Author's Note: Welcome back after the long break! This is a chapter I wrote about two months ago and I have been excited to share it since. We are finally at the beginning of the Shippuden chapters. I still don't have much time to sit down and write, so if you are wondering when chapter will be coming out feel free to check my profile for any updates. PM's are also welcome.

Leave a review of this chapter to let me know what you think! Thanks for reading!

Chapter 19: One Step Forward: Naruto Uzumaki Returns!

"You know, I really am glad I opted for the vest instead of the jacket." Naruto said after he slurped down some more instant ramen from his cup. "These pockets are so convenient to store my scrolls. And for over a month's worth of food, I definitely needed a couple for that."

Jiraiya's eye twitched as he looked at the pile of cups at his Godson's feet. "Yeah, well, I don't care if we packed 3 months' worth of supplies if you keep eating like that we're going to die in here!" He watched the boy give him a confused look, glance down at the mess he made, and then shrug nonchalantly, further drawing the ire of his mentor. "I get that you haven't eaten ramen, or any real food, for a long time, but that doesn't mean you can act like you're from the Akimichi clan! We still have at least 15 days left in here, and we're starting to run low on supplies."

"Don't worry." The blond said calmly, tapping the rightmost pocket on his vest. "I still have my 50-cup emergency ramen scroll tucked safely away. I haven't even touched it yet."

…

"What?"

"I'm not heating you up another one."

"Why not?!"

They couldn't make a campfire in the caves, Jiraiya had said. It would fill the enclosed space off with smoke and likely cause them both to die from smoke inhalation. So, if they wanted to eat, they had to rely on rapid heating via Jiraiya's fire element.

"Why the hell do you need 50 cups of ramen for an emergency?" He continued, completely ignoring the boy's irate questioning about his eating habits. "When will that ever be necessary?"

"How should I know, Sensei? That's why they're called emergencies. You never know what could happen."

"You know what? If you weren't worthy of navigating this path by yourself, I would definitely consider leaving you here."

"Yeah, and when you joined us in the afterlife, I could watch my parents beat you up for all eternity!"

That elicited a shiver out of Jiraiya. The thought of Kushina's legendary wrath made him glad he hadn't seen Tsunade in over 2 years. Those women were cut from the same cloth.

Naruto laughed lightly to himself at the Sage's expense. Ever since finding out about his parents, the topic had been growing easier to talk about with each passing day. Before, it was challenging to get Jiraiya to open up about things he hadn't already told his protégé. Now? It was a regular thing the two ninjas were able to share and bond over. Naruto would say or do something that reminded the Sannin of an old story that involved Minato or Kushina, and the blond would listen intently, eager to find out more about his parents.

One of his favorites was the time his father saved his mother from capture by foreign shinobi, following a trail of her red hair to find the people who had taken her. As a child, the future Fourth Hokage was able to defeat a team of highly skilled Jonin from the Village Hidden in the Clouds.

"Hey, Sensei; did you ever travel through the Path of the Worthy with my father?"

"Hm?" The Sage said blankly, mind still racing about how bad Kushina would beat his ass. After a couple seconds, his brain registered the question. "Oh… unfortunately, no, we never did." He said with a tinge of regret. "Times were different back then. With the Third Ninja War heating up and eventually happening, shinobi of the warring nations didn't have much time to themselves. Though, I did tell him the story of it."

"Well, I'm glad that you got to bring me along." The boy managed a smile despite the mood that had just been cast over them. "I had my doubts, but the change of scenery has been refreshing… even if it's just a cave that goes on forever." He finished weakly, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly at his weak attempt to lift their spirits.

"Yeah." The Hermit choked back a laugh. "All this dirt is pretty fascinating. Oh, and look! There's some more dirt over there that's a slightly different shade of brown! HAHAHA!"

He was met by the no-nonsense look from his young ward.

"Ya see, Sensei, this is why you have no friends. You're honestly kind of an ass."

"And this is why you don't have a girlfriend! You're no fun at all!" Said with humor in his voice.

"Hmph, says the 53-year-old single man." The kid shot back teasingly. "Oh, by the way, I know your birthday is coming up soon, and I decided to give you your present early." While never breaking eye contact, the Uzumaki pushed some wind chakra from his fingertips and dug his hand into the hard ground, coming back up and lazily presenting his haul to his master. "Only the finest of dirt, your majesty." He said in a mocking, overly dramatic tone.

…

…

"You win this round, kid."

The boy wore a triumphant, happy smile as he swiftly devoured the rest of his last ramen cup. Patting his stomach intently, the blond deemed that he was finally full. Reflecting on the trip so far, the 30-day trek, there was very little for them to do besides walk, eat, train, and sleep. Sleeping on the hard ground was uncomfortable even though they had sleeping bags packed away in scrolls. Naruto even found himself missing natural lighting; the guiding crystals only illuminated the path so much. He was starting to miss the sun. Oh, and don't even get him started on the bathroom situation! It was awful, to say the least!

Yet, despite all of those negatives, the Genin still found himself enjoying their times in the tunnel. Why? Listing off all of the things, one would think that it would be torturous to be underground like that for so long. Then… why wasn't it?

'What if I was all by myself?' Just thinking about it briefly, a shiver rippled up his spine. A sudden feeling of loneliness and misery began to engulf him, pulling him deeper into the dark abyss, as if they had gone down one of the false paths. All of those awful things suddenly sounded even more terrible; as if something else was masking them from his sight.

"So, are you ready for what's on today's agenda?"

Suddenly, almost jarringly, Jiraiya's voice came crashing through his thought process, shattering all of those feelings he had to pieces. Bringing his gaze up from the cave floor, Naruto did his best to locate this new sound. Their eyes met, and Naruto shook his head to fully clear his mind. "I'm sorry… what did you say?"

"I said, are you ready for what is on today's agenda?" The Sage repeated. "We're almost there, after all."

The words, once again, took a moment to process, but once they did, Naruto's face erupted into a bright, genuine smile. An expression that told the full story of why their trek wasn't nearly as bad as it should've been, and also, one that was hellbent on keeping the darkness in the past where it rightfully belonged.

"Of course, I am."

"Ninja Art: Toad Mouth Trap!"

Just like that time, Naruto was nearly captured by Itachi and 'Shark Guy,' the floor, walls, and ceiling of the cavern were covered in the sticky, pliable pinkish flesh from the stomach of the mountain toad. While it wasn't exactly the ideal footing for the boy to practice Jutsu, it was a necessary one. An explosion, no matter the severity, could cause the ancient cave system to collapse in on itself. This would help reduce some of that shock, and hopefully, contain potential blasts. Though it is also possible that the Great Lord Elder's 'curse' could protect the path from damage, he wasn't entirely sure. There was never a reason to ask about the details like that. He had never trained himself, or anyone, in the caves before.

'Still… One couldn't be too careful; not when dealing with Jutsu like this.'

An incredibly loud, high-pitched, whirring noise brought him out of his thoughts. His long, white hair was being thrown about as powerful gusts of winds were ripping past him. What would make such mighty wind underground, you ask? His protégé couldn't wait and jumped right into training.

"I guess I couldn't ask him to be patient, considering how close we've gotten." He said aloud, as he placed his forearm across his brow to help protect his eyes from the splitting winds.

After many, many months and countless explosions, the two shinobi's quest was finally nearing its end. Naruto had worked himself to the bone every day, bled, and even broken his arm and hand a couple times. It all started with the leaf, a simple training exercise to get the boy accustomed to molding the sharpness that wind requires. The blond took this even further and was able to develop his power to a high degree, recalling aspects from his Rasengan training. Second, was honing that power through numerous repetitions. This was done at the expense of multiple trees in the forests of the mountains. Clones, alongside the original, used their wind chakra to carve the trees up. If anything, the toads got plenty of firewood from his hard work.

Lastly, the Genin tested his limits of change in chakra form, creating a technique that was aptly named the wind wall. Molding the shape of the chakra, Naruto would then project it in front of himself, blocking oncoming attacks. His control over the form became so great an entire dome of wind chakra could be created and maintained. The boy got the idea from his battles with Neji Hyuga and, to a lesser extent, Gaara. Though, unlike Hyuga rotation, this technique did not require the user to spin or block his vision with a wall of sand, allowing him to get his eyes on his target. Though, while it lacked the defensive capabilities of its predecessors, it made up by having the added benefit of being able to rip his enemies to shreds.

That was possible when completing the last step of stage three, combining the mastery of chakra form and control with maximum power. Once that was complete, Naruto was ready to integrate wind chakra into the Fourth's Jutsu.

"Incredible…" The Sage breathed out, the roaring winds completely drowning out any trace of sound coming from the man's lips.

In his student's hand was no ordinary Rasengan; it was surrounded in all directions by wildly spinning, white blades of potent wind chakra. The sharp protrusions were spinning at such speeds that they produced such an incredibly loud, almost grinding, sound that Jiraiya feared would make the caves tremble if they were not protected by the belly of the toad.

'This isn't like the other times…' All the other instances, just when the technique began to make that high-frequency noise, it would subsequently blow up in the Genin's face. It was incredibly frustrating for both of them, considering they were incredibly eager to see to its completion. But now, Naruto was holding it, maintaining it, in his hands. 'I think it's finally time.' Removing his arm from across his face, the Sannin made a quick hand sign.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Immediately, Sage's single clone was already forming his own spiraling ball of energy, though it lacked any form of nature manipulation. "Naruto!" The original, who was backing up away from the potential epicenter, screamed over the tornado-like gusts.

Naruto, while doing his best to keep control of the Jutsu, looked up slowly. His eyes caught the glow of Jiraiya's base Rasengan, and he knew what had to be done. Taking a deep breath, the student gave his master a swift nod.

They took off at one another, bringing their arms up to collide the two variations. It was finally time. The clash they had been waiting for.

On impact, the sound the two spheres produced was like a band saw trying to rip its way through sheet metal. It was an awful, grinding sound that nearly drew blood from both the participant's ears. And yet, as long as the clash seemed to take, it was over just as fast. The wind enhanced ball canceled out the original, ripping through it, and the clone, like warm butter, all while it still continued to spin wildly.

The 'poof' could not be heard over the humming of the Fourth's… no, Naruto Uzumaki's Rasengan. Though, seeing the clone burst into smoke was still just as satisfying.

Shortly after, the Legacy of the Fourth Hokage allowed it to dissipate, staring at his own quivering hand with an unreadable expression.

"I did it…" Voice barely above a whisper. His master, Lord Fukasaku, had been trying to drill into him the art of shinobi. While the teachings of both Jiraiya and Mount Myoboku did not agree on the shinobi principles of destroying one's emotions, containing them was something they still believed in. Containing feelings can be the difference between acting rationally, or irrationally, on the battlefield, which also can be directly linked to survival or death. What better way to make a habit of it than practicing during everyday life? Well, he was pretty confident that the Boss would let it slide this time, considering the circumstances.

"I DID IT!" He screamed, leaping into the air, limbs haphazardly flailing all about in celebration.

"NARUTO!" The fleshy Jutsu that had been protecting the cave began to recede, and the caster sprinted towards his young disciple. "I KNEW YOU COULD DO IT!" The man said, voice booming in a combination of awe and happiness. His student actually did it; he completed a Jutsu that the Fourth Hokage couldn't even manage to figure out.

"YES!" The boy, still bursting with pure adrenaline, continued to yell in victory. "Did you see that, Sensei?! That was amazing!"

"I sure did!" The boy's Godfather acknowledged. "That Jutsu wiped out my Rasengan like it was a C-Rank attack!" He patted the kid on the back affectionately. 'When we get out of this cave, we have to celebrate somehow.' He thought to himself. With roughly 15 days left on the path, that was something he had time to figure out.

"I can't believe it…" The creator of a new S-Rank move said, voice now returning to a little over normal volume. He was back to staring endearingly at his hand, the one that created the technique. It was a little singed and bruised, from constant practice that didn't give it any time to heal, but other than that, he was fine. In fact, being so overjoyed at finally succeeding, the endorphins coursing this his body numbed any aches and pains his body had accrued for the day. "After all of that hard work, I finally did it…"

"What did it feel like? The Jutsu, I mean?" There were not many times in the Sannin's life that he couldn't fully fathom what his eyes had witnessed; yet, this was one of those times. Trying for years to create a similar technique, but ultimately failing, made him unsure if something beyond the Rasengan even existed. After all, his variation had never even come close. But now it was proven to be possible, making him overwhelmingly curious. What was he missing, and could learning from his own student unlock his ability to do it, too?

Naruto thought for a moment, calming himself down to the best of his ability to give the most accurate description of the sensation. "Well, since it was the only time I had ever actually done it, it's kind of hard to say. It felt like I was holding a tornado in the palm of my hand. I've never felt anything like it, really."

"Is there a trick that you picked up on?" The teacher asked, hopefully. "Maybe something that suddenly clicked to make it all make sense?"

"No." The blond said simply, crushing any hopes his Godfather had of a fire element Rasengan. "While the process of doing it is incredibly hard, the theory behind it is straightforward. I would say that once both the Rasengan itself and the elemental manipulation individually become second nature, then you have to practice until doing them simultaneously becomes just as easy. And I still have a ways to go before it's perfect."

"Heh." The Sage began humorlessly. "I kind of figured that this wouldn't have any shortcuts."

"Though." Naruto cut in, holding up a finger. "What I think helped me the most was taking my wind to the absolute maximum shape transformation as possible." The blond continued, referring to the Wind Wall that the two ninjas developed. "Also, this."

The boy held out both hands. In one hand formed the Rasengan; in the other, swirling wind chakra. "Doing both of these at the same exact time in each hand really helps me get a feel for what it was going to be like combining them together. The latter is definitely much more difficult, but I noticed once I started this exercise, my progress improved a lot faster."

Jiraiya nodded intently, though, once he realized what he did, he laughed to himself. "Man, when did a brat like you end up being MY teacher? How the tables have turned."

"Hehehe." His student snickered. "Well, with all of the stuff you've taught me, I owe you a couple lessons in return!"

"Hahaha! Good point, kid! Now I don't have to charge you for my services."

"Not like I'm saving much!" The boy shot back teasingly. "A lesson from you would set me back the pay from a D-Rank!"

…

"C'mon kid… that was a little uncalled for." The Sannin whimpered in feign sadness. "I would think I'm at least worth a C-Rank…"

With that, the two ninjas had themselves a good laugh; at Jiraiya's expense, of course.

Now that their priority now almost taken care of, the most pressing matter at the moment was getting out of the cave and making contact with the Leaf's allies. The Akatsuki were bound to make a move in the not-so-distant future, and everyone had to be prepared for it. The only problem is there's not much new intel that can be linked to the S-Class organization. There has been sound in nearly every nation, yes, but it would only be speculative to say if they had any hand in it.

They have been cautious about disguising their movements and intentions.

"Have I mentioned how nice it is to finally be on the open road again?" The thankful Genin asked, side-by-side with his master. "I mean, how long were we even underground? It was so long that I lost track of the days and nights."

"It was about a month, but we won't know for sure until we get the first town." The Sage said after a moment of thought. "Now, all we have to do is meet with a few of my informants. Then, after that, we go back to the village."

"Yeah… the village." Naruto said slowly, staring up at the sky. It was bright out, but off in the distance, clouds were beginning to roll in, threatening to cover up such a beautiful day. "It's been so long since I've seen my friends. So much has happened…" Looking over at his mentor, he gave the man a questioning look. "What exactly do you have to meet with informants for? Can't you just send out your messenger toad?"

"Well, since we're getting so close to that time, I would rather meet with my men personally. Can't risk any of our messages being intercepted by the very people we're discussing."

"I guess that makes sense…" The Genin trailed off, something up ahead on the dirt road catching his attention. "Hm?"

It was a group, 6 men from what the blond could tell from that distance. They were speeding in his and Jiraiya's direction on the back of a wooden, horse-drawn wagon. As they got closer, their appearance became more apparent. They were dressed in tattered, dirty, and heavily worn armor. The one in the front of the wagon directing the horse had short brown hair and a scar running from just above his left ear all the way down to his chin. The leader, no doubt. The other 5 men, more towards the back of the buggy, were facing away from the blond, heads deep in brown sacks and chests.

There was a sudden shift in the air, signaling that Jiraiya had just disappeared from beside him. Tracking him rather easily, the Sage hid in the dense trees above. 'Now, why would he do that?' The boy thought to himself, curiosity now piqued. 'Let's see how this plays out.'

Seeing that there was someone in the road ahead of them, the leader brought his arms back, pulling firmly against the reigns of the horse. They slowed their pace, which got the attention of the buggy's rear passengers. They all appeared to be in their early-to-mid thirties. Getting a good look at the reasoning for the change in speed, they simultaneously stiffened at what they saw. The Leaf Shinobi couldn't hear much of the murmuring between the group, but there was one word he did catch.

Ninja.

Watching the whole scene unfold, Naruto was now standing still in the middle of the dirt road. Whether intending to or not, he was blocking the men from continuing on down the path.

"Hey, kid." The scarred one said with his deep, harsh voice. Naruto thought he heard a slight quiver to it, but he wasn't positive. "Would you mind getting out of the middle of the road so me and my guys can get through?" It was a question, but his tone made it sound like a demand.

The secret path entrance to Mount Myoboku had dropped the pair off near the Leaf village. They were currently a reasonable distance south from the Leaf. 'These guys are coming from the West, the direction of the Land of Rivers that me and Sensei are headed towards. And in between that is a small village we were supposed to stay at.' The longer he stayed silent, the more on edge the travelers seem to get, one even going so far as to put himself between Naruto and the cargo they had on the back of the vehicle. Though, Jiraiya's pupil couldn't tell if they were worried he was a bandit… or something else entirely.

"Say, guys, why are you in such a rush?" Trying his best to be as unassuming as possible. "I'm sure that you can take it easy and still be on time for whatever it is you have to do. Wouldn't want to flip your cart, right?"

There was a twinkle in the eye of the one who appeared to be doing all the talking. "Yeah, you're right. We can take it a little slower." The scarred man began. "Though, we are in a bit of a rush. So, if you don't mind, could you move off to the side so we can be on our way?" The tone, the man, used was much friendlier than before, an interesting change in demeanor and tone.

His partners, however, were still on edge, sweat pouring down a couple of the men's faces. None of them would so much look the child in the eyes. 'Guess I should just be blunt.'

"No offense, but I have to make sure." He took a step forward, lifting up a hand to point at the loot the group was keeping a watchful eye on. "There's a little village in that direction, you guys sure are carrying a lot of stuff, much more than any of the stores there would have to offer."

Half of the men flinched from the insinuation, but their leader seemed calm and collected. "Oh, we didn't get any of this stuff from there. We were just passing through. See, we're merchants on our way East to the Land of Waves. It's one of the best places to trade, after all." The man finished with a cunning smile.

What seemed like a decent lie at face value just ended up making Naruto believe their story even less. "Merchants? Traveling as recklessly as that? What kind of merchant would willingly damage their own product? The Land of Waves isn't going anywhere. Sorry, but I'm not buying it. Looks to me like you were trying to get out of here as fast as you can. You stole all of that stuff, didn't you?"

The reaction was instantaneous; the bandits each drew rusty swords from their worn, leather sheaths. "Look, kid. We don't want any trouble." The leader said as his lackeys yelled, 'Yeah!' angrily in agreement.

The blond eyed the bandits carefully, completely calm. "Did you guys say that to the innocent people you stole from?" There was a touch of edge to his voice, his eyes narrowed dangerously. "Did you hurt anyone?"

Naruto saw the last thing he expected flash in the eyes of the supposed bandits; guilt.

"No, we didn't hurt anyone!" The one standing directly behind his leader said with a twinge of sorrow. It was almost like he was offended the blond would even say such a thing. He had long, dark grey hair up in a ponytail. There was a scar over his right eye, similar to Kakashi, though his eye seemed unharmed. All of the bandits wore the same rusty, black battle armor.

'I could easily kill these guys and take this stuff back to the people they stole it from.' He thought to himself darkly. Suddenly, his mind drifted back to the strange conversation he had with that hopeful side of himself, and he realized the gravity of the decision he was about to make. 'Wait, what the hell am I thinking?' To be hopeful, understanding, and happy; those were the things he would try to be again. Or, at least, always have a piece of that mindset with him. Yet, his first thought was to murder these men ruthlessly…

Perhaps there was a better way to go about it? "I think you guys should bring all of that stuff back to where you got it from." His tone was firm, but not angry like the bandits had expected. Unsure of if he just saw what his good-natured side wanted to see, or if it was actually there, but these men didn't seem like typical bandits. All of their faces were grim, filled with sorrow like they were disgusted with themselves. "They probably worked hard for what they have, and you took it from them. What if you were in their position, and someone took everything you had?"

"That already happened to us!" Another of the men who hadn't spoken yet yelled out, lowering his sword slightly. His hair was a messy dark blue, bangs hanging halfway over his forehead, sweeping to the right.

That declaration, plus a couple more murmurs from within the group, made Naruto adopt a questioning look. "What do you mean?"

The leader, eyes now aimed towards the group in shame, shakily dropped his rusty sword to his side. With labored breath, he raised it back up to look at his accuser. Naruto blinked. The stranger was nearly in tears.

"We… used to be humble farmers. The work wasn't the greatest, but it put food on the table." The man with the long scar began somberly. "Three months ago, we lost everything that we had. We never wanted to steal from anyone, we've just been trying to survive!"

"What happened?" He asked, trying to decide if the story was believable or not.

"What didn't happen?" The man said with a humorless chuckle. "First, there was a terrible drought that passed through that we barely survived. Then when we thought that was over, we got struck with a giant weed infestation… killed all of our crops for growing season." His men were all sadly nodding along to the story as he told it, each one staring intently into the dirt. "We had no money and no product to speak of. When rent on our land was due, we couldn't pay it, so we got evicted."

There was no tell in the man's voice or body language that indicated he was lying. As far as the young shinobi could tell, these men were telling the truth. "How long ago did all of this happen?"

They looked surprised that a random little boy was even interested in their story. "A-About three months ago. Why do you care?" Anyone they had ever tried to tell the story to had no interest in their struggles. People were way too preoccupied with themselves to take a minute out of their to care about strangers.

"So, that's why you resorted to stealing? No other choice?" There was no hope or optimism in his voice, just one of understanding. 'They also said they didn't hurt anyone, but I won't know for sure until I get into the village.'

"We've always been hard workers." The one with the ponytail said. "We know how hard it is to make something of yourself in this world. Our intentions were never to steal these things. We just needed money and food to survive, get back on our feet, and once we did back, those people would be repaid in full! Honest!" He put his hand to his heart, a sad but genuine smile spreading across his face.

The blond took a deep, labored breath. He understood where these guys were coming from; really, he did. However, just because that was the case didn't mean that he agreed with their choices. 'Sensei, why did you leave me to handle this on my own?!' It was a difficult situation, for sure.

"You guys seem like good people who were dealt a poor hand in life." Naruto spoke with honesty. "When I say that you are good people, that also means that you know what has to be done." He put his hand up expectantly. "I need to take that stuff back to its rightful owners."

Some of the men seemed like they were about to protest, but their leader lifted up a hand to suppress any of that. He, too, was wearing a sad smile. One that was incredibly guilty for the things it had done in its moment of weakness. "You're right." He agreed, gesturing for his men to get off of the cart; they quickly did. The scarred man grabbed the reigns, lead the horse forward, and placed them in the boy's waiting grasp. "Tell those people that we're truly sorry. We'll never do something like that again." He finished with a bow.

"I will." The blond nodded. "And thank you for doing the right thing." Something lifted within the boy's heart, something he couldn't quite describe. Whatever sensation it was, though, it felt good. "Don't worry. You guys will be able to make it through this. I know it."

"I hope so. We're just… not sure what's next for us." With that, the leader of the would-be bandits gestured for his men to follow him, continuing down the path toward the Land of Waves; their heads held a bit higher than before. "Say." Head-turning back to face the shinobi. "What's your name, kid?"

With a smirk, the boy in question reached deep into his pocket. Withdrawing a pouch, flashing a smile, he tossed it in the farmer's direction. "The name's Naruto."

Turning quickly, the older man caught the pouch gently. He gave the blond an odd look, then loosened the string on the small bag to reveal it's contents. It was money, enough for food for easily a few weeks.

Eyes wide, the scarred man looked back up at the generous stranger. "What… why?"

"Just something for you to survive on while you get back on your feet." Jiraiya's student shrugged dismissively. "And as for not knowing what you want to do, I have an idea."

"Wha-"

"I want you to keep heading East to the Land of Waves." Naruto had no patience for questioning as he cut the stranger off. "When you get there, tell them that Naruto Uzumaki sent you."

The six men nodded dumbly, not sure what else to say after this boy's unbelievable show of kindness. That name was not lost on them, either. Everyone in the area was aware of the Great Naruto Bridge. It was beginning to become famous in the surrounding lands. "But, what will we be doing in the Land of Waves?"

"They'll be expecting you and will have a house ready for you to stay at." As he spoke, he turned around, facing the direction of the Land of Rivers. Fixing his headband nonchalantly with his free hand, he continued. "The Land of Waves doesn't have much in the form of security, but they are starting to get very wealthy from trading. You guys seem tough. Even if you're just farmers, I'm sure you would get paid good money to escort traders to and from the trading posts. And it'll be even easier with a good word from me."

They were speechless. Well, almost. "H-How could we ever repay you, Naruto Uzumaki?" Their leader said, still in awe of everything that had just happened in a mere matter of minutes.

Now walking away with the horse and cart in tow, the boy threw up a dismissive wave. "Don't steal… be the kind of people you can look in the mirror every day without regret." Naruto stopped, looking back over her shoulder one last time at the good-hearted man. "What's your name?"

The scarred stranger smiled happily for what must've been the first time in over three months. "It's Nōka."

"Good luck, Nōka." Voiced genuinely. "To you and all of your friends. I wish you the best." With a final wave, the blond was on his way to deliver the stolen goods back to their real owners. He smiled to himself as the 6 former bandits were shouting well wishes and thankful words in his direction. He, too, hadn't felt anything like this in a long time.

Once a reasonable distance down the road, there was a second rush of air, and his master was back by his side. The Sannin was not even trying to mask the broad smile on his face.

"Ah, so you weren't just a figment of my imagination, after all." His Godson gave the Sage a dry, unamused look. "So good of you to join me again."

"Hehe." The laugh was weak, followed by the sheepish scratching of the back of his head. "What can I say? I had to take a leak."

"No, seriously, what was that all about?" Both his facial expression and tone told the Jonin that he was serious.

"I honestly thought they were regular bandits." The Sage began, taking the reigns from his pupil. "After the past couple of years of training, I wanted to see how you handled what was bound to be a difficult decision." The older man let out an impressed whistle. "And what can I say? You far exceeded my expectations!" Patting the Genin on the back with his free hand. "You handled that as good as you possibly could have."

"I handled it like a shinobi." The boy responded simply.

Jiraiya could only shake his head in complete disagreement. "No, a shinobi wouldn't have asked questions or tried to understand those people. If it were practically any other ninja, those men would either be dead or off to prison. And yet, you saw the good in them and even helped them get their lives back on track."

"Saw the good in them…" His student breathed out, allowing the meaning of those heavy words to soak in. Is that what had happened? Wasn't the true nature of humans evil and selfishness? If that was the case… why did he trust the story of 6 random thieves he found shooting up the road? 'For all I know, they could be on their way to rob and steal from the people of the Land of Waves!' Just as he was about to turn around and run after Nōka and his men, something stopped him.

Those eyes. Those sad, guilty eyes that everyone in Nōka's squad had. Using every ounce of skills he had from the whole 'ninja must see through deception,' he could detect no deceit or ill-will coming from them. As confused as he was about the world and the people in it, he trusted those men. Whether he should have or not, well, that was something he would find out eventually.

Shoulder now relaxed, they continued in the direction of the Land of Rivers. "Yeah… I guess I did see that in them." Naruto blinked. "That reminds me. I need to send a messenger toad to Wave to let them know about Nōka."

"You can do that on the way, we should really be getting these things back to the village." Jiraiya urged, climbing in the front of the cart right behind the horse. "C'mon. I'll drive, and you can sit in the back and write your message."

Naruto smiled brightly, happy with the plan the Toad Sage came up with. "Okay, Sensei."

Izumo glanced around, trying to find anything to help cure the intense boredom he was currently experiencing. He sighed loudly when nothing caught his attention.

'I hate guarding the gat. Nothing ever happens, anyway.' He thought, slightly irritated by the fact that he always got stuck with such a menial task. Glancing over at his longtime friend, a smirk appeared on his face. 'Maybe he has an idea.'

"Hey, Kotetsu?" Izumo said in an obnoxiously bored tone.

"Yeah, Izumo?"

"I'm bored."

Kotetsu sighed for what seemed like the one-hundredth time today. How the Chunin wished something exciting would happen, only if Izumo would shut up for a couple of minutes. "We're supposed to be guarding the gate. Stay vigilant, Izumo."

There was a peaceful silence between the two of them.

"Hey, Kotetsu…" Voice slightly more animated than before, but his best friend failed to notice.

"Would you shut up? I get it, you're bored." Again, another sigh left his lips. If he heard those two words one more time, he was going to kill someone. Preferably, Izumo.

"No, not that." He corrected, pointing down the road that leads out of the village. "Look."

The man with the bandage across his face squinted his eyes to see what his friend was talking about. Sure enough, two figures were sauntering towards the village gates, perking him up slightly.

"Is that… orange?" The two Chunin shared a glance. That could only be…

"Hey, Izumo, Kotetsu. What's up?" Came a voice that sounded like…

"Well, well. Look who's back. Naruto Uzumaki." Kotetsu said, slightly amazed.

Izumo's one eye visibly widened at that name. Looking the teen up and down, he smiled. "Naruto, I like the new look. Looks like you took some inspiration from the Chunin uniform."

"Oh, yeah. I thought it looked good, so I decided to put my own spin on it." He said, patting his burnt orange flak jacket proudly. "I see why you guys wear these; I love these pockets."

"Your look isn't the only thing that has changed." Kotetsu commented. "You've gotten a lot taller, haven't you?"

"Well, I would hope so." Naruto said, measuring himself against the Chunin duo with his hand. "After all, it's been over 2 years. That's a long time, you know?"

"Oh!" The man with the long bangs said, looking over at the Sannin. "That reminds me, Master Jiraiya, Lady Tsunade has been… patiently awaiting the return of you both."

Jiraiya paled slightly, not liking the word choice or tone of the Hokage's errand boy. "Oh, no… Did she say anything? What do I have to be prepared for?" Not many things could scare the Legendary Sage of Mount Myoboku, but there was genuine worry in his eyes.

Both men rubbed the backs of their heads sheepishly, unwilling to look their superior in the eye.

"Well!"

"She, uh…" Kotetsu was stumbling over his words. "Well, there are a few things. Lady Tsunade wasn't very pleased that you haven't been responding to her messages as swiftly as she would've liked, and that you abruptly dropped your duties meeting with your intelligence contacts."

"Kakashi wasn't pleased with that one either." Izumo cut in, chuckling to himself. "He actually had to be on time for things!"

Kotetsu allowed himself a smirk as he continued to prepare the Sage for the inevitable. "And lastly, that you made he have to deal with Lord Danzo more often than she would've liked."

Naruto whistled ominously as his Godfather was practically shaking. "Damn, Master… You're going to get your ass kicked."

Jiraiya let out a long sigh. "And the worst is, she doesn't even know half of the stuff that happened while we were away." The Toad Sage slumped, suddenly wishing the two of them could head back out on the road. "C'mon kid, let's get this over with…"

Naruto nodded at his mentor's words. Turning back towards the two Chunin guards, he smiled. "It was nice seeing you two again." He said with a quick bow. "I'll see you guys around. Later!"

The two friends blinked at the display and watched the sad Sannin and the eager Genin walk down the road that leads to the heart of the village and the Hokage tower.

Izumo was the first to break the silence between them. "Naruto is a bit… different, isn't he?"

"That's for sure… If he's changed that much, can we still call him the number one hyperactive knucklehead ninja?"

"What? Why do you care about that?"

"I liked that nickname…"

"Izumo."

"Yeah?"

"Shut the hell up."

…

…

…

"Hey, Kotetsu?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm bored…"

The bandaged Chunin let out a weary sigh. "Say it one more time and I'll hit you."

Master and Student continue to make their way through the village, soaking in everything around them.

"It's so nice to be back." Naruto echoed Jiraiya's own thoughts, proven when the man answered with a nod of agreement. "The village honestly hasn't changed at all. What do you think, Sensei?" Naruto noticed a pretty woman walk by them and smirked at what was about to happen. Though, when looking over at his teacher, he was shocked to see that the lady went unnoticed by the super pervert. Instead, he was looking at something off in the distance.

"They put up Tsunade's face on the mountain." Gesturing over to the monument of the Leaf's past leaders.

"Yeah… they did." Wait a second… "Now that you mention it, they did that really fast! Weren't we here not too long ago? They hadn't even started construction yet!" The likeness of the granddaughter of the First Hokage was very accurate. Though, it would be more accurate if they included the wrinkles she has when her Jutsu isn't active.

"Also, Naruto." The man's voice turned completely serious, surprising the Genin.

"What is it? Is something wrong?"

"…Did you see the total babe that just walked by?" The lecherous man flashed a dangerous grin over at his apprentice. "Pretty sweet, huh?"

To his surprise, the teenager chuckled. "What's so funny, kid?"

He held up two fingers, a smile gracing his lips. "I'm gonna let you have this one for two reasons. One, you've been restraining yourself for over two years, and I'm proud of you." The chuckle was once again rising up the back of his throat. "And two, based on what we heard, if Tsunade has her way, that'll be the last thing you ever do. And I want you to die happy."

"…Aww, why did you have to remind me? I was just starting to get my good mood back." The revered Sannin whined.

"Sensei, I was only joking. I'm sure she'll understand." That was a lie, and they both knew it.

"Don't give me hope, I've already accepted my fate." His Godfather said, as he gloomily walked alongside his protégé.

Naruto wanted to say something to get his teacher out of his mini-depression but opted to stay silent. They walked a few more minutes, and to his surprise, they didn't cross paths with anyone he knew. Though, the pair did seem to get a few looks from the villagers. Some of them were the typical glares and nasty looks he would receive on a daily basis, but that wasn't all. Others were staring intently at him with what appeared to be faint smiles. They had also walked by a group that, upon seeing the blond, began fervently talking amongst themselves; no malice detected among them. He gave the group a strange look but opted to continue to the tower.

Several more minutes of modestly-paced walking, and they arrived at their destination. Getting into the building easily enough, the two toad summoners were nervously waiting outside the door of the Hokage's office.

…

Tsunade wasn't in the best mood right now. She thought she had found the perfect person to organize the Chunin Exams, only for them to outright refuse the role. Sure, it had been easy to find a replacement; they just were not doing the job up to the standard that she wanted. This made her subordinates denial even more frustrating. Whether or not the reasoning is just was irrelevant, the exams needed to run smoothly, and that took the talents of the ninja standing before her. Well, one of the two who currently had an audience with her.

"So, you're sure about not being a last-minute addition to setting up the Chunin Exam?" She asked firmly, but hopefully.

"I truly am sorry, Lady Tsunade, but you already know why I had to turn it down." The young man said in a lazy voice. "I know you understand why I said no."

The Fifth Hokage sighed, fully expecting that answer. Turning to the second person, a young girl, she gave the pair an odd look. "Okay, if that's not what this is about, what did the both of you need?"

Just as the other person was about to answer, a sound came at the door, quickly followed by a scared, stumbling Jiraiya.

'The brat pushed me!' He thought, part terrified, part disbelief.

Before he could even correct his balance or say a word in defense, Tsunade had already streaked across the room. Grabbing him roughly by his collar, she started shaking him violently back and forth. "Jiraiya, you idiot!" She did not sound happy, like in his dreams. "Do you have any idea what some of the stuff you did put me through?! Of course not! You only think of yourself, don't you?! And on top of that, you haven't been responding quickly to the intelligence reports! Just because Kakashi has been taking over your responsibilities doesn't mean you can act like him!" She was steaming, more so than in a long time. "You're lucky I haven't punched you back over the village walls yet! What do you have to say for yourself!?"

The Sannin in question began to babble like an idiot, brain probably reduced to mush after getting shaken like a ragdoll by the Hokage's insane strength.

Stepping through the door himself, the blond couldn't help but feel a little guilty for what he did. Sure, it was funny as all hell to watch, but the guy didn't deserve what he just got. "Don't be too hard on him. He's been working nonstop with me these past couple of years." Naruto defended his Godfather. "If it wasn't for him… well, I would still be hopeless.

Ripping her eyes away from the Sage in the confused stupor, Tsunade's eyes widened significantly. Dropping her teammate in shock, she stood up straight. "Naruto… you've grown up."

"I finally hit puberty." He responded with a playful shrug.

"Naruto!" The two other ninjas in the room exclaimed.

Looking past the Hokage he saw two of his good friends, which brought a smile to his face. "Shikamaru! Sakura!"

Author's Note: This is the longest chapter I have written so far. 8,000 words! It was necessary to end where I wanted it to.

Now, just because we're finally back to the village don't expect the action to pick up immediately. The plot will start to progress, but we aren't going to jump into stuff immediately. Quite a few different things happened in this chapter. Some minor, others with massive impact on the future.

Let me know your thoughts! Thanks and I will see you next time with Chapter 20: The Akatsuki Move! Eyes that Reflect the Heart!

NOYB - We will get to Sasuke eventually. Not soon, but we will. It will be different, don't worry about that.

DovahkiinGod - Thank you, I appreciate it. Though, truth be told romance is not even on my mind. If it happens, it happens. If it doesn't at all, that's okay, too.

TrenchcoatMan - The wind clones will certainly be useful. Though, while I didn't outright say anything, Naruto accidentally found out how to make his clones explode. Another incredibly useful technique. And as for Sage Mode, no, he doesn't know about it.

WaywardCollision - That means a lot. My goal was not only to make him stronger and a more well-rounded shinobi, but a more complex human being. To keep what makes his character special, and add things that make him dynamic and interesting. For that, I needed time. I'm glad people agree with me.

GunBlade2020 - Appreciate it! I hoped people would like the toad backstory and minor worldbuilding.

ThelittleKing - I'm not sure how long this story will be, but at this pace it will be a good while before it's finished. This is not an AU, it will stick closely to canon facts and logic, just with the divergence I have already introduced.