Sasuke, Sakura, Team 8, Team 10, and Team Gai ran to the Hokage's office, reaching the door. One of them opened it, only seconds after they spilled into the office many falling face flat onto the floor. Those on the floor included Sasuke (very un-Uchiha), Sakura, Hinata, (She's a lot more outgoing) Ino, Chouji, and Rock Lee. Sasuke was the first to get up having been one of the ones who wanted to see him the most.
"Hokage-sama is it true?" Sasuke asked helping Sakura up off of the ground, "Uh oh sorry are we interrupting anything?" Sasuke added noticing the boy who looked about his age sitting in a seat across from Tsunade.
"No, not really. Yes the rumors are true," Tsunade, said loud enough for those just arriving to hear as the walked through the door, "Naruto is back." Tsunade said glancing at the boy in front of her.
"U-um may you please t-tell us where N-naruto is?" Hinata said, stuttering some but not as much as she had used to.
But this time instead of Tsunade, who answered, it was the boy who stood up and surprised them all by speaking. The boy was sporting the top layer of the coat for a man's kimono, the coat being red, on the back it sported a picture of a nine tailed fox demon with the tails flying around. One hung around his neck while three tails went around his waist, two to the left and one the right. Two more wrapped around the sleeves of his left arm and one more wrapped around the left, the last two were different and hung from the bottom of the coat. The shirt the boy was wearing was a black fishnet shirt with a thin, red see-through shirt underneath the fishnet shirt. For pants, he wore those samurai pants, the abnormal thing was that one leg was pure black and the other was a blood red.
"Hinata-chan, I've missed you so much and you to Neji-sempai!" (The Hyuuga's are so cool)
"Na-Naruto," Sakura stuttered staring at the boy near her.
Naruto just ignored Sakura as though she didn't exist, "Ino, Shikamaru, and Chouji how have you been?" Naruto asked.
"Fine Naruto, it's been so long, we've been doing fine," Ino said, jabbing an elbow into Shikamaru and Chouji who were about to talk, "we've been doing good in the training we've gotten tons better, it's you who we want to know about, how have you been doing have you been doing any training."
In reality the words meant something more like, 'where were you? Why'd you leave, we've missed you Naruto.'
"Later," Naruto then walked across to stand in front of Neji and Lee, but when he moved it seemed more like he was just gliding, "Neji, Lee it's been so long I've hoped you are also doing well, Lee I presume you still can't do ninjutsu and genjutsu?" Naruto asked with a small smile upon his face.
Lee was surprised about this question, had Naruto not have known that he would never be able to do neither ninjutsu nor genjutsu.
"Yes," Lee answered sadly.
"Yes I presumed as much, but my wonder is where the seal for the chakra stoppers are?" Naruto said bringing a confused face to everyone but Naruto and a fox that had been sleeping in Naruto's bag.
"Aww it's so cute!" Tenten squealed when she spotted the little fox trying to get Naruto's attention.
"Huh oh Yoko," Naruto said picking up the fox, "You like him, here why don't you hold onto him, he likes being cuddled anyways."
Naruto said this all the while moving him into a position so that Tenten could take him without being scratched by Yoko's claws. Naruto then held out Yoko, Tenten carefully grabbing the fox as not to drop him or hurt him. When Tenten had gone to grab Yoko she noticed that Naruto seemed to have, claws.
"Naruto what's with your hands?" Tenten questioned, as she cuddled with Yoko, who was purring within her arms.
"Uh…I'll tell you some other time…maybe," Naruto said scratching his head.
Suddenly what looked like an ANBU came bursting in through the doors to reach the Hokage.
"Hokage-sama!" the ANBU yelled.
"Yes what is it?" Tsunade asked, alarmed by the ANBU suddenly appearing in front of her.
"It seems to have something to do with Gaara, it seems he was kidnapped by the Akatsuki."
"Are you sure of this?" Tsunade asked.
"Yes."
"Hey you guys I want you to go find your sensei's now, and you Naruto I want you to go find Temari, Hinata will you go with him, she should be at the Academy," Tsunade shouted giving them orders.
If they hadn't been in such a rush to find everyone, they would've notice the smirk on Naruto's face, and they would've heard what he had muttered under his breath. But the only two to notice the odd behavior of Naruto's were the two who were somehow involved in Naruto's current situation.
Naruto ran next to Hinata, as they rushed to the Academy.
"What room does she work in?" Naruto asked Hinata.
"I think she works in the same room as Iruka most of the time," Hinata answered.
"Does he still have the same room?"
"Yes."
The finally reached the doors, to get into Iruka's classroom. But unlike what Naruto would've done in this situation, he knocked. They could hear that the talking had stopped, and then they heard footsteps coming towards the door.
A blonde girl answered the door; she had four ponytails, and short enough hair so they stood up on ends. She also wore a purple short kimono, with a giant iron fan on her back with the black strap going along the front of her dress holding the fan. Behind her watching was Iruka, standing wanting to know who interrupted his class.
"Naruto is that you?" Temari asked, surprised to see Naruto at the classroom door.
"Iruka, is that okay if I say hi, and stuff?" Temari asked looking at the surprised Iruka.
Iruka just nodded, taken aback by seeing Naruto at the door.
"We're sorry for taking Temari away, she may be gone for a while though."
Temari looked at Naruto quizzically, wondering why she would be away from the Konoha she wouldn't be able to help with the classes. She was scheduled to be there for another week or so at the very least.
Hinata then pulled Temari out of the, ushering Iruka to get back to teaching.
"Hey Naruto where are we going?" Temari asked.
"Gaara-sama has been kidnapped," Hinata said.
"What!" Temari said walking at the same pace as everyone else, "how did this happen?"
"We don't know yet Temari, that's probably why we were told to go get you along with everyone else to the Hokage Tower," Naruto said, disappearing in a puff of smoke.
In a few minutes everyone was at the tower, mumbling to them selves, or the person next to them wondering how things were going.
"What's going on?" Temari asked, but it sounded more like a command than a question.
"I have received notice that Gaara has been kidnapped by the Akatsuki, and the town has been left in ruins by the sounds of it," Tsunade said calmly, "we aren't sure yet but the kidnapping may be because of the demon inside of him. We think they may be planning to extract the demon from Gaara."
"WHAT!" Temari yelled out surprising everyone.
Naruto just scoffed, everyone looked at that getting incredulous and rude looks.
"Do you think it's funny? If they do that they'll kill him," Temari said angrily.
"Hey hey, don't get all snippy with me, they won't kill him, they can't control him, the best they would be able to control would be a Tsuchinoe to a Tei rank Jounin, they don't stand a chance against any demon with a tail, especially one with a berserker seal, they'll have more luck getting Gaara on their side," Naruto said with a small smirk on his face.
They stared at him in surprise.
"How did you know that Naruto?" Tsunade questioned.
"Common sense, only jinchuuriki humans would stand a chance against even the weakest of tailed demons."
"Uh okay well with that aside, I'll be sending four teams there, I would like Kakashi, Asuma, Kurenai, and Gai's teams to head over to Suna, Naruto and Temari you both will be assigned to Kakashi's team, I want you to head out now, and go as fast as you can it close enough you'll probably get there in a half hour."
"Yes Hokage," the four teams said heading to the front of town.
At the front of town everyone stood there, "Is everyone ready?" Kakashi asked.
"Yes now let's get going," Temari said antsy.
"Okay let's get going I want all of us to travel together, hey Naruto are you paying attention?" Kakashi looked at Naruto, seeing him reading a scroll that looked vaguely like a mission scroll.
Flash Back
Kakashi, Sakura, and Sasuke were the first to arrive back at the Hokage's office.
"Aah I had hoped that you three would arrive first," Tsunade said, smiling all the while looking a little dismayed.
"Why Hokage-sensei?" Sakura asked looking incredulously at Tsunade.
"I'm giving you three extra orders, I want you to tell me if you see any odd behavior with Naruto, got it?" Tsunade said, handing Kakashi a scroll.
"I saw something odd," Sasuke said looking at the Hokage, "when you got the news of Gaara being kidnapped, I thought I saw a smirk on Naruto's face but it was gone so fast I can't be sure whether or not I'm right."
"Thanks, Sakura did you see him react when we found out the news?"
"I also saw the smirk on Naruto's face, there's something he's not telling us I know it," Sakura said darkly, but with a tone that said she was worried about Naruto.
"Thank you, now we just have to wait for everyone to get here." At that Tsunade and the three ninja sat down in the various seats waiting for others to arrive. They didn't have to wait long, within five minutes everyone had arrived.
Flash Back End
"Yes my hearings fine, and I know what you said. What I'm reading has nothing to do with you, Kakashi," Naruto said leaving off the sensei they all thought he would still add, "Don't look at me like that! I may do as I wish, as far as I'm concerned I shouldn't be on this mission," Naruto stated, when Kakashi and everyone looked at him funny.
"You shouldn't talk to me that way I'm you're superior, and your sensei," Kakashi stated, quickly angering at the way Naruto was treating him.
"Only those who have earned and deserve my respect will have it," Naruto glared, "and you have and never will be my sensei, now let's go or else someone will be dying with in the next hour if we don't arrive in Suna soon."
Naruto then disappeared running, with Temari shortly behind. The rest of them stared that way for a second before heading off towards Suna. The entire time they could all hear Kakashi grumbling angrily about how "insolent" Naruto was.
If anyone sees any errors, or anything that you might think better changed tell me. I wrote this a while and it's the first in the Nine Jinchuuriki series of Naruto fanfictions. There's eight others, those'll be posted soon. All that's left to type up is the Jounin exam arc then I think I'll be done. I don't know but I might re-write this chapter but I felt I should post something.
