Naruto: Different Path

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Naruto brought Hinata to report to the Hokage's office. Tsunade, surprised, looked at Naruto and asked, "Did Hiashi agree?" 

Seeing her reaction, Naruto smiled and said, "I promised Hiashi I would protect Hinata. After testing my abilities, Lord Hiashi agreed to my request."

Tsunade understood what likely happened between Naruto and Hiashi and didn't press further. 

She began assembling the team for the mission. Shizune handed Hinata a mask, saying, "This is an ANBU mask. You should put it on." 

"You'll also need to change into the standard ANBU attire." Shizune quickly helped Hinata into the ANBU uniform, making it difficult to tell her gender.

In her new outfit, Naruto noticed Hinata looking uncomfortable and said, "In the ANBU, we don't use our real names. You'll need to choose a codename for yourself."

"A codename?" Hinata was at a loss for a moment, looking down at her hands, unsure of what to choose. 

Naruto suggested with a smile, "How about 'Sweetheart'?"

"Sweetheart?" Hinata whispered shyly, clearly flustered.

Naruto grinned, "Then it's settled. From now on, you'll go by Sweetheart in the ANBU."

Soon, the rest of the ANBU team gathered in the Hokage's office. Familiar faces like Yamato, Flash, and Shadow greeted Naruto cheerfully. 

There were also three new members Naruto hadn't met before. Naruto addressed them, "I'm the leader for this mission, codename Ryujin." 

"I specialize in Lightning, Water, and Earth Release. Please introduce yourselves as well."

Though Naruto was still relatively new to the ANBU, he had built a solid reputation, and seeing how the other experienced members treated him, the new members realized he must be quite strong. 

The three introduced themselves: 

"I'm Suiko." 

"I'm Ashika." 

"I'm Mishi." 

They explained that they were proficient in Water Release techniques and often worked together to execute missions, combining their skills. 

Naruto had specially selected these three for this mission, and the introductions helped build familiarity within the group. 

Yamato, Hinata, and the others also introduced themselves.

Tsunade said, "Now that everyone's here, move quickly to your mission location." 

"Ryujin is the squad captain, and Yamato will be the vice-captain. Ryujin will brief you on the details. Head out immediately."

Naruto led the group out of the Hokage's office, heading toward the coastline of the Land of Fire. Along the way, Naruto briefed them on the mission. 

For Hinata, this was her first exposure to the darker side of the shinobi world, and though she had many questions, she kept them to herself.

Naruto noticed her unease but, with so many people around, decided to find a better time to explain things later.

The group reached their destination at the fastest possible speed. It was a harbour in the Land of Fire, a bustling port where many ships came and went. 

Fishermen also worked here; the area had grown into a small city over time. 

Due to the harbour's strategic importance, Konoha stationed its ninja here in addition to guards sent by the daimyo.

Naruto quickly found the ninja assigned to the harbour. Among them was only one jōnin, with the rest being chūnin-level. 

They had been expecting Naruto's group, having been informed by Konoha earlier. 

After Naruto presented the identification token, the stationed ninja arranged for the team to rest. 

After the long journey, everyone was tired and welcomed the short break.

Once rested, Naruto approached the jōnin and said, "I go by Ryujin. Please tell me everything about the situation here so we can proceed with our mission."

The jōnin, a middle-aged man, introduced himself, "My name is Yuda, and I'm responsible for the security of this port." 

"There hasn't been much trouble until recently, but lately, our patrolling ninjas have disappeared without a trace." 

"We've been unable to figure out why."

Naruto asked, "Have any civilians or other people also gone missing?"

Yuda replied, "So far, no civilians have disappeared, but I did hear from someone who saw two of our ninja patrols at night." 

"Suddenly, a thick fog rolled in—an unusual one. It cleared quickly, but the two ninjas were gone by then." 

"I believe that the fog was created using a jutsu, and the disappearance of our ninja is likely the work of other shinobi."

Hearing this, Naruto believed the ninja from the Land of Water was behind it. 

The ability to manipulate fog reminded him of Zabuza, and it was clear that more than just Zabuza could use this kind of jutsu. 

However, the main problem now was that Naruto didn't know where the enemy was or when they might strike. He turned to Yamato for his opinion.

Yamato suggested, "We need to gather intel on the enemy's movements, but we can't let them know we're here." 

"I recommend we disguise ourselves as patrolling ninjas and find an opportunity to act."

Naruto said, "The patrols usually go out in pairs. Even two jōnin would be at risk without knowing what we're up against." 

"The enemy is prepared for this. Who feels confident in taking on such a risky mission?"

Naruto's words hung in the air as the others hesitated, knowing that facing the enemy could result in a mysterious disappearance, just like the other patrols. 

They would be in danger and might not even gain useful information. 

Sensing their reluctance, Naruto smiled and said, "As the captain, I'll take on this dangerous task." 

"But I'll need one partner. If anyone is willing to join me, raise your hand."

Yamato stood up and said, "Captain, this is too dangerous. Let me and the others handle it."

Several others raised their hands, volunteering to join Naruto.

Naruto patted Yamato's shoulder and said, "I'm confident. No matter what happens, I can get out safely." 

"While you're strong, getting the information we need and escaping safely would be difficult."

Understanding that Naruto had a point, Yamato replied, "Then I'll go with you, Captain."

Naruto shook his head. "While I'm gone, you'll need to lead the others. Besides, this mission is primarily about locating the enemy, and I think there's someone more suited to that role than you."

Naruto glanced at the worried Hinata and said to the group, "Sweetheart has the Byakugan, which gives her an extraordinary field of vision and superb insight." 

"She's the most suitable person for this mission. She'll come with me, and the rest of you will stay here and follow Yamato's orders."

Naruto then consulted Yuda for information on the patrol routes and the areas where incidents had occurred most frequently, preparing the next steps for the mission.

The Leaf Village's ninjas usually went missing at night, so Naruto and Hinata disguised themselves as patrol ninjas, regularly patrolling the area. 

The enemy didn't act every time, as they were still in the probing phase, so there were no unusual events for the first three days. 

Naruto increased the frequency of patrols, and on the fourth night, they finally noticed something abnormal: an unusual mist appeared around the port, just like the one Yuda had described earlier.

This phenomenon caught Naruto's attention, but he pretended not to notice, waiting for the enemy to arrive. 

At the same time, he quietly signalled Hinata to activate her Byakugan. 

Gradually, the mist thickened, reducing visibility, and a faint, eerie flute sound could be heard. 

Even in this tense situation, the flute music was strangely soothing. Naruto suddenly sensed something was off and suspected it was a genjutsu. 

He quickly performed the release hand sign to dispel it, but the flute music continued. 

Hinata softly said to Naruto, "There's a special chakra disturbance in the mist affecting the flow of our chakra." 

"The flute is being played by a ninja far away. I can see them clearly—one of four standing on the water."

Naruto responded, "We need to retreat. The situation is not in our favour right now." The two swiftly retreated, heading back to the patrol base. 

On the way, Hinata asked, "The enemy's genjutsu didn't fully trap us, and we know their location now. Why are we retreating?"

Naruto explained, "Even though the genjutsu was easy to break, it would put us at a disadvantage in combat."

"This genjutsu could also be a trap to lure us in. If we charge in, we might fall right into their hands."

As Naruto and Hinata withdrew, the ninja playing the flute stopped and remarked, "These two are smarter than the ones before."

"It seems we'll need to use a different approach." The four ninjas on the water quickly moved to pursue Naruto and Hinata.

Naruto, still leading Hinata through the thick mist, noticed something strange. 

The further they moved from the centre of the mist, the denser it seemed to get, limiting visibility to less than a meter. 

Hinata said, "The enemy is closing in, surrounding us from all sides." 

At this point, Naruto couldn't see the enemy, so he instructed Hinata, "You lead the way. We'll avoid them and find a path back to the base."

Under Hinata's guidance, they successfully evaded the enemy's ambush. After realizing they couldn't catch them, the pursuing ninjas gave up.

Back at the shoreline, one of the enemy ninjas commented, "So it's the Byakugan from the Leaf. No wonder they can navigate so easily in the mist." 

"They were lucky this time, but we'll have to send in the real specialist next time."

Thanks to Hinata's Byakugan, Naruto and Hinata made it back to the base safely, where Yamato and the other members were waiting to assist them. 

Yamato approached and asked, "Captain, how did it go? There's been no movement for the past few days. Did something finally happen tonight?"

Naruto sat down and replied, "Yes. Hinata and I encountered the enemy during patrol tonight. Luckily, we reacted in time and retreated."

Yamato asked with concern, "Was the enemy stronger than you, Captain?"

Naruto shook his head, "I didn't engage them directly, but I can confirm they were using Water Release jutsu." 

"They created the mist, and one specializes in sound-based genjutsu."

Suitora, one of the team members, asked, "What's their number and strength?"

Naruto pointed to Hinata and said, "You should ask Sweetheart (Hinata's code name) about that." 

In the mist, I couldn't see the enemy at all. We wouldn't have returned if it weren't for her Byakugan."

Still somewhat unfamiliar with the Anbu, Hinata stiffly replied, "There were four enemies, all moving across the water." 

"They likely hid among passing ships. Judging by their chakra levels, they're at least jōnin-level and their teamwork was very coordinated."

Naruto added, "These four are likely just a scouting team sent by the Mist. There must be stronger forces hidden somewhere."

"If we act rashly, we could easily fall into a trap and lose everything. None of us are specialists in genjutsu, and if we get caught in their illusions during battle, it could be disastrous."

Though Naruto hadn't engaged the enemy directly, he had gathered some valuable intelligence. The team gathered to discuss their next move. 

Naruto began, "We need to gather more intel on the enemy without revealing ourselves. First, we need to assess their full strength. 

Second, we have to find and rescue our missing comrades. Finally, we need a plan to defeat them. Does anyone disagree?"

Everyone nodded in agreement. Yamato raised an important issue, 

"The problem is that we don't know where our missing comrades are being held, and we've only seen four enemies so far."

"There are undoubtedly more hidden foes, and with our limited information, it'll be difficult to do all this without exposing ourselves."

Naruto understood Yamato's concerns, and the rest of the group fell silent. Suitora, who was more hot-headed, stood up and said, 

"Captain, we can't keep waiting around like this. Next time they show up, we should just go all out and kill them all."

Suili, Suitora's teammate, stopped him and said, "The captain is right. We can't act recklessly." 

"The enemy is hiding in the shadows. We need to draw them out before making our move."

Hearing this, Naruto suddenly thought and turned to Hinata, asking, "When we were patrolling, did you see any other enemies besides those four?"

Hinata thought momentarily and replied, "When the mist appeared, I scanned the area carefully. Aside from those four ninjas, I didn't see anyone else."

Naruto said, "The enemy wasn't expecting us to arrive here so soon." 

"They must think those four jōnin can handle us. This gives us a slight advantage if they continue to operate like this."

Yamato asked, "Do you have a plan, Captain?"

The others also looked at Naruto curiously. Naruto nodded and said, "I do, but it's risky and will require everyone's cooperation." 

"We need to take down the four Mist jōnin quickly and without alerting their allies." 

"If we can capture them, the Mist will likely send stronger forces or even come to negotiate." 

"That would put us in a position of power. However, if we fail, we'll be exposed."

The team listened intently, weighed the plan's risks and benefits, and prepared for the next step.

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