This is a pilot chapter, meaning I'm not sure if it will continue if no one is interested

He regretted heading into the forest by himself. He usually came with his mom and his dad, but his mom was much too tired to go with him and his dad absolutely had to go to work with none of his usual excuses to stay home. He couldn't blame them for not being able to come.

His dad constantly took breaks from work, or snuck out to check up on him, or even took him to work with him. But as his mom said, his work would eventually catch up with him and he wouldn't be able to have any breaks. His dad worked non stop for days, just to make sure he could be at home with him and his mother as much as possible nowadays.

His mom had become so round, moving proved difficult for her now a days. She groaned and sighed every time she got up from a seat or had to walk across the room. His mother insisted it wouldn't be like that for much longer, and soon he'd have a little sister.

It wasn't the first time he ventured into the forest by himself. He snuck into the wooded areas a few times over the last few weeks when his parents couldn't come with him. They always got worried and upset when he left on his own, but they seemed less angry when he brought them gifts. One time he brought them flowers from deep within the forest. Not even his Aunt Ino had them in her shop. Another time he brought home a little slug. His mom helped him make the slug a box he wanted to keep as a pet. He even brought home a baby toad one, but his dad made him set that one free.

He wanted to find something else in the forest to impress them again. Or even a present for his new little sister...

Now here he was… wherever 'here' was. He lost track of where he came from or where he had already been. Everything looked the same, from the green grass, to the green bushes, to the brown tree trunks, and the small glimpses of sky through the canopy. He did his best to avoid the darker parts of the forest, but somehow, he found himself engulfed in it.

Shinachiku took a deep breath and exhaled forcefully. His mother always told him to keep a calm head and you can figure almost anything out… but... He was lost. He wanted to be tough and pretend to be brave, but his trembling hands and darting eyes gave him away.

A branch snapped nearby. It startled him beyond measure. He ran without thinking, unaware of his surroundings as he ran further and further into the dark forest. He continued to run, but the rustling followed still. It might be a bear, or a wolf, or a multitude of other things that wanted to gobble him up.

Shinachiku came to a screeching halt when found himself at a cliff. He looked down in horror. A view at such a height would normally excite him, but he could have fallen off. He turned back, planning to find another escape, but the leaves and the bushes rustled. Whatever chased him this far still hadn't given up.

"S-stay away!" Shinachiku waved his arms and yelled. A friend told him it would scare away creatures from the forest. Either he hadn't done it correctly, or the creature wasn't scared of him at all. A dark figure emerged from the darkness, but the darkness obscured his view.

Shinachiku took a frightful step backwards, and before he knew it, his world tilted upside down. He fell, he realized. Rocks and dirt hit him as he fell toward the earth. He saw a glimpse of the dark figure standing at the now far away cliff, watching him fall from above.

The world turned black.

Shinachiku groaned and rubbed his eyes. It had become so bright and light. He slowly opened his eyes to the pristine white ceiling. The ceiling was familiar to him… but not HIS ceiling. The ceiling lacked his glow in the dark stars and stickers. His father's 'accidental' spitball vanished. He sat up in confusion.

This was the hospital, the hospital his mother worked in. He started to wonder why, but noticed bandages on his arms and legs. He reached up to scratch a particularly itchy part of his forehead, realizing that a bandage had been placed there too.

"What happened?" He asked himself, sliding out of the cot. He approached a nearby window, attempting to see out of it, but he was too short, at least he knew it was daytime. Shinachiku approached the door and opened it with ease. He'd been inside of a hospital room before.

As he stepped out of the room, a nurse tripped over him. He yelped and pressed his back against the wall as the nurse stumbled, but kept rushing to her destination.

'Don't play around or wander in the hospital. Everyone is busy and accidents are bound to happen if you don't watch where you are going', his mother once told him.

He glided through the hospital with ease. He went to work with his mother all the time, he knew the place well. He wanted to check and see if she returned to her office, but he knew she'd be at home. Maybe she cut him an apple or peeled an orange, lunch time had to be coming.

He nearly fell onto his bottom when he walked into a pair of legs blocking his way. A different nurse focused her attention on him.

"Where do you belong little one? Where are you going?" Shinachiku blinked.

"I'm going home now. My mom works here, but not today." He explained. The nurse eyed him critically before she seemed to recognize something. A little confusion seeped into her expression.

"Who is your mother?" The nurse asked. She couldn't let a small boy with clear injuries just leave the hospital on a whim.

Shinachiku blinked again. Almost all the nurses knew his mother. Was she teasing him? They liked to tease him. Could she be new? He swore he'd seen her before... Just as he started to answer, the intercom binged. They called for her, what perfect timing. She turned to the boy again; he looked shockingly like Sakura she had to admit. The eyes were unmistakable, but...

"Listen, stay right here, alright? I will be right back." She gently patted the boy's head when he nodded in agreement. He seemed like the type to listen to authority. Or at least, she hoped he did.

Shinachiku obediently sat in a seat nearby and waited.

And waited.

And waited a bit longer.

He couldn't stand waiting any longer. Besides, his mother worked here, he'd just come back later. He'd have to apologize, but again, it he would definitely do it later. He hopped up from his seat and made his way to the exit.

Shinachiku stepped outside of the hospital, shielding his eyes from the brightness of the sun. A breeze flew by him, a nice gift on such a warm day. Everything looked very much the same… yet something felt off. He shrugged off the strange feeling and headed home. He ran into a major problem very quickly. He recognized some of the buildings… but others he did not. He walked down some roads before, but others seemed to have appeared and disappeared in a day. Before he knew it, a maze of familiar and unfamiliar locations trapped him.

He chewed on his fingers. His mom always scolded him for doing it, but he couldn't help himself. He remembered his mother's lesson about being calm and patient… much easier said than done. Shinachiku continued walking. He must have walked in many circles by now. His feet hurt. The sun beat down on him. He debated asking a local stall for a drink, but he didn't want to just take free drinks, he didn't have change.

Once again, Shinachiku found himself on the main street. It was crowded despite the heat of the sun. He sighed and peered into the sky. He lowered his view to the mountain. The Hokage mountain, couldn't miss it. All the previous Hokage's were on the mountain. They all looked so serious and strong.

'They're all pushovers. Except the second Hokage. Trust me'ttebayo,' his dad told him. Shinachiku believed him. His dad never looked as serious as it did on the mountain.

Except, his dad's face wasn't on the mountain.

The end of the mountain was blank.

Shinachiku fell back in shock. Once, his mother had threatened his dad she'd erase his face off the mountain, but she didn't ACTUALLY do that... did she? What did his father do to make his face disappear? Maybe… it had something to do with how different everything seemed to be.

"Whoa!" Shinachiku cringed when a clumsy foot landed inches away from his hand. "Hey kid, you can't just sit in the middle of the street'ttebayo."

"Or, you need to watch where you're going." A lazy voice responded.

Shinachiku gazed up again and met his father's eyes. For a moment, relief washed over him. Even if his mother erased his face from the mountain, at least he was right here… Shinachiku's eyes focused on his hair. He saw his father with hair like that in a few pictures at home, but they were old. His clothes. He'd never seen his fathers in those clothes, but his jacket characteristically orange. Most noticeably… his father didn't seem as old as he used to be.

"Is he alright? He has bandages all over him..."

Shinachiku turned. His father's friend Shikamaru stood not to far away. Shinachiku rarely saw any expression on the man's face other than boredom, but now he seemed a little concerned.

"Hey." His father's voice caught his attention again. His father seemed concerned as well but…. "Are you alright? Can you stand up?"

"He looks freaked out." Shikamaru suggested, but he kept his distance.

His father huffed and reached out to grab him. Normally, Shinachiku would be eager to be lifted by his father and pulled into a tight hug. Right now he wanted nothing but to get away. He moved to his feet quickly, just out of his reach. The man frowned. When Shinachiku swayed on his feet, the man tried to grab him again, but now Shinachiku ran.

"Hey! Wait a sec!" The man tried to chase after him, but the crowded street held him back. Shinachiku slipped between the mass of people until the man was out of sight. Shinachiku collapsed to his knees in relief. He wiped the sweat from his partially bandaged forehead and tried to regain his breath. He wanted to go home now more than ever… to get away from this strange place… and the only way to find it was to keep searching.

"Strange." Shikamaru sighed and rubbed his head. He didn't recognize the kid, and the kid didn't recognize them either. Not particularly strange. "Hey Naruto, let's go." He walked forward, but stopped when Naruto didn't follow.

Naruto stood atop a building, watching over the crowd hoping to catch a glimpse of the kid with no luck. He didn't know the kid's identity, but he seemed pretty confused. He wondered why the kid was on the floor, but the bandages hinted at some kind of injury.

"Naruto!"

Shikamaru called for him from below again. Shikamaru wanted to discuss important topics with the promise that they would have it while he had a few steaming bowls of ramen. Focusing on his delicious ramen would be a bit more difficulty knowing with an injured kid running around.

And not just any injured kid…

It was silly, but Naruto mistook him for Sakura for just a split moment. He had Sakura's eyes, he'd never seen anyone with them other than her mother. Even the boy's face resembled hers. The most logical explanation lead to him being a member of her clan.

He heard Shikamaru huff again. If he got the meeting over with, he would have plenty of time to search for the kid. Naruto jumped down behind Shikamaru and followed him to the legendary ramen stand, Ichiriku Ramen. Teuchi expanded the little ramen stand. Now there were enough seats to fit all the rookies, but they rarely hung out together at the same time.

"Can we get this over with quick? I have things to do'ttebayo." Naruto wasn't looking at Shikamaru's face, but he imagined his eyes nearly rolled out of his head.

"You mean chasing after your mini-clone?"

Naruto frowned, "Mini-clone?"

"That boy from just now." He answered plainly.

"What about him?" Again, Shikamaru sighed and dug his hands further into his pockets.

"He looked just like you." They entered the ramen stall. Lunchtime brought in a ton of customers, but free seats were available. They sat in the corner away from the other customers, despite Naruto preferring to sit at the bar. Naruto immediately grabbed the menu despite knowing what he wanted already.

"Like me? Eh..."

Shikamaru studied him. The boy resembled him. They even had similar hair, and possibly a similar interest in mischief based on how he managed to escape Naruto. But… the boy also resembled Sakura. It was a strange coincidence that a little boy who looked a lot like them was running around the village, especially given their current… 'relationship'. Of course the boy would interest Naruto, however impossible the idea.

"Listen, Narut-"

"Excuse us!" The restaurant became silent when a few nurses from the hospital burst in. "A young boy, around five years old, left the hospital without approval. Has anyone seen him? He has blonde hair and green eyes. He's wearing a green shirt." Most of the patrons turned back to their meals, chatting amongst themselves. The nurses became more distressed when no one responded and began to leave. "If anyone happens to see him, please bring him back to the hospital."

Naruto and Shikamaru stared at each other, no one noticed the silent battle of wills. Shikamaru would rather stay put and allow the hospital staff to find the missing boy themselves. The village was only so big, it was a matter of time before they found him or he went back. Getting involved could only make the situation more complicated. Naruto on the other hand,wanted to participate in the manhunt. He didn't want the kid to escape in the first place.

"Sorry! I swear, we'll talk next time'ttebayo!" Naruto clapped his hands together, bowing guilty in front of Shikamaru.

"Hey wa-"

"See ya later Shikamaru! Tell Ino and Chouji I said hi!" Naruto jumped up from the table and quickly exited the ramen stall.

Shikamaru huffed. He was too much trouble to chase after.

Shinachiku leaned against a wall, he didn't want to move anymore. His feet hurt more than ever. His throat was so dry, it was uncomfortable to breathe too harshly. He brought his knees to his chest, trying to keep at much sun off of him as possible and stay in the shade.

He was used to the heat of Konoha, even though he heard that Suna was much warmer. Today was different. His head pounded and the amount of sweat he had to wipe was more than ever. The bandage on his forehead was soaked with it, but he decided against taking it off. At least it wasn't itching anymore.

All his attempts to find his house was futile. He tried to get to the Hokage tower, but all the roads seemed to lead him elsewhere. He felt like he was going in circles, no amount of thinking or planning worked out for him. He wanted ask someone for help… but everyone seemed so busy…

"Hey."

Shinachiku nearly jumped out of his shorts and turned to his side. The dad-imposter from before was squatting down right next to him, similar like his dad would. He hadn't even noticed when he got there. The man smiled brightly and leaned in closer.

"My name is Naruto. And what's yours little guy?"