Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
Happy Harvest
Prologue
Life. A journey that is littered with its highs and lows, its joys and sorrows. But, thought the Third Hokage, life for a certain child seemed to reach far deeper depths, far greater pain. He stood for a moment, staring solemnly out his window, surveying the expanses of the people and land he was appointed to guide and protect. He eventually turned his head and set his eyes on Uzumaki Naruto, who was sitting trembling in a chair, his face nearly unrecognizable under the mass of welts, blood, and bruises. To guide and protect. Yet he couldn't even guide this ignorant and prejudiced village to accept ONE child, and he couldn't even protect that ONE child from being beaten. His fist clenched. Life had its ups and downs? Looking at the wounded child, a sight he had to witness at least once a month, he couldn't help but feel that there was a strong inconsistency when applying that statement to Naruto. Finally, the Hokage heaved a sigh, and addressed Naruto softly.
"Naruto?"
The boy fidgeted sharply, a spasm of pain or surprise, maybe both. Then, he slowly raised his head, and although the hits he took were numerous, the injuries unspeakable, his curious blue eyes shown through his battered face with a vigor and defiance that no amount of pain could tarnish. Meeting such a strong, unfaltering gaze with his own, the Hokage felt compelled to look away, pulled by the contrast of the boy's face. But he remained firm.
"Naruto, tell me who did this to you."
The boy again fidgeted, and looked for a brief, fleeting moment, as if he was going to answer. Then, he ground his teeth, and kept his jaws firmly locked together, and heightened his glare of defiance. The Hokage groaned, slowly resting his wrinkled brow on the palm of his hand. This happened every time. He did this every time.
"Please, Naruto, you must give me the names of these perpetrators. Then, we can make an example out of them, further…incidents like these, they can be prevented!"
Naruto, whose glare remained staunch, at last spoke with a shaky, but clear voice.
"So you mean…you're going to hurt them?"
The Hokage cringed. Every time.
"Naruto, there's no other effective way for such actions to be punished, you must understand that-"
"Then I won't say anything!" Naruto yelled, crossing his arms firmly and averting his gaze. The Hokage remained still as he stared at Naruto. They had hit the wall they had always reached when this discussion came up. The previous times, this would be the Hokage's breaking point, and he would fall in his chair and wearily dismiss Naruto to the medical wards, unable to bear the sight of his injuries any longer. He would then wait with dreaded foreboding for the next incident to inevitably occur. He grit his teeth. But not again. No, he would not be letting this time go so easily. "Naruto, why? Why do you defend these people? After what they did to you?"
"W-well maybe they hurt me. But they're still villagers of Konoha! And I, the future Hokage, must protect them, not hurt them!"
The aged leader was taken aback. That was his reason?
"But Naruto, if someone does unjust harm to another, he must face the consequences. A Hokage must make that decision, whether that person is a villager or not."
Naruto eyes drifted downward, thinking of how to respond. The conversation never went this far. It wasn't routine, wasn't familiar.
"W-well, if it was someone else, then maybe. But it's just me, and it's been happening for so long…it, it must be everyone doesn't like me, right? That's why I'm hit. So…so…"
His eyes shot back up, and he grinned. "So I'll just have to try harder to be more liked by everyone! I mean, if I'm going to become Hokage, doing that has gotta be a must, right old man!?"
The Hokage shut his eyes tightly. But it isn't YOUR fault, Naruto! Not. Your. FAULT! But Naruto continued to smile obliviously, the edges of his lips curling past bruises that were already beginning to heal. Opening his eyes and seeing Naruto's impossible jubilance, the Hokage could do nothing but concede defeat. But…but he had to have something to give to Naruto. This benevolent, innocent boy, this hero of Konoha, how could he as the village's leader simply wave the child away and wait for the next time? "Tell me…Naruto. Is there any hobbies you have, anything you like to do?"
Naruto raised an eyebrow at the elderly man's inquiries. The Hokage knelt himself to Naruto's level, and continued. "…The village council prohibits me from raising the living funds you receive, but if there's anything you like to do, anywhere you like to go, then tell me! I swear I'll do anything in my power to provide you with a way of enjoying it more, to spend more of your time doing what you want to do!"
Naruto blinked, then lifted a hand to his chin in contemplation.
"Um…a hobby? Uh, well…I guess…oh! I know!"
He smiled wide as he slapped his fist in his palm in realization.
"I like to garden!"
Now it was the Hokage's turn to blink. He had not expected this. A life-time all-you-can-eat pass at the ramen stand, maybe (as if the council would permit that), but not this. "Naruto…do you even know how to garden?"
"Yup! In class a while ago, Iruka-sensei was teaching us how to plant seeds and stuff to grow plants! I thought it was gonna be suuuuper boring, y'know, but I still watered it everyday because Iruka-sensei would blow his top if I didn't, and when I saw what grew…"
The smile Naruto bore this time was more genuine than any the Hokage had seen before.
"It was awesome. 'Had I done that?' I thought. And you know, mine grew the tallest! And Iruka gave me the highest grade, the first time I got the highest grade in anything! But that's not what made me happy. Knowing you grew something, you nurtured it, you made it stand tall like that."
Naruto scratched the back of his head sheepishly, blushing in embarrassment. "It makes you feel really warm, you know?"
The Hokage smiled. He had been incredulous at first, but now he was now placed at ease. Gardening. Of course, it fit a caring child like Naruto perfectly. And he knew exactly what he could do to help the boy, too.
"Alright Naruto, I can procure you a small plot of land a little bit north outside of Konoha. It's still under the village jurisdiction, so the trip there is perfectly safe. I'll also get you some gardening supplies, some seeds, fertilizer, whatever you may need. You'll have your own garden, Naruto."
Naruto jumped out of his chair and cheered, ecstatic. He had used all of his spending money on gardening books and pots previously, and in the end could only water and grow two plants in his dingy apartment. Never had he thought that his secret passion could be indulged on this kind of scale!
"Thanks old man! You're the best, seriously! Wow! This is totally awesome! Man, what should I plant first?! Perennials? Maybe fruit? Even vegetables?!"
The Hokage chuckled, his mood revived by Naruto's contagious joy.
"Alright, Naruto. Come to my office tomorrow morning and I'll show you the way there. But for now, return to the hospital and get some rest."
"Sure, whatever, you bet! Man, I can't wait!"
Still cheering, Naruto quickly turned and raced out of the room. The Hokage too was still smiling as a shadowy figure crept through the door which Naruto had just exited. The old man nodded as he identified the visitor. "Ah, Kakashi. Did you perhaps overhear that conversation with Naruto?" The man somberly nodded, his Anbu mask bobbing in a quick fashion.
"Yes sir, I did. That land you gave to Naruto…would it happen to be…?"
"Yes," affirmed the Hokage, grinning, "It was the garden that used to belong to the First Hokage."
Kakashi tapped the side of his head, trying to bring up what he could remember about that place.
"The Shodai Hokage was a botanical genius. The things he grew there were among the most lovely and fascinating things the village had ever seen, they say. When he died, the place was treated as a sacred ground, not to be touched by anyone, even for the sake of maintenance. So over time all the garden's spoils had died and withered away."
"Yes, an almost tragic end, you could say," The Hokage mused as he begun to pace. "But I think Naruto can bring it back to fruition. No, not only that, I think he can make it grow to even greater proportions than even Senju could dream of. That land is very, very special. But Naruto is just as much so, don't you think, Kakashi?"
Kakashi nodded again, deftly. And although his face was obscured under so many masks, the Hokage knew that the man was smiling.
A/N: So it's said that one of Naruto's hobbies is gardening, and I think that's a pretty cool hobby to give a character like Naruto. But the anime and manga don't really explore it much, since Naruto's all "I MUST GAT STRONGA SO I CIN GET BACK SAUCEKAY!" at all times. So I figured I'd give my take on what it'd be like if his gardening were a focal point. Criticism is more than welcome.