Hey guys. I'm relatively new at this. And I'm not the best writer. But bear with it anyway. I've wanted to write this for a while but never had the time. Well anyway here it goes.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or anything related to it. If I did, I would be rich.

"Blah" talking

"Blah" thoughts

"Blah" Kyuubi talking

"Blah" Inner Sakura talking

Naruto Uzumaki, container of the nine tailed demon fox known as Kyuubi, whimsically entered the gates of the ever famous Konohagakure, also known as The Village hidden in the Leaves. Recently, Naruto had left with his lecherous sensei, Jiraiya, on a three year training trip. Throughout that time, Naruto had learned many things. Most notable was his increased height, standing higher than his friends that had before dwarfed him. His voice changed from loud and shrill, to deep and mature. As well as learning new techniques and strategies, his personality had grown as well. While he still kept that cheerful and optimistic personality that he was known for, he had become a lot quieter. Jiraiya beat into him early in the trip the importance of a ninja to know when to be silent and he had adapted to that lesson. He was much more chivalrous now also, being polite and courteous in front of members of the opposite gender. Not only his height and personality, but his looks had changed for the better as well. He no longer wore his hitae-tai on his head but wore it around his neck, letting his wild and unruly hair hang down. His muscles could easily be seen through his black shirt that he wore, choosing to finally hang up his old orange jumpsuit. His deep, blue eyes were still as vibrant as ever.

Naruto stood in the middle of the road, taking in the scene in front of him. To him, Konoha hadn't changed at all, except for Tsunade's face next to the fourth hokage's face on the Hokage monument. He stood there taking in the familiar smell of ramen, the laughing of innocent children as they went about their way playing ninja, the hustle of the people going about their business. It was all so nostalgic and…

Naruto was knocked out of his reverie by a fist knocking him in the back of the head.

"Are you just going to stand there all day or are you coming," Jiraiya said exasperatedly and walking in front of him.

"What did you do that for, Ero-sennin?" Naruto said rubbing the back of his head in an annoyed but calm tone.

Ignoring the question, Jiraiya began to walk forward. Naruto simply followed along, mumbling something about old, loveless perverts under his breath.

As they passed bystanders, Jiraiya noticed that Naruto was receiving a lot of attention from the female population. He watched as every time Naruto passed a woman, her face would grow red and she would began to eye his face and body as other women would swoon at him from a distance. Naruto, being the oblivious idiot that he was, didn't notice this at all and took it as some sort of disease. Jiraiya sighed at his pupil. He would kill for a chance to be in Naruto's shoes.

They entered the Hokage Tower doors and came across Shizune sitting at the front desk. She was currently filing paperwork behind the desk when she noticed the two males who just walked in.

"I wonder who those two are. They both seem familiar, but the young one looks really hot." She thought to herself while staring at aforementioned blonde.

"Can I help you two," She asked politely.

"Hey, Shizune-chan. How have you been?" Naruto asked cheerily.

"Do I know you?" She asked, feeling as if she knew who the boy was but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

"You don't remember me?" He asked disheartened. "I'm going to become Hokage. Believe it! Does that ring any bells?" He said.

It took a moment for it to click (A few moments actually) before she realized who she was talking to, and she quickly latched onto him.

"Naruto, it's been so long. I can't believe it." She said letting go of him slowly.

"It's good to see you to, Shizune-chan," He replied smiling. She almost melted at the sight of his bright, beautiful blue eyes.

"Are you two done flirting or can Naruto and I go see Tsunade," Jiraiya said in an annoyed manner.

Shizune backed way quickly, blushing at what Jiraiya said.

"Ero-sennin, what is flirting?" Naruto asked innocently. Both Shizune and Jiraiya fell down anime-style, surprised at how dense Naruto could be.

"Sometimes I wonder how you get dressed every morning, Naruto." Jiraiya said quietly to himself.

"What did you say, Ero-sennin?" Naruto asked, not hearing what Jiraiya said.

"Nothing. Come on, lets so." Jiraiya said walking toward the stairs that led up to Tsunade's office.

"NARUTO! IT'S SO GOOD TO SEE YOU!!!" Tsunade screamed as she enveloped Naruto in a bone-crushing hug.

"Obaa-chan, you're hurting me. I can't feel my…" Naruto was cut off by the sound of his ribs cracking.

"I think you applied to much pressure Tsunade-sama." Shizune said with a sweat dropping anime style.

After a few quick seals, Naruto was healed of his injuries and back on his feet in no time, properly thanking Shizune for healing him.

"Sorry, Naruto. I got a little carried away there." Tsunade said embarrassedly.

"That's okay, Obaa-chan. I forgive you," He said rubbing the back of his head while he sheepishly grinned.

"Oh, and Naruto," She said warmly.

"Yes," He answered back, looking straight into eyes.

"It's good to have you back but…. DON'T CALL ME OBAA-CHAN!" She punched him square in the face, sending him straight through the wall, leaving a gaping hole and an unconscious Naruto lying under a pile of rubble.

"Did you have to hit him so hard?" Jiraiya asked squinting at the thought of the pain.

"What the heck was that?" a certain pink-haired kunoichi said to no one in particular. She had been peacefully practicing her medical jutsu at the time when she was interrupted by a loud crashing sound followed by a rumble.

"Someone must have upset Tsunade-sama again," She said sighing as she went up the stairs to see if the person wasn't injured too badly. She was about to open the door to Tsunade's office when she saw a blonde, blue-eyed, and in her opinion, highly attractive boy laying against a wall opposite of a hole covered in rubble.

"He must have made Tsunade-sama extremely mad," She thought as she ran up to his limp body to check if he was even still alive.

First, she checked his arms and shoulders to see if they were broken. She noted how his biceps and triceps were extremely well built. Not in the body builder sense where they were to big, but big enough to be noticeable. She lifted up his shirt to verify that his abdominals and rib cage weren't damaged. After a few moments, the realization hit her that she was actually groping his chest, feeling over his well toned abs and his perfect pectorals. She jerked her hands away and mentally scolded herself for thinking about things like that while a person was injured. Shaking it off, she proceeded to fix his clothing and pick him up off of the ground, blushing madly at how good his skin felt against hers.

"Sorry for barging in like this, Tsunade-sama, but I found this person lying on the ground outside your office." Sakura said carrying him into her office and setting him gently onto the ground. After a few seconds, Naruto began to stir.

"What happened?" Naruto said groggily as he sat up and stood to his feet. The first thing he saw when he opened his eyes was the sight of vibrant, pink hair.

"Wait. There's only one person I know that has pink hair." Naruto thought.

"Hey, Sakura-chan," He said softly. She stared at him for a moment before speaking.

"Do I know you?" She asked looking at him questioningly. Naruto's head hung low with a look of defeat evident on his face.

"Doesn't anyone remember me? Come on. You would think blonde hair, blue eyes, and whisker marks would stand out in someone's memory." Naruto said. It was at that point that Sakura realized who he was.

"Wait, Naruto. Is that really you?" she asked disbelievingly.

"The one and only," He replied as he flashed her one of his famous foxy grins. She ran up to him and quickly wrapped her arms around his torso while giving him a girlish scream.

"There's no way you're Naruto. I can't believe it. You've gotten so much taller and you got rid of the orange jumpsuit. You look so much better in black and you…" She was stopped by Naruto putting a finger over her lips.

"It's good to see you to, Sakura-chan," Naruto said happily.

"Sorry. It's just that you've changed so much." She said apologizing.

"Well I'm not the only one that has changed, Sakura-chan. I have to say, I like the new outfit and I'm glad you decided to keep your hair short. It looks good on you." Naruto said as Sakura blushed the darkest shade of red that she has ever blushed before.

"Nice, kid. Keep that up and you'll be in her pants in no time." Jiraiya thought as he saw the scene developing in front of him.

"Sakura, shouldn't you be practicing your healing techniques right now." Tsunade said accusingly.

"My apologies, Tsunade-sama. I'm sorry Naruto, but I must return to training." She said.

"Don't worry about it, Sakura-chan. But you can make it up to me by letting me treat you to ramen tonight." He said grinning. She mulled it over for a few seconds before making her decision.

"Alright, Naruto. I'll meet you there at eight o'clock. Goodbye Tsunade-sama, Jiraiya-sama, Shizune-sama. Goodbye Naruto-kun." She said saying Naruto's name as seductively as possible.

"Bye Sakura-chan," Naruto said waving goodbye to her.

"Hey, Tsunade, I just remembered that I haven't taken the Chuunin exam yet. Do you know when the next one is?" Naruto asked.

"Actually the next one isn't that far from now and Sakura hasn't taken it either. But since you don't have a third teammate anymore because of…well, you know…" Tsunade said in a sorrowful voice. "I can't let you take it."

"What if I find someone to replace him?" Naruto said as the idea popped in his head.

"I don't see why not. If you can find someone, then I'll let you take it." She said striking the nice guy pose.

"Thanks, Tsunade. You're the best. Well, I better get going. See ya, Ero-sennin." He said walking out the door.

"Hey, Naruto. I need you to meet me tonight at nine." Jiraiya said yelling after him.

"Can do, Ero-sennin. See ya."

"And I said to stop calling me that you little…oh forget it." Jiraiya said sighing.

"He really has grown up, hasn't he Jiraiya?" Tsunade said leaning back in her chair and putting her hands behind her head.

"Yeah, I guess." He said leaning against a wall and crossing his arms. He turned around and looked out of the window to see him leaping from roof to roof.

"Yep, just like his father," Jiraiya thought as he stared proudly at the blonde boy.

After training for several hours, Naruto decided that it was time to go meet Sakura at Ichikaru's ramen bar. His previous workout had left him covered in sweat from head to toe. Carrying a one and a half ton boulder while wearing 500 pound weights on both of you legs and arms all the while walking on water will do that to you. Before going, he decided to go to his house to take a shower. His apartment was very clean for having not been used in three years. Ignoring that thought, he proceeded to take a shower, which he finished quickly due to him running low on time. Deciding that his training clothes would be inappropriate, he donned a black shirt with the word Konoha written in red letters and black and tan cargo shorts and headed out the door. As he got nearer, he could smell the ramen radiating off the bar. It's been a long time since he had Ichikaru's ramen and could hardly wait to taste it in his mouth. He noticed Sakura already seated when he approached and took a seat next to her.

"Hey, Sakura-chan," Naruto said happily.

"Oh, hello Naruto," She replied.

"Can I help you two," A girl with long, brown hair asked as she approached them from behind the counter.

"Yes. Sakura-chan, what would you like to eat." Naruto asked her, already knowing what he wanted.

"I would like to order your diet ramen please," She said.

"Give me two bowls of miso ramen, three bowls of pork ramen, and…" Naruto was cut off by Sakura placing a hand over his mouth.

"I think that's good for now." She said sweat dropping. How he managed to stomach all that food was beyond her.

A couple of minutes later she brought out their food. As soon as they received it, Naruto began swallowing it as if there wasn't going to be any ramen left in the world. Soon, five bowls turned into fifteen bowls and he showed no sign of stopping. But the way he ate it surprised Sakura the most. Instead of the way he used to eat it, wildly slurping it down, he ate it maturely and gracefully, eating it quickly but without spilling a drop anywhere on his face or the ground. She noticed that the waitress was sweating, trying desperately to keep up with Naruto's pace. Of course, Naruto tunes out everything else when he's eating so he didn't notice this.

"I'm sorry about this. Sometimes he gets really hungry and he can't control himself." She said apologizing to her.

"Oh that's quite alright. I'm used to it. Your friend here kind of reminds me of this little boy that used to come by here everyday. He had blonde hair and bright blue eyes and could eat his body weight in ramen. Back then he was about the same age as me and he always cheered me up when he came." She said reminiscing.

"Could I have another bowl please, Ayame-chan?" Naruto asked. She looked him over, noticing that he looked just like an older version of the blonde she just described to Sakura. "Could it really be him?" She thought.

"How do you know my name." She asked in a confused tone.

"Don't you remember? It's me, Naruto." He replied. She stood there dazed for a few moments before jumping over the counter and tackling him in a fan-girlish frenzy.

"I can't believe your back. Look at you. You're so tall." She said giddy as a schoolgirl. "And not to mention hot."

"Thanks Ayame-chan." He said rubbing the back of his head and grinning sheepishly.

"Oh, you just have to tell me what happened while you were gone." She said pulling him by the arm and forcing him to sit down while she took a seat next to him.

Naruto went on about his and Jiraiya's three year trip and about their exploits throughout. They mostly involved Jiraiya getting stuck in a bad situation and Naruto having to bail him out of it. He then explained the training he went through, which virtually consisted of Naruto practicing taijutsu with a few ninjutsu thrown in to the mix. He also learned a little bit of kenjutsu as well from a sword specialist they met on their travels.

"Hey, Ayame. I'm back from my delivery." A gruff voice said as it approached them.

"Hello, father. You'll never guess who this is." She said. Tseuchi eyed him suspiciously before realizing who it was.

"Hey, how has it been, Naruto? Hello Sakura." He said.

"Hey," They both replied.

"Hey, old man, your ramen is still the best." Naruto said taking in another mouthful.

"I'm glad you still like it," He said.

They talked for another twenty minutes before Sakura decided to go home, which Naruto decided to walk her back.

"See ya, Ayame-chan, old man." Naruto said walking off after Sakura.

"Bye, Naruto," She said dreamily while waving goodbye and sighing.

"Well, here we are," Naruto said walking up to Sakura's front door and opening it to let her in.

"Thank you, Naruto," She said smiling as she entered.

"Alright, I have to go meet Ero-sennin, so I'll see ya. Oh and if you ever need anything, you know who to call," He said smirking while turning around and walking away with his hands in his pockets.

"Bye Naruto," She said softly while closing her door. Once it was closed, she fell down and leaned against it.

"You know you want him," Inner Sakura said.

"No I don't. It's just the same old Naruto." She said having an internal debate with her inner persona.

"You know that's not true. He's changed, and for the better," Inner Sakura said smirking at that last comment.

"Let's just drop it alright," She said standing up and brushing herself off. She noticed a tag with a summoning insignia on it attached to her upper left arm. Performing the necessary seals, she opened it up to reveal a sakura flower in full bloom with a note attached to it.

It read: To Sakura, may you bloom into the wonderful person that I know you are. Your friend, Naruto.

She stared at it before smiling warmly.

"Hello honey. Where did you get that flower from?" Her mother said as she walked into the room. Sakura simply stood there holding the flower close to her heart.

"Naruto," She spoke quietly to herself with a smile on her face.

"Sorry I'm late Ero-sennin. I was having dinner with Sakura-chan and I kind of lost track of time," Naruto said as he walked to the entrance of the Hokage tower where Jiraiya was waiting for him.

"It's about time you got here. I have more important things to attend to than wait around for you all day." Jiraiya spoke in an annoyed tone.

"Yeah, like what. Peek on women in hot springs." Naruto replied sarcastically.

"Look, that's not the point. Anyway, meet me at your regular training grounds at eight tomorrow morning," He said seriously.

"Alright, I'll be there. Goodnight, Ero-sennin." Naruto said walking back toward his apartment. Jiraiya was about to tell him to stop calling him his well-deserved nickname, but he decided against it since it was late.

Naruto quickly entered his house and performed the nightly rituals before finally laying on his bed and going to sleep. But unknown to him, strange things were going on inside him. Or more accurately, the cell which contained Kyuubi.

"I've been in this damned cell for too long. But, if this plan works, I'll finally be able to get out. Then I can see my wonderful Naruto-kun." A female voice said from inside the cage.

"You know this is probably not going to work. At the worst you'll kill us all. I want to get out of here as much as you do, but I don't want to die while doing it." Another deep voice also said from inside the cage.

"Oh it will work alright. We will be free and Naruto will still be able to use the Kyuubi's chakra." The female voice replied.

"Alright, if you say so." The deep voice said.

Well that's chapter one. Unlike other authors, I'm not going to beg for you to review. Just do it if you want to but don't feel obligated. Hopefully chapter 2 will be out soon.