Hi everyone! I know this took too long again! Hope you are all managing with this crazy corona thing going on!

Anyway, this is a chapter I've been looking forward to putting up for a long time now! Please enjoy!

The two shinobi were finally on their way home after all the training, though one was desperately trying to get there faster. "Slow down, Naruto!" Jiraiya shouted, as he quickly tired out from tree-hopping and carrying a large backpack.

Naruto was carrying an even heavier load, but he was still able to travel fast, probably due both to his youth and his recent training. It took a moment for Jiraiya's request to register in his head and make him stop on a branch. "Sorry, Ero-senin!" Naruto said. Jiraiya joined him and sat down to catch his breath. "I...I just can't wait to get back home." He explained.

"I understand." Jiraiya wheezed. "But, there are things we need to consider."

"What's to consider?" Naruto asked.

"When you were banished, Tsunade was relieved of her position, and Danzo installed a new Hokage of his choosing, Maryu Ophiocord."

"A puppet." Naruto growled.

"Doesn't matter; in the eyes of the people, he's in charge. The terms of your banishment dictated that you must prove mastery of the sage arts, and ensure you never rely on the Kyuubi again." Jiraiya reminded him.

"I'll just show them my sage mode. Problem solved." Naruto shrugged.

"Don't think they'll make it easy for you, kid!" Jiraiya reprimanded him. "Danzo wants to keep you out as long as he can! You could win the heart of the entire village, and he would still find a way to bar you from returning, if not find an excuse to execute you."

Naruto growled, and punched the tree. He wasn't using sage powers or Kyuubi, but he still managed to put quite the hole in the trunk. After taking a moment to calm down, he asked "So...what now?"

"We need to bring the councils on your side. Most of them will not be moved emotionally; you must demonstrate the practicality of having you within the village. Maryu will likely resist at first, but if both councils side with you, he will have no choice but to let you in."

"Okay, so what do you propose?" Naruto asked.

Finally, the two got close enough to the village, and decided to walk the rest of the way. Once he was almost there, Naruto began to feel nervous. He was away from home for so long, it almost felt alien to him. And it finally occurred to him...the reception may not be so warm. Not just from the council, but maybe even Sakura herself may not want him back after being absent for so long. "Hey, it's going to be fine." Jiraiya tried to assure him, patting him on the back.

"Easy for you to say." Naruto grumbled.

Before anymore could be said, Naruto's senses went into overdrive. Shuriken came in from all sides, which Naruto quickly parried with his kunai. Jiraiya smirked. "This could be interesting."

The two attackers revealed themselves as they rushed him. Their kunai collided, and Naruto looked at them. They appeared to be ANBU, judging by their masks, though they sported the standard jonin attire. Judging by the shape and figure, one of them appeared to be a woman, who also sported a hood covering her hair. Her mask seemed to resemble a butterfly, leaving her mouth and chin exposed. The other was a man with spikey brown hair, and his mask...well, he didn't know WHAT his mask was! It seemed to have multiple eyes, and four large, elongated fangs that seemed to jut out towards its opponent...or, perhaps more appropriately, its prey! "GAAHHH!" Naruto jumped back in fright as did the other two.

The man was upon him as if he was flying. The two exchanged blows, Naruto making note that his opponent was using a lot of elbows. Naruto felt himself back into a tree, and the attacking ninja took the opportunity to punch. Naruto easily side-stepped it, but the trunk splintered into a hundred pieces as the rest of the tree fell back.

"HOLEE-!" Naruto looked behind him to see the woman come up from that direction and attack. Her taijutsu was a bit more familiar, but more grounded than the standard taijutsu taught at the academy. Naruto tried to kick her off balance, but she held her ground. The jinchuriki tried to punch, but something tight grabbed hold of his wrist. The man caught him in some kind of wire! The woman then pulled out a pair of kamas, but Naruto threw down a smoke bomb before she could sever his jugulars.

Naruto took refuge up into the canopy of the trees, but of course the two followed him up. The masked man unleashed his wires, lightning suddenly traveling along them. Quickly, he flung them like they were whips. Naruto barely got out of the way as the wires cut the branch clean, jumping back onto another tree. Once he landed, two kunoichi attacked him from the sides. Naruto was quick enough to block them both and quickly summoned a clone to help him. Seeing their identical masks, he realized they were the same person, bushins as well. While he was busy with them, the demon-masked ninja leaped towards them and rose his foot. His axe kick shattered the branch, causing them all to fall to the floor.

Naruto easily landed on his feet, and immediately got his counterattack ready! The rasengan spiraled in his hand as he turned to face to face the man attacking him. "Rasengan!" He thrust his attack, only for the woman to come in between them and halt it. "Wha-?" The thing stopping his rasengan was another rasengan! The two pushed as the pressure built up, until both of them were sent flying in opposite directions. Naruto and the two masked ninjas crouched down as they starred one another down.

As Naruto tried to brainstorm what to do next, they heard Jiraiya clap his hands. "A wonderful performance." He said. "But, I imagine my pupil here is in a bit of a hurry. I think it's best to drop the charade and show him who you are."

"Huh?" Naruto asked.

"You honestly don't recognize us?" The man asked.

Naruto's brow quirked. "Uh...should I?"

The two looked at each other, and sighed. "Really, sensei. You're so dense sometimes." The kunoichi sighed. "How many other people do you know that can do the rasengan? The only reason I even know it is because YOU taught it to me." The two lifted their masks. The man sported messy brown hair, and a small goatee. The woman had vibrant red hair and blue eyes like his. The man then put on a pair of glasses.

At that moment, Naruto's eyes widened. "Yuji!? Iori!?" He said. He began to laugh in joy and gave off one of the biggest smiles that Jiraiya had seen in a long time. The young sage ninja embraced his two students, and they hugged him back. "You two have grown so big!" He looked back and fourth between the two of them. "Yuji! You're even taller than me now!" He then looked to Iori. "Iori! You've become quite the beauty!" He smiled.

Iori' s eyes widened as she blushed. Suddenly, Naruto felt a sharp punch across his head. "Hentai!"

"Uh, sorry Sensei." Yuji shrugged, scratching his head. "Iori doesn't like it when others hit on her."

"I was complementing her..." Naruto groaned as he tried to force the bump on his head back down. "...there's a difference."

Iori then hugged him back again. "It's good to see you again too, sensei."

Naruto smiled, and looked around. "Hey, where's Shiguri?"

Yuji and Iori looked at each other, and sighed. "We haven't spoken for years." Yuji finally answered. "I've reached out to him a couple of times. But he won't talk to me."

"I'm sorry." Naruto answered. "Maybe I'll talk to him for you."

"You always do try." Iori sighed, signaling her lack of confidence on the matter.

"I hate to break this up, but I believe there's a certain someone Naruto wants to see in particular. And to get to her, he needs to see the Hokage." Jiraiya said.

"Right." Yuji nodded. "Sensei, if you please." He extended his arm as an invitation.

Naruto smiled as he walked with them. "So, how's Sakura doing?" Naruto asked.

"As soon as you get done with your meeting, why don't you go and find out for yourself?" Yuji suggested.

"You guys are no fun." Naruto sighed.

As they made their way inside the walls, they were watched by a man with spikey black hair from the shadows. Silently, he put on his sunglasses and walked off in the opposite direction.

"Make sure the current Mizukage gets this by tomorrow." the new Hokage Maryu said. "For every mission they receive payment for, we take a quarter cut, and all information reported to us. Please remind him that if he does not understand this...the consequences would be dire."

"Yes sir!" The jonin said as he received the scroll. In the blink of an eye, he disappeared as if he were a mirage.

Once he was gone, the wall behind the Hokage opened, and an older Danzo stepped out. The years had not been kind to him; he lost most of his hair, and what remained had finally turned a dull gray. His skin had sagged considerably, and dark liver splotches appeared on his skin. He knew to expect this, but still, growing old was hard. But if he couldn't convince the council to nominate him officially to Hokage, he was just as happy to rule from the shadows, with a different face doing his bidding. "Well done." Danzo complimented him. "With Kiri under our control, we can expand our reach and the other villages will be none the wiser."

"All thanks to you, Danzo-sama." Maryu said as he swung his chair to face him. "Though I do hope to put all the Kage villages under our control eventually. Even Suna."

"That is the goal, yes."Danzo was about to compliment his "pupil" further, when Shiguri stepped in behind him. The three years have made him into a handsome yet dark and dangerous man. Most notably his face; he consistently conveyed the face of a hardened warrior. The only other notable change was the small sunglasses he wore, covering his eyes. "Shiguri." Danzo said sternly. "I do not wish to be disturbed. If it is about more clues, I-"

"The Uzumaki has returned." Shiguri interrupted. "I thought you would want to know."

Before his grandfather could reply, Shiguri closed the hidden passage and left. "Already!?" Danzo gripped his cane. He knew the exile was supposed to be conditional, but he didn't think he would actually be able to pull it off-!

"How should I proceed, sir?" The false Kage asked. Though he was a well-trained actor, Danzo knew him well enough to catch the fear his voice betrayed.

Danzo sighed. "This is my fault. Because no one living has completed the sage training before, so I assumed the jinchuriki was as good as gone." In a rare fit of rage, Danzo threw his cane into a shelf, driving it through the wood. He may not have been the ninja he once was, but he still maintained his basics. "I've forgotten how many times he was a thorn in my side because of his ability to defy the odds. Now, he may be a real obstacle."

"What now?"

"Let him demonstrate his abilities." Danzo sneered. "In the end, all he knows is brute strength. We can still spin it in our favor." Danzo stepped aside, gesturing at the door. "The council will need your wisdom...Hokage-Sama."

"So...that's supposed to be a spider?" Naruto asked as he waited in the council room with his master and students, looking at Yuji's mask.

"Yeah." He said, smiling with pride at his handy work. "Isn't it awesome?" he asked as he held it up to his sensei.

Naruto just looked at the thing that screamed "Are You Kidding Me?" "It doesn't look like a spider." He muttered. "Looks like something from straight out of hell."

"This is what they kind of look like when they lunge at their prey..." Yuji began to explain.

"...I really don't want to know that, thank you very much!" Naruto waved him away. He began to impatiently tap his foot. "What's taking them so long!?"

"You never gave us a time-table." A woman's voice said. "It's going to take an effort to gather them all up." From there, Tsunade emerged from the shadows.

"Ba-Chan!" Naruto smiled.

Tsunade hadn't changed much, minus a streak of silver across her bangs. "I never had a doubt you would make it, kid." She smiled, folding her sleeves.

Before any more could be said, another chimed in "Just when I'm finally getting a hold on things, you come back and stir the pond."

Naruto blinked, not expecting such a response from anyone coming to see him personally. Then he stepped forward. Naruto almost mistook him for Shikaku, due to his goatee, but he would be over 50 by now. This man was the same age as Naruto. "Shikamaru?" Naruto asked.

"No hug?" he replied, as terse as ever. Naruto, after a moment, awkwardly made a motion to hug him, before the lazy genius yelled "It was sarcasm!"

Naruto sighed. "Good to see you too." He then looked at him. "Not that I wouldn't have come to see you too, but what are you doing here?"

Tsunade smirked. "Nara is a council member now. One of our youngest."

Naruto's eyes widened. "What? Didn't think I could manage that?" Shikamaru asked, irritated.

"I'd have thought you wouldn't WANT to manage that." Naruto said. "I'm sure Temari is proud of you, but why would you take this job?"

Shikamaru sighed. "Why do you think, idiot? To help YOU." Shikamaru said. "It goes beyond just getting the council to side with you, and not even that I can make a g. The current Hokage has been setting Danzo's agenda in place. On top of that, now that you're here, I worry this will make things troublesome for Sakura and her kids."

Naruto's nostrils flared at that. "So..."

"First off, don't leave." Shikamaru said. "Both Temari and Sakura would have my head if I let you." Naruto slightly smiled at this. "Second, this better not be just a power boost. Not that that's useful, but if power was all we needed, we'd let Kyuubi run rampant on our enemies. So, if you have anything related to intelligence, I'd suggest you focus on that."

Naruto nodded, then his face scrunched. "Enemies?"

"The other villages. Unofficially." Shikamaru explained. "Ophiocord has been waging something of a Cold War against the other villages, in the name of dominance. While I had no love for most of the other villages, I'm not one for unnecessarily antagonizing others who have not intentionally tried to harm us. I'm worried this new approach will come back to bite us." Naruto nodded.

Before anymore could be said, another familiar voice chimed in. "Must you, Nara? We were just getting to be in such a good mood."

Just hearing that familiar voice brought a smile to Naruto's face as he turned to its source. "Kakashi-sensei! You had me worried! I was afraid you wouldn't show up!"

The copy nin merely smiled under his mask. To Naruto, it felt like the man never aged, the only visible change being the line under his visible eye. "As if I would miss the return of my prize pupil." He waved. "Still, I don't want to get too carried away with the pleasantries at the moment. You still have to earn your right back in the eyes of the people, and I don't want to get ahead of myself."

Naruto gulped. "That bad?"

Kakashi shrugged. "We'll see." He said. "We'll see."

Then, they were interrupted by a knock. "They're here." Shikamaru sighed. The lazy genius placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Good luck, Naruto. Whatever happens, just know I have your back."

Shikamaru took his seat as several other formally dressed individuals poured in. Some Naruto recognized, others were new to him. He didn't see Koharu and Homaru; didn't surprise him. They were on the verge of retiring when he left. Probably for the best; they were never his biggest fans. Once they were all seated, only the Hokage's chair in the center of both councils remained empty.

"Thank you for your patience, esteemed council members." Naruto turned to see the New Hokage in the robes and hat enter. Naruto hoped his distaste didn't show; his own aspirations aside, he knew this man did not deserve the title. Maryu walked in and took his seat. He must have shuffled his papers for a good five minutes before he finally looked at him. "Today, we will decide to welcome back a former citizen." He announced. "Uzumaki Naruto. While he has been gifted with extraordinary skills, loved by many and an inspiration of hard work...he has also been problematic." Naruto had to keep himself from growling. The way he said it was too scripted, too deliberate. No self-respecting Kage could be this robotic. "As you know, Uzumaki carries the Kyuubi Biju within him, the Yodaime having sealed it within him during his infancy. Overtime, the beast's power leaked into his own. While it has been an asset to him and us in many cases...a few years ago, the risk has proven too great. In times of great duress or anger, the Kyuubi has taken over his body and mind. It's a miracle no one was killed on that day three years ago. And while the circumstances that triggered the transformation are understandable, we can no longer house such a danger." The councils whispered among themselves. A few remained silent; Naruto hoped those counselors were in his corner, because it wasn't looking good for him so far. Maryu then smashed his gavel. "You are justified in your concerns. Initially, we legislated to put him to death. However, the Great Sanin Jiraiya made an alternative proposal. He had promised to train Uzumaki in the legendary sage arts. If he did, he would be allowed to return." After a moment of silence, he continued. "If his presence is any indication, it seems to mean he has believed that to be the case."

Bringing his hands together, he said "Uzumaki Naruto, I thank you for your years of service. And I feel for you, the terrible things you have suffered and the deeds you've had to live through. But the safety of Konoha comes first. Does the senjutsu eliminate the need for the beast within you?"

Naruto took a moment to choose his words carefully. "If I had to be honest, it's still a possibility. Unfortunately." Before the council could cause an uproar, Naruto quickly cut in. "However, in the past I've relied on that horrible chakra when things were at their most dire. It was something I have actively tried to avoid, but sometimes there were things I just couldn't overcome on my own. But now...no more." Naruto continued. "The Senjutsu has amplified my physical abilities beyond my normal state, maybe more so than the Kyuubi ever did. Best of all, it is voluntary."

"Would it be dangerous if you would show us a demonstration?" Maryu asked.

Suddenly Naruto smirked. "You were expecting a catastrophic power-up, maybe?" "Of course not...Hokage-sama." Naruto tried his best to make his smile seem genuine. "I'd be happy to show you."

Naruto closed his eyes and put his palms together. After a minute, everyone noticed the areas around his eyes turned red. Opening his eyes, everyone saw the change. The Hokage didn't react, but Naruto noticed a sharp tap on his desk. It seemed he was counting on an extravagant transformation. "I know the change is not as...dramatic, as you hoped. But I assure you, this is the real deal." Naruto walked over to the Ninja council's bleacher. "Esteemed counselors, if you will, please hold onto your seats."

Shikamaru' s eyes widened. "Naruto...what are you plannINNNNG!"

With one hand, Naruto lifted the entire bleacher with the counselors still seated. The civilian counsel was actually quite impressed, and clapped. Maryu did not expect this. Gently, Naruto set the Ninja council down. Naruto smiled at Shikamaru, who only sent him a dirty look. "Don't ever do that again." He mouthed. Instead of making him nervous, it just filled Naruto with confidence. Turning back to directly address the Hokage, he said "I have many other physical enhancements, but I cannot safely demonstrate them in this space. Unless, the Hokage wishes to take this outside."

The Hokage just cleared his throat. "Uh, that will not be necessary. And it's clear you are quite lucid in this state, so that has taken care of my next question." Taking a deep breath, he continued. "However, battle is only a small part of ninjutsu. If we are to accept you back in, you must demonstrate uses beyond the physical."

"It just so happens, I do have something related to intelligence." Naruto proudly announced. "In this form, I can sense the chakra of everyone."

The two councils erupted into murmurs. "Everyone?" Maryu asked.

"Everyone within 80 kilometers of the village." Naruto clarified. "For instance, someone has just entered my range. Four individuals, I'm guessing one of our teams. Judging by their speed, I'm guessing it's Bus-excuse me, Rock Lee and his team. He was always an exuberant guy, and I'd expect no less from his students"

"You can distinguish individual chakras?" The Hokage asked.

"At this moment, I can't tell who is who, but yes, they are each different in ways I can't describe very well. I sense at least 15 people at Ichiraku's...if Ichiraku is still around..." Naruto's stomach rumbled. "Hold it together, Naruto!" He told himself. Continuing, he said "I also sense at least 60 people at the academy right now. Judging by how bright they are, I'm guessing they're kids." Naruto searched for another example, and his eyes flew open. "Oh..."

"What is it?" Maryu asked.

"Um...if it's what I think it is, maybe I shouldn't..."

"I must insist."

Naruto sighed. "Okay then. I sense two people; their chakra is quite erratic, which implies intense physical activity. But I don't think they're hurting one another. I...I think they're lovers." Everyone was dead quiet, except for Tsunade and Iori, who face palmed themselves.

One of the civilian counselors raised his hand. "Um, excuse me." He said. "Where are they?"

Naruto gulped; he wasn't sure he would be able to talk his way out of this one. "Uh, they're at White Plum St, I think. Why?"

The counselor didn't answer him. He slammed his fist on the edge and quickly exited his seat. "That lying whore!" He was heard shouting when he reached the hall.

Everyone was dead silent from the sheer confusion of it all. Tsunade finally came up to Naruto, and whispered in his ear. "There were rumors going on about his wife."

"Ah." Naruto realized that's the civilian council was down one. "Good news or bad news?"

"He has long supported Danzo's vision. You just titled the odds in your favor." Naruto nodded in relief.

Tsunade then went to Iori. "I must apologize; I know you wanted to watch and support your Sensei, but I must ask you to follow Itagaki-San. Make sure no one gets hurt." Though Iori was disappointed, she understood the urgency and obeyed without hesitation, making her way to the hall as well.

Maryu pounded his gavel, bringing everyone back to his attention. "This is all very fascinating, and such skills are certainly needed in the village. But, one thing still concerns me." Naruto had to calm himself as he got ready to throw back whatever was sent at him. "None of this proves that you have managed your rage. All it takes is one bad day, and we will be back here, discussing your fate."

The two just stared at one another. At this point, Naruto believed the best policy was to be frank with him. "With all due respect, Hokage-sama, that can apply to anyone. It is true, I will not tolerate any harm to my family. And I hope everyone in this room feels the same way about their own."

"Which is why I myself have abstained from such attachments."

Despite the situation, Naruto smirked. "Then I feel sorry for you. You don't know what it means to love, and not just the romantic kind. If anything, my training has taught me about love in all forms, and tranquility."

Shikamaru then raised his hand. "Could you care to explain?"

Naruto smiled. THIS was what he needed. "Gladly." Naruto said. "I've learned to accept and roll with all the bad things in life. It's as they say: pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional. This doesn't mean I will just idly stand by when injustice is done to me or my family. But I can check myself, make sure I don't cause any more harm to myself or other innocent people. I'm only human; I will always get angry about something. But I am no longer pulling out the Kyuubi on a whim when things get tough. I've something better. If I was truly a danger to the village as myself, everyone would have suffered as long as I was alive. I love this village, my friends...and my family. My new family. And it is my senjutsu that will protect them from Kyuubi and everyone else who wishes us harm."

The Hokage sighed, and gave his answer. "I have nothing more to ask, and I do believe we have seen all we have needed to. Wise councils, we shall adjourn while you make your decision." Pounding his gavel, everyone rose.

Shikamaru shot him a glance, and nodded. Naruto's heart rose; that was a good sign.

Tsunade and Jiraiya paced nervously. Yuji simply read a manga while standing, similar to how Kakashi was also reading his usual material, and Naruto meditated in the lotus position. At some point, Tsunade finally took notice of him. "Jiraiya...am I seeing things, or is Naruto MEDITATING!?"

Jiraiya stopped, and smirked. "Indeed he is."

"I see it, but I don't believe it." Tsunade breathed. "It's like he's finally grown up."

"Sure seems like it." Jiraiya smiled.

"Uh, you guys know I can still hear you, right?" Naruto asked, not even opening his eyes from his position.

The two Sanin's faces looked like that of toddlers with their hands caught in the cookie jar. "Sorry." Tsunade muttered.

Jiraiya moved towards Kakashi, and had a look at the cover of his book. Taking a look, it wasn't Icha Icha Paradise. "Uh...Kakashi?"

"Yeah?"

"That isn't one of my books..." Jiraiya pointed at it nervously.

"Hmm?" Kakashi's one eye quirked, then widened in understanding. "Oh, you're right!" Kakashi flipped the cover to give Jiraiya a better look. "It's a new series: Ninja Academy DXD: Testament of the New Sister Oni! You haven't made a new release in quite a while, so I had to get something else for my fix. It's pretty good, honestly; in fact, it's got quite a few things refreshing from the genre..."

Jiraiya desperately tries to keep a straight face as his fingers began to twitch. "I've got to get my fanbase back!"

While all that was going on, Yuji took the opportunity to talk with his sensei. "If you don't mind the distraction, how are you so calm? The Naruto-sensei I know would have been jumping the walls with all this tension."

This time, though he did not turn to face him, Naruto smiled. "Well, I think I expressed that to the council earlier." After a moment, Naruto said "Besides, it's out of our hands. No use in getting nervous over that, after doing everything I could."

"Even so, you look to be in an unusually good mood, given the circumstances. So, what's your secret. Achieving oneness with the universe or something?"

Naruto chuckled. "No, nothing as fantastic as that. I think I would lose myself if I did something like that."

"Huh." Yuji nodded. "So, what IS going through your mind?"

Naruto smiled. "Is Sakura still in the same cabin Yamato made for us before I left?"

"Yeah. We helped fix it while you were away."

"Excellent. Then their chakra is exactly what I thought it was."

Yuji's eyes widened. "Oh." Was all he could say in realization.

"Their chakra is so full of life." Naruto said as a tear travelled down his eye. "It's so beautiful."

Iori finally jogged in. "Hey." She said. "What I miss?"

"Oh, nothing much." Yuji answered. "The councils are still making their decisions." Naruto didn't see Yuji grab Iori by the waist, nor did he see she was perfectly fine with the contact. "I hope that guy didn't give you any trouble."

"I decided to let him see for himself the marriage was a sham before it got any worse. I got him in an armlock before he did something that would land him in jail."

"That's good." Yuji agreed.

Before any more could be said, they heard several footsteps. The two councils made their way back inside and took their seats. Naruto rose, and immediately looked to Shikamaru. He looked back, and his face was stoic. Naruto felt his heart sink. That was NOT a good sign.

Finally, Maryu took the stand. "Welcome back, everyone. Have the councils made their decisions?"

"We have." The two spokesmen of each one spoke.

"First, the civilian council. Though you are not ninja, you are still valued community members, and are entitled to a say. How do you vote?" Several raised their hands. Five voted affirmative, while four voted against. With the absence of that one councilman, it was a slim majority in his favor.

"Now for the ninja council. How do you vote?" The Hokage addressed them. "Your decision now determines the outcome." Shikamaru looked to Naruto. There was an air of dread...then he smiled. Shikamaru put his hands up, and others followed. Six voted affirmatively, while four others held their hands down. Another majority, however slim.

Naruto smiled. "I did it." He thought. "I'm back."

While Maryu remained stoic, Naruto could just feel him seething with rage inside. "Congratulations, Uzumaki. Feel free to return to your residence. And if there is anything you need, please...don't hesitate to ask." He pounded the gavel. "Adjourned."

As everyone got up to leave, Shikamaru approached Naruto. "What was that all about!?" Naruto hissed. "You nearly gave me a heart attack there!"

"I couldn't get as big a majority as I wanted to with the ninja council. It took everything I had to just get six to vote in your favor; with that, I thought for sure the civilian council would vote against you, making the whole process null and void." Shikamaru explained. "It can be troublesome, but this one time, I was glad I was wrong." He smiled. "I'm not going to waste your time anymore." He told him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Go see them."

Naruto nodded, clasping his hand. "Thanks, my friend." Without even acknowledging anyone else, he ran out into the hallway.

Yuji and Iori held hands, smiling at him. "We should probably follow him. You know how Sakura can get when she's equal parts happy and mad." Yuji said.

"Mm." Iori nodded. "Wouldn't miss it for the world."

Maryu walked off into a dark corner of the court. Besides himself, he knew of someone else who would not be pleased with this development. Once he was alone, Danzo appeared right in front of him. "Forgive me, Danzo-sama. There was nothing I could do."

Danzo sighed. "Well, I wanted a puppet leader. Should have expected nothing more." "It's quite alright. His timing is actually quite fortunate."

"How so?"

"You'll see soon enough." Danzo tapped his cane. Walking back into the darkness, he said "There are things to prepare. Go about your duties as usual, and make no moves against the jinchuriki until I tell you."

For a brief moment, Naruto was mad the first time he stepped outside the Hokage building as he glanced at the monument. He remembered when he first came back from a long training session, and being surprised to see Tsunade's face there. It was still in its spot, but next to her was Maryu, the new Rokudaime. Naruto growled. "He doesn't deserve to be up there." Naruto ultimately resolved to let it go for now. At that moment, he had something more important to worry about.

He quickly jumped across the rooftops, reacquainting himself with the layout. It felt like he never left as he jumped across the buildings he traversed years prior.

His destination ultimately came to an end after an eternity, and yet too soon as he felt excited and yet so very afraid. It was as Yuji said: the cabin was still there. It looked as good as it was meant to. There were other additions, like a couple of swings by a cherry tree that he didn't remember being there, and what seemed to be a small vegetable garden.

But two children caught his attention, playing in the front yard. "King Ceasar is way stronger!" the pink-haired boy, dressed in a small green t-shirt and black shorts said as he pushed a toy towards his playmate.

"Uh-uh, Gamera is stronger!" The blond girl shot back, dressed in red overalls and white shirt underneath as she shoved her own toy towards her brother.

Naruto just watched as the two argued over their toys. He was filled with overwhelming joy and sadness at seeing his children. He knew he loved them at first sight, and was overjoyed at seeing how they have grown. However, he was sad, maybe even mad at himself, for missing out on three years of their life. At first, he thought three years would be a fairly small amount of time to miss out on, but looking at his children now, he realized that was still too much. As the two continued to bicker, he cautiously approached them. The two toddlers took notice of him when he got close. They were silent as they stared back at him. "Hey." He said softly, kneeling down to their level. "I'm looking for Ms. Haruno. Is she home?"

Before they could reply, the door to the house opened. "Alright guys, time to eat!" A familiar voice said. "I've got your fav...orites..." Naruto shot up as he looked at an equally shocked Sakura. She was as beautiful as she ever was, only difference being she cut her hair short again, now dressed in a white t-shirt and jeans. The two just stared at one another, neither believing what they were seeing. "N-Naruto?" Sakura stuttered as she finally broke the silence.

That was all Naruto needed to finally address her. "Hey...I'm home." Naruto nearly whispered. Sakura suddenly ran towards him. For a moment, Naruto was about to open his arms...until he noticed the angry look on Sakura's face. "Uh oh..."

Suddenly, Sakura cocked back her fist. "Naruto, YOU BAKA!" Sakura punched her lover straight in the face, sending him tumbling across the yard.

As usual, after a moment, he managed to prop himself up, chuckling despite himself. "Can't believe how much I missed your right hook, Sakura-chan!" He exclaimed as he scratched his head, ignoring the swelling cheek that appeared.

Before anymore could be said, Sakura crouched down to his level and embraced him, cupping the back of his head. "You're back..." she sobbed as she buried her head into his shoulder. "...welcome home."

From a distance, Iori and Yuji watched the reunion from a distance atop a tree branch. "Looks like everything is as it should be." Yuji said.

"Mm." Iori agreed as she squeezed his hand.

I'll leave you with this for now! This part will be mostly romance and drama, so enjoy!