Never Too Late
A/N: Whoa, sorry for the long wait. I see you guys took a liking to this, thanks for your reviews. xD
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Chapter 2: Torn
It was late at night as Naruto wandered the streets of Konoha, taking his time as he approached his home. Luckily, for the long time period of him not being in Konoha, he hadn't been reported as a missing nin.
Finding himself facing his home, he flinches seeing that something is different. Before him is a torn down apartment building with construction workers camping out.
"M-My home..." he mutters to himself. Growling, he quickly turns his body to face the direction of the hokage building, "That Tsunade-baa-chan...What the hell..."
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Sakura arrives at an inn in the hidden village of Mist, her possessions safe inside a bag. After making arrangements for a room, a familiar voice calls out to her.
"Sakura-chan?"
Sakura immediately turns around to face an old friend from her very first mission. Although it has been about 5 years, she still had that gentle face, and it was still as beautiful as it was when she was 12.
"Tsunami-san?" Sakura muttered as clarification. The woman nodded at her with a smile following up afterwards.
"I own this inn dear," Tsunami replies. Taking the girl's hands she continues to smile, "I would love to let you stay here for free! How long are you planning to stay?"
"Six months," Sakura replies bluntly. Shaking her head she returns Tsunami's smile, "I can't freeload off you for six whole months...How about I pay half then?"
"No, no no young lady," tsumani quickly retorts shaking her head furiously. Sakura couldn't help but blush, "Your team did a grand thing for us back then."
"But I was uselesss back then...I didn't do anything to help you guys at all..." She admitted, her head lowered down as if she was shamed of her past uselessness.
tsunami pulled the girl into a hug, "You were young...But I know that you helped."
"How?" Sakura asked, returning the hug, resting her head on the older woman's shoulder.
"Naruto would tell me about you," another voice called out. Sakura was let go from the embrace as she turned her head to see another familiar face.
"I-Inari?!" Sakura muttered. During her first mission, she knew him as the crybaby. Standing before him 5 years later, she sees a much more mature boy. He smiled at her before continuing.
"He said that besides his rivalry with Sasuke, he always wanted to impress you."
"He had the time to see you after our mission?" Sakura asked a little curious. She wiped her previous tears as Inari joined the two.
"Oh yes, Naruto-kun visited us many times," Tsunami said in a gleeful voice, "He said he wanted to admire the Naruto Bridge and he wanted to check up on Inari."
Sakura was amazed by this fact. Smiling, she turned to Inari as he continued to speak.
"He told me about some sort of promise to you. You may have not seemed to be useful, to yourself, but you gave your teammates a reason to continue to fight. And your presence probably gave Naruto strength."
"Y-You really think so?" Sakura asked tearing up again. She placed some hair behind her ear as she blushed, "I always thought that the drive that kept Naruto going was his rivalry with Sasuke-kun."
"Well you thought wrong dear," Tsunami responded, Inari nodding afterwards, "Now come on, I'll show you to your room."
Sakura whispered a thank you as the three brought Sakura to her designated room.
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"This is an outrage!" naruto yelled, his bottom lip puffed out like when he was younger, "You don't report me as a missing nin, yet you destroy my home!"
"That dump was your home, but we're making a new academy there, and I'll be giving you your own home. A new home," Tsunade replied with a smile, "You'll love it."
Shizune looked a little concern as she eyed Naruto, "That's great! Where is it? I'm dead tired, come on tell me!" Shizune couldn't help but laugh to see the old childish Naruto appear in such a statement, Tsunade felt the same.
"Well...It's also in construction," tsunade admit, averting her eyes to the side.
"What?!" Naruto yelled, slamming his fists onto Tsunade's desk, "You're kidding, where the hell am I supposed to stay?!"
Shizune let out a soft sigh as Tonton frowned in her arms. Tsunade rubbed her temple, obviously bothered by Naruto's loud mouth.
"Ino!" Tsunade yelled. Naruto rose his eyebrow as the other blonde entered the room.
"Yes Godaime-sama?" ino said as she walked in. Approaching the desk, it took her a short while to recognize Naruto. "N-Naruto?!" she finally called out. The boy turned to her with a clueless look, that was until he remembered that it was Ino who tsunade called. As Ino continued to approach the boy, she tripped over her own feet.
"Whoa!" Ino yelled, as she fell to the floor.
"What's her problem?" naruto asked Shizune in a whispered tone. Shizune simply shrugged as he turned his attention back to the fallen blonde.
"Need help?" He asked, reaching his hand out for hers. She looked up at his with a blush from such an embarassing moment. With a nod, she pulled out her hand to be quickly brought to her feet by naruto's strong grip.
"Ah, its good to see you Ino," Tsunade said with a wide smile, "You've moved out of your parent's home about a month ago correct?"
Ino replied with a nod as she wiped the dust off her skirt, "Yes Godaime."
"Well then that settles it, you Ino, out of the orders of me, Godaime-sama, shall let Naruto live with you until his own home has been finished."
Shizune braced for the worst, Tonton covering her own little piggy ears.
"YOU'RE JOKING?!" The two screamed in unison, "ME, WITH THAT ANNOYING BRAT?!" the two continued in unison. Hearing what each other had said, they faced each other with a troubled face. "WHO ARE YOU CALLING 'ANNOYING BRAT'?!" The two said once again in unison, "STOP THAT! NO YOU!"
"They seem to be getting along," Tsunade muttered with a smirk as the two walked out arguing. Shizune sighed as her master said this.
"You sure you're seeing what I'm seeing?" She asked, Tsunade simply laughed.
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It was still the middle of a Konoha night. The sounds of late night training, drunken singing, and restless snoring echoed through the streets as the two blondes walked towards Ino's apartment.
"Of all the people, why did she choose me?" Ino mumbled, letting out troubled sighs.
"Shut up, this isn;t exactly good for me either," Naruto retorted.
Ino rolled her eyes, shutting her mouth as they reached the building.
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While riding the elevator, Naruto came to realize something, "Why didn't she let me stay with Sakura-chan?"
Ino's eyebrow rose at his response, but remembered that he has no idea about Sakura's little vacation. "She's not here," she stated bluntly as they reached their floor.
"What do you mean? You can't mean that she-"
"Idiot, she's not dead," Ino retorted before such a silly thought crossed his mind, "She's taking a vacation."
"Oh..." Naruto muttered as they reached her apartment, "I...See..."
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A/N: Eeek, that wasn't too long now was it? Sorry. I guess some chapters are just naturally long, or short. Till next time, ja!