DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO (THOUGH I OWN MY OWN DIY HOKAGE COSTUME HAHA)

Ch.12 - Trouble Ensues

- At The Camp -

As morning dawned, the members of the group gradually awakened, ready to resume their journey. Team 7, however, was already up and prepared, their determination evident. While they had not yet reached Kaze no Kuni (Land of Wind), they were drawing closer with each passing day. Opting for a safer route had extended their travel time, but it offered a reduced risk of encountering conflicts along the way.

"Once everyone is ready, we can proceed," announced one of the samurais, prompting the merchants to hasten their preparations. Just as they were about to set off, a sudden cry halted their progress.

"WAIT!" a woman's desperate voice pierced the air.

All eyes turned to the source of the commotion. "What's the matter?" inquired one of the samurais. The woman appeared frantic, pacing anxiously as she struggled to catch her breath. "My husband... he's missing," she managed to utter in distress.

"How did this happen?" questioned another member of the group.

Trembling, the woman recounted her ordeal. "Last night, when I ventured into the forest, my wedding ring slipped off my finger unnoticed. It wasn't until I returned to the camp that I realized it was gone. My husband insisted on searching for it while I rested. But when I woke up, he still hadn't returned. Please, you must help me find him," she implored, her voice trembling with fear.

The samurai glanced at Kakashi, who met his gaze with a nod. Approaching the distressed woman, Kakashi offered his reassurance. "I may not be familiar with this forest, but perhaps a local resident can assist us in our search."

One of the samurais suggested, "There's a small town ahead. We could seek help there."

"Very well, we shall make a stop and ask the locals for help," Kakashi decided. His words brought a glimmer of hope to the distraught woman, who expressed her gratitude profusely.

Curiosity got the better of Hinata, who turned to her teammates. "What's happening? Why is that woman hugging Kakashi-sensei?" she inquired.

Sasuke sighed. "We've encountered another setback."

"S-Setback?" Hinata repeated, her concern growing.

"One of the merchants' husbands is missing, and we can't continue without making an effort to find him," Shikamaru explained.

Understanding the gravity of the situation, Hinata nodded in response.

And so, the group redirected their course toward the nearby town, reverting to their agreed-upon formation. Sasuke, Shikamaru, and several samurais positioned themselves at the rear of the caravan to maintain a watchful eye. Kakashi took the lead, while Hinata occupied a central position within the group, utilizing her Byakugan (All Seeing White Eye) to survey their surroundings. This constant activation of her doujutsu served as both a responsibility and a training opportunity, albeit taking a toll on her stamina. Yet, Hinata remained determined, willingly embracing the strain as the price for her personal growth and strength.

After a considerable walk, the group arrived at the town in question. As they entered, however, a disconcerting sight greeted them—deserted streets and an eerie silence.

"What's wrong?" Kakashi inquired.

"This is strange... There's no one here," one of the samurais replied, confusion evident in his voice.

"It's possible that this town has been abandoned," Kakashi suggested.

"That can't be... I passed through here just a month ago," the samurai insisted.

"Hmmm... Hinata, come here for a moment," Kakashi called out to his student. Hinata swiftly made her way to her sensei's side, her curiosity piqued. "Y-Yes, Kakashi-sensei? You called for me?" she asked.

"Hinata, see if you can detect any chakra signatures in the area," he instructed. Hinata performed a hand seal, activating her clan's kekkei genkai. "Byakugan! (All Seeing White Eye)," she declared. With her eyes now enhanced, Hinata scanned her surroundings but found no traces of chakra whatsoever. She relayed her findings to Kakashi, who nodded in acknowledgment. "I see. Stay here near the entrance while I and the other samurais investigate further," he advised her.

Leaving Hinata stationed at the entrance, Kakashi joined the rest of the group to explore the small town. Meanwhile, alone and vigilant, Hinata suddenly felt a touch on her back, causing her to startle. Turning around, she discovered a young girl holding a doll.

"Hey, who are you? You're not from around here, are you?" the girl inquired.

Once Hinata had composed herself, she kindly reminded the little girl not to startle people like that. The girl apologized, and Hinata took the opportunity to introduce herself. "It's okay. To answer your question, no, I'm not from here. My name is Hinata. And what's your name?" she asked.

"Kei," the girl replied briefly.

"That's a lovely name, Kei-chan. Can I ask if you're all alone here?" Hinata inquired, her curiosity growing since she hadn't detected any chakra signatures in town.

"I live with my father, but he's sick," the girl responded sadly.

"I'm sorry to hear that. Where is your father, if you don't mind me asking?" Hinata continued.

The girl remained silent and started walking in a particular direction, catching Hinata off-guard with her speed. This didn't leave Hinata enough time to inform Kakashi of her intentions, but out of concern and kindness, she decided to follow the girl nonetheless. Hinata trailed behind Kei as they navigated through alleyways and side streets until they finally arrived at a small shack.

Coming to a halt, the little girl stood by the front door. "Is this your house?" Hinata inquired, to which the girl nodded. "I-I see... Well, wait here, okay? I'll go get my sensei. I'm sure he can help your father," Hinata assured her. The girl said nothing, but Hinata took it as a sign of agreement. With the idea of bringing her sensei to Kei's father and potentially receiving assistance in return, Hinata was about to leave when she suddenly realized Kakashi was already behind her.

"What are you doing here, Hinata? You suddenly disappeared. I thought I told you to stay put," Kakashi scolded Hinata.

Hinata felt a surge of anxiety as she realized she had disobeyed her sensei's orders. "I-I'm sorry, Kakashi-sensei. There was this little girl... She told me her father was sick... I didn't mean to disobey you. I'm sorry," Hinata apologized, her voice filled with remorse. Kakashi sighed, understanding Hinata's good intentions and realizing that she hadn't deliberately disregarded his orders. "It's okay, but remember that there will be consequences if you disobey orders next time, understood?" Kakashi explained, and Hinata nodded, accepting his words.

"You mentioned a little girl earlier, but I thought you didn't detect any chakra signatures before. What happened?" Kakashi inquired, his curiosity piqued.

"I-I thought so too... Maybe I missed her signature because I've been using my Byakugan (All Seeing White Eye) for an extended period," Hinata offered as a possible explanation.

Kakashi considered her response, finding it plausible, but he decided not to jump to conclusions just yet. "Perhaps. But where is this little girl you were talking about?" he asked.

"Oh, she was right... here?" Hinata replied, perplexed because the girl she had seen moments ago seemed to have vanished. "Hinata?" Kakashi called her name, sensing her confusion.

"B-But... She was just here a second ago."

"The little girl you were referring to?"

"I-I swear she was standing by the front door a moment ago..." Hinata was at a loss for words, questioning if her own eyes had deceived her. "You must be exhausted from using your doujutsu for an extended period. Come on, let's return to the group," Kakashi suggested. However, as they were about to leave, they heard the sound of glass shattering from inside the shack.

Kakashi grew increasingly cautious, suspecting something was amiss inside. He withdrew a kunai, pressed his back against the shack's wall, and opened the door slowly from the side. Peeking through the gap between the door and the frame, he caught sight of a silhouette of a man within the shack. Signaling for the three samurais to follow, Kakashi cautiously pushed open the door. The creaking of the door added to the eerie atmosphere. Kakashi and the samurais entered the shack, approaching the man while Hinata stayed back. As they entered, the door slammed shut behind them, refusing to open despite the samurais' attempts. 'Something isn't right...' Kakashi thought to himself.

"Sir, are you alright?" one of the samurais inquired.

The man stood motionless, facing away from them. They could hear his shallow breaths in the silent shack. His movements were odd and uncoordinated as he slowly turned to face them. What Kakashi and the samurais saw left them even more bewildered. It was as if all life had been drained from the man before them. His face was devoid of expression, his eyes wide open. Speaking of his eyes, they were bloodshot to an extreme degree, unnaturally red and devoid of any natural appearance.

Kakashi stood his ground to further analyze the man that was in front of them while the two other samurais approached him carefully, "Sir?…" one of the samurai said. But instead of receiving a reply, the man lunged at him at full speed and moved in an erratic manner. The samurai was quick to react by pushing back the man that was trying to grab him. The man continued to groan and grunt whilst the samurai pushed back with all his might, his samurai companion tried to peel the man off but he just couldn't make the man budge at all.

The first samurai was beginning to get exhausted and his arms began to waver, the same thing could be said to the second samurai. The third samurai couldn't bear to watch his companions be helpless, and so he decided to intervene. They did try to reason with the man but he just wouldn't listen and that left him with no choice but to cut the man down with his katana. The third samurai swung his blade and in one fell swoop, he severed one of the man's arms like it was made of butter.

The man turned his head towards the third samurai and just stared at him ominously. Instead of hearing screams of pain and agony, the man was just silent and didn't utter a single word nor sound. This terrified the samurai, what they were facing was certainly not normal. The man's arm began to bulge and increase in size, it grew in size as time went on and it looked like the man was turning into a big balloon full of blood and guts. Hinata and Kakashi saw the same thing using their doujutsus, there was a huge buildup of chakra within the man and it was about to reach critical mass. The man's body then reached its limit and was about to burst but before it exploded, Kakashi was able to form an earth wall to at least protect them from being blown to pieces. "Doton: Doryuheki (Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall)" Kakashi said before the man blew up, it shook the entire cabin causing the floors and walls to be stained with red blood and other bodily fluids. Guts were everywhere, it was a rather disgusting sight for those with a weak stomach. Luckily no one in their group was harmed but before they could sigh in relief, they then heard a distant explosion which came from the direction where their caravan was.

- A Few Minutes Earlier With Sasuke and Shikamaru -

Amidst the tense atmosphere, the woman's voice cut through the air, laden with emotion. "Teruo?..." she called out, her voice trembling with a mix of hope and fear. Her eyes squinted, trying to confirm her suspicions. After a few agonizing moments of analyzing him from a distance, her heart sank and soared simultaneously. It was indeed her husband standing among the aggressive men.

Ignoring the cautious warnings of the samurais, her desperation overpowered any sense of danger. With a surge of determination, she broke free from the protective barrier and raced towards him, her voice filled with longing. "Teruo! It's me, your wife! Please, stop this madness!"

The samurais shouted after her, their voices laced with concern. "Stay back! It's too dangerous!"

But she paid no heed to their pleas, driven by an unwavering love. She closed the distance, her eyes locked with Teruo's, hoping to find a flicker of recognition in his gaze.

"Where have you been! I was worried sick!" she yelled with her arms wide open in preparation to hug him but she didn't receive a warm welcome from her husband. Her husband didn't greet her with open arms, instead he swung his weapon at her without hesitation. The woman was shocked that her husband was about to harm her, the blade was about to come into contact with her body but in the nick of time, one of the samurais pulled her out of the way and blocked the blade with his own katana. Blades collided with one another, Teruo took another swing at the samurai that intercepted him. The samurai blocked the attack once more and countered it with his own attack by slashing his blade at Teruo. It was a clean cut across his abdomen, a diagonal slash appeared on his chest and blood sprayed out of it. The woman yelled when she saw what happened and told the samurai not to hurt him.

The samurai couldn't believe what he saw, Teruo remained silent despite being injured by a blade. He didn't utter a single world and remained still; his chest began to swell up as his body began to blow up in size. Slowly but surely, Teruo's body began to look like it was about to burst. His body began to tremble which surely didn't look like a good sign, the samurai knew better and told everyone to fall back before the body of mass exploded.

Teruo's body then stopped increasing in size as well as shaking, his body blew up causing a powerful explosion to occur. Blood and innards scattered around the area, some of it even fell on their group causing them to scream out of fear.

"NOOOOO!" the woman yelled as she was frozen in place. She just saw her husband blow up in front of her, it was an unsightly event for an average person like her. A samurai grabbed her and told the group to retreat, "Fall back!" he yelled. This caused major panic within the group as each and every one of them scrambled to the entrance but before they were able to leave the village a group of strangers blocked their path.

Clad in the distinct attire of shinobi, their intentions became evident as they brandished their weapons, ready for confrontation. The samurais instinctively positioned themselves in front of the merchants, assuming their role as protectors. A leader emerged from the group of shinobi, his voice laced with authority and determination. "Take care of them. I'll secure the package," he commanded, assigning his comrades their respective tasks.

As the enemy shinobi made their move, they hurled shurikens towards Sasuke and the samurais. With swift reflexes and the aid of their weapons, they skillfully deflected the projectiles, ensuring the safety of the merchants. Seizing the opportunity amidst the chaos, Shikamaru swiftly formulated a plan to secure the merchants' safety. "Quick! Take shelter in that building," he ordered, directing the merchants towards a nearby structure. Their survival was of paramount importance.

In a moment of crisis, Shikamaru's keen intellect and mastery of his clan's jutsu came into play. As he guided the straggling merchant, he deftly employed one his jutsus, "Hijutsu: Kagemane no Jutsu (Hidden Jutsu: Shadow Imitation Technique)." Shikamaru said thus extending his shadow and binding it to the man's shadow. By manipulating the shadow, Shikamaru deftly evaded the incoming senbon projectiles, ensuring the man's safety. With a release of the jutsu, he instructed the man to join the others inside the building. Shikamaru then swiftly joined the merchants and secured the door, shielding them from immediate danger.

- Inside the Building -

Amidst the chaos, Shikamaru couldn't shake off a gnawing feeling of curiosity and unease. Why would a group of shinobi target a simple caravan? He sensed there was more to this mission than met the eye. Determined to uncover the truth, he turned his attention back to the merchants and confronted them, his frustration palpable.

"What the hell is going on?" Shikamaru demanded, his voice tinged with anger. The merchants remained silent, aggravating his already mounting irritation. "Honestly? This mission is a drag, and if none of you will provide the necessary information, how do you expect us to do our jobs effectively?" he continued, his words sharp and direct. Shikamaru prided himself on being thorough and meticulous, and incomplete information went against his principles.

After a prolonged silence, one of the merchants finally spoke up, revealing the true nature of their mission. "They are after a specific item we possess," the man confessed. Shikamaru leaned in, his curiosity piqued.

"What item?" he inquired, his voice firm.

"It is known as Eiyu no Mizu (Hero Water)," the man explained. "We are villagers from Takigakure (Hidden Waterfall Village), and our task was to deliver this item to Sunagakure (Hidden Sand Village). The wife of the Wind Daimyo fell critically ill, and they sought our assistance. Despite initial reservations, we decided to offer aid as a gesture of goodwill and potential alliance." The man's words painted a picture of desperate circumstances and delicate diplomacy.

Perplexed, Shikamaru probed further. "If this item is so crucial, why didn't you send your own ninja to transport it?"

The man sighed, a mixture of weariness and concern evident in his voice. "We would have, if we had enough manpower in our village. Unfortunately, our resources are stretched thin, and we couldn't spare any more ninjas for this mission. Moreover, sending our own shinobi would have only attracted more attention and potential enemies. The Hero Water possesses incredible healing properties, making it highly sought after."

Shikamaru's brow furrowed, seeking further clarification. "What do you mean by 'incredible healing properties'?"

The man's eyes held a glimmer of awe as he explained, "This liquid, the Hero Water, is a rare creation that can only be produced once every hundred years in our village. It possesses the extraordinary ability to heal most, if not all, illnesses afflicting a person. In addition, it bestows an immense surge of chakra, estimated to increase an individual's chakra reserves by tenfold. However, as with great power, there are significant consequences. The overuse of this substance comes at a grave cost, drastically shortening one's lifespan."

Shikamaru absorbed the information, realizing the weight of the situation. The value of the Hero Water became clear—its potential to save lives and empower individuals was tremendous. But with such power came the need for caution and discretion.

Nodding solemnly, Shikamaru understood the magnitude of their task. "We must ensure this precious resource reaches Sunagakure safely, not only for the Wind Daimyo's wife but also to foster a lasting alliance. The stakes are high, and time is of the essence."

With renewed determination, Shikamaru prepared to face the ongoing conflict, balancing the protection of the merchants and the delivery of the invaluable Hero Water. He knew the road ahead would be fraught with challenges, but he was ready to strategize and overcome them, driven by the responsibility placed upon him.

"You could've told us earlier," Shikamaru argued, his frustration evident in his voice.

"We recognize that, and we're truly sorry," the man apologized on behalf of the group, his tone filled with remorse.

Shikamaru sighed, realizing that dwelling on the past wouldn't help their current situation. Protecting the merchants and ensuring the successful delivery of the Hero Water were their top priorities. He knew he had to inform his sensei, Kakashi, about the gravity of the situation. But as he looked around, he couldn't spot either Kakashi or Hinata.

- To Be Continued -

(A/N: And that's Chapter 12 haha, btw this Hero Water is from a filler movie in part one of the series. Though in the movie or episode? (IDK if its a movie or episode since its an hour long) the Hero Water only grants chakra and stuff but I decided to add healing properties cause why not plus this only serves as MacGuffin so yeah (In fiction, a MacGuffin is an object, device, or event that is necessary to the plot and the motivation of the characters, but insignificant, unimportant, or irrelevant in itself) so yeah though it there's a need for this item again then I'll use it haha. Sorry for the wait again though I did mention that I may upload irregularly. Also! Wow, the chapter I uploaded the other day received a ton of views and stuff in such a short amount of time. Also, I saw my story in the browse section of FFN so yay. Another thing, I made an AO3 account and plan to cross-post cause other authors do that so I might as well do it too haha so yeah, that's all cheers ^^)