The Will of Fire

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

Author's Notice: Hello guys, long time no see. I apologize for the delay, but I've been gearing up to start writing again. I've started having more time to myself as of late and I'm grateful since it allows me to write more. Hopefully this is a sign of things to come and I really wish to release more and more chapters and updates in the coming future.

Also, I'm thinking of branching out and doing a few other stories spark some more interest up from my part. But it'll probably be after I advance a bit more of my other stories. There're a couple story premises I've been considering, and I want you guys to tell me what you think. These are just ideas but I'm heavily considering them as premises for future stories. But also concerning stories, I've finally come up with a good intro and start for my old story idea "God of Shinobi", where Naruto is trained by the Sandaime Hokage early on. Other than that, I've been thinking of rewriting bits of Yondaime's Legacy, because I feel as if I made Naruto far too OP than I would like at such an early stage, and for those who know me you all know I hate immediate Godlike characters and so forth. One other thing is that I plan on branching out from just Naruto eventually, I'm considering One Piece, the most and maybe even bits of Tokyo Ghoul, Shokugeki no Souma, Attack on Titan or even Bleach.

(JUST SO YOU GUYS KNOW I ADDED A POLL REGARDING THE STORY IDEAS IN MY PROFILE. PLEASE CHECK IT OUT AND VOTE. I'D BE INTERESTED TO KNOW WHAT YOU GUYS WANNA SEE)

Naruto's actual lineage dates to the first Hokage making Naruto an Uzumaki and a Senju. But not only that but he appears to have the power of Mokuton. (To be honest this is the one along with God of Shinobi I'm leaning towards the most.

Naruto is banished after a successful Sasuke Retrieval Mission, but in doing he leaves and finds his way into Kiri after months of wandering and travelling. He then finds himself joining the rebellion against Yagura under the leadership of Mei Terumi.

Naruto managed to reach genin when Iruka promoted him, but because of the lateness of his promotion the Hokage was left with a dilemma since from the 36 kids in the academy, only 31 managed to make it with Naruto. Initially it was easy making ten three-man teams, but instead he was forced to make a team of four people. Introducing team Dead Last: Naruto Uzumaki, Shikamaru Nara, Kiba Inuzuka and Choji Akimichi. (Second most likely)

Hashirama and Madara never fully made peace despite Hashirama's tries and so Konoha was never conceived, but in doing so there were two major clans in the land of Fire, the Senju and the Uchiha. With Naruto being born into the Senju with the power of Mokuton.

Naruto being born five years early and instead his younger brother Menma was made the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi. Naruto was a prodigy and was a Joinin by 16, and by the age of 18 he was chosen to lead Team Seven which had Sasuke, Sakura and his brother Menma.

Minato and Kushina survived being able to raise their child Naruto, with Minato being the Hokage this allowed Naruto to train and grow up as a genius much like his father.

Naruto by the age of 18 returns to Konoha a much older, stronger and mature man. But not only that but he returns with a 2-year-old daughter, the child he conceived with Shion who he saved during his travels with Jiraiya when he was only 15. With a child that has inherited the Kyuubi's chakra and the priestess powers of Shion, Naruto must do everything to protect her.

The Fourth Great Ninja war raged on for a complete decade, by this time Naruto was Hokage but during a final ditch battle with the Akatsuki, they managed to escape back in time. To counter this Naruto, Darui, Kurotsuchi, Chojuro and Gaara, the five Kages went back in time as well to quell the dangers of Team Taka and the Akatsuki

Showing no skill or promise in ninjutsu or genjutsu, Naruto found himself graduating through a technicality (A year ahead of canon) and instead of Kakashi Hatake he found himself in a team led by none of than Maito Gai. In this team Naruto found his passion for Taijutsu.

By the time Monkey D. Luffy was 16 the Red-Haired Pirates Returned and this time he was made into a member of the legendary pirate crew. He would soon garner himself a bit of a reputation. But by the time he was 21, the young man was ready to set sail with his own crew (This is One Piece by the way for those who don't know)

Well here's a big list of ideas I've come up, they started out as interesting premises, but I've gotten more and more intrigued by them. I'd love to hear what you guys think, and as you already have a clue all the Naruto ones will be NaruSaku. All of them will still focus on Adventure and Romance and that sort of thing anyway. Except maybe #3 since that may focus mostly on friendship and adventure, before any action and romance. Anyway, thanks for bearing with me everyone, I apologize once more but as per usual please favorite, follow and review if you can.

Chapter 3: The Origins of a Legend

Weeks had since passed since Naruto and Shikamaru's promotion to Chunin, in that span of time the two focused mostly on training due to the lack of missions. They had been offered some basic D-Rank missions but of course neither were quite too keen on the tasks presented to them by those low-ranking missions. Most of which were designed to be more like chores than anything and as such both Chunin decided their time was better used doing something somewhat productive. Naruto having his training sessions, while Shikamaru being far more reluctant than his blonde friend was forced to join in the training due to the insistence and pestering of said blonde. He really did find Naruto quite troublesome.

But after weeks of the same repetitive regimen both Naruto and Shikamaru were suddenly called to the Hokage's office, both presuming it would be for a new mission. Shikamaru of course found it troublesome seeing how it interfered with his favorite hobby, cloud watching. Naruto on the other hand was far more excited to finally get back out on the fields, being holed up doing nothing but training was boring Naruto to death. He absolutely loved to train, hone his skills and grow stronger, but far more than that he wanted to display the fruits of his labor in an actual mission for Konoha.

Both Naruto and Shikamaru entered the Hokage's office and upon arrival they found a familiar presence in front of the Hokage. It took them a second to realize that the presence was Anko Mitarashi, or as Naruto liked to call her 'Crazy Snake Lady'.

"Ah it seems you're both here, well then its time to debrief you two on your next mission" said the Hokage breaking the two newly promoted Chunin from their line of thought.

Naruto and Shikamaru walked forward to the front of the Hokage's desk standing next to Anko, the Hokage looked over the three of them before handing Anko a small Manila folder.

"Alright in this folder Anko will be the details of the mission" he said before turning to the two Chunin, "Today I assigned you three a standard B-Rank mission and of course with Anko here being an experienced Tokubetsu Jonin she'll be the one leading the team in this mission. Understand?"

"Hai Hokage-sama" replied both Naruto and Shikamaru.

"Good in that case you three are dismissed" ordered the Hokage.

The three ninjas soon left the office, and as soon as they out Anko stopped their tracks and stared directly at the two of them as if she were studying the two Chunin.

"Listen here brats, you heard the Hokage I'll be leading this mission and I expect you two to listen to what I say. I don't care if you two did well at the Chunin Exams or whatever, you got to prove to me once more you have what it takes to be Chunin. If you don't follow my orders there will be hell to pay, and trust me if anyone in this village knows how to punish anyone it'll be me" she exclaimed in a tone with held no room for argument.

But of course, Naruto being Naruto just had to play devil's advocate in this situation.

"Hey, listen crazy snake lady, we already proved ourselves to you" he argued in annoyance.

Anko chuckled at the spunk this kid showed towards a superior officer, "Listen whiskers, I think you'll find it mutually beneficial for the both of us if you just shut the fuck up and listen to my orders. Got it?".

"And tell me why that is" Naruto asked in a smug tone.

Shikamaru could only shake his head, he did not want to be a part of this argument right now, but his idiot friend of course had to stir trouble. And to their commanding officer as well, the blonde certainly proved to be more and more trouble than what he was worth.

"Well there's three reasons brat" she declared boldly, "First reason being if you don't I'll punish you accordingly and trust me you don't want that. Secondly, we might die if we don't and knowing your knack of jumping into the fray of things without a moment's notice then it's more likely. Thirdly, well if you play nice and maybe impress me who knows maybe you might be able to get a reward from me or something" she said that last bit in a slightly more flirtatious manner.

But of course, that flew over Naruto's head, "What kind of reward?" he asked innocently.

Anko chuckled at the innocence of this kid, she leaned down and whispered a few words onto the blonde's ear. Shikamaru who knew what she was on about was feeling more and more uncomfortable as this conversation went on. Naruto wasn't faring any better, he was currently as red as a tomato while sweating profusely in embarrassment.

Anko chuckled as she saw the effect she left on the kid, 'good to know I still got it' she thought to herself. She later straightened herself up before addressing the two new Chunin promotes.

"Alright enough of this jibber jabber, I'll see you two in the front of the Konoha gates ready to leave, pack up to a weeks' worth of clothing just in case" she ordered as the two embarrassed boys nodded before abruptly leaving hoping to get away from the crazy snake lady.

Once they were a safe distance away the two decided to walk in a normal pace, "I can't even explain how troublesome that situation was" he said in his usual laid-back tone.

"Don't even get me started" replied a stuttering blonde Chunin.

"It looks like she really did a number on you"

"You have no idea Shikamaru" he said with a deadpanned look on his face.

Konoha Gates

Naruto and Shikamaru were starting to get a little impatient, Anko was thirty minutes late to their rendezvous point. Shikamaru didn't seem to mind as much since it gave him more time to rest and recover. Naruto on the other hand was starting to become more and more restless.

"I expected this sort of stuff from Kakashi, but not that crazy snake lady either. I swear all of the Konoha Jonin I've met so far have all been pretty lame. I mean they're strong no doubt but they're still definitely lame" the irritated blonde ranted.

Shikamaru merely rolled his eyes, "Do you ever stay quiet?" Shikamaru asked rhetorically, "Just sit down and shut up, she'll be here soon. And besides I want to get a bit more shut eye".

"Jeez Shikamaru all you ever do in sleep or complain, you're such a lazy ass"

"You are what you eat" he said in a very soft tone, almost slipping past Naruto's ears.

"Yeah, wait what?" he asked.

"Nothing"

Naruto began to chuckle softly, "Never knew you had it in you to make a dirty joke Shikamaru. And for the longest time I always thought that women were too troublesome for you. Turns out you have a little bit of pervert in yourself as well" he exclaimed loudly for all people in the vicinity to here.

Shikamaru realized his mistake just then, he turned to Naruto with a stern look on his face.

"I regret ever saying that joke, I know I'm never going to live it down"

"You bet your ass buddy, I can't wait till Kiba and Choji hear about this"

The lazy Nara groaned inwardly, 'I am going to kill this idiot one day' he thought to himself as Naruto continued his loud and excessive laughing.

"Hey what's all the ruckus all about?"

Naruto and Shikamaru turned to the source of the voice only to find Anko standing there nonchalantly gnawing at a bit of dango.

The energetic blonde then remembered his annoyance towards her tardiness, "Hey what took you so long?" he yelled while pointing an accusing finger at Anko. "Me and Shikamaru have been waiting here for nearly an hour now and you show up now".

"Dango" she replied.

"What?"

"Dango"

"What do you mean Dango?"

"What I mean is that I ordered up a bit of dango before heading, must have lost track of time while I was eating" Anko answered.

Naruto wanted to take the moral high ground, but he knew ramen has done the same thing to him in the past with his team, and so he decided to let it go for now.

"Tch whatever let's just go I'm tired of waiting for your late ass" he muttered in annoyance.

"I don't know what you're so upset for, your sensei is Kakashi. You should be grateful it was just an hour" she said while continuing to chew on her dango.

'That is true' thought Naruto, but he wisely chose to shut his mouth for once to finally get this mission done and dusted. In truth Naruto was quite excited for this, this was going to be his first mission as a Chunin. But most of all he was gladder than anything to not have to do D-Rank missions anymore. Anything was better than doing those menial chores, or even worse catching that dreaded cat.

A Few Hours Later

"So where are we actually going?" asked Naruto.

"We're actually not that far from our target location, it's just a small fishing village in the outskirts of the land of fire" she replied.

"So, what exactly are the parameters of the mission?" questioned the Nara.

"Oh, that's right I forgot to tell you guys about that, my bad"

Naruto and Shikamaru sweatdropped at the nonchalance of their supposed Jonin leader.

"There have been fishy reports lately, excuse the pun, about Bandits in the local area. Someone sent a mission request to liberate this village from the small-time bandits"

"Ah yes that mean we'll have to fight, cool. I get to show off my new kick ass moves" Naruto exclaimed in a rather excited tone. Since the retrieval of Tsunade Naruto hadn't gotten much action and now he was more than ready to go fight some lowlife bandits.

Shikamaru having ignored Naruto's rather eager outburst continued to question Anko about this mission, "How dangerous are the supposed targets?" he asked.

"According to reports there should be roughly ten of them, and luckily for us none of them have shown any ability in ninjutsu so they resort to carrying weapons. Unfortunately for the town their population was far too small to repel the intruders and they never had much in the brawn department to begin with. Many of the men were elderly and there were very few able-bodied men, but unfortunately for them those men were trained to fish and not to fight. This made it redundant for the villagers to resist the bandits"

"Ah I see, best to still be careful. We don't know for certain how strong they really are"

Anko nodded in agreement, "Complacency is a ninja's worst enemy" she said.

A couple of minutes later the small group managed to see the outskirts of the village, they began to make their way to the village but not before Anko gave a few last-minute orders to the two boys.

"Alright listen up we don't want to be seen just yet, and we don't want to notify the bandits that we're here in the village. We are going to sneak in and meet with the person who sent in this mission request, we are to meet him in his home and I will lead us there. Alright follow me" she said before running off into the distance, Naruto and Shikamaru nodded and ran after her.

As trained ninjas they were able to mask the sound of their steps quite well, to the untrained ears of the civilians they couldn't hear the three ninjas bolt past them as they hid in broad daylight.

In the end they managed to arrive in front of a simple yet quaint house on the western end of the village, Anko knocked lightly and a few seconds after that a bald old man looking to be in his late fifties went and opened to door. Anko studied him for a second to make sure he was the man Tsunade described and everything seemed to fit the bill.

"Hello how may I help you?" asked the kind old man.

"We're the Konoha ninjas you asked for, we'd like to ask you about the bandits who have been harassing your village"

The old man's eyes widened significantly, "Of course, of course come this way" he said as he directed them to the living room, "Please have a seat".

The three ninjas took his offer as they sat on the rather old leather couch sitting by the living room.

"Pardon me, but before we begin I'd like to get some introductions out of the way first. My name is Oba Shiro"

Naruto walked over to shake the old man's hands, "Hey there Shiro-san, the name's Naruto Uzumaki, future Hokage of Konoha" he said.

The old man chuckled, "Well you definitely have a lot of confidence, I respect that kid" he replied before turning his attention to the other boy in the squad.

"Shikamaru Nara" he answered in a lazy uninterested tone.

"As for me my name is Anko Mitarashi and I'll be leading this mission, so tell me Shiro-san what have the bandits done thus far to your village? And if by any chance you can tell us a thing or two about what we'll be up against?" she inquired.

"But of course, Anko-san, these bandits started coming around three months ago. My village is small, and we lack any military prowess since were but a humble and peaceful fishing village in the Land of Fire, we have no true connections to the ninja world. At the start they had been raiding us for supplies mostly fish, and as a result our profits have been dwindling down significantly making it difficult for this village to sustain itself. What's worse is that recently we've started just offering our supplies to them to avoid raids altogether. We've started this as a form of damage control, but of course this is unstable. We as a village have been struggling, we've been able to feed the bandits but not ourselves".

Anko soaked all the knowledge in, "I see well Shiro-san you can count on us. We'll handle this and get rid of these bandits once and for all" she assured him.

The old man smiled warmly at the trio, "Thank you so much for doing this, this would mean a lot to the village. Oh, and more thing the raids happen once a week at the same time, it's scheduled at around midday tomorrow at the town square. Until then you three are more than welcome to stay the night here to prepare for tomorrow".

"Arigato Shiro-san"

The Next Day

The three Konoha ninjas have stationed themselves within different areas of the town's market square, their job thus far was mingling around the area without arousing any suspicion.

Shikamaru of course was stationed by a nearby bench feeding birds with a few breadcrumbs. Naruto on the other hand was visiting and indulging in the local cuisine through the many street food shops located around the town. Then there was Anko, the leader of the operation took a similar approach to Naruto, but instead of the street food vendors she was browsing around the local clothing store.

It didn't take that long before that the town overheard a small war horn coming from out of town, this has been common practice for a while now. The local bandits would sound the small war horn to notify the village of their arrival giving them time to assemble their offerings to the bandits.

This method lessened the violence but at the same time it only went on to show how beaten down this town had been due to the local bandits. Naruto was particularly agitated at seeing all the struggling civilians giving away all their goods to appease some no-good criminals.

A quarter of an hour later, the bandits arrived. The three ninjas made sure to blend in their surroundings while their targets went on to harass the small village. Shops and vendors were forced to fork out as much money and goods as they could towards their abusers. Naruto was finding it more and more difficult to stay hidden, all he wanted to do right now was interfere and fight off these bandits, but of course he knew deep down that it was the stupid thing to do. Anko had given them specific orders not to interfere just yet, for now their duty was to gather as much intel as possible.

After half an hour of ransacking through the town's shops and vendors, the bandits made their way to the town's pub. The three ninjas watched from afar as the bandits drunkenly began to harass the citizens. They were threatening the bartender if he failed to give them free liquor and food, others were picking fights with the other patrons of the bar. There were also some lowlife individuals who were flirting and getting handsy with the girls around the vicinity.

This made Naruto's blood boil, watching them so gleefully ruin an entire town's livelihood. The young blonde had seen enough, he knew it was a bad idea, but he couldn't allow this to continue much further. The young Chunin clenched his fist and was about to head over down to the bar entrance, but before he could move a muscle he felt a sudden hand on his shoulder.

He glanced back briefly only to find Anko slowly shaking her head, Naruto wanted to protest but he knew it would be for naught, so he decided to step down.

"Don't do anything rash now, I'm in the same boat as you kid. I really want to teach them a lesson for what they're doing but now is not the time. We're here to find out their true numbers, their base and their level of danger. Once we have all those variables we'll strike"

Naruto sighed softly before proceeding to nod his head, "So what's your plan?" he questioned.

"Just sit back, watch and observe kid. Once these bastards are done with the town we'll tail them to evaluate their base"

Two Hours Later

The group of bandits began to stumble out of the bar having seemingly more than enough alcohol in their system. Anko noticed this and made a sign for her team to tail these criminals. Lucky for them with the bandits being quite intoxicated as is, they failed to pay attention to the three ninjas following their every lead. Naruto chuckled to himself realizing how easy it was to trail these drunk buffoons.

Soon the trio followed the group until the outskirts of town, with less and less people and infrastructure around they were forced to hide around the trees. The trio walked for another half hour before stumbling upon a small encampment. Anko examined it from the distance and realized it was the bandit base they were looking for.

She quickly summoned a handful of regular sized snakes, "I want you five to scout the area and report to me how many reside in the base and if they're anything to worry about" she ordered as the snakes began to slither away.

"So, what do we now" asked Naruto.

"Don't you worry, my summons is going around to scout the premises. But from the looks of things we have two options right now"

"I'm guessing either we retreat with information and come up with a plan to defeat these guys, or we fight them now while they're vulnerable. Seeing how these bandits are not only unaware of our presence but are also inebriated, I personally believe a surprise attack now would be extremely effective" said Shikamaru.

"Hm, you really are a smart kid, aren't you?" Anko asked rhetorically, "You're not completely wrong though, before we make a proper decision we should wait for my summons to return to give us their findings of the base. If the situation calls for it we will strike, but if not, we will return".

After five minutes the snakes began to slither back to Anko, "What have you guys found?" she asked.

"The bandits seem to be led by a rogue ninja Anko-sama" hissed the snake.

"What did the rogue look like? And what made you sure it really was a missing nin?"

"It seems that the leader is a missing nin of Konoha, he has the hitai-ate itself with a cut on the village's emblem. It was a man of medium height with long, spiky green hair." He described.

The snake mistress quickly grabbed her bingo book from her pouch before examining the chapter regarding missing nin from Konoha. She had found a couple of pictures matching the description, after a while they managed to come up with the identity of the leader.

"Well this makes things a lot more complicated" dryly remarked Anko.

"Why what's up Anko-sensei?" asked Naruto.

"The leader of this group is Aoi Rokusho, I know this guy he's a former jonin of Konoha. He was labelled a missing nin after he stole the Raijin no Ken, a legendary sword owned by the Nidaime Hokage. Let me tell you now kids, this guy's the real deal"

"That was all we've found thus far Anko-sama, if you need us again do not hesitate to summon us" said the snakes.

Anko nodded in understanding, "Ah I see, thank you for your help" she said as the snaked nodded slowly to her before vanishing and leaving a small cloud of smoke.

"What do you think we should do then?" asked the blonde Chunin.

"I think it may be best for us to head back for now and gather reinforcements" said Anko.

"Nani? That's bullshit we can fight them here and now to get rid of all of them. No way in hell I'm letting them continue harassing that village" exclaimed the eccentric and emotional Jinchuuriki.

"Don't you think I don't feel the same way brat, the fact of the matter is that Aoi guy, I'm not sure if I can take him by myself. I probably could if he didn't have the Raijin no Ken, but the sword by itself makes him a formidable opponent"

"I'd hate to play devil's advocate, but I actually agree with Naruto, this is the perfect opportunity to strike. All but that Aoi guy is drunk right now, and quite frankly Naruto's shadow clones will be more than enough to deal with the bandits especially at their current state. Meaning that if we dispose of the bandits then the three of us could focus on Aoi as a team and with our combined efforts I'm sure we can find a way to defeat him" said Shikamaru.

Anko sighed she knew she had the final say in all things regarding this mission being the Jonin leader. But even she had to admit that from the reports that this Shikamaru kid was an absolute tactical genius, and if he felt this was the best option then she would at least consider it. Besides with Shikamaru being the shrewd strategist he is, he could always come up with a plan within the following minutes and that alone could possibly shift the momentum of the battle their way.

But of course, that wasn't all, her other Chunin wasn't too bad either. Naruto garnered quite a bit of interest for his actions during the Chunin Exams. Safe to say despite this kid's lack of tact, strategy and patience, he packed quite the punch. Despite the early age the boy already learned a powerful jutsu in the form of the Rasengan, not to mention his growing mastery of Shadow Clones. Other than that, he also can summon toads.

The more she thought about it the more she realized how realistic it really was for them to complete their mission here and there. First, they have the element of surprise in their hand, and with many of the bandits still being intoxicated from the alcohol they barely pose as a threat. Hell, Naruto's shadow clones could probably take care of them.

"Like I said I still worry about the Raijin no Ken, it's a legendary sword with unbelievable power. Aoi was never really that powerful as a shinobi, but the weapon he wields is a dangerous one"

Shikamaru smirked confidently, "I can probably think up a plan for this if we got a map of the area and the necessary equipment I have in mind" he said.

"Lucky for you brat we do have a map, but what sort of stuff do you need?"

"All I need are bomb seals"

"So be it, I'll give you ten minutes to come up with one and if I don't like what I hear we're going back" replied the snake mistress.

"I only need five"

Several Minutes Later

'Overwhelm them' Shikamaru thought to himself as he glanced at Naruto, the two shared a small nod to themselves to begin their assault on the bandit camp.

Shikamaru let out a unique bird call, and Anko knew it was time to strike. She had been told to secretly plant as many bombs around the enemy encampment. Of course, to avoid detection she allowed her summoned snakes to unsuspectingly slither inside the base and place their explosive seals.

Once everything was set she jumped up back to the trees to get away from the planted bombs. Once she was in a safe distance she unleashed the explosives through one hand seal. The camp was suddenly engulfed in both flames and smoke as the bandits began to flurry in a see of panic.

Then stage two of the plan was unleashed, dozens upon dozens of Naruto's clones began to arrive attacking as many bandits on sight.

Of course, the drunk bandits were unable to defend themselves from this surprise attack and so one by one they began to feel the wrath of Naruto Uzumaki's shadow clone army.

The real Naruto however watched from the trees alongside Anko and Shikamaru. The three of them were waiting for Aoi to reveal himself, then as if on cue they found a green haired man fleeing the sight while shooting bolts of lighting towards the Naruto clones chasing after him.

"There he is, let's go tail him" said Anko as the Jonin began to run through the treetops. The two Chunin followed suit not that long after, Naruto was confident enough to leave his clones there knowing they were more than capable of handling the rest of the criminals.

The three ninjas tailed the fleeing missing nin, lucky for them Aoi failed to notice them or their chakra signatures seeing how he was far too preoccupied escaping and dispelling the hordes of shadow clones.

Eventually after a chase which lasted another three minutes Aoi found himself nearing a large lake restricting his plans of escape. So instead he held his ground as the last small group of clones jumped up to attack him, but with the Raijin no Ken in his hands he was easily able to defeat the small horde.

Now with the clones dealt with Aoi sighed a breath of relief, but upon doing so he then managed to detect three chakra signatures along the trees just before the shoreline.

"Come out I know you're there" he yelled threateningly, of course the three Konoha ninjas stayed in absolute silence watching from the distance. Aoi's patience was wearing thin by the lack of a reply, and so in his state of anger he began to shoot bolts of lightning towards different trees.

Naruto waited patiently, everything was going according to plan he just needed to wait for him to strike the tree he stood on, then as if on cue a bolt of lightning was shot at his direction. The young blonde smirked as he weaved through a few hand seals.

"Fūton: Daitoppa"

The blast of wind did enough to dispel the lightning, but before Aoi could shoot another Naruto jumped down and ran towards the man. Then he threw a Fuma Shuriken at the Jonin who easily managed to dodge it. The Chunin smirked as it brought him back to his battle against Zabuza.

Aoi's eyes widened when he heard a pop, he glanced at the back of his eye and there was a woman where the Fuma Shuriken flew past.

'Henge no Jutsu' he thought to himself before tossing an umbrella high up into the air, the umbrella beforehand was attached to his hip.

"Sen'ei Jashu"

Anko launched a few snakes towards the missing nin, but unfortunately for her Aoi was one step ahead. With the umbrella up in the air he shot out Senbon after Senbon towards Anko's snakes.

"Jouro Senbon"

With the snakes disappearing after taking so much damage Aoi then pointed his sword towards Anko, but before he could shoot his lightning powered attack he noticed an inability to move his body rendering him unable to deliver the fatal blow. He glanced down at his feet to notice shadows binding him to where he stood. He glanced back at Anko to see the woman holding a victorious smirk on her face.

'So, this was all just a distraction to keep me in place, impressive' he thought to himself in dread about what was to happen next.

"Kagemane no Jutsu"

'These brats aren't half bad actually' Anko thought to herself.

Aoi then shook in fear as he heard chakra whirling from behind him, then before he could begin think what it was causing that noise he heard a loud yell from behind him.

"Rasengan"

Naruto plunged the ball of chakra into the man's back causing him a world of pain. But of course with Naruto being as merciful as he was he made sure not to make the attack fatal, just enough to injure and leave him unconscious for a long period of time.

Shikamaru then released him bind on him and as he did Aoi unceremoniously dropped down to the floor unconscious. Anko chuckled to herself as she went over to grab Aoi's stolen blade.

"Brats you did well for yourselves, I'm sure the Hokage will be pleased with us bringing this bad boy back" she said pointing to the sword, "I reckon she'll classify this mission as A-Rank for what we did".

Naruto celebrated as he usually did, loudly and energetically. Shikamaru on the other hand only held a cool smirk, he really was pleased that his plan managed to work as he envisioned it beforehand.

"Alright then team, I'll hold onto the blade and I'll summon one of my snakes to help us carry Aoi as we return to the village and then Konoha"

Konoha

Naruto and his team managed to return to Konoha a day later in one piece, unscathed even thanks to the genius strategy used by Shikamaru. Anko allowed them to return home as she took care of the mission briefing with the Hokage. The two Chunin were more than thankful for that gesture as they returned to their respective homes to finally rest.

Not too long after that word of their actions spread like wildfire, it was the hot new topic around the village. Naruto was slowly beginning to make quite the reputation for himself. So far, he had completed two S-Rank missions, both of which as genin, and another A-Rank mission just the other day. The S-Rank missions of course being Team Seven's mission to Wave and his and Jiraiya's retrieval of the soon to be Godaime Hokage. Add to that Naruto's role and actions in the Chunin Exams and the following invasion, it was as if you were watching the start of a new legend.

But of course, Naruto wasn't the only one garnering a bit of attention. Word of Shikamaru spread as well, mostly due to his tactical masterclass during the Chunin Exams. But their run in with Aoi added a lot more credibility to his name, and the praises from Anko helped. It was starting to become well known that the young Nara's mind was a force to be reckoned with.

Since that mission against Aoi, Naruto and Shikamaru soon after were in extreme demand. Not too long after their A-Rank mission the duo was soon assigned mission after mission and being put to work with many unfamiliar ninjas, the two slowly but surely began to gain the trust of Tsunade. Thus, the two of them being allowed on constant missions.

For the next three months Naruto and Shikamaru were constantly going on and off missions ranging from C-Rank to B-Rank, with the occasional A-Rank mission. Though the A-Rank missions tended to be quite rare these days. They weren't normally assigned to A-Rank missions, but they've accepted lower ranking missions which escalate to higher levels of difficulty. The two of them, Naruto especially simply had a knack for scoping out trouble.

Slowly but surely Naruto and Shikamaru were garnering a bit of attention from the ninja world. In the three months they managed to dismantle the Shinobazu group that had been harassing the Land of Forests. They helped return Haruna the true Daimyo of the Land of Vegetables back to her throne, along with helping Toki also reclaim her position as the ruler of the Land of Birds. Finally, they helped save Yakumo Kurama, the heiress of the Kurama clan from her cruel uncle, Unkai Kurama. These were only the significant missions they participated across the three months, other than these they also had the constant influx of C-Rank missions. Usually these missions entailed bodyguard duties, bandit disposal, escort missions and delivery missions.

Since those eventful three months both Naruto and Shikamaru barely had time to themselves to train let alone catch up with their old teams. Week after week they were deployed in long term missions stretching for 3-6 days. Their interaction with Teams Seven and Ten respectively was extremely limited.

Naruto only really met up with Kakashi to train, and every now and again Asuma-sensei as well for his wind techniques. He hadn't really seen either Sasuke or Sakura at that time, it just so happened team Seven themselves were also being deployed on various missions, just not to the level of danger and importance as Naruto and Shikamaru's.

Hokage's Office

"You called for us Baa-chan?" asked Naruto as he peaked through the office's door.

A tick mark formed right on Tsunade's forehead, but she let it be for now, "Yeah gaki now get your ass over here" she exclaimed.

Naruto and Shikamaru both casually walked in the Hokage's office fully expecting another mission, seeing how they had just been summoned by ANBU not that long ago.

"You two have been working yourselves to the bone recently, don't get me wrong you two have been doing a great job but I think its best if I give you guys a bit of a break" said the blonde Hokage.

'Booyah' thought Shikamaru as a small grin formed on the edges of his lips.

"What? That's bull I want to go on more missions" loudly exclaimed Naruto.

'Dammit you jerk don't ruin this for me' Shikamaru thought to himself.

Tsunade could only sigh in annoyance, she knew Naruto would be a hard case. For some reason the brat loved going on missions, he was a bit of a workaholic. But no matter how much he whined though there was no way Tsunade was changing her mind, her decision was final.

"Sorry gaki but I'm not changing my mind, trust me when I say it'll be good for you. You wouldn't want to overwork yourself, everyone needs a bit of a break every now and again. Think of it this way, without the call for missions for the next few weeks it means you can focus more on your training or even join your team in their training. I heard you haven't really seen your team that much if not at all these past few months explained Tsunade.

Naruto nodded his head sheepishly, "I guess when you put it that way it would be good to go have a bit of training again. It's been too long since I last properly learned a jutsu. Plus, I guess I should pay a visit to Kakashi-sensei, Sasuke-teme and Sakura-chan. I bet they're miserable without me" he chortled to himself.

"Exactly Naruto, and of course if you really want to be Hokage one day you'll need to train. The missions have been good for you I'm sure but with some time off you can work on learning some new jutsus" she said knowing that the boy would be easily convinced if she mentioned the Hokage position.

Naruto's eyes gleamed brightly in excitement, Tsunade grinned seeing the boy's reaction.

'Hook, line, and sinker' she thought to herself

"It's settled then I'll go on vacation for a while to train, but I demand an A-Rank mission and nothing less when I'm done"

Tsunade rolled her eyes deciding to play along with the boy's demands to finally get him off her back, "Yeah sure thing gaki" she replied dryly.

"Alright with all that sorted you two should get on your way, I have a boatload of paperwork to do" grimaced the busty blonde.

With Naruto

The young blonde was walking aimlessly across the streets of Konoha, Shikamaru had left earlier to go back cloud watching. Naruto wasn't quite keen for a full afternoon of gazing at the sky so instead he chose to wonder around in hopes of finding someone to train with. It was at that moment Naruto was broken out of his reverie by the sound of a familiar perverse giggling, he glanced towards the source of the sound and was not even surprised to find his sensei Jiraiya standing around one of Konoha's many bathhouses. The young blonde sighed in annoyance, he still to this day couldn't believe this guy was considered one of Konoha's most legendary ninjas.

He walked over to his sensei as he continued scribbling down some notes, an evil grin appeared on Naruto's face as Jiraiya failed to notice his student walking towards him, he was far too preoccupied with his current research for his famous novels.

"Hey Ero-Sennin how's the peeping going" said Naruto in an extra loud noise, loud enough for everyone in the vicinity to hear. Of course, this alerted all the girls in the hot springs causing them to stand up and leave the area in fear of being peeped on by this pervert.

Jiraiya turned back to Naruto with a defeated look, "Why the hell did you have to do that gaki?" he exclaimed in annoyance.

Naruto's smug grin never vanished, "You deserved it for being such a perv. Also, it's a good thing I bumped into you because I need a bit of training. Baa-chan gave me like a month off from active duty" he explained.

Jiraiya could only sigh in frustration, he couldn't stay angry at the boy, but it was annoying for his research to be halted.

"Yeah I've heard you've been going out on some notable missions as of late. Speaking of which it's been a while since we've actually last seen each other"

Naruto thought about it for a second before nodded in agreement, "Yeah you're right I guess I've just been so busy with missions lately. I haven't really had much time for anyone" he replied.

"Don't worry gaki it's been the same for me, I actually just came back today. I was away for a couple months working on my spy network, Tsunade asked me to gather some intel about a few things here and there"

"So how about it Ero-Sennin, a bit of training for old time's sake?" asked Naruto.

Jiraiya smiled at his young apprentice, "Yeah sure thing gaki, we'll start tomorrow for now let's catch up over some food, I'm starving right now".

Naruto's eyes lit up with excitement, "Ichiraku's Ramen" yelled the excited blonde.

Jiraiya rolled his eyes expecting this from his student, "Yeah sure thing but I won't be paying for you and your meals. From what I've heard you've garnered some money doing all those missions. It should be you treating me out today" he said.

"Alright, you cheap old man. I'll pay for your meal but in return you better take this training seriously. I don't want to waste this month off doing nothing"

"You got yourself a deal, I was planning on training you regardless plus I already made a small training regimen for you while I was away"

This caught Naruto's attention as his ears perked up in curiosity, "Oh so what are you planning on teaching me then Ero-Sennin?" he asked.

"Well I heard about your run-in with the Kurama clan and I believe it will be good to work a bit on your genjutsu defense. Other than that, I also plan on helping you out a bit more with your summoning, some taijutsu work and some chakra control exercises. Ah and finally there is something I've been meaning to teach you for a while now and I think it's finally time we work on this"

"And what would that be?" questioned the young Chunin.

"Fuinjutsu" replied Jiraiya.

"Fuinjutsu? What's that?"

"It's the art of seals Naruto, it may not sound all that powerful seeing how its usually used as a supplementary skill in ninjutsu but if used the right way it could be considered as the strongest of all branches of ninjutsu. It was what defeated the Kyuubi in the end for example, had it not been for the Yondaime's sealing him into you then the Kyuubi will still be around wreaking havoc" he explained.

The blonde Chunin nodded in understanding, "That actually sounds pretty cool" he admitted.

"To be exact, it is a technique that seal objects, living beings, chakra, along with a wide variety of other things within another object"

"Sounds complicated" relied Naruto.

Jiraiya chuckled as he ruffled the boy's hair, "Well you're in luck because as we have it I'm also a master in the arts of Fuinjutsu. I have been working on seals since I was fifteen years old so trust me when I say I am a seal master" he exclaimed excitedly.

"Yosh let's get it started already. You're making me excited Ero-Sennin"

Jiraiya who shared the same level of excitement as the young man replied swiftly, "As much as I would love to Naruto it is getting late, but I am definitely eager to work on this. Fuinjutsu has been one of my passions as a kid, if you ask me it is one of the forgotten arts of the ninja world. More and more people should study Fuinjutsu, it is extremely useful and in the right hands very powerful. But other than Fuinjutsu I also plan on teaching you some Barrier Ninjutsu as well. You're far too attack minded sometimes Naruto, it would be good to help you with your defensive strategies in battle" he said.

"I won't say no to that, but before that we should go grab this ramen. I'm starving right now"

"Sure, thing gaki, but remember I am not paying for you this time. You got enough cash from those missions to pay for your own outrageous meal"

Naruto merely rolled his eyes, "Yeah whatever you say you cheap perv" he retorted.

"Hey I resent that"

With Naruto

A week had passed since Naruto began his training with Jiraiya, so far it had been steady to say the least. Jiraiya had decided it be best to ease Naruto into the complex world of seals and barriers, and so to begin with he chose to show Naruto basic D-Rank Barrier techniques. Whereas for Fuinjutsu they were still in a very beginner phase, with Naruto primarily focusing on his penmanship for the complex Kanji and symbols used for the seals.

During the past week they also worked on some taijutsu and continued a strict fitness regimen to keep Naruto fit as well. Other than that, they trained in genjutsu defense, chakra control, and meditation. Traditionally you would be hard-pressed to find a ninja with the ability to train in all these areas effectively. But Naruto was not your traditional ninja, and so with his special skill of summoning large groups of shadow clones, of course Naruto and Jiraiya resorted to using the Shadow Clones to their advantage. It was only the most efficient and effective manner of training, and in doing so they were able to instill as much knowledge as they could in such a short span of time into the head of one Naruto Uzumaki.

So far everything seemed extremely complicated to Naruto, he knew he was making progress, but he underestimated just how intricate and complex these arts really are. Fuinjutsu and Barrier Ninjutsu were without a doubt so different to the standard form of Ninjutsu. The young blonde Chunin was truly amazed and astounded by these sophisticated arts.

Naruto was breezily walking through the lively streets of Konoha, Jiraiya had cancelled on him today stating he had official business to take care of. The Kyuubi Jinchuuriki was far from fooled though, he absolutely knew that was just Jiraiya's excuse to go peeping. But that didn't bother Naruto, he had to admit himself he really had been overworking himself as of late. He wouldn't complain about one small day off to rest and relax.

A flash of pink then invaded Naruto's vision, the Chunin noticed Sakura from the corner of his eye. She was browsing around the many stalls surrounding the streets. She was eyeing this small stall containing jewelry.

A big smile appeared on Naruto's previously bored face, he lightly jogged over to the pinkette while waving his hand in the air.

"Hey Sakura-chan, long time no see" he yelled loudly for everyone to hear.

The pinkette turned around and was surprised to find Naruto making his way over to her, it had been months since she last saw her teammate and she had to admit she kind of missed him a bit. Every time she was training or going on missions with Team Seven it always felt like there was something lacking. Team Seven used to be so full of life but now it turned somewhat dull. Sakura most of the time was stuck with either Sasuke or Kakashi, not that she minded for the former. But neither of them was exactly the talkative type. Silence engulfed the team for most of their interaction, sometimes it even turned awkward with the lack of general communication. It was at these moments that Sakura truly realized Naruto's biggest contribution to Team Seven, life. Without Naruto Team Seven seemed lifeless.

Sakura however despite being happy to see her teammate, winced at the volume of the boy's voice. Sometimes that boy fails to realize just how loud he is, as Naruto walked towards Sakura the latter delivered a small bonk to his head.

Naruto nursed the small bump on the top of his head, "Ow Sakura-chan what was that for?" he asked.

"That was for being too loud, honestly Naruto I wouldn't be surprised if the people two blocks away could hear you"

The blonde pouted, "Sometimes your mean Sakura-chan" he replied in a childish tone.

A tick mark appeared on Sakura's face, "Would you care to repeat that Naruto?" she asked in a sickly-sweet tone entailing possible danger for our blonde hero.

Naruto chuckled nervously, "I'd rather not" he replied sheepishly, "But anyway it's been too long Sakura-chan. It's so good to see you again".

Sakura smiled and nodded in agreement, "I know, it's been months since we last saw each other. From what Kakashi-sensei has told me, you've been extremely busy with missions lately" she said.

"Yeah, he's not wrong, it's just been a constant influx of missions lately, Baa-chan has been sending me and Shikamaru out on the fields like every week. Being a Chunin is hard work Sakura-chan. But enough about me what were you just up to just then?"

"Ah I was just browsing around the streets since today's my day off and I came across this small jewelry store and I ended up browsing around the wares"

"Anything catch your eye thus far?"

"Yes, actually there's this cute necklace over here" she said pointing to this silver necklace which held a pink cherry blossom tree.

"Oh, a Sakura for Sakura, that's cool" replied Naruto, "Hey mister how much is this necklace?".

"That'll be 5000 ryo" the vendor replied in a bored tone not really expecting kids to have the money to buy any of his products.

"Here's the money" said Naruto as he pulled out a small stack of bills. Sakura's eyes widened in shock as did the vendor's.

"Hey Naruto, what are you doing that for?" she questioned intently.

"I want to buy this for you, you seem to really want it and I think it'll look good on you"

Sakura blushed profusely, "Don't do that Naruto I can save up for it myself, don't waste your money on me. That's a lot of money baka" she protested trying to get him to change his mind.

"Too late Sakura-chan" he said before handing the money to the speechless vendor, the man then gingerly grabbed the necklace from the display before handing it over to Naruto.

"Um thanks sir" he said in a confused tone.

"Thanks a lot mister" replied Naruto before he turned over to Sakura. The pinkette was stunned and speechless at what had just transpired. The young blonde then leaned over to the shocked pinkette personally placing the necklace around her neck himself. He then pulled himself back giving her his trademark smile.

"Don't worry so much Sakura-chan I made a bit of money from my missions lately. Plus, I thought it was fitting to get a beautiful Sakura necklace for Sakura-chan"

The kunoichi's blush deepened to an even darker shade of red, she was stunned but at the same time extremely grateful to the young boy. She never really expected anything like this to happen.

"So, what do you think Sakura-chan? Do you like it?"

The pinkette shook her head to return from her reverie, she then walked over to Naruto and engulfed him in a hug catching the blonde in surprise. Naruto then reciprocated the same deep blush as Sakura had on her face at that very moment as he returned the hug.

"Thank you so much Naruto, I love it. It's absolutely beautiful" she exclaimed joyfully.

"No problem Sakura-chan anything for you" he shyly replied.

Sakura then broke the hug, a small awkward air surrounded the two after that small romantic moment, a large blush continued adorning their faces.

"Let me pay you back in one-way Naruto, I can treat you out to some ramen it's the least I can do for you" she said as Naruto's eyes sparkled in excitement.

"Really? That would be awesome"

Sakura shrugged, "Like I said it's the least I can do Naruto, you did so much for me today" she said.

"It's a date then" exclaimed Naruto before realizing his slip up, he turned to the pinkette expecting to see her in a furious state of mind. But this time he was pleasantly surprised to find her chuckling as a small grin adorned her face.

"I'll let that one slide Naruto. I'll tell you what, we can make this a true date"

"Yatta let's go Sakura-chan, we can catch up some more and talk over at Ichiraku's"

The two walked in relative silence over to the restaurant, neither really uttering a word due to slightly romantic scene between the two just a couple minutes ago.

Eventually they made their way to Ichiraku's, and upon entering the father and daughter duo of Teuchi and Ayame directed their attention to the two young kids. The two shared a knowing look and a similar grin as they saw their favorite customer come in with a girl.

"Hello Naruto-kun good to see you again, I see you brought yourself a date this time" she teased.

Naruto and Sakura blushed awkwardly but Naruto managed to recover first as he smiled at his sister figure, "Yeah Ayame-neechan, Sakura-chan and I are here for a small date. Can we please get a private booth?" he replied.

Ayame giggled softly, "Of course Naruto-kun, right this way" she said before leading them to their seats, "Now here's the menu, I'll be back in a couple of minutes to take your order".

The two nodded as they browsed through the menu, but in truth Naruto already knew what he wanted.

"What do you plan on getting Naruto?" asked the pinkette.

"Pork Ramen, it's my absolute favorite" he replied exuberantly, "What about you Sakura-chan?".

"Hm I'm thinking about the vegetarian ramen, but then again the broth will have a bit too much calories than I would want. I got to maintain this diet I have" she muttered softly as she continued to read through the entire menu.

"You probably shouldn't do that Sakura-chan"

"Do what the diet? I've been gaining too much pounds lately and I want to maintain a skinny frame" she replied.

"I think you look great just the way you are" he said causing her to blush and look up at him in surprise, "And plus you're a ninja anyway. You need to eat if you want to have some energy, the stuff we do is tiring and we need to be ready".

Sakura sighed in defeat, "For once you're right Naruto" she answered causing a slight annoyance for Naruto, "Alright then I'll let go of it for now. I guess I am pretty hungry".

"That's the spirit Sakura-chan"

"So, what do you suggest then seeing how often you frequent the place you must know the menu like the back of your hand by now"

"Trust me when I say this, order Pork Ramen. It is the best dish served in all of Konoha"

Sakura chuckled finding it hard to believe but she'll decide to humor him for a bit. Ayame arrived not too long after and the two ordered a couple servings of Pork Ramen. While waiting for their dishes the two conversed in small talk, catching up with one another.

They talked about their recent missions as of late, Sakura was intrigued and amazed by the type of missions Naruto had been finding himself in. They seemed far more interesting but at the same time dangerous than the missions Team Seven were participating in.

Sakura on the other hand told Naruto stories of Team Seven, with Kakashi and Sasuke. She admitted it wasn't nearly as lively as before and Naruto appreciated that remark. Other than that, she informed him about everything going on with Team Seven's training and missions, from the sounds of things Sasuke was improving and Naruto was excited to see the teme and challenge him in a proper fight.

The pinkette was no slouch either thought, unbeknownst to Naruto apparently, she sought out Tsunade one day in hopes of having her take her as an apprentice. It took a lot of convincing from Sakura's part but in the end, she succeeded. She simply didn't want to burden the team, it was clear Kakashi focused mostly on Sasuke, and Naruto had Jiraiya. Kakashi tried his best for everyone but seeing how he was the only other person in Konoha with a Sharingan, it was to be expected that he focused on the Last Uchiha. Though Naruto and Sakura held no grudge since they're teacher had been doing his best to teach them their own skills as well.

Apparently since Naruto last saw Sakura she had begun training in the arts of medical ninjutsu and from the sounds of things Tsunade was slowly building up to teaching Sakura the secret to her unbelievable strength. When that day eventually comes Naruto will make sure to remind himself never to piss Sakura off again unless he wishes to face her wrath.

Naruto in turn told her about his current training regimen with Jiraiya, how he was working on his chakra control and some genjutsu defense. With the focus of the training on Fuinjutsu and Barrier Ninjutsu, Sakura was surprised at the complex forms of ninjutsu Naruto was training in. He really was a special case, if you asked Sakura eight months ago if Naruto would have been a good ninja she would have told you outright, no way in hell. But now he was proving not only her but everyone wrong, he was quickly making a name for himself in the ninja world.

Sakura could only admire the blonde, she had to admit that at first, she found his incredible determination and confidence as foolish. But now she could only admire the young man, despite the odds he persevered and now he is being rewarded. This do or die attitude of Naruto eventually became endearing for Sakura, and in a way, it made him more attractive to her. There was just something about his unwillingness to surrender or accept defeat that showed this confident side of Naruto. Despite the immeasurable odds against him he never flinched or faltered, he always faced his challengers head on. It was this way with the likes of Zabuza, Gaara, Orochimaru, Kabuto and so on so forth, and if Sakura had to bet this was going to be the trait of his that he will never grow out of.

Not too long after that their meals arrived and the two sat in relative silence as they diverged their attention to the mouth-watering food placed in front of them. Soon after the two finished eating, Sakura paid for their meals before walking out. The two suddenly noticed the time and decided it was time to head home. But with Naruto being Naruto he decided to walk Sakura home first before heading back to his apartment. This gesture did not go unnoticed by Sakura, she found this small action sweet and she was grateful to Naruto.

Eventually they made it Sakura's house, she was about to enter but before she did she turned to Naruto and hugged him one more time tonight. Naruto who was as red as a tomato returned the hug.

"Hey Naruto, I actually really had a lot of fun today. The necklace was beautiful and I cannot stop thanking you for it, I really appreciated it" she said as they separated from the warm embrace, "It was so good seeing you again after so long".

Naruto sheepishly rubbed the back of his head as he chuckled softly in embarrassment, "Thanks Sakura-chan I had a great time as well" he said before fidgeting nervously.

Sakura raised a single eyebrow at seeing Naruto suddenly go nervous, this was so unlike him.

"Um would you like to go out with me again sometime for some ramen or something?" he asked in a unusually soft tone.

Sakura chuckled inside her mind upon seeing Naruto at such a reduced state, this was such a far cry from his usual charismatic and energetic self. She kind of found it cute how he reverted to this shy mess, and she was also honored to realize it was her causing him to be this way.

"You know what, I'd actually love to" she replied with a small smile gracing her lips.

Naruto's eyes widened in shock before a large foxlike smile formed on the boy's face, "Yatta I can't wait Sakura-chan, don't you worry I'll make you have the time of your life" he said.

"But I'll only do it in one condition though Naruto"

Naruto's shoulders slumped realizing there was a catch, "What's the catch then?" he asked meekly.

"I want you to come over and join the Team Seven training tomorrow, Kakashi-sensei organized a training session tomorrow afternoon and it would be fun to have all three members there for a day at least. It may not seem it sometimes, but I miss the old days with the three of us" she said.

The blonde Chunin was shocked to say the least at her request, but lucky for him it was a request he was more than willing to oblige.

"You got it Sakura-chan I'll be there. I'll make sure though to let Ero-Sennin know I won't make it to our training session, I'm sure he'll understand"

"Alright then I expect to see you there" she said before deciding to be a bit cheeky with the boy, "Goodnight Naruto-kun" she said before entering her house.

"Goodnight Saku…" his eyes widened in shock as he just registered what she said, "ra-chan".

A light blush adorned his face, he stood there motionless for a couple seconds before deciding to turn around and walk back to his apartment. If you noticed the Chunin walking back, you'd notice he had a small spring to his step that wasn't there before.

Unknown to the blonde a certain white-haired sage watched all the events transpire today, he let out a perverted giggle into the night sky as he furiously jotted down notes on his small notebook.

"Don't worry kid I'll let you have the day off, it's the least I can do for all the material you gave me today. I struck gold with the brat" he muttered to himself as he continued to write down his notes.

'Besides if I let him train with his team tomorrow I might just be able to get even more notes from the brat and that Tsunade clone' he thought to himself'.

Glossary

Fūton: Daitoppa - Wind Release: Great Breakthrough

Henge no Jutsu - Transformation Technique

Sen'ei Jashu - Hidden Shadow Snake Hands

Jouro Senbon - Senbon Shower

Kagemane no Jutsu - Shadow Imitation Technique

Rasengan - Spiralling Sphere

Author's Note

Well there you go ladies and gentlemen. Like I previously said, I am very sorry for the lateness of my updates but thank you all for bearing with me. Remember to head over to my profile to vote on them story ideas, I'd live to know what you guys want. Thanks a lot everyone and remember to leave a review, and also favorite and follow if you haven't already.