Getting Ino to talk to him was hard.
It might as well be impossible for him to get her to say anything about Sasuke!
But as he had told Tsunade, he loved Sasuke, and he would know where that boy was no matter the costs. Even if he had to sit through girly gossiping just get that information.
"-and I was like, no. Way! But then she said that it could even get under the bed! Her bed is like, five inches from the floor! Do you know how awesome that is! That's like, that's like… amazing!"
"Ino!"
"What?"
"Do you know anything about Sasuke? Like, where he went?"
"Oh, I'm not supposed to tell you…"
"What? Why not?"
"Ino, there you are."
"Oh, hey Neji!"
"Neji? Uh, hey, um, do you know anything about where Sasuke is?"
"Uchiha? No, can't say I know exactly where he is."
"Why are you here Neji?"
"Our date is tonight. Don't tell me you forgot."
"What! That's tonight!"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Back it up. Date? Since when have you two been going out?"
"… for about two years now."
"TWO YEARS!"
"Yea, you were too engrossed in your boy toy to notice anything going on around you."
"… oh…"
OXOX
The garden was coming along nicely.
Well… as nicely as working with mostly only kunai can do.
Our hands and knees were dirty from digging at the topsoil and the tough grasses that grew here.
We came across a few snake holes along the way and completely obliterated all around the garden just incase there were rabbits that might want to nibble on my foods.
Turns out Juugo had some seeds he had wanted to plant and we did that.
Karin came out wondering where me and Sakura were. When she saw us working and started squawking about overworking myself and fatigue and all that jazz.
I promised not to work anymore and only supervised nearby under the shade of a tree.
While the girls competed for God only knows what, I was stuck wondering whether I was going to have a girl and boy, or both be girls, or both boys.
"You can usually tell with an old wives trick, ya' know."
I jumped, not expecting the voice from behind me.
"How many you having anyway?"
"Two."
"Wow… Are they identical or…"
"Fraternal."
"Heh, spoiled little Uchiha bastards."
"…"
I don't know whether to take great offence or laugh.
OXOX
Naruto hadn't had much luck finding out where Sasuke was.
Though gossiping like a schoolgirl did have it's perks.
He'd found out that Neji was dating Ino. Shikamaru was with Temari. Kiba is pining after Hinata. Sai was with Sakura. Tenten is with Chouji. And Lee and Shino were, as far as he knew, single.
He hadn't had much luck finding out where Sasuke was, though.
All that information was just from Ino, Tenten, Chouji and Lee.
Thinking about who he had and hadn't talked to yet, he realized that he never saw hide nor hair of his pink haired teammate.
… Was she with Sasuke?
… He'd said that he was with friends in his note… but why would he be with Sakura?
… Maybe she just tagged along and he let her…
… What would they do though? Talk? Sasuke hates talking to her…
… Unless that was just a ruse…
No. No, he'd never… but would he?
Does Sasuke really hate him that much…?
Or, it didn't have to be Sakura…
It could be another man… someone else who loves him…
But he doesn't know many other people that Naruto doesn't already know…
That doesn't mean I could be someone they both already know…
It could be someone from Suna…
Gaara…
Had he lost Sasuke to Gaara?
Even if he did, he'd get him back. He brought him back once, he can do it again.
And that means no lollygagging.
Time to find Kiba.
OXOX
It's been two days since we started the garden.
Lots of things are starting to grow, even weeds.
That's one things I never really liked about gardening, though it is worth all the hard work.
I look up past the thinning trees.
"It's going to rain."
I walk back into the cabin and tend to my boiling eggs.
OXOX
He smelled the precipitation in the air. It was going to rain soon. Some time in the next half hour.
He'd gotten a good sense of location from the dog boy to try and find the hideaway by himself.
They must have not really cared that much for being completely hidden away. Did they just not want to be in the large village at all?
No matter.
It only took two days to find the cabin.
Naruto walked up to the front door as it started to drizzle, and knocked.
TBC…
I've gotten what I don't want to say is a flame, but, well… you can see it if you want to. It's the third review for the last chapter, chapter 8. It's titled 'think again'. And it's long…
I imagine me standing under something to keep the rain off me, not an umbrella. And trying to talk over the torrent of rain… (the weird shit my mind comes up with)