A/N: I'm back! I'm so so sorry, I know I haven't been updating any of my other stories and I'm sorry, I've been really busy and plus, writer's block has been a bitch! I know some of you are hating me right now…
This is a little tid bit that's been floating around in my head; it's my first Naruto fic but I think ya'll are gonna like this one! I for one, am a bit bored of seeing Hinata always so shy and timid all the time and the fainting?! Please! It's getting ridiculous! So this little bit of fiction is taking on a new twist! Hinata will still be mostly cannon but she definitely won't be stuttering or fumbling all over herself, I mean Naruto isn't the only one who's changed over the three years he's been off training with Master Jaraiya, com'on! The people he left behind deserve some love too! This will be a series of Naru-Hina one-shots and some may be interconnected. Not sure how far I'll be going with this but we'll just see where the inspiration takes me.
Enough of my prattling—on to new heights of literary adventure!
"Naruto Uzumaki is back!" The tall, blonde shinobi shouted from the rooftops.
It was hard not to notice; the whole town was abuzz with news of the young ninja's return and not even an hour had passed!
It didn't take too long for the news to reach his friends' ears either; Sakura was the first to the gate and to say she was surprised by the dramatic change in her teammate, would be a drastic understatement.
He was taller—much taller than she thought he'd be, not to mention his adolescent body was much more built and filled out since she last saw him. His shoulders were so broad, she had to blink several times just to make sure she wasn't hallucinating!
"Hey Sakura! Wow! Long time no see!"
There was that wide blinding grin of his though—at least somethings never changed.
Still, she couldn't help the sudden rush of color to her cheeks as she observed Naruto.
…He'd really grown up after all.
It wasn't too long before Kakashi and the rest of them caught up and even then, there were still nearly half of the group missing! Might guy's team was off on a mission and probably wouldn't be back until sometime the following day and as for Kiba and Shino, they'd been gone for a week now; no one knew exactly when they'd show up.
At the Hokage's office…
"Naruto?! It IS you!"
Naruto's eyes widened when he turned towards the voice.
"S-Shikamaru?!"
"Holy cow, you're really back aren't you!"
"Yeah, just now! I can't believe it's you!"
Shikamaru scratched the back of his head. "You think you're surprised, huh?"
Looking beyond Shikamaru, Naruto spotted Temari and after a questioning stare towards his comrade, it was learned that she was the liason from the Sand and consequently, moved back and forth between the two villages quite a bit.
"Yeah, I'm her escort…I mean it's a total drag but what can I tell ya, I got orders." Shikamaru shrugged and let out a yawn just as Temari jabbed him in the side with her elbow.
"As if you have anything better to do. You're nothing but a bum! It's a good thing the Hokage has you doing something or God only knows you'd spend your afternoons just wasting away, staring at those dumb clouds of yours."
Temari let out a giggle which only further aggravated her less-than-willing companion.
Shikarmaru let out a defeated sigh. "Damn, these women are always such a pain."
At Ichiraku…
"So Naruto, you've really grown up, I have to admit I didn't know it was you at first."
Naruto folded an arm behind his head and grinned. "Yeah, I guess I'm a lot taller now, huh Iruka-sensei?"
"Well yeah that's for sure—you definitely hit a crazy growth spurt, I didn't think it was possible; you were always so short and all." He flashed a teasing grin to which Naruto huffed in irritation.
"It's not like I was vertically challenged, jeez! I could still kick ass just fine!"
Another loud slurp of ramen.
"Okay, okay, you know I kid most of the times, com'on—besides, I have to make up for lost time, hm?"
The two men shared a meaningful look, then returned their attention to their meal as they continued to chat about anything and everything that had happened in their lives over the last three years.
"Hey, Naruto—isn't Sakura supposed to be here with you?" Iruka did a quick scan of the crowed outside the ramen stand.
Naruto's vibrant expression fell and he stared at his bowl. "Well if I'd known the meal was gonna be free, I sure as hell would've made sure she was with me…but…"
Iruka smiled sympathetically. "Hey. Don't worry about it, I'm sure she'll be around tomorrow and you can take her then."
Naruto brightened. "Say, the Harvest festival is in three days, isn't it?"
Iruka nodded.
"Alright!" Naruto fist pumped, the brilliant grin returning. "With the festival, everyone will be out celebrating and I should be able to take Sakura-chan out on a date for sure!"
Iruka raised a brow in surprise before smirking evilly. "Ohhh, so it's a date you're wanting, eh? My, my Naruto, you sure do aim high when it comes to the ladies." He tossed his former student a playful wink.
"Well I mean com'on, I've been gone for three years! I've changed so much, there's no way Sakura-chan can't notice me now, believe it!"
"Say uh, Naruto? Just try not to get too ahead of yourself okay? I mean…Sakura isn't the same girl you knew, either—she's changed a lot and well I just don't want you getting into something and getting yourself in trouble. Besides, you know as well as I do how scary Sakura can be when she's angry."
"Oh boy, you're not kidding! I mean have you seen how strong she is now?! Man! I don't think I've ever seen someone annihilate fifty feet of earth and solid rock with just their fist!"
An involuntary shiver shot up Naruto's spine. "Sakura's scary alright—she's not someone I'd wanna have to face in a fight, that's for sure."
Iruka laughed, clapping Naruto on the back. "Smart man!"