Key:

"Normal Talking"
"Thoughts"

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, damn it!

A/N: If it seems like the Naruto I'm characterizing is not like the Naruto you would think it would be, it's because it's been six years and his personality has changed. GOT IT?

Summary: Six years after Naruto became a Genin, Tsunade orders a team of elite ninjas to go on a super secret class 'S' mission that could last up to four years. While Sasuke is still missing, a relationship grows from acquaintance to love. Paring(s): You'll have to find out!

Shinji-HigurashiMeheh, girls blush too much.

Loon Luu: You'll just have to wait and find out! And if turns out it isn't NaruSaku, then please keep reading, anyways!

hujin: They are a pretty awesome cell, I'd have to agree.

Eddlee: Just wait and see.

Animefan: Hrm…

Uzumaki Hamdi: You guess it. Bwaha, but which one?

Lipek: You'll probably find out this chapter what the pairing is.

00000000

Naruto started to pass out pieces of paper to his six 'students.' They all took one, wondering what they were for.

"We can't exactly start with fire on the first step, can we? We'll just try to keep the paper levitated above our palm for now," explained Naruto.

The blonde took another piece of paper for himself and levitated it. Although not as impressive as the levitating fire, the six Jounin's were mostly amazed again.

"Concentrate your chakra in the middle of your palm first, and spread it around the object," Naruto instructed.

For a moment he watched them struggle with the levitation. Sakura, of course, levitated hers perfectly for maybe ten seconds and then the paper slipped out of her grasp. Medical-nins, after all, had to have great chakra control. Neji, Shikamaru, and Chouji weren't so successful. They both managed to hold it up for only a few moments, and then the papers fell. Lee and TenTen were having the most trouble, since they had the worst chakra control of the group. They placed the papers on their hands and it simply flopped on the ground.

"Alright, alright. Stop. STOP!" Naruto said dismally, shaking his head slightly. "We've got a lot of work to do…"

He sighed. "Alright. Sakura-chan, can you take Neji, Shikamaru, and Chouji to work with them? I'll take care of Lee and TenTen."

The pink-haired kunoichi nodded in agreement and turned towards her 'subordinates' and started to teach them. Naruto did the same.

"They key is," started Naruto, "to concentrate on your chakra and so it doesn't spin out of control. Right now, you both are just expelling your chakra without any shape. You have to keep it in one area, and right now that's around you little piece of paper there."

Lee nodded enthusiastically and TenTen followed suit. They tried once more and again failed miserably.

Small circles of pink formed in TenTen's cheeks. Lee hunched over in dismay.

"Hey, hey. Don't be like that, Lee!" Naruto exclaimed, "I was probably worse than you when I started!"

Lee straightened up at Naruto's command and tried again. After a few minutes of practicing, he was beginning to get the gist of it. TenTen, on the other hand, had still not been able to control her chakra.

Naruto had seen TenTen fight four years ago against Temari of the Sand. He knew that she only used weapons, but to have that bad of chakra control and be a Jounin? She had to be really good at what she did, because her chakra control was… well, there was no other way to put it. It was just plain horrible.

"Lee, do you think you could go work with the others?" Naruto asked.

Lee happily agreed to Naruto's request and hopped over to the rest of the group. Once he was gone, Naruto turned back to TenTen.

"Okay, try again, TenTen. I'll try to see what the problem is," Naruto suggested.

The weapons master picked up her piece of paper and placed it on her palm. She then grunted and tried to levitate the piece of paper. It wouldn't budge.

She kept trying until Naruto unexpectedly took a hold of her wrist. She looked up, with a tinge of pink on her cheeks.

"I see the problem…" Naruto muttered. He took his other hand and performed a little series of one-handed seals. He then reached his hand forward and clamped onto her shoulder while still holding her wrist with the other hand.

"There, that should help," Naruto muttered.

TenTen blushed. It wasn't because Naruto had touched her shoulder, or any part of her arm in that matter. It was because when Naruto had grabbed her shoulder the side of his face had brushed hers.

"Try again," she heard.

TenTen expelled an amount of chakra into her palm that she had never felt before. A slight wind pushed out from her hand and lifted the piece of paper. It fluttered to the ground.

"There we go! I knew opening up your chakra points would help!" Naruto said happily as he smiled.

TenTen smiled back.

The night passed on as the seven elite Jounins practiced and practiced the chakra controlling method Naruto was trying to teach. About an hour later, Naruto stopped the group and readied for bed.

00000000

"Na-Naruto?" a voice asked.

"Hrm?" Naruto replied.

"Are you still up?" the voice asked.

"Uh, yeah. I can't sleep."

"Me too."

TenTen lurked out from her sleeping back, rubbing her eyes. The moon shined overhead the group, glistening onto the dying fire.

"Want to talk?" she asked.

"Sure."

TenTen nudged along the ground and sat next to Naruto who was sitting back against a tree. She pulled her knees and embraced them.

"So, how did you become Jounin so quickly?" she asked.

"Well…" Naruto replied, "I've been training for four years straight with Jiraiya… and he told her that I had all the capabilities of a Jounin and she made me one right away."

"Who's 'she'?"

"Oh, sorry. She's Tsunade. The Godaime."

"Wait, you know Tsunade-sama?" TenTen burst out, looking into Naruto's eyes jealously.

"Uh, yeah. I went with Jiraiya to fetch her when we needed a new Hokage. We're pretty close," Naruto said with a surprised look on his face, "So, do you know her?"

"Well, all the Jounins have to know the Hokage personally but… I've only been accepted into the Jounin league recently so I don't know her very well yet. I've grown up looking at her as my idol and I want to be just like her; a strong kunoichi. There aren't very many strong kunoichi in the village nowadays…"

"What are you talking about? There are plenty! I mean in this group alone there are two of the strongest female ninjas I've ever seen!" Naruto replied with a foxy grin.

The brown-haired kunoichi smiled with a slight tint of pink in her cheeks at Naruto's compliment. After a small silence, she asked another question.

"So, how are you close to Tsunade-sama?"

"Well…"

Naruto reached down his shirt and pulled out a very old looking necklace. He unhinged it, took it off of his neck, and handed it to TenTen to look at.

"That's hers. It was her most prized possession until she gave it to me. She said that the two people she had most loved wore it. Actually, I feel proud to wear a kind of necklace like that…"

TenTen stared down at the battered old necklace. She grazed the top of it with her fingers and her eyes landed on a red-stained area. She lifted it up and showed Naruto.

"Is it… is it blood?" she asked nervously.

"Oh, damn. That must be the blood I spilled when I fought Sas…"

"Fought who?"

"Sasuke."

"Sasuke?"

"You heard about it from Lee and Neji, did you not?"

"Er…"

"You know; the mission that Shikamaru, Chouji, Neji, Kiba, and I went on. The one to retrieve Sasuke?"

"Oh, that…"

"Well, I fought Sasuke there. I lost though…"

"You lost?"

"Er, yeah."

"So how did blood get on the necklace?" she asked tentatively.

"Sasuke ripped through my shoulder with his hand."

"He WHAT?"

"Quiet! You'll wake the others!"

"I don't care! How can you talk so calmly about someone carving a hole through your body?"

"I'm begging you, please keep quiet!"

TenTen hesitated. She felt really worried about Naruto. Neji had barely made it out alive from a blow through his shoulder. How could Naruto have made it without any medical treatment? She complied with Naruto's request and began to cool off.

"Do you have a scar?" the kunoichi asked nervously.

"Well… no."

"But... But Neji-san had a huge scar on his shoulder after it healed! How can you not have a scar on your shoulder?"

"Uh…"

"Well?"

"Ummm…"

"And how come you recovered in less than two days, huh?"

"Er…"

"HMM?"

"Do you really want to know the truth?"

"Of course I do!"

"I really don't know how to explain it…"

"Just explain it."

"I can heal myself."

"Say wha…?"

Silence.

"I'll say it again. I can heal myself."

"How?"

"…Ever heard of the great immortal demon called Kyuubi?"

"Er, yes."

"Do you know why they called him immortal?"

"Uh, sure…" "What has this got to do with ANTHING?"

"He can heal himself."

"Wait… Are you saying that you have to same powers as Kyuubi?"

"No… I'm saying that Kyuubi is sealed inside of me."

There was another awkward silence. TenTen started at Naruto's face. Was it a lie? Some weird joke? Stupid joke, if it was. But… there was no change of expression on the blonde.

"Wha-what do you mean?" she stuttered.

"I mean that I am the fox's container."

"But… You! How? I'm so confused…"

"You should be. You heard the tales, didn't you?"

"Mm-hmm…"

Another lull in the conversation followed.

"So, are you going to hate me now?"

"Why would I?"

"You'll find out soon enough…"

"Huh?"

"Now rest."

The last thing TenTen saw was Naruto's face and his hands going though some rapid hand seals. It all went black and she fell down onto Naruto's lap in a deep sleep.

00000000

Four long days and nights later, they were nearing the Kunsan Mountain ranges. Many of the group were pointing in awe at the mountains.

"Okay, we have to be careful here… we're in Sound territory," Naruto whispered to the group.

The six other Jounins quickly nodded and slowed their pace.

Not a word passed between the seven Jounins. They were all extremely nervous and would flinch at any sound. Naruto stepped on twig and half of them spun around with kunais out, ready to attack.

"I didn't mean THAT careful!" Naruto hissed.

"Oh…" Sakura blushed as she put away her knife along with TenTen and Neji.

"I meant that you should just-" He stopped abruptly.

"Just what?" Sakura asked.

"Shh!" Naruto hushed the kunoichi.

Naruto turned around, looking left to right, up and down.

"What's the problem?" Neji asked slowly.

"Scan those trees over there with your Byakugan," Naruto commanded as he pointed to a cluster trees.

Neji caught on to the situation and activated his Byakugan and scanned the trees, looking for anything suspicious.

"There's someone over there," Neji whispered.

"Just as I thought," said Naruto. "Everyone, stay here."

With a pop, the team's teacher disappeared in a small cloud of smoke.

Neji continued to stare into the trees with his Byakugan active. Every now and then, he'd give a small gasp and flinch.

"What's happening?" Chouji asked.

"Naruto… he-" Neji stopped.

"What's happening!" TenTen yelled, worried.

"Naruto… has this much power?" Neji asked himself.

The Hyuuga continued to watch. After a moment he snapped out of his lapsing silence and started charging off in the direction he was staring.

"Hey, what!" Sakura yelled as she followed him.

Everyone in the group chased after the Byakugan user into the forest. Neji, who was very nervous, ran straight through a wall of bushes and stopped right next to where he had seen the fight.

When the rest of the group caught up to Neji, gasping for breath, they gawked at the most bizarre scene they had ever laid eyes on.

There was a charred hole about twenty feet wide and so deep that a person couldn't see how deep it actually was. Weapons lay scattered everywhere and a few hints of splattered blood marked the trees and the ground. Naruto was nowhere in sight.

"He's down there," Neji said as he pointed down the deep shaft.

Suddenly, a hand reached out of the hole, trembling. Naruto pulled himself out of the fissure gasping for breath. He didn't have any wounds on the far upper part of his body, and the rest of his team sighed in relief.

However, when he pulled his whole body out of the hole, they saw a huge gash oh his chest leading from his shoulder to his hip. Blood dripped from it as Naruto fell over onto the ground.

"I-I told you not to come, fools."

-End Chapter-

Author's little tiny corner:

(Laughs) I end with another glorious cliffhanger here. Anyways, I need reviews! Glargersletch!

Glargersletch- in my 'secret' language means: Leave a review or I'll slit your throat.