Time flowed like water, silent and unnoticed.
In the blink of an eye, two years had passed.
Naruto knew nothing of what had happened outside during those two years. It was not that he did not worry about the Land of Waves.
The Shadow Clone he had left there was still intact; no crisis had forced it to dispel and alert him.
The Spore Clone on Deidara was quiet too. It had not dispelled itself to notify him of Akatsuki making a move against Konoha.
Clear-Mind Island.
A sheltered spot on high ground where the wind was kept at bay and energy gathered.
Two Cozy Villas stood there. Though the one on the right showed signs of wear from wind and snow, it still largely looked as it once had.
The one on the left, however, had weathered badly. Several of its beams were visible from outside.
The sun sank into dusk, waves began to swell, and the sea wind howled.
Just then, a tall, well-proportioned youth with long black hair strolled out of the woods.
Despite the steep terrain, his steps were light. He scaled the slope in moments, seemingly without effort.
As he approached, six faint marks could be seen on either side of his resolute face, as though a cat had scratched him while he was hunting in the mountains.
Two years later, Naruto was still very much a teenager.
Yet he looked more like an adult, standing nearly six feet tall.
Having perfectly inherited Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki's good looks, Naruto was now a walking work of art in the eyes of the Shinobi World's women.
Seeing Sasori's villa all but abandoned, Naruto gave a wry smile. "If I'm right, Sasori should officially be the Land of Waves' Chief Mechanical Engineer by now, shouldn't he?"