Three years had passed since the death of Uzumaki Naruto at the hands of Uchiha Sasuke, and Konoha had fallen into a depressing lull. While foolish villagers celebrated the death of the 'demon brat', Naruto's friends mourned his passing and none more so than the members of the Sasuke Retrieval Squad, Neru, Haku, Dani and Jiraiya. Jiraiya had found difficulty in conducting his 'research' without thinking of the blonde who would trap him every time he did.

Shikamaru, Neji, Chouji and Shino took on mission after mission, spending as little time as possible in the village. Many people were surprised at the amount of effort put in by the lazy Nara, but despite their comments he carried on. Neji had taken his admiration of Naruto to a new level, practically worshipping him. He held the blonde in the highest regard, even calling 'Naruto-sama'. Chouji frequented Ichiraku Ramen during his time in the village, as if in memory of his friend. Shino talked to no-one except for the other three, and even then it was usually short sentences, as if saving breath.

But it seemed to be Haku, Dani and Neru who had taken the blonde's death the hardest. Many drunken or stupid villagers who had decided in their infinite wisdom to badmouth their love interest in front of them soon found themselves in the hospital, with large scorches and burns across the skin and senbon made from ice protruding from places they really shouldn't be. But as time passed, less people were being sent to the intensive care ward, because less time was spent outside by the three girls. They would either be out on missions, usually with the SRS members, or staying within Naruto's small apartment doing little more than crying.

For most in the village, these three years had been truly sad.

"Orochimaru-sama, he's waking up." He heard a feminine voice speak from somewhere above him. At the sound of that accursed name, his eyes shot open, their irises a bloody crimson as he glared up at the stone ceiling. He sat up, tearing wires and needles from his skin as he looked around the room furiously. A low growl escaped his throat as he sighted the source of his problems, the legendary Hebi Sannin, Orochimaru.

"Ah, Naruto-kun. So good to see you again. I had hoped you would wake up sooner, but I can't really be pick-" Orochimaru hissed, before Naruto's hand closed around his neck, its claws cutting into his pasty skin. Naruto lifted him from his feet with ease, and let out another growl, his whiskered features twisted into a vicious snarl.

"You!" He roared, closing his fist around Orochimaru's throat only for the snake-summoner to dissolve into a pile of mud. The real Orochimaru stepped through the doorway, donning a conniving smirk. Naruto jumped from the operating table he had been laying on toward Orochimaru, his claws bared as he let out a bestial roar. The Sannin stepped aside, dodging Naruto's assault easily as the blonde crashed into the opposite wall, caving in half of said wall and a large portion of the ceiling.

"I don't know what you're so mad about, Naruto-kun!" Orochimaru called in a sing-song voice, seeing Naruto leap from the rubble, a red aura surrounding him. "I brought you back here and fixed you up, and this is how you repay me? I wouldn't strain yourself, either way. You need to become more accustomed to your body, after the... adjustments I made."

"What are you talking about, you bastard?" He growled, his breath becoming heavy as he grew tired quickly. His legs gave out on him, and he collapsed to his knees, glaring weakly at the smirking Sannin. "What the hell did you do to me?"

"It was a shame, too." Orochimaru continued, appearing not to have heard Naruto. "It would be better if I had someone with more experience, but the last user died three years ago, just before Sasuke came to me. Too early for me to take his body."

"Answer me!" Naruto wheezed, as he began coughing blood onto the stone floor. "What the fuck is happening to me..." His eyes closed slowly, bringing with them the swift darkness of unconsciousness. Orochimaru's smirk grew, and he gestured to a pair of Oto-nin who had been awaiting orders, who picked up Naruto's incapacitated form and carried it back into the room, where they laid him on the table.

"Yes, it truly is a shame that Kimimaro died so soon. Oh well, you'll just have to become more accustomed to living with the curse of the Shikotsumyaku, won't you, Naruto-kun?" Orochimaru said to himself, holding a hand to his forehead as he chuckled darkly.

Within Konoha, Tsunade sighed in exasperation, glaring at the irate pink-haired girl before her, and the quiet brown-haired boy standing in the corner. Haruno Sakura had been pestering her for the better part of three years to allow her to retrieve Sasuke, but every time he had declined. Of course, Jiraiya had just happened to let slip that Orochimaru would be able to use his body-stealing technique soon, and that had made the rosette more determined than ever before.

"Hokage-sama, I request to retrieve Sasuke-kun from Orochimaru!" She said, slamming her hand down on the desk. "I have already set up a team of myself, Kiba," She gestured to the teen in the corner, "Shikamaru and Kakashi-sensei." Tsunade sighed again and looked up at Sakura, glaring.

"Fine! If it'll get you out of here, I say go!" She yelled, shooing Sakura out the door. Sakura grinned and charged out of the door, dragging Kiba after her. 'Dammit, Naruto. Why did you have to leave? You're the only one that can keep Sakura in line.'

"I take it she said yes?" Kakashi asked, seeing the grin on Sakura's face as she left the Hokage Tower, leaving Kiba in the dirt behind her. Sakura nodded enthusiastically and ran in the direction of the gate, leaving the three males behind.

"Huh... I can already tell this will be troublesome." Shikamaru complained, helping Kiba up. The dog boy simply nodded, saying nothing. "Man, at least talk. I need someone to keep me company if we're getting dragged on this wild goose chase."

"Well, maybe we'll find Naruto." He said quietly, making Shikamaru raise an eyebrow. The lazy nin chuckled lightly and began walking in the same direction Sakura had run.

"So, you don't think he's dead either?" Kiba shook his head. "Good, just like us then."

Several days later...

An explosion echoed throughout the halls of Orochimaru's base, rousing the Sannin himself and the three other shinobi in the base, Sasuke, Karin and Naruto. Naruto woke with a start and jumped from his bed. His feet collided with the cold stone floor, and his legs nearly buckled, but he stayed upright and began hobbling out of the room. The redheaded girl he had seen a couple of times appeared from around the corner and tried to force him back into the room.

"You can't be straining yourself! Let Orochimaru-sama deal with the intruders!" She yelled, pushing uselessly against his chest.

"Get out of my way!" Naruto roared, his eyes flashing yellow for a moment, and he threw his arm out, catching Karin in the chest. She was thrown into the left wall, and Naruto began running down the hall, the redhead chasing after him. He came to the end of the hallway, where a large hole had been blown in the ceiling, letting light flow into the tunnel. He could make out four figures, with the shadow of another above them.

"Hey, blondie!" Karin, yelled, jumping onto him just as he escaped into the light. "Wouldn't want you hurting yourself..." She whispered into his ear with a mischievous grin. Shikamaru looked around at Karin's shout, and his eyes widened as he saw the blonde on the ground, groaning due to Karin's tackle, but very much alive.

"Naruto!" He exclaimed in surprise, and the other three members of the team looked round. The shadow above jumped down, revealing itself to belong to Sasuke.

"Dobe? I thought you died." Sasuke said, glaring at Naruto with a fully-developed, three tomoe Sharingan. He drew his Kusanagi from its sheath on the back of his waist and holding it in front of him, ready to defend himself.

"I thought you would've learned by now, teme!" Naruto coughed, his eyes flashing yellow once more, before they became the glaring yellow of the Darkness, and the tentacles sprouted from his back. But this time, they had gained an armour of bones that surrounded their black scales. "I don't go down so easily!"

The other four nin simply stared at Naruto incredulously. Shikamaru and the others had seen him die with their very own eyes, but when they had returned, his body had disappeared. And now hear he was, about to battle yet again with Sasuke, his Demon Arms having undergone a strange transformation. Sasuke charged his sword with lightning and jabbed forward swiftly. The sword extended rapidly, rocketing toward Naruto, who simply sidestepped and blurred out of sight.

"Running away, dobe?" Sasuke asked arrogantly, a cocky smirk on his face. But that smirk vanished as he felt Naruto's twisted chakra appear behind him, while a Creeper head reached over his shoulder and hissed in his face. He tried to turn and strike his opponent, but a Demon Arm snaked its way around his waist and lifted him into the air, before slamming him repeatedly into the ground.

"Déjà vu, eh teme?" Naruto asked, throwing Sasuke into the wall by his ankle. "You should've been training, or did you become so complacent while I was gone?" Sasuke pulled himself from the wall and glared at Naruto, wiping a trickle of blood from his mouth.

'The hell? I was training, so how is he that much stronger, even now, when he was dead or whatever for three years?' Naruto noticed the confused look in Sasuke's eyes and laughed.

"I mean, I've been training this whole time. Though I guess time does pass differently in the Otherworld." He elaborated, flexing his fingers as a sphere of compressed darkness appeared in his palm. He aimed the ball at Sasuke, who was struggling to get up, and tensed his hand. The ball exploded outwards, the beam of pure darkness screaming toward the Uchiha, who attempted to block with his Kusanagi, but it was useless. An enormous explosion rocked the base as the blast ploughed into Sasuke, destroying anything in its path. As the attack ended, the five spectators gasped as they saw that the attack had formed a trench half a kilometre long, with Sasuke somewhere at the end of it. They looked up as they felt another chakra signature appear, to see Orochimaru standing on the edge of the crater, Sasuke's unconscious form, covered in burns, slumped next to him.

"Hmm, I suppose I will just have to retrieve you again later, Naruto-kun. You will come to me eventually, if only to find out more about the adjustments I told you about." The Snake Sannin said, before being consumed in an ethereal flame that appeared from thin air, the Uchiha's body disappearing with him.

"That went well." Naruto remarked, looking around at the effects of his attacks o the surrounding landscape. His survey, however, was ended abruptly as he felt a fist collide with the back of his head. "Hey, what the hell was that for?" He spun around, coming face to face with a furious Sakura.

"Dammit, Naruto-no-baka!" She growled, holding her fist before her threateningly. "We would've gotten Sasuke to come back with us if it weren't for you!" Naruto's face twisted into a scowl, and something between a squeal of glee and a low growl echoed from the jaws of the Creepers.

"Do you think we should stop them?" Kiba asked, turning to Shikamaru. Shikamaru scanned the situation carefully for a moment, before shaking his head in the negative.

"No, I think doing that would be stupid. And I mean really stupid. You do not want to piss off Naruto when he just woke up." Shikamaru commented. Naruto eyes took on a glaze as he remembered something, before he grinned darkly. He created a kage bunshin, which instantly transformed into a white rabbit. He picked up the rabbit by its ears and held it before her, while simultaneously holding up the other arm in the action of forcing it down something. Sakura's eyes widened as she understood Naruto's actions, and she quickly hid behind Kakashi.

"If you don't, I got a magic trick for ya. I'm gonna shove my arm down your throat and pull a rabbit out your fuckin' ass." Those were Naruto's words of warning the day their team had been formed, and for the most part Sakura had obeyed them. Mainly because she believed that Naruto was fucked up enough to actually do it.

"Good girl." Naruto said, before dispelling the kage bunshin. "Now, shall we leave?" Kakashi made to speak, but he was interrupted. "I know that your primary objective was retrieving Sasuke, but that simply isn't possible right now. Orochimaru isn't retarded enough to stay in this base now that you've attacked it. He'll be moving to a different one, though which I don't know."

Kakashi sighed, and turned to leave. "Fine, come on then. I'll have to give my report to Tsunade-sama." He took a step forward, then stopped, remembering something. "What are you gonna do with the girl?"

"Huh?" He looked to his side, to see that Karin was still sitting there, looking up at him in awe. "Oh, I guess I'll take her with me." The redhead jumped to her feet and latched herself onto Naruto, wrapping her arms around one of his. "Somehow, I don't think she minds." Kakashi sighed again.

"Just more paperwork, I suppose."

In Konoha, Three Days Later...

"Welcome back, Naruto." Tsunade said as the team re-entered the village. Naruto grinned and scratched the back of his head with his free hand.

"Yeah, sorry I took so long, baa-chan. But at least I'm back!" He exclaimed cheerfully. Tsunade smiled, and was about to speak, until...

An almighty scream of "NARUTO-KUN!" was heard, and Naruto was tackled to the ground by a green and blue blur. Kakashi, Tsunade and Shikamaru smirked as they saw Naruto on the ground, his arms in the tight of grasp of Haku and Dani, while he was being straddled by Neru. "We missed you, Naruto-kun!" They cried into various pieces of his clothing, their tears forming large wet stains.

"Oh, come on. You know I wouldn't go down that easy." Naruto said cockily, before he felt a hand close on his collar and begin dragging him down the street. The combined efforts of the three girls was easily pulling him along, despite his own efforts to escape their grasp.

"oH, NaRuTo-kuN..." He heard the distorted growl of the Darkness echo in his mind for the first time since the Valley of the End three years ago. "iT's bEeN sO loNg sInCe I'vE bEen able tO sPeaK tO yOu lIkE tHiS."

'What do you want? And why weren't you able to speak to me?' Naruto replied mentally. His only response was a throaty chuckle that sent a unnerved shiver down his spine.

"WhAt i wAnT iS sImpLe. I jUsT WaNt tO iNfoRM yOu tHAt iF yOu'rE tHiNkiNg oF eNgaGinG iN... cErTain aCtS wIth these gIrlS, I wOuLd advIsE yOu tO wAiT."

'W-What? What for?'

"leT'S pUt iT tHiS wAy. iF yOu fUcK these giRlS, yoU diE. It'S A lItTlE fLaW wItH mY PoWeR. i'M wOrKinG a WaY aRoUnD iT wItH kYuUbI, bUt iT mAy TaKe A wHilE."

'Then how did my old man get around it?'

"DiDn'T i tElL yOu aLrEadY? hE dIdn'T hAVe my PoWeR."

'So, what you're saying is, I can't have sex for fear of my own life?' Naruto asked, and a laugh confirmed his fears. 'Fuck, how am I supposed to tell them that?'

"I tOlD yOu, iF YoU cAn hold ouT lOng eNOugH, yOU woN'T hAvE tO." The Darkness assured him, before going silent. By this time, he had been dragged all the way back to his apartment and thrown unceremoniously onto his couch, where Neru jumped onto him again and Haku and Dani appeared at either side.

"Where did you go, Naruto-kun? We've been waiting so long for you." Haku moaned, pulling down the zipper of his shirt. As the metal tag reached the bottom, she grinned and ripped the shirt off, throwing it aside.

"Mhm, Naruto-sama. It's been so boring without you here..." Dani purred, running her nails over his chest, causing Naruto to blush lightly. Neru forewent any form of teasing and leant over so her face was a few inches from his and grinned, before crashing her lips into his. Naruto's blush deepened but he returned the kiss as jealous expressions appeared on the faces of Haku and Dani. Within moments, their envious looks became more mischievous as they smirked at each other, before their hands reached down toward his waist...

"AHEM!" They heard someone yell, and all four looked up, though rather reluctantly. There, stood in the doorway with a deep blush on her face, was Karin, her arms crossed over her chest as she tapped her foot impatiently. "Is that how people act here in Konoha? I mean, not that I mind, but seriously, couldn't you have at least closed the door?"

"Who are you and what do you want?" Neru asked, glaring at the redhead that had intruded upon her reserved 'Naruto time'. "If ya hadn't noticed, we're kinda in the middle of something here, so unless you wanna join, I suggest you get lost." All four others' blushes deepened considerably at Neru's flippant approach, but the three girls continued glaring at Karin nonetheless.

"Uhm, not that I don't want to, but the big-breasted lady wanted Naruto back for a little while. She needs to debrief him, or something like that." Karin informed the four, looking anywhere but the scene on the couch. Haku and Dani groaned and pulled themselves off him, but Neru wasn't budging. No matter what they tried, she wouldn't let go.

"Hell no!" She yelled, clutching so tight they could've sworn they heard several of Naruto's ribs crack. "I've waited three fuckin' years for this! There's no way I'm letting old cowtits steal my time!" Everyone sweat-dropped, before sighing and backing off. Naruto awkwardly pulled on his shirt, somehow getting it on without Neru letting go at any point, and shifted her slightly so that she was hanging onto his back.

"Now, I'll go to see baa-chan, but then I need to speak to you. So don't jump me, okay Neru?" He asked, looking over his shoulder at the mischievous grin the dark-haired girl was sporting.

"No promises." She whispered into his ear, forcing the reappearance of his blush.

In the Hokage Tower...

"So let me get this straight." Tsunade said, a tick forming on her forehead. "Sasuke killed you at the Valley of the End, but it doesn't matter because you've died before. Then you wake up three years later, coughing up blood in Orochimaru's base, while the bastard tells you that he's done something to your body. Then, a few days later, these guys show up," She pointed to Kakashi, Sakura, Shikamaru and Kiba, "and make Sasuke blow a hole in said base, which wakes you up again, you rush down the hallway with the redhead chasing you, kick Sasuke's ass, find bones covering those tentacles you have, and come back to Konoha?"

"Uhm, yep, that's pretty much it. It doesn't sound like I left anything out." Naruto replied, putting a hand to his head in thought while Neru still clung to his back. Tsunade sighed and pulled a bottle of sake out of her desk drawer before taking a large swig.

"Should I be surprised by anything you do anymore?"

"Probably not. You'd die from the shock, your old heart just wouldn't be able to take it."

"And just what is that supposed to mean?" Tsunade asked angrily, the tick increasing in size.

"Oh, nothing, nothing. So, did anything happen while I was gone?"

"Oh, not much. Just the fact that pretty much all of your age group is now Chuunin or higher, leaving you as a Genin by yourself." Naruto grew his own tick at that.

"Normally I'd be okay with that, I'd say something like 'So what if I'm a genin, I'm the strongest genin in the world. Ranks don't matter,' or some shit like that. But now, I'm pissed off. Mainly because DOGBOY OVER HERE," He pointed at Kiba, "IS A CHUUNIN BUT I'M NOT! I MEAN, LOOK AT HIM!" Kiba whimpered slightly and cowered from Naruto's wrath. "C'MON, IF I'M NOT CAREFUL HE'LL PISS HIMSELF FOR CHRIST'S SAKE!"

"That's just how it is. If you want Chuunin, you pass the exam."

"But can't you give me a field promotion? That would be so much easier." Tsunade took on a grin that unnerved Naruto slightly.

"But that would take all the fun out of the chance that you might get hurt in the exams. Plus, this way I can find out what you know after the three years you were away." Naruto shivered for some unknown reason, before he realised something.

"Wait, you said Chuunin or higher. So who's a Jounin?" Naruto asked, still slightly annoyed that others from his age group were higher ranks than he.

"Since you died, Nara Shikamaru, Akimichi Chouji, Aburame Shino, Hyuuga Neji, Romano Neru and Momochi Haku have all been advanced to Jounin. They have all exhibited strange abilities, cause unknown." Naruto's mouth dropped open, and he turned to Haku and Shikamaru.

"Wait, you guys were jounin and you didn't tell me?" Shikamaru scratched the back of his head with a sheepish smile, while Haku looked away with a blush.

"Well, I guess it slipped my mind." Shikamaru told him.

"Uhm... we were kind of busy... plus I was planning to use my mouth for other-" Haku began, but she was silenced when Dani, a monstrous blush spread across her face, clamped a hand over the Hyouton-user's mouth.

"Whoa there, don't go saying things like that in conversation!"

"And how about you?" Naruto asked, turning his head to look at Neru over his shoulder. He was given no response as he noticed that Neru had fallen asleep, her head rested on his shoulder. "Well, okay. That's a good enough excuse. Is there anything else, baa-chan?"

"Nope. You're free to go. I'll put you in for the next Chuunin Exams." She said as Naruto walked out of the room with Neru on his back. Once out of the Hokage Tower, he slipped into a back alley.

"Okay, you can stop pretending now." He said, a smirk growing as he felt movement on his back.

"Who's pretending? You're comfy." Neru said, stretching. "So, you wanted to say something?"

"Yeah, you might want to get off for this. It's pretty big." Naruto said, and the dark-haired girl jumped off of his back. He turned and put his mouth to her ear, before whispering a few words. Neru's eyes widened considerably, and her fists clenched in anger.

"ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?"

Hey, guys, I'm back! Hope you didn't miss me too much... okay, scratch that, I hope you did miss me, 'cause that means you actually care about the story. Well, this is the beginning of the sequel to Naruto Estacado, and I seriously hope you liked it, or I've done all this for nothing. Naruto's back, he's better, he's badder, he's... celibate? Yeah, Naruto can't have sex for now. At least until Kyuubi and the Darkness can fix it. And everyone in the SRS and his two shinobi girlfriends are all jounin, leaving him to take the Chuunin Exams soon. and then there's the new introduction for the harem, Karin, and the others soon to come. That's basically all I have to say, so goodnight!

Next Time, on From The Shadows I Rise...
Naruto's back in Konoha, and already he's pissed off his girlfriend. And then there's the Chuunin Exams he has to attend. And the news of his friends' promotion. And everything else. So basically, everything's bad. But at least he's got badass supernatural powers. What'll happen between Naruto and his girls? Will the events of the last Exams repeat themselves? When will Sasuke stop being a dick and go back to Konoha? And how the fuck did a pussy like Kiba make Chuunin? Find out next time, on From The Shadows I Rise! (Rolls credits with Sweet Dreams by Marilyn Manson)