Chapter 7: Shortcut

As night fell, the group set up camp on the path they were taking. Shino refused for them to leave the road, even to set up the tent he had been hiding in his bag the whole time. He wanted to make sure Naruto and Shikamaru kept their distance from nature as much as possible, which meant they had to stay away from trees, brush and just about anything that wasn't man-made. He asked Sakura to keep an eye on those two while he and Ino set up the tent. Naruto kept trying to go into the woods but Sakura wouldn't let him. She came up with all sorts of excuses for him to stay put.

After a quick dinner, everyone went to bed. Shino took the first watch. Naruto didn't think they needed a lookout but didn't realize Shino was actually watching them. He wanted to make sure Naruto didn't sneak off in the middle of the night to wander into the woods. At 2:30, Ino switched with him. So far, Naruto and Shikamaru were both asleep. It didn't look like they were going anywhere. Since Shikamaru was too large to fit into the tent without poking holes in it with his antlers, he had to sleep outside. She couldn't see him from inside the tent, but since he expressed no desire to leave the camp, she thought he was safe to leave on his own.

However, around 3:00, she stuck her head outside to check on him. He was still there with his back to her. She looked back at the fox-boy curled up in his sleeping bag. She couldn't see his head, but she saw his tail swishing back and forth. Then it tucked inside his sleeping bag and his entire body was hidden. She sat in front of the door, making sure he didn't leave. She dragged her sleeping bag in front of the tent's only exit and stretched out in front of it. There was no way he could leave without stepping on her in the process. If he tried anything, she would be the first to know. Even if she chose to rest her eyes for a minute. She kept her head propped up on her arm, facing Naruto's sleeping bag.

What she didn't notice was that the sleeping bag was stuffed full of leaves and dirt Naruto had dragged in from outside through a tiny slit he had made in the lining of the tent. The opening was just large enough for him to slip through. No one would be able to see the hole unless they moved his sleeping bag out of the way and looked at the ground. It was perfectly inconspicuous.

It was just like squeezing under a fence. Naruto's flexible body easily fit through the opening he had made with his new claws and into open air. The cool night air felt good on his warm cheeks. Naruto reached back through the hole and dragged out his backpack. Then he carefully crept over to Shikamaru and tapped him on the shoulder. He was still awake.

"What is it, Naruto?" he whispered softly.

Naruto kept his voice down, too, so the others wouldn't hear him and wake up. "So you can't sleep either after hearing Shino, huh? It doesn't make any sense to take us the long way if we're only going to get worse."

"I guess we're both thinking the same thing."

"Yeah. Let's go."

Shikamaru knew it.

"The way Shino's calling the shots, we'll get to the next village in a month. If we take the shortcut, we'll be there by morning. Besides, the dark isn't a problem for me. I can see just fine." He could. Naruto found himself being able to see just as well at night as he could during the day. The darkness had little effect on him. "Shino's taking too long. We'll get there in no time taking the path through the trees. It'll cut the time in half. Why can't he see that?"

"I know. I don't want to be a deer any longer than I have to. If this is only going to get worse the longer we wait, we should take the faster path."

Naruto nodded. "Right. Then let's go. Right now." Naruto slipped his bag on his back, ready to move. "They'll only try to stop us. We have to sneak out."

Shikamaru nodded his head and started to get up. He didn't feel right about leaving without telling anyone, but Nauro had a good point. They didn't want them to take the shortcut so they were bound to stop them if they knew what they were plotting. They couldn't tell anyone their plans. He could always apologize later once they were back to normal. Hopefully by the afternoon both of them would be cured.

Naruto scampered to the other side of the path and waited for Shikamaru. His hoof-beats didn't make a sound on the road. Deer were so quiet. And they could see quite well at night. Shikamaru wasn't having any problems seeing the path. He crossed the road and stood beside Naruto facing the forest ahead. It was so thick and stretched on for ages. The trees were so tall and thick, it made him feel as though he were an inch tall. Insects chirped and buzzed, as if giving them warning to stay away.

Unafraid, Naruto entered the forest. "Come on," he whispered and ran ahead. Shikamaru had no choice but to follow. He took one cautious step into the grass and paused. Everything was fine. He took another step. Soon, he was walking just as quickly as he would on the road. Though the forest was dense, it bore no issue to his four long legs. He followed Naruto up the hill and deep into the forest.

Sakura pulled apart the sleeping bag, dirt and leaves falling at her feet. Ino stood outside the tent and called their names, begging for them to show themselves. Sakura paced the tent, looking every which way.

"Gone. Both of them." Sakura went back to camp. "They're both gone."

"But I was by the door the whole night," said Ino. "It was zipped up tight and next to my head. Even if I did fall asleep, I would have heard Naruto leaving. How could he escape? I could see his tail from the sleeping bag. I thought he was inside."

Shino pointed to the slit in the tent. "Here's how he got out. He cut a hole in the tent. No one noticed it because of the way it was cut and because it was hidden by his sleeping bag. Clever of him."

Sakura sighed. "We should have known something was wrong when he got quiet. Naruto snores like crazy which is why we all carry earplugs."

"How could I have been so stupid?" Ino slapped her forehead in aggravation. "I should have checked on him more closely. All I did was look at his sleeping bag. I never went over to see if he was still there after his tail went inside. I thought... God, I'm an idiot."

"We have to go after them. You heard Shino. They can't be on their own."

"We don't even know when they ran off. They could be miles away by now. We don't even know where they went."

"Where else would they go?" Sakura said. "Obviously they went on the shortcut Naruto saw on the map so they would get to the village faster. That's what he was complaining about yesterday."

"That can't be it. Naruto left the map behind. It's still there in Shino's bag. Look."

"It doesn't matter," said Sakura. "I've never seen Naruto use a map in my life. I doubt he can even follow one. The fact that he left the map behind doesn't mean anything."

"Then how does he know where he's going? What if he got himself lost? This is Naruto after all."

"He may be a moron but he isn't stupid," Sakura said, folding her arms. Saying such a thing about anyone else wouldn't make any sense, but for Naruto he fit it to a T.

Shino rolled up Naruto's sleeping bag and brushed the leaves out of the tent he was preparing to take down. "Naruto and Shikamaru are both gone. Our earlier thought of them using the bathroom isn't correct. They wouldn't be gone for this long, plus Naruto took his backpack with him. He left this behind and didn't take the map but it's pretty clear what he's trying to do. He's taking that shortcut."

It was just as they feared. They were both gone.

"How could I have been so stupid?" This time it was Shino saying it.

"It's not your fault, Shino."

"We told them about their animal instincts. We didn't tell them the reason why we didn't want them going off on that shortcut, especially alone. Maybe if we had told them the dangers, they wouldn't have left. I should have explained more than I did."

Sakura tried to comfort him. "Hey, this is Naruto we're talking about. Would he listen? Even after you tell him why he shouldn't do something? Naruto's not that type. If anything, he takes it as a challenge. If you told him about his animal instincts getting stronger the more he's in the woods, he would say that he can suppress it or something. The point is, he would have done this anyway. He always runs off and does his own thing, no matter what we say."

That much was true about Naruto. Shino had seen his recklessness firsthand. Many times. It was exactly as Sakura said. Naruto simply would not listen and couldn't stay still. This was no one's fault.

"So now what do we do?" asked Ino. "Do we go to the next village on this path or take the shortcut and hope we run into them? Or do we look for them and forget about the village for now?"

Shino stood up, tent now packed. "No. We go to the next village as planned. We know that's where they're heading. Plus, now we can move a little faster. Just not too fast in case we spot them on the way. In case they're lost, I have a plan for that." Shino held out his arm and a small swarm of bugs started to gather on his hand. "I'll send out my insects to search for them. Once they're located, by insects will come back and report to me. They'll tell me where they are."

"Awesome," said Ino. "So this is why Lady Tsunade wanted a tracker on our team. Just in case they split. This is perfect."

"Great. So we have a plan." Sakura turned down their path, ready to catch up with the rest of their team. "Let's just hope they're not in too bad a way when we find them."

Walking through the forest wasn't so bad. Shikamaru grew used to the tall grass and thick tress quickly. It was a thick forest but it was very tranquil. The path they would have been taking was wide and open. Taking this path made everything seem closer. He wasn't intimidated. It made him feel secure somehow. On that open path, he felt vulnerable. Here he felt safe and protected. Plus, if he got hungry, there were berries right beside him. It was very convenient.

The trees began to open up into a natural path and grew wider until there were no trees in one area. If Shikamaru had to describe it, it looked like a very small field. It looked like a good napping spot. Naruto was already doing somersaults in it. He seemed excited about this open area and proceeded to play. Naruto's foot landed in something wet and be crouched down to investigate. The depression held the remains of a small pond, bordered by a ring of irises and zinnias so colorful they almost looked poisonous. He stuck his nose in the flowers and a swarm of butterflies rose and fluttered away. Running on all fours, Naruto chased after them, pawing at them with his hands every now and again as they fled. When they were out of his reach, he crouched on the ground and watched them fly away.

"Naruto," Shikamaru called him. "This is no time to be playing around. We have to get to the village."

"I know that."

Shikamaru lifted his head and peered through the tree branches. The sky was brightening. It was morning. No wonder there were butterflies. He hadn't noticed the sun rising. They must have been making good time with this shortcut. He took a quick drink from the tiny pond and entered the crowd of trees with Naruto.

Before long, Naruto's nose was twitching. "I smell something burning."

"Burning?" Shikamaru started sniffing. Amazing! His nose was so sensitive, he could smell everything around him as if it were right under his nose. He concentrated on the smell of smoke. It smelled like burning wood. And stone and ash. "That's a fireplace. Someone must be cooking something."

"That's what it smells like? But I don't smell any food."

"It smells like that before it's cooked. They must be getting ready to start cooking the food. The fire must have just started building."

"How can you tell that?"

"My mom's done it and so has my dad. I know what a fire smells like when you first build it. Trust me."

"Then we must be close." Naruto started running through the trees faster than Shikamaru could keep up. Naruto was so agile. A ninja should have been, but Naruto was moving differently. Maybe his fox parts were giving him a hand in this. It was giving him a burst of speed and swiftness.

Shikamaru tried to keep up. Moving his four legs had become natural to him, making running in this form easier. Even moving through the trees in a dense forest had become easier. In no time, he was right on top of Naruto. Shikamaru slowed to a stop, noticing how Naruto wasn't running anymore.

They had reached the outskirts of the forest. The ground had leveled out and the smell of smoke was even stronger. Up ahead were buildings and a small piked fence surrounding them. They had reached the village.

Shikamaru was so relieved. Naruto seemed to share in his joy. They approached the village together.

The fence was old and bent in places. Some parts had fallen from the line entirely. Since the fence was no taller than Naruto's waist, something told them it was purely for show. On the other side were flowers. Rows and rows of beautiful flowers of all colors. A garden welcomed them with an alluring scent, as if to say they would to taken care of and there was no reason to fear. The smells were even stronger to Shikamaru's nose and made him feel as if he had just walked into a perfume department. It was a nice scent, but powerful and mixed.

Ahead were the buildings. They looked well-kept and cozy. There were few people out this early in the morning. If Shikamaru had to guess the time, it must have been around seven in the morning. He could see movement through the windows, but no one seemed to be outside yet.

"Hello!" Naruto called to the empty street before them, leading through the other buildings. "Hello! We're looking for the Susumu clan! We're-"

Shikamaru headbutted him from behind.

"Ow! What?"

"Do you ever think?" Shikamaru scolded him. "If they turned us into animals and took away all those women, we have to assume they're the enemy. Don't announce yourself like that."

"Sorry. I just wanted to find them quick. Don't you?"

Shikamaru's nose twitched, picking up a scent. "Follow me. I smell something familiar."

"What is it?"

"It smells like the other village. The one we came from a couple days ago that told us to come here. Why would that smell be here? Unless something from that village came to this one."

Naruto's ears twitched. "You think it's the village women that were taken or something?"

"Maybe. It's this way." Shikamaru took Naruto down the street to where the scent was strongest. Shikamaru came to a sudden stop in front of another fence. This one was different from the one around the village. This one was made from chicken wire and wrapped around thick pieces of wood which may have been from a tree rooted to that spot at one time. The roots were still in the ground, keeping the fence in place.

Beyond that was a building. The paint was peeling and flacks were falling into the dead grass. It smelled like mud and water, though they couldn't see any. There were lawn chairs scattered around the dead yard and large barrels stood by the building, filled with rainwater from the gutters.

Shikamaru flinched and lowered his head. There were men in the yard, talking. He backed away slowly.

"What are you, shy?" Naruto shoved him forward. "We have to get cured, right?"

That's right. They had to talk to them. This was no time to be timid.

Then Shikamaru noticed the man in the red shirt. That was their leader. They saw him on the tower when he was barking orders. It was definitely him.

The man sat in a lawn chair and chatted with the men standing at his side. They were smiling and laughing. Then they stopped and turned their heads to the two at the gate. A deer and a boy with a tail.

"You the Susumu clan people?" asked the boy with the tail.

The leader sighed, rolling his eyes. "Let me guess... You were the ninja at the other village, aren't you?"

Naruto and Shikamaru nodded.

The man stood up from his chair and beckoned them. "Come on."

What will we find out? What is the Susumu clan up to? What awaits them in the next chapter?

Read and find out ^-^

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