Chapter 5: Lost on the Road to Life

Chapter Five – Lost on the Road to Life.

"That's it, Lee! Run...run towards the setting sun!... But don't mess up your hair!" - Might Gai

The sun was shining high up in the sky, but the rays felt like nothing more than an illusion of warmth in the chill winter air. The leaves lay brown on the earth covered ground, and the bushes had turned thorny with branches instead of rich green. It made it uncomfortable to walk through them, but luckily they weren't supposed to leave the trail much during this outing.

Three hours into the race Kakashi was leading the team of three academy students through the woods with his nose in the map. He had refused to let the others see it, and his highest priority was to get the whole ordeal over and done with as soon as possible.

The time traveler was walking next to Ensui who was mostly a calm and aloof person, but today he entertained the younger girl by shooting down flies with his senbon. He had very good aim.

In the meanwhile Shisui walked next to their team leader, not minding the silence as much as Naruto did, but eventually he spoke up. "Kakashi-san, we should probably try to get some food for lunch and dinner, this area still has some nuts on the trees." Shisui suggested carefully after a few hours of silence between them.

Kakashi seemed reluctant to agree but Naruto nodded eagerly. "Yeah! We could also get some fish by the river! We'd have to gather a shit load of nuts to feed all of us!" She said while Shisui chuckled. He'd seen the girl devouring her lunch during breaks.

"Come on Naruto-chan, we'll get some food while they can get a fire running." Suggested Ensui and nodded towards the river not too far away from the path they were following.

"Excuse me, but I'm team leader here. You're supposed to learn how to do these things first, not just run into the river and be taken by the stream." Interrupted Kakashi while crossing his arms in front of him.

"Oh I'm so sorry Kakashi-sensei. What is your command?" Asked Naruto sarcastically. Ensui snorted and Shisui tried very hard not to smile.

"You little… I'm saying that I am in charge of this mission and you should wait to follow my orders." Taking up his kunai and looking towards the river they could hear not far away he said; "Ensui and I will get the fish, you two can sort out the fire. Take the signal flare with you in case something happens. And please do not fire it unless you absolutely have to. And if you do, point it downwards so we only hear the sound and not see the explosion. It's only supposed to be used in case of emergencies and the guards will show up if we fire it up towards the sky. It's the only signal flare they provided so use it with care." He explained while pointing his kunai towards the blond before turning to walk away. Naruto stuck out her tongue at the boy's back while Ensui sent her an apologetic smile before following.

Naruto turned to Shisui instead. "Want to beat them? If we can gather more food and logs than them, then Kakashi will lose!" She said excitedly.

Shisui grinned at Naruto's unconcealed desire to beat their team leader. "You have a bit of a competition streak don't you? Fine, I can start a fire any time with katon jutsu, so let's do something more productive. You should try looking for logs while I'll start on the food hunt." He instructed and then followed Naruto in the opposite direction the others had taken.

Naruto grinned and walked around searching for any dried wood they could use to light a fire. Considering it was winter it was harder than usual, but she still managed to find some logs dry enough.

After half an hour Naruto found herself alone back at the camp. She'd managed to get a bunch of good edible nuts, but had problems holding it all when she also had to carry the logs. So she sat alone while waiting for the return of her teammates. After ten minutes of listening to the sounds of the forest she got inpatient and decided to be productive and do some chakra exercises.

Naruto couldn't use sage mode yet since her body was so young and her chakra coils wasn't mature enough. That didn't stop her from trying though.

The jinchūriki was careful not to gather anything. She just focused on her own chakra while moving it through her coils. Making it journey from her stomach, up to her shoulders, down to her feet and then to the tip of her fingers. It was getting easier since she'd been practicing it every night for the past two months, and the exercise gave her a very good grasp of how she could use it to improve her ninjutsu.

Forty five minutes after they'd split up, Ensui and Kakashi came back to see the girl sitting crossed legged while meditating. Shisui sat next to her, poking a crackling fire with a stick and about half a bucket full of nuts at his side.

They were both surprised to see the girl so still. Ensui had never seen her being anything but hyperactive, and chuckled at the surprised look on Hatake's face. "What are you doing, Naruto-chan?" The Nara asked while starting to prepare the three fish they had managed to catch.

Ensui had caught two while Kakashi had only managed to get one, which pleased the academy student greatly. It might be petty, but Ensui had an unusual amount of competition instincts. At least for a Nara. "I'm controlling my chakra." Naruto said calmly in response. Her tone of voice was so unlike her usual cheerful one it put Ensui off a little.

She sounded a lot older then her six years.

"Oh? Shouldn't you be using a leaf for that?" He asked while trying to see some sort of leaf on her. But there was none to be seen so he concluded this was some sort of exercise he hadn't come across yet.

"I could, but I'm trying to move my chakra in patterns, I could use a leaf to make sure it's moving in the accurate pattern, but I know it is. There is no need for it." She answered without opening her eyes.

When Naruto meditated her senses became very prominent. Which was why she could pin point with a good accuracy the exact location of the three boys around her without opening her eyes. She had realized months ago that she could sense people better than everyone else in class, even Anko and their class sensei. "That's cool, where are you focusing your chakra now?" Ensui asked curiously while laying the fish aside on a rock and stood up.

It sounded like an advanced chakra exercise. In the Academy they had only done the simple leaf exercise so far.

"Elbow." Naruto stated, still not opening her eyes.

Ensui lifted up one of the many fallen leaves from the ground and walked up to the blonde. He reached his hand out towards her right elbow but couldn't sense anything, he then moved it to hover above her left and instantly felt the difference. Her chakra was pulsing underneath the spot.

He smirked and put the brown and soggy leaf over the spot he assumed most of her chakra was gathered. The decomposing leaf stuck to her skin like glue. Ensui backed away towards Kakashi who was watching along curiously.

The silver haired boy was startled when after a couple of minutes the leaf started moving up her shoulder and across her neck to the other shoulder. Slowly it moved diagonally down to her left hip and then it moved out of sight towards her back.

At that moment they all heard Naruto's stomach grumble angrily. "Should we eat?" Kakashi asked, making the other two boys look up at him with appreciation.

Naruto finally opened her eyes and her face lit up eagerly, the calm demeanour vanishing without a trace. "Awesome! Though, these two didn't get enough at all, so we'll have to eat a lot of nuts." She stated and took a hold of a couple of the fish. Kakashi was insulted by that and grumbled while poking the fire with a stick along with Shisui.

The sun was situated low on the horizon, making it difficult to see since the final scroll to obtain was located in the direction that made them all blind while walking. The light from the sunset hit them directly in the eyes and was making all four of them to squint constantly.

Naruto was trotting after Kakashi while Shisui and Ensui were snacking on left over nuts from their meal. They were all starting to get tired after all the traps they sprung and had to find their way through and out of.

At first the blonde was sure it would be relatively harmless, but after the first shuriken - luckily a wooden one - hit her straight in the ear she had thought differently. But that had only been the first taste of the upcoming traps.

Next they'd ended up dangling in an elaborate net. Kakashi had managed to jump away just in time, but the rest had ended up entwined high up in a tree. Their limbs had gotten entangled and it was an awkward and uncomfortable position they were forced into while they swung lazily from side to side. For the first time since the outing started Kakashi had almost smiled. Though if Naruto was honest with herself it had seemed more like he was gleeful.

After a few complaints and a threat from Naruto which involved putting his mask on fire they were cut down by Kakashi.

Then there was the snake traps.

The blonde had no problem guessing who had come up with that idea, if not put it up himself. Naruto was convinced the Hokage would have a fit if any of the slimy things were poisonous, but it didn't stop them from being harmful in other ways.

Kakashi had been the first to go down, the snakes had taken out the strongest link first. They'd slithered up from the thick growing bushes in an ambush and wrapped themselves around his feet, making him stumble forwards. Next moment his arms and neck had been engulfed in slithering reptiles with white and brown markings.

The others had followed soon after. Except for Naruto.

She had taken one look at the snakes and instinctively cut off the head of three snakes that was about to bind her.

The action was followed by a full blown out fit which resulted in a mass snake carnage where even Naruto herself was surprised about how vengeful she could be towards the slimy things. It had been over in three minutes, and by then over twenty snakes lay dead and decapitated on the ground. The sight was enough to lift a satisfied smile on Naruto's mouth, which sent shivers down Shisui's spine.

This was a blow to Kakashi's pride though, as he was supposed to be the older and more experienced ninja of the group. To his credit he hid it well and continued leading the little group onwards with the map in his hands again.

Now they were closing in on the final test. According to Kakashi it should have been pretty close to their current location. But first they had to get to the other side of a river.

The river was cut into the ground, tall stone walls rose from the water and up to their current elevation, so if they jumped into the water they wouldn't be able to get up again. At least not Shisui and Ensui, who neither knew how to walk on walls yet. Naruto could probably climb up on all fours if she just got a hold of the rocky sides framing in the stream. But the water looked cold and she had no wish to catch influenza right now.

So they walked alongside the river bank, trying to find an area with short enough distance to jump or wade through. They had already been walking around for an hour, and it was getting very tiresome to keep looking for a passage.

"What about that!" Exclaimed Shisui at last, pointing to a fallen tree.

The tree lay horizontally, probably after being taken down in some sort of storm, and laid with its roots still partly connected to the earth on their side of the river while the rest formed a bridge over to the opposite side.

"Finally!" Shouted Naruto and smiled brightly now that they were finally making some headway.

Kakashi looked relieved and headed straight for the tree while the others followed closely behind.

"When we get to the other side we need to find our way back to where we first wanted to cross. The terrain can be a bit rocky over there. On the map the rocky area is marked out and it specifically notes we should stay away from it, so we'll have to take a detour. But we'll find our post faster if we follow the direction precisely." Explained Kakashi while the others nodded along.

Kakashi and Naruto were already up on the fallen tree while balancing their way across the trunk as Shisui followed after. The surface of the trunk was slippery and it made it hard for Naruto to get a grip. Luckily she knew enough by now to use chakra as a stabilizer.

"But it's getting dark soon. Can you find the way as easily in the dark? What if we get lost?" Naruto asked, looking up at the sky as it was going from rich pink and orange to dark blue.

"I won't get u-" But Kakashi couldn't get another word out, because while all four of them crossed the span between the river, their passage broke in two.

Naruto lost her balance as the wooden trunk split in the middle, right under Shisui's feet. She heard him shout while grabbing for anything possible.

Ensui was right behind him and it was his arm Shisui found first, dragging the Nara hard down.

Just as Naruto's feet lost all contact with the tree and she was free falling, she felt someone grab her hand. The grip on her wrist made her halt violently. Her head snapped back painfully as she came to an abrupt stop.

She looked up in confusion only to find Kakashi holding on to the cliff edge with her suspended from his outstretched hand. They had been close to the edge before the tree collapsed, and the silver haired boy must have managed to get a hold of cliff as the trunk broke and saved her from the fall.

But her two teammates weren't as lucky. There was a large splash as the young boys and the the broken tree hit the water, and then they were gone from view.

Turning her head quickly while trying to find out exactly where they were, Naruto cried out for them, but the only thing she saw was the flowing water.

She tugged at her hand, attempting to break free from Kakashi's stone hard grip but was unsuccessful. "Let me go! I can't see them!" She shouted in fury and growing panic. They'd been under the water for too long.

"And what can you do?! You'll just end up the same way!" He snapped back but Naruto didn't listen. A little further down the river she could swear she saw something black which matched with Shisui's attire.

Her mind was set. With a harsh tug Naruto broke free from Kakashi who had been trying to drag her up over the edge, and fell into the water.

Immediately she was caught by the strong current and couldn't help but wonder how she yet again found herself in this situation.

But this time she had more time, and she was letting the stream help her move faster towards the dark blobs she suspected was her teammates. Breaking the surface after being too long underneath the water she gasped for air. Naruto looked wildly around and cried out when she found Shisui and Ensui drifting fast not far away from her.

"Naruto!" Shouted Shisui and tried to get closer to her by swimming against the rapid current. But he didn't want to leave Ensui and was holding onto him with one hand around the other boy's waist. Ensui seemed to be struggling badly and was wrestling to get rid of his backpack. It looked like it was weighing him down and Naruto was terrified at the possibility that the Nara couldn't swim with the added weight.

"Fucking hell, what is it about me and rivers! I swear they have it in for me!" The blonde yelled as she noticed the river had picked up speed. While Naruto tried to get closer to her friends the stream would suck her down, and it quickly became a struggle to fight through the icy water.

It was just as she reached the boys that Kakashi caught up to them. He was running on the water and hurriedly got to the three younger children. "Take Ensui and get him up! I don't think he can swim." Said Shisui, and without a word the team leader did as told.

The river still dragged them further down. By the time Kakashi had time to run up the steep rocky sides of the river and lay Ensui down, the other two was barely in sight anymore. Both had been dragged further away.

"Hold on to me, Naruto!" Shouted Shisui as they both spotted the reason for the speed of the river. A waterfall. She didn't need to be told twice and grabbed the boy by the hand while they did their best to get a hold of anything that would stop them from toppling over.

Naruto attempted to move them closer to the rocky sides of the river, hoping to use chakra to secure them, but the stream was too vicious and instead she ended up under water.

Why did this keep happening to her?

When she came up for air she forced off her backpack and rummaged through it in record speed, finding what she was after almost instantly. A rope and a kunai. She blessed the academy sensei that'd packed them in there and quickly tied the rope to the edge of a kunai and threw the weapon up towards land. She hoped against all odds that it would catch and wrap around a tree. Anything that was strong enough to hold them.

It missed, and Shisui hurriedly roped it in and threw again, this time managing to swing it around a branch just as they reached the edge of the waterfall.

The rushing sound of water drummed their ears deaf. In the hurry to grab onto the rope Naruto had dropped her backpack, and it was long since lost to the river. They clutched desperately onto the the only life line keeping them safe from the fall, their legs helplessly dangling from the edge while feeling the rope cut into the palms of their hands. Neither let go though. Instead they grit their teeth and held on tighter. "Shit." Gurgled Shisui through a mouthful of water.

And then Kakashi was there again, grabbing the rope and pulling them backwards so their feet would no longer dangle over the edge. It would almost have been funny if it wasn't for the serious situation.

Because of the stream Kakashi had to constantly run backwards against the current. If he didn't the water would drag him towards the edge too. So while he held onto the rope, making it slacken behind him but tensing in front, he was forced to move backwards at a jogging pace. The fact that he also had to hold their weight while the stream pushed them in the opposite direction made him bite his teeth tightly together in strain. But he didn't let go.

Naruto used chakra to get a weak hold of the water's surface. Now that she wasn't being flung around it was easier to get a proper grip. Even if she at first had only succeeded in making a water bomb in the face on first attempt; she soon managed to have a better hold. She used it to help Kakashi move them sideways in the river, and slowly they made it to the side of the water next to the rocky wall leading up to safety.

"Take Shisui, I can climb up now." Shouted Naruto loudly over the roaring water the moment her body touched the rock wall of the river.

"Are you sure?" Asked Kakashi seriously, eyeing the waterfall quickly. Probably picturing how much damage she'd take if she failed at climbing up.

In answer she attached herself to the wall with both feet and the one arm not holding onto the rope while using chakra to secure herself. With some effort she was completely out of the water and dropped the rope. Her hands were shaking and bleeding badly. The skin in the palms of her hands were partly torn off after holding on to the rope.

Kakashi nodded and focused on getting Shisui out of the streaming water and into his arms so he could carry him up.

Naruto crawled up the side while Kakashi ran, he reached the top while she was halfway and came back down to help her the rest of the way.

Once safely over the edge, Naruto collapsed. Her heart hammered hard in her chest while she breathed in relief. For the moment all she could comprehend was safety. The current had been extremely strong and the effortlessness of just lying flat on the ground felt like heaven. Naruto vaguely registered that she really needed to work on strengthening her muscles.

"Well… That didn't go as planned." Muttered Shisui and looked at the other two. His usually curly hair lay glued around his face while he dripped water everywhere.

"Nope." Answered Naruto, pretty sure she must look similar to her friend. Kakashi was the only one dry and he still seemed high on alert.

"Come on, we need to get Ensui-san." He said and waited for the two academy students to get to their feet. They got a minute to catch their breath before he started pestering them again and they slowly staggered to an upright position.

Wordlessly they walked along the river bank. Luckily they were on the correct side of the water, but the bad news was that they no longer knew exactly where they were.

Not only was it now dusk, but the stream had taken them further away from where they were supposed to be, and Naruto got a bad feeling about the situation.

She was correct in that assumption, since when they found Ensui he was still sitting on the ground clutching his leg. He had not made any attempts to get up since Kakashi left him.

After Kakashi finished a basic examination of Ensui's leg he sighed and stood up. "I think your leg is broken, Ensui-san..." he said while folding his arms over his chest. He was looking around with narrowed eyes before settling on his three charges.

They were dripping wet and so were all their extra clothes in the remaining backpacks. They had gone down in the water with them and it would soon be dark and cold out in the winter wilderness. This really was turning out to be a mission from hell.

"We need to get Ensui to a doctor, but he can't walk on that leg now." Said Shisui, pointing out the obvious.

"We first need to brace his leg as best as we can. I have some bandages in my backpack. While I get it, Naruto can find the signal flare so we can call for help. This outing is over and we need a medic." Ordered Kakashi while he started rummaging through his backpack.

"Signal flare?" Naruto asked in confusion. She hadn't had that thing since she and Shisui walked into the woods earlier. Where did she put it again?

Kakashi looked sharply towards her. His eyes sparkled for a moment in annoyance. "Yes, the signal flare I gave you while Ensui and I went to find fish before our meal earlier today." He stated with a slight edgy tone at the lack of responsive acknowledgement about the item. Naruto wasn't paying attention to him anymore though. She was looking at Shisui who was not meeting her eyes.

"I…eh, took it from Naruto while we were in the woods looking for nuts. Then afterwards I gave it to Ensui while we ate…He wanted to see what it looked like…" Muttered the Uchiha. He glanced worriedly down at his friend who was staring daggers at the ground.

"And I threw my backpack away since I was struggling to swim after my leg started hurting. It was weighing me down against the current of the stream…" Ensui answered in a hollow voice. His eyes quickly darted towards the stony edge that blocked the view of the river that was the cause of their current dilemma.

Kakashi slowly straightened up. The slow boiling frustration was visible in his black eyes as he got to his feet with the bandages clutched in his hand. "I see…Then we just have to make due. Let me see your leg. We need to get that leg supported and the bleeding to stop." He said in a forcefully calmed down tone. Naruto and Shisui looked nervously at one another. Both were uncertain about what would happen to them now.

As he worked, everyone stayed silent; taking in the fact that they no longer had any means of getting help. No way of signalling their location for the protectors to know that they were in big trouble.

Not long after, Kakashi helped Ensui to his feet. His eyes still mulled with a lot of negative emotions but were suppressing them for the sake of being the older and leader of the group. "I'll carry you. Get on my back Ensui. We'll try to find our way back." Kakashi finally spoke once Ensui was somewhat stable on his feet.

Deciding that his pride could take a backseat for now, Ensui did as he was told. Once the Nara was up on their team leader's back, they immediately started walking again.

Naruto sighed and followed Kakashi, sure this was going to end badly. "You know Shisui. I bet fifty that Kakashi will get lost." Whispered Naruto and looked at the boy walking next to her.

Shisui looked tiredly back at her, but a small smile played on his lips and he shook his head. "I'm not betting against you, Naruto-chan."

"You've gotten us lost Kakashi-sensei." Claimed Naruto in the pitch darkness.

"Stop calling me that! And I haven't gotten lost."

"Sorry Kakashi-sensei."

"You're such a brat."

"And proud of it Kakashi-sensei."

"ARGH! Shut up Naruto!"

They walked in a row on a small winding path that led them upwards towards a peek. They should have seen the final post and where the scroll was hours ago, but so far they hadn't even seen a trace of the right area. The earlier incident in the river had brought them surprisingly swiftly away from their path. And following the river back up hadn't worked either.

After ten minutes of trying to get back to the right spot they found out the river split up at a fork. Making it impossible to walk up the river to the path they were supposed to follow because of the massive gap separating their side of the river to the one they were supposed to be on. In other words, they couldn't get back the way they came from and they couldn't get to where they were heading.

"We're so lost." Moaned Naruto, voicing her inner thoughts perfectly with her exhausted and sarcastic tone.

With a twirl Kakashi turned and poked Naruto hard on the head.

"I said we're not lost! I can read a map, damn it. We should have been there hours ago! It's your fault for suggesting to 'scout' the area to find an alternative way to cross the river!"

"Language, Kakashi-sensei. You shouldn't say bad words in front of us youngsters."

Kakashi looked furious and very close to exploding. He had dealt with this brat for too long now! She was so annoying! Was she trying to piss him off?

"Deal with it shorty!"

"All right, sensei."

Ensui who was still getting a piggy back ride from Kakashi looked exhaustedly over at Shisui. Kakashi and Naruto had been bickering at each other for over an hour and it was starting to get annoying.

"I'm going to strangle Minato-sensei for getting me into this!" Growled Kakashi while walking swiftly ahead, he needed a moment to collect himself.

He'd never had to look after anyone before, but this was what this mission included. And out of everyone it had to be these guys! Shisui and Ensui weren't so bad, but Naruto was a pain in the arse. She was like a female version of Obito on too much sugar. He grumbled to himself as he walked straight ahead, trying to imagine he was back in his solitary apartment with a warm cup of tea.

"In two weeks I'll be taking the chūnin exam, and when I get promoted I'm never being roped into looking after brats like this ever again."

Naruto looked quickly up at Kakashi, and they all watched confused as the blonde started laughing hard, not understanding why she seemed to find Kakashi's comment hilarious.

The sun was hitting her eyes the moment Naruto's lids opened. She blinked furiously, squinting while she tried to figure out where she was, and with a groan yesterday's events came back to her.

The blonde was variably warm and cold at the same time. Warm in the face where the sun hit her, cold on her feet where the sleeping bag Kakashi had lend to the three wet academy students didn't reach. Slowly she sat up, looking curiously around to find out exactly where they were.

It didn't help much. A forest was a forest in daylight or not, she still didn't get any clues about their location.

Naruto had been sleeping on the edge, Shisui lying in the middle with Ensui at the other end. Next to him was Kakashi and all three boys were still asleep.

She took in their appearance and noted how the two younger boys looked quite bad. There was dried mud on their faces and in their hair. There were scratches on Shisui's pale skin and their clothes were stained. In Ensui's case, there was a long tear along the leg which was smeared in dried blood. Naruto idly wondered what she looked like herself, and combed a hand slowly though her hair and was met with a dozen knots. She figured it would be best to keep it tied up in a ponytail until she got back home.

Kakashi looked fine, he still had his mask in place, hair the same, and his clothes spotless. The only thing out of place was the small scratches to his skin from the sharp branches they'd walked through the night before. Life was so unfair.

The jinchūriki tried to figure out what the time was but she didn't have a watch, didn't own one, and the only ones who did was Shisui and Kakashi. Naruto leaned over her teammate and tried to figure out which hand he had the watch on, and if it still worked after the bubble bath he had yesterday.

She was on his left side, so she had to sit on her knees while leaning over him to find his right arm. As she gently touched his hand the boy stirred, his brow furrowing as a small frown appeared, but she ignored it and lifted his hand further up. It was then she noticed that Shisui was warmer than her.

Her, the hot blooded jinchūriki who others always thought had a fever because her normal temperature was too high compared to everyone else.

Forgetting to check the time she let her hand fall to his forehead instead, feeling how clam and heated it was underneath her fingers. A deep sigh escaped, Shisui was without a doubt sick. "Naruto?" Shishui murmured hoarsely. When she removed her arm from his forehead she found coal black eyes looking painfully up at her. His eyes were half lidded and his cheeks flushed with the heat of his condition.

"You're sick, Shisui. How bad is it?" She asked and brushed away his curly hair from his forehead. Dragging along some of the dirt and made a smudge pattern on his sweaty brow.

The boy didn't answer at first, his eyes closed and for a moment Naruto thought he'd fallen back asleep. But after a few deep breaths his eyes opened again and he tried to smile. Needless to say it looked more like a grimace. "Fine, I just have a small fever."

"Small fever? You're burning up, Shisui. I'll get you some water and nuts if there is any. I'll be back soon, so try to go back to sleep, okay?" She said and let her hand leave his hair before getting up. Shisui didn't answer and closed his eyes again before he wordlessly tried to do as she'd told him.

When she stretched up she noted that her clothes were still damp but there wasn't much she could do about that at the moment. Walking silently where they'd dumped the remaining backpacks, Naruto bent down and started rummaging through Kakashi's.

She found the water container quickly and checked the inside. It was empty, so she threw it to the side and went for the next backpack. It was Shisui's this time and he had about a mouthful left in there. So corking it back to its normal state she walked back to him and placed it carefully next to his head. He'd find it if he woke up, and it would be close by if he needed any water for his sore throat.

Turning towards the forest she grumbled and wondered which direction she should take. It was crucial right now not to get lost. Again. So she decided to keep to one direction and pick up whatever she could find edible and then return the way she came from.

It was quite difficult to walk though. It had been like this the night before too, and they hadn't gotten to sleep before sometime after one. The team had stumbled through bushes and surprise craters all the way through the thick growing forest. The grass alone reached Naruto to her waist, and at one point it felt like she had been swimming in bushes, not walking in them.

Needless to say they'd gotten very dirty and scraped. Naruto's wounds were already healed but the others weren't that fortunate. Now that the sun was rising she had daylight, and it was a lot easier to make her way through the forest then the night before.

About an hour later Naruto came trotting back. She was met by the sight of Kakashi walking furiously in circles before he spotted her, and his face twisted in a scowl. "Where did you go?" He hissed in a whisper. Trying not to wake the other two, but Naruto heard him just fine. Having the Kyūbi inside her had always made her hearing, sight and smell better than most.

She walked over to him and dumped the backpack full of nuts and berries she'd gathered on the ground. There was also a fish she'd found in a small river no wider than a meter. But the fish was very small and probably not enough to fill the stomach of a single child. Especially not a hungry one.

"I went to find food. Shisui is sick so I filled our water bottles and got something to eat. I hoped you guys would be sleeping a little longer." Muttered Naruto sourly. She hated how angry Kakashi was all the time. While she pretended she didn't care, that she enjoyed riling him up, it sort of hurt. It was Kakashi-sensei after all. One of the people Naruto had always looked up to as a role model. He was the best sensei she'd ever met who taught her the importance of teamwork and to never abandoning your comrades.

"Oh." Said Kakashi, for once not lashing out at her for not waiting to receive 'orders.' "Em, what did you find?" He asked and walked over to the fire he must have started while Naruto was away.

They'd lit the fire yesterday, a difficult task since they had to find dry logs and secure a camp fire. The last thing they wanted was to start a forest fire after all, yet the chances of that were slim since it was winter time. But they'd done a surprisingly good job for four children walking blindly around in the woods.

Naruto and Kakashi sat down around the dancing flames before she answered. "Just nuts and a small fish. There was a small stream, but there was very little fish there. I just got the first one I could manage." She answered and started unpacking her backpack while Kakashi was sharpening a branch with his kunai. Once it was sharp enough they could stick the fish at the edge and cook it over the fire.

"Okay, it'll do." He replied, and Naruto knew there was a frown on her face even though she was trying to hide it. Why couldn't he be more appreciative? Thank you. Thanks for the effort. Good job. Anything but this frustrating indifference.

"So both of them are down, huh?" Said Kakashi after half an hour silence. They hadn't cooked the fish yet. They were planning on giving it to either Shisui or Ensui and the boys hadn't woken up yet.

"Yeah. This has been really fun." Said Naruto sarcastically. Kakashi snorted and folded his arms tightly around himself. Maybe he was still cold.

The silence continued. It was still early and the sun was still rising upwards in the sky. The first to break the quiet atmosphere was again the oldest boy. "Why did you jump after them?" He asked slowly, almost reluctantly. "You could have drowned. Probably would have if I didn't come to get you." Kakashi said with a frown.

Naruto looked confused back at him. Her eyes narrowed as if the question he asked didn't make sense to her. "They're my comrades. My friends." She answered eventually. Why didn't Kakashi get this? He was the one who'd taught her this.

"But it wasn't your responsibility. You compromised the mission by going into the water. The mission was to get the scroll while my job was to make sure you got there." Explained Kakashi briskly.

"What? What the hell do I care about a mission if my friends are in trouble? I will never allow my comrades to die, Kakashi." Snapped Naruto angrily.

Was he really saying this? Was she also sick and was currently having a lucid dream?

Kakashi looked stonily at her, as if her words had somehow offended him. Was this really her Kakashi-sensei or a twin he hadn't told them about? "The mission always comes first." He stated simply. "Don't forget that. To protect Konoha and do your job, you always have to follow the rules, even if that means your teammates gets hurt."

Naruto started stuttering, her eyes went wide and her cheeks blushed scarlet in shock and anger.

"How can you say that? Friends and comrades are what make you who you are. If you don't take care of your comrades then we ninjas are nothing more than killing machines. What's the point of living if there's no one there to support you during hard times? Or laugh with you in good? Why is that so hard for you to understand? Konoha ninjas are guardians of the will of fire. The will to endure, but you endure so you can help the village. The village aren't just the buildings Kakashi. Neither the Hokage monument nor the secret clan ninjutsus in the village. They're the people. Konoha is nothing without the people. If you throw away a life to succeed a mission, you're spitting on the foundation that created our village." Ranted Naruto heatedly, her voice having turned loud by the end.

Kakashi didn't seem to have an answer, but he was fuming after her speech. After a minute he finally seemed to find his voice again. "By completing your mission you do in fact protect those people. We become stronger through our success, and scare away our enemies from attacking. If you follow the rules then less people die." He replied angrily.

"I'm not saying you shouldn't follow the rules, Kakashi. By all means always try to complete your mission and do it the best way possible. But faced with the decision between following protocol or saving my friends, I'll always choose my friend. Even you Kakashi, if you got injured in the middle of a battlefield and my mission was to retreat with everyone who could still walk, I'd do anything to save you if I could." Explained Naruto stubbornly.

It was such a stupid conversation. What the hell had happened to Kakashi? And how had he snapped out of it? This brat was nothing like her sensei.

"Em… Do you have some food here?" Asked a weak voice behind them and Naruto and Kakashi both jumped at the sudden interruption. Looking around they saw Ensui sitting up and looking sweaty and flushed.

Great, he was probably sick too.

"Yeah, we have a fish and nuts. Do you need water, Ensui? I filled a container." Said Naruto hurriedly, getting up and trying to get away from this poor imitation of miniature Kakashi-sensei.

"That would be great, thank you Naruto-chan." Answered Ensui and gratefully received his container and a handful of nuts that he placed on the ground to eat later. She started asking how he was doing, which he replied to as she had expected. He was just as sick as Shisui, but he also had a broken leg.

While they talked Kakashi turned and looked over his shoulder at them. His eyes soften a little at the sight of the two kids trying to figure out what to do next. Shisui woke a little bit after, and while the boys looked very ill, they both tried to be helpful. Kakashi turned quickly away again.

No. Complete the mission. His mission was to get these three home safely, not being relieved that they seemed to be holding on. Feelings had no place while on duty.

A little later they all stood ready to leave. Ensui was still being carried by Kakashi while Shisui was attempting his first few steps with Naruto hovering around him. "There's no need for you to help me, Naruto-chan. I can do this on my own. I'm starting to feel better." Lied Shisui as he walked forward, following Kakashi who was already far ahead.

His eyes were glossy and he was hunched forward. It couldn't be clearer that Shisui barely acknowledged where he was. Far less was he able to get around on his own in his current condition.

Naruto glared at him but let the boy walk. "You don't need to tire yourself out. Just lean on me. If I have to I'll carry you all the way home, dattebayo. And stop calling me Naruto-chan. Naruto is fine. I've told you this a hundred times." Answered Naruto while she followed every step Shisui took.

A small chuckle escaped Shisui. "Sorry, but I doubt you're that strong yet... Naruto-chan." He replied as his leg had started shaking slightly.

"Yeah?" Replied Naruto, stopping while Shisui took a couple more shaky steps. While watching his pathetic attempt at hiking through the forest Naruto noticed how the Uchiha was starting to sag lower and lower for each step. After six increasingly shaky strides he lost his footing and fell to the ground. Naruto didn't bother to catch him.

It was better he understood his own condition here where there was grass and bushes to catch him, instead of in some rocky hill where his head could be cracked open.

Shisui fell with a thunk and lay in a heap on the ground. Sweat poured from every pore while his breath was shaky. His eyes were open but unfocused.

"Come on, self-help guy. Today you're on my watch." The blonde said brightly. Walking up to him Naruto bent down, grabbed Shisui's arm and slung it around her shoulder before straightening them both up.

"Lean on me. I'll get us out of here." She added gently. Shisui looked weakly back at her. Their eyes meeting for a brief moment before he slowly nodded.

Anko stood with her team back at the academy while the second year sensei welcomed the students back home. They were currently giving everyone a debriefing and the students were allowed to share stories from their first experience with mission work outside of Konoha's wall.

It was boring as hell, but Anko wasn't paying attention anyway. For over an hour she'd been looking around for Naruto and her team, but so far she'd been out of luck.

At first she thought maybe Naruto was already home. She'd been on a team under Hatake after all. Maybe they broke some record and didn't bother to wait for the rest. But after noticing how nervous the academy sensei looked and the odd glances being passed between the adults in the group, Anko started to worry. It was all confirmed when she saw Minato's anxious expression and Anko immediately realized something wasn't right.

The genin sensei was watching the gates to the academy almost as intensely as she herself was. Obito on the other hand seemed to find the whole situation fantastic. The moron couldn't let the huge grin on his face fade and was looking very pleased over the fact that the only team not having returned yet was Hatake's.

As they were dismissed Anko steered straight for team Minato, her intent clear in her eyes. "Where are Hatake and his team?" She demanded, but couldn't fight the blush creeping up her cheeks. Namkaze Minato was just so handsome.

The blonde man with eyes so much like Naruto looked worryingly down at Anko. It was the first time she realized Naruto and Minato were actually quite similar. Blonde hair, blue eyes, tan skin. But other than that they were different. So she brushed it off as her imagination. "I'm not sure Anko-chan. Their team never made it to the final post. There are people out looking for them and I'll be joining them now that the debriefing is over." He answered apologetically.

"What do you mean 'never made it?'" Exclaimed Anko, feeling her anger boil now that she finally had it confirmed that the annoying little blonde was truly missing. This was just like the time with Emi, except Naruto would never run away.

"It means Bakashi probably got lost in the woods." Said Obito so delighted he looked like he would start dancing.

"Obito you shouldn't joke about this, it is serious this time. Kakashi-kun might be injured or maybe someone on his team is. Something probably happened and you'll regret acting like this if it turns out to be true." Said Rin sternly, meaning every word while her chocolate doe eyes narrowed dangerously at him. Her demeanor went from a curious kitten to a slightly more aggressive grown kitten. Rin had never really pulled off the whole intimidating act very well.

Anko wasn't one to sugarcoat her thoughts or think twice before voicing her opinion, and quickly she grabbed Obito by the neck of his jumpsuit jacket. "You fucking moron! They might be lying stone, cold dead at the bottom of an earth filled ditch! We just started a freaking war! What if some fucking Iwa trash came across them you big mouthed butter head?!" She shouted while shaking Obito back and forwards violently by his jumpsuit collar.

Minato tried to gently separate them while Obito looked nervously at the furious Anko. Her face had gone red and her brown eyes seemed to be lit with fire.

"Sorry! I'm sorry… eh." Obito trailed off. Anko was forced to let go when Minato slowly pried her fingers away from Obito's neck and stepped in between them for good measure.

"I guess… I just thought... it's Kakashi you know. I didn't realize it might be something else besides the possibility of getting lost in the woods. He's strong so I'm sure whatever happened he'll get them out." He muttered while blushing, clearly hating to admit that his teammate was anything other than a bastard.

"I'm sure we'll find Naruto-chan soon, Anko-chan. You don't need to worry. I'll do my best to find your friend." Said Minato kindly and Anko blushed while looking away.

"I'm not worried about her." She answered lamely, fooling no one.

Minato gave a warm smile to her, not helping her red face lose its color. He turned towards his two accounted for team members while his hands rested on his hips. "Well, I'll be off. You three go home and I'll inform you as soon as we find them."

With a flash he was gone and Anko gaped in shock, temporarily forgetting about her anger at the surprise vanishing act. Had he just evaporated into thin air?

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To be continued…