I do not own Naruto or any of its related characters...Kishimoto-sensei has that honor.

Naruto: The Jounin Exams

Chapter 1: The Heroes Return

Five years.

Five very long, very quiet years.

Tsunade sighed as she plopped the paperwork she was reading on her desk, really not interested in completing it right now. She stared out the window and as the sun sank beneath the horizon, she felt the memories flooding back…five years….since that day…

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"Oi, Tsunade-obaa-chan, what's the deal? I was asleep when your guys barged into my house and dragged me here!" Naruto was annoyed and sleepy as he yelled at the Godaime Hokage.

Hinata seemed confused as well, but was much more soft-spoken in her inquiry, as per her shy nature. "I-I too am confused, T-Tsunade-sama."

The long blonde haired woman sighed and said, "Yes, I know this summon was sudden and I apologize. But this is of great importance and you will want to pay attention to what I have to say." She stood from her desk and looked out at the moon outside. "After the report of your last attempt to bring back Sasuke Uchiha, Naruto, I came to an important realization. Hearing that the last two members of the Uchiha clan had been exterminated was quite a shock…"

Naruto's voice became low and serious, "For the last time, I had no choice. Sakura and I would've died if I hadn't fought back. Sasuke was dead set on killing us; I had no choice but to eliminate him. As for Itachi…well… I killed him to keep him from getting the Kyuubi."

Hinata glanced at Naruto and instantly looked down again. She didn't like hearing such hurt and pain in his voice, it unsettled her. Naruto had always been such a strong and steady force to her. Hearing him so shaken and sad unnerved her badly.

Tsunade sighed and smiled at the blonde ball of energy weakly. "You did what you had to Naruto, and this village is in debt to you for doing so. However, as I said before, hearing of Sasuke and Itachi's respective deaths brought a realization to me. Hinata, how long have you been a chuunin?" Hinata blushed and stammered, "One y-year, Hokage-sama."

"I passed the exam with Hinata, so one year for me too, obaa-chan."

Tsunade nodded and said, "No regular chuunin could have done everything that you two have accomplished. I believe the time has come for you two to prepare for the jounin exams."

Naruto and Hinata seemed equally stunned. "However, preparations for such an exam take quite a long time to complete. Therefore, you two shall escort each other on a training mission to be held in several different locations, spanning everywhere from the forests outside this village, to Sunagukare, to the Village Hidden in the Mist." Naruto nodded and seemed to be in thought, Hinata merely blushed slightly at having Naruto sit so close to her.

Tsunade's trained eyes didn't miss this, and the faintest of smiles graced her lips. "You two shall depart first thing tomorrow morning, and for the next five years, you shall be training together as per your orders until the time comes for the next jounin exams, to be held here in Konohagukare. Go home, prepare, get some sleep, and I'll see both of you here tomorrow morning."

Naruto and Hinata were escorted out of the building and they continued walking, Naruto finally breaking the silence between them. "Five years…wow, do you realize that we're going to be alone together for five whole years? That's crazy!" Hinata blushed impressively and stammered, "H-hai Naruto-kun…it is pretty crazy…"

"Well, I gotta say Hinata-chan; I don't think I could have a better partner for this. I gotta thank Tsunade-sama for letting me train with such a strong ninja."

"Y-you think I-I'm strong?"

Naruto blinked in confusion and laughed. "Strong nothing, you could kick anybody's ass in this whole village, including mine! Not only that, but I seem to get along with you really well. I think this is gonna be great, getting to know you better, not to mention seeing more of your technique!"

Hinata blushed impressively and fought to keep from fainting. Naruto thought she was strong enough to beat even him? The thought seemed almost impossible to her. They arrived at the Hyuuga manor and Naruto hugged her tightly. Hinata hugged him back, still quite surprised at his sudden affection. "I'll see you soon, Hinata-chan!" And with that, he dashed into the night. Hinata smiled to herself and blushed impressively as she walked back to her house, mentally ingraining the memory of Naruto hugging her into her mind.

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Five years…and tonight, at midnight, Tsunade was still sitting in her office, a small glass of sake in her hand as she looked out to the risen moon. A knock sounded at her door.

"Who is it?"

"It's Shizune, Tsunade-sama. They're here."

"It's about time… send them in."

The door opened and Tsunade couldn't keep her eyes from widening as a tall blonde man entered her office, accompanied by a beautiful indigo haired woman, about three inches shorter than the man.

"Well, well, it's been a while, hasn't it Tsunade-obaa-chan?"

A/N: GUESS WHO?!?!?!? Agh, I love this chappie! Naruto just walks in all cool and stuff…but what has happened to our two favorite ninja during their five years together? Have they become stronger? And what of their relationship? Did Hinata finally fess up about her feelings to him? These questions and more will be answered in my next chapter, "The Fox's Surprise: Mrs. Naruto Uzumaki?!"