Chapter 21

Prerequisite

A dim light filled his consciousness as the blonde slowly opened his heavy eyes.

Immediately, he noticed something uncomfortable. His hands were cuffed and he was behind special chakra sealed bars.

"So you're awake…" Two guards, the one positioned at the left asked this question.

There was an extensive silence until one of them asked, "What brought you here? It's been a long time since you've been in the village."

Slowly, Naruto's memory was returning…the congregation…the pendant…Tsunade…then darkness. 'I wonder where's…!'

Naruto stood up and realized that they numbed his muscles slightly. It was hard to move but either way he asked, "Where are they; the others who were with me?"

"Your comrades are in questioning now. In about thirty minutes you'll be questioned as well."

"Where will they go afterwards?" "I don't know."

Naruto spent the rest of his time staring at the wall, registering where he was, and plotting how he'd play it through.

"Uzumaki Naruto, follow me." said one of the guards releasing the gate. Even if Naruto wanted to escape now, they suppressed his chakra and Naruto was having trouble walking.

Naruto was ordered to sit on a chair with a small table in front of him. The room was overall dark with a single light above him. However, there was a clear window in which he could see a couple of ninja and a very familiar face, 'I guessed right, Shikamaru joined the interrogation team.'

Shikamaru stepped into the room and asked, "Are you alright Naruto? It's been a while."

"Don't worry about me." Shikamaru frowned, "I'm sorry you have to be here." "Where are my friends?" "They'll be released later. Better now?"

"Now I am. Are you going to do your job or not?" Shikamaru was taken back, Naruto was never like this…but then again…he hasn't seen Naruto for two years.

"Did you go directly to the Cloud village after you left Konoha?" Naruto nodded and said, "Yeah, but on the way I ran into Orochimaru. I'm sure Sasuke told you the story."

"Yes he did. Afterwards, did you go directly to the Cloud?" Naruto confirmed the doubt with a nod.

Naruto was being open and seems honest. He didn't show any signs of withdrawal, "How were you accepted into the Cloud?"

"Something with chakra, I forgot." "What about chakra?"

"Even if I did know it would be treason to tell you." 'He may be on the interrogation team, but I'm sure he was chosen for a special reason. I think they put him to interrogate me because they believe since I know him, I'd be more honest and open with him…does Shikamaru know this?'

"Have you committed any treason or released confidential information of the Leaf?"

"I'm not the Hokage. What secrets could I know of?" This hurt Shikamaru, "You tell me that Naruto." The boy shot back, "Can't you take a hint? I didn't say anything because I didn't know anything."

"What were you doing all this time?" Naruto turned his head to the side, "That's too general…also…I don't even know what I'm here for besides being a missing ninja. Nor do I know what you want to learn from me…I won't answer that question." "Then tell me what your objective was during the time there."

Naruto looked back at Shikamaru and glared, "My personal life has nothing to do with your little interrogation. Unless you want to push this further…?"

"No, that's alright." replied Shikamaru calmly, as though not caring; but he was really re-thinking his strategy.

Naruto chuckled on the inside, 'Now he's going to ask strange questions that are used to trick me into saying what he really wants to hear...in this case, it must be someone high up that wants to know what I've been up to lately and why. They want to learn all they can.'

"Naruto…of all places, why the Cloud village?"

"For one thing, I have a bounty on my head being a Jinchuuriki. So walking into the first village I see on the map wouldn't be smart. Also, I wanted to finish my training."

"What training would that be?"

"You are Chouji and Ino's old rookie nine team member. Didn't they tell you of my Rasengan training?"

"Oh…yeah I remember. If you were wind type, why not go to the Wind Country? It is an ally to the Leaf." "That's because I didn't want to be found."

"What are you trying to hide from us Naruto?" "I'm not trying to hide anything important Shikamaru…Didn't you just ask if I had committed treason or released secret information on the Leaf?" Shikamaru felt like he was being challenged.

"Have you had any contact with any ally village to the Leaf during these two years?"

"Yeah…I visited the Wave country once, but I made sure nobody witnessed me while I trained." 'He's slowly telling me what I want to know…just a little longer…'

(A.N.: Shikamaru isn't against Naruto; he's just doing his job.)

"Naruto, why did you leave Konoha?" "Shouldn't you know that?"

Naruto formed a scowl, "What do you really want to learn out of this interrogation?"

Even though he didn't want to have a rough start with Naruto, Shikamaru wasn't enjoying Naruto acting like this, "Aren't I asking the questions? Besides, I'm just interested in why you left the village."

"You are a bad liar Shikamaru. You've only asked three good questions so far."

Naruto defiantly stared at Shikamaru with his piercing dark red eyes and continued, "At the beginning you were asking more important questions relating to things like treason, but you took my first answer with no second thoughts. Then when you asked if I've been any where allied to the Leaf and if was to explain what I was doing, you accepted my first answer of training. This all links up to your fourth question when you asked what I was doing and my ambitions."

'It seems Naruto is familiar to interrogation…it's like, he was once an interrogator himself! How is he doing this?'

"Naruto I-" Shikamaru was interrupted, "Although it seems like you let that question slide, in reality, you just started asking the same question; but much smaller…more specific …"

The Nara was hushed, "Let me guess Shikamaru…since I told you I was training in the Cloud and Wave, now you're going to try and figure out why I was training by asking small questions and putting together the answers." There was a pause.

"And even though you only need general information, next you're going to go in detail by trying to figure out the motive of the reason I'm training by asking more small questions."

Naruto's voice elevated, "Then all that's left is to ask where else I was during these past two years, and link it up with events that you can find in the library, record room, and the information gained from the interrogation you had with the Raikage. Put this all together once more, and you'd know everything I was doing these past two years almost in pretty good detail considering the very specific small questions you would have asked."

Because he didn't expect this much from Naruto, the blonde eliminated the point of this interrogation. It can't continue much longer because Naruto knows what they want from him, and he has no intention of giving them too much. If this was any other interrogator though, Naruto wouldn't have been able to expose Shikamaru like this. It is actually his advantage that Shikamaru was here.

Naruto seemed calm again and asked, "If I answer all you want to know, I get to see my comrade's and leave this interrogation room right?"

"Yes." He couldn't think of anything else to say.

"Fine Shikamaru, all I'll say is this and I'll only say it once, so listen well…I've been training because I want to fight the Akatsuki. I became a Cloud Black Ops member during this time and performed missions in villages around Kumo. Lastly, I want to make this world a better place…did you get all that?"

Shikamaru sighed, "Yeah, I got that…Naruto?"

"What is it? I've answered all your questions right?" Shikamaru looked down onto the desk and asked, "You fought back when the ninja's from Danzo's branch tried to reveal you. But why did you let the senbon make contact? I'm sure you could've dodged the senbon instead of blocked it…also…you were much stronger than them, I'm sure of it."

"I don't understand much either, it just happened…there was so much I could've done to stop it …but I do know that I was scared. I felt regret for returning. But I wasn't going to let all this time go to waste…not now. The guards were already attacking me; there was no way I could've told them to stop. To end it, I took the attack…"

Naruto stood up, and before the guards took him away, Naruto said, "Don't lose sleep over this Shikamaru, it's over now. See ya later."

He followed that up with an almost illegible smile and was gone.

Naruto was led to a room that was also sealed. There is a single window through which he could see Denkou, Shio, and the Raikage. They weren't in cuffs, though.

Naruto walked up to the window, turned on the speaker, and asked, "Hey, are you all alright?"

"Were not the ones in cuffs and with their chakra blocked out temporarily, you're the last person in the position to ask that." said Denkou scratching the back of his head.

"You know that my chakra will restore soon. What's going to happen now?"

The Raikage circled in guilt and said, "Naruto, we're sorry, but we must leave until further notice."

"Wait! All of you must go?!" It's been a while since Naruto openly let people notice he was troubled. To think he's an ANBU, yet his control is far better than many other people.

"I'm sorry Naruto-" the Raikage was rapidly interrupted, "Don't be sorry! I---why can't even one of you stay?"

"Naruto, this is something only you can do until the treaty between the Cloud and the Leaf is created."

"What am I supposed to do alone here?" Naruto banged the bottom of his fist against the wall.

The Raikage smiled, "Naruto, you'll never be alone. I'm sure you have people who care about you here."

"I'm not sure if I can do it." "That's not the Naruto I trained. If anything can get you back up, I think it's this place." said Shio beaming in the same style as the Raikage.

"Are you crazy, now that Danzo's Branch ninjas are dominant in the village, he has power that at times can match the Hokage. This place is a ticking time bomb, soon everything will disappear."

"Then make this place right again Naruto! If you want to make the world a better place, start with yourself, then those around you. We'll be fine and so will you. You're strong, crafty, and bright."

"The team will be fine without you Naruto. We'll stick to the low ranked missions until you return." Denkou then created a nice guy pose.

"Is that it? You're going to leave now? This is happening too fast!"

"Naruto, we can't interfere with the Leaf unless the Cloud fancies a war. I'll do my best to pace at which the treaty is made. In the mean time, do your best and good luck. We're pushing time staying here as it is."

The Raikage put his large hat back on and pledged, "Don't worry Naruto; we will see each other again soon."

'I guess it's like Vincen once said, sometimes things happen…they just do…and there's nothing you can do about it…sometimes there's no explanation because it's not supposed to be explained.'

"…Alright. Tell Saira that…I miss her already." Naruto turned around and faced the wall; he didn't want to see them depart. Once the door shut, the same feelings he felt after leaving the Cloud village crept into his head, sending a frost throughout his entire being. 'Is this really worth it?'

After two long months, Naruto shed another tear… "Huh?"

There was no telling how much time past; the next couple of hours were all a blur until a guard came in saying, "Uzumaki, special guests are here."

"I'm not in the mood, just who are they?" "Who can it be?! The Hokage and Kazekage are waiting for you!"

'So I'll be seeing Tsunade and Gaara first, they'd be my first choices anyway…too bad it has to be here…'

As the guard led Naruto to the visitors room and on the way Naruto felt nervous, 'Why do I feel like this? I shouldn't sense anything…besides…I'm only going to be here a while. There's no reason to be so anxious.'

The door at the end of the hallway emitted a bright light, 'I didn't notice how dark this place was.' thought Naruto only making himself even more nervous.

Then, before Naruto could enter, the guard took off his cuffs and said, "You have fifteen minutes to speak with them."

As soon as those cuffs came off, Naruto rubbed his red wrists and said, 'Alright…here I go…'

The light hit his eyes, almost blinding him. When he gained composure, Naruto could see a wide eyed Gaara and a teary Hokage. Naruto didn't expect to have such a moment here, in a prison. Then again, nothing is perfect and Naruto knows that better than anybody else.

"Naruto…?" 'I missed her most.' thought Naruto who then smiled lightly and said, "Hey Tsunade-sama…"

Suddenly, Tsunade punched Naruto on the shoulder, not too hard though, and then hugged him, "Don't ever call me that! Especially after all this time I haven't seen you!"

She cried into his shoulder and whispered with sobs between every, "You've grown so much…and if it weren't for your whiskers, you'd look exactly like the Yondaime…I've missed you so much!"

Naruto ignored the bone crushing properties of the hug and looked forward, "It's been a while Gaara…"

Yes, it has been a while! Gaara walked up to Naruto and created a group hug, "I've missed you too Naruto."

'This is love…right?' thought Naruto trying to analyze the situation. He pushed the thought back and just returned the hugs.

Again, time flew by without them noticing. It was hard for Tsunade and Gaara, but Naruto broke the hug and asked, "How have you all been?"

"We should be asking you that…typical of you to worry about others instead of yourself." said Gaara in a matter-of-fact way.

"We have been fine Naruto…but the village in total has changed without you. We're glad your back…haha…there's so much to catch up on!" said Tsunade about to cry again.

"Tsunade, when will I be out of here?" Tsunade smiled and said, "I'll make sure they don't keep you in here long! You were declared a "C" rank missing nin as of eight days ago, with the possibility that you were…" Tears again found their way to Tsunade's cheeks "…dead!" The Hokage was crying again, strangling Naruto like a pillow.

Gaara had a light smile, very rare on him, "Naruto-kun, I too will make sure you're out in at least three days."

Tsunade let go and shouted with excitement and unable to control her happiness, "I-I- everyone wants to see you! But since you were a missing nin, only the Kages and council can visit you as well as the investigations team. I can't wait until you get out of here!"

'I'm not so sure if I want to see them again now…' thought Naruto feeling not feeling nervous, but repentant.

"Now that we have you back, we'll make sure nothing happens to you once you're out of this place." said Gaara folding his arms.

"I still can't believe…I know I want this…I'm just so…!" Tsunade hugged Naruto again but was interrupted by a guard saying, "You're times almost up. A minute is left."

Tsunade murmured, "He'll stay all I want…"

Naruto suddenly grinned; it has been eight months since he grinned that way, "Tsunade, that wouldn't be smart…hehe…!"

The Kages saw his grin causing them both to do so as well but then it disappeared as soon as theirs came about, "Alright Naruto…are you sure you'll be okay here?"

"Yeah…for now." "What do you mean for now?!" asked Tsunade knocked over.

"I'm sorry, but I can't stay here forever…I have things to do…"

"Can't it wait? I've missed you…we've missed you…for so long Naruto!"

"It's not that it that can't wait Tsunade…it's me…I have new dreams to fulfill."

"What about Hokage?!" asked Gaara frowning. "I can't follow that dream…not now."

"Alright Naruto, time's up." said the guard alerting the group.

"Sure…Tsunade…Gaara…I'll see you both later."

"Al-alright…" replied Tsunade silenced by this sudden change.

"I hope I get to see you in the next three days before I return to the Sand, after all, at times like these it's dangerous to leave a village vulnerable." Said Gaara placing his hand on Naruto's shoulder, but Naruto put it back down and said, "I hope so too, just don't loose track of your goals okay?"

Naruto then walked back down that black hallway, 'I'm sorry…but I can't stay forever.'

A day went by and Naruto could tell that a lot of business was going around. The guards have been taking smaller shifts and more people would pass through the hallways. Naruto could also hear with his heightened senses people talking regularly about some council decisions; it was hard to define, but Naruto knew they were talking about him.

But even when Naruto wasn't eavesdropping on conversations he was never bored. It's like some people say, your mind is a playground…or in this case…a training ground.

Finally, at around 4:30, Naruto was taken away to the council.

The guard taking him there was unusually familiar, so Naruto asked, "What's going on?"

He looked at the blonde and said, "It's me, Yamato!"

Naruto was taken by surprise and said, "H-hey…Yamato."

"I'm glad to see you! Everyone can't wait to meet you on the other side!" "So I've heard…what's going on here?"

"The council wants to talk about your release tomorrow morning." "Tomorrow morning?"

Yamato grinned under his mask, "Yup! Hokage and Kazekage-sama were up all day yesterday filling out papers! You're really lucky Naruto!"

'I'm not sure if this could be considered luck…' thought Naruto biting his lip with one of his two feral teeth.

"There is a condition on your release though…"

Naruto's face turned bitter, "I'm in no mood for making conditions."

"Naruto, from what I've heard, it's nothing too radical. You can go through with it."

"I'm not so sure Yamato…I already feel like I'd rather be in a jail cell."

"Don't say that Naruto!" said Yamato sternly. "Besides, there are some who are counting the seconds until they can see you again."

"Do you know where Jiraiya is?" said Naruto trying to change the subject.

"No. He hasn't been seen for almost seven months now."

Before Naruto could reply, another ANBU appeared and said, "This way." Yamato gave Naruto a reassuring nod as he entered the room.

In the room were Tsunade and the two head elders of the council.

"Uzumaki Naruto, you are here for your scheduled release tomorrow."

"Yes, I was told so on my way here."

"Good, then we won't have to give the details." Naruto's face darkened, "What exactly is this demand of the council?"

Tsunade spoke up and said, "Since you were a missing ninja, there is a matter of punishment."

"Yeah…I understand." 'How bad could it be? I was downgraded to a "C" class missing ninja.'

Naruto was right, "You'll have to perform a week of community service by accomplishing "D" ranked missions around the village, and also you'll have to accomplish at least ten "C" ranked or higher missions within a month."

"Is there anything else?" asked Naruto thinking that this could be done easily; but once again, nothing is easy, nothing is perfect.

Tsunade wanted to speak to Naruto, because it would be less intricate to communicate, "Yes Naruto…we can't just have you running around the village unattended."

"So I'm going to have a ninja watch over me?" asked Naruto thinking he could escape a single ninja with ease.

Tsunade shook her head and smiled, 'Why am I getting a bad feeling although Tsunade is smiling? Oh yeah…because what could be good for her, be the most horrible torture of my life!" thought Naruto rubbing his neck in stress.

"Actually, you will accompany/be accompanied by, three ninjas." Tsunade smiled even more, yup, this wasn't going to be good for him.

Naruto gulped in air, "And who might these three ninja's be?"

"You were once a ninja correct Naruto?" "Yes?" "You will be completing a squad…your squad."

Naruto bit his lip, "You…don't mean…!"

Tsunade smiled again, "I do! Naruto, you shall complete your squad seven after four years. In other words, the ninja's you will be with for the next month at least are: Hatake Kakashi, Uchiha Sasuke, and Haruno Sakura."

'…I should've guessed…' "Well kit…what do you say?" Naruto sighed, "Kyuubi, I don't have much time left in this world. I returned to Konoha in the purpose of cleaning my past. If it means returning to team seven as well…so be it."

"What do you say Uzumaki Naruto?" asked the female elder.

Naruto forced a smile; just like his old self…hiding under a mask…and replied, "Sure…just one question."

"And what would that be?" "Am I a Leaf shinobi yet again?"

"To an extent, yes…you can do missions. But you cannot wear the Leaf ninja hitai-ate until further notice." Naruto nodded, 'That's just fine with me…'

Now dismissed, Naruto was given by the guard (Yamato/Tenzou) a scroll containing Naruto's clothing and some kunai and shuriken. Naruto wasn't allowed to get his blade back until the first day is over.

Once Naruto was back inside his cell Yamato said, "I also have guard duty alone for the night."

Naruto sniggered, "Sorry Yamato…I have a big day tomorrow and I'd rather be awake than tired." "Oh…sure Naruto." Tenzou smiled and turned around, 'We're all just glad to have you back in the village.'

"So you're going to lie to him like that? Even after all this time you'd rather do this than talk with him?" asked the kitsune confused.

"Sorry Kyuubi, I can use all the training I can get…no stopping now, not after how far we've gotten…"

"Alright, let's begin…"

It was 4:00 a.m., Naruto wanted to leave as soon as possible from the jail cell, it would give him more time to prepare for the new journey ahead.

As Naruto exited his cell with his usual clothing…(Black pants with a thick white strip at the bottom resembling the ones Shikamaru wore in the Chunin Exams except that it was longer, and the regular ninja shoes. On top he wore a long sleeve white shirt with no design, and above that was the jacket Saira had given him, and it was unzipped, leaving the long white shirt visible just in case you forgot)…he said, "Thanks Yamato. By the way, does anyone know I was released this morning?"

"Nope! Just you, me, Gaara, and Tsunade know about this!" said Yamato giving a thumbs up. "Oh wait! I almost forgot!" Yamato revealed a flashlight in the pitch morning dark and light it up under his face, flashing his 'scary' look.

Naruto sweat-dropped, 'Damn it I never get used to that…' "So what 'cha think?"

"Creepy as always Yamato…see ya." Naruto now had two hours, 'I wonder if it's still standing…'

About ten minutes past and Naruto was almost lost, but found his path again which led to his old apartment.

"Well I can't say I'm surprised." said Naruto looking at the debris that was once his house.

Rummaging through it Naruto found his old dog like sleeping hat, except the fuzzy ball at the end was cut off, 'I guess this is all that's left of my past possessions that the council didn't collect when I left.'

Stuffing the hat in his pocket, Naruto continued down the road slowly, trying to sink in all these changes.

The surprises never end. When Naruto turned around the corner where Ichiraku should stand, instead, there was a small toy shop. 'No more ramen huh? I'll just have to go to the supermarket or something…huh…I wonder when it went out of business.'

Naruto abruptly stopped, and then chuckled, "Yamato forgot to tell me where I was supposed to go…ah well…I'll find it sooner or later..."

Tilting his head higher, Naruto noticed the Hokage mountain, 'It's been a while since I've been up there…'

There was a man walking down the road, so Naruto quickly lifted his white hood to hide himself for the time-being and continued his walk down memory lane…what's left of it at least. (A.N.: The white hood is connected to his long sleeve white shirt and then the jacket is over that. I wish I could just draw a picture and post it…)

Down under a giant tree in Konoha two hours later, Sasuke and Sakura were greeted by a late as usual Kakashi.

"Where were you?!" asked Sakura as she usually does, "On second thought, don't answer that! Where's Mace?"

"We will no longer be seeing him." replied Kakashi seeming relieved.

Sakura was about to say something, but pushed it back and said, "No matter, I'm not going to miss that pest anyway."

Sasuke smirked, "Finally he's gone!! So can we get moving already?"

Kakashi shook his head, pulled out his Icha Icha book, and said, "No, we have to wait for Mace's replacement." "Who is he?" asked Sasuke in high hopes he's someone worth his time.

"I don't know; we're just going to have to wait here!" Kakashi stuck his face in his book and paced around the street the tree lies on.

Twenty minutes later

"GOD DAMN IT!!" shouted Sakura punching a hole in the ground, "How the hell can this guy be later than Kakashi?! Whoever he is I'm not going to take this!"

Sasuke nodded and said, "I never thought that we'd see the day Kakashi was out 'behind scheduled' by someone else."

Kakashi finally spoke, "I'm jealous…now I'm going to have to be twice as late if I hope to hold my title…"

A vein bulged on Sakura's forehead, "Don't even try it! And stop walking around without looking where you're goin-!"

Too late, Kakashi bumped into another person not too much under his height who was also reading a book, knocked him on his back, and Kakashi followed suit.

Sakura rushed over, grabbed the hooded man by the arm, and pulled him up, "Sorry about that sir! Our sensei was walking around with a book in his face! I promise he won't do it again right sensei?"

The guy dusted his pants with his hands and said while doing so, "It's alright…I was reading a book as well." He picked up his book, lifted his head, and was silenced.

Kakashi got up saying, "Sorry um…?" He was trying to get a name, instead he got a question asked in a shady tone, "This is squad seven…right?"

"Yes? Are you Mace's replacement?" asked Sasuke.

"I guess so…"

'This guy is way too quiet! What's his problem…and why he is so late?' thought Sakura then asking, holding back anger, "What took you so long?"

"I forgot to ask where to meet you three, so I just wandered around until I found you." replied the ninja in a calm accent.

"Well don't make a habit of it-" said Kakashi. "In the entire world, you are most likely no matter what the circumstance, the less fit to say that." interrupted Sasuke jumping off the tree.

"Tell me your name." demanded Sasuke. 'Usual for the teme to ask the name of his adversary…hmph.' thought the boy reaching for his hood.

In a neutral voice, he replied, "Since I'm late, and you all know me already, let's skip the introduction and get right to the task at hand…shall we?"

"What do you mean that we know-?!" Sakura was cut short; as the man pulled down his hood she let out a gasp, "Na-Na-Naruto!"

Sasuke looked like he just saw a ghost and Kakashi dropped his book, "Nani?!"

Naruto looked directly at Kakashi and asked, "Which way is the Yanamaka shop?"

"Holy…that's…you Naruto?!" Putting his hood back on, the blonde said, "Kakashi keep it down. I don't want to draw any attention."

'What happened to sensei?' thought Kakashi noticing the missing suffix he usually received.

Sakura walked over to Naruto, wanting to pull the hood back down, but he grabbed her wrist and said, "When we reach Ino's I'll put it back down. It's not the right time for the village to see me."

"Naruto…I…" Sakura pulled Naruto in a giant embrace, which was cut short when he pushed her slowly off and said, "Please…don't."

The other two were shocked by this action. Kakashi then slowly picked up his fallen book, and walked in the direction of the Yanamaka's. Naruto didn't follow too close, but not too behind either.

'Well Naruto, I guess you grew a lot without us…it's sad, I wish I was there to see you.' thought Kakashi hidding himself in the confines of his book once more.

Sakura and Sasuke were almost left behind as they watched Naruto walk off with their sensei. 'Naruto was released? Why didn't anyone tell me?! I want to say sorry…but without making him angry. What do I have to do to get you back Naruto-kun?'

Sakura realized her last thought, 'No…I should've given called him that way long ago...is it too late?' Two tears swayed down Sakura's cheeks.

Sasuke was still shell shocked by the sudden appearance, 'That was Naruto?! When did he…?! How did he?! This Naruto is completely diverse from two years ago! I can sense it in him! Not the Kyuubi…something…darker…'

Hiding in an alley way watching the four ninjas were three people. "It's him…"

"Aren't you going to go and talk to him?! It's been almost three years!"

"No! I'm not going to talk to him anymore!" "Why not?! I miss boss! Remember all the good times we had with him?!"

"Yeah, but then he left me here all alone without saying goodbye…I don't ever want to talk to him again!" the boy ran away snuffling leaving the others behind.

"We should find Naruto-niichan and get him to talk to Konohamaru-kun!" shouted Moegi to Udon who nodded in approval. 'Now which way did he go?'

A.N.: It was hard typing this chapter; there were many things that I loked over and over to the point that it consumed three days just totype two-thousand words. I tried my best to make this chapter seem more compelling, but that's hard since this is a fanfic and not an original story.

If you review, I'd like it if you'd give me some constructive criticism. This time, I would like to know not what's wrong with my grammar and spelling (Unless it's COMPLETELY necessary), instead, tell me what you think the story is missing. Please don't ask/suggest for anything though, I can't promise too much because I'd like to keep to the original storyline that I have set out.

Thanks for reading!