It had been over a week since they had left Konoha. The villagers and ninja of Konoha had all returned except for the ANBU and Naruto. Even the Chunnins had returened, all of them. Apparently Jiraiya of the Sannins had ran into the group and ordered them to goto the meeting place instead of heading for Suna. After they arrived no one else had shown up.

Kurenai now stood on the great Naruto bridge looking toward the mainland with her arms held around her. She had been doing this every day since they arrived.

She tensed a moment as she felt a chakra signature arrive and she turned and saw Sakura standing there and she said "Don't worry, hes still alive."

Kurenai looked back to the mainland and asked "How can you be so sure."

Sakura said "Because your still alive. If he dies you die, just like if you die he dies."

Kurenai blinked and asked "What are you talking about."

Sakura bit her hand and walked over and rubbed the blood across Kurenai neck and took off her headband and used the polished mirror part and showed Kurenai her neck where a strange spiral seal appeared and Sakura said "Its one of the other things the Uzumaki blood carries. It makes it where lovers are never seperated, even in death. It links your lives together so that if one dies the other does not have to worry about living without them."

Kurenai was shocked and asked "How."

Anko who came walking up said "Remember the first kiss you and the gaki shared. The moment you did you both passed out. Iruka and I were worried until the Hokage came and told us what it was. He ordered us not to tell you so you could fall in love and admit your feelings."

Kurenai let a tear fall as she realised Naruto still was alive and asked "If hes still alive, why hasn't he shown up."

A voice that came from the fog between the mainland and the island of waves said "Have you ever fought an army and a demon and tried to walk like nothing happened." making all 3 woman turn and look as several figures could be seen walking out of the fog.

In front was a Tsunade with Jiraiya beside her. Behind them was a black hair woman holding a pig. Next to her was a few ANBU with around 200 more behind them and in the middle of it all was Naruto who was only in a pair of pants.

Kurenai gasped as she looked at him and saw scars across his body as she ran forward and jumped when she got close enough as he caught her and swung her around before locking lips with her as he set her feet on the ground as he pulled her close.

Several cat calls and wolf whistles echoed and Jiraiya smirked as he pulled out his notepad only for Tsunade to grab it and throw it over the edge of the bridge shooting Jiraiya a glare.

After several moments the couple broke the kiss and Naruto said "miss me."

Kurenai slapped him across the face and then pulled him into a hug as she broke into a set of tears and said in a sobbing voice "Why did you lie to me."

Naruto sighed as he rested his chin on her head and said "So you would not try and stop me."

Kurenai said "But why."

Naruto said "Because I promised I would do anything to protect you and thats what I did."

Anko asked "So what happened."

Naruto sighed and said "Well..." and over the next hour he told about him ambushing Suna nins and creating a Kagebunshin army of them and then about the traps he had set up and about Itachi coming and killing not only the Raikage but Orochimaru. He told about how Jiraiya and Tsunade showed up forcing him to spring his trap early and about attacking Shukaku with clones pretending to be Sound, Iwa, and Kumo nins. He then told about how Shukaku came and burried everyone alive that had survived as well as the village itself. He then told how he was bleeding on the Hokage monument and out of chakra as he passed out and fell "and that was the last thing I remembered was falling."

By now the clan heads, sandiame and the elders arrived hearing it all and Tsume asked "So what happened after that."

Tsunade said "Well..."

Flashback

As Naruto was falling toward the ground a toad appeared and caught him in its mouth before landing on the sand and jumping away. At that moment both summon bosses for the frogs and slugs reappeared drawing Shukakus attention.

Tsunade said "Your time is up Shukaku." as Katsuyu spat acid at the racoon demon.

Shukaku took the attack and started to regrow the damage as it laughed and said "yes, I shall have your blood"

Jiraiya said "Oi, give me some oil." as Gambunta spat out oil as Jiraiya used a katon jutsu to set it on fire launching it at the racoon who screamed out in fury.

Gambunta then pulled out his dagger and jumped toward the sand demon who had mouths begin appearing on its body as they all sucked in air. At that moment Katsuyu sent another acid shot at the demon blowing a hole in its enlarged stomach forcing the air it had inhaled to explode outward leaving a huge hole that started to reform just as Gambunta dagger cut into Shukaku arm cutting it off.

Shukaku screamed "I will kill you for this. I shall enjoy your blood greatly." as its wounds and arm started to heal.

Just then 6 pillars of wood formed around Shukaku and it screamed out "What is the meaning of this, who is stealing my power."

At the edge of the new desert a single ANBU had his hands on the ground as around 200 ANBU appeared all going through handsigns launching fire jutsu at the demon.

Jiraiya said "Oi, give me oil again." as Gambunta started to spit out oil again and Jiraiya set it on fire. Katsuyu started shooting several acid attacks on the demon that was screaming out in pain.

At this point the wooden pillars started to break apart as the ANBU who was creating them was getting tired.

Jiraiya frowned and said "Its not working, hes getting free." as Gambunta kept the flamethrower coming out of his mouth.

Looking around Jiraiya saw Tsunade was beside Naruto healing him and Naruto was awake looking at the attack and he said in a tired and weak voice "Dads head."

Tsunade looked confused and said "Don't talk, your to weak."

Naruto shook his head and said "No listen. Destroy the yondaimes head. It will stop Shukaku."

Tsunade asked "What do you mean."

Naruto took a gasp of breath as pain shot through him and said "Destroy the Yondaimes head on the monument. Trust me, please." as he passed out.

Tsunade turned and yelled "JIRAiYA, THE KID SAID TO DESTROY THE YONDAIMES HEAD TO STOP SHUKAKU."

Jiraiya looked confused and said "You heard her boss, the gakis plans have worked until now so might as well try it."

Gambunta nods and stops spitting fire as he jumps toward the Hokage monument and stabbede his sword into the Yondaimes head.

At that moment water blasted out of the crack shooting toward Gambunta causing him to go up in smoke and Jiraiya to jump off. The force of the attack hit Shukaku dead center of its chest as the pillars of wood started to fall. The water kept hitting the demon as it screamed "NOOOOOOooooooo..." as its body began to turn into mud and shrink in size. The sand at its feet also getting wet.

Everyone jumped away as the pillars finished falling apart and watched as the demon kept trying to pull itself back together but it kept falling apart as the water soaked the sand.

As everyone watched over the next hour as water continued to soak the sand the demon Shukaku cease to keep pulling itself together and everyone looked and saw the body of a Gaara dead and Jiraiya walked over to the body and looked at it and said "I see."

Tsunade asked "What happened to it Jiraiya."

Jiraiya grabbed Gaara body and pulled it away from the water it was in and began doing handseals and set the body on fire turning it to ash. Once the body was gone Jiraiya turned and saw everyone looking at him and said "As most of you should know from when Kyuubi was sealed the demons body was sealed as well into the body of the host. It provides an anchor point for the spirit to stay in this world. When Shukaku was weakened from our combined attacks he was having to restore his body but being a sand demon he is vulnerable to fire or water. Fire turns it to glass and water condenses it down making it unable to move without alot of chakra. Every time Shukaku was trying to repair itself it was drawing more and more chakra to do so. Now what no one realises when you seal a living creature in another yes the chakra the beast has at the time goes into the new body but without a LIVING body its chakra reserves are not endless. Without Gaara death durring the first attack his normal body could not produce chakra any longer and Shukaku was forced to keep using his own chakra. As time goes on Shukaku was getting weaker and weaker since the body we just fought was not a real body so when the water made it harder to repair itself..."

Tsunade said "It died of chakra exhaustion."

Jiraiya nods and an ANBU asked "Ok, I get that but how is it the water is comming out of the Yondaimes nose."

Everyone blinked and looked and started to laugh and Naruto who had awakened said "Because the river I damned up was redirected to fill the underground escape tunnels. When I made the village explode I basically heated the water that had gathered inside and.."

Jiraiya said "You made the mountain into a water heater and the only way it could escape was the hole in the yondaimes head."

Naruto nods and Tsunade made her hands glow and touched Naruto head as he passed out."

End flashback

Tsunade said "And that was about it."

Everyone was amazed and the sandaime asked "So why did it take you all so long to get back here then."

Naruto looked sheepish and said "Well um..."

The sandaime asked "What."

Naruto said "The firelord came by to give a mission as we were getting ready to leave and he um..."

The sandaime said "Yes, spill it already Godaime."

Naruto looked at Tsunade and Jiraiya and Jiraiya said "He made us go back to his place so I could autograph his collection of Icha Icha paradise."

Everyone facefaulted and Tsunade said "While we were there all my debt collectors showed up and..."

Jiraiya said "I was forced to pay off her debts..."

Tsunade said "And the gaki needed a few extra days to discuss the plans to restore Konoha..."

Naruto said "Oh, and guess what. Konoha is being rebuilt as we speek. Aparently the mission the firelord was wanting was to renovate the village since he heard about our first attack and hired several contractors, go figure. The village will be restored in 3 months."

Everyone sweatdropped and Kakashi asked "How did everything so conviently happening."

Naruto said "well unlike granny here, Im very lucky, aren't I dear." as he pulled Kurenai into a kiss.

Kurenai smiled after she broke the kiss and said "At least you will be in a little bit." as she grabbed his hand and started to drag him away while swaying her hips.

Asuma shook his head and said "Lucky."

Naruto smirked and said "You know it. Hey old man, Im taking a vacation for the next few days."

Kurenai said "Years." as she shushined both away as everyone laughed.

The third smiled and thought as he watched everyone disperse and go find a place to stay "and so the will of fire lives on. what the future brings is still a mystery but Konoha will live on."

Just then a shout of "OH YES NARUTOKUN, HARDER, HARDER, FASTER, OH GOD YES." echoed across island of waves.

Gai looked at Kakashi and shouted "NARUTO-KUNS FLAMES OF YOUTH BURN BRIGHTLY, DON'T YOU AGREE KAKASHI."

Kakashi looked up from his book and said "I don't know Gai, I think hes getting lost on the road of life." as he flipped a page as Gai said "Damn you cool hip attitude."