"Naruto do you understand what it means to be Hokage?" The question startled the young blonde boy.
"It means that you're the strongest and most respected person in the village, right?" Hiruzen shook his head.
"That's only a part of it what else do you think it could mean?" Naruto adopted a thinking pose for a moment before responding.
"Well, it means that cha' gotta protect everyone in the village" he answered with certainty. Again the elderly Hokage shook his head.
"Closer but not exactly." Hiruzen adopted a serious expression and looked Naruto in eyes making the small boy uncomfortable as he was unused to seeing such an expression on the man. "You want to be Hokage, correct?" Naruto paused for only a moment before nodding vigorously.
"And I'm gonna be the best there ever was too!" He exclaimed.
Hiruzen accepted the answer. "Then I will tell you the truth of what it means to be Hokage." The man inhaled deeply before beginning. "The Hokage is the man that everyone looks up to. That every shinobi and civilian alike looks to for guidance and protection; however, as I said this is only part of the job. A Kage bust be willing to do whatever is necessary for the sake of their village whether that be ordering the death of an innocent for the good of the village, or sending his very own shinobi in missions that he knows they very well may not return from"
"A Kage must be prepared to sacrifice not only their lives but even their morality for the good of the village. We do it not only because we care for the village but so no one else may have to sacrifice as we sacrifice. Everyday I sit at that desk in that tower and look out and see the villagers going about their business with a smile on their faces and I know that it is because of my work and the work of my shinobi that it is possible. And then I turn back to my work and stare at the countless names if shinobi that I send off to their deaths in a daily bases. I look at those names and I see families left without a sibling, a child, a parent, or a spouse. Then I have to stare at the face of the next shinobi as they stare at me with such admiration just moments before I send them to their deaths."
"You are just a child and you may not even be able to understand what I am telling you and perhaps I shouldn't even be telling you this, but if you truly wish to become Hokage then I need you to understand what you're getting yourself into. There will be times when you cannot sleep because the faces and names of those shinobi haunt you. There will be times when you feel as though you simply will break if you see just one more death certificate, but if you accept the job you will have no choice you will persevere past the pain and continue on because that is what is expected of you, that is the job you accepted, and so long as you have it no one else will be forced to do it."
Naruto remained completely silent while the man spoke. He stared at him in wonder as the true implications of his dream weighed down on him. And in that moment Uzumaki Naruto decided. No matter what he would become Hokage. If only so that this poor more old man who had suffered for so many years could finally have his rest. If only so no one else would be forced to suffer as he had suffered. If only so he who loved his village and it's people more than anything could shield them from the horrors of the job. He would shoulder the same burden that his beloved Jiji had his whole life and he would survive as he always had because if anyone could take it it was him.
"Jiji-" Hiruzen stopped the boy from speaking with a shake off his head. He already knew what the boy wished to say. He had said the same thing when his dear sensei had given him the speech years before and so he answered the same way his sensei had.
"When the time comes. You will be the greatest Hokage Konoha has ever had." And just as Hiruzen had Naruto wondered if that was a good thing or a bad one.
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AN: This is my first story on this site and I hope you all enjoyed it. In case you were curious this took place just after Naruto became a genin. I wanted to make this one-shot to show what I believe being Hokage is actually like. If you have any questions feel free to ask and please tell me any issues you may have had with my writing. I'll never claim to be the best writer and am really just trying to improve. Thank you again for reading.