Back to the past, Believe it!

From one to another

It wasn't long until people started to notice Sasuke was missing, Naruto was actually the first. In just 10 hours after Sasuke left to join ROOT Shikamaru was forced to tell Naruto. Naruto almost went running, but Shikamaru found it in himself to stop him.

"Its not like before." Shikamaru shouted, which stunned Naruto. "He'll come back; he isn't rouge." Naruto looked at Shikamaru searchingly before ripping his arm away from Shikamaru.

"Why wouldn't you stop him?" Shikamaru looked at Naruto with furrowed brows before he gritted his teeth. "You think I didn't try? Really?" Shikamaru was almost in disbelief, Naruto responded with a frown.

Of course, he didn't think that. "He's going to get the seal." Naruto said with a grimace. Shikamaru frowned, "I know that, and I warned him, lot of good that did me." Naruto's eyes darkened as he turned away. He could always try to find where Sasuke is, but like before it'll end in a fight.

"As much as I hate to say it, don't want to say it, we will have to work around this and let Sasuke do this." Shikamaru said with a grim expression. "When Sasuke has his mind on something, he won't change it. You know that." Naruto looked at Shikamaru, "All to well." He admitted. Naruto gritted his teeth before taking a deep breath. "OK." Naruto said.

"OK." He repeated. "I'll kill him when he comes back." Naruto finally said. Usually he'd have a smile, joking like that, but Shikamaru almost mistook him for serious. Perhaps a rather harsh beating was in store for Sasuke. Shikamaru didn't say it out loud but all he could think was "If he makes It back alive."

Sasuke's family was next to notice his disappearance. Itachi had said he was in the house one moment then gone the next. If Shikamaru was right, he stole the items, dropped some off at his house went back to Death Forest to drop off the rest of the kunai, then he found the scroll and so on.

Which at least clears his father from the scrutiny of the Uchiha clan. If he didn't drop off the kunai first his last known whereabouts would have been his house. He shuddered at what could have happened then, at least Sasuke didn't royally screw him over. He doesn't know whether to be glad or angrier at Sasuke, but only time will tell.

The search was on.

Shikamaru was questioned 3 times before he was fully released as innocent, same goes for Naruto. Luckily even if they are trustworthy in the eyes of the leaf if they were adults, they would have had someone mind walk through their brains to see if they were telling the absolute truth.

Especially in a case like this, Sasuke is a heir to the Uchiha clan after all. But since they were children getting mind walked can scramble their brain to the point of no return, and as the Nara heir he was safe from such a fate. Just as Naruto being the Jinchuriki, he was also safe the elders would never allow it.

Shikaku had been relentless to find out where he went. He said he didn't even want to know so he could tell anyone, but just to have the knowledge he was okay. Shikamaru said he was ok, but he couldn't tell him where Sasuke went. He had received a very dirty look, but his father accepted that's all he was going to get to know.

"I hope he's not gone for too long either." Shikaku had paused before looking at his son, he looked distressed in every way possible. He hadn't tried to comfort Shikamaru, even as his father something like this wasn't his job. But that makes Shikamaru's reassurances that Sasuke is ok doubtable.

Time passed swiftly yet so slowly, he was doing so much, training, gathering information, Naruto was talking to Kurama little by little, he was correct it was due to the seal. But due to the seal Kurama is in a sense, in a coma. He can't do much, he described it as being in invisible chains that pump a constant anesthetic. They need to get the key from Jiraiya and the toads as fast as possible.