I return after a very looooong hiatus for the sake of my beta's birthday. Happy birthday, Waiting4Morning. I would have given you the rights to Naruto, but I don't own Naruto, so this will have to do.

The streets of Konoha are too clean. Not that I like stains that drip from rusted gutters or rats and insects that congregate in secluded alleys. They just add ambiance, that's all. I get antsy when things are pristine. Not to mention the new streets are just a bit too straight, too uniform – linear rather than intuitive. I suppose we will all get used to them.

I turn another corner and suddenly I am in a wasteland. A street where once you could buy dango is now gravel. You can see clear to the makeshift training grounds. How long has it been since I've been training? Days? A week? Yet I'm still sore. Is it normal to ache so much after dying?

"Rokudaime! The hospital is this way." The chuunin intern trying to get my attention doesn't even acknowledge Danzou's brief and disastrous stint as Hokage – she insists on calling me "sixth." Everyone else has given up on correcting her.

"Kakashi-sama!"

The chuunin's voice starts to sound a little panicky, so I finally stop ignoring her. "Yeah." Oh well, this is a temporary title: accuracy is irrelevant. It's just my job to keep things together until Tsunade-hime is back on her feet. Though, it's a bigger job than I bargained for.

Food, medicine, and paperwork: the three pressing concerns of being Hokage right now. Buildings can be rebuilt by those like Yamato – those who have gifts for creation rather than destruction. But food can't be made palatable once it's been covered in rubble and allowed to rot. The farms on the outskirts of Konoha do a booming business moving food into the city, but it still isn't enough – so we ration. Likewise medicines and bandages lose their value when spilled out in the sand. Thank goodness for those like Sakura and Shizune who have a good grasp of medical jutsus.

The paperwork is the biggest headache of all. I've spent all week trying to re-compile a list of ninja who were out of the village on missions when Pein attacked. We're still not sure how many of the Leaf are wandering around the ends of the earth blithely unaware of the crisis at home. Mangled file folders and singed scraps of secret documents swim in front of my vision when I try to sleep at night. God, I wish I had time to just catch up on reading.

Last night, Naruto and Sakura were trying to rebuild missing-nin files from out-of-date bingo books and their own memories. Not an easy task, especially when they get to bickering. Honestly I did pay some attention to them when they needed input, but yes, I was distracted. Distracted by recent deaths, by the fact that Tsunade-hime is still so unwell, by the fact that I haven't had any time by myself in three weeks. They were doing fine on their own, though. They've been doing more than fine on their own for quite some time now.

In any case, yes, I was daydreaming. But really, all of Naruto's accomplishments haven't given him the ability to whisper. I heard the kid say, "Seriously, the counsel must be smoking something – first they make Danzou Hokage, and then when they realize he's evil they go with Kakashi-sensei?" I just sighed and scrutinized the spelling of "Akame Iwana."

I can't say I disagree, Naruto.

A dog is following me down the street – just a stray, but still, I have to be careful to not let it get caught underfoot. Or on the hem of these dang robes. Dogs have always been fond of me. They were fond of my dad too.

Odd how I can think of him calmly now.

Impractical, yes, but I have to admit to myself that these robes seem impressive swishing around me – an entourage of man and beast at my side. I still don't feel that it suits me, though. The hat especially I could do without. The hat is cumbersome. And it doesn't like to sit on top of my hair. I've conveniently forgotten it in my office. Tsunade-hime's office. If she didn't have to wear it, neither do I.

Tsunade-hime. I hope this visit goes well. I've seen my fill of charred file folders. I don't have the administrative skills for this job – or the tolerance for stupidity – or alcohol.

We're at the hospital. Or Yamato's approximation thereof. It looks the part from the outside, but inside it is blank. Large featureless rooms laid out without function in mind. They've been divided into small sterile enclosures by plastic curtains. A temporary solution. I pass by many of these stalls on my way to a far corner. Most are empty, quiet.

The princess' bed is in the corner. A garden's worth of flowers keep her company. She is… changed. That's putting it mildly. Her hands – which have punched through walls – appear to be made of crumpled crepe paper. Her form, once defined and seductive, is lumpy and homogenous under the mismatched bedding. And her face, framed by cottony hair, seems to be slipping off her skull. She looks far older than her fifty-odd years. The price she paid for perpetual youth and noble self-sacrifice.

"Hey kid. So you finally showed up." Her voice is cracked but her tone still pierces. She is propped up on pillows, almost upright – a good sign, I tell myself. I respond by slouching into the chair next to her. My vanguard politely waits on the other side of the plastic curtain, giving us "privacy."

"How are things running at the tower? Wait – is there still a Hokage Tower?"

"Progress, slow progress." I shrug. "We're still excavating the remains of the old tower – I'm hoping we'll find more documents."

"What if—" She has to pause as she's started coughing. "What if they uncover sensitive materials?"

"All those working at the site can be trusted – we've put secrecy seals on each of them. They won't be able to talk about anything they find."

"Wasn't that one of Danzou's favorite techniques?" Her rheumy eyes get a little sharper.

All I can do is sigh. "Some things are necessary."

She gives a tired nod. "You're right of course." Her breathing is a little labored. We sit in silence for a moment; a chuunin shifts his weight outside.

"How are feelings?" She looks at me. I'm not sure what she means – my feelings? She clarifies for me. "Morale – in the village."

"Eh, people seem – tired… but hopeful. Naruto would be able to tell you more." He has been more in touch with the people of Konoha than anyone else. These days he has more people wanting to buy him ramen than I think even he could oblige. I smile, but of course Tsunade can't see.

"He came to visit me yesterday." She sinks lower into her pillows, a tired smile on her lips. "He's very changed in some ways – and in other ways he's much the same. He gives people hope – even gives me some hope."

I know what she means. "How are you feeling, Tsunade-hime?"

"Heh. Old. And fat. And dry as a bone. You didn't happen to bring me anything fermented, did you?" She gives a feeble chuckle. "You mean when am I coming back to work, right?"

She caught me. "Er, yes, Tsunade-hime." I scratch the back of my head. "I look forward to getting back to normal life."

"It's time for a new normal, kid. Suck it up." She begins coughing again, it's a minute before she can continue. "Kakashi, you're going to have to bear this burden for longer than you thought. It's not just temporary anymore. You're Hokage."

I can feel my face react and am thankful for the mask I wear. "Eh… Tsunade-hime, this isn't really… I think my skills are better utilized elsewhere."

She hacks a couple times, maybe that was laughter. "I know the feeling, kid. But you're all we've got. The only one with the pedigree and the smarts to pull it off."

"Not the only one." I hesitate, but certainly she's thinking the same thing. "… there's always Naruto."

She looks at me a long time, her eyes glazed. I think maybe she's fallen asleep, but then she stirs. "The Council wouldn't like it, but they're all idiots anyway."

I smile. "It's not unheard of, you know. Gaara of the Sand was Naruto's age when he came to power. And Minato-sensei was young still when Sandaime retired."

"True." She gives a genuine smile. Her teeth are oddly white and straight in her rumpled face. A remnant of her younger self. "And he is Minato's son, after all. You will have to make a point of that when you present to the Council. Also you must let them know you can continue to serve as a mentor to Naruto, just as the Third did to his pupil and successor."

I have never been Naruto's mentor, and can take no credit for his accomplishments, but I suppose she is right. I add, "And also, he will have your guidance, Tsunade-hime."

She looks sad. "In truth, Kakashi, do you really think I'll be around to see any of this?"

I take another look at her deflated form. I notice her hands again, veiny and gnarled with arthritis. They shake a little. I am keenly aware of her labored breathing.

"I suppose…."

"Of course I won't. I'm dying, not delusional." Her eyelids flutter a little. "You also realize that even with Naruto as Hokage you won't be able to go back to life as usual? You're the old one now, kid. You're the one with experience."

"Yeah. I know."

Believe me, I know.