Chapter 17:
They cooked and ate quickly. In no time at all they had camp packed up and were on the move. They traveled west, crossing the border into the Land of Keys without incident. The landscape was slowly transforming as they traveled, the trees becoming more sparse, lush grasslands taking over. The wind was starting to pick up, the air taking on a slightly salty smell. Kakashi looked over at the young man, "Can you smell it yet, Naruto? I have a very keen sense of smell but I imagine very soon you will know what I am talking about." Naruto took a deep breath in through his nostrils, exhaling through his mouth. His brow furrowed, he closed his eyes and took in another deep breath. His eyes shot open and he laughed loudly, "It does smell salty!"
A short hour later and they had reached a clearing, stretching before them across the horizon was the open ocean. Rolling waves were crashing over a sandy shoreline a few miles away, the deep blue of the ocean littered with small white peaked waves. Naruto was as still as a statue, mouth wide open in awe. "It's massive… endless… so blue…" The salty wind was whipping the young man's blonde hair around wildly. While Naruto gaped in awe at the ocean while Kakashi gaped in awe at the beauty beside him. Nartutos eyes were twinkling, so bright blue they seemed to glow. His whiskered cheeks flushed a pinkish hue against the cold wind. His golden skin soaking up the sun's rays. Naruto looked at Kakashi then, surprised by the look he found in the older man's eye. Kakashi blinked quickly, the look erased. "Pretty cool huh?" Kakashi chuckled to the blonde as he averted his gaze out over the open ocean. Kakashi grabbed the young man lightly by the wrist, dragging him forward, "Come on, let's dig our toes in the sand."
By the time they reached the coastline Naruto was giggling like a child. He quickly kicked off his sandals, cuffed up his pant legs and ripped off his shirt, discarding them haphazardly all over the sand. Kakashi chuckled, collecting the items, bringing them with him to the shade of a palm tree. Kakashi summoned a few of his ninken, settling himself down in the shade. The dogs made their way down the beach, chasing after the excited young man. Kakashi watched on affectionately as Naruto and the dogs played happily in the sand. Pakkun stayed behind, sitting at Kakashi's side. "You love him, don't you boss." Kakashi laughed lightly, "Always so observant Pakkun, yes, I love him and I am in love with him." Kakashi shocked himself, he didn't mean to speak the words out loud. Pakkun nuzzled himself under Kakashi's arm. "I'm happy for you Kakashi, you know you deserve happiness too right? I haven't seen you smile like this in a very, very long time." "I am happy Pakkun, happier than I think I have ever been. I will take whatever it is that Naruto will give me. I could die happy simply with him being my dearest friend. As long as he is happy, I am happy." Kakashi smiled down at the pug, giving me a quick scratch behind the ear.
A while later Naruto ran his way to where Kakashi had settled in the shade. The blondes chest was heaving, a dazzling smile on his face. "Come swimming with me." he panted at Kakashi. Kakashi laughed at the younger man's unrelenting enthusiasm. Dragging himself to his feet, Kakashi started to strip off his clothing. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Naruto stripping out of his pants, standing in nothing but his boxers, waiting patiently for Kakashi to join him. "You should cut off your badges before we go in the water too, if we need to we can replace them when we're done." Kakashi pulled his shirt over his head, folding it neatly and dropping it to the sand. He hesitated for a moment, but then removed his mask and forehead protector, depositing them on top of his shirt. He slipped off his sandals and unbuttoned his pants, sliding them off and folding them, setting them with the rest of the items. He dropped down to one knee to remove the hidden kunai holster wrapped around his calf, tucking it in amongst his clothes. Ready, he turned to head to the water but not before catching Naruto's eyes. The blonde's back was ramrod straight, fists slightly clenched at his sides, an interesting look in his twinkling eyes. Kakashi gave him a bright smile, "You ready?" The blonde's slightly opened mouth snapped shut, he quickly nodded and started running toward the water. Interesting, Kakashi mused to himself. He still wasn't sure what Naruto was feeling but he knew a look of hunger when he saw it. Kakashi would simply wait and allow the blonde to lead their relationship, he didn't want Naruto to have any regrets. Hell, Kakashi wasn't even sure of what he wanted. He didn't want to hurt the precious relationship they were finally building together. The trust and understanding. He didn't want to jeopardize that. Giving his head a quick shake to clear his mind he decided to try and live in the moment for now and see where it took him.
Naruto had made it to the water's edge, the waves lapping at his toes. He could hear the blonde gasp, "Holy shit, it's so cold!" Kakashi chuckled. "Yeah, it's best not to linger at the edge, if you want to swim you have to just kinda go for it." Kakashi smirked at the young man as he sprinted past him, running a few feet out into the water and driving in head first, completely submerging his body. Kakashi quickly rose back to the surface with a gasp, pushing his soaking hair out of his face. He turned back to find Naruto still standing at the edge of the water, "Is now a bad time to tell you I don't know how to swim?" the blonde called out from the shoreline. Kakashi laughed and stood up in the water. "It's fairly shallow here. Run out to me and dunk, I'll help you." Naruto hesitated on the shore a few minutes longer, brow furrowed in contemplation. Kakashi smiled at the blonde and waved for him to join him, "Come on… I got you!". Hesitating no longer, Naruto came charging at him full speed, pinching his nose and bobbing under the water just before reaching Kakashi. The blonde came rocketing back out of the water in an instant, "Soooo COLD, how are you still in here?!" Chuckling Kakashi replied, "You get used to it. Here, let me teach you how to doggy paddle so if you ever find yourself in a situation where you may have to swim for your life you don't just sink to the bottom like a rock." Shivering and hugging his arms around himself, Naruto agreed. "Ok, first, let's have you try floating on your back. It's easier to do in salty water and it should give you a feel for your buoyancy. Like this." Kakashi demonstrated by laying on his back with his arms outstretched and his legs slightly spread. He righted himself and positioned himself close to Naruto. "You try, lay on top of my hands here and I will lower you into the water when you're in the right position." The blonde laid his back across his hands, spreading his arms out like Kakashi had shown him. "Okay, so the trick is that you have to keep some air in your lungs at all times. The air in your lungs helps you float. If you exhale too much you will start to sink." Kakashi watched as Naruto sucked in a deep breath and closed his eyes. "I'm going to lower you down a bit, now don't panic, I've got you. Remember to breathe but don't completely exhale." Kakashi slowly lowered his hands, keeping his fingertips on Naruto's back. "See! You're doing it, not so tough right?" Naruto made to talk, losing his focus and started to sink, immediately flailing his arms, clutching Kakashi's neck in a death grip. Kakashi laughed at the young man, "You're choking me, Naruto." Naruto's cheeks flushed releasing Kakashi, "Sorry I forgot we could touch the bottom here." "It's alright, lets try again." A few attempts later and Naruto had pretty much gotten the hang of it. "Okay so next, you are going to attempt to basically do the same thing but laying on your stomach. This will be a little bit more tough. You are going to lay on my hands again and hold your breath with your head in the water. I will keep my hands right under you so you don't need to be scared, okay?" Naruto nodded, quickly attempting to lay out on Kakashi's hands. He had his head tipped back out of the water, stomach firmly planted into Kakashi's hands. Kakashi could feel Naruto's abdomen muscles flexing between his finger tips, arousal flaring in his stomach. He watched the blonde suck in a deep breath, then lower his head into the water. Kakashi carefully lowered his hands, fingers lingering on his waist as the young man floated on the surface. Naruto quickly snapped his head back, planting his feet and exhaling. "Great! See, you'll be a master in no time." A few more attempts and Naruto was floating comfortably on his own without Kakashi's hands propping him up. "Alright last thing is the actual doggie paddle. It's called the doggie paddle because it basically replicates how dogs swim, using both their front and back legs in unison to move them along and keep them afloat. In this position you are going to allow your butt to sink in the water instead of trying to keep it completely parallel with the surface, this allows for your head to be angled out of the water. You are going to kick your feet to balance you while you float and scoop the water with your hands, like this." Kakashi once again demonstrated what he was saying, showing Naruto above and below the water what he should be doing with his hands. "The trick here is learning to balance how much you need to kick to stay afloat and how much you can scoop without counter-acting your kicking. We will probably need to move a little deeper out into the water to do this effectively, but just as before I will keep my hands under you to help you. If you start to sink, don't panic, I will be right there." They walked a little deeper out into the ocean, until the water hit just below Naruto's nipples. "Here should be good, okay, maybe start by trying to float on your stomach like before, then let your legs and butt sink and bring your head up, I will guide you as you go." Naruto positioned himself to float on his stomach as instructed, Kakashi placing one hand under the younger man's abdomen and the other over top of his backside. Naruto slowly lifted his head out of the water, letting his lower half dip below the surface, quickly scooping at the water with his hands. Kakashi helped him adjust the depth of his legs, curling a hand under his thigh, dangerously close to his crotch, lifting him slightly, the other hand still pressed lightly against his stomach. "Okay, this looks about right, try and memorize this position, you don't want your legs to be too low or high in the water. How does this feel? Do you feel like you're floating?" "It feels really good… I mean… umm… the uhh… yeah… I think I'm floating." a half smirk played across Kakashi's lips, "Alright, so I am going to remove my hand from under your leg, remember to try and kick in time with your scooping hands. I will be right beside you. You ready?" Naruto nodded a look of determination on his face. A few flailing attempts later with a few corrections and the blonde was doggie paddling without guidance, Kakashi still floating along by his side in case he faltered. Naruto was ecstatic, "Thank you Kakashi, I can't believe I was able to learn so quickly, you are a really good teacher." "Well, I had a pretty smart student." They swam around a bit longer before finally making their way back out.
It was getting to be fairly late in the afternoon so they had to start looking for a decent place to set up camp. The ninken were happily lounging under the shady palm guarding their gear. Kakashi gave all the dogs a quick pat of appreciation, reverse summoning them before collecting his clothing to get dressed. "Oh, Naruto, you should let me take a look at your…" as Kakashi turned to speak to the blonde he was stunned into silence. Naruto was toweling his hair dry, arms up above his head. His lean abdomen muscles flexing taught at the stretched position. His boxers were sagging a bit low and to the side, revealing a delightful blonde trail of hair leading to his crotch. The front of his boxers looked almost painted on, the dampness of them making them cling tightly around his crotch, hugging his strong thighs. Kakashi shook his head and covered his groin with his clothes, "...look at your cut… see if it needs a bandage or not." He quickly turned away from the blonde, pulling his clothes on, willing his erection to go down. "Sure Kakashi, just let me finish getting dressed first." It would be a damn shame to lose the view but Kakashi was grateful when Naruto was covered back in his clothing. They both sat in the sand, Kakashi quickly inspected the small cut below Naruto's lower lip, thumbing it carefully, cursing his slightly trembling hand. The lip cut was completely healed, as was the shallow cut on his finger. The Kyuubi clearly having a hand in sealing and healing them up quickly. The once large laceration on his wrist was pretty much closed up now too. Kakashi gave it a quick clean with some disinfectant and deemed it could remain uncovered to breathe, Naruto just had to be mindful not to bump it into anything.
Something Naruto had asked him earlier in the day resurfaced in Kakashi's mind. A playful smile found its way to his lips, he brought the blonde's hand up to his mouth and gave the back of it a tentative lick. Naruto's eyes were wide, a look of shock on his face. Kakashi snickered and said, "Salty." Kakashi watched the look of shock turn into curiosity, releasing Naruto's hand. The blonde looked down at his hand and lifted it up to his mouth, licking the back of it very close to the same spot Kakashi had, slowly making eye contact with the older nin. Watching the pink tongue dart out of his lips and swatch a wet path shot a bolt of arousal through Kakashi's body. He struggled to keep his face relatively neutral, a small smile on his lips. "It is salty.." Naruto huskily replied. Clearing his throat and quickly hopping up from the sand, Kakashi began to pack up his gear, Naruto following suit. That taken care of, they tried to decide what direction to head in. If they were to follow the coastline north they would eventually hit Joumei, a Shinobi village, so that didn't seem like the best idea. They decided to follow the coast line south, away from any notable habitation. They traveled down the beach quite a distance before they came across a deep gully, fresh river water running through the center of it, feeding into the ocean. The gully cut a deep slash in the earth, a sharp cliff face on the side furthest from them, had large boulders that lead out into the ocean. The boulders formed a half circle parallel with the shore line, creating a natural wave break. The portion of the gully's slash closest to them was far shallower. Kakashi and Naruto carefully scaled their way to the top of the rocky face, peering down into it. Down in the gully there was a nicely carved out swatch of sand with a small cove dug out of the rock wall. At some point the river water that flows through here must have been more substantial. Kakashi surmised that the reduction in water flow was probably due, in large part, to the agricultural demands of the Land of Vegetables, its border lying not too far from here. The area was perfect, the stone walls on either side providing shelter from the wind, also allowing them to have fires without fear of the flames being seen from too far a distance. The fresh water the river provided was a huge bonus, they wouldn't have to worry about collecting drinking water and would have a place to bathe and wash their clothes. Kakashi was convinced they would be comfortable staying here for quite some time. "What do you think?" Kakashi asked the younger man beside him. "It's amazing…" "Well, what do you say we make this home for a bit, we can set-up a pretty great camp here and stay as long as you like." A wide toothy grin spread across Naruto's face. "Let's go!" Naruto started nimbly hopping down the rock face into the gully. "Oi! Be careful, we just got you all out of bandages, I would appreciate not having to play nurse again anytime soon if you can help it." Kakashi teased the blonde, following behind him a little more carefully.
They reached the sandy cove a short while later. They only had a few short hours of daylight left so they quickly set up their tent, tucking it into the carved out rock wall. They hadn't had the opportunity to collect dry tinder yet, so they decided to forgo a fire. They sat and ate a light dinner of mostly dried meat and what little foraged edibles they had left. "We should get an early start tomorrow, I am thinking low tide will be early in the morning. We should take the opportunity to check out the pools left behind around that rocky wave break." Kakashi pointed out toward the semi-circle of rocks at the end of the gully. "With any luck we should find a bunch of clams, maybe some oysters, crabs even. We also need to collect some wood, we can backtrack a bit down the beach and head east inland. I noticed a decent patch of forest in that direction on our way past." "Sounds like a plan." Naruto replied. They finished up the rest of their meal and retired to the tent for the evening, both falling asleep almost instantly.