Naruto couldn't believe it. The mystery kid was revealed! He wasn't a mutant and didn't seem to have any contagious viruses, but he had the bluest set of eyes he'd ever seen besides his own, and they were surrounded with a thick layer of black—what was it? Mascara? It didn't seem likely, since he was clearly a boy.

The boy hadn't noticed Naruto, for he wasn't looking at him. He was looking at the depths of the pond through the high white bars of the porch railing, looking as sad as he could be.

"Hey!" cried Naruto, waving his arms. Jumping up and down, he tried to gain the boy's attention. "Hey!"

The boy looked over, but before they could make eye contact, Naruto was face to face with a wall of water. He'd fallen off the dock! He hit the water with a thud that made his belly sting and his eyes water. Oxygen escaped his mouth as he started to sink, and he thought all was lost when a hand reached into the water and tugged at the back of his shirt, and with a mighty effort, he was pulled onto the dock.

Though the mystery boy had been across the pond, Naruto expected to see him as the one who'd rescued him. He turned, but was stunned to realize it wasn't him.

Sasuke.

"What are you doing here?" Naruto asked, spitting out water and looking at him angrily. He swiveled his head around to catch the boy, but he'd disappeared.

"What do you mean, what am I doing here?" Sasuke blurted out irritably. "I just saved your life, you doof!"

"You pushed me in!" Now that he thought about it, had he felt a push against his back? Yes, he must have…he wasn't clumsy enough to fall in himself!

"You're making that up cuz you're an idiot!" Sasuke shot back, clenching his fists. "What the hell are you doing here, anyway?"

"I can come here if I want!" Naruto answered, shaking his oddly pointed blond hair this way and that to rid it of the water, which, to Naruto's satisfaction, soaked Sasuke's shirt.

"You were looking for that kid, right?" Sasuke asked, wiping off the water, annoyed. "I saw him, too. Weird kid."

Naruto pouted and looked away. "So, what if I was?"

Sasuke grinned naughtily, pulling a hand through his raven-black hair. "You want to find him too, huh?"

"'Too?'" Naruto repeated. "What do you mean, 'too'? You want to find him…er…too?"

Sasuke blushed. "So what if I do?"

"You just don't seem like the type."

"And you just don't seem like the type that would like my fist connecting with your face, but I'll do it anyway."

"Touché."

They stood side by side, looking across the waters to the mansion. It was just as dark now, with not a sign of life. Where had the boy gone? Probably back inside.

"Ugh. We lost our chance!" Sasuke grumbled.

"What do you mean, we?" Naruto answered. "I never said we'd work together."

"Then I'll find the boy. You have no chance, idiot. Either way, I'll find him. You, on the other hand…" Sasuke exaggerated a sigh. "Well, you don't stand a chance, like I said."

"Gah! I so do!" Naruto answered, raising a fist.

Before Sasuke could answer, the porch door opened. They swiftly craned their heads to see, but were met with the gaze of Temari.

"Go away!" she called across the water. "Stop stalking us!"

"We weren't—" Sasuke started, but the door slammed. Sasuke sighed. "I think we should go."

"We?"

"Yes, we, you stupid idiot!"

"If you're an idiot, how can you be stupid, too, Sasuke?"

"I don't know, but you manage to do it!"

But they didn't have a place to go. Neither of them wanted to admit it, but they had not a thing in the world to do but this strange mission. They could train, do homework, watch TV, or eat, but nothing interested them.

But neither wanted to be near the other, either.

"What should we do?" asked Sasuke.

"I don't know."

"Hah! I said we and you didn't do anything."

Naruto popped a vein. "Ok, you jerk, why don't I go this way, away from you?"

"Sounds great!"

"Totally!"

"Awesome!"

"I know!"

They stood at the end of the dock, on the land, the road stretching both ways at their backs.

"We need a battle plan," said Sasuke. "And I don't exactly want to do it alone. So, you'll come?"

Naruto grimaced but agreed. "Yeah, all right. But you're gonna have to listen to me, too, you know!"

"Yeah, yeah, I got it, doofus."

They walked together, reluctantly, to the swing set, where they both sat and sighed in unison.

"Ok, what now?" Sasuke asked.

"We could sneak into their house to find the kid," suggested Naruto.

"Idiot! He's the Kazekage! He'll have a ton of guards! Not only that, but he's a ninja! He'll know we're there instantly! Though…you've got something there…"

"I do?" Naruto exclaimed. "I mean, I do!" he grinned, his eyes closing practically all the way. Then his face fell. "Um, what exactly have I got?"

Sasuke groaned. "Don't you see?"

"Uh, no, my eyes are practically fully closed most of the time, Sasuke."

"The Kazekage is, well, the Kazekage! So he'll be out a lot, right? Visiting the Hokage, going to meetings, and all that good stuff."

"And?"

"His kids will be gone most of the time as well. They're famous here, too, though not as much as the Kazekage…"

"Sasuke, get on with it."

"The boy never leaves the house, right?" Naruto nodded. "So, then, he must be alone when his family goes out. Maybe even whatever guards they have leave him alone."

"But he needs to be protected, right?"

"Are you kidding? Did you see the gourd on his back? Maybe they leave him alone cuz he's too powerful, not because he's weak."

"Yeah, he didn't look like a mutant…but still. You can't be sure, Sasuke."

"We're kids," Sasuke noted. "We don't have the skills to be sure. But it's worth a shot. Maybe we can find a schedule with all their activities."

"Or watch the door for when they leave!"

"Idiot, they'll know we're watching."

Naruto started to swing himself. "Okay, then, Mr. Smarty Pants, how do we get this 'list of activities'?"

"Well," Sasuke murmured, "Maybe Iruka sensei would know. Or maybe we could find one at the Hokage's office. I bet many civilians want to meet him, so it would be good to know where he is a lot of the time."

"What are civilians?"

Sasuke shook his head. "Pure idiocy!" Sasuke coughed. "Oh, wow, I sound like my brother." His eyes widened, and he looked away from Naruto. "Well, I'm heading to the Hokage's office. You go do whatever. If I find one there, I'll find you. If not, we can always ask Iruka sensei."

"Right!" Naruto called, lifting a hand to salute Sasuke. But after he did it, he realized what he did, and was disgusted with himself. I saluted to Sasuke! he thought, shivering. What's come over me?

But he couldn't think of that at that moment, because his mind quickly wandered to another problem: this boy. So many mysteries surrounded him, Naruto found himself practically drowning himself in anticipation, more so than when he'd dived into the water. Naruto looked down at himself. Drenched in water, muck staining parts of his pants and shirt.

"Nice," he muttered, jumping off the swings and heading home. Nice.

_

Hi. I'm the writer. Shortly before writing this chapter, I thought up two hilarious—to me—jokes. If you know the Akatsuki, you'll understand them.

What goes, "You beeping beeper! You beeping beep-sucking beeping beeper! Beeeeeeep!"

Answer: Hidan in traffic.

Beside him, who goes, "Those beeping beepers! Always beeping my beeping money! Beeeep!"

Answer: Kakuzu during tax season.