CHAPTER 5: Mama, I'm Coming Home


Hyūga grounds, afternoon, 983 days since Naruto's departure

Hinata was sweating, she had long ago discarded her jacket she wore around every. Now dressed only in her shoes, navy blue pants, and her mesh armor. She was currently running through the forest with her byakugan, locating every target she could find. It wasn't that the range of her byakugan was terrible, far from it in fact. It was more the fact she needed to be at the correct spot to hit the targets, her midair chakra corrections were still not up to snuff for her liking.

She kept running through the forest, hitting her targets as she ran. One hit, two hit, all with perfect accuracy thanks to her special eyes. Keeping her byakugan active this long used to cause her dizziness and chakra exhaustion. Her years of training under Neji had slowly reduced these effects and now she could keep it active for several hours on end if used for short distances.

The problem was that this exercise required her to do regular checks at long range to make sure she had not missed any targets. Her previous attempts at this training had all resulted in her inevitably missing a few targets. She was determined to change that this time around.

She eventually found a spot in the forest where the trees were not blotting out the afternoon sun. Deliberately, she pulled an arrow from the quiver on her back and nocked it to her bow. She pulled the string back and aimed it high into the sky. She then started to pour lightning chakra into the arrow. Before she let go of the taunt string, she said aloud the name of the technique "Lightning Arrow: Thunderclap" and then released her grip on the string. The arrow screamed just past her cheek as it flew far beyond the canopy of the forest, lost in the sun's gaze.

She didn't rest on her laurels, she immediately started sprinting to the next targets, huffing and puffing in the warm afternoon air. It didn't take long to know that her arrow had struck its target, both from the boom she heard in the distance and her byakugon confirming the target no longer stood.

A smug smirk of satisfaction was now plastered on the Hyūga princess's face, giving her a menacing appearance with the byakugon still active. She was having the time of her life. All the training she had been doing these nearly 3 years was finally paying off in spades.

She had initially balked at the idea of her using a bow and arrow. She had never heard of a Hyūga ever using a bow in combat before, most considered it beneath them due to the clan's strong tradition of Gentle Fist. Neji, and her father, were slowly withering away at the clan's traditions. Neji giving her the bow was a single step in this process.

Although Neji himself didn't know how to shoot a bow and arrow with much competency, he was far too into Gentle Fist to switch up styles so late. He took it upon himself to learn every bit of archery to help his student master this new weapon. He also brought in outside instructors to help with the training, most were shocked that a Hyūga was learning something that went beyond Gentle Fist for combat.

Her first few months with the bow had been rough to say the least. Her accuracy was pitiful, and she had almost no strength behind her shots. During one session, she failed to hit a single target even when they were brought forward to half the usual distance. Despite all the setbacks she had at the start, she never even thought of giving up. Her desire to become a worthy shinobi overruled any feelings of quitting.

By the 4th month of archery training, she was finally able to hit her targets, albeit not accurately but it was progress. She also found that her form had improved, no longer was the string slapping against her forearm and causing it to be tender after her hour's long sessions.

By the 10th month, she was able to have all her arrows hit their targets within the second ring surrounding the center. It was at this point that Neji started having her hit moving targets, which started as well as her first months of just still targets. Her byakugon gave her near 360-degree vision, but that did not matter after the arrow was let go, she was at the whims of the target and the wind.

The 17th month is when she was able to hit the stationary targets dead center every time and was able to hit moving targets at the 3rd ring around the center. She had also by this point had bought a custom bow imported from the land of Iron. It was a standard recurve bow made from bamboo. The string of the bow was a special kind, one that allowed for chakra to easily flow through it to allow for much stronger pulls and far greater accuracy. With this new bow in hand, her progress started moving much quicker

In the 20th month is when she could now hit moving targets near her with pinpoint accuracy and could even start hitting moving targets from far away, her byakugan giving her perfect information on the movements of the targets. She was also now able to infuse her arrows with her own chakra now, finally giving her some control over them in midair.

It was during the 24th month that she had graduated from moving targets to moving targets while she also was on the move. She found it quite taxing on her chakra reserves to both keep the byakugon active and moving her arrows midair, but she persevered.

Now in the current month, she was hitting her mobile targets while sprinting through the forest, dodging and weaving between the brush and trees, not once slowing down. She once again extended her range and found 2 targets lined up almost perfectly for her. The issue was that they were both low hanging targets and she had only one arrow left.

She pulled an arrow from her quiver and nocked it, her legs still running as she had a time to beat. This time instead of putting chakra into the arrow, she poured it into the string, pulling back as far she possibly could. Once close enough to her targets, she began to slide feet first on the ground. This allowed her to be level with both targets. Once her slide brought her into perfect alignment with her targets, she let go.

As she released the bow from her fingers, a mighty shutter ran through the bow, vibrating it to high frequencies. If not for the bow being made of high quality from the land of iron, it surely would have broken.

The arrow tore through the air, flying faster than it had any right to. The arrow hit the target dead center, another perfect shot from Hinata Hyūga. It wasn't done though. It ripped through the first target like it wasn't even there and continued onto the second target behind it. There too it also hit dead center and continued through. The arrow finally stopped its rampage when it hit the rock behind the target but still embedding itself3feet (1 meter) into the stone.

Neji Hyūga was nearby on a cliff, overlooking the training ground he had set up almost a year ago. He didn't bother to hide the look of happiness spread across his face. He stopped the timer as soon as he saw his cousin hit the final target of the day and looked down at the time. She had finally hit every single target in the time he set for her with seconds to spare.

He could not have been prouder of his student. He had continued training her in Gentle Fist during these grueling past 2 years and she had come a long way since their first sparing session. He had to use 65% of his skills now to beat her. He was also running out of things to teach her and soon she would know all the Gentle Fist techniques that he knew, not at the same level of proficiency mind you but it was still very impressive to him.

He was most proud of the work she had done to start a new tradition among the Hyūga. It had started slow but after she got her new bow, she took to her new combat style like a brand-new person. She could hit targets from miles away now, which against the enemy meant she could easily set ambushes without any fear of reprisal. The thunderclap arrow she had used just a few seconds ago was testament to that.

He was also astonished at how she was also able to use her bow in even close-range situations. She could pull out arrows and fire them at such a fast rate it was almost a blur. She could fire them so fast that Hinata received a special quiver with special fūinjutsu marking all over it. These seals contained hundreds of arrows and as soon as she pulled an arrow out of the quiver, another one would be unsealed and replaced the freshly drawn arrow.

She had turned out to be a perfect student and he was proud to have a hand in her development.

"Excellent work Hinata." Neji said with his grin still plastered on his face.

Hinata looked up to where her cousin was while she picked herself up from the dirt and responded. "Thanks Neji, but the important question is, did I complete this training in time?" Her eyes were filled with hope that today would finally be the day she could say she conquered this course.

Not wanting to keep his cousin in suspense any longer, he answered. "Yes, you did, with seconds to spare."

Upon hearing this news, Hinata jumped up and down with joy. Ever since Naruto left, Hinata had been opening up a lot more with her emotions. She had made more friends now outside team 8, namely Ino Yamanaka. The blonde and the princess really started to get to know each other well these past two plus years. They had even taken to training with each other from time to time, giving each other tips on how to improve and teaching one another new techniques they picked up. Hinata had seen her first movie with Ino as well, the latest Princess Gale movie. She was now no longer the shy timid girl she used to be.

Now that she finally conquered this course, she knew she could call herself a powerful kunoichi and could stand by Naruto's side. It was during this moment of triumph that an orange streak rushed through the Hyūga complex. Many byakugon were activated when they felt the rush of air following it, but their eyes saw nothing. None saw that there was now a note left on Hinata's bed.

XxX

Shikamaru's home, early evening, 983 days since Naruto's departure

Dinner at the Nara home was usually a quiet affair. It wasn't a bad quiet mind you. The occupants simply liked eating their meals in peace and quiet. That is, unless Shikamaru's mother, Yoshino, had something to tease any of her men on. Tonight, that happened to be her son

"So, son, tell me about this girl you were 'escorting' around today." She made sure to put up air quotes around the escorting part.

Shikamaru grumbled his reply. "First off, she's the official ambassador from Sunagakure. Second, I had the mission given to me directly from the Hokage to follow her around and be her bodyguard."

Yoshino wasn't satisfied with that. "I already know about that part; I want to know her name." She said twisting the noodles in her bowl around her chop sticks.

Being ever so slightly annoyed, Shikamaru retorted. "It's the same girl I faced during the Chūnin exams over 3 years ago."

He was trying to avoid saying her name, but his mother wasn't going to have that. "You still haven't answered my question son. Are you hiding something from me?" She said in a playful manner.

"Her name is Temari." He blurted out, hoping to satisfy his mother.

After eating some noodles, she responded in a thinking manner. "Temari, Temari, that name does ring a bell. Wasn't that the same girl who saved you on your very first mission Chūnin mission."

"Yes, the same one." Shikamaru said

"And wasn't she also with your during the Chūnin exams held in Sunagakure earlier this year?" She said in an even more teasing manner.

"Yes"

"My, my son. You have been running with her quite a lot these past 3 years. Tell me all about her!" Yoshino squealed out her question.

"This is getting troublesome mom. I don't really know a lot about her. She's pushy, she's loud, she can be a real pain to me." Shikamaru said, now slurping up some of his noodles.

Shikaku, for his part, was content that the teasing was going his son's way. He continued eating his meal in peace, observing the proceeding in front of him with a half grin.

"With how much you have been seeing her, I don't think she's a pain to you. Now tell me, did Temari specifically request that YOU be her chaperone?" Yoshino now had a huge Chesire grin on her face

Shikamaru took a moment to think about this. It was odd that it always seemed to be him that was escorting her. He had never seen any other leaf shinobi accompanying her. He easily concluded that she had in fact been requesting him. Armed with knowledge, and NOT wanting to give his mom more ammunition. He fell back to the tried-and-true method to get out of this situation. He lied.

"No, she hasn't." Shikamaru prided himself on being a good liar. All shinobi needed to be good liars. Lying to your own mother though? Now that was next to impossible.

"Oh, I HIGHLY doubt that son. She for sure has a thing for you." She was now leaning over the table more, giving her son a knowing look.

"She and I are just friends, nothing more." Shikamaru could just feel the embarrassment starting to come to his face. His mom could be relentless. He never understood what Shikaku saw in her to marry such a troublesome woman.

"If she's just your 'friend' then you should have no problem inviting her to dinner tomorrow!" She said once again putting up air quotes around the friend part.

"Ah, come on mom! That would be such a drag to bring her here." Yoshino noticed that he didn't flat out refuse the offer. Shikaku for his part, could only chuckle at his son's misfortune.

"I'm sure she would enjoy it very much. And I promise to only embarrass you a tiny bit." She giggled to her son, finally getting his cheeks to warm just a bit.

"Troublesome." Again, he hadn't denied her request. She was going to have so much fun preparing the night for her son and (girl)friend.

Deciding it was now the best time to stick up for his son, Shikaku finally spoke. "Alright dear, I think the boy is plenty embarrassed as it is. Let's go easy on him now."

Her bouts of giggling now behind her, she turned her head to her husband and addressed him. "Fair enough, why don't you talk about how the training between Shikamaru and yourself has been going. I haven't had a progress report in ages!"

A wonderful grin now graced the face the Shikamaru. Happy that his bout of teasing was over, and happy for what his father was about to say.

Scratching his beard in a small pause, Shikaku replied to his wife. "To start, his shadow imitation technique has continued to improve. He can now hold shadows for more than 10 minutes on a single target. The speed at which he can send his shadow out has also increased significantly. It's to the point where its hard even for me to keep away from it." Shikaku remembered briefly their latest training session this afternoon.

FLASHBACK

They were training in the woods near their home. Plenty of shadows for Shikaku to hide in to avoid his son. Shikamaru would lay excellent traps for his father. An explosive tag here, a fake one there. Forcing him out of his hiding places all along the way. The exercise was simple, Shikamaru simply had to get ahold of his dad once before he made it back to the compound.

Shikamaru's strategy was excellent. He always had 2 shadow clones out there searching for his father while he stayed close to the gate, ready to go whenever a clone would spot Shikaku. Shikaku would occasionally reveal himself to try and get his son to commit to chasing him or a clone of Shikaku. Shikamaru never took the bait, he was calm and collected and patiently waited for his dad to fully commit.

Even if Shikaku's lessons on being the aggressor still hadn't fully sunk in to his son, the fact that his shadow clones were attempting to force him out of the shadows of the tree's meant some of the lesson had stuck. Shikaku would just need to reinforce it more. Now was the time to strike.

Shikaku sprinted from his cover behind the tree's heading to the gate his son was guarding. Shikamaru saw him instantly as he left his cover. He first threw a kunai at his father which was deflected by Shikaku's own. Shikamaru followed it up with a fireball jutsu that was aimed directly at Shikaku. Instead of just dodging the move, Shikaku countered with the water bowl technique as a continuous stream of water left his outstretched palm, smothering the incoming fireball. If Shikaku had let the fireball simply go by and explode, it would have created a long enough shadow for Shikamaru to take advantage of.

It was a ruse. Shikamaru knew his father would dose the fireball, it was the logical thing to do. That is why he had prepared his next kunai with a flashbang tag. Even before the smoke could clear from the previous colliding jutsu, Shikamaru threw the kunai into the smoke where he knew his father was. It was met mid-air by another kunai.

Shikamaru scoffed at this, his father was once again one step ahead of him. Quickly, both raced to the gate, with Shikamaru sending out more fire blasts and his father quickly ending the flames. Shikaku was just about to reach the gate when he saw his son send out his shadow. He was taken aback at how far he could now send it out and with such speed. He knew he wouldn't make it in time with the sun behind him and shining on his son's face.

So he created another sun. Granted it lasted for a second but it was all he needed. He quickly threw his last kunai into the air behind him with a flashbang tag attached, just like his son did earlier. Blinded by this sudden development, Shikamaru failed to notice that his dad had made it past the gate

END FLASHBACK

"He almost got me earlier today. I had to pull out my last resort trick to come out on top." Shikaku said with pride in his voice. Shikamaru really had come so far since becoming a Chūnin.

Shikamaru was happy for the praise he was receiving on his latest performance. What he really wanted to hear though was his father admitting something happening for the first time. He glanced to his father with a knowing look, egging the elder Nara to say what the younger Nara wanted to hear.

Giving a heavy sigh, Shikaku gave into the unasked demand. "And he finally beat me at a game of shogi."

...

...

"Seriously, you finally beat your father in shogi dear!?" Yoshino was now staring at her son, eyes filled with stars at hearing something so marvelous.

"Yes, I did." He stated matter-of-factly. Internally though, he was ecstatic to have finally beaten his dad. It only took him nearly 16 years to do it, but it finally happened.

"He beat me ONE time. I beat him swiftly in the next 10 games." Shikaku uttered, trying and failing to get back some of his pride. Still though he was happy for his son.

Yoshino got up from her seated position and went over to her son. She then got on her knees next to him and pulled him in for the biggest hug of his life.

"My boy is becoming a man before my very eyes!" Yoshino said with an enthusiastic smile and tone.

"Geez mom, can you cut it out please? This is so embarrassing." Shikamaru grumbled out.

"I'm just so proud of you! Can you really blame me?" She uttered out in delight.

Shikamaru could only grumble in response until he was let go to finish his meal. The rest of dinner went pretty like that for the rest of the night. Yoshino kept asking the 2 of them questions and Shikamaru would inevitably get embarrassed by few of the answers. Eventually, he finished eating and excused himself.

As he left the dining room and started heading to his room, a rush of wind ran through the hallway. He also could have sworn he saw an orange streak go by him as well. This lasted only for a second and then everything was calm again. Shikamaru made a mental note to get his eyes checked out just to be sure.

When he arrived at his room, he noticed that it was open slightly. Odd, I know I closed it when I last left. He then entered his room, and something caught his eye. On his bed was a scroll. Written on the scroll was "Tomorrow, Noon, Main Gate, don't be late"

XxX

Streets of Konohagakure, evening, 983 days since Naruto's departure

Ino was on another date that was going bad. Granted, she had only been on 4 dates in the past 2 years, but she knew a bad date when she was on one by now. She was getting tired of this.

Her current date had started out well enough. The Chūnin named Kai had stopped by her house to pick her up, not before getting a stern lecture from her father though. Kai was 2 years older than her and had experience with this kind of talk and handled himself well enough.

They then walked quietly to the restaurant he had reservations for. One thing she noticed about Kai was that he would take occasional glances at some of the female civilians and kunoichi on their way to the steak house when he thought she wasn't looking. That was strike one.

Strike 2 came during their meal. It was there she realized that Kai was a little too self-absorbed. He wouldn't talk about his past missions, more like bragging about them and it was irritating. He constantly was putting over the 'heroics' he had done and trying to impress her. It had the opposite effect.

The final strike against Kai was when he took her to the latest kaiju flick. How this moron thought she liked this kind of movie over romantic ones she would never understand. It wasn't the fact that he had horrible movie tastes. She would have been ok with the movie if the date previously had gone swimmingly. It was what he did during the movie that ended the date prematurely.

During the movie, she could feel his hand slowly creep towards hers. She would readjust herself every time he did this to push him just a bit back each time. Eventually, he got bold (stupid) enough to try and put his arm around her. At this point she had enough of him and bonked him on his head, giving him a nice lump, and she then stormed out of the theater to the confusion of the patrons.

Now she was walking through the streets of Konohagakure, thinking back on the other dates she had been on. The first date she had been on was 2 years ago at this point. After trying for several months to talk to her first crush in Sasuke at his complex, she had finally given up hope that he would see her the same way she saw him. It was then she started to be more receptive to the advances of her fellow shinobi.

Her first date was awkward. Both Shinji and she had never been on a date before and neither knew what to do. He didn't even have a plan for the date, he just walked around aimlessly around the village for hours trying to find something to do but failed every time. His constant apologizing also was really grating to her nerves. Eventually she just asked him to take her home and just wanted to forget the meek black-haired boy.

The second date came just a few months after her first with a shinobi named Bakugo. Bakugo was a shinobi from Kumogakure. He was the opposite of Shinji in almost every way. Where Shinji was meek, Bakugo was loud and abrasive. Where Shinji had black hair with no styling, Bakugo had a mess of spikey blonde hair, much like another genin she knew. She had thought that going out with the opposite of Shinji would produce the opposite results as well. She was wrong.

Bakugo would not shut up about himself throughout their entire date. Not once did he ask a single thing about her and would constantly bring up another shinobi in his village who sounded a lot like Shinji except maybe having a bit more spine. She couldn't even remember this shinobi's name as Bakugo had turned her off so quickly. She believed his name started with a D.

She didn't even get through the dinner they had before she left early and walked home. Opposite personalities but same result. It was really frustrating for her that she was now 2 for 2 on bad dates.

Her third date came 6 months after her second one and this time she tried to pick her partner carefully. The shinobi's name was Bunta, and she initially picked him because he was a smooth talker. He had gotten to know her for several months after she healed him in the hospital and only asked her out when she felt comfortable around him.

The date with Bunta had gone well until the end. He met her promptly at her house. He asked about her interests during the meal. He had taken her to a club after dinner and could dance well. There was something in the back of her mind though that had prevented her from really connecting with the boy. He didn't do anything wrong on the date. She had enjoyed everything they did together. There was just something missing at the time. When he took her home finally, he tried to kiss her, but she politely turned him down. He was hurt by this but understood and left promptly after that.

Now with her 4th date going up in smoke, she was starting to think she wouldn't find somebody any time soon. Bunta had been the closest and she wasn't sure why things just didn't click with him. Maybe there was something wrong with her? Could she just have high standards? Or was it perhaps that she kept on comparing all the boys to her first crush and... her fellow blonde genin.

Comparing them to Sasuke was obvious to her. Although she had mostly moved on from the boy, she still found qualities in him endearing and hoped he would one day get over his avenger mentality. Despite the rejections Sasuke gave her, she still cared for him as a friend.

She couldn't understand though why she also compared all the boys she dated to Naruto. Granted, she did look back on the time they spent with each other fondly but why compare him to the other boys? Yes, he was annoying at times, but she got used to his attention seeking antics. He was also a very sweat boy who would do anything for the ones he cared for. He's funny, loyal, maybe a little naive but that was charming at times, and probably his best trait was that he never gave up on anything once he put his mind to it. He also looked kind of cute to Ino.

What are you even thinking about Ino? Stop that right now! Hinata's the one who likes Naruto. She's liked him since they began their time at the academy! Yes, I'll admit he does possess virtually all the traits that would make a great boyfriend but come on. It's Naruto for crying out loud! I'm sure when I see him again everything will go back to the way it used to be between us.

Ino continued her walk through the streets of Konohagakure. The lights from the shop illuminating the path before her with a variety of colors. Trying not to think about boys for the rest of the night, she reflected on all she has accomplished in the past two plus years.

Her iryō jutsu was proficient enough to the point where she regularly was helping in the ER and saved many lives. Her chakra control had skyrocketed under the tutelage of lady Tsunade and her once modest chakra reserve was now well above average. True, her iryō jutsu wasn't as good as her pink haired friend but Sakura wasn't that far ahead of her. Plus, Ino had something Sakura didn't, her clan's hidden techniques. She was now proficient enough with the mind body switch technique that she could control more than one person at a time.

As she was continuing through the streets, she eventually walked past Ichiraku Ramen and heard a familiar voice call out to her.

"Hey Ino, aren't you supposed to be on your date right now." Ino turned to the voice and saw the face of her old friend Sakura.

That's odd, I never see her here at Ichiraku Ramen by herself. She used to only ever come here when Naruto would drag her and team 7 there to eat.

In a huff, Ino said. "I WAS on a date, until he tried to get frisky with me. I gave him a good lump on the head and walked out."

"Well, did you want to sit with me and talk a bit? It's been a while since we really had a good conversation." Sakura said, inviting her friend to sit next to her in the stand.

"Well, I did leave the date early so I got some time." Ino happily took the seat next to her fellow apprentice and she told Sakura about all that had happened on the date. Initially cheery, a look of disgust was growing on Sakura's face as Ino told her about the horrible date.

"He deserved more than a single lump if you ask me. Why do men have to be such pigs?" Sakura voiced her thoughts.

"Well, not all men are pigs Sakura. Bunta was a real gentleman on our date." Naruto is also not a pig either.

"Then why didn't things work out between you 2?" Sakura questioned the blonde kunoichi, a look of depression soon formed on her as she began thinking about what she was going to do tomorrow.

"I can't say for sure. He did everything right during our date. I just didn't feel a connection with him." I can only think of 1 boy I felt a connection with that was real.

After Ino spoke, she finally saw the look on Sakura's face and spoke up. "You look down all of a sudden pinky. What changed?" She asked in genuine concern for her friend.

Sakura snorted at that name. At least it was better than forehead. "I'm just thinking about what I'm going to do tomorrow. I've been trying to prepare myself this past week, but it's done little to help me."

"What are you going to do tomorrow, Sakura?" Ino questioned her friend.

Sakura let out a huge sigh before she answered. "I don't really want to say it right now, but I promise you I'll talk about it after I get through with it, Deal?"

Ino still had a look of concern on her face but accepted the deal all the same. The rest of the conversation was about them catching up on each other's lives outside the hospital and sharing more stories during their apprenticeship. Ino was not home when an orange streak went through her house and into her room and left a note.

XxX

Uchiha complex, late evening, 983 days since Naruto's departure

Sasuke fished out his fūma shuriken from his pack. He unfurled it, infusing it with his lightning chakra, and tosses it at a tree on the opposite side of the clearing. He was standing in a clearing he had gotten to know quite well over these 2.5 years. If he wasn't eating or sleeping or doing a mission restricted to the village, he was here training. Beside him was his teacher Kakashi Hatake. He had been visiting his student more frequently as of lately. He was here now to gauge Sasuke's progress since his return to the village

Sasuke had slowly but surely started to win over the trust of the village, if by a tiny bit. He was finally starting to be given missions again. Albeit mostly those that took place entirely in the village. If a mission did require him to leave the village, he was always accompanied by Kakashi and Anko and hidden ANBU, no exceptions. The village thought that the years had finally started to break down the Uchiha boy's resolve to leave the village. They thought they saw it in his eyes and his actions.

They were wrong. If anything, the time spent 'home' had hardened his resolve to escape. He was simply switching tactics, and it was paying off. The only reason he had not escaped during those rare missions outside the villain was that he wasn't certain he could escape both Anko and Kakashi. He knew though as soon as either Anko or Kakashi left the village and left him alone, he would make his move.

During those missions outside Konohagakure, in addition to his normal prison guards, Sakura had also been accompanying him. He figured that she was volunteering to be with him, but he found out from the Hokage that it had been her own decision and not Sakura's. She didn't volunteer when given the chance. He had half expected the girl to keep trying to get him to change his ways but that wasn't the case. In fact, she was mostly quiet to the teenager. Speaking mostly the bare minimum to him. He had also noticed that she no longer kept staring at him all the time like she used to. She now only spared him the occasional glance when she thought he wasn't looking. He had to say it was a welcome change, he could now at least tolerate her presence for just a little bit longer.

The fūma shuriken he had thrown just a few moments ago was still slicing through the air. Electricity excited the air as it flew and cut through the tree like paper.

"I see your lightning transformation has improved. Very nice" Kakashi remarked.

"I still have a way to go. I've only got Lightning and Fire now. The other elements have proven more of a challenge." Sasuke replied.

"The fact you have even 2 now at your age is remarkable." Kakashi answered.

Sasuke scoffed at this faux praise. "I should have more than 2 by now."

"You will get there; you just need to be patient." Kakashi said, giving his trademark eye smile to his pupil.

This remark got under Sasuke's skin. He turned his head up towards his teacher and glared at him. "Patient? I've been patient for a long time now. I've been doing as the village has asked of me for over 2 years now and yet I'm still under house arrest. I think I've earned a little more freedom around the village at least."

Kakashi tilted his head down slightly and investigated his student's eyes. He was looking for any traces of deception. He was tempted to lift his headband to get a better look, but he didn't. He could see frustration and anger in the teenager's eyes. He knew this was coming from the injustice that Sasuke thought he was unduly being given. If it was either injustice for being returned or injustice for feeling his efforts were not being rewarded, the one-eyed shinobi could not say.

Regardless of the answer, Sasuke had indeed been slowly earning the trust of the Hokage and the village back. Even Kakashi himself was starting to have more hope for the boy.

"Hmmmm. I do have to agree with you. I'll talk to the Hokage and see what I can do." Kakashi replied after thinking about what Sasuke said for a minute.

This seemed to satisfy the raven hair teenager. Kakashi could see some of the tension in him upon hearing the words.

"Now then, why don't you show me how your fire transformation has come." Kakashi announced, folding his arms back in front of him. "I want to see this new jutsu I've heard you have been working on."

Damn ANBU.

Seeing the cat was out of the bag, Sasuke let out a sigh. He walked forward 10 paces away from Kakashi. He then proceeded to take out 3 kunai from his pouch and threw them up in the air high above his head. Soon enough the kunai reached their apex and started their descent to the earth. These kunai had a specific target they were being aimed at, a teenager named Sasuke Uchiha. Kakashi simply stood there with his arms still folded, passively watching the proceedings.

The kunai continued to speed down to the earth, where Sasuke was waiting. When the 3 kunai were about 5 feet from hitting their target, a bright inferno consumed the Uchiha. Red hot flames enveloped the boy, incinerating everything they encountered, namely the 3 kunai that were turned to ash when they passed the flames.

Sasuke though was un-affected. The flames whipped at his clothes and skin, but they remained undamaged. As soon as the flames arrived, they also vanished, leaving only ash on the ground. They boy had an air of calm around him, he had relished in the flames that had once surrounded him, it felt good.

"My, that's really impressive. Good for offense and defense I see." Kakashi said, unfurling one of his arms and giving his young student a thumbs up.

"Tsk, I can only do it for short bursts right now. I'm working on controlling the length and intensity of the flames to get around this weakness." Sasuke remarked at having to show his incomplete jutsu.

"Well, given how fast you have been growing, I'm sure you will have it soon enough." Kakashi uttered out, praising the boy. "Your fire transformation is further along than your lightning transformation. Although, that's understandable given your affinity for fire."

"It's still no excuse for my lightning being behind. I'll just need to work on it more." Sasuke stated. "Now if there is nothing else that needs be said. I think it's time I go and rest."

Sasuke didn't wait for a reply and turned around and headed back to his living quarters, leaving Kakashi in the clearing.

I can still feel the anger in him from having been kept here. Although those flames have diminished since I first started training him again after he got back. I wonder if having him only supervised by Anko will speed up his recovery. Deciding on his course of action for when he saw the Hokage next, Kakashi left the clearing and hoped through the trees back to his apartment.

Meanwhile, Sasuke had indeed gone back to living quarters and was now currently in his bedroom with the blinds shut. He wasn't sleeping though, he was again meditating and communicating with a certain snake sannin.

"Despite the setback we had almost 3 years ago, you have progressed beyond even my expectations Sasuke." Orochimaru said to his 'student' in the dreamscape concocted by the curse mark.

"I don't give a damn about your expectations. Killing Itachi is all the maters to me." Sasuke reiterated to his 'teacher'. "I'm now one step closer to that being a reality. I've convinced Kakashi to speak with the Hokage on my behalf to give me more freedom around the village."

"Oh, this is good news. Very good news indeed. That leaves me with one more thing I need to teach you before you leave Konohagakure." The sannin stated.

Sasuke raised his mental eyebrow and asked his 'sensei'. "What else can you teach me before I make my escape?"

"kukuku, It's another gift I have left for you in that village. It's a gift I left for you before we even met." Orochimaru said with a sinister smile.

"Enough with those cryptic answers, just tell me where this 'gift' is." Sasuke muttered out, clearly annoyed at the snake master.

"Why, I'm going to have you absorb another curse mark. Your body can handle 2 of them now with all the training I have provided for you." Orochimaru answered his 'pupil'.

Sasuke thought long and hard about this answer. He soon came to the most logical conclusion.

"Anko"

"That's right Sasuke. You will absorb her curse mark and increase your power exponentially. And then, you and I can meet again in person, and I can give you the final gift." The sannin stated with a hint of glee in his voice.

"What last gift?" Sasuke queried Orochimaru.

"kukuku, I've been having Kabuto working on a serum for these past few years to increase the curse marks effects. I can only give it to you in person though." The snake sannin answered back.

"Fine then, I assume taking the curse mark from Anko should only be done during my escape?" Sasuke questioned but with a hint of knowing.

"That is correct, the jutsu I will teach you will be quite painful for my former apprentice. You will have to do it right the first time. You won't get another chance." Although weak compared to himself, Orochimaru knew that Anko would slow Sasuke down enough for reinforcements to arrive and stop Sasuke's second defection.

"Very well, what is this jutsu then?" Sasuke uttered aloud.

With a wide smirk on his face, Orochimaru explained the jutsu that would allow Sasuke to absorb another curse mark and take it for himself.

Had Sasuke not been so absorbed into himself. He would have seen a note on his drawer. A note delivered by an orange streak.

XxX

Uchiha complex, early morning, 984 days since Naruto's departure

Sakura stood in front of the once familiar gate of the Uchiha complex. She had been dreading this upcoming 'talk' for a while. She had been reflecting on everything that had occurred between herself and her former light of her life.

She knew now that she could no longer run from this. It had to be done. Even if it hurt her tremendously, it would be the best for her. Steeling herself once again, she stepped through the gate and into the complex itself. Like she used to ritualistically do, she first went to the main house and opened the door.

Dust hit her nostrils as she opened the door, a reminder of how long it had been since she had last come here. Like every previous time, she saw no sign of the boy and so closed the door back with a satisfying thud. She then turned around from the door and sauntered off to where she knew he would be.

The morning air felt warm against her skin, yet she still felt cold. The fire that had been in her the last time she saw him was just a flicker of light. The sun was shining through the tree's but not above the canopy just yet. Her shoes crunched the foliage beneath her feet as she made her way to her destination. She came to the same clearing she used to frequent quite a bit.

Meditating in the shadow of the huge tree in the center of the clearing sat Sasuke Uchiha. She wondered if the only things he ever did at his complex were training or meditating. She had never seen the boy do anything else but those 2 things when she used to visit more often.

For a moment, her body was frozen at the edge of the area. Fear started to take hold of the pinkette. Doubt was creeping into her mind. She didn't know if she could go through with this, or even if she truly wanted to. She was about to do the second hardest thing she would do in her life.

Eventually, her will won out against the empty feeling inside her, and she strolled into the clearing. Once she got to the shadow of the tree, she stopped and got on her knees. Her face was not betraying the emotional turmoil she was currently feeling. To the outside world, she was calm and collected. Interestingly, she didn't feel the eyes of the ANBU on her.

"What are you doing here?" Sasuke asked coldly, not looking up to the person who broke his serenity.

"This isn't going to be a conversation. I have things I need to say, and you will just listen. I don't want any responses." Sakura started as she rested her hands on her knees, her eyes were now shut off from the world.

Interesting, what could she possibly say? Will it be another love confession? This girl just can't take a hint.

Since the time he blew up on her almost 2 years ago, she had only come to see him thrice more. She came on both his birthdays and exactly one year to the date he told her off. Even during these visits, she remained quiet. Simply staring at him, as if she was desperate to say something but the words would not roll off her tongue. Each time she had given up and left without uttering a single sound. She had kept her word to him for the most part though. He had started to enjoy the silence around him without her being there almost every day.

A hush hung in the air, only the sound of the wind could be heard between the two teenagers. Sasuke was stoic and gave no hint at what he was thinking.

"When I first laid eyes upon you at the academy, I was instantly smitten. I had never seen a more perfect person in my life. When I found out that I was on the same team as you, it was the happiest day of my life." Sakura said as she looked back fondly at that memory. "Until I also learned that Naruto was also on the team." That she did NOT look back fondly on, wanting to shame her younger self.

"The bell test is when I think I slowly started to fall for you Sasuke. Despite not getting the bell, you still wowed me with how close you got to one on your own. If it wasn't the bell test that started me on my path, it was the land of waves mission. Seeing you put your life on the line for Naruto showed me you at one point did care for us." Sakura took a deep breath at this point and collected herself.

"Then the Chūnin exams happened and that's when the first cracks started to form, although I was blind to it. After you got that curse mark, you changed. Gone was the boy I loved and replaced with a boy obsessed with power. I wish I could have seen it sooner and perhaps I may have been able to help you out sooner." Sakura said, trying her best to keep her face neutral while her emotions were a raging storm.

"Is there a point to all this?" Sasuke said irritated at this history lesson.

"I said I wanted no responses!" Sakura shouted back furiously. This caught Sasuke off guard. He had never seen her get angry at him like that. What could possibly be so important for her to say?

Sakura didn't wait for a reply and continued. "When I saw you and Naruto fight on the roof, ready to kill each other, I now look back and realize that's when I should have started seeing the darkness in you. At the time, I wouldn't allow myself to see it, but time has only made that black void in your grow." She spoke with some of her anguish starting to show on her face. She could also start to feel herself shake a little bit.

"When I saw you were going to defect and I tried to stop you, I meant every word I said. I loved you, and for some kami forsaken reason a part of me still loves you now." More hints of emotions were now in her voice.

"If you would have accepted my offer to let me join you, you would have made me the happiest girl in Konohagakure. Thats how much I loved you in that moment." Her voice now fully betrayed her mental state, but no tears were coming. Sasuke didn't want, nor deserve, her tears.

"If you did take me with you, I now realize I would have made a horrible decision. One I probably would never shed the guilt of. Sasuke, a love that blinds you so much to everything in world is not a good love to have. Thats the kind of love I had for you, I see it now. That love I used to feel for you are a guilt and shame I do have to live with." Sakura felt like such a fool remembering all the times she praised Sasuke and all she did to get his attention.

"I had thought that after your return here, you might start to change your ways. You might come to love your friends and teammates and village as I have. I hoped I could stand by your side and watch you grow into a powerful shinobi and one day perhaps get married and have children." Her biggest dream at the time was to be the bearer of many sharigan children, she knew now it would have been a nightmare.

"I had built up a fantasy version of you inside myself. Over the years I built you up in my mind to be my near perfect vision of what a man should be. It was that man I was devoted and blind too all this time." Sakura explained.

"That Sakura Haruno projected this fantasy onto you and would not let it go. If you did anything that didn't match what this ideal version of that Sakura thought of you in her mind, she would explain it away. To that Sakura, you were in every meaning possible, perfect." It had taken Sakura over 2 years to come to this conclusion and had been horrified when she did. The mind can do twisted things to you if you are not careful about it.

"Even that Sakura knew on an unconscious level of your dark tendencies. They were in the back of her mind, but she always crushed them. Not willing to admit that maybe her dream had any cracks in it." Sakura uttered aloud and prepared herself for her next harsh truth.

"That Sakura also had convinced herself that you did love her in your own way. Your aloofness and distant stares were just proof to her that you had feelings for her and simply couldn't express yourself. She clung onto any little hint that you might have feelings for her and magnified them. Kami, that Sakura was such a fangirl. How she could let herself get like that makes me sick just thinking about it." Despite the bravery she was feeling in this instance, she could still feel small tremors in her body.

"That was the old Sakura." She stated. Her voice was no longer shacky but had a fierce confidence in it. Her will swelling within her.

"The new Sakura was born the day you were brought back, when I was shown just what a monster I had been like to those I cared for." Sakura now opened her eyes and looked at Sasuke. To her surprise he was looking straight into her eyes. His body gave no indication of what he was feeling now.

"It was Naruto who showed me the truth. I had to beat him down one horribly final time to understand just what I had become." She felt a single tear roll down her cheek upon remembering her darkest day.

"On that day, I decided to be better. Not just as a shinobi, but as a human being as well. To think that I would actually change for Naruto's sake and not yours. My old self would have kicked my new self's ass. Yet here we are." She was finally saying out loud the truths she had been hiding from herself. She wasn't done though.

"I realize now that all this time back in the village really hasn't changed you. You may be acting nice and friendly with the village watching, but I see how you are when you think no one is seeing you." She took another deep breath before trying to calm herself down. She could feel not sadness, but anger start to fill her. Anger at the situation, anger at Sasuke, but most importantly, anger at herself.

"I see you now for what you say you are, you are an avenger. A thing that seeks only power and will do whatever it takes to get it. As crazy as it sounds, I can't blame you for turning out like this. I can't imagine what it must have been like during the worst night of your life. I can only think of how you might have turned out if it didn't happen." She started to think of another universe where Sasuke was a normal teenager with much less angst. Perhaps in that universe her other self could be happy with Sasuke. Here though...

"But even if I can't blame you for how you are, I also just can't sit around forever while you gain power to take your brother down. And even if you do take down your brother, what then? Where will your fury go?" That last sentence got a twitch to form in one of the eyes of the Uchiha.

"Sasuke, I have a life too. A life worth living, as I can't atone for what I've done if I'm stuck here on you. That is why I'm telling you right now this will be the last time you see me until you turn away from this path of destruction." There, it was said. The statement she was terrified of saying was now out in the open.

"Sasuke, I still love you, but you are not right for me. I can't, I won't allow myself to be deluded by my fantasies of you anymore. The new Sakura has been tearing down her image of you for almost 2 years now. Revealing to me what you truly are, and I don't like what I see." Her voice was now shaking as she spoke. Her body was fighting her at every word she spoke, but her mind was winning the battle.

"I hope you do turn back from this path, and if you do, I will be there for you. As a friend, a comrade, a teammate, but no longer a lover. You will always have a place in my heart, but I can't let that cloud my judgement any further."

By this point, Sasuke's eyes had closed. His eyes were twitching. Sakura now finally stood up from her kneeling position and towered over the raven hair avenger.

"One last thing before I go. Don't think I'm changing just because of you. You are only a small part of the reason. I'm changing for myself, but mostly because of Naruto." Upon hearing the name Naruto, Sasuke started trembling in rage but kept his thoughts quiet for now.

"If I was a fool putting you on a high pedestal before, I'm a much bigger idiot for not seeing how good of a person Naruto was and is. I have never seen someone so devoted to another human being as he was too me. He'd walk through hell just to see me smile. And I rejected him, countless times. Yet he didn't give up on me, not until I hurt him beyond repair." Sakura feared she might start wailing again but she didn't want to give Sasuke the satisfaction of her weeping. So, she didn't cry. Those would be reserved for the boy when he came back in just a few months.

"I was so fucked up. I had the greatest friend imaginable right next to me who wanted nothing more than to just be a part of my life, and I rejected him.

"Naruto has always been better than you. As a human, as a shinobi, as a friend. " Lover? "He far outclasses you in every way. Not just now, but ever since we first formed as team 7. You have always been chasing him, and frankly I don't think you will ever catch him. His motivations are pure. Your motivations are poison to your existence. He brings light to everyone's life. You bring misery. Naruto was never the dead last, YOU were the dead last."

"GET OUT!"

Sasuke roared, showing more emotion in those 2 words than the past 3 years combined Sakura saw her. Being compared to Naruto was the final straw for the Uchiha. Never in his life outside his hatred for Itachi has he felt wrath this powerful. Nobody was better than Sasuke Uchiha!

Sakura didn't flinch at this sudden outburst. She had expected this reaction from the boy. She couldn't call him a man or teenager. He was still a boy, a boy stuck in an older body.

Sakura spun around, her back to the shadow covered boy, turning her back to her past self. She then took her first step into her future, her new self. She didn't know if it would be enough to get a second chance with her long-gone teammate. She could only pray it was good enough. Sakura did not receive a visit yesterday or this morning from the orange streak of Konohagakure.

XxX

Front gate of Konohagakure, near noon, 984 days since Naruto's departure

Shikamaru and Temari were the first to arrive at the main gate of Konohagakure. Shikamaru had asked around his clan estate if someone was pulling a prank on him with this note. None of the Nara clan admitted to writing the note. If there was one thing that could get the Nara boy off his ass, it was his curiosity.

Temari had joined him for a few reasons. One, they had to be together as he was her escort again as a mission. Two, she knew Shikamaru wanted to know who was able to sneak into his place and leave a note undetected. They may not be a sensor clan, but they had good patrols around the complex.

"So, who do you think we will meet here Shika?" Temari asked her friend

"You know I hate that name." Shikamaru grumbled out. His hands in his pockets as he rested against a wall with Temari to his side.

"I honestly don't know who could have sneaked into my room and leave without a trace. It's a real headscratcher." The pineapple hair boy continued from his previous statement.

"Well, it's almost noon now so we won't be waiting in suspense for too long Shika." Temari teased her good friend with her favorite nickname.

"You are troublesome you know that?" Shikamaru replied to the quad ponytail kunoichi.

Temari replied with a small chuckle. "Only with you Shika, only you." The two of them were then interrupted by the appearance of one Ino Yamanaka.

"Shikamaru? It was you who left the note?" She queried her fellow team 10 member as she approached the duo.

Temari and Shikamaru turned their heads to the uninvited guest and gave Ino a puzzled look. "Wait, why are you here Ino? And how do you know about the note left in my room?" Shikamaru responded.

This caused the Yamanaka girl to pause her previous train of thought. What does he mean by the note in his room? If he's here, then he's the one who left a note in my room. Then again, why would he though when he could just ask me himself to meet here.

Ino continued to ponder this for just a second before finally replying. "No, someone somehow got into my room and left a note. I couldn't find any trace of them. Are you telling me you were also left a note that said to meet here at noon?"

Shikamaru nodded his head yes and Temari finally spoke to her fellow blonde kunoichi. "So, if you received the same note as Shika did, then do you know who could have left them both?" The Sunagakure kunoichi asked.

"I have no clue who could have left it. My parents freaked out a little bit when I told them at first. Both had stayed at home yesterday after I left on my date and neither had heard a single noise come from my room. I had told them it was probably a message from a secret admirer, and it seemed to calm them down." Ino filled in the duo on a little bit of her home life.

"Shika told me you had a date last night. How did it go? Was he hot?" Temari giggled a little asking this of her friends' teammate.

"Uggh, it was a disaster. I didn't even get through 1/3 of the movie before he tried to get touchy feely. I gave him a right hand and marched out of there." Ino recalled the night before with disdain, at least until she met up with Sakura.

"Why do you need to call me by that name Temari?" Shikamaru uttered with a look of annoyance on his face.

"Because I enjoy you reacting to it!" Temari responded with glee

"Woman, such troublesome creatures." Shikamaru could only slump his shoulders, now knowing he had another woman in his life that liked to tease him.

Getting back on track, the pineapple haired boy commented. "Let's get back on track. So, if you didn't leave us the note, and we didn't leave you a note. Who left them?"

"Wait, you guys received a note as well?" Said a newly arrived guest. So engrossed were the 3 shinobi that they did not even notice the milky eyed Hyūga princess approach them. Startled by the appearance of Hinata, the 3 of them turned to the new arrival.

"Wait, we all received a note then?" Ino asked aloud, trying to get her bearings.

"It would appear so, I thought it may have been you Ino, but nobody back home saw you. In fact, none of the Hyūga guards noticed anyone suspicious entering the complex and for sure my room." Hinata stated to the now crowd.

"Wait, the Hyūga with their x-ray eyes didn't see anything amiss? How's that possible?" Shikamaru uttered out loud, the mystery of the situation just kept piling up.

Hinata nodded her head, answering the question. Had she been closer to her family's compound instead of training, she was sure she could have seen the perpetrator. The range of her byakugon had now reached just over 3 miles (5 KM).

"Ok then, let's think about this. What do the 3 of us have in common? Obviously, whoever left the notes had a reason for it." Shikamaru stated, trying to figure out what was going on.

Temari decided to chime in. "Well, you are all Konohagakure Chūnin. You 3 have gone on missions together before. From what I've seen out of your fellow rookie shinobi class, you have all progressed the most since the first exams. What else do you all have in common?"

The 3 Konohagakure shinobi racked their brains trying to crack this puzzle. There was no obvious thing that tied them together more than any of the fellow Konohagakure 11. What made them all stick out to this mystery person?

Suddenly, the orange streak rushed past them in the blink of an eye. Due to their shinobi training, the 4 of them had all been able to react to the streak but just barely. Temari brought her fan to bear, Ino and Shikamaru made the necessary hand signs for their respective clan techniques, and Hinata activated her byakugon as she readied her bow from her back.

The 4 were all poised and ready to strike at this mystery person. No attack came. Several seconds went by and nothing happened. "Hinata, can you pinpoint their location?" Shikamaru queried the Hyūga girl.

"Give me a minute, I'll find them." Hinata confidently answered. She maxed out the range of her byakugon and started doing a full sweep of the village in front of her. Too bad for her that the streak had now come to a stop behind them about 30 feet (9 m) away.

"You guys could actually react to my speed. I've encountered few who could over these past few years."

It was a voice the 3 Konohagakure shinobi knew extremely well. It was the voice of a person they all had missed dearly. It was the voice of someone who wasn't due back for almost 2 full months. The 3 of them plus the Sunagakure shinobi turned around to face the voice, varying levels of shock, joy, and confusion on all their faces.

"Did yall miss me?" said the mysterious black and orange clad stranger.

"Who's that?"

"Hey man!"

"GOLDIE!"

"NARUTO!"


AUTHORS NOTES

And another chapter bites the dust. Wanted end this on a little cliff hanger. I'm really appreciating all the favorites and follows I've been getting. It's been really motivating. I've been reading all the constructive feedback and trying to improve my writing given this is by far the most I have ever written. I know most first time fic writers start off with small one shots but I'm the go big or go home kind of guy.

Also if you haven't noticed but I enjoy long chapters. I always hated when I get a new chapter update notification and it turns out the chapter is only 2k words or less. The downside to long chapters though is getting a regular upload schedule. I'm going to TRY and do weekly or the very least every other week for these first few chapters. As I get deeper into the story and the butterfly effect becomes more severe I may need more time to think of the changes I made.

Also you may remember a previous chapter saying Ino would not be a love interest. Lets say I have softened my stance on this. Don't get me wrong, I still don't plan on her being a romance option for Naruto but god damn do I enjoy writing her scenes. Ultimately though it will be decided on what I feel these characters would do in this altered timeline.

Anyways. I'm going to Anime Frontier this upcoming friday-sunday so my next chapter may take a bit longer. Oh and one last thing, I'm curious what title chapters my readers would pick for each chapter. Like I said, all my chapter titles are songs which I think have some relevance to the chapter. Hell I even have a list of song titles for chapter names. You can leave a review with what song you think fits the chapter best. Take care yall and be safe!