'Thinking'

'Kyuubi_talking'

"Talking"

/Naruto Talking to Kyuubi/

"Jutsu's"

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters. The plot idea is my own and the OC's as well.

Chapter 31

The group was speechless. Some mouths were slightly opened as no words came out while others stared with disbelief. Naruto couldn't tell whether it was from Sasuke's news or the Leaf's. Either way, both news were shocking and although he wouldn't admit it out loud, it was also pleasing.

A few seconds ticked by before Tsunade recollected herself and turned to her men and asked, "How did they die? Wasn't anyone defending them?"

The second Leaf shinobi glanced away and swallowed nervously, "Well, Keo went to go protect them a while back…" He trailed off, not knowing how to say the rest.

"And?" Tsunade demanded, a frown forming on her face.

"And… well, when we got to the scene," he continued, "all we found were the Elders, kunai sticking out everywhere on their bodies, on the ground as well as…" Once again he trailed off. Luckily, his teammate continued from there.

"Blood was everywhere, Hokage. It looked as though someone sprayed the blood onto the walls. It was hard to tell whose it was." The third person said as he looked directly at the Hokage. "But, we found this." Reaching into his pocket, the shinobi pulled out a blood-covered headband. He flipped it over, careful of the scorch marks on the blue material, and on the back read a name with only three letters. Keo.

Too low for anyone to hear, a few of the Leaf shinobi still left in the group as well as a few Sand siblings all muttered, "Good riddance."

Tsunade nodded her head. She closed her eyes at the news but didn't let any emotions show as she stored the news towards the back of her head for later use. "Alright," she said a moment later. "Have a medic tend to all of the injured shinobi first and once they get done, have them gather the Elder's bodies and move them to a medic tent. I will be there soon to properly tend to them." All three ninja nodded their heads and gave a slight bow before they were dismissed from the group. As soon as they left, everyone turned to Sasuke.

"How did it happen?" Jiraiya asked; slightly astonished by the remark the young ANBU captain gave.

Sasuke shook his head and muttered, "That's a story for a different time. For now, that snake is dead and good riddance to it." His gaze went straight to Naruto and he didn't express anything when he noticed the blonde looking off in a different direction, lost in thought. "A question I want to know is what is going to happen now?" He tore his attention away and let it land on the Hokage.

Noticing the slight confused look on her face, Sakura stepped in and explained what her former teammate was talking about, "About the Elder's. What's going to happen now now that they're dead?"

"We're going to have a funeral for them," Tsunade answered, "after everything is settled."

"No disrespect, Hokage," Kakashi stepped in, understanding what his former students were getting at. He supervised them for years and seeing a spark of hope enter their eyes, he could see what their minds thought up. He wouldn't admit, but he probably wouldn't have thought about this question for a few more days when he would finally have time to just relax instead of helping stabilize the village. "But that wasn't what they were asking." He glanced over at his third former student and then back over at Tsunade.

Understanding dawned on her. She blinked once and looked at Naruto with a slight look of frustration. But then, she shook her head once to snap out of her thoughts and cleared her throat. Placing a business look on, she turned to Gaara and stated, "Gaara of the Sand." He turned towards her and gave her his full attention. "It has been nearly four years since something dramatic happened to this village. And after seeing the results of this war, as Hokage, I am uplifting a banishment that should have never been placed in the first place."

The Kazekage didn't move from where he stood. Let alone, there was silence in the clearing. Hopeful eyes stared at the Hokage while guarded ones at the Kazekage.

After a couple of minutes, Gaara spoke in a clam tone, his voice being one too hard to read, "Your actions speak loud, Tsunade of the Leaf, and I understand your intention of doing so. But, it is not I you should be telling this to." His eyes flicker over to his step brother who looked as though he wasn't paying attention.

Tsunade nodded her head and glanced over at the blonde. Her insides twisted with guilt from years ago and hope that he would come back. Filling her lungs with air, she took the deepest breath she could and started again, "Naruto Uzumaki, as Hokage of the Leaf Village, I hereby -,"

"No."

Confusion spread through the group at the one word the blonde gave. He didn't even look at anyone or move.

"No?" Tsunade repeated, her eyebrows coming together in confusion.

"No, I am not coming back." Naruto stated. "This isn't my home any more. It hasn't been for the last five years. So why should I come back to live here now?" Bitterness was detected in his voice but no one said anything about it. "My home is in the Sand and that is where I am going."

"But-," Sakura began to say but was cut off by her old comrade glancing up and piercing through her with a glare. She fell silent and before she could do anything, tears began to fill her eyes.

"You've got to be kidding me." Sasuke cut in. He took a step forward and glared at the blonde, unaffected by the returned glare. "After all of this time, after everything that has happened, you won't come back now that the banishment is uplifted? The Elders are dead. There's nothing keeping you out of here!"

With a shake of his head, Naruto closed his eyes. "You wouldn't understand. And quite frankly, I don't feel like explaining. Just because the Elders are dead, doesn't mean things changed. It is my choice whether I want to come back or not and right now, I do not. I no longer belong here, I never have." He turned away from the group and walked over to his still sister. He knelt down and scooped her into his arms and straightened up. Without turning back, he addressed Tsunade, "Hokage of the Leaf. With your permission, I grant a request to bury a savior of this village here in the Leaf wherever I see fitting."

Tsunade blinked and tears filled her eyes at the formal request. If things had been what they used to be, he would never have asked but did it. His theory, 'Better ask forgiveness than permission', always came from him when he did something similar.

"Y-yes, you have my permission. But Naruto, won't you-," She didn't even get the chance to finish her sentence before he shot up off of the ground and disappeared high onto the rooftops. Everyone watched his departure and no one said a word.

XxxxX

"I believe it is time for us to leave." Gaara told Tsunade as they stood in her office. Thankfully, the building hadn't been touched in the war and was still the way it always looked; messy with papers. Now, the Kazekage, the three Sand shinobi, and the Hokage stood in the rather large room. "The Leaf is back under construction and everything is settling down. From your reports, there seems to be no enemy within a hundred miles around. There is no longer a need for us to remain here."

Tsunade nodded her head and refrained from rubbing her eyes from exhaustion. It had been three days since Orochimaru's attack on the Leaf and they were still all on guard as well as trying to return back to normal. She herself had been on the go with little to no sleep, making sure the village was safe and all of the injured treated to. The paperwork was piling higher and higher but she had no time to deal with it. More immediate, pressing matters needed her attention.

"And I thank you for your help in everything." She said after a minute. "The Leaf is in debt to the Sand with everything you have helped up with."

All Gaara did was nod his head in acknowledgement.

"If there is anything you need before your long journey home, find Shizune and she will help you in whatever you need."

Temari took a step forward and her gaze softened, "There will be no need, Hokage. But thank you for your offer. The four of us would just like to get home after a long few days. We won't be in your hair for much longer."

At the mention of the number, Tsunade's eyes flickered to a certain blonde haired, blue eyed man in the room. But his gaze was elsewhere. Her eyes returned to the others and she nodded her head. "If you're sure." She stood up. "I wish you a safe travel and please be careful." Then her eyes returned back to the man. "And if you ever want to change your mind, you know where to find us."

There was no response but within a few seconds, Tsunade escorted the four out of her office and then closed the door. She walked back over to her desk but instead of sitting down, she walked over to her window and leaned against it heavily. Within a few minutes, she saw the four exit the building and casually make their way towards the entrance of the village. All the while, she felt her entire being start to feel numb.

"You tried everything within your power." A voice spoke up from somewhere from behind her.

Instead of turning around, her shoulders sagged and she said, "But it wasn't enough."

Jiraiya walked up until he was beside her and gazed out the window along with her. His eyes easily caught the sight of Naruto's blonde hair and watched him. "No, but I don't think anything will change his mind except for him. Give him some time. Maybe he will eventually come back. Maybe he won't. No one knows. But, keep faith in him."

They remained quiet for a while. They watched the Sand family until they could no longer see them and continued to look in the direction they disappeared in. Neither one of them moved for the longest of time.

By the time the sun was high in the sky, Tsunade finally moved. She rubbed her eyes and turned away from the window. Jiraiya followed her movement but instead moved to sit on the window sill and leaned back against it. He turned his head away from the village and watched his former teammate sit down at her desk and opened on of its many drawers. She pulled out a bottle of sake and opened it up and took a deep gulp. Before she could go for seconds, she passed it to him and he did the same. They passed it back and forth a couple of more times until both felt buzzed and Tsunade put the half empty bottle back into her desk.

"So," Tsunade said as she grabbed some papers from her desk and skimmed over them before signing and put them in a different pile. "Did you ever find out where Naruto put his sister to rest?"

The Frog Sage shook his head and turned his head back to gaze out the window. "No, I haven't. I know for a fact she isn't buried in the cemetery nor anywhere near the Third Training Ground. I've looked many times and even had Kakashi send his hounds go out and look. I have no idea." He sighs. "I don't think we're going to find it. But then again, why do you want to know where it's at?"

Tsunade rolled her shoulders and then shrugged. "I don't know. I just do. She was just an important person to Naruto, I just thought maybe going to find her grave…" She didn't finish her sentence but it was clear on what she was thinking. Maybe she could somehow find answers if she could locate the grave. Impossible, of course. But, something about the location and that girl… She shook her head.

"Oh well. I guess it doesn't really matter, does it?"

Jiraiya shrugged his own shoulders and said nothing. A silence overcame them.

The silence continued for about an hour with no interruptions. The pen scribbling on paper and the sound of the stamp on others was the only continuous noise being heard. Every so often noises from the daily life of the village rang in their ears and sound of construction but nothing else.

It was broken when Jiraiya said, "You know, with the Elder's funeral being tomorrow, you'll have to find new Council Members to fill their positions."

"I already have two people in mind." She said without looking up.

"Really?"

"Yes. Riza Cazmaro and Shikamaru Nara."

Jiraiya pulled back and raised an eyebrow. "Shikamaru? I can understand Riza because of her experience with the village but why him?"

"Oh, you know why." Tsunade paused and turned halfway around to face her old comrade. "He has the knowledge and is smarter than pretty much everyone in the village. It would be stupid to not have him as a member."

"Hm, I guess." But he secretly agreed with her. He lacked the age, but his smart covered that and so much more. "When will you tell them?"

She shrugged her shoulders and replied with, "I'll request an audience with them in a few hours. But, as for now I need to make sure the construction of the village is going well and see what needs to be done." She put her pen down and stood up and began to walk towards the door to her office. She didn't even wait to see if her fellow comrade was following or not.

"I'll accompany you with that." Jiraiya said and hopped off his seat. "A little work might be what we need." He wouldn't say it out loud, but he knew if they both had something physical to do, their minds wouldn't wonder to the blonde haired boy…man they love so much and would give anything for him to come back home to them.

Side by side, they walked out of the office into the slightly destroyed village.

XxxxX

I'm leaving it there so I can have a fresh start next chapter.

And on a side note, seriously, I'm getting tired of all of the bull shit reviews. If you don't have nothing nice to say, don't fucking comment. I've seriously thought about throwing this story down the gutter and forgetting about it because I'm tired of the bad flames. It's one after the other. I know this story is terrible, but oh well. I accept criticism, I do, but when you start talking shit, I don't accept that crap. The only reason I am continuing with this story is because I want closure. I am nearing the end but there's still a lot to put in. I've been rereading my story, trying to tie up all of the loose holes, that's why it takes me forever to update. That and I have a life. That is all…

To those who have actually stuck through to this story, thank you. I am sorry I hardly ever update but life gets in the way. I'm sure you understand. But again, thank you.