Author's Note: Welcome back after what felt like a longer lay off than usual. Life has been crazy recently. And with what has been going on in the world, I would assume I'm not alone in that boat. I hope everyone is doing well and staying safe!

As for the chapter, let me know how it flows. I haven't been writing much so I feel a bit rusty.

Thank you for reading! Don't forget to leave your thoughts!

Chapter 20: The Akatsuki Moves! Eyes That Reflect the Heart!

"Looks like I finally found some things around here that have changed since I've been gone! What's up, guys?" The blond asked, flashing a toothy grin.

Sakura was wearing a red top, along with black gloves, low-heel knee-high boots, black shorts underneath a grey skirt, and grey elbow protectors. Her shoulder-length pink hair was kept in place by her red-clothed Leaf headband that sat atop her head.

Shikamaru was clad in the Leaf's standard Chunin attire. Though, it could be seen from his wrists that the Nara was still wearing his mesh undershirt underneath. While his headband used to be tied firmly around his left arm, it was now sewn into his left sleeve.

"You know, same old, same old. It's a drag." Shikamaru said with a lazy shrug, though his eyes betrayed how he was really feeling, happy to see an old friend back safely in the village. "What about you? How was traveling the world?"

"Well, we didn't travel as much as I thought we would…" The boy trailed off, not wanting to go into the reason as to why that was. "But it gave me more time to focus on my training, so I don't mind."

"You look like you've gotten a lot stronger, Naruto." Sakura cut in. "What about me? Do I look like I've gotten stronger?" She asked innocently, a faint smile present across her lips.

Looking over at his old teammate, something about her did appear to have changed. Sure, it was clear her appearance had changed, but that wasn't what had caught his attention. Sakura had always been in the shadow of him and Sasuke, he was aware of that; not aware of the full extent, but aware, nonetheless. The pink-haired girl appeared to be holding her head up a bit higher, a touch more confidently. That was an easy sign to tell the Genin all he needed to know.

"I can tell you've changed a lot, Sakura." His answer was not trying to lift her spirits, but genuinely honest. "You've probably gotten a lot stronger, haven't you?"

Before Sakura could say anything, a fourth voice cut in.

"Ahem." The three members of the former 9 rookies turned towards the source of the sound, Tsunade. "Funny you should mention that because the three of us were discussing something that has a lot to do with how strong you've gotten."

"Huh?" He blurted out, slightly confused. "And what is that?"

"An Akatsuki extermination squad." Shikamaru answered. "I asked Lady Hokage if we could form a team that's sole mission is to hunt down members of the Akatsuki." His face was dead serious, out of the ordinary for a Nara.

Naruto's eyes widened. "You know about the Akatsuki?"

The Chunin nodded along with Sakura. "Word started to get around that Itachi infiltrated the village before you left to train with Master Jiraiya." Sakura added eyes hardened. "If they're after you, then they have to go down!"

The truth was after reading Naruto's book, his two friends started digging around for information as to what Naruto meant in his writing. Shortly after, and even an audience with the Hokage, they were shocked at what they each found. All of the snooping and information gatherings eventually caused their paths to cross. Realizing they were looking for the same thing, Sakura and Shika worked together on an idea to keep Naruto out of the clutches of the S-Class criminal organization. Nearly all the questions Shikamaru wanted to ask Naruto about, Sakura, being so close to the Hokage, had the answers to.

Naruto grimaced slightly. The thought was very nice, but… "They do need to go down, but are you sure that you guys want to put yourself in harm's way like that? The Akatsuki are monsters, and I'm going to need ninja that understand what they are capable of."

"And who said you were going to be on this team?" Tsunade asked arms crossed at her chest, a questioning look on her face. "You're just a Genin. Shouldn't I form a team solely of exceptional Chunin and Jonin?" She chided, her tone teasing.

"I may be just a Genin, but I'll prove my worth. Don't you worry about me! I haven't been slacking off this past couple of years."

Tsunade could only smirk at his brashness. "I'm sure you haven't, brat."

"We know what they're capable of, Naruto." Sakura said confidently. "We've been preparing for you to come back to the village for a long time. We want to be there for you to help you."

The unease could still be easily seen on the blond's face. It wasn't that he doubted the ability of his friends, he was just naturally worried for their safety. This wasn't some walk in the park C-Rank mission or even their assignment in the Land of Waves, any mission concerning the Akatsuki would be immediately given the rank of S.

And there was one question still on his mind. 'Do they truly know what these guys are capable of?'

The Leaf's young genius could understand where his friend was coming from. They were talking about dealing with S-Class threats; worry for those close to you was expected. "Before you say no, let's just go over some of the details about what we have planned." Shikamaru began as there was a knock at the door. The genius smirked. "Speaking of… we told him to be here earlier, but the guy is late as usual."

"Enter!"

The door opened slowly to reveal none other than the Copy Ninja, Kakashi Hatake. Walking in with his typical eye smile, favorite orange book in hand. That quickly turned into a look of confusion as the first thing he saw was a near-unconscious Jiraiya sprawled out on the office floor.

"Erm… are you all right, Master Jiraiya?" He blinked. "Wait… Master Jiraiya…?" Looking up, the Jonin saw something that made his signature grin return. "If it isn't my cute little student. You've gone and gotten all grown up Naruto." He said affectionately, completely forgetting about the unconscious Toad Sannin.

"Kakashi-Sensei!" His former student exclaimed. "You haven't changed a bit!"

"Kakashi." Tsunade said a bit sternly, arms still crossed. "You were supposed to be on time, so the four of us could discuss the Akatsuki."

"Hehe." The one-eyed ninja scratched the back of his head nervously. "Well, you see, I knew Naruto was coming back today and figured if I was late, he would get the chance to join in…" Not the worst lie, but also not one the Hokage was going to believe.

That was confirmed by the annoyed grumble from the Fire Shadow. 'At least he's pretty much always on time with the spy network's intelligence reports.' She thought to herself to quell her frustrations.

'I just got here, and he's already entangling me in his lies… it's good to be back.' The Uzumaki mused, equally as annoyed as Tsunade.

The conscious Sannin sighed irritably. "Well, since we're all here now, I guess it worked out for the best." Still, she shot a glare over at her silver-haired subordinate. "Jiraiya! Get up! We have important things to discuss."

The Sage in question let out a tired groan of protest, but obliged and began to slowly pick himself up off the ground. Shaking his head to clear himself, a hand pressed against his temple, Tsunade's teammate was finally able to get a word in. "What a warm welcome…" Was his dry response.

"I have to ask." She continued. "Is Naruto ready to face them?" It was the question on everyone's mind. How strong has their resident Jinchuriki gotten?

For what was a rare occurrence, Jiraiya adopted a rather serious expression. Had things gone differently, he may have pitted the boy up against another shinobi to prove his worth, someone like Kakashi. Not in this life, Naruto was beyond such spectacles. The Sage was so confident in the boy's abilities, all that was needed were a few words. "Yes, he is."

Tsunade, somewhat surprised by that short, yet firm, declaration, nodded. "If that's the case, I would like to approve the 5-man Akatsuki Assault Squad to be under the command of Jonin, Kakashi Hatake." Looking over to her old teammate, she continued. "This newly formed team will collaborate with Jiraiya, as he will be taking back responsibility of the Leaf's spy network."

"Why can't Sensei be on the team?" The only Genin in the room asked. "And if not him, who is our fifth member?" He only counted 4; himself, Sakura, Shikamaru, and Kakashi.

"Uh… i-it's…" It was difficult to form sentences after what she had just heard. "You called him Sensei." She looked over at the man the boy was referring to. "He called you Sensei." Was her confused statement.

Jiraiya nodded, a satisfied smirk gracing his lips. As foolish as it may sound, getting rid of the 'Pervy Sage' nickname was perhaps one of his greatest achievements! Naruto was so stubborn he thought he would never get the kid to stop calling him by that ridiculous title.

"Did ya hear me, Granny?" Naruto asked rather annoyedly.

Everyone in the room, save for Tsunade, winced at her slightly… unflattering title. Though, to their surprise, she didn't seem to mind. As informal and disrespectful as it was, the female Sannin found it rather endearing. The two were close, and him casually referring to her in such a way when no one else would ever dare do the same was refreshing.

"Jiraiya's role is to gather intelligence about the Akatsuki. He's the most capable infiltration and intelligence gatherer we have in the entire village. Kakashi has assumed that role since he gave it up, but now that you two are back, the village needs him."

Naruto, although slightly dejected, nodded his understanding. Whether he like it or not, that was Jiraiya's specialty. The Akatsuki Assault Squad needed information to act, or they would be blindly scouring the elemental nations for a lead on the organization. With the best at the helm, they'll have the most complete and accurate information possible.

Glancing over at his Sensei, however, he spoke his mind honestly. "Just… don't do anything stupid, like taking on the Akatsuki by yourself. That's what our squad is going to be doing." There was a conflicted glint in his eye as he spoke. "Got it, old man?"

Jiraiya smirked, letting out an exaggerated huff of annoyance. "Why can't I ever have any fun?"

"Yeah…" Naruto breathed out, barely a whisper. "Fun…"

"I've had your fellow squad mates off of missions as we waited for you two to come back." She continued, gesturing to the three other ninjas in the room. "Jiraiya will be leaving the village to gather intel, effective immediately." If Jiraiya had any feelings about this, he didn't show it.

"What will we do in the meantime?" Naruto asked.

Tsunade smirked. "I'm hoping to give your team a mission, not only for you to shake the rust off, but to make sure your squad has good chemistry. Though, I think I'll give you a couple days to relax and settle back into the village. How does that sound, brat?"

The boy in question felt a twinge of sadness at the news that his Godfather was already going to be leaving the village. 'I had been hoping we would be able to go on a couple of missions together… but I guess I'm being selfish. The village needs him more than I do right now.' He'd keep that to himself.

"Some time to relax… sounds nice."

Tsunade nodded. "Good." Though, she quickly let out a tired sigh. "As much as I'd like to spend some time catching up, I have a couple teams that I need to go deploy, as well as a few that are coming back that need to be debriefed." She waved, gesturing the group out of her office. Managing a smile, she looked at her favorite blond. "If you have time tomorrow, I'd like it if you stopped by for a little."

"Heh, sure thing Granny!"

She smiled softly as she watched the newly formed team leave her office. Memories of her first time meeting the little Genin flashed in her mind. 'That brat… sure has changed a lot. I hope that idiot Jiraiya didn't rub off on him too much.'

"He's changed a lot, hasn't he?" A voice echoed her thoughts.

A voice came, breaking her out of the trance she was in. Looking up, as if her mind could be read, Jiraiya was looking at her intently.

"Didn't you hear that I had some things I needed to take care of?" Was her slightly annoyed response.

Though her old teammate could see her eyes soften considerably. That confused him slightly, but he didn't say anything; his desire to not wanting to be punched again outweighing any curiosity he had. "I heard you." Jiraiya said with a simple shrug. "I just think there are some things we need to talk about."

"Whatever it is, you have to say, I think it can wait." The Hokage huffed as she grabbed a couple files off of her desk. Getting up, she tried to walk past the Toad Sage to the door, but he blocked her path.

After receiving a hard stare that promised pain, Jiraiya gave the woman an odd look. "Are you mad at me, Tsunade?" Was his question, feeling even more confused than before.

The Senju took in a deep breath. "Did you think me shaking you like a ragdoll was my way of saying I missed you?"

"That's what I'd like to think. Makes it hurt less when I think it's out of love." He childishly quipped.

"You're an idiot." She shot back a bit more harshly than she intended. "You put me in a terrible spot with all of the stuff that you pulled; you know that? I'll admit that I shouldn't have asked you to go on that mission to the Land of Hot Water. But to not come back with the ANBU Black Ops after Naruto was nearly captured by the Akatsuki? Danzo and the Elders were not happy, and I didn't have you here to back me up."

Jiraiya tried to interject, but he was quickly cut off.

"Then, you hid in Mount Myoboku and gave us little warning when you dropped your duties with the network. To top it all off, you barely sent reports after that. I was in the dark about what was happening… So yes, I'm a bit mad." She gave the Sage a stern look, silently telling him to get out of the way so she can go do her job.

Yet, to her surprise, Jiraiya stood firm, arms crossed loosely at his chest. "I'm sorry truly." His voice seemed genuine. "But I couldn't risk any important information being intercepted by the Akatsuki or Root. That… and I was busy making sure Naruto was okay. You know, with everything that happened."

Ever so slightly, her shoulder relaxed. "Still, anything would have been better than what I got. I had to defend you when I had no idea what was happening. Hell, Danzo wanted you under Root custody when you returned." Though, Tsunade didn't take those threats seriously. It was Danzo just trying to stir her up and make life difficult. Trying to capture a Sannin was a suicide mission, and the old badger knew that.

"I'll keep my eyes open for Root operatives." The Fourth's Sensei said dryly. "Anyway, back to what I was saying. There are… some things that happened during our time away, and I wanted to make sure that no one else besides you heard about it." The man's demeanor shifted immediately. Whatever he was about to say, it was serious.

"What are these things you're referring to?" Her features adopting a similar expression.

'I'm probably going to get punched for this one.' Rubbing his chin absentmindedly. "It's about Naruto, and what happened after the events in Wave… Let's just say, I may have made a couple mistakes when trying to help him cope and move on…"

'I wonder what they're talking about…'

"Naruto!" Sakura yelled, trying to get his attention.

"Hm?" The blond said blankly. After leaving the Hokage Tower and noticing Jiraiya didn't follow them, he had been staring at the windows on the top floor.

"I was thinking that the 5 of us could go get some lunch at Ichiraku and discuss things about the team. Does that sound good?"

"Sakura." Kakashi interjected. "Naruto just got back to the village. He probably wants to go settle back home for a little before talking about the mission." He smiled behind his mask. "Isn't that right, Naruto?"

"Yeah… right." Naruto shook his head, trying to get his thoughts off of everything that was going on in his mind. "It's been a while since I've been in my apartment. It probably needs a good cleaning." His weak smile went unnoticed by the two younger shinobi, but Kakashi rose an eyebrow.

"Heh, I bet." Shikamaru said. "The walk back to the village was probably a total drag. I know I would be exhausted. I'll come get you later when we're ready to meet."

"That sounds good." Naruto said, a bit brighter of a smile this time. "I'll see you guys soon!" The Genin gave them a quick wave, then darted off in the direction of his apartment.

"Did Naruto seem a little… different to you two?" Kakashi asked once the blond was no longer in view.

"Yeah, he seems a lot more mature than he used to be." Sakura commented. "Though, he still seems like Naruto. I'm honestly glad he hasn't changed too much."

'Not exactly what I meant.' The Copy Ninja thought to himself. There was something off about Naruto. He seemed distracted, on edge, and far too reserved for himself. That could all be from the changes he had undergone during his time away, but the silver-haired Jonin had his doubts. 'Maybe I'm overthinking this, but he may have changed more than you thought, Sakura.'

He'd keep that to himself for now, though.

…

He maintained the pace he had when he left his friends, no particular destination in mind. Just moving quickly for the sake of it. Naruto had told his new, mostly old team that he was going back to his apartment, but that wasn't the truth. There was a lot on his mind, and cleaning up his apartment would do little to help him with that.

'What's this feeling?' There was a pit deep in his stomach, leaving him in a state of unease. Wasn't coming back to the village something he was excited for? Didn't he want to see all his friends show them how much he's changed; to see how much they have changed? Then why? What was this feeling of dread looming over him? 'It's just like that day…'

At the speed he was going, coupled with the lack of attention that he was paying to his surroundings, was a recipe for disaster. Rounding a corner, the blond proved this to be true by slamming right into someone.

Naruto skidded to a stop and cringed as he watched the blurry figure of the unsuspecting person get forcibly thrown to the ground. From their grasp, a bright orange book flew and landed unceremoniously in the dirt road.

'This is…' Thought trailing off as he bent down to pick up the familiar novel.

It was a copy of his book, worn out from several read-throughs by the look of it. Despite his best attempt to quell it, a frown forced its way through. His feelings toward the book were complicated. There was a time where his thoughts and beliefs aligned with the novel. A world in which hope wasn't just some naïve way of interpreting reality, and that the good always outweighs the bad. Now? He wasn't sure. These same thoughts crossed his mind when encountering those bandits; on a whim, he tested that ideology by taking them at their word and even assisting them. It would be a while before he found out if that was a smart or foolish decision, but he would put his ear to the ground and wait for the rumblings.

Though, as his demons were staring him in the face, that wouldn't help him right now. A nearby groan shook him from his thoughts, reminding him that he had just run over the owner of this book. It was a woman, long dark-blue hair masking her features. Naruto rushed to her side, instantly recognizing who it was. Grimacing slightly at the thought of harming one of his friends, the boy leaned the girl up against the wooden fencing. He couldn't believe it; she had changed so much.

She was wearing a large, loose-fitting lavender and cream hooded jacket, along with navy blue pants and black, low-heeled sandals.

"H-Hinata, are you okay?"

The Hyuga Heiress grabbed her head in an attempt to dispel the dizziness. The last thing she remembered was turning a corner while reading her favorite book. With her mind off in a faraway land, and her feet carrying her as if she were on auto-pilot, she hadn't been paying attention to where she was going.

'What happened?' She thought to herself, her eyes still closed.

"Oh, thank goodness." Naruto said after watching her begin to move around. "I didn't hurt you, did I, Hinata?"

Hinata's body tensed, heartbeat immediately began to quicken at the sound of that voice. Though the voice was quite a bit deeper than she remembered, it was unmistakable. Finally, able to open her eyes, they remained fixed on the floor. She didn't want to look up, fearing it would all be her imagination, and he wasn't actually there.

'It couldn't be…'

"Hinata." The blond said once more, resting a reassuring hand on the girl's shoulder. "Hey, it's me. Naruto."

The girl in question slowly looked up, excitement building at once again seeing the Uzumaki again. Her pale, lavender eyes met his striking blue eyes, and she had to resist the urge to look away. It really was him, after all.

"Naruto…" She whispered just loud enough for him to hear.

Naruto's relieved, yet happy, smile made her smile back without even being conscious of it. That was just what you did when Naruto Uzumaki smiled; you felt the urge to reciprocate. It was contagious. The boy put his hand out to help her up, which she gladly accepted.

Now that the whole ordeal was behind them, Naruto laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly at his clumsy mistake. "Sorry about that, Hinata. I wasn't looking where I was going. I hope I didn't hurt you." Looking her over quickly, it didn't appear that she was injured.

Hinata had expected that she would be freaking out when she finally saw Naruto again after such a long time. She feared that all of that work Ino, and she put in to make her more confident during his time away would disappear, and she would revert back to her shy, stuttering self. That smile, those eyes; they turned her into a babbling idiot, and that had to change. Yet, despite her pulse beating a bit faster than usual, she felt good.

"I'm o-okay." The Heiress answered after staring at the Genin for a moment. She winced, annoyed at herself for letting a stutter sneak its way through. "I wasn't paying attention either. It's not your fault, Naruto." She smiled reassuringly, hoping her friend wouldn't put all of the blame on himself for what happened.

"Still, I'm sorry." The Genin said genuinely. "Oh, I almost forgot." He continued, presenting the orange object to the Heiress. "You dropped your book."

Hinata tilted her head to the side in confusion. Though once it dawned on her what the boy had in his hand, she suddenly wished to be unconscious once more. The lavender-eyed Hyuga resisted showing the horror she felt on her face. Just her luck that the boy she admired would catch her at such an embarrassing time, reading his own book!

Yet, little did she know that they were both equally uncomfortable with this situation.

Hinata mumbled out a weak 'thank you,' grabbing the book from his grasp.

They sat in silence for a moment, neither sure of what to say after what happened. Do they address the elephant in the room, or bypass it to avoid any further discomfort? Neither knew what the correct move was.

'Maybe I should go.' Naruto thought to himself, not sure of what to make of his friend's demeanor. 'Is she mad that I knocked her over? I mean, I wouldn't blame her. Or maybe, she's embarrassed about the whole book thing?' He always had trouble guessing what other people were thinking, especially women.

"Did you just come back to the village?"

Naruto blinked, not expecting the girl to say anything. Looking at her, while the air still felt a bit tense, she was intently waiting for an answer, a smile on her face.

"Yeah… I just came back today, actually."

"Do you want to go eat something?"

Well, this was unexpected. "Uh…" He wasn't really in the mood to go anywhere, but could he really say no after trampling her? "Sure, I could eat, I guess. Did you have any place in mind?"

"Well, since you've been gone for so long, I was thinking ramen? It's your favorite, right?"

'She seems… a lot different." Sakura and Shikamaru had changed appearance-wise but, from what he could tell from their quick conversation, they didn't change much from a personality perspective. And yet, the formerly shy and timid Hinata… this might be the most he's ever heard the girl talk at once.

And that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. After all, Hinata was his friend. A friend that he hasn't really spent a lot of time around.

"You know what? That actually sounds like fun. Let's go." The Genin responded somewhat eagerly, surprising himself.

Naruto didn't realize it at the moment, but that overwhelming feeling of dread that was looming over his shoulder was retracting itself back into the depths of his mind, barely a whisper. Perhaps, it was better that way.

Or… perhaps not…

The wind was gusting, picking up copious amounts of grainy sand as it swept across the ground. Two darkened figures with the wind at their backs, as if it was a sign of the chaos that follows them, were purposefully walking through the dry, hot desert, a singular goal in mind. The one on the right appeared to be much shorter, with what appeared to be a very severe and painful, hunch in his back. A cloth-covered just above his nose to down past his chin. A straw hat and a black cloak with blood-red clouds masked the rest of his appearance.

The remaining shadow was much taller, but wore his collar very high with his head down; the straw hat was covering up the entirety of his face.

They had been walking for what seemed like hours, and there was no time to slow down or take a rest. The two of them had a deadline to meet.

"You know." The one with the hunchback began, his voice was gruff and unpleasant. "While I am very… pleased about my new assignment, I can't say I agree with these new arrangements." The man shot his partner a glare filled with contempt.

"You act like this was my idea." The taller man countered evenly, not bothering to even look at his accomplice. "My assignment was changed, as well. Or did you forget that?" The subtlest of edge to his voice.

While they were partners in this operation, that did not mean they had to like each other. There was uncertainty and mistrust in the air, but at the same time, respect. Both were powerful S-Class shinobi, and they respected the other's abilities. Neither was what one would consider friendly or sociable, either.

"That leader of ours." The angry one seethed in his gravelly voice. "Why would he have us work in specific pairs up until now, just to change them when we hunt for Jinchuriki? This kind of mismanagement is completely unacceptable!"

Unsure if it was a genuine question or a way to vent, his new partner answered anyway. "Whether or not we agree with it, we were given our orders, and that's the end of it." Despite seemingly coming to terms with the changes, there was a slight quiver in the man's voice as he spoke about it. A tell that he, himself, had issues with the sudden alteration to the plans. "We were placed together because my talents are best suited to capturing the beast, and your talents are to get us to him."

What appeared to be a large tail came from under the rear-side of his cloak, slashing about wildly behind him. "Deidara's talents would have been plenty enough to capture the One-Tails!" There was disgust in his tone. Not from their disagreement, but from the fact he was actually defending that wannabe clay artist.

"Deidara's moves tend to stand out quite a bit." The cloaked criminal responded matter-of-factly. "Our leader stressed that we must attract the least amount of attention possible. The Jinchuriki is the Kazekage, located in the heart of the village, and his explosives would have the entire Land of Wind on high alert, the exact opposite of what we want. I am much more… efficient than Deidara. Wouldn't you agree, Sasori?"

Sasori grumbled angrily, unwilling to agree or deny the claims against his preferred partner. Though, that grumbling quickly turned into a wicked chuckle. A laugh that would have sent a shiver down the spine of even the most seasoned shinobi. Yet, his partner just stared at him with cold, uninterested eyes.

"You may have a point about that. And you're right, I don't have to like being paired with you. I'll just have to console myself in the fact that you'll have to watch me capture your old target… Itachi…" He finished in a cruel, mocking tone.

The Uchiha Clan's prodigy stiffened slightly at those words, Sharingan spinning dangerously, directed right at his Akatsuki accomplice. "Not if he kills you first…" The Uchiha shot back ominously, in a rare display of anything resembling emotion.

The thought of that elicited a humorless laugh from the hunchback as if such a thing were impossible. They decided to continue on in silence, disliking the presence of one another so much that words would make it even more insufferable. They wouldn't admit it out loud, or even to themselves, but they were both missing their regular partners.

Author's Note: Action is peaking it's way over the horizon. As you can see, while the progression of early Shippuden will be a bit similar in terms of arcs, the shake ups early in the story have led to some important differences. How will these slight changes further impact he future? Well, you'll just have to keep on reading!

Once again, I appreciate you for taking the time to read the story. I actually just recently smashed 100k views in total. That really is unbelievable and I could not be more appreciative to all of you.

I'll see you next time for Chapter 21: Crimson-Eyed Resolve!

ThelittleKing - Wow, has it truly been a year? Already? That really flew by.

Thanks once again, and I agree. The Great Naruto Bridge is too iconic not to be brought back u at least once. I had to do it a bit of justice.

GunBlade2020 - I'm not one to spoil, but I'll give you a hint. Every named OC is named that way for a reason. Look back on them all and you will find a correlation between what I named them and who they are as a person.

Sarcasm Dragon - Naruto is, and will continue to be, a very dynamic character. As you can see, he's already gone through several changes. That won't stop anytime soon. If you find yourself not liking who he is just know that he won't stay like that forever.

El Publicano - I love the Jiraiya and Naruto relationship. I have tried to focus on it a little more than in canon.

And, at the moment, I'm uploading about a chapter a month. Not ideal, but I'm struggling to find time to even do that.