The sun sparkled gently through the gaps of the leaves on the trees above. A small
trickling stream wandered through a thick forest. Near the shore, a young man laid alone
against a rock. A small breeze brushed his blond hair into his sleeping eyes arousing him
ever so slightly. This youth is Uzumaki Naruto and this is his place. No one knew about
it, not even his beloved father figure, Iruka-sensai. This was his place, he had discovered
it once after one of the many times he had run out the village when he was younger.
Lucky for him, he didn't have to do that anymore lately. The villagers would never truly
want him there but now only a few stated their opinions aloud anymore. Another gentle
wind blew, this time awakening the sleeping youth. He propped himself up on the palms
of his hands. "Hmmm…..I must have dozed off." He mumbled to no one in particular.
He got up with a feline grace. (Of course meaning that one of his legs gave out and he
flopped down on a rock at an odd angle.) Once he had fully stretched out his legs, he
cracked his stiff neck and walked over to the stream to get a drink. His mouth was
incredibly dry and nearly cracked open when he took a sip causing him to choke and
cough violently. He stuck his face in the water to free it of any signs of sleepiness. Once
he had toweled it off with the bottom of his open jacket, he looked at his reflection.
Uzumaki Naruto; 17;one of Konoha's elite anbu. He didn't dislike what he saw. He was
somewhat short in stature but extremely well built. His tanned skin, blond hair, and
toned body made him look like a beach bum or a teenage fad. His dazzlingly blue eyes
reflected the color of the water perfectly making it appear that he had no eyes at all.
Those 6 little birthmarks on the sides of his face marking him forever as a kitsune, stared
back at him tauntingly. He went back to his rock to think over what had happened earlier
that day. His squad was waiting for their instructor, who was (as usual) so late that they
actually had to cancel the mission. Some things never change. After Naruto had talked
Sasuke into coming back to Kanoha two years before, he rejoined team 7 and they where
complete again. They had all promptly been raised to Anbu and had worked they're way
into the elites. Kakashi-sensai was still there team leader, but know he lead them as
Anbu and the stakes where much higher. Their friends had also moved up in the world.
Lee, Ten Ten, and Neji where also Anbu, however they weren't as high in rank as
Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura. Shikamaru had kept his job as a chunin examiner. (Some say
it was so he could see Temari every year but he always avoided the subject of the pony-
tailed sand nin) Choji and Ino had both become academy teachers because of their love
for children while Shino and Kiba had become Gennin team leaders like Kakashi had
been. Hinata had moved to the Suna as a peacemaker, (much to Kiba's annoyance) had
fallen in love with their Kazekage, (VERY much to Kiba's annoyance) and was now
currently engaged to Gaara. Naruto then thought of his past week and its lack of
missions. All he had done so far was eat ramen and corn chips while watching TV. He
was starting to feel flabby around the waist. He got up and stretched again, deciding to
go back to the village to train a bit. As he whistled and walked, he was blissfully unaware
of the chaos that await him at the training ground.