You have to give Naruto credit. He tried really, really hard not to care about the missing boy. But it was impossible. Naruto was a naturally curious, mischievous boy who loved adventure. It was obvious that he'd try to hunt down this strange boy.

After the assembly, during Ninja Arts class, Naruto raised his hand.

"Yes?" Iruka asked, openly surprised at Naruto's participation. "What is it, Naruto?"

"How long is the Kazekage going to stay in Konoha?" he asked nonchalantly.

Iruka's eyes narrowed. "Naruto, did you listen to a word I said?"

"No."

Iruka sighed. "Whatever. They're staying for a week. They're here until the Saturday after next."

Naruto brightened. Yes! He would have plenty of time to scope out the town and wherever the royal people were staying.

"Naruto, you have that look on your face that I know is going to get me into trouble."

Naruto ignored Iruka and happily wrote down notes for the rest of the class, which Iruka couldn't argue with.

After school, Naruto skipped down the main street until he realized with a jolt that he should have asked where the heck the Kazekage was staying. He also realized he dreaded the thought of ever seeing that annoying Kankuro and Temari again.

"Yeah, it's that kid," he heard someone whisper. "You know, the one who…"

"Shhh, Omi, he's listening!"

Naruto ducked his head and ran blindly through crowd. He was used to this sort of treatment by others, who openly gossiped about him, yet each time it stung him just a bit more than the last. I'll adjust eventually, right? Naruto wondered. He doubted if he would ever.

He realized he had unconsciously weaved his way to Ichiraku Ramen, his favorite ramen shop. He'd scavenged a free ramen coupon from the garbage, which had sent him some disgusted looks, but it was worth it. And maybe the ramen shop owner knew where the Kazekage was staying.

Naruto ducked under the decorative cloth and slapped the coupon on the table. "Old man, one large miso ramen with extra pork, please!"

Teuchi, the ramen shop owner, smiled. "Where'd you get that, Naruto?"

"The garbage!" Naruto replied.

Teuchi stared at him. "Not just now, I hope."

"Nah, yesterday."

"That's okay, then," he answered, and started making the ramen.

Naruto looked at the wooden counter for a moment before asking, "Old man, do you know where that Kazekage guy is staying?"

"Yeah," said Teuchi. "I hear that he and his family are staying in the Hokage's second home."

"The Hokage has two homes?!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Sure," said the man, shaking the noodles. "The Hokage's rich! They're staying in his house, above the pond, by the playground."

"Oh," Naruto murmured. He'd seen that place many times, but always expected it belonged to some wealthy guy who never came out. So no one lived there, normally. Until now. Maybe he would see the boy there? Or maybe he could sneak inside.

"Naruto, what's that look?" Teuchi grumbled, setting down the bowl. "It's that look that usually ends up having you in a bundle of trouble."

"Ha! Iruka sensei said the same thing!" Naruto laughed, digging into his ramen bowl. It smelled and tasted delicious, but then again, it always did to Naruto.

After the meal, Naruto set off down the road again, toward his house. The sun was setting. He'd go explore tomorrow. He shifted his backpack, and decided that maybe he'd do a little studying today, just to please Iruka.

Maybe.

_

The next morning, Naruto awoke feeling quite awake and ready for adventure. After eating a nutritious meal of ramen, ramen, and more ramen, Naruto tugged on his clothes and set off for the playground.

He figured he had all the time in the world, so he stopped at the playground and decided to play. Doing such things always eased his mind and made him forget his troubles. It was his escape. He was a child here, and no one would judge him or criticize him—so long as no one was around, which there wasn't this early in the morning.

So he slid down the slide, jumped off the swings, swung around on the monkey bars, and built sand castles in the sand box. He ceased to think, ceased to be Naruto. He could almost make himself believe he was someone else, just a child, with a family who loved him, a carefree kid.

Almost.

Other children started to arrive, and Naruto decided it was time to start his quest. With a sigh, he abandoned his feeble sand castle and started down the road that led to the pond. He'd walked this road many times on his way to and from school, which was in the other direction. It was a beautiful place when the rising or setting sun hit the pond water just right, and sometimes he would see his rival Sasuke there, sitting alone on the dock.

He wasn't here today, which meant Naruto could easily walk up the dock to get a good look at the castle across the way from there.

He stumbled down the steep incline of grass, forgetting the stone stairs. The wooden planks plunked beneath his sandaled feet as he ran to the edge, and shaded his eyes with a hand to squint at the mansion.

It still looked unoccupied, looming above the pond to the right, its shadow making it seem like an ominous monster. It was at least four stories high, without a light to be seen on within the home. Maybe they all stayed on one floor, to the front? Maybe they were still all asleep.

Naruto, with nothing better to do, sat at the edge of the dock until noon. He watched his toes hit the edge of the water and send many ripples across the calm surface, until he thought he heard a noise coming from the large home. But he never saw anything, nothing would stir, not a light would shine. Not even the sun seemed to hit its shingled roof. Maybe they'd already left?

Finally, when his thin patience finally wore out, he jumped up. Nobody was coming, Naruto decided sadly. This mutant, this diseased, this sad third child, he'd never see. It was like Among the Hidden in the Ninja world.

He was about to turn and go when he heard a door clank open and shut. It was the porch door at the back, which opened up to a peeling, dirty white deck. It made Naruto wonder why the Hokage would choose such a place to house the Kazekage. But he didn't wonder about it right then, because the figure that had left the gigantic, dark, monster-like home was his height, with messy red hair and a dirty sweater, with an odd gourd attached to his back.

It seemed the third child was out of hiding.