There were many, many reasons why Tsunayoshi Sawada was not suited to be the leader of the Vongola. There was his ability of standing out for all the wrong reasons, such as obtaining poor grades and his short stature. He was afraid of bullies, choosing to take the easiest, and admittedly, the wimpiest way out. Even his escape routes were not the least bit useful, and he often ended up with countless bruises for the apparent dislike he garnered from his classmates. He was not much of an athlete either, always the last in class for all activities that included running.

And yet, there, too, were various reasons why Tsunayoshi Sawada was suited to be the leader of the Vongola. Given the chance, he had charisma of his own, young and inexperienced as he was. With the right people by his side to assist him and a common goal, everything was achievable. And, again, given the chance, he could pick up skills and polish them in record time. It was this uncanny ability of his that gave people the courage to trust him with great tasks. They could tell, of course. This young man had the ability to achieve great things.

Based on past achievements, it was logical to conclude that he had the ability to lead the Vongola to far greater success. It was a responsibility not to be taken lightly, for it concerned the lives of thousands of members and famiglias serving under the group. It was the boss' job to maintain the reputation of the most powerful Mafia Famiglia in all of Italy and worldwide. With connections all over the world and members always looking out for signs of rebellion, it was vital to stay focused and keep the group together at all times. Internal battles were signs of weakness and could tear apart the entire group, and there was the need for a capable leader to keep everyone united.

The ninth boss was ageing, as was agreed by the heads of the famiglias under the Vongola, and it was time for a change.

Vongola Decimo had been chosen.

XXX

The Inheritance Ceremony was an elaborate one. Within the underworld, it was considered one of the most prestigious ceremonies attended only by the top leaders in the mafia. It was the one event that would eventually shape the Vongola and its direction, thus the whole fuss.

It had been decided by Vongola Nono months ago, and it had unofficially been decided that Tsunayoshi Sawada would take over the position of Vongola Decimo. There had been few objections with concern over the young brunet's ability to take control of such a large mafia group whilst still young. They were easily convinced after Tsunayoshi had specifically challenged the leaders of the famiglias who doubted his power. There was no real competition for it was fairly obvious that he was superior, though there were a couple of close calls. All in all, there were little problems tying up loose ends and gaining the approval of majority of the entire Vongola family.

The ceremony itself was short and simple, with a speech by Timeteo on the history of the Vongola and then, the official announcement of handing over his position to his heir, Tsunayoshi Sawada. The rest was mostly socializing on Tsunayoshi's part, as he begun to familiarize himself with all the others that he would soon start working with. Always vigilant and looking out for signs of rebellion, it was a tiring task as he went from one person to another, smiling as Reborn sat on his shoulder, guiding him along. With only a few months of training by his tutor, he was hardly the best at reading people. It was thus Reborn's job to show him the ropes, looking out for little signs that may show a person's slightest displeasure. There was also the fact that he could speak little Italian, and the cramming Reborn had subjected Tsunayoshi to was still not adequate to hold a proper conversation.

In a nutshell, it was a great success. Tsunayoshi Sawada was officially the Tenth Generation Boss of the Vongola. The ceremony had gone by without a hitch, and everything was in place. Of course, all duties would not be taken over the young head yet, and things would go as per normal for the next few months. In that period of time, the new boss would go through training in various aspects, learning how to manage the whole organization and improve his skills at hand to hand combat as well.

XXX

It was a tough decision, even for Tsunayoshi himself. It meant giving up his life in Namimori for a couple of years, away from his school, his country, his language, his family and friends. It was slightly easier, now that his mother knew of who his father was, and what his role was. However, as exciting as it may be to remain overseas for studies, there was always this little part of him longing for the company of his loved ones.

There was also the part where he had to break the news of his departure to his friends. It was necessary, and he was sure that his friends would understand. Of course, there would be that little fuss Gokudera would make, but that could be easily settled. Nervous as he was, he made his way up to the rooftop of his school, taking note of every single detail in his school. He would leave very soon, and he would treasure every moment he could, and of the school he had come to love over the years.

Tsuna approached the noisy group with his heart pounding in his chest for some reason. It was not exactly fear, but nothing else could explain his mixed feelings. With every step he took, he rehearsed the words in his mind as he had done since the previous day. It was simple to speak to others he was less familiar with, but with his close friends, it seemed to be a different matter altogether.

As Gokudera caught sight of his beloved boss, his eyes brightened and grinned, yelling a cheerful "Jyuudaime!" Tsuna couldn't help but catch on to that enthusiasm, smiling amidst his worry.

They should be expecting this anyway. He reassured himself in his mind, and as he watched his guardians start to cluster around him, his nerves dissipated. Speaking up before he lost the nerve, he broke the news.

"I'll be leaving Namimori next week for Italy." Tsuna gave a short pause to allow the information to sink in. "I'll be back in three years. Till then, all of you will remain in Japan to complete all of your studies here. The Arcobaleno will assist you in your training during this period."

There was a moment of stunned silence, before Gokudera, as expected, started to protest. "But Jyuudaime, as your right-hand man, it would not be right for me to be away from your side! I need to be near you to protect you!"

"I will be the one to protect him, if it assures you." A new voice piped up. That voice was unmistakably Reborn's, and all of those present instinctively surveyed their surroundings for the little hitman. It only took a second for them to find him, as he jumped onto his usual spot on his student's right shoulder.

"Dame-Tsuna will spend his time in Sicily where I, amongst many others, will personally couch him. You don't have to worry about them. Over here, you will continue your studies and training. Your tutors will be the same few you studied under previously."

Chrome gathered the courage to speak up, soft as she might sound. "Will you be alright by yourself over there? Is there anything we can do to help?"

Tsuna smiled. "I'll be fine, so you don't have to worry about me. I have Reborn by my side, and I doubt anyone has the guts to kill me while he's around." He chuckled nervously, glancing at his tutor just to reassure himself that Reborn was fine with his words.

The instance he turned, a sharp rap on his head told him that Reborn was most definitely not pleased. "Dame-Tsuna is forever Dame-Tsuna. You can't always rely on me. If that's the case, I won't go to Italy with you."

"Ehhhhhh?"

"That was a joke. You're too careless with words, idiot student." Tsuna visibly sighed in relief. Reborn smirked as he adjusted his fedora.

All of the guardians, save for the two absent guardians, Hibari and Mukuro, watched on in amusement at the interaction. It had become a commodity for Reborn to abuse Tsuna as he liked, the way they saw it, and even Chrome could not help but giggle. Lambo, on the other hand, had decided to crawl onto Tsuna's other shoulder to hug him.

Words of encouragement filled the air as his friends wished him the best for his three-year-long trip. "Get really, really strong, alright?" Lambo gleefully stated as he jumped off Tsuna's shoulder and landed, beginning a game of catch with Chrome.

Ryohei, as always, was as sunny and fired up with his own encouragement. "Live to the extreme! Die to the extreme! Train to the extreme!" He punched his right fist into the air. "Come back extremely safe!"

"Jyuudaime!" Tsuna smiled, almost rolling his eyes at how dramatic his self-proclaimed right-hand man was. Tears formed in the corner of Gokudera's eyes as he approached. "I am sure that Jyuudaime has put much consideration into this matter, so I will not question your decision. Please be careful over there! When you come back, I'll be the best right-hand man in the world!" He gave a long bow, so proper that even Tsuna was at a loss of how to react for a second.

Tsuna could only reply with a "I'll be fine, relax!" Gokudera straightened up after that, wiping away his tears, almost embarrassed with his display of affection. He knew his boss was going to be so much stronger when he returned and his concern was uncalled for, but he was still slightly worried. He was upset, of course, because he would not be allowed to leave with his boss. However, everything must have been confirmed prior to this announcement, and he would have to do as the brunet said.

An annoying arm slung itself around his neck, breaking Gokudera's chain of thoughts. Irritably, he frowned and almost blew up as the Rain guardian cheerfully spoke to Tsuna. "Do your best over there, alright? If there's anything you need, just give me a call! I doubt Reborn would mind!" Yamamoto smiled. "You don't have to worry about us over here! We can hold our own in any fight, you'll see!"

Grudgingly, Gokudera agreed. At least the baseball idiot made some sense. "We're strong, so please focus on your training!" Turning to Yamamoto, the words threatening to erupt out of his mouth slithered away into the depths of his mind. As civilly as he could, he detached himself from Yamamoto's hold, glaring as he did so. "Watch your arm."

"Maa, maa, it's fine, isn't it?"

"No, it's not."

Tsuna chuckled to himself as he watched the two fight. His two closest friends seemed to get along well enough, and he was sure that he would miss this- this affection, from what he saw. If Gokudera ever knew what he thought, he would surely beg to differ with the most violent means to prove his point. Full of dynamites and explosions. The prospect of it seemed amusing, in itself. He made a mental note to try it someday.

XXX

All preparations were made within the next couple of days, and Tsuna hastily packed his luggage to enjoy the free time he still had. Undoubtedly, Reborn would make a Spartan list of exercises for him and while he could still be free, he would relax.

He had realised that he was still useless in so many ways. There had been far too many times he had allowed his famiglia to be hurt, and yet he still could do little to protect those precious to him. The reason for his departure to Italy was for his studies for his role of the leader of the mafia organization, but the main reason was a personal one. He had to be much stronger and develop more techniques to keep those around him safe.

He knew it was going to be tough. Reborn would assure him of that. However, for the sake of his family, he would not mind going through all the pain from training and studies. Besides, he had accepted the responsibility as the head. Under his wings were hundreds, thousands of men who depended on him for direction and protection.

Tsuna did realise that it was not simple as caring for his small circle of family and friends. There were the young and the old, the skilled and unskilled who would eventually follow all of his commands to keep the organization together. He could not be so self-centered as to remain with his friends in Namimori, laughing and having fun while disregarding the weight on his shoulders. It was necessary for him to move to Sicily.

Besides, like Gokudera and Doctor Shamal, there were many trained hitmen from Italy. They were of a higher level than those in Japan, and he would only be able to improve by being in an environment with professionals.

Tsuna stared up at his bedroom ceiling. What kind of place would it be? He had never left Namimori in his entire life, much less Japan. The climate, the people, the language- basically everything would be different. He would have a different schedule from what he was used to. He would have to adapt to all these changes.

Closing his eyes, Tsuna drifted off into a peaceful sleep, dreaming of a land unlike his own.

A/N: I apologise for updating this so late. It's not really an update but just me re-writing this chapter. I'll try to get all the other chapters fixed as soon as possible. Till then, please bear with me. I apologise for the inconvenience. That aside, I hope you liked this chapter!