Disclaimer: I claim no ownership of the characters portrayed in this chapter or this story, period, unless they are my own original characters made for the sake of the plot. I make no profit off of this story or the characters therein. This is just my personal spin on the world and characters created by Masashi Kishimoto and Tsugumi Ohba.

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H is for Hero

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L had read that reading to children would benefit them later on in life, so as far back as Naruto could remember, his father had read him a story before he fell asleep. Thankfully for L's vocal chords this only occurred at bedtime these days, as opposed to what it had been like when Naruto was a baby and waking up and going to sleep every few hours. Thus, at 9 p.m. the two could be found in Naruto's room, the 7 year old tucked into his bed, while his father sat in a chair, in his usual odd style. The book L currently held was a chapter book, a longer read than their usual picks, but ever since Naruto received it as a birthday gift, the boy had been adamant that they read it. The cover was plain and unassuming, beige with a light brown border, and stamped in the top center in bold, black, ink was the title, The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Ninja.

The plot centered on the adventures of a shinobi named Naruto, who had a 'never give up' nindo, and a dream of bringing peace to the ninja world. Naruto thought it was the most awesome thing since instant ramen, though he may be a bit biased as he and the main character shared the same name. L felt that while the sentiment was nice, it was written by a dreamer no doubt. The raven-haired man shut the book as he finished the agreed upon chapter quota for the night before glancing at his son, who was bright-eyed with determination. L just hoped it wasn't determination not to go to bed.

"Dad, when I grow up I wanna be just like the character in that book! I wanna help people…I wanna be a hero!" L was silent for a while upon hearing this declaration and after a few minutes of this, Naruto's expression faltered before falling into a frown. "…Dad?"

"…That's a very noble goal, son. If a naïve one."

"Is not!" Naruto's face turned stormy at that and a scowl etched across his lips. L sighed and set the book aside on a nearby bookshelf before gazing at him, his expression a tad chilly.

"Ninja are usually not heroes, Naruto. In the event that they are, it's an exception, not the norm and most do it for a paycheck rather than for the sake of doing it because it's right. And you still wish to be a ninja, correct?" Honestly speaking, thanks to his heritage and tenant…the sad fact was that Naruto would never really get a choice in the matter. The boy was tailor-made to be a shinobi.

"I do!"

"Then you will have to accept that sometimes you will have to play the villain just as much if not more so than the hero. Whether or not something or someone is good or bad is a matter of perception. All the people you look up to, the Hokage, Inu, the Fourth Hokage…while they are the 'good guys' here, in places like Iwa and Kumo, at best they are a threat and at worst they are viewed as monsters that killed their loved ones. When people have conflict of interests, they fight and there are causalities from that. Loss, anger, sadness and hatred are the result. As someone once said, there are no winners in war. There are only those that are left." Naruto looked stricken before he lowered his head so his bangs covered his eyes. L sighed deeply and closed his eyes, when he spoke next his words were softer.

"And heroes…have a low shelf life. For all the things they accomplish, for all the good that they do…their lives are often either plagued with tragedy or are ended by tragedy. Three out of the four Hokage died before any of them could ever grow old. The Fourth died in his early 20's. In this profession, reaching old age is a privilege given to a few by sheer dumb luck and skill. The monument of the fallen in training ground seven and all the cemeteries that dot the village landscape are testaments to this. And I…don't ever want to lose you, because you were a hero in the wrong moment." Call him selfish, but L didn't want to wake up to a day where all he had left of his ward was a headband, a few dime-a-dozen condolences, and an empty space in his life that couldn't ever be filled again. He looked up as a tiny hand grasped one of his own tightly. Yet despite the grip, Naruto now looked at him with a small, almost understanding, smile. He seemed to take a few minutes to collect his thoughts before speaking, his voice far below its usual bellow.

"…I understand, Dad. But…even though they died…that doesn't get rid of all the good things they did while they lived. They probably helped a lotta people and even if they weren't perfect, they always tried to do what they thought was best, right?" He idly began playing with L's fingers, and his eyes narrowed in thought. "And…what good is a life, if its long but you didn't do anything? Didn't make friends, didn't laugh, didn't hurt, didn't love, and didn't take risks? It'd be really boring…a waste and you hate wasting stuff. I still want to be a hero…and I still want to be a ninja. I'll be both, dattebayo. Because I wanna live a life with no regrets, and even if it's short, I wanna make the most of the time I got, ya know? I wanna help people, wanna make the world better, and even if someday…I…I don't come home because of that, then…I think that's the best death of all. And even if you don't really like it…even if it's really hard…it's a path I'm choosing ta take." Naruto looked at him in somber determination and L found that for once, he had no words. The child would be mildly shocked when L picked him up and held him, not saying a word. L had never been one for physical contact but when he did start it, it meant something. Naruto would wrap his arms around his neck and hug him back and if he felt a tear or two on his shoulder well…he didn't say anything.