• WARNING WARNING WARNING = SWEARING!!!!!

    Naruto's body shifted, and he groaned.

    7:11

    "What time is it...?" Naruto growled, staring at the clock. As soon as he saw it, he stood up quickly and punched it. "Dammit you stupid alarm clock!! I'm gonna kill you!!" So he pummeled the clock to the ground. The pink haired girl groaned and slowly sat up, cross-legged. She stared at him while he attacked the poor helpless clock. He growled and flung it out the (Thankfully open) window, and they heard the sound of a cat screeching. Naruto blinked twice. "That's so not my fault." Sakura laughed, and Naruto stared at her, not knowing she was awake until now.

    "Jeez, Naruto, you're such a morning person." She said, more awake. She stood up and stretched, and Naruto grumbled to make some breakfast. Which was, of course, ramen.

    "But Sakura-chan, we lost 10 minutes! We need to get there at 7:30 sharp or Tsunade-sama will kill us!" Naruto said hastily. Sakura just laughed again and plucked out some bowls from the dishwasher.

    "Correction, Naruto," Sakura said with a smile as Naruto poured the ramen into her bowl. "She'll kill you and lecture me." Naruto just frowned and sat down.

    "Itadakimasu(1)." They said in unison and ate. When they were done, Sakura took his dish and hers and went to wash them.

    "5 years..." Sakura said sadly. "It's been so long since he's left..." It has been 5 years. Sakura has given up on him and hated him instead. She's become a jounin now, and Naruto is on his way to becoming an ANBU already. Tsunade has made Naruto the next in line for Hokage, and Sakura was going to be his assistant. Hinata had confessed when they were 16, and Naruto had taken her out almost everyday. Sakura moved in later, when they were 17. Her house was going to be taken down for more room for a building. Naruto let her stay with him, and Sakura trusted him not to do anything perverted.

    Back to reality...Naruto growled.

    "That b*****d. I'm gonna drag his a** all the way down here if I have to." He said and went to shower. Sakura just chuckled sadly and sighed. It was 7:20 now, and Sakura ushered Naruto to 'hurry the ******** up.' They were on a mission today. Neither Sakura nor Naruto had gotten a mission for a while, so even though all they have to do is escort someone to Suna, they were still excited.

    "I'm done!" Naruto said and came out. He changed inside the bathroom, so Naruto wouldn't be killed for walking around in a towel. According to Sakura, it's 'disgusting and unmanly.' Sakura nodded at Naruto as a sign of thanks, grabbed her clothes, and walked in.

    It was 7:27 when they arrived at the Hokage's tower, and they knocked on the door. The sound of glass breaking along with a hiccup was heard. Sakura raised an eyebrow.

    "Come(insert hiccup here)in." Tsunade's voice called. Sakura sighed and pushed open the doors, knowing that her tutor is drunk. Naruto followed closely behind Sakura. They stared at all of the empty and full sake bottles scattered over the floor, as well as paper here and there.

    "Tsunade-sama! Why are you drunk this time!?" Sakura scolded, picking up the paper. She motioned to Naruto to do the same. Tsunade just hiccuped and took a swig of her sake. Sakura sighed and snatched the bottle from her hands. Tsunade, however, shrugged and pulled out another one.

    "Tsunade-baa(2)-chan! You should tell us why you're drinking!" Naruto shouted. Tsunade choose to ignore the baa-chan part and sighed.

    "All right then..." She said drunkly. "I know this is a touchy subject...but...who left Konoha 3 years ago for Orochimaru(hiccup)?" Sakura and Naruto winced. But...why was Tsunade talking about this? What does Sasuke have to do with Tsunade drinking?

    "What about Sasuke?" Naruto asked. Tsunade hiccuped and laughed.

    "He's back!!" Tsunade shouted. Sakura sighed and Naruto groaned. Tsunade looked puzzled, but then realized that she said that as a joke before. They must've thought she was joking again. Just another excuse for drinking...

    Boy, were they wrong.

    "Great. Now all you need is the 'JUST KIDDING, NOW GO DO YOUR MISSION!!' at the end and we'll be off on our mission." Sakura said dryly. Tsunade paused, then laughed again.

    "Aww...you didn't fall for it..." She slurred, playing along.

    "So, who are you escorting?" Naruto asked with a grin. Tsunade laughed yet again.

    "You're on a vacation...Ino and Kiba will take your place..." She replied.

    1...

    2..

    3...

    "WE'RE ON A WHAT!?" The two ninja boomed. Tsunade giggled like a schoolgirl.

    "I HAVE TO BE REPLACED BY KIBA!?"

    "I HAVE TO BE REPLACED BY INO-PIG?!"

    "CALM DOWN." Tsunade said. Although she didn't shout, both ninjas fell silent. Looks like Tsunade got her sane back. For now, anyways. "I want you to go to to the village gates. There's someone there I want you to meet." And at this, Sakura and Naruto glanced at each other. Who would be important enough to make Tsunade drink and cancel their mission?

    "Who is it?" Sakura asked. Tsunade grinned.

    "Someone you know. Now leave already!" And with that, Sakura and Naruto ran out of the Hokage's tower. They sighed.

    "I wonder who it is..." Naruto said. Sakura shrugged and they made their way to the Konoha Gates. And unfortunently for them, the gates were on the other side of Konoha.

    JOY.

    (Z)(O)(M)(G)()()()(Z)(O)(M)(G)()()(Z)(O)(M)(G)

    When they reached the gates, no one was there but the guards, who greeted them tiredly. The job of a guard was no fun if nothing was going to happen.

    "So wait, there's no one here?" Sakura asked the guards, who shook their heads. Sakura and Naruto sighed, and had no choice but to wait. Seconds, minutes, and hours passed. And no one showed up.

    Then they finally figured out that it was Kakashi they were waiting for. It made sense, since today he was supposed to come back after his mission(3).

    "It wouldn't kill him to be on time for once..." Naruto muttered, making Sakura giggle.

    "I'm not late, you're just early." Rang out the voice of the famous copy-ninja. Naruto turned around to come face to face with him.

    "Kakashi-sensei(4)!!" Naruto said and glomped Kakashi, who growled. The guards' faces were red from keeping in their laughter.

    "Naruto. Off, doggie." Kakashi ordered. Naruto growled and sat up.

    "NOT A DOG." He said, growling again. Sakura just laughed.

    "So, Kakashi-sensei, where are we going? Are you the reason Tsunade-sama was drinking?" Sakura asked. Kakashi smiled(Or what seemed to be a smile. With his mask on, it was hard to tell) and shook his head. Naruto and Sakura looked puzzled.

    "Then, why was baa-chan drinking?" Naruto asked. Kakashi just walked away and gestured them to follow.

    "So wait, was it you who Tsunade-sama wanted us to meet? Or are you leading us to this person?" Sakura asked. Kakashi sighed.

    "To answer both of your questions, let me explain what happened," Kakashi said, slowing down. "When Kurenai and Asuma where returning from their mission, the smelt blood, and followed it to a bloody and battered body. So they brought him here for medical care and he's the reason why Tsunade was drinking." He explained. Sakura's eyes widened.

    'Could it be...?'

    "So wait, what does he have to do with us?" Naruto asked, being the idiot once again.

    "Yes, I agree. Who is this guy?" Sakura said, nodding. Kakashi stopped in front of the Konoha jail, and talked to the guards there. They let him through and they walked inside, passing several cells and hallways.

    "One day, when you two were still 12, who left us? Who fought you, Naruto, at the Valley of the End?" Then they realized it, and suddenly Naruto was ecstatic.

    "It's him!? He's back!? WOOHOO!!" Kakashi winced at his loud volume and Sakura stopped walking. Kakashi sighed and Naruto continued to do his 'happy dance'.

    "Sakura," Kakashi said quietly, in a serious tone. He took note of her clenched fists and her tense form. "I know you're angry at him. But hold back your anger. If you're calm in front of him, I'll convince Hokage-sama to let you interrogate him." Sakura's head snapped up and stared at Kakashi. She glared at him for a considerate amount of time, before sighing. She gave him a smile and continued to walk.

    "Alrightie then! Let's go meet this punk!" She said, almost completely covering her anger. Kakashi smiled and followed, with Naruto jumping behind. Sakura slowed down until she was beside Kakashi, and whispered.

    "Can't I at least slap him or punch him?" She asked. Kakashi looked doubtfully at her.

    "I guess it's fine, as long as you heal him after." He said with a shrug. Sakura grinned. Naruto jumped in front of them.

    "Come on! Pick up the pace already!" Naruto shouted. Kakashi sighed.

    "Well, Naruto's got the right idea." Sakura said, laughing. Kakashi lead the way, and in a few minutes they were in front of a thick lead door with seals on it. Kakashi ripped off the seals carefully, and walked inside. The room wasn't full of much. Just a table in the center, a door leading to the washroom, and a bed with a boy staring at them all. He was covered in bandages, almost none of his skin showed. He even had some bandages on his face, like the patch covering his left eye.

    The reactions were immediate: Naruto jumped inside and was in front of him, asking several questions. In fact, Sasuke couldn't understand them all because they were thrown at him so rapidly. Sakura clenched her fist and tried to stay calm, hoping that she wouldn't destroy his cell. And Kakashi simply sighed and pulled out his book, after reminding Sakura about the damage she was allowed to cause.

    "Why'd you leave? Where have you been? Did you have a fan club at Orochi-perv's place?" Naruto semi-shouted, continuing to throw questions at Sasuke, who just blinked and stared at him. Sasuke glared at Kakashi, who payed no attention.

    "I thought I told Tsuna-whatever her name is(5) that I didn't want to see you three." He said coldly. He glared at Naruto, who finally shut up. Then he glared at Kakashi, who continued to read his precious Icha Icha book, and then he stared at Sakura, who was busy trying to calm herself down. "What, are you still obsessed with me?" He asked, disgusted.

    Wrong move.

    She took a deep breath and stared, wide eyed. It was him. He was here. He was back.

    "Welcome back, Sasuke."

    But she still didn't love him. So in three quick steps, she walked in front of him. He stared at her blankly, and she was smiling. But then, her smile quickly faded, and she slapped him so hard he couldn't dodge.

    They stayed in that position for a while, Sakura's arm still up in the air and Sasuke's face turned to the left, with a red mark slowly showing of his cheek. He glared at her, not moving his head. Then she finally put down her arm and glared at her.

    "Yes, Sasuke, I'm obsessed with you," She scoffed. "Yeah right, you son of a b***h. I still love you after you took my 12 year old heart and ripped it to pieces. I'm so proud of myself right now, because I've managed not to tear this part up in sheer frustration. Plus I haven't vomited yet. And so, dear Sasuke-kun," She spat, smiling. "I think you're annoying." And with that, she walked back beside Kakashi, knowing that if she tried to leave, she'd end up lost. Sasuke just continued to glare at her, and was cursing the fact that his hands and feet were in chains. She stuck out her tongue childishly.

    "Sakura, good job." Kakashi said, happy that Sakura actually listened.

    "Oi, Sakura-chan, was that really a smart thing to d..." Naruto paused and shivered at the glare Sakura was giving him. "Er...Good job, Sakura-chan! Ehehehe..."

    "Go die, all of you." Sasuke said coldly. Sakura rolled her eyes.

    "I really wish I could. Being dead is better then seeing your fugly face." Sakura responded with a smile. Her face read 'You can kiss my a**, I still hate you.'

    "Sakura, Sasuke, you should stop fighting. And at any rate, it's still only 8:03, so we have plenty of time before we have to leave." Kakashi said, as he turned the page of his book. Sakura nodded.

    "Of course, Kakashi-sensei! I'll listen to you." Sakura said with a grin.

    "Oh, Naruto and Sakura, I should also tell you one more thing..." Kakashi added, putting his book away. Naruto walked towards Sakura and Kakashi, and Sasuke rolled his eyes. He already knew what he was going to say.

    "What is it Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked, grinning.

    "Well...you're on another mission!" He replied, and Naruto was ecstatic again. Sakura sighed and stared at Kakashi.

    "That's not all there is to it, am I right, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked. Kakashi nodded.

    "Right...well um...Your partners for this mission, Sakura, is Naruto, I...and Sasuke." He finished.

    "WHAT!?"