Hollow
Chapter 1 – Prelude
"I don't wanna be the last man standing
I don't wanna be the lonely one."
The front door opened and shut. It woke Sarada instantly. The strange feeling that gripped her gut that day intensified and she clutched the kunai under her pillow tightly, trying to relax her body, to seem asleep.
Her bedroom door open and light spilled into the room. She knew the shadow instantly. Her father was home. He hesitated in the doorway and Sarada stared at his shadow.
"Sasuke-kun?" Her mother's whisper came down the hallway.
He shut the door, plunging the room into darkness once more.
"Sakura."
There was something wrong with his voice. Sarada let go of the kunai and stood soundlessly.
"I need-" his voice died in his throat.
Her footsteps stilled halfway to the door. When had her father ever sounded so...defeated? She could hear him going towards Sakura.
"Sasuke-kun? What is it? What happened?"
Sarada held her breath, leaning against the door.
She barely heard it but again, he whispered Sakura's name. Sarada tried to think. She knew that her father had been on a mission with the Hokage and Nara Shikamaru. They had gone to investigate something, but of course any other information had been classified.
Sarada opened the door as quietly as she could and peeked around the corner and felt cold all over.
In the dim light coming in from the window, she saw her parents in each other's arms. Sasuke was gripping her tightly, his face hidden in her neck. Sarada couldn't hear him say anything, but Sakura's reaction was immediate.
"What..." Her eyes were wide, blinking rapidly. "That's not possible...Naruto...Naruto...He can't be..."
Sasuke pulled her even tighter against him and Sarada could see endless silent tears on her mother's face.
She ducked away, pressing her back tightly against the wall. This wasn't possible. No. The Hokage is supposed to be the strongest man in the world. Said to have basically ended an entire war by himself. He couldn't be dead...not the man she admired above all others.
Sarada slid down against the wall, forehead resting on her knees and minutes turned into hours before she heard anything else. Her father was the first to speak.
"I have to tell Hinata. Will you..."
"We'll tell her together." Sakura promised.
Quietly, she listened to the, leave. Sarada waited a few minutes before following. She knew where they were headed, so falling behind wasn't an issue. She used the rooftops to travel. Hurrying towards the Uzumaki house. Sarada didn't care go too close though. She stopped right when the house came into view. Her parents hadn't gone inside yet. They stood outside in the middle of the night, discussing something. A light in the house came to life and Sarada's eyes flicked up. The front door opened and Uzumaki Hinata came into view. Sarada swallowed thickly. She inched closer but Sasuke's head turned his slightly in her direction, as if to tell her he knew she was there.
Sarada didn't care though, she moved lowly. Just close enough.
"Sakura, Sasuke-kun. You're back? Is Naruto-kun at the office?" Even at this distance. Sarada could hear the hitch in her voice.
Neither Sasuke or Sakura said a word. They seemed unable to move. Hinata took a shaky step forward. "Sasuke-kun...where is he?" Her breath came out uneven, trapped in her throat.
"Hinata...I..." But he couldn't say it. Why couldn't he just say it? Sarada gripped the roof tiles underneath her tightly waiting for them to say it.
"Hinata," it was Sakura who tried this time. "Naruto," his name sounded more like a sob. "He's not...coming back."
"Was he captured? We have to go-"
"No. Hinata." Sasuke's voice stopped her in her tracks. Hinata shook her head slowly. "No...this...isn't happening. He can't..." And then, all at once, it was as if she broke. Her beautiful face seemed to crumble as she fell to her knees. Sakura went forward, pulling Hinata to her, who seemed to hold on as if she was afraid that of she didn't, she would lose herself forever. Boruto apparently in the doorway next, in his sleeping clothes.
"What's going on here?" He demanded, eyeing his mother, clutching on to Sakura and Sasuke standing stiffly close by.
"Well?"
"Boruto-" Sasuke began but the kid didn't give him a chance to reply. "Is it my father? Is he missing? Kidnapped? Injured? Which is it?" He asked almost sarcastically, and it only made Hinata sob harder. Boruto stilled, his eyes going between them again. The realization of the situation came over him all at once. An angry look overtook his face and he shoved past them, taking off down the road. Sasuke made to go after him, but Sarada dropped down from the rooftop. "I'll go. He's my teammate."
As she passed him, Sasuke reached out and dropped a hand on Sarada's shoulder. She gave him a small smile. "Leave Boruto to me, ok?"
He nodded and she took off. Knowing exactly where the little brat would head. The first training ground seemed to be the place where he went when he wanted to be alone or just sit and complain to himself. But he wasn't there. Where would be go? He wouldn't leave the village. She mentally ticked off all of the places he could go. None seemed logical at this point. His father had just died and- ...of course. He would go there. Sarada took off. Hoping to catch him before he could destroy much, of course she was too late. She shoved open the door to the Hokage's office and Boruto stood in the middle of the mess, panting, hands shaking at his side.
"Was this really the first thing you wanted to do?"
"Why not? He clearly loved this more than he loved us." He gestured around him. "And for what? All of this is just stuff. It's not living or breathing. It's not family."
"Boruto. He was the Hokage, but I know he lo-"
He went on, as if she hasn't said a thing. "For years I'd watch mom pretend she was fine but I know she suffered. She was lonely. She raised us alone!" He kicked at a broken piece of desk on the floor. "Why would I care if he's suddenly gone...He was never there anyway. I hated him. I hated him so much."
He turned his face away from her quickly. Sarada's heart beat wildly in her chest, she watched Boruto's fists shaking at his sides.
"Boruto," she couldn't stop herself from sounding stern. She walked through the debris of his outburst and grabbed his hunched shoulder, spinning him towards her, but she pulled her hand away as if he'd burned her. The confused look on his face was so mismatched with the tears that ran from his eyes. And he was staring right at her. She felt like she couldn't breathe.
"I hated him...so why...Why does still hurt this much?"
She wasn't sure what she was doing when she put her arms around him, like she'd seen her mother hold her father mere hours ago. One hand on his head, the other around his shoulders. He tensed up, and Sarada felt his hands on her waist, as if he was about to push her away but he didn't. He pulled her in, closely and to her surprise, he cried.
Sarada could feel his pain and anger seeping into her with every silent sob. She caught site of the Team 7 photo on the wall, the glass smashed as if it was the first thing he hit. In the corner, not far off, was a family photo. Broken into pieces. The picture torn in the middle. Sarada felt her own tears prickle the corners of her eyes. A figure appeared in the doorway. Nara Shikamaru. He took in the scene and then slipped away silently. Before she could stop herself, Sarada found herself crying against Boruto just as much as he was against her.
When he came to his senses, Boruto pushed her away quickly, wiping his face with the sleeve of his jacket. "That was," he cleared his throat. "This never happened."
"Baka. That's my line." But her voice missed its usual spunk.
Boruto made the mistake of meeting her eyes. A strange look passed over his face, like he'd been unaware that she'd been crying too. Luckily, he didn't say a word as he turned to leave. "Where are you going?"
"Home." Was all he said over his shoulder, but he paused at the door, looking back at the torn photo in the corner. He stared at it for a long moment before he closed his eyes and left her.
Boruto stepped in through the open front door and shut it behind him. He expected his mother to be in the bedroom, crying. But she wasn't. Instead, he found her in Himawari's room. His sister was asleep, head on Hinata's lap. Tears still wet on her cheeks. Hinata gave him a sad smile and held out her hand, beckoning him closer. Boruto swallowed, taking hesitant steps into the room and slid his hand into his mother's.
X-X
Sarada left the Hokage office a little after Boruto, she'd been attempting to straighten up when Shikamaru-san had returned and sent her home, saying he would take care of it. In hindsight, she thought maybe staying would have been a better idea. The man looked like death. Then again, one of his oldest friends had just died on a mission with him. Sarada thought of her father, mute in front of the Hokage's widow. In that moment she wondered why he didn't have the strength to speak. The Hokage had been like a brother to him. His broken, defeated voice when he'd returned, seeking strength in her mother. Sarada's hand gripped the handle on the front door but she was unable to open it. They were in pain. Behind this door, her parents were feeling a pain greater than any she'd ever felt. She didn't want them to worry about where she was, and she didn't want to intrude. The door opened, quelling her inner monologue. Her mother stood there, looking furious. "Where the hell have you been?" She snapped before pulling Sarada into her arms, fresh tears spilling down her cheeks. "I'm sorry." Sarada choked out. Hatake Kakashi was seated at the table and Sarada waved at him before slipping past them.
"Wait, Sarada." Kakashi mentioned her over.
"I assume you know about the Hokage."
Sarada nodded once.
"You're a Genin now, so you understand how the system works."
"What he's trying to say is that for the time being, you cannot tell anyone that Naruto is dead." Sasuke finished. Sarada met his gaze. "Konoha is in a very delicate position right now, Sarada. Do you understand?"
"Yes, father. I get it. I won't tell anyone." She nodded before she turned away, heading to her bedroom. She knew they realized that Konoha was in more than a 'delicate' position. Sure there was the obvious leader change that needed to take place but the biggest problem was the fact that there was now an enemy out there that is strong enough to have killed Uzumaki Naruto. Sarada closed her bedroom door behind her and sat down on her bed. She could hear them talking in hushed voices, but all she could think of was the fact that she was still weak. This enemy would come for Konoha and she needed to be ready.
X-X
Boruto found Hatake Kakashi in their living room the next morning. The man who would probably take the title of Hokage once again.
"I understand, Kakashi-sensei." His mother was saying and Kakashi's visible eye slid to him. "Boruto."
Boruto stepped out into view. "Kakashi."
"Please get Himawari and come here."
Boruto narrowed his eyes, but complied after a moment. Himawari wasn't asleep as he thought and he wordlessly took her hand and led her to the living room, already dreading the conversation they would end up having.
Hinata lifted Himawari onto her lap but Boruto didn't sit.
"I know that this may be asking a bit much, but we need to keep what happened a secret for the time being."
"What? That my father went and got himself killed?"
Behind him, Himawari started crying and Hinata squeezed her eyes shut. Boruto immediately regretted it. He reached out for her hand again.
"Yeah, fine. We get it."
Kakashi stood. "Hinata. I'm sorry for intruding during this time. I'll get going now." Kakashi headed for the door. Hinata set Himawari down next to her on the couch and rushed after him.
"Kakashi-sensei!"
He turned as she closed the door behind her.
"Where is he?"
Kakashi looked away from her pained eyes. He could see that she was acting strong for the sake of the children, but Naruto had been everything she ever wanted, and to lose him...He couldn't even imagine.
"We've sealed him away, for safety reasons. I can take you there soon."
Hinata nodded.
"Of course." He promised that he would be by when he returned from his meeting and took his leave. Heading to his next target: Shikamaru.
X-X
Sasuke hadn't slept at all. Sakura knew, because she hadn't either. Kakashi left in the early hours of the morning. They had showered together and climbed into bed, and Sasuke held her in his arms, but neither of them managed to drift off.
She slid her hand onto his chest, "Say something, Sasuke-kun."
He closed his eyes, arm tightening around her. "I...don't think I can ever leave you again."
Sakura's fingers dug into his chest and she began to shake next to him, tears wetting his skin. He turned, pulling her up with him.
"Seeing Hinata...makes me think it could just as easily have been Naruto at the door last night. And I can't, Sasuke-kun." She shook her head, a sob working its way through her lips again. "Without you...I can't." Sasuke pulled her against him. "I know, Sakura...I won't leave again."
Hearing him say it was more terrifying to her than anything else.
X-X
"What the hell happened here?" Kakashi paused. "Boruto?"
"Yeah," Shikamaru said, trying to rearrange the papers into some semblance of order.
"I'm going to get right to the point, Shikamaru. I'm planning to nominate you as the new Hokage."
Shikamaru's head shot up. "What?!"
"You are the best candidate possible at the moment."
"I couldn't do anything to save him, I don't deserve that title."
"Fair enough, I won't force this on you. But the fact is, there's still a position to be filled."
"Take Konohamaru." Shikamaru said immediately. "I'll second your vote. The villagers trust him, and he is well liked by the shinobi, not to mention he's the Sandaime's grandson."
"Hmm." Kakashi nodded in agreement. "The elders have arranged the second departure route for us to leave to the Daimyo within the hour."
Shikamaru sighed heavily and rubbed a hand down his face. "Ok. I'll get Konohamaru and meet you there."
X-X
Sasuke stepped into Sarada's room. His daughter was seated on the floor, leaning back against her bed. Dark eyes started up at the ceiling.
"Sarada, come out for dinner."
"Why am weak?"
Sasuke came forward, crouching in front of her.
"I want to be stronger, dad. I want to be strong enough to defeat every enemy that comes in my way."
"You will get stronger, until then...I'm here."
"No. That look I saw on Hinata-san's face last night. I never want to see it again."
Sasuke stared down at her.
"You won't." Sakura said from the doorway. "We'll face what's to come together, ok?"
Sarada sighed. "Ok."
"Now, go wash up." Sarada stood, walking past them to leave the room.
"She's a lot like you at that age."
Sasuke looked at Sakura over his shoulder. "Is that really a good thing?"
X-X
Three members of ANBU, Nara Shikamaru, Hatake Kakashi, the elders and the Daimyo with his advisors sat around the desk in the dimly lit room.
"Hmm. I am quite saddened by the passing of Naruto." He fanned himself, shaking his head. "So unfortunate that we have to replace him so soon."
Nods of agreement all around.
"Well then," the Daimyo began, "Kakash-"
"I would like to nominate Konohamaru." Kakashi fell in before anyone could nominate him and the Daimyo's attention shifted immediately.
"Ah yes! Hiruzen's grandson. I hear he's become a formidable shinobi."
The doors opened and Konohamaru entered. He still seemed in shock, having only heard of Naruto's passing moments ago.
"You were quite close with Naruto, weren't you?" The Daimyo mused.
"I...I was." Konohamaru agreed.
"Hmm, such tragic news."
"I would like to second Kakashi-sensei's nomination." Shikamaru said and the Daimyo nodded.
"Is everyone in agreement?"
When no one voiced in the negative, he pointed his fan at Konohamaru. "I hereby name you the next Hokage."
A gurgled sound came from Konohamaru's throat, blood running from the corner of his mouth. It happened as if in slow motion, they realized just too late, just as the blade was being removed.
Konohamaru fell to the floor heavily, blood pooling around him. The attacker, a figure in a black cloak, ducked out of the room like a shadow, they barely had time to catch a glimpse.
"After him!" Kakashi barked, immediately persuing. Shikamaru and one of the ANBU on his heels, the other two stayed behind to protect the Daimyo.
The female ANBU rushed to Konohamaru. She pushed him into his back.
"Well?" One of the elders demanded, "Is he dead?" The years had not been kind to her, so she hobbled across the floor, stopping a few feet away from the pool of blood.
Konohamaru lay lifeless on the floor, eyes open and staring. A trail of blood running from his lips.
"The Sarutobi heir is dead."
X-X
Sarada couldn't stop seeing Hinata's face as they told her that the Hokage was gone. No matter what her parents said, the only way Sarada could ever become Hokage, was if she defeated the ones who killed the Seventh.
A horrified scream jolted Sarada from her thoughts. The ground shook beneath them and Sasuke was already on his feet and at the window.
"What is it, Sasuke-kun? What do you see?" Sakura stood with him at the window, her hand on his arm. Sarada moved closer, she saw her father expose his Rinnegan and then he looked away sharply.
"Sakura,"
"No," she hissed vehemently. "You are not going out there."
More screams filled the streets outside, and even from this distance, Sarada could tell there was something up on the Kage Mountain. Sakura grabbed his arm and stared up at him intently, conveying some secret message, she was tense, her hand clutching his arm tightly. Sasuke pulled Sakura against him roughly, desperately. "Don't do this to me. Not when you just promised to stay."
"I have to do this. If I don't..."
Sakura pushed away so she could look him in the eye. "I love you, Sasuke-kun."
"I'm coming back," He promised and then he kissed her.
Sarada looked away, giving them this moment that was over too soon. To her surprise, Sasuke put his arm around her next, pulling her into his chest. "I'll be right back, Sarada." He promised quietly.
Sarada tried to speak but her throat was too tight. She nodded once.
Sasuke, without looking back, grabbed his weapons and ducked out of the front door.
Sarada watched her mother's brave face, but she couldn't hide the shaking in her hands.
"Come on," Sakura said, pulling her weapons from the hallway closet. "Our priority now is helping the villagers evacuate."
"What about dad?"
"Sasuke is...more than capable of handling this guy now."
Sarada hesitated, but nodded after a moment and hurried to her bedroom to get her gear. She could do this. She could trust in her father.
Outside, as expected things were chaotic. Villagers were trying to get away, some were screaming that the Hokage being dead.
"Stay close." Sakura told her lowly and Sarada obeyed without a word as they tried to maneuver through the chaos. It was only once they reached the market district that the Genin had begun herding the villagers to safety.
Sakura made a sharp turns through the buildings but Sarada had no trouble keeping up. It was very clear that they were not getting the villagers to safety, they were however, moving closer and closer to the Kage Mountain.
"Mom-" Sarada wanted to say, but Sakura saw it at the exact moment she did.
Hinata was up on the stone wall, right next to Naruto's face. Where his body had been hanged on display for the village to see.
Sakura was staring up at it, frozen and wide-eyed. Even at this distance, Sarada could tell how bruised and battered it was. But the Hokage was still recognizable.
"Hinata! No!" The words exploded from Sakura's throat and she leapt forward, rushing towards them. Sarada noticed the explosive tag too late. It was just as Hinata had removed the bounds on his wrists and held him to her that the tag exploded, blasting them off of the mountain. Sakura jumped, attempting to catch them, but only Hinata hit her chest, knocking them both to the ground. Sarada watched, horrified, as the Hokage's corpse hit the ground, bouncing off and skidding towards her, coming to a stop just a few feet away. For years later, Sarada would be able to recall strange details about him. The color and texture of his skin, the odd look around his bruises. The dried blood beneath fingernails.
"Sarada."
Her head snapped towards her mother. Sakura lifted an unconscious Hinata in her arms and gently over her shoulder and then she came for Naruto. Sarada did not miss the way her mother looked at him. The way her eyes clung to the same details that Sarada's had just seconds ago, and the pain the followed. Sakura let out a shaky breath and murmured softly, "Come on, Naruto." As she lifted him up and under her arm. She squeezed her eyes shut for a long moment, desperately trying to control the sobs threatening to come up her throat. When Sakura opened her eyes, she turned her head back towards the mountain face. There was a man hanging off of it, and Sasuke stood on the roof of the Hokage tower, his sword drawn. And for the first time, Sarada would witness it.
She couldn't hear him, but she saw his lips move, and then the purple chakra seemed to jump from his skin. Susano'o.