The relative peace within the Elemental Coalition of Nations lasted long enough for the Land of Water to declare its civil war over as Kitani took his rightful place as Daimiyo while Mei accepted his noinating of her as Mizukage, much to the chagrin of Baisho and several others. Tensions in Uzu had slowly lowered as people began to realise that they were either going to have to get with the program or leave, and those who did soon found that most of the Land of Fire had adopted the same operating procedures within its villages. Six months had passed since anyone had seen hide or hair of Naruto, and while peace may not have been an appropriate description for the atmosphere both in and outside of Uzu, no one was willing to disrupt the uneasy quiet.

Construction of most of the homes for the Konoha refugees was nearing completion, and while many people from clans still attempted to throw their weight around, both civilians and clanless shinobi alike quickly learned that Tsunade and her new council of trusted advisers were generally quite happy to remind them how light they were. More Jinchuriki continued to go missing as Han and Roshi, the Jinchuriki of the Four-Tails, joined Gaara, his siblings, and Yugito Nii of Kumo in disappearing without a trace.

The alliance between the members of the Coalition had worked out well, now finally being put on paper. The three nations involved drafted the agreement that would provide resources, wealth, and protection between any nations involved within the agreement with the hope that the risk of economic consequences on top of a gathered alliance of military strength would help in keeping the peace. The economic benefits of the Coalition had been the main focus of those working on it over the last few months as they reached out to influential business people to gain their loyalties, stating that more profit could be made if they didn't have to worry about the chaos of war as well as offering those that signed on certain benefits when it came to hiring shinobi to work for them.

Tsunade was working on one such agreement when a hooded figure flickered into existence behind her. The hooded man loomed ominously over her as he took a single step forward.

"You'll have to try harder than that to get the drop on me, Naru-kun," Tsunade grunted, stamping her signature onto the paper.

"Aww, come on, Mom, you're no fun."

Tsunade grinned as she turned in her seat and stood as Naruto shrugged the hood off his head. He had grown significantly in the time he had been gone, easily taller than her already, and the lingering baby fat on his face had melted away –more of a testament to the intensity of his training than his physical maturity –leaving him with the face of a handsome young man that still retained some of its boyish charm as he flashed her his signature foxy grin and wrapped her up in a big hug.

"I've missed you too, Naru-kun," Tsunade whispered as she rested her head on her son's shoulder, nostalgia filling her heart when she remembered how their positions used to be reversed, "I take it we made the right choice letting you stay with the dragons for longer?"

Naruto leaned back and released her as he started signing excitedly. Oh yeah! I've gotten way stronger! I'll be able to do even more now to help out around the Coaliton now. And you should see Ryuda! He's gotten huge! And he's working on his own human transformation now as well, says he has to have it done before Owryudan-ojisan will let him start training with weapons and the higher leveled techniques of their clan.

"And how about your Inner Dragon? Have you made any progress mastering that yet?"

Naruto's smile faded slightly and he pouted in frustration. I haven't quite got it. Ryuda's way better than I am at that sort of stuff, which is totally unfair considering he hates meditating and pretty much anything that doesn't have to do with a fight, but Owryudan-ojisan said that I've come a long way. He told me that I should continue my meditations while I'm back here.

A knock on the door interrupted Tsunade and she composed herself, taking a seat behind her desk and gesturing towards the couch for Naruto to sit on. "Speaking of which, that's the reason I've called you back outside. Come in!"

The door opened and Naruto grinned as Gaara and his siblings entered the office followed by Mei and Jiraiya.

"Thank you for seeing us, Hokage-dono," Mei said with a bow. It was clear that she was still somewhat uncomfortable being in a role of power equal to someone of Tsunade's caliber, but Naruto thought she hid it well to everyone else.

"Hey, guys!" Naruto greeted excitedly from his seat on the couch prompting smiles from Mei and Jiraiya while Gaara's eyes crinkled and his siblings looked at him appraisingly.

"Naruto-kun, it's great to see you again!" Mei said cheerfully. "I guess Tsunade-sama really took our report seriously then."

"If it concerns the Coalition, it concerns Naruto, as he is the head of it," Tsunade replied. "That goes doubly if it involves Jinchuriki."

"What's happened?" Naruto demanded, his gravelly voice serious as he stood up.

"Yugito-san was captured by Taki forces," Gaara supplied. "We were all hiding out in the Land of Water, when we heard the news."

"Kumo isn't taking the news well," Jiraiya added. "This is more than likely going to be the spark that ignites a war between the Lands of Lightning, Wind, and Earth as Iwa and Kumo forces fight to take control of Taki."

"What about Suna?" Naruto asked.

"Danzo's agents have said that Suna is going to wait until the fighting between Kumo and Iwa dies down before taking out the victor. They're still not quite as strong as they were when they invaded Konoha, but that's become more of an issue of resources, something the Land of Wind will always gladly support the acquisition of."

"I see," Naruto said thoughtfully. "Our first priority is the Jinchuriki. If they end up releasing their tenants, there will be extreme casualties as I won't be able to safely absorb them both at the same time."

"So, it is true," Gaara muttered. "You can safely extract a Tailed-Beast?"

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, how did you know?"

"The tiny version of the Three-Tails hanging out in a pond behind the Hokage Tower was our first clue," Kankuro deadpanned.

"Why do you want to know about Naruto being able to extract Tailed-Beasts?" Tsunade asked.

"There are a group of shinobi after Gaara called the Four Celestial Symbols men," Temari replied. "All we know is that they are from the Land of Wind and after Shukaku. They hounded us constantly until Yugito-san managed to get us to the safehouse in the Land of Water."

Nodding, Naruto turned to face Tsunade, his scarred face a mask of professionalism. "Permission to request a team to support Gaara and his siblings in rescuing Yugito from Taki imprisonment?"

"Granted," Tsunade replied. She quickly looked through some of the documents on her desk before continuing. "You will command a four-man cell will be comprised of Shikamaru, Guren, Tayuya, and Taisa Amagiri. There are two other four-man cells operating near the border in that location, and a squadron of samurai should be stationed in the closest border town, you have permission to assume operational control over the shinobi, and I would recommend you do the same with the samurai while I send word to Yazawa to inform him of the situation."

Naruto nodded and grinned to them all. "It really is good to see you all again. Two years is a long time to be away from home."

With that, he vanished once more, leaving a thoroughly confused Jiraiya and an irritated Tsunade.

Two years!? Tsunade thought angrily. That giant gecko has some explaining to do.

Gaara and his siblings left soon after that and Mei turned to Tsunade to address the other reason she had come to visit.

"We've been combing through Yagura's files and we found that he wasn't the only customer the slavers had been selling to."

"Oh, and who else would we be interested on that list?" Jiraiya asked.

"How does a reunion with your old teammate sound?"

*(OoO)*

Ichiraku's Ramen had been a pillar of stability to many people in Konoha. Even now, the stand looked almost identical to the one Teuchi's father had built all those years ago. The only difference now was that next to the large professional characters proudly reading Ichiraku's Ramen was a small wooden plank with the words and Dango sloppily painted on its surface. That little addition had been Anko's own personal masterpiece after months of arguing with Teuchi and finally getting his daughter interested in selling something other than ramen. It was here that she and Kurenai spent most of there free time. Ayame had proven to be quite skilled in the preparation of her favourite dango, and Teuchi's skill with broth and boiling ramen extended to knowing how to prepare one of the finest cups of mint jasmine tea Kurenai had ever had.

It was well known that both women enjoyed that particular haunt, choosing it as a safe haven from the unwanted advances of the male population who believed that they could squirm their way into their beds while their boyfriend was off training. The fact that the Ichirakus were well known as being especially close to Naruto served well to remind people of who it was both ladies were waiting for to return from his training trip.

Kurenai now sat at a table across from Anko when one such example of male idiocy threw his hat into the ring. Ayame came up to their table, replenishing their tea and dango when Kurenai looked up at her confusedly.

"Ayame-san, we never ordered these."

"They were a treat from the fella at the front," Ayame replied, hitching her thumb over her shoulder at the man sitting hunched over a bowl of ramen. He was dressed in a long black traveling cloak with the hood hitched up over his face.

"Another one?" Anko asked, annoyance saturating her tone.

"I told him you two were spoken for, but he simply said that you'd be more than willing to get out of here with him after sharing a bowl of ramen with him," Ayame replied.

"Oh, we'll see about that," Kurenai muttered standing up and walking over to where the man was just finishing his meal. Sitting down on either side of him, both women glared at him while he merely kept his face hidden from view. "So you think a bowl of ramen is all it takes to convince us to go to bed with you, huh?"

"I never said that," the man replied, his voice was gravelly and vaguely familiar to them both as he raised his hand for another bowl. "I simply said that you would want to get out of here after sharing a bowl of ramen with me. You're the ones who made the insinuation that I was looking to proposition you."

Anko leaned in real close, pressing a kunai against the man's thigh as she tried to feel out his chakra signature. "And why would we want to go anywhere with you in the first place?" She asked sweetly, pressing the kunai a little harder into the thigh of his right leg. To her frustration, the man seemed amused by her attempts to scare her and merely reached down to remove the kunai from his thigh.

"Well, right now, it seems that I won't even need the ramen," the man said with a chuckle. "I hadn't planned on it, but if you'd like to, we can take this to a training area away from the public eye. I'd hate to embarrass you both in front of so many people."

"You seem awfully cocky to think you could take on two of Uzu's best kunoichi," Kurenai whispered her one hand clicking her ninja to out slightly out of its sheath while her other pressed her senbon launcher into his side.

"And you seem awfully jumpy to be challenging a man simply for offering to share a meal with you both," the man countered. "Could it be you don't often receive invitations to dine with someone else?"

Kurenai dropped some cash on the table, her pride stinging as Anko growled and they all suhnshined to the nearest training ground.

"And would you look at that, I was right," the man remarked casually from the tree above their heads. "I did get you to leave the stand with me."

"I've had enough of this cocky prick," Anko snarled. "Who are you, and how the hell did you get into Uzu?"

"You don't recognise me?" The man asked in mocking disappointment before he suddenly vanished and Kurenai felt the point of a blade against her back while Anko gasped when cold metal encircled her wrist. "Have I really been away that long, Hebi-hana? Tenshi-chan?"

Both Anko and Kurenai froze before whipping around and staring into the smiling eyes of an older Naruto. He was much taller than them both now, and his face had matured nicely, even as he grinned foxily down at them both. His smile grew when he hugged them both close planting a dizzying kiss on their lips. "I've missed you both so much."

"Naruto-kun!" Anko and Kurenai cried out, tackling him to the ground.

"Woah, careful you two, I'm only a clone," Naruto chuckled as he wrapped his arms tightly around their waists. "Boss has to prepare for a mission tomorrow, so he sent us to make sure you all were properly greeted before he left."

"That's so thoughtful of you, Naruto-kun," Anko crooned, nipping into the exposed skin of his neck. "So, how much punishment can your clones take?"

*(OoO)*

Haku and Konan were training together in one of the training fields when Konan felt someone join them. Calling for a halt to their sparring match, she turned towards the treeline where a tall, hooded man was standing casually on a bench, watching them.

"Can we help you?" Konan asked calmly while preparing herself for trouble. She may have been amongst the strongest people in Uzu, but that was no reason to let her guard down. Especially considering her status as a former missing-nin ensured most of the refugees who now populated Uzu gave her a wide berth, knowing better than to openly challenge her or any of her S-Ranked compatriots, and if it wasn't one of the villagers, that meant this stranger had found a way through the multitude of defences around Uzu. That meant she was looking up at someone who was easily on the same level as Yazawa and Jiraiya, at least in Fuinjutsu, and should be ready to move in an instant.

"I just came to watch a match between two of the finest and most beautiful kunoichi Uzu has to offer," the man said in a gravelly tone. He vanished from where he was standing and reappeared within Konan's guard before she could even react. She braced herself for injury until the man extended his chakra out in a familiar aura of peace.

"Naruto-kun?" Konan asked, smiling when Naruto removed his hood.

Haku and Konan both shrieked with joy as Naruto pulled them into his arms and held them close. "Hello Hasa-chan, Sekki-chan. I've missed you so much."

"Naruto-kun!" Haku exclaimed. "You've grown!"

Naruto grinned as he pulled back. He was now nearly six feet tall, his training and balanced diet doing wonders for his growth, among other things. His blond hair fell over his right eyebrow while the rest was tied into a ponytail at the base of his skull that reached down just passed his shoulder blades. His shoulders had gotten broader, and the falsh of skin beneath his cloak and robes revealed rippling muscles just beneath his collarbone.

Haku had also grown slightly, and her curves had matured over the last six months, but compared to her boyfriend, she had barely changed in appearance.

"When did you get back?" Konan asked, burying herself in the comfort of his embrace after six months without.

"Just today," Naruto replied. "Mom had a mission for me and I have to leave tonight, so the Boss sent some clones to make sure I greeted you all before leaving."

"Well, if we're short on time," Haku offered suggestively. "Maybe we should make the most of it?"

Naruto grinned and both Haku and Konan cried out in laughter as he pulled them to the ground with him.

*(OoO)*

Hinata, Kiba, and Shino were just finishing up from a training match when a familiar voice caught all of their attention.

"Good to see you making use of those."

Reacting on instinct, Hinata fired off an arrow, gasping as she flared her Byakugan and realised just who she had shot. Luckily, the arrow never met its mark as Naruto simply plucked it out of the air and warped to right behind her, replacing it within the quiver at her waist.

"Naruto-kun!" Hinata squealed, whirling in place and kissing him deeply. She sighed as Naruto enthusiastically returned her affections and she felt much of the stress from the last six months wash away. Being back in the same village as the Hyuga Clan had been taking its toll, and the timely arrival of her boyfriend was just what she needed after months of feeling like she was the cause of the mounting tensions within her old clan. When they finally separated, Hinata grinned as she leaned her forehead against his own and felt Naruto's chakra extend around them before reaching out to touch hers. "I've missed you," she whispered.

"I missed you too, Ao-hime," Naruto muttered, placing another kiss on her lips before pulling her close and addressing her teammates while she snuggled into his chest. "Hey, Kiba, Shino. How you been?"

Kiba released the flow of chakra to the claws on his fists, extinguishing the fire surrounding them, and grinned as he removed them and walked up to smack Naruto on the shoulder. "Geez, Naruto, you've gotten massive!"

"I concur," Shino replied as he too approached. "It appears that you have hit a rather remarkable growth spurt over the last six months."

Naruto now stood over them both, looking far more like an adult than any of them. Shino and Kiba both looked largely the same, though Kiba had traded in his fur-lined hoodie for a black leather jacket, and Shino now wore a different baggy coat that left the top of his head exposed. Akamaru had the most dramatic growth as he now reached up to Kiba's knee, barking happily as he sniffed Naruto. Hinata had also grown. Her hair was longer and reached down just past her shoulders, while her body had matured, growing taller with somewhat more developed curves. She had switched from her baggy, concealing jacket, to a lighter, somewhat less conservative one that was black with a burnt orange trim and at least showed that she had curves.

Preferring to keep the details of his training to himself for now, Naruto merely grinned and nodded. "Yeah, you know how it is. Push ups, sit ups, and plenty of juice." Kiba laughed, while Hinata merely enjoyed his presence, snuggling a bit more into his chest and drawing his attention back down to her. "I'd love to catch up with you guys, but I just got back and Mom already assigned me a mission, so me and the other clones would like to at least spend some time with my girlfriends while the Boss prepares to leave tonight."

Kiba and Shino smiled and nodded understandingly, dashing through the woods back towards Uzu as they left Naruto and Hinata to reacquaint themselves with each other.

*(OoO)*

The original Naruto decided to wait until it was time to leave to meet with Tayuya and Guren. He wanted to surprise them, but also not distract them as they prepared to leave tonight. He had returned to his room, where Kurama was laying curled up and chuckled when he opened the door and a small blue blur zoomed into his hair, excited chirping ringing through the air from between his messy locks.

"It's good to see you too, Jin-chan," Naruto said with a grin as Jinsoku burst back out of her little nest on his head and landed on his shoulder, rubbing the side of her tiny head against his whiskered cheek and prompting a rumbling from Naruto's chest at the feeling. "Did your family come back?"

Jinsoku tweeted happily and Kurama raised his head to observe his surrogate son. "Welcome back, Kit."

"Thanks Dad," Naruto replied. "It's been a long time since I've been back here."

"And you're only back to prepare for another mission aren't you?"

"Yeah, sorry about that. I guess the catching up is gonna have to wait." Naruto scratched his head sheepishly and stood up to start opening scrolls full of supplies and double checking their inventories before sealing them up and shoving them into the pocket of his robe. He removed the cloak covering him and hung it up on a hook that he made sprout form the wall.

Kurama shrugged. "That's life. I can tell that you've become quite a bit stronger."

"Oh yeah," Naruto said happily. "I'm kinda excited to get to show off a bit on this mission."

"Well, make sure you don't get too cocky. All that training you did with Owryudan isn't going to mean squat if you get yourself or others killed because you overlooked something."

"I won't," Naruto replied, rolling his eyes, even as he felt a thrill of happiness through his chest. He quickly changed his clothes for more mission appropriate wear and opened up the door again. "I'm gonna go hang out in Mom's office, my Hiraishin map is there and I wanna see if she has any extra info for me about this mission."

Kurama nodded and replaced his head on his forepaws as he closed his eyes once more. Only once he heard the door shut did he allow the smile to spread across his face. It had been a long six months without his Kit. It really was good to see him again.

*(OoO)*

Nightfall came and Tayuya, Guren, Ino, and Taisa were gathered at the gates to Uzu. Tsunade had given them a new mission to support Gaara and his siblings in infiltrating Taki, The Village Hidden in the Waterfalls, and they were supposed to be leaving that night as soon as their fifth arrived.

"Ugh, where are they?" Tayuya whined, bouncing from foot to foot.

"Patience, Tayuya-chan," Guren replied gripping her hand. "We'll be out of here soon enough."

"Never thought I'd want to leave Uzu," Tayuya grunted as she looked back into the village. Without Naruto to be the driving force behind his ideals, many of the refugees from Konoha had quickly gotten over their gratitude and gotten straight to work on trying to re-establish the way things ran in Konoha there. Tayuya, as a staunch supporter for the system Naruto had helped build, had not made many friends, especially considering her brash attitude and several of the shinobi formerly from Konoha remembering her as one of Orochimaru's stooges. She yearned for the day Naruto came back from his training with the dragons, and couldn't wait to get to work by his side again as they strived toward a better future than the one they had been expected to live.

"Sorry I'm late, were you waiting long?"

Tayuya and Guren both spun in place and shrieked with joy when they found themselves face to face with an older, taller, much more handsome Naruto, who grinned down at them with mischief in his eyes. They both tackled him and he grunted from the impact, taking a step back to keep from falling over.

Naruto laughed and held them both close as he kissed them each thoroughly before looking up at a curious Gaara, an envious Kankuro and Taisa, and a furiously blushing Temari and Ino. "I've missed you both as well, and we'll have plenty of time to catch up, but right now, Yugito-nee needs our help. We're going to be using the Hiraishin to warp to Birashina, and from there we'll make our way to the border of the Lands of Fire and Waterfalls. We'll also be meeting with two other four-man cells who will act as our support as we locate and infiltrate Taki while samurai stationed near the border will provide outside support against forces from the Lands of Earth and Lightning."

Everybody nodded and reached out to lay their hand on Naruto. The landscape around them blurred and distorted, and less then a second later, they all found themselves on the outskirts of small farming village. A quick command from Naruto had them abandoning the roads for the forest in an attempt to make a straight shot for the border and hopefully avoid any Taki shiobi guarding it. They ran for several hours before Naruto called for a halt and to start preparing camp. Once the tents were erected and the fire lit, Naruto created several clones to aid Tayuya in keeping a look out while he found a nice spot under an old oak tree to meditate. Tayuya's shift had ended and she switched with Taisa when Naruto finally felt someone join him and take a seat in front of him.

"What can I do for you, Gaara?" He asked quietly, though he already had an idea as to the answer.

"I want you to extract Shukaku from within me," Gaara said, his voice equally as low as he stared imploringly into Naruto's eyes.

"You understand that extracting it will mean you lose your ability to mentally control your sand, right?"

"I do, but I believe that, despite his insanity, Shukaku deserves to be free just as much as any of the other Tailed-Beasts. Also, whatever the people hunting me want its power for will have failed if Shukaku is freed and without all its power."

Naruto activated his Kunshugan, freezing time as he contemplated Gaara's request. Returning his eyes to their passive state, he sighed and created another clone to replace him as he held his hand out to help Gaara to his feet. "Alright, but we have to go back to Uzu to do this."

The gratitude in Gaara's eyes reaffirmed Naruto's resolve that he was doing the right thing as they warped back to the top of the Hokage Tower before Naruto used his swift release to warp them once more to the top of one of the surrounding mountains, leaving another clone behind to inform his mother of what was happening. They landed on the mountaintop and Naruto held his hand out, summoning Corona from its place sealed within his robes.

"I'm going to need you to hold my staff and focus on only channeling Shukaku's chakra. If possible, convince him that he's fighting to be freed and let him pour it through himself."

Gaara nodded and once Naruto was properly prepared, grabbed hold of the staff. Both of them released a scream of pain as Shukaku's chakra was ripped out of one and forced into the other. There was a bright flash of light all around them, and huge explosion of chakra shook the mountain upon which they stood. When it was finished, both Naruto and Gaara were on the verge of collapse, with Naruto only having the energy to create Shukaku's new body and place the appropriate seal on him before warping them both back to the Hokage Tower where Kurama and Isobu could explain things to Shukaku and then returning to their camp, where Naruto promptly threw himself onto the ground and fell asleep, only just remembering to enter his mindscape and start working on repairing his chakra network. He wasn't even aware of the two figures slipping out of their tent and curling up next to him while Temari and Kankuro attended to Gaara.

He was finally done repairing his chakra network just before sunrise, his increased chakra reserves and training making the process much easier, especially considering Shukaku had only a quarter of the chakra Isobu did when Naruto absorbed him. Naruto smiled when he woke up to find Tayuya and Guren curled up around him with Ino sitting nearby on watch. Slowly disentangling himself from his slumbering girlfriends, Naruto rose to his feet and joined Ino on the tree branch from which she was keeping watch.

He chuckled when his sudden and soundless appearance shocked her out of her semi-conscious watch and grabbed her arm to steady her before she had a chance slip off the branch.

"So, how have things been while I was away?"

"Could be better," Ino grunted. "My dad's somehow at the head of the pack of clan shinobi who aren't happy being treated the same as everyone else, and the rest of our clan isn't happy with me because I'm not on their side."

"They'll come around," Naruto said. "Now that I'm back, we're going to be kicking the Coalition into full gear, so they'll have even more changes to get accustomed to."

"And what about if they refuse?" Ino countered. "You can only force people to give up so much of what they've known before they start to push back."

"You're worried I'm gonna turn into some sort of tyrannical conqueror with plans for world domination, aren't you?" Naruto asked, an eyebrow raised and a smirk on his face.

"I know you won't," Ino replied, a light blush on her face. Something about Naruto's sheer presence was putting her on edge, but not necessarily in a bad way. "But you can't deny that from the outside, there are some people who will think that. You've already got the Land of Hot Water, and two of the Five Great Nations answering to you, it's only a matter of time until others start to see you as a threat."

"While you do have a point, and I do have to admit, there is a certain rush that comes from the realisation of just how much power I've amassed since becoming a shinobi, there's a big difference between me and your average conqueror."

Ino was forced to look away as her cheeks warmed even more at the sight of Naruto's pupils narrowing slightly when he mentioned enjoying the power he wielded but still managed to barely keep her voice steady as she spoke. "And what's that?"

"I didn't conquer any of the countries that are part of my Coalition. They joined of their own free will. The entire point of the Coalition is it being a deterrant to war by providing benefits to those who join and imposing alternative consequences to those who would try to start another war. I don't want to rule the world, I just want to keep it from tearing itself apart."

At that point, Naruto left to go wake up the others. He and Gaara both popped soldier pills to finalize their recovery after the extraction the previous night, and after finally pulling himself from two very pleasant distractions, Naruto had them pack up camp and continue on their way.

The day proved to be uneventful until near sundown when they were contemplating how to best cross a swamp near the border between the Lands of Fire and Waterfalls, Naruto called for silence as he felt several presences surrounding them.

Out of the bushes, a green blur shot out towards him with a vibrant shout. Naruto took the destructive kick to his stomach, tumbling into the muddy swamp with his opponent while the others snapped into action. Within moments, ten other potential ambushers were imprisoned within pillars of sand and crystal while Tayuya's Doki snarled alongside Taisa in his beetle form.

"Wait!" Naruto shouted, trudging out of the mud and dragging a dazed Lee behind him. "They're our back up."

"Wait, Naruto, is that you?"

"It's good to finally see you again, Iruka-sensei," Naruto replied with a smile. He casually waved his hand through the air, and the pillars of sand and crystal both disintegrated without either Guren or Gaara willing it. Finally free, they all realized who they had captured. Standing before them were two four-man cells. The first was comprised of Kanagi, Shikamaru, Sakura, and Iruka, while the second was the original Team Guy, only they were being led by Kiba's older sister, Hana. "I didn't think you went out on missions anymore."

Iruka scratched the back of his head sheepishly and grinned. "Yeah, well my new girlfriend convinced be that I'd be of more use as a Jonin Sensei considering Uzu hasn't finished construction of its ninja academy yet, so I took the Jonin exam and am out on this mission with Hana-san's team to see how well I do with my own command."

"That's awesome, Iruka-sensei!" Naruto exclaimed. "Maybe someday you and I can go out on a mission together!"

"While this whole student-teacher reunion thing is touching," Hana interrupted. "I feel I should ask what you all are doing here."

Naruto nodded and took out a scroll from his robes and tossed it to Guy who immediately started reading it while he informed the other shinobi what it said. "Hokage-sama has sent us on a mission to infiltrate Takigakure and extract certain people of interest. As such, I have been given command of both your teams to ensure the success of this mission."

"Bullshit," Kanagi said. "Why would you be given your own command over so many people? You're nothing but a deadlast."

"What he says is true Kanagi," Iruka said sternly, having read the document once Guy was finished with it and handing it back to Naruto, who took it and burned it to ash with a thought. "And if memory serves, Naruto was the one who beat you in the preliminaries of the Chunin Exams, was he not?"

Kanagi shut his mouth, scowling angrily while Sakura, Shikamaru, Tenten, and Lee all greeted Naruto enthusiastically, happy to see him again. Neji recused himself from the reunion as well, glaring bitterly at Naruto as he smiled and laughed with his friends.

"Well, seeing as we've all met up a bit earlier than expected," Naruto reasoned. "We can make camp here for the night and continue on our way tomorrow."

"Naruto-kun!" Lee shouted as everyone broke off to prepare for the night. "I must ask that you spar with me so that we may compare who has grown the most through our individual training!"

Naruto chuckled and looked towards the others, who all seemed excited to get a glimpse of how much Naruto had grown during his six-month absence. "Alright," he replied, shedding his robe and handing it to Tayuya while leaving Corona standing in the mud next to him. He was garbed in a simple long sleeved shirt that showed his collarbone and the top of his pectoral muscles with its low collar, and was black with burnt orange stripes down the length of the arms as well one that ran along his spine. His legs were covered by baggy, black knee-length pants that were tied off with burnt orange bandages covering the rest of his legs. His bare feet slid through the mud as he lowered himself into a fighting stance, Lee doing the same about twenty feet away.

"This is going to be a pure Taijutsu match!" Iruka called out. "No weapons or other techniques of any sort will be used. Remember you two, this is a simple sparring match, and we are on a mission, so no going all out or doing anything that could attract more attention to us than necessary. The first to three points wins."

Naruto and Lee both nodded, eyes fixed on the other. Iruka raised his hand in the air and dropped it, signalling the beginning of the match. Before he had even finished pulling his hand back, Naruto and Lee had already cleared the twenty feet between them, meeting in the middle as Lee performed a flip through the air, looking to hit Naruto with an axe kick that many of the others could barely even track.

Naruto sidestepped the kick easily, using his momentum to duck and spin while lashing his hand out and catching Lee's descending leg by the Achilles tendon. Taking advantage of Lee's rotational movement, Naruto yanked up on his leg, causing Lee to continue rotating and driving his face down into the mud. Recovering quickly, Lee wrapped his legs around Naruto's arm and flipped him over his head, smashing Naruto's back into the ground. Naruto took the counter in stride, spinning on his shoulder blades as Lee's fist smashed into the ground where his head had just been. Hopping onto his hands, Naruto completed the spin by landing a devastating kick to Lee's jaw, picking him up off the ground as he flew away. Lee backflipped away to gain some distance, but slipped on the loose mud, providing Naruto with an opening.

Naruto rushed in and the two exchanged a fury of blows, blocking and dodging just as often as they were kicking and punching. Unfortunately for Lee, his sandaled feet were having a hard time in the sticky mud, the restriction against using chakra to provide a stable footing affecting him more than Naruto, who moved through the mud like it wasn't even there. Eventually, they found themselves in a stalemate, both gripping each other's fists in a contest of pure strength.

It seemed at first that Lee might win their little battle of wills, but Naruto smirked and stepped back, bending down at the waist and bringing Lee with him, only for Lee to once again take a kick to the face that sent him staggering back. Lee barely had any time to regain his footing before Naruto appeared behind him, poised to deliver one last punch to Lee's temple, only to feint when Lee raised his arms to block and deliver one last crushing blow into Lee's side just below his ribs and knocking the air out of his lungs.

Iruka called the match, and Naruto stood up, smiling as he offered Lee his hand. Lee grinned and reached out to cross his first two fingers over Naruto's before Naruto reached down and pulled him to his feet. Lee felt chakra flow out of Naruto and into him, before his grin widened at the feeling of his injuries being healed.

"That was a good match, Lee."

"Indeed, Naruto-kun! That bout was most youthful! It seems Guy-sensei and I must increase my training if I wish to reach your level of skill!"

Naruto laughed and quickly waved his hand over them both, causing the mud to simply rise of their bodies and return to the ground beneath their feet as they walked back to the firmer ground where their camp had been made. He noted that the sun was almost down and tossed a small fireball at the pile of wood that would be their campfire with a flick of his wrist. The tinder ignited, and he grinned as he reclaimed his robe and grabbed Corona.

Sitting down between Tayuya and Guren, Naruto couldn't wipe the grin off his face as he wrapped his arms around their waists and couldn't help but think to himself as he looked around at his gathered friends.

Man, it's good to be back.

A/N: So, the time skip wound up being longer than they thought and Owryudan wasn't entirely accurate on the time difference between the two realms. Naruto is now back and on another mission, this time to Taki, and also now has Shukaku's power within him. As it stands, it's not his goal to absorb all the Tailed-Beasts, even if freeing them is, it just so happened that Gaara came to him with that request. On top of that, just because it's being hinted at Naruto having unfathomably large chakra reserves, that does not mean he's anywhere close to reaching the realm of Godlike. He still has a long way to go in controlling and mastering the monstrous amounts of power within him, and even then, there will be enemies that will find ways to challenge him. There was also a brief look into how Naruto's Inner Dragon has affected him, making him more comfortable with the idea of being in power, while maintaining still maintaining his ideals. Lastly, all characters now generally look like what they do in Shippuden except a little bit younger, unless explicitly stated, like in the case of Naruto and Hinata.

Anyways, thanks for reading and reviewing, and I'll see you all next time!