A Couple Steps Back

Chapter 36

Third person pov

They didn't all leave at first.

Rasa and Gaara were the first to go, Gaara cautiously checking the hall to make sure nobody was present before they started out. His sand had his father's hands encased, but that didn't stop the man from knocking on another door anyway. Gaara's curses were audible even from through the thick wooden door as he ran down the hall, tugging his cackling father along with him. 

"We'll go next. Shikaku should have realized we aren't at the house by now." Naruto said, looking up at Hidan, who nodded in agreement. Naruto had to admit, Hidan was growing on him just a little. He wasn't as bad as he made himself out to be, and everyone could tell he was trying. He held back comments that would destroy the self esteems of whoever they were directed at, and didn't even murder people in his free time anymore. 

"Sounds good, Hokage-sama." Shikamaru flashed Naruto a grin, and the blonde rolled his eyes. Shisui sucked in a sharp breath of air as the Uzumaki brushed past him, Hidan trailing behind him like a shadow. The messy-haired Uchiha watched them go with slightly wide eyes. Naruto was their Hokage?

They'd explained, briefly, what had happened. Quite frankly, Shisui was having trouble believing them. But he didn't think they were lying either. Their information made too much sense. It was too accurate, and fit way too well. They were able to answer almost every questioned they'd shot his way, and without hesitation too. If they didn't know something, they'd usually talk about it to try to figure it out, and most of the time they could come up with something. They were either really good liars, lunatics who knew how to act, from the future or all of the above. he couldn't decide.

"Damn this place smells. We need some Febreeze out this bitch." Hidan's nose scrunched up as they opened the door. This place was absolutely putrid. The intense smell of dust in the room they'd be using as their home base, per say, had masked how disgusting the scent of this building was.

"Yeah, and you need some Febreeze for that attitude of yours. Let's go. Ibiki is probably trying to cook again, and we both know how that worked out."

"Oh, shit- You're right. I'll carry your small ass. You slow little bitch."

The room fell silent once more as their voices faded, and Shikamaru let out a sigh. He looked to the two Uchiha, who stood side by side in an awkward tension that didn't seem to be fading. Shisui gazed at them both with caution and slight disbelief, even if the facts they'd presented were undeniable. These kids weren't intruders either. Their appearances and chakra were all genuine, and nobody would be able to copy signatures so exactly. Besides, Naruto had the fox, and there was no faking that.

"I'll go last. You two should head out. My father is no doubt looking for me..." Shikamaru grumbled. He knew he'd dug himself into a pretty deep hole, but he had a few ideas he could use. One, which was currently his best option, was to sneak back into his room and simply pretend he'd never left. He knew at least his dad had been out all day looking for him, and it was rare that his mother was home during the day. If he hurried after Sasuke and Shisui left...

"Sounds good." Sasuke grunted, walking towards the door. Shisui awkwardly jolted forward, stumbling slightly as Sasuke opened the door. "Stay safe, Shikamaru, and be careful. You're smart, but your father is too." The young Uchiha heir grumbled to his friend.

"I know." Shikamaru said simply, and Sasuke nodded, closing the door. Shisui swallowed heavily. His tongue felt heavy in his mouth, and he could hear his heart beating in his ears. He didn't like this. Was his little cousin really a war-hardened shinobi from the future? He looked the part, other than being four year old that is. 

"So... Sasuke..." Shisui coughed slightly as they made their way out of the bar. The grumpy boy looked up at him dryly. Shisui hesitantly continued. "You meet any hot girls in the fu- don't kick me!" 

So much for bonding, he supposed. 

---------

"Hide, hide!" Naruto shrieked as Kakashi's chakra approached. His paper chakra-masking seal had blown off in the wind around the time they stepped out of the bar that held their meeting place. Unable to mask his chakra any other way, the boy was forced to go on with Hidan without it. The ex-jashinist kept masked, but not to heavily. He had just enough to make him seem like he might be a civilian. It would seem suspicious if a man with no chakra at all walked by.

Hidan flapped his hands about in a panic, his magenta eyes wide as he looked around for somewhere to go. They were in the middle of the street, thankfully out of the red light district, but Hidan didn't see anywhere he could really disappear to. In the end, Naruto shoved him up against the wall of a closed store and told him to at least try and look normal. The blonde then continued to walk.

"Naruto!" Kakashi jumped down from one of the many shops lining the street, and Naruto pretended to be startled. "There you are! Shikaku-san said you were missing, and Ibiki-san had insisted that you were in your room last time he checked. Where have you been?"

Naruto blinked up at the concerned Kakashi with innocent eyes that almost made Hidan, who was subtly watching the scene unfold, snort. He would never get over how good these brats were at faking it until they made it. If not for their acting skills, they never would have made it this far. Hidan would never say it out loud, but he was impressed.

"I went to the park." Naruto tilted his head slightly, his eyebrows furrowing slightly. Kakashi paused to stop himself from bursting out or from scolding him. That's right, Naruto had been an orphan up until just recently. He had been allowed to do whatever he wanted, and go wherever he wanted whenever he wanted. He had never had a guardian before.

"Don't leave without asking Ibiki-san first, Naruto." Kakashi sighed, reaching down and taking the blonde's hand. The Uzumaki looked genuinely startled by the action, jumping slightly in surprise. The blonde glanced back at Hidan. "He's in charge of you now, and is going to worry if you just disappear.

"Eh?! I'm sorry, believe it!" Naruto exclaimed in a loud tone, glancing back once last time. He subtly waved his free hand towards him as if to say follow me, and Hidan pushed off the wall, beginning to shuffle after them. He'd have to go to the next street over when he had the chance and follow Naruto's overwhelmingly large chakra. Kakashi would notice him soon, if he hadn't already.

"It's alright, Naruto." Kakashi sighed. "Just... be careful, okay?"

"Believe it!"