Never Again: Sequel to The Different One (Naruto Fanfiction)

Chapter 3: Sensei

I groaned as an overwhelming migraine took over me.

"Hey! I think she's finally waking up!" A familiar voice called out.

My eyes opened and I took in my surroundings. The familiar white ceiling had me assuming I was in a hospital and the knuckle headed blonde standing beside the bed told me I was in Konoha.

He smiled at me as I sat up, rubbing my cheek where the Kyuubi's chakra had hit me. "The pain's gone..." I mumbled.

"Yeah! Lady Tsunade is the best medical ninja there is!" Naruto chuckled and pointed to a woman with calculating eyes and a diamond in the middle of her forehead.

"Hibiki Tsukino, is it? I would say it's a pleasure to meet you, but I'm sure you know that you are marked as a rogue ninja, so I can't trust you." She crossed her arms over her huge chest and stared down at me with little emotion.

I kept a calm face and said, "Then why didn't you throw me to the interrogators when my defenses were down? If I were Hokage that'd be my first course of action."

"How do you know we didn't interrogate you?"

"Know isn't really the right word. More like I've made an assumption and it is more then likely true."

I could tell I had annoyed her when she frowned at me. "Then I guess I better call in Ibiki right now!"

I tried to hold back my smirk, but I couldn't help but feel content that I had won. "So you admit that you haven't sent me to your interrogators."

"Why you little..." She looked extremely pissed off now and was about to make a move, but Naruto stepped in.

"C-Come on Lady Tsunade. You know like everyone else that Hibiki is innocent. The clues she left are more then enough evidence!"

I sat up and tilted my head. "Clues?"

They both gave me puzzled looks. "Yeah, you know, the notes. The ones about giving back that kimono you used."

I racked my brain until I remembered about writing on a scroll all that I needed to do after the mission with Naruto and Sage. The mission that changed the past three years of my life. "Oh yeah, those notes."

"Even if you remember the notes, I think a proper interrogation is in order." She turned away from me and walked towards the door.

"One of my ninja will come to fetch you. Until then I guess you can catch up with everyone."

I smiled a little as she walked out. It seemed like that lady trusted me after all.

"There's so much to tell you, Hibiki!" Naruto smiled and sat on the edge of the bed.

He told me about how everyone had changed since I left. He told me about how he was the only Genin (not counting me of course) out of our rookie ten and how Gaara was now the Kazekage.

That part made me smile. Looks like Gaara was able to find his own place after all.

He told me about the Akatsuki and how they had been gathering the Jinchurki. He told me about how they got Gaara, but a Sand Village elder named Lady Chiyo helped save him. He also told me about how Sakura had become really strong. She had even training with Lady Tsunade to learn medical ninjutsu and was able to save Kankuro from a poison that the Akatsuki member Sasori made.

Then his expression became one of sadness. "And... I guess you've already figured out that Sasuke left the village to join Orochimaru." I nodded, deciding to give my input once he finished.

"You were out because of your chakra loss, but we saw him again. He was... Different, almost evil. He's been taken over by his want for revenge." The look on his face was one that I had experienced many times before. When Haku and Zabuza died, when Lord Third died, when I had to leave the Leaf.