The Sound of Dreams

A/N: Here we go! Thanks again for reading and for the reviews! You know who you are!! Things will start to pick up soon, just have to set the stage!!

Chapter 3


After a few minutes of hurried searching, Naruto finally located the hidden key to Iruka-sensei's door. Lock picking had never been a real skill of his and besides it would feel too much like...well breaking in. He respected his academy teacher too much to violate his trust like that.

He was sure, however, that Iruka-sensei wouldn't mind him using the key since he had been the one to tell Naruto where it was in case of emergencies. He was also sure his former teacher wouldn't mind him borrowing a backpack and gear since all of his was at the training grounds with Kakashi-sensei. And let's face it, there would undoubtedly be questions if he showed up and started packing.

After checking his own weapon pouch for the necessary scrolls, explosive tags and shuriken and making sure his kunai holster was full as well, he started to drag out basic camping equipment. Blanket, food rations, which included the few cups of instant ramen that the chuunin had on hand, and other odds and ends that he thought he might need.

As Naruto was about to walk out, he paused. He had to tell Iruka why he was leaving. He owed his friend that much. He didn't want Iruka to worry over him. He quite easily located a pencil and some scrap paper in the schoolteacher's apartment and hastily scribbled a note. Afterwards he crept out of the house and tried to stay out of sight.

Twenty minutes later he was waiting in the shadows near the gate.

He tensed when he saw a small group of civilians approach the gate followed by three laden carts. Now was his opportunity. He quietly made a Kage Bushin and sent the shadow clone off with a pack of firecrackers, something which he personally considered a necessity to have on hand at all times. A few moments later loud popping sounds accompanied by a few started yells were sufficient to lure a few guards away from the gate area. Naruto quickly slipped through and into the woods beyond.

*******************
"He's late," Kakashi said a bit sourly, looking up from his Icha Icha Tactics.

Yamato grinned over at his masked companion. "That's an interesting statement coming from you."

Kakashi gave a non-committal noise as he flipped the page of his orange covered book.

"He probably got side-tracked with his friends. It has been awhile since he has seen them and he's been pretty busy with training lately."

Kakashi gave a small shrug, for all appearances seemingly wrapped up in the book he was reading. Every so often though his one dark eye flicked up and scanned the surrounding area.

After another hour, he snapped his book closed and tucked it into his vest. "Let's go find him."

Yamato looked briefly surprised then nodded.

It only goes to reason that when one is searching for a certain blonde-haired blue-eyed shinobi the first stop would be Ichiraku's Ramen stall. While the blonde had left several hours ago, they did learn that he had spoken briefly with a certain pink-haired teammate.

Locating his teammate took a little longer, but they finally found her talking to the only other blonde-haired blue-eyed shinobi in the village outside of the Yamanaka Flower Shop.

After a casual greeting of, "Yo!" Kakashi excused themselves from Ino while pulling Sakura along.

Without preamble, Kakashi turned to her. "Have you seen Naruto?"

Sakura blinked at him then replied, "Yes, at lunch. I stopped by to say 'hi' since I was passing the ramen stand."

"Did he say anything about going anywhere else?" Yamato asked.

"No."

Kakashi was thrown slightly by the one-worded strained reply. "Do you know where he might be?"

Sakura gave what she hoped to be a lighthearted laugh, all the while dreading what the idiot had done in his impetuousness. "You know Naruto. He could be anywhere yacking his jaws off. Heh." She cleared her throat. "Is he missing?"

Kakashi's single eye narrowed slightly at her then abruptly curved in a smile. "Maa...it is probably nothing. But, Sakura." He paused until he was sure he had her complete attention. "If you do find out where he is, let us know. There are still people after him." He switched to cheerful again as he patted her on the head like he used to do when she was younger.

Sakura swallowed as she remembered her fight with Sasori, a recently deceased member of Akatsuki. She knew that the criminal organization was after Naruto because of the demon he carried inside of him.

She nodded and said, "I better get going. Hokage-sama is expecting me. If I see Naruto, I'll tell him you are looking for him."

'Baka, you better not have gone and done something stupid like running off without me!' she thought sourly.

The two jounin watched in silence as she gave a wave and hurried off. "You want me to follow her?" Yamato asked quietly.

Kakashi gave a short nod. "I'm heading to Umino Iruka's to see if he's been by there."

Yamato nodded then disappeared.

Barring Ichiraku's and Sakura, Iruka's was the next logical place to find the little delinquent. Glancing up at the position of the sun, Kakashi figured that school should be out for the day.

After a brisk knock, the door to the teacher's apartment opened to reveal a slightly pale and fidgety Iruka. If Naruto had been where he should have been, Kakashi would have seriously inquired after the chuunin's caffeine intake. Instead he gave a cheerful wave of his hand. "Yo."

"Ka-Kakashi. What can I do for you?" Iruka kept the door tight to his body, obviously not intending to invite the jounin inside.

"Well, I was wondering if you've seen Naruto around. He never showed back up for training." Kakashi's voice trailed off towards the end as Iruka's milk chocolaty skin paled even further, throwing the scar across the bridge of his nose in stark relief.

"Na-Naruto? No, I haven't seen him." Those dark brown eyes suddenly focused on his, an almost gauging look flickering through them before they went suspiciously blank.

Iruka was like Naruto in that they both tended to be a bit emotional and had trouble hiding it. For Iruka's eyes to be that blank meant he was trying to hide something.

"If you do, you will tell me, right?" Translation: 'If you had, you would tell me, right?'

"If I see him,” the chuunin said noncommittally. Translation: 'Maybe, maybe not. Depends on if you are going to hurt him.'

“You might want to try the Hokage Monument,” Iruka added. “He sometimes goes to the top to sit and think when something is bothering him."

Kakashi felt his lips tighten in annoyance under his cloth mask covering his nose and mouth. Always this. Always Iruka in the way between him and his students, especially when it came to Naruto. "As his sensei it is my job not only to train him, but to look out for his well-being also."

Iruka's face suddenly flushed but not from embarrassment. "As it is the Hokage's to look out for the well-being of everyone in this village," he said stiffly.

'That's the second time he's mentioned Hokage.' Kakashi stepped back to take his leave but before he could say a farewell (a.k.a. parting shot), Iruka had shut the door quite firmly. Suppressing the overwhelming urge to gain answers forcibly from the Academy Instructor, Kakashi made his way to the Hokage Tower.

Tired of wasting time, the silver-haired jounin teleported straight to Tsunade's office. The Hokage merely glance up from her paperwork at the intrusion. The door was flung open as an Anbu guard burst through, looking for intruders. Tsunade made a dismissive gesture and the door was quietly closed after the retreating guard.

"Something I can do for you, Kakashi? Besides remind you what a door is for?" she asked mildly.

"Only if you can tell me where Naruto is," he replied evenly.

"Isn't it your job to keep track of your students?" she asked with a frown. He couldn’t help but notice the Slug Sannin tense up at the mention of the young man. "How would I know where the brat is? Last I was aware he was with you training."

Instead of counting to ten like most sane people, Kakashi pulled out his porn novel and flipped it open. "Well, it was insinuated that you would know," he replied as his eye made a show of scanning the page.

Tsunade looked confused and a trifle wary, the expression was giving her the wrinkles that her age concealing jutsu kept hidden. "You want to explain what is going on?"

Kakashi blinked a few times, a blush appearing on the visible portion of his right cheek and bent closer to study the book. "Naruto seems to have disappeared after lunch time. Or at least no one admits to having seen him since then. I have Yamato following Sakura because she is acting strangely. I just came from Iruka-sensei's place and he is acting downright hostile."

"Iruka? Hostile? Does that man even have a mean bone in his body?" Tsunade asked incredulously.

Kakashi shrugged. "He has a temper sometimes."

"Shizune!" Tsunade bellowed.

Kakashi stuck a finger in his right ear and wiggled it slightly to check for damage.

A middle-aged woman with pale skin and short black hair immediately came into the office. A small pink pig wearing a red vest ducked around her feet and walked into the room. "Yes, Hokage-sama?"

"Get me Hurano Sakura and Umino Iruka. Now."

Kakashi beat the pig to the window seat and settled himself in to continue reading his book. The pig snorted a huff at him and moved over to hop onto a nearby chair.

**************
Sakura arrived first, timidly knocking on the door. At Tsunade's loud "ENTER," she stepped in followed by the dark-haired Anbu captain.

Tsunade nodded at "Yamato" in acknowledgement then turned a hard stare onto Sakura. “What do you know about Naruto missing?" she asked bluntly.

"So, he's really missing?" she asked anxiously.

"Tell me!" Tsunade demanded with a hand slapping on her desk.

"W-Well, I-I just told him a-about the message that came in about Orochimaru," Sakura stuttered, giving a good impression of Hyuuga Hinata whenever Naruto was nearby.

"Which one? I get leads, false and otherwise, about that snake all the time." Maybe not the complete truth, but close enough.

"The one that came in a few days ago about him being in Oto to meet someone."

Tsunade's lips tightened into a grim line. "You read a secret missive. You then told about that secret missive to someone else."

"I didn't think he would run off! I thought he would come to you demanding a mission!" Sakura protested with wide green eyes.

Tsunade ran a tired hand over her face. These last few days of arguing with the elder council were wearing on her. And with this new development any concessions she might have won were going to be washed down the drain.

She needed a drink.

"Sakura, there was no evidence that the lead was true. Furthermore, there was every indication that it might be a trap!"

Whatever Sakura was going to reply was interrupted by a knock. Shizune poked her head through the door. "Umino Iruka is here."

The Hokage pointed a finger at Sakura. "You go outside and wait until I call for you. Send him in, Shizune."

Sakura passed the schoolteacher on her way out and tried not to flinch at the look on his face. She had seen Iruka-sensei lose his temper before. The only difference between his and Tsunade-shishou's is that he didn't have the ungodly strength to break people and large objects in his rage. Well maybe not the large objects at least. He might have been a schoolteacher but he was still a ninja.

The teacher and the Hokage glared at each other over her desk. "Where is Uzumaki Naruto?" she asked in an answer-me-or-suffer tone.

"I don't know where he is," he said firmly.

Tsunade glared at him.

"I only know where he isn't," he added reluctantly.

"Where isn't he?" Tsunade asked through clenched teeth. Kakashi could sympathize, having been through the same run around already. It must be nice however to have everyone brought to you for questioning.

"He isn't in the village. Or at least that is my best guess." Iruka sighed then elaborated. "When I got home I could immediately tell that someone had been in my house. When I looked over everything, I noticed that my mission gear was gone as were some other supplies."

He pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket. Upon seeing it again, his brown eyes hardened. "I found this on my counter." He tossed the paper down on her desk as if throwing down a gauntlet in challenge. Kakashi then realized he had been reading too many Icha Icha books to make that comparison.

Tsunade picked up the scrap of paper and squinted slightly to make out the almost illegible writing. As she scanned the paper, her hands started to shake. With a curse, she shot up from her seat and drove her fist through the heavy desk.

"Is this office so insecure that children can waltz in here and get secret intel whenever they want to?!" she demanded as she crumbled the paper and threw it to the ground.

Of course that wasn't what was really bothering her. What was really bothering her was the fact that she just might lose Naruto now. Just like she lost her little brother. Just like her lover, Dan. To her, Naruto represented every reason why she agreed to become Hokage. She wanted to be able to protect those people precious to her so that they could in turn fulfill their own hopes and dreams.

"I wouldn't necessarily call it intelligence." Iruka interrupted her thoughts with his barely civil observation.

Iruka heard a thump to the side resound in the deathly quiet office. He glanced over to see Kakashi's book hitting the ground as he held a painfully familiar piece of paper in front of him. A piece of paper that held a broken hearted and betrayed confession of a blonde shinobi who had everything ripped from him by a bunch of paranoid, cold hearted old coots.

"Is this true?" Kakashi asked the Hokage in a neutral tone.

'Maybe he isn't so bad after all,' Iruka began to think. If there was one thing that was known about Kakashi it was that he stuck by his teammates.

"The elders are trying to do what they think is best. Both for Naruto and the village." Tsunade's voice was just as emotionless, but Kakashi could still hear the tiredness edging it.

Inside, Kakashi could feel a tightening around his heart. He knew if there was something, however improbable as it seemed, that could break the boy's indomitable spirit, then this would be it. Outwardly, he calmly picked up the book and tucked it into his vest. "Very well, we need to get a team together to retrieve him. He has about a half day's head start."

"You can't seriously be endorsing this?!" Iruka mentally took back every nice thought that he had ever had about the jounin.

"Shinobi are tools. Naruto willingly became a shinobi. That means his life is not his own," Kakashi replied calmly, but without any intonation to betray his thoughts.

"If I may suggest something, Hokage-sama," Yamato finally spoke up.

"Yes, Yamato?"

"I take it that it is safe to assume Naruto is heading to Sound?"

"He has a one track mind," she replied with a tired smile.

"Is it possible at all that Orochimaru might actually be there? He was in the area recently."

"Unlikely but possible," she allowed.

"Then wouldn't it be prudent to take a couple units? It will take a few of us to subdue Naruto if he doesn't want to return willingly. And if Orochimaru is really in the area, we might be able to finally eliminate him or at least remove the Sharingan from his reach." He then added the trump card. "If Uchiha Sasuke is back in Konoha, it will give Naruto a reason to stay and a long term mission within the village where they can both be under surveillance."

Tsunade was silent a long moment, thinking over the pros and cons of the plan. Finally, she nodded. "Let's get busy."


TBC