Dawn broke on the Land of Whirpools and the leaf Ninja were all awake and alert.

Their senses were heightened after the episode Naruto had. 

They wasn't sure when, where and how the enemy would appear so they had to be ready for absolutely anything.

In the sunlight, their surroundings didn't look as sinister.  Not too far away they could hear the ocean crashing against the rocks. Up ahead  they could see a forest of sorts.

"Alright." Shikamaru addressed his team "Our goals are  to find any traces of the missing people and rescue them.We have no idea who the enemy is and what they want so we have to be very careful." He looked pointedly at Naruto who was clenching his fists.

"Naruto-kun" Hinata called to him mentally. 

She hoped he was alright.

The anxiety she'd felt in seeing in him that state the previous night still lingered. She'd been staring out on the terrain when she heard Sakura exclaim.

When she turned,Sakura was knelt beside him trying to rouse him. She didn't know what was wrong and all she could do was watch while Sakura tried to bring him back.

She looked down at her hands.

She really was useless.

What had she ever really done for him? It was always him. He was the one always fighting for them. Always saving them. Never leaving his comrades behind.

She became who she is today because of him.He was always infront of her, like a beacon lighting the way.She wanted forever to bask in his warmth.

Hinata casted her eyes shyly across to Naruto. He seemed lost in thought and she wondered what was on his mind.

Sakura was keeping a close eye on him which was understandable. She was the only medical ninja on their team. If anything were to ever happen, she would be the most useful to him.

She adjusted the straps of her ninja pack that held the scarf that she knitted for him.Hopefully at some point she would have both the opportunity and the courage to give it to him.

"Let's go." Shikamaru commanded.

He led the company, followed by Sai, Sakura walked closest to Naruto and Hinata rounded them off.

They sprang from the ground into the nearby trees, jumping from branch to branch, their eyes darting here and there for anything that was out of the ordinary.The enemy could come from anywhere.

It didn't take long for the shinobi to reach the edge of the forest and in no time a clearing came into sight.

Just as swiftly as they had moved to cover ground through the forest, they stopped at the edge of the forest.They all stopped, perched on branches, surveying their environment.

In the distance just ahead they could see signs of a city.

"Hinata." Shikamaru called

"Byakugan!" Hinata responded to the cue. She stared off into the distance. "It's the village." 

"Is there any sign of the enemy?" he asked.

"I don't see anyone." she replied as she surveyed the land "But..there seems to be an area that is outside of my field of vision."

"Outside of your field of vision?" Shikamaru questioned. "What do you mean?"

"My Byakugan can't break through." she informed him "It looks kind of hazy."

Shikamaru furrowed his brow thoughtfully. 

"We'll head there." 

The team consented. Alighting from the branches, they dashed on foot in the direction of the city.

As they raced towards the ruins, there was a mix of emotions within him.He was anxious to see the place where his mother was from, even if there was nothing left. He was also facing some angst about the man he'd seen.

Being here, thoughts of his mother inundated him and he recalled the time he'd spent with her.She wanted him to find a girl like her. He looked up ahead to where Sakura was darting diligently ahead. He thought he had but he wasn't great with this sort of thing. He had no idea what to do. Besides, he'd long known that he wasn't the one in her heart.He'd made a promise to himself though, that he would find a way to win her over and he never went back on his word.

He imagined that in moments like these having is father  to guide him would have been great, even y Sage would have been useful.

He smiled at the latter thought, an image of his master  and his antics with women flashing before him. Perhaps not. He wasn't sure Jiraiya would have been the ideal one to help him with this after all.

Both his father and master were gone and it seemed there were things he still had to figure out on his own.