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Seventh Hokage

Chapter 1: The Beginning


She drove her fist into the sternum of her nearest attacker, quickly flinging a wave of shuriken toward the rest of the platoon. As the opponent fell, ten more ninja closed in around her, their hands retrieving weapons from their packs. Perhaps it should have been flattering that she was considered such a threat. But it wasn't, really.

Double-edged kunai was thrown at her from various directions, and having no openings to retreat, she crossed her arms in front of her face and hoped for the best, trying to ignore the shooting pain as each kunai dug deep into her skin. Finally, knowing that she had another chance to attack, she ran toward one ninja with chakra-boosted power and crashed into him. The enemy was dead when he hit the hard concrete ground.

Panting with adrenaline and the beginnings of fatigue, Sakura Haruno fled the area, her arms and legs wounded. She only had one thing in mind, and that was to escape the Hidden Leaf Village from the arising Fourth Great Ninja War.

Hinata was the first to warn her. Her father, Hiashi Hyuga, had run home with the terrible news of Madara Uchiha dominating the village, and then Hinata ran to Sakura's apartment complex and practically dragged her out of her home before the brainwashed ninja, or so she was told, breached the walls of the building.

Yes, brainwashed ninja that belonged to many different nations, including the Fire Nation. From what Hinata had told her, Madara had somehow gotten their own ninja, mostly the ANBU and chunin, to turn against the Hidden Leaf and destroy the area. It was a very difficult concept to understand, but this was Madara Uchiha she was talking about. That man is a completely different ninja from the rest of them. He held more obscure strength and power than anyone else, which is enough to bring destruction to the entire world.

The raven-haired kunoichi had told her everything, the whole situation, as they both hopelessly ran across the rubble. She didn't know how, but she was separated from Hinata by the time she had reached the North Gate. Then that was when the ninja had launched an attack on her, leaving her no other choice but to fight back. Fight and run away; this was all she has been doing for the past few hours.

"Sakura!" A familiar voice rang in her ears, and she embraced the sound tightly, almost too glad to find out that one of her comrades are still alive. "Sakura!"

She wearily looked over her shoulder to see Choji Akimichi running in her direction, his hand waving crazily in the air. Within a few seconds, he had reached her and was desperately clinging onto her. "You have to get out of here now! Madara sent three platoons to search for you, so you'd better hurry and bolt!" he whispered harshly, his hands gripping onto her wrists.

He forcefully tried pushing her over the North Gate wall, but was only shoved back. "Choji! I am not leaving without you or the rest!" she snarled fiercely, her eyes flaring with anger. "If Madara gets his dirty hands on Naruto, we are sure to be in danger. He already has eight of the jinchuriki, and if he were to capture Naruto, he would recreate the ultimate monster, the Ten-Tailed Beast!"

"No, you can't go back now," he hissed gravely, "You know that you hold vital information on the Hidden Leaf Village, and that is exactly why he is after you. If you look for Naruto or any of the others, you are most likely going to fall into his trap!" He nudged her again. "Trust me, Sakura. I assure you that he and the others would escape."

She glared at him for a long moment before nodding doubtfully. Crouching, she prepared to leap off the collapsing wall, her head hanging low and her body shaking violently. "Wait! What about you, Choji!" she suddenly realized, her voice rising to an unreasonable level.

"I'll be alright," he gave a reassuring smile, yet it seemed too fake for her to believe, "Now go!"

He forced her off the ledge and she felt herself hit the cold, moist ground with a thud. Glancing up, she could no longer see his face but only could hear his loud dramatic yell. Helplessly trying to ignore the fact that he might have been captured, or even killed, she scrambled to her feet and used the last of her energy to run further and further into the woods.

She didn't bother to cover her tracks, for it would take up too much time and lessen her chances of living. It was likely that the ninja could be following her, but she swore to never look back and keep moving on. She promised - crossed her heart and hoped to die - that when she returned, she would be sure to make everything normal once again.

. . .

The Rasengan sent his opponent flying through the walls of the Hidden Leaf Academy, the burning roof descending down on top of him and raining a shower of ashes down upon Naruto Uzumaki's head. Honestly, he hated destroying civilian property, but he had no other choice than to do so. He barely had enough time to take a breath before five more ninja leaped at him.

His clone roundhouse kicked one, while he stabbed another with a spare kunai. He whirled to confront the last tnree, but found them dead on the ground, their neck snapped by Shikamaru's shadow strangle jutsu. His teammate dropped from the roof across the street, where six more corpses lay, and limped to his side. Their darkening eyes met only for a second before the two of them started off toward the Eastern Gate.

The both of them knew very well that Madara wasted no time in trying to capture Naruto, the nine-tailed fox. The Uchiha was known for overcoming the most difficult obstacles in life and turning them against the innocent, which was basically the process that he and Shikamaru were experiencing right now. But fighting off the brainwashed and running was all they could do for the time being. Doing anything hasty could be a big risk toward the Hidden Villages.

"Were there any others who have accompanied you in battle, Naruto?" Shikamaru held his voice to a low level, careful to not give away their position. "Who exactly warned you about this chaos?"

Naruto's jaw suddenly clenched and he held his hand close to his sides, his fingers flexing uncomfortably. Shikamaru questioningly took a glimpse of the yellow-haired ninja, wondering why his mood shifted dramatically. The jinchuriki didn't reply nor reacted to his long stare until they passed the Hokage's Mansion.

The mansion was breaking down. The walls were tumbling onto the ground, exposing the inner construction work, and the windows were shattered into broken pieces. The small patches of grass surrounding the building was on fire, the puff of smoke growing bigger by the minute. It was a devastating sight…

"He…sensei…" For a short moment, he lost his voice. "The Hokage accompanied me until we reached the Southern Gate. Then we were suddenly ambushed by a full platoon of ANBU, and we fought them off since we were unable to retreat. Suddenly, I lost sight of him and I didn't know where he went. The last thing I can recall was having him pull me away from the battlefield. I don't know what happened to him…"

They took a turn around a street and kept their footsteps silent as the both of them jumped off a steady tree. They began hopping across rooftops, avoiding the search parties.

"I doubt that he would give up that easily, Naruto," sighed Shikamaru. He held tightly onto the lighter that he obtained from Asuma Sarutobi three years ago when he had died. He kept it close to him ever since the incident. "Believe me, he is fine. I bet he already escaped. It is likely that he is already creating an alliance - a resistance, maybe. For now, let's just focus on our objective and escape the village. It's for your own good…Let's just hope that Madara doesn't know of your whereabouts. We'd be dead by then if he found out…"

"Alright." Naruto jumped off a branch and flew high into the sky with the black-haired ninja right beside him, eventually landing in the middle of what appeared to be the Forest of Quite Movement. Knowing that the area still wasn't safe to hang around, they moved further into the woods, forcing their thoughts away from what could be happening in the Hidden Leaf.

They both just hoped that everyone was okay, including the Hokage.

. . .

(Two Months Earlier)

Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado exchanged incredulous glances, the both of them surprised and frightened at the same time. They both knew that if Danzou has indeed fallen in the battle between him and Sasuke Uchiha, then they must pick another Hokage and fast, otherwise the Hidden Leaf Village would fall into the hands chaos once again.

"The decision is final," demanded Koharu, "We must pick the Seventh Hokage immediately."

"I understand what you are saying, Koharu," sighed Homura, "But who, exactly?"

Sai merely stared at the two elders, his face expressionless. He bowed his head slightly when they averted their gazes to him and knelt to the ground, his hand planted on one knee and the other by his side. He silently suggested, "What about Kakashi Hatake? We have spoken about it with Shikaku Nara and many others, and they all agreed that he should be Hokage. Kakashi even volunteered to do so, since there was no other choice."

The old woman placed her fingers on her chin and stroked it confusingly. "I suppose we can accept the boy. He is very skilled and his father was the White Fang of the Hidden Leaf. Perhaps we can accept him under a few circumstances, but isn't he a bit too young? I heard he is only twenty nine, despite the old looks his mask gives him."

"Well," began Sai, "arrange a meeting that includes Kakashi Hatake. You shall talk about the terms and such, then maybe work out some of your problems from there." He stood up and turned his back on the elders. "I hope you do make your decisions quickly, because remember that Madara Uchiha could strike any moment. He is the one who started the Fourth Great Ninja War."

. . .

(One Month Before The War)

He paused before entering to catch a quick breath. He was here early, in the Hokage's mansion, due to a scheduled meeting that was mandatory for him and a few others. Knowing that it must be very important, he came as soon as he can, which explains his immediate arrival. Unfortunately, he, Kakashi Hatake, was very exhausted. He had just came back from a mission in which he had encountered Madara Uchiha, tried to save Sakura from the poisonous kunai, and attempted to prevent Naruto from talking to Sasuke Uchiha any further. It was all very tiring and he was hoping to get a rest when he got home, but sadly, he was out of luck. He was expecting all of this to occur anyways, considering that he may become the new Hokage for the mean time.

Gently pushing the double doors open with his gloved hands, he entered silently and claimed his seat in between Shikaku Nara and Ibiki Morino. Sitting to the right of Ibiki was Inoichi Yamanaka, father of Ino Yamanaka, and sitting to the left of Shikaku was the elders, along with Shizune. Finally, the feudal lord of the Fire Nation was on the far end of the meeting table, and apparently, he was glaring intently in Kakashi's direction.

"Hm, everyone is present, am I correct?" The daimyo settled his hands, one on top of another, on the table and observed the ninja around him, his eyes especially concentrated on the Copy Ninja. Everyone nodded and he continued, "Good. So we have gathered here to speak about the election of the Seventh Hokage, in replacement of Tsunade until she awakens from her coma. To my surprise, everyone here in this room agrees to nominate Kakashi Hatake as Hokage."

"Hai," they all said simultaneously, their firm voices bouncing off the newly plastered walls.

"So does anyone oppose him as being Hokage? Anyone who does, please raise their hands. You are allowed to change your decision if you wish, but it has to be before I actually determine the answer of the nomination." The daimyo's fragile voice broke the uneasy feeling in the atmosphere, his elderly body shaking continuously. He waited patiently before announcing his answer. "All right, Kakashi Hatake. Please stand."

Kakashi pushed his chair back and stood up, careful to not make too much of a ruckus. Ignoring the intense stares his comrades were giving him, he nodded his head slightly and stated, "Hai."

"You are now the Seventh Hokage. You will be put into hardworking labor and you shall not give up on Konoha. You will not let your people down and you will not allow anyone to die without a backbreaking fight, ninja or civilian. I forbid you from going on missions, unless it is necessary or if your former team needs you. If you are to leave, you must notify Shizune so that she can handle the paperwork while you are absent from the village. You are not acquired to wear the Hokage's uniform all the time, only when you wish to. And you will only be Hokage until Tsunade fully recovers from her coma. When she passes away, you will be nominated Hokage once again for you to continue your position as leader of the village. Do you understand all of these circumstances, Kakashi?" The feudal lord kept his eyes firm on the young ninja.

"Yes, I understand the circumstances of being the Hokage and I will not let Konoha or any other of the alliances down. You have my word," replied Kakashi, his fingers tapping impatiently on the table top.

"Very well." The daimyo motioned for the rest to stand up, so they followed orders and did what they were told to. "You will take your position as Hokage starting tomorrow afternoon, Hatake-sama." He emphasized 'sama' in his sentence.

"Thank you." Kakashi bowed his head in appreciation, his ears oblivious to the thundering noise of his fellow ninja clapping. "I promise," he whispered, too quite for anyone to hear, "I won't let any one of you down."

. . .

The sunlight nearly blinded her as she stepped out into the open. The sky was bright blue and there was not a single dark cloud to be seen. Birds soared with the wind and other wild animals enjoyed the nice weather as well. Despite the beautiful scenery, Sakura Haruno was still furious about the Hidden Village's second collapse since their encounter with Pein - or Nagato. And just when they were recovering, Madara Uchiha decided that he would announce the beginning of the Fourth Great Ninja War. There were barely any rubble, but some destroyed buildings were still in sight. Although the whole village was damaged physically and emotionally, both villagers and ninja were working together to make an even stronger economy. The fact that the will of fire brightens everyone's future amazes her greatly, especially when people push their way past the most despairing times.

As she stepped deeper into the situation, she realized that she was beginning to enter the rebuilt section of the village where most of the shops, restaurants, and apartments are located. Seeing this lightened her mood up. She was glad the village was getting back on its feet so soon. It gave her more hope…and will to move on.

A pastry stand caught her eye and her stomach grumbled loudly after looking hungrily at the newly baked breads and cakes. After giving into hunger, she excitedly reached into her ninja pouch and pulled out thirty ryo. She gave the money to the old woman and received a caramel-glazed bread in return. Eventually, the kunoichi thanked the lady and walked away. Every now and then, she would take a small bite, her attention averting from one thing to another. Villagers and ninja - mostly chunin - walked across the streets, arms full of construction supplies or necessities. Some were very determined to complete rebuilding the village, or so as she overheard, and others were just too exhausted after going overboard.

"Father, I only could buy these with the money I found. It could help us."

A little boy - about eight years old - ran across the direction she was walking in and stopped dead in front of his father. The two of them seemed well enough, but the little boy's face was wounded. On his small little chin, there was a narrow wound that trailed down to his neck. It looked as if he had gotten it from a fight - it appeared to be a cut from a kunai. It seemed quite painful.

"It's okay, son. When the village is repaired, we can move back into our home and then everything would be back to normal. We would have more money and I could buy us more food and items," said the father, his hand ruffling the boy's medium-cut hair, "I promise."

His head twisted to the right, then to the left. "Where's mother and older brother?"

"Your mom is helping deliver documents for Lady Hokage with your brother. You know how your mother can't give up her priorities as a jounin, and your brother too. He needs to work more so he can rank up to a chunin. They'll be back in the next few hours," he whispered, "Now let's eat half of this bread and save the rest for supper. We don't have anymore money to spend so we'll have to conserve some food for the time being. And make sure to save some for your mother and brother. They have to eat dinner as well."

Listening to their conversation pained Sakura. So many people. So many innocent people. They were all damaged and hurt due to the constant fighting and war. Most of them crawled around and tried looking for something useful while others were lucky and found items that were necessary in life. It just wasn't fair…Actually, life was never fair.

Being unable to resist the sorrow, the pink-haired kunoichi walked up and stopped in front of the two villagers. She slipped on her gloves and reached into her pocket. She pulled out fifty ryo and gave it to the little boy without a word. Then, not asking for their permission, she pressed her teal, glowing hand to the boy's chin, watching intently as the wound sluggishly closed.

"Thank you miss," thanked the boy, "You are very kind!"

He gave her a tight hug around the legs, nearly making her fall onto her back. She shun a small grin and patted him head gently before backing away. The father repeated the same words except in a more well-mannered way and returned the smile.

She bowed her head slightly and said, "Just remember, the ninja of the Hidden Leaf won't ever forget their people. Take care, and please, do not hesitate to use the money I gave you."

With that having said, the Medic Nin strode away, feeling quite proud of herself for helping out a pair of poor villagers. Still, the fact that many were emotionally scarred for life saddened her.

Feeling a tad bit bored, she decided that she would explore the west side of the village, the part where she and her former Team Seven usually hang around.

Searching for the most memorable places, she spotted the collapsed Ichiraku Ramen and Barbe-Q restaurant, where she, Sai, and Naruto usually ate together during their free time. It was always fun, despite the awkwardness Sai would cause with his unusual silence. She could recall when Sai had once complimented Naruto on his improved skills, and to her surprise, Naruto had said thanks without creating an argument. Usually, the jinchuriki boy would act up and furiously wonder why Sai would say something so normal like that. But this time, nothing like that occurred. Maybe she just never thought that Naruto would start growing up…

All of a sudden, a shattered row of booths captured her gaze, bringing her to only the remnants of the stand where they sold Jiraiya-sensei's perverted novels, the Icha Icha series. Smiling ever so foolishly, she leaned onto a cracked post that seemed sturdy enough, and observed the fallen bookstore that Kakashi had once loved - he loved it almost too much that it made it look as if he was dearly obsessed with it, although he probably was, considering that he brought it almost everywhere with him.

She wondered what made those books so appealing toward men. She was very curious indeed and she had once wanted to read it herself, but she decided that she wouldn't for the sake of her reputation - she never wanted anyone thinking that she was just as inappropriate as her former mentor. She can name a variety of things that make a book absolutely nasty; sex, forced sex, painful sex, sloppy kissing, drinking alcohol, flirting incredibly, caressing, molesting, harassment, and…well you get the point, she can go on and on with this list.

Just thinking about all of this brought her thoughts to the images of her former Team Seven sensei. These were definitely one of the things that represented him. And there were many more out there. Another item that represents him is the memorial garden, yet that isn't necessarily an item. It's more like a…place.

No matter what time of what day she went there, she would always spot the jounin standing in front of the Memorial Stone, his head slightly bowed, his silver hair draped over his hitai-ate and forehead. He always, and she meant always, looked pained. Whenever she decided that she would pray for the fallen herself, she would either accompany him or stand beside him, trying to ignore her presence. She could remember how many times she stole a peak of his masked face. The look in his single onyx eye worried her, yet it assured her that he was alright. That man…is hard to decipher.

Another thought crossed her mind, a grin managing to wrench itself onto her lips. She had forgotten…he was the one who gave her hope in the first place. He was the being who helped her to her feet and led her through the winding paths of life, despite the fact that he wasn't actually there for her. It was almost as if he had bequeathed his will of fire to her. Wherever she went, she felt him by her side. He was a role model, not much of a good one, but an inspirational man indeed. A strong ninja like him…just thinking about him and his accomplishments made her want to train as much as Naruto would.

Speaking of accomplishments…he was also the new Hokage. He was only going to be the Seventh Hokage until Tsunade-sama awakens from her coma, or at least, that's what she had heard from Shikamaru Nara. The word has spread quite quickly actually, not that it surprised her. Whenever it came to electing a new leader, the village bursts into sudden excitement and grief.

Sighing silently, she departed from the area and began walking to the memorial gardens, the only place that wasn't destroyed during Pein's warfare. At first, she didn't know why that was her next destination, but perhaps it's just the simple need to honor the fallen ninja of Konoha. But she has been doing this awfully a lot since her last reunion meet with Team Seven. Like Captain Yamato said, maybe the jounin was rubbing off on her.

A few minutes passed and Sakura finally arrived at the gardens. She passed through the arched gateway, then followed the gravel path that led her through the graves of ninja and civilians. All of a sudden, she spotted that familiar speck of silver in the far distance, a masculine figure standing tall in front of the Hidden Leaf Memorial Stone, his head hanging and his hands stuffed in his pockets. Of course, she knew who it was.

"I thought you were on duty as Hokage, Kakashi." Sakura stood beside him, not bothering to take a single glance at him. She knows how much he needs his space when he's thinking about his childhood past and such, especially when he was present here in the memorial gardens.

Kakashi Hatake stole a peek at her nonchalant expression, then released a harsh breath. "I will take my position starting tomorrow afternoon, according to the feudal lord's orders," he said calmly, "I'm going to have to start working harder from now on…"

"Hm." Sakura shook her head confusingly and crossed her arms. "You're going to have a bunch of innocent lives in your hands, so you must handle the village well and make sure that no conflict gets out of hand. From what I observed when I hung around Lady Tsunade, you must have to complete a lot of paperwork and such. You probably aren't going to have time to spend even a few seconds with me and Team Seven…"

Yes, she knew that he wouldn't have a single chance to spend quality time with her and the others. If he is going to be Seventh Hokage, he is going to have to do a whole lot of backbreaking work. And if she or Naruto, Sai, and Captain Yamato were to get in the way, he would be distracted and the village would fall into chaos once again.

Sorrowfully, she mentally promised to not become an obstacle. Yet, if they all were to avoid, they would grow farther and farther apart from each other…just how they did during her genin years.

"I know that you're worried about me, but don't fret. I'll handle the conflicts, then everything will be back to normal, okay?" She looked up at him to find his single eye cringed happily, more or less. "I know I have let you down many times, and I'm sorry. But I promise that I won't allow anything to get in the way of our friendship while I work to protect the village. Trust me, Sakura."

Growing slightly happy, she pushed herself to expose a bright small smile. "Don't be reckless, Kakashi. And please…stay safe."


TBC

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