The Return-2 (Patreon)

The morning air was still crisp and a bit cool when Naruto woke up. His traveling habit with Jiraiya had already ruined his routine, and he would have to follow one to ingrain himself back into a stable schedule.

Nonetheless, it took him less than an hour to freshen up and go down to the kitchen. An omelet of two eggs, miso soup, and a bowl of rice was cooked out of habit, and he sat down to devour it.

His stomach adequately satiated, he walked into the back garden. His katas all too familiar, he practiced them for the next hour. Sweaty and content, he showered and sat down in his living room.

With an inscribing dagger in his hand, he started to work on his new set of kunai. His Hirashin markers were no easy feat to be inscribed on the kunai, but he gave two hours to the process. His precision was iron-clad, just like his father, even if his speed suffered for that.

With a set of kunai ready to be used as Hirashin markers, he returned to his room to get dressed in a plain black tee shirt and orange trousers. By the time he left his house, half the village was stirring awake, the shinobi half more adequately. The Anbu were changing shifts, and Tsunade was likely getting to her office.

He recalled he had a training session with Kakashi, or more likely a spar: him and Sakura against Kakashi.

By the time he reached the tower through mostly empty streets, it was bustling with the morning crowd—shinobi eager to take up missions to earn, and clients looking for shinobi for different tasks.

His entry was unhindered as he reached the Hokage's office. Opening the gate, he was faced with Sakura, Tsunade, Shizune, and Jiraiya, but no Kakashi.

"Morning," he said as he stood beside his teammate, who flashed a small smile to him.

"You're punctual, unlike your sensei," Tsunade gritted out.

"Kakashi has always been a bit lax," Naruto replied.

"More so after Sandaime retook his position," Shizune supplied with an eye-roll.

"He was punctual while Yondaime was around?" Sakura asked.

"He was. He respected his sensei," Jiraiya said with a smile.

"His sensei, huh?" Naruto asked with narrowed eyes.

"He didn't tell you, I get it," Tsunade said, looking up.

"We found out when we were desperate to look inside the mask," Sakura supplied.

Jiraiya nodded but was halted from saying anything as Kakashi appeared in a shunshin outside the window. He opened it and climbed in.

"Can you not come like a usual shinobi, Kakashi?" Tsunade asked.

"Apologies, Hokage-sama. Old habits don't go easy," he said, rubbing the back of his head.

Tsunade nodded, rubbing her forehead tiredly. Some days she regretted taking the position at the behest of Naruto and Jiraiya. Still, Kakashi was the least of her worries. The Last Hatake was frustrating, but not necessarily in a bad way.

No, she had bigger problems in the form of that one-eyed freak Danzo and his two alive teammates. Also, clans such as the Kurama and Hyuga didn't make it easy.

"You never told us you were Yondaime's student, Sensei," Naruto asked.

"Never got the chance to broach the topic," Kakashi said, looking toward Naruto.

"What of your other teammates?" Naruto asked curiously. Sakura found it strange that Naruto was so interested in Yondaime's Genin team. She knew her teammate idolized Yondaime; to that extent, most everybody did.

Yet, now he seemed entirely too interested in the discussion.

"Nohara Rin and Uchiha Obito, both fell during the Third Great Ninja War," Shizune said, looking up at Kakashi, who seemed entirely uninterested in the topic.

"Sorry for your loss," Naruto said, looking down.

Jiraiya piped up the next moment, trying to dissuade the gloominess that had enveloped the office due to the morbid discussion. "So, you're up to the challenge? You'll get to show your capability to Kakashi."

Naruto looked up with a smile. "You bet, Ero-sennin. I'm ready to make Kakashi-sensei eat dust!"

"You wish," Kakashi snorted in amusement.

"Let's get this over with then. To the Training Ground," Tsunade said, standing up.

Naruto nodded with a smirk before vanishing in a shunshin, sealess.

Sakura gaped at the location beside her. "He used a sealless shunshin!"

Jiraiya laughed as he exited the office through the window, followed by Kakashi. Meanwhile, Tsunade and Shizune walked out of the office, with Sakura quickly following them after collecting her wits.

Words followed them quickly through Anbu and Jonins; the excitement of the previous day had not fully died down. It took very little time for the news to reach Hinata.

"It's happening now?" Kurenai-sensei asked.

"Yep, the Scarecrow was seen exiting the Hokage Chamber with Pinky and Blondie," she said.

"Hmm, let's go then." And then they were off to the ground.

Similar scenes played out for Asuma's team and Gai's team. They were also escorted toward the ground. The area was already crowded. Not too much, but enough to raise eyebrows.

Most of the crowd was lingering around; some had taken vantage points while others sat around.

It didn't take long for the Hokage and group to reach the ground.

Kakashi went to one side, while Sakura and Naruto took another.

Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Shizune moved to a side, adjacent to the Anbu and Jonins.

"Huh, this brings back some memories," Naruto said while Sakura nodded.

"It sure does, our first training ground," she added.

"Yes, so are you ready to show me your progress?" Kakashi said, dangling two bells from his pouch.

"The bell test, truly?" Sakura asked, a bit amazed.

"You started with this, didn't you? We'll measure your progress through them." He placed them at his waist, just as he had all those years ago.

"This time we're only two, Sensei," Naruto said with a smirk.

"Then come and take this, and as previously, come with the intent to kill," he said with an eye smile.

"You'll regret saying that," Sakura said, running forward.

Kakashi ducked under a right hook and jumped back from the high kick that followed.

Naruto wasn't stationary and tracked him down with an elbow of his own. Kakashi grasped it and pushed him away, breaking Naruto's guard to jab at his chest. Naruto vanished in a puff of smoke, and a punch emerged from that smoke.

Kakashi again made some distance, a bit impressed at the wordless conjunction between his team.

A second Naruto came running at him, and he ducked under the punch. A kick to his sternum halted his movement; it seemed his team was coordinating better than he expected.

Sakura came again with a punch. This time, he sidestepped and returned with an elbow. Increasing his speed to challenge them, Sakura came up short, but Naruto was already there with a forearm to halt him.

"They are coordinating well," Tsunade said from the sidelines.

"Didn't expect that, did you?" Jiraiya asked with a grin.

"They are getting to him," Shizune said in amazement.

"Not actually. He's not going all out. He's not even using a quarter of his abilities," Tsunade said.

"But neither are they, are they?" Jiraiya asked with a smile.

Naruto ducked under another of Kakashi's kicks before speeding forward. With a quick hand seal, he blazed forward. Kakashi's eye widened for a second before he raised his arms to block the punch.

"He's fast," Neji remarked.

"Not as quick as Lee, though," Tenten said from beside him.

Naruto followed with a knee that was pushed down, while Kakashi spun to return with a back elbow.

Sakura interrupted and punched him, only for Kakashi to vanish in smoke.

"Come on! We're only fighting a clone," Naruto griped, looking around cautiously.

Sakura looked to her left, right, up, and lastly, yes, Kakashi was there. She punched the ground with full power. Naruto jumped away to avoid the ripples that rose before the ground shattered.

The pinkette was like a little Tsunade.

"You taught her your taijutsu style," Jiraiya said, awed.

"She has near-perfect chakra control; it would have been a waste not to teach her," she admitted. "She's even better than Shizune in that regard."

"You know you look terrifying right now, Sakura-chan," Naruto said with a smile.

Kakashi, who had hidden in the ground, jumped out. The crater and the shattered ground were proof enough for Sakura's ability.

Kakashi rushed toward them, and this time it was Naruto who formed a hand sign and his hair lengthened before covering the two, shooting out hair like porcupine quills.

"Ninpo: Needle Jizo!"

Kakashi jumped to the side, avoiding the sharpened hair quills.

"He's even better at that than you," Tsunade said.

"He has more chakra than me, a lot more," Jiraiya said with a proud smile.

Sai eyed the whole thing from a distance, crouched and camouflaged among the trees. He had been told his teammates, or to-be teammates, were exceptional. They were good, he would accept that, but not exceptional.

At their current level, they were only high Chunin level. Hatake Kakashi was an A-ranked shinobi, and some even categorized him in S-rank.

It was clear to him that the silver-haired Jonin was testing them, playing with them. He could see him finishing them off in mere seconds if he wanted to, and if Danzo-sama wanted him to spy on these two then his days would be quite boring.

He looked back as the duo and their master stood at opposite sides.

"You've improved. I must say that, but you need to do better if you want this bell," Kakashi said. "Why don't you stop holding back and come with murderous intent? It would be more fun."

Naruto tilted his head slightly before nodding. "Do you really want that, Sensei?"

"Come on, Naruto. You cannot do much that would surprise me."

"Is that a challenge, Kakashi-sensei?" The blonde asked.

Sai saw the Toad Sage smile from the sidelines.

"And what if it is?" Kakashi asked with an eye smile.

"Then, I'll do what you want," Naruto said determinately. "Let me handle this, Sakura-chan; recover your stamina."

Naruto cracked his knuckles and neck before taking an unfamiliar stance.

He formed a one-handed seal before rushing toward Kakashi, and this time his speed was threefold.

"Restriction seals, huh?" Kakashi said as they collided.

This time the taijutsu bout was more intense. Fists and kicks collided in near sync, and the audience was in awe of the skill of Naruto and Kakashi.

Between one punch and another, two clones appeared at his side, and two kunai were drawn. It was like a dance. Three Narutos formed a triangle around Kakashi, who ducked and weaved through the strikes to deliver jabs and kicks at Naruto.

Yet the clones avoided them, trying to pressure Kakashi into making a mistake, but the Jonin was a contemporary of Might Guy. It showed. Soon Kakashi had a kunai of his own; the clang of metal rang across the clearing as Sakura eyed them in awe.

Naruto jumped back a few times to create distance; his clones dispersed already.

"You know, it takes a lot to draw out this technique, Sensei," he said before forming a hand sign.

"Ninpo: Streak Pass!" Naruto said before a clone appeared beside him. With a final hand seal, he rushed forward.

"He's damn fast; it's like seeing someone teleport," Ino said.

Asuma snorted. If only they knew the truth. He was ought to be fast; his father had been the fucking Yellow Flash after all.

But Kakashi's keen eye caught something else, as did Hinata's and Neji's eyes. Naruto was not running; he was jumping the distance, using quick, multiple shunshin.

Kakashi eyed him, impressed. The two Naruto left an afterimage of two yellow zigzag lines as they moved toward him.

At the last moment, Kakashi revealed his Sharingan, flashing red as he tracked his movement.

"He forced Kakashi-sensei to reveal his ace," Shikamaru said.

"No, he wanted to see the technique," Asuma rebuked, eyeing the match.

He was truly enjoying this. At first, it had been a bit dull, but trust the Uzumaki to bring fire into anything he did.

Naruto came with a right high kick. Kakashi brought his forearm forward to block, grunting due to the strength. Naruto spun, a scorpion kick aimed at Kakashi's head. Kakashi ducked beneath it, but the clone caught him with a sweep.

He kicked his feet to stand up again, only to roll to the side to avoid a flying kick. The original Naruto dropped down with an axe handle, only for Kakashi to substitute himself with a Naruto clone, which vanished in smoke.

But it was a sharp reprieve as Naruto tackled him down. Kakashi kicked his stomach to push him off before rolling around.

Two clones appeared beside Naruto without a word or hand seal; they jumped at him at the same time.

Kakashi was pushed back for a few moments, but before he could be overwhelmed, he substituted. The log was splintered into bits.

"Yosh, the fire of youth burns brightly in Naruto-kun!" Lee yelled before Tenten forced him down with her hand over his mouth.

Naruto stood there looking at him with a smirk.

"That's better, Naruto. I'm still standing, though." He pushed Naruto.

Naruto smirked. A paper seal flashed in his hand before he pushed it down to the ground.

"Fuinjutsu: Sealing Chakra Chains." Two chains sprouted from each side of Kakashi, trying to capture him as he moved around to dodge them.

Kakashi grunted as he weaved between them. They were fast, faster than Kushina's adamantium chains. There were seals on the chains, and he didn't want to find out their purpose.

"I may not be able to produce adamantium chains, Kakashi-sensei. But I can form these," Naruto said, revealing two regular kunai with seals on them. "Let me add some spice to this,"

He threw them, and they embedded in the ground around Kakashi. "Fuinjutsu: First Gravity."

Kakashi felt his eye widen as he felt twice the normal gravity. It slowed him down to a level where the writhing chains were about to capture him. He weaved around them sluggishly before substituting himself with a log.

Naruto cut his chakra supply from the seals, knowing Kakashi had fled.

"He's impressive," Kurenai remarked.

"His dexterity with seals is amazing," Hinata said, leaning on the railing, far too excited to see him.

"Your seals are unorthodox, quite different from Kushina or Sensei," Kakashi remarked. "Now, counter this."

"Katon: The Great Fireball!"

"Fuinjutsu: Water Geyser!" Naruto threw the seal that started spouting water on the fire like a hose. The fireball was the same size as a car but was extinguished pretty quickly.

"Unorthodox, indeed," Kakashi murmured before closing the distance with a kunai in hand.

"Fuuton: Great Breakthrough!" Naruto formed the hand seal and expelled a strong gust of wind that knocked Kakashi back a few steps.

"Doton: Mud Swamp!" he yelled, and the ground beneath Kakashi turned into a muddy swamp. His feet was stuck, or his clone's was as it disappeared in smokes.

"He's throwing jutsus so quickly, and of this rank too," Tsunade said, turning toward Jiraiya, who smiled.

"He has more chakra than me, and his control isn't that bad either. It would have been a waste not to teach him jutsu combinations," he said, looking back.

"As much as I remember, his control was abysmal; he couldn't even form a clone," Shizune said from beside Tsunade.

"He practiced Minato's chakra circulation; it improved his control and sense," he replied, looking on as Sakura again joined him.

"You're going all out? I didn't know we'd have to do that. I can go all out too then," Sakura said, joining him.

"I'm not, not with those spectators around," Naruto said, glancing toward her.

She looked up at him sharply. "You mean you're still hiding your skills?"

"A lot, Sakura. This isn't the right setting. I'm showing enough to impress Baa-chan and the spectators, but I'm far more capable than this."

"You've changed. The Naruto I know would've shown his full skill to get praise," Sakura said a bit softly.

Kakashi walked toward them, the bells dangling in his hand.

"Your time's up, Naruto. Instead of getting close quarter, you were distancing yourself and never got the chance to get these," Kakashi said.

"Are you sure, Sensei?" Naruto said with a smirk as he revealed two bells from his pouch.

Kakashi looked at them before looking at his. "Kai!"

The bells dissolved into nothing but mud.

"How?" Kakashi asked, impressed.

Sakura smirked. "Naruto took them when you were busy avoiding those chains, through a third chain. And I cast an area-wide genjutsu to hide them."

Kakashi looked at his team before smiling. "Congrats, you've passed."

The crowd dispersed, trickling out a bit disappointed. They had come here to see Naruto's full potential, but it was clear he was holding back quite a lot.

The Jonins and Anbu had expected Kakashi to do that, but perhaps Naruto would force him to show his hand. Nothing like that happened.

The student and teacher had shown them the minimum they could, and they were unsatisfied.

Still, they couldn't complain about it. Whatever they saw was good in itself.

The Hokage and group returned to the office, Jiraiya grinning at the success of his student.

"You did well, Naruto," Tsunade said, taking her seat. "You too, Sakura. I expected no less from you."

"They didn't go all out, though," Kakashi remarked.

"I didn't expect them to. For that matter, I didn't expect even you to do that," Tsunade said.

"They still did excellent. Your speed and versatility with Shadow Clones have improved, and the level of ninjutsu you showed was exceptional," Shizune piped up from beside Tsunade.

"Thanks, Shizune-nee," Naruto said, rubbing the back of his head.

"So, what do you say, Tsunade?" Jiraiya asked knowingly.

"No, not right now. He has the skillset to be a Tokubetsu Jonin, but he needs experience in the field," she said.

Naruto looked between them, a bit shocked. "You were planning to promote me?"

"Jiraiya was the one to vouch for you, to become a Tokubetsu Jonin in fuinjutsu. And you do have the skill, but I need more missions under your belt before considering that," she replied.

"So, now?" Naruto asked.

"Now, you take a week off. Sakura, you will return to hospital duties. If I get a mission that I think needs your specialties, I'll call you," Tsunade said. "And—"

Tsunade was interrupted as the gate of the Hokage's office opened, and a man walked in. A hush fell over the room as Danzo Shimura stepped inside.

He was an elderly man, a stark white bandage wrapped around his right arm and his right eye. He limped in, taking the support of a cane, plain in sight. There was a cut scar on his chin, and he seemed to incite apprehension in Shizune and Sakura.

"Danzo-san, I didn't know you had an appointment," Tsunade said, pausing.

"I hardly need an appointment to meet you, Hokage-sama," he said in a hard voice.

"That may be the case with Sensei, but I am no friend of yours. I would appreciate it if you made an appointment beforehand," Tsunade said sternly.

Danzo said nothing but looked toward Jiraiya before glancing at Naruto. "Ah, I see. Our resident Jinchuriki has returned."

Naruto stiffened at that; the man felt odd. Somehow his gaze felt like an x-ray. "My name is Uzumaki Naruto. I would like to be addressed like that, old man."

Danzo's single eye narrowed before he turned back toward Tsunade. "I will come to the point then. I have heard that Team Seven is incomplete, seeing as one of its members is a renowned deserter."

"And what of it?" Tsunade asked, a bit curious.

"I have a ward that needs a team. He is skilled enough to be placed on the team. And if I heard correctly about their prowess, Uzumaki and Haruno would benefit from his addition."

"A ward?" Jiraiya asked.

"Hiruzen allowed me to take in an apprentice after I disbanded Root," he said.

Kakashi didn't trust him for even a second. Danzo wasn't that docile.

"And why should I accept your offer?" she asked.

"I know Hatake can't take up a Chunin team under him, so you would want a trusted leader. If Haruno-san or Uzumaki-san take up leadership, they need a third member to coordinate," he said silkily. "Sai is a brilliant strategist and can easily work with others."

"I have other candidates in mind," she said.

"Yamato can function as leader, still Sai is skilled in kenjutsu; he can be a support," Danzo replied. "A four-man Chunin team is not new."

"How do you know about Yamato in the first place?" Tsunade said, standing up.

"You forget, Hokage-sama. It's my duty to know everything. I am a former advisor to the Hokage, after all," he replied.

"Fine. I will assign Sai to the team," Tsunade gritted out.

Danzo nodded his head and walked out, but not sending a glance toward Naruto. As the door closed behind him naruto looked toward Jiraiya.

"He felt odd, Sensei. Like something greasy," he said.

"Tsunade, why did you accept that warmonger's offer?" Jiraiya asked, shocked and a bit angry.

"He is too used to getting his way. I can guarantee you that he would have found another way to place his man on the team," she replied.

"I can guarantee you, Hokage-sama, that the man was lying. This Sai must be one of his mindless soldiers," Kakashi said from his location.

"If that's true, then we will find out pretty quickly, wouldn't we? By the way, it also gives an opportunity," she turned toward Naruto. "I want you to keep an eye on Sai. Anything amiss and you report to me. You too, Sakura."

Naruto and Sakura nodded.

As Naruto exited the office, he found Shikamaru waiting for him around the corner.

"So, you've really returned, you blond menace," he remarked.

Naruto narrowed his eyes before walking forward. They hugged each other like brothers would.

"It's nice to see you too, pineapple-head," Naruto snorted. "How's it going?"

"Fine, it's nice to see you too," he said.

"Heard you were on an important mission?" Naruto asked as they separated.

Shikamaru nodded as they started walking out of the Hokage tower.

"Returned yesterday evening. Heard you came back. You did nice in your spar," Shikamaru said as they started walking toward their usual haunt.

"It was nice to work off some steam. Ero-sennin had restricted me from practicing for the last month," he replied.

"So, what did the war hawk want?" Shikamaru asked. "Another offer?"

"He wouldn't dare, not with Jiraiya-sensei in the same room," Naruto shook his head. "Didn't send an agent for you, did he?"

"Not after Sasuke departed," Shikamaru said.

"I heard he's been wrecking havoc in Tea Country," Naruto replied, ducking beneath the flaps as they entered Ichiraku Ramen stall.

"Naruto, is that you?" Old Man Ichiraku asked with a smile.

"Heya, old man. Long time no see, right?" he said, sitting down.

"You've grown, Naruto, and you've brought Shikamaru with you too."

"I came last week, Ichiraku-san," Shikamaru said.

"A miso and three pork ramen, old man," Naruto ordered.

"Coming right up," he replied.

"So, what did he want?" Shikamaru asked.

"He wants to place one of his on my team," Naruto said as a bowl of ramen was placed on the counter.

"Your team?" Shikamaru asked.

"Baa-chan wanted to place someone named Yamato on my team as leader. Danzo interrupted that, so she named me the leader," he said, breaking the chopsticks. "Itadakimasu!"

Shikamaru too dug into his miso ramen. "So, ignoring the spar, what would you say your current level is?"

Naruto smirked. "Why would you ignore my spar today?"

"We both know you were holding back, a lot," Shikamaru said with a knowing smile. "If anybody knew you, they would know you wouldn't show your abilities so clearly."

"Why, Shikamaru, I am Naruto Uzumaki. The thickheaded blondie," Naruto said with a snort.

"Cut the chase, man. I would never believe that bull. Now, your rank?" Shikamaru asked curiously.

"If you're so smart, then guess yourself," Naruto said, picking the second bowl.

"High Chunin?" Shikamaru asked.

Naruto shook his head negatively.

"Low Jonin? Or High Jonin?" Shikamaru asked.

Another shake of his head.

"Elite Jonin?" Shikamaru asked, amazed.

Naruto smirked. "Elite Jonin has a nice ring to it."

"Truly? How?" Shikamaru asked.

"Just say that I've mastered Yondaime's most favored technique, and some more," Naruto said.

Shikamaru completed his ramen and placed the empty bowl on the counter. "Who else knows?"

"Ero-sennin, and possibly Kakashi-sensei and Baa-chan." Naruto accepted taking the third bowl.

"You want a promotion?" Shikamaru asked.

"Not now. It would give me freedom, but I need to prove my worth first," Naruto said.

"You could have done that today," Shikamaru offered.

"A spar is different from a real-life situation," Naruto remarked.

"You want a field promotion, just like how you became a Chunin?" he asked.

"But I think the shinobi here would respect me more if I were to prove my worth before I get promoted," Naruto said, finishing his last bowl of ramen.

He paid for both their meals, and they both started walking toward his house.

"I heard you got Yondaime's house," Shikamaru prompted.

Naruto looked up at him before saying, "I inherited it."

"Oh," Shikamaru said and stopped walking.

"Yeah, oh. I don't need to tell you to keep this between us, right?" Naruto said, glancing toward him.

"Right," he replied.

"I think you should head to your clan compound. I don't have a problem with you crashing at my place, but Yoshino-san wouldn't like that," Naruto said.

"No, I must return. You've given me a lot to think on," Shikamaru said, turning the corner.

"You mean to sulk on," Naruto snorted.

The next morning came bright. Naruto was in his back garden as soon as he could. The environment was ideal for practicing his kata and working on seals.

He had just finished his kata when the doorbell rang. He hastily put on a tee shirt and opened the door.

On the other side was Hyuga Hinata, looking around the garden with a slight smile on her lips. She was dressed in a lavender full-sleeved top and black trousers.

"Hinata-chan. Good morning," Naruto said as a greeting.

In truth, he had very little interaction with the Hyuga heiress. She was the silent type and rarely bothered others. As much as he could remember, she was friends with both Sakura and Ino.

"Naruto-kun, welcome back to Konoha," she said with a nod.

"Come in, please. Have a seat." He led her to the living room.

"Thank you, Naruto-kun," she said.

"How can I help you, Hinata-chan? Has Tsunade Baa-chan sent you? Does she need me for a mission?" he asked.

Hinata shook her head. "Nothing like that, Naruto-kun. Hokage-sama didn't send me. I came here of my own accord," she said.

"How can I help you then, Hinata-chan?" he asked, sitting on another chair.

"I came here to ask for a favor. If you help me, it'll be quite the favor," she said a bit nervously.

"Tell me what you need. I'll help if I can," he said, smiling at her.

Hinata looked at him nervously before speaking up, "I want you to teach me fuinjutsu, not for free though. I will help you as I can in return, if you'll teach me fuinjutsu, please."

Naruto looked at her a bit shocked; he hadn't envisioned the conversation going this route. He thought maybe she had come to congratulate him. Even when she had asked for a favor, he thought it was for some object she needed or a few pointers, not fuinjutsu lessons.

"You want me to teach you fuinjutsu?" She nodded. "Why?"

"I have been learning fuinjutsu through scrolls and a few teachers, but none are as skilled as Jiraiya-sama or Kakashi-sensei. But both are too busy with their duties to help. You have been training under both," she admitted. "I also saw your versatility with seals today."

"Hmm, and what is the whole motive behind learning the sealing art? It's one of the most complex arts, and not many want to put hours into it," he asked.

Hinata looked down before glancing up, a bit hesitant. "I want to decipher and break the cursed seal of the Hyuga clan."

"Cursed seal of Hyuga, can I see it? Maybe I will be able to break it for you," he said.

Hinata shook her head and pushed forward a sketch of the seal markers.

"Hmm, it looks complex. I think it'll take me some time, but it'll be easy if I can decipher a seal directly. Any member of your clan volunteering?" he asked.

"None, they don't want it gone. The elders would never allow it," she said.

"Then it will take some time," he said.

"I still want to learn," Hinata blurted out.

Naruto raised his brows. "It's a really complex art, Hinata-chan. Are you sure?"

She nodded. "Honestly, I have developed an interest in this art. The only seals I can learn here are barrier seals and simple scrolls."

"And you yearn for more, right?" She nodded.

He sat and pondered. Teaching her would also benefit him. Ero-sennin always said that teaching clarifies a concept, also she was ready to teach him anything.

"You will teach me anything in return, correct?" he asked.

"Hai!" she said enthusiastically.

"Okay then, I will give two hours on my free days. I will teach you Konoha style fuinjutsu, and in return, you will teach me cooking and spar with me," he said.

She nodded with a smile, white teeth fully on display.

The sealing scroll he handed her was one of the basics for Tobirama's style. By the look of amazement on her face, nobody had given her a class on the basics of combat fuinjutsu.

For the next two hours, he corrected her calligraphy, taught her to chain seals, and translated the basic sealing language of what he dubbed 'Konoha style' to her.

In return, she taught him to make plain old spring rolls, a dish he had rarely tasted. But as she cooked them, it tasted quite good. Their time together wasn't stiff as Naruto envisioned, as while Hinata was sincere in her learning, she didn't object to breaks and occasional funny japes.

He was surprised to find Hinata had changed a lot from their school days. He also found that unlike other Hyuga, she wasn't even slightly arrogant. And he had to accept that her smile was cute, if a bit dazzling.

He waved her goodbye, giving her the scroll for basic practices.

His stomach already filled, he changed his clothes and took the shogi board he had bought for Shikamaru.

The walk through the village was quite peaceful. The absence of a particular Sarutobi was clear, and when he asked around, he found he was out on a mission with Ebisu. A C-ranked mission.

His steps led him toward the Nara clan compound.

The gates opened to a stern-looking Yoshino. She looked at him for a moment before returning to the house.

"Shika, Uzumaki Naruto is here to see you," she said.

He stood awkwardly at the gate. He knew Yoshino never liked his friendship with Shikamaru; she had bought into the rumor of him being a delinquent pretty early, and it never left her.

"Come up, Naruto. It would be a drag to come down only to return here," he said from up the stairs.

Naruto left his shoes at the stand before walking up the stairs. The wooden stairs creaked as he climbed.

Shikamaru's room was quite plain—nothing flashy or anything. Despite them being the main family of the Nara clan, Nara Shikaku liked his simplicity, and Shika followed his lead.

"This was for you. Saw it in a shop in Keishi town. Thought you would like it," he said, revealing the shogi board.

Shika picked it up with a smile. "It looks good, Naruto. Thanks."

"Think nothing of it," he said.

Yoshino chose that moment to enter the room, two cups of tea and a few rice crackers on a plate.

She glanced at the shogi board and then at Naruto before leaving the room, closing the door behind her.

"She still doesn't like me," Naruto sighed.

Shikamaru looked up at him from the shogi board. "It's not like that. She's just uncomfortable with her treatment of you. Dad had told her, and she was unable to forgive herself."

Naruto looked shocked.

Shikamaru snorted, "Don't look like a fish out of water; that doesn't suit you. Someone was going to tell her anyhow, it was better that Dad did it."

Naruto nodded. "She doesn't need to be ashamed though. It wasn't like I didn't prank the hell out of the village."

"That you did, nearly every Anbu, Jonin, and Chunin out there could vouch for that," Shikamaru said, setting up the board.

"Hah, only Iruka-sensei was able to catch up to me," he said, pushing the white piece forward.

"He was able to catch everyone of us, even Choji and me when we wanted to bunk," Shikamaru said, moving his piece.

"He is still in the Academy, right?" Naruto asked, contemplating his next move.

"Yeah. He's also been appointed as deputy-head of the barrier department." Naruto moved his second piece.

"Oh, I'll have to meet him. I wanted to check the situation of the barrier; my mum was the last to upgrade it. I can update a few bits, I think." Shikamaru countered him.

"So, what you said yesterday was true. You're their son," Shikamaru said as he waited for him to make the next move.

"Yep, Ero-sennin told me when we went to Uzushio," he said.

"Uzushio, huh? I thought it was an inaccessible ruin." Naruto moved another piece.

"It was nearly. The dead bodies and the rubble took me days to clear. Gave them a proper last rite, and then roamed around," Naruto said.

"Found something interesting?" Shikamaru moved his piece, blocking Naruto.

"A few relics, some broken and a few unusual." He shrugged, not going into details. He moved another piece.

Shikamaru froze for a second. "Never figured how you do that. Your moves look random until they don't."

"Check," Naruto said.

Shikamaru moved his piece, blocking the check. Naruto moved another before grimacing at his mistake.

"Checkmate," Shikamaru said, winning the game.

Deidara of the Explosion Release was getting restless. Leader-sama had given them the role to extract the One-Tails. Their plan was very simple: lure the Jinchuriki out of the village by any means necessary, then start the extraction rituals. Sasori knew these sand dunes and desert like the back of his hand, so he would take the lead.

But his partner was making him wait, and he never liked that. He wanted to create art, and art was explosion. His body was thrumming with the need to explode something already. And Leader-sama had given him the leeway to use as much explosion as he could without killing the Jinchuriki; it seemed Leader-sama was trying to learn his art.

Sasori's art was boring: puppets. He didn't care if there were 100 puppets or 1,000. They could never match his art, and he would prove that to the red-headed prick.

"Why are you taking so much time? Let's go," he said to Sasori, annoyed.

"Shut up, Deidara. I need to map out the security; the new Kazekage has changed them," Sasori said.

"Why do you even try? It's not like they will be able to counter us. We're two S-ranked shinobi. I mean, Sunagakure is one of the weakest, un," he retorted.

"Let it be. I won't risk the mission. Just sit tight for a few minutes. We've waited for long, and I don't want to risk it due to your impatience," Sasori bit back.

The bird made of explosive clay flapped its wings a few times before Sasori gave the signal and it flew out of the rock cave they were hiding in.

Sasori dispatched the guards on land as Deidara flew in, the sandy domes of the village clear to see. He watched the agents used by Sasori slaughter the gate guards from inside before opening the gate.

"Don't keep me waiting, Deidara," Sasori said in his raspy voice.

"See my art in action, you boring scorpion! Here I go!" The man said, dropping hundreds of explosive spiders.

The explosions rocked the village, and the Kazekage emerged in his full glory, red cloak billowing under a grey armored jacket. "You've breached my village's security. Ready to die?"

"We'll see about that, un!" Deidara yelled back.

And the fight began.

Naruto was sleeping peacefully when his slumber was disturbed by the doorbell. He lifted his head and looked at the clock. 4:00 AM.

Quite early for anything remotely customary; no, it could only be an emergency. He climbed down the stairs and opened the door. An Anbu stood there.

"Chunin Uzumaki Naruto, Hokage-sama has summoned. Be in the tower in fifteen minutes." The Anbu vanished in a shunshin.

Naruto freshened up before putting on his mission wear. Hastily, he fixed the strap of his shinobi sandal and vanished in a sealless shunshin, only to appear at the gate of the Hokage tower.

He climbed the stairs quickly, opening the door of the chamber to find Kakashi, Sakura, and Team Guy already present.

"All of you are here then," Tsunade said as she walked in with Shizune in tow.

"What's the rush, Baa-chan?" Naruto asked.

"We received an urgent alarm call from Sunagakure. The Kazekage has been abducted by the Akatsuki; two members, namely Deidara of the Explosion Release and Sasori of the Red Sand, were seen in the village," she said.

"What? Gaara got kidnapped? That can't be possible, he's damn strong," he said.

"The message is clear. Gaara has been kidnapped, and Suna has asked for help."

"Then we should move quickly," Kakashi said.

"Yes, Konoha will send two teams. Kakashi, you'll lead Sakura and Naruto. Guy, you'll lead your team," she instructed. "Move out, we don't have much time."

"I can make it fast, but only with two people accompanying me over such a long distance," Naruto said out loud.

"Are you sure, Naruto? Once out, you won't be able to hide it," Tsunade said, looking a bit grim.

"It would have come out someday, Baa-chan. I can't let them take Gaara," he said, determinedly.

Turning toward Kakashi and Sakura, he said, "Pack your stuff and meet me at the gate. Do it fast. I think I can carry two of you with me; the rest will follow."

Kakashi looked amazed for a moment before nodding and vanishing in a shunshin. And while Sakura didn't understand what Naruto was saying, she understood the urgency in his voice and ran off to pack.

Half an hour later, they were at the gate, Team Guy and Team Kakashi. Tsunade and Shizune had also come to see them off.

"Right, so I'll hold you both, and we'll teleport. I have a kunai near the Suna border; it'll cut the time by a full day. Then we'll able to reach Suna by this evening if we travel at full speed," Naruto said.

"Teleport?" Sakura asked.

"You'll see. I know you've traveled through this, Sensei, but try not to move too much," Naruto said.

"Guy, go full speed. I need you there by next evening," Kakashi said, moving close to Naruto.

Naruto nodded toward Tsunade, then clutched Kakashi's and Sakura's shoulders. "Ja ne,"

They vanished in a flash of yellow.

Tenten and Neji gasped, while Tsunade looked resigned. "He just painted a target on his back."

Near the border of Sunagakure, Kakashi swayed for a moment before righting himself, while Sakura didn't have that luck. She bent over, heaving out her dinner.

Naruto picked up the kunai he had hidden in the cave; it was a usual one with his signature etched on the handle, a permanent kind. He placed it back under the watchful gaze of Kakashi and a disgruntled Sakura.

"What the fuck was that? Did we really teleport? Isn't that..." she spluttered.

"Flying Raijin. Yeah, that was the D-Yondaime's technique," he said, correcting himself. Luckily, his 'd' came out as 'the'.

"Really? You're not kidding, right?" she said, amazed.

"He's not, Sakura. We'll have time to discuss this. We're 6-8 hours from Sunagakure; we'll go full speed," Kakashi said, looking at Naruto with a slight smile.

"Move," he started speeding off, Naruto and Sakura following him.

Disclaimer: All rights are reserved for Kishimoto.