AN: I do not own Naruto, nor any of the ideas or copyrighted or trademarked material. This writing is for enjoyment only.
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Naruto, the Rokudaime Hokage perched himself overlooking the village he so loved. His seat of choice was over the stone carving of his predecessor, Godaime Hokage Tsunade. He was alone, and by the expression on his face he carried a huge weight. This in and of itself was not uncommon, but the reason was far from every day.
The blond man was waiting for someone to return to his village, a close friend who had left without giving anyone hope of his return. A man that had become driven by revenge to the point where it had brought him to the brink of insanity. And then at that point he had found a moment of clarity that had brought Naruto and his closest friends to a place beyond what they had ever hoped for.
Sighing, the Hokage brought his hand down to his side to the tightly wrapped hilt of a sword. It did not belong to him, and as such since it was still here in his possession it gave him hope that his friend would someday return to his rightful place among what had become his people. With a small movement of his wrist Naruto slide an inch worth of the blade from it's bright red sheath.
The blade itself, while perfectly maintained and sharpened, wasn't Naruto's focus. Near the point where the small guard was wedged, two small rings had been placed under a pair of flanges that met with the guard. It formed a small prison for the two rings, which would jingle at nearly any movement, if the blade was out of the sheath. The Hokage could remember the first time he saw those rings, and when he played the story back through his head, it only brought forth another sigh, and :
"Come back soon, Jin. We're all waiting for you."