I don't own Naruto, any characters, the world. I own nothing. It's a hard life.
"..." - Normal Speech
"..." - Inner Sakura
"..." - Bijuu
The Ultimate Counter: Chapter One
Sasuke smirked as he thought about his new jutsu. It was mainly useless, almost completely in fact, except it was perfect for one person. Soon, he would beat the dobe once and for all. Then, he will prove that nobody can defeat an UCHIHA!
Naruto leapt from branch to branch with Jiraiya, barely able to contain his excitement. With a shout, he gave an enormous leap and landed directly in front of the huge, familiar gates.
"Finally home! Man it feels good to be back" he exclaimed.
"My thoughts exactly gaki, I think I might just pay a visit to the hot springs and relax a bit..." Jiraiya muttered, a lecherous grin making its way slowly across his face.
"No way Ero-Sennin, you're coming with me to see Baa-chan! You've at least got to stop for a while, you've had three solid years of perving, take a break from that instead!"
"Hey gaki, I've barely been able to do any research dragging your sorry butt all over the elemental nations, you should be grateful that Jiraiya the Gallant even agreed to train you in the first place!"
"Trained me?! Hah! The only way you've helped me train is running away from mobs of women armed with pitchforks! I'd have been better off -"
"Ahem! Do you children need a time out?"
Naruto and Jiraiya stepped back from where they were about to engage in a full on slugging match, only to see the Hokage and Sakura stood glaring impatiently at them.
"Ahhhh... he started it!" Jiraiya yelled, sprinting away while pointing an accusatory finger at Naruto, "Punch him!"
"JIRAIYA!" Tsunade shouted, slamming her fist into his head and sending him flying back into Naruto. "You never learn! Come on gaki, you've got plenty of paperwork to be catching up on, considering you've been out of the village for two and a half years". Tsunade beckoned to Naruto and then began walking away towards the Hokage tower, knowing full well that Sakura would make sure he followed.
Naruto nervously rubbed the back of his head as he walked with Sakura towards the centre of the village, not really sure what to say now he was confronted with the girl with whom he had been so madly in love before he left. He had fretted the whole duration of his training trip, wondering, hoping, dreading that she was still the same Sakura that he had left behind.
"So, uhhh, Sakura-chan?"
"Yes Naruto?" Sakura looked at him while smiling brightly, "It's nice having you back, the village already seems a little brighter. It was... odd, you being away for so long"
Naruto paused, not knowing whether he dared guess at the meaning behind those words.
"I was just wondering how you'd been? Ero-Sennin wouldn't let us stay in the same place for more than a few weeks, he said it was too risky considering who was going to be coming after us, so I haven't heard anything from or about the village in so long"
"Oh, I've been great actually! Tsunade-sama took me on as an apprentice! She's a tough taskmaster, but she's taught me so much, I've grown a lot stronger since you've been away. I can only hope you've kept up" Sakura said, winking at Naruto before bounding off across the rooftops. "Now come on, Tsunade-sama doesn't appreciate people being late!"
Naruto jumped onto the nearest roof and began tailing her across the village, both unaware that they were being watched. A pair of dark eyes tracked them across the rooftops towards the Hokage tower, only turning away and leaping back across the rooftops towards the gates once they had arrived at the tower.
"Did anyone see you?" Sasuke asked the woman in front of him, "You're sure no-one followed you here?"
"I'm sure Sasuke-kun, I would've sensed them if they did!" Karin smiled as she ran a hand down Sasuke's arm, "No-one saw me, heard me, smelled me or sensed me. It's fine"
"Good, then the next stage of our plan is ready to go ahead." Sasuke grabbed a large scroll at his side and hefted it onto his back, "Might as well get this over with, the sooner we do this, the sooner I regain my place in the world, right where I should be. The top."
Sasuke leapt from the cave that he was in, and begin heading towards Konoha at a flat sprint. He made sure to keep his chakra unsuppressed, knowing that they'd find him sooner or later anyway, and he'd rather it be sooner.
"Hokage-sama!"
Tsunade paused mid-sentence to look expectantly at the cat-masked ANBU who had interrupted her as she spoke with the newly-reformed, though still incomplete Team Seven.
"There is a large chakra signature heading this way from the east... It seems to be Sasuke Uchiha"
The room was deathly silent. But, as with any silence with Naruto in it, it was soon broken.
"Baa-chan! I'm going, this can wait!" he yelled, hurtling out of the window and streaming across the rooftops before anyone could think to stop him.
"Damn it gaki! Kakashi, go after him! Sakura, you too! I want him brought back alive, and you're the best people to do it. Take this as an opportunity to showcase my training, don't disappoint me" Tsunade said with a forced smile. Inwardly she groaned while thinking about preparing the hospital. One way or another, someone was going to need it, she was sure.
"Yes Tsunade-same" Sakura replied, before she too leapt from the window and began chasing Naruto towards the east gate, with Kakashi tailing close behind. "Cha! Finally, I get to show everyone what I can do, including Sasuke-kun, and when he sees how much I've grown, he'll have no choice but to come back!"
