With over a thousand fan-fictions under my belt I wanted to try writing a story of my own. I'm open for critique and reviews will be appreciated.

This story is Konohamaru centric because I have never seen a good story with him as the protagonist. I believe there is a lot of potential in his character and this is my shot at fleshing it out. No insane bloodline, demon-in-gut powers, or magical eyes. Just a story of hard work and human potential.

I don't own Naruto or any of its character no matter how underdeveloped. Obviously.

"Hi!" - Regular speech

'Yo' - Thoughts

Jutsu - Jutsu

I Like italics - Flashbacks

Chapter 1

Sarutobi Konohamaru awoke to darkness a fiery pain in his legs and one arm trapped by fallen timber. Moving his free hand he felt a hard surface in above him. Panicking he channeled chakra into his unpinned arm. Pushing desperately on the collapsed wall in front him he let out a shout of exertion as with a low groan it collapsed outward with a loud crash. Quickly freeing his trapped arm from a smoldering beam he performed a quick test of his extremities that proved no, he isn't crippled and that yes, he is in a lot of pain. The last thing he can recall is his overbearing tutor Ebisu shouting at him while pushing him down and then a great deafening blast.

After a few seconds the ringing in his ears was slowly replaced by a deathly silence. Glancing around with half-lidded eyes fogged by dust and tears of pain he tried to make sense of what he was seeing. Blinking away the obstructions an overcast, ashen sky greeted his now cleared vision and the smell of burnt flesh and dust filled his nose. Slowly staggering to his feet, hissing as the bones in his left leg shift, he pushed himself forward to the edge of what looks like a large crater. As the wind picked up and cleared the dust in the air the young Sarutobi fell to his aching knees with nary a whimper.

The village his family had faithfully protected since its founding, the village he was named after, is gone. All that remains is a crater miles wide and hundreds of feet deep filled with water and rubble. The only thing Konohamaru can recognize amongst the destruction is the unmarred faces of past Hokage and the once great walls of Konohagakure solemnly standing guard.

A low rustling to his left caught his attention and as he dragged himself up through sheer force of will, a hand landed on his shoulder. Startled, he jumped up.

"Wah!" Palming a kunai and half-forming a Rasengan (Spiraling Sphere) he spun around.

A wide-eyed Hyuga, which he recognized by the lavender pupil-less eyes, dressed in standard Chunin gear deftly halted his movement and held him still lowly murmuring, "My apology honorable-grandson but it is not safe here. Please follow me. A group of survivors is currently gathering at the base of the Hokage Monument."

Seeing the Sarutobi meekly nod and begin to limp forward, the Hyuga, with a quick glance with his Byakugan to ascertain the damage, quickly scooped him up and began his slow pace to the base of the mountain.

With the adrenalin passing, Konohamaru's vision started fading. His last thoughts being of how this could have happened and praying for the safety of his precious people.

His unconsciousness fading, the sound of shouting greeted his ears as Konohamaru fought to wakefulness. Pushing himself off the cot he was on he noticed the sleeping bodies of several dozen shinobi laying around him. Running a hand through his dirt matted hair he looked down at himself grimacing as he saw bandages wrapped around many of his cuts and burns, His left leg in a splint, and his frayed blue scarf still around his neck. Slowly standing, he bit off a groan as he moved his sore body towards the entrance of the tent.

Pushing aside the flap he bit off a curse as the sun temporarily blinded him, quickly shielding his eyes he continued forward towards a large crowd of shouting people. Giving a cursory half-blind glance around he noted that there were several dozen tents erected around the monument with what look like people dressed in white hospital uniforms rushing back and forth between tents. Getting closer to the source of the commotion he came to stand behind several chunin dressed in Konoha regulation gear with bandages and casts on varying parts of their bodies.

Looking up he noticed a makeshift platform had been erected about 20 feet up the base of the monument. Trailing his eyes up and finally adjusting to the light his mouth went dry and his stomach dropped.

Elder Danzo Shimura stood upon the platform looking more imperious than he had any right to be. After a few minutes of shouting Danzo, lifting his un-bandaged hand, called for silence.

"Today, a tragedy unlike any the world has ever seen has been cast upon this once great village." Danzo paused ominously,"The man behind this atrocious act has been slain but not before he took the life of his killer Uzumaki Naruto."

The sinking in his stomach felt like a lead weight. Choking out a "brother!" unbidden tears begin their mournful trek down Konohamaru's face. The crowd erupted into shouting. Tapping his cane harshly on the platform silence once again reigns.

"With Naruto's sacrifice he slew the greatest threat to the Hidden Leaf since Madara Uchiha and bought us the time to rebuild and ready ourselves for the inevitable. An organization of now leaderless, powerful S-class missing ninja prowl the land and the other nations, like vultures, now circle us waiting for right time to pick at our corpse."

Raising his hand in a preemptive gesture for silence Danzo eyed the crowd. "What I will now reveal to you has been kept an S-class secret for 16 years."

A deathly hush was all that answered his proclamation.

"16 years ago The Nine-Tailed-Fox ravaged this village and was met and engaged in single combat by the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato. At the time of the fight his wife, a young woman by the name of Uzumaki Kushina gave birth to a baby named Naruto."

The silence was now deafening. Konohamaru felt physically ill as flashbacks of a teenager dressed in orange with a giant grin proclaiming his dream of being Hokage filled his mind, the laughing face of his boss and rival as they played ninja, and the fond remembrance as they sat together upon the third Hokage's head after his death. Tears streamed down his faced and his nose felt snotty as he looked back up to Danzo.

"The Fourth was no match for the Nine-Tails and he knew this. His great mind devised a Fuinjutsu unlike any ever seen. With this seal he would summon the death god and seal the Nine-Tails in his newborn son at the cost of his own life. With the help of his wife who had arrived to fight just after childbirth they trapped the Nine-Tailed-Fox and sealed him in to their son Naruto. Upon the Third Hokage's arrival to the battlefield Kushina had already passed away from blood loss and Minato was soon to follow. Minato wished for his child to be seen as a hero for his sacrifice as a Jinchuriki."

With knees weak and a heavy heart, Konohamaru's mind was plunged into turmoil. How had his brother in all but blood been so strong? to have such a burden and be so unappreciated. Anger clouded his mind as he remembered when he and the boss had been kicked out of several stores and restaurants. Naruto simply laughing it off talking about how they must still be angry about a prank.

"That night a law was passed. No one who knew was to tell those younger about Naruto's status as a Jinchuriki under penalty of death. Only the Hokage, the elder council, and Jiraiya of the Sannin knew of his parentage. He was given Uzumaki as a family name and placed amongst the orphanages to grow up and live a simple life. Naruto Uzumaki did much for this village and while his dream of being Hokage was never realized he died protecting this village like his father and past Hokage before him."

The crowd had grown in size as more stragglers came to hear the speech. Now preaching to several thousand, Danzo, raising his voice to a shout, "Now I stand before you. Lady Tsunade our Fifth Hokage slumbers in a coma and our hero lies dead. The village needs a firm hand to guide it back to glory now more than ever!—

Sick and tired of the old warmongers speech Konohamaru turned to leave and shuffled his way out of the crowd. His mind wandered to thoughts of Udon, Moegi, and his now dead brother. Losing himself on the road of life his feet guide him to the edge of the crater. His body mechanically finding a suitable area, he sat down letting his feet dangle over the edge.

The sound of birds chirping and taking flight finally broke Konohamaru of his melancholy. Shaking his head and looking out upon his broken home he couldn't help but lament. It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining and the sky was a deep blue with nary a cloud in sight. A day with this much sadness shouldn't be so beautiful. As a cool breeze ruffled his frayed blue scarf tears leapt to his eyes and for the second time in his 12 year life he lost himself to overwhelming sadness. Sobs escape his lips as memories about his rival and brother Naruto surfaced.

For what seems like hours he cried. Sobbing as flashes of his brother laughing and smiling down at him flit through his mind. Chasing him as they played ninja and watching the sun set upon the village they had sworn to protect. His cries go on until he remembers the last time this happened. Boss had beat the shit out of him. Snorting in Laughter through his tears he knows this is exactly what his brother wouldn't have wanted. He was such a crybaby. Wiping his face with a sleeve he looked up at the sun. It felt almost like boss was smiling down at him as the warmth caressed his cheeks.

As his sobs slowly faded away the young Sarutobi looked out. The day was too beautiful for the tragedy that was visited upon this once great village not even a day ago. Through watery eyes he could see the shapes of rescue workers sorting through rubble looking for survivors and hear the lamentation of broken families mourning for loved ones. His mind wandered to a day much like this one many years ago when his grandfather took him to the top of the Hokage Monument and spoke to him.

The sun was just starting to set on a cool windy day in Spring as Sarutobi Hiruzen, The Professor and God of Shinobi, the strongest ninja Konohamaru had ever known, stood upon his own stone visage looking out upon the sprawling city of Konohagakure. Puffing on his pipe he placed one hand behind his back and the other on my head. Smiling he looked down at me.

"Do you know why I gave you the name Konohamaru?" he asked.

With a pout I thought about it and looked up "no gramps, why?"

With a genial smile he looked out to the village "Because when I first held you in my hands I knew you were destined for great things."

"great things?" I asked with a quizzical look.

He chuckled, "Certainly young one. I saw the great potential you had and the heart of fire that burned within you."

Frowning I looked up. "Heart a' fire? Wadya mean gramps?"

With a sigh he turned to me and beckoned out towards to village "Do you see all of this Konohamaru? This is what every Hokage takes an oath to protect. Within the people of the village and its guardians burn a will of fire that has existed since the founding of the village. The will of fire is the will to protect what is precious to you. To be Hokage you have to not only have the strongest will of fire but also a heart of fire that burns hotter than the sun. The willingness to protect each man, woman, and child as if they were you own and the ability to rise above your own limitations. That is a heart of fire." He said as he tapped my chest.

Thinking about it and coming up empty I grabbed his robes and pulled "But gramps whas that got tado with ma name?"

He chuckled and bent down to pick me up, lifting me into his arms I snuggled close inhaling his sweet-smoky sent as he said "One day long after I'm gone you will understand young one. Within you lies a heart of fire that burns like a thousand suns and the will to protect that this village was founded on. Just promise me that you will never stop striving to protect what's precious to you."

With a sniffle I burrowed deeper into his arms "But I don wan you ta go gramps! I don care about a heart a' fire!"

Holding me close he looked down at me with a fond smile "Ah but that is the great circle of life young one and death is nothing but the next great adventure. Don't worry though I have several years yet left in me." He said with a chuckle

Looking up into his shadowed and wizened face I smiled "Then I promise I'll be Hokage! I'll live up ta my name n' make ya proud gramps!"

With a hearty laugh he leaned in and kissed my forehead. "Then I pass on my beliefs to you and pray for your success young one. Now you look tired and it's getting chilly, better get you back inside before dark." And with a single hand seal we blurred away into the sun lit village.

Glancing towards the Hokage Monument Konohamaru sighed, "A heart of fire eh. I still don't get it gramps. What did you see that I can't?" With no answer bound to come he swiveled his head back towards to the crater. In his mind he started making a checklist.

First he had to find his friends and pay his respects towards the fallen. Then he would train. He would train long and hard until nothing could get in his way. As Konohamaru started to stand he began to shout his ambitions to the world.

"I will never let someone important to me down again!

I will become so strong that no one will doubt my will of fire!

I will become the greatest Hokage this village has ever seen!"

As he turned his back, the sun flaring behind him, his face hardened as he readied for what was to come. He didn't know what challenges he would face but he would fulfill the promise he made to his gramps and Naruto. He would become the greatest Kage the world had ever seen or he would die trying. Believe it.