In Spite of it all

Chapter 8

Kakashi POV~

"How is he so fast?" Kiba growled. Akamaru barked in agreement. Both him and my summon, Pakkun, were panting. "His scent is getting further and further away every minute."

"It might be the Kyuubi's chakra." I said, "Sometimes when he's feeling strong emotion, some of the Nine Tails chakra leaks through. That could be giving him an extra power boost."

"Woah." Kiba muttered.

"He seems so desperate to get away." Sakura murmured, "Since when was he like that?"

"For all we know, he's always thought of leaving the village. He wasn't accepted there, so I wouldn't doubt it." I furrowed my brow, "There might be so much we never even bothered to understand about Naruto."

"I-I hope he's okay." came Hinata's soft voice. Despite her shy, quiet nature, I could already see that she was a loyal and devoted person. She was working just as hard as, maybe even harder, than some of us to find Naruto. Her admiration for him was a shining light at this moment. 

Despite our efforts, though, I could tell the gap between us and Naruto was widening. Even Shino's bugs we having a hard time keeping up with him now.

"His stamina is far better than ours." Pakkun said, "If he keeps going like this, we're going to lose him. My sense of smell has a limit, ya know."

I grimaced under my mask. If even Pakkun was worried about losing the scent, then we didn't have much time. There had to be a way to slow him down or stop him somehow...

"Shino." I said, "Send as many bugs as you can ahead and have them attack Naruto."

"What?" All the genin spluttered at once.

"That makes sense." Kurenai said, "Shino, your beetles eat chakra. And Naruto is practically dripping in chakra. If you have your insects stall him, there's a chance that we could catch up before he disappears."

"He might just h-hate us more if we attack him." Hinata said sadly.

"It might also be the only way to get him back." I countered, "Remember, he did the same with Sasuke, and in the end it worked out."

"We have to let him know we haven't given up on him." Shino said, his voice as monotone as ever but now firm and determined. "I'll send the insects now. They're all over the forest, so they'll reach him quickly."

Shino held out his hands, and the buzzing of insects filled the air. The next few minutes were tense as we jumped through the trees and waited for something to happen.

Suddenly, Akamaru barked, and Pakkun said, "His scent is getting stronger. Turns out the distraction worked. As long as the bugs keep him there, we should be able to get to him."

"Yes." Shino said, "My bugs have found him. I'll have them stall him for as long as possible."

"That's perfect." I growled. 

It took much longer than I thought to get closer to Naruto. Night had fallen, and it was getting darker as the light of day disappeared. I don't know how long Shino's bugs could keep Naruto in one place, but I hoped he could hold on just a little longer.

Finally, I could sense his chakra in the distance. Even without the Kyuubi, I could recognize Naruto's huge chakra reserves immediately. But now, his chakra was rolling with something bigger, a mass of huge, intimidating chakra that sent shivers down everyone's spine. The Kyuubi's chakra didn't seem as...I don't know, murderous, as it did on the night of its attack on the village. But, it was still a large, powerful force that just dared you to mess with it.