"Ugh, Pervy Sage are we there yet?!" Naruto screamed in frustration cupping his face.

"Stop calling me that! And look in front of you." Pervy Sa- I mean Jiraiya bawled crying anime tears.

Naruto stared at the village.

"Home!" He screamed running frantically towards Konoha.

Naruto ran up the pole and with his arms outstretched, shouted,"Konoha's Number One Knucklehead Ninja is back in business!"

Meanwhile...

Ino thanked her last customer of the day and flipped the sign so it said,'Closed'. She shut the door behind her when she heard a shout.

"Konoha's Number One Knucklehead Ninja is back in business!"

Her cerulean eyes widened. No it couldn't be... Naruto!

Ino ran as fast as her skinny legs could carry her. She came at a halt when she saw her boyfriend perched on top of an electric pole.

"NARUTO-KUN! NARUTO-KUN!" She repeatedly shouted.

Naruto looked down and was greeted by the sight of the most beautiful kunochi he had ever seen.

He jumped down in front of her and drank her features in.

Ino enveloped him in a hug."Welcome back." Naruto smiled and smoothed out her hair,"I told you I would be back, Ino-chan."

They released each other and Jiraiya rubbed his hands together.

'This would be perfect for another Icha Icha Paradise story,' Jiraiya thought.

"Naruto?"

Naruto whipped his head around to the sight he dreaded to see. Ino sighed and tugged on his hand but he stared at the ground,"Sakura."

Sakura winced at the cold address and noticed he wasn't using the suffix to her name anymore. Ino stared at Sakura with a cold look and massaged Naruto's shoulder,"Naruto-"

"Ino-chan... I'm fine," Naruto looked up and stared at Sakura blankly and turned to Ino with a smile."Why don't we head to Tsunade-baa-chan, dattebayo!"

Ino gave him a worried look but shrugged it off and with Naruto's arm wrapped around her waist, they began walking to the Hokage Tower. 

~The Hokage Tower~

"Tsunade-sama, I told you they are coming today!"

"Then why haven't they shown up already, Shizune!"

"I-"

"Well I didn't think you worried about us that much, Tsunade-baa-chan."

Tears filled Tsunade's  eyes as she wrapped Naruto in a bone-crushing hug. She smiled through it all and kissed his forehead."Welcome home."

"Rasengan!"

The door shattered open and Konohamaru, Udon and Moegi stood there, panting.

Jiraiya grinned,"Well looks like you've been passing on some jutsu's huh, brat."

Konohamaru launched at Naruto and squeezed him."HI NARUTO-NII-SAN!"

When he released him he looked at Ino."Naruto-nii-san, is this your girlfriend?"

Naruto hugged her close to him and nodded,"Yes, she is, my one and only."

Ino blushed and buried her head in Naruto's neck. Tsunade grinned,"Young love."

Jiraiya pouted,"What about old love?" Tsunade bashed him on the head and looked at them.

"Naruto, since Sasuke has left, Ino will be the new member of Team 7."

Ino gasped,"But what about Ino-Shika-Cho?" Tsunade sighed and laced her fingers under her head. This is what she was blabbering about to Asuma and Team 10 yesterday."I already spoke with them and they agreed to have a rest. I have put them on C-Rank missions for the time being."

"Ooooh, lucky you brat. You get to have all the fun, it's a plus that they are certainly beautiful in certain places."

Tsunade didn't sit down until the screams of Jiraiya could not have been heard. She sighed but smiled at them."As a team effort I want to test your strength to see how much have you grown. Sakura, give it your all."

Sakura nodded,"Hai."

"Ino you can watch since I have already tested your improvement and you are certainly more stronger than I have imagined." Ino thanked Tsunade for the praise and Tsunade turned her attention back to the two.

"Who's our opponent going to be?"

"Well your opponent is-"

"Hello, Tsunade-sama."

They all looked to the door in which Shikamaru and Temari stood. Shikamaru widened his eyes at the sight of his formerly comrade."Naruto? Is that really you?" 

'That's the same brat from before? Man he's gotten a major improvement.' Temari blushed red.

"Yep that's me," Naruto pointed at himself with his thumb and gave him a toothy grin. Sakura and Ino smiled and Ino looked at Sakura and Naruto. Ino sighed,"We need to work your problems out quickly before you guys fight together or else it will be a mess on the battlefield."

Sakura gave Naruto a pleading look and Temari looked curiously at them both."Did I miss anything here?"

Tsunade sighed,"No, it's because Sakura is the reason Naruto left the village for three years." Temari shivered in her spot."If Gaara hears about this... it will be a blood bath in the village tonight."

Tsunade nodded and Naruto looked over at Shikamaru."So are you going to be my opponent?" Shikamaru looked at him perplexed."Opponent? Hell no! I would die and plus, I think your opponent would be someone higher rated than the likes of me."

"You guys are still genin?"

Temari shook her head,"I'm a jounin, so is some people here in Konoha, most are chunnin." Naruto nodded and turned to face the window and look out of it."Then how about Gaara? What is he?"

"He's Kazekage."

Not a pin would've dropped and they would have cared to listen. The tension in the air was so thick you could cut through it with a knife. What Naruto did next was totally unexepected.

He smiled."That's great." Naruto squeezed Ino's hand."But one day... One day I will be Hokage, and I will be a better one than anyone else, dattebayo! I promise..." 

Sakura gazed at him.'He really is a pure-hearted boy. I should have never called him a baka. Oh Naruto-kun I'm so sorry...'