The Hidden Leaf

Looking for the Winter Soldier on a Hot Summer Day

Hinata knocked at the door of the Hokage office. She was summoned by the Sixth Hokage Kakashi Hatake for a new mission. She came fully prepared on her mission outfit.

"Come in!"

Hinata gently opened the door. Kakashi is sitting by his desk as usual, his head cast down at the pile of papers on his table.

"Hello Hinata!" He smiled when she entered.

"Good morning, Lord Hokage."

"Let's wait for the other one."

Hinata wondered who her companion might be. Kiba and Shino were assigned on a high-rank mission outside the village. They were sent as reinforcements to the other teams alongside other shinobis from the other hidden villages.
Kakashi looked at her. "By the way, I think you cannot go on the mission wearing your mission outfit."

"Huh?" Just what exactly did he mean by that?

Suddenly, the door to the office opened.

"I'm here!"

A tall, blond guy suddenly barged into the office. Hinata stiffened as Naruto stood beside her.

"You're finally here," Kakashi said.

Naruto looked at Hinata. "Hi there, Hinata!"

Hinata blushed. "H-Hi..." she said shyly.

"Okay, since the team is complete, I will now tell you about the mission."

"Huh? You mean, this will be just a two-man team?" Naruto asked.

"Exactly. Two shinobis are enough for this mission. Aside from that, you two are perfect for this."

Two-man team? So it means... Hinata blushed at the thought of working with Naruto alone.

"So, here is your mission. We have received information that a high-profile criminal known as the Winter Soldier has been spotted at the Konoha Resort. This Winter Soldier, also known as Sergeant James Barnes, was a former soldier but was used by the secret organization Hydra and made him into the super villain Winter Soldier. They planned to use him to eliminate all their enemies for them to ultimately rule the world. Recently the Winter Soldier was defeated by another super soldier, Captain America. It was reported that he died during that battle, until he was spotted here in Konoha."

"Are you talking about Captain America, the superhero?" Hinata was a big fan of the said superhero.

"Yes," Kakashi answered. "We were trying to contact him to report about the Winter Soldier. But in the meantime, we have to make sure that this super villain does not mess up with our peaceful village. Fortunately, the man seems to behave well and does not pose any threat to the resort staff. But still, we can't let our guards down."

"So we will guard him then?" Naruto asked.

"And watch over him. Make sure he will not do anything that will threaten our village."

"Why can't we just capture him?" asked Naruto.

"Because we do not have an order to do so," Kakashi answered. "Everyone thinks that he's dead. We actually are not yet sure if it's really him that we're dealing with. It could be someone who just resembles the Winter Soldier. Until we're sure that he is the real one we could not capture and detain him."

"So we really have to watch over him, then."

"That's right," Kakashi said to Naruto. "And, we do not want to alert the citizens that there is a super villain lurking at the village. That's why you have to watch over him covertly. And I just have the perfect cover for the two of you." Kakashi smiled slyly.