IY: Hey all. I'm posting this in the public library so I don't have time to proofread or anything. Sorry!

Disclaimer: Don't own!

Thanks to: PirateCaptainBo, little fox, and peepsolez!

XxX

"Where have you been, Naruto?"

The blond Jounin stumbled, flailing his arms in order to retain his precarious balance on the tree limb he'd just jumped on.

"Eh, Kakashi-sensei! Don't scare me like that!" he cried, placing a hand over his heart dramatically.

The silver-haired man grunted, raking his one visible eye over Naruto's body. There didn't seem to be any abnormalities…

Only the blond's clothes were slightly out of place: his shirt was slightly wrinkled near the hem, and his pants were slightly twisted, but that could be from traveling through the treetops…

Other than that, Kakashi could not find any traces of excessive activity. He could rule out a skirmish from the list of possible reasons that Naruto took so long.

"You didn't answer my question, Naruto."

Naruto shifted a bit (something Kakashi took note of), laughing sheepishly and scratching the back of his head.

"Well, you see… I was coming back with the water, when I accidentally dropped one of the buckets…" Naruto started, trying to make himself sound innocent.

(It's not a total lie… I did drop the water.)

"So then I had to go back to the river, to fill it up again, right? But I kind of didn't keep track of where I was going, and got a little… lost."

(I'm Uzumaki Naruto! I don't get lost. Ooh, the things I do for you, Uchiha…)

"So it took me a while to come back, since I didn't know which way to go, y'know?" Naruto finished, pulling at the hem of his shirt and plastering an awkward grin on his face.

Kakashi nodded, letting himself relax from his intense analyzation of his student.

"It's amazing that you can still be the number one most surprising ninja at the age of seventeen, Naruto," he said, chuckling. "Now, come on, we can't have dinner without water."

The blond nodded, smiling widely. "Hai!"

(Oh, thank kami-sama that's over.)

XxX

"Wai, Naruto-kun! Hatake-san told me that you took very good care of me yesterday when I fell asleep. Thank you ever so much!" Machiko gushed, clinging onto Naruto's left arm.

Naruto winced, feeling a dangerous rise in chakra nearby.

"Oh, eh, it's no problem, Machiko-chan. You're not very heavy, so it wasn't a very big bother to carry you."

The blue-haired girl giggled. "Thank you, Naruto-kun! I think I'm actually losing weight with all this exercise. What do you think?" she asked, stepping away from him and giving a slow twirl.

Naruto paused in his walking in order to watch. He couldn't really see any difference in Machiko's appearance, but he knew that actually saying that would be asking for trouble.

"Eh, yeah! I think you're right, Machiko-chan. You are a bit thinner. I'm sure you'll knock your fans off their feet with your beauty."

The chakra peaked again, followed by another one, even closer than the first.

Machiko giggled, blushing and raising dainty hands to cover it. "Oh, you're too kind, Naruto-kun! You really know what to say to a girl!"

Naruto made a distracted, noncommittal noise in the back of his throat. His eyes were busy searching for the origin of the chakra.

There. In the trees. A flash of whiteNaruto smiled, eyes softening a bit. I knew he was checking up on me…

And the other one? Closer…His eyes swept his immediate surroundings. Kakashi on point. No. Sai in the rear. No. Sakura… Naruto blinked, surprised by the expression on the girl's face.

What's wrong with her?

Sakura's face was screwed up into an angry grimace; her hands were curled as if she had claws, ready to tear someone's throat out; and her knees were bent, as if ready to spring.

"Eh, Sakura-chan?" he called, watching the girl warily. "Are you okay?"

The kunoichi of Team Seven blinked, startled from her (evil) inner musings. The high-powered chakra slowly dwindled, causing Naruto to let out a relieved sigh.

"Eh, I-I'm fine, Naruto. Don't worry about me," Sakura said, laughing weakly.

"Are you sure, Sakura-chan?" he asked, frowning in concern. The girl's face had been really disturbing, and it was hard to believe that she was 'fine' so suddenly.

"Oh, Naruto-kun, how sweet of you!" Machiko broke in, clutching the blond's arm and effectively bringing everyone's attention back to her.

She smiled at Sakura, though her eyes weren't the least bit friendly. "It's cute that you're so worried about your teammate."

Sakura smiled right back at her, even though it was obvious that it was forced. (Bitch…) "Yeah, Naruto is always worrying about his close friends."

"Er…" Naruto backed away slowly, noting the animosity rising alarmingly between the two girls.

"Sai!" he hissed, nearing the brunette. "What's going on with those two?"

The Root member tilted his head. "Well, it seems that they don't like each other."

"Ugh!" That's what I get for asking Sai about interpersonal relationships…

Naruto shook his head, looking for Kakashi. He should know what to do.

Their teacher was on point, so he should be nearby… Naruto's head swiveled wildly, trying to locate their leader.

"Eh? Where's Kakashi-sensei?"

Sakura broke off her glaring contest with Machiko. "Huh? What are you talking about?"

"Kakashi-sensei's missing!" Naruto informed her, jumping from tree to tree. The road they were traveling on was in a heavily wooded area.

Sai shook his head, jumping into the trees and catching Naruto around the waist as he sped past.

"You are wasting your energy, Naruto-kun. I'm sure Kakashi-sensei had a good reason for leaving."

"But-" Naruto started, but was interrupted by Sakura.

"I'm sure Sai's right, Naruto. Kakashi-sensei knows what he's doing."

Naruto sighed, nodding reluctantly. "I guess…"

Sakura smiled. "Okay, let's get going. Kakashi won't be pleased to find us in the same spot once he comes back."

XxX

It was nightfall when the silver-haired man finally caught up to them. He ordered the team to stop and make camp.

"Naruto."

The blond looked up from where he was stacking the firewood he'd previously collected, preparing to make a fire. "Yeah, Kakashi-sensei? What's up?"

"We need to talk."

XxX

Ooh, cliffy. Too bad for you!

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