Chapter 12: Decided

It was impossible for them to know when they would reach the next village. Honestly, Shikamaru didn't mind the wait. The longer he could be away from humans trying to eat him, the better.

Naruto had adjusted to his new limbs quickly and was frolicking in the grass, chasing butterflies. Shikamaru had grown used to his deer body as well. He didn't realize it at the time, but when he had rescued Naruto, his body didn't falter once. He ran swiftly and even managed to wade through the water with little issue. His legs were strong and powerful. He could finally control them.

"Shikamaru!"

"Oof!"

Naruto went sliding right into him from the side and the two of them fell over.

"Sorry," Naruto laughed. "I took a shortcut down that steep hill and couldn't stop. Fun, though."

"It's fine." There was no urgency in their travels. They could play or be as lazy as they wanted. Shikamaru knew they had to get to the next village, but he could no longer remember the reason why. That was bugging him. They had to get to the next village. But why? Why were they going to the next village? Was it food? That must have been it. Naruto was hungry and wanted to eat something.

"Shikamaru! Shikamaru!" Naruto called to him from a tree. He was climbing trees again. "Look! Look!" He pointed at something.

The path went to the left and deeper into the woods, but Naruto was pointing to the right. It was a meadow. It was safely nestled at the bottom of the hill and protected by a crescent of trees. It was beautiful. Shikamaru's brown eyes sparkled, taking it all in. No painting in the world could match this oasis.

"Yahoo!" Naruto swung from the branch, ran to the edge of the steep hill and jumped.

"Naruto!" Shikamaru ran to the edge and looked down. Naruto was sliding down the dirt slope on his backside, stirring up a dust cloud. He howled and went straight into the grassy field. He popped out and started running across the field.

Shikamaru's hoof sent a stone rolling downhill. It was very steep. Naruto managed to survive. He was getting further away by the second. Wanting to catch up, Shikamaru tried walking down the slope. The dirt slid under his hooves and he started to slide, picking up speed. He leaned back, trying to keep his balance. The wind rushed in his ears and blow his hair back. It felt good. The ground was coming up fast and he jumped, clearing the bottom of the slope in one leap. He landed on all fours in the grass and trotted, keeping with the momentum.

"Over here, Shikamaru! Watch this!" Naruto was jumping in the field, showing off how high he could go.

Shikamaru ran through the grass to catch up. The tall grass and leaves tickled him as he passed. The colorful flowers seemed to sigh, exhaling a sweet mist toward the blue heavens. The aroma was intoxicating. The air was so sweet and clear. It was so easy to breathe. This field was flatter than most of the woods, making it easy to run.

He sped up. He could never run this fast before. Never so swiftly. So easily. It made him want to run more. Faster and faster. He tested his legs to see just how fast he could go. His hooves barely made a sound over the rustling of the plants tickling his body as he bolted. The flowers became a colorful blur. He wanted to go faster.

Naruto was ahead of him, jumping in the grass. He bounced as if he had springs on his feet. Shikamaru followed his example and jumped. He cleared the grass, flying over the field and came back down several feet away. What an amazing feeling. He picked up speed and tried it again. He soared a few yards this time before coming back down. He felt like he was flying.

Now Shikamaru was ahead of him. Naruto tried to catch up. It was hard for him to run upright like this. Walking with his new feet he could do, but running was something else. He kept losing his balance and stumbled. He ran with his arms pumping out on either side of his body for balance. Shikamaru was getting away.

He felt a strange energy surge through his arms and a odd throbbing in his spine. He gave into the impulse and dropped to all fours and ran. He was running on all fours. This was much better. He was much faster like this and his balance was restored. He ran alongside Shikamaru, full of energy. He darted around him and in front of him. He jumped, clearing Shikamaru's back and landed on his other side. He pumped his arms and legs faster, kicking up grass and dirt. Shikamaru jumped and Naruto followed. He added flips to his jump and landed on his feet. He flipped and rolled, landing on his shoulder instead. He rolled onto his feet and kept going.

"Wow!" Naruto barked loudly. He felt so strong and free.

"Yeah!" Shikamaru called to the sky as he jumped, sailing over the grass. He was so fast and powerful. He was free.

They reached the end of the field and collapsed, breathing hard. Naruto sprawled out on his back, panting heavily. Shikamaru lay on his side, inhaling the scent of grass and he tried to catch his breath.

That was amazing. He couldn't remember a time he felt so good. So much energy and power. So much speed and all the freedom in the world.

He looked at the blue sky and watched the clouds. The world never seemed to vast and beautiful. It was so big. He had all the freedom in the world to explore it.

"Naruto?"

"Yeah?"

"I've been thinking."

"Yeah?"

"Let's stay like this."

Naruto turned his head. "Say what?"

"I think I want to stay like this. I want to live as a deer."

Naruto sat up. "Are you serious?"

Shikamaru lifted his head. "Yes, I am."

"But the other day you were practically in tears and said how much you didn't want to be a deer."

"I was not in tears."

"Close enough."

Shikamaru sat up. "But I've been thinking about it and I think I would rather be a deer."

"Why?"

"I've never really looked around me before. Now that I do and now that I'm thinking about it... I think I would be better off as a deer. I mean, look around us. Isn't this place gorgeous?"

Naruto turned his head. All the flowers, the trees, the blue sky and fluffy white clouds. All the sweet smells and the softness. Everything was fantastic.

"We could see this stuff everyday. I think I would rather wake up to birds chirping and sunshine than my mom's yelling and my alarm clock ringing. I could also wake up whenever I want. No schedules."

"Yeah, but..."

"My old life... I would have to put up with my mom's nagging. I would have to do chores and I'm constantly being asked to do things I don't want to do. I don't care. My mom, the Hokage, Ino... I'm surrounded by people always telling me what to do when I couldn't care less. They're so loud, too. I could never just do my own thing. I even gave up during the exams and they promoted me anyway. I quit because I didn't want to have to do more work and once again people decide things for me against my will. And all those missions. I'm constantly putting my own life at risk for some strangers. Where's the sense in that?"

"Hey, we get paid at least. And it gives us something to do. They're fun."

"I want to sit around and do nothing. If I stay as a deer, I can do that. No more missions. They're dangerous. Who needs them? And as far as money's concerned, what do I use it on? Food and supplies. If I'm no longer a ninja, I don't need to buy supplies. And if I'm hungry, I can just grab something out here. It seems so stupid to have to pay for stuff you can just find right out here next to you. And let's face it, what kind of ninja can I be like this?"

"That's why we're trying to change back. Remember?"

"Maybe I changed my mind. Maybe I don't want to change back. I don't want to have to do work. I want to do my own thing. Do whatever I want whenever I want. I want to be free and not have someone barking orders at me all the time. Here, like this, if I want to look at the clouds, I can. If I want to take a nap, I can. No one can tell me otherwise."

"But what about our friends? Your family?"

"My own mom chase me out of the house because I looked like this."

"But she-"

"I know, Naruto. But if I change back, what do I have to look forward to? Mom nagging me all the time? My parents arguing? Having a list of chores to do? Then I have the Hokage giving me more things to do that I don't want to. I have a teammate who has to have things her way all the time and never listens to anyone. I could always visit Choji or he can visit me. But I'd rather not have to do anything anymore. No more missions or chores or troublesome people yelling at me."

Naruto looked down. When Shikamaru put it that way, it did kind of make sense.

"Let's face it, Naruto... What do you have to go home to?"

His head jerked up. "Huh?"

"You have no family. No one is waiting for you at home. You get fixed up and then what? You come home to an empty house. No one is there to greet you. You live alone. Out here, at least you can be with me. We can do whatever we want. We can always find animals to be friend with. And all the higher-ups back at the village want to keep you under lock and key because of the fox you carry inside you. You want to put up with that crap all your life? People telling you what you can and can't do because of something you never had a say in? Out here you can run free and not have to listen to anyone tell you where you can and can't go."

He had a good point. Because of the Nine-tailed Fox, some people didn't want him to ever leave the village. There were people who still hated him. Out here... he never felt like this before. He couldn't describe the feeling. Was this freedom? Was that what he was feeling?

"You're right," Naruto admitted. "It was my home, but... I can always make a home out here. I live alone. Out here, I have you with me and I feel so close to others. Maybe I was a prisoner in my own home. And my dream to be Hokage..." He scoffed. "What are the odds of that happening? And even if I did get it, then what? I would have a ton of paperwork to do all the time. I would always have people telling me what to do. I wouldn't be free. I..."

He couldn't believe what he was about to say.

"I don't think I want to be Hokage anymore."

It seemed like too much work and no freedom. No fun. Was it possible that he just wanted the title and none of the responsibility?

The only other reason he would have to return to the village would be for Sakura. He had a crush on her for years yet she had never shown any interest. Even with Sasuke gone, she still refused to give Naruto even a pity date. When he really looked at it, he realized that he never had a shot with her. It would never happen.

He didn't really need her anyway. Or any of his other friends. They were off on missions a lot anyway. Some went on very dangerous ones and might not come back. Why get attached? It seemed silly now. All his friends were really weird anyway. Shino was a bizarre bug nerd who lived in the shadows and remained hidden. Hinata never said two words to him without stuttering. Kiba was a human dog. Neji seemed like a know-it-all with too much pride and was very quick to find fault. Tenten was obsessed with weapons and pointing out faults and had to complain about how strange her sensei and Lee were. Lee was obsessed with training and had a strange way of talking; even his habits and hobbies were weird. Ino was a bossy little brat who never shut up and was way too loud. Choji ate everything in sight and was super sensitive about being called fat. Sai was just plain strange all together. Now that he really looked at them, he realized just how bizarre they all were. Every last one of them was so strange.

Maybe he was better off. Compared to them, Shikamaru wasn't too bad. Then again, they were only human. Humans were very strange. He was better off without them.

"You might be right, Shikamaru. We're getting by fine like this. Why go back to a life like that? It makes no sense."

"Yeah."

"Constantly being told what to do, responsibility, dangerous missions, yelling, nagging people... You're right. I'd rather be free. At my house, it feels so empty and lonely. Out here, it's bright and full."

"Exactly."

Naruto nodded his head. "Screw that life. I want this one."

"So do I."

The leaves crunched under their feet. The sun was high in the sky and very bright. In no time at all, it had dried all the wet leaves from the rain and the ground was no longer like clay but rather dust. They stopped for a bit to fill up their canteens and started back on the road. They were moving slowly to make sure they didn't overlook anything.

"Have you heard back from your bugs yet?" asked Ino.

Shino shook his head. "Not all of them came back."

"Why not? They lost?"

"No. Some could still be searching. Some could have been crushed or eaten. It happens."

"Maybe you should send out more."

"Then I would be vulnerable. What if we get attacked? My bugs are my weapon. If I send out anymore to go searching the way you suggest, I'll be open to an attack and defenseless."

"I didn't say all of them. Just a few more."

"Not worth the risk."

Ino took a drink from her canteen. "You think they went this way? We don't even know where to begin."

"It's the most likely place. They didn't go back they way they came because they would have run into us," said Sakura. "There were two paths and we chose this one. Let's hope for the best."

"But why would they go this way?"

"Why do they do anything?" Sakura hung her head. "I'm really worried about them. The way Naruto was acting... Do you think we should stray from the path and start looking in the woods just in case?"

"I have my bugs searching the woods. We stay on the path." Shino stopped walking, spotting something.

Sakura saw it, too. She went ahead to check it out. There was something black underneath a tree, sitting between the roots. It was a pair of black shoes. She knew who they belonged to. "It's Naruto's shoes!"

Ino came to stand beside her. "What are they doing here? Did something happen to him? Maybe he's hurt."

Shino shook his head, studying them. "No. They were placed here just so. I don't think he lost them. I think he took them off and placed them here."

"But why?" Ino's eyes widened. "He might be at the stream. We should go look."

"We just came from there."

"Maybe we just missed them. Why else would he take them off? He has to be somewhere near here. He wouldn't go far without his shoes."

Shino frowned. "Unless he has no need for them now."

"What do you mean?"

He didn't want to say it. "It's just a thought. You saw Shikamaru's transformation. He no longer has need for his shoes. He has hooves now and they would no longer fit. Naruto was still mostly human when he left us. That was a while ago. More than a day. What if his body is starting to change like Shikamaru's? We already saw parts of it. His ears and hands. His tail. What if he's more fox-like now and doesn't need them anymore?"

Sakura grew very worried. "You're saying he could be an animal now like Shikamaru?"

"I don't know. I haven't seen him. One thing is for sure. I really think we need to be cautious when we find them. We don't know what to expect."

Please review!