Chapter 45: CH 45
Naruto had cut a hellacious pace through the desert and was out of Kaze no Kuni in one day. The trip through the forests of Hi no Kuni were much easier for him, thus his pace picked up and he stopped for the night only a few hours away from Konohagakure.
The next morning he barreled into the village, dodging civilians and took to the rooftops to arrive at the Hokage Tower swiftly so he could rest or get another mission before it got to be the afternoon.
As he got close to the door he saw Shizune running all about the tower with a frantic look on her face. Raising an eyebrow at her behavior he tried to get her attention, "Um, Shizune-chan. You're moving kind of fast this morning aren't you?" He noticed that she looked somewhat fatigued, "Is there something wrong? You look like you barely slept if you even did at all last night."
Shizune stopped and looked at him, eyes widening when she saw it was him, "Naruto-kun! Thank goodness you're here! You got done fast... Whatever, Tsunade-sama needs you now!" Shizune grabbed and shoved Naruto into her office and shut the door before he could even speak.
He rubbed his arm, "Damn Shizune-chan... Grip." Naruto looked at Tsunade's desk to see her drinking sake and looking down at some kind of papers. Naruto fished in his pocket and walked up to her desk to place the scroll from Suna down.
Tsunade's head snapped up as she had just noticed Naruto right then and her eyes lit up, "Naruto!"
This once again confused him, "Yes, me! Are you and Shizune feeling okay baa-chan? You never call me Naruto to my face and you're both freaking out about something."
Tsunade grabbed Naruto by his cheeks and pulled him halfway over the desk, scaring the crap out of him. Tsunade shook him, "I need you to go back up a team."
Naruto looked confused, "Now? Damn, I just got back. What is it? And who am I going to meet up with?"