Fireworks and Foxes

A\N: Ok guys I decided to write a small one-shot to take a break for my other story. I got to say this is one of my favorite parings. I might turn this into a two shot if people like it.

Update Note: This is the rewritten version of the first chapter of Fireworks and Foxes, and I hope that you all like it. There are a few changes going on just to let you guys know. One big thing is that I make Kurama female. Now I did this because I wanted to give Naruto a sister/mother figure to get advice from, and I won't add any romance between them unless you guy would like that so please tell me if you do. Just to let you know Hanabi is 17 and Naruto is 22.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Naruto Shippuden.

Throughout all of the strife and sadness that he had endured she still blamed him. Blamed him without even viewing it through his eyes. Naruto didn't know if it was Sakura's grief that blinded her or just sheer idiotic innocence, but the hatred that she now gazed at him with hurt more than any of the glares the villagers gave and still give him.

Naruto had tried to bring back her beloved, Sasuke Uchiha. The battle lasted somewhere under half an hour, and was not as exciting as most would think. Shuriken were thrown and kunai were clashed, but their last attacks were the deciding elements.

.

Valley of the End

"Kimiko, pull back your chakra. I need to do this on my own." Naruto was exhausted from all of the previous battles. He had two missions one was complete, destroy all remaining forces of Obito's army, and the other was about to be done.

"Are you sure Naruto? If I were to pull back that bastard Uchiha could very well kill you. He has more chakra than you right now." Kimiko was worried about Naruto. He had been injured many time during the previous battles with the remaining Zetsu that had survived and had yet to be wiped out and even with her healing him the wounds still took a toll on his body.

"Don't worry about me Benihime I'm not ready to die just yet." Kimiko smiled at the nickname he had taken to calling her. She didn't know how this infuriating blond had wormed his way into her heart, but he was here to stay. Naruto directed his full attention to the last Uchiha.

"Sasuke the war is over and everything will go back to normal please return with me to the village. Everyone is waiting for you to come back." Naruto pleaded

"I'm sorry Naruto, but I've chosen my path. I will destroy that pathetic village, and everything that it stands for." Sasuke said

"Sasuke don't be an idiot. That "pathetic village" is your home. It's were your friends are, it's were your family lived, and it's what Itachi was protecting. You can't just turn your back on him and everyone at Konoha."

"Say what you will Naruto, but you will not change my mind. I've invested too much time into my dream to just give it up, besides even if everyone forgives me I cannot forgive myself." The last of what Sasuke said went unnoticed by our hero as Sasuke said it in a whisper. Sasuke dropped into a crouch, and began to collect Raiton chakra preparing for his signature technique, Chidori. "I grow tired of talking Naruto. Let us end this with one final attack."

"Fine by me." A ball of compressed chakra began to form in Naruto's hand. He no longer needed to use both hands form the Rasengan. It had been a complete accident that he learned to do this. They charged at each other ready to end each other's life.

"RASENGAN/CHIDORI!" They call the names of their respective techniques as they clashed. They were at a stalemate before Naruto's Rasengan broke through slammed into Sasuke's chest. Shock was clear on his face before he was blasted backwards into the side of the cliff. Naruto walked to the side of his now clearly dying surrogate brother, and crouched down next to him.

"I'm sorry Sasuke," Naruto whispered "but you left me no choice." Sasuke turned his head slightly to look at Naruto.

"Don't you dare apologize to me Naruto you have done nothing wrong. As I said before I have chosen my own path." Sasuke said in a low voice "Naruto, do me a favor, and become Hokage. Change that piece of shit village into something that we could be proud of. If anyone could do it then it would be you." Sasuke's vision was getting blurry now. He knew that he had little time left.

"Don't you worry Sasuke I'll make sure to make Konoha something amazing. I'll make it something you and Itachi would be proud of." Naruto's hair shadowed his eyes as he spoke with a single tear rolling down his whiskered cheek.

"Thank..you….Naru..to." and with those final words Sasuke Uchiha closed his eyes and breathed his final breath. Naruto let the tears flow undisturbed now. Slowly he felt a warm phantom embrace. He knew who it was immediately.

"Put your heart at ease Naruto. He's in a better place now. He's with his family after all those long years of loneliness." While Kimiko couldn't physically touch him she was able to give him a small bit of comfort with her chakra to imitate physical contact.

"Thank you Kimiko you're right." Naruto wiped his tears and picked up Sasuke's body. He decided that he would give him a proper burial.

Gate of Konohagakure no Sato one hour later

Naruto make his way through the gates of the village with little trouble. Most of the village saw his as a hero. In all honesty he felt nothing like a hero he felt…empty. There was really no way to describe how he felt. Even if he had won the war there were so many casualties.

He opened the door to Tsunade's office and walked in to see that she was talking with Shizune and Sakura. He flinched a bit as Sakura looked at him not able to meet her eyes.

"Naruto report on your missions." Tsunade said in a firm but not unaffectionate voice

"Missions…complete Baa-chan." Naruto hesitated as he said complete as he knew that while he did finish the second mission, Eliminate the threat of Sasuke Uchiha, it did not go as he had hoped.

"N-Naruto where is Sasuke-kun? You did bring him back didn't you? You wouldn't break your promise would you?" Sakura sounded desperate and deranged. He couldn't bring himself to look at her in the eyes.

"I'm sorry Sakura-chan." He couldn't bring himself to say anymore

"What are you talking about Naruto? You brought Sasuke-kun back right? Everything will go back to normal now."

"I'm sorry Sakura-chan, but Sasuke is dead." When he said that Sakura punched him. While it lacked any of the force it usually held the damage it dealt him was immense. He wasn't even moved by it, but it shattered his heart. When he look at her she had tear streaming down her face with utter hatred in her eyes. Sakura ran out of the Hokage's office brushing past Naruto.

Konohagakure no Sato one month later

Naruto hadn't spoken to Sakura in a month, and he was starting to get worried. Whenever she would see him she would walk the other way. He had decided to go to her house to see her. After he knocked on the door she answered, and nearly slammed the door in his face.

"Sakura-chan, why are you avoiding me!?" He was desperate for an answer

"Why? WHY!? I'll tell you why! You killed the only man that I have every loved! You murdered him in cold blood! You said that he was your friend that he was your brother, but you still killed him!"

"Murdered him. I didn't murder him Sakura he was going to kill me if I hadn't killed him, and even then he wouldn't have come back!" Naruto all but growled out

"Well why you didn't die you demon. You should be the one dead not Sasuke-kun." When he heard that it broke his heart, but surprisingly it wasn't sadness that Naruto felt, but anger that he had done all of this for such an ungrateful bitch. He felt something else to freedom. Freedom that he was over this obsession, but that was soon over shadowed by my anger. After her outburst she slammed the door in his face. Naruto knew that if he didn't let some steam off soon he'd explode.

Unknown location inside Konoha

Hanabi Hyuuga was walking in one of the back alleys of Konoha trying to escape the branch members that her father had sent after her. As for the reason the branch members were searching for her it was that she had made a slight mistake in a main kata of her family's famous Juken fighting style, and received another lecture from her father about how she had to be the perfect heiress. She had to be able to execute everything perfectly.

She loathed the man for all that he had put her though. Without him she could have had a normal childhood, but instead she was forced to take lesson after lesson to become perfect. She was pulled from her thoughts as she was nearly thrown to the ground as an explosion went off.

"Wh-what the hell was that?" she when to inspect where the explosion came from, and found a handsome blond do some hand seals that ended on the tiger.

" *Katon: Tengoku no hakai jigoku " He put his pointer finger and thumb together to make a circle and breathe out an enormous sea of flames towards a line of trees completely incinerating them and anything that was behind them with fifty meters leaving only blackened earth and molten rock where trees, grass, rocks, and unfortunate wild life had once been. Hanabi was amazed by the power of the technique. She couldn't the blond had performed that immensely draining technique and didn't even look winded, and was even preparing to fire off another.

She inched forward trying to get a look at his face. As she came closer she heard a twig snap under her foot and stiffened try to mask her presence, but failed miserably. The mysterious blond that turned to face her was rather handsome if she were to say so.

"Ne ne Hyuuga-chan it's not nice to spy on people." the blond said with a rather foxish grin on his face. Hanabi felt blood rush to her face as she was caught spying.

"I-I feel the explosion before, and just came to investigate what had caused it that's all," Hanabi said silently cursing herself for the stutter, "and don't call me Hyuuga-chan my name is Hanabi Hyuuga."

"I'm Naruto Uzamaki Namikaze the next Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato nice to meet you." the blond, now known as Naruto, said holding out his hand. Hanabi shook his hand.

"What are you doing here Naruto-san." his smile faltered for a second before it reappeared, but seemed a bit forced. Hanabi notice the small change, because she had to give plenty of false smile.

"Just blowing off some steam getting over an idiotic break-up if you can call it that." When Naruto said this his smile a bit more forced and a small bit of sadness tainted his cerulean orbs.

"You could tell me about it if you want to. I may not look like it, but I'm a very good listener." Hanabi blushed a bit as she said this. She could see that Naruto had the same troubles as her. He had felt the loneliness, and sadness that she had felt. While their situations may have been different they were similar enough for her to want to comfort him.

Naruto stared at the young girl in front of him for a few moments before he sat down under the protective shade of a tree. He wasn't sure as to the exact reason that he was going to tell her this, but he felt that this girl shared some of his pain. He told her about how he had made a promise to Sakura, his journey with Jaraiya, the battle with Obito and Madara, the fight with Sasuke, and finally what Sakura had said to him. After he had finished she replied with four simple words. Four simple words that lightened his spirit.

"Wow, what a bitch." that simple statement make him laugh. It was a small chuckle at first, but soon grew to a full blown laugh. His laugh seemed infectious because she stared to laugh so after he did. He felt so at ease around her even though this was their first meeting.

"Well she doesn't know what she just missed Naruto."

"Thank you Hanabi-chan that means a lot," she blushed a bit at the affectionate suffix, "now tell me what is bothering you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about Naruto there is nothing wrong." Hanabi said

"Hanabi-chan I have been through plenty of shit in my life to know when something is bothering somebody no matter how hard they try to hide it behind a mask." she was a bit flustered at this, but none the less she told him about how she driven like a slave to be perfect without fail because she was the second daughter and heiress of the Hyuuga clan head. If she even got the slightest thing wrong she would get a lecture about how Hyuuga were better than anybody else and that the Hyuuga pride would not let there even be a small blemish in their clan.

Hanabi found herself gushing out all of the frustrations about being in one of the most prestigious clans in all of the village. She couldn't help tell Naruto, a person who was at least five years her senior who had had similar experiences as her, about all of the responsibility that had been pushed on her.

She felt free when she had finished telling Naruto about everything. Like the weight of the world had been lifted off of her shoulders. After she was finished with her thoughts she noticed that she and Naruto had moved close to each other. They had been a two or three feet apart before, but now they were shoulder to shoulder. She fought down a blush at their close contact, and glanced at Naruto and noticed a near unnoticeable pink tint to his tanned cheeks.

Unlike popular belief Naruto wasn't as dense as everybody thought. Sure he was a bit slow about noticing how the female population showed their feelings, but then again which guy wasn't. So when he notice that he was so close to such a beautiful young girl, no woman, he blushed, but quickly hid it. He took a moment to actually look at her. She long straight dark brown hair with long parted bangs with a single lock of hair falling into her face. She had gorgeous white eyes with a hint of lilac. He was snapped out of thoughts when she spoke.

"Thank you Naruto-kun for letting me get that off my chest." Naruto smiled at the suffix

"No problem Hanabi-chan and thank you to."

"I'm afraid that I will have to go now my father will only be more furious if I were to stay any longer."

"I hope to see you again Hanabi-chan." After Naruto said that he go a shock as Hanabi stood on her toes and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Don't worry Naruto-kun I'm sure that we will meet again." After she said that she turned and ran in the direction of the Hyuuga compound. Naruto touched the spot where Hanabi had kissed and felt a rush of warmth. 'I really do hope that I can see her again.' With that thought in mind he turned and walked to his apartment to think about one of the worst days in his life turned into one of the best by a single woman.

Jutsu

Fire Release: Heaven's Destruction Inferno

A/N: Ok so here's the new and improved first chapter of Fireworks and Foxes! It took longer that I had anticipated it to. Again I am so sorry that I have taken such a long leave. I hope that you all still like my stories. R&R

Espada de el Corrupto Dios signing out