Hello! Welcome to my first story line! Writing fanfiction has been on my mind for a while, so I decided to go for it. This story literally fell out of my brain in two days. Can't wait to hear feed back on the first chapter! *I obviously do not own Naruto.*
The Return
"Damnit, Naruto! Stop pulling your punches!"
"Sorry Sakura! It's a habit." he said sheepishly.
"You're not even using ninjutsu! I need you to take this seriously, Naruto. I have to pass the Jonin exam." Sakura stood up from her fighting stance, sighing and rubbing the sweat from her forehead. Meanwhile, Naruto collapsed onto his back in a fit.
"I can't believe I still have to study while you're becoming a Jonin!" Sakura sat down next to Naruto, trying not to smile.
"Naruto. You know Kakashi made this more of a technicality so that you aren't completely lost sitting at that desk in a decade," Sakura rolled her eyes and got up from the ground when Naruto began to pout. "Seriously Naruto, stop whining." Sakura looked over training ground three as memories she'd been trying to bury attacked her. "Speaking of Kakashi, let's head to the Hokage Tower. This is Tsunade's last day in Konoha for a while." Sakura momentarily frowned as she considered her mentor, who handed the reigns to Kakashi the moment they stepped foot on Konoha soil after the war.
"Ah, that's right Granny Tsunade's leaving again! I wonder where she's going?" Naruto looked up with his hand on his chin, thinking of the possibilities.
"Don't think too hard." Sakura said dryly, as she began to put chakra in her feet to get a move on. As she and Naruto began to cover ground, she thought back to their missing teammate. Sauske was out of the village and would be indefinitely. After Tsunade practically strapped him to a hospital bed and used her grandfathers' cells to fit him a like new arm at Kakashi's request, he left with minimal disruption, with her and Kakashi standing at the gates, and he and Naruto sharing private words that Naruto wouldn't share with her to this day. That was four years ago.
"Hey Sakura," Naruto asked as they reached the doors of the tower. "Let's get ramen today, we've earned it!" Sakura turned and looked at Naruto who had his normal goofy grin on, thinking about all the growing he'd done over the past four years, physically, mentally, and emotionally. Iruka nor Kakashi were taking it easy on him. At all.
"Naruto, don't you have something to ask Hinata tonight at dinner?"
"Um… no?" He answered as the smile left his face gradually. Sakura heaved a sigh, while practically tearing the door off the hinges, startling Genma who was on the other side of said door.
"Idiot!" She growled as the stomped up to the Hokage's office.
"Sakura, wait! I need you to remind me!" Naruto said has he quickly caught up with her. Sakura didn't stop and marched right into Kakashi's office. Tsunade and Kakashi looked up curiously from the scroll they were finishing up wondering what Shizune or Shikamaru wanted to complain about now, but they both were pleasantly surprised to see their students.
"Sakura, Naruto! What a pleasant surprise." Kakashi said with his typical smile.
"What brings you both up here?" Tsunade asked, standing from her chair beside Kakashi's and placing her hands on her hips. Sakura glanced over Tsunade and Kakashi's desk, noting the S rank scroll they were working on.
"Well, I was coming to see you and ask about dinner tonight, but it looks like there's been a change of plans?" Sakura stated it like a question she already knew the answer to.
"As usual, you put confidence into my decision to take you on all those years ago," Tsunade said, smiling at the pink-haired girl. Meanwhile, Naruto seemed slightly confused.
"Granny, what's going on?" Kakashi looked at Tsunade, asking her if they should wait or go ahead and confirm. Tsunade answered his question with a slight nod, and Kakashi asked the guard to close the door. Sakura and Naruto glanced back at the movement, and dread now had their stomachs turning. The pair turned, serious looks on their faces. "Granny Tsunade. Is this about Sauske?" Naruto asked, walking towards her. Tsunade sighed and picked up the scroll, wishing it were that simple.
"No, Naruto. This is about the Snake Sannin, unfortunately."
"Orochimaru? I thought Captain Yamato was monitoring his movements?" Sakura asked as her eyes widened, stepping forward to stand next to Naruto.
"He is," Kakashi confirmed, while taking the scroll from Tsunade to close and seal. "And I don't like what he's seeing. Not only is he beginning to experiment on living beings again, he's made himself look 20 years younger. He's also been sneaking past Tenzou's perimeter at night. Honestly, we should have taken care of this years ago." Kakashi sat back in his chair and put his feet up on the desk, twirling the now sealed mission scroll between his fingers. It wasn't as big as it would have been had they been preparing to send ANBU to take care of him. "Team Kakashi will be heading out to the Sound to investigate what the hell he's up to."
"Team Kakashi?" Sakura asked. "Most of team Kakashi is out of the village!" Sai was currently on a recon mission, and Sauske is… well, where in the hell is Sauske, Sakura wondered.
"He's on his way back to the village." Kakashi said, answering the unasked question on Naruto and Sakura's faces. "Sai got back from his mission this morning. This takes precedence. Kiba met and replaced him last night."
"Sauske is on his way back?" Naruto asked excitedly.
"I literally just said that. But Naruto- don't get too excited. Sauske has already decided to leave from the Sound and go back to his mission after we're done. He is not coming back to the village when we're done." Naruto nodded his head seriously at Kakashi, understanding what his team leader and Hokage was telling him.
"Sakura." Her head snapped up at her name being said.
"Yes, Lady Tsunade?" She answered. "This mission is important. Orochimaru is not someone you can be distracted from. Your head needs to be in this, or Shizune will be sent in your place." Tsunade said sternly. Sakura felt her cheeks grow warm at her mentor's warning.
"Yes, ma'am." She said, chastened.
"Who's team leader? Captain Yamato? Is he still in the Sound Village?" Naruto asked, while mentally packing and trying to remember what the hell he had to ask Hinata.
"That would be me." Kakashi said, standing up from his desk and walking around to his team. "No one else outside of the six of us have really had to deal with him, except for the Fifth Hokage, of course. Lady Tsunade will take up the mantle again while we're out of the village. Tenzou cannot leave his post, or Orochimaru will become suspicious, and probably go on the run again." Sakura glanced at Kakashi, wondering what he wasn't telling them. If he was leaving the village to basically become a Jonin again, this had to be so much worse than he was letting on. He also had on his Hokage-fied Jonin uniform, which meant they were leaving soon. "We leave at 10 tonight. You'll need to postpone your proposal dinner, Naruto. I'm sorry." Kakashi said, looking at the younger ninja.
"Proposal dinner? Damnit! That was what I need to ask her!" Naruto exclaimed while running top speed out of the office.
"Watch where you're going, Loser." Sauske said, as he pushed Naruto out of the way to keep them from colliding on the threshold of the office.
"Bastard! You're back! Can't stop and talk, gotta go! See you at 10!" Naruto said as he began to run at top speed again. Sauske glanced towards where Naruto had been standing. He then stepped forward and closed the door again.
"Why in the hell was he in such a rush?" Looking over the occupants of the room.
"He was supposed to propose to Hinata tonight but since we're leaving, some arrangements need to be changed." Kakashi replied as he glanced over the former-rouge ninja. Sauske scoffed as he saw the three of them examining him. He was preparing to say something scathing but changed his mind. It had been a while.
"Sakura. Tsunade." He said instead.
"Brat," Tsunade replied. "How's the arm treating you?"
"No noted problems," He responded, then glanced to Sakura again, expecting to see that less annoying glazed over look she always gave him. He was taken slightly off guard to see her walking past him without another glance in his direction.
"See you guys at 10." She said quietly as the left the room.
"What's her problem?" Sauske asked, with a slightly curious tone. He wasn't used to her completely ignoring him.
"What? You thought she'd continue to worship the ground you walked on after you left the last time?" Tsunade scoffed and began walking to the door as well. "Unlike you, Brat, the Konoha Eleven have matured. Well… Naruto's doing his best to keep up. Kakashi, I'll see you when you return." Tsunade looked at Kakashi over her shoulder. "This is the last mess of ours you'll have to clean up." Tsunade exited the office, with Shizune coming out of nowhere to follow her out of the building.