Homecoming

Part Two
Graduation

Naruto woke up and sat on the edge of the bed. Living in exile for so long had changed his routine to a great extent. The places he'd been to, the villages he had lived in, were nothing like the peaceful Leaf. Sleeping a peaceful mandatory seven hours sleep could prove to be fatal in some places.

Naruto looked around the small, scarcely furnished apartment before getting up and trudging to the bathroom. There was no time to waste musing in bed. He needed to get things moving.

As if on cue, the moment he finished the bathroom session his stomach gave out an audible growl.

"I wonder if there's any cup ramen left in my bag…" he thought aloud and walked to his rucksack that was tossed on the floor.

"Just as I thought…" he lowered his head in disappointment. "Guess there's no other choice."

***

"Ojisan, how come it's so quiet at this hour?" Naruto asked the cook at Ichiraku.

"Ah, must be because the kids are graduating today!" the man replied and handed Naruto his bowl of ramen. "They're all gathering at the academy."

"Oh, is that so?" Naruto smiled lightly and picked up his dish. He remembered the day all the children in his class graduated. He sat by himself on the swing and watched all the parents congratulating their kids, completely oblivious to the boy that failed again.

Naruto shook his head from the discouraging thoughts and sat down to eat his ramen in silence.

'Naruto-kun!' He could almost hear Sakura-chan's voice. She always knew when he sat down alone at Ichiraku. She'd sit with him and they'd talk about their latest mission, or the nasty picture they caught a glimpse of in Kakashi-sensei's book. Then the chat would usually shift somehow to Sasuke. It amazed Naruto that despite getting the cold shoulder time and again from their dark-haired teammate, her love for the guy never wavered. All the other girls have given up on him and found new love interest. Not to mention that the Uchiha idol lost his shine when he left the village and switched sides, denounced as insane by many.

'Naruto-kun' she usually called him that when she wanted something from him. Especially if it was something related to Sasuke. 'Do you think Sasuke-kun will ever like me?'

And Naruto would usually slurp loudly on his soup, trying to pretend he hadn't heard her, or changing the subject efficiently.

How could he tell her that there was no chance, and that the boy of her dreams was spending the nights dreaming in someone else's bed. Someone who was a guy. Someone who was slurping loudly from his ramen in front of her.

He could never hurt her.

And now she was dead.

Gone.

And he would never see her again.

'You have such a lovely forehead. Makes me want to kiss it.'

'It was never a lie, Sakura-chan'.

Naruto sighed and looked down at the empty bowl in front of him. He got up and mumbled a goodbye to the old shopkeeper, before teleporting himself away.

***

Naruto stood on the tree, hidden from the people's eyes. He looked on as the mass of parents who gathered at the entrance of the academy to proudly welcome the treasured new Genins to the shinobi world that waited for the youngsters outside.

Naruto's eyes scanned the people quickly from his hidden place on the tree. Searching for familiar faces to observe, his eyes suddenly caught sight of a very familiar face.

Almost.

Naruto's fingers dug into the wood. He watched the young, dark-haired boy that cleared his way between the adults. He was very thin and pale. The Konoha headband kept his black bangs from falling into his eyes. He looked so serious and lonely.

'Is that Kenji?' Naruto focused his eyes on the boy.

'Sasuke… that cold bastard. Didn't even bother showing up for his kids' graduation.' Naruto furrowed his brows as he watched the lonesome child. He felt the hatred for his former rival and lover boiling in his blood.

The other kids poured out, and three boys gathered around the boy. His serious expression changed and he laughed with them, saying something Naruto couldn't hear.

'Must be the other one.'

The boy stopped laughing with his friends and his smile faded when he looked away at something… or someone.

Naruto followed the child's stare and felt his breath caught in his chest. He released an inaudible gasp and teleported himself quickly and stealthily to the next tree for a better look.

The dark man was very dark. He was wearing a black kimono and Naruto could catch glimpse of the familiar Uchiha symbol on the back of it. His looks… were breathtaking.

Where had the hatred gone?

His hair was slightly longer, still pretty much the same as Naruto remembered, maybe less pointy on the back. His beautiful, pale face was grave as he watched the young boy walking over to him.

"What are you doing here?" Naruto heard the boy ask. "I thought you were in a mission."

"Did you think I'd miss your graduation?" Sasuke put his hand on the boy's head and smiled lightly. "Did your brother pass?" he asked after a moment, raising his eyes.

Naruto held his breath and attempted not to move a muscle. He really didn't want to be seen by Sasuke. It was an unpredictable situation, and with the years, Naruto grew tired of unpredictability. And he really didn't want to face Sasuke. Not yet. Not ever, if it were up to him.

"I think so," the boy shrugged. "Maybe on the third try. They actually let him try again."

"And where is he?"

"Hell if I know!" the boy shrugged and started walking away. Sasuke threw one more glance at the group of people, before walking behind the boy.

Naruto was about to release his breath, when Sasuke turned around sharply.

'I better go…' Naruto thought and teleported himself elsewhere.

***

"I guess this place should be all right…" Naruto mumbled and wiped his forehead with the back of his hand.

Sasuke's mature face reflected in his mind. What a man he has grown to be! He was even more handsome than before. His face was now the face of a real man.

A man Naruto had grown to despise.

"Yo!" Naruto was startled when someone swatted his shoulder. He turned around sharply and looked at the young man that stood before him.

Naruto narrowed his eyes. There was something familiar in this man. The long, raven black hair pulled into a ponytail, tucked neatly behind the Konoha headband. The small, sparkling dark eyes.

Naruto's lips spread into a big smile. "Konohamaru??!!"

The man before him laughed cheerfully and put his hand behind his head. "What a surprise to see you here, Naruto-niisan!"

"What a surprise to see you, all grown up!!" Naruto called and gathered Konohamaru into his arms, hugging him tightly.

"Ahhh…" Konohamaru struggled to be released from the bear hug.

"Sorry, sorry… I'm just so excited," Naruto smiled. "I'm so glad to see you!"

Soon, Naruto found himself eating ramen again, sitting in front of Konohamaru. The 25 year old man was so different than the teenager he was when Naruto had last seen him. It was evident in the way he moved and the way he talked.

But he was still excited and anxious to hear Naruto's adventures in the faraway countries. Naruto was glad that one thing hasn't changed. There was an inner part of him that wished for things to be the way they were. Konohamaru fed that need.

"And what about you, I'm sure you had adventures of your own!" Naruto smiled at him.

"I've become a Jounin last year!" Konhamaru said with a cheer. "Soon you and I will battle for the title of the Rokudaime!"

Naruto smirked and leaned in, narrowing his eyes. "You know I'm not going to lose to anyone!"

Konohamaru smirked in return. "We'll see."

"You sound confident." Naruto leaned back and smiled. "I like it."

"I joined the ANBU forces a couple of months ago," Konohamaru revealed. "I'm Sasuke's soldier."

The smile disappeared from Naruto's face. "Ah." He let out a sigh. "How is he, anyway?"

"He's kicking ass. We should be grateful he has no interest in becoming the Hokage… he'd be a tough rival," Konohamru said. "But it's good to be on his team. He saved me, like, six times already."

"That's good to hear… I'm glad to know there's someone watching your back," Naruto said quietly. "Be careful. Okay, Konohamaru?" he squeezed the younger man's arm. "You're the only worthy rival I've got for the Hokage title."

"Don't worry," Konohamaru smiled. "Oh, you've gotta come to our house for dinner sometime!"

Naruto blinked at him. "Our… house?"

"Oh!" Konohamaru smacked his forehead. "Of course. How would you know?" He smiled and leaned in. "Remember, a long time ago, how we got into Akagahara to get the crimson four leaf clover?"

"Oh yeah!" Naruto laughed in embarrassment. "I can't possibly forget something like that. When that girl you liked left… what was her name?"

"Yoshino Kaede," Konohamaru said. "And she returned seven years ago… so we got together."

"Really? That's great!" Naruto smiled.

"Kaede-chan would love to meet you!" Konohamaru said and got up. "But I'm afraid I have to go now. We have another mission and I guess we'll only get back next week. It's really busy being in the ANBU forces!"

Naruto got up as well. "Take care of yourself, Konhamaru, I'll see you when you're back."

Konhamaru smiled at him. "It's really great to have you back, Naruto-niisan." He turned to leave.

"Konohamaru." Naruto stopped him. "Please don't tell Sasuke I'm back."

"Why not? Wasn't he your best friend?"

"I, uh, I want… It's… uh… just don't tell him anything, okay?"

"Okay…" Konohamaru looked at him in suspicion. "You're not planning on leaving again, are you?"

Naruto smiled. "Unlikely."

"Good. So, I'll see you later." With that, Konohamru disappeared in a flash.


*~*~*A week later*~*~*

"Well… it can't be that bad…" Naruto muttered to himself as he walked down the corridor to the classroom where his three students were waiting. "I can do that. I can do anything." He smiled to himself.

He was about to walk into the class when suddenly an old memory flashed into his mind.

'HAHAHA! YOU FELL FOR IT! YOU FELL FOR IT!' he could hear his boyish, smug, high-pitched voice like a ghost from the past.

He raised his eyes and snickered when he saw the blackboard eraser stuck between the door and the frame. Naruto chuckled.

'Almost got me. Too bad I'm a former prankster and know all the tricks.' He thought and opened the door, leaning back and letting it fall to the floor.

The first thing he saw was a disappointed look on the face of the young boy. Kenji, he assumed.

"Heh, I told you it won't work, you idiot." Naruto heard a boy say as he walked into the room.

"Good after-GYAAAAAH!" Naruto's greeting turned into a yelp, as he stepped into a bucket, losing his balance and falling down with a thud.

"Hell yeah!" the first boy called. "My backup plans never fail!"

"What a moron…" Ryoichi sighed and Naruto had a feeling he wasn't talking about his twin brother. He sighed and got up, brushing his clothes and looked at the young prankster. Kenji also had dark hair and eyes, but he had more baby fat on his bones and didn't resemble his lean brother at all. While Ryoichi had a smooth raven hair, Kenji's hair was a mess of spikes, much like Naruto's hair had been.

Naruto shifted his eyes to the brother, who stared at him with a look that reminded him too much of the pre-teen Sasuke. Ryoichi looked a lot more like Sasuke. He was even as striking beautiful as Sasuke was as a kid.

The girl. Naruto looked at her. She didn't look like Shikamaru at all. Except for the eyes and the bored expression. She was wearing her long, blond hair down, and held it back with the Leaf headband, just the way Sakura-chan used to wear it.

"Well," Naruto smiled at his new students. "Let's get going."

***

Naruto sat on top of the fence, eating from a bowl of ramen. He watched the three children who sat on the steps and looked at him intensely, waiting for his word.

"I guess we should get to know each other first," he finally said.

"What do you mean?" Kenji asked. "We already know each other!"

"Yeah, we know you're a moron," Ryoichi muttered.

"Shut up, you asshole!" Kenji shouted at him.

"Oh, Ryo-kun is so cool!" the girl giggled, holding her hands together.

Naruto felt himself starting to sweat. 'I'm going to kill that old hag.'

"I thought you could, like, tell me your names, the things you like, hate… your dreams…" Naruto said, trying to remain cool, even though he freaked at how much they resembled the first team he was ever a part of.

"How tiresome…" the girl sighed.

"Let's start with you." Naruto motioned at Kenji and took a sip from his ramen.

"Alright! My name is Uchiha Kenji. I like…" the boy hesitated. "A lot of things! …And I hate…" He glanced at his brother. "HIM!" He pointed at the other boy. "Actually I hate everyone in this stupid village!" he announced.

"And your dream?" Naruto asked.

The boy clasped his hands. "My dream is to be the strongest ninja in the village and beat HIM up!" he pointed at his brother again.

"How tiresome…" the girl sighed again.

'Very interesting…' Naruto thought. "Okay, now the girl."

"How tiresome…" the blonde girl sighed and brushed a hand through her hair. "Ah well. My name is Nara Hikari. I like shopping, playing go, sleeping and Ryo-kun. I don't like stupid questions, stupid lectures and stupid Kenji."

"Hikari-chan!" Kenji cried out.

"And I haven't figured out my dream yet, I'm only eight. But when I will I will work a way to make it come true."

"Uh, good that you're…planning ahead." Naruto nodded. 'What a scary combination of Shikamaru and Ino this kid is…'

"Last one." Naruto continued, looking at the solemn boy that rested his chin on his hand in a pose that was very typical to his father.

"My name is Uchiha Ryoichi," the boy uttered. "I don't like many things, and I hate a lot of things… especially him." He didn't make any attempt to identify who 'him' was. "And my dream is to be stronger than my father." He concluded and lifted his head. "And maybe kill him." He motioned with his head at his brother's direction. "But maybe his own stupidity will take care of that for me."

'Ugh… how creepy…he really is Sasuke's son… I wonder though who the *real* mother is…' Naruto grimaced with thoughts of human cloning and got up from the fence.

"Wait, what about you?" Kenji asked. "Aren't you gonna tell us anything about yourself?"

"You're right," Naruto smiled at him. "My name is Uzumaki Naruto. And you should feel honored, because I'm going to be the next Hokage!"

"Hmmph," Ryoichi huffed. "Yeah right."

"Hey!" Naruto furrowed his brows. "I'll pretend I didn't hear that!"


*~*~*the next evening*~*~*

Naruto slumped down next to the table with his instant cup ramen. Who would have thought the children would be so exhausting? He assumed it was the same for Kakashi-sensei with him and his team.

It was frightening how history was repeating itself. Almost.

At first there was Kenji and his arrogance. He gave a nice fight. The kid had much more potential than it showed, but he was too impatient and failed to get his jutsu working properly. He went down quickly.

The only time the children were close to anything was when Hikari caught him in her shadow binding technique. Surely Shikamaru had taught her that. He should have known. The only problem was she couldn't get to him by herself, and the boys were too busy thinking how they were going to get the bells, until the girl's chakra started to wane.

So he failed them. Giving them the same lecture Kakashi-sensei had given his team. If history was bound to repeat itself, surely those kids would get a clue.

And they did.

'Team 5, your first mission starts tomorrow.'

Naruto sipped from his cup ramen and wondered if Sasuke would be proud. He imagined Sasuke would have a stroke or at least an aneurysm when he learns Naruto will be the one to train his sons.

'This should be fun…'



----
notes:

Akagahara is also known as shi no mori (forest of death), where the chuunin exam is taking place. This all story with Konohamaru's girl is from the special Naruto episode. (this is also where I got the idea it was possible for Naruto to have long term missions away from the village, since the girl's father packed all his house for the mission..)

Rokudaime = sixth Hokage