Hello everyone! Here is the final chapter of Redemption! I hope everyone enjoyed it! Thank you to jennku, yyh-ygo-fma, and aniwolfgirl for reviewing. Also, thank you yyh-ygo-fma for reminding me that Gaara didn't become Kazekage until later. In my mind, since his father was killed back during the chunin exams, he became Kazekage pretty quick. Oh well mix it up a little, doesn't really affect the story overall. Please, keep the reviews coming and if you haven't reviewed, please do. I love reading them. I have about four or five chapters left to write for the sequel. So, I really hope by the end of next week I can begin posting the chapters, but don't hold me to it. Anyway, enough babble! Remember, I do not own Naruto, just my own characters!

Chapter 20

The lavender-haired kunoichi sighed as she walked out of, a now sober, Rock Lee's hospital room. Like she had done with Choji, Neji, and Kiba, she commended him for his bravery and skills in battle. They all had thanked her for her praise, but they all seemed upset that they had failed on their first major mission. As Ayumi walked down the hallway towards Naruto's room, she sighed as she saw Shikamaru sitting on a nearby bench. She sat next to him, remaining silent for several moments before stating:

"You all were very brave, Shikamaru. And, you did very, very well in leading the team."

"We failed, Ayumi-sensei…I failed," he replied.

'If I had a ryo for every time I've heard that phrase…' she thought, before shaking her head and saying, "Yes, you failed. If you considered your mission to be retrieving Sasuke then that is a very accurate statement. But, if you consider that your mission is to bring everyone home alive, then no. You didn't fail. You succeeded. You kept them all alive, Shikamaru, and that is something to be very proud of."

She sighed as he appeared to not be responding before she looking up and saw Shikaku approaching. She quickly stood and walking to meet him before speaking softly to him:

"He's taking this very hard. Maybe you can do better as his dad."

Shikaku nodded before walking over to his son and walking him out of the hospital towards the Nara compound.

Ayumi sighed as she watched him leave before heading to Naruto's room before standing in the doorway as Naruto talked to Sakura. She noticed a depressed looking Kakashi sitting in the corner and she sighed.

"Don't worry, Sakura-chan! I made you a promise and I won't break it!" Naruto exclaimed as he punched the air above his head before wincing from his bruised ribs.

Sakura forced a smile, "Thank you, Naruto. So, the battle…it…"

Naruto grinned, "It was amazing! Well…it sucked because I had to fight my best friend…but that rooftop fight we had looked like training in comparison to this fight!"

Sakura blinked before looking a little depressed; her face betrayed her sense of inferiority. She stood and excused herself from the room after greeting Ayumi. When the pink-haired girl walked past her, Ayumi moved and sat in a chair next to Naruto.

"How do you feel, Naruto?" She asked.

He smiled, "Sore, but never better!"

"Really?" Ayumi questioned, sarcastically and with disbelief lacing her voice.

Naruto sighed before exclaiming, "No. I mean, how could Sasuke do this? How could he just leave? And how could he beat me?"

Ayumi looked to Kakashi for support, but noticing he appeared to be at a loss for words over the situation, she said to Naruto, "There are reasons that people have for doing what they do that we can never fully comprehend. And as for beating you, well, do you know what you have to do about that Naruto? Do you know what you have to do now?"

The blonde blinked and looked at her, heavily confused, "What?"

She smirked, "You train. You train your heart out and get to the level where you can defeat Sasuke and then bring him back home to his friends."

Naruto smiled brightly, "Yeah…Yeah! That's what I gotta go! I just have to get stronger! And I'll bring him back, just like I promised!"

Ayumi nodded and looked at Kakashi, who was smiling at her before she heard someone enter the room. She tipped her head slightly in a bow and said:

"Hello, Jiraiya-sama."

The older man nodded to both her and Kakashi then waving at Naruto before stating:

"The intel we have on Orochimaru reports that he switched bodies before Sasuke arrived. He'll be safe for another three years."

Naruto smiled, "Whatever that first part means, but the rest, great! Plenty of time to train, Jiraiya-sensei!"

The man scoffed, "What are you talking about? You just need to forget about this whole 'Sasuke retrieval' thing, Naruto. It's a useless endeavor to bring back someone who willingly left…trust me…I made the same promise to Tsunade about Orochimaru and…well look!…"

"Pssht! You're not me, Jiraiya-sensei! I can do anything!" Naruto replied, "Just like Ayumi-sensei just said, if I train and get strong, I can bring Sasuke back!"

Jiraiya shot Ayumi a dirty look, which she countered with an apologetic look, before sighing:

"Well, if Orochimaru is going to be training Sasuke for the next three years, then I guess, unfortunately, I can do the same for you."

Naruto cheered loudly, "All right, Jiraiya-sensei!"

A nurse entered the room and apologized but informed them that they were causing a ruckus past visiting hours and needed to leave. They all apologized and left Naruto to recover.

Ayumi leaned against Kakashi as they walked through the village while he had his arm wrapped around her. They both sighed before Ayumi looked up at him:

"What do we do now, Kakashi?"

He stopped and smiled at her, "Well, there are missions to do…training to be done….and...fall even harder for you."

She blushed and kissed him quickly through the mask before pulling back and smiling at him, "You know, Kakashi. You're the best thing that has ever happened to me."

He reached up and caressed her cheek gently, speaking softly, "You're mistaken. I wouldn't have anything without you."

She blushed even more before hugging him tightly. As they separated, Ayumi smirked before leaning in and whispering something softly in his ear then dashing off towards the apartment.

Kakashi blinked, processing what was said to him before grinning cheekily beneath the mask and began chasing off after her, "Oh, you naughty girl."

And as Kakashi ran off after the woman who had given him a chance at redemption for his past deeds, he forgot all of the things in this world that he couldn't change..for now.

The End