Hey everybody! This is Anonymous Naruto Fan here, and I'd like to thank you so much for deciding to read my story! This is in fact my first story EVER, so please excuse any errors you find (God knows I tried to find them all). Anyway, I did my best, and I hope that it's good.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Naruto! That would be awesome if I did but I don't! Sorry!
So, without any further ado, I present to you…
The Wild West
It was the middle of the nowhere. The sun was setting behind the cliffs adjacent to the Leaf Village. The shadows cast by the village's buildings gave the whole place the eerie look of a ghost town. Somewhere off in the distance a herd of bison could be heard running across the grassland. The only sound that could be heard inside the town proper aside from the wind was the raucous noise of the piano seeping out from the doors of the saloon owned by Kakashi Hatake.
The man enjoyed his life. He had retired from his occupation as the Sheriff of the Leaf Village, and had bought up one of the old saloons in the village. It had taken several months and had not been easy, but Kakashi Hatake had made his bar one of the best in the village. He now ran a respectable business that even the current Sheriff of the Leaf Village would often frequent. As he cleaned used mugs with a white rag, Kakashi let his eyes wander around the main room of the saloon. He smiled to himself looking at all of the people in his bar, and finally let his eyes settle on a man whose shock of spiky yellow hair he knew quite well.
Naruto Uzumaki sat at a table in the rear of the saloon, taking the occasional sip of his drink and surveying the activities taking place in the building. In the center of the room, five men were shooting pool with unnecessary gusto. No crime there. In the corner opposite him, four drunken men were playing a game of poker, their voices slowly getting louder. He might have to step in if the situation got… out of hand. As the current Sheriff of the Leaf Village, it was Naruto's responsibility to ensure that no crime threatened the people's safety. This was how he relaxed. This was his chance to get away from the grind of everyday law in the Leaf Village, a large, albeit somewhat isolated village located on the borderline between a grassland and a forest. Aside from the occasional outlaw, life in the Leaf Village had gotten boring. Naruto chuckled to himself when he had come to the realization that he had simply chased all of the hardened criminals out of town.
Aside from getting away from the boredom, Naruto had another, more personal reason to visit Kakashi's saloon. A beautiful pink-haired reason. A reason that was sauntering towards him in a skimpy showgirl's outfit carrying a tray of drinks. He saw her walking towards him out of the corner of his eye, but didn't turn his head until Sakura Haruno was standing next to his table.
"Howdy, Sakura," Naruto said cheerfully, "just how are you this fine evening?"
"I'm pretty well I suppose, Sheriff," she said with a smile and a little giggle that made Naruto grin, "and just how are you doing?"
"I'm all right. And don't call me Sheriff. Naruto will do just fine," he said, his smile suddenly shrinking and disappearing as he noticed the poker game across the room continuing to escalate closer to the point of violence, "You don't have to work here, you know."
"And just why is that?" Sakura asked innocently, that same smile gracing her elegant features.
"It's just that I…" Naruto was at a loss for words, and Sakura was still looking at him with those deep green eyes of hers. "I don't like the thought of you working in a place that plays host to the likes of them," Naruto gestured over to a group of seedy looking thugs in the distance who were currently eyeing Sakura greedily. "I just… don't want you to get hurt, Sakura. I worry about you," Naruto confessed, "you know that".
Sakura's smile faltered for a fraction of a second before she replaced it with an even more cheerful smile. "I can take care of myself. And you know that." A knowing smile crossed Sakura's face, a real smile this time, "I hope you haven't forgotten that fact after only a couple of years."
Naruto's face suddenly lit up, journeying back to a time when everything was just a little bit better. But he suddenly remembered something that brought him back to the present with a snap. He gazed wide-eyed up at the waitress and reached into his front shirt pocket. Inside his pocket, his fingers caressed a small, velvet lined box. Inside the box was a golden ring, bought with some of the money that Naruto had amassed from his stake in a gold mining operation. He pulled the box out of his pocket and opened it up for Sakura to see the ring. "Marry me," he said, an almost demanding tone to his voice, a tone that did not match at all with the goofy smile that was plastered on his lips.
Sakura sighed as she looked down at Naruto, "Sheriff, this is the fifth time that you've asked me to marry you. This month! That's got to be a record. And it's even a new ring this time." She looked away as Naruto slowly lowered the box and closed it, "You worry about me too much," she said, "Please stop. Enjoy your drinks, Sheriff." She put down a mug of Naruto's favorite drink, and, just for a moment, glanced at the blond haired man one more time. Sakura turned and walked away, a silent tear rolling down her left cheek. She knew he cared about her, but she just didn't yet know how she felt about him. In any case, it was too early for her to make a decision like that. There were too many loose ends that she had to deal with, too many important doors left unopened, countless questions unanswered. And there was still that issue with Sasuke…
As Sakura walked away from Naruto's table thinking about her life up until this point, she didn't notice the drunken man's hand as it snaked out toward her exposed thigh. But the clammy touch of his fingers brought her speeding back to reality quickly enough.
Back at his own table, Naruto, who had been watching Sakura, stood up sharply to intervene. Naruto took two steps in Sakura's direction and relaxed; she could handle herself. It didn't take long for him to be proven right. If he hadn't been paying rapt attention, Naruto wouldn't have seen it. Sakura's hand flew to the concealed knife strapped to her right thigh. She pulled it out of its sheath almost too fast to see. She then plunged the knife blade directly through the center of the man's outstretched hand, pinning it to the table underneath. The man tried to pull his hand back, but finding that he only succeeded in hurting himself, he quickly stopped.
Sakura looked at the man and asked in a voice dripping with sarcastic cuteness, "Now, are you going to do that again?"
By this time, tears were welling up in the drunken man's eyes. He looked at his bloody hand, still impaled and stuck to the table. "No! I won't!" he wailed, and even in his pain he was slurring his words.
Sakura looked at him once and pulled the knife out of the man's hand and the table underneath. She replaced it in its sheath and pulled a small medicinal packet out from under the strap of her knife holster. She handed the packet to the man, "Put that on the wound," she advised, "it's going to sting a little at first but it'll heal the hole up faster than if you do nothing."
Naruto smiled as he sat back down in his seat. 'I guess Tsunade's training never really wore off,' he thought. Sakura was right, she could take care of herself. After Sakura's little display, the raucous poker game in the center of the room got deathly quiet and the men settled down.
At that moment, Shikamaru burst into the saloon and made a beeline for Naruto's table. "Sheriff! Sheriff!" he yelled, almost out of breath, "I've got a message that you need to hear!"
"What is it?" Naruto asked, standing up with a startled look on his face, his 'I'm the Boss, now let's get things done' look on his face, "Is the village in danger?"
"No," Shikamaru panted, "A wagon train just pulled into the town from the North Gate. They say that they were stopped and robbed by a man who calls himself…"
"What!" Naruto urged, "Who do they say robbed them?"
"Well, they say that…" Shikamaru hesitated, then continued, "they say that they were robbed by Sasuke Uchiha."
Sakura, now on the other side of the room, looked up sharply to make sure that she had heard Shikamaru right. Naruto's face became expressionless as he fell deep into thought about the situation. Everyone knew that Sasuke had left the village years ago to get stronger with the help of Orochimaru. As far as Naruto knew, Sasuke was still wherever Orochimaru was. Naruto looked over at Kakashi standing at the bar. Kakashi just nodded, and Naruto turned around to leave the saloon.
Just before he pushed through the doors of the saloon, Sakura yelled with a tone of urgency in her voice, "Sheriff!"
Upon hearing his title called out, Naruto turned around. "Be careful," she said. Naruto nodded slightly, turned around, and passed through the swinging double doors of the saloon. As the doors rocked back and forth, Sakura whispered under her breath, "Naruto."
Outside of the saloon, Naruto climbed onto his horse and rode to the North gate to meet up with Shikamaru on his horse. Naruto quickly looked down at his waist. There sat his two revolvers, the Rasengan on his right, and the Kyuubi on his left. His shotgun that he called Shadow Clone was resting in a holster on his back. The pair quickly glanced at each other, before whipping their reigns, yelling commands to their horses, and riding off into the sunset in search of the man who called himself Sasuke Uchiha.
23 Years Prior
Night's dark shadow had just fallen over the Leaf Village. Everything and everyone in town was getting ready to bed down for the night, with the exception of the Amakichi Saloon, of course. But all was not well outside of the peaceful trading village. Less than ten miles away, a gang of nine Outlaws made their way toward the town, all dressed in red cloaks, all astride massive black horses.
They were men with a purpose, a task to fulfill. These men were on a mission to rob the village bank, owned by the wealthy Aburame family. Eight of the nine carried two revolvers each, but the leader of the group had a different weapon loadout. He had a massive shotgun strapped to his back, along with two rifles in the saddlebags of his horse. But his prized weapon he carried holstered on his right hip. This was a much more formidable weapon; a nine-chambered magnum revolver that he had christened "Kyuubi". It was a completely different weapon than any of his subordinates carried. It was slightly larger than the average revolver, but the rounds that it took could be blown out of the barrel of the gun at terrifying speeds. Add to that in credible power the extra capacity of nine rounds, and the leader of the gang had control of a weapon that no one would want to be on the receiving end of.
Needless to say, the leader of the Nine Guns Gang was smugly confident as he rode toward the unsuspecting Leaf Village. He had done his research about the town. He knew that they had a dangerously small police force. He had this information because every year they tried to recruit any willing townspeople into deputies. He knew that the village was very inactive at night and that it would take time before anyone realized what was happening. And he also knew that the Hyuuga fortune locked inside that bank vault was massive.
But what the Nine Guns Gang didn't know was that they were expected. A young deputy from the Leaf Village had caught wind of their plans and was on his way home to warn the Sheriff. As he sped through the East Gate of his village on his horse, Kakashi Hatake's mind reeled about what he had discovered. 'God I hope I'm not too late!' he thought frantically. Kakashi raced down Main Street, stopping for nothing until he was in front of the Stationhouse. He leapt from his horse and burst through the station doors. Kakashi walked into the brightly-lit room and it took his eyes a moment to adjust. He looked up when he could see again, and saw Sheriff Minato Namikaze and his wife, Kushina Uzumaki, standing close together. They were looking down at their infant child with a heartwarming mix of affection and love. As Kakashi cleared his throat to signify his presence, the two new parents both looked up, tearing their eyes from their child.
In his surprise and embarrassment on finding the Sheriff and his wife alone, Kakashi temporarily forgot what he had come to do. "Oh, ummm, sorry," he said, his former urgency completely forgotten "I hope I'm not interrupting anything?"
Minato glanced at his wife and then approached Kakashi, his trademark smile crossing his features while he looked down at his pupil, "Don't worry about it." Suddenly his features fell as he noticed the state his prized student was in; Kakashi's clothes were torn and ripped in places, and he was sweating profusely. "What happened, Kakashi?" he asked with evident concern in his voice, "Are you okay?"
A look of confusion passed over Kakashi's face, and then was gone in a flash as the seriousness of the situation returned to him. "Sheriff! The Nine Guns Gang is coming to the village! They're going to rob the Aburame Bank!"
Minato's face remained expressionless as he asked, "Are you sure it's them, and not some other gang?"
"Yes sir, I am sure," Kakashi insisted, getting a little annoyed that his teacher didn't believe him right away, "the people that I talked to said that there were nine men, one with a strange weapon and that they were all planning on robbing a bank in the Leaf Village. I just assumed that they were going to rob the Aburame Bank." Kakashi left off the part about his run in with the leader of the gang, who had roughed him up quite a bit, not knowing that he was from the Leaf Village.
The smile returned to the Sheriff's face as he said, "Good job Kakashi. Go find Asuma, Gai and Kurenai. I want all of you to meet me in front of the Amakichi Saloon as soon as you possibly can."
Kakashi put his hand to his head in a salute as a determined look appeared on his face. "Yes sir!" he shouted, and a second later Kakashi had sprinted out of the Stationhouse, leaving the Sheriff and his new family alone once again.
Minato turned to his wife and began to speak, "I'm sorry, I-"
Minato was cut-off by his wife putting a finger to his lips and silencing him. She shook her head with a knowing look and said, "I know, I know. You just love to 'chase the bad-guys'. Just promise me that you'll be careful, okay?"
"I'll try to be careful," he said, gazing down at his infant son, "I will"
In the near silence of the night in the Leaf Village, a man and his wife shared a short but loving kiss. When they parted, the man turned around and left the building leaving his wife alone with their child. "Minato…" she whispered quietly into the night, as she held her newborn son close.
Kakashi was sprinting down the streets of Tree Town, hoping against hope that he wouldn't be too late.
After the Sheriff had told Kakashi to go get the other deputies, Kakashi had sped out of the Stationhouse and ran straight to the closest deputy's home. He ran up the front steps and knocked on the thin wooden door. He waited for a couple of seconds, but there was no answer. He knocked again, even harder this time, whispering, "Come on!" under his breath in exasperation.
Suddenly he heard a rustling noise coming form behind the door. Kakashi stepped back just as the door flew open and his friend Might Gai burst through with a heroic smile plastered on his face. "Calling on me at this time of night, there must be a problem that you need my help with, Kakashi!" he declared.
Kakashi just stared at his friend and his incredibly awkward 'thumbs up' pose. Kakashi snapped out of his daze and replied with exasperation, "Yes, Gai, I need your help right now." Gai had a triumphant look on his face 'So, even the Great Kakashi needs help sometimes, huh?' His smugness was short-lived, however, when Kakashi continued, "But so does the Sheriff."
Gai's smile faltered and disappeared, "What's the matter, Kakashi?"
Kakashi just turned away from Gai and looked off down the village's streets, "We need to get Asuma and Kurenai too. I'll explain on the way. Are you ready for a fight?" Kakashi suddenly inquired, glancing towards Gai's belt, on which hung two pistols, one on each side.
Gai reached down to one of his holsters and pulled out the old style revolver that rested in it, "Of course." he said, spinning the chambers with a flourish and a smile.
"Good." Kakashi remarked, turning around once more. "You're going to need them. Now come on!" he yelled as he sprinted to the next deputy's home.
"So the Nine Guns Gang is coming to town to rob the Aburame Bank, and the Sheriff needs our help to stop them?" Asuma Sarutobi asked incredulously as Kakashi led the way toward the saloon where they were supposed to meet the Sheriff.
"That's pretty much it," Kakashi said as they made their way closer to the Amakichi Saloon.
"I still don't understand how we can help the Sheriff fight against a real gang of outlaws though." Kurenai interjected, the apprehension clearly apparent in her voice.
"Are you joking?!" Gai asked in disbelief, "We've trained long and hard for something like this. We're easily ready for anything the Nine Guns Gang can throw at us!"
"Even bullets?" Kurenai asked with a slight edge to her voice. Gai chose to ignore her question.
"But I still don't see why we're running to the saloon and not just riding our horses there." Asuma complained.
"Because we're in a hurry and-" Kakashi started, but Gai cut him off, "It's all right with me, I can run as fast as Kakashi any day!" he declared with gusto, all but challenging Kakashi to a race.
Kakashi shook his head and let out a sigh as he began his explanation again, "As I was saying, in the time it would take to tack up the horses, we could just as easily run to the saloon on foot, so we're saving time by running." Kakashi looked down to the ground for a moment, apprehension growing in his voice now, "I just hope that we're not too late."
Just then, a shot rang out, breaking the silence that had been permeating the town that night. "So do I," Kakashi's three companions said in unison.
After he had left the Stationhouse, the Sheriff had begun to prepare himself for the worst. He dealt with criminals on a regular basis, but it was only once in a while that he had to deal with a threat as serious as the Nine Guns Gang. He took a slow, deep breath, and pulled his custom made revolver out of its holster.
It was his own design, specially crafted by the Nara blacksmiths to his exact specifications. It's barrel was rifled, which meant that the inside of it had grooves etched inside, so as to makes the bullet spin very quickly when it exited the barrel. The spinning of the bullet made the projectile much faster, and more accurate. The weapon had worked so well that the Sheriff's teacher, the former Sheriff Jiraiya, had asked for one. Minato had a name for the weapon of his that sent bullets spinning at high velocity toward his enemies: Rasengan.
All of these memories and more passed through Minato's head as he loaded his pistol and readied himself for the Nine Guns Gang's attack. 'Kakashi should be at Asuma's place by now,' he thought, 'maybe the four of them will get here before the Nine Guns Gang does.' Unfortunately for the Sheriff, he was wrong.
In the silence of the night, Minato heard, off in the distance but getting closer fast, the sound of several horses' hooves beating the ground. The Sheriff backed himself into an alleyway, just out of sight of the town's East Gate, seconds before the Nine Guns Gang burst through. Minato lined up the sights on his Rasengan, and pulled the trigger.
More shots rang through the quiet darkness as the small group of deputies got closer and closer to their destination. At this point, Kakashi could even see the flashes of light from gunfire as the sheriff battled with the Nine Guns Gang by himself.
"Guys, get ready to fight!" Kakashi yelled, as everyone drew their weapons. Each one of them, Kakashi included, had two revolvers and several throwing knives on their persons. Needless to say, they were prepared for a fight.
As they approached the source of the gunfire that they had heard, it became apparent that the fight had been going on for some time. There were three bodies already lying in pools of their own blood strewn on the ground, and the sheriff was still shooting at the six men still standing. Each of the deputies took aim at a member of the Nine Guns Gang and, at Kakashi's signal, they all fired their weapons. Kakashi's shot hit its mark: the gang member fell to the ground, twitched once, and was still. He had been shot in the head. Gai's target had also fallen, hit in the chest. Asuma and Kurenai had hit their targets, but Asuma had hit his target in the arm, rendering him unable to shoot but still a considerable threat. Kurenai's shot had only grazed the side of her target's cheek, alerting him to the deputies' presence. Now there were two less gang members, but the deputies had lost the element of surprise.
By this time, the leader of the Nine Guns Gang knew that things were not going his way in this fight. Grudgingly he put away his weaker revolver and pulled out "Kyuubi". The sheriff saw this change in weapons, and just had time to yell, "Take cover!" before the gang leader had a chance to fire on them. The four deputies all ran for cover, but before Kakashi and Kurenai slipped behind cover, they each fired off two rounds at two of the gang members, hitting them squarely in the chest, and killing them. This action thinned the gang members' ranks again, but by no means defeated them.
The gang leader was ready to fire his weapon now, and he let loose with reckless abandon, shooting at everything that moved, including his own teammate the last of his own gang. In the midst of his blind fury, the leader of the Nine Guns Gang did not notice as Minato snuck up behind him, weapon in hand. The leader of the Nine Guns Gang stopped firing his weapon to reload it. The Sheriff saw his chance and took it. Minato deftly placed his gun to his opponent's temple and said, "Bang."
Minato pulled the trigger on his 'Rasengan'. All that could be heard was an audible, ominous, 'click'.
Kushina Uzumaki sat in the Leaf Village Stationhouse, cradling her infant son in her arms. She had heard everything that had gone on outside since her husband had left the building to protect the village. She had heard the gunfight begin. She had heard the nine opponents that her husband was facing storm into town. She had heard when he silenced three of them forever. She had heard when the four deputies came to help him; She had heard the deputies dispose of three more of the gang members. She had heard when the gang leader had pulled out his powerful weapon. And she had heard when his shots ceased.
When the gang leader stopped shooting, Kushina was so relieved that she almost fainted. But not before she heard the short burst of gunfire and a grunt as someone was wounded. It was in this one, terrible moment that Kushina Uzumaki realized that her life was irreparably altered, for better or for worse. And she knew, somewhere deep down, that it was for the worse.
The leader of the Nine Guns Gang had realized what had happened at the exact same time that Sheriff Minato realized it. The Sheriff had run out of ammo, at precisely the worst time. As the sheriff sprinted away back to his cover, the gang leader finished reloading and rounded on him, gun raised and aimed. Just before the sheriff made it back to cover, the gang leader let three bullets fly, straight at the sheriff. He caught one in the hip, one in the shoulder, and one in his stomach. This was a fatal injury, and Minato knew it. He knew what his only course of action left was. He reloaded Rasengan, took a deep, rattling, painful breath, and jumped out of his cover. This caught the gang leader off guard, but only for a second. He started firing again, but Minato was already halfway toward him. Only a few shots hit Minato as he got right up next to the gang leader, put his Rasengan up to the man's chest, and fired three times in quick succession.
The leader of the Nine Guns Gang fell to the ground, knowing then that he was going to die. For all of his planning, for all of his men, and for all of his superior weaponry, he had still failed in his objective. 'To think, that one guy and a bunch a snot-nosed brats could stop my gang with so little effort,' he thought, 'what a disgrace!'
The gang leader turned his head to look at the powerful gun in his now motionless hand. 'Kyuubi,' he thought, 'I'm a failure! I don't even deserve to use you anymore.'
The leader of the Nine Guns Gang glanced over to where Minato was still standing: he was bloody and slowly dying, but he was still standing. "Sheriff," he said weakly, "come here."
The sheriff limped over to his dying enemy, "What do you want?" he asked with a mix of hatred and concern, his own voice betraying Minato's sense of kindness to even the lowest of criminals.
The gang leader looked up at the sheriff and said, "My gun, Kyuubi. Take it and use it," he coughed up some blood onto the ground, "God knows I don't need it anymore."
The sheriff looked at the weapon lying in the dying man's hand. "Why would I want your gun?" he asked scornfully, "I don't need to rob any banks."
The gang leader only smiled weakly. "Foolish man," he said, " you could use my weapon as a way to defend your village."
The sheriff saw the sense in the dying outlaw's words. "I understand," he conceded, "I will take your 'Kyuubi' for the good of the Leaf Village."
"Good," the outlaw said, his voice fading now, "I'm sure that Kyuubi will be of more use to you, than… to… me." he trailed off. The leader of the Nine Guns Gang coughed up blood twice, let out a single groan, and then went limp as his life left him.
The sheriff kneeled down and reached over to the dead man's hand, pulling his still warm fingers from the handle of the gun. He felt it's weight and knew that it was a powerful weapon. It was then that Minato decided what he was going to do with this 'Kyuubi'.
By this time, Kakashi, Gai, Asuma, and Kurenai had all rushed to the Sheriff's side. Kakashi stepped forward and with a tone of urgency mixed with concern in his voice, asked, "Sheriff! Are you okay!? What did the outlaw have to say?"
The Sheriff slowly stood up straight and looked at Kakashi. "Yeah," he said weakly, a slight smile spreading across his face, "it's just a flesh wound. But that doesn't matter right now. What matters is that you all and the village are safe."
Just then, the Sheriff coughed several times, each cough revealing more blood. He was not long for this world, and he knew it. So when Kakashi came closer to him in concern, Minato brushed him off. "Kakashi," the sheriff said, giving Kyuubi to Kakashi, "I want you to take this gun and lock it in my vault at the Aburame Bank."
"But," Kakashi said in confusion, "why do you want me to lock up the outlaw's gun?"
"Because this gun that the outlaw possessed, 'Kyuubi', he called it, is a powerful weapon," the sheriff told him, "and it can be used to defend the village in the future."
Kakashi was still, understandably, confused, "But sheriff, if we're saving the gun, then why do you want me to put it in your vault?"
"I can't use it," the sheriff said, "but I want someone to be able to use it. When my son comes of age, I want you to give him this gun, Kyuubi. I'm going to pass this gift on to the Next Generation. Do you understand, Kakashi?"
Kakashi finally did understand this time. "Okay," he said, obeying what he knew might be his sheriff's last orders, "I'll have it locked up in the Aburame's bank as soon as I can."
Minato was loosing blood quickly; he knew he was almost gone. He had survived so many encounters like this, but somehow, he knew, this was the last time. "Kakashi," he said to his young deputy, "once you have that gun safe in the bank, I want you to get rid of any trace that the Nine Guns Gang was ever here."
This order actually made sense to Kakashi, and he replied with a short, respectful, "Yes sir."
Minato was now becoming short of breath. "Good," he panted, "we can't let…anyone know…they were here. Another gang… might come looking… for vengeance. If you hide…the gun and …bury the bodies…no one will…ever know about it. We can't… risk… another attack… like this one."
By now, Kakashi knew that Minato was going to die of his wounds. "Yes sir," Kakashi murmured, tears welling up in his eyes, "whatever you say."
Minato's eyes became cloudy, as his vision grew darker. "Thanks…Kakashi. But… I've got… one last request."
Kakashi was on the verge of weeping as he saw his beloved teacher and sheriff die right before his eyes. "Anything," Kakashi replied.
"Tell my wife…and child" Minato whispered as he fell to his knees, "…that I…love them." At this, Minato Namikaze, the Sheriff of the Leaf Village, fell to the ground, and died.
Kakashi Hatake stood over his fallen teacher's body, and his mind stopped. Every part of him came to a screeching halt with Minato's death. It was unimaginable that his mentor, his sheriff, his friend, was dead. His teacher, who had become like a father to him. His teacher, who had become his greatest inspiration. His teacher, who was now lying dead at his feet.
Gai took a step toward him and asked tentatively, "Are… are you okay, Kakashi?"
Slowly, Kakashi turned around, a blank expression on his face. "Yeah," he said wearily, "I'm okay. There are still some things that the Sheriff asked me to do. Besides, there'll be a chance to be sad and mourn later."
Kakashi started to walk away from the scene of the fight as the truth slowly sank in. The knowledge that he was carrying out Minato's final wishes gave him a sense of purpose as he made his way to the Aburame Bank. Kakashi let out a long, emotion filled sigh as he thought to himself, 'I still have to tell Kushina about this.'
It was midnight on a peaceful night in the wilderness as an adolescent boy, suddenly faced with a massive burden, slowly made his way to his destination. Somewhere in the Leaf Village, a child cried out for a father that would never return to him.
After the Sheriff's funeral, there was a tangible sadness that could be felt throughout Tree Town. Since it had been night when the Nine Guns Gang had tried to rob the Aburame Bank, no one knew for sure what had happened to the Sheriff. All that anyone knew had been derived from rumors concerning Kakashi putting a gun into a vault in the Aburame Bank.
In the wake of the Sheriff's death, the Leaf Village Police Force was left without a leader. Kakashi was now almost forced to step forward to lead the Law in the Leaf Village in its darkest hour. He was facing a serious responsibility, and he knew it.
After the incident with the Nine Guns Gang, Kakashi had to tell a horrified Kushina the news of her husband's death. The revelation came as a massive shock to the now widowed mother. She didn't know how she was going to go on without her husband. She soon snapped out of her depression, however. She knew that she now had a responsibility to fulfill. In the wake of her husband's death, Kushina Uzumaki would now focus all of her love and compassion onto the one person that mattered to her now. Her infant son, the legacy of the greatest Sheriff the Leaf Village had ever known, Naruto Uzumaki.
About a month after the attack on the village, it became apparent to the Mayor of the Leaf Village, Hiruzen Sarutobi, that Kushina Uzumaki and her son would not be able to take care of themselves without the Sheriff around. The Mayor decided to have all of the broken family's needs taken care of. It was the least he could do for the family of the greatest hero the village had ever seen.
It was around this time that it became apparent to Kakashi that the Leaf Village Police were dangerously understaffed. As a result, Kakashi decided to begin a program that would train volunteer deputies by teaming them up with a senior officer. It was this program that would entice a new generation of protectors for the Leaf Village, and would, hopefully, continue the legacy of great heroics that had been set up by the late Minato Namikaze.
12 Years Later
The sun was rising over the walls surrounding the Leaf Village. Over on the Yamanaka Farm a rooster crowed as he woke up for the day. For most of the town, it was just another Monday morning in a medium sized village located on a bustling wilderness trade route. But for Naruto Uzumaki, it was a different situation entirely. Because today, he started something new, something exciting. Today was his first day as a real Deputy in Training.
A/N: Hey, it's me again. I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of my little tale here. If you liked it, awesome, if you hated it, that's cool too. I really want to become a better writer, so if you thought it was good or even if you want my story to die, PLEASE review it! Please no flames though, constructive criticism works just as well.
Special Thanks
Stygian Styx: A good friend of mine who first told me about this site. You rule, man!
Kyuubi's Naruto and Sakura: This author is great! He checked my story for errors and helped me get acquainted to this site. Ultra thanks to you my friend.