Wanderings
His favorite thing about going on missions was coming home again. The Konoha gateway was always a sight for sore eyes, and only heightened his sense of joy at successfully completing a mission. He'd always run ahead of his exhausted team mates to the gate and dash in. Mission reports could be left to the leader; he did not care for them, and the Hokage knew that.
He let the sense of home flood him as he entered the village, and felt his body relax. It was good to be back again. The boy stopped thinking about where he wanted to go and let his feet wander. That, he felt, was always the best way to unwind after a mission.
The sound of laughter drew his attention, and he looked around the corner to see where it came from.
Children, five or six of them, stood in a scattered group watching two young boys play fighting. They were pretending to be ninjas, and were making up their own hand signs and names, and the watching crowd giggled at every new technique that they came up with.
One boy, white-haired with a cheeky grin, weaved his fingers together, spun around and yelled at his opponent, "Distraction jutsu! Look, sensei is behind you!"
The second boy, who sported long black hair and serpentine features, turned around, saw no one, and turned back in mock anger. "You got me that time! But you'll pay for that!" He did some hand signs and shouted, "Avada kedevra!" Apparently this was a powerful move that all the children knew about, because the crowd oohed and turned with wide eyes to the other boy. But he did not see what came next, because he had passed by the street and kept walking.
His feet carried him aimlessly. It was evening, and merchants were packing their goods away for the day. The wind combed through his hair, and he caught himself smiling. The carvings of the past hokages looked down at him, and he felt a rush of pride for his village.
This was why he became a ninja. Konoha was everything to him. He fought so that the others did not have to. He would die, so that they would live. And he would die with a smile on his face, because he knew that he had protected what was most important to him.
But until that day came, Sarutobi would simply be happy to come home.