True Potential By DryBonesKing

Part 37, 38 - Uzushio

Disclaimer: Something witty should be written here, but I got nothing. I don't own Naruto. Anyway, I'm going to get a haircut now. Will post the chapter when I get back. Bye! :)

Three days after leaving Konoha, the merchant caravan, led by Anko, Hinata, Shikamaru, and Dosu, arrived at Akita, a port town on the coast of Hi no Kuni. Immediately, Anko rented a boat to carry the caravan, along with the shinobi, the remaining way to Mizu no Kuni.

The various merchants boarded the ship nonchalantly and cheerfully, excited to be on their way back to their homeland. The Konoha shinobi, on the other hand, were a lot more anxious to board.

"You know... I've never been on a boat before." Hinata commented as she looked out into the water.

"I haven't even seen the sea before." Shikamaru added.

"Are you two anxious?" Dosu questioned.

Shikamaru shook his head in response. Hinata, on the other hand, seemed a little hesitant to respond. It took her a few seconds before she sighed and finally nodded her head.

"My father had a relatively bad experience on-water the first time he had to do a mission out this far from Konoha. He got really sick and could barely perform during the rest of the mission. If he, of all people, could get that bad from a simple boat ride, what hope do I have to have a good experience?" Hinata sighed.

"Heh." Shikamaru started to chuckle to himself. "Hyūga Hiashi getting seasick... that's actually pretty hilarious. Just imagining your father bent over on the side of the boat, begging to see land... my dad would probably find it hilarious."

"D-Don't say anything about that to him!" Hinata begged immediately. "M-My father would not want anybody to know something like that happened to him!"

"Our fathers don't talk unless they have business with each other. As if my dad would say anything to him about the topic." Shikamaru scoffed in response. "... Unless he was drunk or something."

"Shikamaru-kun! Please!" The Hyūga heiress, once again, pleaded.

"Heh." Dosu laughed quietly to himself. "You two have an amusing dynamic."

"Did you say something?" Shikamaru questioned as he and Hinata turned their attention to their third teammate.

"Nothing of worth." The former Oto genin replied with a shrug. He then made a hand gesture, encouraging them to talk.

Shikamaru sighed in response. He and Hinata had tried to talk to Dosu a couple of times during their mission. He would answer any questions they had for him about the mission or his capabilities, but whenever they tried to bring up simple small talk, he would quickly try and end the conversation or give simple answers. He was a blatant introvert. The only people that could compare to him were Shino or Han, but even then, they at least had their moments. Dosu seemed to always be content with just simply watching people and only occasionally chiming in.

'And Naruto is somehow is friend and gets him to talk?' The Nara questioned in his head. The thought made him chuckle slightly. 'Typical Naruto. I don't think there's anybody immune to his charisma.'

"Hey, you all getting on board the ship?"

The three Konoha shinobi turned to the sound of the voice. Anko was standing with her hands on her hips at the entrance to the boat. She was giving the three of them a look, urging for them to get on board.

Shikamaru, Hinata, and Dosu nodded wordlessly at her question and got on board the ship. As they finally got on, one of the merchants walked over to them.