Naruto found it strange how quickly the landscape could change. Since leaving Konoha they had seen windy prairies, abandoned deserts, lush forests, and even bustling cities. Once they left the city, however, all the group had seen was endless miles of rocky desert. The orange-toned rocks were beautiful in how serenely they sat in the baking sun, with some of the rock formations almost reaching the height of mountains. At 17 years old some might consider Naruto an adult, but he still had the same childlike urges to climb all the rocks they passed. He imagined how much fun he would have had as a kid if he had had so many places to explore and climb. After all, that was something you could do all by yourself and still have fun.

Things had gotten better when he moved in to Sakura's family farm, but it was still wasn't anything close to having a real family. They always treated him nicely and fairly, but he would work all day only to go out to the lonely shed at night while the Haruno's enjoyed dinner and conversation together. Sometimes Mrs. Haruno would mend his clothing or Mr. Haruno would allow Naruto to come with him in to town to sell their crops, but it wasn't enough to fill the part of him that longed to have somewhere to belong.

Sakura had been the one who treated him most like a part of the family, even though it took a while for her to warm up to him. They had played together sometimes when they were still young, but when Sakura turned 10 she started to find Naruto annoying and immature. Suddenly she worked hard to shed her tomboy image and started wearing girly clothes and refusing to play in the mud like they had always done. For the first time she had grown out her hair and spent ridiculous amounts of time brushing and styling it in the mirror her mother had bought her as a birthday present. Naruto missed his playmate and was confused at what had brought on the transformation, but when he tried to ask Sakura she had only gotten angry at him.

"Naruto! You're just a stupid boy, you wouldn't understand," Sakura said as she crossed her arms and flipped her shiny hair over her shoulder.

"But if you wear a dress like that you'll just get it dirty when we go and play," Naruto had said, truly not able to understand why anyone would want to wear something that looked so tight and uncomfortable.

"I can't play any more, don't you get it?" Sakura sighed, a hint of sadness tinging her voice. "Girls can't get dirty or play in the mud. They have to be pretty and delicate."

"But who cares if you're pretty? I don't care, you know," Naruto added.

"If I'm going to marry someone some day then they're gonna need a reason to want to marry me, right? Nobody would want to marry a girl who wears overalls and plays in the mud all day," Sakura explained in a grown up fashion she had recently adopted as she had been taking lessons with a schoolteacher in town.

"I would marry you even if you were always muddy or ugly," Naruto offered. He didn't understand love or marriage at that age, but Sakura was one of the only girls he had ever been close to. He assumed that meant that she would be a good wife, too.

"And that's why I need to act like a lady! There's no way I would marry a farmhand like you!" Sakura rebutted, sounding a little harsher than she had intended. Naruto didn't mind, though, because it meant he didn't have to worry about getting married some day. He was off the hook.

"Can I tell you a secret, Naruto?" Sakura then whispered in a conspiratorial tone, sounding much more like her old self than the stiff persona she had adopted. "Some day I'm going to leave this farm and go explore the whole entire world, and I'll do something amazing! So if I ever want to get out of here I have to act like a lady!"

Naruto still didn't understand why Sakura wanted to leave the farm so desperately. She had everything she could ever want- a loving family, a stable income, and a place she truly belonged to. Still, she had seemed very determined that she would be the first Haruno to leave the farm and go out in to the world.

Things had gotten in the way of her dreams, though. A couple years of bad drought meant that the crops had suffered and the Haruno's faced some hard times. They could no longer afford Sakura's tutor and had to sell many of their nicer things just to keep their livelihood. Sakura had abandoned her dresses in favor of her old tomboyish fashion, mixing practical skirts with loose blouses, vests, and worn boots.

Even though things had been hard, Naruto had been relieved to have the old Sakura back, even if an odd sadness had settled over her. She went through the motions of working on the farm and doing her part, smiling cheerfully for her parents and never complaining about the work that was never finished. Still, even someone like Naruto could see that she had not been happy during that time.

Looking at Sakura now, she seemed to be turning in to the kind of person she was always meant to be. As they rode she had been bright and cheerful, joining along in the conversation with her chirpy laughter. Naruto grinned and felt an overwhelming warmth to see how fulfilled she had become, but along with that a shadow of doubt passed over him. Growing up on the farm his future had always been clear: he would pay his dues and do his part for as long as the Haruno's would have him. Traveling along the flat and dusty desert and seeing the breathtaking views the world had to offer, as well as the challenges that awaited him and people to meet... he didn't see how he could ever return to a quiet life on the farm again.


While Naruto looked at Sakura with a smile, Hinata watched the boy from behind. Her cheeks turned pink just thinking of what it would be like if that same smile was directed at her. It was the kind of grin that melted Naruto's whole face, squeezing his eyes shut and exposing every bit of tooth he had. He was so uninhibited and cheerful that she couldn't help but feel warm when she saw him.

"Um, Neji... did you sleep well?" she asked her cousin from her position in the front of the horse they shared. He hadn't spoken a word to her all day, and the heavy silence had started to weigh down on her. Hinata thought that maybe she was imagining it, but she couldn't help but notice how cold he had been to her since they left the village. They had never been very close, but around the tribe he had always been at least civil. Now it seemed like he could barely look at her without a cold grimace passing over his face.

"No. The fat one snores," Neji responded simply. He had not been pleased to share a hotel room with Shikamaru and Choji the previous night.

"Oh... I'm sorry," she said quietly. "If you'd like... I could take over the horse while you rest."

"I'm not taking any chances. I need to stay alert," he said roughly.

"It will be easier to stay alert if you're rested," she tried to tell Neji, but she only felt his body stiffen at the suggestion.

"Being the chief's daughter doesn't give you any say over me, whatever you may think," he said in a low voice. Hinata looked down and nervously played with the horse's sleek white hair, running it through her fingers as her mind raced along with every gallop.

She stole another glance at Naruto and his flashing grin, exuding confidence and determination. Hinata thought of the way he had fearlessly stood up to her father, something she had never even been able to do. If Naruto could stand up to someone so intimidating, then so could she.

"Neji, whatever you may think... taking help from someone does not make you weak," she finally said, trying to add conviction to her small voice.

"I told you I don't need help," he rebuffed. Hinata hesitated, but continued with her sentiment.

"We are in a strange place far from home, and all we really have is each other right now. Please don't push me away, cousin," she begged. "Even if you hate me for it, I won't give up on you."

"I don't hate you," Neji replied, but his tone wasn't very convincing. "But you could never understand."

"I understand more than you think," she said. "Please."

Neji paused and for a while Hinata thought he wouldn't answer her, but he finally said, "You were born in to your position of power and respect. To get even a fraction of what was simply handed to you I have had to train constantly, always working to prove my worth while you did nothing. That is why I would never allow pity from someone so much weaker than me. I've gotten this far without help, after all."

He didn't say it in a harsh tone, but it still hurt Hinata to hear what he finally had to say. It both confirmed and contradicted everything she had suspected about her cousin. She knew that he had always been bitter towards her because of her born position in the tribe, but she didn't understand why he seemed to think he had no respect among the Hyuga's.

"Neji, you are the strongest warrior and respected by everyone," Hinata reminded him softly. "And you are my father's favorite... you would make a much greater chief than I could."

Neji didn't respond and silence once again passed between them. It was strange to be surrounded by so many people- they were 9 now- and yet feel so alone. Hinata's own kin wouldn't even talk to her, and the rest of the group seemed so absorbed in their own conversations. Sakura and Naruto were laughing together, and even Sasuke added to the conversation. Shikamaru and Choji were riding in silence, but it was clear the pair was so close they didn't need words between them. And poor Ino was doing her best to talk to Sai, but he stayed quiet on the horse they shared.

Everyone was passing Hinata by while she had to watch from behind, and this time she could not ward off the strong feeling of loneliness and homesickness she had felt since leaving the village. She wasn't strong enough to fit in among the Hyuga's, and now she was too shy to fit in among her new group of friends. She couldn't help but wonder if there was anywhere she would fit in.

"Even though I have trained many years, it seems I'm still lacking in some areas," Neji suddenly admitted, breaking the barrier between them again. "I never learned to be kind like you are. And... that is why you would make a good chief."

Hinata smiled to herself and loosened her grip on the horse hair she had been strangling anxiously. My kindness... might not be a burden after all, she thought. "Thank you," she said simply, and this time the quiet atmosphere between the pair was comfortable and at ease.

"Wait! Wait for me!" a voice cried out. In the middle of the desert any sound at all stood out, so the loud cry sounded almost deafening amidst the quiet landscape. The group turned to see a figure running towards them, too far away to make out much more than the dust kicked up by their flying footsteps.

"Is that... Is that Lee?!" Sakura cried out as she squinted to make out the flowing bowl cut and intense eyes of the man she had last seen in the hospital. He was dashing towards them at a breakneck speed that seemed almost impossible, especially for someone who had just been wounded as he had.

The group stopped their horses and jumped off as Lee approached them, only slowing down to come to a harsh halt right in front of them. "Three hours of running and I have finally caught up!" he exclaimed through bouts of heavy breathing. Sakura made him sit down and gave him a few generous gulps out of her water canteen.

"You idiot! What were you thinking running all the way out here in this heat!" she scolded him as she instinctively moved to check on his wound and his pulse. "I told you to wait in the hospital until the doctor cleared you."

"You should take it easy and rest," Hinata said quietly to Lee, handing him her handkerchief with a small smile so he could wipe the rampant sweat off his forehead. He swiped at the flowing beads of perspiration before returning it to Hinata with a grateful grin and thumbs up.

"Oh yeah, I forgot about this guy," Naruto commented as he scratched his head. "You just left him in the hospital, Sakura?"

"Well how was I supposed to know he'd be foolish enough to follow us out here," she muttered.

"I was thinking about how you were asking about the Akatsuki, and I remembered something about them I forgot to tell you," Lee said. At the mention of the Akatsuki Sasuke turned towards him and listened in anticipation. "And I couldn't let you go off to fight the Akatsuki, Sakura, without having my protection!"

"Never mind that. What is it about the Akatsuki?" Sasuke asked intensely.

"The day that the Akatsuki came through my hometown I first spotted them over by the caves. I wasn't sure who they were but I remember thinking it was suspicious the way the were all gathered there... it looked like they had been inside but I didn't see any mining tools. There's nothing of interest in those caves anyways, not even a trace of anything a miner would want. After they moved on from the caves they robbed the bank, so I forgot about seeing them there earlier until I had told you that the Akatsuki has a hide out in a cave out here," Rock Lee explained. "It might not mean anything, but I was determined to deliver the information and join your quest no matter the costs!"

"They were after the caves in Konoha when they attacked 10 years ago," Sasuke commented, noting the odd similarity. Konoha had had a prospering mining industry, so it hadn't seemed weird that it had attracted bandits.

"They must think it's easy money, to just go in caves and take the materials," Choji added. Next to him Shikamaru seemed to be deep in thought, closing his eyes as he often did when the gears in his head were turning.

"That's not it," Shikamaru finally said. Everyone turned to him as he looked down and stuck his hands in his pockets, exhibiting signs of ill-ease instead of his usual bored countenance.

"It's true that the caves are accessible, but there's also a lot of work involved in finding the valuables and mining it out of the rock," he continued in his signature deep drawl. "And it doesn't make sense that they would be willing to put the work in to mining when they could rob a bank just as easily. In the case of Lee's town the Akatsuki only robbed the bank after they had already visited the caves."

"What are you trying to say?" Sasuke said, eyes narrowed at Shikamaru. Sometimes it took the genius forever to get to the point of things, if he could even be bothered to get that far. He also had a tendency to leave out details or explanations, thinking they would be obvious to everyone when in reality he was the only one who could notice such nuances.

"The Akatsuki is looking for something in these caves, and it's definitely not for money," he concluded. "Robbing banks could be a cover for what they're actually trying to accomplish."

"I don't understand what other motivation they could have other than money," Sai wondered, genuinely confused. "Isn't that what all men desire? Or am I misinformed..."

"Power," Neji added. "One cannot underestimate the desire of raw power."

"There's just one thing that doesn't make sense," Ino objected. "When they came and attacked Konoha they didn't explore the caves. I remember because our dads had run out of them right before the Akatsuki came... They only went towards the caves for no more than a few minutes before blowing them up. If they were really looking for something, why would they look for so little time? Why bother with explosives?"

"And why would they work so hard to destroy the town of Konoha while they did so little to Lee's town," Sakura added.

"Maybe they've just gotten lazy through the years!" Naruto suggested. "Blowing up every cave they come across does sound like a lot of work."

"Whatever it is... they're not your average gang of bandits, which means underestimating them would be a mistake," Shikamaru said. "Until we find out more about them we're walking in to this thing completely blind. Even more of a pain than I thought..."

"There is definitely something strange about it all," Sasuke confessed. "But none of this speculation matters unless we can actually find the Akatsuki."

"Right! I can help with that," Ino said. "Now that we're out of the city I'll search again through their minds."

Ino closed her eyes and probed around the group's heads for a bit, taking note of everyone's brain activity so as to rule that out in her search. Once they were accounted for she worked on blocking them out and extending her reach farther in to the red rock that covered every surface and seemed to spread for the next hundred miles. The fact that the land was so barren actually worked in her favor, as it made it much easier to find the smallest pinpoint of activity.

"Got 'em," she grinned. "We're not too far off."


So sorry for such a late update! I've been really really busy and just couldn't find time to write this. The next update will come a lot sooner, within a week most likely.

Anyways, about the chapter... There's so many characters in this story that I wanted to slow it down a bit and focus on characters for the most part in this chapter. So there was a little bit more development for Naruto, Hinata, Neji, and Sakura, and in the next few chapters I'll put more focus on the other characters. Let me know which characters you'd like to see more of! It would help me out a lot

Anyways, thank you to you readers for being patient. The Fugaku/Minato ordeal WILL eventually be resolved, and there will be a few twists coming up in the story. Thanks for reading! Please please please leave a review and tell me your thoughts!