Rokudaime Hokage: Uchiha Sasuke

Okay, there will be a couple of vague hints on why Kakashi let Sasuke be Hokage in this chapter, but you have to read on to find out the rest.

Enjoy Chapter 3! =)


Uchiha Obito averted his gaze from the katana penetrating his chest to the Jonin.

"Ka..ka…shi…" Obito muttered between spurts of blood.

The white-haired shinobi stood frozen at the battlefield, staring at his ex-teammate wide-eyed.

"Obito…why..."

Said Uchiha coughed up another heap of blood as his weakened knees gave way, making him slump onto the rubble. He released his own grip on the katana still impaling his body.

Obito gasped for air. "Kakashi…I've opened my eyes. I don't want to be controlled by Madara anymore...I don't want to be used for war anymore..."

His eyes were filled with lethargy, grief and regret…yet Kakashi found it to be more of the real Obito he used to know. Walking up to his friend, Kakashi too, fell on his knees.

"Kakashi…this…this is a world filled with hatred and injustice. The…Tsuki no Me Project, when succeeded, can change all that…but…"

Obito gave a regretful smile. "I've sinned, Kakashi... This is the fate of the Uchiha... I wasted my entire life trying to look for peace and happiness…trying to deny what I saw…trying to help Rin get revenge… I-I should have known you wouldn't… wouldn't kill Rin…"

Kakashi was trying his best to surpress himself. "In the end, I still failed to protect Rin. Obito, I-"

The dying Uchiha stopped him and whispered something in his ear.

"What? Obito, is that…"

"Take… good care of that eye… Kakashi." Obito interrupted. He slowly raised his right hand, in which Kakashi caught without any hesitation.

"Hah…I wonder what it feels like… to die twice…." Obito thrust his head upwards, getting his final view of the blue sky. "Thank you, Kakashi..."


Tsunade sat in the tent, arms crossed. Hatake Kakashi sat on the other side, both transfixing their gazes on the intruder.

"Uchiha Sasuke." The Hokage hissed.

Sasuke stood in the tent with his former teacher as well as the Godaime Hokage who was evidently exhausted from using too much chakra to heal the needy.

"Tsunade-sama!" Shizune rushed into the tent.

"Stay outside… Shizune. Make sure… no one interrupts us." Tsunade ordered, using up a great amount of energy just to talk.

Shizune hesitated, but did as she was told with a gulp.

Turning back to the ex-Konoha nin, the Hokage raised her eyebrows.

"So, what do you want?"

"Your life." Sasuke said, removing his katana from its sheath.

Kakashi instantly rushed over to separate the two. "Sasuke."

Tsunade sighed and slowly stood up. She wasn't about to let this kid get the better of her, even if she was having trouble holding it up.

"Sasuke, stop this. The war is over. You have no reason to fight anymore."

The black-haired shinobi laughed, as if it was the most ironic thing he has ever heard in his entire life.

"Whatever happens to the war has nothing to do with me. I wanted to kill Madara and Obito for using me, not to stop the war. My ultimate goal is to destroy Konoha and kill every single person in it…"

Pointing his electrified katana at Tsunade, he continued. "…starting from the Hokage."

Tsunade readied herself, but as soon as she did, she stared at Sasuke, shocked at her new-found discovery…


Chapter 3: Journey to Iwagakure I

"Sa. Ku. Ra." Ino leaned over.

"Huh? Oh, Ino." Sakura snapped out of her daze. "Sorry, what were we talking about?"

Ino sighed and shook her head. "Sakura, how can you not care that we medic ninjas haven't gotten a break since the war? I mean, seriously. How can you not!?"

The two kunoichi were making their way through the forest towards Iwagakure, as Ino snagged her chance to rant and complain about her problems to Sakura.

"What were you thinking about anyway? Was it Naruto? Or Tsunade-sama? Or Shizune-san? Or your friends at Iwagakure? Or…" Ino fell silent. That must be it.

"Nothing. Nothing…" Sakura's voice was small and worried.

The blonde stared at her friend and stopped. She held on to the branch of the tree, waiting for Sakura to stop.

"Ino?" Sakura turned around. The light rustle of the leaves could be heard in the air, as the gentle evening forest breeze caressed her face. Standing from tree to tree, the two girls faced each other.

"Sakura, let's take a break." Ino said, with an unusually serious tone in her voice.


"Hey, Sasuke!" Shikamaru called from the back. The Rokudaime Hokage was dashing from tree top to tree top with immense speed, leaving the young Nara and Hyuga with much difficulty to catch up.

"Maybe he's in a hurry." Neji told Shikamaru.

Shikamaru sighed. "It's just an invitation for the Hokage to meet the new Tsuchikage. What's the hurry?"

Neji turned back to the Hokage. "Sasuke! Nightfall is upon us. Let's find a place to camp out for the night."

"Give it up, Neji. He's gonna ignore you again. He's been doing it for the whole day." Shikamaru muttered.

Surprisingly, Sasuke stopped and leaped off the tree branch into a clearing. The two shinobis followed suit.

"Here." The Rokudaime threw his subordinates the simple order and took off.

Neji and Shikamaru watched his leaving back and sighed.

"I can't believe we're Uchiha Sasuke's dogs now." Neji grumbled.

"He might just leave us here and head to Iwagakure himself." Shikamaru pointed out. "But first things first, let's make a fire."

"Very well. Let us make haste. Nightfall is upon us." Neji headed off.

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow mockingly as he followed him into the woods.


The forest was dimly lit by sunset. The amber-coloured sky retreated as it awaited the arrival of the night. The trees danced in the wind and the lake glistened as the sun took its leave.

Sakura sat by the lake, hugging her knees. She enjoyed and appreciated the peace and quiet Ino gave her. She stared at the shimmering lake, pensive and confused.

Surely she didn't expect a murderer to change his ways overnight?

She then thought about her deceased mentor. Her heart has betrayed the former Hokage, leaving the pinkette with immense guilt.

xxx

"Shizune-san, what is Tsunade-sama doing in there with Sasuke-kun? It's been so long since he went in." Sakura asked worriedly. She trusted the woman who taught her everything. "She'll be okay, right?"

She needed assurance. Even if her shisshou, the Godaime Hokage was one of the strongest women she's ever met, going against her opponent was no child's play.

"I…don't know, Sakura." Shizune was uncertain and perhaps a few hundred times more worried than she was. Sakura wasn't there when Tsunade-sama used up all her energy to heal the Konoha villagers and fell into a coma. She was. She witnessed the incident first-hand. She was scared out of her wits to even consider the possibilities that her Hokage might never wake up. This time, the Godaime is even weaker after the effects of the war took its toll.

"Tsunade-sama has been continuously using her healing powers for the past two weeks. Even if she is the Hokage, her body still has its limits." said Shizune, hoping that Hatake Kakashi's presence would be of assistance.

"Let me in! I need to go see the Baa-san!" Naruto shoved his way past the crowd of onlookers.

Shizune quickly blocked the exit. "No. Tsunade-sama doesn't want anyone to interfere."

"But what if she's in danger?" Sakura asked.

The Jonin medic kunoichi bit her lip and stood her ground. "These are the Hokage's orders."

From inside the tent, a battle between Chidoris broke out. When it stopped, a burnt smell filled the air and thick brown smoke rose from the tent.

"T-TSUNADE-SAMA!"

xxx

Sakura shut her eyes tightly, wanting to forget about the haunting memory. When Shizune rushed into the tent, it was too late. Sakura could never forget Shizune's face when she came out and pronounced Tsunade-sama dead.

Yes. A murderer wouldn't change his ways overnight. That was reality.

He murdered her shisshou. If this was how she felt like, then Naruto's pain when he lost Jiraiya-sama must be ten times worse.

She knew. She always knew that her feelings never changed. Even during the war. Even when he tried to kill her. Even when the shinobis in the village told her about all his treacherous deeds. It just never did.

Her thoughts drifted over to Naruto. In an impetuous act of friendship, she agreed to date him before her heart was even ready. Perhaps she might end up hurting him more than ever.

Sakura sighed. Relationships can be really complicating sometimes.

If…If Sasuke murdered Naruto, the same way as he did with Tsunade-sama, would her heart still stay the same?

That same question has been running in her head a million times. Sure, Naruto wouldn't be defeated that easily. She had faith in her best friend. But just…what if?

The kunoichi couldn't come up with an answer, nor a conclusion. And neither did she want to. She was running away from the arising problems. Another reason she wanted to go to Iwagakure. To seek advice from the wise medics and friends.

The sudden rustle of the leaves startled her. She slowly reached for her kunai and prepared herself. She surely wasn't going to let some punk catch her off-guard. The noise came from the opposite side of the lake, giving her more time to launch an attack, should she need to.

The figure shifted through the leaves. Sakura waited for whoever it is to reach the clearing to get a better look.

"Getting closer…" she whispered to herself.

Upon seeing the person's face, Sakura moved back and almost dropped her kunai.

"S-Sasuke-kun?" Sakura stuttered with her mouth agape. "W-What are you doing here?"

Sasuke turned to look at the startled kunoichi. Evidently shocked too, from the way his eyebrows were slightly raised.


Shikamaru stroded along the pathway of the forest. "This is such a drag…"

"Why do I have to go look for Sasuke? You have the Byakugan, you go find him with it." Shikamaru frowned.

"He's headed for the lake at 3 o'clock." said Neji as he fiddled with the firewood. "I need to stay here and watch over the place."

"This isn't fair." the Nara sighed.

'Wait. Someone's coming.'

Before he knew it, he and Yamanaka Ino were weaving hand signs for their own clan jutsu.

"Shikamaru!?" yelled Ino.

Shikamaru sighed once more and turned away. "This is becoming more and more of a drag."

"Hey don't turn away from me!" shouted Ino. "What are you doing here?"

"Reluctantly becoming the dogs for the new Rokudaime. And stop shouting."

"Sasuke is here too!? Where is he!?"

"Stop shouting."

"Oh, okay…sorry. I'm just shocked, that's all." Ino rubbed the back of her head.

"…Neji told me he was headed this way."

"Down this road?"

"Yeah. Towards the lake."

Ino fell silent, something Shikamaru didn't see her do very often.

"Shikamaru."

"Yeah?"

"Where's Neji-san? Take me to him!" Ino grabbed his arm and pulled him towards the opposite direction.

"Hey, wait! I need to go look for Sasuke." Shikamaru tried to break free of her grasp but to no avail.

"Sasuke will be fine. C'mon, you haven't asked me why I'm here yet!" Ino grinned.

"I'm not really interested so…"

"I can tell you all about it!"

Shikamaru sighed and gave up struggling.


The two figures sat by the lake as the reflection of the moon shone brightly in the night sky.

"…" This is awkward.

Sakura glanced over at the person sitting around one meter away from her. If she were her 12-year-old fangirling self, she would totally squeal and drool over this person. But now, she sees more than just his pretty face.

"I see you've been thinking about what I said."

"Huh?" Sakura was taken aback by Sasuke's unusual behavior to start a conversation. "Oh….yeah."

"You're an idiot."

"What?"

Sasuke moved his gaze from the reflection of the moon on the lake to her face. "I said, you're an idiot."

"Wh-" It certainly wasn't like the murderous Sasuke to talk like this. And Sakura was having trouble replying when he's staring right at her.

In the end, she just managed to blurt out. "No, I'm not."

Silence fell upon them once more.

"I'm…dating Naruto now." Stupid! Why did you just say that?

"…I know."

"What..? Y-You do?" Sakura stuttered.

Sasuke turned back to the lake. "He told me."

xxx

"Oi, Sasuke! You in here?" Naruto bursted into the Hokage's office. Sasuke looked up from his desk. He should really put a number count of how many people bursts into his office each day.

The two shinobis exchanged looks. Within the spur of a moment, Sasuke was holding a Chidori to Naruto's neck, while Naruto did the same to Sasuke with his Rasengan.

"Hmph. Wanna go for it?" Naruto challenged.

Sasuke stared blankly at him and lowered the Chidori. He backed down. Naruto, shocked by the Uchiha's actions, took a few steps backward and stopped the Rasengan.

"What do you want?" Sasuke asked monotonously, as if forced to pay attention to him.

"Y'know. I've been thinking." Naruto said, staring into the distance. "You've… always had all that hatred buried within yourself. It grew stronger and darker each time we met. I didn't think we'd be standing in the village, talking. Haha, that's why, I don't think it's such a bad idea to have you as Hokage. Even if my dream was gone, at least you're now the Sasuke that I used to know. Not the power-hungry, vengeful Sasuke filled with hatred and bloodlust, but the Sasuke I used to go on missions with. The one I spent my genin days with."

Sasuke remained emotionless, just staring at Naruto and listened to him talk.

"I…don't think you killed Baa-san." said Naruto after a long pause.

"…no matter what you think, that's the truth." Sasuke replied coldly.

"No. I believe in you." Naruto reaffirmed. "Even if Konoha and everyone else doesn't."

Sasuke grabbed the Jinchuuriki's shirt. "What do you know about me? Stop making your own guesses."

Naruto forced a smile. "Haha, maybe I still don't know you that well. But compared to 3 years ago, this, this is more than enough."

The Rokudaime's eyes were cold and unforgiving. He released Naruto and said. "Leave."

Naruto gave himself a satisfied beam and said. "I'm still gonna beat you to something else someday. You just wait for it."

"Hn." By now, Sasuke has already heard whatever he needed to. He returned to his Hokage business and ignored Naruto.

"Well, if my best friend needs any help doing his Hokage work, I'm the right man for the job!"

"Get out, Naruto."

"Ah okay, okay. Oh, by the way," Naruto's smile dimmed. "Sakura-chan is my girlfriend now."

Sasuke paused from his paperwork and stared at him.

"You and I both know…how she feels."

"…"

"Sasuke."

"What."

"…don't regret it."

xxx

"Really? What did Naruto say?" asked Sakura curiously.

"Nothing much."

"Naruto? Say nothing much? Hah." She smiled to herself.

Sasuke looked at Sakura, her feminine features more beautiful in the night.

"Sakura." Sasuke whispered.

The kunoichi's heart skipped a beat when she heard him call her name.

Sakura froze and slowly turned to him.

"…don't regret it."

Sasuke leaned over, making Sakura back away.

After a long pause, Sasuke spoke. "…I didn't kill the Godaime Hokage."

"W-What…?"

Sakura wanted to start yelling at Sasuke for telling such an unconvincing lie with a straight face, but couldn't when she saw his eyes.

Because those eyes…were telling the truth.


I didn't think the chapter would get so long….

I sincerely apologize for all the confusion… I promise all the mysteries and weird parts will be cleared up soon, so be patient. =)