Hey hey, it's Saturday again! Time for another update! Live from Liberty Hall, it's the almighty Griffin! (Just kidding….)

I would like to thank everyone who responded to my request!

The original Shiro Kage

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And special thanks goes to Think-chan, my repeat reviewer! Thank you, all of you! Bows

I don't know if I said this already, but here it goes: I tend to do things the way I originally see them. That's why I say "Master Kakashi" and "Master Iruka" because that's the way Shonen Jump has it. "Sensei" is strange to me, and sounds less… important. I do the same thing with Bleach, saying "Assistant Captain" instead of "Lieutenant" or "Fukutaichō". Sorry if this bothers you!

Anyway, enough of my rantings! Let the story continue!

Today's disclaimer is brought to you by… Rock Lee!

Lee: Griffin does not own Naruto!!!!

Griffin: Stop shouting, Lee!

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When the Jonin had cast his jutsu, he had caused nothing short of mass panic. The sudden appearance of Kyubi could do that to people. A large mass of Jonin, lead by Lady Tsunade herself, had rushed to the scene. They and Jirayia arrived on the scene at the same time. They expected to find an enraged or demonized Naruto. What they found was seven Jonin beaten to hell, and ten Genin and one Chunin in a state of utter shock.

"He did it," Shikamaru said, motioning to one of the unconscious Jonin. "He told us. "He showed us."

It took Tsunade a few moments to grasp the meaning of Shikamaru's words. When she did, furious didn't even begin to describe the way she felt.

"You three, lock those drunks up!" Tsunade ordered. "Keep that one separate! The rest of you, search for Naruto!"

The Jonin complied, hauling the beaten drunks in carts. Tsunade rubbed, the bridge of her nose, sighing. She healed Neji arm.

"Now," Tsunade said, "tell me everything that happened."

"Well, it all started at the bridge…," Sakura said.

The young ninja took turns explaining everything that happened.

"…and then that guy said that the Yondaime didn't kill the Kyubi, but sealed it inside of Naruto," Kiba said. "Lady Tsunade, is that true?"

Tsunade sighed again. This was going to be decidedly difficult.

"Unfortunatly, it is true," she said. "Naruto is what people call a 'Jinchuuriki'. He is a living… vessel for the spirit of the Kyubi. There are eight others like him, but we only know the whereabouts of one other."

"Is it Gaara of Suna?" Shikamaru asked.

"Very clever, Shikamaru," Jirayia said. "Gaara happens to be the Jinchuuriki for Ichibi no Shukaku, the One Tailed Tanuki."

An ANBU ninja suddenly appeared out of a swirl of leaves.

"Lady Tsunade," the ANBU said, "We have searched the entire village, and the boy is nowhere to be found. It seems that he slipped past the village guard."

"Damn you, Jirayia," Tsunade cursed, "for teaching that brat Tōton Jutsu."

"What should we do, Lady Tsunade?" the ANBU asked. "Should we list the boy as a rouge…"

The ANBU got no further, as he suddenly found himself pinned to a nearby wall by two very angry Sannin.

"If you say that again,' Tsunade snarled, "I will kill you. I will kill you, and then I will bring you back to life so Jirayia can kill you. Do you understand?"

"Y-y-yes L-lady Tsunade" the ANBU stammered.

"Now, go gather all the Jonin," Tsunade ordered. "Tell them to meet in the courtyard." The ANBU fled quickly.

"What about us, Lady Tsunade?" Sakura asked.

"You will wait in my office," Tsunade said, "and await further orders. However, you will not be taking part in the search for Naruto."

"Why not!" Kiba exclaimed.

"We don't know what kind of state Naruto's in," Tsunade explained. "He could be dangerous."

"But…," Lee said.

"Please, trust me on this," Tsunade said. The young ninja grumbled reluctant agreements, and allowed themselves to be escorted to the Hokage's office.

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They waited in the office for several hours, each ninja lost in their own thoughts. Finally….

"I can't believe we missed this," Choji said.

"I figured it out," Shikamaru said.

"We're not all geniuses like you, Shikamaru," Ino snapped.

"I suspected something," Hinata said, "just by the way everyone treated him… looked at him."

"Ever before he started pulling pranks and acting like an idiot," Shikamaru said.

"He is an idiot," Sasuke said.

"No, he's not, actually," Shikamaru snapped. "He's damn smart, and a better ninja than any of us here. If you don't believe me, just check the Academy's records: Naruto had the top grades in our class the first month we started. Then, he spent half of the next month in the hospital with a massive concussion, among other things. After that, he dropped to the rear of the class and stayed there."

"So, someone beat Naruto up for getting go grades?" Tenten asked.

"By Chunin, or maybe Jonin level nins," Shikamaru said. "To cause such injuries to an Academy student would be difficult for civilians."

"There were other signs," Neji said. "When he and I fought, when his chakra began to flow again, it took on it's own shape at first; it looked like a fox."

"There was that incident in the Forest of Death," Sasuke said, "with that bizarre Grass-nin. He suddenly had so much chakra."

"I had felt that chakra before," Sakura said, "on the bridge in Wave County, when Sasuke and Naruto were fighting Haku."

"And, of course, there was his fight with Gaara," Sasuke added. "I could actually see his chakra; it was red."

"How could we be this stupid!?" Kiba exclaimed. "All the signs were right in front of us; are we really this blind?"

"I guess I never thought about it before," Ino said. "I mean, I always thought that there was a good reason the adults treated him so bad."

"Or maybe we just needed a scapegoat," Shikamaru said.

"None of this is an excuse," Tenten said. "We're supposed to be his friends."

Hinata rose to her feet suddenly, a look of determination on her face not seen sense her fight with Neji.

"I'm going to go look for Naruto-kun," she said firmly.

"But Hinata," Sakura said, "Lady Tsunade's orders…."

"Forget that!" Hinata exclaimed. "That's not what's important right now!"

"Hinata," Kiba said, an awed look on his face.

"Naruto-kun's safety is what's important right now!" Hinata continued. "With all the animosity and hatred the other villagers have for Naruto, imagine what the Jonin might do! They might provoke Naruto into attacking so they can kill him! Or worse! We are the ones who have to find him; we have to find him and bring him back!"

"Wow, Hinata," Tenten said. "I didn't know you had it in you!"

Hinata blushed so deeply, she looked a lot like a light on a Christmas tree.

"She's right," Neji said, "we are the ones who have to find him. Anyone else might try to harm him"

"But we're just a little group," Choji said. "We can't cover the kind of ground all those Jonin can."

"We have to get a leg up on them or something," Shikamaru said, "know something they don't."

"Like were he would go," Ino said.

"Maybe he'll go to Suna," Kiba said. "He and Gaara are pretty close."

"No, there are to many Konoha nins in Suna," Sasuke said. "There has to be something else…."

"He would probably go where he felt safest," Lee said, thinking.

"Somewhere where he knows people," Neji said.

Sasuke and Sakura's head snapped up, as the answer came to them in a simultaneous flash.

"Wave County!"

And that's it for Chapter Three! I hope you enjoyed it! And someone, please please please translate the words "change again" into Japanese, or at least tell me if it can't be done! R&R, no flames, and make sure to come back next Saturday, for a new update! Dewa kore de!