I'm SOOOOO sorry that it's taken me this long to get out another chapter. Life has been so damn busy it's not even close to funny. Remember that new job that had long days... well... I got fired from there and started a new job that started out as day shift, then went to night shift... then LONG nights... then long nights and Saturdays. That night shift lasted for about a year... then I got moved to days there after being bounced around nearly every department except for those with welding or painting. Then spent another 6 months on LONG days with Saturdays... 58 hours a week. So... yeah, had very little time to write. I quit that job and became a school bus driver! Of all things. I had a little more time, but that paid worth crap, and only got paid once a month. I left there in September and now I drive for the city with their bus system, but I have to call in every night before my shift to find out my clock in for that day... Oh well, it pays better, pays twice a month, and I have set days off again, this time Sunday and Monday.

I've been reminded that I must once again state, I do not own any of these characters (except for Dar... no mater what some people try to say about that fact), nor do I profit from this story.

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Chapter 24: Surprise test

Naruto wondered for a minute how he was going to find her before he face palmed and closed his eyes before he lifted his head to sniff at the air. A moment later he smirked and opened his eyes. "Found you." A couple people did double takes as he was there one moment, then gone the next. About a minute later Naruto was crouched on a branch near a training ground watching Hana and the triplets playing a simple game of fetch. He smiled as he looked at how she changed before she stopped and spoke.

"You can come down, I know you're there." Naruto smirked and hopped down from the tree, heading toward her. "Welcome home Naruto-kun." He stood a good distance away from her and she turned to look at him puzzled, but when she saw him, he saw her nose start to bleed a little and a goofy little grin cross her lips before she started toward him.

"Um... Hana-chan, you might want to brace yourself..." She kept coming until he saw it happen, she went from goofy grin to lust glazed eyes as soon as his pheromones finally hit her. She was gone in a cloud of dust before she plowed Naruto over and crushed her lips against his and started pulling at his clothes. 'Tsume-kaa-chan was right... ah what the hell.' He smirked into the kiss and gave in, kissing her back.

About twenty minutes later Tsume saw the triplets trotting up to the house alone, which gave her a very large, almost feral grin, then a full belly laugh.

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As the sun started getting lower in the sky, Naruto and Hana slowly walked hand in hand down the road leading to the Inuzuka compound, both seeming at great ease beside each other, Hana had a glow to her and Naruto sported a near goofy, lopsided grin, neither needing to say a word as they simply enjoyed each others company. It didn't escape Hana's notice that some women stared at Naruto with want, even need. Others would half glare at her, and she knew that it was because of the man who's hand she was happily holding as they walked. "Ignore them Hana-chan. They're jealous that I will never choose them over you. You're mine, and I'm yours, till the day I die." Squeezing her hand with a warm, genuine smile.

Hana couldn't help but smile as they continued on, their home now in view as they passed a few other couples. "Welcome home Naruto-koi."

"I'm always home when I'm with you Hana-chan."

"Keep talking like that and we're going directly to our room!" a playful, promising smirk crossing her lips.

Naruto shuddered pleasantly, thinking back to what they had just gotten done doing nearly 10 minutes previous. "We might just do that anyway if YOU talk like that yourself." A smirk crossing his lips as well.

"Oh shush up the both of you and get in here, dinner is nearly ready and I'm not ready for a grand-pup just yet!" Naruto and Hana both blushed and chuckled in embarrassment as Tsume shouted this from the front door at them, easily heard by everyone within the two blocks between them, causing many of the elder women to snicker and giggle, some of the men to let out full guffaws, and the younger women to suddenly get a few nose bleeds imagining them in Hana's place. The pair quickly jogged the remaining distance to the front door as Tsume simply stood there chuckling with her arms across her chest. "Took you two a while to get home, didn't it?" If possibly, the two's blushes got even darker.

"Shut it mom... at least when we're outside..." Hana sighed as she walked past her mother and into the house, pulling Naruto along by the hand. The night rolled on and the house was filled with laughter as Naruto filled in everyone with what he had been doing, things that had happened, and the times that he had managed to get Jiraiya caught by the women he had peeped on while in the guise of the now drop dead gorgeous Naruko. After the mention of the female counterpart, Naruto nearly passed out when Hana had leaned over and very quietly suggested the use of a shadow clone transformed into Naruko in their bedroom that night.

~The next morning in the Hokage's office

"Hey Sakura-chan, I got a message that Tsunade wanted to see me?" This time Sakura was a bit more prepared mentally for her former team mate's appearance, or so she thought, He now wore a tight black shirt and black cargo pants that showed off the muscular shaping of all of his training. This time, she did the same as inner-Sakura and fell back from full on nose bleed. "Good thing I wore a shirt..." He stepped up and knocked at the door. "Baa-chan, you called?" Stepping in and seeing her behind her desk with Jiraiya leaned back against the wall behind the desk and to her side.

"Come on Gaki... where's Sakura, she was supposed to come in with you, this pertains to her as well?"

Naruto chuckled softly before forming a shadow clone without words or a hand sign, surprising Tsunade and making Jiraiya grin before the clone went and scooped up the unconscious Sakura and bringing her in as well. Sakura came to quickly and looked up to see Naruto holding her in his arms and another Naruto beside her and let out a squeak and a small shudder as her eyes rolled up a little before calming down and shaking her head. "Um... y... you can put me down now Naruto-kun." Blushing VERY heavily and fidgeting a little once on her own feet again. The clone poofed away in a small cloud.

"Get your head on straight Sakura." Tsunade spoke up after rolling her eyes for a moment, not scolding her for her... moment... having got the same idea, but replaced Naruto with Jiraiya in her head. "You remember what I told you a few weeks ago about having a test? Well, Naruto, you and Sakura are going to have a little test to show me exactly how much and what you learned on your trip and to see if you can work well with your old team again, is that understood?"

Naruto, all game face now, nodded his head. "Hai, Hokage-sama!" Tsunade's eyes widened a little, then smirked at how much Naruto had matured in the 5 years away.

"Good, you will be doing this in 2 hours, training ground 7, just like your first test. Sasuke will meet you there, he just got back from an escort mission this morning and is getting cleaned up, he was informed when he came to give his report. Oh, and Naruto... knock before you visit Tayuya, Sasuke moved in with her, they're engaged now." Naruto's eyes widened, then he smirked and started to laugh. Not a demented one, but a genuine, happy one.

"It's about time that they calmed down! Hopefully their attitudes have mellowed out around each other."

"They actually have Naruto-kun, Sasuke smiles so often now, Tayuya's polite and smiles, she rarely curses anymore unless she surprised or very angry." This caused Naruto to smile even more broadly, truly happy for his best friend and his cousin, glad for their combined happiness.

"Alright you two, off with you, I'll see you all at the training grounds, be prepared though Naruto, Kakashi and Sasuke have been training hard since you left." This took Naruto's smile and formed it into a smirk.

"Good!" With that, Naruto and Sakura headed out the door, Sakura back to the desk, and Naruto to the Inuzuka compound to gear up for the test. As he got back to the compound, he got a smirk and quickly gathered up all of his gear and let Tsume and Hana know what was going on, then let them in on what he was about to do before rushing off to the training grounds early.

As Kakashi landed in the clearing, a little early for once. Upon landing he saw Tsunade, Jiraiya, Sasuke and Sakura, but no Naruto. As he strolled up to Tsunade, he noticed a fox sitting beside Jiraiya and staring him down directly. Though he noted something strange about the fox, he let that go as he came up to Tsunade. "Reporting in Tsunade-sama, by the way, where is Naruto?" As he was saying this, the fox trotted its way up to Kakashi, before he noticed, Kakashi heard a jingle behind his back. His lone eye widened before he turned around to see a smirking Naruto, holding both of the bells from the first test.

"How's this Tsunade-sama?"

Tsunade couldn't help but chuckle "Very good, but not the test I had in mind, give them back." Naruto smirked and handed the still wide eyed Kakashi the bells back.

"The fox... I should have known..." Sighing, then eye smiling as he went to hug Naruto. "It's been a long time Naruto."

"It's good to see you too Kakashi-sensei. Looks like Baa-chan wants a repeat of our first test, you ready?" Naruto gained an almost evil smirk that sent a shiver down Kakashi's back after seeing how easily Naruto had managed to get the bells from him with stealth alone.

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Yeah, I know it's been a DAMN long time since I updated, and I know it's a crappy way for me to leave things off, BUT... I wanted to get a chapter (even though it's a short one)out for you all, just to let you all know that I'm still alive and so is the story. I left it open so that I can work on the next scene.

I do apologize for taking so damn long to update.

Please read and review, I hope you liked the little bit of chapter work.