Hey guys! Sorry I haven't been writing for this story in a while. I guess I'll have to make up for lost time. If you remember, Yasuko and Naruto are both 9 years old and this chapter takes place 5 years later (hence the title). I hope you like this chapter! Please leave a review to give any suggestions on my writing style or if you have something nice to say.

"Talking"
Thinking
"Tailed Beast"

Chapter 12

5 Years Later

It has been five years since Naruto has run away from Konoha, knowing what he was leaving behind. Since then, he made some true friends: Yasuko, the Two-Tailed Cat vessel, and Tsunade, one of the three Sanin. They have been through much together, like the time when they hijacked a boat, or when Yasuko and Naruto broke out of jail. What has prevailed through everything they have been through is their friendship which they believe will never end, and hopefully never will…

"Naruto, I understand that you hate the place but you're gonna have to go back at some point," Yasuko tried to reason. She gave the blond-haired boy a disappointed expression.

"No! I'm not going back to Konoha and you can't make me!" Naruto yelled angrily, flailing his fists in the air.

"You're so stubborn. You've got to stop acting like a child and more like a fourteen-year-old."

"You're acting just like Tsunade…"

"Good. She was probably the only one that could get some sense into you."

"Yeah, well we don't know where she went so there's no way you can convince me otherwise!"

Yasuko glared at him, her amber eyes widening just enough to scare Naruto into keeping quiet. "Naruto, if we don't go to Konoha, we'll probably never be able to find Tsunade. The elders must know where she is," Yasuko tried to reason once more.

Naruto thought for a moment before asking, "We're only gonna be there to talk to the elders, right?"

"Of course," said Yasuko.

"Fine…"

Yasuko grinned. "Thank you for cooperating." Yasuko took her bag and stood. "Alright, Konoha should be about a couple of miles away from here, so we should reach it before the sun comes up," she said while looking outside the window. It was still dark outside, but it was close to morning; this was the time Tsunade usually woke them up to train them in medical jutsu.

Naruto grabbed his bag and his katana and stood. "If anyone from that village tries to mess with us," he unsheathed his katana, "I'm gonna show them the same mercy they showed me."

Yasuko giggled. "You don't have the heart to kill someone and you know it." She opened the door of the abandoned cottage that they were staying at for the night. Naruto quickly followed.

"They aren't people, they're monsters," Naruto said darkly.

"You really hate these people, don't you?" Yasuko asked in a declining tone.

"…Yes," Naruto replied in a heartrending tone.

They walked outside of the cottage and continued down a trail that led to the village. Naruto ranted and raved on how much the people would try to hurt him each day and on how he was never given any sympathy from anyone except for one person.

"Who?" asked Yasuko.

"Izanagi…" Naruto said in a whisper.

"Who's that?"

"The craftsman that gave me this." Naruto unsheathed his katana. The blade gleamed silvery and gold. It was adorned with many intricate patterns. In the middle, there was a golden insignia shaped like a fox.

"I haven't seen the katana taken out since we hijacked the Sapphire Heart."

"He gave me this on my birthday. This was my first birthday present."

"Hey look, the sun's coming up." Yasuko pointed to the east, where a golden outline shot out bright rays of light. "I love watching sunrises."

They continued down the road for about 20 minutes before reaching the gates of Konoha. "I'm having second thoughts," Naruto said.

"Oh, shut up," Yasuko replied playfully. She grabbed Naruto's hand and pulled him towards the wall next to the huge doors.

"What are we doing?"

"Climbing." Yasuko put one foot on the wall and then the other and just started walking up.

"Hey, wait for me!" Naruto did the same and followed his companion up the wall.

"Shush! No one's awake and if they found out that we scaled the wall, they'll kick us out," Yasuko whispered.

"Good," Naruto muttered. Once they were on top of the wall, they jumped onto the nearest building and kept going until they reach the ground in front of the Hokage Mansion. "Hey, let's go in here. I wanna say hi to the old man."

"I thought only Izanagi was nice to you."

"Out of the villagers," he replied simply.

Naruto and Yasuko went up to the door and picked the lock. Once they were in, they quietly walked to the Hokage's office. Just when they were about to open the door, a young, black-haired woman wearing a purple kimono gripped both of their arms. "What do you two think you're doing!?"

"It's ok, Shizune. You can let them in," said an all-too-familiar voice.

Shizune let go of the two and opened the door for them. When Naruto and Yasuko were inside, they saw a blonde-haired woman staring straight at them. "Tsunade?" said Naruto.

"Hello again," she replied.

The two children walked up to her desk and sat in the two seats in front of it. "You're the Hokage?" asked Yasuko.

"Sadly, yes."

"What happened to the old man?" asked Naruto.

Tsunade lowered her gaze. "You remember Orochimaru, right?" Both children nodded. "He…he killed the Third. Well, actually, the Third gave his life to protect this village."

Naruto's face was expressionless. Tsunade would tell them that good ninjas could keep their emotions from getting the better of them, even when they are told the most devastating news. "So…Yasuko, would you like to tell her?"

Tsunade kept her eyes fixed on Naruto. "Tell me what?"

"The Akatsuki found us again. Their send people like Itachi, Hidan, Kisame, Kakuzu, and many others to capture us. We've even heard that Orochimaru might be teaming up with them again. If this keeps going, anywhere we go will be destroyed and any village we enter will have to wage war against them. We need help," explained Yasuko.

Tsunade intertwined her fingers together. "I see…" Tsunade turned her gaze from the children in front of her to the papers on her desk. One of them said:

NINJA ACADEMY EXAMS NEXT WEEK

Ninja Academy exams? thought Tsunade. "Hm…I have an idea, but you're not going to like it."

"What? What's the idea?" asked Yasuko.

"The Ninja Academy exams are next week. I could recreate your identities within this village and you could take the exams, join the teams, and act like nothing ever happened."

"I'm not going back to that academy," said Naruto.

"If you don't want to die, you will."

Naruto glared at the new Hokage. "Fine…"

Tsunade smiled. "Ok, I guess I'll have to send a few forms to the academy to get you two in. Until then, you two just walk around or something. Be sure to come back here before nightfall."

The two children nodded and left the mansion immediately. "Yasuko, you knew this was going to happen, didn't you?"

Yasuko only grinned and continued walking down the street. "Hey, I have an idea. Why don't we visit that Izanagi guy?"

Naruto's mood suddenly changed. "That's not a bad idea." The two walked over to the weapons shop near the village center. Naruto walked inside, Yasuko following quickly behind. "Hello?"

"I'll be right there," said a familiar voice. An old man came out from the back of the shop, carrying a large box. He placed it on the counter and looked up at the two children. "I haven't seen you two around here before. Visiting the village?"

"You could say that," said Yasuko.

"So, what brings you two here?" asked Izanagi.

"Um," started Naruto, "I need a new whetstone for my katana."

"Hm, well I'm gonna have to see your katana to see if you need a rough, medium, or finishing stone." Naruto unsheathed his katana and placed it on the counter. Izanagi looked at the katana for a long time. "Naruto…"