I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. So many things came up and then I had a friend that pointed out a couple of plot holes that I've been trying to creativly fill in. So I am soooooooo sorry for the wait and I promise I'll have the next chapter up faster.

"Dreams . ..
Goals . . .
Hopes . . . .
Wishes . . .

That is what has kept me going all these years," thought Naruto as he let his mind wandered back into the past. He ran through his life like running along a timeline. The long naps and pranks at the academy that were always followed by a scolding from Iruka-sensei. The first missions of chasing cats and fighting Haku. The arguments and competitions with Sasuke he had along with the beatings from Sakura. The teachings of Kakashi-sensei whether they were helpful or just plain painful. Naruto cringed at the thought of Kakashi's secret technique. All through out the memories he also remembered the power of the nine tail fox demon being released. "I'm going to be the next Hokage. Believe it!" Naruto heard his young self say over and over again.

"So many dreams, but not all of them can be achieved," he thought with a slightly sad smile as he got up from behind his desk. He went back to his favorite place in front of the window and stared out into the distance.
Naruto's ears perked up a little as he heard the door quietly open. "N-na-naruto?" asked a timid voice.
Naruto turned his head to see the light lavender eyes watching him. "Yes?"
"Is there something wrong?" Hinata asked slipping into the room and closing the door.
"No, nothing," Naruto said turning his attention back to the hokage's monument. He let his gaze slowly pass over them one by one. The first hokage, the second hokage, the old man, his father, crazy Tsunade, and then his goofy smiling face kept its tongue stuck out and its eyes shut. Naruto chuckled. "The only one to not look serious."
"You always were happy and enthusiastic like that," Hinata said standing next to him.
A little reluctantly he put an arm around her and pulled her close. "Why am I doing this again?" he asked himself.

Flashback

"Kakashi-sensei?"
"Yes?"
"Never mind . . ." Naruto trailed off.
Kakashi sighed. "She denied you again," Kakashi said matter of factly.
"How did you know?" Naruto said perking up.
"Ever since the beginning of Team 7 I could see that you cared about Sakura, Sakura cared about Sasuke, and at times Sasuke cared about you just as much as you cared about him."
"What are you on Kakashi? Sasuke never cared about me."
"Are you so sure?" Kakashi asked. Naruto stared at him clueless as ever. "Think about it. Sasuke saved you life when you battled Haku, he tried to protect you against Gaara when Gaara became a monster, and he didn't kill you the first time you battled."
Naruto lowered his head. "You're probably right. I thought that maybe since Sasuke was gone, Sakura would like me like I like her . . ."
"But right now she's just too heart broken over Sasuke," Kakashi finished for Naruto.
"Yeah."
"So you wanted to know if there's a way to make Sakura fall in love with you," Kakashi said, not asked. The blonde boy looked up with pleading blue eyes.
"Yes?" Naruto asked expectantly.
Kakashi smiled. "'Women are very jealous creatures."
"Jealous?" Naruto asked not getting the logic.
"Yes Jealous."
Naruto stared at his teacher. '"I don't get it," he finally said.
Kakashi sighed. 'What was I thinking? Our Hokage is still the number one most clueless ninja ever to live.' "Women are jealous creatures which means that if one has something that they want they will fight to get it."
"Oh. You mean like when Ino and Sakura fought for Sasuke." Kakashi stared at Naruto.
"Wow. Maybe he's just been hiding his real brains all these years," thought Kakashi.
"Or is it like Choji always wanting the last piece of all the food," Naruto continued.
Kakashi sighed, "Or maybe he's still the same clueless boy." "What I meant is that if you get a girlfriend that Sakura may get jealous."
"And she'd fight to save me in my pit of despair with another girl," Naruto said with a smile as he slammed a hand on the table. "Thanks Kakashi-sensei," Naruto said saluting his teachers before disappearing in a cloud of smoke.
Kakashi stared at the place where his former student had sat. '"What have I done?" Kakashi asked himself.

Naruto sailed from roof top to roof top looking for the perfect girl when he spied Hinata rushing home. Naruto smiled. "Perfect!" He jumped down and landed in front of the running girl.
Hinata screamed as she bowled into him. "N-n-n-n-na-na-naru-to-to," she said stuttering more then usual. "Wh-what brings you here?"
"I wanted to know if you go out with me on Friday night!" Naruto said with a big smile. Hinata's face turned a deep crimson red before she fainted in Naruto's lap. "I'll take that as a yes," Naruto said with a smile.

End flashback

"So I took her back home," Naruto still thought to himself. "But even after weeks of dating Sakura didn't seem to be jealous. Stupid Kakashi I had thought. So what did I do? I took matters into my own hands. I proposed to Hinata in front of Sakura . . . What have I done?" Naruto asked himself again.

Sakura sat at her desk examining an upside down picture she had uncovered in the bottom of her drawer. She had found it a year ago when cleaning the hokage's desk in preparation for Naruto.

It was a picture of her battered young self standing next to the smiling late Hokage, Tsunade.

No one knew who had killed her. All anyone really knew was that she had sent her assistant, Shizune, out on an important mission. After hearing nothing of her for months, the hokage started to get depressed and from time to time her transformation jutsu would slip. One dark night a team came back from an important mission. On the way home they had found the remains of a bird and a lock of Shizune's hair, wrapped in snack skin.

Enraged, Tsunade had left the village, leaving new craters with every step.

Sakura had tried to keep track of her as time went on, but information was scarce and far between. Months later, Sakura had gotten a small message by pigeon. Temari had written to tell Naruto, the now new hokage, that Tsunade had died. It appeared that it had been by poison, but whether it was suicide or murder, no one was sure.

Sakura smiled as she remembered "talking" to Naruto when he refused to be hokage. She smiled as she remembered the 5 minute date . . . the beating . . . and Kakashi's "I have nothing to do with this" smile.

Eventually, Naruto had caved in and screamed, "All right I'll be hokage."

After that . . . he didn't stand a chance.

Immediately Kakashi and I grabbed Naruto and hauled him through the chuunin exams. His opponents were real jounin that didn't stand a chance. After that we forged a couple papers saying that he completed missions blah blah blah and decided to promote him to Shinobi. Immediately people appeared, the ceremony and what not was completed in under 10 minutes and Naruto was Hokage . . . with no way out of it.

We all knew that he didn't want to be hokage now because he hadn't saved Sasuke, but who else had had the desire to do so. The three great Shinobi were now dead, none of the higher ANBU or other Shinobi wanted the place as hokage and so we were left with no choice.

Our number one loudest and most unpredictable ninja was our hokage . . .