Legend:

DISCLAIMER: IT'S MINE! NARUTO INC. IS ALL MINE! YES!! (welltossedsalad is then placed in a straightjacket and dragged away by the nice men in clean white coats…) Seriously though, I own nothing except for the plot. And even most of the credit for that still goes to Kishimoto.

A/N: To anyone who thinks Naruto and/or Hinata are overpowered…it's been seven years since Naruto left Konoha. They have both trained almost non-stop since then under excellent teachers, and Naruto has made liberal use of the Kage Bunshin training technique. Both of them are jounin, Naruto is currently an Suna ANBU captain (we'll talk more about that later…) and Hinata spent a year in the Konoha ANBU. Also, neither of them have been shown in a serious fight against powerful opponents; Hinata has assassinated Danzo and beaten Anko in a spar, while Naruto has sparred with Gaara (I only wrote the tail end of the spar; they'd been fighting for over an hour) and killed four B-rank Iwa jounin, all of whom were distracted. So while they are both very much kickass, there are far more powerful enemies out there.

A/N: Major props to my betareader, JH24. If you're interested in the "Danny Phantom" fandom, check out his work.

SPOILER ALERT!!

Kishimoto's done it again…Sasuke has unlocked another level of the Sharingan. The bastard never even had to work at it; it seems listening to Madara's history lesson was enough to superpower him again. My only hope is that now, with 'Eagle' having Konoha's destruction for a goal, the Uchiha will get his ass handed to him by one orange-clad hero.

And HOORAY! It looks like that might just be the direction Kishimoto is going, what with Naruto 'recieving some of Itachi's power' and being told to stop Sasuke at all costs if he comes after Konoha. Duck-haired-bitch is gonna die!

For the record, I don't hate Sasuke implicitly. Any fanfic that portrays him as...I don't know, NOT an annoying self-rightous overpowered traitorous prick...is fine in my book. Canon Sasuke should be either killed or brainwashed. Preferably sooner rather than later.

RASENGAN TO THE FACE!!

END SPOILER ALERT!!

"Speaking"

Thoughts / Speaking to inner demon

Sealed demon speaking / Inner personality

"Jutsu"

Chapter 7: Reunions and Memories

Naruto stared after Hinata as she ran off, still babbling something about picking up Hanabi from daycare. I thought her sister was only a few years younger…the kid has to be at least fifteen by now. Daycare? He snapped out of it in time to hear Shikimaru's query.

"Naruto…you're related to the Fourth, aren't you?"

It's surprising no one figured it out a while ago…I mean, I looked almost exactly like the guy as a genin. Rather than give voice to this, he merely nodded. "Yeah. Turns out he was my father. Small world, huh?"

He was immediately bombarded with even more questions than before. Slightly raising his hands in front of him, the young ninja made a step forward. "Ok, everyone just shush. I'll answer everything you want to know, but not right now." At this moment Naruto just wanted everyone to go away, but he didn't want to put it so bluntly. I need an excuse, maybe... The blonde put on a fatigued expression."Listen. I've been running for three days, and I just had to kill four enemy combatants. I'm tired."

This didn't go over very well with his old friends, but they grudgingly acquiesced after noticing Naruto's weary expression. Each departed after giving him one last lingering look, each with a different emotion.

Naruto observed them one by one as they slowly walked out of the door. Shikimaru…apathy, and a touch of worry. Shino…he never shows emotion, but he smells a little surprised. Tenten…surprise, happiness, and a bit of confusion. Lee…is going to be asking for a spar sometime in the near future, and will loudly proclaim something about how brightly the 'flames of my youth' are burning.

Sakura was the last to depart, and stopped to gaze at him out of the corner of her eye. Naruto inclined his head, a hint of disbelief growing in his eyes. Dear Kami...is she actually drooling? When she saw him notice her, she blushed and hurriedly went through the door.

Once all were gone and the door was shut, Temari turned to him, looking worried. "Are you ok with this? And did the Hokage find out?"

Naruto gave her a small smile. He figured it did a fairly good job of hiding his apprehension. "Well…I was going to let those six and a few others know who I was anyway. I certainly didn't intend to reveal myself that way, but…oh well. You can't have everything in life. He briefly stared at the floor before continuing. "As far as Tsunade is concerned; it turns out I was wrong about her. She honestly fought for me, and is still doing what she can, but the council has her deadlocked for the most part. It's probably the work of that Danzo guy." He sighed. "At least I'm out of the bingo book. That was a mercy I didn't expect."

Temari nodded. "Glad to hear it. Of course, now all of them are going to start spreading the stories of your return…"

Naruto shook his head. "I doubt it. The old edition of the bingo book had been in circulation for years. You know how it had me listed as a jinchuuriki; they'll want that explained before they start letting anyone else know." He slumped slightly. "Besides, they're smart enough not to reveal that Konoha's prodigal son is back. They'll tell a few people; Sakura will tell Ino, who will tell the rest of the Rookie Nine, Tenten will probably mention something to Neji, Lee certainly doesn't have any secrets from Gai… but for the most part, it should stay pretty quiet."

She looked into his eyes, worry for him still evident. "I guess…I just want to get the mission over with and go back home. I don't like spending time here, knowing what even the civilians are capable of."

Naruto laughed grimly at this. "They'll leave me in peace, if they know what's good for them."

With that rather morbid comment still hanging in the air, he flopped down on his mattress.

Temari smirked. "Don't tell me that the god of stamina is actually tired?"

Naruto chuckled in response, briefly closing his eyes in amusement. "Not particularly. It was more an excuse to get them out of the room so I could compose myself." His smile vanished. He paused for a moment, staring at the ceiling while frowning thoughtfully. "But I have been running a lot, and I did decide to involve us in that skirmish with the Iwa-nin. A little sleep wouldn't hurt."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Even if it's only four in the afternoon…"

"Ah, shut up and let me enjoy my nap," he replied jokingly, looking in her direction again.

Temari rolled her eyes at him, but couldn't surpress a little smirk. "Yes boss."

He gave her a roguish wink. "And don't you forget it!"

To outsiders, the massive Hyuuga compound was a testament to Konoha's greatness. Beautifully constructed buildings, surrounded by a near-impregnable wall and guarded by precision-trained branch members.

When one looked a little ways underneath the underneath, the flaws became all too apparent. Main house members enjoyed their aristocratic lifestyle by using their Branch cousins as mere slaves, while those 'lesser Hyuugas' glared balefully at their backs and plotted minor schemes for petty revenge. The schism between the two was wide, and only a very few were able to get past it.

If one looked still further, a clan in regression could be seen. The Jyuken had become a shadow of its former glory. The entire Hyuuga combat was far too specialized, creating glaring weaknesses that would no doubt be exploited by enemies in the future. The clan head had fallen ill, and spent most of his time confined to his chambers, leaving the clan under the provisional rule of its disfunctional elder council, the members of which being more content to fight amongst themselves than provide any sort of leadership to either Main or Branch.

If one looked deep into the heart of the compound, they would see a young woman sobbing in her room.

Hinata didn't know what to do.

She hadn't merely waited faithfully for him. Naruto had mentioned that he liked strong girls, so she had worked herself to the bone training in an effort to have him notice her when he got back. He had commented that he liked long hair; she had grown hers out, leaving it to fall almost to her waist in its silky indigo glory. He thought her stutter was weird, so she had spent a good portion of her 'non-training' time interacting with as many different people as possible in an effort to get over her shyness. He had vanished, almost without a trace; so she had begun to set up her very own rudimentary spy network in the areas surrounding Konoha in an effort to start looking for him in earnest. The list went on.

When she thought about it, she couldn't think of anything else she could have done that would have improved her chances. And it still wasn't enough.

Maybe Neji was right, all those years ago. Maybe human lives were predestined, according to the fates. Maybe she and Naruto were just…never meant to be together.

It was too much. She couldn't bear it anymore. Tears of silent anguish began their steady journey down her cheeks.

All she could do was hope that the lucky girl who had won Naruto's heart, whoever she might be, at least made him happy.

Naruto woke a little after ten, around six hours after he started his nap. The sun had set, but there was still enough light for him to see by.

He noticed Temari was still sleeping. She had curled up into a fetal position, and was snoring softly. Rather than wake her, he instead left her a note saying that he was going out to re-examine his old stomping grounds, and that he would be back no later than midnight.

After putting his shirt back on, slipping into his steel-reinforced getas and buckling his weapons back into their respective places, he headed toward the door, absently attaching his mask as he did. It bothered him, sometimes, always hiding behind a mask, but the pros outweighed the cons.

He opened the door and walked soundlessly out into the cool night air.

For a moment, he just stood there, gazing at his former home. There had been no time for such an evaluation earlier; he had been preoccupied with his duties before meeting with Tsunade, and distracted afterwards. Now, though…it struck him just how alien Konohagakure no Sato felt. Sure, all the buildings were in the same place – he knew the area like the back of his hand, even after all this time. Each glance brought back memories. I spray-painted that shop orange, revenge for them throwing me out of the store…I used that alleyway several times; it branches several times, and I lost my pursuers that way…as part of Team Seven, I mowed that old lady's lawn; Sasuke pawned the work off on me, and Sakura followed him like usual…

He smiled sadly behind his mask. None of the memories were pleasant.

As Naruto walked through Konoha, it was more of the same. Memories of his old life as Konoha's number one unpredictable knuckle-head ninja flooded back. Looking back on it all, Naruto wondered how he had stayed sane. Every day, he was scorned, humiliated, and treated like garbage.

After rounding a familiar corner, his eyes lit up slightly. He knew this house.

Iruka was putting away the last of his newly washed dishes when he heard a knock on the front door. After stowing away the final plate, and idly cursing whoever might be disturbing him this late, he opened the door to find a masked ninja he didn't recognize, wearing a non-standard ANBU mask. The man was wearing a Suna hitai-ate around his neck, and had a decent array of weaponry secured about his person.

Hmm…that's odd. I can't think of any reason an ANBU should be on my front doorstep this late, let alone one from Sunagakure. "Can I help you, ANBU-san?"

The masked man chuckled. "Don't you remember me, Iruka-sensei?"

Iruka frowned. The voice was vaguely familiar, but he had taught many students over the years. He didn't know of any that had transferred to a different village, though… wait… not transferred, no, but he did disappear… is it…?

He didn't have to wait for an answer. The Suna-nin reached up and removed his mask to reveal a face that Iruka remembered very well. Age had changed it – the whisker marks were gone, and the brilliant blue eyes now harbored slit pupils instead of circles – but he knew exactly who this young man was.

Iruka's mouth fell open in disbelief. "…Naruto?"

The blonde smirked at him. "How've ya been?"

Naruto enjoyed the look of astonishment his old teacher gave him as he removed his mask, but was surprised when the academy teacher lunged forward to grab him in a hug. Naruto noticed how much taller he had become than the chuunin, and laughed inwardly before returning the gesture.

The scarred man let go and backed up slightly to look over his old student, his astonished expression replaced by a little grin. "Kami, what happened to you? Where's the little brat I used to chastise for defacing village monuments?"

The young ninja smiled weakly in return, while rubbing the back of his neck. "Heh…long story, that one."

Iruka nodded understandingly. "I have time. For old time's sake, how about I take you for ramen so we can catch up?"

Naruto laughed softly. "Ah, memories…tell you what. I'll treat you, this time…it'll make up a little for the damage I did to your wallet back in the day."

Iruka smiled at his former student. "Well, if you really want to…give me a second to grab my sandals."

Naruto nodded, and went to reattach his mask. Iruka caught his arm, though, and gave him a little smile. "If you're not on duty, leave it off."

The blonde gently pulled himself out of the chuunin's grasp, and put the mask on anyway. "I don't think that's the best idea. Don't worry; I'll take it off to eat."

Hinata stood up. This upset, morose persona…that was exactly what she had been trying to get rid of all these years. Now. She was going to leave the Hyuuga compound, and she was going to go get a snack to make herself feel a bit better. Hmm…Ichiraku's might still be open…

Ichiraku Teuchi was contemplating closing up the stand for the night when two ninja walked in, chatting about something. He recognized one of them. Umino Iruka was something of a regular at the little ramen stand, which had become quite popular with a select group of ninja. They were the main reason he was still open; business wasn't great, and he refused to mark up the prices any more than he already had. But his repeat customers kept him and Ayame afloat, and for that, he was thankful.

A single picture hung on the wall, depicting a young boy with a massive grin, surrounded by ramen bowls piled high around him. It was the memory of this boy that kept that select group coming back; each member usually came alone, and would quietly order and eat a bowl or two before leaving. Occasionally some of them would come together, and the mood would be much more jovial. Rare was it, however, to see a new customer – he had a reputation as 'that guy who liked the demon brat' after all.

So it was with a touch of surprise that Teuchi watched Iruka enter with a stranger. He knew most of Iruka's friends, by sight if not by name, and this fellow certainly wasn't one of them. Even more strange was the Suna hitai-ate the stranger wore around his neck; Iruka almost never left the village due to his position as a teacher – where would he have met a Suna-nin? An ANBU, judging by the man's mask, which meant the stranger was strong, most likely jounin-level.

His thoughts were interrupted when the stranger sat down and placed his order.

"I'll get two large miso, a large pork, and a large beef for starters. And Iruka-sensei will have a…?"

"Medium chicken. Thank you, Ichiraku-san."

As Teuchi went off to prepare the ramen, his mind went into overdrive. The Suna-nin had referred to Iruka as sensei…since when was Iruka teaching Suna shinobi? Furthermore, who ordered four large bowls of ramen as a starter? It really puzzled him...

The ramen didn't take long, and he passed the bowls to Ayame to carry out. He sat down in the back of the kitchen, his mind still filled with thoughts about this new stranger, only to hear Ayame's agitated voice. "Otou-san, come here!"

Ichiraku Ayame was almost at the end of a decidedly boring day that finished up a decidedly boring week. She was all set to go home, shower, and sleep, but no! Iruka and his new buddy had to arrive.

She actually quite liked Iruka; he was a nice, approachable guy, always with a smile and a kind word. But right now, he was between her and a soft bed, and that was enough cause for her)annoyance.

She slid the bowls in front of their respective owners and then stood there, arms crossed, glaring at the two as if to force them to eat faster with her own sheer willpower. It was at that point that the masked Suna-nin spoke.

"What's the deal, Ayame-san? Your cute face is marred by that grumpy expression."

Ayame frowned irritably in return. Oh, great. Now the guy is hitting on me…just what I wanted. Before she could let fly with a tongue-lashing at the Suna shinobi, he removed his mask and smiled at her, driving all thoughts of anger from her mind. Is it…Kami, it is…where the hell has he been? Suddenly, the girl felt herself blush. And when did he become so…hot?

She spun around to yell at her father. "Otou-san, come here!"

After turning back to the sexy young…er, Naruto, she began to bombard him with questions, mostly revolving around "Where have you been?" and "When did you get back?" Her other, unvoiced query, 'Are you still single?' she thought better not to mention…yet.

Naruto held up a hand to stop the tidal wave of questions. "Slow down there Ayame-san. One question at a time."

She wondered briefly about the honorary suffix change; it had always been –neechan before. "Um…so, where have you been all this time?"

He rolled his eyes and pointed at his hitai-ate. Oh right. Duh. Stupid question…

She laughed nervously. Great; I bet he thinks I'm an idiot. "…did you just get back to Konoha?"

"Yeah, I arrived about eight hours ago. It's been pretty eventful, too…"

"Oh really? What happened?"

Naruto winked. "Most of it's classified. Sorry."

Damn... "Oh well. So, Suna…what's it like? I've never been to the desert."

"I was wondering that myself, actually…" Iruka added.

Ayame jumped; Iruka had startled her. She had completely forgotten about the chuunin's presence.

Naruto laughed at the embarrassed girl's response, then continued to answer her question as well as he could. "In a word? Hot. Suna is hot. It's a pretty nice place to live, though…the wind keeps the buildings cool, the people are friendly, they have a great ninja program, and one of my best friends is the Kazekage." His voice, light and almost carefree before, turned dark and melancholy, a deep frown quickly growing on his expression. "There's one big problem with Sunagakure, though…"

Uh oh. Why does nothing ever go right in this poor boy's life? Heh…maybe we could make him feel better……Bad! Bad, perverted inner self! "What's that? It sounds pretty serious…"

"Oh, it is. You see…their ramen sucks!"

Ayame sweat-dropped. THAT was the problem?! "And here I was worried about you! Naruto, you haven't changed at all! Why, I should…"

Hinata was almost at Ichiraku's when she heard Ayame's familiar voice. "So how is life? Are you seeing anyone right now?"

In spite of herself, Hinata's ears perked up. Ayame was second only to Ino in obtaining interesting gossip. She waited for a reply.

"Nope, I'm enjoying the bachelor life right now. Why, you interested or something?" the person replied jokingly.

Hinata wasn't really listening to the ramen girl's stuttered response. Instead, she was trying to decide if the voice she had just heard really belonged to the man she thought it did.

"Byakugan!"

With her Kekkei Genkai active, she was easily able to see through the wooden walls of the ramen stand, and sure enough, Naruto was sitting on a stool, chatting with Ayame and Iruka-sensei.

Hunger was forgotten. It took a fair amount of restraint for her to refrain from thanking Kami as loud as she could.

She turned on her heel and began to walk serenely back to the Hyuuga compound, emotions held tightly in check.

Hinata entered her room, slammed the door and flopped down on her bed. She let out a contented sigh before falling asleep in her clothes; for the moment, completely content.

"So, you're going to be at the academy, huh? Guess I'll be seeing you a lot in the days to come."

Naruto smirked at his old sensei behind his mask. "Think you're up for it?"

Iruka just laughed. The two parted ways; Iruka back to his own home and Naruto back to the barracks.

It had been nice, reconnecting with his old friends. Talk at the ramen stand had been full of "oh, look how different this is now," or "wow, that hasn't changed a bit, has it?" For the most part, though, Konoha was the same as it had ever been. The same people did the same jobs, ran the same errands, spent time with the same people, held the same prejudices…

Naruto shook his head. That last thought might not be entirely fair; he had spent seven years thinking Tsunade had tried to kill him, and that couldn't be further from the truth. While it was…unlikely…that the villagers had changed their perceptions of him, he was willing to give them a chance to prove him wrong.

That would come tomorrow, though...it was almost midnight, and he had promised Temari in his note that he would be back by then. Even if she was still sleeping and hadn't found his note, he knew he should get some rest himself.

Temari was reading when the door opened and Naruto stepped inside. The blonde shinobi undid his mask and set it beside his bed.

"So where'd you go?"

He gestured vaguely. "Around."

She rolled her eyes at him. "Wow, real informative."

"I went past Iruka-sensei's place, and we chatted briefly before we went for a ramen meal. It was great catching up with Ayame-san and Teuchi-san as well. After that, I walked back here."

"A ryo for your thoughts."

He hesitated. If she hadn't been watching for it, she would have missed the slight tightening of his face as he schooled his expressions. "I…don't know, really. Physically, Konohagakure no Sato is the same as always. My real interest is in whether or not the attitude of the inhabitants has improved; only time will tell, I suppose."

He turned away and took off his mask, before turning down his bedroll.

"Naruto…I know you pretty well. You're not telling me something."

Naruto laughed, but it sounded forced. "It's not an actual observation, really, more of a comparison." He sat down, looking at Temari solemnly before continuing. "When I lived here, I did just about everything I could think of to get some kind of respect, or at least acknowledgement, and after I spent twelve years here, all I had to show for it were a handful of people who tolerated my existence. Of that handful, only seven actually liked me, and of that seven, only a couple would stand up for me on a regular basis. And then I look back at home, where again, no one trusted me at the start. But when I did something worthwhile, it actually meant something to them, and I was able to earn acceptance and respect. So why?"

Temari sighed softly as she could see the sad look in Naruto's eyes. The young ninja shifted uncomfortably on the edge of his bed. How could those people have treated him in such a brutal way? How could they have done this to such a kind, good-natured guy? She felt anger rising within her, it happened everytime when she thought about how much her teammate must have suffered all those years. Before she could say something, Naruto continued talking, his sad gaze had disappeared, only to be replaced by a look of frustration.

"So why?" The blonde repeated, his voice sounding harsher this time. "Two different villages, Konoha and Suna. They have the same basic purpose, and are home to the same kinds of people: ninja, and those who provide services to keep the ninja village running. So why is one…normal, if you will…and the other so intolerant? Yes, Kyuubi killed Otou-san, indirectly at least. But think about it! The Elder Council and higher ranked ninja knew that Akasun no Sasori killed the beloved Sandaime Kazekage, a man held in as high esteem as the Yondaime Hokage. Sasori had a massive price on his head, but the villagers never took out their anger on things that were only related to the man. His family, his possessions – they knew that those things weren't the Kage-slayer himself, and so they were left alone. Chiyo was on the council, despite the fact that she trained him; Kankuro used Sasori's puppets, until he started making his own…"

His semi-angry tone became softer and slightly melancholy. "So why is Konoha so different? The entire time I lived here, I was a shield, a massive barrier keeping the world safe from the fox. I protected the entire world from the thing's destructive power. Any idiot should be able to figure out that if I really had been the fox, I would have simply killed them for daring to attack me. So that's my question: why? Why were they so short-sighted?"

Her heart went out to him. "I honestly don't know, Naruto…I wish I did, for your sake. Who knows; maybe Hi no Kuni spawns an abnormally large proportion of idiots?"

He laughed softly at that. "Heh…yeah, who knows. Maybe they'll have figured it out, and will finally forgive me for being born."

That last line sort of killed the conversation. Temari stood and walked to the bathroom to get changed. By the time she returned, Naruto was already in his blankets. She killed the lights and then followed his example.

The last thing Temari heard before falling asleep was Naruto, talking quietly to himself. "All those years…I spent sixteen years holding the fox at bay…and I was hated for my sacrifice. Jinchuuriki, indeed."

The alarm went off at six, just as the sun was rising. The two got up and headed off to the showers. It still being early, the male shower room was empty; Naruto wondered if Temari was as lucky. He took a few extra minutes to enjoy the feeling of hot water cascading over his skin, then reluctantly turned the taps off, dried himself, and got dressed, making sure that his mask was in place before he left. On the way back to his room he passed a very sleepy Fujitaka Hiro, who gave him a lazy salute.

"Ohayo – (yawn) – taichou…"

"Ohayo. I want you at the main barracks entrance, ready to go, in ten minutes."

"Hai, taichou…wait what? Ten minutes?"

Naruto sighed. "Yes, Hiro, you have TEN MINUTES to be ready to go. Don't keep the rest of us waiting."

"B-but tai-chou…"

Naruto gave his subordinate a stern look. "No buts."

Exactly nine minutes and thirty-four seconds later, Suna Team Oni headed out for the first day of their latest mission.

"I still don't see why we're studying a bunch of brats being taught at some academy."

"Ah, for the love of – how many times have we been over this, Hiro? Suna is graduating fewer and fewer ninja; we are here to get ideas from the Konoha academy. You won't have to get up this early every day; it only takes one of us to sit through the classes. I only want the three of you here on the first day so you can see how it's done."

At a growl from one of the females – he wasn't sure exactly who – Naruto clarified. "I'm not worried about Temari or Nariko, but YOU Hiro…I know you, and you would take great pleasure in showing up the students."

At this, all three of members of his squad looked confused. Nariko voiced their thoughts. "Umm…what do you mean by that, taichou?"

"Let me put it this way. If you were an academy student, and one day four foreign ANBU wandered into your classroom, what would you think?"

"Well…I'd be nervous as hell."

"Exactly. We don't need to worry about the chuunin instructors; Hokage-dono has briefed them, and they know to expect four new 'ninja-in-training', all of whom will be hiding under a Henge. The idea is to simply observe a normal classroom setting."

Hiro hesitantly answered. "Well…if you say so, taichou, then that's what we'll do, but…I gotta say, so far this mission sucks. I had to get up ridiculously early, and I don't even get to fight anyone…"

Naruto sighed, but decided not to make a problem regarding Hiro's attitude. "Oh well. Be a big boy and deal with it."

They arrived at the academy without further issues, and the four Henged into twelve-year-old students. Hiro was a chubby boy, looking vaguely like an Akimichi; Temari looked like a younger version of herself, without the signature hairstyle; Nariko had changed from a flame-haired beauty to a short girl with big grey eyes, and Naruto himself was a skinny little blonde boy with blue eyes. He had opted not to wear orange; however ironic it might have been, someone might suspect something.

Naruto took a seat in the middle of the classroom. He leaned forward on the desk and closed his eyes, pretending to be a bored, tired student just waiting for the teacher to arrive.

Suddenly an angry voice sounded from his left. "You, get out of my seat. Now." Naruto sighed irritably. Oh, great. Looks like the academy has yet another arrogant prodigy. I wonder who took the brat's chair…

He felt something strike him on the head; not with nearly enough force to dispel his Henge, but annoying nonetheless. "Hey dobe! Get your worthless self out of Genji-kun's seat!"

Naruto just knew his teammates were laughing their asses off at him; a glance around the classroom showed him three very controlled faces. Only Hiro's showed the slightest expression, but it was very obvious to him that all three were struggling not to burst out in uncontrolled laughter. Naruto made a mental note to put all three through his patented 'Training from Hell' as soon as possible.

He then looked up at the boy who made the demand. Pale empty eyes stared back at him from a face framed by long black hair. Great…another Neji. I wonder who gets to remove the stick from this one's ass?

Naruto knew that for the sake of the mission, any kind of trouble had to be avoided. I should just apologize and get this over with. He stood up. "Sorry, Genji-san. My mistake."

The brunette fangirl who hit him before proceeded to do so again. "Don't talk with so little respect to Genji-kun! You can address him as 'Genji-sama'."

The blonde groaned inwardly, feeling more annoyed with each second. Ok…what would a student do…a student would lash out. Bad idea. Rather than answering the child, he simply moved four spaces down the row and sat back down again, only to be hit by the fangirl again, who seemed angry at the fact that he didn't so much as twitch when she struck him. "I was talking to you! Answer me!"

What's up with this kid? He was determined to settle this peacefully, but his patience was really being pushed to the limit here. Standing up, he gave an introductory bow. "Apologies. I just transferred to this class today; I don't know your name."

"Harano Sayuri, that's Sayuri-sama to you." Harano…great. A relative of my old teammate's, without the trademark pink hair. "I'm cousin to the great Harano Sakura herself, so show some respect when you talk to me!"

Naruto sat down again, averted his gaze from the girl, closed his eyes and went through a list of Doton jutsu he knew, starting from the weakest and working up. It was a good exercise when he was angry; it gave him time to collect his thoughts. The idea of using Sakura's name as a badge of pride…he should toss the insolent little whelp out a window. A quick glance at his teammates showed they were no longer laughing.

"Of course, Sayuri-sama. My mistake. I was unaware of your relation to the…great…Sakura-san." He had to force those last words out of his mouth. But anything would be better than to create a scene, not to mention the bad example he would be for to his teammates.

The brat giggled. "Well, so long as you know. I'm going to be that amazing one day…I'm gonna be apprenticed to the Hokage; I'll be dating an ANBU captain…" the child sighed contemplatively. "Although hers is foreign..."

Naruto's head shot up at that, his eyes widened in shock. Sakura was telling people that she was dating him? The sheer nerve of the bitch…the two of them would be having words. Meaning he would be talking, and Sakura would be nodding with a look of fear on her face.

The blonde looked at younger Harano; she really had managed to get his attention. "That is very interesting…where is this foreign shinobi from, that Sakura-san is dating?"

The brat gave a superior smile. "She isn't dating him yet. He's from Konoha, really, but he's been in Suna for a long time. He is super in love with her so I expect it won't take long. I heard he's really handsome, too…" the little girl let out a dreamy sigh, "just like Genji-kun."

The girl continued to ramble about the Hyuuga boy, but Naruto was lost in his thoughts and barely heard her. At least she isn't a liar…just majorly misinformed. Apparently Sakura thinks I'm still the flamboyant little kid he had shown to the world back before he turned missing-nin. We will still be having words.

The chuunin instructor walked in just in time to see Harano Sayuri smack a blonde boy in the head for not replying to her. A closer look at the blonde child showed that he actually under a Henge, one constructed well enough to deal with physical contact. The man stifled a laugh at the idea of an academy student hitting the ANBU operative he knew was going to be in the class.

"Sayuri, take your seat. Ok, now we're going to be reviewing chakra. Can anyone tell me something about chakra? Thank you for volunteering, Aiko…"

After school, Harano Sayuri watched the annoying blonde boy from the morning walk off by himself. Ha! The kid doesn't even have a family to pick him up from school. What a loser. I can barely believe I'm in a class with some no-name dead last… She didn't notice the three other children who walked after him with concerned looks on their faces.

A moment after the boy had disappeared behind one of the buildings nearby, a massive chakra wave slammed into her. Sayuri gasped in shock; it felt as if the very air around her was crushing her into the ground. She sank to her knees, panting heavily, and dimly noticed that other children and even some of the former shinobi/parents were doing the same.

As the young girl gradually regained her breath, she could only wonder who would have been able to generate such an intense chakra pressure. Whoever it was, there was no doubt in her mind he or she must be exceedingly powerful. Maybe even stronger than Sakura-neesama...

Tsunade was in her office doing paperwork — and drinking the odd bowl of saké — when suddenly the uncomfortable feeling of killing intent hit her. Not only that, but it was of a scale rarely seen, and it was coming closer, fast. She stood up, focusing herself, not really sure what to expect.

The door blasted open to reveal a masked Naruto.

"Where is Sakura?" he growled as he stalked into the room, slamming the door behind him.

Her eyes widened at his tone. Why is he so angry? "Sakura is fine, Naruto, you don't need to worry about — "

"That isn't what I asked. Where the hell is she?!"

She arched an eyebrow at his tone before replying guardedly. "Why do you want to know?"

"Pinky and I need to have a little chat. Don't worry, I won't harm your apprentice."

The loathing in his voice threw her for a loop. "You saw her last night," she said, attempting to make sense of the situation. "I would have thought…certain grievances…would have been dealt with by now."

"Oh, no. No. She had to go and make new ones. Tell me where she is." He visibly calmed himself. "I promise I won't hurt her, but we really need to get some things straightened out."

Well…he did promise, so…Tsunade decided not to press the button informing Shizune that no one was to be allowed into the office. She frowned thoughtfully for a moment before replying. "Sakura is actually on her way here."

"I'll wait."

The two of them stood there for a minute, Naruto still seething, Tsunade eyeing him, trying to figure out what was going on.

The door opened. "Tsunade-shishou, I have those reports you asked for—" Her expression brightened when she saw who else was in the room. "Oh! Hi Naruto! How are— "

"Sakura, come with me. Now."

The pinkette blinked in confusion. "Umm, ok…how come?"

Not bothering to give her a response, he grabbed her arm tightly and the two of them vanished.

Tsunade sat down in her chair, folding her hands in front of her. Although she had no doubt that Sakura would be alright, she couldn't help but wonder what exactly had happened between them since his return. …Wow though. Wind Shunshin, with no hand seals, while carrying another chakra signature with him. I knew he had a wind element, so the Shunshin wasn't a huge surprise, but damn…the chakra control needed for that…how much have you improved, gaki?

Sakura and Naruto rematerialized in one of the training grounds, which was luckily empty.

She extracted her arm from his iron grip and rubbed the area he had grabbed her. "Umm, it's not that I'm not pleased to see you, but what's going on?"

"Explain to me why one Harano Sayuri, who was busy fangirl-ing over some Hyuuga, informed my Henged self that the two of us were dating."

Sakura blushed. "Well…uh, if you want to, I thought we could go on that date you always asked me for?"

Naruto pulled off his mask and attached it to his belt, his newly revealed face incredulous. "Are you brain dead? Why the FUCK should I want to spend any time with you whatsoever?"

Sakura was stunned. This was certainly not a reaction she had expected. "B-but…Naruto-kun – "

"Don't you dare call me that."

"I – I don't understand – "

Naruto rolled his eyes in response. "Wow, Sakura, and here I thought you were smart. First, I'll give you the simple explanation. Yeah, I asked you out all the time. That was seven years ago, and before you attacked my mutilated body and left me to die at the hands of prejudiced idiots. I won't even start talking about all the times you tried to beat me up aside from that one glowing example; I think it does the job quite nicely on its own, don't you?" His voice became louder with each word he spoke, and each word seemed to hit Sakura like a slap in the face.

The girl stared at him in disbelief, which quickly changed into sadness. "N-Naruto, I'm s-sorry," she stuttered before beginning to cry. Naruto grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her, his eyes narrowed. "An apology?" he laughed bitterly. "Do you think that means anything to me? You don't honestly think that everything will be alright again just by saying 'I'm sorry'?" Sakura began to cry harder, causing Naruto to roll his eyes again. "Oh, come on!" he yelled at her, his voice holding not even the slightest hint of compassion or sympathy. "Don't even start with that. You're allowed to cry after you've suffered as much as I have."

This wasn't how it was supposed to happen. For the seven years since he had fled Konoha, she had never once forgotten him. She knew she had to apologize for what she had done, because it was wrong. Over the years, though, she had realized just how much Naruto and his constant encouragement had meant to her, and she had decided that she would do everything to get him back in her life.

This, though…Why wouldn't Naruto accept her apology? She had never been more sincere about anything in her entire life. She really wanted to be with him; the fact that he was absurdly good-looking was just a bonus.

Sakura raised her head, forcing herself to look into Naruto's eyes. A cold chill shot through her spine and then spread to every part of her body. There was no kindness in his eyes, no sympathy for her situation, only anger and betrayal. She immediately averted her gaze, afraid to look at him any longer.

She collapsed bonelessly against his chest; he tensed, but didn't push her away. "P-please, N-Naruto…" Her tears were now flowing in streams down her cheeks, and had started to soak his shirt. He barely noticed.

Closing his eyes for a moment, he ignored the girl's desperate crying. It sounded genuine and heartfelt, which surprised him somewhat, if not nearly enough to alliviate the situation. Naruto fixed his former teammate with an intense stare.

"Oh, and Sakura?"

(sniff) "Yeah, Naruto?"

"I've got a secret for you."

"R-really? What's that?" She wiped away a tear, her voice sounding slightly hopeful.

He leaned in, until his lips were practically touching her ear, and whispered. "I never liked you, Sakura. It was all part of an act, a great big act to make me look like a fool so the villagers wouldn't think I was a major threat, an act that worked relatively well until I was sent after everyone's favourite traitorous Uchiha. So stew on that, Pinky. Don't presume you know anything about me."

He pushed her away from him, and she fell into a sitting position on the grass. He put on his mask, turned around and started to walk away. "After all, Sakura, you never once tried to get to know the real me. Maybe if you had, things wouldn't have turned out the way they did."

He walked a few more steps, glanced back once, and then vanished in the same technique as he used to bring them there.

Meanwhile, Sakura, alone and abandoned, continued to cry, tears flowing down her face as she started to think back on Naruto's words and their shared past.

Naruto had thought he would feel better after raging at the girl who had ruined a good portion of his life. He didn't. He felt awful.

After he reappeared at the ANBU barracks, he strode wordlessly past his concerned teammates, sat down on his bedroll, and began to meditate. Jiraiya had always told him it was a good idea when the mind lost its delicate balance.

ZOMFG longest chapter yet, clocking in at over eight thousand words! That was worth the wait, right everyone? Right??

It's not my fault. Blame my boss, who has decided that since I am one of the few truly competant staff not on vacation, I must be on EVERY BLOODY SHIFT to ensure nothing goes wrong. Also, blame writer's block, which was plaguing me for a while there.

A/N: I never did clarify this, but Fujitaka Nariko is 'Nariko' from Heavenly Sword, in ANBU garb, with a ridiculously strong Fire element and (naturally) a zanbatou. She's just a minor character, but I thought the cameo was kinda cool. Hiro is a slightly lazy male version of Nariko; similar looks, same ridiculously strong Fire element and a pair of dual wakizashi instead of a zanbatou.

On a related note: I decided who Gaara will be paired with; the lucky girl is, in fact, a canon character. No Gaara/OC lovin' this time. And an apology to Gaara fans: it isn't going to be a major part of the story. I'm using him more the way army generals use guided missiles - to kill things. Lots of things. Foreshadow much?

Remember, every time you read and don't review, Orochimaru experiments on an innocent little kid. Remember Isaribi? What he did to her is NICE compared to the fate of one poor, cute child under the age of ten for each person who doesn't submit a review.

PLEASE! Think of the children! Because YOU can make a difference!

(that one was for you, Anzer'ke)