Chapter 2

Current time, a few hours earlier:

Training ground 7…

Sakura P.O.V.

Waiting; waiting; waiting. Where the hell is Ino? I swear, if I have to wait one more min – "Hey Sakura!!" I turned towards the voice and there she was. Her hair looked longer than usual "Where have you been Ino?" I asked her in annoyance. She was becoming more like Kakashi and she didn't even have him as her sensei. Ino smiled and crossed her arms, shifting her weight to her left leg "Well sorry, Sakura. I get kinda busy you know. I'm not like you, I have a life" she smirked but it was to no avail. I wasn't even paying attention "Hey forehead, I'm talking to you" I blanked out completely at that moment.

I was thinking of him again. Not Sasuke, he's probably back but that doesn't mean that I've been thinking of him. No way, I got over him years ago, even before he came back looking for me to date him. Of course I realized right at the moment he asked me on a date, why exactly he asked me out. He needs a kunoichi to help revive his clan. And me being the Hokage's student, he wanted me. But he wasn't the one I was really thinking about.

Blonde hair, blue eyes, whisker marks. Yeah. He was the one I was thinking about. I'd been dreaming about him for a few years now. Wondering what he looked like, if he matured at all, if he was still a moron. The baka promised he'd be back from his training after two years, it's been six. What he's doing out there, who knows. Some say he died and so did Jiraiya. That, I wouldn't believe but every night it becomes more and more of a possibility. He hasn't returned for six years, something's definitely up.

Even though, I could still dream of what he would say when he did come back, if he came back. He would walk up to me and smile his stupid grin. I'd hug him and welcome him home with one of my own smiles. He'd said "I'm glad to be back" or something like that then he'd look into my eyes. I'd get lost in the deep blue of his irises and lean in slightly. He'd gently grab hold of my arms and lean in as well. Right before we kissed he'd speak "Sakura, snap out of it" wait what? I opened my eyes to see my Naruto-kun start to change. His hair started to lose its golden color, turning into more of a beach blonde then it grew so long that it reached down below his waist. His eyes dulled down a bit and his face started to look more feminine. He began to shrink and his clothes turned purple, since when does Naruto wear purple.

"Sakura?" wow, even his voice sounded like that of a female's "Hey forehead. Pay attention or I'm going to throw you into a river" then that's when I noticed it was Ino. Oh kami, did I blank out "Ino?" I asked and she glared at me "Yeah. What happened to you? One minute you look like you want to kill me then you completely freeze the next" that's when I realized that if it weren't for Ino waking me up from my daydream, I would have kissed her. Oh kami. I'm going to be sick. I held my finger up in front of my friend's confused face and ran for the bushes. I threw up most of last night's dinner that had yet to digest and wiped my mouth with the sleeve of my red blouse. There goes the only meal I've had since yesterday, time to get something to eat.

I walked back over to Ino and tried to smile the best I could. She was looking at me with concern. I grinned a little wider, my sickness completely forgotten, for now. I continued to walk up to her 'til I was right in front of her. She immediately put her hand to my forehead and frowned "Are you okay, forehead?" she asked me and began to feel along my neck then my wrist "Hai, I am!" I said, still thinking about Naruto. I was hoping that if he did come back, that he would be hotter than he was in my daydream. Ino cocked her head to the side "Well, if you're okay. Let's start training!" I nodded slowly, still in a slight daze from the dream. We both stepped back a few and stood there for a while before running at full towards each other. I jumped up and somersaulted in the air, landing behind her with a kunai to her throat, all in the matter of seconds "You're going to have to do better than that Sakura" she said in a cocky tone.

I smiled and pulled my arm back, hand balled up into a fist, and released with such force that would bring a whole five foot wide wall down with a strike of a finger. As soon as my fist connected, she went flying but disappeared in a cloud of smoke "Kage Bunshin" I whispered through clenched teeth. Then I sensed it, she was coming at me from my left with her leg stretched out, foot reaching out for a kick to my side. She was going at fifty miles per hour and had chakra concentrated into the balls of her feet. Although she couldn't concentrate a lot of chakra – due to the fact that the Kage Bunshin uses up a huge amount of chakra and she doesn't have that much chakra – the amount she was using could still cause some serious damage.

She came down on me with her leg out ready to hit me but I was faster. When she was a foot away from my face, I turned to the right on my heel 'til I was facing her and grabbed her leg. I began to spin on my heel, her leg still in my hands. After a full three turns, I threw her into a tree. She hit the tree so hard that it snapped in half. I ran up to her, chakra ready in my palms to heal her injuries. She looked out of energy and weak. I could tell that she needs more training "Ino? You okay?" I said, kneeling down in front of her and placing my hand on her head where she got hit. She winced in pain but let me heal her. I could tell that this training session was over, just looking at her pale form "Yeah, I'm okay. Where did that come from? I was hiding my chakra signature, how did you sense me coming?" she asked in confusion, completely lost.

Smiling at her, I held out my hand for her to grab and pulled her to her feet "Well unlike you, I've been training nonstop and I've been working really hard on being able to sense any intruders even when they try to hide there chakra signatures. It took a lot of practice and training but I got it down. But you, you need to work harder on your taijutsu, it's very weak. Do more push-up's and sit-up's, maybe even some laps around a training ground to build up your chakra and stamina levels. Also work on your speed, you keep slowing down after each move you make" I advised her. Ino smiled and nodded. She began to walk away but I grabbed her arm, she turned to look at my expression "And please don't use the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu when around me. It reminds me of him" I whispered softly, my head hung low.

She held onto the hand that I placed on her arm and squeezed it tight. Ino smiled at me and nodded, reassuring me that she wouldn't use it again. I looked up with tear-filled eyes and smiled weakly "Hey Ino!" someone called out to her. We both turned to see Sasuke running up to us. He stopped short two feet away "Tsuande-sama said that she needed to talk to you real quick" he explained and Ino nodded, still silent due probably to the pain in her head and the fact that my crying probably shut her up. She let go of my hand and jumped to the trees. I watched as she left, still thinking about Naruto. Sasuke tapped my shoulder "You okay?" he asked in an annoyed voice, probably not really concerned one bit. I nodded and jumped to the trees as well. Time for lunch!

At the Hokage tower…

Tsuande P.O.V.

"Ahhhhh" sake is so good, especially on a day like this. If Shizune comes back in with another stack of papers, my good day is over. I placed the sake down and took the last of the papers on my desk, read only the first few words, signed it, and I'M DONE. Finally. I've been working nonstop for weeks just doing paperwork after paperwork. I'm getting too old for this, although nobody has to know that. Now where is that extra bottle of sake…

Knock, knock

Someone knocked on my window from behind me. I turned to find nothing, nothing but the window open. Getting up and looking outside, I felt a burst of wind hit my face and come whirling inside. Did someone just sneak inside? No way. I turned to find no one in my office. Must be my imagination or something; I have to stop having sake in the morning. I sat back down and found another paper on my desk. I thought I looked at them all. I picked it up and turned it over. On the back with big letters it read, "Look up". I looked up to see a man sitting in front of me, his blonde hair almost completely covering his eyes. He was wearing the usual chunin uniform and his headband was tied around his upper arm instead of around his forehead; that's probably why his hair is in his eyes.

Although I didn't know who the heck he was, he was smiling at me. That smile, I've seen that smile before. He lifted his left hand, that had fingerless glove on, and lifted his hair so I could see his face. His face made him look handsome, toned and lean, high cheek bones that made him look a bit childish but his strong jaw made thoughts of him as a child immediately disappear, his lips still formed into a small grin, his cheeks had three whisker-like marks each and his piercing bright blue eyes made him look even more handsome.

I just couldn't remember who he was though he looked so familiar. His grin widened when he noticed my confusion and that made me a little angry. He ran his hand, which was still holding his long bangs up, through his hair while pulling his bangs back so they would stay out of his eyes. I watched as he tried to fix his hair until he stared right into my eyes "Don't tell me you don't remember me" he said in a low manly voice that completely took me off guard, his voice didn't go along with his looks, but it made him seem sexier.

I cocked my head to the side not understanding what he was saying, did he really expect me to remember someone I probably never met in my life. He smiled yet again, making me want to slap that damn grin off that…sexy …ass …wait, where was I…oh yeah. OFF THAT DAMN SMUG FACE OF HIS. He leaned back in his seat and looked down at his hands that were resting on his knees "I'd thought that you would remember your favorite little brat…" he said and looked back up with a foxy grin on his face "…But I guess I can't blame you for losing your memory. I mean you are getting old, Baa-chan" he said in a smug tone. And that's when it hit me. He's, he's… "Na-nar…' I couldn't finish before I jumped at him, crushing him into a bear-hug.

After a few minutes of hugging, him rubbing my back in gentle small circles, and a few gasps and hiccups from crying (from me of course), I finally let go of him. I stood up and he got up as well. When he stood up to his full height, I was surprised "Naruto? How tall are you?" I asked while wiping my eyes of any extra tears. He looked down at me and smiled again "I don't know exactly, 6'7", 6'8", somewhere around there. Don't be so surprised though" he explained and I hugged him again "Well, who cares how tall you are, you'll always be my little brat" I choked out, crying again. I let him go and pulled him back to the seat in front of my desk and pushed him down "Now tell me, why exactly are you late? You should have been here about four years ago. Even Sasuke came back before y–" "SASUKE CAME BACK?!?!?!?" he yelled.

I covered my ears in pain. That's my loud-mouthed-most-unpredictable-knuckleheaded-blonde-bratty-ninja alright. Kami, almost gave me a heart attack. I released my ears as soon as I knew that he wasn't going to yell again "Yes, Naruto. He came back a few years ago. Now back to business, why the late arrival?" he looked down and was about to speak when we heard yelling from outside "YOU CAN'T CATCH ME. HAHA" then we heard footsteps outside the door. Someone started turning the knob "He'll never find me in here…hehe" then I door opened and a little girl came rushing in behind the door, trying to close the door as fast as possible – she hadn't noticed us yet. Her short brown hair reached shoulder-length and was held in two pigtails. She was wearing a gray skirt with white leggings underneath; her light purple, short-sleeved, thin shirt was a little loose but looked perfect on her. Well, from the back it did.

I looked to Naruto than back at the girl, he was smiling and she was still facing the door – clueless to the fact that we were inside the room with her. I was about to call to the young girl but Naruto quickly silenced me – why? I have no idea. He held his index finger to his lips, telling me to keep quiet, and grinned. The little girl backed away from the door, taking baby-steps as she did. When she finally turned around, she froze, but so did I. Her bright blue eyes were the first of her features I noticed and they seemed so familiar. She stared at me in pure shock and I knew at once why "uh-oh" she whispered in fear. Naruto turned to see her, smiling the whole time. Although Naruto moved, she hadn't stopped staring at me. She then shook her little head and looked up at me, scratching the back of her head in nervousness "Hehe…sorry 'bout that. I was just playing with Jiraiya-san. I really didn't mean to come inside and bother you, ma'am. Gomen" she hung her head and I was speechless still. The image of her blue eyes still occupied my whole mind. Naruto has those same eyes, but…but…no way.

Naruto then got up and kneeled in front of her "Emi-chan. Where's Jiraiya-sama? He was supposed to be looking after you" he whispered just loud enough for both of us to hear. I was utterly confused; how did Naruto know her name? How did she know Jiraiya? Who was this little girl? I cleared my throat to get their attention and Naruto immediately turned to me "Who is this c–" I started but we heard another yell "EMIKO? WHERE ARE YOU? YOUR DAD IS GOING TO KILL ME. Please don't kill me, Naruto. Oh kami, please don't let him kill me" then Jiraiya came through the door and froze when he saw the three of us in here. I looked up questioningly at him "Her dad? Who is her dad?" I asked out of curiosity.

His eyes widened and he pointed directly at Naruto. Naruto slowly turned to look at me, his smile nervous and he was scratching the back of his neck "Um…Baa-chan…Emiko is my daughter" my jaw dropped. It literally dropped. This poor little girl was Naruto's daughter? Well when you look closely, she did have a few of his features: his eyes, his nose, his habit of scratching his head in nervousness. Yea, I can see it. She was so adorable though. Even I was mad that he had a daughter; all I wanted to do was hold her. I smiled and looked into her eyes "Naruto?" he froze "Can I hold her?" all three of them were shocked, more Jiraiya but still all three. The little girl looked up at Naruto and he smiled at me "Sure. Emiko?" she still looked confused "Why don't you introduce yourself?"

She smiled and looked up at me "My name is Uzumaki Emiko, I'm four years old…" she held up four short fingers "…my daddy's name is Uzumaki Naruto and my mommy's name is…is…H-hamaki Yura, right?" she looked up at Naruto in question and he nodded. She turned back to me "My favorite color is purple, I loveee ramen…" Naruto smiled "…and my dream is to be a ninja like my daddy. Was that ok, daddy?" she looked up at Naruto with puppy-dog eyes and with one lip sticking out in a pout. She looked so adorable. He smiled and picked her up "That was perfect Emi-chan! Now go give Baa-chan a hug" he placed her back on the ground and she ran into my arms. I laughed and kissed her forehead "You are too cute. It must be a crime to be so adorable" she smiled at my comment. Naruto looked at me "You should know. You're the Hokage" I smiled "Oh shut your trap, brat" I hugged Emiko again and she smiled, hugging me back.

"Hey Baa-chan?" I glanced up at Naruto "Yes?" "Do you think you can watch over Emiko for me? I haven't had anything to eat yet and I'm dying for some ramen" my good and generous side suddenly took over "Of course. Go stuff yourself" he laughed and left, kissing Emiko on her forehead before he did. Jiraiya – who was quiet the whole time – just saluted to me and left as well. I looked down at the midget in my arms "Soooo? What do you want to do?" she put her finger to her chin in a thinking pose "Can we see the rest of the village, please?" she pouted with puppy-dog eyes and I just couldn't deny her.

At the Ichiraku Ramen Stand…

Sakura P.O.V.

I was sitting on a stool in Ichiraku's Ramen Stand having a nice bowl of miso ramen, one of Naruto's old favorites. Well all the flavors were his favorite but I think he liked this one the most. It's been about six years since I last saw him and I miss him to death. If only I was strong enough back then to say goodbye for the last time. He was the only one that actually cared about me and I blew it.

I took another sip of my ramen, finally finishing it. Putting the bowl aside, I looked up and searched for either the owner or his daughter, Ayame "Excuse me?" I called out and sure enough, Ayame came out with a smile "Yes, Sakura-san?" I smiled back "May I have another bowl of miso, please? I didn't eat breakfast this morning" I explained to the female cook. She took my other bowl and bowed to me "Of course, Sakura-san"

The smile on my face couldn't get any wider at the respect for me she just displayed. It just reminded me that I am the kunoichi that surpassed Tsuande-shishou. It took the whole six years from when Naruto left to train to finally pass her, but now at the age of twenty and sexier then ever, I can't wait 'til I could at least pass kage level. Ever since I found out that he wasn't going to come back, I've been working even harder so if he never did come back, I could probably become Hokage for him so he can be proud of me. Not like he wasn't proud of me from the beginning, but still.

I sensed a strange chakra signature from behind me but ignored it. I wasn't going to waste my day off fighting someone just because I didn't know who he was. Whoever is was sat on the stool next to me as Ayame came back into view with the bowl of miso ramen, I presume, and placed it in front of me "Arigato, Ayame-chan" I thanked her and she smiled "Anytime, Sakura-san" at that, I heard a slight gasp from beside me but just passed it on as me just hearing things.

Ayame turned to the man beside me "What can I get you, sir?" she sweetly asked. The man thought about it for a while before finally answering in a low 'manly' voice "One of each, please, Ayame-san" he replied in the most wonderful voice I've ever heard. I slowly brought the chopsticks with noodles up to my mouth as I tried to take a quick glance at the man beside me. I thought I was only going to take a quick sneak peek but his beauty took me slowly off guard. I sat there with a noodle hanging from my closed mouth as I looked him over.

He looked about 6'2" and had long golden blonde hair; his uniform consisted of baggy black ninja pants, a long sleeved – which the sleeves were folded up to his elbows – navy shirt with the usual jounin vest. His headband was tied securely around his upper left arm and he had fingerless black gloves with a thin orange stripe around each rim around his fingers and wrist. Last were his sandals which weren't really sandals at all, more like boots since they weren't open-toed. I stared at him for just a few minutes before I felt a blush threatening to cover cheeks in embarrassment and turned away. What I didn't expect was the man to look at me concerned and place the back of his hand gently on my forehead.

"You ok, Sakura-chan? You look like you have a fever" I swear I think I started sweating at his touch. I could kill hundreds of people and stand to see the most disgusting of wounds without showing one sign of disgust or sickness, but I can't even breathe when a stranger puts his hand on my forehead. My heart was beating, well more like hammering, against my chest so hard it hurt. I turned to the man to see two of the brightest blue eyes I've ever seen "u-u-um…do I k-k-know you?" I asked and he slightly chuckled. Why would he chuckle at me?

He smiled from ear to ear "You mean you don't remember me, Sakura-chan? Awh that's harsh" he winced for affect. Then I put all the pieces together; the blonde hair, the blue eyes, the goofy grin, the slightest bit of orange in his appearance, asking for one of each flavor of ramen, calling me 'Sakura-chan'. As each piece was set in place, the mental puzzle in my head showed the picture of a young boy that I hadn't seen in six years "Naruto?"

He smiled at me "The one and only" he said as he opened his arms for me to get a good look at him. The whisker marks on his cheeks. This is definitely my friend, 'the one and only', Uzumaki Naruto. I couldn't hold it in anymore and jumped into his open arms and hugged him with all my might "Oh Naruto!" I squealed. He started to struggle in my grasp but I didn't really notice it much "I-I-I…c-can't…breath" he mumbled but I continued to hug him "Oh I missed you so much, you baka" I cried into his chest "N-need…air" he gasped. That's when I noticed that I was hugging him a little too tight "Oh sorry" I whispered and stood up, my hand held out for him. He took it and smiled as I helped him up. Now that he was standing up to his full height, I noticed that I was way off on how tall I thought he was. He was at least 6'7" tall.

We talked for over twenty minutes about how we missed each other, what we've been doing, and explained to each other everything we learned. He told me how he learned hundreds of earth, water, and wind jutsus and how he trained in the way of the sage. It was pretty interesting and fascinating. Of course when you're out in public, you can't always plan on having complete privacy "Oh kami, my back is killing me. I'm too old for this. Time to get down Emiko-chan" I heard Tsuande say. Who she was talking to was a complete mystery to me "But Tsuande-baa-chan. Just 'til we reach the ramen stand, please?" the cutest little voice replied.

Then we heard another whine then someone grunting. For some reason, Naruto just smiled as he looked out towards the street. He stood up from his stool and walked out of the ramen stand. I followed behind him and out into the street where sure enough, there was Tsuande-shishou, but with a brown-haired little girl with her back to us and facing Tsuande. The little girl stomped her little foot on the ground and turned around "Fine" she whispered. Her eyes were closed and she was frowning in disappointment. Her dimples were still visible on her cheeks even though she was frowning.

Naruto walked up to the little girl and kneeled in front of her "Ah c'mon, Emi-chan. Give Baa-chan a brake" he said in a sweet tone. The little girl snapped open one eye to see Naruto in front of her then squealed as she threw her short little arms around his neck. Naruto chuckled again and I was left confused "Um, Naruto-kun? Who's this" I asked as I smiled at the little girl's cute face. "Oh, I forgot. Sakura-chan, this is my daughter, Emiko" I smiled 'She's so cu– DAUGHTER!!!'