Kaori Hatake

Chapter Thirty

Naruto's Point Of View:

I watched in horror as Kaori got taken by one of those troublesome tails and pulled down to be engulfed in the water at the same time as the beast. Sakura and Ino looked horrified at the event.

"She can't swim!" Kakashi-sensai shouted, taking off down the cliff. Asuma told Shikamaru, Choji, and Ino to stay put as he followed behind.

"I'm going, too," I told my team.

"No, Naruto. Stay here. If anything, Sasuke should go," Sakura said. "You might make things worse." I glared at her for that comment.

"I don't care what you think, Sakura. At least I can help," I bit back. She looked taken aback. I jumped down, and Sasuke followed suit. We looked around on the ledges with the two adults until the water calmed down. When it did, everyone came down to help search for our missing peer.

"I really hope she didn't drown," Sakura said.

"Quiet, Sakura," Tenten hushed her, sadly looking at Kakashi-sensai and Team 10.

"Do you have no respect?" I asked her with cold eyes. Sure, I had a crush on her, but she has gone way too far on this mission alone.

"Of course I do. I have way more than you do."

"Apparently not. You don't say things like that," Sasuke intervened, stepping in front of me. "Learn how to read a room." He turned his back to her to face me. Our eyes locked. "Let's keep looking Naruto."

"Okay," I agreed, running down the new river with him to search farther down. "Did you find her yet?" I asked.

"We wouldn't still be looking if I had."

"Where could she be? She couldn't have gotten swept that far down." We heard a gasp and choking from downstream, and Sasuke and I raced towards the noise. Koari was hanging onto a branch, puking out water. Sasuke pulled her up, putting one of her arms around his shoulders. I followed his jumps back towards the group where Lady Tsunade took the time to heal her beat up form.

"Where's the beast?" Shellia asked as she joined our group.

"Away from Mella," Kaori snarled.

"What are you talking about?" Kakashi Sensei interrogated with narrowed eyes.

"Doana sealed him inside me." Everyone froze, and chills of terror ran down my spine.

"She's sealed, isn't she? How is that even possible?" Tsunade questioned. Kaori pushed the hokage away and stood up on wobbly legs. Shikamaru caught her fall. He gently picked her up in his arms, and she glared at her father.

"I told you I wouldn't let Mella lose her childhood just to become a jinchurriki."

"Are you out of your mind?" Shikamaru growled from above her. "Two will kill you."

"That's fine. As long as my sister is away from this, I don't care."

"I'm transferring the beast," Sensei growled. Kaori disappeared in an instant without a trace, and we began another search party to hunt her down.

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"Did anyone find her yet?" Gaara questioned as soon as he and his siblings caught up with us.

"How did you know she went missing?" Tenten asked curiously.

"Naruto sent me a message."

"Not yet. She couldn't have gotten far with two beasts inside of her," I explained.

"I am shocked to hear she did that," Temari said in worry. "How did she even manage that?"

"She claims Doana sealed him inside her. That's her original beast."

"How did the beast even do that? That sounds impossible," Kankuro wondered.

"We have to find her," Gaara interrupted.

"We will," I promised. I put a hand on his shoulder in comfort. His eyes held painful doubt. "I promise. We'll get her back home with you."

"I hope you're right, Naruto."

"What do we do?" Ino asked.

"I'll have my hounds track her scent...if they can pick it up. I know they can, actually. How do I know? Because they've done it multiple times in the past."

"But she's trickier now," Asuma disagreed. "She's learning and growing at a rapid rate. Honestly, who knows when the Anbu will recruit her for the squad."

"I'd prefer to keep her out of their radar," Sensei scoffed. "She's intelligent, and who knows what they're plotting for her."

"Let's look for Kaori, and then we'll worry about the Anbu," I intervened.

"The boy's right," a familiar voice agreed.

"Pervy Sage!" I exclaimed in excitement. "Grandma Tsunade! I thought you left."

"Master Jiraiya? Lady Hokage?" Kakashi Sensei quizzed.

"We're here to help," the Hokage answered. "And we do need to find her before she falls into the wrong hands especially with Madara after her now."

"Where do we start?" said Gaara.

"Some of us should stay here and look for her. The rest of us will head back to the village in case she has returned or will return," Granny explained. I nodded.

813 words.