Zero Shinobies ( Shinobi Hunter Naruto)

ch 26

(Near midnight)

It was dark and cold, with the moon hanging high in the sky and the veil of night twinkling all around it. With the hour having ticked to its highest point and most of that side of the world having turned in, the streets were still and silent, and the atmosphere was completely peaceful. One could easily go out for a stroll without drawing a single gaze or stepping on a single toe. Perhaps they might even get away with a bit of mischief.

Rabble rousing and hellraising however was far from the mind of Naruto Uzumaki, who had chosen a rather secluded spot by the river beneath a large oak. With his backpack at his feet and hood pulled over, the boy leant against the solid tree's base with his arms folded and eyes closed. At the same time his ears remained ever perked and his senses on alert.

Listening to the faintest sounds as they crept and creaked around him, the child remained where he was, motionless. Having been waiting there for some time, the young delinquent had used the gap in his timetable to rest, relax, and meditate. Since he still had a lot to learn about the new taijutsu and its corresponding chakra branch, he felt that by productively using his time in this manner he'd be able to get ahead in his studying for the future.

It wasn't like he had much else to do. After ensuring that his apartment was all tided up and his landlord had been informed of his "absence" for the next couple of months- as he had done the first time during the second portion of his training- all Naruto had to do now was wait and see if the offer he'd extended to Rea and her cousins had managed to reel them in.

Though he was more than happy to go on this trip by himself, a part of him felt obligated to help the four girls who'd taken such an interest in him, and were also kind enough to come visit him while he'd been locked up. No other person had ever done that for him before. Acknowledged him in such a way. What's more, Naruto was unable to fight back against his desire to pay back their thoughtfulness by lending them his aid. Even if it was in the only capacity he knew.

He also reasoned that since the Uchiha were such a capable band of shinobi, having a couple of them on his side out there in the wilderness would be a huge help. His instincts told him that having Rea and her friends as allies would give him a real edge against the rest of the world. All they needed was the correct nurturing.

As Naruto's thoughts started to linger over what possibilities the future held for him, the blond heard a rustling nearby and glanced across silently. When he did, he saw the distinct outlines of Rea, Naomi, Imari and Yuno step into view.

Immediately on first glance, Naruto saw that all four of them were dressed in outdoor gear reflective of their individual characters, and that each of them had a backpack sitting over their shoulders. After sizing them up, he saw the curly haired leader of their band march towards him, her expression steeled and eyes narrowed.

Standing off of the tree, the blond nodded. "You guys ready?" When he saw all of them nod their heads once, Naruto then picked up his backpack and slung it over his shoulder. "Good. We'll head out via the dam's main outlet. I tested the path out yesterday to see whether the village's barrier would detect me if I strayed beyond the wall. It didn't." He then gestured for them to follow him. "Be sure to stick close to me and keep your chakra signatures low."

Doing as the blond requested, Rea and the others stuck right to his tail.

Getting through the river's exit in the wall was a bit of a chore. They had to avoid the guards patrolling the wall above them and get into its blind spot before any eyes could land on them. It was pretty much smooth sailing from there, as the youngsters travelled up the bank, waded through the water, and out of the village.

When the Konoha Barrier Team detected the tiny ping at the bottom of the radar, the floor manager measured its rating against previous anomalies and quickly assessed it to be just another piece of driftwood or another school of carp interfering with the wall again, and simply shrugged it off.

By the time the sun started to rise over the horizon many hours later, Naruto and his entourage were long gone.