Chapter 47: The Akatsuki
"Can I get another bowl of ramen, please..."
"But Naruto, you've already devoured 10 bowls, and she's barely touched her first one..." Aayame pointed out.
"Well, after a grueling S-rank mission, ramen is the only thing that revives me, right Hinata?" Naruto responded, casually dropping into the seat next to Hinata at the ramen stand.
Hinata simply flashed a shy smile and nodded in agreement as they both carried on with their meal.
[Fast forward to little more than two years, Naruto's now garbed in a striking Dark green and black tracksuit paired with sturdy black ninja boots. His height? Roughly 5'11". On the flip side, Hinata's sporting a relaxed, soft lavender and cream hooded jacket coupled with navy blue trousers. Her height? A petite 5'2".].
"Alright, Naruto... I should get going..." Hinata announced as she rose from her seat.
"Are you leaving so soon? I was thinking we could hang out a bit more, you know, post-mission." Naruto suggested.
"I have some things to take care of, Naruto. Perhaps next time. Goodbye." Hinata excused herself and exited the ramen shop.
"Right, as always, no one remembers my birthday is tomorrow..." Naruto mused to himself, paying for his meal before leaving the shop.
Over at the training field...
"What held you up, Hinata?" Kiba questioned as Sakura, Shikamaru, Ino, Choji, Kiba, Shino, Neji, Tenten, and Rock Lee gathered at the site.
"Well, she was with Naruto, so she probably lost track of time, right Hinata!" Sakura teased, causing the group to chuckle and Hinata to blush slightly.
"Alright, now that we're all here, let's plan a surprise for Naruto's 15th birthday tomorrow." Ino proposed.
"Are you guys sure we can't just buy a gift and surprise Naruto with it? Planning a whole party seems like such a drag..." Shikamaru lazily remarked, lying on the grass and closing his eyes.
"Shikamaru, Naruto is your best friend, right? Show a little enthusiasm," Ino urged.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah..." Shikamaru replied, sitting up and looking at the others. "Are we sure he's going to be here tomorrow in time?"
"Yes, Lady Tsunade confirmed that he'll be here tomorrow," Sakura reassured.
"So, have you all figured out what you're going to gift Naruto for his birthday?" Sakura inquired.
"I'm still thinking about it," Hinata admitted.
"There's nothing to think about. Just gift him 100 bowls of ramen, and he'll be happy," Choji chimed in, munching on his chips.
"Well, not everything is about food, Choji," Ino reminded him.
"So, we gotta brainstorm for this surprise shindig..." Sakura proposed, as they kept on plotting for the upcoming birthday celebration.
Fast forward to the next day...
As per his routine, Naruto was the early bird, landing first at the Ramen shop and then heading to the Hokage office to pick up his mission as usual.
Arriving at the Hokage office, Naruto found the usual suspects - Tsunade and Shizune.
"Naruto, we're all out of missions for today... Every task on hand has already been delegated to other village ninjas." Tsunade informed.
"Eh? Then why didn't you hold onto one for me?" Naruto queried.
"Naruto, you've been on a mission streak lately and while your track record is spotless, even you need a breather, don't you? So, just chill out today!" Tsunade advised.
"Lady Tsunade is right, Naruto. Overworking yourself with daily missions might take a toll on your wellbeing." Shizune added.
"Alright, guess I'll head out then..." Naruto accepted and departed.
Exiting the Hokage office, he bumped into Shikamaru, Choji, and Ino.
"Yo, Shika, Choji, Ino, what brings you guys here? No mission on your hands?" Naruto inquired as he strolled towards them.
"Ino, mum's the word about the surprise bash." Shikamaru discreetly reminded Ino.
"Hey there, Naruto..." Ino greeted, "We're just here sorting out some crucial matters."
"Cool beans... " Naruto replied.
"Okay , We'll be leaving than..." Shikamaru said as they left.
"Hey, What's with the rush ?" Naruto confusingly thought.
The whole day passed like this, Naruto mostly spend time with training and stuff. After training Naruto went back to his house.
In the quiet of the evening, a knock echoed through Naruto's home. Rising from the cushioned comfort of his sofa, he ambled to the door, curiosity piqued. Swinging it open revealed Karin, her expression etched with worry.
"Naruto, you're here..." she exhaled, a mix of relief and urgency in her voice.
"Of course, I'm here. What's up? You look like you've seen a ghost," Naruto replied, leaning against the door frame, an easy, knowing smirk playing on his lips—
"It's serious, Naruto. We have no time to waste—you need to come with me now," Karin implored, her voice tense.
"Alright, alright, give me a sec to lock up," Naruto breezed, He stepped outside, securing the door behind him.
"So, where's the fire?" Naruto inquired casually as they started moving.
"You'll figure it out once we get there. Let's not dilly-dally," Karin urged, setting a brisk pace, with Naruto trailing behind her.
Eventually, they arrived in front of Naruto's former apartment, a place he hadn't occupied since Karin, now a Leaf Shinobi, albeit still a Genin, had moved out. With her own earnings and a bit of financial help from Naruto, she managed to secure her own place.
So, diving back into the thick of things, Naruto and Karin stood before the apartment. Naruto, with an air of casual curiosity mixed with a hint of mature confidence, asked, "Why are we hanging around my old haunt, Karin?"
Karin hesitated. "Just... go up, open the door, and see for yourself. I'm at a loss for words on how to explain the situation," she replied, a touch of nervousness in her voice.
Naruto let out a light chuckle, the seemingly worrisome situation not shaking his cool demeanor. "You're starting to freak me out, Karin. But alright, let's see what's up"
As they ascended the stairs and stood in front of the apartment door, "Okay , Here goes nothing , I guess..." Naruto said as he opened the door.
As Naruto pushed the door open and stepped in, the room burst into light with the accompanying sounds of party poppers and fireworks, "Happy Birthday..."
The room was crammed with familiar faces, Sakura, Hinata, Kiba, Shino, Neji, Tenten, Rock Lee, Shikamaru, Ino, along with their team mentors like Kakashi and Might Guy.
Naruto was momentarily stunned, then moved towards the group. But before he could utter a word, a voice rang out from behind him. Turning around, he saw Jiraiya and "Sasuke... " His surprise was evident.
"When did you guys arrive?" Naruto inquired.
"We thought we'd surprise you on your birthday..." Jiraiya responded. "And by the way, he thought of it." He added, pointing at Sasuke.
"No... It wasn't my idea... " Sasuke denied. "Anyway, Happy Birthday... " He muttered, throwing Naruto an awkward smile.
"Thanks, and it's good to have you back..." Naruto replied, turning to the others. "I appreciate everyone being here..."
"Naruto, you don't need to thank us, we're friends. This is the least we could do." Sakura chimed in, everyone nodding in agreement.
"Absolutely, so Naruto, why don't you cut the cake? It's begging to be eaten." Choji added, causing everyone to burst into laughter.
"Happy birthday to you..." They all sang as Naruto sliced into the cake, offering the first piece to Hinata before moving on to the rest.
The night continued with gifts, games, laughter, and celebration as Naruto turned 15.
The following Morning....
"What? Naruto is a Jounin now?" Sasuke queried, sitting with Sakura.
"Yes, it's been three years, so..." Sakura confirmed.
"And the others?" Sasuke wanted to know.
"I'm a Chunin, as are Hinata, Kiba, Shino, Choji, Shikamaru, Ino, Rock Lee and Tenten. Neji became a Jounin a few days ago, too." Sakura updated him.
"Rank doesn't define us, isn't that right, Sasuke... " A voice echoed behind them. Looking up, they saw Naruto perched on a tree branch. "What are you doing up there?" Sasuke questioned.
"Just passing by... " Naruto replied nonchalantly, before teleporting next to Sasuke and Sakura. "So, what brings you two here?"
"Just chatting. So, you're a Jounin now, huh!" Sasuke prodded.
"Yeah, but don't sweat it. The Chunin exams are coming up. You'll have your shot at promotion soon..." Naruto assured him. "Anyway, I better get going. I have a meeting with grandma Tsunade." And with that, Naruto made his exit.
At the Hokage's Headquarters...
Naruto rapped on the door before strolling in, where Tsunade was planted on her usual throne, with Shizune and her pet flanking her.
"Naruto, you've arrived," Tsunade spoke up.
"Yeah, looks like it," Naruto responded breezily.
"So, Sasuke's back in town, do you want to pick up where you left off with Team 7? Kakashi, Sakura, Sasuke and all?" Tsunade questioned, only to be interrupted by Naruto, "Why are we even discussing this? Of course, we're getting the band back together."
"Alright, just making sure we're on the same wavelength," Tsunade replied.
"So, how are the preparations for this year's Chunin exam shaping up?"
"Everything's under control. We're seeing a surge in the number of genin participants this year," Tsunade informed.
Just then, a knock echoed through the room.
"Do come in," Tsunade invited, as Shikamaru and Temari stepped in.
"Guess, it's my cue to leave, Tsunade-baa-chan." Naruto announced, heading for the door, "Hey Shikamaru, heard you're the one pulling the strings for the Chunin exam this year. Impressive, huh?" Naruto Asked.
"Yeah and I got to escort her, it's a drag don't ask me , if it's great or not.." Shikamaru said.
"Uh-huh, super impressive," Naruto bantered, "You are...?" Naruto turned to Temari.
"Seriously Naruto? You've asked that four times in the past week. It's Temari, remember?" Temari retorted.
"Right, right. Got it. Catch you later, Grandma Tsunade. You two, don't work too hard," Naruto called out, exiting the room.
In a place of the village, Kakashi and Jiraiya strolled, engaged in a chat.
"It's time for you to supervise Sasuke! I have other duties to attend to, so I think you're up for the task." Jiraiya proclaimed.
Kakashi, engrossed in his Icha-Icha novel, remarked without tearing his eyes away from the book, "He seems mature now."
"Indeed, and might I add, quite formidable," Jiraiya acknowledged.
"That's promising," Kakashi responded.
"The individuals we've been keeping an eye on are about to step into the spotlight," Jiraiya revealed, catching Kakashi's attention.
Over at the sand village...
The Leader of the Sand, Gaara, was in a conference with the sand village's upper echelon.
"For the past couple of years, our community has thrived in peace and wealth, much of it owing to our liaisons with the concealed villages of the united terrain." The sand shinobi known as Baki unveiled a scroll he held in his grasp.
"For instance, our newbies are more skillful, courtesy of an innovative training approach, a technique we picked up from the leaf village." Baki went on.
"We'll gauge their improvement soon enough, the Chunin trials are just around the corner." A village elder chimed in.
"Indeed. That's why these circulating whispers are particularly distressing at this moment."
"Whispers? Yura?" Baki queried.
"Yes. Have you ever heard of a group called Akatsuki?" Yura inquired while Gaara remained quiet.
After a while, Kakashi and Jiraiya settled down at a local eatery...
"So, they've decided to come out of hiding..." Kakashi acknowledged.
"Was bound to happen eventually," Jiraiya affirmed.
"The Akatsuki..." Kakashi brooded..
[A. N: Thanks for reading, drop Powerstones that will help a lot and drop reviews if you like the story and add to your library]
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