Title: Naruto and the Whirlpool Country

Author: CptnSuz

Chapter Rating: K+ (for mild language)

Chapter Summary: Struggling with his newly revealed parentage, Naruto decides he must visit his mother's homeland before becoming Hokage. This short chapter is a trial run/prologue. Set 4-5 years in the future of the Shippuden series.

Spoilerage in this Chapter: Obviously MAJOR spoilers about Naruto's parents from the manga. Other than that, this is based off the latest anime episodes.

Disclaimer: I make no claims of ownership on Naruto or its characters. No infringements intended.

Clear blue eyes watched the play of early morning sunlight across the giant stone faces. Five visages carved out of the mountain face itself, staring, visionary, out over the village they had all sworn their breath, blood, and tears to protect. His gaze turned back to the fourth face, placed slightly lower than the others, as if they had rushed to add it, somehow knowing its owner wasn't long for the world. The long shaggy hair, the nose, the chin were all a bit eerie when he looked at them now. He'd heard many different names and titles applied to that man. Yondaime Hokage. Minato Namikaze. Sensei. And now the one he struggled to reconcile himself with… Father.

"Hey!" Naruto could hear the greeting and the gentle impact as Sakura landed beside him on his roof. Despite, or perhaps because of his lack of reply, she responded by nestling down next to him and resting a cheek again his upper arm. Together they looked out across the rooftops as the shadows of dawn gave way to the light of a new day.

"What did you tell her?" The question startled Naruto out of his musings.

"Huh?"

"I know Lady Tsunade was going to ask you to be the next Hokage. What did you say?"

"No."

"WHAT?!" Naruto flinched, expecting one of Sakura's trademark punches to home in on his person. Instead there was a loud fracturing of tiles and splintering of wood, and Sakura's forearm emerging from a new hole in his roof.

There was no apology on her lips, but her facial expression became contrite when she realized the damage she's wrecked on his house. "It's okay," he tried wryly, "I was thinking about putting in a skylight."

"Naruto…" Sakura's tone told him she was already back to testy.

"Actually, I said 'Not yet.'"

"'Not yet'? Naruto, this has been your life's dream!"

"I know, Sakura. But I didn't know then… I didn't know what being his son would mean." He cast a finger towards the Yondaime's stone countenance. "I grew up in his shadow the whole time, and no one told me. No one."

"I'm sure the Sandaime had a good reason…"

"He had a damn good reason. And I didn't find out what it was until it was almost too late!" The blonde young man shook his head in silence for a moment and then continued. "What if there's secrets like that on my mother's side, Sakura? Even the village elders know so little about her, where she came from. How can I become Hokage knowing that there might be something else lurking in my past?"

"But you can't wait forever, Naruto. Lady Tsunade's age is catching up with her, and Sasuke is still out there."

"Grrr. This would all be so much easier if…" The words died on his lips, though both knew what that next painful clause would have been 'if Kakashi were still alive.' Not that he would have relished being Hokage, but he had certainly been qualified. Indeed he might have even accepted with minimal grousing, if he'd known it would only be temporary until his former student could succeed him. Now the Copy Ninja was relegated to so many conditional statements by his one-time protégé, Sasuke Uchiha, whose own nefarious goals had Tsunade so keen to name her successor.

"I can't do it, Sakura. I can't become Hokage if that means I might put Konoha in even more danger. I have to find out first."

"How?"

"The only way I can – I have to visit the Whirlpool Country."

AN: Dead Kakashi?! Evil Sasuke? Naruto as Hokage? Naruto & Sakura? This is my first time spinning a Naruto fanfic, so let me know what you think. If people like it, I might continue. If you love it, maybe you would like to volunteer as my sounding-board/fact-checker (not the same as a beta!) since I'm new to the genre. Thanks!
And though I doubt flamers would actually read to the very, very bottom, I'd like to add that I've been flame retardant since long before most of you were writing fanfic. Check out my user ID#!