A/N: One day, I was looking through a Japanese Naruto Fan-art site, and I came across this picture, [ http://konjo.sub.jp/works/naruto/illust/i_07.html ], and I just lost it. It was so realistically futuristic, that I knew I had to write something about it. So that¡¦s basically how this story got started.
==============================
Chapter 01: Return To Konoha
==============================
It had been a long, hard night, she didn¡¦t get any sleep at all, and somehow, the mountain of paperwork that sat on her desk since 15 hours earlier was STILL THERE. So the 5th Hokage of Konoha did not expect to hear a voice of any kind suddenly say:
¡§Ohayo, Tsunade-baachan.¡¨
Under normal circumstances, the mentioned Tsunade-hime would not hesitate to fly into an uncontrollable tantrum from lack of sleep, and promptly toss the intruder out in the method that caused the greatest pain to the trespasser¡¦s rear end. But this time, however, Hokage or not, at that moment, all rage fled from the mentioned Tsunade-hime. The thought of throwing the intruder out never occurred, and neither did the thought of yelling at whoever it was for disturbing her at 6 in the morning cross her mind. All she did, all she could do, was stare.
Even before she looked at the speaker, she knew who it was. Only one person- one person- has ever had the nerve to call her that, and still be alive, much less tell the tale. And that person was---
¡§Naruto.¡¨ She said, barely containing the shock in her voice. ¡§So you¡¦re back.¡¨ Her voice, even though it held sincere gladness at seeing him again, could not disguise the undertone of surprise.
¡§You haven¡¦t changed a bit, have you, obaa-san?¡¨ he said with a hint of humor.
¡§Well you sure have, Naruto.¡¨ She said. And it took her a moment to realize how true her words were.
Naruto had definitely transformed into something else. The bright orange jumpsuit had been replaced with a black outfit completed with a thick red scarf. His headband was no longer displayed proudly on his forehead. Its place of honor now was around his right upper-arm in a fashion similar to Shikamaru¡¦s. And the hair previously held up by his forehead protector was now carefully brushed so that it barely covered his right eye. But there was something else missing about him. Something she couldn¡¦t put her finger on...
¡§Well, I guess I have.¡¨ He said, smiling. Right then, she figured it out. The most evident change of all. His smile.
It was no longer carefree and a permanent feature on his face. It was more controlled, and somewhat tentative. It was the smile of someone who had been through too much to be able to laugh easily. But the genuine happiness behind that small grin seemed to make up for any differences between then and now.
¡§Did you... have you come back to stay for good?¡¨
¡§Umm... no.¡¨ he said sheepishly, much to her disappointment. ¡§I¡¦ve come back to take the Chuunin Exam again.¡¨
¡§But your teammates... Someone¡¦s been reassigned in your place.¡¨
¡§I know. So I thought I should come here first and introduce you to my new teammates.¡¨ He nodded toward two people behind them that Tsunade has not noticed before.
Her eyes widened. ¡§They¡¦re your teammates?¡¨ she asked incredulously. ¡§But they¡¦re so...¡¨
His ¡¥team¡¦ consisted of a boy and a girl. They both had black hair, dressed in black, and from the looks of it, were twins. The reason for her disbelief lied in their age. They looked, at most, 10 year of age, if not less.
Naruto laughed. ¡§Tsunade baa-chan, I would like to meet Akito and Kai.¡¨ He bent down and slung his arms over the shoulders of the two. ¡§They¡¦re my baby cousin.¡¨
¡§WHAT?¡¨ Honestly, this was too much. ¡§Your cousins? You have cousins?¡¨
He smiled. ¡§Hai. Uzumaki Akito and Uzumaki Kurakai. My travels took me straight to them and the rest of the Uzumaki clan.¡¨
¡§The Uzumaki clan?¡¨
¡§Yea. I¡¦ll tell you all about it later, but we have to go, we have to register for the exam. See you around, Baa-chan.¡¨
She nodded. ¡§Alright.¡¨ Then, right before her eyes, the three of them vanished. No puff, no smoke, and no hand seals. They just dematerialized. And it took a high leveled ninja to just vanish like that. Naruto and those two children... they were definitely beyond the Chuunin level. Who knows what level they were? And when did he have family of any kind? Where has he been all these years? AND WHERE IN THE WORLD WAS JIRAIYA?!
She sighed, and rubbed her head.
When did things become so complicated?
==============================
--- 3 Days Later ---
¡§So are you ready?¡¨
Naruto glanced up at the impassive face of his 10-year-old cousin, Kai. After a while, he had gotten used to the way she spoke. Frank, and to the point with little discussion.
¡§I guess I am.¡¨ He replied, slipping on his left shoe. ¡§Why?¡¨
¡§Because I could never figure out why you suddenly want to come back here just to take a test that doesn¡¦t even matter.¡¨
He heaved a sigh. ¡§I want to see my friends one last time. That¡¦s it. I also had a feeling that they¡¦d try out for the Exam this year. So now we¡¦ll see if I¡¦m right.¡¨
¡§Don¡¦t worry Naruto-niisan.¡¨ Came a slightly cheerier voice. ¡§Your instincts are pretty good.¡¨ The speaker was the other one of the twins, the boy. ¡§I¡¦m pretty sure that the people your always talking about are there.¡¨
¡§Whatever.¡¨ Said Kai. ¡§Can we go now?¡¨
¡§Yea.¡¨ Naruto said, giving the room one last look. ¡§Let¡¦s go.¡¨
==============================
In cases like these, you are often forced to wonder if there really is something called destiny. Either that, or you marvel at Naruto¡¦s astounding ability to predict an outcome. All the teams who had participated with him the first time around were back. Neji, Lee, Ten-Ten, Kiba, Hinata, Shino, and even Gaara¡¦s team from the Sand were back for a second round. One could only guess the troubles the Sand Nins had to go through to register once again, but they were allowed back anyhow, despite the obvious loathing the Leaf Nins had for them.
The only former-rookie team that had been modified was Team 07. After Naruto left, Sasuke and Sakura got a new teammate to replace him. And that new teammate?
Ino.
It wasn¡¦t that big of a surprise. Shikamaru was already a Chuunin, and Chouji was still rehabilitating from his wounds obtained during his fight with the Sound Nins. Neji had been luckier of the two, and healed within 2 months, but Chouji was less than fortunate, and was in no condition to stand, much less participate in such an examination.
Sakura and Sasuke didn¡¦t really mind her all that much. In their words, Ino ¡¥kept things interesting¡¦.
==============================
Just like the last time they had tried out, the 3 Leaf teams were huddled near the door, talking excitedly among themselves about just how easily they were going to pass this exam. Their relations between each other seemed to have greatly improved since last time, and they were arguing playfully about who was going to do what, how they were going to do it, and that this time around, it would be ¡¥a cinch¡¦.
Suddenly, the door swung open to reveal the last of the people who arrived. They were considerably late, and probably would have been disqualified if the examiners had been on time as well. But when they turned to look at the newcomers, they froze in complete and utter shock.
There in the doorway stood a boy who had been missing for an entire year. His absence was painfully obvious, and they had spent much time trying to ¡¥get over it¡¦, and now there he was, just standing there like no time had passed.
Finally, someone broke the silence:
¡§Naruto?!¡¨
============================================================
AN: I¡¦m going to let you people vote for the pairings. But this time, it HAS TO BE A HETERO pairings. None of the Shounen Ai stuff in this story, aite?
You can vote for any number of pairings, just has to be heterosexual. Pair Naruto with any girl, pair any other girl with any other person, I don¡¦t care. Just don¡¦t pair anyone up with anyone that¡¦s dead.
Any questions, comments, or just want to talk : [email protected]
-Yume
==============================
Chapter 01: Return To Konoha
==============================
It had been a long, hard night, she didn¡¦t get any sleep at all, and somehow, the mountain of paperwork that sat on her desk since 15 hours earlier was STILL THERE. So the 5th Hokage of Konoha did not expect to hear a voice of any kind suddenly say:
¡§Ohayo, Tsunade-baachan.¡¨
Under normal circumstances, the mentioned Tsunade-hime would not hesitate to fly into an uncontrollable tantrum from lack of sleep, and promptly toss the intruder out in the method that caused the greatest pain to the trespasser¡¦s rear end. But this time, however, Hokage or not, at that moment, all rage fled from the mentioned Tsunade-hime. The thought of throwing the intruder out never occurred, and neither did the thought of yelling at whoever it was for disturbing her at 6 in the morning cross her mind. All she did, all she could do, was stare.
Even before she looked at the speaker, she knew who it was. Only one person- one person- has ever had the nerve to call her that, and still be alive, much less tell the tale. And that person was---
¡§Naruto.¡¨ She said, barely containing the shock in her voice. ¡§So you¡¦re back.¡¨ Her voice, even though it held sincere gladness at seeing him again, could not disguise the undertone of surprise.
¡§You haven¡¦t changed a bit, have you, obaa-san?¡¨ he said with a hint of humor.
¡§Well you sure have, Naruto.¡¨ She said. And it took her a moment to realize how true her words were.
Naruto had definitely transformed into something else. The bright orange jumpsuit had been replaced with a black outfit completed with a thick red scarf. His headband was no longer displayed proudly on his forehead. Its place of honor now was around his right upper-arm in a fashion similar to Shikamaru¡¦s. And the hair previously held up by his forehead protector was now carefully brushed so that it barely covered his right eye. But there was something else missing about him. Something she couldn¡¦t put her finger on...
¡§Well, I guess I have.¡¨ He said, smiling. Right then, she figured it out. The most evident change of all. His smile.
It was no longer carefree and a permanent feature on his face. It was more controlled, and somewhat tentative. It was the smile of someone who had been through too much to be able to laugh easily. But the genuine happiness behind that small grin seemed to make up for any differences between then and now.
¡§Did you... have you come back to stay for good?¡¨
¡§Umm... no.¡¨ he said sheepishly, much to her disappointment. ¡§I¡¦ve come back to take the Chuunin Exam again.¡¨
¡§But your teammates... Someone¡¦s been reassigned in your place.¡¨
¡§I know. So I thought I should come here first and introduce you to my new teammates.¡¨ He nodded toward two people behind them that Tsunade has not noticed before.
Her eyes widened. ¡§They¡¦re your teammates?¡¨ she asked incredulously. ¡§But they¡¦re so...¡¨
His ¡¥team¡¦ consisted of a boy and a girl. They both had black hair, dressed in black, and from the looks of it, were twins. The reason for her disbelief lied in their age. They looked, at most, 10 year of age, if not less.
Naruto laughed. ¡§Tsunade baa-chan, I would like to meet Akito and Kai.¡¨ He bent down and slung his arms over the shoulders of the two. ¡§They¡¦re my baby cousin.¡¨
¡§WHAT?¡¨ Honestly, this was too much. ¡§Your cousins? You have cousins?¡¨
He smiled. ¡§Hai. Uzumaki Akito and Uzumaki Kurakai. My travels took me straight to them and the rest of the Uzumaki clan.¡¨
¡§The Uzumaki clan?¡¨
¡§Yea. I¡¦ll tell you all about it later, but we have to go, we have to register for the exam. See you around, Baa-chan.¡¨
She nodded. ¡§Alright.¡¨ Then, right before her eyes, the three of them vanished. No puff, no smoke, and no hand seals. They just dematerialized. And it took a high leveled ninja to just vanish like that. Naruto and those two children... they were definitely beyond the Chuunin level. Who knows what level they were? And when did he have family of any kind? Where has he been all these years? AND WHERE IN THE WORLD WAS JIRAIYA?!
She sighed, and rubbed her head.
When did things become so complicated?
==============================
--- 3 Days Later ---
¡§So are you ready?¡¨
Naruto glanced up at the impassive face of his 10-year-old cousin, Kai. After a while, he had gotten used to the way she spoke. Frank, and to the point with little discussion.
¡§I guess I am.¡¨ He replied, slipping on his left shoe. ¡§Why?¡¨
¡§Because I could never figure out why you suddenly want to come back here just to take a test that doesn¡¦t even matter.¡¨
He heaved a sigh. ¡§I want to see my friends one last time. That¡¦s it. I also had a feeling that they¡¦d try out for the Exam this year. So now we¡¦ll see if I¡¦m right.¡¨
¡§Don¡¦t worry Naruto-niisan.¡¨ Came a slightly cheerier voice. ¡§Your instincts are pretty good.¡¨ The speaker was the other one of the twins, the boy. ¡§I¡¦m pretty sure that the people your always talking about are there.¡¨
¡§Whatever.¡¨ Said Kai. ¡§Can we go now?¡¨
¡§Yea.¡¨ Naruto said, giving the room one last look. ¡§Let¡¦s go.¡¨
==============================
In cases like these, you are often forced to wonder if there really is something called destiny. Either that, or you marvel at Naruto¡¦s astounding ability to predict an outcome. All the teams who had participated with him the first time around were back. Neji, Lee, Ten-Ten, Kiba, Hinata, Shino, and even Gaara¡¦s team from the Sand were back for a second round. One could only guess the troubles the Sand Nins had to go through to register once again, but they were allowed back anyhow, despite the obvious loathing the Leaf Nins had for them.
The only former-rookie team that had been modified was Team 07. After Naruto left, Sasuke and Sakura got a new teammate to replace him. And that new teammate?
Ino.
It wasn¡¦t that big of a surprise. Shikamaru was already a Chuunin, and Chouji was still rehabilitating from his wounds obtained during his fight with the Sound Nins. Neji had been luckier of the two, and healed within 2 months, but Chouji was less than fortunate, and was in no condition to stand, much less participate in such an examination.
Sakura and Sasuke didn¡¦t really mind her all that much. In their words, Ino ¡¥kept things interesting¡¦.
==============================
Just like the last time they had tried out, the 3 Leaf teams were huddled near the door, talking excitedly among themselves about just how easily they were going to pass this exam. Their relations between each other seemed to have greatly improved since last time, and they were arguing playfully about who was going to do what, how they were going to do it, and that this time around, it would be ¡¥a cinch¡¦.
Suddenly, the door swung open to reveal the last of the people who arrived. They were considerably late, and probably would have been disqualified if the examiners had been on time as well. But when they turned to look at the newcomers, they froze in complete and utter shock.
There in the doorway stood a boy who had been missing for an entire year. His absence was painfully obvious, and they had spent much time trying to ¡¥get over it¡¦, and now there he was, just standing there like no time had passed.
Finally, someone broke the silence:
¡§Naruto?!¡¨
============================================================
AN: I¡¦m going to let you people vote for the pairings. But this time, it HAS TO BE A HETERO pairings. None of the Shounen Ai stuff in this story, aite?
You can vote for any number of pairings, just has to be heterosexual. Pair Naruto with any girl, pair any other girl with any other person, I don¡¦t care. Just don¡¦t pair anyone up with anyone that¡¦s dead.
Any questions, comments, or just want to talk : [email protected]
-Yume