Again, I was going to make it longer, like I usually say. And again, I couldn't be bothered. Besides, I wanted to post it befor I go on vacation. I'll have at leat two to post at the end of break though, I promise.

Oh, and could you please tell me whether this style of writting is boring as hell? I can't quite tell on my own.

Disclaimer: Or Tenten... Or Neji... Or Lee (thank God)...

Jiraya scrolled through his database, barely glancing at the items that appeared on the screen. He knew most of it off by heart anyway. He was trying to think of what one would need to conduct living experiments. Well, a test subject, for sure. Either animal or human. Then, material. Scalpels, microscopes, pincers... He knew that much.

For the subject not to be infected by the instruments, they would have to be clean... Probably even new. And to insure that the... experiment... survived, Orochimaru would need medicine. A lot of it. And he wouldn't be able to make everything himself. He would need some kind of supplier...

So... if he traced large quantities of medicine to obscure locations, he just might... Brilliant (if he didn't say so himself).

Forgetting the useful invention called Internet, Jiraya shot out of his chair and ran to find a phone book in the library. Not too long after, he returned, embarrassed looking and in pain, having had a whole shelf of old heavy phone books fall on his head. He was covered in dust and annoyed as hell.

Well, time for some phone calls. His list comprised of every pharmaceutical agency that existed in the country. Not looking forward to having the boss yell at him for the phone bill (It would be long. Very long.) he picked up the phone and started dialling.

On the computer database, there were now many more things to look at. It wouldn't take him long to learn those off by heart too, but for the moment, he had a good reason for having the computer turned on constantly. He smiled thinking of how much it would annoy the boss.

Oh well. The old man would have to just deal with it. If the third got a heart attack, maybe he would be promoted; Now that would be good. That aside, he had learned a few interesting things. He had a list of products that were being shipped in great quantities to dark, suspicious places. he wasn't an expert on medicines though, and he didn't feel like wasting his time on Internet researching things when he had a medical expert perfectly willing to help (or at least, he hoped she would be.), so he would have to talk to Tsunade again. To ask her what Orochimaru was most likely to need.

Flicking his cell phone open, he dialed a number. Unfortunately, before he got the right person, he talked to a series of very angry people who did not appreciate being woken up so early on a Saturday morning. He snickered, remembering the companies he had phoned hadn't appreciated it much either. Eventually though, he ended up with the right sleepy voice on the other end.

"-Yawn- what -yawn- -Huge yawn- watchawant?"

"Well, for you to be awake might be good..."

"Wat'ver. S'hole."

"Aww... But Kiba! I need you to come here without crashing your car!!!"

"Wha'! This early? Yougottabekidin'!"

"I'll give you what... Half an hour? That should do fine."

"Wha'! C'mon! 'N hour 't least!"

"20 minutes?" He could almost see Kiba's eyes widen in fright.

"Nooooo! 'll be there!!!" The phone was dropped, ending that conversation.

Three quarters of an hour later, Kiba stumbled into the office, making many things fall to the ground. A disgruntled Secretary would come in later, like every other day, grumbling at Kiba's existence, but at that particular moment, no one payed attention to the dropped items.

"Kiba Look at that! You're here! How are you doing son?"

"Shut Up! Now what did you want you old perv?"

"Oh, how could you? Why call the man who has treated you so well something so disrespectful?"

"Uh, because you are a perv? May be a good reason, don't you think?"

"Tsk. Stop insulting your teacher and go do some errands for me like the good lit'le boy you are, okay? How does that sound?"

"I dunno... Can I insult him some more before going?" With that, Kiba was thrown out of the door, a footprint printed viciously on his backside. He waited triumphant, until Jiraya came out sheepishly, handing him a list to show to Tsunade. With another insult, and a new print matching the one he had gotten earlier on his backside, he was put on his way.

"So you still haven't heard from him?" Shizune's voice echoed, as the phone connection faltered. Getting worried, Iruka answered in the negative.

Naruto hadn't shown up at his place, and he hadn't seen the slightest trace of the blond since lunch at Ichiraku's, the previous day.

"Well, thanks anyway. I'm sorry to have bothered you, Iruka. Could you please give us a call when you find out where he is?"

"Yeah, I'll do that. I'll go looking for him later, if he still doesn't make an appearance." They rapidly concluded the conversation, paring to take care of separate business, although each was as worried as the other.

As she put down the phone, Shizune saw Kiba rush through the office. Before she could try the slightest thing though, he disappeared into Tsunade's office. She was sad to see he had -by a sudden increase of braincell activity- thought to leave Akamaru out of the secretary's reach.

She'd made appointments with each one of the Jinchuuriki, except Naruto. Actually, she had found six of them regrouped in Fara's house. Which was strange in itself. They never usually came together without Naruto being there. When the girl had answered, she had seemed worried and stressed about something. She wouldn't say what though. All of the others had been the same too, she couldn't help noticing as she talked to each one of them in turn.

Maybe this was linked to Naruto's sudden disappearance. She had wondered whether she should inform Tsunade. After some thought, she decided to give it a few hours. Naruto could always appear again before she had to say anything at all.

If that happened, she wouldn't have to go up against the doctor's legendary bad temper.

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"What is this?" Tsunade asked Kiba suspiciously.

"Dunno. Jiraya told me to give this to you." He tried to look over her shoulder. Still as as confused as when he hadn't actually seen the paper, he asked her: "Errr... What is it?"

"It's a list. Of medicines. Why would Jiraya send you just to give me this?"

"Dunno. Well, maybe it's about whatever you discussed with him yesterday. He seemed pretty preoccupied about that."

"he didn't tell you what I said?"

"Nope. Not a word. But he seemed pretty out of sorts. Besides, he usually tells me what he's making me do... So it's probably linked..." Tsunade stared at the paper again.

Something in her mind clicked. He wanted to know which of these medicines Orochimaru was most likely to need.

She smiled slightly, realising that the old man was smarter than he usually let on. Even she wouldn't have come up with that, and she was the medic, not him.

After ticking the items that seemed most likely the evil scientist would have sent to him, she handed the list to Kiba and threw him out, saying she had better things to do than sit around chatting, and looking at stupid list that her old school mate sent through an apprentice.

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Kiba sat down in the car and looked carefully at the list of items, wondering what this was about. he hoped that Jiraya would tell him something soon. He'd never liked being kept in the dark, and coming from the old man, it was very strange behaviour.

He made a note to ask his teacher when he gave the list back.

When he got to the office however, the spiky white haired pervert was no-where to be seen.

He sat down and decided he had better stay and wait. He wanted to give the list back himself, and Jiraya didn't like leaving important things lying around. After all, you never knew who would come by, and be curious enough to poke around.

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A few floors higher, Jiraya was talking to his old master, who was also, by an unfortunate play of circumstance his boss. And the third police chief.

"I don't think he can gain anything more by staying with me. You should either assign him to someone else, or give him an actual position. I'm sure he'd appreciate it."

"Are you sure this is what's best for him? Have you even asked him about this?" Jiraya thought for a minute before answering this.

"Yes. I think that it's time for a few things to change."

"You think."

"Yes. I do. It's time for the boy to see something different." Sarutobi looked at the man before him, and although he did not quite understand the other man's reasons, he sympathized. For his old student to act this way, something must really be weighing on his mind. He had an idea what that something was too.

"Okay... Tell the boy to come see me. There's a post available, and he is the best suitable applicant. How's that?"

"Good. Thanks."

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Kiba had sat down, and was starting to get bored. Jiraya usually never got off his back. He always had something for him to do. The old pervert could at least have called him, to tell him that there was absolutely no reason his job as an errand boy. He could have stopped and chatted with Shizune.

He turned around, and as he saw his teacher's computer flash at him, he got an evil idea. Those flashing colours were just pleading him to give in. He clicked on the screen, and moved the mouse so as the pointer was now in the 'enter your password' space.

Today, he would definitely crack the old man's code. He knew from experience that there wasn't a specific number of entries possible before the system crashed, so without a second thought, he started typing in then validating any random word that might cross through the old pervert's mind.

Sexy girl

Missie mollie

Idiots

Bestcopperever

Custommade

Manacles

Sleeplessnight

Managementissues (way too long for the old perv, but could happen...)

Goosipment

Wellendowed

Tsunade Sanin

Hearing a noise, Kiba jumped off his teacher's chair and lent against the desk, ready to pretend he had been there the whole time. As a white spiky-haired head appeared, he thanked the Gods for good reflexes.

"Kiba!" The white haired man exclaimed.

"So, you're finally back! I was about to send a search party. Of girls of course, that way you'd be sure to arrive quickly. You know, you might as well call. Just because you consider me as your errand boy doesn't mean you absolutely have to forget about me!"

"Err... Sorry. I was with the 3rd."

"Really? Why? Couldn't you avoid him any longer?"

"Well no... I was talking to him about your new position."

"Well you could at least have told me! I've been wai-" Kiba stopped suddenly, letting the words sink in. They both looked at one another, Kiba with a look of complete shock and incomprehension, and Jiraya with the most stubborn look he could muster.

"Wait... What?"

"Your new position. We both agreed that you've learnt enough from me to be on your own. So he's giving you the job. You're the best we could find."

"What do you mean, I get the job? There is no Job! I would have know about it!"

"Well, you have it. The boss is waiting for you to come up."

"So what, you're just getting rid of me? Is that how it is?" Kiba's mood had just gone from joking to angry. he was pissed. How could that arsehole do that to him after so long? He just brushed him odd as if they hadn't been almost like partners, as if their friendship didn't mean anything.

"You old Jerk! You're a fucking bastard." This was all he could possibly say to the older man as he pushed past him, rushing straight out of the building.

Jiraya looked down at the floor, slightly ashamed of himself. He should have known. This wasn't the right way to do things. But this had to change. Besides, he couldn't let the kid distract him from this case. Things were much better this way. For both of them.

Slightly angry, he sat down at his computer and started scrolling down the medicine hist he'd had up before blocking his computer. Going on a good medical search engine, he looked up which medicines Orochimaru would be most likely to have delivered to him.

He'd catch that stupid bastard.

Shizune looked up suddenly. She had been working very hard, just as good secretaries must always do if they want to make their mothers proud, but the howl that echoed through her ears would have distracted anyone. Especially since it sounded very much like her beloved Akamaru. She dismissed it though, making a note in her mind (she stuck it to the drawer on the right side in the middle, because that's 'Maru's drawer) to ask Kiba if anything was wrong.
Look, can't we just go home? I mean, we've been out all night, and we still haven't found anything useful. You said so yourself!

Well, it would go faster if you actually helped me. Seriously, it's as if you couldn't use your brain with me in it.

Tch. I am helping. I've been running around, looking for things all night! You're lucky I have good eyesight, or we would be unconscious or something by now.

You would be unconscious. I would just be annoyed. And you think that's lucky? If I weren't here you wouldn't have that 'night-vision' thing.

If you weren't here, I wouldn't have to run around all night. Seriously! It's bloody useless that's what it is.

Yeah, well if you actually took into account anything yourself! You might be see things all right, but I'm always the one that has to analyze everything!

Well, at least you don't have a stupid demon in your head, bossing you around. You really are a pain in the neck. An ear-splitting roar echoed through the forest. Luckily enough (Well, for everyone but Naruto really) only the blond could hear it.

Grumbling loudly to no-one in particular, Naruto continued on his way, going from branch to branch like he usually did. It was fun, and he loved it even more considering the so few people could manage the feat.

Even he had his limits though. He was tired after running around all night, to find something that the Bijuu didn't see fit to inform him about.

Can we just rest for a bit? I mean, we've been going ages.

Fine. Ten minutes. But then, we go on. The fact that they hadn't found anything although so many strangers had been around was infuriating the Demon. People were so clumsy and thoughtless these days that they always left rubbish and other undesirable things lying around. It was as if someone had cleared everything up. It was strange.

Sighing contentedly, Naruto sat down on the ground, leaning against a tree trunk. He grumbled a bit as his hair caught onto a sharp splinter. He reached up, got his hair untangled and, mumbling to himself about stupid people carving stupid things into not-so-stupid trees.

Inside his head, Kyuubi ignored him, trying desperately to find clues in what the boy had seen. But there was nothing. Absolutely nothing. What kind of person was this careful. Then again, he could think of a few. Most demons actually. And some humans were almost as bad as demons. Like- like...

He woke the blond up in a relatively unpleasant way (it could have been worse. If he had tried. Hard. Roaring to the point of making the only person who could actually hear him deaf is pretty hard to beat though...).

Grumbling again (more out of habit than anything else really) the blond rubbed his hurt head. He'd banged it against the trunk behind him.

What's been carved into the tree?

Whatchamean?

Get up, and turn around. Sleepily, Naruto complied.

Yeah, and? Wha- For a minute he stood staring at what was carved into the tree. The Uchiha fan was obvious there, a few blond strands of blond hair trapped in a splinter at the bottom of the symbol.

"Sasuke." Naruto almost whispered the name. Kyuubi scowled. Of course. They had to make it so obvious that you would only ever find it by accident. He opted for something rather more ambivalent.

Uchiha.

Yay! That's done. Sad isn't it? Jiraya doesn't usually act like a bastard. But oh well.

Shizune rung the doorbell. This was a strange experience for her, as she usually tried to sneak into this particular house unnotices, and usually set off the alarm, using that system to alert the rightfull owner of her presence. But she really thought that something might be wrong today, so she decided that a conventional way of appearing might be of essence.

When Kiba opened the door, he looked very sad. And, sympathysing with his pain, she didn't even try to make little 'Mary hers that day. There would be other days, better days to do that.

Awww. Isn't Shizune nice? You would have thought she would take advantage of the situation, but nooo. She's consoling him instead.

Well, hope you liked it. Please Review.