AN: Greetings one and all. Before I begin I would like to dedicate this story to my girlfriend and my best friend, both of which continue to beg me to write something new. Well here it is, something new. To those who read this, I hope you enjoy. If you like it or dislike it let me know, I love to read what people write about my writing, helped my pass junior english. Again enjoy and tell me what you think thanks.
Disclaimer: Do I really have to say it, come on if I owned Naruto I probably wouldn't afraid of not having a job when I graduate in just a few months.
FIVE PHOTOGRAPHS
A lot can happen in twenty-four years. Heroes can die, heroes can be born. Secrets can be revealed and lives can be changed. Children can become the people they were always meant to be.
The five photographs that set on the young Hokage's desk showed all of these and more. His whole life was laid out before him from his jubilant, expecting parents to his own joy. Each photo had its own story and he enjoyed them all and he loved to relive every one.
The first on his desk was the oldest of his collection. It was that of the Fourth and his very pregnant mother. It still shocked him every time he thought about how his hero was his father. But the more he thought about it the more it should have been obvious. All he had to do was look in a mirror, even at a young age they looked more like brothers than father and son. It had taken him by complete surprise eight years ago when he was told by the man himself. Of course it was not under the best of circumstances. Nearly releasing the Kyuubi on the world was not one of his proudest moments but he had believed one of the precious people had been murdered right before his eyes. He had been overjoyed to learn Hinata had survived but the memory still haunted his nightmares.
Of course next to his father was his expecting mother. He still could not believe that this beautiful woman had once been such a brash and blunt tomboy. But according to Tsunade she had been. He had enjoyed sitting down with her and listening about his mother. From her childhood in Whirlpool to how she nearly tortured his father to take her on their first date. Apparently she had caught him peeping on her with Jiraiya and felt it only proper. He was reluctant to agree because of the circumstances and only took her to Ichiraku. The joke had been on him though. It seems he had inherited his love of ramen from his mother. She had eaten enough of the stuff to leave his father broke from the remainder of the month but he enjoyed the date. He was able to relax around her, something he had been unable to do on any other dates. She talked to him like he was not a prize or was on some pedestal. Soon it was not long before Konoha was abuzz with the news of the Yellow Flash and his girl. They had kept their engagement a secret and only a few knew of their marriage and even less about her pregnancy.
Tsunade had given him the photo and told him how much they loved each other and how much they had loved him. He did not need her to tell him though; he could see it in their eyes. He smiled as he looked at this photo letting his eyes slowly drift to the next and simplest photo.
His eyes came to rest on his old Team 7 photo. He could not believe it had been over twelve years since they had formed a team albeit reluctantly. First there was Kakashi. The one-eyed Jonin did not really want a team and had continued to fail team after team that was until Team 7 was dropped into his lap. He had to let out a small laugh when he thought about the "Bell Test." Its meaning had been so obvious, if he had just thought about it for a second. Then again he was not the smartest Genin but that changed over time. He still knew he was rather dense even today but the meaning should have jumped right out at him. Well at least they had passed. He still shuddered as he thought about all the D-rank missions. Then the C-turn-A-rank mission they had been sent on. That had been a large turning point in his life. It was the first time he got a taste of what it truly meant to be a ninja. Though he hadn't realized it at the time, it was on that fateful mission that he took his first steps to changing the ninja world.
On Kakashi's right stood a brooding Sasuke. When they had been placed on the same team, disappointed wasn't the word. He hated him. Sasuke had and was everything he wanted. But that had changed. Sasuke had gone from his rival to his best friend. The young Hokage thought he was what it was like to have a brother. Of course that had changed when he left to join Orochimaru. He had chased Sasuke for years in hopes of getting him to come home. A small hear made its way down his cheek as he remembered their second battle in the Valley of the End.
It was like their first battle. Neither could get the advantage over the other that was until he had gone into Sage mode. It was no contest until Sasuke released his Mangekyou Sharingan. Then there were back on even ground. The final blow was set up like it had been all those years ago when Sasuke had first defected, the only difference was his Rasenshuriken. He did not want to use this technique but Sasuke had left him no choice. Sasuke had told him that if he ever returned to Konoha it would not be to come home, it would be to destroy the village and kill everyone that he held dear. He begged Sasuke to change his mind, to come back to Sakura and him but he could see it in is former friend's eyes, there was nothing he could say that would sway him. To save his home and all of his precious people he had to release his ultimate technique and sentence his friend to death. Sasuke had tried to stop it with his chidori but it was no use against an attack as strong as his, his attack was truly too powerful. He had been unable to find any remnants for Sasuke in the aftermath of the attack except for his sword. The tears were flowing freely now as he relived this painful memory. He knew what he had to do to save is home and his friends but it still did not ease the pain.
Slowly he began to take note of the female of his old team, Sakura. He had had the biggest crush on her for years. She had stood out, her bright pink hair and her passionate attitude immediately drew him to her. Though she never returned his feelings but over time she did start to feel something for him, though it turned out to be more of a brotherly love more than anything and his overtime he had come to care for her as a sister. That had taken time but as he looked back on it he should have known that she would never care for him more than as a brother.
He recalled a time when she had been the weakest member of her team but after he had returned with Jiraiya that was not the case. Her studying with Tsunade had allowed her to become much stronger and had transformed her into an amazing medic-nin. In fact in the past few years Sakura had surpassed her teacher and was quickly becoming known as the best in her field in the history of the elemental countries. He could not have been more proud of his sister figure and friend. Slowly his eyes began to settle on the image of his much younger self.
He had grown so much in the past twelve years. He still could not believe he had worn that much orange. He still wore his favorite color but it was more subtle and in much less quantity. He could not help but look back at his childhood and smile. He had had a difficult childhood but it had shaped him into the man he knew his parents were proud of. He had his share of struggles and had shed his blood, sweat, and tears to achieve his dream but he indeed achieved it and knew they were looking on and were so proud of their son.
The he began to take note of the photo next to it. This one was clearly the largest on his desk. It was a picture of all his friends; well, everyone but Jiraiya and Sasuke. The photo had been taken right after the Akatsuki had been destroyed, Danzo had been neutralized and Uchiha Madara he disappeared again. That night there had been cause for celebration. So as a joke he decided to wear an outfit similar to his father's. As he had stepped into Ichiraku's silence spread over the occupants of the small restaurant. In one fluid movement they all turned to stare at the Hokage Monument, then back at him, then back at the monument. It had slipped his mind to tell his friends that he had discovered the identity of his father. He was immediately bombarded with rapid fire questions by his peers. He tried to answer all of the questions to the best of his ability but it was Tsunade that had ended up telling the entire story after she had drank a little too much. That evening she pulled him aside and gave him the first photo setting on his desk.
He had nearly wept as he looked into their eyes for the first time that he could remember. He had carried the photo close to his heart the rest of the evening that was until Hinata approached him with her gift. The shy girl could barely look him in the eye as she handed him the small box. When he opened it, his eyes had immediately lit up. She had gotten him a necklace just like the one Tsunade had given him nearly four years earlier. In fact it looked exactly like it. When he had asked her how she could afford something like it, she told him that she had not bought it but instead had used her Byakugan to find all the pieces of the one the Kyuubi had destroyed and then had spent the time to meticulously piece it back together. He could not restrain himself as he pulled her into a bone-crushing hug. He had never seen her turn so read. He often wondered what happen to her courage when she had confessed to him, then charged Pein completely fearless. The thought had brought him to the fourth photo on his desk.
The fourth photo had to be the most elaborate of the group. There here stood now twenty years old, in what many would consider traditional and proper grabs considering the occasion but he just called it uncomfortable, however next to him stood his wife.
From the night in the previous picture, it had taken him two years to ask her out and another two years to build up the courage to ask her to marry him. That had to have been one of the most nerve wracking experiences in his entire life. First he had had to find the perfect ring and that had been incredibly difficult.
None of the rings being sold in any of the shops across Konoha had been right. He had all but given up when he decided to approach her father about his want for his daughter's hand in marriage. Hiashi had then asked to see the ring he had picked out for her. According to his father-in-law he had never seem him so depressed. It had stunned Hiashi completely when he relayed the tale of how he had scoured the village looking for the right ring. After he had completed his account, the older man had just stood up and left the room without a word. He had sat in the room by himself for fifteen minutes. He was beginning to think Hiashi did not approve of him marrying his daughter. He was about to leave when he had walked back into the room. As he sat, Hiashi began to explain to him when he had gone through the same situation when he was going to propose to his late wife. That was when he found the ring he now presented to the young boy.
It was simple, yet elegant. The ring was not only breathtaking but it was perfect. After that it had taken him nearly two more months to get up enough nerve to ask for her hand. When he finally asked she had sat there stunned for a minute before she did something he would have never expected her to do, she jumped over the table, wrapping her arms around his neck partially yelling "yes" over and over again in the middle of her favorite restaurant. Scarcely eight month later they were wed in the spring just as the sakura trees were coming into bloom. Of course Hinata looked elegant in the photo. Apparently the gown she wore belonged to her mother. In their wedding photo she had also worn her almost continual blush.
He still felt like such a fool for chasing Sakura for all those years but he was happy to have her in his life, even if it was as a sister figure. He was ecstatic about having Hinata in his life. With her he felt…complete. She had changed over the years, she had become less demure but how could she not when she was now married to Konoha's number one unpredictable ninja. He had firsthand experience of how much she had changed, especially during a particular nine months. Her moods seemingly changed like the winds but as bad as she had been, people had told him he was ten times worse. He could be seen using his father's signature technique to do anything she had asked or to get anything he though their child may need now or ten years from now. Tsunade had said his father had been just as bad. Oh well, like father like son he supposed. This brought him to his final and favorite photo.
In this one he was standing there with his family, his family. He always had considered his friends to be his family but something was different about his wife and little girl. He looked at the photo where he was holding his daughter in one arm and had his arm wrapped around his wife. He had on his big, goofy grin, Hinata had her gentle, wonderful smile, and their child seemed to have the start of his grin but she looked more like a miniature version of her mother except for her hair and energy. Though she was just shy of three years old, she could be found running every where she went. He knew he had a lot of energy but his little girl could tire him out in just a few hours and she would still have energy to burn. Many nights the two could hear her running around their home at all hours of the night. He had tried to keep up with her but less than a year after she was born he had finally achieved his dream and became Hokage.
He was proud to take up the mantel after Tsunade. Danzo had not been able to receive the Jonin vote or even the recognition of the other Kages. His plans fell through about a week after he became "Hokage." Tsunade had named him successor almost as soon as he turned twenty and trained him for two years to be the best Hokage possible. He thought he was doing well so far but he had only been at this for a couple of years. If you asked anybody, it had been the best years in Konoha's recent history.
As he leaned back in his chair and looked back on his life he could not help but smile. He had had his ups and sown but there were far more ups than downs. As he continued to reminisce he heard little feet moving quickly town his office. Following that was the sound of his wife calling to their daughter to slow down and that daddy was still working. Of course she would ignore her mother and barge in anyway, and then proceed to jump in his lap. He would then kiss her forehead and ask what she did today. She would then go on to tell him about her exciting day and it was always exciting. Hinata would then walk in and scold both father and daughter, him for not working, and her for disturbing him while he was supposed to be working. She would not stay mad for too long though, she just couldn't; she loved them both too much. He would then say he could finish the rest of the dreadful paperwork in the morning, for the rest of the evening he was not the Hokage, he was a father and husband nothing more. They would go home and enjoy spending time with his amazing family.
He took one last look at the five photos on his desk. He had been told that a picture is worth a thousand words. To him that just didn't seem right. Each of these photos was worth far more than a mere thousand words. Each of his photos had a thousand stories behind it. He knew each of them by heart and loved to relieve them all. To most people they are simple photographs but to him they were his life and would not change it for the world.