Chapter 2: Learning To Walk.
After nine days, Naruto had still been bedridden. He had regained some mobility in his arms and was able to wave them around with little difficulty. On the other hand, his legs could barely fidget at all. For the time being, he was not going anywhere. "I have to get out of here, this is driving me nuts." In the process of trying to get up, he managed to roll out and onto the floor. Landing hard on his behind, he was now stuck.
Sitting in the window sill reading a book was Kakashi. "Did you honestly expect that to work?"
"Kakashi Sensei, what are you doing here? It's late." He grinned widely at the sight of a bag with the Ichiraku Ramen logo on it. "For me?"
The Jounin closed his book and pocketed it for later. "Who else." He entered the room and put the food on a side table. "Try to rest instead of making escape plans," he commanded while pulling Naruto up.
Naruto wasted no time digging right into the Ramen, it was first time in years that his body had real food. "I guess it would be better if I asked you first. Is this the end of the line for me? I feel almost no chakra moving through my body."
Kakashi paused for a few seconds trying to think of what to say. "That's up to you to decide. When you were small you told me that you wanted to be the greatest Hokage, so the village would respect you. I believe that dream of yours was achieved a long time ago, the whole world has its eyes on you now."
"You always know what to say Sensei, but I have to ask: Why haven't there been many visitors? I'm not trying to be selfish, but it just seems oddly quiet." Naruto finished his meal and looked intently at Kakashi.
"It wouldn't be right of me to say, it's not my place." Kakashi tried to look away, as if dodging the question.
"Not your place? What do you mean?"
"What I can say is that there is a reason, and that reason is not a bad thing. You will find out soon, I promise. But for now, I have to go." The Jounin poofed in a cloud of smoke, it was a clone all along.
A little while later, Shizune had come to the room to check up on Naruto. "Seems somebody brought you unauthorized contraband." He expected her to be angry, but instead she gave a smile. "I think we can let it slide this one time."
Naruto smiled and rubbed the back of his head. "I didn't exactly plan on having it, thanks I think. Listen, when will I be able to walk and go outside?"
Like Kakashi, she tried to skirt around the question. "When you are healthy enough to walk again and that probably won't be any time soon..."
He crossed his arms and scowled. "You're all acting suspicious and I'm going to find out why. But, if I can't leave, can I least try to walk around the room?"
"We hadn't planned on that for a few days, but I know you will push yourself to do it anyway - and probably make it worse in the process.." She left her clipboard on the bed and sat down beside him on the edge. "Alright we are going to take this slow, years of laying in one position won't make this easy." She propped his right arm around her neck and her left arm around his torso. "On the count of three, we will try standing up. One... two... three."
The two of them stood up, his left leg was down on the floor and his right was vent in midair. His whole body was wobbling and she let him back down on the bed before he fell. "Good job, you're better off than I thought. Tell you what, I have an idea. Lay down as if you were going to sleep."
He complied and laid on his back, awaiting further instruction. She put her hands under his leg and slowly raised it up and down. "While laying like this, exercise them by lifting up and down. You need to get your strength in them before you can stand and balance yourself."
For the next five days, he practiced his exercises. He could stand now and shamble around the room, but long term walking was still a ways off. He was recovering, if slowly. In the early afternoon of that fifth day, Shizune entered the room holding a large scroll with two hands. "Ready?"
Naruto wasn't entirely sure what was going on. "Ready for what?"
She smiled widely. "To leave your 'Prison Cell' of course."
A look of excitement covered his face, "I sure am."
"Then prove it, walk to me." With that, he slowly but surely made his way over.
As he approached her, she opened the scroll and locked her arm with his. "What are you doing?"
A cloud of smoke surrounded the both of them as he barely heard her say "You'll see."
As the smoke dissipated, they found themselves in the Fifth Hokage's office, she was looking at something outside the window before turning to address them. "Hey kid, looks like you are finally on your feet."
"Yeah, you like that?" He was giving off a cheeky grin. "So what's going on?"
Tsunade took her seat and began to speak. "So very much has changed these past years, more than you know. Take a seat."
Naruto did as he was told and Shizune walked over to stand beside Tsunade. The Hokage opened up a folder and handed it to Naruto. "I want you to look at this."
He was curious and skeptical of her motives at the same time. "Alright." He took the contents and gave them a glance over before his eyes opened wide. They were mostly political documents, things he did not understand. A few articles from a newspaper were cut out and quickly caught his attention:
"Shinobi Alliance permanent?"
"Land of Rain finally recognised as a nation."
"Amekage accepted by the Shinobi Council"
"World crime rates down 47% across the board"
As he was looking down, she began to speak to him. "I wanted this to be ready when you finally awoke, I always knew you would. It would have been a shame if you were not able to see the fruits of your labor." He looked up at her with a questioning look. "Let's get going then."
"Where are we going?" He asked.
Tsunade glanced outside and faced him again. "To the roof."
Confused as always, he wasn't sure where she was going with this. "To the roof? Why?"
Alright this is probably not what you think it is even if all signs point to it, I'll go ahead and say it now. He isn't becoming Hokage. As is he will likely never be a ninja again... so what's going on then?