Sasuke, Kakashi, and Sakura made it outside just in time to see Naruto go leaping from balcony to balcony on a nearby building until he reached the roof and then began running towards a wooded area to the west.
"Hey dummy!" Sakura yelled after him, "Where do you think you're go— huh?"
Naruto was also pushing his way through a crowd just in front of them, his face eager and his eyes focused on the ground as though looking for something.
Sakura frowned. "How did he…"
The Naruto by the crowd was still in plan sight when another Naruto dashed out of a small alleyway, nearly tripped over a trashcan, and then began running towards the next side street.
"Three of him?" She shook her head. "Sometimes I hate those damn shadow clones of his."
"Count again," Sasuke answered, just a hint of amusement in his voice.
Two more Naruto's could be seen checking the trees the lined the plaza in front of the Tower. Another one was on top of a near by roof, one hand above his eyes to block the afternoon sunlight, looking back and forth. Still more could occasionally be spotted, thanks to their bright orange clothing, moving in and out of the crowded village streets.
"How many are there?" Sakura asked as she watched the search.
"A lot," Naruto's voice laughed from behind her as he put a hand on her shoulder.
Sakura jumped and let out a small cry of surprise and fright. "Idiot!" she growled once she realized who it was. In one smooth motion she spun on her heel and slammed her fist into the blond's face. Naruto vanished in a puff of smoke.
"Hey!" called another Naruto who had been walking by. "What the hell was that for?"
Sakura grabbed two handfuls of pink hair and gave them a hard tug as her face contorted comically. "Ugh, I've had nightmares that looked just like this!" she groaned.
Kakashi shrugged and reached for his book. "Well," he said as he flipped through the pages to find the right spot, "it doesn't exactly build the sort of teamwork these missions are normally supposed to encourage, but that's Naruto for you…"