The Nine-Tails had only just woken up and was still a little groggy when he sensed something. He suddenly jolted and spoke in Naruto's inner world.
[Whoa, Kurama, you scared me! You've been sleeping for days...]
"First, tell me where we are. Have we reached that stinking octopus Gyuki's place?"
[Here? This place is called the Fire Temple. Something came up, so we're still in the Land of Fire for now...]
"The Fire Temple?"
The Nine-Tails narrowed his eyes. "Oh, so it's here. Now I remember—there was something going on here, wasn't there? I thought it was that guy... ahem. What are you doing here?"
Perhaps because the Nine-Tails immediately asked another question, Naruto seemed not to notice his mention of "that guy." He simply explained the situation at the Fire Temple and the disappearances.
"Tch, another mission from your village, and it doesn't sound particularly interesting. Forget it. I can't be bothered to get involved."
The Nine-Tails yawned, then seemed to remember something and added, "Oh, right. I remember there's a little fellow in this Fire Temple who has some of my chakra. The presence I sensed just now should be his. If you really want to find him, you can follow that."
[He has some of your chakra?]
Naruto's eyes lit up.
He hadn't expected the disappearance case, which had offered no clues at all, to yield a lead through the Nine-Tails.
Naruto then caught up with the main group and passed the news on to Kakashi and the others.
"So we have a lead on the missing people from the Fire Temple too?"
Asuma was pleasantly surprised. "Then let's split up, Naruto. You and Shikamaru can investigate the missing Fire Temple members first. Kakashi and I will head to the Daimyo Mansion."
"Got it! I'll ask Kurama