A Simple Question
By: Song
Summary: Every year Saturobi asked Naruto a simple question, and every year, he got the same answer.
Disclaimer: If I did, there would be more angst and flashbacks. But there arn't, so I can't.
A/U: Happy Birthday Naruto!
Oh, And remeber to reveiw! ;)
When children ask questions, they tend to be simple. But more often the not the simple questions are the ones with the most complex answers. So when a child asks a question like "What keeps the sky in the air?" or "Why does the sun shine?" or perhaps the hardest to explain "Why won't Fluffy wake up?!?!?" we water things down a little. So instead of answering "The different density of the gasses that make up and the earth's atmosphere and its magnetic field." or "Subatomic fusion" (where we would inevitably get only more hard to questions) we answer "The sky doesn't need anything to keep it up it can fly" or "Because its always smiling" Sometimes more questions are bound to be asked like "Where does the sun go at night?" ('The rotation of the planet and its movement on its orbit around the sun' as we would reply to someone old enough to understand.) We say "Everything has to sleep."
And then they reply with a plane 'Oh.'
A child has a simple mind. They ask simple questions.
These of course have nearly impossible answers.
Uzumaki Naruto is nearly like every other child. He laughs. He cries. He plays pranks. He gets in trouble. He asks questions- but never more than once.
However, unlike most children, he knew when to stop.
Naruto is a very perceptive child. At the tender age of ten, he had seen many things in his short life. He could tell that people hated him. Naruto never asked why they hated him. He never wondered why he was an orphan, not outwardly at least. He just accepted it. He never asked who his parents were. He never even asked what the seal around his navel was; or when he got it.
From a young age he knew he was different. Not ''special'', nor ''unique''. Just different. Being different always hurts.
Sarutobi knew this all to well. Being a Kage meant you worked alone.
Naruto knew this too. It was probably one of the reasons that was his goal- he would be different by his own choice; not the choice of his father.
As two "different" people, they connected much in the way of a grandfather and grandson. Sarutobi had his own grandchildren, but there was something ''different'' about Naruto. It pained the Kage to see him hurting so much.
And so, year after year when Sarutobi asked Naruto the simple question "Naruto, why do you smile if you're so sad?"
Naruto would answer. "Because it makes the hurt less in here" he would reply holding a hand to his heart, leaving the hokage with a slightly skeptical 'Oh.'
Then Sandaime would smile sadly at Naruto, giving him a hug then dismiss him.
At this point only one line of thought could be found in the Professor''s mind.
Innocence truly is a beautiful thing.
But then the truth would bare down upon the hokage.
Like a white rose, youth and beauty are fleeting. All roses will wilt, and nothing can stay innocent forever.
He just hoped Naruto would have the heart to forgive them.
Somehow he knew he would. He was Naruto, after all. Son of Yondiame.
Jailor of Kyuubi.
Future Hokage.
Sarutobi wishes he could live to see it. He was an adult. He rarely asked simple questions now.
Why is always a good one though.
Fin