EDITED: July 15, 2016.

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2

Sarutobi Hiruzen draw his signature at the bottom of the page and sighed. He put the brush away with care, not wanting to ruin the work of three hours by splattering ink all over it.

He hated paperwork.

Not having to deal with it any longer had been one of the many perks his decision to step down from the position presented. He had been looking forwards to living the rest of his years in happy retirement, his mind at ease because his successor was a good man who'd take care of the Village and its people to the best of his ability.

There was no doubt in the mind of the villagers that Sarutobi was a good Hokage. Powerful, caring—the Will of Fire was still burning brightly inside him, even after all the tragic losses he had suffered during his life. (And there were many, as he had lived much longer than the average shinobi. With their dangerous work, their lifespan usually extended only until they reached forty—if they didn't die on missions). These included both of his sensei, a very good friend, his beloved Biwako and that of the Fourth Hokage, among many others. But it was the death of his successor what made him feel that it was his duty to retake the mantle after those blissful short years of retirement.

There were many things he regretted in his life. He regretted not being able to transmit his Will of Fire to the one he considered his brightest student, he regretted not being more careful the night Kushina gave birth, he regretted not being able to stop his students from leaving—even when only one of them truly turned traitor. He regretted not being able to convince one of his best friends that violence was not the way to make Konoha stronger. Mostly, though, he regretted not being able to do more for Minato's little girl.

The same friend that wouldn't see eye to eye with him, Danzo, together with the Council of Elders had been keen on prohibiting any clan from taking the newborn baby in after her parent's demise. Her godfather was needed elsewhere and wasn't present, and it didn't matter how much of a valid reason some people from other clans had to adopt her—Fugaku and Kakashi, particularly—the Council wouldn't bend.

"The Jinchuuriki cannot be allowed to favour any clan over the others. The power play must be kept in balance," they would say, and Hiruzen had to clench his teeth and keep quiet. He was the Hokage, yes, but the Council had almost as much power making decisions as him. He couldn't have risked a rebellion so soon after the Kyuubi attack, it would have been devastating. They had already lost so many civilians and good shinobi to the bijuu, they couldn't afford to lose more. It'd bring Konoha to its knees.

It was with much reluctance that he agreed to their terms. Kakashi protested them, of course—but it was half-hearted at best. He had just lost the last member of his team, after all, and if the deaths of his teammates hadn't broken him completely already, that last one did.

(Hiruzen was worried then, and was still worried now about the mental health of the boy—his decision to enter ANBU and take the most dangerous missions even all these years later were a constant source of concern for the aged man.)

Fugaku, on the other hand, calmly accepted the negative and did not protest it. Hiruzen suspected that it was largely because Mikoto was not allowed to be there with him. She would have put up a fight, no doubt about it, as it concerned her best friend's daughter. In truth, Fugaku had probably been considering the difficulty of bringing up two small kids at the same time—and he hadn't been comfortable with the idea.

The Council sent little Naruko to the orphanage.

Hiruzen noticed the disdain in which she was received, and the very next day he proclaimed a law. Nobody was allowed to talk about her status to her or to the children below Chuunin, under penalty of death.

He had wanted to believe it would be enough to deter the citizens, but he wasn't that naive. The Kyuubi attack had taken many lives, and mourners needed a scapegoat. Why not canalize all their pain and anger at the demon's container?

The old man sighed ruefully and straightened his robes.

Naruko would be seven in October, and he had promised her she would be able to attend the Academy. Hiruzen worried about her treatment, but had hopes that it would be what she needed to finally start making friends and stop feeling so lonely. (He tried to visit and have dinner with her as much as he could, but he was a busy man—and the girl needed friends that were her age, friends who would be with her always). He usually didn't interfere much with the school's running, but in this particular case he had observed the teachers and done some background research to be sure to assign the least judgemental to Naruko's class. He eyed Umino Iruka's file over his desk, partially hidden beneath his last load of paperwork, and hoped that he wasn't making a huge mistake.

(He was tired of making those.)

The door opening suddenly with a bang startled him out of his introspection as a small, bright ball of sunshine entered his office in a frantic hurry, completely ignoring his Chuunin secretary's vocal admonishments.

"Jiji!" Naruko exclaimed anxiously, and the soft smile that had started to spread over the Hokage's face froze. Something was not right. He could feel it. "Jiji, you have to come with me! Come!" She jumped towards him and grabbed the hem of his sleeve, tugging insistently. "Hurry!"

Worried, the man did as he was told and promptly followed the little girl out of his office. His secretary started apologizing but he cut her off with a movement of his hand and a kind smile.

"There's nothing to worry about," he said, and he prayed that he was not lying. "I'll be back shortly," he announced, and then promptly returned his attention to the small blonde, who was biting her lip worriedly and seemed to want to run out of there. "Let's go," he encouraged her, and suddenly found himself being hastily led out of the Hokage Tower and down the street, dodging pedestrians that were too slow in Naruko's opinion. The presence of three of his ANBU guards at their back were the reason why he was not feeling more anxious himself.

"Naru-chan, what happened? Where are we going?"

"Mister died!" She cried in distress, and Hiruzen was suddenly much more concerned. "He was telling me that I'd be the awesomnest Hokage ever and then he was white and then he died! I tried to wake him up but nothing!"

"Who?" He asked, feeling troubled. He recognized the path towards Naruko's apartment, and it worried him that there was someone there alone right now. He doubted whoever it was was actually dead. He just hoped it wasn't someone up to nefarious goals.

"Naruto!"

She threw the door open and the both of them rushed inside. Hiruzen gave the room a quick once-over and then stopped dead in his tracks. He paled.

On the ground, in front of the only table in the small apartment, there was a ghost.

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