Hokage Tower
The sky was painted with pink, reds, and purples. The sun was going raise soon. Naruto was sitting on the roof looking up at it. Kagura hesitated, wondering if it was best if she left him alone. She had never seen him in such a way before. Ever since she assigned to position of Hokage's assistant by the council at the young age of sixteen she had always seen him happy, teasing, and a bit of a rule breaker. Not to say he didn't take his job seriously, he did, except maybe the paperwork at times. He always teased her and after a while he became like a father figure to her. Just as the brunette was about to leave Naruto voice stopped her.
"Did you need something, Kagura?" He asked without turning around. She jumped; she mentally yelled at herself of course he had sensed her he was the Hokage!
"Oh, um," She stuttered before composing herself, "The ANBU switched shifts on protecting your family. So far there has been no attack, not even a raise of chakra." Kagura wanted to ask him if he was alright but decided it wasn't her place. Naruto got up and walked over to her, placing his hand on her shoulder.
"Thank you," He said giving her shoulder a squeeze before walking past her heading for the stairs. Kagura got a feeling he wasn't just thanking her for the update.
Naruto walked back to his office and was surprised to see it cleaned. Everything was put back in its rightful place, spare furniture, that was kept when Tsunade was Hokage when she broke anything in her fits of anger, had been used to replace everything he had broken. Kagura. He turned around, she smiled sadly at him.
Naruto felt the raise in chakra. He twisted to see the ANBU captain of the team he had sent to find his daughter appear. Naruto didn't recall his name but the kid was newer and was still going through the cocky phase. In ANBU that was beaten out of them pretty quick or they didn't last long. "Did you find her?"
"No Hokage-sama," The man wore a tiger mask, dressed in all black standard ANBU uniform.
"Then what are you doing here?" Naruto growled, his fist tightened as he forced himself not to punch something, including the ANBU's face.
"Hokage-sama, we followed the scent to the middle of the forest of death but then it just disappears. We tried for hours to find in again but it just wasn't there. My team is taking a small break right now but we will pick it back-"
"That won't be necessary." Naruto hiss through clenched teeth, his body tense like a snake ready to strike whatever was in its path.
"But Hokage-sama, protocol say-"
"I don't give a damn what the protocol says! And I don't give a damn what anyone thinks, especially the fucking council! I'm doing this my way from now on, Believe it!" Naruto shouted slamming his fist on the wall making the things that were hanging on the wall smash to the floor.
"You can't leave the village!" The ANBU was in shock of the raged behavior of his Hokage.
"I know." His voice went to a whisper, "I won't leave the village, even though I want to. Damn it!" He turned to the door where Kagura still stood. "Find Nara Shikamaru and send him here. Tell him it urgent." Kagura turned to leave but Naruto's voice haulted her, "Then get Inuzuka Kiba, Aburame Shino… And Rock Lee."
Nara House
There was a frantic pounding on the door. Temari strode to the door with the purpose of killing whoever was on the other side. She opened the door ready to teach the meaning of the word pain but then paused at what she saw. "Kagura? What in the-?"
Kagura looked at Temari now rounding stomach, "Congratulations on the news! Is Shikamaru here?" She said in one breath.
"Thank you. He should be out-"Before she could even finish her sentence Kagura wormed her way inside heading for the backyard. "-Back." The blonde blinked stunned for a second, before closing the door.
Kagura opened the sliding door it slamming rather hard on the other side of the wall. She got two pairs of lazy Nara eyes in response. She couldn't help but pause for a moment to look at the adorable sight. Shikamaru and Arisa were on either side of the Shogi board. Then she wondered if Shikamaru actually expected the young girl to understand how to play such a complicated game. Wait focus. "Shikamaru, you need to head to the Hokage tower immediately!" She said. Arisa turned back to the board and looked for her next move while keeping one ear on her father conversation.
"Can the mission wait? I'm kind of in the middle-"
"No, it can't!" Kagura cut him off. "Naruto needs you." The way she said that caught the Nara's attention. This was a normal mission. Something was really wrong. He nodded grabbing his Jonin vest. He heard a click, click. He turned back and looked at what his daughter had done. He smirked, just as he thought. He moved one of his pieces winning the game. Arisa eyes widened before making a face. Shikamaru smiled kissing her head. She wrapped her arms around his neck whispering for him to be safe.
"So what's going on?"
"I'll tell you on the way to the tower."
Hokage Tower
"We'll find her Naruto." Shikamaru vowed as he looked at one of his closest friends. Kiba, Akamaru, Shino, and Lee nodded their agreement. Naruto tried to fake a smile even it looked grim. "Thanks guys."
"Where going to ask Neji to come with us as well, we would be at a disadvantage without him because we no longer have Hinata." Naruto just waved his hand letting Shino know to do whatever he thought best.
Hinata.
He hadn't seen or talked to her since he had found Kari's ribbon. He had spent all his time in this building waiting for some news. Kari could be dead by now. He flinched at his own thought.
"Wait Bushy Brows," The bowl haired man turned around."I have a different mission for you. I need you to deliver this message to Gaara. I would send it with a carry pigeon but I need it to be there much faster."
"Yosh! With the power of youth I will get this to Suna before tomorrow or I will do six hundred one armed pushups." He pushed down off his orange legwarmers and pulled off his leg weights setting them on Naruto's desk which creaked loudly in objection.