugh and Shino simply pushed his glasses up in agreement.

"Oi, Hinata-ah...I mean, Lady Hinata," Kiba quickly corrected himself. "So when are we gonna see miniatures of you and the Hokage?"

Hinata's eyes widened and she felt herself turning red. "W...what?" Wow, she hasn't stuttered in nearly 2 years. What the heck was with that question coming out of nowhere?!

Kiba laughed at her expression and Shino smirked. "Well, I mean, you two are going to have children, right?"

"O...of course! But it's not even a year since we've gotten married! We haven't even discussed about having a family...we're too busy with our duties enough as it is." Hinata quickly defended. To be honest, she did think about having a family, but she and Naruto haven't even done that yet. It'll probably be a while before she even conceives a child. And they just started getting comfortable with being affectionate towards each other, so Hinata knew they both needed time before they even discussed the topic of having a family.

"You two could be busy with your duties together, if you know what I mean-,"

"Kiba!" Hinata was sure that she looked like a tomato right now. How dare he say such...such dirty and vulgar things!

Kiba couldn't stop laughing at her reactions. Akamaru barked along, indicating that he found it funny, too, and even Shino looked like he was amused by all this.

Hinata could only glare at them and stayed speechless. Gosh, no matter what position she held in Konoha, she was sure that they were going to find some way to tease her.

"Just kidding! We're just excited. It'd actually be cool to see you and Naruto have kids soon, though." Kiba wiped away the tears that formed at the corner of his eyes from laughing so hard.

"On a more serious note, who is going to lead this mission?" Shino quickly changed the subject, knowing that Hinata was getting slightly uncomfortable with the topic.

"I will." Hinata said immediately without hesitation, much to Kiba and Shino's surprise. "I believe I am ready to take control of a top-rank mission. Since I am also the Head Lady of Konoha now, let me prove to you guys that I am capable of being a leader."

They both didn't say anything more and instead, just stared at her proudly. They knew she always had a heart of determination and perseverance, but seeing that she took actions to become someone strong and confident enough to lead an A-rank mission was something new.

"You don't have to prove anything to us, Lady Hinata. We will gladly follow your lead for this mission."

"...kage...Hokage...Hokage!"

Naruto snapped out of his daze and turned his attention back to Shikamaru, who looked annoyed as hell. "Sorry, what did you say?"

"Geez..." Shikamaru let out a sigh and crossed his arms. "...we're supposed to head down to check the security forces today. The Raikage sent notice for us to prepare in case the rebel ninjas move out towards Konoha."

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "...they're coming towards Konoha?"

"Possibly. Within 3 days, the Raikage will send out some ninjas to stop the attacks in the mountains, but he can't guarantee that he can stop all of them. Frankly, he doesn't know how many of them there are...and if he can't get rid of all of them, he's guessing their next target will be here."

'Hinata.' That was the first thing that came to Naruto's mind. If Kumogakure's ninjas can't stop all of the rebels and the rebels did head towards Konoha...it would mean that Team 8 would be directly in the middle. They would be heading straight towards the rebels.

"Shit." Naruto stood up and Shikamaru quickly followed him as he dashed out of his office and headed out to the Konoha Security headquarters.

"Notify Lee to gather up and lead Sasuke, Sakura, Sai, and Ino in a mission right now."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. "Right now?"

"Yes, right now!" Naruto hissed. "I sent Hinata, Kiba and Shino to Kumogakure to deliver three secret scrolls. I cannot risk the information in those scrolls to be revealed, especially to rebel ninjas. And I don't know if Team 8 will be outnumbered, so notify Lee to gather those people as a reinforcement team right now!"

"Got it. I'll meet you at the security headquarters as soon as I'm done." Shikamaru nodded and then quickly went on his own way.

Naruto's hands clenched into fists. He knew something was wrong...he's been having that weird feeling lately.

Like something bad was going to happen.

Within a matter of a few a minutes, Sasuke, Sakura, Sai and Ino were dashing alongside Lee and Shikamaru.

"Rebel ninjas?" Sasuke narrowed his eyes.

"Yes. There's a possibility that they might head towards Konoha and Team 8 is on their way to deliver important information so they'll be at risk. The Hokage wants you guys to head out now because they might be in danger."

"Team 8...then that means Kiba and Shino, and Lady Hinata!" Sakura's eyes widened.

"Exactly. Remember that you guys are just reinforcements and the mission is to get the scrolls to the Raikage at all cost. Lee, I trust that you will know what to do if you guys happen to meet the rebels."

Lee nodded and pumped his fist into air. "I'll be sure to protect both my comrades and get the scrolls safely to the Raikage!"

"Good. This mission is effective immediately. Move out."

All credits to the author and Masashi
Kishimoto