A/N: I'm so sorry! I thought that if I left it alone for a while, I'd get my creativity back, but I didn't mean to abandon it for so long! Please, forgive me, loyal reviewers:is sobbing and begging: I'll never do it again… :shifty eyes: maybe.

Naruto:is running through the street: OUTTA MY WAY!

Sakura:is chasing him with a pan: You little shit! I'll kill you!

Sasuke:mutters under breath: I'm surrounded by idiots.

Nature of a Hero Chapter #2: House Guest

It was a glorious event. The Rookie Nine were finally reunited after three long years. What had begun as a get-together between friends had turned into a full-fledged party in commemoration of the blonde's return. Iruka, who was intending to eat dinner at the Ichiraku, wandered in on the returning hero by mistake, and was joy-stricken to see his young charge back in Konoha.

"Naruto!" He yelled, and ran over to his former student, embracing him fondly. Naruto realized that either the older man had shrunk or he himself had grown, because he was now at eye level with his brown-haired sensei.

"Hi Iruka-sensei! How's teaching at the academy been going?" He asked, one of his trademark foxy grins adorning his face.

"My, you've grown Naruto! You're almost taller than I am now!" Iruka said, gripping the young man tightly. "Teaching has been going pretty well, though it's a lot less lively in the classroom now without you getting up to all kinds of mischief." He fondly ruffled Naruto's shaggy blonde hair, before turning away and ordering some ramen from the old man at the counter. The old man shook his head. When he's bringing in this kind of business, there's no wonder that the Kyuubi-vessel was his favourite customer.

The party lasted well into the night, and probably would have continued on into the day, if the shop hadn't suddenly run out of ramen and the old man and his daughter had forced the partygoers out into the street. Not that something like that could stop the celebrations, oh no. The small group simply migrated to the next ramen bar… and the next… and the next, until finally, the festivities had to come to a close, as poor Neji collapsed in the street due to over consumption of ramen… it was a rather disgusting sight really, his belly bulging with the yet-to-be-digested noodles. In the end, it took Hinata and Kiba together to lift the unconscious Hyuuga and carry him home, so the rest of the group disbanded and went each to their own homes.

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Naruto himself reached his old apartment building in fine spirits. This had been the best night of his life. His belly was full, he had been surrounded by his friends for an entire evening, and he was about to enter his own home for the first time in three years. Nothing could ruin this moment. Nothing, except…

"Who's there?" came a man's voice from within the apartment. "Go away, or I'll clock you one!"

"What the hell are you doing in my house?" yelled Naruto. "Don't you have any respect for other people's property?"

"Your house?" The voice screamed. "This is my house! I've been living here for three years!" Naruto was shocked. He had asked that his home not be sold, or even put on the market, but then, who would pass up a chance to get him out of their hair?

"You said that you bought this place three years ago?"

"YES!" Screamed the voice. Naruto looked at the ground. That was it. He had no home and nowhere to go.

"Sorry to have bothered you at this hour." He muttered as he turned and walked back down the street, shoulders slumped in defeat. 'Of course he sold my house. Why on earth wouldn't he? The Sandaime's command didn't keep people from calling me as a monster, why would the Godaime's command keep my landlord from turfing me out on my ass?' He wandered through the streets until he found a small alley in which to curl up for the night.

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The next day, he officially rejoined Team Seven, and there was a semblance of a group work ethic between Naruto and his sensei for the first time in three years. When Naruto arrived at the bridge where they had always waited for Kakashi, he found that Sakura was there waiting for him, early as usual. Everything seemed to be just like it used to be, the scenery hadn't changed one bit, the bridge was just as red as it had always been, and of course, water flowed steadily beneath the steady wooden planks.

"Naruto!" Sakura yelled as he approached the bridge. "You look awful, did you sleep at all last night, or did Lee take you clubbing like he said he would?" She looked dubious as she mentioned the taijutsu master's idea.

"No, I wasn't clubbing." Naruto replied, he had managed to reign in his temper long enough for those words, but he completely lost it on the next set. "That stupid landlord sold my house, so I had to sleep in an alley!" Sakura was stunned. His landlord sold his house, despite Tsunade's order not to? Was the man insane? No one but no one questioned an order given by the female Sannin, lest he find his head imbedded in concrete.

"He sold your house? Why on earth would he do that? I thought Tsunade-shishou gave specific orders not to sell it! What was he thinking?" Naruto looked down at the bridge's surface, and shrugged his shoulders.

"When I went back to talk to him today, he said he'd sold it before I even left… He really wanted me out of there. So now, I have to find a new place to live… heh, as if anyone would give me somewhere to live, everyone in this village hates my guts." Sakura was shocked. Naruto, the unbreakable Naruto was giving up? Impossible. Naruto's spirit was one of those constants in life that you just can't bear to be without. Seeing him so down was breaking her heart.

"Cheer up Naruto, I'm sure you'll find somewhere to live… eventually." Naruto gave her one of his massive fox-grins.

"Thanks Sakura-chan, I'm sure you're right! I'll never give up! That's my way of the ninja!" Really though, he was close to tears. 'What am I gonna do? I'll never find another place to live! I don't have enough money for one thing!'

"Until you find somewhere to live Naruto, I –guess- you can bunk at my house. But get this right away. This is a short-term thing! And don't even –ponder- the idea that we're going out!" Throughout her words, Naruto's face had lit up like a Christmas tree light. He let out a grand whoop and leapt into the air.

"Thank you Sakura-chan! Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!" I can never repay you for this! You're the best friend ever!" He ran over and glomped her around the waist. Sakura's face turned beet red at his actions and she started stuttering like Hinata on drugs.

"N-n-Naruto! Cut it out!" Thwack. Naruto set a new world record for the longest free flight ever by a human being. He sailed four blocks before crashing into a wall and leaving a fair-sized dent.

"Owww… Sakura-chan… why are you so abusive?" Naruto asked as he rubbed his head.

"Huh. That'll teach you to attack me." 'CHA! Who does he think he is? My boyfriend? Uh-uh, that position is reserved for Sasuke-kun and Sasuke-kun alone. They'll see, we'll bring him back, and he'll realize what he's been missing for all these years… ME.' Inner Sakura backed up her words with another impressive 'CHA' before she was awoken from her daydream by a hand in front of her face.

"Sakura-chan, earth to Sakura-chan… Hel-" Thwack. Really, what is it with Naruto and violent women?

- - - - - - -

A/N: There. Chapter two. Maybe this won't be so hard after all…. T.T