Chapter 29: The Return

Naruto grinned as he stepped past his village's gates. It had taken over a week of travel to get here from Tanzaku, but he was finally home. And, surprisingly enough, Tsunade was back too. There were times that he thought she would skip out on their bet, but she stayed with them. She had changed since he mastered the Rasengan. Not by a lot, but she wasn't as cynical as she was when they first met.

He had learned more about Tsunade during their trip back to the village. Namely that she had really bad luck when it came to gambling. It stood out even more since he had good luck: games of chance like slot machines or chō-han – a dice game – were games he almost always won. Unfortunately, his luck didn't transfer to card games; he wasn't much better than Tsunade in that regard.

And he didn't get much better, even after learning the rules and tricks from Shizune. She wasn't a bad teacher, but the only person he could beat was Tsunade. Maybe it was like facing Shikamaru in shōgi: he could beat a beginner or even someone who wasn't good, but put him against a professional and he would lose.

"Naruto."

He shook his head. The voice was loud enough to shake him from his train of thought. "What?"

The voice had belonged to Tsunade, who was standing a few paces ahead of him, a hand on her hip and a frown on her face. "You can daydream all you want after we check in with the old man."

That was the thing about her. He had a feeling she was still giving him grief for winning their bet. And while she didn't call him kid or brat anymore, she was still aggressive for no reason he could fathom.

"Yeah, yeah," Naruto replied.

"Good," she said before walking ahead. Jiraiya only smiled at him before he caught up with Tsunade and started talking to her.

He checked the guard house and frowned when he saw that the chūnin stationed wasn't Kotetsu or Izumo. There was a girl arguing with the chūnin who was working there, although he couldn't really make out their voices.

He felt a warm hand clasp his shoulder and looked up to see Shizune. "Ready to go?"

A check with his sensor let him know that Tsunade and Jiraiya weren't too far away. He could catch up with them pretty quickly. "Yeah." He smiled. "Thanks for waiting."

Shizune returned the smile. "Not a problem."

They were about to leave, but then he heard the girl from earlier. "Naruto!" she said.

He stopped in his tracks after hearing the familiar voice. "Tenten?"

Shizune grabbed his shoulder again. "I'll leave you two alone. Don't take too long, okay? You don't want to keep Lady Tsunade waiting."

"I won't," he said. Shizune smiled at him before she left, Tonton trotting next to her. She had always been nice to him and was always there to make sure that he didn't get into arguments with Tsunade. Kind of like an older sister.

He turned his attention to Tenten, who was almost unrecognizable. Her hair was tied in a braid instead of her usual buns and her shirt was dark blue instead of bright pink. The new look was disconcerting, reminding him of when he started wearing his gray outfit, surprising his team with his new look.

"What's with the makeover?" he asked, curiosity overriding the manners Kurenai and Yoshino instilled in him. They always taught him to greet first, before starting the conversation proper.

Tenten held out the braid. It was fairly long, its tip reaching the middle of her back. "Just wanted to try something different. Haven't seen you in a while, though."

"I was on a couple of missions."

"Cool," she said. She let go of her hair and clasped her hand around her elbow. "I was looking for you, actually."

"Why?"

Tenten smiled, one that lit up her entire face. "I wanted to thank you for what you said to Temari. No one's really defended me like before. I mean, other than Lee or Guy-sensei. It was really nice."

Naruto smiled as well, rubbing the back of his head. "Well, uh, you're welcome."

Tenten nodded, and looked at him for longer than he would have liked. Her stare was penetrating, making him uncomfortable. Then she shook her head. "I'll see you around, alright?"

"Really?" Naruto said, his heart starting to beat faster.

"We're friends, aren't we? Just friends." Tenten gave him a wink, which set him at ease.

"Yeah, just friends," he said.

Tenten smiled again, but this one wasn't as intense as her last smile. "Thanks again, Naruto," she said, turning around. She hesitated for a bit, looking at him over her shoulder a moment after. "When you came here, was that blonde woman in your group Lady Tsunade?"

"Yeah," Naruto replied.

Tenten beamed. "Thanks. Oh, and congrats on your promotion!" Then she ran back to the guard house, immediately talking to the chūnin.

Naruto shook his head and focused on the road ahead. While Tenten was nice, he already had a girlfriend. And he wouldn't trade her for anyone in the world.


It didn't take that long for Naruto to catch up with his group, a combination of his speed, running on the rooftops and the general route to the building that house the Hokage's office being a straight line. Naturally there were some twists and turns, but once his group came within sensing range, he used a Body Flicker to rejoin them.

"Finally decided to join us, huh?" Tsunade said. Her smirk was infuriating. "Couldn't have picked a better time."

She had a point: they were very close to their destination. "At least Naruto wasn't late," Shizune said, holding Tonton in her arms.

Tsunade hummed, before shrugging her shoulders. "Fine. Naruto wasn't wasting my time, so what he does is his problem, not mine."

She was just teasing him, and apparently lost interest in making fun of him when he ignored the jab. He followed her and Shizune up the stairs, with Jiraiya walking alongside him.

"Shizune told me you were talking to some girl," he said, a slight grin on his face.

"You mean Tenten?"

His eyes lit up, and the grin began to grow larger. "Is that the girl you made that speech for back during the tournament?"

Naruto's eyes narrowed, not liking where Jiraiya was taking the conversation at all. "Yeah... can't believe you'd remember that."

Jiraiya chuckled. "You think I'd forget? When I heard those words come out of your mouth, I was convinced you were the perfect apprentice."

Naruto blinked, the praise coming from out of nowhere. "Uh, thanks."

Jiraiya smiled at him. "You know, I thought you'd be a one-woman man, not someone who played the field. But I get it, really, I do."

Naruto scowled. Whatever good vibes he felt from being complimented like that went away, as Jiraiya's perverted sense of humour had come back with a vengeance. "She's just a friend, Pervy Sage."

Jiraiya clapped a hand on his left shoulder, and didn't let go even as Naruto tried to shrug off his grip. "You think so, but maybe she's just shy. Imagine trying to approach someone who defended you so valiantly." He snapped his fingers. "You didn't even tell me about her looks! Tell me that she isn't ugly, or crazy. You don't want to get involved with the crazy ones."

Naruto growled under his breath. He wasn't going to say anything about how Tenten looked. It would just make everything worse. "All she did was thank me for what I said. She wasn't interested in me."

Jiraiya shook his head. "Maybe she was just –"

"She wasn't playing hard to get, she wasn't flirting with me, she wasn't doing anything!"

"Okay, Naruto, don't get worked up over nothing," Jiraiya said.

At that moment, Tsunade looked back. "I told you, Jiraiya. Naruto can't take a joke, it's why he's always so angry."

"What are you talking about? I'm giving my apprentice some important advice."

"That's... argh! Forget it," Naruto said, throwing his hand up. He couldn't do so with his other hand, what with it being lodged between him and Jiraiya.

"Don't worry, Naruto," Jiraiya said, a more genuine smile on his face. "There are plenty of fish in the sea, so even if you don't get your dream girl, there'll always be someone out there, waiting to fall head over heels for you."

"Talking from experience?" Tsunade asked.

Jiraiya laughed, but didn't make any response. He let go of Naruto, as they had finally made it to the Hokage's office, and opened the door. "Ladies first," he said. Tsunade went in first, followed by Shizune, who thanked him.

When Naruto entered the office, he saw The Hokage was at his desk, busy reading a scroll. He set the scroll aside after Jiraiya closed the door and smiled. "Tsunade. It's good to see you."

"Likewise," Tsunade replied, a small smile on her face.

"And Shizune, you've grown quite a bit. How have you been?"

Shizune smiled. "Pretty well, Lord Hokage."

The Hokage nodded. "Good, glad to hear it. Now we can begin the debrief in earnest."

Privacy seals had been set up, the mission had been recapped and the Hokage told Naruto that he would be paid for a B-Rank mission. The Hokage showed surprise when Naruto told him he mastered the Rasengan, but all in all, it had been an uneventful meeting.

"If that's all, I think I'll go and visit Neji," Tsunade said.

"I actually wanted to discuss an important matter with you, in private," the Hokage replied.

Tsunade chuckled, setting a hand on her hip. "We can do that afterwards. Right now I have work to do. Let's go, Shizune." She turned and walked out, Shizune trailing behind.

"That's our cue to leave, then," Jiraiya said. "I'll see you later, sensei. Come on, Naruto."

Naruto nodded, giving the Hokage a parting smile. He was about to leave the office through the door, but he saw Jiraiya jump through an open window and land gracefully on his feet. The Hokage had an amused smile on his face, but Naruto didn't share his enthusiasm. Instead of following his lead, he ran out the door, outside the building and down the stairs.

As soon as he caught up with Jiraiya, he grabbed his arm and shook it, lightly. If he really tried to hit him, Jiraiya would at best, just dodge the attack and at worst, humiliate him by dropping a toad on him. Or worse. But that wasn't what he was worried about, as an earlier issue came to the forefront of his mind.

"Why'd you say all that stuff around Tsunade, Pervy Sage?"

Jiraiya only smiled. "I was training you."

"You were?"

"I was." They started walking onto the main road, with no real destination in mind.

"Why?" Naruto asked.

"You're too sensitive. If someone makes fun of you, you roll with it and laugh it off. Don't let it get to you, since most of the time it's done to get a rise out of you. Understand?"

"I know!" Naruto said, frowning.

"Well this time, make sure that what I say stays in that thick skull of yours," Jiraiya said, flicking his forehead.

Naruto deflated. He knew that he should learn to take jokes in stride thanks to Anko's demonstration, but he only thought about applying it when he was on a mission and had to deal with rude teammates. "It's just, you said all that stuff even though you knew about Kurenai and it was so annoying!"

"That's why I did it. You have to learn to stay calm and not wear your heart on your sleeve. You're not a rookie anymore, so stop acting like one."

Naruto kept quiet. Jiraiya didn't say anything after that, but after they spent around a minute or so walking through the village, he came to a stop and faced Naruto.

"If you were worried about me letting something slip, don't. Your secret's safe with me."

Naruto smiled, a small one that just barely pulled the edges of his mouth. "Thanks, sensei."

Jiraiya returned the smile, clapping him on the shoulder. "I know it's not easy letting things go, but trust me, it's worth the effort." Then he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Naruto knew that Jiraiya was being hard on him now, but it was something he could live with. He just didn't like it when he was being teased, especially by someone who he cared about. All he had to do was follow Anko and Jiraiya's advice and hopefully, he'd be fine.

He looked up to the sky. The sun had passed its zenith hours ago, and it was starting to get late. It was the perfect time to visit Kurenai.


Naruto's plan was to freshen up first before he went to his girlfriend's apartment, but he didn't have to worry about that last part. Kurenai was leaning against his door with her arms crossed. The fading light illuminated her creamy skin and her chest swelled outwards and inwards with even breaths.

He just stood there, admiring her body, and he was so enraptured by it that he didn't notice her eyes fluttering open, revealing her ravishing red eyes. "Welcome back," she said in her husky, melodic voice.

He felt a shiver crawl down his spine. It had been too long since he last saw Kurenai, and he already felt his face heating up. "Were you waiting for me?"

"I was." She stared at him with lidded eyes, her bright red lips pulled into a smile. "I missed you."

"I missed you too."

She stood up straight and pulled him into her arms, resting his head against her chest. Her scent was intoxicating and she was so warm. He wanted more of that, so he returned the embrace, hugging her around the waist. To his pleasure, he felt Kurenai's hands settle around his neck and the back of his head, making him tingle.

He wasn't sure how long they stayed like that, but that wasn't important. He was with her and she was with him, and that was all that mattered.

"We should go inside," Kurenai whispered, her arms dropping to her sides.

Naruto groaned. He didn't want to let go of her.

"Don't forget," she said. "Someone might see."

They could always be intimate indoors, where no one could see them together. It would be much warmer as well. "Fine," he said, slowly letting go and savouring the feel of her body against his. "Let me just get my key." As soon as he did that, he opened the door. He looked up at Kurenai, extending his arm outwards. "After you."

"What a gentleman," she said, giving him a smile before entering his apartment. Once they were both inside, they took off their sandals. Kurenai surprised him by taking her hand in his. He could never get enough of her hand's texture or its warmth, and he found a thrill in playing around with her hand by shifting the position of her fingers, noting the way her skin felt against his.

On the way to his couch, Naruto offered to make tea for Kurenai. "No thank you," she replied. "But I appreciate the offer."

He nodded, relieved in part now that he didn't have to make anything.

"How did your mission go?" Kurenai asked after they sat down on the couch. She was still holding his hand.

Naruto sank into the couch, making himself comfortable. "It was pretty good. I even learned a new jutsu. Wanna see?" Kurenai nodded, and when Naruto showed her the Rasengan, he could see her eyes go alight in awe and wonder.

"I'm impressed," she said after the Rasengan disappeared. "Can you tell me how you learned it?"

"Yeah!" Naruto said with a grin, going on to tell Kurenai all about how he learned the Rasengan, his and Jiraiya's search for Tsunade and the bet he made with the wayward legend. There were times when Kurenai laughed, especially after Naruto told her how he won the bet, but most of the time she had a warm smile on her face, filled with pride for him.

"You are truly something," she said, giving his hand a squeeze. She seemed to allow him playing with her hand, even having some fun herself. Now she was making circles near his thumb, sending goosebumps along his arm and making its hairs stand on end. "I'm glad I met you, Naruto."

Naruto blushed a deep crimson. "I'm glad too."

Kurenai nodded, pursing her lips. She moved closer to him and tilted forward, making Naruto's heart pump faster in anticipation. But she didn't kiss him. "Remember how I said we were going to talk?"

"Yeah..." It had been in the back of his mind, but he assumed that Kurenai had forgotten about it, judging from the way they reunited.

"Well, I've been doing a lot of thinking. About us."

Naruto flinched, his entire body locking up. "Come again?"

"We've been dating for over two months now, and I'm happy with how this relationship's turned out so far."

"So am I!" he said, the words coming out on impulse.

That made Kurenai giggle, albeit briefly. "I know... but you've been away for nearly a month on this mission. And it was a reality check, because I nearly forgot about how we might be separated for months due to our careers."

Naruto sighed in relief, tightening his grip on his girlfriend's hand. He thought she was going to say something so much worse and he was so glad she didn't. "So what should we do?"

"Do what we always do: make the most of our time while it lasts," Kurenai said. She reached out with her other hand and placed it on his chest, slowly bringing it down before setting it on his hip, very close to his waist. "And... even if this doesn't work out for whatever reason, I'll still be your teacher and you'll still be my student. Never forget that."

Naruto stared into her eyes, blue locking with red. They were so close to one another that their foreheads could touch. "I won't."

"Good," Kurenai said, before she kissed him just under his ear. He groaned in pleasure as she suckled on his skin, the sensation of her cool, wet lips on his hot skin making for a wonderful contrast. When she stopped, Naruto's eyes shot wide from the loss of contact, but his worries were relieved when she pressed her mouth to his.

When he closed his eyes, he devoted his attention to making Kurenai feel as good as she made him feel. They continued to make out, their kisses becoming more heated and intense over time. His lips parted when he felt Kurenai's tongue flicking against them and his tongue lashed out, wrapping around Kurenai's and flicking against it, again and again.

The tension in the air was one that he had never felt before. He was used to being engrossed in feeling Kurenai, was used to his senses going haywire, but this was something else entirely. It was making him light-headed, giddy from desire and when he heard Kurenai moan, he knew she was feeling the same way. So he grabbed her waist and started tracing the contours of her hips, Kurenai following suit by coiling her arms underneath his and rubbing his back, his neck, anything she could get her hands on.

He was aware that his exploration of Kurenai's body was moving upwards as he felt her firm stomach and slim yet shapely sides, approaching her upper chest. Instead of stopping there, he had the sudden urge to touch those tantalizing globes of flesh for the first time, to make Kurenai writhe in ecstasy. The memory he had of seeing those beautiful breasts only tempted him further.

But he didn't. He didn't want to push Kurenai any further than she was comfortable with. The fear that he could damage their relationship by going too far, combined with the dread he felt when he thought Kurenai was going to break up with him was enough to help temper his thoughts and clamp down on his desire to fondle his girlfriend.

So he continued to rub and massage Kurenai's sides, lower back, waist and hips. He had missed doing this. The entire world went still when he was with Kurenai, and he didn't have to worry about anything except kissing her and holding her and expressing his attraction and admiration for his lovely girlfriend. And in the process, Naruto reaffirmed the closeness and intimacy he had with Kurenai after being away from her for so long.