After looking around he determaned that the pain was coming from his right forearm and right ankle. After a quick self exam Naruto determaned that while not broken the bones in thoughs limbs when pretty baddly cracked and it would be best not to put any weight on them for the time being.
Laying back down Naruto noticed that he had been sleeping between Sakura and Hinata. Smiling at their still sleeping forms Naruto rearranged the backpack that he'd been using for back support so that he could keep an eye on them until they woke up.
"Ya know thoughs two really seem to care for you" Naruto looked up to see Acco laying down about thirty feet away with team ten using him as a living lean too.
"What cha laughin' at?" Acco asked in mild confussion. Naruto just pointed with his good arm as he tried to get his aching side to stop.
"Only team ten would find the safes place on his island to be laying next to a multi-ton, flesh riping, slightly physchotic Postasuchus" Naruto finally managed to get out. Acco lifted and turned his head slightly to look down his flank. There were Ino, Choji and Shikamaru sleeping in a row. Ino on Shikamaru, Shikamaru on Choji and Choji was using Acco's foreleg as a pillow. Acco couldn't help but join in with Naruto's barely suppressed laughter.
"So what time is it? I forgot how hard it was to do that in here" Naruto asked when he got some control back. He had always found it hard to tell the time in a place with little preceptible light charge. Acco lifted his nose to the canopy and took a couple of deep sniffs.
"Smells like its around ten"
"Then it is an acceptable hour for us to begin travels for the day" and enagmatic voice said from above them. Naruto looked up to see Shino standing in the tree that he was sleeping aguinst like he'd been there the whole time, which sent a sever down Naruto spine. He had yet to figure out if Shino just liked to sneak up on people or if he really was that hard to spot.
"True Aburame san, every body up now!" Acco said as he stood, dislodging team ten from their sleeping place. Shino disappeared for a moment which was followed by a yelp which turned into Kiba falling face first to the ground (apparently Shino pushed him off his branch.) and Akamaru landing beside him. The senseis stepped out of the forest ready to go (though Kurenei was still pulling twigs out of her hair).
It didn't take much for Naruto to get Hinata up but he was having some trouble with Sakura.
"Sakura, time to get up" Naruto said as he poked her lightly. Sakura just mumbiled something and keep sleeping. Naruto poked her aguin and got the same responce. After a third harder poke Sakura groned that she 'didn't wana' get up. Naruto looked proturb for a moment until he got a evil look in his eyes which choosed Sakura to shiver in her sleep.
"Sakura nee-chan if you aren't on your feet by the count of five then I'll be forced to tickle you until you are" Naruto cracked the knuckles in his good hand as he started counting while Inner Hinata began to giggle evilly.
"One, two, three"
"Hun?" Sakura mumbled.
"Five! ok Sakura nee-chan the tickling begins" Naruto began to run his fingers over Sakura's stomach and under her arm, which was meet by screaming, giggling and fantic wiggling by Sakura as she tried to make some form of escape/defence.
"OK! OK! I'm up, I'M UP!" Sakura managed to get out between boughts of histaric laughter.
"Nope, you wouldn't get up when told so this is your punishment" Naruto said as he started to tickle her harder. Just then team Guy walked into the clearing and saw what was happening. Tenten just couldn't pass up the opprotunity and joined in followed by Hinata and a youth spouting Lee.
"DAMN IT NARUTO I'LL GET YOU FO.... TENTEN, HINATA, LEE. No fair, that makes it four on one." Sakura cried as she was tickled from all sides.
"Alls fair in love, war AND TICKLE TORTURE!" Tenten sang as she join in on Sakura's stomach while Hinata went for the armpits and neck and Lee targetted the knees. Sakura increased her defensive batting and wiggling and accendently (NOT!) caught Lee with a chakra inhanced kick which sent him flying into a tree. He didn't stay down for long before running back, make crazy promises the whole way, to resume his attack.
After several minutes of tickly goodness everyone was ready to go excepted for Choji and Ino. Naruto was going to wake them but Acco beat him to it.
He walked over to them and started growl/whispering in Choji's ear. Choji twitched a couple of times before he jumped up with a shout, grabbing his pack and jogging in place while shouting for everyone to hurry up. Acco turned to contemplate Ino for a moment before get an evil look and an evilier aura around him. Acco snuck up to Ino, turned his head slightly to the side, and licked her face.
Ino's scream filled the forest as she jumped up and started running around like a headless chicken while everyone laughed.
"I do believe that I'm going to enjoy it here" said Neji with a small smile as Ino pulled out her canteen and a rag to wash her face, all while making plans to get back at 'purse sensei'.
"Indeed" chuckled Shino.
"Alright we've had our fun, now lets get moving before we meet anything unwelcome" Acco started in Naruto's direction, "All invalids get to ride, team ten into your slot."
"Hai Scalie sensei!" Team ten growned. Naruto was mildly confused by this and asked what happened. He was answered by an evily grinning Shino.
"Acco-san challanged Shikamaru-san to a game of Shogi after Shikamaru complained that there were no 'Worthy' opponents here to play with" Shino's evil grin got even bigger as he continued "Shikamaru-san said that it would be an uneven match if he accepted a challenage from a..." here Shino looked nervesly at Acco, who nodded for him to continue "Crocodilian and..."
"what a moment, Shika called Acco a 'Crocodilian' and lived?" Naruto looked very confussed at that.
"No he was torn limb from limb and his skull used as a cup! Heres your sign" Shino throw a five by five cardboard sign at Naruto before continuing his story as everyone face falted at the sound of Shino's joke.
"After the forementioned insalt Acco-san told Shikamaru-san that only cowards refuse a challenge. This propted Neji-san and myself to offer a proposal for a bet to the two parties, which was accepted and the game commenced when we made camp. the result of which become clear after a hour and a half, and well, you can see the outcome." Shino concluded. Naruto couldn't restrain his laughter after that and Hinata had to hold onto him to keep him from falling off of Acco's back.
"Troublesome" was all Shikamaru could say to that.
"Less 'Troublesome', more walking" Acco countered.
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At midday the party took a brake in a clearing before countinuing on.
"Keep your eye's open everyone, we're entering a more open part of the forest and we might get to see some wildlife." Naruto said from his place on Acco's back.
"Or dinner!" Acco added.
They continued to walk for a few moments before Shino made his presents known by asking a question.
"If you will eccuse my forwardness in asking Acco-san, but just what kind of creature are you? I've been reviewing all of my biological studies and I can not find a single referance to anything along your lines in any of them. Could you please clairify what you are so that I and my colleges can better understand you and your kind."
Acco looked at everyone for a moment before sighing.
"This could take a whil....hold that thought" Acco said as he sniffed the air deeply.
"Hn?" Neji asked from the back of the group.
"Dinner" Acco said as his stomach gave a resounding growl. "Alright you loot, up that tree and don't come down tell I tell you."
Everyone scried up the tree and started looking around for the prey Acco had smelled. Kiba was the first to spot them and called the direction to the rest.
The creatures were about twenty five feet long on average and had a light green, tir drop shaped body. they stood mostly on all fours though they could switch to a two legged gait when it suited them. The hind limbs were very heavy while the fore limbs were light and the fore paws had five fingers on each hand, three were thick and hoof-like, the last was long and very dextrius and what would have been the thumb was insted a six inch long spike of bone. the creatures head was brick like and ended in a horny beak which it was using to bite off leaves and other plant matterial.
"Oh their so cute!" Tenten said as she watched the herd move farther into the clearing.
"In a scalie kinda way" Neji said as he scan the clearing edge for Acco. He was about to stop when he notice a youngster about fifteen feet long wonder away from the group. It was obviously not when aquainted with the dangers of seperation in a forest full of preditors like Acco.
"Dinner" Naruto agreed when Neji pointed out the idiot to him.
"What?" Hinata and Tenten asked. Just then Acco launched out of the forest and spooked the loner, (now known as dinner) causing him to try to bolt back to the herd but not before Acco got a hold of it's neck and tripped him. The resulting tumble and Acco's counter twist cleanly snapped dinner's neck in several places and left him doing the 'Headless Chicken Dance' on the ground as Acco started riping large chucks of meat from its still twitching corps.
After a few moments of gorging Acco lifted his blood slicked muzzel and called the ninjas down to get their share.
When they got there Acco noticed that Ino had gone very pale.
"Not much for blood and guts are you blondy?" Acco asked. All he got was a slightly sickened look from Ino before he turned to Naruto.
"You know how thing work around here. You take charge while I guard the parimeter" Acco said "you've got ten minutes tell we leave".
When everyone looked at Naruto to explain he said "Grab food whenever you can, grab it fast, get the hell out of here when we're done" and started cutting as much meat as he could from the stripped corps. Everyone jumped in after a moment and had just finished when a roar riped through the clearing.
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Man this was a fun chapter to write. hope you all liked it too.