Chapter 306: Back Home

Disclaimer:

Naruto and all of its characters belong to Shueisha and Masashi Kishimoto.

I own nothing but the original characters I create.

"Dialogue"

'Thoughts'

-Author notes-

Chapter 306: Back Home

1 Year Later

"Mmm… the village looks much more… busy." Naruto's figure floated in the air above Konoha.

His physical appearance hadn't changed much compared to a year ago...only his blonde hair had grown even longer, now reaching his waist.

However, his aura had undergone a transformation, becoming more serene and majestic than before. His body radiated a constant golden glow, giving him an exalted appearance.

"I wonder if they're going to get mad when they see me now…" Naruto was somewhat worried about Ino and Hinata.

After collecting the other half of the Kyūbi, Naruto had gone straight to his cultivation cave, where he remained for the past year.

Stabilizing his cultivation had taken longer than he originally expected.

Of course, spending a year or two inside a cave wasn't a big deal to him and couldn't be considered a long period of time. But he understood that, from his companions' perspective, it might be different.

"Oh well, not much can be done now." Naruto looked around.

The forest had been restored from all the damage he had caused. This was likely the work of Yamato.

"Before I forget… I should restore my network." As Naruto said this, countless clones materialized all around him and immediately took off in all directions.

They would now travel to all corners of the Elemental Nations and allow him to keep an eye on what was happening in the world while he stayed here.

His senses extended and located everyone who was of interest to him.

Ino was in the Hokage's office.

"I should go there first." Naruto hovered a bit lower and began to hear shouts coming from the people below.

Now that he was closer, the civilians were able to see Naruto flying over the village, and they all got very excited to see him. This was a much different reaction compared to the first time he 'awoke' as Naruto in that hospital bed.

After the so-called "One-Day War," Naruto Uzumaki's name had become more than legendary in the Land of Fire.

And extremely infamous in other places like the Rock and Cloud Countries, where he was seen as a murderous demon.

But to the people of Konoha, Naruto was their savior and guardian. Many villagers worshiped him as if he were already a god, and had even built statues of him in several places around the village.

Naruto happened to spot one of these statues on the way to the Hokage's building.

"What are those mortals thinking?"

He decided to be polite just this once and went through the front door, then walked toward the office.

A middle-aged woman sat at a desk just outside the Hokage's office.

Naruto was vaguely familiar with her... even though he usually came through the window, he recalled a few times she had brought him something to drink.

"Is the Hokage busy? I wish to speak with her," Naruto asked the secretary.

"Name?" she asked back, without lifting her face from the book she was reading.

"Naruto Uzumaki."

"..." She was about to flip the page but then froze. "Sorry, did I hear…?" She lifted her face to look at him...and gasped.

"Lord Naruto, you're back!" She nearly fell from her chair.

"It's only been a year…" Naruto huffed.

'Is everyone going to overreact like this?'

She hurried to open the door for him. "Go on, the Hokage will receive you now."

"Hey! What do you mean by that? I don't have anyone on my agenda this morning." Tsunade's annoyed voice came from inside.

But her demeanor quickly changed when she saw who it was.

"You're back…" Tsunade stared at him in shock.

"Yes, I concluded my business at the—" Naruto's eyes moved to the sofa on the right. Ino was sitting there, drinking some tea.

"Hey!" He waved at her.

Ino blinked a few times, set the cup down, and stood up.

She then walked up to him, and...slapped him. Hard enough that the sound echoed through the entire building. "Hey?! You were gone for a damn year!"

Naruto scratched his cheek. The slap didn't hurt, of course, but it was a bit itchy.

"I figured you were going to get angry. But it's not like I disappeared. You knew where I was."

"Yes, but we couldn't even go see you. I mean, I wanted to, but Hinata said we shouldn't disturb you until you were done," Ino replied.

Naruto nodded. "That was a good call. As expected from Hinata." That girl had great insight and always seemed to make the correct decision.

Interrupting him during meditation could have forced him to spend several more years stabilizing his cultivation, instead of just one.

"Just hug your boyfriend already, Ino," Tsunade said with an annoyed tone. "I know how much you've missed him."

Ino turned to her and huffed. "I was getting to that!. I just wanted to slap him first. He deserves it."

Naruto waited patiently as she made up her mind, and finally, she jumped into his arms.

"Sorry I made you wait so long," Naruto said softly as he held her.

"Just don't do that again," she replied.

Tsunade watched the couple hug and kiss. "This is starting to make me angry…can you two go do that somewhere else?. Have some mercy..." She reached into the bottom drawer, where she kept her emergency booze.

The two of them ignored her and continued.

"Oi, that's enough already… stop making out in my office," Tsunade shouted at them before filling up another glass.

"Have you seen Hinata yet?" Ino asked him.

Naruto shook his head. "No, I thought it was best to come here first and announce my return to Tsunade."

"Thanks for the gesture, I guess," Tsunade muttered.

"Oh…" Ino made a troubled expression. "Then you should go see her now."

Naruto glanced at Ino. "Did something happen to Hinata?"

"I mean, yes? But it's nothing bad. It's best if you go see for yourself instead of me explaining," Ino said.

Naruto nodded. "Very well. I'll go now." He was already planning on going to the Hyuga Compound anyway.

After he flew out the window, Tsunade let out a chuckle.

"How do you think he's going to react when he finds out?"

Ino chuckled too. "I have no idea. But now I kinda wish I could be there to see it."

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