Tenth chapter! It's shorter than usual, 'cause I didn't feel like continuing past where it ended. I was thinking of adding in a scene where Naruto got a bit flirty with Ino, but then I decided to hold off on such things until after the time-skip, when they're a little older.

–

"NARUTO-NII-CHAN!"

Naruto froze as he walked through Konoha, and turned around to find none other than Konohamaru rushing up to him. Now that Naruto thought about it, Konohamaru had changed a lot since they first met. Originally wearing a pair of shorts, a t-shirt, and a helmet-looking thing, along with a long scarf, Konohamaru had been a bit of a spoiled brat, but now, he had mellowed out a lot, and had taken to training with Naruto whenever the blond invited him. He had even dispensed his old clothes, now wearing clothes that looked much like the clothing Naruto had seen the Sandaime wear in pictures from his Jounin days, black ninja pants and a black kimono shirt over mesh. He still wore a long scarf, but it was black now. Konohamaru had originally thought about dispensing the scarf as well, but when Naruto commented on how it reminded him of the long tails on the Sandaime's forehead protector, he decided to keep it. He also wore a black headband, which kept his hair out of his eyes. To get used to the feel, for when he became a ninja, he'd say if asked.

"Oh, it's been a while, hasn't it, Saru?" Naruto said, grinning at his somewhat-student.

"Nii-chan!" Konohamaru yelled, looking upset about something. "I heard that you brought back some old hag to be the Godaime Hokage!"

"Ah, yeah, the Sandaime's old student, my grandmother, Tsunade," Naruto said with a nod. "What's wrong, Saru?"

"How could it have been decided so early?!"

"Huh?"

Konohamaru glared at Naruto.

"The geezer's corpse is barely even cold, and they just go ahead and pick a new one?! They're just gonna forget that he ever existed and just move on with-"

Konohamaru would have continued with his rant, hand he not been interrupted by a finger flicking him on the forehead, making him flinch.

"Eeeh, I never expected you to be an idiot, Saru..."

"W-What?! I'm not an idiot!" Konohamaru protested. "You're the idiot, idiot!"

Naruto put a hand on Konohamaru's head and spun him around to look at the Hokage Monument in the distance.

"See those faces, Saru? And that great tree?" Naruto asked, pointing up at the monument, and his own homage to the Sandaime Hokage. Konohamaru huffed.

"What about them?"

"They're there to show that even if they're dead, even if their bones turn to dust, the previous Hokage will never be forgotten," Naruto said, moving his hand down to pat him on the shoulder. "They're always watching over us, and their will, their dreams, live on inside us. The old geezer will never just be forgotten. He will live on forever, as long as his Will of Fire exists in a Sarutobi. You, and Asuma-sensei."

"Huh?" Konohamaru muttered again, looking up at Naruto now, which made the blond grin.

"Just like how the spirit and the memories of the Senju live on in me, Sarutobi Hiruzen lives on in you, and in everyone he considered family. Do you remember who those were?"

"Um..." Konohamaru scratched his head. "He told us once during class that it was everyone in the village..."

"Exactly. How can a loving old geezer like that be forgotten?"

Naruto leaned in to whisper conspiratorically.

"And between you and me, how can he be forgotten in favor of a drunken, gambling old lady like my grandmother?"

Konohamaru snorted, and Naruto straightened up again, patting Konohamaru on the head once more.

"Alright, how about some training?"

"Yeah!"

"I've got a jutsu for you, one that the old man taught me. I guess he wanted me to teach it to you once you got a bit older, but it's always good to get an early start, right?"

"Sweet! Naruto-nii-chan, you're the best!"

"Oka-"

Naruto was interrupted when his senses picked up on something, and a second later, an ANBU wearing a white coat appeared before him.

"Yo, Yura-taicho!" Naruto said, raising his hand in greeting. "Looks like it's you who always draws the short straw, eh?"

"Naruto-san, your presence is once more requested at the Hokage Tower."

"Eeeh. Don't tell me those old fossils want to chew me out or something..."

"It was Godaime-sama who requested it."

Naruto grinned at that.

"Alright, thanks, Yura-taicho."

The ANBU nodded once, and then blurred away.

"Ah, sorry, Saru," Naruto said, looking down at Konohamaru. "Looks like we can't train right now."

"Aw, man!" Konohamaru whined, pouting. "I wanted to learn the geezer's jutsu!"

"Relax. I'll come find you when my business with granny is done, yeah?"

"Alright!"

–

"I'm coming in," Naruto said as he knocked on the door of the Hokage's office and stepped inside without waiting for a response, to find Tsunade sitting behind her desk, Shizune standing behind it, and Sasuke standing in front of it.

"You're late, Naruto," Sasuke said, giving Naruto a disapproving look. "You're not picking up on Kakashi's bad habits, are you?"

"Ah, sorry, sorry," Naruto said, waving him off. "I ran into Saru, and had to comfort him."

"Huh?" Tsunade uttered. "Saru?"

"Sarutobi Konohamaru," Sasuke informed her. "The Sandaime's grandson. He's sort of Naruto's student."

Tsunade blinked, staring at Naruto in surprise for a while, then smiled brightly, leaning back and letting out a very girly sound.

"Aaah, how nostalgic!"

"Eh?"

"When the Shodai and Nidaime took Sarutobi-sensei under their wing, the Nidaime had the habit of calling sensei 'Saru,'" Tsunade explained with a bright smile. "It really goes to show that their spirits live on in their descendants."

Naruto grinned slightly at that, but then focused on the matter at hand.

"Anyway, you wanted to see us, granny?"

Tsunade twitched at the name, but nonetheless nodded, since she couldn't actually claim not to be a granny. She coughed into her fist and said, "Right, to business. Senju Naruto! Uchiha Sasuke!"

Both shinobi somewhat snapped to attention. They did straighten up somewhat, and focused on her completely, but they looked far from being straight and stiff as boards.

"I have reviewed your performances during the Chunnin Exam, and I have seen your skills in real battle. I have therefore decided to promote the both of you to the rank of Chunnin!"

"Eeeeh?" Naruto muttered, frowning. "Hey, granny, can't you hold off on promoting Sasuke for about five minutes?"

"Don't get too caught up on who got promoted first, you moron," Sasuke scolded, shaking his head. "Just be happy it was the both of us. Though, if it makes you feel any better, she did say your name first."

Naruto snapped his fingers in triumph.

"That she did!" he said happily, flashing Tsunade a thumbs up. "Thanks, granny!"

"Really..." Tsunade muttered as Shizune handed both shinobi a flak vest. "Can't you call me Hokage-sama like everybody else?"

"In your dreams, maybe!" Naruto said with a grin as he put on his new vest, zipping it up. He noticed, however, that the collar of the vest got in the way of his fur collar, so he took the vest off again, taking out a kunai and slicing off the collar, before putting it on again. "Alright, that's better!"

"Maybe I should do that as well..." Sasuke muttered, tugging at the trademark Uchiha collar of his shirt.

"Or you could wear standard shinobi clothing," Tsunade suggested, but she was ignored as Sasuke took his vest off again.

"I'll decide when I get home," he said, then looked to Tsunade. "Will that be all, Hokage-sama?"

"That will be all. Though now that you are Chunnin, and the village is low on manpower, you should prepare to receive many missions in the near future."

"Yeah, yeah," Naruto said, waving her off. "Alright, time to go show this to Saru!"

With that, he blurred away, the only sign of him having actually moved out of the office being a breeze, and the window suddenly being open.

Naruto blurred into view on Team Seven's training ground, where he knew Konohamaru would be, and he was not surprised to find the boy there, doing push-ups, probably in preparation for learning the new jutsu.

"Yo, Saru!" Naruto greeted with a proud grin on his face. "I see you're working hard! Good job!"

"Nii-chan!" Konohamaru said, shooting to his feet immediately, only to blink at what he saw. "Eh... You're a Chunnin now?"

"That's right! Your nii-san is moving up in the world!" Naruto said, grinning even wider. Then, he clapped his hands together. "Alright! Time for me to teach you a jutsu!"

"Yeah! Teach me grandpa's jutsu!"

"Watch closely, Saru," Naruto said, fishing a shuriken out of its holster and holding it up. He turned toward the three poles by the memorial stone and threw the shuriken, flashing through seals. "Shuriken Kage Bunshin!"

The one kunai turned into twenty, all of which embedded themselves into the pole.

"Wow!" Konohamaru yelled excitedly. Then, the smile on his face faded a bit. "But, nii-chan, compared to your other jutsu... this feels kinda weak, doesn't it?"

"Does it?" Naruto asked, glancing back at Konohamaru, raising an eyebrow. "It's not like twenty is the maximum number, nor are these shuriken the only ones you can duplicate."

"Huh?"

"Shuriken of all sizes, and even kunai, smoke bombs, anything, really, can be cloned using Shuriken Kage Bunshin."

Konohamaru blinked.

"So?"

This made Naruto sigh and pinch the bridge of his nose. He took a deep breath, then flicked Konohamaru on the forehead again.

"Just think for a moment, Saru! As long as the enemy isn't a Wind user, don't you think it would be amazingly difficult for them to avoid fifty, a hundred, or even a thousand shuriken coming straight at them?"

Konohamaru's eyes widened in excitement.

"Woah! I can make thousands?!"

"I doubt you're quite there yet when it comes to chakra capacity," Naruto said, patting Konohamaru on the head. "But yeah, when you're older, you'll be able to make thousands, Saru. Ram, Rat, Bird, Boar, Tiger. Get to work."

"Hey, nii-chan!" Konohamaru called as Naruto started walking away. "Can't you stay for a while and supervise?"

"I was just promoted, you know. I have to go get my info updated at the ninja registry," Naruto said, looking over his shoulder at Konohamaru, who pouted. This made him sigh. "Well... it's not like it can't wait until tomorrow."

"Alright!"

–

Tsunade sat behind her desk, filling out paperwork, when she suddenly perked up.

"If you're hoping to sneak a peek at some skin, I'm afraid you're going to be disappointed."

"Heh, you discovered me!" came Jiraiya's voice as the man rose from under the window, leaning in with a grin. "I never was able to hide from you..."

"Are you just here to enjoy some nostalgia, Jiraiya?" Tsunade asked, looking over her shoulder at him.

"No, just heard that you promoted Naruto and Sasuke."

"Yeah, so?"

"So, that made me think about something," Jiraiya said, his grin turning sly. "What was the real reason for accepting the Hokage position?"

Tsunade smirked. "Saw right through me, eh?"

"You got over your hemophobia, you accepted the position, and you gave the brat your necklace," Jiraiya said, climbing inside. "As much as I'd love it if you did so because of what I said, I know that's not true. So, why did you do it? It wasn't on a whim, that's for damn sure."

"It's obvious, isn't it?" Tsunade muttered as she leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms under her impressive bust. "It was the brat, of course. As if his damn dream wasn't enough, he made sure to remind me of the Will of Fire, and of all the things I had tried so hard to forget, about this village, about my grandfather, about Sarutobi-sensei... and their dreams..."

"And the dreams of Nawaki and Dan?"

Tsunade grunted at that.

"It's not just that, though..."

"Eh?"

"When Naruto shouted at me on that battlefield... it was like my grandfather was shouting..."

"As he said, the Senju blood boils in his veins," Jiraiya said with a grin. "Quite the kid, right?"

"That brat is annoying... I really don't mind being the Hokage, but gambling and drinking was a damn sight better than sitting in an office all day doing paperwork..."

"Well, at least this means the Hokage Monument's gonna be a lot more beautiful, right?"

Tsunade gave Jiraiya a look that clearly told him that his flattery wasn't going to give him a peek. Then, she smiled softly.

"That big wooden Sandaime... Naruto's work?"

"Who else could it be?" Jiraiya said as he gave another grin, crossing his arms. "He's named it the Shintai Tree."

"Absolute Truth... the geezer's favorite phrase, huh?" Tsunade said. She got up and walked over to the window, looking out to stare at the Shintai Tree. "Is going overboard a recurring trait with Naruto?"

"Most of the time. Get ready for him coming back from missions with reports of massive amounts of property damage."

"Crap..."

"By the way, there's something I need to talk to you about..." Jiraiya said, suddenly turning serious. "It's about Akatsuki..."

"Akatsuki?"

–

Hyuuga Hinata stepped into the Yamanaka flower shop, smiling softly to herself. While she was a bit saddened to know that she wasn't going to be promoted, she was still pleased to hear that Naruto and Sasuke had both been promoted.

"Welcome!" came a familiar voice from behind the counter, and Hinata saw her former classmate Ino there, smiling brightly at her. "Oh, Hinata! It's been a while, eh?"

"Good afternoon, Ino-san," Hinata said, giving Ino a small bow in greeting.

"Ah, no need to be so formal, Hinata, we're friends, after all!" the blond girl said, waving her off. "Let me guess, here to buy some flowers for Sasuke-kun and Naruto?"

Hinata blinked in surprise.

"Y-Yes, how did you know?"

"It's no secret that those two have been promoted to Chunnin," Ino said with a small grin. "Well, if there was anyone I knew would become Chunnin, it was those two. Especially after how well they did in the Academy."

"Yes... They are special, those two..." Hinata said as she approached the counter, looking a bit somber. "It... actually makes me a bit envious..."

"Don't compare yourself to those two, Hinata!" Ino scolded immediately. "They're in a whole other league than the rest of us!"

"That's... not what I meant, Ino," Hinata said, sighing as she looked up at the blond girl. "It's their friendship..."

"What?"

Hinata smiled softly. "Actually, though we're a team, and we have great chemistry... I don't have the same kind of bond with those two as they do with each other..."

"They're that close?" Ino asked in surprise. "I mean, I knew from our academy days that they were good friends, but..."

"They're more than just good friends. They're almost like brothers. They know each other so well that they hardly ever have to talk anymore during training. Just by looking at each other's movements, they can tell what the other is going to do."

"Speaking of training," Ino said, a somewhat perverted grin appearing on her face as she leaned closer. "That should give you plenty of opportunities to get up close to Naruto, right? How's that going?"

Hinata gave another soft smile.

"I... I have given up on my crush," she said quietly, which made Ino go wide-eyed. "At first, I wanted nothing more than for Naruto-kun to take me out on a date and tell me he loved me, but... I don't think that can ever happen between us... Even if it did, it would feel a bit weird..."

"Weird?"

"Those two... I've come to look at Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun like brothers. They are the older brothers who protect me and help me out when I need it," Hinata explained. "I don't think I can ever go back to crushing on Naruto-kun and watching him from a distance."

"Eeeh, that's surprising to hear," Ino said, her eyebrows shooting up. "I never thought I would hear you say something like that..."

Hinata just smiled at her.

"Oh, by the way," Ino said, grinning again. "How is Sasuke-kun? Is he still available?"

Hinata stiffened at hearing that, wondering what she was going to say. After all, Sasuke had never said that his sexual preferences were secret, but neither had he told Hinata that she could go blabbing about it whenever anyone asked... And Ino loved gossip, so...

"I-I don't know about that..." Hinata muttered weakly, glancing away. Ino caught her hesitation immediately, and she lashed out, grabbing Hinata's collar and pulling her closer.

"Whaaat?! Why did it take you so long to answer? Do you know something but can't tell me? Do you suspect something? Have you seen him with a suspicious-looking girl?"

"I-I..." Hinata stuttered, her eyes darting left and right in search of an escape. "I... Actually... I..."

Ino noticed what she was doing and immediately let go of Hinata, clearing her throat and then taking a deep breath.

"Sorry about that..." she muttered. "Anyway, if you know something, you have to tell me, alright?"

"Well, the thing is..." Hinata mumbled, before leaning closer. "If I tell you, you have to swear not to tell anyone else, okay?"

"Not even Forehead?" Ino asked, to which Hinata shook her head. "Oooh, it's juicy, then? Tell me, tell me..."

"Actually, Sasuke-kun is..." Hinata whispered.

Outside the flower shop, Naruto walked down the street with Konohamaru, his hands in his pockets, when a voice loudly shrieked "WHAAAAAT?!"

"Eh?" Naruto uttered, looking at the flower shop. "Did Ino discover that blond isn't her natural hair color, or something?"

"I guess we'll have to find out, nii-chan."

Naruto nodded, and the two made their way into the flower shop, to see Hinata standing by the counter, staring worriedly at Ino, who was clutching at her head in pure shock, looking left, right, up, and down in some kind of attempt to figure out if this was all an elaborate Genjutsu, or something.

"How can that be?!" Ino yelled. "It couldn't...! But...! Shouldn't there have been a newsletter or something to let us know not to bother?! Shouldn't he be on some kind of list of unavailable bachelors?!"

"Afternoon, you two!" Naruto greeted, raising his hand in greeting. Ino completely ignored him, and Hinata's head snapped in his direction in surprise, looking like a child who had just been caught stealing cookies. "Ah, you told her about Sasuke?"

"Y-Yes... Sorry..."

"It's cool, Hinata. If Sasuke wanted it to be a secret, he never would have told me," Naruto said with a grin.

Immediately, two hands grabbed Naruto's collar, and he immediately found Ino's face less than two inches away from his own, glaring heatedly into his eyes.

"Was it you, you bastard?! Did you turn him, or something?!"

"Don't be silly..." Naruto muttered, furrowing his brow. "As always, I am still an avid fan of breasts, and I'm not really a fan of penis or being invaded by a guy..."

Ino froze, as did Hinata. Naruto could see their faces steadily reddening. No doubt, both of them were envisioning that which Naruto absolutely refused to envision.

"Nii-chan..." Konohamaru muttered as Naruto pried himself out of the frozen Ino's grip. "Girls are weird, aren't they?"

"Kinda weird, yeah," he said, waving his hand in front of Ino's face. "Hey, Ino, you alright?"

"I-I-Invasion..." Ino uttered in complete shock. Then, she gave off a noise that sounded like "Puff!" before passing out, her face burning. Hinata followed quickly.

"Tch, women!" Naruto barked, staring down at the two girls. "Why do they always go all faint when thinking about two guys?"

"Two guys?" Konohamaru asked. "Nii-chan, what does that mean?"

"A-Ah!" Naruto flinched when he realized that no one had even given Konohamaru the Talk yet. "W-Well... The thing is, Saru... Hm..."

"Stop beating around the bush and tell me already!"

Naruto's eyes darted toward the exit. Then, he went wide-eyed and pointed behind Konohamaru.

"Ah! Why does Ino have a pinup on the wall?!"

Konohamaru, surprisingly perverted for his age (despite being completely clueless when it came to sex and the like), snapped around to look, and Naruto took that opportunity to run out of the flower shop.

"HEY, NII-CHAN! COME BACK HERE!"

"Maybe next time, Saru! Or better yet, ask Asuma-sensei!"

–

"Tch..."

Sasuke stood outside the door to his parents' house in the Uchiha district, sheathing his sword. In front of him lay five ninja from Otogakure no Sato. Four of them were dead, and one was severely wounded.

"The hell is this?" Sasuke asked as he walked up to the only still living ninja. "Was your mission to kill or kidnap me? You better spill it now, before I hand you over to the Torture and Interrogation Department."

The ninja's mouth moved, but Sasuke was faster. As the ninja's jaws snapped shut, they were prevented from closing fully by Sasuke's sandal.

"Suicide pill, huh?" he asked, kneeling and forcing the ninja's mouth open to pull out a fake tooth. "That's pretty hardcore. Guess you won't talk willingly, so I'll have to leave you to Ibiki-san. I promise you'll regret not talking to me."

So, two hours later found Sasuke standing in Tsunade's office, in front of her desk with his arms crossed.

"The Oto-ninja's condition has been stabilized, and he's being taken to the Torture and Interrogation Department right now," Tsunade informed him. "They didn't tell you anything about their purpose?"

"No, they were in hiding, and though I'm no Naruto, I sensed them. When I informed them that they had been discovered, they just attacked. They were at least trying to kill me, but judging by how those guards Orochimaru brought during the invasion had Curse Seals on them, there's also a chance that they were here to kidnap me."

"Given how Orochimaru has created a reincarnation jutsu that allows him to move to other bodies, and how his goal in life is to learn all the jutsu in the world, I think it's safe to say that kidnapping was their objective," Tsunade said thoughtfully. "No doubt, he wants your Sharingan. He has expressed an interest in you, after all."

"It's true that it would help him achieve his goal, but how can you be sure?" Sasuke asked.

"Because Orochimaru was once a member of the group known as Akatsuki," Tsunade said, which made Sasuke go wide-eyed.

"Akatsuki? Isn't that the group Jiraiya-sama claimed are after Naruto?"

"The very same. As you know, Uchiha Itachi is a member of that group. For some reason, Orochimaru left them. My guess is that Orochimaru attempted to take over Itachi's body."

"Evidently, he failed."

"Of course, this is all purely speculation," Tsunade said, leaning back. "We cannot be sure of what they wanted with you, but Orochimaru has never been one to give up. I will assign a couple of ANBU to guard you for a while."

"Do you have to?" Sasuke muttered. "I'm not complaining, but Naruto always keeps his senses up during training, and their presence might unnerve him."

"I don't think you have to worry about that for a while."

Sasuke opened his mouth to ask what she meant, but just then the door to her office opened, accompanied by a voice saying, "I'm coming in."

"Oh, good timing, Naruto," Tsunade said, smiling. "I was actually going to send for you."

"Why?" Naruto muttered. "I just came because Sasuke was here. I have things to do, you know."

"Things more important than orders from the Hokage?!" Tsunade barked, a vein in her forehead pulsing.

"Some," Naruto confirmed. "Anyway, since you were going to call for me, what do you need?"

"Naruto, Jiraiya has requested to take you on as his official apprentice," Tsunade said, calming down, which made both Naruto and Sasuke blink. "And he has also requested to take you on a training trip."

"Training trip?" Naruto muttered. "Why?"

"I can answer that," came Jiraiya's voice from the window as it slid open, to reveal the old pervert standing outside. "It's because of Akatsuki. When I was investigating Orochimaru's reincarnation jutsu, information concerning them came to light."

"What kind of information?" Sasuke wanted to know.

"When they came to Konoha, they did so to kidnap you before you were properly trained. They underestimated your skills, and it's safe to say that they won't be trying it again until their plans are ready to be executed," Jiraiya said, grinning at Naruto. "That's at least three years from now."

"And you want to train me during that time?" Naruto asked, narrowing his eyes. "A three-year trip?"

"That's right," Jiraiya said with a nod. "We will also be doing missions for Konoha during the trip, so it won't be all training. You need plenty of experience as well, after all."

Naruto glanced at Sasuke, who shrugged, and then looked at Tsunade.

"Why does it feel like I don't really have a choice in this?"

"You do have a choice, though," Tsunade said, crossing her arms. "You can either go on this trip, or resign yourself to having ANBU guards following you around all day and all night. That wouldn't bother a normal shinobi, but given your sensor skills..."

Naruto grunted and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Yeah, that'd be a real headache..."

"I think this trip will be good for you," Sasuke said. He gave a smirk and crossed his arms, looking extremely arrogant. "You need to learn how to fight without me there to save your ass."

"What was that just now?!" Naruto snapped, slamming his forehead against Sasuke's and glaring at him. "Want me to show you who'd save whose ass, you bastard?"

"I love it when you talk about asses," Sasuke said, and pecked Naruto on the mouth, which caused the blond to freeze, then fling himself back, wiping his mouth.

"Damn you! You can't use that weapon whenever you feel like it!" the blond barked. "It's cheating!"

"Naruto, is there something you'd like to tell me?" Jiraiya muttered, looking a bit grossed out.

"Shut up! There's nothing I have to say! I like boobs!" Naruto barked, pointing at Sasuke. "He just likes to creep me out!"

"Anyway..." Tsunade said, her eyes closed with a vein pulsing on her forehead. "What's your answer, Naruto?"

All traces of righteous anger and embarrassment disappeared, and Naruto straightened up.

"Like I said, it doesn't sound like I have a choice. So, naturally, I'll go on the trip with the pervert."

"Good!" Jiraiya said happily. "We leave tomorrow at noon! Make sure to pack well and meet me at the western gate!"

With that, the old pervert jumped off.

"I suppose all that's left is to tell Hinata," Naruto said, stuffing his hands into his pockets and walking off. "Sasuke, you coming?"

"I still have things to discuss with the Godaime," Sasuke said. "I'll catch up later."

Naruto gave a wave, then left the office.

It was starting to become late evening, but Naruto hadn't had dinner yet, so he figured he'd swing by the Hyuuga compound and pick up Hinata. He wasn't at all surprised to find her sparring with her father.

"Yo, Hinata!" Naruto said with a wave as he walked over to her and Hiashi, who turned to him in surprise.

"You...! How do you keep getting in here?" he demanded, and Naruto shrugged.

"Actually, this time I was let in by the guards," the blond said, jutting his thumb over his shoulder. "Got a bit of an announcement, so I figured I'd buy Hinata some dinner and tell her."

Hinata nodded and looked at Hiashi.

"Father, may I be excused?"

Hiashi looked contemplative, like he really didn't want to allow it, if only to show Naruto that his presence was unwanted, but at the same time, he kinda looked like he felt that Hinata was good enough that she could skip out on training for an evening.

"Go," he told her finally, turning and heading back to their house. "We will continue tomorrow."

Hinata gave her father a bow, then jogged over to Naruto.

"Let's go, Naruto-kun!"

"Would you mind if we went out for ramen?" Naruto asked with an apologetic smile on his face.

"I don't mind..."

So, ten minutes later found Naruto and Hinata sitting at Ichiraku Ramen, eating their noodles at a nice, somewhat slow pace. Even Naruto was doing so, as he wanted to savor the taste, considering that he wouldn't be able to eat Ichiraku ramen for three years.

"Um, Naruto-kun..." Hinata mumbled, glancing at Naruto. "You said you had an announcement..."

"Yeah," Naruto said, before downing the broth in his bowl. He set it down on the counter and stared at it for a while, then raised his hand. "Hey, old man Teuchi! Another bowl! Plenty of pork!"

"Yes, coming right up!"

Naruto grinned in response, then turned to look at Hinata. "You won't be seeing me for a while. The old pervert is taking me on a three-year training trip."

"Th-Three years?" Hinata repeated in surprise. "Why would he...?"

"I think it's in preparation for the next time the Akatsuki comes knocking," Naruto said as Teuchi set down another bowl of ramen in front of him. "I guess I'm not strong enough to face them yet."

Naruto was quiet for a while. Then, he clapped his hands together.

"So, how were the last two weeks for you? Anything dangerous happen?"

"Um... Not really..." Hinata mumbled. "The only thing that happened was that I saw a spider in my room... but I killed it..."

Naruto opened his mouth to speak, but Sasuke's voice was heard saying, "Yo," as he stepped inside, taking a seat next to Naruto.

"What a night..." Sasuke muttered. "I got a visit from five Oto-ninja, trying to-"

"Yeah, yeah," Naruto interrupted, waving him off. "But listen to this! Hinata faced down a spider... and killed it!"

Sasuke's eyebrows rose at that.

"Oh, wow... That took guts. Nice one, Hinata."

"Awesome!" Naruto said, grinning and flashing Hinata two thumbs up.

Hinata, knowing that her two teammates were just joking around, had no problem joining in on the laughter.

Once the laughter died down, Naruto smiled softly.

"I'm gonna miss you guys, that's for damn sure..."

"I'll miss you too..." Hinata said, smiling as well.

There was silence. After a moment, Naruto turned to look at Sasuke, who was calmly slurping his ramen. He stared for another few moments, his eyebrow beginning to twitch, as Sasuke sipped the glass of water he'd been served alongside his ramen. A vein began pulsing on his forehead as Sasuke stretched.

"Hey! Say something!" Naruto barked finally.

"Fine," Sasuke said, turning to Naruto and putting a hand on his shoulder. "Naruto... I'm really going to enjoy the peace and quie-"

A fist smashed into Sasuke's face, knocking him off his seat.

"Damn it, Sasuke! Why do you have to ruin a nice, heart-warming moment like that?!"

Sasuke didn't respond, rubbing his cheek and standing up again. He was quiet for a moment, and then smirked at Naruto.

"Make sure to get stronger, yeah?"

That made Naruto grin.

"Of course! You too!" he ordered, before turning to Hinata. "You too, Hinata! I expect you to be able to kick ass, heal them, and then kick 'em again when I get back!"

"I'll try my best..."

–

So, what did you think? Love it? Hate it? Remember to leave a review!

Peace,

ZnK