Naruto: Father of the Year

Prologue

The Prodigal Child's Return

"So this is Konoha, Tou-san?" A young girl asked, her small hand wrapped in another's, her supposed "Tou-san", as she stared towards the foreboding village. She had spiky light purple hair, cut short and manageable. She had stunning blue eyes, practically mirroring the man whose hand she held so tightly. She wears a white kimono with a purple obi sash, and tabi socks with black zōri sandals, a regal look to her that most would not believe could be in a young lady. (1*)

"Yep, this is where your papa grew up, his stomping grounds. It's good to be home," A older male spoke, smiling at the towering buildings that could be seen from the gate. His hair was blonde hair cropped short and manageable, as his daughters was. He held a Konoha headband, a symbol of his rank in the Konoha core. His attire was a black uniform-style jacket with an orange zipper that features several buttons on the waist and sleeves. He wears a red armband with an Uzumaki crest on his left arm as his right arm sleeve hung there, empty. (2*)

"I-It looks massive, I can't believe people can live in such a big place." She gasped, staring towards the village that waited for her and her father. She has heard so many stories about this location; the food, the culture, and most definitely the people, everything was so fresh in her mind, almost as if she had lived with these concepts for her whole life. She could remember all the dreams she had about meeting her father's best friends, the people he considered closer than family - she wanted to know everything about them and about this place.

"I suppose it is, I guess I haven't thought about it like that." He snickered, a wave of nostalgia washing over him as he noticed the large monument to the four past leaders and the one that holds the mantel today.

"Oh, Tou-san I forgot to ask; when's Nii-san coming back from her little trip? Will she be living with us in this village too?" She said, practically gitty at the prospect of seeing her supposed sister - seeing as she hasn't seen her in quite some time because of a few of her new dealings.

Her father squeezed her hand in assurance,"definitely, I wouldn't have it any other way. She'll be here in a day or two, I'm sure of it. Maybe sooner, you know how fast she is." He said, seeing his daughter nod vigorously, happy to know her favorite/only sister might be coming back sooner rather than later.

Soon, the two arrived at their destination, the gates of Konoha in all its fame and glory. Two shinobis, as usual, stood guard of the gates, both looking quite bored of the whole thing, until they spotted the two walking towards the gate - forcing them to straighten up and stand at attention. "Halt, identify yourself!" One said, working a bit too hard to give off this air of authority.

"Halt? When did this become the drawbridge of a medieval castle?"The blonde man snickered, happy to see the two guards of the village haven't changed too much from when he was a boy.

"Haha, the man's got you there." His friend stated, laughing under his breath at his co worker's attempt to sound more important that he already was. Though being a guard to one of the elemental nation's strongest villages is a privilege, he and his friend knew they probably wouldn't be the two that could stop an unrelenting invasion. They were here to simply check papers and see if everything was on the up and up while occasionally bring things up to the Hokage if things seemed to get weird.

"S-Shut it! I'm sorry if I wanted to try and add a little variety to my life. Standing in front of a gate, watching people coming and going, actually gets a little stale! So excuse me for wanting to spice things up! Ahem, now then, back to the task at hand. Who are you and what is your purpose for being here?" He said adamantly, defending his statement to the bitter end before he decided it would be best to continue with his job as the keep of the gate.

"My name is Naruto Uzumaki, I believe you still have my shinobi records?" The blonde stated with a smile, unaware of the guards widening eyes almost as if they feared the very mention of that name.

"N-N-Naruto?! No way, it can't be." One said, transfixed on the whiskered man's adult features and bright blonde hair.

"Something wrong?" Naruto asked, his eyebrow cocked at the man's unwavering stare - soon, his small companion quickly clung to his pant leg when the guard's gazed quickly turned to her, studying her like some form of anomaly.

"Oh dear Kami, it's like looking at a ghost. What should we do?" The other questioned, quickly pulling his friend towards him into a huddle, leaving the two newcomers to trade confused looks.

"Lady Tsunade would want to hear about this, asap. She'd have our heads if this wasn't brought to her right away." His friend whispered, making sure this blonde wanderer couldn't hear them or his tag along.

"Hello? Hey, guys, I'm right here. It's kinda rude to talk about someone like their not here." Naruto sighed, a bit aggravated at the two's lack of courtesy shown from these two, especially seeing as he hasn't been here in quite some time and they're making it out to seem like he's some sort of anomaly.

"Umm, Naruto, we were thinking it might be beneficial if you and your little companion come with us. The Hokage would probably like a few words with you." One said while the other nodded rather nervously, almost as if he had seen a ghost.

"Sure guys. Why didn't you just say so, I haven't seen Baa-chan in forever. Come on, Fuyuko-chan, we're going to go meet your great Baa-chan." He said, his smirk soon returning as he grabbed his daughter's hand once more and ushers her through the threshold of Konoha.

Hokage Office:

"Okay, so that's…..126, 127, 128, 129, and now 130. There, I finished the final stake of damned paper. Now give me my bottle of Sake Shizune, now!" A sigh escaped the leader of Konoha's lips as she points her finger towards her assistant, who, at this moment held a bottle of Sake in one hand with a stake of paper in the other. The Hokage, as it seems she's never aged a day, still held her light-skin complexion and her lively brown eyes and straight, blonde hair. Her hair came to her waist with her bangs framing both sides of her face. To the inhabitants of Konoha, she has stayed the young, ill-tempered Hokage they've come to love and adore, and she' grown to love her people. Now, the job on the other hand….that's debatable.

"Not just yet, Lady Tsunade, there's the "shorter nurses outfit" proposal -a rather stupid proposal if you ask me, but still- and the "no smoking in establishments" petition you need to sign off on. It seems they've gotten all 500 signatures you required to pass it." Her assistant stated firmly, placing the forms on her paper - filling up the supposed "empty" file box. Shizune doesn't seem to have changed over the years either, her fair-skin, height, and slender build was practically identical to 6 years ago. She held deep, black eyes and straight, shoulder length black hair. Shizune attire consisted of a long bluish-black kimono with white trimmings, held closed by a white obi, and open-toed sandals with low heels. "Then, after that, you have an appointment with the Civilian Council in an hour, this time focusing on the growing pandemic of-" She began, only to hear her long-standing sensei scream.

"Oh Kami, kill me now! Take me now and save me from this nightmare! How, how in kami's name did Sarutobi do this, how did anyone do this? This is fucking torture. I need to find a replacement, someone, anyone who would take my position as Hokage!" She pleaded, her head colliding with the hard mahogany of her desk.

"Don't say such things, Tsunade. You are a wonderful Hokage and you have many more years in you. I know it." Shizune reassured though she knew it wasn't going to do all that good. Tsunade hasn't had the initiative for quite some time, even seriously considering the idea of quieting which Shizune quickly squashed before it could continue, or at least she thought.

"Don't say that, Shizune, please. I can't stand the thought of doing this for five more minutes, let alone five more years." Tsunade mumbled, her forehead still firmly placed on her desk as she tried to rest her eyes for just a moment - maybe then she could muster up the desire to continue, just maybe.

"It can't be that bad, Lady Tsunade. You have the respect and admiration of all the inhabitants of Konoha. You are considered the strongest being in all of the village, little girls idolize you, and you've given respect and admiration to the word Kunoichi." Shizune stated, bring up a very good point. Truthfully, Shizune has seen quite an impressive curve in passing Kunoichis in the Academy's enrollment reports, and she's even heard personal accounts were Kunoichis say that Tsunade was a huge influence in their desire to continue their training and success. "Weather you like it or not, you've shaped the ninja world in a very positive way, you should be proud."

"That's all well and good, and getting the name of Kunoichi a boost in respectability is wonderful, but I'm sick and tired of being nothing but an overpowered politician. I used to save lives, fight armies, take risks! Now…" She stopped, lifting her head from her desk with a sad expression, "*sigh* now I'm just stuck behind this desk all day, wasting away. Sometimes I wonder why I even took this job in the first place."

Soon the room grew noticeably colder, as the stern yet kind features of Tsunade and the warm smile of Shizune were replaced with a sadness that is only reserved for mourning, which it seemed they were in the moment of doing. Shizune turned to her clipboard, unable to match Tsunade's gaze in fear of tearing up, "you know why because he knew you could do it. He believed in you."

"Believed in me? Hell, he even wanted this job the second I was done with it. I remember one day while I was lecturing him on why he shouldn't replace people's shampoo with ink, he told me to keep this seat warm for him, that I was just a placeholder for now. And some day, he'll take this hat from me if it killed him…" She chuckled at the memory, but the heart that usually accompanied such a laugh was lost, replaced with a saddened, almost bitter tone. "Is it bad that I still miss him?"

A knot grew in the back of Shizune throat, making it very hard to answer. You could see she was practically fighting back her basic urges to cry, which she succeeded in but barely as she wiped away the tears building on the forefront of her eye. "Of course not, we buried him 2 years ago. We all still miss him, he always found a way to make every day seem a little more bearable."

Tsunade gritted her teeth, not possessing the same strongly held will her assistant had when it came to hiding her emotions in critical times - leaving the Hokage to be the sole person in the room to weep for their fallen friend. "...Jiraiya you bastard, you said you'd bring him back to us safe and sound. That was 6 years ago, 6 freaking years!" She hissed through her clenched teeth as she gripped her desk, leaving a distinct handprint in it. "And now, you've dropped off the face of the earth and Naruto...h-he's de-"

A knock at the door, "excuse me, Lady Tsunade, the gate guards are here to see you. They say it's something that you really need to see to believe." The secretary popped her head into the room, cutting Tsunade's mourning short.

"Not now!" She yelled, turning her chair from her secretary - hoping to hide the tears that now freely fall from her face. Though she was human she was also a leader of an entire village, she couldn't let them see death sway her emotions so easily, especially when it's a death that's happened 2 years ago.

"Lady Tsunade, we can't let our….emotions cloud our judgment." Shizune said, wiping a small tear from her face as well. "They're the gate guards, they must have a good reason to abandon their post."

Tsunade said nothing, her face in her hands before she quickly wipes her face clean of tears. "Fine, but it better be good or they'll learn how it feels to fly from the top of the Hokage Tower. Send them in, Chi."

"As you wish," The now named secretary Chi said respectfully, bowing gracefully before she goes to retrieve the two guards from the waiting area, leaving the Hokage and her assistant to their collective thoughts, which, unfortunately, were still on the young man they once knew. Though they weren't given enough time to dwell on their thoughts for too long as the guards barged in, both looking as nervous as they possibly could be.

"Lady Tsunade, we're so sorry to intrude, we really are." One said, bowing courteously towards their leader, which his friend soon copied.

"Yeah, it's just….you gotta see this." His friend said as he shot up from his bow and quickly pointed her attention towards the door.

"This better be important to leave your posts," She said with a slight grimace, still rather emotional from what transpired seconds ago.

As the two guards discussed their reasoning for leaving their post, they were unaware of their guests conversation outside the door. The young girl who was so attached to her father mere moments ago was rushing down the hall, ready to go through the door that held in it the Hokage and her supposed Obaa-san, only to be stopped by her father, who held a stern but still loving expression."Shouji-kun (Daughter), not so fast." He said, his daughter stopping in her tracks as her father rested his hand on her shoulder, "what have I told you about running off from me?"

"...don't do that?" He nods though he wasn't too happy about his daughter's rather coarse breakdown of one of his golden rules. During his time as a wanderer, he's created many rules that his daughter needed to abide by, not because he wanted to control her, but to make sure she can stay with him without being hurt. He loved her and would be damned if anything happened to her, she knew this quite well. She sighed, "sorry, Tou-san. I-I was just really looking forward to seeing Obaa-san, I've never had one before!"

Naruto couldn't help but smile, running his hands through her silky smooth hair. "I know you're excited, I am too - it's been a long time since I've even stepped foot in Konoha, I can't wait to show you off to all my friends." She giggled at that, "just….let me walk in first, alright? Me being back will be a bit of a shock to Baa-chan's old heart, I want to ease her into you, alright my little snowflake?"

"Hai, Tou-san!" She declared almost as if she was answering the command of a superior officer.

"That's my girl. Now, are you ready to meet her?" Fuyuko nods vigorously, so hard, in fact, it looked like her head would pop off. "I'll take that as a yes." He stood, ushering his little girl to stand behind his left leg as he took slow, confident steps towards the Hokage's office, a smile growing bigger and bigger the closer he got and the more pronounced his Baa-chan's voice became.

"Well, what was so important that you had to leave the gates of Konoha unprotected?" And soon her question was answered by the slow reveal of a familiar yet unfamiliar face. Her eyes, now widened to the point they would pop out if she wasn't careful, were dead set on a tall, sun-kissed man who stood before her, his trademark grin the only thing that separated this man with another famous blonde who's face is etched into the mountain for all to see.

"Hey there, Baa-chan. Long time no see - no matter how much time passes, you find a way to stay the same." He said with a knowing snicker, unaware of the mixed emotions placed etched on each individual's face. "You too, Shizune-chan, you don't look like you've aged a day, impressive." His compliment seemed to have fallen on deaf ears because each lady he addressed seemed to be more focused on his face than the words that came out of it.

Tsunade was the first to break the silence, her eyes widened at the arrival of this familiar face. "N-No, no, no! T-This can't be, what type of sick trick is this?!"

Naruto cocked a brow as he scratched the back of his head in confusion, "what type of greeting is that, Baa-chan?" He asked, expecting more of a "Welcome back, you baka!" or something of that variety that probably would end with him flying from her office, trying to escape her wrath. "I know you've never had the best social skills but-" his statement was cut short by Tsunade's assistant who seemed to be visibly shaken from Naruto's appearance.

"It can't be, it just can't be!" Shizune whispered, raising her hand to cover her quivering lips.

Though not the sharpest knife in the box, Naruto could tell something was off with them and it had to do with him. "Ummm Baa-chan, Shizune-chan - is everything alright? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"What is the meaning of this? Why have you brought this...this imposter to me?!" Tsunade asked, no, demanded, her eyes turning to the guards.

"Imposter?" Naruto asked, though is question went unanswered.

"This isn't real, you can't be here," Shizune said, taking a tentative step forward, towards the supposed "imposter".

"Why can't I?" He asked once more, getting rather annoyed at being ignored so blatantly by people he was so giddy to see just moments ago. His daughter squeezed his pant leg, growing visibly more nervous about the whole situation; though she was happy to meet her Obaa-san moments ago, the constant yelling was putting her on edge.

The guards spoke up, pointing to Naruto as the do so. "T-This is why we left our post, Lady Hokage. This man claims to be the Naruto Uzumaki."

"I am the Naruto Uzumaki, dattebayo!" The room gasped, unprepared for such a noticeable catchphrase to leave this so called "imposters" lips.

"That's impossible," Shizune said, the phrase still reverberating through her mind. Only one person truly said that with as much heart and convection as this man just did, "could it be?" Shizune wondered, "could it really be him?"

"How is that impossible? What am I missing here?" He asked, only to be greeted with more silence as the occupancy of the room eyed him, some with rage while others with tear filled hope. "Can you three start making sense please? I've been back in the village for about 30 minutes and I already have no idea what is going on."

The room grew silent, only for Shizune to speak up - her voice noticeably shaken from this experience. "...Naruto Uzumaki has been dead for the past 2 years."

Now it was Naruto who remained silent, his eyes widened at the proclamation just stated by his favorite Medical-nin, even his daughter couldn't' believe what she just heard; her father, dead? How could that be, it's a lie, it has to be - he's standing right here! "...T-This is some kind of joke right? For all those times I've pranked you guys." He asked, trying to chuckle as if he saw the reasoning behind why they would do such a thing, but his chuckled died in the back of his throat at the unwavering dread that washed over Shizune's and Tsunade's face. "I-If it is, it's not funny."

"We would never joke about something like this." Tsunade said bitterly, staring at the supposed Naruto with a numb expression. "Naruto Uzumaki left Konoha 6 years ago to train with Jiraiya of the Toads, that training trip was suppose to last only 3. 3 years when by and we saw no trace of Jiraiya or Naruto for 5 whole months. After those 5 months of silence, I sent out an ANBU squad to track them down, sadly they didn't have any luck finding them in the Land of Fire's border. It took us quite some time to acquire permission from the other Daimyos to allow us to search their lands as well to find them, but we were determined to do so. After what felt like ages of fighting back and forth, we finally got permission to search under the assumption that we were solely searching for missing shinobi. A week after we were allowed into our neighboring countries, we found what remained of Naruto Uzumaki. His tattered orange jumpsuit and…..and the only physical evidence of him, his arm from the elbow down. So there can be no possible way you could be Naruto Uzumaki and your impersonation of him is both insulting to his legacy and disgusting, it will not stand! Not as long as I draw breath!" Her expression physically changed over the course of her story. It first started out numb, as if speaking of a typical mission or statement, but then when she discussed the pieces of Naruto found by her trusted ANBU her face twisted into a scowl, physically hurt by the mere mention of what they found.

T-Tou-san, s-she's scaring me!" She clung to Naruto's thigh, her eyes clenched shut.

"It's okay, Fuyuko-chan. Everything's gonna be alright," He said, gripping her hand with his, hoping to calm her down, "there's just been a little misunderstanding, let daddy handle it, alright?" She nodded slowly, still unable to pry her eyes open. "Now, me and Baa-chan are gonna be discussing some grown-up stuff, so your gonna have to step outside for a moment. Can you do that for me?" She shook her head no, tightening her grip on his pants for dear life. "Sweetheart, I know you're scared, but I'll be right here. Nothing bad is gonna happen, alright?" She refused to release him. "Would you feel more comfortable with a clone?" She stayed firm on his leg for a few extra moments before she reluctantly nodded. He quickly conjured up a clone who she instantly attaches to, then the clone takes Naruto's little snowflake outside to the waiting area, leaving the adults to discuss this disorienting misunderstanding.

Watching this display between father and daughter, Tsunade grew curious. "Who is that?" She asked, watching as the young girl disappeared with her father's doppelganger.

"If you could believe it, she's my daughter - Fuyuko Uzumaki." He smiled, proud to introduce his daughter to Shizune and Tsunade, though he would have been happier if he could have done that under better circumstances, you know, when they didn't accuse him of being a imposter or a defiler of his own name.

"WHAT?!" The collectively yelled, practically shaking the very foundation of Konoha - Naruto wouldn't be surprised if it was heard all the way in Suna.

"N-Naruto would never have a child at such a young age," Shizune stated.

"I've changed a lot, Shizune-chan. I've had one hell of a journey over the past 6 years and none of it was easy," he said with a heavy heart. "If I had to be honest, I'm not the Naruto Uzumaki you once knew. I've grown a lot more than I ever thought I would, dattebayo."

"I...I still can't believe it, how could you possibly be Naruto? I saw that battlefield, I found your arm." Shizune stated, recalling the images taken of the final battlegrounds of Naruto Uzumaki and the disembodied arm that was brought back to Konoha. It looked like a massacre, scars etched into the battlefield and trees uprooted from their original position, it looked like all hell broke loose and Naruto, unfortunately, was caught up in it.

"The Akatsuki bastards had to take something from me, whether it was my life or my arm." He rolled his right sleeve, revealing the stump where his right appendage used to rest; "they nearly took both that day. Baa-chan, Shizune-chan - I'm truly sorry that I've been gone for so long, I couldn't imagine the sight you two must have seen." He said solemnly, covering up his wound as the two processed what they just saw. Were they wrong? Was this truly the Naruto they thought was gone for 2 years now?

Tsunade, biting her lip to hold back her grief, started to speak, "...A-All we found of you was your jacket sleeve soaked in your blood...a-and the reminisce of your arm, what did you think we were going to think when we found that?" She asked even though she knew Naruto didn't have an answer for her. "We feared the worst, we buried what we thought was left of you. For two years, two agonizing, unrelenting years we've mourned your death. We've only now been able to try and move past this tragedy."

He never thought of that, if he had found that same scene, would he have thought differently? Probably not, "...I'm sorry, I didn't know." He said remorsefully, aware of his huge oversight and how much grief he must have brought these two and the friends he has made along the way.

"Where the hell do you get off in saying you're sorry! You don't get to say that, not now not ever!" She yelled, her volatile emotions coming to the forefront, "you could have come back, you...you allowed us to think you were gone forever. We all grieved in our own way, some of us more so than others, but this village grew visibly more dismal the moment we "buried" you. Y-You don't get the right to say you're sorry! You could have prevented this all, damn it!"

"...I never imagined something like this would happen, but I couldn't just return; there was much that still needed to be done. Even though I wanted to, I knew I couldn't come back until I set everything right, that's what Jiraiya-sensei would have wanted." He said, catching the attention of his Hokage.

"Wait, what do you mean by that? What happened to Jiraiya?" Naruto remained silent, his shoulders visibly slouched. "What happened to Jiraiya?!" She was growing more desperate, her eyes widening in fear.

"Unfortunately, I don't know." He said sternly, "he protected me, possibly even giving his life to make sure I would live another day." His fist tightened as a name came to mind, a name more disgusting to him that poison. "Pein, his name was Pein, the leader of the Akatsuki. He and his partner, Konan were the two who took my arm and possibly Jiraiya's life. I've spent the past 2 ½ years hunting down every last Akatsuki member and looking for any reminisce of Jiraiya. I wasn't able to protect my sensei, but at least I can...defend his legacy."

"J-Jiraiya might be….might be dead?" Naruto sadly nodded, tears slipped from Tsunade's eyes as the knowledge began to slowly seep in. "Jiraiya…." she bit her lip harder, practically drawing blood as she tried to contain the sobs that could follow. "Jiraiya, I've been mad at you for so long over something you couldn't control…..I'm sorry, Jiraiya. I'm so sorry!" Slowly, she felt something slip around her body, she looked to find Naruto next - his single arm squeezing her body to his with a tear escaping his eye. His eyes spoke volumes to Tsunade, they were the same as hers, full of sadness and mourning for the departed Sage.

"I know Baa-chan, I know." No words needed to be traded by the two, both knew each other's pain far too well to need something as simple as words to express them. Tsunade placed her head on his shoulder, allowing the built up tears flood his clothing - and all he could think to say was simply, "I'm sorry," as he allowed her to release her emotions for quite some time before she slowly composed herself.

The room was full of unwanted and unrefined emotions dealing with Jiraiya's possible death and Naruto's return, emotions that no one knew how to handle or actually wanted to handle at this moment. They felt drained from this ordeal, so Tsunade thought it would be best if they spoke of something different, something that is somewhat tied to their emotional troubles but distent enough for them to be able to talk about without bursting into tears like before. "Naruto-kun, you said you've been spending the last 2 ½ years fighting the Akatsuki. How could you possibly know where to go? Even we haven't been able to find a single trace of them."

"You can thank Jiraiya-sensei for that," he said with a somber smile. "During the first 2 years we were gone from Konoha, he'd spent a huge deal of our time honing his spy network on the Akatsuki and their actions while also teaching me the ins and outs of his business. After his...passing, his responsibilities were passed down to his heir of his will, which means yours truly is now the overseer of Jiraiya's entire spy network." He smirked at that, though in his explanation you could tell his struggle to explain it like it was just a normal thing. Everyone knew that Naruto was very close to Jiraiya and that if anything happened to him, Naruto would be the first to be offered his duties - but neither of them believed it would have happened so early. However, even though Naruto was still very young to be given such a large spy network, he took on the responsibilities and continued his sensei's work. In all honesty, it was actually quite impressive for his age, not many 17 year old boy can say they run a massive, interlocking network of information. "I've been all over the Elemental Nation tracking every lead, every possible sighting, and every single mention of their names. I've killed 3 of them and physically wounded another."

"Impressive, you have been quite busy." Tsunade said however, she still wasn't very thrilled to know he couldn't have said anything to her over the course of those 2 ½ years, but she put that in the back of her mind for now, more focused on the statement he just made. "Which ones?"

"I've killed Sasori of the Red Sand, but I was only able to wound his partner, Deidara," he stated.

"How did you wound him?" Shizune wondered.

"Oh, well seeing as he used an odd technique where he created C4 out of two mouth like openings on the palms of his hands, I did the sensible thing and I took both of his arms. But, the slippery bastards still got away by making Sasori a decoy." He said with a sigh, still to this day annoyed at that slippery bastard's escape.

"Geez, I'd never think you would do something so...barbaric," Shizune said, shocked at his way of dispatching his enemies ace in the hole. However, she was not by any means disappointed or disgusted by his actions, she probably would have done the same in his position - she was merely surprised that he would have done something like that to win. The Naruto she remembered wasn't much of a strategic or methodical type of fighter, going for more of an 'overpowering opponents' approach before thinking of taking away his opponents special technique. She was shocked but also very much impressed by his quick thinking and good strategy, Naruto truly has grown.

"It was the only possible way I could take away his advantage. Even though I won the battle, I knew if I hadn't taken him out first I wouldn't be here today." He stated, very much aware of how close he was to possibly losing that battle at any moment. At the time, he might have been strong enough to take them on, but he's a proud enough man to say his strength and strategy was severely lacking back then, something he's worked on quite hard to perfect. "His technique was easily one of the most distracting and disruptive ability I've faced to date. That along with Sasori's poison, I needed to take one of them out."

"Who were the other two, Naruto-kun?" Shizune wondered.

"The supposed "immortal tag-team" of Hidan and Kakuzu. Both were incredibly strong, almost unbeatable if I didn't have a little back-up and integral knowledge of how to beat them." He said, remembering how dangerous these two were together.

"Immortal tag-team?" Tsunade asked.

"Both of them had abilities that kept themselves alive and moving even after devastating amounts of damage. Kakuzu used a technique called Jiongu which allowed him to store several hearts within himself so if one failed or was fatally damaged he could use the other ones to keep him alive. The other was more of an experiment per say, he was given "immortality" by this deity named Lord Jashin after he was used in a ritual by several of Lord Jashin's faithful servants." He explained, "Hidan was the most annoying to get rid of, but thankfully, an idea came to mind."

"And that would be?" Shizune questioned.

"Separate his body parts and place them in scrolls - then send those scrolls to five positions in the Elemental Nation that no one would ever find them. Also, if by some miracle someone was able to collect the first five scrolls, I've kept the final scroll, the head scroll, on my person - so they'll have to go through me to get it." Naruto quickly slipped out a single scroll that was labelled "Head" and placed it on the Hokage's desk. Another critical battle in his growth as a Shinobi, both Kakuzu and Hidan put up a massive fight and even though he had grown from his battle between Sasori and Deidara, he still wasn't strong enough to face them alone, especially because of their eccentric move set and skills.

"What is with you and dismembering people?" Tsunade wondered morbidly, noticing a sickening trend of disassembling people from Naruto's reports.

"Hey, these people are dangerous, bloodthirsty S-ranked Shinobi; whatever it takes to remove them from the equation is justified in my book," he said confidently before a thoughtful expression took its place on his features. "But now that you mention it, my dismembering problem might have started when Konan took my arm. Haha, maybe I'm taking it out on my enemies." He said cryptically though he smiled at the odd parallels of the idea. "The final one, Kakuzu was slightly easier to deal with than Hidan for the simple fact that he knew when to shut up. With Kakuzu I merely kept him going, I didn't allow him any rest or anytime to retrieve a new heart - that battle was hard on both of us, but I came out on top, giving me an opportunity to try out a new technique I'd been testing out. So, by and large, everything turned out alright."

"It sounds like if we keep up the pressure you began, we might be able to eradicate them far quicker than originally anticipated," Tsunade said, the idea of having an upper hand against the Akatsuki gave her more hope for the future, though, her hope didn't last too long thanks to Naruto's next statement.

"Unfortunately, it won't be as easy to find them as much as the first two groups were." He said with a sigh, "it seems they are tightening the reins on their members, forcing them to keep an even lower profile - going so far as to forgo fighting any Jinchuuriki's for the time being. Also, even though they've kept the information on the group, even more closer to their chest, I've been able to find out they are recruiting more members to their group. Sadly, the three I have taken out might be getting replaced as we speak."

Tsunade sighed, "damn, do you have any idea who these people might be?"

"No, my spies are branched out far and wide to find any traces of the Akatsuki, their base, and possible recruitments. I haven't heard anything but who knows, we might snag something." He said, putting his faith in his spy network. They've given nothing but 100% since he became their leader, leading him to trust his comrades implicitly with their task - even going so far as naming one of them as a pseudo-leader once he left, asking only for daily updates on anything of importance.

Tsunade sighed in aggravation as she realized eradicating this group might be harder than just killing their members one by one. "Well, even though I still would have appreciated at least a letter informing me that you were okay, I can see why you couldn't return."

"I can't hold it in anymore, you're alive!" Shizune said, unable to hold in her joy anymore as she jumped at Naruto and latched onto him, linking her arms around his neck in a crushing hug. "I thought you were gone, I thought I'd never get to see you again!" She stated with utter glee, holding Naruto tight as if to never let him go.

"I've missed you too, Shizune-chan." He said with a smile, admiring the warmth and love he felt from this embrace. "and you too, Baa-chan." He snickered as he saw Tsunade's eyebrow twitch at Naruto's nickname for her. Though he used it many times today, she really didn't pay too much attention to it, seeing as she wanted to figure out if he, you know, was actually the real Naruto, but now, seeing as the facts have been laid bare, his little 'Baa-chan' cracks were starting to get old.

However, this was not the time for violence. This was the first time she has ever seen Naruto in 6 years, she could have plenty of times to abuse him for pointing out her age later, now was a time for joy. "I'll let that Baa-chan crack slide, for now," She said, standing from behind her desk and walked to his side enveloping Naruto around his waist, squeezing him tight enough to know that this meant something monumental to both of them. "You have grown a lot over the years Naruto, I barely recognized you and I never thought I would see the day that you would ever take something seriously."

He couldn't help but loop his only arm around Shizune and said, "Haha, it kinda comes with the territory of dealing with a massive, inter webbing spy network, becoming the new bearer of the Toad Scroll, and being a father."

Tsunade looked to him, the mention of his final and most important duty peaked her interest. "Yes, about that whole "becoming a father" thing. How exactly did that come about? I feel like you're a little too young to be having sex."

"Well, technically I was considered an adult the moment I received my headband, so I was allowed to do everything a full grown adult could do - that includes having sex, but I digress," he said, recalling what a certain white haired pervert told him. "Now, my daughter isn't related to me in the traditional sense."

"What do you mean?" Shizune wondered.

"Well, I adopted her," He said.

"That makes much more sense, she seemed much too old to be considered you child!" Shizune said happily, her mind completely off the topic of her supposed dead little brother figure is no longer gone, and now squarely on his little ankle bitter. "So, come on, give us the details! I want to know everything about her!"

"Better yet, how about you meet her. Fuyuko-chan, it's alright, you can come in now." Soon the door opened, the young Fuyuko Uzumaki nervously peered into the room with one hand still tightly gripped on the clones pant leg. Slowly, she released it, allowing him to dispel into smoke - leaving her alone, in full view of the people inside the Hokage's office. "Hey there, sweetheart. I've got two people I'd like you to meet." She slowly walked forward, her face covered in a blush that would put a certain Hyuuga to shame. "Sorry, she's a bit shy when she's around new people."

"That's alright, I'm used to children. I worked a year in the pediatric wing," Shizune smiled, walking up to the startled little girl with a small yet inviting smile. "Hey there Fuyuko-chan, my name is Shizune and I've known your father for quite a while. I would say he's almost like a little brother to me, which makes you my niece."

The young lady of the hour looked to the hardwood floor and meekly said, "H-Hello Shizune-san, i-i-it is nice to meet your acquaintance."

"Wow, she's actually polite and well spoken, are you sure you raised her?" Tsunade teased, playfully nudging the blonde with her elbow.

"Ha, ha, ha, you're so funny I forgot to laugh," he said dryly. "I may not be the best at being polite but I know the basics and I would like my daughter to be better than me in every way. Including politeness, cause that was something I never seemed to get."

Shizune giggled at the adorable way Fuyuko spoke and presented herself, "she is adorable Naruto, how did you two find each other?"

"It's been about 3 years now, I found her during one of my patrols for information about the whereabouts of the Akatsuki. She was 5 when I found her out in the cold rain of the Land of Waves; she could barely keep from shivering. She was sleeping in a makeshift shelter out of old, thrown-out cargo boxes and newspapers, I couldn't believe my eyes - her struggles almost reminded me of my own past. I couldn't let her freeze, so I wrapped her in my jacket and took her into my hotel room. After that, I've never left her side." He said with a warming smile, remembering that day like it happened mere seconds ago. He remembered it with such fondness too, his average life forever changed by one single decision, one in which he would make again and again if that meant he could spend his days with his loving daughter. She's helped him through some very dark times; the death of his sensei, the loss of his arm, and the stress that came with the spy network, her presence just made him continue forward each time - he couldn't ask for a better daughter.

"That's terrible, I'm so sorry she had to go through something so traumatizing," Shizune said as sadness gripped her heart as she imagined this poor little girl shivering in a dingy box, gripping a flimsy newspaper to her body to try and keep warm.

"I can only imagine what she's gone through," Tsunade responded before a determined look came to her, looking at the young adopted Uzumaki with a warm smile. "Well, Fuyuko-chan, I want you to know you will never deal with anything of the sorts in Konoha, not if I have anything to say about it. You will always have a home here."

"T-Thank you, Obaa-chan! This really means a lot to me, I've never really had a home." Fuyuko gleefully said, smiling at not only her Obaa-chan's decree but also by the power she has to enforce it.

"You'll never have to worry about something like that again, Fuyuko-chan," Tsunade said with determination in her voice. She would not allow anyone related to her, whether by blood or everything but, go without food, shelter, or clothing; she'd rather die today than to watch as her favorite blonde and his daughter suffer.

"See, I told you that you'll love it here, Shouji-kun (Daughter)," Naruto said, kneeling to his daughter's height to address her past concerns about the village. During her short period on this earth and even shorter period with her adopted father she's never truly seen such a big village. Even though her father has been all around the Elemental Nation, she's usually be watched over by a clone back at the spy networks headquarters or having fun at Mount Myōboku while Naruto dealt with what he needed to deal with. She was afraid of what to expect from this looming juggernaut of a village, but thanks to her Obaa-chan's statement, she felt far more at ease about this whole transition than ever before. "Much better than camping, don't you think?"

"Definitely," she said, ready to see what this village had in store for her and her father.

"This is amazing, Lady Tsunade. Naruto has come back from the grave and now has brought home the cutest little girl I've ever seen." Shizune giggled, bring the little girl into a hug, rubbing her chubby little cheeks with her own - unaware of the blush the little girl was sporting, embarrassed by the display.

"Think of what the people of Konoha will say, I bet they'll rejoice to hear their energetic knucklehead is back," Tsunade said, walking back to her desk only to stop mid-step at Naruto's next statement.

"Actually, if I may. I would like to ask a favor of you two," he said, catching their attention. "Please, don't tell anyone yet."

"What?!" Shizune questioned, squeezing tighter onto Fuyuko as a result. "Why not? Don't you want them to know of your return? Especially your old teammates Sakura and Kakashi, they would be elated to know you did not die in action. Specifically Kakashi, who's been very conflicted after your supposed passing."

"How so?" He asked, hoping that nothing serious happened to either one of his fellow comrades. Knowing his reported passing had taken a toll on many was hard enough, knowing that his passing might have caused a physical problem with one of his friends was not something he wanted nor could he forgive himself it that happened. However, his mind was put a bit at ease by Tsunade's statement, but not by much.

"He began to question his role as a teacher, seeing as he'd lost both you and Sasuke. No matter how many times Sakura and his closest friends told him there was no way he could have saved you nor could he have stopped Sasuke, he couldn't help but take it to heart." She stated seldomly, recalling the utter shift in the strong-willed cyclops. "To be honest, I couldn't blame him. A few years prior, I was in the same boat he was - but with your return, maybe this weight on him will be subsided."

"I will be more than happy to do so and to see everyone I left behind, but I don't think right now would be the best time to do so," He said, glad to hear that what's happened to Kakashi wasn't serious and did not need his full attention at this time.

"How come?" Shizune asked.

"Fuyuko and I are very worn down and tired, I don't know if we could handle so much attention at once. I'm not saying we shouldn't show ourselves eventually, just not right now. Would two days be alright? To give me and my snowflake here a chance to rest and unwind." He asked, his daughter now returning to his side as Shizune released her and went to discuss this with her mentor.

Both Shizune and Tsunade traded worried looks and hushed statements before the Hokage sighed, "very well, I don't see why we can't give you two days, but I must say, if you are wishing to rest for two days, it would be best to lay low until you are ready to be revealed properly." She warned, tapping her nail on her desk. "We wouldn't want someone to mistake you as an imposter like we did, you might not make it out of Konoha alive."

"What do you mean by that?" He asked, curious as to why his visage around town would be such a problem. From what he could recall practically 90% of Konoha's civilian population wasn't too keen on him, and the only explanation he could come up with that he might have trouble in the village is with people who hated him during his youth.

"Yeah, Tou-san must have been missed a lot. He told me tons of stories about how much he loved this village." Fuyuko spoke up with a giggle, recalling how happy her father grew when he talked about his adventures as a Genin with his team and friends.

"Yes I do, Shouji-kun, I love this village almost as much as I do you. almost," she smiled at that, "but, the inhabitants of this village were not as loving. I wasn't accepted by most because...because of something I could not control."

"Why would someone do that?" She wondered, leading the other occupants in the room to wonder of a certain father has told his daughter about his little condition that dealt with a certain fox living in a certain blonde haired boy.

"People are scared of things they don't understand or do not wish to accept, sweetie," he clarified.

"Yes, but those people have grown, Naruto," Shizune stated, a small yet comforting smile gracing her lips. "Once they heard you had passed, they soon realized rather quickly what they had done to you. How they had shunned and bullied a mere child, some were disgusted with themselves while other pretended as if they couldn't have ever done such a horrible thing and mourn your death like any rational person would. Either way, that heinous time in our village has subsided greatly."

"Really?" He asked, believing it to be a bit too good to be true. The same people that denied him food, clothing and the basic needs of any human being actually had a change of heart after his supposed death? Is that even possible? Maybe, some people regret and reflect on what they did to a person after their passing, feeling ashamed and even remorse for someone the once hated.

"Hai, I've never seen anything like it, it's remarkable." She nodded.

"Well, I'll be dam-...Ummm, darned." He corrected himself, peering quickly to his young child before he continued. "I guess I judged them a bit harshly, who knew the could change."

"You were not the only one, we all were surprised by this shift in opinions. But, I don't want you to get your hopes up though, Naruto." Tsunade spoke, "even though the main consensus of the village is mainly positive of you, there are a few who still hold onto their old opinions."

"I expected nothing less." He sighed but was grateful to hear his daughter might not face the same discriminations he did for merely having his last name. Maybe she could gain friends a whole lot quicker than he did, maybe even have a normal life, and it might be odd to say, but maybe this false burial actually was somewhat a blessing in disguise. However, Naruto's deep thoughts were quickly silenced when a loud, reverberating grumble made itself known to the group, originating for the small girl's tummy.

"Tou-san?" Naruto looked to his daughter's meek voice, "D-Do you think we could get something to eat now? I'm starving."

He couldn't help but chuckle at the ravenous growl of his daughter's stomach, though not by blood she was definitely Naruto's daughter. "Sure Snowflake, what are you in the mood for?"

"Ramen! Please, pretty please?!" She begged cutely, grabbing her father's hand with her two small mitts as she shook it vigorously with her lips quivering in a cute pout. "You promised, you said that Konoha has the best ramen stand in all the Elemental Nations and when we got here I can eat as much ramen as I want. Remember?"

"I did promise you that, didn't I?" He said with a smile before he saw Shizune and Tsunade wavering looks, "I know, how about I henge myself. Change my appearance so my daughter and I can get some food without dealing with all the turmoil. We'd be there and back before you know it."

Shizune and Tsunade traded glances before the nodded solemnly, "very well, but before you go I must tell you something about your living arrangements."

"Oh yeah, how is my old apartment anyway?" He wondered.

"Well, seeing as we had to demolish the apartment complex your apartment was in, it's not doing so well," She said cheekily, scratching her head in slight embarrassment that she had to tell him this in this fashion.

"You destroyed my house?!" He yelled, crushed to hear his old stomping grounds had been demolished under the orders of the Hokage herself.

"First off, you don't get to yell at me! We thought you were dead and correct me if I'm wrong, but dead people can't own apartments. Besides, that place was a death trap - no one should ever have to live there." She said, defending her actions with airtight logic. I suppose Naruto's previous thought that his death being a blessing was premature, seeing as he couldn't see the silver lining in losing his only home. "But, seeing as you don't have a place to stay, I would like to offer you a room at the Senju Compound. We have plenty of available rooms and only Shizune and I live there, and seeing as we are quite busy on a day to day basis, you will have a lot of privacy."

"Really? You'd let us stay at your house?" Fuyuko said, surprised at their generosity.

"Of course, little one. No granddaughter of mine will go without a home, and you two can stay as long as you like until you find yourselves a new home." She said, bringing a smile to both Fuyuko and her father.

"Thank you, Baa-chan. This means a lot to us." He said, scooping up his little bundle of joy effortlessly.

"Yes, well I couldn't just let you live on the streets now could I?" She said before a feeling washed over her seeing Fuyuko and Naruto standing before her. It was joy, pure joy knowing that Naruto's death was nothing but a misunderstanding. She could kiss him or punch him or hell she could do both. "...I'm glad your back Naruto-kun, I really am."

"I'm glad to be back, it's been too long." He smiled, "now, if you'll excuse us…" Naruto began to change, his hair turned an ink like black and his blue eyes turned brown as his whiskers wavered from existence, "my daughter and I have some food to devour. See you back at the compound you two."

"The more he changes the more he seems to stay the same, right Lady Tsunade?" Shizune said, recalling how full of life and energy he was back in the day and how, even after 6 years, he still had that energetic glow about him.

"No, I can tell this isn't the Naruto we once knew. He's different, he's grown a lot for the better."

- Ichiraku Ramen -

As Naruto made his way through the village, he had to stop himself from greeting all the faces he once knew and cared for. Quickly, he arrived at the expanded Ichiraku ramen and he couldn't help but stifle a whimper of happiness when he saw Ayame up and center in front of the grill. He wanted to run up and hug her until he couldn't anymore but he composed himself as he cleared his throat. Soon, he and his daughter took their seats, Naruto having to help his daughter onto her stool of course before Ayame placed two menus in front of them with a generous smile.

"Hello and welcome to Ichiraku Ramen, what can I get for you two today?" Ayame asked her notepad firmly in place - prepared to take each one's drink order. Ayame is a slender girl with long, dark brown hair and large black eyes, plus fair skin. She wore a white robe with the sleeves folded, a dark blue apron with ribbon ties at the top and a bright white bandanna. She's matured over the years, her facial features seem more pronounced and apparent, or it might just be because Naruto has grown older and far more observant, either way, she looked spectacular.

"M-May I have some mint tea, please?" The small snowflake asked, a bit nervous for being put on the spot like this.

"Of course, you can sweetheart," She said with a giggle, his daughter always had a way of melting a person's heart with her cuteness. "And what can I get for you, sir?"

"I'll have a mint tea as well," he said, scanning the menu for his favorite flavors of ramen, unable to decide which one he wants to devour first.

"Alright, I'll get those right out to you and then I'll take your orders," she said with a smile, leaving the two to discuss.

"Tou-san, she seems really nice, do you know her?" Fuyuko asked behind her menu, running into the same dilemma as her father.

"Oh yeah, Ayame-chan and I go way back." He said with fondness, "she gave me my first true meal after I was kicked out of the orphanage. She and her father took me in for a while actually, but they weren't able to adopt me for….come to think of it, I actually don't know why they couldn't adopt me. Hmmm...I wonder-"

his thought would have to wait as Ayame returned with their teas and was prepared to take their orders."Here you two go, one mint tea for the gentlemen and one for the cutie." The little girl blush at her compliment, "now, what can I get you two to eat?"

"C-Can I get two Pork ramen bowls, please?" Fuyuko asked politely, handing her menu back to her lovely waitress/cook.

"Of course, and you sir?" She soon turned to Naruto who was still scanning the menu until something strange caught his eye.

"Oh, I'll have a…..what exactly is a "Naruto" specialty bowl?" He asked, surprised to see his name on the menu and not talking about the topping.

If you were to stare at her for just a moment, you would have seen the corner of her mouth waver into a frown. "It's a bowl we designed in commemoration of our most loyal customer and family friend. It's specially designed to hold three bowls worth of Ramen in three different sections and for a limited time only, if you can finish three of these off in under 2 hours, you win free ramen for three whole months."

"Hmmm, interesting. I'll take three of the Naruto specialty bowl, I'll have two Pork and one Miso, and do I get a coupon for the free three months or do I just have to show my face every time?" He asked, all but prepared to win. It has been 6 long years since he's eaten at Ichiraku's, he's had to suffer through subpar ramen stands for 6 agonizing years, he is going to make the most of out this trip today, even if it killed him….for real this time.

"...Y-You seem rather sure of yourself. You know this isn't some simple buffet, this will be the equivalent of 9 bowls, 1 bowl short of the record made by Naruto Uzumaki himself." She said, concerned for this man's well being if he thinks he could eat as much as Naruto, blissfully unaware of who she was talking too. When he made that record he was merely a boy, his undeveloped and partially malnourished stomach was meant to devour at such speeds - but time and a proper diet has turned Naruto's stomach into a well-rounded eating machine which has been shaped for just such an occasion.

"Oh, well then, I would like to change my order then," he said, handing over his menu.

"Good, now then, what can I get yo-" She began, ready to write down his new order.

"Give me four Naruto specialty bowls, two pork and two miso." He smiled, making Ayame almost drop from his proclamation.

"Y-You can be serious!" She gawked.

"Dead serious, I don't like to back down from a challenge," Naruto said proudly, almost too proudly for such a menial challenge.

"Yeah, Tou-san can take this on, I know he can!" His daughter said, praising her father's dedication to this meal. No one would argue that this was, in fact, his daughter, they're blind devotion to a simple food was almost comical.

"...O-Okay, that'll be t-two medium sized pork ramens, and…..f-f-four Naruto specialty bowls." She began to write down the full order before she peered at the stranger once more, "are you absolutely sure? I don't want you to push yourself. I don't want someone throwing up in my father's restaurant."

"Believe me, Ayame-chan, I've got this!" He said with a smile, a smile that brought forth very familiar memories from Ayame's past. She remembered those exact words, the words of one Naruto Uzumaki when he tackled his own record, prepared to show her that he had the stomach of an Ox when it came to ramen.

"Alright….coming right up," 30 minutes later, two normal bowls were placed before Fuyuko who quickly dug into it, her father's appetite and educate seemed to have rubbed off on her. Then, finally, the three massive, steaming bowls of perfection were placed before the one-armed stranger, his chopsticks posed at the ready. Ayame looked to the clock and marked his time as Naruto dove into the bowls with reckless abandon, ripping through his favor flavor first as onlookers stared the beautifully grotesque display. The way this man attacked this dish so swiftly and efficiently made it seem like he was eating it with four arms instead of one and his daughter just sat there, eating her dish with the same ravenous hunger but on a much smaller scale. They were the same, like one mind and one action, they only thing they didn't truly share was blood.

Soon, the two finished, Fuyuko was first simply because of the size difference in their dish, but her father was mere minutes behind her as he finished and stacked his final bowl before the astonished waitress, clocking in at 30 minutes! 30 minutes was all it took for this man to shatter Naruto's previous record and cement his own as the top ramen eater at Ichiraku ramen! There was no way this man could put this much away without evacuating the contents of his stomach on the floor, but there he was, rubbing his belly with a satisfied smirk on his face as his daughter mirrored his actions.

"You were right, Tou-san," she said with a slight burp. "Konoha has the best ramen in the Elemental Nations, bar none. Thank you so much for the meal, Ayame-san." She said politely, showing an air of maturity an 8-year-old shouldn't possess.

"Would your father ever lie to you?" He said with a chuckle, "now, how exactly does this 'free ramen for three months' thing work?"

"...I-I have no idea." The room went silent, as Naruto's eye twitched comedically. "W-We never thought anyone would actually win. It was more of a promotional thing."

"S-So you're telling me I don't get free ramen for three months?" He asked, practically pleading that this wasn't true.

"Unfortunately no, I think we'd go bankrupt if you eat like you just did on a regular basis." She noticed his and his daughters cartoonishly sad expression and couldn't help but do something for them, "well, how about this. Seeing as you deserve some kind of reward for what you did, how about this meal is on the house and I give you a 10% discount for a month? Does that sound better?"

"Well, it's no 'free ramen for a month', but it's better than nothing. You've got yourself a deal, Ayame-chan, and I'll hold you to that 10% discount - my daughter and I will be coming here quite often to make use of it." He said with a chuckle.

"I wasn't expecting anything less. have a great day sir and you too, cutie." She smiled.

"T-Thank you Ayame-san, it was a pleasure to meet you," Fuyuko said, hoping from her stole with a little help down from her father.

"So polite, I've never met a young lady with such manners," Ayame mentioned, happy to see something like this in the next generation.

"Fuyuko-chan has learned it far quicker than I have, that's for sure," he said. "Well, Ayame-chan, I shall see you shortly to cash in my 10% discount, but until then - goodbye, and it was really good to see you again." Naruto left, leaving the apron-clad waitress/cook in seldom confusion as she wondered what he could possibly mean by that.

As he left with his daughter in tow, a cheeky smirk plastered on his features, he forgot to look both ways before he started to walk, knocking into a passerby that seemed awfully familiar. Her long, cascading platinum blonde hair was a dead giveaway from the start but if he didn't have her hair to go on he couldn't tell you that this was the same Ino Yamanaka he once knew. This girl...no, woman before him wore an elegant summer sundress, clearly prepared for a day of relaxation and fun while she also carried a bouquet of beautiful multi-colored tulips. Her hair, which was usually put into a high bun, now cascaded down her back, free of it's usual hair bands.

"Hey!" She barked, her freshly picked tulips now sprinkled across the ground, some even being stepped on by unknowing passersby. "Do you know how hard it was to find these! Now there pretty little petals are dirty, thanks a lot."

"I'm so sorry, here let me help," e said, bending down to help the young platinum blonde with her discarded flowers.

"I don't ne-...ummm, do I know you from somewhere?" She began but soon paused, noticing something strange. It was subtle, almost nonexistent, but she could tell something about this man was...oddly familiar. Maybe it was the way his face was sculpted or maybe it was the way his hair was styled, but whatever it was it gave her this sense of familiarity, she just couldn't put her finger on it.

Naruto began to sweat, fearing he had already blown his cover only 40 minutes in, but thankfully, he composed himself and thought of a proper way to respond. "Hmm? No, l don't think so. I would remember your face."

"What's that suppose to mean?" She asked with a raised brow.

"I-I'm just saying you have such a pronounced face." He stammered.

"You're not that good with girls, are you?" Said Ino, seemingly unimpressed with his excuse.

"Tou-san, why is your face red? Do you have a fever?" Fuyuko questioned, pointing out the ever growing blush that started to spread across her father's face.

Ino's apparent problem with the lead-tongued blonde seemed to fall at the waste side when she saw his little daughter, transfixed on her inherent cuteness - as most people are. "AWE! Such a cutie, what's her name?!"

"M-My name is Fuyuko Uzum-" But before she continued, she stopped herself from uttering her last name proudly to keep her father's secret. "Ummm, I mean Fuyuko. My father and I didn't really have the last name."

"I-I've never really liked last names, so….ummm, useless really. Yeah?" He said, however, it seemed more to convince himself rather than Ino. "So uhh, what's your name, if I may ask?"

"The names Ino, Ino Yamanaka, and you have the cutest daughter I've ever met!" She said, gushing at the little girl in her cute white kimono. "If you were a flower, I'd pick you first and never let you go." Fuyuko giggled nervously, her face the same shade of red her father's was mere moments ago.

"Yes, well I think it's time for us to go, Fuyuko-chan. We don't want to leave our host waiting for us," he said, hoping to end this quickly to save himself and his daughter for more embarrassment. "It was nice to meet you, Yamanaka-san, and if you wish I can pay for those tulips."

"You know what type of flowers these are?" She asked, genuinely surprised at his floral knowledge. Not too many people even know what a Tulip is in Konoha, seeing as it's surprisingly rare around here.

"Yes, is that weird or something?" Wondered Naruto.

"Well, no it's just, other than my father and mother, I don't know that many people who know the difference between one flower to another." Said Ino.

Yeah, I guess you have a point. Now, how much do you want for them? I wouldn't feel right if I didn't pay you for them." He wondered, pulling out his wallet in preparations. Thankfully, his grown out of his old frog-like wallet or he might have given himself away right then and there.

"Hmm, well, a bouquet of these are at least 4,912.60 yen (40 dollars) back at my store, but since they have been dirtied up, how about….12,281.50 yen (100 dollars)?" She snickered, an almost devilish smirk began to crawl across her features.

Naruto's eyes widened, "What?!" He yelled, almost dropping his wallet in disbelief. "That's practically four times as much! For dirtied flowers?"

"Yeah, dirtied flowers that you dirtied, and I have to factor in the man hours you just wasted. So I believe 12,281.50 yen is a proper amount," she said, using the rational logic of a complete crook. "Besides, didn't you say you wanted to? That you wouldn't feel right if you didn't?"

"What man hours?" He questioned.

"Do you know how long I spent looking for these special types of tulips?! They're rare in Konoha, and I took extra steps to keep their petals pristine and pure, and then, after hours of searching, you just bump into me like some brute! So, I want my 12,281.50 yen, now." She said sternly.

I didn't think it was possible, but Ino has gotten even more demanding over time," he thought, almost finding it hilarious if it wasn't him who had to pay for this crooks twisted reasoning. "...Ummm, how about I help you find some more? It can't be that hard, right?"

"You grossly underestimate how hard it is to find precious and interesting flowers in this village, baka!" She said harshly, reminding Naruto of their old academy days where she would call him that frequently.

"H-Hey, my Tou-san is not a baka!...m-ma'am." She began to say with an authoritative tone, only to lower in octave when she grabbed Ino's attention.

Ino stopped, letting her mind process what the little one just said before she sighed, "you're lucky, your daughter just saved your wallet. Alright, in two days I'll be going out to find some more of these tulips, I expect you to meet me in front of the Yamanaka flower shop at 7 a.m. sharp, got it?" He nodded, "good. Now, where's my 4.912.60 yen?"

"B-But I thought you said-" He began to say, only for her to cut him off.

"Seeing as you are willing to help me retrieve more flowers, I knocked down my price to its original asking price. Take it, it's my final offer." She said, stretching her hand out to collect the money he owed.

"...When the hell did Ino become so greedy? She's a Yamanaka, why the hell does she even need the money!?" He wondered, flustered at Ino's acts and confused as to why the hell does she even care?! Sure, they're flowers and Yamanaka's love flowers but seriously? "Fine, fine. At least, it won't drain my wallet dry. Here, happy?" Reluctantly, he handed over the money, feeling slightly bitter about doing so.

"Very, pleasure doing business with you," she said as she started to walk off, counting the yen she just earned. "Oh, and don't forget, 7 sharp in front of my flower shop two days from now, don't be late," she announced, disappearing into the crowd as Naruto let out a sigh as he pocketed his wallet.

"Tou-san?" His daughter said catching his attention, "she's really pretty, did you know her too?"

"Yeah, she was in my graduating class at the academy," He answered, fondness very much apparent in his voice, even after what transpired just a few moments ago. "It seems time has changed her and honestly, I couldn't expect anything else. Let's head home Fuyuko-chan before Baa-chan gets worried." Before they left, however, Fuyuko decided to pick up the dirtied flowers and take them with her, finding them still salvageable and very pretty to look at.

- Senju Compound, 7 p.m. -

"Jeez, there you are!" Shizune said, standing on the outside porch of the Senju Compound, catching a glimpse of her guest. "Where have you been? How long does it take you to eat?!"

"Easy, Shizune-chan, everything went alright," He said, "we ate a delicious dinner and saw a few familiar faces. I'd say today was a good day, wouldn't you agree, Shouji-kun?"

"Any day with ramen is a good day!" She declared with gusto

"Couldn't have said it better myself, Dattebayo!" Her father matched her enthusiasm. "Sorry to worry you, Shizune-chan, I didn't think it was that big of a deal."

"*sigh* Next time you go out, can you be back a bit quicker? We were worried you were found out, Lay Tsunade and I were ready to hear explosions at any minute." She asked politely even though Naruto knew well enough that it was more of a kind command than a simple suggestion.

"Come on, cut me a little credit," he said, dispelling the henge with a cheeky grin. "I have been running a spy organization for about 3 years now, I've learned a thing or two about not giving myself away. Now, let's get inside, I'll tell you how today went." And so they did, Naruto regaled Shizune and soon Tsunade with his productive day after he left her office, and he could tell they weren't too happy that he had run into Ino and she thought that she had seen him before.

"She seemed so different from when I last met her. Well, as much as a Yamanaka can change, she's still a bossy and controlling as I remembered." He said while he and his daughter got comfortable in one of Tsunade's couches as she and Shizune sit opposite them in their own armchairs. "Has everyone truly changed that much?"

"I don't know why it's so surprising," Tsunade stated, sipping on some tea Shizune had prepared before the two had arrived. "You've changed quite a lot yourself, it's only natural for them to do the same."

"I guess you're right," He agreed, staring at the ceiling as his daughter snuggled into his side, tired from today's events. "It's just….I don't know, I just had this thought that when I came back everything would fall back into place."

"Still as naive as usual," Tsunade chuckled, "people change, especially after 6 years. They've grown and each one has grown for the better, some more than others actually."

"Seeing Ino today was so interesting, I can't wait to see them all again and how much they've grown."

-Author's Note-

(1*) - I based Fuyuko design on a "younger" version of Mizore Shirayuki from Rosario + Vampire in her physical features while her attire was based off Tsurara Shirayuki's outfit, Mizore's mother.

(2*) - Naruto's attire is the outfit he wears during Naruto: the Last movie.