Chapter 6:
Naruto awakened just as the sun was rising over the hillside. The air was still slightly chilly but he knew the day would grow uncomfortably hot in no time. The closer he drew to the Land of Wind the warmer and drier the air seemed to be. Quickly looking over his camp, he decided to skip breakfast, still overly full from the night before. He packed his gear and headed west, quickly reaching a nearby lake. Now seemed like a great time to catch a quick bath before continuing north west around the lake toward Hacho village. He deposited his gear and stripped off his clothing at a nearby tree. He knew he was probably being too carefree and less hurried then was probably necessary for his journey so far, but he was enjoying the freedom. Solidarity had never felt this good to him before.
While quickly washing himself in the frigid lake water he realized it had been a full two days since he had cut himself. A small, proud smile found its way to his lips, maybe he would be able to stop. Another couple minutes passed and he realized he should probably head out. Dressing in fresh clothing he shouldered his rucksack and followed the edge of the lake north. He could make it to Hacho village by nightfall if he hurried. The village was his last stop before crossing out of the Fire Country territories. After Hancho he would continue west into the Land of Rivers. This would be the first time he had ever left the "safety" of Fire Country and he honestly didn't know what to expect. He had a roughly drawn map and a general understanding of neutral villages, his only hope was to not garner too much attention. Get what he needed from the village, whether it be new gear or food, then leave as quickly as he arrived. He still didn't have a final destination in mind, his main goal was putting as much distance between himself and Konoha as possible.
It was around dinner time when he arrived in Hancho, the trip taking less time than he expected. The area was so unique, the dense forests of Konoha had been slowly thinning and by time he reached the outskirts of Hacho the vegetation and greenery was almost non-existent. Hacho itself though was a strange oasis of a town, surrounded by rock walls, in its center a lush green circle with a dark sparkling lake at its core. The village was small but lively, many quaint storefronts littered the main street into town. Quickly restocking supplies, Naruto mulled over the areas nearby, trying to find a suitable place to camp for the night. The inner walls of the village felt too claustrophobic to him, so he resigned to make his way back outside the walls of the village and prayed to find a nearby cave or something that would allow him a peaceful night sleep. The surrounding area offered little in the way of any kind of shelter. He eventually settled on a large rock formation to the west of the village, it would provide a wind break but not much else. He felt very exposed in the location but it was the best he could do for the night. He was too out in the open to safely light a fire so he made himself a light dinner of dried fruits, nuts and the tomato he had harvested at the Fire Temple. He quickly finished his meal and prepared for sleep.
Kakashi was up and out the door before the sun had even started to rise. He made his way to the gates, greeted by a sleepy eyed Izumo, and signed out. Circling back to the location outside the wall where Pakkun had originally found Naruto's scent, he quickly summoned his ninken. "We are following the scent trail you found yesterday, Pakkun. Naruto has at least a day and a half lead on us so the trail may be quite faint. I need you all to be extra vigilant. We will be traveling as quickly as possible while following the scent. We need to cover ground quickly before the scent trail dissipates further, or worse yet it rains. On the off chance we do encounter him, you are not to engage, no matter the circumstance. Clear?" The ninken all nodded their heads, noses to the ground, then quickly dashed in the direction the scent trail led. Pulling his ANBU mask down to conceal his face, Kakashi chased after the dogs.
The first break in their journey was at the base of an uprooted tree. The scent was especially strong here, it would appear Naruto had slept through the first night here. There were no visible signs of him or anyone having been in the area. The young man was being careful, which made Kakashi both proud and concerned. He only hoped he would find Naruto before the trail ran dry.
Their journey continued to track south west, hours later and they found themselves near the Fire Temple. Naruto's scent was all over the area, scouting around, Pakkun found a cave on the outskirts of the temple. Naruto's scent was again very strong in the cave. He had spent a night here and had a fire. Darkness was starting to settle in and Kakashi had to decide whether to keep going through the darkness or wait until dawn. He ended up deciding to sleep in the cave for the evening, making use of the leftover tinder Naruto hadn't used. It would be smarter to find his scent trail leading out of the Fire Temple area in the morning, he had left far too many trials in the Fire Temple area to quickly decide in which direction to head. Hoping he had made the right decision, Kakashi quickly lit a fire and prepared himself and his ninken dinner. Are you warm Naruto? Are you safe?