Author Foreword

Enormous thanks and welcome to my previous readers, plus a grand hello to all my new ones! I am happy to be back and excited to bring you a refreshed, optimized, overhauled, and entirely rewritten New Horizons! Feel free to skip the next bit and begin the fanfic while I cover a little backstory. Enjoy!

For those who aren't aware, I began writing for the first time in 2015 with a juvenile version of this story. I began on a whim and was directionless for a while before I found my footing. Though passionate as I am about my fic, the quality from start to finish (over 140,000 words) was drastically uneven as I got better and better. This and New Horizons being started on nothing but a fevered idea caused it to gain less traction than I wished. Not to mention, I eventually became unable to bear the poor quality while trying to slowly upgrade it. So, after a long hiatus filled with lots and lots of reading and studying the finer details and stories of literature, I've decided to tear NH to the ground and start building it again from scratch.

So here we are! By no means am I yet a good author or studied doctorate of English literature, but I feel as though my better understanding of NH and my now more learned writing ability and my increasingly familiarized inadequacies will allow me to produce a fully complete and comprehensible story that is as enjoyable as I can possibly create at this moment in time.

So with that, thank you for joining me in this journey and for your continued attention and support! Happy reading (:

1

-Jonin-

Konohagakure

Buried deep in the forests of the Land of Fire, nestled in a crib of safety and wreathed in a halo of power lies a village of will and honor. Built on ideas of peace, Konoha, a place hidden from the common folk, thrives in the ninja world as a herald of prosperity, strength, and principle. Blessed by a long but waning peacetime, the Leaf and her people enjoy commerce with the other nations on a level previously unheard of. Some say Hashirama would be proud.

The village elders most likely, and those who most celebrate the founding generation. While the sages puff their leafy smoke and reminisce over warm sake, others, the ones involved in the shadows, whisper things far less savory. Imbalances in power, stressed alliances, or souring foreign attitudes held small favor in the eyes of the masses. It was all but taboo for one to publicly debate.

Since the last Shinobi War, work had been abundant. The people were happy and there were no significant threats to the nation. Aside from a rogue clan here, an S-rank ronin there, the Village Hidden in the Leaves enjoyed an undisturbed bounty that surpassed all record – as did a young blonde shinobi with whisker marks on his cheeks and a demon sealed inside him.

Uzumaki Naruto, fresh out of his teens at the bright age of twenty. He himself had seceded to the elite jonin rank some time ago, shortly before his fifteenth birthday and alongside his best friend, an honored young Uchiha named Sasuke.

Early into his career Naruto launched a campaign of great influence to raise his peers up alongside him and his own talented companions. With a great wave of prosperity, the Leaf produced a level of quality and size in its military force staggeringly mightier than ever before. All that was missing from this generation of shinobi was wartime.

Team 7, often proclaimed as the Leaf's Pride, is incomplete without the accompaniment of a talented kunoichi, Hyuga Hinata, as selected by the stoic Hatake Kakashi when it came time for him to build his team of young genin.

"Mm, you want to know why I chose you three specifically, huh?" he had said when the question inevitably arose. The distraction from training was a welcomed break, "Well it's simple really. I'll start with you Naruto, since it's clear you hold a glamorous status amongst your Academy peers. Strong, pretty bright, son of the Fourth. Which of course means you are also well trained, fairly disciplined… forged for greatness under our Hokage's diligent eye. Given the chance, who wouldn't choose the cream of the crop?"

The masked jonin had a bored tone but he did not appear disinterested. Naruto caught the glances of his new teammates once his appraisal came to an end, flashing a cocky grin. Kakashi's sharp black eyes lifted in a brief but curious amusement at the whiskerless boy. He blinked, moving on.

"Then of course there's the prodigal Uchiha, Sasuke. Your determination and talent are undeniable, and I must acknowledge your gifted lineage. So much obvious potential, I'm sure your desire to be free of your brother's shadow will be interesting. Not to mention you easily rival our Hokage heir here. It would seem I have a taste for those with skill." It was Sasuke's turn to look smug while Naruto chuckled in return, earning a glance from the girl with white eyes.

"Ah, and our young kunoichi, Hinata, of the equally honorable Hyuga clan," he looked lastly to the small heiress, unleashing a characteristic rush of red to her face. She curled in on herself reactively, raising a pale gaze. If the esteemed teacher disapproved, he showed no signs. "Having a father like Hiashi must be hard on a shy girl like you. However, I suspect you do have courage beneath that gentle exterior, and no doubt those eyes of yours could rival Sasuke's sharingan; if he manages to fully activate them that is."

The nonchalant Uchiha gave a disapproving kh, but otherwise remained quiet with a fold of his arms. Hinata's face was pink, though it seemingly went unnoticed as both boys shared a humorous smirk at Sasuke's expense.

The jonin sighed, "I suppose in summary, I chose three young ninja at the top of their class who I believe will complement each other. Naruto, you're bold and loud, your eagerness is likely to get you hurt and you are all too sure of yourself. But your values lie in the right place, and you have the qualities of a natural born leader. Sasuke, you bring balance to the dynamic between you two, managing that rivalry you share. Your motivation to overcome the best of the best is something I'm excited to witness as you grow, though your ego will also need management."

"Then we have Hinata. Timid and uncertain. Extremely gifted. There is a lot expected out of you, from your clan and especially your father. I'm sure this combination of personalities will pull you from that shell. Not to mention these knuckleheads are going to need someone brilliant and level-headed to keep them from getting killed."

It felt like only yesterday Naruto had sat in the grass with those he would grow to love like family, eagerly hanging off the words of his new sensei. He remembered the unbridled anticipation he felt for new lessons, new techniques, new adventures.

Those following years were rich in memories, good and bad. Their sensei's words rang true however, and the members of Team 7 were quickly recognized throughout the village as a trio of proficient genin. With their level of success and teamwork, their workload became almost entirely comprised of B-rank missions or better after the lower applications became too menial some three months into their training under Kakashi. Few were surprised when they plowed their way through the chunin exams.

A wave of laughter splashed over him, drowning out his wandering thoughts. Naruto shook his head and returned his attention to the civilian he'd been spying on.

The man under his surveillance had an average makeup, egregiously so, with a face that was designed for the backdrop of a sweeping glance. Dull greyish eyes paired with dull brownish hair that was uninteresting and straw-like. Clothes were all muted and bleached tones. It wasn't the best of disguises, though still not the worst. Just how did he manage to pass last year's exams exactly? It couldn't have been his creativity. Definitely not.

Naruto observed, eavesdropping unseen with the casual ease of a shinobi over a decade trained. Remaining beyond the man's line of sight, he kept watch and tuned his ear to that strangely youthful muttering. He listened…

"Idiot…" the disgruntled man mumbled to himself, scribbling furiously in a grey notepad between upward glances. His target seemed to be the Naruto at Ichiraku's. A shadow clone of course, though obviously he did not notice.

"…stupid Naruto… I don't care whose son you are, yo… I'm going to be…" the scowl written on his brow was enough to give him away, regardless of his obvious positioning and tactless henge.

"…it's me! Master of the shinobi arts… you'll see… tonight-"

"What are you writing about, Konohamaru?"

The man nearly leapt from his skin and gave an audible shout as he whipped around. Nearly shaking in his chair, those waxy eyes locked and widened as he cycled through his bewilderment, "Oh! Damn, Kakashi-sensei, you nearly gave me a heart atta- wait… How did- I mean-!"

An abrupt puff of smoke enveloped the masked ninja, clearing to reveal the black cloaked jinchuuriki Konohamaru had been meaning to target. "You're way too obvious."

More surprised than before, the chunin snapped his head to the Ramen shop and back again. Naruto's clone was gone, "Damn it…"

Another burst of smoke removed the disguise from a turquoise clad Sarutobi boy who had only turned his scowl to some mixture of shame and mischief, "You knew the whole time?"

"What are you doing, Konohamaru?" Naruto snapped. "What's in that notebook? You better not be up to any trouble. If you try anything tonight I will catch you, ya know, and I swear this time I will make sure you never prank me again."

"Okay, okay! I'm just doing some strategizing for my team, no big deal." It was a good act, but the whiskered Uzumaki still boasted a fan of special shuriken intimidatingly.

"I'm serious. No bullshit tonight."

"I already said yes, okay? So can you go? I was just studying you. I'm working on important research. I'm gonna be a jonin soon, yo!"

He stared into the teenager for a moment longer, leveling his gaze on black eyes that didn't meet his long enough. Naruto thought about simply taking the notepad and teaching him the lesson now, but surely Konohamaru wouldn't be stupid enough to ruin this night. Not something so important, so anticipated by so many.

When Naruto was about his age he had already began a campaign for the Leaf's operating shinobi. With the help of Team 7, he set out to maintain and strengthen his peers' capabilities since there were no wars to test or sharpen their military force. Committed to enhancing the power and skill of his fellow ninja, Naruto raised those around him toward a higher caliber through sheer force of will plus lots and lots of painstaking training. It took time, but the results were soon boasted about by locals both military and civilian alike.

Finally, about thirteen months ago, the final members who lagged as chunin had been promoted to jonin, which provoked a call for celebration. Planning the ball-like event had been head splittingly arduous, but the day was finally here.

"Don't stare at me like that, bro… You're freaking me out."

Naruto blinked and leaned to one side, pinching the bridge of his nose to ease his frustration. A great many things were raking through his mind, "Sorry, just… Don't do anything stupid tonight. I mean it, Konohamaru."

He didn't wait for a reply before vanishing, flashing over rooftops with unnecessary speed to leave the young Sarutobi. He liked to be fast, like his father was. He didn't even know where he was really going, just that he needed to be away before it was his temper that ruined something.

They made it. They all made it. His team, Guy's, Team 8, Team 10, and even the marginally younger Team 3. His best friends and Academy acquaintances. There were others too, too many to name. Tonight was about all of them celebrating their culture, bonding. They would not and had not grown fat and weak as some of the foreigners liked to joke.

Despite how exciting it was, planning the damned thing was a new level of hell. It was close to impossible finding any period of time where all participants were in the village and free simultaneously. Not including staffing the occasion, special invitations and requests, renting the venue, choosing the precise date only three months in advance, ugh…

"Oh shti! I'm late!" Naruto blurted in shock, throwing himself into a run. I got completely distracted!

He wasn't usually late, though he wasn't always early. Konohamaru's foolery along with the incessant reminiscing must have made him lose track of time.

He had a date with Hinata, sort of. It had taken long enough for him to grow from his young crush on Sakura and even longer to realize he had romantic feelings for his teammate. Romantic feelings he was finally going to take a chance on.

Tonight, not now. Technically this was just a meet up between friends, not a date, date. Hinata just wanted to have a nice lunch before the night became too festive. The calm before the storm.

Naruto realized he could've teleported to the small shop but felt that would have been more aggravating to those he kept waiting. He could already imagine the questions he would get:

"Why didn't you just teleport here?"

"How are you so fast but so damn late?"

"How could you ever be late – if I could teleport, I'd be early to everything."

Naruto arrived in a flash, flickering down to the street where the Hyuga's favorite bakery was located.

That bell hanging on the doorframe drew their attention, immediately sending a blush to his tan complexion, "Hey guys, sorry I'm-"

"Sorry you're late when you are one of the fastest people alive?" Sasuke's cool grin held pity and amusement as Hinata cut the blonde off. Her fiercely white stare seethed at him under a scrunched brow. She had been waiting with arms folded over the table, now she sat back and studied him expectantly.

Naruto cringed a sheepish and apologetic smile, scratching at his head, "Sorry, I lost track of time when I found Konohamaru-"

"I don't care about Konohamaru, Naruto, just sit." She began to relax as she searched him up and down, sharing a look with the Uchiha across from her at the small, square table. She shook her head slightly, unable to help the tug of a rueful smile at the corners of her mouth.

Naruto pulled the chair across from her in dramatic shame, "Sorry Hinata."

She unfolded her arms and clenched her fist threateningly, "It's okay, just figure out what you want." The blonde lifted his menu thoughtlessly, peering upward to see her eyeing him as she bit down on another grin.

Phew, she's not really mad. Hyuga Hiashi did not tolerate tardiness, and his eldest daughter was similarly allergic.

The third member of their team cast his onyx eyes between them, leaning in the chair to observe comfortably. When Naruto finally broached a romantic tone with Hinata several months ago, Sasuke had thrown his hands up in frustration, exclaiming, "Thank you! It's been an eternity, was it really that hard?"

However subtle, the Uchiha's companions appreciated the effort he had put into their more personal relationship as he became some sort of lifeline-delivering support. Not wasting a beat, Sasuke turned toward the blonde after Hinata gave him a pass, "Are you sure you're ready for tonight?"

"Of course I'm ready," Naruto rebuked with some edge, nevertheless thankful for the bail out. He dropped the laminated menu; they always had the same things here. Old habits, "All I can hope is that everyone really does show up and that everything else goes as planned. It's been over a year, thirteen months getting this whole thing together. I'm still nervous that something will go wrong."

"Well you don't need to worry about that, Hinata made sure to check all the boxes."

Naruto turned and raised his eyebrows at her, though he wasn't truly shocked. "Really?"

Sasuke's face broke into a haughty smirk, "Yeah, now we just need the host to be on time and the night will be a complete success."

Hinata ignored the dangerous look that shot back, nodding, "He's right though. Everyone is accounted for. I received confirmations from all the other graduates this morning, same for our sensei. I spoke with the caterers today too, as well as the venue's manager and everything is still as planned and on schedule."

Naruto paused for a second, letting gratitude spread his features as she regarded him with an expression of reserved knowing. The Hyuga had a delicate eloquence when she was in a mood like this.

Why did it take so long to see her this way? Truly it was all very new to him, but it still felt like he recently tapped into something that had always been there.

"Are we ready?" A wrinkled woman approached them with familiarity, speaking in a tone that suggested she already knew the answer. Hinata adored this particular restaurant and was fond of the owner as well. It must have been the placid nature of this space that she enjoyed.

"I'll take a cinnamon roll and a glass of milk please." Naruto grinned to himself in silent success as the lady offered her an old smile and a nod. "Thank you Mrs. Goya."

The pale boy ordered next, a black tea, and the Uzumaki requested his banana nut muffin. It wasn't long before the shop keeper returned with their delectables as they talked and laughed. The young men made fun of each other, earning a supportive chortle from Hinata. Before long she was struggling to laugh and chew, red in the face as the three of them doubled over. Their conversations bobbed and weaved from topic to topic.

Hinata's curiosity found her after some time, prompting her to ask about the Konohamaru excuse. She gave a knowing ahh after she realized Naruto's reason for being tardy had validity, however minor. This time the kunoichi made an unexpected joke and the tea just about exploded from Sasuke's nostrils. Some of it got on what was left of Hinata's roll, and the three of them fell into another bout of laughter.

The time burned faster than expected. After they finished and Mrs. Goya had cleared their table, Hinata dismissed herself with a casual goodbye and set off to prepare for the night's main event with other women of her class. Left at the intersection, Sasuke and Naruto sauntered automatically toward Uchiha territory.

The village hummed with excitement and its citizens honored the shinobi as they passed, bowing respectfully and issuing plentiful compliments. Team 7 might as well have been celebrities at this point. It was a warm, sobering experience.

"If you don't make a move tonight you might as well pack your stuff tomorrow and go live in Kumogakure. Maybe you'll have better luck with a rhyming octopus."

Naruto's head whipped with a rage not unfriendly. He eyed the black clad swordsman menacingly before submitting in slight defeat, "We've been teammates for so long, Sasuke… It still feels strange, ya know? Like it's something I shouldn't be doing. I'm afraid it'll make things weird for all of us; screw up our dynamic."

"Damn it, things were weird when both of you realized and neither of you were doing anything about it. Naruto, she's liked you since we were little, it was painfully obvious before we were genin. If you weren't so hung up on Sakura back then you would've noticed sooner."

"Yeah but Hinata was weird, okay! Sakura was… well, I don't know. Pink?"

He smirked as some clouds provided a necessary shade, "You sound like an idiot."

"I feel like an idiot when it comes to this. I just don't know, I guess I shut out that kind of stuff when Kakashi put us all together. There wasn't really time for it."

"Well we are all adults now, and you've already gone and opened it up. All you need to do is seal the deal. That shouldn't be too hard for you, right? You are a master of fuinjutsu, after all."

Naruto chuckled despite himself, "Was that a joke?"

"You laughed didn't you?"

Sasuke's onyx eyes flinched slyly as a tight fist knocked his shoulder back. Naruto laughed again, "Stupid. But yeah, I get it. No use in worrying about the outcome, it'd really be bad to go back now." He appeared to muster his strength with a shrug, like he was shaking something off, "Okay. Tonight's the night, Sasuke."

The Uchiha rolled his eyes, anticipating the consequence of his comment, "About damn time."

·:·:·:·:·.·:·:·:·:·

Eight o'clock came rapidly and soon a grand building of Konoha's red and white came alive with music and the pleasant murmur of conversation. The Hokage's young heir gave praise to the esteemed jonin when the time came for his opening speech. He offered respect to all the men and women who surrounded him and commended their successes, keeping it short and funny, making sure to leave the stand chuckling with the rest. He blushed when they clapped, and the band followed with eager merriment.

While not every member of Konoha's jonin force attended, all fifteen members of their fellow teams had graduated to an elite standard – twenty if their sensei were included. All of whom were there with him now.

It was at the age of fourteen that the prodigious Team 7 was promoted to jonin. They were the first in their class and the only team to pass on the first attempt together. Kakashi's squad achieved a new standard at the end of that summer, and only two years later did Naruto begin what is now dubbed as the Jonin Training: Enhanced Shinobi Trials.

The first result of the Trials was Team 8, led by the soft spoken genjutsu master Yuhi Kurenai. A highly efficient hunting group medaled with a broad range of tracking skills, Kurenai's genin were comprised of the bug user Aburame Shino, the hound master Inuzuka Kiba and the sheer force of brute strength Haruno Sakura. All three graduated to the 3rd ninja rank some years after Team 7 and fifteen months after Naruto opened the training regimen to his colleagues. Regardless of how long it took, most eighteen year olds were still chunin and would remain that level for life.

Followed shortly after and almost in unison (if the shadow bender had been kind enough to fail the first attempt with his companions) was Team 10; led by Konohamaru's uncle, Sarutobi Asuma, and made up of the InoShikaCho trio: Yamanaka Ino, Nara Shikamaru and Akimichi Choji. Experts at stalling, the squad took the title for lethality with inescapable trapping routines. Developing a number of moduled tactics, the combination of techniques from the trio were astronomical and to Shikamaru's genius design.

Hinata's cousin Neji, another prolific taijutsu artist, reached the honored rank well ahead of his team and just a year after Team 7. Led by Might Guy, Neji's group proved to hold their own despite any individual limitations. Guy spent many hours of his own time on extra training with them, and before long Rock Lee and Tenten were promoted right behind Asuma's students.

The bushy brow boasting bowl-cut master sobbed uncontrollably for each of his pupils, exclaiming their power of youth in a display of affection. Only Lee joined in the watery sentiment, though Neji had allowed a modest smile and Tenten pretended to be aloof, blinking repeatedly.

Finally, the youngest of the academy graduates also made the leap from second rank. Under the tutelage of Nohara Rin, Kakashi's old teammate, the eccentric Team 3 went against many expectations. Sometimes mocked as the Misfit 3, Rin's genin were two parts pseudo-adopted children, orphans rescued from horrendous circumstances, and one part noble born Uchiha.

Naruto pushed himself away from the bar, sharing a laugh with Kiba and Sasuke as they sipped their drinks. At some point something started to gnaw at him, like a mental tick alerting his instincts. It itched, but the sheer safety of his environment and many distractions proved enough to stay most of his worry. Constantly preoccupied, he chopped it up to nerves after someone bumped into him in passing.

He could feel the effects of drink fogging his senses as he leaned over the railing overlooking the ball room. Hot between the ears, he watched his guests all dance and gossip. Shikamaru hiccupped as he joined with a fresh cup.

Just two or so hours into the celebration and everyone had come out of their shells to mingle and truly engage with colleagues they only ever encountered in passing.

Among them Naruto could easily locate the members of Team 3. He found one now as he emptied some of his whiskey. This was the sharp toothed girl with horns on her head, who even now danced barefoot with a flushed Hyuga Neji. They had an assignment the following day, and it seemed they opted out of the wealthy drink selection. She was a small and boisterous girl with a muscly thick build. Her generous green curls bounced as she tugged his hands enthusiastically, teaching him to match her movements. Neji was all but forced onto the floor to which Shikamaru regarded as troublesome.

Kiba made a dismissive gesture at something and huffed. Naruto smirked as he met Sasuke's knowing eye. It took a moment, but he dizzily located Rin's second adoptee. Probably one of the only times seen with a shirt, much less a suit, the white haired behemoth was hanging by the lower bar chatting with an elaborately gowned Yamanaka Ino. It was evident that he was in his cup, though whatever he was saying made the older kunoichi throw her head back with laughter. Still, drunk as the jinchuuriki was getting, the way Ino touched the ice user's leg did not escape notice.

Finally there was that quiet Uchiha girl just a meter or two away from her sibling-like teammates. She sat with poise, relaxed on her stool as she politely turned down a few suitors. She had the strikingly dark black hair of her clan with a pale complexion to contrast, accentuated by the fierce scarlet of her dress. The young phenomenon was included in her companion's mission with Neji, as evident by the water she nursed in her gloved hands. The three of them were headed overseas, but where they were going he couldn't be sure at the moment. Actually he was feeling pretty damn wasted.

"Hey, Sasuke, maybe you'll have better luck with her!" Kiba had a gruff voice, something akin to grating wood. It was graveled and tight as he beamed with an idiotic yet charming smile, "She's turned down just about everyone else, but word is she's got the hots for you. You know, since you're so cool. Why don't you go and work your magic, pretty boy?"

Apparently they had all been watching with him, and it was as if by some queue that the stoic Uchiha girl glanced upward in their direction. Her cool black eyes raised, studied and lowered in a smooth motion that was neither lingering nor hurried. She had a pleasant expression that bloomed into a shy smile when the horned girl approached and brought her to her feet. Neji had been left to cool off with the support of a severely inebriated Lee.

"Missed your chance, pretty boy," Naruto murmured jeeringly into his cup.

"Kh," Sasuke scoffed, crossing his arms. The band was playing a quick, jazzy bop that had all the dancers moving in a way that was beyond the Uchiha's comfort zone. "I'd look stupid dancing to this song. It's not my style."

"What, it's not cool enough?" Apparently the canine user thought he was the cleverest man alive, his barking laughter told everyone as much.

"I don't see you dancing either, dogbreath."

Shikamaru stretched lazily, "Just make your approach when there's a slow song, Sasuke."

They turned to him with a strange realization, as if they had never thought of such a thing, "With your natures, it would seem like the logical choice. Sneak out onto the floor when the lights fade and get her hand for something more modest. Then you can continue from there."

Sasuke blinked twice, clearly baffled and a little perturbed that he hadn't thought of that himself.

"Speaking of dancing…" The song began a crescendo and the movements below rose with high energy. Shikamaru leaned in close, "Hey, Naruto, where's Hinata? Weren't you two supposed to be on a date or something?"

The others turned as he nearly choked on his swallow, coughing as he replied, "Well yeah, we were together earlier. She went to the bathroom before we came up here. Actually I haven't seen her for a while now that you mention it."

The raven haired Uchiha chuckled, "Rhyming octopus it is, huh Naruto?"

Kiba and Shikamaru snickered as Naruto stood up much too fast, returning with a growl as he nearly bumped the chair over, "Damn it, where is she then!"

Searching with no subtly over the guardrail, he found Hinata on the far right talking with Sakura and Tenten, all of whom were drunk and giggling at some forbidden joke. There were several other men studying the women not so obscurely, sitting on the other side of the hall. "Damn it. I'll be back, I'm getting another drink- you want anything?"

They shared a glance before the shadow user spoke up, "I know it's a drag, but aren't you gonna go down there?"

"Aren't you? We have all night, ya know. It's still early! I'll make it down there in my own time." The blushing jonin ordered another cocktail and stumbled back to the railing, head spinning from the quick movements. "Just watch," he announced with an increasing slur, "I'll dance with one of the other girls first, need to warm up. Then I think I'll be ready."

"Are you sure?" the Nara continued with an exasperated drawl not without concern.

"Yeah, have you even danced with Hinata at all yet?" The wolf-like man added, "Don't you think she'll get mad?"

"Well no, why would she get mad?" Naruto hiccupped as the edges of his vision grew more and more blurry. In the end he scoffed empathically and turned toward the stairs, "Don't worry about it guys, I'll get there… it'll be fine. Hell, we waited this long didn't we?"

Good day, and thank you for reading. It's good to be back.

-Kyzer-