"Goddamn Akatsuki kidnapping Gaara...Now we have to chase them down through this fucking desert!"

Naruto was not pleased with the situation. He had come back from his 'training trip', and soon sent off on a mission to rescue the Kazekage. Sakura, Naruto, and Kakashi had made it just in time to save Kankurou, and start the chase for Gaara. Sasuke had been left behind for...medical reasons. He was being evaluated in the psych ward at the moment.

However, this time Team Gai had caught up with Team Kakashi in Sunagakure, and they split off in different groups in search of Gaara.

Akatsuki had also sent out different nin to intercept them.

"Calm, Uzumaki. We were lucky to get the route with the road, at least. Better than running on the sand."

Neji and Naruto, Gai and Lee and Tenten, and Kakashi and Sakura. So an additional ninja was sent out to intercept Neji and Naruto.

"Yeah, but good stuff never happens when hitchhiking down long and 'lonesome roads...especially not in the desert."

And then a seeming mirage appeared, shining in the middle of the road.

"What the hell is that? Some kind of demon?"

"And why is it so shiny?"

Sasori had been happy he drew the Kyuubi's team. He had yet to meet the Jinchuriki, and wanted to see this 'living example of art' that Deidara talked about.

Knowing what kind of art Naruto excelled at, Sasori decided to test him.

"Play the best song in the world, or I'll turn you into a soulless puppet."

Naruto looked over at Neji. Neji looked back.

And they each said, "Ok."

Naruto used Kage Bunshin, only making two. He had them both henge into guitars, and gave Neji one.

And they just starting playing, strumming out the first things that came to their heads.

'Good God, it's amazing! That might be the best guitar playing I've ever heard in my life! How did they practice this, when I know that these two haven't seen each other in two years?'

In actuality, they were just doing the equivalent of a modern day jam session. Naruto had decided on just giving Neji a guitar, and following whatever he did. Since they didn't have any time to plan anything, everything was pretty much made up on the spot.

Naruto had figured that Neji could play the guitar, as Neji was always going on about how much of a genius he was. Luckily, Neji apparently did know what he was doing...a little.

But it was enough to impress Sasori, a man who had never really listened much to music in his life...distractions while making puppets were never good.

Naruto then began making up lyrics, spouting gibberish to go along with the random rocking out.

"Look into my eyes and it's easy to see
One and one make two, two and one make three,
It was destiny.
Once every hundred-thousand years or so,
When the sun doth shine and the moon doth glow
And the grass doth grow..."

Needless to say, Sasori was stunned.

'That... that... that didn't make any sense at all. Or did it? It sounded like it might have meant something deep...but I'm not sure. I'm not sure if that was pure genius or if he just made that up on the spot...'

Regardless of where the lyrics came from, they gave Sasori pause. Maybe Deidara had been right, and the Kyuubi-vessel WAS a real artist.

"Be You Artists?"

As Neji began to reply to the affirmative, Naruto interrupted, "Nay, we are but men! Rock!"

'...What? Yeah, this isn't making any sense at all.'

He needed time to think about this.

So with a whip-crack of his Scorpion tail, Sasori was gone.

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"I swear, it was the greatest song in the world!"

"Yeah, Naruto? Well how does the whole song go, then?"

"...I can't actually remember. But it WAS so awesome! Tell them, Neji!"

"Indeed, it was a work of genius. But, well, it was so spur-of-the-moment, I don't think I could play it again."

"It was the best muthafuckin' song, the greatest song in the world!"

"...Wait, if you don't think you could play it again, what have you been playing for the last two minutes?"

"...A tribute."

Author's Notes: The Song- "Tribute", by Tenacious D.

This chapter was done in a completely different format then all the previous ones, as the lyrics often made more sense in other places, then, well, Naruto singing them. They fit into descriptions, what other people were saying, and such.

Basically, it was telling the story that "Tribute" tells.

Also, the last single-song chapter of this story was reached (it'll be chapter 20). However, I was given an idea for a big finale, a way to end it with a bang.

Chapter 21 is going to be the Naruto Musical.

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