It was eight years, two months, and 17 days later that Naruto returned.
He was no longer the chipper, energy-filled boy he had once been. Naruto didn't jump up and down, excited for a new adventure. Eight years fighting to live in a chaotic wasteland will do that to you.
Standing on top of a small boat, Naruto landed on the southern beach of Konohagakure. The same beach where he had seen the most noble man in the Elemental Kingdoms die. The same place where he learned the lesson that he would come to declare as his Nindo. When you fight for what you love most, anything becomes possible.
The 14 year old Naruto carried himself like a warrior. He stared off into the distance, memories of the day he had left swirling through his head.
Flashback
Sweat poured down his face as Etsuki stared down the Jonin in front of him. He only had a single chance, one opportunity to save the child he had come to care for as his own. In his right hand he held a boning knife, the blade honed to a razor's edge. It shone in the sun as he swung wildly and frantically.
The Jonin just laughed as he dodged every swing with ease. He could have dodged all day long and not broken a sweat, but the demon brat was getting away. Reaching into his shuriken holster, he flipped out a handful of four pointed throwing stars. "Lightning Release: Thunderous palm!" Shoving his right hand forward, he threw lightning chakra into the spinning blades, blasting them towards Etsuki.
Untrained and new to combat as he was, Etsuki had no chance to dodge. Three of the blades ripped into his flesh, bursts of electricity cauterizing the wounds. One stuck his left forearm, cutting into the sleeve of his baggy shirt, while the other two were lodged in his gut.
Moving too fast to see, the Jonin kneed Etsuki in the ribs, a sickening crack sound filling his ears as Etsuki's ribs shattered. With a kick, the Jonin knocked Etsuki to the sandy ground, the blood from his injuries staining the soft white sands a murky red.
Then the Jonin began walking towards Naruto, excited by the opportunity to finally rid the village of the beast who killed his childhood hero, Minato Namikaze. Simply for fun, he fired a minor electrical technique behind him into the man who dared harbor the demon.
Etsuki found himself in a river of darkness. His wounds no longer hurt, and he was no longer injured. The waters were like a whirlpool, dragging him deeper and deeper no matter how much effort he fought them with. His head sunk below the waves and he thought, 'I don't want to die...' Then he lost himself.
Everything faded, all of his life melting away like snow. As one memory slipped away, the dying man grabbed for it, using all his strength to hold it. It was of Naruto, back before the village problems had followed him to the place where he was happy. Naruto and Etsuki had gone fishing for the first time. Naruto had caught a fish, and the boy had been so happy. But as the day dragged on, his happiness fell, until he moped in the boat. "It's okay Naruto. Everyone here likes you. We won't let the villagers hurt you again. I promise! And a real man always keep's his promises, so come on! Let's have some fun while there's still light."
Suddenly the peace of death held no appeal for Etsuki. His promise echoed through his head like a mantra, and he forced his head from the black waters that tried to drag him into death. The shinigami could not have him yet.
Forcing his eyes open, Etsuki saw that not a handful of seconds had passed. The Jonin stood behind him, about to head after Naruto. Forcing his injured body up, Etsuki swung the filet knife, sliding the perfect blade along the Jonin's legs. The blade moved through skin, sinew, and muscle, before scraping through bone, and the Jonin realized that his hamstrings were no longer connected. Falling to his knees, he turned to attack Etsuki, only to see the man no longer lying on the ground.
Before the fight had begun, Etsuki had hidden a certain fishing tool within his left sleeve. The handle of the tool had blocked a lightning-charged shuriken. Now he pulled the tool free. Almost a foot and a half long, with a wicked hook on the tip, was the upper quarter of a broken fishing gaff. Used for hooking large catches that couldn't be pulled in with a pole, to use one you needed both speed and strength. For twenty years Etsuki had fished with one, and the movement was so ingrained in his muscle memory that he struck before the experienced Ninja could counter. The blade pierced the Ninja's throat, the tip punched through the back of his neck, and both him and Etsuki collapsed on the sand. "Live your life Naruto. Live the life you've always wanted. Be free." Then the strain of life left him, and Etsuki willingly sunk below the inky waves, into the silent grasp of the Shinigami.
...
Waving aside those memories Naruto stepped from his boat, setting foot upon his homeland. He had many things to do here. Many changes needed to be made before the Elemental Kingdoms devolved into a similar state to the Southern lands. Whistling, Naruto summoned his five friends. The individuals came out of the lower level of the boat, and followed Naruto as he stepped away from the past, and moved to the future.
They moved in silence for the entire journey to Konohagakure. Whether they were leaping through trees, running through fields, or crossing worn dirt roads, not a single sound was made. Their leader was certain of the way, and they had never been to this strange land before, so they deferred to him. One of them, moving on Naruto's left, made a series of handsigns. Naruto responded with other signs, and so they continued their silent conversation.
When they reached their destination, they stuck to the treeline. Not one of them wanted to be seen before they were ready to reveal themselves. Naruto used hand signals to inform them of their missions, then left the safety of the treeline.
Walking up to the village gates, Naruto noticed how similar it all looked. Buildings in varied styles and colors filled the town in neat ordered streets, and overlooking it all was the Hokage monument. Carved into the face of a mountain were the heads of all four Hokage's. The statues maintained a silent vigil, watching over the village they had created.
Naruto felt a tear slide down his face. No matter how much he hated the people of this town, and their actions, he had always loved the city itself. It represented so much, so much more than anyone ever saw in it. Each building was unique, each the product of another's influence. Their were styles passed down by the Hyuuga, a family fond of long slopes, gentle curves, and hard edges. The Akimichi, with large blocky houses and flat roofs, perfect for fitting the most into the least amount of space. Even the Uchiha, with an odd love of overlapping tile roofs, had left a mark on the city. So many had put so much into this creation, that it saddened Naruto to remember how the citizens had behaved.
Stepping through the gates without making a sound, the guards Izumo and Kotetsu sat up in shock. "H-HEY! What do you think your doing? You can't walk in here at this hour!" Izumo yelled, while Kotetsu sent up a colored flare, a yellow light blazing in the sky to warn of possible danger.
Naruto stopped, looked them both over, and replied with a smile, "Long time no see guys! Don't tell me you've already forgotten the village pariah? I'm offended!"
Life may have changed Naruto, but nothing could remove that happy-go-lucky attitude.
Izumo and Kotetsu looked at him in confusion, wondering who the mysterious man could be. "What is your name!" Izumo called out, as Kotetsu readied a jutsu. These two might not be the most powerful of Ninja, but when working together they had a very unique skill. Their stalling tactics. They could stall anything below Kage-level until backup arrived, which made the two the best guards in all of Konoha.
"Naruto." Was a reply that stunned both of them. Kotetsu's jutsu died on his lips, Izumo just stared blankly in shock. "Now if you two don't mind, i'm off to see old man Hokage!"
Naruto waved at the two guards, then walked off towards the Hokage's office. Seconds after he left, a team of ANBU arrived. The team of elite warriors was instantly recognizable due to the red and white animal masks every member wore. Four individuals made up each team, and every member of ANBU was hand-picked by the Hokage. The four in this team were new members, but to underestimate their skill would be a grave and costly error.
There were three men and one woman on the team, the men's masks were Bear, Tanuki, and Lemur. While the girl wore a Mouse mask. Each wore the standard ANBU attire, to protect their identities and keep their abilities safe from enemies. The shinobi world was an endless shifting combat, today's friends were tomorrows enemies. Many Bingo books offered advice on taking down listed Ninja, such as counters to their abilities and such. So the ANBU's true strength lay in the unknown.
The team was quick to secure the site, with Bear, and Lemur standing guard while Tanuki searched for the trail of the intruder. Mouse began questioning Izumo and Kotetsu. She had a voice that was soft as silk, with average breasts and curvy hips. Her legs flowed on for miles, and both Izumo and Kotetsu struggled to maintain their professionalism with this unknown beauty before them. "Report. What happened, why did you send the flare?"
Shaking themselves from their ogling, Izumo and Kotetsu answered the ANBU goddess. "Well we were standing guard here when this guy walked into the city without papers."
Kotetsu nodded, "Yeah! He told us that he was offended that we forgot who he was. Then told us his name and that he was off to see the Hokage."
Izumo agreed, then added, "The guy's not a dangerous individual, but we sent up the flare because we felt that he might have been one."
Mouse smiled beneath her mask, it was always good to see grunts following the proper protocol. Too few guards sent out flares when protocol dictated. Something about their pride. Most would simply attack their enemy, without even thinking to signal for backup. It was nice to see someone care more for the village and their lives than their pride. Mouse only had one more question. "So what was the name of this individual?"
Izumo and Kotetsu replied at the same time. When they did, the ANBU woman vanished with an excited squee that echoed through the village.
...
Sweat dripped from the elderly Hokage's brow, and pain ripped through his body like a lightning-style attack, as he matched wits with his greatest enemy.
But the paperwork pile seemed to somehow grow, mocking his feeble attempt to destroy it. Sarutobi rubbed his arthritic hands, freeing them from the cramps that came with spending hours and hours notifying and annotating the various papers that allowed the village to run like it did. It was times like these he wished he was the kage of Sunagakure. After all, paperwork was awfully difficult to come up with in a giant desert.
Outside he saw that it was pitch black, the very dead of night. The sun would arrive in five or six hours, and he would need to be ready to face another long day of sitting in the office doing paperwork. 'Just another hour of this, then I'll head off to bed.' he thought, before a ghost stepped into his office.
'Sonofa- If it isn't one thing it's another.' Sarutobi mused, wondering if he was finally going senile. First his paperwork pile seemed to grow on it's own, then the ghost of his greatest failure hopped in through the window. But wait. That couldn't be right. Naruto hadn't looked like this. Nor was he ever this quiet.
The boy had aged well, growing from a short, energetic child into a tall and imposing teenager. Gone was the orange jacket and pants with a swirl on the back. His shinobi open-toed shoes were replaced with heavy steel-toed boots. His goggles were also gone, something Sarutobi found himself missing. Somehow he had envisioned that they would always be with Naruto, even in the next life. The boy's wild, unruly hair had stuck, growing even more wild and unruly. His face had developed sharper features, which only accentuated his brilliant blue eyes. Now Naruto wore ripped and torn steel grey pants, a tight white muscle shirt which showed off a VERY well-defined body, and long, spiralling combat wraps along his forearms. Foreign symbols were written in ink along the wraps, and similarly odd symbols decorated his hands.
All in all, Naruto had grown from a kid to an attractive looking man. Which only saddened Sarutobi more, feeling that if he had only been able to help the child, Naruto would have grown into an accomplished ladies man. Much like the Hokage had been in his youth.
Sarutobi's age weighed upon him like a mountain, the memory of his failures still ripe in his head. Finally he spoke to the specter that stood in his office, the silence too much to bear. "Naruto... Wherever you are right now, i'm sorry i couldn't save you. If only i had tried a little harder, i might have been able to do something."
The old man tried and failed to hold back his sorrow, tears began to stain his hated paperwork.
"Jiji, what are you talking about?" Naruto interrupted the moment of sadness.
"I couldn't save you! I tried Naruto, but by the time i found out they had killed you!" It had been his worst day, by far. He had hoped for anything that could get him out of a council meeting, but what got him out of the meeting was something even worse. The guilt still plagued him.
Naruto raised an eyebrow in mild confusion, "Nobody killed me, though they sure tried! What are you talking about old man?"
"It was those cursed devil worshippers! They tried to free the nine-tails and killed... You..." Sarutobi trailed off, hoping against hope that Naruto might be real. Standing up from his desk, he pulled the boy he hadn't seen in over eight years into a hug. Yes, he was real. And warm. And not rotting. That meant neither Edo Tensei, nor some necromantic technique had been used. "NARUTO!" He yelled, holding the boy who was like a grandson to him.
"NARUTO!" Another voice called, and Sarutobi looked up to see his star pupil, the ANBU known as Mouse, wrap Naruto in her own hug. Naruto had been about to reply, and begin telling the man he saw as his grandfather about what happened to him, when he was pulled into a hug by a strange girl who seemed to know him. Something about this situation didn't bother him as much as it should have. Usually his reaction to someone hugging him out of the blue was more violent, or at least defensive.
Also, there was something about her voice that bothered him. It reminded him of a friend he'd had once... Mouse pulled off her mask and hugged him once more. She had long brown hair, which was perfectly straight, and had big black eyes which were dotted with tears. A rippling scar crossed her right cheek, clearly from a fire jutsu of some type. Her body was well curved, and she clung to Naruto like he was a teddy bear. "NARUTO! I can't believe you're alive!"
The wheels of his brain spun, trying to puzzle out the identity of this beautiful girl. Suddenly it clicked. That voice was one as familiar as Sarutobi's, and another that kept him sane throughout his hellish childhood. Unable to believe it was true, he spoke in a whisper, hesitant to shatter this moment and wake himself up from the dream he was certain he must be in.
"Ayame?"