HIIIIIII! I'm XoStarcicleox!
This story is set in Shippuden episode 33, but with A LOT of changes.
Okay, well I have nothing else to say but please review!
Disclaimer: I hope to own Naruto one day, but until that comes I don't.

Chapter 1: New Images

I smelled the fresh air of Konoha. Home at last! It was great to be back in the village! After that long mission with saving Gaara, I didn't really get much time to tour my favorite village! (I'm not saying I didn't like saving Gaara; it's just that I need to spend some time alone. Ever since I got back, I didn't get the time to look around.) Well now I'm back; and I'm ready to get started! I ran out of the hospital, sadly leaving my friends.

Let's see. I've already seen Sakura, who's as beautiful as ever! I've seen Team Guy, who are as crazy yet cool as ever! And I briefly saw Shikamaru, who, at that brief time, looked as lazy as ever. So that leaves the rest of Team 10, and . . . who was that other team? Let's see, I remember a small dog, bugs, and white eyes. Hey, that's Kiba, Shino, and Hinata of Team 8! How can I forget them?

Eager to see my grown friends, I raced through the village, my eyes set on anyone I remember. I thought I smelled ramen! As I skipped over a rooftop, I came upon a path with wooden fences. I found myself going inside and walking its dirt road. It was peaceful here-very calm. Very soothing. This place allowed my mind to rest and think about anything I wanted to think of. Unfortunately, my mind wanted to think about Sasuke, both the good and bad times, but mostly the bad.

I remembered that fight we had at the waterfall. I looked down when I remembered our trasformation-me being the one-tailed, and Sasuke being in his second-state or whatever.

My mind was so preoccupied with these thoughts, that I missed the tree I was passing, and that tree was talking to me! "Long time no see . . . Naruto."

I whirled around to look for the sound. There, covered by the shadows of the leaves, stood a man. His hood and jacket was covering him, his hands in his pocket. He looked creepy! "Uh, who are you?" I suspiciously asked. And when I did, the atmosphere suddenly turned cold.

"Just because it's been a while, doesn't mean you can forget your comrades, Naruto."

Wait. That bored tone. That toofamiliar annoying voice. Could it be? "Shino?" I cried, striding over to the Aburame. "I could barely recognize you! You-you-"

"You forgot me," he said plainly.

"W-well, you're all bundled up in clothes! How is anybodysupposed to recognize you?" Sheesh, the nerve of this guy!

"Just because you've been gone for a while, doesn't mean you can forget your comrades' faces. Because if you do, that comrade will feel hurt."

I am now getting really annoyed with this guy. But just when I was going to make an awesome comeback, something big and heavy dropped from the sky. I staggered back, coughing from the smoke it cause up. As it started to clear, though, I could see another boy with brown hair sitting on top of a big, white creature. He didn't see me right away, but instead looked behind him towards Shino.

"Hey Shino, you're early," he said with a laugh. He then caught sight of me and turned to look at me. "Huh? Is it you?" He smiled as he jumped off the creature's back and walked over to me. Then, he started to sniff me.

"Yep, that's your smell! Naruto!" he cried. It was Kiba Inuzuka, the guy louder than me. I smiled at him, happy to have a friend that could be as troublesome as me. Behind him, the creature barked a greeting.

"Kiba," I started to say, looking at it. "Is that . . .?"

"Hm?" Kiba looked to where I was pointing. He gave a little chuckle. "What? Don't know my dog? That's Akamaru!"

My jaw dropped. "Ehhh? Th-that's Akamaru? He-he-"

"Naruto, you've grown!" Kiba said, comparing his height to mine.

I shook my head, though. "I'm not the one who grew! He grew!" I continued to stare and point at the now enlarged version of the small dog I remembered 2 years ago.

"Hm? Really? I'm always with him so I never notice."

"What are you talking about? Before, he used to sit on your head!" The flashback of Kiba, and Akamaru sitting just on top of his owner's cranium, came to my mind. "Don't you agree, Shino?" I turned to face my previous encounter.

He was partly hidden in the shadows again. "You recognized Kiba right away, Naruto."

A wave of annoyance washed over me again as I thought, He's sulking.

Suddenly, I heard a soft gasp. "N-Naruto?" a voice behind me said.

I looked to the direction from where the voice came from. There, standing in a corner of the fence, was the most beautiful woman I ever saw. She had long midnight black hair that hung loosely on her back. Her delicate hands were up over her mouth, and just above that were clear, white eyes, with a shade of lavender. That color matched perfectly well with her lavender jacket, which I could see was hiding something.

"I-is that really you?" she asked. I didn't reply, because I was too busy staring at her. There was something familiar about her, but never in my life have I met someone as gorgeous as her (except Sakura and Haku.)

Suddenly, she smiled and ran over to me. Every step she took made my heart pound even faster. That adorable grin she had on didn't help it slow down, either.

She stopped short just in front of me. She was a little shorter than me, so I had to look down. Up close, she was even prettier! How can one hold that much beauty?

"Welcome back!" she cried. Her voice was too cute. And familiar, but I was too dazed to remember.

From the corner of my ears, I heard Kiba. "Hey, it's Hinata!"

I didn't want to look away, but I reluctantly forced myself to search for the said girl. I looked past the woman standing in front of me to find Hinata. But the path was empty. Could she be hiding behind the fence? I searched some more for a pale jacket and short hair. I remembered only too well her always sick red face.

"Um, Naruto? What are you looking at?" the woman in front of me asked. Immediately, I turned my attention back to her. Her eyes were filled with confusion.

And guess what my genius answer was? "Uuuhhhhh . . . "

A finger snapped in front of me, breaking my daydream. I looked around and saw Kiba standing next to me. "You okay, buddy?" he asked. "You're just standing there staring at Hinata."

"I . . . am?" I asked, still a little dazed. I turned back to the empy path. "But I don't see her."

"Dummy, she's right in front of you?"

"Where?"

Just then, Kiba took his hands and put it on my head. He made me look down to the woman I've been drooling over. I was still confused. Why did Kiba direct my attention to her? "Okay, so?"

"Naruto, don't you recognize me?" the girl asked, sounding sad. "It's me, Hinata Hyuga."

It felt like a giant pan just landed on my head. My head ringing, I frowned at the woman who said those words. I felt my jaw slowly dropping lower and lower, and my eyes growing wider and wider as I saw the resemblance.

It all made sense now. Sort of.

I jumped away from the girl, my finger pointing stiffly at her. "HINATA HYUGA? AS IN THE HINATA HYUGA?" While I was screaming that, an image of the young Hinata popped in my head. That colorless, thick jacket and those small, fragile fingers always tapping and playing with each other were the first things I remembered. That plain hair of hers was always short, and it never did sway like the other girls.

"Yeah, the one and only," Kiba said, confused at why I was so surprised.

How can he not understand? If this was really Hinata, then A LOT has changed about her! Especially her appearance! My eyes looked all around the new figure of Hinata. She doesn't seem so shy, either.

"Where have I been for the past 2 and a half years?" I muttered to myself. Hinata walked a little closer to me, her face in a worried expression.

"Naruto, are you okay?"

After that, I did the thing I thought I could never do. This is something only Hinata would have done!

I fainted.

As darkness took over me, I could hear Shino's voice just say, "At least he didn't recognize Hinata immediately either."

So what do you think?
Please stick around, because it will (hopefully) be better in the future.
Should I change anything?
Was Naruto OOC? Was Hinata OOC?
Actually, Hinata is not supposed to be that shy anymore.

I didn't want to talk about the whole Akatsuki business.
I skipped all that. Sorry if that disappointed anybody. =(
And I don't know if Sai will show up...