The Path Of a Hunternin

Counter Intelligence

The sunlight presented in Konoha and the people were gathering on the streets. The shinobis were already hopping on top of the buildings rushing to their destinations. However, some ninjas didn't need to worry about waking up soon. Those were the shinobis who fulfilled their services inside the village. That was the case of one Inuzuka Hana. As the head of the veterinary center of Konoha, she had to be there every day at 9am. So, she usually wakes up when her dogs call her. Today wasn't any different as one of the triplets jumped to her bed, thus waking her up.

Opening her eyes, Hana was aware of one of her dogs waking her up and got up, before looking straight for the window of her bedroom. From there, she could see her clan's house and some land of Konoha. After a bark from one of her companions, she turned and smiled at the dog, only to realize that this one was the one who Naruto got to scratch its ears. She still wondered what this was supposed to mean, simply because up until the blond, no one aside from her family was able to get close to her dogs and even be able to caress its ears. "What do you want to tell me? Do you like him?" – Asked the girl to the dog, before said animal barked in response and started licking her. Hana giggled at the dog's behavior and got her answer. Getting out of the bed, she went to the bathroom to take a bath and then dress up to meet her mother for breakfast.

Downstairs, she looked at the table only to see Tsume Inuzuka petting her companion close to the ear. "Good morning Kaa-san? Slept well?" – Greeted Hana as she opened the fridge and grabbed some orange juice, before sitting on the table. Tsume looked at her daughter and smiled before saying that her night was okay. Said woman was looking intently at Hana while she drank the juice and Tsume knew her daughter's curiosity didn't phase one bit. Tsume always wondered why her daughter didn't find one person that she liked on a date. Apart from the jerks she dated, so far no one was considerate of her attention. Now, after she returned from that mission with the hunter-nin, she knew what her daughter was thinking about. All Inuzuka women were the same in a way; they all have fantasies of strong men and their strong personalities. That hunter-nin must have caused some serious impressions on her daughter for her to be this curious.

"Hana-chan, tell me what's wrong? You look like you have a doubt in your mind and you can't solve, tell me about it" – Asked Tsume to which Hana looked at her mother, while wondering if she was this obvious. "I don't know mother, I can't take my head off that hunter-nin. He bothers me like no other men ever did. First, he was able to caress one of my triplets like he was one of our own and then, when he fought Kuromaru's pups, he was careful not to hurt them as in he knew about the owner's feelings towards our companions. Aside from the family, no one ever did that before" – Stated Hana to which Tsume nodded before smiling from knowing that it was the hunter-nin after all. "I admit that shinobi like this is tough to find, but they do exist. You seem very fond of this hunter-nin person. Do I know him?" – Asked Tsume to which Hana looked at her mother as if she was afraid of telling the man's identity.

"I think you do, but the Hokage prohibited me of saying his name, sorry mother" – Said Hana to which Tsume acknowledged and dismissed the issue of the man's identity. Nonetheless, she saw how said subject was influencing her daughter, so she asked different questions. "Well, if Tsunade-sama told you that, guess it must be important. Well, tell me more about him. You said he used fuuton ninjutsu to beat Takashi, right?" – Asked Tsume to which Hana nodded. "Yes, from what I saw of the technique, it was like a horizontal tornado that went forward and attacked the enemy, just like our family's Gatsuuga, but definitely stronger. Also, I sensed traces of katon chakra so I guess he's proficient in both areas of ninjutsu. Also, he seemed to have a large chakra capacity, since he was able to summon 50 kage bunshins and wasn't even fazed" – Explained Hana, before hearing a whistle in amazement from Tsume.

"Ok, so he's good in ninjutsu, but how about close contact?" – Asked Tsume to which Hana answered saying he was also proficient with a katana. "So, If you what you said is true, then he is at least jounin level. Mastery of two elements and proficiency in kenjutsu, he has all the attributes of a jounin. Now, be serious with me Hana-chan, I'm sure you're not thinking of his abilities, simply because while he seems like a good shinobi, this village produced one of the best in the elemental nations. What is it that you are curious about?" – Asked Tsume, now trapping Hana who in turn wondered how well her mother knew her if she was able to read her face expression so easily. Nonetheless, this was a question she couldn't answer without breaking Naruto's identity, so she used the excuse of how late she was and said goodbye to her mother, who although surprised at her daughter's behavior, couldn't help but smile at seeing her daughter having strong feelings for someone. At least, Tsume would get some answers with the Hokage.