Hello all and welcome back. Sorry for that little outburst in the last chapter. You wouldn't believe how often I get people who tell me that I get the names wrong. As my girlfriend says, this is called fanfiction for a reason.

I would also like to apologize for the long wait. It wasn't that I wanted to give up on this story. It was just that I was stuck and I didn't like a lot of the ideas I was coming up with. This part is very original and I sort of put a wall in front of me. But, after years of thinking, I came up with a way to keep going. It might not be the best, but it means that this story will be continuing once again.

Let's rock!

-x-

Naruto walked slowly behind Jiraiya as they returned to the village. The day was an average one for the people who lived in Hi no Kuni. The temperature was warm and pleasant with blue skies. In the trees the birds sang their songs as the wind blew through the trees. To anyone who was looking would see an elderly man walking with someone who could pass as his grandson on a perfect day.

Naruto was not the same as when he left the village. For one thing, he had grown a bit. He was now a couple of inches taller than when he had left Konohagakure. His clothing was full of rips and holes caused by his training and the sleeves seemed to be a little short due to his growth spurt. His jacket also looked tight on him, but not due to any major weight gain. Another thing that was different about him was that his smile was gone. He had every reason to be happy to return to his home. He was returning to his mother, his girlfriend, all of his friends, and yet none of those things could bring a smile to his face. And it all had to do with the events that had occurred several days ago.

-Flashback-

It had been two weeks since Naruto had begun his causality energy training. Two weeks of staring at leaves and watching them fall. In short, not a very interesting two weeks. The only time Naruto did anything different was when Jiraiya decided to train him personally, but those times were few.

But, on the bright side, all of Naruto's hard work paid off. He had finally learned how to gather causality chakra and slowly release it. Right now he was watching a leaf fall to the ground while at the same time watched that same leaf fell an inch or so below the first. This second leaf was almost see through and it seemed to be one step ahead of the first.

"Alright!" cheered Naruto. "I think I got the hang of this!" And with that, Naruto released all the causality chakra he had stored. And it was in that moment that he realized he had made a very grave mistake.

The world began to tumble around him. Images and sounds seemed to come at him from every direction. Naruto could make out some figures and a few faces, but they changed way too fast for him to get any real details. The background also seemed to change. One moment he's in a desert, then in a cave, and then in some forest. Sometimes it would be day and others it would be night. And then…it stopped.

Naruto blinked, unsure of where he was. It looked like he was in some kind of crater. But he had never seen one this big or deep before. In fact, Naruto guessed that it might be able to fit the entire village into it. The blond looked up and then gasped. He was looking at the Hokage Monument. This was the village! Or, at least, what was left of it.

A sound caught Naruto's attention. He turned around and saw a sight he never would have expected. There was a man wearing the robes of the Akatsuki. He had bright orange-red hair, purple eyes with a ripple patter, and a lot of piercings. And in front of him, literally pinned to the ground, was a blond haired shinobi with whisker marks of his cheeks. It was an older Naruto! The younger Naruto wanted to shout out but before he could the world seemed to fade away. He kept his eyes on the only two figures he could until he was back at the shrine.

-End Flashback-

Since then, Naruto had been afraid to use causality chakra. He knew what he had seen was the future, but he had no idea of how far. From the clues he had seen it had to be several years. But what happened to the village? Was it because of the guy with the weird eyes? And what happened to everyone else?

"Baka," the Kyuubi had said. "Your doubt and worry is pointless! I told you that the farther you look into the future the more likely it won't come true. The future is constantly changing, making it hard for even the most skilled seers. But if you're that worried about this person then just defeat him before he gets to the village. There, problem solved."

To a point, those words helped calm Naruto down. He had always believed that no one knew what the future held. But what he had seen with his own eyes had shaken his resolve.

"Welcome back Jiraiya-sama. Hey Naruto," Naruto looked up and realized that he was at the entrance of the village. He had been so lost in thought that he hadn't noticed. And it seemed that Hagane Kotetsu was on gate duty.

"Hey Hagane-san," said Naruto. "Where's Kamizuki-san?"

"He's taking a lunch break," said Hagane. Just then, Naruto's stomach began to growl. "Looks like someone else could use a lunch break. Why don't you get a bite to eat before you see the Hokage. I'll let her know you're on your way."

"Thanks," said Naruto as he raced off in the direction of Ichiraku Ramen. As he traveled, he began to wonder what emo-boy was doing. He was either getting stronger or being used as Orochimaru's butt buddy. Or maybe both. Somehow Naruto could see it clearly in his mind; Sasuke curled into a ball in bed with Orochimaru lying next to him smoking a cigarette. With a shutter, Naruto shook off those disturbing images and arrived at Ichiraku Ramen. The place was the same as always. Teuchi and his daughter, Ayame, were both behind the counter as they served the customers. Naruto noticed that there was only one at the moment and that there were several bottles of sake in front of him.

"Iruka," said Teuchi as Naruto walked up. "I think you've had enough."

"I'll tell you when I've had enough," said Iruka with a slight slur.

"Iruka-sensei, what's going on?" asked Naruto as he sat down next to the scarred chunin. Teuchi nodded at Naruto as the blond sat down and then began to fix Naruto his standard order of four chicken ramen and six pork.

"Oh, it's you Naruto," said Iruka as he rested his head on the counter. "It's nothing."

"He's been like this for a couple of days now," said Ayame as she place the first bowl in front of Naruto. "He's just depressed about what happened to Anko-san."

When Naruto heard this he nearly spat out his ramen in shock. Had he heard right? Something happened to Anko-sensei? Was the baby alright? And how could Iruka-sensei just sit there and say it was nothing?

"Is the baby alright?" demanded Naruto. At that, Iruka lifted his head and looked at Naruto.

"The baby's fine," he said and then let out a little sigh. "It's just hormones." Naruto blinked. Hormones?

"It happened a little while ago," said Ayame. "From what I've heard they were shopping in the market when things turned ugly. The cashier turned out to be an old friend of Iruka's and she was flirting with him a bit. Sadly, Anko-san didn't like it every much and attacked her." Ayame stopped and let out a little shutter as she remembered some of the more 'bloody' details. Naruto shuttered too because he knew what his sensei was like and what she could do to a person she didn't like.

"While the ANBU agents were dragging her away she was accusing me of being unfaithful," said Iruka as he looked down again. "I know it's the hormones talking, but I can't help thinking I could have prevented this."

"Sorry to hear that," said Naruto as he finished his bowl. "By the way, where is Anko-sensei?"

-x-

There is a place, deep in the forest near Konohagakure where solitary confinement is conducted. This place is located underground and each cell is just a really deep, dark pit. The guards, each one of them an ANBU agent, walked around these pits with torches as their light source. Nearly each and every one of these shinobi were Kuno-nins who had a history of 'misbehavior' and needed a 'time out'. Nearly.

"LET ME OUT OF HERE!" screamed Anko from her pit.

"We told you before, the Hokage has ordered you to stay down there until you give birth," yelled back the ANBU guard in a calm tone. "We have a doctor standing by so please be patient."

"Do we really have to let her out?" whispered the guard next to him.

"I heard that!" yelled Anko in a snappish manner that made the two guards jump. Then they heard her begin to sob. "Iruka-kun, why are you leaving me here? Don't you love me anymore?" Suddenly her voice became cheerful and happy. "I mean, what's not to love about me? He's lucky to have such a smoking hot wife like me!" Then, without warning her mood change with a sudden explosion of anger. "He'd better not be with that little slut! She's lucky to still be breathing. And if he even thinks about leaving me I'll hang both of their heads on my wall!"

Both ANBU guards gulped.

-x-

"Wow, I can't believe that there's a place that could hold Anko-sensei," said Naruto as he finished his ramen. "I wonder how kaa-san is doing?"

"She's doing well," said Ayame. "I saw her last week when she ordered a bowl of chocolate, bacon, and banana flavored ramen." Naruto did his best not to look disgusted as he paid for his meal and left.

On his way to the Hokage's Tower, Naruto spotted a store that specialized in shinobi attire. The blond paused and stopped to look inside. Within the store there was a large verity of styles ranging from the standard uniform all the way to jumpsuits. There were also weapons, cloaks, scrolls, and other equipment as well. Naruto then looked down at his own clothing and knew he needed a new outfit. Hell, he needed several new outfits. Tsunade could wait a couple more minutes. After all, all he was doing was reporting that he had returned.

"Shithead," he heard a girl say as he entered the store. "Can't you find something else? With that you'll just blend right into the crowd."

"Troublesome," said a male voice in a bored tone. With that, Naruto knew who was in the shop. He went in the direction of the voices and soon found Tayuya and Shikamaru. The famous foul mouthed red head was holding her flute while the lazy genius was rubbing a large bump on his head. He also noticed that Shikamaru was now dressed in the standard chunin uniform and vest.

"Hey," said Tayuya as she noticed Naruto. "The blond fuckers back."

"Yeah, I just got back and I thought I should get a new outfit," said Naruto as he indicated his torn and slightly smaller clothing. Tayuya grinned.

"So you finally hit puberty," she said with a laugh.

"Must be hard for you," said Shikamaru before Naruto could explode in a fit of anger. "I mean, bones coming out of your arms and back must cost you a fortune in clothing."

"That's why I usually take off my jacket when I fight," said Naruto. He then began to look at the verity of clothing more closely. The first thing he did was find his new size. After that he began to look at outfits that wouldn't be torn to pieces by his Shikotsumyaku. He saw an orange hoodie that he liked and could have worn on a date or something like that, but as soon as he tried it on he began to receive visions of him dying in imaginative ways. In the end he bought some standard chunin pants and then unsealed his chunin vest from its sealing scroll. At least like this his arms would be uncovered. When he was all done he turned towards Tayuya and Shikamaru again. "So, what do you think?"

"I think you need more fucking muscles before you can pull that off," said Tayuya.

"Troublesome," said Shikamaru. Naruto just shrugged.

"Oh well," said Naruto. "It'll have to do for now. I'll see you both later." Naruto turned towards the door and the stopped. He then moved to face them with a big grin on his face. "I guess I'll let you two get back to your date."

"It's not like that!" yelled both beat red teens as Naruto left, laughing his head off. Once again Naruto was on his way to the Hokage's Tower when, yet again, something caught his attention. It was a couple in their mid-twenties. The man was handing his girlfriend a small case which she then opened.

"Kenta-kun" she gasped. "I love it!" With that she pulled out a gold necklace. "It much have cost you a fortune."

"Not really," said Kenta with a small smile and he helped her put it on.

As Naruto watched this he thought about Rin. When was the last time they had gone on a date or he had gotten her something? It seemed like it had been years since they had last seen each other. The more he thought about it the guiltier he felt Perhaps, he thought, I should get Rin-chan something special.

"Naruto!" someone screamed right behind him. Said blond jumped a foot into the air and then quickly turned around to find Gai. "No time to explain," he said as he then picked up Naruto and began to run towards the Hokage Tower.

-x-

Meanwhile, in some far and distant land, Itachi and Kisame were still on vacation. After escaping from the well armed penguin army it was Itachi's turn to pick where they would go. And the place where the Uchiha, who was slowly losing his slight, wanted to go was a strip club. Surprised? Currently, Itachi had just finished getting a lap dance and was being asked to pay.

"I have already paid," said Itachi as he waved his hand in front of the girl as he used a genjutsu. The girl, however, said nothing. She just reached into her purse and pulled out a can of mace which she then sprayed in Itachi's eyes.

"Baka," she said as Itachi yelped in pain. "Genjutsu doesn't work on us! Now pay up or else!"

-x-

When Naruto was finally released from Gai he landed on the floor of the Hokage's office. Inside were the members of teams 8, 10, and Gai. Looking around at them, they all looked like they had just been discharged from the hospital. In fact Neji had his left arm in a cast and Kiba was in a wheelchair. Also in the room were the Suna siblings, but they seemed to be in perfect health.

"Good, you're here," said Tsunade calmly.

"What's going on?" asked Naruto as he stood up.

"There was an incident," said Shizune. "The teams that we sent to Suna for the Chunin exams were attacked on their way back."

"They were lucky," said Gaara.

-Flashback-

Neji and the others were lying in the sand. Most of them were covered with bruises but some, like Kiba, had been hurt more seriously. Neji was the only one who was still able to stand, but barely. He was on one knee and his arm hung useless at his side dripping blood. Fusenmei stood in front on him with an evil smile on his lips.

"So this is all a Kuno-nin can do," he said with an evil laugh. "Well that will make things easier for us in the end. The age of the cyber-nins is coming and you worms have no place in the era that is coming!" Cyber-nins? thought Neji. Is that what they are? It was then that Neji noticed that the super fast Nikuya appeared next to Fusenmei.

"Webetterhurry," said Nikuya at super speed. ". BlameonSunaandnotus!" Fusenmei grunted.

"He tip-toes too much," said Fusenmei. "Oh well, this was getting boring anyways." With that, he raised his weapon like hand and pointed at Neji. Neji had seen this several time during the fight. That spiked ball could be launched and seemed to have lightning based attacks. What was worse was that he doubted that he could dodge it. Hell, even if he could the others won't. So Neji simply closed his eyes and waited for death. But a few moments passed and nothing happened. Slowly he opened his eyes to see that Fusenmei's arm was covered in sand. The giant had a look of utter shock on his face.

"That's far enough," said Gaara. Neji turned his head to see Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro.

"So more little gaki's want to play," said Fusenmei with a grin. A moment later bolts of electricity began to jump along his sand covered arm until finally the sand fell off. "Nikuya, you take care of the little girls. The boy is mine."

"Hey, I'm no girl!" yelled Kankuro as he started to unwrap Karasu and Kuroan.

"," said Nikuya as he charged at Kankuro. The puppet users sent his puppets to stop him but Nikuya was simply too fast. He easily moved around the two puppets and then punched Kankuro in the chest with enough force so that his fist went right through the make-up wearer. "Onedownonetogo."

"Not yet," said a voice behind him. Nikuya turned his head to see Kuroan go poof and was replaced with Kankuro who had a big smirk on his face. Before Nikuya knew what was happening the Kankuro he had impaled went poof and became Kuroan. The puppets belly was already open and it captured the cyber-nin before it closed. Its arms, as well as Karasu's, dethatched and blades came out of their ends. "Kurohigi Kiki Ippatsu!" declared Kankuro as the blades pierced the stomach of the Kuroan. But, when it was over and Kuroan opened its stomach, there was nothing inside of it!

"Tooclosetooclose!" said Nikuya who was off to the side. "Smarterthanhelooks."

"Don't go forgetting about me!" shouted Temari as she prepared to swing her fan. "Daikamaitachi no Jutsu!"

Meanwhile, over with Gaara, Fusenmei was having some trouble. He had escaped the red heads sand easily enough, but every time he attacked the kid's sand would act like a shield and block his attack. And after fighting those Kuno-nins he was low on power. Not to mention that Gaara was pissing him off! He was just standing there with his arms crossed!

Then, Gaara suddenly unfolded his arms. As he did the sand around Fusenmei rose and then began to circle around him. Gaara then held out his hand and said "Sabaku Kyū!" The sand then encased Fusenmei until only his head could be seen. Gaara then made his hand into a fist and said "Sabaku Sōsō!" which caused the sand to compress around its prisoner. Blood shoot out of Fusenmei's mouth as his head dropped.

Gaara turned around to help his brother and sister but the sound of laughter stopped him in tracks. Gaara whipped around and saw that Fusenmei was still very much alive. He was still trapped in the sand and blood was still dripping from his chin, but he was alive.

"You think your sand is enough to stop me?" he asked. "Stupid gaki, my body is almost entirely made of metal. You'll need something much stronger if you want to crush me!"

"Perhaps," said Gaara as he gave a silent command to the sand. It then began to rise several feet into the air. Gaara watched as Fusenmei struggled and tried to use his lightning to break free, but it all seemed to be in vain. "It seems that you are unable to free yourself. If I can't kill you I'll just take you back to the village and allow the T&I division to get all the information we need from you."

"Ha!" laughed Fusenmei. "Like I would ever…" Just then a bright blue light pierced Fusenmei's chest and landed a few inches from Gaara's feet. Now Gaara was looking in shock as sparks and blood shot out of the large gaping hole. "D-Damn you Sniper." And with that, Fusenmei exploded.

-End Flashback-

"What happened to Nikuya?" asked Naruto.

"He ran," growled Temari as she crossed her hands and looked away. Naruto could tell she had wanted to be the one to finish him.

"As of right now, we will be working with Suna to deal with this problem," said Tsunade. She then picked up a piece of metal on her desk and held it for all to see. "This is one of the biggest pieces we could find and our only real clue if we are to find these new cyber-nins." She then looked at Naruto directly. "Naruto, I will be sending you on a mission to deliver this piece to a contact of mine. If anyone can tell us where this piece came from, it's him. You'll be leaving with Rin in an hour!"

-x-

Back at the secret base the Haitekukage was furious. The plan had been so simple. Kill the Kuno-nins quickly and place the blame on Suna. And when people from Suna arrived, it would have been icing on the cake. That would have proved that Suna had been involved in some may. Mistrust would have been planted and quickly bloomed. But then his financial backer had to step in.

"You look pathetic," said a toad like voice. The Haitekukage turned around and saw a small, bald and very ugly man in a suit standing before him. The man's lips were twisted into a smirk.

"There was no need for you to give that order to Sniper," said the Haitekukage. "The plan could still have worked."

"Well I wasn't willing to take that bet," said the bald man. He then pulled out a cigar and lit it. "I told you, I don't care about that door you are so obsessed with. All I care about is getting my money's worth. And right now, having to fight those bastards in Suna or in Kuno would hit my bank account so hard I might lose a zero or two, you get me?"

"Loud and clear," said the Haitekukage to Tarukane Gonzo.

Omake

The Mirror part 7

"Ok, why are there two of me?" demanded the cannon Naruto. Right now he was on the ground next to another Naruto who was similar to him yet off while a third Naruto was keeping them on the ground using his bones.

"That's my question," said the Kitsune-sennin.

"Well I know I'm real," said the bone user. "I'm no Kage Bushin and I would never make any like you two. And I bet you two are thinking the same thing."

"The fact that our outfits are so different makes you guys being Kage Bushins is unlikely," agreed the Kitsune-sennin. He then looked at the cannon Naruto. "And I would never wear orange again. It's the kill me color."

"So true," agreed the bone user. Just then, Sakura began to cry.

"I never thought I'd see the day that Naruto you have decent fashion sense."

Omake 2 The Date

Naruto, after returning to the village, had decided that he would have his date with Rin. And no one, not even the granny of a Hokage would stop him. And luckily for him, he had manage to 'barrow' some money from Jiraiya. With that money he was able to take Rin to the fanciest restaurant in the village.

"Wow Naruto-kun," said Rin as she looked at the menu. "Are you really sure I can order anything? And you're not going to order ramen from the kiddy menu?"

"That's right," said Naruto as he did his good guy pose. Just then the waiter appeared.

"Are you two ready to order?"

"Yes," said Rin. "I'll have the steamed crab."

"Make that two," said Naruto. The waiter then took their menus and went into the kitchen. And as he did, they began to hear music.

"There you see her

Sitting there across the way

She don't got a lot to say

But there's something about her

And you don't know why

But you're dying to try

You wanna kiss the girl

Yes, you want her

Look at her, you know you do

Possible she wants you too

There is one way to ask her

It don't take a word

Not a single word

Go on and kiss the girl

Sha la la la la la

My oh my

Look like the boy too shy

Ain't gonna kiss the girl

Sha la la la la la

Ain't that sad?

Ain't it a shame?

Too bad, he gonna miss the girl

Now's your moment

Floating in a blue lagoon

Boy you better do it soon

No time will be better

She don't say a word

And she won't say a word

Until you kiss

Then, everyone heard a bloodcurdling scream that interrupted the song. The waiter then rushed out to calm everyone down.

"I am so sorry," he said. "It appears that we had a crab who thought that if he could sing well we wouldn't cook him."

"Naruto-kun," said Rin calmly. "Let's just get ramen."