Xela: You like me! You really like me! (rushes up to reader)
Tsuki: Woah! (grabs Xela before she can hug reader) Calm down girl.
Kitsu: Leave her be Tsuki. She's just happy that the readers like her.
Xela: Yes, thank you all so much especially to those who reviewed. To those who wanted to review but don't have an account, sorry but I don't accept anonymous reviews...
Well anyway, I forgot to mention last time that some of the characters may be a little OOC. Thats just the way they turned out. Oh! and keep in mind what I mentioned in the last chapter. Now here's Tanaro with a important message...

(Tanaro walks out with a sign)
Tanaro: (sighs) This is the disclaimer: Xela DOES NOT own NARUTO, Kishimoto-sensei does. But Kitsu, Tsuki, and all her other OCs including me she does own. There, now keep the following in mind: (holds up a new sign)

/"normal talking"/

/"Kyuubi talking"/

/'normal thinking'/

/'Kyuubi thinking'/ (not that he usually thinks mostly he just states everything outloud)

Chapter Two: Running

Naruto loved the feel of the wind that blew through his hair. He threw his pronged kunai that he had received from Kakashi, and in a flash, pulled it from the ground where it had landed. He estimated he'd traveled a hundred meters that time. He laughed, and thrust more chakra his legs, he was nothing but a yellow blur when he ran at this insane speed. He guessed his speed to equal to Lee's without the weights but, unlike Lee, he could keep up this pace for up to thirty kilometers and that was without his hiraishin leaps.

He dodged a large rock. It always amazed him that he didn't get tunnel vision at this speed. He could see everything normally though, since somehow his vision was able to adapt the speed. Not that he ever dwelt on the oddity of his eyes these days. He had the Yondaime Hokage's technique and was the only person since its maker to be successful at it.

But hell, he was the Flash Maverick after all, a nickname he had acquired when he'd first performed hiraishin by mistake in front of a large crowd – he had been trying to use his new version of shushin, not his fault the hand seals were the same – Kakashi had been right, don't take Yondaime's techniques lightly.

Naruto started to feel the beginnings of fatigue. He slowed his pace to normal, keeping his stride long, not that normal was really normal for him. Naruto was still running at the speed of an Olympic sprinter. His eyes blurred for a moment, adjusting to the speed change.

He didn't know where he was going exactly, just that he couldn't let himself be followed. And he had made certain he wasn't. He had made quite a mess of any trail he had left behind. The path he had created was full of backtracking, water sources, and a ditch or two. Though his original plan had been to stay with Gaara in Suna, but that was too obvious a hiding place, where better to hide than with the closest allies of Konoha. Naruto wasn't as stupid as people thought. So he had sent a clone in that direction. Hopefully, any search party Tsunade would send when she found his letter would follow his clone instead of himself.

It was getting dark but he saw lights in the distance. He put on a little more speed from his energy reserves just as a late October rain broke out overhead. The rain looked like it would be brief but violent. Naruto laughed, it seemed God was on his side.

He leapt onto the roof of the nearest building using the sharp retractable claws he had developed recently, thanks to his being a Jinchuuriki.

"Damn this rain is freezing!" he growled.

"Then what are you waiting for kit!" snapped his tenant, "find shelter. This coastal village is far enough for now."

--

"No sign of him this way" sighed pakkun as he sniffed the ground. "Our best bet is to head for Suna. It is the most probable place to find him since he did take off in that direction. But with this rain…Most of the scent has washed away."

Kakashi looked to Jiraiya for answers. Jiraiya nodded in agreement. "Alright Pakkun, lead the way. As a former Jinchuuriki the Kazekage may be able to at least know where the gaki went" the Sannin then sighed and shook his head, "But he and Gaara are close friends so I doubt he would actually assist in the search."

"If we use Tsunade-sama as our ace he may actually tell us what he knows. He can't lie if the Hokage orders him to tell what he knows" suggested Yamato.

"But he'll want some sort of warrant." Added Kakashi sadly, "and we didn't bring anything like that. Getting a warrant will take time that we don't have."

"What's got you suddenly so upset about time?" stated Sai dully, "You're always late."

This touched a nerve; Kakashi spun around and grabbed Sai by the front of his shirt. "Why don't you say that to my face? I'm not in the mood for any of your fucking comments!" 'Damn it! Where the hell are you Naruto?'

--

Naruto entered the small inn he had located in the little village. He shook out his mane of wet hair, causing the innkeeper to almost drop the book he was reading upon seeing the shinobi.

"Holy shit! Are you The Flash?"

Naruto's face flushed, he still was not quite used to his new title. "Why do you ask?" he muttered embarrassed.

"The hair, Though if you are indeed The Flash I'm surprised. The Flash has supposedly been dead for almost twenty years."

"Oh that Flash, no, I'm not him. I guess you call me the second Flash of Konoha, Uzamaki Naruto, Flash Maverick of Konoha." This made the other man smile.

"Ah, so you're his son then?"

Naruto shrugged and scratched the back of his head with a laugh. "No. Not that I know of… How do you know of him anyway? This village isn't even in the same country."

"Well he once saved this village from invading Kiri-nin some twenty or so years back… Stayed here… walked through the door just as you did after a heavy rain, his hair plastered flat." The innkeeper paused thoughtfully for a second. "So do you want a room? I only have one free currently; my other room is booked surprisingly enough, by another Konoha-nin. Ah, and what do you know here she is now."

A young woman walked into the room. Her dark hair flowed to her mid-back. Her pale pupil less eyes went wide as she turned towards the new inn tenant. She froze. "N-naruto?" she stuttered in surprise.

"Hinata?!" he shouted just as shocked as she was.

"Oh, so you know each other good. So hinata-san could you be so kind as to show our new guest to his room?"

She nodded silently, trying to keep from fainting.

"Um… I have no clue how long I'll be staying, um…"

"Gento" supplied the innkeeper.

"Yeah, Gento, I have no clue how long I'll be staying…"

"Tell you what," suggested Gento, "you can stay here for free this week. You've brought back some pleasant memories of my youth."

"Uh thanks, I don't know how to repay you. I uh…" he scratched the back of his head causing Hinata to giggle and blush. Gento looked at the two and smiled.

'Ah, young love…" thought Gento "reminds me of when that Flash fellow… Minato was it? stayed here. Spent most of the night ranting on to me about some girl he was going to marry when he finally got home.'

"C-come o-on N-naruto I'll… um… sh-show you t-to your room" stammered Hinata.

"Thank you Hinata!" he took he hand.

"EEP!" she blushed and jerked her hand away. 'Naruto just touched my hand! Oh God, don't faint.'

"Sorry, I guess I was being impulsive" he muttered. Hinata caught the sadness in his tone.

'Oh Naruto…' she sighed. "N-no I'm s-sorry I-I was just surprised" she inched her hand closer to his until their fingers touched. 'Don't faint. Don't faint…' Naruto took her hand in his careful of his still extended claws.

"Retract claws baka!" hissed Kyuubi.

"Oops…" muttered Naruto still not used to the act of retracting his claws. Hinata felt the subtle changes in the chakra of Naruto's hands but dismissed it as she was still dwelling in the revelry of her hand in his.

Xela: Well thats the chapter. Please review!
Tsuki: Don't you dare try to flame Xela or you'll learn why the Kyuubi clan is the most feared of the nine great youkai clans!
Xela: Okay Tsuki calm down. No one's been mean to me yet. In fact, you have all been very supportive of me so thank you:

Chewie Cookies
JoshK1o24
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THANK YOU!!