03-The Return
When Naruto regained consciousness, he found out that he was on a bed. He was in a small room, but with enough space for a fireplace. He watched as the door slowly opened, and revealed a gloomy figure, embedded within the shadows. Naruto squinted to see who it was. A long cloak, bangs and a small ponytail…
Wait a minute. A long clock, bangs and a small ponytail? That sounded so familiar, but Naruto couldn't grasp who it was. The name started with an "I"…
"I…I…I…" Naruto could think clearly now, but his mouth seemed still paralyzed, not by the poison, but from the shock. The shock of the return.
The figure stood silent. He moved ever so slowly, towards the warmth of the fireplace. The dim light surrounded his face, and Naruto knew who it was.
His tired red eyes spoke for him. His hair was neatly combed, but there was a hint of a scar on what his cloak would allow his hand to reveal.
He turned so his back was facing Naruto. Naruto sighed and rolled his eyes. It was him.
"IRUKA-SENSEI! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!"
Suddenly the cloaked figure turned around and grinned. Over the years, he had developed his "red eyes" from a lack of sleep, but they still shined with pride.
"Oy, Naruto! Long time no see!"
Naruto returned the grin and leapt up from the bed, despite his injury, and hugged Iruka as hard as he could.
"Ugh, Naruto, I can't breathe!" Iruka half-laughed as he wiped a tear from his face. It had been too long. He had gone away on a long mission to the Lightning Country to gather some information, but had lost track of time. How long has it been? Months? Perhaps even a year? Iruka sighed and started to pry Naruto off him.
"So, Naruto," Iruka began. He had returned not only because his mission was done, but for another, important reason. "You're probably wondering why I knocked you unconscious. I didn't want to do it, but I had to, because Hokage Tsunade-sama wanted me to."
"Eh? You did that to me?"
"Um…well, yeah, but see there was a very important reason for tha-" Iruka was interrupted by another one of Naruto's random explosions of anger.
"OLD GRANNY TSUNADE DID THIS TO ME?! AND AFTER ALL I DID FOR HER?! I SWEAR, THE NEXT TIME I'LL SEE HER I'LL SHOVE ANOTHER ONE OF JIRAIYA'S PERVERTED MANGA UP HER DAMN FACE!!" Naruto kept on rambling on like an old man, and Iruka couldn't stop laughing. Nothing has changed at all since I've left, he thought with a sigh.
"Oy, Naruto! Calm down! I have to tell you something important!" Iruka scowled at him.
"What?"
"Last night, Itachi-san was reported to be seen in the area where you live, Naruto, and I was ordered by Hokage-sama to knock you unconscious with a stick or something and take you into her room for 'safekeeping'," Iruka held up a large stick that was equivalent to the size of a shovel and grinned. "I do not know about Itachi-san's whereabouts at this exact moment, but I guess we'll see where he shows up later. Won't we, Naruto…NARUTO?!"
Naruto had fallen asleep. Iruka sighed, and left the room. Hokage-sama will want the latest report on how he's doing, Iruka thought silently. As he gently pulled the door shut, he could still see a glimpse of what seemed to be a rather large and red shovel-shaped bruise on the back of his head…
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ERGH! ALWAYS WITH THE SHORT-NESS! WHY CAN I NEVER…EVER…MAKE THESE DAMNED THINGS LONG?! -kennie-