Chapter 4: In the Woods

They were making good time and they had a few hours of light, despite it being so late in the day. Shikamaru didn't speak, not that anyone but Naruto could understand him. However, Ino did ask to ride him a few times on their journey. Naruto played with his tail for a while, thinking about how much he would miss having it once they were cured. After that he found a rock and juggled it for a bit to pass the time.

"It took a full day to reach the village, right, Shikamaru?" asked Ino.

He nodded his head.

"You left at dawn and arrived in the evening?"

He nodded again.

"Then we'll make it by dawn, right? If we keep going. If we stop to rest, we'll still get there tomorrow. Just in the afternoon. Sounds good to me."

Naruto looked back at the sky. The clouds were orange and purple. Sunset was reaching its end. Twilight was setting in. The time of day didn't bother him. He kind of enjoyed it. Actually, it wasn't difficult to see at all. Naruto reached into his pockets and started eating a bag of candy he had brought with him.

"You should ration your food, Naruto," said Sakura.

"Hey, I skipped dinner because of this and I didn't finish my lunch. I was in too bad a mood."

Shikamaru was the one who should feel hungry but he was too upset to eat. Being turned into a deer had him trying to short out his feelings. He was nervous and scared. He was worried, too. At the same time, a small part of him actually thought this wasn't such a bad change. He was a deer. There were downsides, sure, but there were upsides, too. Now he would know what it was like to be the animal his family was famous for. Now he knew what it was like to have hooves and antlers. This was pretty interesting. If he was feeling a little more carefree like Naruto, he would try playing around with this new form of his and see what he could do.

But he was still too upset to try. Deer were hunted animals. If some hunter spotted him in the woods, they may try to kill him for food. It was a good thing he had his team with him, but that may not stop some hunters. And what if he strayed too far from the group? He had to be sure he stayed as close as he could to the rest of them just in case. Someone might try to mount his head on their wall. There was no way he could tell them otherwise since no one other than Naruto could understand him. He wouldn't be able to plead his case and beg for his life if something were to happen. He didn't know how to be a deer either. He knew about them, but it was different actually living as one.

The sun had now set and the moon took its place. It was getting later by the minute. The candy gave Naruto a little energy but after burning most of that off climbing trees and playing made-up games, he was starting to get tired. He didn't want to walk anymore. His knees and ankles were starting to bother him.

"Can we stop?" he asked.

"Why? We're making good time," said Sakura. "Ride on Shikamaru if your legs are bothering you."

He didn't want to and neither did Shikamaru. Naruto kept walking. At least until he stumbled on a tree root and bumped into a tree. Then a bush. His body wanted rest. "Please?" he whined. They had been walking non-stop and his body was feeling it.

Shino looked back at him. Naruto did look pretty tired. He looked at Shikamaru. The deer had his head down low and was taking slow steps, lagging behind the others. He looked tired, too. It was impossible to know if Shikamaru was complaining too since his words couldn't be understood. Using his best judgment, he stopped the team. "We'll rest here for the night."

"Thank you!" Naruto sat down where he was and exhaled deeply.

"Are you sure?" Sakura asked. She was still ready to go and so was Ino.

"They just came back from a mission this afternoon. They must be tired from that. Plus, with the transformation and us making them walk all this way... It must be taking its toll on the two of them."

Sakura looked at them. "Yeah, you're right, Shino. I guess we should consider that and let them rest a bit. We don't really know what's going on with them."

They set up camp between the trees. Naruto rolled out his sleeping bag and slept under the stars. Shikamaru, without a sleeping bag, slept curled up in the grass under a tree. No one bothered with a tent. It would take more time they didn't have.

During the night, Ino turned over and noticed that Sakura was watching Naruto sleep. "Something wrong?" she whispered.

"No, not really," Sakura whispered back. "I was just thinking about something Tsunade said before we left."

"About what?"

"About Naruto turning into a fox. About how any number of things could happen. Like the seal breaking loose or... A bunch of stuff." She sighed. "Also, he isn't a full animal like Shikamaru is. I'm not sure why that is. What does it mean?"

"It's probably nothing to worry about. Don't sweat it."

"I guess..." Sakura still wasn't convinced. "But what if he wakes up a full fox tomorrow?"

"It'll be fine. Don't worry about it." Ino patted her hand, tying to comfort her gently. "Get some rest. We can't be slow tomorrow."

"You're right. Good night, Ino." Sakura still couldn't put it out of her mind, though. She was still worried about what would happen to Naruto. He may not have seen how bad this was, but she could. Things could get a lot worse.

As dawn broke, so did the silence as Shino roused the others. "Let's get going."

Ino and Sakura folded up their sleeping bags and tried to wake the other two. Sakura shook Naruto's shoulder. "Wake up. It's morning."

He curled into a tighter ball, moaning. "It's morning when I say it is."

"Naruto get up or I'll pound you."

He hid his face.

Ino came over with a smirk. "I'll get him up." She bent over and called to him gently. "Sakura said she'd give you a kiss if you get up, Naruto."

"I'm up! I'm up!" Naruto sat up straight, puckering his lips.

Sakura shoved Ino. "What did you do that for, Ino-pig?"

"Hey, it worked didn't... it?"

Naruto rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand. When he lowered his arm, he noticed the two girls staring at him. "What?"

Sakura and Ino pointed. "Your... ears."

"My ears?" Naruto felt his ears. They were pointed and a little fuzzy. He felt a pinch and lowered his hands. "Ouch!" He looked down at his hands. His fingernails were sharp. He had grown claws during the night.

Shino saw Naruto's new claws and ears. "We have to get going." Shino's hidden face didn't say it, but his tone did. They had to hurry. Things were getting worse.

They took the path through the trees, hoping it would be faster than going around. Shikamaru kept catching low branches on his antlers. He was a lot taller than he was as a human. He had to adapt quickly. He also had to remember that he had antlers growing out of his head. Oddly enough, his head didn't feel very heavy. He had a strong neck as a deer, maybe that had something to do with it.

"Can we eat?" Naruto asked suddenly.

Now that he mentioned it, Shikamaru was starting to feel a little hungry himself. He hadn't eaten much of anything the day before. He had to keep up his strength.

Naruto asked again. "Can we stop and eat something? I'm starving."

"Can't you wait?" Shino asked. "We're almost there."

"You can either let me eat now and wait a few minutes, or you can carry me there after I pass out from hunger. You pick."

Sighing, Shino caved. "Fine. Eat something. But let's not lose time. Eat as you go."

"How do I do that?"

"Didn't you bring food with you?"

"Yeah, of course I did."

"Besides ramen?"

Naruto hesitated. "Uh... yeah?"

"You didn't, did you?"

"Let me check." Naruto looked inside his backpack. "Ah-ha! I have a bag of chips! Oh, and a banana... well, a mushed banana."

Shino sighed again. "Did you leave it in the bottom of your bag and let it get crushed by the heavy stuff you put on top?"

"... And I sort of banged my bag against some stuff along the way. And I might have thrown it on the ground when we stopped to rest last night."

The girls shook their heads.

Naruto tried offering the crushed banana to Shikamaru but he refused, so he tossed it on the ground. He opened the bag of chips and ate those instead. Shikamaru was still hungry. Wasn't Naruto going to offer him any of those chips? He gave Naruto a nudge and asked if he could have some. Naruto shared the bag with him. It was hard to eat without hands. He had to stick his head in the bag in order to eat anything. Naruto wasn't going to hand-feed him, that was for sure.

By afternoon, they finally reached the outskirts of the village. Naruto had no feelings one way or the other about arriving. The others were relieved, however. Especially Shikamaru.

Then, as a thought popped into his head, he gave Naruto a nudge. "I have to talk to Shino. I need you to translate for me."

Naruto sighed. "Fine."

"Shino." Shikamaru nudged him. "I need to talk to you."

Naruto translated. "Shikamaru says he has to talk to you."

"Alright. What is it?"

Naruto translated everything Shikamaru said. "He says, 'we didn't leave this village on good terms the other day. We were banned from returning. I'm not sure how they're going to react when they see us. They may not recognize me but they might recognize Naruto since he hasn't changed much. I'm not sure if they will be willing to help us out. I'm worried we're going to run into problems if we enter the village.' That's all he said."

Shino nodded. "Don't worry about it. I'm aware you didn't leave on the best of terms. But we're different ninja. They may not have a problem with us. I think they're sour towards you and not anyone from the Leaf Village. Besides, this is our only chance of getting you help. They may know something. We have to take a risk and enter the village."

Naruto turned to Shikamaru. "He says-"

"I know what he said!" Shikamaru barked. "They can't understand me, but I can understand them."

"Oh, yeah. Sorry. This is a little confusing since I can understand you and everybody. I can't tell."

"If it bothers you that much, you can wait out here for us to come back," said Shino. "But it may cause problems if they need to examine you in order to cure you. But this way we can always come fetch you if that be the case. It's up to you."

Shikamaru knew what had to be done. "I'll go, too. No sense staying out here waiting."

"He says he'll come in with everyone," translated Naruto.

Shino nodded. "Alright. Let's get this over with."

Shikamaru lagged behind the others along with Naruto. It was probably for the best if the others were seen before them, just in case they were chased away because they were banned from the village. Shino led the team into the small village. So far no one noticed them. Shikamaru glanced around. Still no women. Not a one to be found. It made his chest hurt. If only they hadn't failed the mission.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" asked a man.

Naruto pushed his way to the front. "We're looking for the scarred guy. You seen him anywhere? It's important."

The man looked Naruto up and down. "What the hell happened to you?"

Naruto didn't answer his question. Instead he looked at Shino. "I don't see the scarred guy anywhere. I'm gonna go find him."

Shino grabbed Naruto's arm and pulled him back. "No, you stay with the group. Don't go running off." Then he turned to the man who addressed them. "You don't seem too surprised to see our friend like this. Is there a reason for that?"

The man shrugged. "The world is vast, you know. I assume some things are normal. You don't seem too bothered by his appearance."

"Still," said Sakura, "You don't seem bothered at all. You didn't even flinch."

"Should I? I had a grandfather with only four fingers. You think I'll be bothered by a boy with pointy ears?"

Sakura was surprised that was all the man took notice of. "What about his tail? You're fine with that?"

"So what?" said the man. "So he has a pelt sewed onto the back of his pants. Big deal. To each his own, right?"

"It's not a pelt. It's my tail. See?" Naruto gave it a wag. "It's the real deal."

The man didn't buy it. "You're moving that with your hand."

"Am not!" Naruto held his hands in the air and wagged his tail back and forth. "See? It's a real tail."

The man scoffed. "You're a ninja. I'm sure you're using some kind of ninja trick to make it move."

Naruto pinned his ears back, his upper lip curling. "Listen you skeptic! I-"

Shino grabbed him and pushed him behind his back. "Calm down, Naruto. Don't go starting a fight or they may not help us."

"But he-"

"I don't care. Stop acting like a child and brush it off."

Naruto turned away. It was annoying how this man seemed to have an answer for everything. He didn't believe Naruto really had a tail growing out of him. He thought he was just deformed or playing a trick for attention. He was expecting a little more of a reaction than what he was getting.

"Naruto, look." Shikamaru gestured with his head over to one of the buildings. A man was just coming out of his house carrying boards of wood under his arm. He had scars on his body. The same scars as the man they were looking for.

"That's him!" Naruto ran off without thinking. He had to get a hold of that man one way or another. "Hey, scarred guy! Over here!"

"Naruto, you'll scare him away running at him looking like that! Stop shouting."

He wasn't listening. Naruto jumped in front of the man, startling him into dropping the boards of wood. "Scarred guy, do you have a minute? We need your help."

As soon as the man saw the boy's face and clothes, he scowled. "I thought I told you that you were banned from ever setting foot in this village again."

"Just listen for a second. We have to ask you something."

"Why should I listen to anything you have to say?" The man bent down and started picking up the fallen boards. "Get out of here and leave me alone."

"Not until you answer some questions we have."

The man took a swing at him with one of the boards. "I'm not answering anything. You didn't listen to me so I'm not listening to you. Now get out of here!"

"Hey! Are you trying to hit me with that?"

"Nothing gets by you, kid. Now see if you can get this... Get out of our village and don't come back! Get lost!"

"Not until we get answers!"

"I'm not giving you any!"

"Alright, alright, that's enough." Shino stood in to break up the fight. "Naruto, let me handle this, ok? Just be quiet and stand over there."

"But he-"

"You're only making it worse by yelling at him. Just do as I say."

Naruto pinned his ears back again, but did as he was told and walked away, arms folded and muttering under his breath.

Shino turned to the man. "Sorry about that. We really do need your help, though. If we could just have a few minutes of your time, we would really be grateful."

The scarred man didn't look willing, but Shino's politeness won him over. "Fine. What did you want?"

"As you can see, our friends have started to turn into animals. They were both at this village the other day and we think there's a connection. Could you please help us out? Do you know anything about what might be happening?"

The scarred man rubbed his neck, sighing. "I'm not sure. I honestly have no idea. You may have wasted your time in coming here."

"Do you have any idea why they're in this state? Any clues?"

"We didn't do it, if that's what you're thinking."

"I never accused you. I'm only asking if you have any information on how we can fix this."

The scarred man shook his head. "I don't know why they changed. I'm sorry, but I can't help you." He picked up his wood and turned away. "Now if you'll excuse me."

Naruto gave Shino a push. "Are you going to just let him walk away like that?"

"He says he doesn't know."

"And you believe that?"

"We can't force him, Naruto."

"Sure we can. We have Ino here. Can't she do something about it?"

Another villager came over to them. "Excuse me, I couldn't help but overhear. Are you saying that a couple people from your group are turning into animals?"

They turned. "Yes? Yes?"

The man talking to them was much older than the scarred man and walked with a cane. He beckoned them closer. When everyone leaned closer, he spoke to them in a hushed tone. "I think I may know what happened to your friends. However, we're not the ones who did it."

"Then who did?" asked Naruto.

"When you came here the other day, those men from the competition were here. They're the ones who did it."

"Why them? And how do you know?" asked Sakura.

"There were rules against ninja performing and your friend there violated the rules when he showed off his ninja skills. Since ninja weren't allowed to compete, they broke the rules. Right after that, the men took the women and left, saying we couldn't try again after that. There must be a reason why ninja weren't allowed to enter and compete. They never said why. But because they saw you break the rules and because you are ninja..."

"So there's a connection," said Sakura. "So they might have punished Naruto and Shikamaru by turning them into animals."

"What's that?" Naruto turned to Shikamaru who appeared to be speaking.

"What's he saying?" asked Sakura.

"Without rules, we're beasts. That's what he said the man told him the other day before we left. The scarred guy told him that that's what the guy in the tower told him when they started. He was their leader. He must be the one who put this spell on us."

The old man nodded. "That's your best bet."

"So it's the men who organized the competition." Sakura turned to the old man. "Where are they? Where can we find them?"

"Their village is the next one over," he answered. "But it'll take you a couple days to reach it. Plus, it's hidden. If we knew exactly where it was, a few people would go there to try to take the women back themselves. Although, that's against the rules, too."

"Screw that!" barked Naruto. "Why do you care? Just go there and get them back."

"You don't know anything about this village, do you?" said the old man. "We agree to the competition every few years. It's tradition."

"You do?" Naruto couldn't understand. "But why? Why do you have this competition every few years? And why are those the terms? Why take all the women?"

"It's a tradition that's been going on since before I was born. Over the years, the reason has been lost to history. All we know is that it's something we do. We don't mind it much." The old man could tell that Naruto wasn't satisfied with that answer. "Hey, go ask the leader. He'd probably know the answer. Just head northwest from here and you'll reach their land. Good luck finding them though. It'll take a few days, I'll tell you that."

"Thanks for the help, but I have a question," said Ino. "This clan that makes this deal with you every few years... how do we know they'll be there? Maybe they took the women somewhere and they're not there or something."

"Not likely," said the man. "They come here once every few years for the competition. Otherwise, they stay at their village. They never leave except for the competition. They're not kidnappers, if that's what you're thinking. It's just a tradition. Nothing to worry about."

"Pretty weird competition if you ask me," muttered Naruto.

"What is the clan's name, if I may ask?" Sakura said before the man could turn away. "It's something we need to know."

"The Susumu clan. Commonly, it's a first name, but this is actually their clan's name. That should make things a little easier for you."

"Thanks so much."

The group left the village with Naruto complaining every step of the way. After a while, he tired himself out and stopped ranting about everything the villagers were doing wrong and how weird the situation was. He grabbed something from inside his bag and started eating as they walked northwest. The villagers had never left their village so they didn't know the name of the village where the Susumu clan resided. According to everyone, it was days away.

"This is going to take forever," Shikamaru muttered. "And are you going to share those?"

Naruto turned his head, mouth stuffed with salted chips. "Oh. Here. You can have the rest." Naruto gave Shikamaru what was leftover in the bag. It wasn't much.

The sky was beginning to darken. The sun was setting. They must have been walking longer than Naruto thought. The forest was quiet except for the insects buzzing around. Along the way, Shino spotted something through the trees and wandered off the path. The others followed him.

At first glance, it looked like a shrine. It was actually a small hunt with only two rooms and no plumbing. The roof was covered with moss and there were budding plants growing out of the gutters and up the side of the structure and into windows. There were crooked wooden steps leading up to the only door which were mossy around the edges. One step was missing, but it didn't seem to matter. It looked like a traditional Japanese building, though very small. It was missing one of its sliding doors, leaving the inside exposed. The inside had a few leaves and webs in the corners, but it was surprisingly in good shape. This was livable.

"We'll stay here tonight," Shino announced.

Naruto shrugged. "Beats setting up a tent." As long as he had a roof over his head, he didn't care very much where they would be spending the night. Besides, he didn't pack a tent, and from the looks of it, neither did the others. Everyone wanted to travel light.

Everyone piled into the building. It was big enough for everyone. Then there was Shikamaru. He was still trying to figure out how to get inside. So far, he managed to control all four of his limbs, but he hadn't done stairs before in this form. He lifted his front leg and placed it on the step and lifted himself up. He moved slowly up the stairs and into the building. It was a success. He walked to the back of the first room and lowered himself onto the ground. This was where he would sleep.

The others unrolled their sleeping bags and started to get ready for the evening. Naruto stayed near the open door, not quite ready to go to sleep yet. Part of him wondered if he would have paws in the morning. Another part was wondering what they would do when they ran into the Susumu clan. This transformation didn't have him stressed out. He actually thought it was cool. However, there were downsides to it. He didn't want to have to translate for Shikamaru all the time. It was a real pain. Plus, the worries the others had were starting to enter his mind as well. What if the seal was broken because of this? Then what would they do? What would happen to him? It wasn't on his mind most of the time. He tried not to think about it. He would be back to a normal human teenager in a couple of days. So far, everything seemed to be going relatively well. He wasn't very worried at all.

He curled into a ball in his sleeping bag and stared at the trees blocking his view of the moon and stars. This was pretty peaceful. He liked sleeping under the stars. Still, nothing beat his soft warm bed back home. Although, this fluffy fox tail came pretty close.

Please review! ^-^