*I am still totally rewriting this story. I went back and read through it, and was in shock at my writing. I liked the old plot, but I couldn't think of where this story would take me. So I thought that this new plot would flow better.

A special thanks to colourfulgurl to being this story's first review!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto"speaking" 'thoughts'

On with the story!

When Sakura opens the door to the Hokage's office she is greeted with the faces of Naruto, Sai, Kakashi, Yamatoand Hinata.

Sakura then turned to look at her shisho. Tsunade was sitting behind her desk waiting for her apprentice to sit down so she could begin with why she called them there. Seeing the look on her teacher's face, Sakura decides to sit down so as not to further irritate her teacher.

Seeing that everyone is settled down in chairs, Tsunade spoke. "I assume you are all wondering as to why I summoned you here."

"You're damn right granny! What did I have to waste time here when I could be training? It better be because we are getting a mission!" Naruto yelled.

A vein started popping out of Tsunade's head." Naruto! What did I tell you about calling me granny?! I am not old!"

Tsunade then sighed. "Anyways I have called you here because I have received leads from various people that the Akatsuki have been spotted. You all know how important it is for everyone that the Akatsuki are wiped out. That is why I am sending you all to follow these leads and wipe out any Akatsuki you may come across. Is that clear?"

A round of "yes" chorused through the room. "Where have the Akatsuki been spotted at Hokage-sama?" asked Yamatou.

"They have been spotted around Suna(sand), though there have been reports from various other places, that is where they have been spotted last" replies Tsunade. "The reports are mainly concerning one member in particular, Hoshigaki Kisame."

"I see. So you want us to find him and possible try to interrogate him?" asks Kakashi

"Yes. I need you and your team to try to apprehend him so that we can bring him in for questioning. You all know that his partner, Uchiha Itachi, was killed, presumably by Uchiha Sasuke. We have learned that Kisame is now on his own, which is suspicious since we know that the Akatsuki always travel in pairs. We want to know why he has not received a new partner, and need to learn where their base is."

Naruto and Sakura share a glance, before Sakura asks, "Shisho, do you believe that we will be able to bring down Kisame in order to interrogate him?"

Tsunade nods her head. "I believe with you combined efforts, you will be able to succeed. I have placed Hinata on your team in order to help with locating him and keeping his chakra at bay with her clan's techniques."

"Yeah, with Hinata on our already strong team, this should be a piece of cake! We will bring him back no matter what! Believe it!" exclaims Naruto. Hinata smiles and blushes. 'N-Naruto-kun...'

"I hope so. Now I want you all to go home and pack. Your mission may take weeks to a few months so bring what you will need for that period of time. I want you to leave in 2 hours' time. Dismissed!"

*BREAK*

Hinata was in her room gathering supplies and thinking about her mission. 'I can't believe I am going to be on an extended mission with Naruto-kun! I hope I can use this time as a chance to show him how much I have grown because of my training."

Hinata was all packed, and was about to leave her room when she paused. 'I hope this mission ends well. I think that we will all come out okay as long as we have Sakura to heal us. But….Naruto-kun always goes to such great lengths to protect his friends, I hope he will be okay and let us help him."

The Hyuga opened her door, and decided to try to find her father to let him know of the mission, and that she might be gone for a long period of time. Activating her Byakugan, she spotted her father and younger sister, Hanabi, in the courtyard sparring. She made her way to the courtyard and paused, watching her sister parry her father's blows. Noticing his elder daughter standing on the sidelines, Hyuga Hiashi called a halt to the match.

"What is it Hinata?" asked the Hyuga clan leader.

"Father, I have been called on a mission with Kakashi-senpai's team. We are investigating leads on an Akatsuki member. I do not know how long this mission will take." explains Hinata.

"I see. Well, good luck on your mission, and come back safely."

Hanabi chimes in, "Yes, be careful sister."

Hinata nods, "Yes, I will be careful. I will see you when I get back."

With that, Hinata turns and leaves the courtyard before making her way out of the compound to the designated meeting place

*BREAK*

Naruto and Sakura were walking through Konoha, taking in the sights since they didn't know when they would next see the village. The duo was walking in companionable silence before Naruto turned to look at Sakura.

"Hey Sakura-chan?"

Sakura glanced at Naruto before looking forward again. "Yeah?"

"Would you want to go get ramen before we leave? We have two hours before we have to meet the rest of the team to leave for the mission."

Sakura sighed. "Sure Naruto. But you're paying for my meal!"

Naruto laughed nervously while rubbing the back of his head. "Sure, sure Sakura-chan! Of course I will pay for your meal! Hehe."

Naruto lead Sakura over to the ramen stand and took a seat, gesturing Sakura to sit next to him. The owner soon came and took their orders, leaving the two to talk about their mission.

"Naruto, do you think it's kinda weird for Kisame to be wandering on his own? I mean, last we had seen of him was before Uchiha Itachi was killed. Do you think he is working on his own agenda? Or maybe he is looking for a new partner?"

"I don't know Sakura-chan. I mean, I think it is weird for Kisame to be wandering around alone. Maybe he is looking for another partner? But I don't know who would want to be partners with him, he's creepy. Besides, it doesn't matter, we will kick his butt and capture him, then we will have all the answers that we need."

Before Sakura could respond, their orders were put in front of them. Hearing Naruto break his chapsticks, and his low exclamation of "itadakimasu!" before digging in, Sakura sighed and did the same. They sat in companionable silence, which was only broken when Naruto order another bowl of ramen, for a while before Sakura was finished with her meal and once again turned to Naruto.

"I have been thinking. Do you think that it's possible that Kisame is looking for Sasuke to get revenge for killing his partner? I mean, Kisame and Itachi were most likely partners for a long time, so it's not too unlikely that Kisame feels bad about losing Itachi."

"Hmm. I guess that could be an explanation, but we won't know for sure until we capture him and ask. Though, I think it is more than that. I don't think that the Akatsuki leader would allow Kisame to just wander looking for Sasuke when it was his and Itachi's job to capture me."

"I guess you're right. Anyways, we have spent a while here, are you done? We both still need to go pack before meeting up with the team."

Naruto nodded before standing up and putting money on the table while thanking the owner for the meals.

"I will see you in an hour Naruto. Don't be late!"

Naruto sighed. "Hai, hai Sakura-chan. I won't be late."

With that, they both turned and went in the direction of their respective apartments to gather supplies for their mission.

Author's Note

I hope that things are making more sense and flowing together better than before. I apologize to those of you who read the old version of this story and liked the old plot. I just felt stuck with how things were going, and wanted to try a new route. I can't believe that when I started this story, I was still in High school, and now I am a sophomore in college. Anyways, please review!