In the Naruto world, where there aren't any cookies (Book 1 of The New Noblesse)

Naruto's Pain

"Where's Kuroi?" came the whispers from the stand. No one knew where she was. There was a good six hours before the Exam started, but nevertheless, not knowing where she was made the contestants uneasy. The Hokage was getting worried, as were the other Kages, but they said nothing. Naruto looked in all directions, while trying to stay with his team. 

"Naruto, relax! She's fine, and you're not helping my nerves!" Sakura yelled, approaching him. He sighed, obviously unhappy. Sasuke watched with interest, as the dobe seemed different today.

"I know she's okay..." Naruto started. "But she's not here." he finished in a serious monotone, shocking everyone. Sakura grew an anime vein.

"STOP BEING SO GOD DAMN DEPRESSED!" she exclaimed, and brought her fist down. Naruto, however, caught it and looked at her with a deadly glare. There was silence as everyone looked upon the scene in shock. 

"Don't." he said, and she wrestled her hand free from his grip, and walked over to Sasuke, who's eyes were slightly side. 

"Kuroi's rubbing off on him." Sakura muttered. "Right, Sasuke-kun?" she asked, and he sighed, having had it up to here with her.

"Hn," was his response. "She really has." he said with a smirk, shocking Ino and Sakura, and more or less everyone who was watching, except for Naruto, who was still looking unhappy with the situation.

"Oi, how come he smiles when he talks about her?" asked Ino, who had rounded everyone up; fangirls or not. Sakura nodded.

"It's true." she said, and then they all started fantasizing about Sasuke smiling when talking about them.

Half an hour later, the matches hadn't started, but she still wasn't here.
"Where is she?" asked Sakura, to noo one in particular. Naruto was now shaking.
"When I find her..." he trailed off, and his anger and worry was obvious in the way he spoke. the other two of his team were obviously shocked by his unusually non-hyper attitude. They were then called to the Hokage by an ANBU member, who said he was in the arena. As they reached there, they found that everyone else who was participating in the Exams was there as well. The Kages turned to them upon hearing their arrival.
"Sasuke, Sakura, Naruto. We have are here to-"

"We don't know where Kuroi-chan is, old man." Naruto cut him off, and there was silence, until;
"Forgive him, Hokage-sama, he's not himself today, he seems to be upset by Kuroi's absense." Sakura said, bowing slightly. She reached to tug on Naruto's sleeve, only to be stopped by a glare from Naruto.
"Naruto, why are you this mad?" the Hokage asked, and Naruto snorted.

"She said she'd always be with me. And now she's gone. Our mental link has been cut." He replied, and there was shocked silence as they all proccessed what he had said.
"But, Kuroi would never..." the Hokage tried to say, but trailed off.

"Yeah, you're right, she wouldn't." Naruto was trembling. "No...she hasn't. She wouldn't leave me...alone." he said, falling to his knees. Soon enough, he was all out bawling. "K-Kuroi-chan wouldn't....she wouldn't.....she wouldn't.....never." he said as he flopped down on the floor of the arena. Suddenly, there was a loud -VERY loud- rumbling sound, and there seemed to be shadows everywhere.

"Would anyone mind telling me why Naruto's crying?" came a voice. Everyone was silent, until there was a shout of surprise. "Kuroi-chaaann~" Naruto ran towards a huge looming shadow. The shadow flickered in and out of existance, then it formed into.......

--Kuroi POV, as always--

My shadow flickered like the flame of a candle, then shrunk until it had formed into me. Looking down at a sniffling Naruto in my arms, I glared at everything in sight. I had not slept at all, and felt like setting everything on fire. He sniffled and sobbed in my arms, and I looked up, at the Hokage.