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In the afternoon, as the sun began to set, Shino used his Kikaichu’s excellent scouting ability to find a perfect spot for camping. He then took the necessary items, like tents, out of his sealing scroll.
"It's getting late, let's camp here for the night." Shino, always concise, decisively gave the order.
"Okay." The three responded in unison.
The team leader was Shino, and Hinata and Kiba cooperated seamlessly with him. Naruto, too, had no objections.
Not far from their campsite, there was a small waterfall and a pond. The four of them divided the tasks: Kiba and Naruto were responsible for setting up the tent, Hinata went to collect firewood, and Shino went to fetch water.
"Hey, is that side secured yet? Damn it!" Kiba asked, looking up.
"It's done, it's done. Stop rushing me." Naruto replied, sounding a bit impatient, "Even Akamaru has better manners than you!"
While bickering, the two quickly set up the tent, which was spacious enough for all four of them to sleep.
Hinata soon returned from the forest, carrying a bundle of dry branches. There were many wild beasts in the forest, and Shinobi would not use Ninjutsu to deal with them unless necessary.
Fire was the best way to keep animals at bay. In more dangerous missions, starting a fire might be avoided due to the risk of attracting enemies.
However, since this mission was about finding the Bikochu, which was more of a search mission, there wasn’t much danger anticipated, so making a fire was allowed.
Coincidentally, Shino came back from scouting the area at this time. He had already set up his Kikaichu for surveillance around the perimeter, while also completing the task of fetching water.
"We can start the fire and boil some water now," Shino said.
"Alright, I'll do it."
Kiba swiftly pulled out a fire-starting tool from his pocket. It was something similar to a lighter, which used a small amount of Chakra as fuel to ignite.
It won't explode in fire or get damaged in rain, so it is a must-have black technology in the Shinobi World for home and travel. Its principle is actually to convert the Shinobi’s Chakra into Fire Attribute Chakra, just enough to start a fire.
Hinata and Shino were already seated by the fire, taking out some dry food, preparing to have a quick meal and then go straight to sleep and rest.
"Naruto-kun, this is for you." Hinata, with her face flushed, took out a red fruit from her bag and handed it to Naruto, thinking that he might not have brought enough food.
Shino and Kiba also opened their bags, and with the water in the pot just beginning to heat. Looking at Naruto who was standing motionless beside them, Shino spoke, "If you didn't bring any food, we can share some with you."
"Beg me, and I might even share mine with you." Kiba added with a smug grin.
"It’s not that… I brought some." Naruto said, taking the fruit from Hinata with a grateful nod. He then pointed towards the nearby pond and asked, "Now that there’s fire, why not catch some fish?"
"Fishing is a hassle and wastes our rest time." Shino replied calmly.
"The pond is very deep and getting in the water is tricky. Even if you try, you won't catch many fish." Kiba added.
"Woof!" Akamaru couldn’t talk, so he barked in agreement.
"Wait for me, I'll give it a try." Naruto dashed toward the tent and pulled out a long fishing rod from his bag, leaving Kiba with his jaw practically on the ground.
"How the heck do you have something like that in your bag?"
"It’s foldable!" Naruto shouted as he ran off with the pole. Kyubi glanced at him before trotting after him.
"H-He…!!" Kiba looked at the direction where Naruto disappeared, then looked at Shino, "Shino, Hinata, why didn’t you stop him?"
Shino stared at the dry food in his hands and said, " I’d like some fish too."
Hinata, not yet starting on her dried food, quietly added, "Naruto-kun is really good at fishing."
"Yeah, right!" Kiba grumbled, but he couldn’t help but remembered Naruto’s boast during the Chunin Exams about nearly getting sick from eating too much grilled fish.
After some hesitation, he put away his dried food as well.
Suddenly the atmosphere grew a bit awkward as the three of them watched the crackling fire in silence, listening to the slow bubbling of the pot. It felt like they were waiting for something magical to happen, much like SpongeBob and Patrick waiting after being told by the Magic Conch.
"I can’t take this… I’m going to check on him." Kiba couldn't stand it anymore and stood up first, "I don’t believe that guy is as good as he says. If he’s just squatting there stupidly all night, I’m dragging him back."
"I'll go too." Hinata said, standing up in a bit of a rush.
Meanwhile, by the riverbank.
"Brat! Give me that bottle!" Kyuubi kept pestering Naruto, "Don't be ungrateful!
"Don't even think about it. I said you’ll get it tonight, so tonight it is." Naruto replied, smoothly cleaning and gutting fish as he kept pulling them in one after another, "And if you drink at night, go to a place far away, preferably right here."
"Kikaichu don't usually stay near water, so if you could drink while soaking in the water, that would be even better."
"You’re the dog here!" Kyubi scoffed, "If you want me to drink in the water, I might as well do a backflip right then and there."
Without missing a beat, Naruto shot back, "You said it. I’ll hold you to it tonight. And if you back out, I’ll send you off to breed."
Within a few minutes, Naruto had a bucket full of freshly cleaned fish. Kyubi looked at him with a complicated expression, as if to say, ‘You're serious?’.
But facing the male dog warning, Kyubi didn't dare to say something like ‘I was just talking casually’.
So, Kiba and Hinata had barely taken a few steps when Naruto returned, carrying the bucket full of fish.
"Where are you two going?" He asked puzzledly.
It was not too late yet, and the sun was still setting in the west, casting a warm glow over the three of them. Not far away, Shino remained near the campfire, as still as a statue, but his round sunglasses glinted as he focused on the small metal bucket in Naruto’s hand.
Shino distinctly remembered Naruto leaving without a bucket, yet here he was with one, ‘Did he really bring a space-time scroll with him?’
But that didn’t concern him much. Being a disciple of one of the legendary Sannin, Jiraiya, it wasn’t surprising for Naruto to have such things.
"Is that really fish?" Kiba asked, his excitement evident, "You’re actually pretty good, huh?"
Naruto showed a smug grin and said, "Ninjutsu is my talent, but fishing is my passion!"
"Oh, by the way, my dog can do backflips."