Naruto Uzumaki- of the Land of Fire

In the Leaf

Aside from the Hokage himself, there were six others standing in his office. Among them, his two advisors (who miraculously were older than he was), a messenger from the Raikage, Kakashi Hatake, and two ANBUs.

"Let me get this straight.... some idiots attacked at tried to abduct the eight-tailed jinchuuriki?" Kakashi voice conveyed his disbelief. In his defense it was a rather surprising and out of the ordinary... beginning with the fact that the Raikage actually sent a messenger.

"Yes, the Raikage sent me to advise you to inform Naruto-san so that he isn't caught unawares."

"Easier said than done." The Hokage's advisors were just about the only people who had been unhappy when Lord Third had allowed Naruto to leave the village. They took every chance to guilt trip the Hokage, and this was the perfect occasion. "Currently our jinchuuriki is AWOL."

"I already know that Naruto-san isn't here in the Leaf Village, but surely you know where he is... right?"

"We haven't heard from Naruto in seven years." The Hokage stated.

"Hmmh, then perhaps I should have gone to the Kazekage instead."

"What do you mean?" Kakashi wasn't the only one now confused with the situation.

" The Raikage had hoped Naruto-san would've taken his advise last year and returned to the Hidden Leaf, so he told me to come here first. Obviously, Naruto-san didn't return so now I suppose the best option is to inform the Kazekage." The messenger began to button his jacket and ready himself to leave, but Kakashi intervened.

"You're going to warn the one-tail about the attack on your jinchuuriki?"

"No, the Kazekage and Gaara-san have already been informed. But, if anyone knows where Naruto-san is now it'll be Gaara-san, I'll just ask him to deliver a message from one jinchuuriki to another."

The room was silent.

"You know how to find Naruto?" The elder's words only expressed the looks of disbelief on everyone else's faces. "We've been trying to track down that boy for years!"

"Well that's not surprising, he's very good at disappearing when he doesn't want to be found." The messenger's smile was only irritating to both the advisors and ANBUs in the room. After years of searching, the way to finding the nine-tails jinchuuriki lay in the hands of those they considered allies... and they had been left in the dark. "Come to think of it, he disappeared from right under the Raikage's nose after he and Lord Killer Bee made a bit of a mess in one of the border towns a few years ago. Haha, Lord Bee still holds that one over him."

"Why doesn't the Raikage or Killer Bee know where Naruto is?" It was a sensible question, but the messenger merely looked at Kakashi like he was an idiot.

"Those two can't stand each other. Put those two in the same room and you're asking to be burned, it's like pouring oil onto the fire and standing too close. No way in hell would Naruto-san ever trust the Raikage with something like his home address." The messenger chuckled. "And Lord Bee would just blab it to anyone who asked, so telling him anything is out of the question."

"Once you go to the Kazekage, would you be willing to tell us Naruto's location." It was understandable for the ANBU to be curious, but the messenger didn't like the look in his eyes.

"I will not be placing myself in that situation, I am merely going to ask Gaara-san to deliver a message to the nine-tails."

"But if I were to send a few companions with you to the Hidden Sand and they were able to convince Gaara to take them to Naruto, you wouldn't be against that, would you?" The Hokage asked.

"No,I don't suppose there's any reason for me to be against that."

The Hokage smiled. Finally, after so long, there was a chance to see the boy again.