Homecoming

Note: This story was written in 2003, so there are no manga spoilers and it disregards anything that happened after Sasuke left konoha.

*this is a rewritten version. still, I'm not an english speaker and the first parts aren't beta'ed, sorry >__<

most importantly: the characters (except the original ones) do no belong to me! they're copyrighted to Kishimoto-sensei and whomever else owns the copyrights, i just write them for fun ^__^

This story is complete. However, I will take my time posting the chapters as I see fit.

PROLOGUE

The fifth Hokage smiled at the young man that stood in the shadows, keeping his distance. "It's been a while," she said softly and motioned for him to step forward.

The man did as was told and stepped into the light. The godaime gasped. The man in front of her was quite handsome. He was tall and slender and the Konoha headband keeping his blond mane in order. He radiated power and manliness that was so different from the young teenager he once was. But the gleam in his ocean blue eyes and the broad, cocky smile left no room for mistakes.

"Uzumaki Naruto." She reached out her hand. "Welcome home."

"It's good to be back, old-hag-Tsunade." Naruto reached his hand to her, but she pulled him into a hug.

"You look like a real man now!"

Naruto struggled to be released from the hug and smiled shyly, rubbing the back of his head. "You still look 20. Is it legal for me to hug you?" he joked.

"Smartass…" she huffed and sat down, patting on the empty chair next to her, gesturing for Naruto to sit. "When I gave you that first mission, I thought it was only for three years, but then you demanded another one, and another… it's been what? Ten years since you've left?"

"Eight years, eleven months and 26 days, but who's counting?" Naruto beamed, narrowing his eyes into slits.

"And are you planning on sticking around?" Tsunade asked him.

"Well…" Naruto rubbed the back of his neck. "Ichiraku have the best miso ramen."

"Oh, but they're closed," she said thoughtfully.

"What?!" Naruto cried out. "No way!"

"You weren't here, so they didn't have many buyers anymore…"

Naruto stood up, looking horrified. "You've gotta be kidding me!"

"I am. I'm kidding."

He glared at her, but his frown quickly turned into a bright smile again. He pointed at her. "We're going there tomorrow. Your treat!"

The Godaime smiled. "Fair enough."

Naruto sat down again and fumbled his fingers in silence. Tsunade touched his arm gently. "I know things haven't been easy for you… since your fiancée was killed…"

Naruto pulled away his hand and looked away, still silent.

"But it's time to let go. You're almost thirty now. I think you've returned because you realized there's no point hiding away in long-term missions anymore."

Naruto bit his bottom lip, contemplating the woman's words.

"It was my fault she died," he said quietly. "I should have… I should have protected her better…" His blue eyes shimmered with tears. "Hinata wasn't like me. She was pure."

Tsunade patted his shoulder affectionately and handed him a glass of water.

"Listen, I know it's kind of sudden, and you've just returned from a long journey, but I have a new mission for you."

Naruto raised his head in surprise and wiped the unshed tears. "What kind of mission?"

"There are 10 teams graduating tomorrow from the academy. I want you to train a team."

"Me?" Naruto looked at her in surprised. "I'm not qualified to train Genins."

"It's a special case," Tsunade said softly. "There's a boy graduating. He's a little trouble maker, he gets attention through pranks." She raised her eyes to look at Naruto's reaction. As she expected, the blond suddenly seemed to be more interested in what she had to say. "He's about 8 years old. A genius, but he doesn't show his potential. His marks are the lowest in class, and he's always alone without any friends. He hardly passed the exam, but he managed to pull it off eventually, after insisting on three tries."

"I'll take it, I'll take his team," Naruto said quickly and took a sip from the water.

"You will?" Tsunade asked in relief.

"Yes. It would be different from the missions I've been doing so far, but maybe a change is for the best," he said. "So, what's the little brat's name?"

"Kenji. Uchiha Kenji," Tsunade said.

The glass slipped from Naruto's hand and shattered to pieces on the floor.

"Is everything all right?" she asked.

He looked at her, looking as if he'd seen a ghost. "Uchiha?"

"Yes, he's Sasuke's son." The hokage confirmed.

"Forget it," Naruto hissed. "Choose someone else."

"You're the best Jounin for this job. This kid needs you." Tsunade insisted.

"I don't believe Sasuke's son is a loser like you make it sound. There's no way."

"I wouldn't call him a loser… he just needs special attention. No one knows how to handle him. He's quite a handful."

Naruto curved his mouth. "What about Kakashi-sensei? He trained me."

"He's not teaching anymore. Besides, he's away on a mission."

"You sound desperate. Can't be that the kid's so horrible." Naruto rubbed his chin. "Sasuke's genius genes weren't dominant? Too bad I can't mock him about it…" he looked at the woman. "Wait, you really think Sasuke would even let me train his son?"

"Well, even Sasuke gave up on him," Tsunade sighed. "Besides, he's hardly around. He's an ANBU captain after all."

"Of course… suits him to be a cold-blooded assassin," Naruto muttered coldly.

"Please, Naruto, will you do it?"

Naruto sighed and crossed his arms. "You will have to treat me to more than just one miso ramen."

The hokage smiled in relief. "Thank you."