Hey guys! Here we are, chapter 25! This is really a milestone, 25 chapters! Thats 1/4 of 100, which as you all know, is 1/10 of 1000!
You guys know what im talking about? I hope so, cuz i sure dont! Anyway, chapter 25! Woot!
As you may have all guessed, and i hope you did, we just had a lovely little timeskip! Yay! Four long years has passed in the Naruto World, and all of our heros have been training hard! Here we go! Fall of Konaha - Shippuuden!
"Goodbye, Boss Gama! Thanks for the training!" Naruto said as he waved to the massive toad from the bottom of the temple steps.
"It's a good thing the boy got it faster than Jiraiya, don'tcha think?" Pa asked as he turned to regard the Great Toad Sage.
"Eh? Who's Jiraiya?" The old, and possibly senile toad responded from behind closed eyes.
"You old coot…you've gone senile!" Ma shouted, and she shook her head.
"He's not senile, he's just got a lot of things to remember!" Pa retorted. "Jiraiya was the younger man you trained way back when, remember?"
"…" The Great Toad sage sat in his chair without moving, though his smile stayed with him. A faint sound of snoring came from his mouth.
"You've gone to sleep! Wake up!"
"Don't be so mean to him!"
"Shut up, or I'll smack you so hard you'll be grinning in your sleep, like the old man over there!"
"Children, be nice. Husband and wife has to be nice to each other." The sage said with a goofy grin. Ma and Pa sighed.
"Goodbye, Naruto. Good luck in your missions, with your new strength, I'm sure you'll crush any enemies in your way." Pa said with a smile.
"Thanks! We'll I'm off! How do I get back to the Land of Fire?" Naruto asked when he realized he had been summoned here through a jutsu.
"The same way you got here!" Gamabunta shouted as he palmed the earth, and Naruto disappeared. "Good luck, kid."
--xxx--
"It's been a long four years…I wonder how the rest of them all made out…" Naruto said as he stood in that same tiny village.
"Naruto, you're finally back." Tsunade said as she wandered out from the tavern.
"Grandma Tsunade! You're still here?"
"Haven't I told you not to call me granny?" Tsunade said as a vein above her right eye began to twitch with rage.
"Oh, Naruto…"
"Hinata! You're still here too?!"
It's been four years, I haven't seen him in so long…what am I supposed to say?
"Hinata? You there?"
"Hey, Naruto-kun."
"You haven't called me Naruto-kun in a long time."
"It's been four years since you've seen each other, Naruto."
"No, even before that."
"Yeah, well, um…I have things I need to do." Hinata said as she ran back into the tavern.
"She's still kinda weird, huh?"
Naruto, you idiot…I thought he figured it out? Tsunade shook her head. "So, you've got new clothes, I see." He was wearing similar orange clothes, although they were slightly darker, with black trim. The cloth portion of his headband had been replaced with a thin piece of black fabric that was knotted behind his head, and trailed off in two thin strips.
"Yeah! Those old ones didn't last too long during Boss Gama's training! It was crazy!"
"I'd imagine so." Tsunade reached a hand out and ruffled his hair. "I bet you haven't matured a day, have you?"
"I've matured a lot! I'm 16 now, I can even drink legally!" Naruto said with a triumphant giggle. "Boss Gama said we couldn't have a real master/subordinate relationship until I could drink sake with him, and now I have!" Naruto gave the thumbs up.
"Drinking doesn't make you mature, Naruto."
"I'm totally mature though!" Naruto crossed his arms over his chest and frowned. "Are any of the others back yet?"
"Nope, not even one of them, maybe you should go looking for them. Then again, going to three different villages in three different nations would take forever." Naruto giggled triumphantly again. "What are you laughing about?"
"Not with my new technique it won't!" Naruto continued to laugh.
"What technique is that?" Naruto dug into his bag and pulled out a kunai, and showed it to Tsunade. She took it in her hands to inspect it carefully. It had yellow markings on the handle that said "Konaha's Yellow Flash".
"You're kidding…"
"Nope!" Naruto continued to laugh. "I gave one to Sasuke, one to Shikamaru, and one to Bushy Brows before they all left! I could go to where they are instantly!"
Mastering that technique…you really have grown, haven't you? Tsunade looked at the child in wonder as he continued to laugh and give the thumbs up.
"I'm going to go find the others now! Bye Granny!" Naruto said, and Tsunade lunged for him, but he vanished.
"Naruto…" She growled.
--xxx--
"Ugh…The air here is so dry, and it's so hot!" Naruto commented as he appeared in a large bedroom. The walls were made of some sort of clay, and he stepped out into the sun. "I do miss the sunlight though. It's always cloudy in the mountains! Now, where's Shikamaru?" Naruto began to walk aimlessly around the village, unsure of where to begin, or where he was going.
"You! Stop!" Someone shouted, and then three sand shinobi appeared in a triangle formation, surrounding him. "Who are you, how did you get into Sunahagakure, and what is your business here?"
"Ah! What do you guys want? I haven't done anything! I'm just looking for my friend!"
"We'll ask the questions. Answer, child."
"Um ok, hold on, let me remember the questions…Um, OK! My name is Naruto Uzumaki! I came here by use of my father's special kunai, and I'm looking for my friend!"
"Did you say your name was Naruto Uzumaki?"
"Yeah! That's me!" Naruto did his triumphant giggle. "Have you heard of me?"
"Shikamaru-sama said to notify him if someone of that name ever appeared in the village. Come with us immediately."
"Great! That Shikamaru is always thinking ahead!"
"Shikamaru-sama, you have a visitor." One of the sand shinobi said as he walked into a meeting chamber.
"Oh? Who is it?"
"Come on Shikamaru, who else would it be?"
"Naruto?" Shikamaru said as he looked up from the documents he had been standing over.
"You bet! How have you been!?" Naruto shouted.
"Good, yourself?" Shikamaru said as he walked over to get a good look at him. "You definitely look different…"
"Great! Boss Gama really ran me ragged! I just wanted to gather everybody up now that I'm done with my training!"
"Is that so…I bet you're going to have your fight with Sasuke soon, huh?"
"Oh! I totally forgot about that! Boy, knowing Sasuke, he's gotten crazy strong by now…I wonder if his training will match up against mine, and the training methods Boss Gama taught me!"
"We'll have to see. It wouldn't be a fight I'd want to miss."
"Alright, I've got to go, but go back to the same village in a month! That's when the fight will be! Bye Shikamaru!" Naruto waved, and then disappeared.
"I bet he's still the same knucklehead." Shikamaru shook his head, and went back to the papers on the table. "This is such a drag…"
--xxx--
"Well, the air is still dry, but at least it's a bit cooler…now I just need to find Bushy Brows and Chouji!" Naruto ran out of the earthen hut into the open village. "Bushy Brows! Chouji! Where are you guys?" Naruto shouted.
"Are you looking for Chouji Akimichi?" an old man asked as he walked near the hut.
"Yeah! Have you seen him?"
"Not today, but he visits my grandson's restaurant twice a day, never fails. That'd be the first place I would look if I were you."
"Thanks! I should have thought of checking restaurants!"
"Chouji? Are you here?" Naruto shouted as he ran into a restaurant.
"Naruto-kun! You're just in time! Iwagakure has the best barbecue pork I've ever had! Come join me!"
"Naruto-kun, how did your training go? I am excited to hear all about how strong you have become!"
"Chouji, Bushy-brows! You guys are both here!"
"Twice a day." A well-dressed young man said as he walked towards the group. "They never fail to show up for the barbecue pork lunch special! Chouji-san, is this young man you're friend?"
"You bet!"
"One-time special, Chouji and his friends eat on the house! All you can eat barbecue pork!"
"Wow, really?" Naruto said as he began to drool.
"You bet!"
"Well, I need to go find Sasuke…But he won't mind waiting a few more hours, right? It's been four years, after all!"
"That's the spirit! Eat, eat!"
Several hours later….
"Boy, that was delicious! You were right Chouji, they do have the best barbecue pork here!"
"I AM an expert on cuisine, you know." Chouji grinned as he downed another slice.
"Well, I really need to go find Sasuke! Go back to that same little village in a month, that's where Sasuke and I are going to have our fight!"
"That is right! I had nearly forgotten! That will truly be something to witness!" Lee shouted. "Not even four long years of intense training could put out the flame of youth! Gai Sensei!" Lee shouted as tears streamed down his face.
"Bye guys!" Naruto said, and then vanished.
--xxx--
"Hmm, a dojo?"
"Raikiri!"
"What?!" Naruto shouted as he saw Sasuke spinning around to face him. "Kage Bunshin no jutsu!" Naruto shouted, and had the clone push him out of the way of the attack.
"So you've improved." Sasuke said with a smile.
"That wasn't the kind of welcome I was expecting…" Naruto said as he looked at Sasuke, a little worried.
"That kunai hasn't left my belt once in four years. I knew you'd master that technique you talked about. I've been expecting you."
"Alright! So I told the others to meet us at the village in a month to watch the fight!"
"No, Naruto."
"Huh?"
"I'm not waiting a month, I've waited four years already. We're going to fight now."
"The others all want to watch, though…" Naruto said as he held his hands in front of him as Sasuke slowly advanced. He wore a white gi that exposed a large portion of his chest with black pants, and a katana at his belt. His hair was in the same fashion, and a small Uchiha symbol lay between his shoulder blades.
"I just said, I'm not waiting any longer. Whether you decide to fight back is up to you, Naruto, but I highly doubt you will win if you don't. I've waited for this battle for four long years. I've endured countless battles, and life-threatening training just to come to this moment. I need to see just how far you have come." Sasuke tilted his head slightly and smiled his same smile. "I need to see just how far I have come." In the blink of an eye, Sasuke's left arm was held horizontal, and Naruto's special kunai was embedded in the wall. Naruto had leapt back a good foot.
"What the hell was that for?" Naruto said angrily.
"I'm not going to fall prey to that technique, Naruto."
"Oh, right…"
"Shall we begin?" Sasuke said as he grinned maliciously, slowly drawing the long, thing katana from its sheath.
--xxx--
"Kentogatta Unabara, do you understand your mission as the newest member of our organization?" The multi-color visage of Pain asked as it stood face-face with another man.
"Please, Pain-sama, call me Ken. My full name is much too formal." The blonde haired, blue eyed young man, not far into his twenties, smiled as he closed his eyes. His features were soft, and the only thing to identify him as an akatsuki member was the ring on his left-index finger.. He wore wooden sandals, and the wide-brimmed hat many of his compatriots wore. His clothing was simple, mostly light colors, and a very plain rope belt that held an ornate sheath, which housed a katana. The handle was decorated masterfully, the pommel taking on the shape of a giant squid.
"Do you understand your mission?"
"Yes, everything is crystal clear, Pain-sama."
"Very well then. You are dismissed." Ken bowed with one hand on his sheath, then turned to walk away. "Kentogatta." Pain said before he managed to completely exit.
"Yes, Pain-sama?" He said as he turned and gave him another wide smile with his eyes closed.
"I expect you to complete this mission in a manner befitting a former member of the seven ninja swordsmen of the mist."
"Of course, Pain-sama." He maintained the same grin, bowed, and walked out.
OMG who ever thought id recycle shippuuden plot devices? Oh well, I hope the subtle ways I changed them worked for y'all. Basically, when you imagine their costumes, imagine them to be as they are in Shippuuden, cuz thats how I imagine them. Sasuke's of course, is changed, cuz he doesnt have that lame purple belt of Orochimaru's. If you havent seen Shippuuden, either look up the characters, or tell me in a reply and in the next segment ill toss out some descriptions. Who knows, I might decide to change a little something - something. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed it, despite the fact that it had like no action. Thanks for reading, and please please review!