4

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"Aren't you curious?" Asuma mumbled with his lips fixed around one of his cigarettes.

Shikamaru gazed into the flickering fire that separated him from his teacher. Since they were still in the Land of Fire, they could afford travelling a little more conspicuous than they normally would. Without taking his eyes off the flames, he answered, "Of course, I am. But if I can only satisfy my curiosity by working on my free days, I'll pass."

The smell of tobacco reached his nose when the man exhaled with a deep sigh. His sensei lifted his head to watch the other jonin who seemed to be reading one of his porn books while sitting on the high branches of a sturdy tree. Ever since they left the village, Kakashi appeared to be even more contemplative than usual. Shikamaru doubted that he was actually reading what he was staring at.

"Well," Asuma responded, "you've got enough information for this not to be a proper secret anyway. I might as well divulge in the rest, too. It could be beneficial to look at this situation with an unbiased pair of eyes. Fresh perspectives and all of that."

Knowing that he was already too involved to escape this matter at this point, Shikamaru decided to humor his teacher. "That guy at the smithy and the Yondaime are related, right?" It only made sense. Kakashi had reacted the way he did upon hearing that Naruto had resembled the deceased Hokage.

Asuma nodded. "He's the son." Careful to keep his voice down, he continued, "That's why Kakashi's so affected. The Yondaime was his sensei and they were very close. He feels responsible for his teacher's son."

Briefly, Shikamaru asked himself how he'd react if Asuma died and left a kid behind. It wasn't a prospect he wanted to consider. Even if he wouldn't admit it, his teacher was one of the people that meant the most to him. The man just understood Shikamaru so easily and had some sort of unwavering faith in him. Him dying – No. He didn't even want to think about it.
But he understood Kakashi a little better now.

When the man didn't receive a response, he continued, "The kid left the village when he was six. Later investigations showed that he had climbed onto a merchant's carriage and hid under a pile of hay to flee with everyone being none the wiser."

Shikamaru grinned at the simplistic, childish, yet effective method. "And you haven't been able to find him ever since?"

Asuma chuckled and scratched his beard in an embarrassed manner. "Kid's slippery. We've come close many times but we haven't been able to retrieve him yet."

Shikamaru couldn't repress snickering any longer. It was just so goddamn funny. "A troop of elite ninjas hasn't been able to get a hold of a little brat?"

"He's resourceful," a monotone voice commented from behind him. Kakashi had left his tree in complete silence and was no standing in close distance to the campfire. The man sat down at the open space between Shikamaru and Asuma. "We've tracked him down six times before. Today is the seventh time."

His teacher relaxed and slouched towards the heat of the flames. "You don't seem as energetic as you were in the early morning, Kakashi. Did something happen?"

The other man didn't move. It was difficult to gauge him on a normal day but he seemed even more closed off now. The look in his sole eye was unfocused and empty. "I let the excitement of having another clue affect me. Doesn't happen too often that we get those, after all. But I had time to think about it."

"And?" Asuma baited.

"I don't think he's still there." Finally, he broke out of his stupor and lifted his gaze from the fire to look at Shikamaru. "Talking with you must've set him off," he theorized. It didn't sound like an accusation, just like a mere stating of facts. The man shrugged and turned towards Asuma. "You know how quick he is."

When his sensei nodded, Shikamaru realized that he must've gone on a couple of these missions, too. It was a little unusual since the man's specialties lay in combat rather than in tracking. As far as he had understood, the actual problem didn't lie in beating a violent Naruto but in even getting a hold of him.

"Why did he leave in the first place?" the teen asked. That, after all, was the key to finding Naruto. If they could understand why he was fleeing, they might be able to plan ahead.

His teacher shrugged. "He was a lonely orphan – a little kid. Who knows what he was thinking at that time?"

Shikamaru sighed dismissively. He didn't like to be taken for a fool, not even by his teacher. Asuma raised his brows in faux-innocence, as if not understanding why Shikamaru didn't just accept his answer.

"You're a good liar, sensei. But that doesn't help you much when your lie doesn't make any goddamn sense."

Having drawn his conclusions, the boy stood up and cracked the tense bones in his body. "I'm gonna take a nap. Wake me when it's time for my watch."

He didn't need to know what was going on. It was obvious that there was more behind the scenes than what he was being told. Someone didn't just run away and commit themselves to a life full of inconsistencies because of no reason. There was a secret that they were unwilling to tell him.

Fine. The life of a shinobi was full of secrecy and misconceptions. Naruto was just one of many riddles.

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Kakashi had been right and in retrospect, it was no big surprise. One didn't escape the hold of a bunch of elite ninjas for such a long time without being somewhat careful.

"Hmm… And he didn't tell you where he was going?" Asuma-sensei asked thoughtfully.

Kinzoku shook his head apologetically. "No. But he let me know months ago that he was planning on leaving. The boy was talented but he didn't like the job."

The old man sounded sincere but it was always possible that he was just a very good liar. Then again, why would've Naruto told his boss where he was going? The fact that he'd chosen to leave his current life behind when he'd told Shikamaru that he'd wait for his boss to train another apprentice, supported their theory that he'd become suspicious and took flight in fear of their arrival.

"Do you remember the date of his departure?" Kakashi inquired with a steady voice.

Although the man often pretended that serenity was all that he consisted of, Shikamaru knew that the other ninja possessed a frightening intensity. But it wouldn't do any good to let things get out of control. This close to the Iwa border they had to tread carefully.

If the old man perceived the tense atmosphere, he didn't let it show. With a friendly smile, he responded, "I think it was three weeks ago."

Damn. That meant that even Kakashi's dogs wouldn't be able to pick up a scent. Too much time had passed. When both Asuma and Kakashi decided to interrogate the old blacksmith even further, Shikamaru opted to exit the smithy and search for any further clues outside.

He sighed when he closed the door behind him and breathed in the evening's cool air. Although this essentially meant that they'd be failing this mission, he couldn't say that he wasn't glad about returning home so soon.

"Who are you?" a tentative voice asked from close distance. Just around the corner of the smithy stood a boy a couple years younger than him wearing a beige yukata and carrying a bag of groceries.

Shikamaru noticed how the boy's green eyes focused on his Konoha headband that was tied around his arm. Even though they stood a couple of feet apart, he didn't miss the way his hands trembled against the paper bag he was holding. "Who're you?" he countered.

Ignoring his question, the kid asked, "What are you here for?"

Figuring that one of them had to acknowledge the other in order for them to progress, Shikamaru decided to respond. "We're looking for Naruto," he stated as if he was actually familiar with their target. "Have you seen him?"

The boy scoffed. "Why should I tell you anything?"

Another ninja might've answered that he should blow the whistle if he didn't want to end up with a few broken limbs but Shikamaru was nothing if not a believer in strategies. He had already evaluated the light yukata that the boy wore, the same kind that Naruto had worn three weeks ago.

"You're Kinzoku's other apprentice, right? Naruto has told me about you," Shikamaru mentioned off-handedly. Well, Naruto had explained that he was planning on leaving the smithy as soon as his boss finished training his other apprentice. Judging the kid's appearance and the fact that he'd been heading towards this building, it was clear that he was said other apprentice.

Apparently, he'd caught the teen off-guard. "What? Naruto's told you about me?"

"Why so surprised?"

The boy shrugged and cautiously approached him. "He's always been so distant. I didn't think that he cared enough to mention me to someone."

Shikamaru stuck his hands into his pants pockets and lifted the corners of his mouth into a slight smile. The kid was on the hook. Now it was important to come off as unthreatening as possible and pull the fish in. "Well, he couldn't have thought too ill of you. He's explained that he wanted to leave the smithy behind because he was convinced that you could assist Kinzoku well enough."

Green eyes widened in surprise. "Really?" he gasped. "I've always believed that he thought I was some weakling."

Shikamaru shrugged. "Well, apparently not." Inwardly, he sighed. Asuma or even Kakashi would be so much better at this but he had to play with what he got. At least the boy seemed naive enough for him not to get too suspicious.

But he had to get a little more personal for the boy to trust him. "I'm Shikamaru, by the way. What's your name?"

"Kinben," the kid answered and looked at his headband again. "So Boss was right about you. You really are from Konoha."

"Your boss talked about me?" He didn't remember giving the old man his name.

Kinben shrugged. "The Boss knows a lot. Naruto mentioned that the guy who wanted to have something repaired was a Shikamaru Nara. That's you, right?"

Shikamaru nodded. So the old man really wasn't as aloof as he pretended to be. "When I met Naruto, I felt as if I knew him," he explained. "And when I returned to the village, I finally remembered why he was seemed so familiar."

"Is Naruto from Konohagakure, too?" Kinben asked curiously.

"Yes," the older teen confirmed with a wistful smile on his face. "We used to play on the playground together. It's a village, you know? Everyone knows each other." He hoped he wasn't laying on too thick. But since the kid's wide, emotional eyes told Shikamaru that he was buying it, the ninja continued to unpack the sob-story of half-truths and lies even further.

He motioned towards the window. "You see the guy with the mask?"

Kinben peeked into the room where Asuma and Kakashi were still talking with Kinzoku. "The one with the gray hair?"

Shikamaru nodded. "The guy's in his twenties but they say that he's aged prematurely after his nephew and his only relative has disappeared." After a pause in favor of causing a dramatic effect, he added, "That was Naruto."

A decent human being probably would've felt a little bad about using a young teen's naiveté for their own advantage. But Shikamaru Nara was a ninja and a ninja's morals were somewhat questionable to begin with. How couldn't they be when leading people into misconception was practically their job description?

Kinben's face fell; the unguarded face mirrored his sadness. "Why doesn't he return to Konoha if he has people waiting for him?"

Shikamaru shrugged. "That's what we'd like to know, too. We just want him to return home. He has people waiting for him back in the village."

The boy nodded thoughtfully. "I wish I could help," he retorted. "But I haven't known him for long. When I came to the smithy, he only stayed for a week when Boss sent him off to take a vacation because he was such a hard worker."

Bingo. "He left to take a vacation? Do you know where he went?"

Kinben shook his head. "No. He only said that he visited a friend. Must've been fun because he seemed very happy and relaxed when he returned. But he didn't talk all that much about himself. Naruto was a closed-off guy."

Careful not to seem too eager, he asked, "Did anything stick out to you?"

The boy scratched his head as they both fell into silence. Hesitantly, Kinben looked in his eyes again. "I don't really remember," he admitted apologetically. "But he had a cold when he returned and kept on complaining about the constant rain." The teen giggled. "It was kinda weird."

Shikamaru processed the information but didn't wait too long to continue his interrogation. He might not get another chance if Kinzoku exited the building. The man didn't seem nearly as naive as Kinben. "Why weird?"

The apprentice shrugged. "Because he had such a dark tan."

It was the last bit of information that Shikamaru had needed to come to a conclusion. Now he had to make sure that it was the only possible result. "Do you remember how long he was he gone?"

"Two weeks," Kinben responded. "That was about two months ago."

It was convenient that the door opened in that moment and let Asuma, Kakashi and the old blacksmith exit the building. His teacher briefly regarded the young boy standing next to him before focusing on Shikamaru. "We're leaving."

The Nara nodded. After thanking both Kinzoku and Kinben for their time, he turned towards the two men who had already started walking towards the Grass country's borders. When he caught up with them, he asked, "Where're we going?"

"Home," Kakashi responded.

"The blacksmith didn't budge. Maybe he really didn't know anything or he was just a very good liar. Regardless, it wouldn't be good to cause a ruckus this close to Iwa," Asuma-sensei added.

The other man shook his head. "I can't imagine either of them knowing anything. Naruto didn't escape our grasp for all these years by telling people stories about himself. He's secretive."

Shikamaru shook his head. "Of course, he wouldn't do that consciously. But everything he does inevitably leaves a mark."

He could feel both men's eyes focus on him. Apprehensively, Asuma lightened up another cigarette and took a deep drag. After letting the nicotine he had gotten addicted to flood his lungs and subside his restlessness, he exhaled and spoke up again. "Did you find something out, Shikamaru?"

He shrugged. "Maybe. Just a few little things."

Asuma grinned and let something akin to pride shine through his features. "Those little things that add up in the end?"

Shikamaru couldn't help grinning back. He wasn't a kid anymore and maybe he should stop seeking his teacher's approval. Still, it felt good to know that he had made his mentor proud.

"For the record, I'm not completely sure of this idea. It relies on various theories that aren't exactly foolproof on their own regard."

Asuma rolled his eyes. "Just spit it out, kid."

"I think he's got a friend who's helping him."

Kakashi's squinted eye was the only sign that the man was frowning under his mask. "Are you sure? We were previously under the impression that he was operating in solitary."

Shikamaru nodded. "The boy I was talking with earlier was the blacksmith's other apprentice. He's told me that Naruto left to take a vacation at a friend's place."

"How would be able to find that person? They could be living anywhere," Asuma argued.

"He visited his friend two months ago and returned with a cold complaining about the constant rain. It was winter at that time. There was only one place in close distance where it was raining constantly," the young ninja explained.

"A place where it is always raining constantly," Kakashi deducted. "Amegakure."

"Or at least some part of the Rain country," Shikamaru clarified. "The number of places he could've gone to is limited considering that he was away for only two weeks. He passed the Land of Rain on his way back to the smithy but had a tan when he returned. Evidently, he spent his time somewhere where the sun was shining, I repeat, in the winter."

Asuma's teeth locked around the cigarette so it wouldn't fall down when his face broke into a wide grin. "A place where the sun is shining every day."

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His steps were light and almost didn't leave an imprint on the sand he was walking on. With time he had gotten used to operating this unobtrusively. It wasn't something he had been used to doing. It had never been necessary for him to cover his presence because he didn't hide from or avoid obstacles, he annihilated them.

But this wasn't about him.

He didn't stop when he reached his goal but proceeded to keep on walking, flowing like water through the human masses.

His friend usually felt more comfortable residing in mid-sized hotels but this time it had been important to choose a heavily occupied place to prevent sticking out in the crowd.

He didn't have to ask at the reception what room his friend was residing in. He wouldn't have given them his real name anyway. No, he only needed his senses to feel where his friend was. After all, they both had some things in common that made it easy to keep track of him when they were this close to each other.

When he found the door he was looking for, he knocked two times before whispering, "It's me."

After three seconds of silence, the door opened only a crack. It was enough for the blue eyes to take a peek at him.

"What took you so long, Gaara?"

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A/N: Thank you guys for reading this chapter and taking the time to comment on the last one! I appreciate everyone who lets me know what they think about my story so far:) I took all your suggestions into consideration.

I know I'm updating a little later than usual but I spent last week outlining and planning details about this plot. I'm now finished laying out the backstory (how Naruto left, what he did when he was gone etc.).

Also, I know I've created some OCs (Kinzoku, Kinben) but these characters are needed to advance the plot. They will not 'take over' the story or anything.

I don't know when the next chapter will be up (for some reason I've got a knack for coming up with story ideas when I'm in the middle of my exams) but I'll try my best.

Please let me know what you thought of this one:)