In celebration of one year of Itachi, my brother, I bring to you Naruto episode 158 Follow my lead! The Great survival expedition

/Next and final chapter of part 1 will come out shortly/

*CRACK*

"MULTI-SHADOW CLONE TECHNIQUE!"

"Naruto...!"

Just barely, the immense weight of the boulder was being lifted up by Naruto and his shadow clones . "Kakashi...RUN AWAY...

"Yes...sensei."

Kakashi didn't think about it for a split second, he turned around and ran down the cliff.

'If Naruto were to die, then, it just be his own fault. It can't be helped either way.'

Chapter 19: Follow my lead!

"NOOOOOO WAY!"

"I'm not gonna be just some babysitter for a couple of stupid brats! Forget it!"

The other genin all silently stared at Naruto as he stormed away from Tsunade's desk, insulted he was given such an easy task.

Tsunade grimaced. "That's unfortunate to hear," She held up a creamy, white sheets of paper with a cluster of names written down. "You're missing out on a great chance to lead, protect, and guide some of the Leaf's greatest ninja. It's like...Hoakge training."

'H-hokage training?!'

"But if you don't want to then it can't be helped."

"Wait, wait!" Naruto ran back to her desk. "I was kidding, yeah, come on, I wanna do it! I wanna do it!"

"I had a feeling you'd see things my way, let's get started."

OoO

Naruto gave the map he was handed a long stare, then to the Academy ninja he was supposed to lead. 'Hokage training my ass. They're brats like I expected.'

"Listen up!" Iruka yelled. "...blah, blah, blah-"

He heard Iruka, sure, but the words didn't seem to fit quite well together in his head. "Hey, wait, can you repeat that one more-"

"Alright everyone! Begin your expedition!"

Much to Naruto's chargin, Iruka and the other ninja disappeared. 'Geez, guess I have to wing this one.' He quickly cocked his head back and faced the waiting Academy nin. "Ahem! I'm Naruto Uzumaki, but during this mission, that'll be Naruto-sensei to you, tell me all of your names and then we can get ststared already!"

"Uchiha Itachi."

"Hatake Kakashi."

"Haruno Sakura."

Naruto walked over to them and pumped up his fist. "Let's win this one, team!"

"..."

His hand reached for the back of his spiky, blonde hair. "Uh...ok..."

OoO

"The most important aspect in a survival expedition is the food-" Choji stopped midway, he bent down and picked up a green herb. "This here is the Shinobi Kyuusaisou, you can eat it raw so it's essential for ninja missions."

Choji's team gawked, open eyed. Their little eyes were fixated on the herb. "Awesome!"

"I know right? Alright, that's enough of me talking, go and pick some up!"

The kids scattered around the forest and plucked several herb looking plants.

"Let's eat!"

"Wait-" Choji snatched the herb from one of the kid's hands. 'That was close.' "This isn't a Shinobi Kyuusaisou, it's a fake. Although it's a common mistake for beginners, novices like me can tell apart the two by simply looking at the leaves."

OoO

"So the most important thing is the food." Naruto picked up several containers of insta-ramen among other things and stuffed them inside his backpack.

"What the hell do you expect to do with prepare able food? This is an expedition, we have to bring things necessary for our survival." Kakashi commented.

"Whu-but this is necessary!"

"Like hell. Itachi, Sakura, pick up Shino-"

Naruto could tell where this was heading and it was definitely nowhere good. "Hey, this is my team, you follow my rules!"

Kakashi's blank, black eyes waited on Naruto. "..."

"..."

"...fine.."

OoO

Hours had gone by and soon they found themselves in a small area, bursting with vegetation. Naruto walked up to the tree in the middle of it all and etched a thick cut straight in front of them. "We're gonna use this as a landmark in case any of us ever get lost, just head back here."

"Right!"

"Now that we got that out of the way..." He walked off in a random direction. "Let's go everyone!"

OoO

Minutes later, they found themselves standing knee deep in a swamp full of swat-worthy flies. Somehow.

'Just a little ways over there...' Naruto squinted at the map and compass. 'Or maybe somewhere to the left.'

"Onward!"

The team followed Naruto through the murky waters.

'There's no doubt about it.'

Next, they found themselves at the edge of a cliff. 'Yeah I'm reading this right...'

"This way!"

'He has...'

Naruto looked up. "Um...lef-"

'...Absolutely no idea where we're supposed to go.'

"Sensei," Sakura piped up. "We're literally back where we started." She stated flatly.

Itachi sighed. "Sensei, please hand me the map."

"You'll probably make us even more lost."

"Exactly," Kakashi interjected. "That's why you should hand me the map, Naruto."

"No way, if anyone should, get, it should be Itachi-kun!"

"Itachi?! No way!" Naruto argued

"Please just give me the map." Itachi repeated.

*rustle-rustle*

OoO

With one, finishing last kick to the stomach, Lee's team defeated all the ninjas who ambushed them just in one go.

Lee flashed one of his famous smiles. "Great job, students, let's continue our quest!"

"Yes, Lee-sensei!"

"...please repeat what you just said."

"Yes, Lee-sensei!"

"Lee-sensei?!"

"Sensei, are you crying?!"

"I'm just so happy...the power of youth blossoms even in the new generation! Let's finish this heading with your newfound youth!"

"Yeah!"

OoO

"...! We'll deal with this later," Naruto flipped out a kunai knife. "Stay close to me guys!"

Several ninjas jumped out of the bushes, each baring deadly weapons. "Here we go, Sexy jutsu!" Clouds formed around Naruto as he transformed into a tall, sexy woman version of himself.

Kakashi's eyes narrowed from the compete frustration he was in. 'Of all the justu, he chose the most useless one...' "What are you doing?!"

Naruto simply winked at Kakashi. "Well boys, you'd never hurt little, ol me, would-"

Sakura and Itachi were just finished with tying together the knocked out ninja. Itachi stood up with a stoic expression on his face. "...You look like a fool, sensei."

"You tell him, Itachi-kun!" Sakura cheered.

Naruto's mouth was hanging wide open. "You kids aren't...normal!"

OoO

The dead night rolled by bringing in heavy rain with its arrival. Itachi, Sakura, Kakashi, and Naruto all crowded into a tent and kept themselves busy by listening to the steady patter of raindrops.

"Well at least something went right today." Sakura said, she blushed. "And it's all thanks to Itachi-kun!"

"Guys, I hate to tell you this, but we're behind," Naruto began getting himself up. "I found a secret pathway, and we're gonna use it to get ahead!"

The Academy nin glanced at each other. Another idiot idea.

Before they could say a word of sense, Naruto was already out of the tent.

"Should we go after him?" Kakashi said.

Itachi started standing up. "Knowing Naruto, he'll probably end up getting himself in trouble."

"Or killed." Kakashi sneered, getting up as well.

OoO

Naruto shot straight up the vertical cliff, more than ever now, he was determined to lead him and his teammates to victory with this shortcut. 'Heh, almost there!'

"Naruto!"

He looked back, Kakashi and Itachi, with Sakura on his back, were following after him. 'Tsunade wasn't joking with those kids, I hate to admit it, but they're really good.'

As he was running, Kakashi's foot pressed on a weak spot on the wall.

*crack*

"Damn it!" Kakashi slipped back, he crashed landed on Itachi and Sakura making them all fall down.

"GAHHHHHHHHH!"

"Oi, don't worry guys!" Naruto lodged his kunai knife at the foot of the cliff and weaved several hand signs. "MULTI-SHADOW CLONE TECHNIQUE!"

"Alright guys, you know the drill!"

The clones nodded towards Naruto and started grabbing each others ankles, creating a sort of human ladder.

Naruto jumped off the cliff, he was falling at such a high and high height sped it felt like the wind itself whipped him in the face the closer he got to the ground.

He flung his arm out. "KAKASHIIII! Grab on!"

The clones swung from the side of the cliff and grabbed Naruto's ankle as he was grabbing Kakashi's hand.

*clamp*

Naruto tightly wrapped his hand around Kakashi's. "Heh, you gu-" His eyes quickly widened when he realized what happened.

They slipped out of his grasp.

"NARUTOOO-SENSEIII!" Sakura's ear-piercing scream rung in his ears, but there wasn't enough time for Naruto to react or think, the only thing that ran through his mind was they're falling, they're falling.

'That's what I get anyways for trusting you, Naruto.' Quickly, Kakashi drove his kunai knife into the cliff while also grabbing Itachi and Sakura. "...I refuse to die in such a pitiful way."

OoO

When everyone got situated, Naruto and his team continued scaling the wall until they found shelter in a small cave. Not a word was spoken.

"Fire release: Greatfire ball technique!"

The team huddled close around the small fire. Everyone was still distraught from what happened.

"I'm sorry." Naruto apologized, his eyes burned out on the fire. "I wish...I wish I could've caught you, but..."

"I didn't."

Sakura stared at the blazing fire. "It's not completely your fault, if Kakashi didn't fall on us...then none of that would've happened."

"Hey, hey, no need to say that." Naruto said, trying desperately to keep the peace.

Kakashi's voice was noticeably raised. "None of that matters, as team captain, we should be able to rely on our captain. We entrusted Naruto with our lives and he failed us."

Naruto's head sunk even lower.

"When you become Hokage...are you just going to let the village all die so easily?!"

"Don't say that," Itachi warned. "There wasn't a need to bring that up."

"You know full what we were out through, Itachi, if we almost died as easily as that, then maybe...maybe Naruto shouldn't become Hokage!"

"...you're right. If I can't save one friend, then how can I save one village?" A cheesy grin formed across his face. "...I promise, from now on, I'll protect you guys with my life if that's what it takes!"

"I won't accept-"

*moannn*

*groannnn*

Naruto jumped on this opportunity. "...hey, why don't we forget about this and eat some food!" He pulled out several insta-ramen and a small cake. "Let's eat!"

"The only thing we can eat is the cake, the rest needs hot water to eat." Kakashi mumbled. 'I knew we shouldn't of listened, we should've gotten the herbs anyways.'

"Oi, we can still eat it!"

"No we can't!" All three of them said.

"Geez, then we'll just eat the cake thing, he used his knife and made three equal cuts into the cake. "There, happy?"

"Three?" Sakura asked. "But what about you, sensei?"

"I screwed up, didn't I? So I don't get a piece, it's all for you guys."

*gurggle* Naruto clenched his stomach to ease up the noise. "Hey, would you guys just hurry up and eat it already!"

"Sensei..."

"Here," Itachi and Sakura grabbed a chunk of their slice and held it under Naruto's chin. "You need to eat too, sensei!" Sakura argued.

"We all need our strength." Itachi added.

"...you guys..."

Kakashi abruptly stood up, his hand tightened into a fist. "I can't stand this..making friends can only lead you to death. In the shinobi world, those who follow the rules..." He briefly paused and the tension built up. "...deserve the right to live."

Without another word uttered, Kakashi ran out of the cave and continuing running up the cliff. 'My team is incompetent so only I deserve the right to proceed.'

*crumble*

'What was that?'

*snap*

His eyes wandered towards a giant, brown boulder teetering on top of the cliff.

*CRACK*

"MULTI-SHADOW CLONE TECHNIQUE!"

"Naruto...!"

Naruto and his shadow clones were under the boulder barely holding it up. He turned his attention to Kakashi who was frozen in place. "RUN AWAY! PLEASE...I promised...promised to protect you guys!"

"Yes...sensei." Kakashi turned around and ran down the cliff

*BAM*

"G-AHHHHHHHHH!"

"Are you just going to run away and leave our sensei to die?"

"...yes." Though he didn't bother to look, he could sense Sakura and Itachi standing behind him, probably wearing some kind pissed expression.

"Naruto gave me strict orders to run away, I'm simply following them."

"Is that how it is? Then we'll simply have to save Naruto-sensei."

Kakashi continued running down, he figured someone like Itachi could save him so he left.

'Is it even possible to walk away from the pleas of a dying man, something like that makes wonder if you're even human, Kakashi.'

XxxxxXxxx

"Is that it?"

"Yep."

The door suddenly creaked open, Naruto, Sakura and Itachi all looked back to see Kakashi standing in the opening. "Yes, Kakashi?" Tsunade asked while filling in her last documents.

"The mission..." His drifted words off. He was content to see Naruto alive, although Iruka personally told him what happened after he left, nothing could ease him unless he could see Naruto for himself.

"I really...enjoyed it."

Naruto looked back and smiled at him. "'Cause I was your sensei right?"

"You almost had us killed by going through your shortcut."

"What was that?!" Tsunade yelled.

"...aw come on Kakashi, Baka!" Naruto made a quick getaway out of the office whole Tsuande angrily chased him.

'Uzumaki Naruto becoming Hokage? Like hell that would happen.'

A/N: Sorry for it being so confusing, but think of it as another switch roles type of situation. Well anyways, it's just filler sort of, so I can have 20 chapters in for part 1.