Okay people, chapter three is up and ready to Read! Hope you all enjoy!
(Marshalanime does not own Naruto)
"Dream? What good is a dream that leads to an early death?"
The words played through Dan's mind as he stared into the green gemstone resting on his open palm. His son had yelled those words at him when he'd been informed that his father would be the next Hokage. That moment had repeated itself in the Hokage's mind time and again over the years. If he had said things differently, done thing differently, could he have stopped the young man he'd raised from leaving?
As the feeling of self doubt rose up it was quickly pushed to the side of his mind and his facial features changed to hide that it had ever played across his mind as the door leading into his office was pushed open. Letting the First Hokage's necklace fall back into place around his neck Dan waited for the visitor to approach his desk. He didn't need to look up to see who it was, he had been expecting them.
Dan didn't move a muscle as two palms smacked into the wood of his desk, scattering the few parchments that had been resting there before. Slowly tracing his way up slander arms attached to a fit yet equally slender frame Dan's gaze came to see the face of the woman leaning over his desk, his eyes ending there journey when they looked with the heated gaze of two onyx pools.
Mikoto.
Her demeanor had changed quite drastically from her last visit. At the time she was frantic as she brought the unsettling news that Naruto was missing. Her movements had been erratic and clumsily. He had heard from lord Third that she'd planned to take the pour child into her home, to welcome him into her family. It was the whole reason for why she went to his home in the first place. He could only imagine how devastating it was for her to find that the boy was gone. "If only I hadn't taken so long." That thought must have played through her mind a thousand times in the short amount of time between then and now.
Despite how disheveled she had been the night prior the woman standing before him now betrayed none of that. She stood ready in her resolve, determination running through her every fiber.
"Evening Mikoto, is there anything I ca-" Dan tried to start off politely but she didn't allow him to finish his sentence.
"I wasn't I assigned to the mission?" Mikoto asked bluntly without raising her voice or taking her eyes off of his. Her tone left no questions that she wouldn't be sidetracked, that she had come here for but a singular reason.
Dan knew that she'd come to him about this sooner or later. Honestly he had hoped for later, but here he was. for a second the Hokage just stared back at her, before closing his eyes, tilting his head every so slightly to the left and letting out a small breath. "You know why" the man said as his eyes half opened.
It wasn't the response Mikoto was looking for and her eyes narrowed a bit in response. "Remind me" the woman told him.
"Mikoto" Dan began as his eyes pierced into the woman's steely gaze. "This mission isn't just about retrieving a missing child. It's about recovering our village's jinchu-"
"Stop it!" Mikoto suddenly shouted, surprising Dan a bit as her head shook back and forth. As her nails attempted to dig into the wood beneath her hands as they pulled inward the woman continued, her gaze coming back to rest on Dan's. "Don't you dare say it. Just don't." Her voice was fragile now, like it was made of glass and could shatter at any minute. "He's not just some military asset to be kept safe until needed" the woman told him. "He's Minato's, Kushina's..." Mikoto's eyes closed as images of her lost friends came to mind, and when they opened again her gaze had regained its strength. "He's Naruto Uzumaki, and he's going to be my son" Mikoto said without any room to question the resolve she had to make that statement true.
While she spoke Dan watched and listened. When she finished the corners of his lips turned upwards for just a fraction of a second. "You've been retired for eleven years now, correct?" Dan questioned.
Raising her eyebrow at the question Mikoto went to say "Yes. Once I found out I was pregnant with Itachi. What's that have to do with"
"Do you maintain a training regiment?" Dan asked cutting off Mikoto's own. Stumbling over her previous point Mikoto admitted that she didn't. Leaning back in his chair Dan's gaze turned to the ceiling. "Do you really think I can send someone who hasn't taken a single mission in eleven years and who's skills have dulled on such a vitle assignment?" Reaching into a drawer Dan awaited her reply.
"I can still help! I can still carry out my duties! I was one of the village's best jou-nin?" Mikoto was arguing when Dan pulled out a scroll and laid it on top of the desk. Her hard glare had become a confused stare as she turned her eyes to the scroll.
"The answer's no" Dan said with finality as his vision dropped back down to the woman. "But we do have another mission that could use your attention. The village is short of rare medical supplies and we need to restock" the Fifth told her.
"You want me to pick herbs?" Mikoto barked back, insulted that he'd even suggest this.
Leaning in Dan put a smile on his face while patting the scroll. "Some of these ingredients are VERY rare and could take you ALL over the continent and could take QUITE some time to gather. Lord Third himself suggested you for the task and will even be joining you" Dan told her, stressing points here and there so she'd understand.
Widening her eyes for a moment Mikoto's features softened as she reached out to take the mission scroll. "Thank you" the woman told him before swiftly turning and walking out of the room.
As the door closed behind the Uchiha Dan was once more left to his thoughts. Using his feet to spin his chair around Dan looked out one of the windows that lined the curved wall behind his desk. The blue sky looked like it went on forever. 'Is the sky this beautiful where you are?' Dan thought to himself, the gem hanging around his neck gleaming in the sunlight.
From the tower Mikoto made a B-line for the Uchiha compound and her home that rested within its walls. A few of her clansmen greeted her as she moved through the compound but her mind was too focused on the task at hand to notice. It had been years since she'd left the village on an assignment, she needed to make sure she had everything she'd need packed and ready and thus she was going over the list of essentials in her mind over and over again.
Entering her house Mikoto didn't care to remove her shoes. She wouldn't be staying long. Heading straight for her bedroom Mikoto flung open her closet. Before her was an assortment of her dresses and shirts. If she looked to the side her eyes would've moved over Fugaku's shirts and flackjacket. If this was any other day she would've quickly reached in and pulled out what she would wear, but not today. Slowly moving up Mikoto's eyes landed on a book that was kept on a shelve above her dresses. It was a box she hadn't touched in years and it showed with the thin, even layer of dust that coated it.
Tentatively reaching up Mikoto's fingers danced across the surface as she moved them into a good position to pull the object down. Slowly sliding it from it's long standing perch the Uchiha gently brought it down to her chest. It felt like an eternity but Mikoto knew that it must have only been seconds as she just stood there staring at the top of the box. She didn't think she'd ever open this up again but if she just stood around contemplating that she'd just be wasting time.
Kneeling down Mitoko placed the box in front of her before sliding her hands up to the lid, dust covering her fingers as she did. Removing the top brought Mikoto fave to face with something truly nostalgic, her headband resting atop her old flackjacket. A smirk played across her lips and her eyes softened as she placed the lid down next to her. She could still remember when she first put them there.
"You can't be serious!" Kushina whined as she held onto Mikot's wrist, trying to keep the Uchiha from placing the headband into the box with her flackjacket.
"Kushina, please" Mikoto told her best friend with a strained smile as the tendon in her wrist showed in her effort to move her hand forward. The two of them had run into each other while Mikoto was heading home. The Uzumaki had just returned from a simple, and rather uneventful escort mission when she had spotted the raven haired woman. Letting her teammates handle the mission recap on their own Kushina had rushed over to her friend.
Mikoto had already informed the red haired woman that she was with child and so Kushina quickly started talking to her about the developing baby as the two started walking along. Their conversation continued like most of their past talks until Mikoto mentioned that she'd be retiring. This didn't go over well with the Uzumaki, leading up to Kushina standing behind Mikoto as she sat in her kitchen with a cardboard box on the table in front of her.
"It'll just be a few years" Mikoto told the woman as she finally yanked her hand away from Kushina's hold. "Once the baby's old enough I'll be back in the field" Mikoto said with no room for argument as she placed the headband in the box.
With a pout Kushina crossed her arms over her chest. "But that's a few years where we can't go on missions together. I don't like it"
Hearing and seeing the woman like that had Mikoto chuckle. "You'll understand when you become a mother" Mikoto told her with a gentle smile as her hand came to rest over her belly, yet to show any outward sign of her pregnancy.
'It's been so long' Mikoto thought as she traced a finger over the swirled leaf design carved into the mettle. She had originally intended to work again when Itachi got older but when she found out that she was pregnant with Sasuke that plan had gone out the window. By that time Kushina was expecting her own baby and didn't make any arguments against the Uchiha's decision.
As Mikoto started to lose herself to the past she was shocked back to the present by the sound of a pack being dropped next to her. Looking to the side she saw the backpack sitting eight inches from her and standing over it was her eldest son, Itachi. Had any other ten year old snuck up on her like Itachi just did then she would've been humiliated, but this WAS Itachi. The boy was a genius among geniuses, having graduated from the academy after only a year and was now going to take part in the chunin exams by himself at the behest of the village.
At the thought Mikoto felt bittersweet. With the mission she was just given she'd probably miss the whole exam.
"I've prepared everything for you" Itachi told his mother.
"Thank you" Mikoto told the boy as she took hold of the pack. Like usual it was hard for her to tell exactly what was on her son's mind, but she could tell that he wanted to say something.
"Itachi" Mikoto begain as she looked into the boy's eyes. "If there's something you want to say then go ahead. I'll listen."
For a moment Itachi debated with himself, but quickly decided that he shouldn't stay quiet. It wasn't hard for him to guess what she was doing and if what he had to say would help in any way then it was best to say it.
"I think it's my fault Naruto left"
It had been late into yesterday as Itachi was walking home with Sasuke at his side and Naruto tagging along for as long as they shared the same path. The two younger boys had repeatedly asked him to help with their training and most of the time he had to turn them down, weather it was because he had a mission or because of something else. Today when they asked he had no reason to turn them down, there was no mission that needed his attention, no clan business his father wanted him to be present for, and Shisui was currently out on his own mission so he didn't have his usual training partner. Not that he expected Sasuke or Naruto to be able to help him train like Shisui could. And so Itachi agreed to help the two today.
It went about as well as he expected. Sasuke, while not being at the level he was at the same age was still quite adept for a six year old. Naruto however performed abysmally with no real indication of focused training. Itachi guessed that that was due to no one giving him the guidance he needed and trying to train himself as best he could. Though it was clear that his chakra reserves were substantially larger then what a six year old's should be, outmatching chunin several years older than Itachi if his estament was accurate. Put down the right path and them both would become splendid shinobi
As they walked along the path Sasuke and Naruto talked about what was going on in the academy.
"...it was sooo boring today. They just kept going on and on about history this, other villages that" Naruto complained as he walked beside Itachi with his arms folded behind his head.
"How do you know? You slept through half the class like usual" Sasuke pointed out with a playful smirk as he walked on the other side of Itachi.
"I couldn't help it!" Naruto immediately went on the defensive as he leaned forward to look around Itachi, his hands dropping down. "I as up late training and there was no way I could stay awake with how sensei talks!" the blond asserted.
"If it's your usual training then you'd be better off sleeping" Sasuke remarked, getting an annoyed tick from Naruto.
"And what's that suppose to mean?" Naruto blurted out as he went to get up close with the younger Uchiha, but his path was blocked halfway by Itachi's arm.
"Naruto, you really should take your lessons more seriously. I good shinobi is more than brute strength" Itachi told the blond who just huffed and turned forward again.
"I don't care what some test score says, it's not going to stop me from becoming Hokage!" Naruto said while walking with big steps.
"Hokage?" Itachi asked. It was the first time he'd heard the boy make such a proclamation.
"It's something he's been going on about recently" Sasuke told his older brother. "I think he's too hopeful but if he wants to waste his time aiming for Hokage then fine by me" the young Uchiha tacked on.
"It's not a waste of time! I really will be Hokage one day and then everyone will look up to me! Believe it!" Naruto shot back as he pointed at the boy.
"Hmph, not with your grades" Sasuke remarked, getting a low grumble to come from the blond in response.
"To become Hokage" Itachi's words distracted the boys from their growing argument as they turned their eyes up to the boy between them. "Is that your dream, to become Hokage?" Itachi asked as he stared off into the distance. He didn't need a reply but got one none the less.
"Yeah! That's right! My dream is to become the best Hokage ever!" Naruto cheered as he threw up a fist with Sasuke giving him a skeptical look.
"Hokage, hm? I suppose my dream is to become Hokage as well" Itachi's words once more garnered the total attention of the boys.
"Sorry but that's not going to happen" Naruto remarked after a few steps. "Because I'm going to become Hokage!" Naruto asserted with confidence.
"As if!" Sasuke blurted out, gaining Naruto's ire once more. "Unlike you big brother could actually become Hokage" Sasuke said with a snide expression.
"Grr, Sasuke!" Naruto growled out, ready to throw himself at the Uchiha and make him take back his words when Itachi once more spoke.
"It's not that becoming Hokage is my goal, but if becoming Hokage will help me achieve my dream then that's what I'll do"
This time He got weird looks from the two boys, particularly from his little brother. It was odd for Sasuke, Itachi wasn't usually this open. "Well if being Hokage isn't your dream then what is?" the younger Uchiha asked.
There was a pause. It wasn't that his dream was particularly kept a secret, he'd told others about it before, but it wasn't something he'd just bring up in normal conversation. "I want to be the greatest Shinobi ever, great enough that I can erase all fighting from this world" Itachi told he two and for a moment there was silence as the two looked up at him in awe. It was an odd sensation for the boy to see the looks in their eyes upon hearing his dream. Every time before this the adults would just wave it off as a childish dream that could never happen while those closer to his age just laughed it off, but these two didn't react like that.
"If anyone can do it it's you big brother!" Sasuke was the first to break the silence, bringing a smile to Itachi's face.
For a moment Naruto stayed silent as Sasuke talked to his brother, encouraging his dream. "Leave it to me!" Naruto suddenly said, gaining the attention of the Uchiha bothers. Walking along Naruto was staring up at the sky with a wide grin. "I'll take care off al the fighting so you can just leave being Hokage to me!" Naruto declared.
At the time Itachi thought nothing of Naruto's declaration, that it was just something he said in the moment, but then he left the village. Itachi couldn't help but believe Naruto left because of what he said, and he couldn't do anything himself to bring the boy back. He had to leave it to his mother this time and have faith that she can fix his mistake.
When he finished telling his mother what had happened Itachi found himself being pulled into a hug. "You didn't do anything wrong" Mikoto assured him. When she let him go she gave him a warm smile and told him, "I'll bring him back".
