Naruto : Hidden Cloud

After showering, Sato enjoyed his last meal in this house for some time—a feast that felt more like a party with all his friends.

Sato, Hinata, Karui, Neji, and Haku ate together as a tight-knit group. Sato's father and mother were hosting this party.

Meanwhile, Itachi sat with Izumi, Yugito with C, and Shisui with Samui. Two of them had kids sitting on their laps. Itachi's daughter, Miko Uchiha, drank milk on Izumi's lap, and Shisui's two children, Irumi Uchiha and Kotetsu Uchiha, were fed by Samui.

"It's not fair! Why does she get to go out with you? I wanted to come as well."

Karui exclaimed, pointing angrily at Hinata. Hinata, smiling warmly, ignored Karui completely, further fueling her irritation.

Hinata was ecstatic, so much so that she didn't bother engaging in a fight with Karui. Her confidence had grown over the years, Hidden Cloud gave her support that Konoha never provided. Her clan no longer viewed her as a failure; instead, she led a comfortable life as Sato's wife.

Her circumstances differed significantly from those of her canon counterpart.

"Sato! Hinata is ignoring me again!"

Karui gritted her teeth and asked for Sato's help. Before he could respond, Haku uttered harsh words, silencing Karui.

"You can't come along, Karui; you're, at best, a third wheel. Let Sato-sama enjoy some time alone with Hinata-sama."

Karui felt an arrow of disappointment go through her heart. Making a depressed face, she laid down on the table, tracing circles with her fingers.

"Stop causing trouble, Karui. By the way sister, where do you plan on going? Are there any specific places you want to visit?"

Neji asked curiously, which got everyone's attention, everyone except the kids, who were much more interested in their next nap time.

"Sato-kun said we were going to sneak into the Hidden Waterfall Village."

"I think the land there is lovely. There hasn't been a war in that place since the Ninja village system was founded. It's supposed to be a very beautiful place."

Hinata happily explained their destination. However, Yugito, Samui, and Izumi held their foreheads in disbelief.

"So your first vacation after marriage is sneaking into an enemy village? What kind of vacation is that? That's just a mission!"

"I thought C was being dumb when he suggested that we should have our first date in a jungle."

Yugito exclaimed, but C quickly defended himself.

"Hey, I thought you wanted to see big cats and get to know your tailed beast better. Why are you getting angry at me?"

Yugito rolled her eyes, wondering how she fell in love with such a clueless guy. Izumi giggled at their banter and shared her own experience.

"It's not nearly as bad. Itachi gave me a book titled 'The Will of Sato' as our wedding gift. No offense, Sato-kun, but that's not the greatest wedding gift."

Izumi sulked, recalling that time, and Samui laughed from the side.

"That's nothing. For our anniversary, Shisui showed me a special dance he practiced. That's it. He jumped around like a monkey. That was my anniversary gift."

Unlike C, Itachi didn't bother defending himself; that was a great book that he wrote. As far as he was concerned, Izumi didn't appreciate a good book.

As for Shisui, he just rubbed his nose awkwardly. He didn't tell Samui that he actually forgot it was their anniversary; that dance was something he made up on the spot.

"Well, it's not Sato-kun's fault. I like the Waterfall Village. I want to go there as well."

Hinata smiled warmly. She didn't think there was anything wrong with Sato's idea; it was a great place. It's not like he was taking her to the Land of Wind.

Sato smiled in return and waved his spoon at her.

"That's right, Hinata, and don't you worry. After our trip to the waterfall village is done, there is another place we will go. I think you might like that place more."

"It's a very special place; nobody from this world has set foot there for a thousand years."

Sato said mysteriously while looking at the sky for a second. This made everyone curious, but Sato refused to speak anymore.

"Fine, keep your secrets!"

Sato's mother grumbled after a few minutes. Her husband, Hii, laughed and patted her arm.

"Don't get so worked up. Let the boy keep his surprise."

Shii sighed after her husband Hii put it like that. Right, Sato must be trying to keep it a secret for Hinata.

Just like that, time passed between talking and eating; by now everyone was done with their food, so Sato cleared his throat and announced.

"I think it's time we leave; it's getting late. Come on, Hinata, let's go."

The party was basically over, Sato decided it was time to leave. He had become a Kage-level Ninja, and Hinata had become a special Jonin. They were strong enough to protect themselves and see the world.

After saying goodbye to everyone and patting Matatabi on the head one last time, Sato and Hinata left the village.

*Swish*

Both Sato and Hinata were strong ninjas; they preferred using body flicker to travel; this was much more relaxing for them compared to a carriage.

They kept flickering all the way to the hidden waterfall, occasionally stopping midway for some rest and sightseeing. And just like that, a week of happiness passed.

"Sato kun, I see it; there is a village 10 kilometers north."

Hinata told Sato about her discovery; the veins around her temple were popping, showing that her Byakugan was activated.

"10 kilometres? That's not too far; we should be there in about a minute."

Sato rubbed his chin. It's a good thing Hinata was with him; they avoided so many bandits and rebels because of her Byakugan.

Even the secret hidden location of the waterfall village was discovered by her from 10 kilometers away. Her Byakugan was extremely useful.

"What do you say, we sneak in, get a place to stay, and then search for what we want?"

Sato asked Hinata about their game plan, and Hinata thought about it for a while before answering.

"Let's do that; we want the hero water, but it might be hidden behind sealing Jutsus. It's better I check everything carefully; it's their village treasure after all."

Hinata was worried that they might fall into a trap, she wanted to check everything with her Byakugan once. She will search the whole village if she needs to.

"That sounds alright; I am sure there must be a remote house or something we can hide in. We will stay there for some time."

"You take as much time as you want; search everything in detail. Meanwhile, I will transform into a villager and roam around their village."

Sato explained their goals while running.

"I can't drink Hero water unless I know how it works. I think there should be some research about this water in their village. I will try and sneak into their recording room."

"Back in the day, this was an advanced village—the super special hero water, Kakuzu's forbidden justu, stable jinchuruki seals, even the seven tails! You name it, they had it."

"These guys still have a lot of incredible stuff in their hands. Maybe they have a solution to my chakra problem."

Sato was hopeful; this place had the highest chance of having something that might help him. He was so close to his hope now, they had reached the waterfall which hid the village entrance.

"This is it, Sato kun; there are two guards on the east side; we can sneak in from the west."

"There are some abandoned houses on that side too; nobody seems to live there except one girl around our age."

"Her chakra seems a bit weird, Sato kun, but I think we can take care of her; she shouldn't be a problem."

Hinata once again abused her Byakugan, saw everything about the enemy in detail, and found a way to sneak in.

But Sato became alert after hearing this detail: there was a place that nobody visited, but one girl around his age was living there. That sounds really suspicious.

Is she avoiding the villagers by living alone, or is it the villagers who are avoiding her by outcasting her?

Sato stopped for a second; he wasn't sure if they should approach this girl or not, but on second thought, he let it go.

They were going to see her sooner or later if they lived in this village. It's best if they figure out who this girl was before they start their mission.