To make one's path.

Chapter one. Found

When you lost your path, who will find you?

Sakura slammed her fist at a nearby tree causing it to break and fall over. Kiba who was standing in range for the falling tree quickly jumped aside. "Oi, Sakura, watch where you lash out." Akamaru whined in agreement. He didn't want to see his friend squashed under a tree.

"I'm sorry. But we have been searching for an entire month and we haven't found one clue!"
"Yeah, I know… but we will find him. I promise." He said and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "No, it has been to long… he could be dead by now. I can't stand to lose another member of my team, not after Sauske."

Flashback.
Kakashi, Yamato, Sakura and Naruto were sitting at Ichirakus. Everybody was waiting for Naruto to finish his tenth bowl of Ramen. Kakashi had lost a bet against his student during their training earlier that day so he was forced to pay. And so he had put up a maximum of ten bowls per person. Not that any person could eat more than ten bowls of ramen. But when it came to Ramen Naruto was no person, he was a walking trashcan. "So finally done, are you?" Kakashi said relived.

"Not really, I could eat ten more" Naruto said jokingly. "But you won't, I would go bankrupt."
Naruto laughed. "yeah, you would."
They walked outside. "Well I guess I'll head home then. Thanks for the ramen Kakashi-sensei. Yamato-taichou, Sakura-chan I'll see you tomorrow at the gates for the mission. Bye!" And so the hyperactive ninja ran off, if he ever reached his home, no one knew because that was the last anybody had seen of Uzumaki Naruto.
Flashback end.

In rice country Hatake Kakashi and Nara Shikamaru whom was one of the ten two-man cells that had been dispatched on the mission to find Naruto. A search for a missing shinobi of Konoha would never be dragged out on such a long period and never would twenty people be assigned to look for one Genin. But this was no normal Genin, he was one of the Hokage's most precious people, she had ordered that no team were to return unless they had found him. There had been a lot of trashed furniture before she was done whit the mission-directing. She was going to have him back.

Not only was this mission for the best of Uzumaki Naruto but it was also for the best interest of the world. If that boy were to fall into the wrong hands, the wrong hands in this case were to be the Akatsuki; it would mean the end of the world. That was because of the monster he contained, the nine-tailed demon fox.

Shikamaru and Kakashi had not uttered one word to each other during the entire day. They had found traces of Naruto's chakra three days ago but when they reached the source they only found a blood-splattered grass clearing where there had obviously been a fight. Naruto's chakra ended there and there were no further traces. This had been their best and only clue during the entire month they had been out. Kakashi was starting to get really worried about his student. Sure Naruto was the best survivor he had ever seen… but would he be able to make it alone for an entire month especially whit so many people that wanted to get their hands on him. One would wish that he had someone with him. But in this aspect it probably would be best if he was alone because if he had company it would probably mean the Akatsuki and that would only result in his death.

Suddenly Shikamaru stopped. "Do you feel that chakra?"
"Yeah, it's Neji and Lee and they are traveling fast. We should go and check it out; they might be on to something." And so they redirected their steps towards the other team.

Naruto was wiggling through the forest. His body was heavy due from blood loss. He was clutching his right arm to try and stop the bleeding though it was hard whit his broken hand. His entire body apart from his legs was pretty much nonfunctional. He was lucky his legs would still carry him though since he felt four persons approaching him fast. His eyesight was getting blurry and to his dread he felt his legs getting weaker. 'Shit, come on. Move!" But no. They didn't move instead they bent underneath him and he fell down to his knees. 'Shit, I'm done for this time.' He though when he heard the four persons getting closer and closer, he heard them screaming something, "naruto, naruto!!"

'Naruto? They know my name?'

"Naruto, Naruto!" Lee shouted as they approached the blond beaten up ninja. "It's really him!" They saw the blond struggling to get up to his feet. "Naruto, stay down. It's us." Kakashi said as they finally reached him. Naruto didn't stop but was eventually forced down to sitting position by his own exhaustion. He turned around to face them. And they were taken aback by how broken the young ninja was. His clothing was drenched in blood, his blood. And he had a huge slash over his right arm and the left had a badly broken hand. They really didn't want to know how badly it looked underneath those blood drenched clothes, it wouldn't be pretty. "Naruto… why aren't they Kyuubi healing you?" the copy ninja asked.

Naruto widened his eyes in shock but was fast about making them into little slits and baring his teeth to look as intimidating as possible. "How do you know about the Kyuubi and how the hell do you know my name?" He asked pushing himself backwards, away from them.

"What are you talking about, naruto? It's us, Shikamaru, Neji, lee and Kakashi. We have been looking for you for over a month, what happened to you?" Shikamaru asked
Lee stepped closer. "Come on… we need to get you to Sakura-chan, she'll heal you" He stretched out an arm to help him up but was only repaid by a kick to the gut since his legs was the only thing he could use right now. He gathered al his remaining strength to get up to his feet and he started to run. "I won't be deceived. I know you only want the Kyuubi!"

"Naruto, stop!" Shikamaru yelled. Like that was going to help. Kakashi dashed towards his student. There was no way he was going to lose him again. It wasn't hard to get up to his pace; he didn't have much life left in him after all. Kakashi wrapped his traveling cloak around him and in one sweep swung him over his shoulder. "Let me go, dammit!"

"No. You're coming whit us whether you want it or not, we do not want to hurt you, I promise." He said in a comforting tone. But it had the opposite effect. "Please… I don't want to hurt anymore. Please, just let me go." He pleaded weakly. Kakashi gave him a sympathetic glance. He didn't want to be the one inflicting this pain on him, but they had to get him home. "I'm sorry Naruto, bear whit it." He whispered to the now sobbing blonde.

Kakashi walked over to the others. "Will he be okay?" Neji asked looking at Naruto whom seemed to have cried himself to sleep. "…I don't know."
"I'll let the others know that we have found him through my ninja dogs. We should head back to the village, we are closest to it so it would be smarter to take him there than waiting for Sakura to arrive, he'll need medical treatment as soon as possible."
They all nodded in agreement. They started their trip towards the village. "Hey, Kakashi… don't you think it's a little weird. That he just showed up like that… I mean we have been searching for an entire month and then suddenly he is just there, and so close to Konoha as well. It's like someone wanted us to find him."
"I agree, something is not right."

They arrived at Konoha's gates 2 ½ hours later. Naruto hadn't woken up once during their trip though his body had started shaking due to cold. Whit so much blood lost it wasn't odd he couldn't keep his warmth. The gatekeepers looked stunned at the newly arrived. They had heard what kind of mission they had been sent out on and so if they were back the blood drenched person on Kakashi's shoulder must be Naruto. "Is he…is he dea-"

"Definitely not, but he could be if we not hurry, get the Hokage and Jiraya to meet us at the Hospital"
When the man didn't move Kakashi grew aggravated. "Now!" He snapped his gaze away from the half-dead boy."Hokage-sama is already at the hospital, I'll go fetch Jiraya-sama." Kakashi along whit the three teens ran to the Hospital.

Kakashi barged in to the hospital. "Where is Tsunade-sama?"
The nurse eyed the boy hanging over his shoulder. "It's Uzumaki Naruto, he's badly injured and needs Tsunade-sama's aid right now!"
"of course, she said to contact her immediately when you were to return. Wait here."

She ran up the stairs and the second thereafter there was a loud bang heard from upstairs and Tsunade came rushing down. She looked serious and whit one glance on Naruto she knew that this was no time for a reunion and thus she made a sign for Kakashi to follow her. They stopped in front of an emergency room and she took Naruto from Kakashi. She frowned when she saw how badly injured the boy really was. She told some of the nurses nearby to assist her and to one to bring Shizune right away.

Kakashi, Shikamaru, Lee and Neji sat down outside the operating room. "So how long do you think it will take for the others to arrive?" Neji asked. "Probably by tomorrow, they were pretty far away. Kiba and Sakura were quite close to Hinata and shino so they will probably arrive at the same time." Shikamaru sighed. "Really…troublesome."

"hmm, why is that?" Neji asked. "I really don't want to be the one to tell Sakura about Naruto's condition, about the memory loss…"
Nobody said anything. They merely sat there in silence waiting for news on Naruto. That was when Jiraya came. "Kakashi, did you get a chance to see the sea-"
"Jiraya, get your ass in here NOW!" Tsunade screamed from inside the doors. Jiraya did as he was told. The four leaf shinobi was left alone again. After a while they heard the words they had dreaded come out of Jiraya's mouth; "what do you mean, you can't heal him?"

A/N: First chapter is out! Review?

Disclaimer: I do not own the series Naruto
Apologizes: My English sucks, but if you do find it annoying then stop reading, can't do much about it since my English teacher in school sucks... (;