章節 50: Chapter 050

"Sure thing sensei." Naruto stood up and went to perch himself on a large rock a little ways away so he could keep watch.

"The rest of you make sure to get some sleep while you can." Kakashi began moving to his tent. Soon everyone else had started heading off to.

Naruto put some his hands up in the ram seal as he sat down cross legged, "Kage Bunshin No Jutsu." A few clones puffed into existence only to scatter as soon as they were formed, moving off several dozen feet away in all directions and henging into random objects and animals.

Closing his eyes Naruto began using a unique exercise he had learned in a book on chakra concepts and theories. The exercise was called Chakra Myaku (Chakra Pulse)and as the name suggested, the user sent out a pulse of chakrain all directions. This gave Naruto something a kin to a three hundred and sixty degree view similar to the sonar pings a bat used with sound waves. This had two purposes, the first was to allow Naruto to remain alert to everything around him, and the second was to use it as a basic chakra control exercise by slowly lowering the amount of chakra used while maintaining the amount of distance he could pulse his chakra.

It wasn't quite as effective in the middle of a forest as it would be elsewhere since the foliage reduced its efficiency; however that was what the clones were for.

"Can I help you Ojisan?" asked Naruto as Tazuna climbed onto the boulder he was sitting on. His eyes were still closed and he had not bothered to even look in Tazuna's direction as he remained perfectly still, something that had taken nearly two weeks to accomplish. "Shouldn't you be in bed by now? An old goat like you needs their rest."

"Hardy har har gaki." Tazuna grumbled a bit about disrespectful brats for a few moments, causing Naruto's lips to quirk upwards in a small smirk. He was silent for a moment before letting his curiosity get the better of him. "I was just wonderin'… why did you agree to come with me knowing I had lied?"

"Isn't that something you should be asking Kakashi-sensei?" asked Naruto.

"Your sensei wasn't the one who first agreed to continue the mission," Tazuna pointed out.

Naruto conceded the point with a nod. He was silent for a few moments and Tazuna was unsure if the blond would talk or not. Finally, "Forsaking and abandoning people in need is both dishonorable and cowardly. Below courage there is nothing. Those are the words from the Yondaime Hokage." Finally the blond opened his eyes and looked over at Tazuna, "They are words that I do my best to live by."

(Three days Later…)

When Team 7 got to the coast it was to find a thick fog had rolled in. Tazuna had led them to a man who had been willing to offer them passage across, and now the six of them were inside a motorboat to cross the waters and head into Nami No Kuni. Currently the motorboat was off however and the boatman was rowing, so as not to attract attention from anyone that may want to cause their group harm.

Naruto who was at the front of the boat was staring into the thick fog. There's something odd about this fog. He thought to himself. Even for morning fog it seems to be really thick. Of course, since this was his first time being in a coastal region, he supposed he might just be over thinking again.

"This fog is pretty thick," Naruto commented out loud, wondering what the others thought of it.

"Yeah, it's actually hard to even figure out where we're going," Sakura said, actually agreeing with Naruto. "I mean, the only thing I can even see is the water…" She looked off the side of the boat and into the rippling water.

"We'll be able to see the bridge any minute now," The boatman said in a quiet voice. "As soon as you set foot on the other shore, you'll be in Nami No Kuni."