Disclaimer: Naruto and its characters are the property of Masashi Kishimoto. However, the original characters and plot of this fic belong to me.

Author Notes: I've nearly finished laying the groundwork for this fic and this chapter helps clear up some more things, and for once leaves fewer questions in their place. Thanks to those who continue to read and the updates should be regular for the time being until another few chapters have passed and then i will slow down. That parts not really good news i guess but it'll reduce to around a chapter a week.

Chapter 4: Destination Wave

A week had passed as the ship Naruto had embarked on docked in Wave Country, much to the chagrin and confusion of the many people aboard. The blonde had remained in the captain's cabin in the final day of the journey to make sure he didn't head towards Fire Country. It was a bluff on his part since he had no sense of direction but the ship crew had no idea of that particular detail.

Grabbing his rucksack, he quickly departed and began to walk into the town as the ship behind him once again signalled take off. The past week seemed to go exceedingly slowly while his mind was focused on the reason for his travel to the small country. Various people rushed around with smiles adorning their faces while children played. The morning atmosphere was uplifting but his mind didn't allow him to enjoy it.

Stopping for a moment, he realised that he didn't have a clue of where the crystal was or whose possession it was in. He decided the most likely candidate of holding it would be the leader of the small island. Walking through the crowd, he ended up in a small shop which had a lot of vegetables and other necessities. He addressed the person behind the counter, "Hey, where's the leader of this place?"

The man behind the counter scratched his head before breaking out into a laugh, "Your first time in Wave Country, eh?"

Naruto didn't understand what that had to do with anything as he answered, "Yeah…"

The man coughed as he finished serving another customer, "Tazuna-san's house is on the other side of the island; head to your right outside of this shop and just keep on going in the same direction."

Naruto thanked the man and followed his instructions, beginning to head in the same direction for more than ten minutes. He looked around as it seemed he had left the town completely and was now in some sort of forest, "Shit, where did I go?"

He turned back towards from where he came but couldn't make sense of anything. Slapping his head, he knew that he had ended up making a mistake even though he was instructed to go on a straightforward path. His attention was quickly diverted as he heard some giggling in the bushes. Raising an eyebrow, he made his way towards the foliage, wondering what it could be.

He was met with the sight of someone crouching with a telescope in his hands, his long white hair resting on the ground. The man was quite large and after a few moments Naruto decided to address him, "What are you doing?"

The white haired man stopped his activities and slowly turned to Naruto, exposing his face which looked very old and had red markings, "I could ask you the same question."

Naruto folded his arms, "No you can't since I was the one who asked first." Before he reiterated his original question, the sound of water splashing could be heard as he gazed over the bushes to see a few women dancing in the water with barely any clothes. He looked back at the old man, "You're a pervert?"

The man rose to his feet, shaking his head, "Such a common misunderstanding, I am beyond such a title…" He began to jump into a few different stances before proclaiming in a loud voice, "I am the one whose name reaches the heavens themselves and brings hope and joy to the women of this land…" Brushing his hair back, he raised his hands upwards, "The legendary super pervert, Jiraiya!"

Naruto was confused by the actions of the pervert but his mind clicked as he heard the name, "You're Jiraiya?"

Jiraiya wasn't expecting any recognition from the young man due to his age but quickly grinned and nodded, "Yes, you want an autograph, right?"

Naruto laughed, scratching the back of his head, "Heh, I wouldn't mind one really."

Jiraiya hid his surprise as he retrieved a pen and notebook, "So, you've read my books?"

Naruto nodded as he received the signed paper from the pervert, "Yeah, the latest one in the series was great. Wait a second…" He quickly took off his rucksack and began to look through it before coming upon his notes, "I've started writing my own book."

He handed the notebook to Jiraiya who began to read it quickly and some blood could be seen forming in his nose, "This is…" The frog hermit stared at Naruto, "How do you do research for this?"

Naruto coughed as he took the notebook from him and put it back in his rucksack, "I sleep with women."

Jiraiya's mouth fell open, "You sleep with…" Closing his mouth, he began to think before speaking, "You have a bright future but you're going to need someone to polish up your skills if you really want to succeed." He waited to see if his plan would work.

Naruto put his rucksack back on, "I should be alright. Why are you peeping on these women?"

Jiraiya grabbed his telescope and began to crouch again, "Research for my next book."

Naruto had a stunned expression, "You peep on women for research? That's kind of low."

Jiraiya looked at the blonde, "Low? You sleep with them."

Naruto held the paper with Jiraiya's signature on it, "At least I give something in return. I can't believe you inspired me…" He placed the paper in his pocket, "You're just an Ero-sennin."

Jiraiya stood up instantly, "You obviously don't understand the wisdom behind what I do." Naruto shrugged as he whistled loudly, much to the dismay of the perverted hermit, "What are doing? You're going to let them know I'm here."

Naruto turned around, "This is where we part ways Ero-sennin." He ran off in the other direction, careful not to display his speed in front of one of the legendary sannin.

Jiraiya saw the blonde vanish in the distance, "I lost a fan so quick…" His disappointment didn't last long as he picked up his telescope and began to peek through the bushes again, only to find none of the women there. A tingling sensation ran through his body as he shifted slightly to find himself on the receiving end of deadly glares. Breathing heavily, he rose to his feet, "Let's get it over with." The frog hermit accepted his punishment valiantly, having been on the receiving end of it many times previously.

XXXXXXXXXX

After having wandered around for over an hour, Naruto finally found himself back where he wanted to be. As he walked through the streets, his eyes caught the sight of a gigantic bridge causing him to stop in his tracks. The length and size of the tremendous structure was reflected in the blonde's sapphire orbs.

"Great isn't it?" The voice gained Naruto's attention to find a boy wearing a hat, "It's the bridge which connects us to Fire Country."

Naruto took out a cigarette and put it in his mouth, "Yeah, it's not something you see often."

The boy who was only a few years younger than Naruto looked at him, "We call it the Bridge Of Courage."

Naruto lit his cigarette, "Between every person and his destiny lies a bridge…in order to cross it, one must have courage."

The young boy held his hand on his head, "Eh?"

Naruto blew out some smoke as he saw the confusion etched across the boy's countenance, "It's just something I was told a long time ago. Why was it given this name?"

The younger boy's demeanour turned serious, "6 years ago, when we were nearing the completion of this bridge, my grandfather enlisted help from shinobi in Konoha to protect him. Wave Country, at that time, was struggling." He looked at the people walking around, "Everyone was hungry, poor and we were all being oppressed by one person, Gato."

Naruto listened to his story, "Konoha shinobi…"

The boy nodded, "They protected my grandfather and all the other workers so they could complete the bridge. There was a big battle and Gato betrayed his own men which led to him being killed by one of them. They didn't live for long after that and the shinobi of Konoha succeeded in their mission. I learned a lot at that time too as did everyone else here…" He stared at the bridge, "It was a lesson of courage; we're all indebted to those shinobi for what they did for us." He began to laugh, "There was two boys, a girl and a man. I didn't think they were capable of anything but I was proven wrong."

Naruto continued smoking, "What's your name?"

The young boy adjusted his hat, "Call me Inari."

Naruto nodded, "Inari, could you take me to the house of a person called Tazuna?"

Inari folded his arms, "Sure, I was heading there myself."

The Uzumaki followed the boy through all the streets as they came upon a small forest, one which looked familiar to Naruto. Leading him through it, they eventually arrived at their destination.

The duo walked across a wooden bridge which had nothing at the side to protect someone from falling into the water. Naruto threw his cigarette into the water before he stopped in front of the house. Inari opened the door and motioned for Naruto to follow as they stepped into a kitchen.

A woman standing near the sink looked back towards Inari, "Where have you been?"

Inari grinned, "Sorry, I got caught up with something." He pointed his eyes in the direction of Naruto as the woman recognised his presence.

"Oh, you brought along a friend." The woman smiled before clasping her hands, "I'm Tsunami; Inari's mother."

Naruto looked at the hat wearing young boy, realising that this must be his house, "The name's Naruto."

Inari turned to the blonde, "He should be in the other room."

Naruto followed him through the small hallway into the other room where an old man lay with some sake to his side along with a few papers across the floor. Inari gave a nervous grin before walking to the old man and shaking him, "Get up, you've got company."

Tazuna made some incoherent noise before sitting up and straightening his glasses. Yawning heavily, he picked up the sake and took a sip, "That's some super sake." He faced Inari, "Did you get it to him?"

Inari smirked, "Of course." Remembering the other occupant of the room, he pointed towards Naruto, "He wanted to see you for some reason."

Tazuna rose to his feet clumsily as he walked towards the Uzumaki, "How might I help you?"

Naruto took a step back due to his breath, "I want to know about the crystal which was found here."

Both Tazuna and Inari's expressions showed their discomfort as they became weary of Naruto. Tazuna walked away from the whiskered man and sat down, "What do you want to know about it?"

Naruto observed the room as he spoke, "Where it is."

Tazuna closed his eyes, "It's no longer in Wave Country."

Naruto sighed, "Did you have it before?"

Tazuna opened his eyes, "Yes, for a brief period of time."

Naruto folded his arms, hoping the old man would remain cooperative, "Who did you give it to?"

Tazuna cleared his throat, "I'm sorry but I can't betray their trust after everything they've done for us."

Naruto raised an eyebrow as he realised who the crystal may have gone to, remembering the story he was told by Inari, "That's all I wanted." He turned to leave before speaking, "A word of advice; there'll be more people interested in this crystal. You should make up a better story to protect yourself."

XXXXXXXXXX

The sound of horse hooves were ringing through the air as the two people at the gates of Konoha anxiously awaited the expected arrival of the Tsuchikage. The one with a bandage across his face spoke to his comrade, "Well Izumo, it seems like they're here."

Izumo had a keen look in his eyes as he stared at the shinobi escorting the carriage, driven by magnificent white horses, "You should be prepared for anything Kotetsu; we can't drop our guard."

Kotetsu walked around the desk, where people would give their identities, in order to greet the arrivals at the gate, "Remember the Hokage's orders; we're to show respect. The Leaf could gain a powerful new ally if everything goes well. You know the stories of the Tsuchikage."

Izumo joined his fellow shinobi, "Yeah."

The carriage came to a stop a few feet away from the gates of Konoha as Sasuke stared at the shinobi standing in front. Looking past them towards the village of Konoha, he closed his eyes knowing the kind of reception he would get.

Kakashi put away his reading material as he moved towards Izumo and Kotetsu, followed by the rest of his team, "Gate duty again."

Kotetsu nodded, "How did the mission go, Kakashi-san?"

Kakashi looked back at the carriage where the curtains could be seen moving, "It went without conflict. We guarded the carriage while four shinobi of Iwa patrolled at all times."

Izumo and Kotetsu stared at the carriage anxiously, as a person could be seen exiting. The man who looked to be around the age of Kakashi adjusted the patch covering his left eye as he moved aside. The brown and white hat of the Tsuchikage was the first thing visible as he landed on the ground and stretched his ligaments, "A different scene from that of Iwa."

Tenjou ran a hand through his unkempt hair, "There is a strong smell of plants here."

The Tsuchikage looked towards his advisor, "You may take your leave Tenjou."

Tenjou clicked his fingers as four shinobi jumped out of the trees and landed next to the Tsuchikage before making a move to depart. The red haired Kage spoke for a last time, "When I return, I will expect to hear good news from you."

Tenjou turned around, "As you wish, Tsuchikage-sama." The brown haired man left the vicinity abruptly as the Iwa shinobi and their leader walked towards Konoha.

XXXXXXXXXX

Naruto gave a relieved sigh as he found himself reaching the place he wanted to be. After leaving Tazuna's house, it took him nearly an hour to find the bridge connecting the small island to Fire Country as he ended up losing his way a few times.

There were a lot of people leaving along the bridge, carrying items of some sorts which Naruto figured were for trading purposes. Walking over to a wagon which had hay stacked in the back, he observed the elderly man who was the owner, "Are you heading to Fire Country?"

The elderly man looked towards him after moving his hat upwards, "Yes, more specifically, Konoha."

Naruto laughed gleefully, "Can I get a ride?"

The elderly man rose to his feet and intensely stared at Naruto, "I don't know."

Naruto knew what would convince him as he took off his rucksack and looked through it for his money. He found only a few thousand yen left which brought a frown to his face. He took out 3,000 ryou, "I'll give you this much but I want your hat as well." The Uzumaki wanted the hat just to make sure no one in Konoha would recognise him in case they happened to remember him.

The elderly man took off his hat and placed it on Naruto's head before taking his money, "Hop in, we should be there by the end of the day."

Naruto jumped into the wagon before lying down backwards and making himself comfortable. He could hear the horse tapping it's hooves as the wagon began to move. The blonde moved his newly acquired hat downwards to cover his face as he closed his eyes, "Konoha…that brings back memories…"

Flashback

The sound of the chains wavering could be heard as a young blonde boy moved his feet. The swing he was sitting on moved slightly as he looked on at the parents along with their children, who were laughing and full of joy. His eyes showed the longing feeling he held within his heart as one of the women standing looked back at him, only to give him a fierce glare.

His oceanic eyes turned to the ground and stared at the patches of green grass, his heart beating rapidly. Closing his eyes, he stopped any tears from falling as the disappointment impacted his heart.

"You didn't pass." Naruto looked behind him to find an old man staring down at him, a pipe in his mouth.

The blonde shook his head, "No…"

The Sandaime placed his hand on the young boy's shoulder, "There'll always be another chance."

Naruto sighed, "This is the second time I failed the graduation exam."

The Sandaime looked past him to all the other parents whose gazes were now the opposite way, "Few people are able to graduate so early. You're only 9, give it time."

Naruto's eyes shifted towards the rest of the older boys and girls who were dancing, "I wanted to fit in for once…to prove that I'm something…somebody." He got off the seat and walked away as the Sandaime had a sorrowful look in his eyes.

End Flashback

"Wake up, kid!" The sound echoed through the man's ears as he was being shaken from his slumber.

Naruto sat up, his hat falling into his lap as he rubbed his eyes. Placing the hat back on his head, he looked at the old man, "Take it easy, my brain nearly fell out." He emphasised the part about his brain.

The elderly man coughed embarrassedly, "My mistake, we're here though."

Naruto grabbed his rucksack and jumped out of the wagon. Turning around, the image of a distant past entered his eyes as he stared at the gates of Konoha. The smell of the trees and plants made its way into his nose, giving him a nostalgic feeling. The sun was setting behind the blonde shinobi as birds could be heard squawking in the sky. The clouds began to gather, showing signs of rain as Naruto took out a cigarette and lit it, 'It's been 9 years since I was taken from here…' He smiled mournfully as he closed his eyes, 'Back then, I wanted to return so much…now I'm only here because I need something.'

Author Notes: Finally, Naruto returns to Konoha. As for the Wave Country mission, he wasn't there for it. From this chapter, you should now know that he hasn't been in Konoha since he was 9 due to being taken, whatever that could mean. Essentially this will be like two stories, one of Naruto's past and the current one progressing but everything will be connected in the end. Also, the other person of Team 7 will be covered later on. Peace out.