A Growing Affection

Chapter 91: The Gravest Matters

"Good morning, Naruto, Hinata, Sakura," the Hokage greeted the members of Team Kakashi, as Shizune led them into her office.

"What's up, Gramma Tsunade?" Naruto asked apprehensively, "Kakashi-sensei made it sound pretty urgent on the phone."

"It  is," Tsunade nodded, "Even though the three of you had the last week  off; after the beating Hinata received on Saturday, I would rather she  had more than one day to recuperate. But this mission is of the utmost  importance, and it needs a Byakugan user. So with Neji out of commission  for the next few days and most of the other active Hyuga shinobi  already in the field, Team Kakashi is my only option."

"I'm  alright, Lady Tsunade," Hinata could not remove the grin from her face,  and Tsunade's eyes were drawn to the young woman's left hand. Her ring  was beautiful, and the Sannin could not repress a slightly twinge of  jealousy.

"Good," their boss responded to the reassurance evenly.  She took out the folder, looking over it once before handing it to  Hinata.

"This is an A-Rank mission, and time is of the essence,"  Tsunade began, and then she settled back into her chair to explain in  detail.

"Over the last few months there has been a series of  incidents of thieves plundering tombs and ruins in the Lands of Earth,  Air, and Fire, and the smaller surrounding nations," the Hokage  announced, "The graverobbers had mainly been hitting lesser targets, and  we haven't had much to go on. But last Friday they broke into the tomb  of the second Kazekage. Needless to say, the Sand Village is furious,  and they have asked for our help."

Sakura nodded, while Naruto refused to look up from the floor.

"And  yesterday we had a break," the Hokage continued, "A stronghold of the  Senju Clan, buried in a battle hundreds of years ago, was unearthed last  month. Some suspicious characters were asking about the dig in the  village nearby. And one of them matches a rough description of a thief  suspected in one of the Land of Earth robberies."

"So you want us to go to this site and try to catch these thieves," Sakura prompted.

"You  are to find the culprits, yes," Tsunade informed them, "But we also  need to know if they are part of larger group, and where the things they  stole are. Whether you do so by following them, or by catching and  interrogating them is up to you."

"However," the elder healer  fixed a canny eye on Naruto, "This is an important cultural find, and  part of my clan's history, so try not to destroy it, OK?"

"Why do you need a Hyuga for this mission?" Hinata asked curiously.

"To  deal with my clan's traps, should you have to follow them into the  fort," the leader of the Leaf shinobi answered, "Also, if you choose to  track them, your eyes will make things much easier."

Both young women nodded, but a shudder went down Naruto's spine.

"Hinata,  I'm placing you in charge for this mission. You three had better get  moving," the Hokage instructed, "You need to get to the dig before  nightfall."

"Yes, ma'am," they all barked. As they turned to  leave, Naruto's movements were somewhat stiff. Once they were out of  earshot, he stopped trying to hide his discomfort.

"Man, why'd we  have to get stuck with this mission," he groused. Hinata was both amused  by and concerned for her fiancé, but Sakura looked annoyed and  confused.

"What's wrong with it?" the pink-haired Jonin demanded.

"Come  on, Sakura. Tombs, crypts, ancient ruins... you know what we might run  into there?" the blonde man shivered at the thought. Realization dawned  on Sakura, and she glared at him incredulously.