When Shigure opened his eyes that morning, he found a small figure curled up in his arms.
He gently inhaled the faint scent of her hair.
Shigure smiled to himself.
This little girl smells really nice.
He glanced at the clock. There was still some time left before the team's meeting.
Might as well nap a little longer.
Who would want to leave a moment of peace like this?
But perhaps because he shifted too much, the girl in his arms stirred and slowly woke up.
Her eyes fluttered open, only to find Shigure's face just inches away from hers.
Startled, she froze in place.
"Shi...Shi...Shigure-kun, w-what are you doing...?"
Looking at the flustered Hinata in his arms, Shigure calmly explained, "Did you forget? Last night, Uncle Masano suddenly dropped by, and you had to hide under the covers."
"But Uncle Masano kept talking for ages... so you just stayed hidden the whole time. When he finally left, you had already fallen asleep."
"I saw you were out cold, so I didn't wake you."
Hinata blinked, her face flushed, but the memory slowly returned.
Strangely, she remembered feeling incredibly comfortable in Shigure's bed. So much so that she'd fallen asleep without realizing it.
"T-Then why... why are you sleeping here too?"
"This is my home," Shigure said, deadpan. "There's only one bed. Where else was I going to sleep?"
Hinata looked like she wanted to say something, but her lips just trembled. Shigure decided not to tease her any further.
"Alright, get up."
He stood up and began getting dressed, knowing full well Hinata would never be the first to move in a situation like this.
...hair...
...head...
After he finished putting on his clothes, he heard some rustling behind him.
He turned to see Hinata had also gotten up, head bowed, eyes glued to the floor. She didn't dare look his way.
Shigure crouched down in front of her.
"Okay, don't be shy. I'm about to leave the village on a mission."
"Wait for me here in the village, alright?"
After a pause, Hinata finally gave a tiny nod.
They walked out together.
At the same time, just a short distance away, someone was locking a door. Another person beside them turned his head to look in their direction.
At first, he didn't think much of it.
But then something clicked, and his eyes widened. He spun around and stared at Shigure's house with disbelief.
Shigure gently patted Hinata's head. "Go on home now."
Face red as a tomato, Hinata immediately turned and dashed off.
Shigure stretched and yawned. "Man, the weather's great today."
"Shigure!"
Someone called out.
He sighed a little. Here we go again.
But then his expression shifted.
He and Hinata had just come out of the house together...
Wait. Could it be...?
He turned his head—and sure enough, it was Gekkō Hayate.
Hayate stood there looking stunned, then gave Shigure a thumbs-up.
"I always thought you'd be the pride of the Moonlight Clan," Hayate said with a smirk. "That you'd lead our clan to rise again in Konoha."
"But clearly, I underestimated you. You even managed to get the Hyuga clan's princess..."
Shigure's face went pale. He frantically waved his hands. "No, no, no, Hayate-niisan! You've got it all wrong!"
"Wrong? Then what do you call two young people walking out of the same room so early in the morning?"
"It's fine—young people are impulsive. But don't go eating any forbidden fruit just yet, got it? Might affect your growth and chakra development."
"I didn't!" Shigure protested weakly.
"Mm. Even if that's true, you'll still have to take responsibility. Don't worry, our Moonlight Clan may not be a major clan, but we'll support you fully in chasing down the Hyuga heiress!"
Hayate shot Shigure a wink and a grin full of encouragement.
And with that, he vanished in a swirl of wind.
Shigure opened his mouth to stop him... but it was too late.
Guess I'll just let fate handle this mess. A misunderstanding's still a misunderstanding, right...?
Inside the Hokage Building, Shigure, Sasuke, and Naruto stood before the Hokage's desk, led there by Kakashi.
Today marked the start of their new mission.
Hiruzen, the Third Hokage, glanced at the scroll and introduced their client.
"This is Tazuna. Your mission is to escort him safely back to the Land of Waves."
There wasn't much to say about the actual mission briefing.
But as soon as they met, the client—an older man named Tazuna—swept his eyes over the group with a look of dissatisfaction.
"You're really sending a bunch of brats to protect me?"
His tone dripped with skepticism.
Tazuna glanced at Kakashi, then back at the three Genin. "One adult ninja, and the rest are just kids. You expect them to keep me safe?"
The Third Hokage only smiled, saying nothing.
Naruto's fists clenched. He looked like he was about to argue—he was strong, after all!
But before he could speak, Shigure stepped forward.
"It's not that Konoha doesn't have stronger shinobi," he said evenly, "but can you afford to hire them?"
Tazuna choked on his words. His mouth opened, but nothing came out.
"If you were paying enough for a high-rank mission," Shigure continued calmly, "do you really think the village would've sent a Genin team to escort you?"
He met Tazuna's eyes without flinching. "So, are you still coming?"
The Third Hokage blinked. He hadn't expected Shigure to be that blunt with the client—but he wasn't wrong either.
With such a low fee, even sending an elite Genin team like Shigure, Naruto, and Sasuke was a stretch. Normally, the mission wouldn't have been accepted at all.
If Tazuna hadn't had other motives, the Hokage wouldn't have bothered approving this request.
"Alright then," Kakashi interrupted casually, sensing the tension. "If there are no further issues, let's head out."
Tazuna muttered something under his breath and cast a sideways glance at the three young ninja. "Let's hope your skills match your mouths…"
The trio ignored him and walked toward the village gate.
As they approached the exit, Kakashi suddenly called out to them.
"This is your first real mission outside the village, so let me give you a piece of advice."
"Stay calm. No matter what happens, keep your cool—and remember, your strength doesn't just come from yourselves. You're a team. You'll have to rely on each other if you want to succeed."
Shigure narrowed his eyes slightly. Something felt off.
Then Kakashi added with a smile, "I won't be stepping in this time. I won't even appear in your line of sight. I'll be observing from the shadows."
"I'll only interfere if you're about to die—or already dead."
"Understood?"
Sasuke smirked. "Even better. Completing the mission without a jonin's help will be more of a challenge."
"And a good chance to prove ourselves."
Naruto blinked in confusion. "Wait... what does that mean?"
Shigure answered before Kakashi could. "It means this mission is on us. Just the three of us."
"Seriously?!" Naruto's eyes lit up.
Kakashi assumed he was scared.
But a second later, Naruto jumped into the air, grinning wide. "Awesome! I'll prove I'm a real Konoha ninja!"
"Leave this C-rank mission to me!"
Kakashi blinked. Guess I didn't need to worry after all.
"Hold on!" Tazuna suddenly protested. "You're using my life as training for your rookie ninja?!"
Kakashi looked over his shoulder calmly.
"As Shigure already pointed out—you only paid enough for a Genin team. I'm a Jonin."
"Whether I fight or not isn't up to you."
...
TN:
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