Awwright, I have returned! Thank you guys for your support. Now, let me apologize from beforehand for two reasons. First one is that I'm leaving you guys in the dark this chapter. I have thought of a plotline that will hopefully completely BLOW YOUR MIND. I'm sure you are all very curious as to what it is but I need to keep in the suspension and stuff, so you'll have to wait. I'm sorry. But to console you all, I have left some extras in the end of this chap. Now, the other one is that I lack serious moments in this fic. But I'm just the kind of person that hides a dark and serious plot behind comedy until... Well, you know what I mean. I have been deceiving you guys a little by making Naruto a little Mary Sue, but you will all see that she is actually not Mary Sue at all. Confusing, I know. But I'm not going to spoil anything else. Oh, and I have opened a poll on whether Sakura should become stronger before Shippuden or not. Yes, Sakura's going to be nice. But relax Sakura haters, for I will try to make her as likeable as possible. Now, let's get on with the story.

Chapter 11 : De ja vu :

Naruto waved happily to the A-class missing nin like he was some normal acquaintance from down the street. Her smile was broad and kind of goofy while her eyes it up like a thousand stars.

She kinda looked like a kid in a candy factory or a happy puppy to be honest.
"Momo-chan!" The man immediately reacted to her call. He turned his body around as her familiar voice reached his well trained ears. His eyes scanned her body and face. The blond hair and blue eyes tugged at his memory, the girl had a cloak protecting her body and her skin was deadly pale. It seemed like she was sick or injured and had lost a lot of blood. He guessed it was the first option since there was a lack of the crimson liquid. There was something on her cloak but it was hard to see since her long hair was draped all over her back and hid the drawing or in this case her family's crest from sight. He then took a better look at her face. She had an adorable little nose and full lips, she also had those innocent eyes that pierced his very being and made him a bit nervous. The girl would be a man magnet in a few years, that much was sure. But that was not what was bugging him. The girl knew his name and looked familiar to him, but from where...? His eyes widened in recognition when he saw the scars on her cheeks, her pale complexion made them stand out even more and thank god for that. He wouldn't have recognized her without them. The girl had grown so much...

"Naruto?! Is that you?" Zabuza whispered, too surprised to raise his voice. Naruto nodded positive with a smile on her face. "Its been a long time hasn't it Momo? What's with the bandages? You look a lot more handsome without them, you know." She grinned when she saw Zabuza sputter in embarrassment with a light blush on his face. She laughed when she saw Zabuza glare at her. 'Probably wasn't happy with me grinning at him.' She thought, amused. "But anyway." She began after she had finished her laughing fit. "It's nice to see you and all, but I doubt you're here for no reason. You won't find any pretty ladies on a road like this, ya know."

Zabuza's face became as red as a tomato and smoke threatened to spill from his ears . "I-I-I wasn't looking f-for damn pr-prostitutes, you rebel!"

"You're a rebel too." Naruto deadpanned. Zabuza blinked owlishly. "You do have a point there... But screw you, Naruto. I'm not that kind of guy!"

"Then why did you search for one in Konoha a few years ago?"

"I already told you, it was to collect information! Just let it go! You haven't grown at all have you? Neither your mind nor your height have."

"What did you say!" Naruto yelled. "You know,I do think I have grown over the years, can't say the same thing about your tiny, pitiful eyebrows." She said with glee.

Zabuza looked at her with wide eyes. 'Oh no, she didn't.' Naruto giggled. Oh, yes. His eyebrows were a sensitive topic indeed. 'Well, it's been fun Momo-chan, but I have a mission to do.' She thought to herself.

"Zabuza." The tone in Naruto's voice changed drastically, it became heavier, more serious and professional. "No more jokes. You are here for the old man, are you not?" Zabuza nodded, he rubbed the back of his head tiredly. "Indeed I am, some whiny midget called Gato ordered me to kill Tazuna Mizukaze and promised= to pay me enough to last a lifetime. I doubt it will be that much, but hey. Money is money, and money means living for another day."

Naruto's jaw almost hit the ground, she then sighed as she massaged her temple. "So let me get this straight. He PROMISED you to pay you THAT much money?"

"Yup."

"And you signed nothing, no agreement. Just, absolutely nothing?"

"Mhm."

"And you don't even know the exact amount of money he's going to pay you?"

"Nope."

"Zabuza...?"

"Yeah?"

"You... Damn... IDIOT. YOU'RE THE DUMBEST RETART I HAVE EVER MET. I pity those who have to live with someone worse then you.

Meanwhile, in a parallel universe :

"Hey, hey. When do we finally get there." Screamed an orange clothed boy with blond hair.

"*Sigh* It's just a little longer Naruto." Said Kakashi tiredly.

"Naruto, you idiot. Stop yelling, you're alerting other shinobi's." Yelled Sakura.

"Hn, Dobe." Smirked Sasuke.

"What did you say Te – Achoo!"

"What's wrong, kid? Are you catching a cold?" Asked Tazuna.
"I just have the strangest feeling someone's talking about me from somewhere."

If only he knew...

Back in our universe :

" – Do you even understand how stupid you are, you big dummy!"

"Yes, mom."

"Don't use that tone with me, young man."

Kakashi's image of the fearsome devil of the mist was left completely shattered as he saw his student preach the man as if he was a little kid. He couldn't imagine Zabuza killing his whole graduation class anymore because every time he tried, he just imagined seeing Zabuza getting a scolding by a child two times younger than him.

"You can't say that! I'm older than you." He answered.
"I can when you're mentally younger than me."

'Ooh, that was a painful one.' Kakashi winced. It wasn't very rude since she didn't curse but it was a big blow to Zabuza's pride. Something that ninjas found very important and tried to preserve no matter what. Naruto knew how to humiliate her opponents. That much was obvious, attack their pride and you practically already won the fight. An angry opponent is much easier to defeat, they attack while blinded by their hate and anger. Such was one of the lessons Konoha taught to their childeren. And what a useful lesson it was.

Well, it's also true that Zabuza and Naruto weren't fighting in a life or death battle either...

Ahh, well...

Zabuza's left eyebrow twitched in irritation as he cracked his knuckles. "You searching for a fight?"

"It wouldn't be a fight I'm afraid." Naruto said. Zabuza grinned. "What? You scared? You scaredy cat."

"Oh, no. Of course I'm not scared. It's just that it wouldn't be fair, you see. It wouldn't be much of a fight." Naruto then cackled maniacally, a grin almost splitting her face. "It would be a one sided slaughter, with me claiming victory."

"Hmpf, look at yourself. You're like a walking corpse and still claim to defeat me. Foolish." Zabuza snorted. "Fine kid, let's just settle this like we always do."

"Agreed." Naruto voiced. Zabuza grabbed a hold of his sword stuck in the tree and pulled it out with a grunt. He then casually walked over to the group of leaf ninjas with his sword resting on his shoulder as he held it. Kakashi's eye narrowed and he took a hold of a kunai. He raised it to neck height in a defensive stance. "I don't know where you know Naruto from and I honestly don't care, but I won't let you get closer to my students. Step back!" He threatened.

"Aww, is poor old Kakashi afraid of the big bad demon?" Kakashi snorted. "You wish!"

Sakura meanwhile was stuck in her personal inner turmoil, she was looking at the situation with fear. She was afraid, afraid of being killed and then being forgotten when everybody she knew had died too. But she had promised the Hokage that she would help Naruto, she had promised him to protect her with her life. And she would not go back on that promise.

A few days prior :

"And she then told me I would get executed for killing a cat! A cat, Hokage-sama! I know it's the Daimyo' wife's but still. She even called my hair atrocious, the nerve!"

Sakura's arms flailed around as she told the Hokage what had happened, her face red with anger. The Hokage shook his head, the girl may be smart but she had a long way to go. He could understand that the girl was upset but she was talking to the Hokage, not the psychologist and he didn't have the patience nor the time to listen to all the complains she had.

"Look Sakura,I agree that Naruto overdid it, but I don't think you should be talking bad about her. She did, in a way, protect you from harm. Would you have listened to Naruto if she wasn't that... Vocal?"

"Of course not!" Sakura exclaimed. The Hokage had to do his best to refrain flinching. Yep, she was a full-blooded Haruno alright.

"Okay, now think carefully about what would have happened if you had killed Tora. It's true you wouldn't have been executed, but that meant you would get punished and believe me when I say that you absolutely don't want that. The Daimyo may be a pacifist and against violence but he's very protective of his wife. The punishment wouldn't have been light. You should be thanking her instead of complaining."

Sakura crossed her arms and pouted. "You're just siding with her because she's from an important clan..." She then turned her face away from the Hokage, her pout still in place. "No offense, Hokage-sama, but that's not fair."

The Hokage's eyes narrowed dangerously. He sat there looking at her, interlacing his fingers underneath his chin and bending his head towards her. "Miss Haruno, You have no idea what you are talking about." Her body became stiff and she shuddered involuntary when his heavy voice reached her ears. Gone was the kind, weary old man she was talking to, in his place was the Hokage, a man who survived many wars and ruled over Konoha. She was unable to move nor speak as that very same man looked her dead in the eye. "Not only do you come here to WASTE my time but you also claim that it's unfair for Naruto to claim her birthright! I don't know if you're serious or not but if you are against the 371th Shinobi Law then there will be a trial in Konoha's main court which will be a public trial. The costs of this will be 25 000 000 yen and shall be coming from your own bank account. This is not a joke Haruno-san! This will of course not mean that you will be victorious and – ."

"H-Hokage-sama, what is the 371th Shinobi Law exactly? I don't recall learning about that law in the academy." Sakura asked, stuttering nervously.

"The 371th Shinobi Law : 'The prestigious Clan's and their respectable members should be respected and acted kindly upon as these have helped Konoha since ancient times.' is one of the most important laws in Konoha, the reason this is not taught in the academy is simply because we don't want the children of important clans to be treated like gods in the academy. This however changes when they graduate and they have proved themselves to be capable shinobi worthy of their clan status. And you, Haruno-san. Have broken this law more times than I could count. I' m surprised that you still have your head. Most clan members would order for your immediate execution if you even did as much as insult them. But for you to even hit Naruto... I don't get why you are even alive. It surprises me that she even had the patience to keep calm for this long."

Sakura's eyes widened, Naruto could order her execution every time she wanted? The realization hit her like a brick. A clan member of the branch family of the Hyuuga clan could have her head for only insulting them, yet here she was. Hitting the princess of Konoha like it was a normal custom in the village. Her blood became ice cold as cold sweat covered her forehead. 'Killed, I'll be killed...!'

" – But, it's understandable that she gave you multiple chances and I don't blame her. She wants to have a good companion who she can be a girl with like Hinata on her team. Naruto had realized that you could change, even though she wasn't fond of you. She trusted you."

Sakura stared at the Hokage, he had to resist smiling as he realized that the girl began to understand.

The truth behind Naruto's actions that is.

"But that's...!" Sakura yelled before she got silenced by the Hokage as he put his index to his lips and shook his head. "No need to yell, Sakura. It's good if you understand."

Sakura pursed her lips in disapproval. "It isn't fair in another way now, isn't it?" The Hokage said, his eyes softening slightly. "Look, I'm just asking you to do the same for her. That girl comes here every week with bags under her eyes and with a scroll filled with paperwork. Naruto, as the last Uzumaki-Namikaze must do the paperwork her clan is given by herself. And unlike Sasuke, who finishes in one night if he doesn't sleep. She has more work and has to work much harder and longer, Sasuke needs to work for his clan as he is the current head of the Uchiha. Naruto however is the current head of the Uzumaki-Namikaze clan and Konohakure's princess, she has to work as Konoha's princess and as you could imagine, it's a lot more work. To strengthen your bonds, could you perhaps help her with her work? Protect her like she had done with you? I know it's a big thing to ask of you but... You'll be stuck in the team you are now, so isn't it good to strengthen your bond her? You're both girls aren't you? I'll admit that Sasuke is a very handsome and attractive boy, but it's better to communicate and spend your time with all your teammates instead of just focusing on one of them." Sakura blinked a few times.

"Uhh, o-okay..." She fiddled with her fingers nervously until the Hokage coughed. "There's one issue though." Sarutobi sighed. "Naruto hides it well but... You see Sakura, Naruto suffers from something called Xenophobia. Also known as the fear for unfamiliar people as well as claustrophobia. She can hide it because..." The Hokage paused. "...I'll tell you later, but the gist of it is that Naruto panics if several people are closing up on her, especially people she doesn't know. And a panicking Naruto is dangerous, you could say that she's like a cornered animal and those are the most dangerous animals of them all. Try to calm her when this happens. I'll explain how to calm her down in a minute. Now, are there any more questions?"

Sakura stared at the man until she absorbed his words and jumped 'awake' as you could say. "Ahh, uhm..."

'A question? I don't have one do I – Oh, wait. I do!'

"Yeah, I have one!" She exclaimed, completely reverted to her normal self. "Her scar, you know. The scar on her back! What happened?"

The leader of the village flinched before he opened his drawer and took his pipe from the upper drawer. He used a small fire technique to light it and took a big puff from it. "Asuka! Get me the file of that incident please" He yelled. Sakura heard a soft 'Yes, Lord Hokage." from behind the doors and looked at the Hokage in confusion. Her leader looked at her with a grave expression. "You'll understand in a minute."
And understand it she did.

Back to today :

Her hand unconsciously went to her right pocket where the reminders of their conversation was kept. And she hoped she didn't have to use some of them very soon. The things she had heard and seen was... Atrocious. It was disgusting to see Naruto like that, it wasn't even something she wished for nor was it her fault. No, it was someone else's and that was why it was so disgusting to her. How could a human being do that to another one?

Sakura had seen how the people of Konoha called Naruto names and looked at her, so she thought someone had carved that horrible word on her back because they hated her. But it seemed like there was a lot more going on in the background. Much, much more than she could ever imagine. She had been thinking about it lately. And as a result lost her concentration during most of the mission, she spaced out and stared at the same spot for what seemed like hundreds of times. She also felt some kind of... Protectiveness over her. No wonder Hinata was so protective of Naruto. Her cheerful and easygoing yet wise and kind personality hid the fact that Naruto was a lot frailer and weak than people thought, not only her body was frail but her mind was as well. Her pain was hidden away deep inside the deepest part of Naruto's heart and only came out when she was with people she trusted with her life. That's why Hinata got mad when people were too brash or wild around Naruto, it was because she had seen the 'real' Naruto. It was not like this Naruto was fake or something, it was just that she hid a lot.

Sakura was impressed by it to be honest. She knew that she herself would never be able to hide her pain like that. She would cry and let out her frustrations so they wouldn't become a burden to her later. The Naruto that she had come to know these past weeks was social and could talk with almost everyone. She dared to open her mouth and curse so she was in no means shy. But as she thought back to certain moments she started to see little details she didn't pay much attention to before the conversation. When Tazuna gave her a pat on the head on the first night of the mission, she flinched slightly before closing her eyes for a split second. When she opened her eyes, she relaxed into the touch but it did show that Naruto had to force herself to stay calm. Even if it was just a little bit. They got closer after and created a bond after that though. It was like Naruto tried to find a family to fit into, with Kakashi as some doting older brother and the Hokage as a kind grandfather. Seems like she got another family member.

Sakura felt kind of out of place, Sasuke had lost his family, his whole clan because his brother had gone mad for reasons unknown and it was almost the exact same thing with Naruto. Those two had much more in common than her. She had decided to stop being so mean to Naruto but she hadn't given up on Sasuke and it irked her that those two understood each other more than she ever could.

She was jealous...

But she wouldn't make Naruto a victim of her jealousy, that much she could promise.

Zabuza was grinning at her teacher, his eyes had a dangerous gleam, it was like a devil of destruction was standing before her. And it looked like he could kill her whenever he wanted. The man ignored her teacher's threats and kept walking towards them. Naruto mimicked the missing-nin's face and grinned back, not even looking scared in the slightest. "You ready, demon?"

"As ready as I will ever be, you devil." Naruto jumped off Kakashi's shoulders and fell on her butt. "Ow!" She screamed, Sakura flinched. That looked like it hurt. Naruto tried to push herself up, she slowly crawled on her knees before trying to get her legs to support her. She pushed herself up with her left leg before quickly putting her weight on both her legs and feet. She wobbled slightly before she lost her footing. She closed her eyes as she fell, afraid of knowing when she was going to hit the ground. But before she hit a ground someone caught her. "Seriously, you're such a troublesome child. I was coming to you, you know. No need to get impatient."

Naruto opened her eyes and tried to wiggle herself out of Zabuza's grip. But like she thought, she was too weak. "Stupid, dumb, weak body." She mumbled. Zabuza smiled softly but it went unseen. 'Yep, she hasn't changed at all. Still the same stubborn kid I used to know.'

"Let's settle this another time, Naruto. I'll just lie to the fat lard and tell him that the old man's protected by elite shinobi and need to think of a plan to defeat them. We'll fight later."

"I don't need your pity!" Naruto yelled, she clenched her teeth. She never got sick or weak like this and to be treated like this was hurting her pride. "I'm fine! Everybody keeps treating me like a little kid. Do you have any idea how many times people told me to 'Get some rest' and 'Take it easy'? It's annoying me!"

"Are you mad! I know you and I can see that you're not fine! Naruto, I know it humiliating to be cared for when you're sick but I don't think you understand why people care for you when this is the case. People care for you so you get well soon. If you keep pushing yourself, it's only going to get worse! You should let them help you.

"Yes, mom."

"And don't use that tone when you're talking to me, young lady! I'm going to give you one week to rest and if you don't... You know what will follow."

Naruto's eyes widened. "You wouldn't..."

"Oh yes I would~" Zabuza was really enjoying this. 'Karma's a bitch isn't it, squirt?'

"No, not the pocky! Anything but the pocky, I beg of you!"

Kakashi fell flat on his face. 'Pocky? He's bribing her with pocky? Great, when she enters the bingo book there will be a description with 'Weaknesses : Her height and pocky. They did the same with my heavenly literature.'

"Kashi, Sasu, Saku, please help me. I beg of you! He's going to tie me up and eat my pocky collection in front of my nose! Just you wait Momo-chan. When I'm Hokage, I shall declare pocky a holy artifact. Believe it!"

"Yeah, yeah. Sure you will, you pocky addict. I doubt there is someone with the same serious addiction to pocky like you."

Hahaha , that's good one... No, there actually is.

In a dark cave :

The members of the Akatsuki were eating their dinner with all of them something else on their plates. Sasori had sobi, Kakuzu had caviar, Deidara had dango, Pein had a mountain of carrots, Konan had onigiri, Hidan had a raw decapitated squirl on his plate, which was covered in weird signs, Kisame was munching on some dried fish like a shark would've done, Zetsu had a whole corpse of a man on his side of the table which most members stayed away from and Itachi had a ton of pocky. "...And thank you for all the flavors pocky exists in this world. All hail to pocky – Pichu!"

Everyone stopped eating and stared at their slightly psychotic version of every teenage girl's wet dream . "Did that motherfucker just say 'pichu' when he sneezed? Itachi, why the hell dude? Why do you sneeze like a damn chick?"

Itachi glared at the white haired jashinist. "I was born this way..." He started munching on the delicious sticks of holiness with joy. 'I have the feeling someone's talking about me.'

EXTRAS :

Thoughts when writing this chapter :

Zabuza's face became as red as a tomato :

Sasuke : TOMATO! (Becomes feral and jumps on Zabuza.)

Zabuza : AHHH, NO, DON'T BITE ME. NOOOOOO!

"I already told you, it was to collect information! Just let it go!" :

Me : Let it gooooo! Let it goooooo! Can't hold it back anymooooooo – !

'Ooh, that was a painful one.' Kakashi winced. :

Me : Audible gasp! That's the first time he has winced without any balls being involved!

Sakura : Did you seriously just say 'Audible gasp'?

Me : It's to make it more sarcastic.

Sakura : Oh, I see. That makes sense.

Kakashi : No it doesn't!

A few days prior : :

Me : Flashback power!

Sasuke : Why are there two colons?

Me : Because it's colonception!

Sasuke : You're retarted. (Walks away)

Me : (Cries in a corner)

She also felt some kind of... Protectiveness over her. :

Me : I'm making Sakura nice. I'm so kind aren't I!

Sakura : You took your sweet time!

Me : Yeah I know. But all those reviews about you being a character with no backbone or real character developments were driving me crazy. So I sped up your development.

Sakura : Wait, wait wait. I was supposed to be a bitch for a longer time?

Me : Yeah, I like slow developments to make the plot more realistic. But humans can change drastically when they get shocked or overwhelmed by something. Be happy, those reviews have sped up your development a bit. Your friendship with Naruto is going to come gradually though. Because, you know...

Sakura : Yeah, I know. It's because – "

Me : Shh, don't spoil it!

Sakura : Oh, I'm sorry.

Kakuzu had caviar :

Me : Why do I imagine Kakuzu with a high hat and a moustache?

Kakashi's bingo book entry :

Konohakure Jounin entry 32 :

Hatake Kakashi

Rank : A

Aliases : Sharingan no Kakashi, Shinobi of a thousand jutsus, The porn emperor.

Skills :

Sharingan

1000 jutsu's

Chidori

A thousand years of pain AKA the almighty poke in the butthole AKA Gayest ninja skill of the year.

Weaknesses : Porn, being called old and puppies.

Recommended action : Prepare a porn book or puppy beforehand and proceed with caution.

And that was it. Sorry for any and all bad grammar. Have a good day... Night... What time it is where you are.