Chapter 1- Four Years Amount of Change
"YOSHA! Oi, Sasuke-teme, four years really changed Konoha, it seems bigger now that I stand atop the Hokage Monument, and they even added Tsunade-baa's face! I really missed Konoha, especially Ichiraku's ramen, it's the only ramen that's true ramen!" Naruto stretched his arms and inhaled the air around Konoha. He had missed this, he had missed their friends, he had missed the food around here and of course, he had missed walking around the village and greeting the people around him. Four years of training really made him homesick, but all the traveling around made him forget about it.
"Oi, dobe, get down here, Kakashi is serious about visiting the Hokage first before anything or else." Naruto jumped down from the rock he was standing on and dusted his jumpsuit, he then looked at Sasuke and smiled cheekily.
"Hehehehe, can I make a clone and send it instead of me?" Sasuke shrugged and turned his back while walking away from the blonde who was performing a bunshin of himself. After a few unsuccessful attempts, he made one that suited his taste.
"Okay, you are to act like me and don't let anyone notice that I'm off enjoying myself, understood?" His bnshi nodded and followed Sasuke along while he jumped down the monument to take a stroll throughout the village.
"Say, Sasuke, what is taking Naruto too long?" Sasuke looked at his teacher and shrugged, yes, he was antisocial, so what? He still had a hard time opening up to everyone especially after the incidents and the fact that he was acting like an idiot back then.
"YO! Kaka-sensei, been waitig for me too long?" Kakashi shrugged while Sasuke merely glanced at him before walking away in the direction of the Hokage's Tower. Naruto and Kakashi stared at his back as he walked ahead and looked at each other in understanding.
"Wat are you two standing there around for?" Naruto smiled cheekily and pushed Kakashi towards Sasuke, who had resumed his walking. He may not admit it, but he was a little bit anxious to see the Hokage and visit their female teammate. They never heard from her, heck, they never even got a single letter or a piece of news from her, the rest of their friends were a little secretive about her and Tsunade never told them anything at all.
"Oi teme, are you sure you're not that excited to see Sakura-chan? You see, you keep on pestering us about getting ahead already, is there something I need to know?" Sasuke glared silently towards his teammate which shut him up but not before snickering behind his hands. He was really annoying and if he couldn't control himself, he'd be dead by that time, that's a fact. He ignored them and sped up towards the Hokage Tower leaving the two behind.
"Naruto, you do know that we are running ten minutes later than the said time, and if we are late, she said she'd label us as missing nins. Now, if I were you, I'd do what Sasuke did and get my ass there already if you don't want to have it handed to you by her." Saying that, he followed Sasuke, leaving Naruto alone by himself - talk about rude.
Meanwhile, Tsunade was facing the window observing the villagers do their daily chores and routine while a girl wearing a laboratory coat stood beside her though she was slightly leaning on the window ledge.
"So, those three finally decided to return, four years was enough to create changes in the village, I wonder what they would look like now." She got no reply or whatsoever from the girl, she just sat there while looking over the people that passed by. The room was filled with awkward silence that was broken by the running footsteps that approached the office, a Chuunin was standing breathless while pointing towards the hospital on the other side of the building.
"Gondaime-sama, three Anbus were just brought in, and they need surgery, the nurse told me to call you so that you could perform the surgery." The girl on the ledge tsked and stood up while walking towards the door, where the Chuunin stared at her while glancing at Tsunade, who was smiling.
"Tsunade-shishou, let me handle this. I know I can because I'm already the head nurse and it just irks me to the ends knowing that the nurses doesn't even trust my new promotion." Tsuande chuckled, she really could get a little bit tense and touchy about the subject of her promotion and skills.
"Really... I'll talk to them later..." Tsunade said while flexing her arms over her head, she hadn't performed a single surgery for the past few months and it was getting on her nerves already. That's what was so bad about molding somene to be better than the old generation, they end up getting overwritten...
"What about your three favorite shinobis that just came from a very long secret mission? You are supposed to meet them, right?" Tsunade's excitement dropped a notch, she had hit a spot and she couldn't wiggle her way out of this one... Now what?
~WITH SASUKE AND COMPANY~
"Ano, miss?" Kakashi asked as they caught sight of a girl standing by the reception desk, while shuffling some folders and sorting them out. When she turned around, her face brightened up, especially when her gaze landed on the blonde loud mouth idiot.
"Hinata?" Kakashi asked, perplexed at the irony that a clan heiress would be working in a hospital. Hinata smiled at him while shyly twiddling her thumbs together as Naruto gave her a quick look that soon ended.
"So, are you here to meet with the Hokage?" Kakashi nodded and Sasuke shrugged while Naruto scanned the whole place. She smiled again, this was helping her get over her shyness and be more confident than ever.
"You look like you want to ask more questions... Is there anything else, Hatake-sensei?" Kakashi sheepishly scratched his hair while walking off towards the Hokage's office followed by Sasuke. Naruto was still gazing at the room's interior design, and if Sasuke didn't grabbed him by the scruff of his neck, he would still be staring there (after all, a clone may look like his caster but they are very different).
"A-ano... Tsunade-sama is currently operating on three badly injured Anbus so you might have to wait for a mom-" Hinata looked towards her back where the three should have been, only that she was alone while some patients looked at her weirdly.
"Oh, they're gone... I'm quite nervous as to who they would meet there... They might be welcomed harshly..."
"YOSHAI! Tsunade-baachan, we're home!" Naruto barged in suddenly while the two others casually entered the room. They searched the room for sign of the busty woman but all they saw was her turned chair.
"Urusai, Uzumaki. You do know that you are late for 26 minutes and 7 seconds, I could have you all arrested for being a missing nin." Naruto scrunched up his eyebrows while Kakashi narrowed his eyes suspiciously. Tsunade's voice seemed colder than usual and it was different in tone but the way of speaking was really the same.
"Hokage-sama, do you have flu?" He heard the Hokage tsked annoyed, something he had never heard her do. Yes, she sometimes clicked her tongue but to actually tsk at them was almost a little impossible.
"I do not have flu, and by all means, do not call me Hokage-sama..." The three straightened themselves and braced for the harsh reality to face them it could be someone impersonating the Hokage or a family friend of the woman, but as the chair turned, their expressions varied. Sasuke's eyes narrowed but by the way his face paled, it was obvious that he was shock. Kakashi dropped the book while Naruto looked at her with a surprised look (not bad for a clone, eh?).
"S-SAKURA?!" The girl opened her crossed arms and stood up while smirking, she seemed unfazed to meet the three males that used to belong to her team. Naruto's jaw dropped and his eyes were wide, this was totally unspoken for, if she accidentally punched him, his cover would be blown and he imagined the worst from the Hokage.
"Yes? Isn't that obvious already? You don't need to shout my name, it's embarrassing. How would you like me shout your name throughout the whole Konoha village while co-" Naruto pumped his fists and smiled proudly.
"Yohohohoho, Sakura-chan missed me so much she'd shout my name throughout the whole village." Sakura's eyebrows twitched and she calmed her nerves while tapping her fingers to her arm.
"Done yet rejoicing? I wasn't excited to meet you, I only said I'd shout your name connected with a very very annoying nickname I've decided to make for you." Naruto stopped pumping his fists and stared at Sakura as if she had grown another head, and he smiled nervously.
"Say, S-sakura, you couldn't do that, could you? I mean, you were supposedly knocked out and not a ninja anymore..." Sakura sat down and propped her feet on the desk. She smiled wickedly while her arms were crossed about her.
"Quite right, I'm no longer a ninja..." Sasuke snorted while Kakashi- well he was still being a pervert reading his perverted books... Sakura turned towards Sasuke who she had been ignoring, she smiled towards him ferally and gave him a wink.
"My my, Sasuke, aren't you the cold one. Why I missed you the most, can I give you a hug?" Sakura asked while jumping on her feet and walking towards him without any hesitation. Sasuke posed himself for defense unless Sakura decided to be the annoying fangirl she was.
"Stay away." Sasuke said coldly while whipping a kunai out and aiming for Sakura. Sakura clicked her tongue and shook her head while stopping, she gave him a pitiful look before sighing sadly.
"Such a shame to waste such handsome face... I'd kiss you if you weren't such an ass, Neji's quite better than you, though too bad he's taken..." Sasuke grunted and threw the kunai towards her which whipped so fast that they thought the girl wouldn't be able to dodge it. However, she surprised them again by catching it in her hand, unwounded and unmoved by it.
"You aren't my student." Kakashi said finally after a long silence that ensued. Sakura straightened her posture and threw the kunai casually towards him which he caught easily.
"Quite right, I'm not your student... I never was after all."
"Then who are you? The Sakura I knew was nowhere near you, you couldn't be her..." Sasuke said while unsheathing his katana and pointing it towards her.
"Tsk, you guys never knew me after all, though I should probably thank you guys for leaving. At least I realized how weak I was, how pathetic and how helpless by myself, so see, I'm new, I'm not the same old fangirl who couldn't do anything except watch from the sideline and cry herself to sleep while waiting for someone to rescue her... No, I've changed, after all, four years is enough to change a kingdom, why not a person?" Sasuke growled while Kakashi narrowed his eyes while Naruto was on a defensive stance. Sakura giggled while adjusting the sleeves of her lab coat and moving speedily behind Naruto.
"Bye-bye, Naruto-kun..." She hit him on the head which caused him to poof away leaving the two on their own to fend off the girl. Sakura walked slowly towards them while twirling a kunai in one hand. Sasuke growled angrily and Kakashi performed several hand seals to be used in fighting Sakura. As Sakura launched an attack, the office shook causing most on the first floor to panic.
A few minutes passed as they exchanged more and more attacks while Sakura would be on offense and defense simultaneously. Before the finishing attack, a clap was heard stopping them from finishing off each other as if they had became statues. Sakura was down on the floor crouching while Sasuke and Kakashi were pointing their kunais to each other.
"Sakura, that's enough. I told you to keep them updated of the village while I was away and you spar with them?" Tsunade closed the door of her office and sat on her chair while shuffling some folders. Sasuke and Kakashi stood straight and looked at the Hokage while Sakura leaned on the side of the door.
"So, did Naruto defected? I don't see him anywhere." Sasuke looked at Kakashi who was avoiding the gaze of the Hokage. Sakura opened the door and there standing was Naruto, his hand raised as if to knock.
"S-sakura-chan?" Sakura smiled sweetly and bonked him on the head causing him to writhe in pain.
"He's the real deal, Shishou." Tsunade nodded and Naruto stood up while two red lumps were evident on his head.
"Finally... So, tell me, what happened to you guys?" Sakura stood by Tsunade's side and shuffled some folders before placing them on the Hokage's desk. Tsunade scrunched her face in distaste and pushed the folders aside.
"Hokage-sama, our mission is successful, and we have returned from the four-year leave, we ask for permission to remain here." Tsunade smiled and she swiveled her chair around until she was facing the window overlooking the whole village.
"Permission granted... Any questions?" Naruto pointed towards Sakura and nervously started to speak.
"A-ano, t-that i-isn't S-sakura-chan, right?" Tsunade grinned and tapped her fingers on the desk.
"Well, you see..."
Author's Notes:
Okay, don't hate me if I end up writing this chappie ahead of the others, but I'm working on it, I just couldn't hit my 2600 + words per chapter and it makes me feel bad to have very short chapters. But anyway, I hope this time I'm on the right track.