Chapter 1: Return of the Morning Mist
Konohagakure no Sato. The Village of the Hidden Leaf. 'An appropriate name,' thought one man overlooking the collection of houses, buildings, and schools. His face was hidden in the shadows cast by the cloth strips hanging from his Japanese-style straw hat. A black robe was all one could see him dressed in. Its high collar covered the lower part of his face. As he started to walk along the path to the village, the sound of bells drifted into the soft morning mist.
'Damn, guard duty sucks,' thought Genma, 'no one is gonna come this early. I just want to sle-' Just then, the stranger came into view, bells jingling.
"Halt!" Genma shouted, "You just can't waltz in here, you've got to tell me your name, then wait until I call the Hokage and announc-"
"I don't wish to be known." The stranger said, his voice low and gravelly.
Genma was speechless, "But you-"
The stranger pointed at Genma, "Sleep."
"I- you- genjutsu…" Genma was out before he hit the ground.
"He knew what it was, and yet didn't try to disable it. God, this village really has gone to the dogs."
Inside the Uchiha Compound, the sound of punches and kicks hitting wood broke the otherwise calm surrounding the clan housing unit. Uchiha Sasuke was wearing himself out for the umpteenth time this week. Wearing only long white shorts, his hair lank with sweat, every girl in Konoha would kill for the chance to see him right now. Sasuke looked at the training dummy. 'Damn, not enough! I must get stronger! I must, to bring you back. I won't give up on you, just like you didn't give up on me.'
An hour and a half later, Sasuke's training finally ended. Another twenty minutes, after he took a shower and dressed, Sasuke, dressed in an blue t-shirt with the Uchiha symbol on the back, white shorts, and ninja sandals, started toward the compound gates. 'I wonder if Sakura is up for lunch?'
Just then, the gates opened. Sasuke's smile was rueful. 'Speak of the devil, and she shall appear.'
"Riku, I don't care if he's after you! I'll die, if it means being with you! I lo-"
"Hey, Neji!" a voice called out.
Neji sighed, closing his book. The Priestess and the Hanyou was one of the world's most popular novels, second only to the Make-out Paradise series. He turned to whoever had called him. His eyes lit up in recognition. It was Haruno Sakura, with Uchiha Sasuke in tow.
"Hey, guys. Out on another date?" Neji asked.
"Yeah, we decided to go to this tea shop today." Sasuke said, "What are you doing here? Waiting for TenTen?"
Neji smirked, "No, not today."
"Well what are you here for then?" Sakura asked.
"Looking for someone."
Sasuke and Sakura caught the hint and chanced a glance into the tea shop. Someone with a black robe and a straw hat with cloth strips hanging of it was sitting down and drinking tea. The coat was not unlike the Akatsuki robes.
"Oh," Sakura said, "Who?"
"Hinata-sama."
Inside the tea shop, the trio heard the sound of a tea cup braking. They quickly looked inside, but the stranger was gone, leaving a broken tea mug and a tip behind.
As the stranger was walking down the river-walk, he looked down at his hand. 'Why… why did I react like that when I heard her name?'
"Halt!" a voice called out from behind him.
The stranger turned around, and said, "Sasuke… Sakura… long time, no see."
Sasuke's eyes narrowed. That voice was very familiar, but he'd be damned if he couldn't figure it out. "The fact you know our names means that you're a rouge nin formerly of this village."
"As astute as always, eh, Sasuke?" the stranger asked. "However, I believe I've overstayed my welcome, so I'll just leav-"
The stranger stopped turning when a kunai sliced a piece of his straw hat off.
"You're not going anywhere until we take you to Hokage-sama." Sakura said, pulling another kunai out of her leg-holster.
The stranger sighed, "Do I have to fight?"
Sasuke and Sakura just nodded. The stranger sighed again, and started unbuttoning the top quarter of his robe. Sasuke and Sakura eyes widened as they noticed the six whisker-like lines on his lower face. For standing before them, taking off his hat, grinning like a fox was Naruto Uzumaki, the man who left Konoha after he couldn't become the sixth Hokage.