Disclaimer: Naruto and all associated characters are trademarked by Funimation. I like eggs scrambled and in soup. Eleventy-one!

Naruto waited in the clearing for about three five minutes, contemplating whether or not he should go through with a new improvisational plan that had crept into his head. On the bright side, it could save the lives of Haku and Zabuza. On the downside, he could die at the hands of Gato(or Sakura, if Gato didn't get him.)

There wasn't much time to ponder, and Naruto quickly left his rationality aside and avored the impulse. With a silent bound, the genin began his pursuit of Haku. It would be difficult to follow such an experienced tracker, but the attempt was made.

Throughout the duration of the journey, Naruto stayed in the shadows as much as possible. From time to time, his breathe would catch when Haku would turn around, peering around suspiciously. The Uzumaki hoped, with all his heart, that the mist ninja did that out of habit. There was no end to the possibilities for his suffering if Zabuza knew Haku had been trailed. Knowing Zabuza, Naruto feared for what would happen to Haku as punishment for allowing himself to be followed in the first place.

The walk was a long one, as Haku never changed his speed. At times, Naruto felt he was going in circles, and that his quarry had, in fact, noticed Naruto's presence. After the evening arrival at the marsh, however, the young ninja of Konoha was relieved to find he was probably just paranoid.

From behind a distant rock, he watched Haku enter a well-guarded bungalow. He was stopped at the door, but told something to a sentry and was allowed inside. Naruto wished he could have heard what the boy had said. It might have been a password of some kind. Of course, there were other ways of entering a building, but the blonde didn't like lapsing into W.W.G.D.(What Would Gaara Do).

Night fell around the waiting shinobi, and the guards did things that could be expected. They changed shifts, talked to each other, and occasionally threw things at wildlife. Naruto wished he still had his summoning contract with the toads. In a situation like he was in, they would have been invaluable scouts and messengers. Well, that and the humorous picture of how they would react if hit by one of those lowlives. Those guards would get what was coming to them!

As it was, there was no safe way to send a message to his team to inform them of his whereabouts. A shadow clone would be detected if there were any skilled ninja in the rough group of guards, and Naruto wasn't willing to tap into his chakra reserves. Hell, he was almost scared to go to the bathroom if there was a chance of being found out. No, he had to stay absolutely still and learned more about the schedule of the hideout.

Team 7 was becoming impatient. Twenty-nine hours had passed since the 'Nutcase' incident, and the loudmouthed ninja behind it had yet to return. From a medical perspective, keeping the fox's chakra in mind, Kakashi knew that Naruto was probably healthy again. On a related note, there was no way that the hyperactive twelve-year-old would have slept soundly for over a day if even one night of near-death didn't keep him off his feet. So, the question came to pass, what was that time employed by?

For a while, Kakashi Hatake had convinced himself that Naruto had probably stayed out longer to train. After the second nightfall, though, the teacher found himself on edge with the missing presence at the dinner table. Sasuke and Sakura also stole a glance at it from time to time, he noticed. Something was wrong with the picture, and even Tazuna picked up on it. Inari intermittently looked out the window.

Naruto, with all his interesting qualities, liked food. To be without it for an extended period of time would definitely send him running back to the nearest house where food could be found. Since Tazuna's house was the only place where he could be fed if he wanted anything that wasn't raw and filthy, he should have returned for the meal.

"Where's the loud-mouthed brat?" the builder asked bluntly, interrupting any casual conversation with food still in his mouth. In a flash, all eyes were on Kakashi. He knew the question would come up, and he had an answer prepared.

"Probably off in the forest, training," he said monotonously, scratching his nose.

"Probably," Sasuke echoed, his ego still sore from the other day. He didn't care much, but the empty place at the table made him a little uncomfortable, like being in combat with only part of his arsenal. His pale face contrasted with Sakura, who seemed to be turning a little red. Oddly enough, it wasn't from the fact she was sitting next to Sasuke.

"Probably, sensei?" she asked conversationally, though her voice held an edge that only her family and teammates would know, "Maybe we should LOOK for him, then?"

"Maybe," Kakashi nodded, shifting his position to sternly look at Sasuke,"-our Sasuke can use his amazing talents to retrieve him for us."

"Why me?" Sasuke worked very hard to master his unease, feeling his teacher's gaze on him like a beam. He was still in trouble for the other day, and he was wondering just how Kakashi had intended to punish him.

"Well," he explained, his eyes never leaving the Uchiha, "I'm injured, and though I mean no offense, Sakura isn't skilled enough to wander about after dark alone."

"That's a red-assed lie!" Sakura swore, surprising everyone at the table. Kakashi just looked at her.

"You think you could take on enemy ninja in complete darkness?" the teacher asked casually, shifting in his seat.

Sakura's face blushed even deeper. "Who said anything about enemy ninja?! You said the objective was to find Naruto, who is 'probably' training!"

"You're smart, aren't you, Sakura? Isn't the term 'probably' indicative of me not being sure?" Kakashi semi-snapped at her, slowly transitioning into seriousness.

" Ithink Naruto is training, but there is a possibility that something else has happened. If that is the case, I don't want to send someone who unprepared for a serious situation. I need someone with a level head on their shoulders."

"Then why don't you go?!" she asked, somewhere between fear and disgust with the jonin's insensitivity.

Kakashi stood up and rubbed his temple, another headache coming on. Why did they not figure these things out on their own?

"Zabuza is after Tazuna, right? Would you and Sasuke be able to handle him alone in the event Naruto really was missing? Is it more dangerous to be at the bulls-eye of a target or in the straw?"

"The straw," Sakura admitted, her passion draining.

"Now, are you going to stay here and let Sasuke find Naruto on his own?" Kakashi asked with surprising gentility.

Sakura sat still for a minute or so, looking at the ground. Kakashi, despite all his insight, had no idea of what the girl was thinking. Sasuke didn't bother waiting for her to answer. After quickly downing his bowl of lightly-seasoned rice, the Uchiha made to leave the house. It was only when he was just about to exit that he heard Sakura's voice.

"No," she said with atypical confidence.

Kakashi's visible eye perked up in interest. "What?"

Sakura got to her feet and tied back her hair, unaware that she was being gaped at by her beloved Sasuke.

"I said 'no', Kakashi-sensei. If Naruto really is in danger, Sasuke couldn't handle an enemy like the Demon Brothers alone. You, on the other hand, are the only one capable of fighting Zabuza." she concluded, expecting to be berated again.

Kakashi Hatake smiled beneath his mask. His only female pupil was stronger than she thought. Truth be told, he had intended to keep Sakura away from Sasuke only because of her obsessive crush. To his pleasant surprise, it seemed that childish problem would no longer be an issue.

"Then go now, or Sasuke will leave without you."

Sakura gave a determined smile, nodded to Saske, and in a flash they departed. Once they were gone, the infamous Kakashi sighed with relief. In a simple gesture, he took off his mask and stole Sakura's half-eaten bowl.

"They finally left," he told the gawking family he shared the table with,"-and I'm hungry."

Inari's mother fainted.

Author's note: At last, the plot thickens again. Oh, beta reader, please forgive me. I was too impatient with this chapter. Hopefully you'll enjoy it even though you didn't get to make it coherent for others. SHAME ON MY SILLY BRAIN!