Bright

Come Home

-Naruto-

I opened the door to a frantic looking Shikamaru standing outside my door, well about as frantic as Shikamaru could look. I stared at him for a second before he finally let out a frustrated sigh.

"Hey Shikamaru what's up?" I said groggily.

"We have reason to believe Sasuke left the village to go to Orochimaru,"

"He what?! That idiot Sasuke!" I yelled.

"Naruto look there is someth-"

"Wait right here let me go get Akari and get dressed!" I took off into the apartment and quickly threw clothes on, and busted into Akari's small room. Huh? She wasn't in bed? Did team 8 have an early mission or something? That's when I saw it.

"Naruto, you have to listen to me.." I heard Shikamaru's voice but it was muffled out. I looked at the desk chair that had her jacket over the back of it. Sitting on her desk, almost too perfectly, the leaf headband. She was gone, Akari was gone. I knew her, she always had that thing on her forehead no matter what.

"She went with him?" Was all I could manage to get out, and I turned to face Shikamaru who was looking down. It clicked in my head this had to affect him too, they have been friends for awhile after all.

"Come on, we don't have time for moping around we have to get more people." I followed Shikamaru out of the apartment and through the village. We had coaxed Chōji out of his house, and although he wasn't my first option Shikamaru had faith in him.

"Shouldn't we have Shino?" I questioned Shikamaru, I mean he had those bugs that could track people.

"Shino is out on a mission with his father." I heard Kiba's voice and felt my eye twitch.

"Ah not these guys too!" I yelled at Shikamaru and he just nodded, then I thought about it for a second.. Did he know the full extent?

"We need their noses." Shikamaru mumbled, and I went to speak but he quickly put a hand over my mouth. It was like he knew what was about to leave my mouth. He leaned down and whispered in my ear "They don't know she went with him."

I nodded and we all took off. Unless we came across more people this was the extent of our team. Luckily we ran into Neji though. This was good though. Neji could use that weird eye thing, and Kiba plus Akamaru could use their noses. We had two pretty good trackers, and even I had to admit Neji was a really good fighter.

"Wait!" We all turned around and saw Tenten running towards us. She looked frantic.

"Look, Tenten I would love to bring you with us we could use your weaponry techniques but-"

"There is so but about it Shikamaru, she is my best friend, I'm going." Tenten interrupted Shikamaru, and he just let out a groan then nodded.

"Wait, she?" Kiba looked at all of us, then it clicked in his head what was happening, and he let out a feral growl.

"Alright, everyone calm down and listen up, Sasuke and I have never been buds, in fact I don't really like the guy, but he is a leaf shinobi, he is a comrade," Shikamaru then looked like he was in pain, "As far as Akari goes, well, she's one of the few people I would call a friend, we've been friends almost as long as Choji and I, my point is it's our mission to bring them back don't lose sight of that."

The worst part of it was, I was losing both my teammate and my sister. Everyone else was losing her and someway too. Tenten was losing her training partner and best friend. Shikamaru was losing one of his longest running friends. Even Chōji and Neji were friends. Kiba though, Kiba had been working by her side for a long time, they were teammates who worked amazing together, they were about as close as her and I were.