They ran as fast as they could, they being Shikamaru, Neji, Kiba, Chouji, Shino, and Sakura. They had gotten a mission that was the utmost importance to them.
Tsunade looked at all of them and said,
"I have a mission for you. Naruto has run off in search of Uchiha Sasuke. The last time anyone saw him, he had stolen a rope from a store in broad daylight. Now I chose all of you because you can give something to the mission. Shikamaru can give good leadership, Neji can use his eyes to track down Naruto, Kiba can use his and Akamaru's nose for the same purpose, as can Shino with his bugs, Chouji can dispel enemies, and Sakura is my best Field Medic. Now Sasuke was last seen just 20 miles outside the village. Now go, and find them. I don't care what you do with Sasuke, but bring Naruto back."
Shikamaru had lead them until they were 20 miles outside the village, then he split them up.
"Neji you come with me, Kiba, you and Akamaru go with Chouji, and Shino you go with Sakura."
They all nodded and went in separate directions.
Shino and Sakura had been looking for now on two hours for Naruto, but have had no luck. Suddenly Shino gets something on his ear mike.
"Shino, this is Shikamaru, we are about a mile from your location. We've found Naruto, but don't bring Sakura, over and out."
Shino looks at Sakura as she questions what they were supposed to do.
"We are to keep going straight. He said he had seen Naruto heading in our direction." Sakura nodded and so went in the direction they had been going. They had went up a little under a mile when Sakura saw the others gathered together around something.
"Shino, the others are just up there, let's see what they have so far." and before Shino could stop her, she was already where the others were.
"Shino, I thought I told you not to bring her!" Shikamaru exclaimed.
"Why didn't you want me here Shikamaru?" Kiba looked at their leader and stated,
"We're going to have to show her."
"Show me what?" Shikamaru sighed and all them parted way, to show her what they were gathered around. She gasped and fell to her knees crying.
"Naruto!" what she saw hurt her to the bone; it was Naruto with a noose around his neck. She quickly crawled over to him and held him in her arms.
"We tried getting the noose off, but it's been soaked in something that won't let us cut it off."
"We think it's blood, but we don't know whose." Sakura just sat there and cried as she went to check his pulse.
"We've checked that already, he's gone Sakura." Sakura's world went black.
Sakura woke up in the hospital. She sat there for a moment until she remembered what had happened and then she screamed. Ino and Shikamaru both ran in, red eyed.
"Sakura, what's wrong."
"What's wrong, I'll tell you what's wrong. For too long I have fooling myself into thinking I loved a jerk who cared for nobody and pushed away the one person that loved me for me, and now that I realize I love him too, he goes and dies!" She screams. Ino has tears in her eyes as Shikamaru speaks.
"That's not all we found. We also found Sasuke with his throat torn out. We figured out it was Sasuke's blood on the rope. We also found this." and with that he hands her an envelope with he name on it. As she read she cried and felt a fire that came up her throat and wouldn't go down.
Dear Sakura,
It's me Naruto. If you are reading this note then I am already dead. Yes, I killed myself, I am tired of being used by the people that I care for the most. I heard the other day that Tsunade didn't want me to advance in rank...for my own protection she said. So I am never going to see my dream come true, so there was no use in living. If I hurt you, I am sorry, but I probably didn't, you care too much for that bastard. I'm probably nothing to you, just some cheap friend. That hurts me to think that, but it might be true. Good-bye, Sakura.
Uzumaki Naruto.
PS. Don't worry, God only cries for the living.