Heaving breathing, the sound of blood dripping, a smile. That was what filled the valley of the end on this dark and rainy day. The wreckage stood as a monument of the battle that was reaching its end one last time. One raised an eyebrow in response to the smile, why, why would anyone smile now out of all the times to smile, why now?
"Why you smiling usulontonkachi?" Sasuke asked, this was a fight to the death, they both knew it, so why, why was that stupid old teammate, no friend of his smiling?
"Oh c'mon admit it's kinda funny, the both of us, dead serious on inflicting the final blow to the other. The statues, the waterfall, the place. It seems to me two kids once fought here not too long ago, you wouldn't know anything about it would you?" replied Naruto his smile never disappearing.
The raven scoffed but then, despite him a small almost invisible smile appeared. "I'll admit it is a little bit funny to have it end all here. But the finality is anything but funny, for this time I will finish it once and for all."
"Still stuck on that, you know you should get a new track one of these days, as far as I'm concernced I'm still drawing air." He finished his gaze forgetting his playful self of moment. His eyes turned serious, for this after all, despite all of the rubbish talk Sasuke was saying was still a serious fight, one he had to win. "This jutsu will be the last."
"I know."
The sound of tornado and the cry of a thousand birds pierced the air one last time, each one roaring for all their worth but also their pain, their strength, their sadness, their ties.
"Bring it NARUTO!"
"Since you ask so nicely, come!" they yelled rushing forward to their last battle.
One with the raikiri, the other the rasengan. So easily, so easily their places could have been the other way around, how fate hung on a knifes edge, how easily Naruto could have sought revenge for unjust hatred against the village, how easily could Sasuke have been the one to be a shield for it. But none of it mattered anymore, it was too late. As the jutsus came closer and closer their eyes locked and Naruto smiled. Finally it was over. Another smile found its way in the valley, the avenger couldn't hold it back any longer, for he sported a smile of his own.
"Now Kit."
"Thanks"
Mere moments before the two techniques that had started it all clashed the fox gave his last once of strength to the blond. As red chakra surrounded him Sasuke smiled, it was over. The blond disappeared mere moments before clashing and reappeared rasengan in hand hitting Sasuke square in the stomach.
"Well I guess that's that." Said Naruto softly limping towards his friend with what little strength he had left.
"Yeah, I guess that's that." Copied the raven slowly crawling to what little shelter there was from the rain in a small cave.
Naruto smiled as he let his back fall against the wall dropping slowly until he sat next to his friend a grin from ear to ear.
"Next time I'll kill you." Joked Sasuke.
"Maybe next time." The blond replied as his eyes slowly closed darkness taking him.
Motion, the jumping from tree to tree woke him. His eyes slowly opened, it was familiar, by know Kakashi's back was sorta the taxi for him after fights. His eyes wandered and they found what they were looking for, a dark haired idiot being carried by some medical ninja's, Sakura was there too alongside him. "Team 7" he said softly.
"Huh?" Sakura asked her head immediately looking at the face of a sleeping idiot. "My imagination? But yeah… Team 7." She thought to herself as for the first time in years the team was back the way it was supposed to be.
A white ceiling, that was the first thing the blond saw as he opened his eyes. "Ah the hospital he thought." But as his eyes opened up he realized it wasn't the hospital, or at least it wasn't A hospital, sure the scent of hospital was there, somewhere, but blood, rot and other foul smells made him want to throw up.
"Hey Naruto." Said a voice. Naruto turned his head in the direction of the voice, he was in a tent, the flap was lifted and Sakura entered.
"Sakura-chan…"
"Idiot." She replied a hint of amusement in her voice though her eyes were sad.
"What's wrong?" he asked
"We won, but we lost. I mean, I know that doesn't make any sense." She said trying to sort out her thoughts. "We won, the world isn't in danger any longer but we lost so many and even now are losing so many. The battlefield was so widespread, so many were trapped and fought alone, we don't know where. Many are bleeding out as we speak and there's nothing we can do but send search teams, but there's not enough of us, I just came out of 12 hours straight of surgery, one shinobi after another, this… victory has cost us, is costing us so much…"
Naruto's fist clenched. "Sakura" he started getting up. "I can help, with my kage bunshin I can send them everywhere, we'll findeveryone." He finished.
"No." She replied firmly before shoving him back down on the bed. "You, my friend are in no shape to do anything at all, at all expect rest. I have to go back, no rest for the weary as they say, but I'll be back and when I do come back, if you are not here, you'll wish that kyubi were the one torturing you." She finished before smiling at him. Someone called her name to which she answered and left running.
The host watched her leave before looking up at the tent's roof. He sighed. "She's going to kill you, like for real this time." The fox warned.
"I know" he sighed.
He got up and walked outside. A whole camp was set up, closed black bags was all he could see and in one of them was Neiji. His stomach turned and he nearly vomited. Taking deep breath he calmed himself. "What your generation doesn't know is war and the toll of war. The pain, the fury, the sorrow, that is what you will have to fight." Nagato's words came to haunt him. Suddenly what he had said made a lot more sense now.
"You might die."
"I might, but other will die if I do nothing."
"It's your call, just remember, I'm not some magic tree of life fixing wounds and stuff. Every time I close your wounds it costs you."
"I know, I know…" He replied walking through the camp searching for someone, someone slightly larger than most people. Before too long he found his target.
"Choji!" he called out
"Naruto, you're up!"
"Hey I heard they were making a barbecue over there, you should go check it out."
As he hoped Choji looked everywhere for the promised barbecue and didn't notice until it was too late what Naruto was after, the secret Akimichi pills.
"Naruto…"
"Sorry, Choji, I have to."
"You know what else you have to? Go before someone kills you." The fox said and he was right for a very very very angry pinkette was fuming to see her protégé up and about until she saw what was between his teeth, anger turned to fear. It nearly killed Choji last time and he was… well his body was more apt to handle those kinds of energetics and Naruto had just woken from a three day coma, out of all chakra.
"You IDIOT!" she yelled running forward.
"Sorry, Sakura-chan" he whispered.
He felt his strength returning, chakra flowing through his veins. In a flash he was gone. "Find me everyone." Naruto ordered. "Shouldn't you focus on the living?" "I'll bring everyone home, find me everyone." The fox agreed and thousands of clones spread across every battlefield, across every inch of the war and hour after hour, the bunshins brought back everyone. Some were met with tears and cries of distress, others were met with tears of hope. And everytime the clone who brought back a live or dead shinobi Naruto remembered it, the initial hope on the face of the people close to one of the lifeless bodies he brought back, the hope turn to sadness and tears. As the sun moved through the sky, the clones never stopped.
"Kit, Orochimaru, Karin, Kabuto and the others have regrouped what do you want to do about it?"
"Nothing, if they don't seek trouble then I won't seek any, for now let them be, I have other things to worry about."
A small joy he got in this dreadful day was when he found Yamato Taicho alive, though uncounscious. As the sun fell Naruto brought back the last one. She was there, waiting for him.
"He's the last one, Naruto said exhausted."
"Is he alive?" she asked He shook his head slowly. "I see…" she replied softly. Two ninjas came and took the body away. "We saved hundreds, maybe thousands thanks to you Naruto…"
"I'm glad…" he replied pain soaring through his body. As he fell forward she caught him. "When we get back, Team 7 to Ichiraku Ramen, my treat." He joked
"Roger that." She replied softly for he was already uncounscious.
-A week later
"A white ceiling again, I'm going to beat Kakashi's habit of ending here if this goes on."
A weight on his stomach kept him from getting up, as he looked down his hopes of seeing a tear eyed Sakura jump at his neck as he woke disappeared, for the weight wasn't Sakura but an oversized, overgrown dog, otherwise known as Akamaru. He chuckled to himself and pet the oversized beast. Said dog woke and started barking. The door opened and the rest of the Rookie 12 of Konoha walked in. They smiled, he smiled back but the other members of team 7 were missing. Still they talked, and laughed a bit. Soon though night was coming and they left. As he lay back down there was a knock. The door slid open and a frail crying girl entered, she rushed to him and hugged him. His shock passed he pat he back, trying to sooth her.
"Your heart stopped…" she cried, "I thought we were going to lose you…"
"Ha come on when has a disciple of the legendary pervy sage ever been that easy to kill?" he chuckled. She eased a bit and let go of him sitting down in the chair. They spoke little, the darkness of recent events still being too close to home for them.
"Naruto, you should know something about Sasuke." She started. He raised an eyebrow, he was back right? "Your final attack hit a sensitive stop…" she spoke slowly, his eyes grew in fear, could he have? She guessed his thoughts from his expression. "No don't worry he's alive… it's just… you hit the master tenketsu of the human body with Kyubi's chakra, his body like anyone else but yours cannot handle a chakra that potent… Naruto what I'm saying is, he will never be able to use chakra anymore." The news hit Naruto like if the sky had fallen on him. "Well maybe a little bit but only enough to make a couple of clones at best…" she finished. They sat in silence for a while.
"I'm… Sorry…" he said slowly
"Sorry? What for?" she asked incredulously, why was he apologizing.
"I promised I would bring him back for you and…" he didn't get to finish his sentence as his cheek stung. Turning his head slowly to face her, her tears stopped his question.
"If you ever, EVER speak of that stupid promise I made you make, I'll… I don't know, I'll drown you, bring you back to life, torch you, bring you back, bash you until you die for the next million years!" she yelled
Taken aback his gaze softened. "The old hermit was right, women are impossible."
"Oh so I'm a woman now huh?" she joked. "Naruto, tomorrow are the funerals…"
"… I'll be there."
"I know, get some rest." She ordered, she kissed him on the forehead and wished him good night before leaving. His cheeks glowed red as he lay back down, though he was not too sleep yet for a pouf of smoke appeared right before his eyes.
"What is this, the theatre?" he grumbled.
"Oh come on, don't be like that." Said the once upon a time Team 7 sensei. "I just came to say… I'm sure Minato-sensei and Jiraya-sensei would be proud of you Naruto."
Naruto smiled without answering, that compliment had hit home perfectly.
"Well I must be going, see you." And he was gone.
The next day Naruto rose with the sun. He slowly got to his feet and walked out the door until the room of his once former teammate and rival. He sighed, he should have known Sasuke wouldn't be sleeping. He entered.
"Yo Sasuke." He started. Said raven was looking out the window. He turned around and cooly said:
"Next time I'll kill you." They both stared at each other in the eyes before laughing. Though it was short.
"Sasuke… There won't be a next time…"
"Yeah I know, they told me."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be, Sensei came here last night, the council wanted me dead but since I can't use any chakra anymore Kakashi was able to convince them to leave me alone, so I guess you saved my life there… Besides, no one said I couldn't be a ninja anymore, I'm fairly sure someone in this village has proven that you can be a great ninja without ninjutsu or genjutsu."
"You, the mighty Sasuke are going to train under Lee?" Naruto laughed "Oh my, how the mighty have fallen."
"I just hope his youth power crap is easy to catch and catches on quickly." He laughed before getting serious again.
"Sasuke, I just wanted to tell you something." Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "I will rectify history, Itachi will be recognized like the hero he should have been, I'll come up with a story that doesn't make the Uchiha look bad either, don't worry." The raven nodded in appreciation.
The bells rung through the village.
"Let's go…"
Dressed in black everyone came to the funerals. As Sasuke layed eyes on the rookie 12 for the first time he felt uneasy, how was he supposed to react? Ino walked to him silent fuming with anger, she raised her hand, he closed his eyes accepting yet, but the sting never came, Ino was there, crying, her hand slowly fell before she hugged him tight.
"You see teme, what you never bothered to see was that, you've always had people love you here, since the very beginning." Sasuke silently nodded and embraced Ino, tears coming down his cheeks for the first time since he was a small boy.
The day was long, very long. They read the list of names of all those who gave up their life for victory, they felt a particular sting when Neiji's name came up, but they had no right to react any differently to his name than to the others. After hours it was over, the war was over but the traces of it were far from gone, it would take years if not decades for thing to resemble normal again, there many things that needed to be attended, organizations, who even though weren't as powerful as Akatsuki yet were still dangers to global peace, rebuilding and letting the past go.
"Hinata wait!" Naruto called out as everyone was leaving. Kiba nodded to Hinata and smiled at her before leaving.
"Yes Naruto-kun?"
"… Hinata, I… I just wanted to say thank you… For saving my life when I fought Pein, I never got around to thanking you and I'm sorry. But also… Hinata, it… can I say, it makes me happy in a way what you said, but I'm sorry, I can't feel the same way about you, I…" he stumbled
"It's… It's alright Naruto-kun. The truth is I watched you for a very long time and I know, you love Sakura very deeply, and I wouldn't want to take that from you, it's one of the things that make you the great person you are Naruto-kun…"
"I'm sorry Hinata… I don't know what to say."
"Just… Just be happy Naruto-kun."
"You too… Well I'll see you around."
Hinata quickly turned around tears on the verge of falling when out of nowhere Kiba threw his arm around her shoulders and smiled a kind smile. Akamaru barked in sign of approval.
"Did I tell you the time Akamaru drove me mad running after a cat?" he started laughing walking with her.
Time passed by, a day, then a week, then a month, and then two. The village was well under way and things were just starting to have a whiff of normality about them, people would recognize other people taking the same at the same time and wait and meet up to talk on the walk, restaurants opened and competition was fierce, though with Naruto loud mouthing that Ichiraku Ramen was the best, it was no real surprise that it was the most successful restaurant of them all.
Grey clouds started to part on this rainy day, day on which Naruto stood where it all began, training grounds for team 7 the memorial to those who gave their life for their belief.
"If you're going to need a place to stay every time you're going to be late, find someplace else, this one is already taken." Joked Kakashi as he approached. "You know why I'm here."
"Yes…"
"Don't wait too long." He said before disappearing in a cloud of smoke. Naruto sighed and he too started his journey to the Hokage tower.
As the door creaked open Naruto was met with the stern gaze of the elders.
"Naruto, as you know Konoha is now in need of a Hokage." Started the old man. "It is why we have decided that none other than the hero of Konoha should become Hokage." He finished.
"Thank you… But no thank you."
Everyone in the room was taken about, the kid who had always screamed at the top of his lungs that he'd be hokage one was now declining the chance of being hokage?
"Someone once told me, one does not become Hokage to get the approval of the people, it is the approval of the people which makes one a Hokage. I have what I have always wanted, the approval of the village. Besides I could do so much better out there than here confined to behind a desk."
"Who shall we name Hokage then?"
"I think Kakashi Hatake would be glad to remain the Hokage for now." Naruto said, the elders nodded.
"What about you?" they asked
Naruto untied his Konoha emblem and put it in his pocket, he then put on another bandana which read "The Fox Sage". And with that he left.
The gates of Konoha, where so much had happened, he had been on his S class mission passing these very gates. He had desperately chased Sasuke from the gates as well. He had left on a training journey from here as well. And today he would leave again. Just as he was about to set off, a voice stopped him. As he turned around, there she was.
"Going on a journey I see?" she said
"Yeah, stuff I have to do, people I have to meet."
"The fox sage huh? You better not end up a pervy sage like Jiraya-sensei." She laughed. Before he could protest she kissed his cheek. "I'll be waiting." She said. He grinned. "I'll be back. And with that he was on his way. Just before he disappeared from her sight she called out to him.
He turned around as a strong gust of wind went by, she said something, three words, he smiled and laughed. She gave him a thumbs up and ran back laughing towards the hospital. Grinning wider than he ever had he set off whistling as happy as could be.
Naruto The End
