Chapter 2
Traveling
Shikamaru was surprised to see Sakura standing at the gate, already there waiting for him. He was 15 minutes early. There was no need for her to be there this early. Then again Hinata had shown up 20 minutes early for their first mission together. Apparently that had worn off a little bit as she was only right behind Shikamaru. Sakura's guess put Naruto at showing up in 13 minutes. Exactly 2 minutes before the time to leave. He ended up arriving in 10 minutes, he was 5 minutes early for the mission.
Naruto had been sitting on the wall for the past half hour. He had gotten his apartment clean by breaking the larger bed and couch pieces into more manageable sizes and then carrying the large pieces to the dumpster designated for his building. He then got a broom and swept the medium to small pieces into a pile and then put them all in a box, which he took care of in the same way. The very small pieces, he used a broom and a pan to put them into a garbage bag and took the last of the trash out. It surprisingly took very little time to clean up his apartment. He really didn't have much. When he was done the apartment looked very much like an apartment that someone was moving into rather than already living in. Except for a few stacked frameless pictures in the corner, there was no real sign that anyone lived there.
Naruto decided not to worry about the furniture or other things as he left for his mission. He would wait, but it was worth it. He left the apartment with a lot of time before he had to meet at the gate. He had to replace some of his scrolls and kunai but there was a weapons shop on the way.
Naruto arrived at the gate long before anyone else would. He was a half hour early. No one would have expected him to arrive more than a couple of minutes before the designated time. He decided to sit on top of the high wall and wait. He could watch the village from that height. He liked looking at it from above, it seemed to hate him less like that. He remembered the look the weapons store owner had given him. It was one of distrust and hate. He had tried to buy only a few kunai and a couple of scrolls. The extra's he had in his apartment had all been ruined. The owner didn't trust him and wouldn't sell to him. He said that Naruto would only kill him and take the money if he sold him the kunai. Naruto had ended up paying extra in order for the store owner to "ignore his conscience". It was just one more reminder that this village hated him. The village he loved hated him.
Naruto watched as his new teammates arrived. Shikamaru looked a little uncomfortable waiting with the two girls. It seemed that Sakura made him a little on edge because of her strength and skill. Shikamaru had gotten used to Hinata's odd lack of confidence to spite her high level of skill and abilities. Hinata always seemed very timid to Naruto but now she seemed just slightly so. Why does she seem normal now and but every other time I've seen her she is very nervous?
Naruto then realized that he had been watching the trio for 10 minutes and there was only 5 minutes to the time they were to leave. He silently slid off the wall and landed behind Shikamaru. Sakura and Hinata had been standing closer to the gate but turned towards Shikamaru and the rest of the village. Shikamaru had been looking out past the two females and into the forest. He didn't react to Naruto's sudden appearance but he knew he was there because of the girl's reactions.
Sakura's was a slight gasp of shock followed by a superhuman punch to Naruto's face for startling her. Hinata's reaction had come a split second earlier because she had seen him in mid fall. Her bloodline allowed her a larger field of view. She started to blush just before Sakura had gasped and then got surprised and worried herself when Naruto received a blow that should have killed him. How could Sakura, a medic nin, be so unconcerned for a teammate and fellow Konoha ninja?
The answer came when Naruto didn't even pretend that the punch had been unexpected. He simply accepted it. When he pulled himself out of the hole in the wall behind where he was hit he simply spat out the blood that had formed in his mouth. He had cut the inside of his mouth on his tooth. Sakura was a little angry at this and refused to look at Naruto. Hinata got worried at the sight of the blood and went over to check him out. To Hinata's, and the other two chunin's surprise even though they didn't show it, Naruto blew off the attention and asked Shikamaru what the plan was.
This made everyone more worried over Naruto than any hit Sakura could have given him. He always liked attention. Even if it was from a shy girl. To just completely brush it aside and move on as if the girl wasn't there made everyone feel off. It hurt Hinata the most though.
She had seen him ever since she recognized he was different. That had only taken one look at him though. They were 5 when she first saw him. She had been walking with her father when the atmosphere seemed to change from one of warmth that the village always seemed to give the Hyuugas to one of anger and hatred. She had been able to feel and see it. Then she noticed a boy her age walking down the street. He was dirty and he looked like he had been fighting the day before. She hadn't known that a drunk man had been beating him only 10 minutes before and that his wounds were already healing. The villagers all seemed to look at him with eyes of anger. She didn't really recognize it as specific to him at that age though. She had only gotten a passing look at him. But she did find it odd that people were avoiding him and that he apparently had no one there with him.
Hinata had always watched him closely after that. He always seemed to have a determination. Even when the villagers tried everything they could to destroy his will, to break his spirit. Naruto worked harder than anyone recognized, even herself. It took a long time for her to see something real that no one else saw. Naruto was smiling almost always. He laughed, he pulled pranks, and he did fun things when he wasn't training to be the strongest ninja he could. She saw into his eyes. His eyes held pain. Not pain of a scrape of a cut. It was pain of loneliness; pain of always being scorned and turned away. She understood some of that pain. But most of all she admired that strength he had, to never let it get to him. Now she saw a defeated Naruto. One that had lost that heart.
Shikamaru knew he wasn't going to be able to do anything. Naruto had too much of a serious look in his eyes. He had never seen Naruto like this before but he also knew not to try and ask him about it. He answered Naruto's question calmly even though he was worried about Naruto's abilities if he stayed like that. "Naruto, you will take the lead followed closely by Sakura and I. If something happens I will be right behind you and able to give you orders. Sakura will be on the left and I'll be on the right. Her physical strength will be best served on the left, the side most teams are weak on. Naruto you will be behind us and Hinata will be directly behind you. Her Byakugan can make sure our flank is being watched."
Shikamaru drew out the formation on the ground. Naruto, Sakura, and Shikamaru formed a diamond with Naruto in the front and back while Shikamaru and Sakura were level with each other on the sides. Hinata was in the back very close behind the second Naruto. No one questioned how there would be two Naruto's because they all knew that Naruto could hold his shadow clones indefinitely when they weren't hit dirrectly.
Shikamaru had chosen this formation because they were going to be going into unknown territory and needed to make sure they were watching out for enemy ninja. While the Fire country was their own, non of the team had seen all of it yet. Naruto needed to be in the front and back to be able to help out with his shadow clones quickly in case of multiple enemies. Hinata needed to be close behind so that if an attack came from the rear it would be easy for her to get inside the protective circle Naruto and the others would create. Shikamaru needed to be right behind the lead Naruto to give quick orders if need be. But he didn't have the ability to do that job and cover both sides at once. Sakura had the greatest strength and so she could cover the left side easily. Sakura and Hinata also needed to be separated relatively well in case of an attack. They couldn't be together because if they were attacked the group would be out of medical ninja.
After Shikamaru had looked up from his drawing to make sure everyone understood, he stood up and turned to face the forest just outside the gates. Naruto stepped in front and walked calmly out of the gates. Sakura and Shikamaru hadn't noticed the second Naruto until he asked if they were going to go. When had Naruto gotten so fast and stealthy? They couldn't tell when he had made the clone. And now they didn't know which one was the real one. The two ninja silently walked out and followed as the orange ninja jumped into the trees to start the long trip to where their mission would start.
Hinata wasn't as surprised as the other two members of the team when the second Naruto asked them to move because she had been in the back and saw him make the clone. What surprised her most was the ease he did it. It almost seemed like he didn't even have to mold chakra to do it, like he already had the chakra set to do the technique. She didn't even see him make any seals to do it. She was only distracted for a second by this though because she followed after the group without much delay.
Their first destination was a city next to the Fire country boarder. Their path would take them past the capital. They would be safe in their travels for a while. The group didn't concentrate too much on silence but they did make sure to cover their tracks until they got a few miles from Konoha. It was a hidden village after all and they didn't want enemies to find it too easily. As it was, Sakura had no problem softly voicing her question to Shikamaru.
"Which one do you think is the real Naruto?" The question had been on both of their minds. There was no way to tell which blond was the real Naruto without hitting one and seeing if it puffed out of existence. Even Neji had been fooled during the Chuunin exam 3 years ago. Hinata's Byakugan would not be able to tell either. The question would either have to be posed to Naruto himself or they would have to just continue on without knowing.
Shikamaru regarded the back of the orange jacket in front of him. He debated whether he should actually ask or just leave it alone. This debate was answered from behind him. He and Sakura had not checked to see how close the Naruto behind them was.
"There is only one way to tell a shadow clone from the real one without directly striking one. A shadow clone's body starts out at the temperature of the air around it. It will eventually warm up to body temperature because of the chakra circulatory system created inside it, but at the start it is room temperature." Naruto let his explanation sink in as he slowed down to get back in the proper position. The group fell into an almost uncomfortable silence for the rest of the trip. No one seemed to want to talk much. Hinata was still thinking about what had happened earlier, especially how she had seen a defeated Naruto. Sakura and Shikamaru didn't want to say anything they shouldn't with a Naruto on both sides and it didn't look like either Naruto wanted to talk.
The silence was finally broken about an hour after sundown. Naruto had kept the pace the same as during the day. He had no trouble seeing at night apparently. The rest of the group minus Hinata had been having a hard time seeing to keep the pace though. Hinata's Byakugan helped her avoid any problems other than a few random snags of her clothing as she went. Shikamaru finally called that they should find a place to rest for the night. They wouldn't get there tonight anyway.
Within moments the faint orange spot he could see in front of him seemed to just fall out of view. Shikamaru, Sakura, Naruto, and Hinata followed the point man down into a small clearing. It was only about 15 feet in diameter and was almost completely closed off by bushes and tree trunks for about 8 feet. It was almost the perfect spot to rest in. Shikamaru wondered how Naruto had found it so easily and quickly, but then remembered that Naruto had been traveling around for the last three years and probably knew the Fire country a lot better than he did.
The watch was quickly decided and set before Shikamaru, Sakura, and Naruto went to sleep. Hinata would get the first watch, then Naruto, Sakura, and Shikamaru would go last. Shikamaru always liked getting the last shift of the night, he preferred watching the sun rise. His last thoughts before going to sleep though was how the team didn't seem to be as comfortable with each other as he had hoped.
Naruto woke up to a blushing Hinata shaking his shoulder. Naruto found that cute about the girl. She had spent so much time around him and they were almost always together when not on missions. She was still shy, especially when it came to waking him. She was always embarrassed when he woke up and saw her looking at him, even if it was innocently and on a mission. "Time for my shift already huh?"
Hinata answered his whispered question with a silent nod. Then she watched as the blond sat up. He had slept on the ground with only his orange jacket thrown over his shoulder as a blanket. It was not a cold night, but it could get chilly later. She slightly shivered at the thought of being out in such thin clothes. Her jacket was heavier than what most others preferred to wear. But then again she got colder easier than most and she had always preferred to dress modestly, something Naruto very much preferred since his return from his 'perverted tour of the world' as he called it. He hadn't liked the places Jiraiya had taken him during his training.
Naruto noticed Hinata was reluctant to lay down. He had jumped up into a good position to spend his watch when he saw the midnight blue haired girl looking up at him from where she had woken him up. She hadn't moved. It was common to sleep in the same spot as the ninja one just woke up to replace them, but Naruto had gotten to know the 'dark and weird' girl much better than that. She wasn't lying down, she was concerned about something. To answer her confusion Naruto shifted over on his branch allowing enough room for her to come up to his scouting position if she wanted. It was a silent invitation and offer that Hinata wasted only a little time on embarrassment before accepting.
Hinata quietly crouched on the branch next to the fox-like boy. He was not looking at her, but she knew his attention was only barely going into the surroundings. The rest of the boy's chaotic mind was focused at her. She felt safe with him. She was only slightly worried how he would take her question. "Uhm, N-Naruto…Why did you lie to Sakura and Shikamaru?"
She saw as a shock easily plastered its expression across his face. The boy had always been the worst and the best at hiding emotions Hinata had ever seen. His emotions had always been easily readable on his face, something the academy teachers continually reprimanded him for. 'A ninja should be able to hid his emotions perfectly.' What no one realized, and neither did Hinata until recently, was that he was always hiding his pain and sadness. His smile was perfect for hiding his pain. No one saw the real emotion Naruto was feeling. Hinata knew better now. Since Naruto's last birthday Hinata had known Naruto's secret and had seen his real pain. Once she had learned to read his lie and see his pain, it was very, very easy to see through his other lies.
Naruto knew exactly what Hinata was referring to, the explanation on how to tell the real Naruto from a shadow clone. "I didn't lie Hinata."
Naruto was about to continue when he saw Hinata getting ready to speak. She always took a little bit to talk, but he knew what to look for. Hinata's reply was soft as if she didn't like telling him he was wrong. "You're clones don't start at the temperature of the air around them. I've felt them almost directly after you made them, they are as warm as I was. You used them to help keep me warm during the winter when we were on the Hokage monument. It was right after you gave me this necklace."
Naruto's eyes finally came to rest on the girl he was talking to. He allowed himself to stop watching the forest for attacks to look at the girl who had caught him. His eyes dropped to his birthday gift to her. It was small, but it fit the small girl and matched her eyes perfectly. He started to feel ashamed at his semi truth. "Well, actually I didn't lie, they do start as the temperature of the air around them Hinata-chan. The chakra system running through them warms them up. This normally takes a little bit for normal clones. I have the Kyuubi's chakra running through me just as my own. The Kyuubi's element is fire, like Shukaku's is wind and sand. This means the clones get warmed up by chakra with characteristics like those of fire. The result is they warm up to body temp much faster than a normal shadow clone."
That was the full truth, but apparently Hinata was not satisfied. She looked hard at the blond. His head had turned back to the forest and his duties as he said his last statement. "You are still holding back Naruto, is there something else I should know?"
Naruto got a little sheepish at this. He didn't look at Hinata but she didn't think that was because of his duty. He seemed more to want to avoid looking her in the eye rather than take care of his responsibility.
"Creating shadow clones is dangerous Hinata-chan. In fact what I just said is the reason why the technique is not taught and is restricted. For most users the temperature test is the only real way for someone to tell which is which, without hitting the clone. That includes the user of the technique. The person is perfectly copied to include their whole mind and feelings. Every clone thinks of itself as the real person and there have often been times when the clone thought it was the real one and tried to kill the actual person. This is the reason the technique is not widely used."
Naruto paused to let the information sink in. What he had just told Hinata was that there was no way for anyone to tell which Naruto was the real one and which was a clone. That included Naruto. So the shadow clones could impersonate Naruto thinking they were him, or even try and hurt the blue eyed boy. She looked into the boy's eyes as he turned to scan the forest. She was trying to find some kind of emotion other than the happy sadness he always exuded. What she saw was something she had only seen once before. She saw his eyes, they didn't look the same. The color seemed off, but it was dark so it might just be the light. The really odd part was his pupils. They were slits. His eyes were slits, he was using the Kyuubi's chakra to improve his night vision. Hinata had no idea he could control it that well.
Naruto sensed Hinata had digested the information he told her and finished his explanation. "Each clone has a slight mental link to each other, it conveys things more like feelings rather than thoughts. That is how we are able to coordinate attacks without talking. But there is one thing that is different about me than my clones. I am the only one who can claim any difference from his clones." Naruto didn't feel the need to continue.
Hinata knew exactly what that difference was and she wasn't about to make the boy talk about it. Especially since his apartment had been torn apart earlier that day because of that reason. Hinata thanked Naruto for explaining how the technique worked. She then silently dropped down back into the clearing with Shikamaru and Sakura.
Naruto watched as the shy girl prepared for sleep. She ended up sleeping in the spot he had been occupying only a few minutes before. He watched as she did pretty much the same thing as he did whith his arm and jacket, except she laid a mat on the ground for insulation in that direction too. Naruto then cringed as the soft spoken girl shivered slightly as she slept. Even her involuntary actions were soft.
The next morning Hinata woke to find her legs, which couldn't be covered by her coat, were oddly warm. She looked down to see a bright orange jacket on her legs.