Chapter 5

Returning to the village

"Home is the one place you always wish to return to, no matter how long ago you left it."- Tobirama Senju, the Second Hokage

"*yawn* I'm sleepy." Kotetsu complained, scratching his cheek just under his plaster.

"Then why did you party 'til late at night?" Izumo asked him.

"Well I was invited to your party."

"This doesn't mean you…"

The two were having an early morning talk, as always complaining about their morning duty. While it sounded like complain, it was just their way of entertaining themselves. They were getting bored so easily on this assignment, especially when no one was coming to enter or exit the village. It was probably the most boring duty anyone could get. Especially now, when the sun barely rose above the horizon. People were just starting breakfast and dressing. And what about them? Working already. As a Nara would put it: what a drag.

Then they felt it. The ground was shaking. Was it an earthquake? No, this was not the kind of trembling. Then some strange sound caught their attention. As they looked, something was approaching them at high speed. It was coming fast. Very, VERY fast. Something so fast it couldn't be human. What was it? What kind of monstrosity was approaching them? They got ready to close the gate and alert the village. Then they could see the approaching horror.

Guy stopped just before the gates, hitting Kakashi's chin with his head. Lee topped just behind him.

"First place!" Guy announced.

"Merely second but still!" Lee followed. The chunin on the watch duty were stupefied.

"What in the…?" Kotetsu asked.

"If it's these two, why bother?" Izumo followed.

"Lee, you still need some training to do." Guy advised his pupil.

"Really, Guy-sensei? Why's that?" the young ninja asked.

"Because, my poor Lee, you didn't come in second. BUT THIRD! You forgot I was carrying Kakashi this whole time." Guy explained the situation. "No need to thank me, my eternal rival."

"There's no way he'd do that even if he wanted to!" Hitodama yelled at him. "Because of you he's in even worse shape than before."

"I can't believe these guys." Neji commented after he caught a breath.

"Well… at least we did reach the village quite fast. That's good, right?" Tenten tried to look optimistic.

"Ridiculous." The Hyuga denied.

"For once I'm with you on the matter." An unfamiliar voice commented. Kotetsu and Izumo looked out to see who it was to find a tall blond with the company.

"Um… excuse me, guys? Who is the stranger here?" Kotetsu asked.

"C'mon, guys. Don't you recognize me?" Naruto asked them. They took a closer look at him. They were looking at him for a long while, but couldn't recall. Then they saw the familiar whisker-marks on the cheeks.

"Naruto?!" Kotetsu yelled in surprise.

"No way! Last I checked he was short!" Izumo followed.

Only now did Sakura and the others notice that indeed the blond was far taller. He was slightly shorter than Kakashi- only by 0.8 cm. As the pink haired kunoichi was taking a closer look at him, she blushed. Wait, what? What was she thinking? She quickly snapped out of it.

"So, are we heading into the village or what?" Naruto asked.

"Huh? Oh, right. We need to get to the Hokage Tower. Or should we head to the hospital?" Guy wondered.

The group, including Kotetsu and Izumo, slapped their faces.

Hokage Tower

Tsunade just entered her office. She was still half conscious. How half conscious? Well, instead of coffee, she took the ink and drank it. Then she reached for a toast, but took a file and took a bite. It was strange she didn't notice. Her eyes were still closed. Her breathing sounded more like snoring. She walked up to the window, hoping she will either fully wake up or fall asleep.

Then Shizune entered the room. "Lady Tsunade!" She screamed as she saw Tsunade sitting in a… very provoking position.

"Wha… whaddya want, Cheese-o-ne?" the female hokage asked half-conscious.

"Well, team Kakashi and Team Guy have just returned from their mission. It was a success."

"Great ta heer dut. Trow them a par-tea." She blabbered.

"There's more to it, Lady Tsunade." Shizune approached her and whispered something into her ear.

Tsunade was now more than just awake.

"WHAAAAAAAT?!" she screamed alarming the whole village that was also shaking.

Leaf Hospital

The whole group was gathered around Kakashi, who was clearly about to wake up. He finally opened his right eye.

"Damn, Kakashi. When will you ever stop over doing it?" the enforcer asked.

"She's right, Kakashi." Guy followed. "It is unyouthful to overdo things the way you did."

"I don't usually go this far unless the situation calls for it." The silver haired jonin excused his action.

"But you did get us worried, y'know. Believe it." Naruto said.

"Please don't use whatever jutsu that was ever again." Sakura asked.

"I'll try." Kakashi replied. Everyone smiled in relief.

"Enough small talk. Let's go see Lady Tsunade." Neji suggested.

But before they could even move, the door got knocked down, revealing the said hokage standing there. The atmosphere felt heavy, making her appear like a devil.

"Alright. Where is the little blond rat?" She demanded. "When I get my hands on the little pain-in-the-ass-kid, I'm gonna make him wish he was a dog. So where is he?"

Everyone, feeling the killing intend radiating from the woman, pointed at Naruto. Tsunade looked at the young man for a moment. But eventually she recognized him.

"What the heck were you eating, kid? I remember looking down at you and now I have to look up to you." She complained, catching him by the collar and shaking him. Yes, she was furious. Then she stopped and backed her fist. Everyone was suddenly terrified. Was she going to punch him that hard? Did Naruto really get on her nerve that bad? Was she going to kill him? Were these thoughts even serious? Was the female hokage's battle cry horrifying as she sent her fist towards the blonde's face? They closed their eyes, waiting for the blow.

They opened them when there was nothing. Tsunade just pulled his head down and kissed him on the forehead. Then she hugged him. "Damn how I missed you, Naruto." She said with joy, crying. "Don't ever do something like that again. I was so worried when you left."

The tall blond scratched the back of his head. "I'm sorry. It's just… that I lost my cool, after…"

"Hush." Tsunade silenced him. "Don't say anything. We both left the village to deal with our lost. It's alright." She let the boy go to look him in the eyes. "I understand. And you left rightfully fearing the council would try to have their way with you. So you travelled the world to grow stronger. And I believe you are one heck of a ninja, kid." She said with a smile- one similar to Naruto's.

Naruto smirked. "You have no idea, Granny."

A vein popped on Tsunade's temple. "You're still calling me that, you little brat?"

"Who are you calling little, you old fossil?" Naruto barked back.

The two glared at each other, causing sparks to scare the majority of the group.

"Lady Tsunade, Naruto, Please stop…" Guy tried to calm them down.

"STAY OUT OF THIS!" both of them shouted at the taijutsu expert, who jumped away, trembling in fear. The two continued to glare, when a familiar voice stopped them.

"Hey there, princess." Jiraiya entered the room. "How are you? Couldn't catch you in the office- Hi, Naruto- so I went looking for you through the whole villa…" he paused. He rewinded himself to the moment he greeted the blonde. He blinked a few times. Then again. He wasn't sure if he was seeing right. He poked the blond. Then, at long last, with tears running out like a fountain…

"NAA-aaa-rutooooo- hohoho! You're back! I'm so happy!" Jiraiya was hugging him with a bear hug.

That earned him a powerful head-butt, which sent him into the wall.

"Will you cut that out, you crazy pervy-sage?" Naruto shouted, spitting along the lines. "What are you? Brain damaged?"

"That might be possible after the head-butt." The toad-sage answered with swirls for eyes.

"I am sure! I can smell him pretty clear!" The door got kicked out by none other than Kiba. The dog trainer looked around the room to find the Uzumaki. Before anything, his habits took the better of him. "Naruto! Fight me!" he dashed and…

A fist met his face. And as usual, Naruto didn't seem concerned about anything happening. "Hi, Kiba." was all he said- with a deadpan note. The Inuzuka wanted to say something, when Tsunade grabbed him by the fur on his leather jacket.

"What are you doing, you idiot?" she started scolding the Inuzuka. "This is a hospital, for crying out loud! Behave!"

"Y-yes, Lady Hokage." Kiba obeyed with fear. Then he turned to Naruto again. "But you still own me a rematch." He declared.

"Whatever." Naruto responded. Then he made a serious expression. "Jokes aside, we completed the mission, but the Akatsuki managed to extract the One-tail from Gaara. Even though we saved him, we still lost."

Everyone looked down in sadness. He did have a point. Kiba decided to lighten the mood. "Oh cheer up, guys. You still managed to save Gaara. So you haven't really lost."

"Don't you get it, Kiba? We lost." Sakura said with a serious tone, as if threatening him. "The tailed beast IS what they're after. And people like Gaara and Naruto, the Jinchuriki, are like the packages with the prize their after."

Kiba felt troubled about it. He had good intentions. But as usual, his mouth was faster than the brain. He felt real bad about it.

"Is there anything else I should know about?" Tsunade asked.

"L-lady Tsunade, could we talk in private? It's urgent." Sakura said. The female hokage looked her in the eyes for a while. It looked as if she was staring into her soul, penetrating through her physical matter. After a few seconds that seemed like hours Tsunade nodded. She and Sakura left the room. But they didn't seem to realize that Naruto was curious.

Outside the hospital, Sakura told Tsunade everything in detail about the final minutes of her fight with Sasori. The man proofed himself to have some honor or real despite for Orochimaru to reveal he had a spy in the rogue-ninja's ranks. Lady Hokage was in deep though, considering the options.

"How long we have before the meeting?" Tsunade asked, looking at her younger apprentice with a questioning look.

"Seven days." Sakura responded. "So I suggest we use the information to our advantage."

"It's risky, Sakura. We don't know how reliable this information is. It could be a trap."

"But it could also be our only hope to find Sasuke. Lady Tsunade, Master… We can't let this kind of opportunity get pass us."

Tsunade was in deep thought again. And she knew she had to think fast. The road to The Bridge of Earth and Heaven was long. But if it were to be a trap… No, it would be pointless.

"Lady Tsunade." Shizune caught her attention. "If you decide to send the team after all, I suggest you have Naruto stay in the village. I mean- if this turns out to be a trap, he will no doubt be the target."

Tsunade widened her eyes. She turned her full attention to her assistance, with a face of disbelieve. "Shizune, are you questioning Naruto's abilities?" she asked with a harsh voice.

"N-no, my lady. I'm just saying… it is best not to take the chance." The brunette explained herself, sweat dropping. Tsunade glared at her for a while. It must've been the longest while in her life. Never did Shizune feel as if the god of death was about to claim her without her notice.

"I call bull." A voice alerted the three women. The trio looked up to the roof, to find the blonde jumping down towards them. As he landed, he looked them in the eyes. "I'm not a little kid anymore, Shizune. And considering how the Akatsuki dared to attack the village to get one person, what difference does it make? I say we need another team member." He smirked at the last sentence, facing Tsunade, who smiled back before Naruto leaped into the distance.

"How typical." The female blonde commented. "He acts all tough and mature, yet he's still as hot-headed as ever. I didn't even tell him what I decided." She chuckle, while her apprentices were a bit confused. She looked up towards the Hokage Monument. She made up her mind.

Hidden location

The place was barely illuminated. The light seemed to dance as the dust and vapor were passing each other in the air. For the moment it was the only thing that made the place look to have any life there. Then two people appeared on the catwalk. One of them was Danzo- an elderly man dressed in white robes under the black ones. Point hit his cane hard, silencing every other note in the air, even the water dripping from the numerous pipes.

"Naruto Uzumaki, the Jinchuriki to the Nine-tailed Fox, has returned after these long five years." He said without a trace of emotions. "And now that Tsunade has greeted him, I doubt she'll have him locked in the village. But perhaps we can use it to our advantage. I will learn about have intentions towards the boy. If she intends to do what I think, I will mix you into his team. You are the strongest in your age group. You will carry out your mission without a fail." The man hardened his gaze. Then he pointed his cane at the young man kneeling before him. "For this mission, your code name will be Sai."

The man raised his head. He was brunette, with pitch black eyes and white-pale skin. He was wearing black attire and a short blade on his back. "Sai? I like it." He said with a smile.

Under his bandages, Danzo seemed frustrated. "Drop that fake smile. It will do no good."

Elsewhere

The streets didn't change at all. They were exactly as Naruto remembered. He could remember as if it was yesterday when the ANBU chased him through these streets after he painted the Hokage Monument. Even a rusted nail was in its place. It made him feel warm on the inside. It's been five years since he ran from the village. And now he's home. Even the smell of the air seemed different.

"It's been a while, Naruto." A stoic voice got his attention. The blonde turned to the left, from where it came. There he saw a man in dark brown cargo pants and shirt under a hooded coat. Its turtle neck along with sunglasses was hiding his. Naruto walked over to him and scanned him carefully. The voice pattern seemed familiar to him, yet the blonde couldn't put it where. Then it triggered.

"Shino? Is that you?" He asked.

"It's not nice of you not to recognize your friends sooner." The Aburame commented.

"Excuse me? You're hiding your face. There's no way anyone can tell it's you." Naruto commended. Then silence fell. After a few seconds…

"You've gotten big." Shino commended, now noticing he was shorter than the Uzumaki. And the blonde was not only bigger in height. His body was that of an athlete.

"I ate a lot." Naruto commended, somehow feeling awkward.

Then he felt this strange sensation. Yet familiar. He quickly jumped away just in time to avoid three kunai. While still in midair, he reached to his pouch for his weapon. Then the same sensation assaulted him again. He pulled out his kunai just in time to block someone. As he and the attacker finally landed, only now could he tell who it was. A certain someone he could expect this from.

"Hi, Naru! How've you been?" Anko said with a sadistic smile, pressing her kunai harder and harder with each passing second. But to her surprise, she wasn't making any progress. How could it be? The answer came in a form of realization- Naruto was a giant in comparison to her. And he was aware of it.

So the blonde pushed hard enough to send her flying some distance away. Dust filled the air as she fought to maintain her balance. As it fell, Naruto could take a better look at her. "What the freaking freak hell, girl? Hello to you too…" His face turned a bit red, stopping him in his speech. Why you ask? Well, Anko was dressed now more daring than ever.

She was sporting a tan coat over a chainmail shirt, which wasn't revealing her breasts too much, but enough to show she wasn't wearing anything underneath. Aside from that, she was wearing pretty much the same set- orange skirt, shin-guards. Naruto shook his head, trying to regain his cool.

"Like what you, Naru?" Anko asked him in a VERY sweat manner. He wasn't the first to react like this upon seeing her. Almost every man in the village- ninja or not- was drooling or howling seeing her. But Naruto was the first to regain his senses so soon.

"W-WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU WEARING, YOU CRAZY GIRL?!" Naruto shouted as loud as he could, swiping some blood from his nose.

"What? It's my everyday attire. You like it?" She answered casually, folding her arms in a way to provoke him to look at her rack.

Naruto turned his gaze away, blushing madly. "Cut it out already. Will ya?" He asked.

"You recognized Anko so fast, Naruto." Shino commented, sulking. The two could see a dark cloud over him.

'Oh great. Just what I need.' Naruto thought.

"Well, well. Who do we have here?" A new voice said. Naruto turned around to find a man in a black, leather cloak over white shihakusho-like clothing. As Naruto looked up to see the face, he found green hair, left eye golden and right eye black. Naruto had no doubt who it could be.

"Ryu? Is that you, man?" Uzumaki asked.

"Great to see you, little man. Or should I say big man?" the Niigetsu heir corrected himself when he noticed he was slightly, just by millimeters, shorter than Naruto. "Well I'll be a kappa's uncle. You're likely fourth tallest person of Leaf's 13." He commented.

"Leaf's 13?" Naruto was confused.

"Well, yeah. You know…" Ryu tried to explain, when Anko interrupted.

"Our team, you from the rookie 9 and Team Guy. We formed a cell of our own two months after your self-proclaimed exile."

"Wasn't easy at first." Ryu continued, "But we are now one of the best cells the village had since the founding of the Enforcers- thought still behind them."

"Good for you… What's with the scars?" Naruto thought out loud.

Ryu ran his fingers over his face. There were two scars- a big one running from somewhere over his right eye to his left cheek and another, small one next to the left corner of his mouth. "A little souvenir from three years ago, from Kuro-sensei himself."

"He tried to kill you?"

"No, of course not. He was teaching me how to be a weapons master. These are just 'slight bruises' as he calls them."

The blonde a disbelieving look on his face, sweat-dropping. "Then I don't want to know what he calls…" Naruto never finished, as everyone's danger sense kicked in. they all jumped away just in time to dodge a huge, weird-looking lion. Naruto had to admit it- he was impressed seeing how Mitarashi quickly finished it of with the explosive tag she dropped under its belly. He looked around to find a silhouette sitting on the nearby roof. He narrowed his eyes. Shino! Distraction! Anko! Cover! Ryu! Flank him!" Naruto commanded loud enough only for them to hear. The three nodded and proceeded. The Aburame member released a swarm of beetles towards where Naruto pointed. A group of lion's jumped towards him, breaking through the insects, only to meet a number of shuriken and kunai in their way. To everyone's surprise, they were made of ink.

The hidden man prepared to create another beast, when he felt he should jump away. He did so just in time. The Niigetsu swordsman almost cut his head off. The pale-skinned brunette was about to call out his jutsu.

But he was right where Naruto wanted him. The man pulled out his blade just in time to block a kunai. The two hit the roof, creating a small cloud of dust. The blonde was easily overpowering him.

"Who are you?" Naruto growled, having a pain-promising look in his eyes.

The attacker just put on a smile. "You are weak."

To be continued…

A.N./ I felt down for a long while and couldn't get to this. But I'm feeling it returning lately. I'll update soon. Maybe this weekend. Please enjoy.

My cast (for some characters):

Naruto Uzumaki- David Kaye- Megatron/Galvatron (Beast Wars/ Beast Machines/ Transformers: Armada/Energon/Cybertron)

Ryu Niigetsu- Johnny Yong Bosch- Ichigo Kurosaki (Bleach)

Shino Aburame- Matt McKenzie- Auron (Final Fantasy X)

Rock Lee- John DiMaggio- Bender (Futurama)

Hitodama- Jennifer Hale

Anko Mitarashi- Julianne Buescher

Kuromaru Nekokage- Christopher Robin Sabat- Picollo (Dragon Ball Z)

Neji Hyuga- Kevin Sorbo- Hercules (Hercules: The Legendary Journeys)