r />
The next day, Naruto encountered four people he had never expected to see. The first was Asuma. Naruto looked at him in surprise. "Asuma-sensei, what are you doing here?"
Asuma smiled at Naruto. "Oh, Naruto. I didn't expect to run into you here. Does that mean Lord Jiraiya is here too?"
Naruto nodded. "The Pervy Sage and I got lost in the mountains and ended up here by accident. What brings you here, Asuma-sensei?"
"Oh, I'm here on a mission," Asuma replied. "Since Lord Jiraiya is here too, I'll go find him. Shikamaru and the others are behind me, by the way. They should arrive soon. I'll head inside first."
Naruto was delighted to hear that Shikamaru and the others had come too. "Really? Then I'll wait here for them. The Pervy Sage should be in the back courtyard having tea with the old monk right now. Go ahead, Asuma-sensei."
Asuma nodded. "I'll head in, then." After seeing Asuma off, Naruto waited eagerly for Shikamaru and the others. It had been a long time since he had seen his friends, and he was really looking forward to it.
Before long, Naruto spotted Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji. Delighted to see the three of them, he called out, "Hey, Shikamaru, Ino, Choji! How have you been?"
The three were surprised to find Naruto here. "Naruto?" Shikamaru asked in surprise. "What are you doing here?"
Naruto smiled. "Heh, I'm traveling and training with the Pervy Sage. We got lost in the mountains and ended up here. Asuma-sensei just went inside to find him, by the way. He said you came here on a mission. What's going on?"
"It's that business with the Twelve Guardian Ninja," Shikamaru replied lazily. "Did you know, Naruto? Asuma-sensei was actually one of Konoha's Twelve Guardian Ninja.