49

The Return Home

Tenten sighed as she manned her father's store. The day was incredibly slow—phenomenally slow. She hadn't had a single customer in the last two hours. Days like this were the worst, not only because she was stuck behind a counter all day, but also because she couldn't go on a mission. Gai-sensei and Rock Lee were probably training. Knowing Neji as she did, he was probably training as well. Not her. She was stuck doing jack squat all day. Dang it. She wished someone would at least enter the store so she could have a decent conversation with another human being.

As if someone had heard her wish, the bell on the door jingled, and Tenten looked up as someone walked in.

Long blonde hair hung down to her waist. Her eyes were dark and contrasted with her pale skin. The dark pants she wore rustled as she moved, making the depiction of clouds on her left pant leg come alive. She wore a dark shirt with purple body armor over it. That armor conformed to her budding 18-year old figure, and Tenten couldn't stop from eying the girl's bust with a bit of envy. White bandages wrapped around her arms and ankles. Fingerless gloves. Ninja sandals. There was a Kumogakure headband on her forehead.

"Yugito!" Tenten greeted enthusiastically.

She and Yugito had an odd friendship. Ever since Naruto had went on his training trip, they had been spending more and more time together. Whenever they weren't on missions, they were with each other, having bonded over a shared fondness for the boy who was absent. It was actually Yugito who had been helping Tenten train the most.

Smiling as she walked into the store, Yugito greeted her in return. "Tenten, you look bored."

Tenten moaned. "I'm extremely bored. Since Gai-sensei and the others decided not to go on a mission today, Dad thought it would be fine if I watched the store for him. I can't even train thanks to that old coot."

"I guess that's fathers for you."

"Are you going on a mission?"

"Yes. It's an A-ranked mission, so I'll take the usual."

"Got it."

Yugito Nii was a jonin of Kumogakure, but she was living in Konoha as a Liaison between the two villages. Despite being a liaison, she often went out of the village on missions that the Raikage sent to her via carrier bird. Sometimes she would disappear for as long as a whole month. Tenten remembered one time when that happened, and when Yugito returned, she'd been covered in blood.

She supposed that was the life of a jonin.

A lot of people tended to ignore Yugito because of the bloody history between Konoha and Kumo. However, Tenten wasn't one of those people. It wasn't like what happened between their villages was Yugito's fault. She hadn't even been born back then, and it wasn't like they were enemies now. Yesterday's enemy was today's friend. It went something like that.

"It's been over two years, hasn't it?" Yugito said suddenly as Tenten was ringing her up. It didn't take a genius to figure out what she was talking about.

"Yeah," Tenten agreed. "He should be coming home soon."

"I wonder how strong he's gotten."

"Knowing Naruto, he's probably gotten a lot stronger."

Naruto had left the village over two years ago to train with Jiraiya of the Sannin. He had already been incredibly strong back then, having become a chunin during his first and only Chunin Exam. Tenten could only imagine how much stronger he was now. The thought made her blush.

"The total comes to six hundred ryō."

"Here you go."

Money exchanged hands, and Yugito grabbed the scroll that Tenten had used to store all of her equipment in. She slipped it into the pouch strapped to her left thigh.

"Well, I'll see you when I get back," Yugito said, waving as she turned around.

"Yeah, see you."

Tenten watched Yugito walk toward the store entrance. Before the woman could leave, just as she was placing her hand on the door, Tenten called out to her.

"I won't lose to you."

Yugito turned her head.

"When Naruto comes back, I won't lose to you," Tenten repeated.

Yugito cocked her head and smiled.

"I won't lose either," she said, and then she was gone.

As the door closed behind her, and the room was once more cast into silence, Tenten set her chin on the butt of her hand and sighed. She wondered how Naruto was doing, and if he'd be coming home soon.

She was so bored.

XoX

Naruto walked alongside Jiraiya through a thicket of trees. The earthen soil thumped underneath his feet, while the snapping of the twigs they stepped on added an extra crunch. They could have taken the road, but there was no fun in that.

Their destination? Konoha. Home.

"It's been a long time since we've been to Konoha," Naruto said.

"That is has," Jiraiya agreed.

"I wonder how much stronger everyone has gotten."

"Who knows."

The sound of their footsteps crunching against branches, twigs, and grass echoed around them. Konoha's familiar trees surrounded them on all sides. From where they walked, Naruto couldn't see the gates of Konoha, but he knew they were coming up on them.

"You excited to see your lady friends?" asked Jiraiya.

"Definitely." Naruto grinned as he hopped over a root that was sticking out of the ground. "I bet Ten-chan and Yugi-chan have become really strong, and I think I remember old man Raikage saying something about how Yugi was staying in Konoha."

"She's a liaison between Kumo and Konoha," Jiraiya informed him. "It's kinda surprising that Tsunade would let someone like that into the village, but I guess it just goes to show you how much the times are changing."

"Yeah…"

"You gonna screw 'em?"

Naruto scowled at his sensei. "Don't be so crass, you damn pervert. You know it's not my policy to have sex unless they want it."

Jiraiya's perverted smile, which appeared suddenly and without warning, made Naruto shudder. "I know all about your policy. I remember that time when you and Temari went on a mission and—"

"All right. That's enough out of you," Naruto mumbled as the sea of trees slowly parted to reveal a large red gate in front of them.

The gate's doors were currently open, though that would change at night when they locked the gate up. As he and Jiraiya stepped through, Naruto got his first good look at the village, Konoha, his home and the place he hadn't seen in over two years.

Konoha, known as a village but having more in common with a large city, spread out before him, a series of houses and buildings of varying shapes and sizes. Over to the left was the small booth that registered people coming into the village. He recognized the two sitting behind the counter. Kotetsu and Izumo, the so-called eternal chunin. However, most of his attention was on the village itself.

"It hasn't changed much, has it?" asked Jiraiya.

"No, it really hasn't," Naruto agreed.

Konoha looked the same now as it had when they left—the buildings, the mostly thatched roofs, and the Hokage Tower standing in the center of it all before the Hokage Monument. It all looked just like he remembered. There was only one small difference.

"Hey, isn't that…?"

Deciding to get a better look, Naruto used a sealless shunshin no jutsu to transport himself onto the nearest lamp post. Now standing several meters above the ground, Naruto could see the village much better, and so he had a great view of the only change that Konoha looked like it had undergone. That was the addition of Tsunade's face to the Hokage Monument.

"Huh, Tsunade-oba-san looks surprisingly good up there, doesn't she, Akane?"

… Naruto received no answer. He sighed.

It had been a long time since Kyuubi, who had chosen the name Akane many centuries ago, had spoken with him. In fact, the last time they had spoken was during the mission with Koyuki in the Land of Snow. Ever since that mission ended, Kyuubi had been silent. He had tried going into the mindscape to see her, but he'd been kicked out before he even reached the door to her seal. Naruto had tried several more times to get in. However, since that first time, he hadn't even been able to enter the mindscape.

"Naruto!" a familiar voice called out to him.

Looking down, Naruto grinned when he saw Sakura standing near the bottom of the pole. Another Shunshin no Jutsu brought him back down to the ground.

"It's been awhile, hasn't it, Sakura?" said Naruto, grinning. "You've grown a lot since I last saw you."

"Wha—oh! Do you… really think so?" Sakura asked.

"Yep!" Naruto gave her a thumbs up and grinned. "You've gotten a lot more womanly."

"T-thank you."

Naruto studied Sakura a bit more. Her pink hair was still cut short, but her clothing had changed a bit. Her sleeveless top was the same, a reddish pink shirt that showed off her slender shoulders. However, she had added black gloves, low-heel, knee-high boots, and a short gray apron skirt. The cloth on her headband had also changed from blue to pink. Likewise, she was wearing a medical pouch on her thigh, where before she had just worn a standard ninja pouch.

He then looked at her chest.

"Still pretty flat, though…"

A tick mark appeared on Sakura's forehead. "What was that?! I dare you to say that again!" she shouted, swinging her fist.

Naruto laughed as he gently redirected her hand, grabbed her wrist, and pulled it toward the ground. Caught off guard, Sakura could do nothing as Naruto got in her face and grinned.

"Relax, I didn't mean anything bad by it," he said. "You still look cute."

It was interesting to see how red Sakura's face had turned. He and Sakura had never gotten along all that well, mostly because he'd been trying to hit on her and she had literally hit him. Then, after they had both graduated, Naruto dropped his crush for her and began ignoring her except when they had to communicate. That had changed a little during the Chunin Exams. He hadn't seen much of her after the exams because he'd been so busy, but it looked like she had matured a bit.

He was also amused to know that he could make her blush. That wasn't something he'd been capable of doing before.

"Are you going to see Tsunade-sama?" asked Sakura, changing the subject as she looked away.

"Probably," Naruto said. "We need to at least let her know that we're back."

"Knowing Tsunade-hime as I do, she's probably gonna have some plan for you to show off the skills you gained during our training," Jiraiya said.

"Oh, Jiraiya-sama," Sakura greeted. "Hello."

"Hey, there, Sakura. It looks like you've gotten a lot stronger. I can see that Tsunade's training has been good for you."

"It has," Sakura agreed.

"Hey, it's Naruto!" another familiar, but slightly more mature than he remembered, voice said. It was a kid with spiky hair, a yellow shirt with a blue scarf, and a headband on his forehead. There were two people with him: a girl with orange pigtails and a boy whose nose looked perpetually runny.

Naruto recognized them.

"Konohamaru, Moegi, Udon," he greeted with a grin. "How are you three doing? I see you've become ninja since I left."

"Hehe, that's right, Naruto," Konohamaru said, swiping his thumb across his nose. "We've become really strong now."

"You look it." Nodding several times, Naruto said, "I can tell you've become much stronger just by looking at you."

"You'll be surprised by how strong we've become," Moegi added.

"Just look at our new jutsu," Udon said, sniffling.

All three performed a hand seal that Naruto recognized, would have been hard pressed not to recognize. It was for a jutsu he was quite familiar with. He was, after all, the inventor of this particular jutsu.

"Oroke no Jutsu: Son!"

A large burst of smoke exploded around the trio. Sakura coughed several times and waved her hand in front of her face, though that changed as the smoke cleared and she saw what had happened to the three younger ninja. Then her eyes bulged.

"Wha… wha…"

All three genin had transformed from children into busty ladies, a long-haired hotty in the center, a smoking orange-haired beauty on the left, and a drop dead gorgeous girl with short blue hair on the right. Each of them struck a pose that Naruto guessed they thought was seductive. He had to admit that they weren't bad, but…

"It's no good," Naruto said with a sigh.

"W-what?!" all three of them shouted.

"Your appearances are fine," Naruto continued. "But only a pervert like this old lech would fall for something so simple." He hitched a thumb at Jiraiya, who was snorting like a bull as he eyed the three with hearts in his eyes. "The Oroke no Jutsu is about more than just transforming into a naked woman. First is the placement of the smoke. You have to place it around you so that it shows enough to tantalize and tease, but isn't enough to show everything. Konohamaru, you're showing too much, while Moegi and Udon aren't showing enough. Next up is your stances. They're very basic. Since there are three of you, it would have been better to get close together. It's more distracting to your opponents if you three get bust to bust."

"Huh… you think so?" Moegi asked as the three of them dispelled their technique.

"I know so," Naruto said. "One time when I was infiltrating a slave trading ring, the girls I had come to rescue distracted the guards by posing together like that. It's a tried and true method."

"Hm, I suppose that means we'll need to work on this some more," Konohamaru muttered.

"Absolutely not!" Sakura suddenly shouted, pointing at them. "You three should never perform that jutsu again! What kind of technique is that anyway?!"

"It's a legitimate technique," Naruto replied to her scorn with a calm frown. "The Oroke no Jutsu is great for distracting enemies. Even non-perverted ninja can be surprised if you use such an audacious and silly technique on them. A second's distraction in battle can mean the difference between life and death."

Sakura faltered at Naruto's well thought-out lecture. He would have smiled as her still pointing hand dropped. She couldn't really deny that his words rang true, especially since Kakashi was their sensei and a well-known reader of smut. Even she had to understand the effectiveness of a jutsu like this.

"I also have a reverse version of the Oroke no Jutsu that's effective against female ninja," Naruto added.

"Huh… well…" Sakura turned away, her cheeks the same color as her hair. "Maybe I should see how effective this technique of yours is… just so I don't get surprised by it."

Hiding his grin, Naruto said, "maybe later. We have to see Tsunade-oba-san, remember?"

After saying goodbye to Konohamaru, Moegi, and Udon, Naruto and Jiraiya, with Sakura now in tow, headed to the Hokage Tower.

The massive red tower looked the same as it always had. As Naruto entered the Hokage's Office with Jiraiya and Sakura, he looked around and realized that almost nothing had changed. His feet thumped lightly against the tiled floor. On the opposite end of the room, behind a desk stacked with papers, sat Tsunade Senju, the leader of the leaf, the Fifth Hokage, and a woman who could destroy buildings with a single punch.

Tsunade hadn't changed at all since he'd seen her. Blonde hair tied into two ponytails. Brown eyes. A porcelain face framed by several bangs. A green haori sat on her shoulders, underneath which was a gray kimono shirt tied together by a blue obi. Like everything else, Tsunade's massive chest, which practically spilled out of her shirt, was the same as he remembered. Her aid, the dark haired, brown eyed Shizune also didn't look like she had changed much.

As he, jiraiya, and Sakura walked up to the desk, Tsunade stared at him and smirked.

"You look like you've grown a little stronger."

"And you haven't aged a day. Impressive for an old hag."

Sakura gawked at him. "N-N-N-Naruto! What are you saying?! Apologize to Tsunade-sama immediately!"

However, it was too late. Tsunade had risen from her seat and moved around the desk. Her eyes shone with a dangerous gleam.

"An old hag, am I?" she asked. She cracked her knuckles. "This old hag can still kick your ass!"

Just like what had happened with Sakura, Tsunade threw a punch at him, one that was far stronger than his teammate's. Despite its strength, however, Naruto dealt with it the same way he had the last one, by gently redirecting it with a nudge. Unlike Sakura, who had allowed herself to be pulled toward him, Tsunade pulled back. Her experience made her more able to adapt to situational shifts in combat.

"Not bad, brat," Tsunade said, moving back to her seat, where the shocked Shizune was staring between them with wide eyes. "You use just a bit of wind chakra to push aside my attack. That sort of wind manipulation isn't something just anyone can master."

"I should have expected you to figure out how my trick worked." Naruto raised his hands behind his head and grinned. "I guess that's a kage for you."

"Indeed." Tsunade looked at Jiraiya. "How strong would you say Naruto is?"

"Without his hybrid mode, Naruto can match most jonin save for the S-ranked ones like Kakashi and Itachi," Jiraiya answered, rubbing his chin.

"And with hybrid mode?"

"He can easily match an S-ranked ninja on his own. I'd say he's even stronger than Kisame Hoshigake."

"Is that so?" Tsunade murmured, placing her forearms on the desk and leaning forward. "In that case, how would you like to take the Jonin Exams, Naruto?"

While Sakura and Shizune both looked at her aghast, Naruto considered the proposal. He knew of the Jonin Exams, but he didn't know what they entailed. The Jonin Exams were one of the most well-kept secrets of each respective hidden village.

The reason for this was due to how highly valued jonin were. The Chunin Exams was a huge event that brought all of the villages together and was used to advertise their ninja to prospective clients, but that was because nothing a genin knew was worth keeping a secret over. On the other hand, a chunin with enough skills to take the Jonin Exams likely had several village secrets, or knew at least one or more of their village's most powerful ninjutsu. No village was willing to showcase such secrets to the public, lest they risk other villages or missing ninja getting their hands on those secrets.

"I certainly don't mind taking the Jonin Exams," Naruto said as he sensed the presence of a certain one-eyed jonin squatting outside the window.

"Excellent." Tsunade leaned back and clapped her hands once. "It will take at least a day to prepare the exams. I need to gather the proctors who will administer the test."

"I'm guessing Kakashi is going to be one of them," said Naruto.

"Kakashi?" Tsunade questioned. "Why do you say that?"

Before Naruto could state that Kakashi was hanging around outside, the doors to the Hokage's Office opened and two people walked in. One of them had black hair shaped like a pineapple and a lazy look in his eyes. The other was a gorgeous blonde with a unique hairstyle that consisted of four ponytails.

"Temari, Shikamaru," Sakura greeted before Naruto could say anything. "Look at what the cat dragged in."

As she gestured to him, Shikamaru and Temari turned. While the lazy look in Shikamaru's eyes remained, Temari's expression was telling, though Naruto highly doubted anyone except Tsunade and Jiraiya had noticed the blush on her cheeks.

"Naruto?" Shikamaru blinked. "Naruto, is that you?"

"Who else would I be? Iruka-sensei?" asked Naruto.

"Huh, wow." Shikamaru stared at him for a long moment before a smile broke out. "I can't believe you're finally back. You've gotten a lot bigger. You look like you've changed quite a bit."

"So do you. You don't seem as lazy as you used to," Naruto shot back.

Shikamaru sighed. "I know. Ever since I became a chunin, I've been swamped with work. It's so troublesome."

Naruto smiled before looking at the woman by his side. "Temari, it's been awhile."

"Almost a year," Temari agreed. "The last time we saw each other was on that mission in the Land of Claws."

"That's right." Naruto grinned as he recalled that mission. "You and I were both after the slave trading ring that had been set up there. Neither of us knew the other was on the mission, and we nearly got into a fight when we thought the other had been hired by the slavers."

Temari laughed as she placed her hands on her hips. "That's right! And after the mission, we—" She stopped talking, looked around, and suddenly seemed to remember that there were people in there with them. "Anyway, it's good to see you again, Naruto. I'm curious to see how strong your wind affinity has grown. I didn't get to see much of it during our last mission together."

"I'll be sure to make some time so we can compare notes." Naruto winked.

"You two seem awfully close," Sakura muttered, giving Naruto a glare.

"Of course," Temari said. "Naruto spent the first six months of his training in Suna, learning how to use wind chakra. I was the one who trained him, so he and I became pretty close."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow and looked at Jiraiya, who merely grinned and gave her a thumbs up, causing her to sigh. Shizune, standing beside her, giggled into her hand. Meanwhile, Shikamaru muttered a soft "troublesome" while Sakura looked like she had just been struck in the face with a dead fish.

"Since you're in Konoha, I'm assuming that you guys are here to deliver a report regarding the upcoming Chunin Exams," Naruto said.

"That's right." At the mention of the Chunin Exams, Shikamaru walked up to Tsunade's desk and handed her a folder. "Here is a list of all the applicants from the other villages. While the list hasn't been finalized, there's unlikely to be any changes since most of these villages don't have anymore genin worth sending to the exams."

"Thank you, Shikamaru," Tsunade said as she received the folder and set it on her desk.

"Well, I'll see ya later, Naruto." Shikamaru waved at him as he ambled out the door.

Temari hung back for a second to speak with Naruto. "I'll try to make some time before I leave for us to talk."

"You can stop by my apartment if you want," Naruto suggested.

"I might do that. Anyway, catch you later."

Naruto waved as Temari left, not noticing the people staring at him until the door had closed and Temari's footsteps receded. Only than did he notice Jiraiya's perverted giggling, Tsunade's raised eyebrow, Shizune's smile, and Sakura's "What the fuck did I just watch?" expression. The only one he couldn't see was Kakashi, who remained hidden outside.

"I had no idea you and Temari were so close," Tsunade said, glaring at Jiraiya, who stopped giggling long enough to shrug.

"Don't look at me. I wasn't in charge of his training when we went to Suna."

"Whatever." Tsunade sighed and rubbed her head. "Anyway, let me explain how the Jonin Exam works before you head home to unpack."

"Sure thing," Naruto said, "but maybe you should let Kakashi do the explaining, since he's been standing outside this window ever since our meeting started."

"Naruto, what are you talking about?" asked Sakura.

Before Naruto could answer, the window opened and a somewhat gangly figure walked in. Black pants. White tape wrapped around the ankles. Blue shinobi sandals. The person before them didn't look particularly imposing in his blue long-sleeved shirt and green flak jacket, but Naruto knew not to underestimate this spiky-haired ninja, whose silver hair was only slightly odder than the way his headband covered his right eye.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura shouted in surprise.

"Hello, Sakura. Naruto." Kakashi gave them both an eye smile. "I see your sensing abilities have become impressive."

"That's not the only thing that you'll find impressive," Naruto assured. "I'm guessing you're going to be one of the proctors for the Jonin Exam?"

"That's right," Kakashi admitted.

"The Jonin Exam is a three part tests that's administered by three proctors," Tsunade began. "Each test is designed to test something specific: your ability to make analytical decisions based on little information, your abilities in combat, and whether or not you are an appropriate candidate to become jonin. Due to the nature of the tests, you won't actually know what the tests are until you take them, but all three proctors have to give you a pass. If even one jonin decides that you aren't fit for the job, then you'll fail."

"Sounds rough."

"All villages hold their jonin to a much higher standard than we do our chunin," Tsunade explained. "That's the reason there are so many chunin and very few jonin. Even though some chunin might have jonin-level abilities, that doesn't mean they're fit to be jonin, so in order to find out who is truly qualified, we hold a stringent test to make sure that only the best of the best can become our elite."

From what Naruto remembered of his lessons with Jiraiya, only about one in every five hundred ninja become a jonin. Konoha had around 20,000 shinobi, give or take, but there were only around 100 to 150 were jonin.

"Well, this has been a pretty enlightening conversation and it was nice seeing some old faces," Naruto said. "But I have a few places I want to hit up before heading home. Do you need me for anything, Oba-san?"

"Not at the moment, no." Tsunade shook her head.

"All right. Then I'll see you all later."

Grinning, Naruto headed out of the door, down the hall, and out of the Hokage Tower. He had two stops that he would like to make before heading home. One of them was to see a good friend.

XoX

Naruto stepped through the door, a soft jingle ringing out. The Higarashi Weapon Shop looked no different now than it had when he first entered several years ago. Racks lined the walls. Weapons sat on the racks. There were several aisles filled with ninja supplies, shuriken, kunai, ninja wire, they even had storage scrolls. At the back of the shop was a long counter, which sat in front of a door that Naruto knew led to a forge, though he'd never actually seen it.

She sat in front of the counter. Her hair was still tied into those two buns, which were reminiscent of a mouse. A few strands of hair fell down her face, bringing attention to her eyes, large gems of warm brown. Her face was older. She looked more mature, more grown up.

Her outfit had changed. She was sporting a long-sleeved, high-collared white blouse with maroon edges, black fingerless gloves, low-heeled sandals, and a black forehead protector. Her puffy hakama pants sat low. The sides of her hips were exposed, but they had been covered in bandages. She wasn't wearing her ninja pouch, but Naruto assumed she carried everything she needed in a scroll now. That seemed more her style.

"Ten-chan!" Naruto greeted with his usual exuberant wave.

Tenten's head snapped up at the sound of his voice. She stared at him for several seconds, eyes blinking as though she couldn't make heads or tails of him.

"Naruto?" she asked, her voice tentative, hesitant.

Naruto spread his arms. "In the flesh."

"Naruto!"

Before Naruto could say anything more, Tenten leapt over her counter and bounded toward him. He had only a second to realize that she wasn't stopping. Then she was on him, and Naruto felt like he'd been hit by a freight train, and then his body was being squeezed as though it was trapped in a vice. Naruto could have sworn his spine was being bent.

"I can't believe you're back!" Tenten said before jerking backwards as though she had been struck by a lightning jutsu.

Naruto ignored the way his spine protested the action and grinned. "Yep! I'm back!"

"When did you get back?"

"Just now." Still grinning, Naruto placed his hands behind his head and relaxed. "I needed to see oba-san for a bit, but after we finished talking, I came straight here."

"I'm glad to see you." Tenten's cheeks turned just the tiniest bit red. "I… I missed you."

"Thanks! I missed you, too!" Naruto said with another grin. "Say, do you want to go get some Ichiraku's with me? I'd like to visit the old man and Ayame-chan."

Tenten looked around her store for a second, dithering, but then she looked back at him and grinned. "Sure, I'd love to. Just let me close up shop early for the day, and then we can get going."

"Sounds good."

Naruto waited for Tenten as she moved about the store. She was locking up supplies and taking down some of the better ninja weapons, which would probably be stored in the back. He would have asked if she needed help, but Naruto didn't know where any of this stuff went, so he didn't think he'd be much help. He might even make things worse. When Tenten was finished, she locked up the door, and they began making their way toward Ichiraku.

While they walked, they talked.

"How was your training with Jiraiya-sama?"

"Please don't call that pervert '-sama.' He doesn't deserve the title. It went well. I learned a lot, and I've grown much stronger."

"I can tell."

"What about you, Ten-chan? How have the past three years been with Team Gai?"

"Same as always. Gai-sensei and Lee are always going off to 'train their youthful bodies,' and Neji has been spending most of his time learning from Hiashi Hyuuga ever since he became a jonin."

"I didn't know Neji's become a jonin." Naruto gawked. "Holy shit! Has anyone else made it to jonin?"

"No. Just Neji. Shikamaru probably could become a jonin, but he's too lazy and unmotivated."

"Yeah, that lazy bum would never do something so troublesome."

"I know that Shino also took the Jonin Exams once about a year ago, but he failed during the final test."

"I guess these exams really are hard…"

It wasn't long before the familiar stand came into sight. Ichiraku was a bar-style restaurant built into a two-story building that served as both storage shed and house for the father/daughter pair who owned it. As Naruto lifted the small flaps and entered with Tenten, he took a look around. There were only two other customers sitting at the bar. Teuchi-oji-san wasn't present, but Ayame was standing over the boiler where they cooked ramen noodles.

"Ayame-chan! Two pork ramen, one chicken ramen, and a shrimp ramen for your favorite customer, please!"

Turning around, Ayame looked over at him. Like Tenten, it took her a moment to realize who he was, but then her face broke into a broad grin.

"Well, if it isn't my favorite customer," Ayame said. "Let me whip up some ramen for you to celebrate your return!"

"Thanks, Ayame-chan!"

Naruto and Tenten sat down at the bar, and the two customers looked at them before going back to their ramen. As they sat there, Naruto began to regale both Tenten and Ayame with stories about his training with Jiraiya, focusing primarily on the missions that he had been on instead of the training itself. Those were much more interesting.

"… And then I shoved a rasengan into his face. It… wasn't the prettiest way to defeat someone," Naruto finished telling them about the time he had broken into a drug smuggling ring. It was one of his more exciting adventures because the smugglers had hired an A-ranked missing ninja to protect them.

"I'll bet," Tenten muttered as their ramen arrived. She had ordered chicken. "That rasengan of yours is a brutal technique. I've seen you pulverize boulders with it. I don't want to imagine what that can do to a human face."

"Is that really appropriate dinner conversation?" asked Ayame. She looked more than a little green.

"It is for a ninja," Naruto and Tenten said at the same time. They looked at each other, grinned, and then began laughing.

XoX

Jiraiya stood off to the side in the Hokage's Office as three jonin, Kakashi Hatake, Asuma Sarutobi, and Kurenai Yui stood before the desk. Tsunade was sitting behind the desk. By her side as always was Shizune. Being an outsider, of a sort, Jiraiya merely remained against the wall, his arms crossed as he watched the proceedings.

"I've gathered the three of you here to be proctors in administering the Jonin Exams to Naruto Uzumaki," Tsunade said.

"Naruto?" Kurenai's eyes widened fractionally, not quite hiding her surprise. "I had heard that he'd returned to the village."

"I guess that explains why Jiraiya-sama is here," Asuma said. Kakashi flipped another page of his book.

Nodding her head once, Tsunade said, "that's right. Naruto has returned to the village, and while I can't say for certain, I'm positive that he's more than capable of becoming a jonin. That's why I'm putting this test together for him."

"Makes sense," Asuma admitted, scratching his head. "The kid put on a pretty good show during the Chunin Exams three and a half years ago, and if he's been training with Jiraiya-sama, then he's bound to be a monster."

"Asuma," Kurenai chided. "Mind the way you word things."

"Sorry," Asuma mumbled, abashed.

"That is what I want you three to determine," Tsunade said. "Jiraiya has assured me of his skills, but I would like to have you three assess his abilities. It's imperative to know how good he has become. Is that understood?"

"Yes!" the three jonin said.

"Then I'll leave the details of the exams to you."

The meeting came to an end; Asuma and Kurenai left together, speaking in hushed tones. Jiraiya couldn't hear what was being said, but he somehow didn't think they were talking about Naruto's test. There was a closeness between them that made Jiraiya's senses tingle. He would have giggled at the thought of these two dating, though he also didn't want to earn Kurenai's or Tsunade's ire, so he refrained from doing so.

"I'll see you later, Tsu-hime," Jiraiya said as he walked up to the silver-haired jonin who was leaving. "Kakashi and I have some catching up to do."

"Is that so? Have a good time," Tsunade said, uncaring. Jiraiya almost felt like crying.

She could have expressed a little more desire to keep me here.

Jiraiya left the Hokage Tower with Kakashi and made it onto the busy streets. As they slipped past a few pedestrians, he reached into his ninja pouch and pulled out a book.

"Here you go, Kakashi," he said, holding it out for the man. "This is the next volume of the Make Out Paradise series. It hasn't been released yet."

"Ah!" Kakashi's gasp was like that of a man who'd been dying from thirst but hadn't realized it until water was placed in front of him. He grabbed the book with trembling hands, staring at it as though he was holding the holiest of holy grails. "This is amazing! I can't wait to read it!"

"I figured you would be excited."

Jiraiya grinned at the knowledge that someone appreciated his work. He'd spent so much time with Naruto, who didn't seem to enjoy good literature even when it smacked him in the face, that he had forgotten what honest praise felt like. He sighed at the thought of his foolish apprentice. At least Kakashi understood what great literature was all about.

Damn, ungrateful students. He and his father are cut from the same cloth.

"Their on the move," Jiraiya said suddenly.

Kakashi stopped ogling his new book to look at Jiraiya, his expression stern despite having only one eye.

"By them, I'm guessing you mean the Akatsuki."

"That's right. I have no idea why they are moving now, but they have become more active. Perhaps they have managed to acquire all of the funding they need, or maybe there's some other reason. It doesn't change the fact that they're now going around, capturing jinchurikki."

"Which means Naruto is one of their targets," Kakashi added, nodding. "Tell me, Jiraiya-sama, just how strong is Naruto?"

"That's hard to say," Jiraiya admitted. "In just his standard state, Naruto is easily on par with most jonin level ninja. He has a knack of ninjutsu and fuinjutsu that rivals his parents, but he's not skilled in genjutsu. His taijutsu is about average. He has speed and power, and his technique is impeccable, but he isn't a monster like Maito Gai or Rock Lee."

"I doubt there are many people in the world who can match those two in taijutsu."

"True."

They walked around a group of children who were playing in the street, ninja, from the looks of it, and continued moving until they reached a small dango shop. They sat down and ordered some dango and tea. As they waited, Jiraiya continued talking.

"I've discovered a bit more about the Akatsuki. You already know that it's made up of nine S-ranked missing ninja. These ninja work in pairs of two. Itachi and Kisame are one pair. There was another pair that Naruto and I ran into. Kakuzu of Takigakure and Hidan of Yugakure. Both of them were definitely stronger than your average jonin. I'm not even sure if you would be able to defeat one of them on your own."

"That's pretty high praise coming from you," Kakashi said as their dango arrived. "Are they really that strong?"

"Strong isn't accurate to describe them." Jiraiya picked up a stick of dango and took one of the dango spheres into his mouth. He chewed thoughtfully. "If there was a lower and upper level, then these two would be on the lower rung of the tier. Even then, they managed to fight Naruto and myself to a standstill. They were weak compared to Itachi and Kisame, but they can't be underestimated."

"So it would seem," Kakashi mumbled as he grabbed a stick of dango for himself. "It looks like we're going to have trouble on our hands."

"Yeah," Jiraiya said. "Fortunately, I've informed our allies about Akatsuki's existence. It might not put a stop to their movements, but I hope we can at least limit their activities."

XoX

Naruto's apartment building looked the same as he remembered, a slightly rundown complex with worn and faded walls that possessed an off-white color and numerous cracks. The roof was red and thatched around the edge, but it was flat in the center, which people could use to stand on. Not that anyone would. Naruto was one of the only people living there.

As he walked up the slightly rickety stairs to his apartment, Naruto reached his door, then paused. The door wasn't ajar, but it was unlocked. He hadn't been there in several years. However, he was positive that the door had been locked. Naruto always made sure to lock the door because a lot of people used to break in when he was younger. He even set traps inside.

Someone's inside.

Outside of the door being unlocked, Naruto detected a presence inside, though his ability to sense people's presence wasn't good enough that he could tell who it was.

Remaining cautious, Naruto opened the door and walked inside. His feet thumped against wooden tiles. He looked around at his one-bedroom apartment. The table sat in the center of the kitchen/living room. A strong but pleasant scent wafted through the room, and standing by the stove top, Temari was cooking something—not ramen. He frowned.

It would have been nice if she had been cooking ramen…

"Temari," Naruto greeted as he closed the door behind him, "what's with the outfit?"

When they had first met back at the Hokage's office, Temari had been wearing a black, short-sleeved kimono that went down to her calves. Now she was wearing an apron. Nothing else. Just the apron.

Naruto stared at the unfettered glimpse of Temari's backside. Her ass was one of the tightest he'd ever seen. Every time she moved, it clenched and shook, showing off the muscles honed from over a decade of ninja training. She was standing at a slight profile, so he also had a perfect view of her side boob. There was a nipple poking out from her apron.

"Do you disapprove?" asked Temari.

"No…" Naruto shook his head slowly. "I'm just wondering where you picked up an apron. I don't remember owning one, much less one with so much lace."

"I just bought it at a store."

"Ah."

"Sit down, Naruto. Dinner will be ready in just a bit."

Naruto sat down, his eyes never leaving Temari. Seeing her like this made him remember their first time together. It had been during the incident where they were both trying to bust up a slave trading ring. They had noticed each other from a distance and engaged in a long range battle, not knowing who the other person was, but assuming they were an enemy ninja hired to thwart them. After nearly an hour of battle, Temari had run out of chakra and Naruto went in for the kill—only to discover that he had been fighting Temari.

After that, he and Temari had recovered and proceeded to destroy the slave traders together. They'd had sex that night. He still remembered exactly how everything had happened as if it was yesterday.

XoX

It was over. Destroying the slave trading ring was a lot easier than he thought it would, but they didn't have any ninja or ronin-wandering samurai-guarding them, so he guessed it only made sense. Also, Naruto had a partner to help him.

A large party was being held by the woman who'd been taken into captivity. Bonfires burned brightly in the clearing they had chosen, and drinks-the drinks they'd stolen from the slave traders-were being passed around. It was midnight. That meant it was too late for such a large group to travel, which was why the women had decided to hold this party.

Naruto sat on a log nursing his sake, watching as the women danced and drank their fill. They seemed awfully exuberant for a group that had been taken from their homes. It just went to show him the strength they possessed. Not everyone could shrug off being held captive like they had.

"Not gonna join the party?" asked Temari as she sat down beside him.

Shaking his head, Naruto said, "I think it would make them uncomfortable if I joined."

"I think it would make them feel more grateful," Temari shot back.

Chuckling, Naruto said, "you haven't changed a bit, have you? You're just as confident as I remember."

"Of course!" Temari said with a grin. "Us Suna kunoichi are nothing if not confident in ourselves."

"Strong, beautiful, and confident," Naruto murmured. "You sound like the perfect woman."

Temari perked up. "Do you like strong women?"

"Who doesn't?" asked Naruto with a shrug. "Strong women are sexy."

"Then… you think I'm sexy?"

Naruto paused when he heard the inflection in Temari's voice. It was impossible to miss those seductive overtones, the one that made his spine tingle.

He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. She really had changed quite a bit. Her body had become more womanly, her breasts filled out her black kimono, her legs were even longer and more well-defined. Naruto was sure that if she pulled her kimono off, he would see that she had abs.

"I always thought you were very pretty," Naruto admitted with a grin. "However, I'd say you've definitely become a lot sexier since I last saw you."

Smiling, Temari stood up, grabbed his hand, and pulled him to his feet.

"Come on," she said. "Let's join the festivities."

Naruto let Temari drag him over to one of the bonfires, where he became surrounded by several different women, including Temari.

The next morning, he and Temari would wake up surrounded by a bunch of girls.

He would still be buried hilt deep inside of her.

XoX

"Here you go," Temari said as she set the plate of kebabs on the table. "It was hard to prepare these since you don't have a grill. I hope you appreciate the trouble I went through to make all this."

"A beautiful kunoichi is making me a meal," Naruto said, grinning. "How could I not appreciate it?"

"Good answer." Temari smiled.

Naruto grabbed the first kebob as Temari sat down, slowly pulling off a piece of meat and sticking it into his mouth. A burst of juicy flavor hit his tastebuds. It had a strong seasoning that didn't quite overpower the meat.

This is definitely Temari's cooking.

"You were thinking something really rude just now, weren't you?" Temari accused.

Naruto shook his head in denial. "I was thinking that this was definitely your cooking. It has your unique signature."

"And what is my signature?"

"Lots of spice."

"Are you saying I'm hot?"

"Yes."

In one smooth, fluid motion, Temari had stood up, placed her bare foot on the chair between his legs, pushed him away from the table, and then swung her thigh around until she was straddling him. She took the still mostly unfinished kebob from his hands before grabbing one of the vegetables on it and pulling it off. She put it in her mouth. Leaning forward, she offered the food in her mouth to Naruto, who gladly took a bite, swallowed, took another bite, swallowed, and then claimed her lips in a kiss.

Temari pulled back.

"Ah, ah, ah." She chided, wagging the kebob in her hand back and forth. "Not until you finish everything I made for you."

Naruto would have scarfed the food down right then and there, but he knew Temari better than that. He waited until she held the kebob out to him. He ate it quickly. Temari blinked as she realized the kebob was gone. Then she discarded the bare stick and grabbed another.

"Are you that hungry?"

"I'm that hungry for you."

His words made Temari send him a heated look. "You're getting a lot better with those lines of yours."

"Perhaps I practice in front of a mirror."

"I could see you doing that. Now. Eat."

Naruto did eat; he consumed everything that Temari offered. There had been five kebobs in total, and he devoured each of them as Temari fed him. While feeding him, Temari had been slowly grinding her crotch against his leg. She wasn't wearing panties, so he'd been more than capable of feeling her lips as they left a trail against his pant leg. The wetness from her lips was staining them.

"Naruto, I want you to kiss me."

"Such a demanding woman you are."

"Does that mean you won't?"

"I never said that."

Naruto placed a hand on the back of Temari's neck and pulled her into a searing kiss. She could probably taste the food she had made on his tongue, but she didn't seem to care; she kissed back. Naruto reached out with his hand and undid the braids in her hair, allowing the long strands to come undone. No one could've guessed that Temari's hair was over half a meter in length. That done, he threaded one hand through her hair, fingers caressing her scalp, while the other landed on her backside and stayed there.

Temari's tongue was much smaller than his, and as it probed his mouth, he closed his lips around it and sucked. He enjoyed both the feel of her tongue in his mouth and the moans that she produced. Her ass felt amazing in his hand. As they continued to sloppily kiss, he squeezed the flesh of her bare bottom, revelling in the sensual combination of hard muscles and soft flesh. Naruto enjoyed the way it clenched as he massaged it.

However, all too soon, simple touches and caresses wasn't enough.

A squeak emitted from Temari's mouth as Naruto stood up, taking her with him. He didn't break their kiss as he swept the plate and everything else off the table, set her down, and switched from kissing her mouth to sucking on her neck. Her mouth no longer hampered by his, Temari opened hers in a loud moan that rang to the ceiling.

Naruto reached down and quickly undid his pants. Temari helped him undo the top two buttons before he slid them down, and then she slid off the table, turned around, bent over, and placed both hands on the surface to keep herself supported. Her lips were dripping wet. Trails of nectar ran down her inner thighs.

She turned her head to look at him out of the corner of her eye. "What are you waiting for? Don't you recognize an invitation when you see one?"

"You never let up with the insults, do you?"

"Of course not. It's not in my nature."

Naruto grabbed Temari's hips and lined himself up with her, pausing for only a second. "Believe me, I know," he said before plunging himself into her. Temari gasped as he filled her up, and Naruto let out a low groan as he pushed himself until he was resting against her hips. The sight of their connection, of his crotch bumping against her ass, made him growl with desire.

"Pound me, Naruto! I want it fast and hard!"

"With pleasure."

Naruto pulled out until just his head was still inside, and then he thrust himself back inside. Temari screamed as her back arched. Naruto pulled out again, and then thrust back inside again. Pull out. Thrust in. He repeated this, picking up speed with each consecutive thrust. Temari's insides were hot and wet, and her walls clamped around him as he set a hard pace.

Her apron had come loose as he pounded into her. Naruto undid the bow and pulled the apron off, allowing Temari's modest breasts to become visible as they bounced back and forth. He could only see the occasional glimpse of them, but he leaned over until his chest was against her back, and then he reached up and cupped her breasts with each hand.

"Oh, fucking hell, Naruto! Not my breasts! You know those are—fuck!—sensitive!"

"You can't expect me not to grab them when they're swinging in front of me like this," Naruto growled in her ear as he pinched her nipples. "Your tits are irresistible."

"They are pretty sexy, righ—fuck!" Temari was cut off at the end of her sentence when Naruto suddenly half-thrust into her, pulled back, and then thrust all the way. "Damn it, Naruto! Let me finish my—ahn!"

"Not happening."

Temari was bent all the way over, her face on the table, standing on her tiptoes. Her calves were quivering and her ass jiggled as he slapped against it with his continuous thrusts in and out. Love juices dripped down her legs, creating glistening trails that mixed with the sweat forming on her skin.

No longer satisfied with just pumping into her from behind, Naruto pulled her up and fell backwards into his chair. He took his hands from her breasts, but only so he could grab hold of her thighs and spread them lewdly. It was probably a good thing no one else was with them. After resting her legs on either side of his thighs, Naruto leaned his head over her shoulder and began thrusting his hips upwards!

"OHH!"

Temari was unable to speak thanks to his actions. She just screamed as Naruto thrust his hips up into her from below. From this angle, he had the perfect glimpse of Temari's boobs as they bounced up and down. Her chest was covered in sweat, and her pink nipples had hardened into points. He would have loved to suck them into his mouth, twirl them around with his tongue, bite them, but he decided that could wait until later. Right now he wanted to make her scream.

"Oh, fuck! Fuck, fuck, fuck! Naruto! Your pounding into my womb! Your thick dick is knocking on the entrance of my womb!"

"Do you want me to stop?"

"Are you stupid! Go harder!"

"I was planning to do just that."

Her insides were squeezing him like a vice as she clenched her muscles. Naruto knew it was a kunoichi technique. She was using her chakra to make them close around him. All kunoichi were taught seduction techniques for missions or in the event they were kidnapped and needed to seduce someone to escape.

To Naruto, it was like a combination of heaven and hell.

Naruto reached up with his right hand, grabbing onto one of her nipples as her breast bounced up and down. Once he had it, he tugged. Temari screamed. Her inner walls, already wrapped around him, tightened, while streams of lubricant gushed from her entrance, coating him in a slick wetness and dripping onto the chair.

"Fuck! Fuck, Naruto! I'm—I'm CUMMING!"

Naruto gritted his teeth as Temari came hard. Her walls clamped around him, her thighs quivered, her breasts bounced and jiggled as her back arched against him. Adding one final push to take her even further, Naruto reached down and rubbed her clit. Temari's shout became incoherent as she spasmed against him for several seconds. She twitched once, twice, thrice, and then went limp against him, her back and shoulders slumping.

Feeling himself lose all of his will, Naruto groaned against Temari's back as he came. Temari stiffened, but she didn't scream, and moment's later, she went slack again. Kissing her back and neck, Naruto reached up and roughly fondled her breasts. His partner let out an appreciative moan.

"N-Naruto…"

"Hmm?"

"Let's take this to the bed."

Naruto paused. "That's a good idea."

Lifting Temari into his arms, Naruto stood up and headed for the bedroom.

For the next several hours, their moans, squeals, groans, and curses echoed across the apartment complex. It was probably a good thing that no one lived there besides him.

XoX

The desert was a horrible place to live. It was hot, dry, stretched out for miles with nothing else around, and was just generally unpleasant. It made his clothes stick to his skin, made sweat pour out from beneath his straw hat. Honestly, how Sasori could stand to be in that puppet of his was beyond him.

Deidara supposed he should have just been glad that it was night time.

"How far is it to Sunagakure, Sasori-dana?"

"It'll be several days walk from here."

"Several days? Che, we would have been better off flying there on one of my creations."

"I dislike being on top of anything that could explode."

"I have perfect control over my creations, I'll have you know. Besides, even if it did explode, that would simply make you a part of my art."

"You have no concept of what true art is."

"I think the one who has no idea about what true art is, is you."

As Deidara bickered with Sasori, the two made their way ever closer to Sunagakure and its jinchurikki.

XoX

Naruto lost track of time as he and Temari had sex. The warmth of her naked body as she ground against him was like falling between heaven and hell. Her soft hands as she touched him, the wetness engulfing him as she rode him to several more orgasms, the feel of her breasts, hard nipples poking against his skin, and the way her sweat-slicked body felt as it glided along him, it was a euphoric feeling, like floating through the sky while simultaneously dropping toward the earth.

Her moans were the notes that spurred him on, pushing him to keep going, feeding his desire to feel more of her for as long as their bodies held out. Every lyrical note she released made him hard all over again.

It had been a long time since he'd felt the touch of a woman. The last person he'd slept with had actually been Temari herself, and that had been six months ago. He probably could have found other women to sleep with, but even if Naruto didn't intend on entering a true relationship with anyone, that didn't mean he wanted to sleep with someone he had no feelings for.

After they had finished, Naruto and Temari laid side by side on the bed, their breathing heavy, rasping. It echoed all around them. Despite having impressive stamina himself, Naruto felt like he'd been running for months without rest. He guessed that was the price he paid for several hours of non-stop sex.

The covers had long since become a mess. Sighing, Naruto reached down, grabbed the covers that had become tangled around their feet, and pulled it over them. The moment he did, Temari turned and snuggled against his side, rubbing her body into him.

"That was nice," she murmured, her haggard voice making her exhaustion more than evident.

"It was," he agreed, and then paused. "Temari? Are you sure this is okay?"

There was no response for a minute. Temari had to know what he was talking about. She was a smart woman.

Naruto was a half-demon—a term that he used loosely to describe his immortality. Since Akane technically was not a demon, he was not really a half-demon. Still, half-demon was the most appropriate term that Naruto could think of to describe himself. He wouldn't age. He wouldn't die. One hundred years from now, maybe even as few as forty, Temari would be gone from this world, but Naruto would still be there, living proof of a time that no longer existed.

Because of his immortality, it was hard to have a normal relationship with anyone, which was one of the reasons he'd done his best to maintain his distance from others. He wanted to avoid becoming attached to them. He didn't want to fall in love, only to watch as that love was ripped from his arms by the cruel hands of time.

"Yes, this is fine," she said at last, kissing his shoulder. "I'm fine with things as they are."

"Yeah… but…"

"I said it's fine, Naruto." Slapping his chest, Temari decided to add injury to insult and bite his shoulder hard enough to leave a mark. When she settled back down, she continued. "I'm not really interested in having a normal relationship. Getting married. Starting a family. These things hold no appeal for me."

As ninja, they walked with death. It was their constant companion. Every mission was one where the threat of death loomed, and those who survived were considered lucky. That was why a lot of shinobi didn't get married unless they lived to the age where they were often forced into retirement. Of course, even in this time of peace, most ninja didn't live long enough to reach forty, so retiring was often a moot point.

Perhaps that explained, at least to some degree, why she didn't mind sleeping with Naruto despite knowing they would never have anything more than this. He didn't know if that excused their relationship. It probably didn't. However, it was the only reason he could come up with for why Temari, or anyone really, wouldn't take issue with his sexual proclivities.

"I just wanted to make sure," Naruto said, looking at the ceiling. Was that a new crack? "I feel sort of like I'm taking away the possibility for you to have a normal relationship."

"And you feel guilty."

It wasn't a question.

"Sometimes."

Naruto answered anyway.

"Well, you can stop feeling guilty. I didn't start doing this with you so you could wallow in self-loathing." Temari sighed and pulled herself closer, until her warm body was all he could feel on his left side. "Now get some sleep. I'm tired and don't want to talk about something so pointless anymore."

"Right."

Closing his eyes, Naruto lost himself to the warm embrace of Temari's arms and legs as they wrapped around him.

It's been awhile since I've written for this series, but here we are! Naruto has come back home and is going to take the Jonin Exams. I'm sure you'll notice that outside of the Jonin Exams, a lot of this chapter is very canon. The first few chapters for this fanfic are going to follow the Naruto Shippuden canon very closely, meaning that the Gaara Retrieval arc isn't going to diverge from the canon story much. It won't be until this arc is done that the series will become more original.