Chapter XII: Naruto's Search Party
Naruto and the rest jumped silently from tree to tree, every leap bringing them one step closer to finding Sasuke.
"We're well on our way!" Naruto said, his broad smile cheering everyone up.
"We should reach the Rice country in a week." Said Lee, who knew all sorts of trivial facts that most people wouldn't need, but on occasion, could be extremely useful.
"Good. The faster we bag Uchiha, the better." Kiba said, his voice slightly more husky than usual.
"Naruto-kun? Where're we going to sleep during the nights? We seem to have forgotten tents." Hinata said, looking at Naruto with a slightly concerned look.
"Don't worry Hinata! I brought three tents!" Naruto said, showing her the new tents that where compact, and small for storage, but where large enough to house two people if necessary when set up.
"Only three?" Kiba groaned.
"Yeah three... Oh! I forgot! There're four of us! Looks like two are going to have to room in one." Naruto said with sidelong glance at Hinata, to whom he gave a mischevious smile.
"I'm not rooming with Naruto! He snores!" Kiba complained.
"I don't wish to offend you Naruto-kun, but I've heard that you can snore quite loudly, and I have a hard time sleeping with too much noise." Lee said, as he leapt off a branch, and landed next to Naruto.
"So I guess that leaves Hinata..." Naruto said, smiling at her.
"Or you could sleep outside." She teased.
"But..." Naruto began, but she interrupted him and said, "I don't mind sleeping in the same tent as Naruto. I have done it once before." She said to the others, who exchanged glances between each other.
"Okay Hinata-san... If you want to." Lee said, looking at her with a confused look.
"You don't know that those two are an item?" Kiba said, grinning at Lee.
"An item? Hinata-chan and Naruto-kun are together? When?" Lee asked, even more confused.
"Since about six years ago." Naruto said, draping an arm over Hinata's shoulders.
Hinata smiled up at Naruto, and leaned her head against his chest.
"But we should get going, because I want to find Sasuke-teme as fast as possible. I still have a date that I have to keep with Hinata." Naruto said, removing his arm from Hinata's shoulders, and backing slowly away from her.
"Yes." Hinata replied.
The group turned and bound off into the depths of the forest, trying to make good time and distance by nightfall.
As the moon came up, and the sky shifted though a myriad of shades of blues, purples, oranges, yellows and pinks, the party came to a stop.
"This clearing should be nice to set up camp, and even take a bath, because there's a stream over to the west." Naruto said to the group, as he settled himself against a tree.
"We need to set up camp first Naruto-kun!" Hinata said, giggling as Naruto jumped up and slapped his forehead with his hand, yelling about how he forgot that they needed to set up tents.
The gang set up the tents, and Lee and Hinata started a fire to cook the food.
Naruto went to the stream and jumped into the icy water, and bathed quickly.
When he got back to camp, he found that food was ready, and he sat down at the stump that they decided to use as a table.
After a quick meal, the group trained together, practicing the different tactics that they would use to catch Sasuke.
Just as the practice got intense, they heard a droll voice cut through the clearing, "Oui! Naruto!"
"Shikamaru? What're you doing here?" Called Naruto to the shadow in the woods, that was leaning against a tree.
"Yup. How troublesome... Tsunade-sama sent me to help you... She said there might be a place for me in this group. After all... I am the best at making strategies." He said, shrugging as he walked into the clearing.
"Hey Shikamaru-kun! Good to see you!" Lee said, giving him a thumbs up.
"'Lo." Shikamaru nodded at him.
"Hey." Kiba greeted Shikamaru.
Shikamaru nodded again, and sat at the stump, setting down his pack as he did.
"We seem to have only three tents..." Hinata started to say, but Shikamaru shook his head.
"I've got a tent, as well as some extra food. I come prepared. Don't worry."
"Okay... Just making sure." She replied.
"Thanks." Shikamaru said.
"So Tsunade thought some brains might make this team better?" Kiba grinned.
"Yes. But she said that Naruto was to remain the leader of the group..."
Everyone's eyes grew wide.
"What? Loud Mouth our leader?" Kiba didn't finish his thought, because Naruto had leaped over the stump, and grabbed him by the front of his sweatshirt.
"Are you saying that I'm stupid?" Naruto growled at Kiba, his breath hot against his face.
"No!" Kiba said, trying to back away, but he couldn't.
Naruto loosened his grip, and smiled.
"That's what I thought."
He walked back around the table, and took his seat next to Hinata.
Everyone was startled by the speed that Naruto had just exhibited.
They knew that Jiraiya, one of the legendary Sannin had trained him for two and a half years, and on top of that, Kakashi took him under his wing as well.
They still did not expect that kind of ability from him.
None of them had really gotten to see him in action, so no one really knew what he was capable of.
"Wow Naruto-kun! You've improved so much since you've returned!" Hinata said, gaining a new level of respect for the yellow haired young man that sat next to her.
"Thanks Hinata-chan!" He grinned, and gave her a quick hug, then returned to eating.
They ate in silence after that, and as the bugs started to get annoying, they went to their tents.
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At around mid-night, there was some rustling from Naruto and Hinata's tent.
A few moments later, Hinata's yelp cut the silence.
"N-Naruto-kuuuuun!"
And then there was silence from the tent.
Shikamaru raised an eyebrow, as he lay in a tree, then closed his eyes and fell asleep.
The camp was silent for the rest of the night, and no one rose until morning.