Chapter 3:
Kora Who?
After a few minutes, Sakura started to heal Koji's chest and Naruto went outside to look for Sasuke with Kakashi.
"Where could that guy have gone?" Naruto asked after a good ten minutes of searching. "That Koji-guy couldn't have knocked Sasuke out, even if he's a jounin."
Kakashi nodded in agreement. "Sasuke must have agreed to be gone or something like that. Or maybe..." He stopped to think about it, his eyes growing wider by the second.
"Or maybe... what?" Naruto asked suspiciously.
"Or maybe when we split up that afternoon, Koji-san had watched where Sasuke went and assumed that he wouldn't be back until later, or not at all," Kakashi finished.
Naruto thought about it for a second. That made sense, only why would Sasuke go somewhere that he knew he would return from for longer then expected? He remembered the mysterious meeting that Sasuke had with that white-haired boy. Maybe that had something to do with his disappearance. The question was, should he tell Kakashi or not?
"Umm, Kakashi-sensei," Naruto started, trying to pick his words carefully. "What if Sasuke was... meeting with someone?"
Kakashi looked at Naruto with sharp eyes, or in his case, a sharp eye. "Why do you ask?"
Naruto was about to answer, but there was a rustling in the bushes in front of them.
Kakashi gave Naruto a signal to be as quiet as possible as he tip-toed over to the noise. Naruto nodded, as he went on the opposite side of his teacher. Kakashi held up three fingers, then two, then one.
Kakashi pounced on the bush, shortly followed by Naruto. As Kakashi landed on the bush, he heard a crunch beneath him, and a thud as Naruto landed on his head about one metre away from the target.
"Ow! Get off me you old man!" a muffled voice yelled.
Kakashi got up and found a small boy, probably younger then five years old, lying face down on the ground. Naruto got up from where he was and poked the child.
"Who are you?" Naruto asked, going back to his stupid self instead of the smart thinking self.
"I'm Unuki Tai," the little boy said, pointing to himself. "I was spying on niisan, but that guy that niisan changed into forced me out here, and you broke my nose!"
"You mean Sasuke?" Naruto asked. He looked in a full circle before asking: "Where is he now?"
The younger boy shook his head. "I thought he was right behind me."
"Why was he chasing you in the first place?" Kakashi asked, looking for all the details.
"He wasn't," Tai stated plainly. "I saw him talking to Kora, and then she came after me and I ran."
"You said Sasuke came after you," Naruto butt in.
"No. He pushed me, which made you guys find me."
"So he's here?" Kakashi inquired.
Tai nodded. "At least I think he's here."
Naruto stood up and walked over to a tree. He jumped up to the top of the tree and pouted. What was Sasuke doing with this 'Kora' girl?
"Hey, Tai! Who is this 'Kora' girl anyway?" Naruto shouted down to the man and the boy below him.
"She's a weirdo orphan girl that's always talking about this 'Imara' guy in the Hidden Stone Village," Tai shouted as loud as he little voice would go. "She has blonde hair, and green eyes, and she just turned fourteen, I think. She has mental problems, literally."
While Naruto pondered why a little five year old kid knew what mental problems were, Sakura came running from the cave, Koji right behind her.
"Otouto, I thought I told you not to follow me," Koji said as he picked up his younger brother and hugged him.
"I didn't!" The little boy said in his own defence.
Sakura looked around, probably making sure she knew the exact number of people that were in the area before she noticed Naruto in the tree.
"Naruto! Have you found Sasuke yet?" she shouted at him.
Naruto stared at her and stuck his tongue out. He still needed time to think. Sasuke had met with two people now: some weird white haired boy in a white cloak and now a mental blonde haired girl. The white haired boy had said something about this 'Imara' kid, so he probably had something to do with everything too.
"Idiot," came a familiar voice. Naruto looked over just in time to see Sasuke jump onto the tree next to him.
Sasuke put a finger to his lips and pointed down to the others below. Naruto nodded. He knew that whatever Sasuke was doing, it was a secret, and if it was a secret, he intended on keeping it.
"I know you saw me with Kohaku," Sasuke began in a soft tone. "And you know that I talked to Kora this afternoon, but I can't have you knowing all this."
Naruto blinked. How did Sasuke know all this?
"That's why," he continued. "I have to do this to you. I really am sorry."
Naruto blinked again. Sasuke was sorry about something? He would have to tell Sakura that Sasuke could say sorry later. Before he knew what was happening, Sasuke leaned over and put a finger on the bridge of Naruto's nose. There was a flash of red, yellow, and orange and then Naruto was falling.