Hey ya'll! I adopted this fic from a good pal, RamenLoverNaruto. They told me they killed the fic, and I stepped in. Vola~ My new fic.

Pairing:
NaruHina
SasuSaku
ShikaIno
?(Surprise Pairing later! x2)

Chapter Two: Starting The Training!

Right when Naruto left with Jiraya, Hinata and the others all made their own vows to be stronger. Three days after his departure, Hinata was in the middle of her mid-day training when Kurenai approached her.

"K. Kurenai-sensei?" Hinata asked, clearly shocked her sensei would come during her training.

"Hinata, calm down, will you? I'm just here to tell you I'll be training you in genjutsu and fūinjutsu, just to see how well you learn." Kurenai informed. "Even Lady Tsunade suggested I train you."

"Really? Lady Hokage? I'll do my best!" Hinata promised, smiling at her sensei. 'I want Naruto-kun to see how strong I've become! After all, I only have three years to train.'

"Seriously, Pervy-sage! I thought you wanted to train me, not bring me along just to get women!" Naruto complained, getting the three women to run away into the bathing rooms.

"Argh! Naruto! There goes my research!" Jiraya complained before turning and facing his pupil. "Since I'm freed up thanks to your loud mouth, I'll train you in using that Rasengan you started developing."

"Allllright! Thanks, Pervy-Sage!" Naruto said, clearly overjoyed that he'll finally be training. Looking to the sky, he raised a fist to the sky. 'Just you wait, Sasuke. I will bring you back to the Leaf! I promise!' He followed after his mentor when they got out of the hot spring.

Arriving at a hill above the hot spring, Naruto was pumped to begin his training while keeping his goal to bring his best friend home and be better than any Hokage ever was. He also wondered how his friends back in the Leaf were doing now that he was away. Shaking his head, he focused on Jiraya's instructions, keeping the vows he made to Sakura, Sasuke and Hinata in his mind.

Another boy sat slumped against the wall of a dank room. Sasuke took the time away from the snake to think of someway to get out after gaining his power. However, his mind wandered to a flashback of when he and Naruto were stuck together on a mission and how, even though they completed the mission, they, to him, made a bond he thought he destroyed. "Naruto... You better be training..." He mumbled to himself before he was overcome with another memory: Sakura's confession right before he left the village. 'Sakura... I need to get stronger so I can protect you better, as well as kill my brother. But, I swear.. I'll come back to you. I swear on my life.' Hearing footsteps, he blew out his candle and pretended to sleep. 'Just a little longer and I'll kill you, Itachi.. Not before I kill Orochimaru.' When he heard the footsteps walk away, he blew a tiny fireball to relight the candle and resumed his meditation, always thinking two steps ahead, even thinking of how he'd get Naruto to convince him to return.

When Kurenai was assigned to train Hinata, Tsunade found she had too much time on her hand and figured she needed someone to pass on her training to. But who? A blonde girl walked in, solving her problem. "Ino. I was thinking I need to pass my training on to and I decided that you'd be a great pupil."

"Milady?" Shizune asked, wondering where this came from.

"Shizune. I may be the Hokage, but I find I have too much free time on my hands." Tsunade explained right as Sakura walked in. She paused, hearing from Kakashi about what Sakura said to Naruto, before smirking to herself. "Sakura, you too. However, I will be very strict on you after what you said to Naruto. Do you understand?"

Sakura nodded sadly, feeling all kinds of a jerk for yelling at Naruto that day. "Yes, milady." She figured she didn't deserve the training, but had to get stronger so she could work up the courage to apologize to her best friend. She saw Ino and the glare she sent her way, figuring Naruto wasn't the only one she had to apologize to. 'If I get a little stronger and slowly gain everyone's friendship again, I'm sure I'll help you, Naruto, bring Sasuke-kun back to the Leaf.'

And with that vow, even Sakura and Ino swore to help Naruto any way they could, they began the long and grueling task of being Tsunade's apprentices, Ino and Sakura regaining the competitive spirit they always had, trying to prove to the other that they would not give up.

Taking a little breather, Naruto sat beside his teacher under a tree. "Say, Pervy-Sage..."

"Hmm?"

"Do you believe I can bring Sasuke back?" He asked.

"Well, I believe he's beyond hope since he went willingly to Orochimaru. But, if you keep the pace you have now, Sasuke will be stronger within two months. So, if you're up to it, I'll increase the training." Jiraya suggested, knowing that the mention of Sasuke getting stronger would spur his pupil into taking the training seriously.

"I can't let him get stronger! I made a promise! That's my ninja way: never go back on my promises!" Naruto said, fire burning in his eyes, ready to keep training. The sage chuckled and nodded, resuming their training from where they left off, upping the difficulty. 'I have to bring Sasuke back!'

Vola~ Chapter two, my dearys! 8D I have the prompts for the next two chapters already up.
~~Kagomee-H.