Hellooooo! So, we've managed to get to Shippuden! I hope I can make things get better from now on *o*

WARNING - Just like in the beginning, I'm starting off short... This chapter is waaaay shorter than the others. But it'll get longer as time goes by. :p We all know what happens and when, right? No need for useless stuff - unless it useless stuff that can actually be useful - and you will all discover what went down at Ami's chunnin exams... Soon :p

So my lovely reviewers, thank you *-* ~ MitsukiChanandNarutoKun (sorry it took a while and ended up shorter than I had originally expected... But shippuden's here! *-*); MeganAllard (espero que goste do reencontro deles *-* ee.. o Kei vai demorar um pouco pra surgir :p e espero que goste em geral *o* como ja disse ali em cima, esse ta beeem mais curto que os outros, mas vai aumentando a partir do proximo ja *o*); El Frijolero (yeey, I'm sooo happy you liked how it played out *-* hope you like this one too!)

So... Let's get on to it - Again, this one is MUCH shorter than the previous ones... But let's just take it as an intro to Shippuden, ok? :p Enjoy!

Chapter Ten

Ami casually walked towards the gates of Konoha. She had already spotted Genma leaning against the small table, where obviously Izumo and Kotetsu were busy trying to stay awake. To her left, Akamaru restlessly skipped, carrying an exhausted Kiba, who was snoring away, completely unaware of where they were. To her right, Aburame Shino silently strolled, his various bugs swarming around him. Despite the time she had spent with those two, she still wasn't used to all those bugs and, quite frankly, she found them rather disturbing.

"Look who's back." Genma smirked, as he turned around, sensing three familiar chakras coming close.
"You know... I actually did miss you." Ami smiled.

She said her goodbye's to both Kiba and Shino and headed back to her own home. She unlocked the door and looked around. Kakashi had promised he'd keep things in order, though he'd obviously forgotten that meant dusting too. Ami sighed and began her usual cleaning routine.

After an entire hour, she was finally satisfied with the state of things and headed for a shower. She was glad she remembered to buy soap before heading up, because her stock was completely gone. As she was getting dressed, she felt her hunger kick in. She suddenly got a very strong craving for ramen. Ramen made her think of Naruto. She sighed as she stared at her reflection in the mirror. She hadn't changed much. She'd grown a little, had more of a womanly figure than before, but she was still reasonably tiny, with dark long hair and a pair of big, onyx orbs. She wondered what Sasuke and Naruto looked like. They were definitely taller now.

She nearly jumped when she practically bumped into Kakashi on the stairs.
"You're back!" He said suddenly, quite surprised.
"Yeah... I was going to see if I found you anywhere." She smiled.
"And... Did you make it?" Kakashi asked, cocking his head to the side slightly.
"Oh... About that..." Kakashi was just about ready to comfort when Ami began jumping up and down. "I'm a chunnin! I'm a chunnin! Can you believe it? Say hello to Konoha's newest and most awesome chunnin ever!"
Kakashi shook his head and chuckled.
"You're definitely one of the strangest." He smirked when a sudden thought crossed his mind. "Why don't you go get some ramen for both of us? I'll take one with everything."
Kakashi quickly made his way up and into his apartment before Ami could think of protesting.

Needless to say, the first thing she spotted, as she entered Ichiraku's, was a blond creature wearing bright orange clothes. Could it be or was her mind playing tricks on her? She really wanted it to be true. She missed him too much. She ran a nervous hand through her hair and took a deep breath, before she casually walked towards the stand.
"Ayame! I need one large with everything and one regular, no beef."

Naruto was happily slurping his ramen, not really paying much attention to what Jiraiya was talking about. All he wanted to do was eat, shower and hope Ami was home so he could finally tell her he's back. He still felt guilty for not telling her how long he'd be gone, but a part of him figured it would be easier. He wasn't sure if his mind meant for it to be easier for him or her. Then he heard it. His hands froze suddenly at the sound of that voice, right beside him. The order was clearly meant for her and Kakashi Sensei. Could it be? Without further hesitation, he quickly turned towards the voice, only to find the beautiful figure smirking right at him.
"Long time, no see." She stated.

Ami truly wanted to grab him and pull him into a hug. She hadn't seen him for over two years and he looked... Perfect. She wanted to tell him how much she'd missed him. She wanted many things, but her Uchiha pride wouldn't allow it. Naruto wanted to hold her tightly and never let go. He didn't know why he suddenly got such a feeling, but looking into her dark eyes made Konoha feel more like a home than it already was. However, it became much more obvious his sudden urge to be close, when his eyes began staring her down. The Uchiha pride wouldn't allow her to blush, not now at least.
"A-ami..." Was all he managed to say.

He quickly figured now wasn't the best time for thinking or words. With that in mind, his ramen lay forgotten on the stand and his arms wrapped around the smaller girl, embracing her tightly.
"I've missed you." He whispered.
Ami's arms slowly raised and she managed to give him a few pats on the back before slightly pulling away. Perhaps she still wasn't as comfortable with total proximity as she'd expected.
"S-sorry." He laughed. "But... It's still great to see you. I'm sorry I took so long."
"It doesn't matter. You're here now." She smiled.
"Yeah... Sit down! I have so much to tell you! I took the bell test with Kakashi and Sakura again, we won this time. You should've seen his face!" Naruto grinned.
"I took it too! Before I headed out to Suna... It's was hilarious because he completely let his guard down." Ami smirked.
"I told him how his book ended." They said together.

Jiraiya and Ayame curiously listened to their conversation. Ayame sighed every now and then. If only they were less clueless...

"Wow... Great minds think alike." Ami smirked.
"Why were you in Suna?" Naruto asked suddenly.
"Chunnin exams. I'm a chunnin now! And a darn good one too." Ami grinned, still completely exited over her big news.
"Wow..." Naruto said, unable to hide his shock. "I guess I have to catch up with you."
"You can think about that later. In other news, I kept your place clean... Though Kakashi was supposed to take care of it while I was away, and I highly doubt he put much effort. I can come round and help you get settled in, if you want." She smiled. Naruto nodded eagerly. "Great... I'll see you then."
Naruto only returned to his ramen once she was gone. Strangely enough, it didn't bother him that his food was now cold.
"I bet you're glad to be home." Jiraiya smirked. He noticed it took a while for Naruto to process things. The two young teenagers clearly had feelings for each other, something that could become stronger than they imagine, yet none of them seemed to have realised.
"Yeah..."

x.x

It was late in the afternoon when Ami decided to stop by Naruto's. He opened the door to find the young Uchiha carrying a bucket full of cleaning products. Her habit definitely hadn't died down at all.
"You look exited." Naruto wondered.
"Yeah well I find cleaning enjoyable. Right... Where should I start?" She grinned.
She proceeded into his bedroom while Naruto still thought of an answer. He was much more curious to know how she'd been all this time. He remembered how hard it had been for her to deal with Sasuke's departure, but the girl he saw now looked like she had no troubles in the world. He wanted to talk about it, but worried it would bring her down. He didn't want that... He liked seeing her smile. She had a beautiful smile...
"Have you got a broom?" Ami asked, popping her head out of the bedroom door.
"Ami... Relax for a while, ok? I haven't seen you in a long time and I want to talk. You can clean later." Naruto grinned as he pried her away from the door.
"It'll only take about an hour or so." She frowned, making Naruto chuckle.

"Naruto!" They heard Sakura's voice calling outside. Ami ran towards the door and opened it, ready to scream out her great news. "Ami! I heard you're chunnin, congratulations! And... I'd love to stay here and ask for all the details but Tsunade wants us in her office now."
"Is it a mission?" Naruto asked excitedly, running towards the door.
"Must be... Let's go!" Sakura insisted, pulling the two by their arms.

Tsunade sat in her usual empowered pose. There was always something about her that screamed authority. Kakashi stood opposite her, patiently waiting for his students – or rather, teammates, to arrive. Shizune stood behind Tsunade, tightly holding onto Tonton and Jiraiya sat on the window sill, staring up at the blue sky.
"Granny Tsunade! What's up?" Naruto grinned.
"Naruto! Don't talk to her like that!" Sakura shouted, punching him on the shoulder.
"You will no longer be known as Squad Seven." Tsunade stated, earning a few surprised looks from the three teenagers. "From now on, you three are part of Team Kakashi. However, Naruto is still technically a genin, which might result in you not receiving higher ranked missions."
"Isn't there anything we can do about that?" Kakashi sighed.
"I've already told you he's good enough to receive a higher rank, Tsunade." Jiraiya said, not taking his eyes off the sky.
"Although I'm the Hokage, I would need to talk to the elders first. I'll deal with that another time. I have no doubt that Naruto could receive a higher ranking but for now-"

"Tsunade! Urgent news from the Sand! The Kazekage has been captured by the Akatsuki!"

Everyone in the room turned their attention the shinobi who stood anxiously by the door. Ami would've smirked at the person's lack of discretion if she weren't so worried for Gaara.

"Team Kakashi." Tsunade sighed. "I'm sending you to Suna."

x.x

Ami felt bad about being excited. She was terrified for Gaara, obviously. She'd just seen him and he was doing so well as Kazekage. He was finally earning the respect he deserved and his siblings were with him all the way. Now, he was gone, and it was because of the Akatsuki. She wondered if Itachi was involved, though, it was highly likely he was. He went after Naruto once, and Ami knew what Naruto was. But despite all that, this was her first official mission as a chunnin. She couldn't help but feel at least a little excited.

"We can't waste time with rest, unfortunately. We'll take a few naps along the way, just to keep our energy up." Kakashi stated.
"What do you suppose they want with Gaara?" Sakura wondered.
"They want what's inside him. Just like when they came after me." Naruto said, angrily. "But they aren't getting their hands on it. Not if I have anything to do with it!"
It was admirable to see Naruto so determined. He'd definitely grown up during his time away. He was much more focused and Ami couldn't wait to see him in action.
"We'll save him." Ami assured.

After two and half days of speeding across the forest, they finally reached the desert. The Kazekage Tower was visible in the distance.
"Not far now." Ami sighed.
"You kids think you can make it there now?" Kakashi asked, carefully observing their physical state. The three teenagers nodded simultaneously. "Good. Let's go."
"You guys should've seen the chunnin exams here... It was awesome." Ami smirked as she ran past one of the areas she remembered being in.

Team Kakashi was greeted by Baki as they entered Suna. He looked pale and extremely anxious, no one could blame him.
"Kankuro went after the two Akatsuki who took Gaara, but he was poisoned. We've retrieved him and our medics are trying their best, but it's not looking good." Baki stated.
"Sakura's a med-nin! She was trained by Tsunade herself." Ami recalled, making Naruto stare at Sakura curiously.
"I could take a look at him, if you want." Sakura said. She suddenly felt nervous. It would be her first chance to treat someone without Tsunade's supervision.
"Please do!" Baki said, feeling almost relieved. "We would be very grateful if you could at least by him some more time."

Ami, Naruto and Kakashi walked into the Hospital. Sakura had already run ahead to prepare. There wasn't much the other three could do, except wait. The two teenagers jumped when an old lady attacked Kakashi out of nowhere. Kakashi struggled slightly but managed to get away from the crazy woman. Ami noticed the woman referring to him as 'White Fang'.
"Who's White Fang?" Naruto asked curiously.
"Well... He was my father." Kakashi laughed, nervously. "He hasn't been around in years."
The old woman stared at Kakashi in disbelief. She briefly apologized before taking a seat next to an old man.
"Who is that girl in there?" The woman asked suddenly.
"That's Sakura. She's a med-nin, trained by Tsunade." Naruto replied, still trying to understand why the woman had attacked his Sensei.
"Tsunade? The slug Princess?" The woman snorted.
"Got a problem with that?" Ami frowned. Kakashi eyed her sternly.
"No... No problem." The old woman smiled.

It took a while, but Sakura managed to extract the poison from Kankuro's body. The young Suna Shinobi slowly came to his senses as Team Kakashi, Baki and the two elders entered the room.
"Gaara... I need to save Gaara." He said slowly and groggily.
"We've got that covered, Kankuro." Ami smiled.
"We'll get Gaara back and finish off those Akatsuki." Naruto grinned.
"The blond one... He uses explosives. The other one... The other is Sasori-" Kankuro winced slightly.
"Sasori?" The old woman interjected. "Are you sure it was Sasori?"
"Who's Sasori?" Ami asked curiously.
"I'm sure... He's the reason I'm here." Kankuro frowned. "If you're going after them then get going... And be careful. Especially you, Naruto."

I promise you all more action in Chapter Eleven :p But I hope you liked it either way *o*

I'll be back soon! xoxo