Chapter 2

Konohamaru spied them first. He had been hiding in the tree for most of the afternoon, waiting for his blonde haired friend to finally return. His eyes widened at the sight of the tall, slender Naruto. Geez, he got big! But, will he be ready for a secret ambush!! And with that thought, Konohamaru, leapt from the branch and proceeded to tackle the ninja. Naruto looked up and saw an unfamiliar figure headed for him, he immediately took a step back and the young teen missed his target, tumbling to the ground.

"Hey kid, are you trying to spoil our grand entrance?!" Naruto questioned the invader, slightly annoyed.

"Hah! Of course! I knew that you would be able to sense my presence. You are still very sharp....Boss."

"Huh?"

Then the boy looked back as he crouched on the ground, grinning at his confused older friend. Naruto's eyes got big as he finally recognized who it was.

"KONOHAMARU!!!" He grabbed the boy's arm and helped him to his feet. Holding him at arms' length he took a good look at the teen. "Geez, you've grown! I didn't know who it was jumping out of the trees like a lunatic, but I should have expected that from you," Naruto said slapping him on the back. "How've you been? Wait! A Chuunin vest?! You mean to tell me you're a Chuunin now?!"

The Konohamaru nodded, his eyes shining brightly. "Yeah, you should have seen the guy I had to fight in the final matches. He was bigger than you! No, more like bigger than Kakashi-sensei! Actually, he was as big as the Nine-tails!!"

"As big as the Nine-tails, eh?" Naruto glanced over at Shikamaru who smiled at the boy's exaggeration.

"Well, you'll have to tell me all about it over a hot bowl of ramen." He slung his arm over Konohamaru's shoulders as they approached the cheering crowd.

The Hokage stood in front with Kakashi, Asuma, and Gai off to the side.

"Welcome back, boys..." The silver haired sensei smiled beneath his mask. He looked over his former students. Hmmm...Naruto's finally taller than Sasuke, or maybe it's his longer hair that makes him look taller, Kakashi mused to himself. He also bears a striking resemblance to The Fourth.

"SENSEI!!!" Lee's voice broke through the noise. He ran to his idol in green who was waiting with open arms.

"My how you've grown," Gai chuckled. "You're taller than me now, and stronger no doubt. I'm proud to see that my student grew up to be quite a man." Lee beamed with pride.

Naruto trotted over to Iruka. "Hey, Iruka-sensei, when are you going to treat me to some ramen at Ichiraku?" The man gawked at his former student. "NARUTO!! I haven't seen you in six years and the first words out of your mouth are "treat me to ramen"!!?!?" Then his eyes softened, "Of course I will, first thing after the celebration. It's good to see you again, Naruto."

Sasuke looked around at the crowd and gave a slight smile at the joyous faces. He almost jumped as a hand clamped down on his shoulder. Kakashi-sensei.

"So....Sasuke..." he tapped the sword strapped to the Uchiha's back, "You conquered the beast?"

Sasuke turned to look at the masked ninja. "Annihilated him," he said with a grin.

"Oh...? But I see he put up a bit of a fight," the sharp Jounin motioned to the fading scars on Sasuke's arm.

"Yeah," Sasuke touched his arm, his smile fading. "When did you find out?"

"Oh, word travels fast when it comes to the fall of the legendary Uchiha clan member. I knew the day after it happened."

"I see." Sasuke eyed him. "So, you haven't changed much. Naruto already claimed the first fight with you."

"Did he?" Kakashi looked over at the blonde who was sharing a laugh with Jiraiya whom he had managed to track down in the crowd. "It will be harder to beat me than he expects."

"That's what I told him. But I won't have any problem," Sasuke flashed a sly grin at the older man.

"Don't forget who taught you..." The Jounin lazily replied.

"Shikamaru..." The familiar hand slapped his back. "What did ya do with yourself for six years? I'm pleased to see you brought everyone back in one piece."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "Please, Asuma-sensei, you know we built one of the best ninja villages out there. Only the best can train others to become great ninjas."

"Is that so?" He laughed. "Well, before you praise yourself anymore, take a look over there..." Asuma nodded to a group of girls approaching the crowd. Shikamaru's eyes fell upon one particular blonde girl who was searching the sea of faces.

"Ino..." he whispered to himself. He watched her from a distance taking in the sight. Her light blonde hair, in its signature ponytail, stretched beyond her slim waist. Her eyes were the color he looked for everyday, sky blue. Her figure had totally changed. She had grown taller, more curvaceous, and more irresistible. Damn, time treated her good. Too good. Unbelievably good. What am I doing staring at her, go over and greet her, Shikamaru. He swallowed nervously and began to push his way through the crowd.

He watched her as she arched her feet to peer over top of the crowds. She placed a hand above her eyes to shield the sunlight. He took in her angelic appearance, lapping it up like a dog that hasn't had a drink in days. A trickle of blood began to flow through his nose and he quickly brought his hand up to stifle his embarrassing reaction. Geez...not now. Regaining his composure he pushed forward again. This time her gaze swiveled in his direction and she recognized his familiar face. A broad smile spread across her features as she rushed over to meet him.

"Shikamaru!!" she wrapped her arms around him, embracing him tightly. His urge to kiss her grew stronger and he cupped her face in his hands, studying her eyes which had begun to collect tears of happiness.

"It's so good to see you again, Ino," he spoke softly. "This moment was worth the wait."

"Just as long as you came back to me I would have kept waiting," she replied. Shikamaru smiled and brought her lips to his, picking up where they had left off six years ago.

Sakura ran her fingers through her long pink hair. Where is he? She scanned the crowd for her childhood crush. Uchiha Sasuke was leaning against a wall away from the excitement of the villagers. Sakura rushed over to him. He saw her coming and smiled slightly, pushing himself away from the wall to accept the hug that he knew was coming.

"Sakura? You look quite different," he observed.

"You too, Sasuke-kun!" Her arms engulfed him as he chuckled to himself. Some things will never change.

"So much has happened here," she continued, still holding her embrace, "And you all look so much stronger..." She trailed off as another familiar form caught her eye a short distance away. Is that Naruto?!? Naruto, her teammate from the Chuunin exam training, was engaged in a conversation with Jiraiya. He was no longer the short brat that always had a taunting look on his face. This Naruto was tall, lean and brandished hard earned muscles across his tanned skin. This Naruto whose eyes seemed bluer than before had an extremely handsome smile and a deep laugh that filled her ears. His blonde hair hung down across his eyes. She watched as he joked with the legendary Sannin, fitting right it with everybody after their long absence.

Sasuke noticed the enthusiasm of her hug faded away and her arms dropped down by her sides again. Wha? He looked at her eyes which took on a glazed, dreamy look, staring at something past him. A blush crept on her cheeks.

Naruto glanced away from his conversation and saw Sakura standing next to Sasuke. His heart skipped a beat and he drifted away from Jiraiya who was enjoying their conversation about his close-call peeping escapades. Naruto felt himself drawn to the attractive girl who seemed to be blushing at him as he approached.

"Sakura-cha—er uh...I mean, Sakura," he said correcting himself, for her voluptuous curves no longer made her a –chan. "Sakura, it's good to see you that you are well. May I have a hug?" He asked politely, not sure if she still held resentment for him from their younger days.

"Of course," she said breathlessly. A smile came over Naruto and he gave her a warm hug. With the pink-haired girl in his arms he stole a glance over at Sasuke and flashed him a wide grin, then closed his eyes and mouthed an overly dramatic, Oooh yeah!

"In your dreams..." Sasuke scoffed.

"What?" Sakura pulled away and looked at Sasuke. Naruto's glare burned a hole in Sasuke's head.

Looking at Naruto he replied, "Nothing..."

"Oh. Well let's go find Ino and Shikamaru!" She grabbed their hands and led them away.

Lee watched Sakura lead them away. Sakura turned out just the way I thought she would, beautiful. He remembered back when he had liked the Sasuke-crazed girl. It seems that girl's affection may have averted to someone new, he thought to himself. Naruto's giving Sasuke a run for his money.

Lee felt a tug on his hair that was pulled back. "I almost didn't recognize you, Lee," a female voice said from behind him. Surprised he turned around to the smiling face of Ten Ten.

"Oh!? Ten Ten!" Lee's eyes lit up. "Wow! It's great to see you! Really great!" He smiled sweetly, and then his eyes traveled down her body. "Uhh..." he blushed self-consciously and shut his eyes.

Ten Ten peered up at him, "What, Lee?"

"Ten Ten..." Lee started, his eyes remaining closed, "Please forgive me if I offend you, but..." He opened his eyes and looked into hers, "You look really good."

Ten Ten blushed at Lee's bold statement. "You look good too, Lee. I like how you grew your hair out," she twirled the long black hair around her fingers.

"I...uhh....yeah...thanks," he stuttered on his words. Man, I never thought about Ten Ten as any more than a teammate, but now she's like a...woman. And I'm finding myself attracted to her, more than just a friend. But how do I know if she has a boyfriend already... "Ten Ten, I need to know..." Lee spoke up.

"Yes?" An amused look spread across her face.

"Are you...Are you currently in a relationship with anyone?"

Ten Ten laughed. "What's this all of a sudden?" She looked at Lee's earnest expression. "Well, no, I'm not seeing anyone. Why do you ask?"

Lee smiled and took her hand, "I'm glad."

The crowd finally dwindled down so that only the newcomers remained with their senseis. Kakashi slapped Naruto and Sasuke on the back and leaned in between them. Asuma and Gai did the same with Shikamaru and Lee.

"Well..." the copy ninja spoke, "What do you boys intend to do with yourselves now that you're back?"

"Umm...I'm not sure yet," Naruto replied. "I was thinking about getting some ramen—" Kakashi cut him off.

"Let me answer that for you...tonight you will be indulging in some of the finer things in life. Ahh...shall we call it a reward for your years of hard work and service to the Village. We..." he nodded toward Asuma and Gai, "...have rented out the Ichi Ichi bar for you guys to celebrate tonight."

"Wow, Kakashi-sensei, really?" Naruto's smile got wider.

"Yes, sake is on the house. We've invited a few of your old friends, and feel free to bring anyone else that you may want to share your company with." Images of Sakura, Ten Ten, and Ino flashed through the boys' minds.

Kakashi knew the females would be attending the party. "Now...I don't want to see an abundance of little Konoha ninjas nine months from now," Kakashi half-joked as he eyed the boys.

Naruto, Shikamaru, and Sasuke all smirked at each other and moaned a silent Oooh yeah!!!, smacking the air as if they were in a bedroom with a girl at that moment.

"That may be harder for some of us," Lee said dryly looking over at the others who were stilling amusing themselves beside him.

"Hmph!! Whatever, Lee," Naruto called out. "I saw you hitting on Ten Ten the minute we entered this village. You're the one who will have to restrain himself. I bet you can't wait to be alone with her," the blonde teased. "Ooh, Ten Ten...it's been a long six years and you look SO hot tonight—"he was cut off from his impression of Lee by a swift fist that caught him in the side.

"It's not like that," Lee said curtly.

"Geez! I was just kidding," Naruto said rubbing his side. "We know you're Mister Innocent, I apologize."

"Well, at any rate," Kakashi continued, "just have a good time tonight, since it will be short-lived. The Hokage will be assigning new missions for you next week."

A chorus of groans came forth from the ninjas as they turned to head for their homes.