Due to Gaara's disappearance, the meeting had been adjourned for the day. Tsunade was situated back behind her desk, surveying reports, with Shizune in the background filing them away.

The Hokage had a total of about 4.6 seconds from noticing a presence in her hallway until it burst into her office. That is, 'it' being a highly angry and volatile Sabaku no Gaara. Tsunade didn't even glance up at him.

"First you leave the meeting without a word, then you barge into my office? I thought you were learning to be diplomatic, Gaara-san." Another paper was filed away under Gaara's torrid glare. Jarringly, he spoke.

"Naruto. Aren't there any other suspects?"

Tsunade blinked, caught off guard. He must have found someone to ask about Naruto almost as soon as he had left, for all the time that had passed. Shizune stood frozen behind Tsunade's chair, wide eyed.

"No." Tsunade looked away. "Naruto is still the only one." She paused. "…If the real culprit isn't found soon… Naruto will be convicted."

The way she said the word, it was obvious that 'convicted' did not mean 'sent to jail.'

"You're the Hokage, can't you postpone this or something?!"

"If there were evidence to suggest it wasn't Naruto, I could…" Tsunade slumped forward, head in hands. "And not only that, but every member of the council is pushing the sentence against him. There's nothing I can do…" she whispered.

"But you have to be able to do a thorough investigation! Find more evidence, other suspects! Naruto isn't the kind of person who would-"

"I KNOW THAT!" Tsunade yelled, slamming her fists on her desk. Shizune backed away from her boss, creeping towards the window, while Gaara was momentarily silenced.

"I know that." Tsunade repeated, quieter. "You and I both know that. But you must remember that Naruto is in the same kind of situation as you. It's easy-" Tsunade faltered, biting her lip. "It's easy for them to just blame him and be done with it! They all still hate him, they WANT to see him dead! They're so blind that that can't see Naruto from Kyuubi, and Naruto's paying for it! And with the entire council against me, there's nothing I can do to stop it!" She hung her head, to hide the tears stinging in her eyes.

The three stood in silence, Tsunade trying to reign in her emotions, Shizune unsure of what to do, and Gaara…

"If Naruto disappeared from prison, what would you do?"

Tsunade and Shizune's heads shot up to stare in wonder at Gaara.

"What did you say?!"

"If Naruto disappeared from prison, what would you do?" Gaara said slowly, as if explaining something to a child.

Tsunade looked at him in wonder.

"Are you suggesting-"

"I'm suggesting nothing." Gaara interjected, not missing a beat. "I'm merely asking a question…" he smirked, a barely perceptible uplifting of one side of the face, which was dramatic for Gaara, but a smirk nonetheless. "…Out of curiosity."

"Then, for curiosity's sake, I'd have to say that if he were able to disappear quickly and without a trace, that all that could be done is a covert investigation, as to keep it from spreading to other Hidden Villages that we let him escape."

The smirk left Gaara's face. He stared at Tsunade, looking for something, a sign-

"…And if he were to successfully escape, he, and anyone who might have helped him, would have my blessing."

That was all Gaara needed. Without another word, he spun around and left the Hokage's office almost as quickly as he had come.

Tsunade sighed, then flumped back into her chair and continued reviewing reports. Her aide stayed where she was, looking incredulously at her boss.

"Tsu-Tsunade-sama? Was that wise?" Shizune turned to the open door. "Telling him something like that?"

"I truthfully don't know." The Hokage paused. "But it's the only hope Naruto has…"

"But Naruto'll be-" Shizune choked.

"I know. He'll be labeled missing-nin…" Tsunade's hand was trembling, a report crumpled beyond recognition within it.

"…Unless he finds the real culprit, Naruto will never be Konoha-nin again, let alone Hokage."