Hero's Heart
Chapter 9
The Life-Long Dream
The next morning was incredibly hectic. Everyone was running all over town doing all sorts of things since they received news of the new Hokage being named. It was almost as if Naruto was coming home again, except without actually coming home. This time, they were celebrating the biggest day of his life. His dream of becoming Hokage was finally being realized. All of his friends went to his house and congratulated him before he could even breathe. They barged through his door while he was sleeping and toured around town. Unfortunately, they only person who was there with them was Hinata.
"Naruto!"
"We knew you could do it!"
"Go get 'em!"
"Woo!"
Everyone in the town streets saw his friends parading him through town and cheered for him. They all knew that today was important to him so they wanted to make him feel extra special. He just wished that Hinata was with them.
After their parade around the village, they took him back to his room and allowed him to change. This was where he put a lot of thought into what was happening. Ever since he could remember, being Hokage was the one thing that remained in his head. Now, he was going to become Hokage. He finished getting dressed and threw his scroll over his back. He looked at his hands and they were shaking.
"Jeez, calm down. It's just a normal day, even though it's not really a normal day." He took a deep breath and looked in the mirror. "Today doesn't change anything. Keep following your dreams no matter what." He smacked his face with his hands and headed out the door.
Immediately, people from all over town created a nice walkway for him. However, they were cheering his name and throwing confetti and all sorts of other things at him. He looked around and saw so many people he recognized. Others, he didn't know, but were still congratulating him. The walkway was extremely long, leading from his room to the Hokage building. The entire way there, people created were on either sides trying to get a last look at the normal Naruto they all knew as he was about to become Hokage.
The entire walk there was a little hectic, but seeing the smiles on everyone's faces made it a lot better. Eventually, he made to the main event. They set up a stage in front of the Hokage building where Kakashi, the village Elders, and Team 7 were waiting. At that moment, Naruto was thrown off guard by seeing Sasuke standing next to Sakura. His team was back together once again.
"Woo!"
"Go Naruto, you rock!"
"Alright. Settle down everyone." The head Elder took to the mic and gathered the crowd for the start of the ceremony. "Today, we are proud to share the moment of crowning our new Hokage."
"Woooo!" The crowds went nuts. Meanwhile, Kakashi stepped forward and took over the mic.
"Before I start, I just want to say that it was an honor to serve you as Hokage. No other village is like Konoha so I thank you." They all clapped in both happiness and sadness. "But now, it's time that we establish our new leader. Let me talk about this young man for a minute. Ever since he was young, all he ever wanted to be was Hokage. When I took him in as my student, things were difficult, but I could always see the determination in his eyes. He wanted to become strong, not for him though. He wanted to do it for everyone else that he cared about. I can't think of anyone better to become Hokage than this young man." Kakashi stepped away from the mic and Sakura made her way up.
"Naruto and I didn't become friends until we were on Team 7, and even then, I didn't really like him. I kind of feel bad about that." Everyone in the crowd laughed. "But when Sasuke left, that's when I realized what kind of person Naruto was. He was selfless. He wanted the people around him to be happy even if he wasn't it. He tried to protect everyone. The Great War was the perfect example of that. Without Naruto, none of us would be here. Let's hear it for him." Sakura stepped away from the mic and started to clap. Everyone followed her example until the last speaker stepped up to the mic.
"Uzumaki Naruto… I don't there's anything left to say that hasn't already been said. All I can say is… Congratulations. Your dream has come true."
"Woo!"
"Yeah!" Everyone cheered and clapped once again while Naruto couldn't believe what was happening.
"Uzumaki Naruto, please stand up, raise your right hand, and repeat after me:"
"I, Uzumaki Naruto, pledge to devote myself to the Village Hidden in Leaves. By any means necessary, I will protect my home with my life and stop any dangers to its people. The right of Hokage belongs to those who put others before themselves. Understanding these things, the Village Hidden in Leaves can feel safe under my watch." He lowered his hand and looked at the head Elder.
"Ladies and gentlemen of the Hidden Leaf… I present you our Seventh Hokage: Uzumaki Naruto."
At that moment, the whole village exploded in happiness. Naruto was their new Hokage. Fireworks and confetti were shot into the air as the biggest day in Hidden Leaf history was upon them. As the celebration continued, a split in the crowd occurred which attracted everyone's attention. This spectacle only lasted about a minute or so before the other Kage revealed themselves to everyone around them. Naruto saw them in their spectacle grandeur and looked right at Gaara. He was looking back at him with a smile. Their promise was finally fulfilled.
Since it was in inauguration day, he had no responsibility so the Elders allowed him to party for the night. He spent most of his time with the other Kage. Gaara, Chojuro, Darui, and Kurotsuchi congratulated him on his success and Gaara was the first one to share their first drink. The five of them were pretty new to the Kage business so they talked a lot about what they were doing, but that wasn't the focus of their time together. They just had a good time.
After the Kage had their fun, Naruto spent the rest of the night with his friends. There wasn't much left to say, but they couldn't help but say how happy they were about him being Hokage. They showered him with praise, but he was still a bit absentminded. Hinata still wasn't there which was bothering him. There was really no time to step away so he did his best to create opportunities to get away from the party.
Finally, he managed to figure out a way to escape the madness of the party. He slipped into the shadows and went to the Hyuga temple. Unfortunately, when he got there, the whole place was dark. None of the lights were on and it looked as though they reinforced the walls for some reason. He looked around and saw no one else around. However, there was a guard standing on top of the wall.
"Who goes there?!"
"It's Naruto. I wanted to see Hinata."
"Hinata-sama is away right now. No one is allowed on the Hyuga grounds except for the Hyuga."
"I see. Could you at least give her a message for me?"
"Contact with the outside is strictly prohibited by Lord Hiashi. I'm sorry, but it's strongly advised that you leave at once."
Naruto was about to protest, but quickly backed off. He was Hokage now. If he wanted to change things, there was a certain way he should go about doing it. He turned around and headed back into town. When the first people caught sight of him, they grabbed him and pulled him back into the mess of things. However, Naruto couldn't concentrate on the party anymore. He wanted to do something big as his first act as Hokage, and he knew what he should. It's what Sakura and Hinata have been talking about.
…
When the night grew old, everyone started to taper off in their own directions. Before they all left though, they congratulated Naruto once more for his accomplishments. On the other hand, Naruto was the last one to leave the party grounds. He watched everyone else leave. None of them knew what was going on except for him, but that's how he wanted it to be. This wasn't something people needed to worry about. He just wanted them to know that he was making a difference in some way, and freeing the Hyuga would be the first step.
He eventually returned to his house. Things were pretty boring there, but he didn't mind since most of the day was full of fun and excitement. He opened the door and turned on the lights. Right as he entered the place, he saw someone sitting on his bed. It was Hinata.
"Hinata, what are you doing here," he asked sharply as he quickly closed the door behind him.
"I wanted to see you…"
"I thought the Hyuga were getting stricter on stuff like this. Like, you."
"I wanted to congratulate you in person on your big day. I know this means the world to you so I just had to come here. I was lucky I made it out like I did."
Naruto sighed.
"I really appreciate it, Hinata. I do, but I think you should head back before they find out that you're gone. I'll help you actually."
"Naruto-kun?"
"Yeah?"
"What are you going to do now, now that you're Hokage?"
"It's like I said. I'm going to change the Hyuga. I promise." He grabbed Hinata's hand and suddenly appeared in her room. He bid her a good night and returned to his room. Even though he wanted to spend more time with her, he knew that it was best to wait until his plan gets in motion. "What a day." He fell onto his bed and stared at the ceiling. "Dad, I did it. I became Hokage. Please watch over me."
End of Chapter 9
