A/N
Back again, hello everyone! I appreciate your support and all the reviews and follows. I've also been added to currently two communities, which I'm also gratefull for. Any questions or other Pms are still completely welcome.
Team 7 arrived at Konoha just when the sun went down. Kakashi dismissed his team as he went to report to the Hokage, but Naruto followed him anyway.
The two ninja headed towards the tower. There was a calm silence between the two males. "H-how was Hinata?" Naruto asked. He fiddled with his hands. Kakashi looked down. "She took it relatively well. She stayed strong for Himawari and Boruto. We all knew she was hurting though, more than anyone." Kakashi said lowly.
Naruto smiled, he had tears in his eyes. "I see. Kakashi-sensei, I... I'm not sure if I like this. I the words. "I broke my promise." He said.
Kakashi stopped. He looked at Naruto with determined eyes. "Naruto. You did not fail anyone. Hinata is strong, she can take care of herself. You have a duty here, now. You can save so many people! You are not alone." He said.
Naruto stared at his teacher. "But I-" "No buts." Kakashi interrupetd. "Naruto, Hinata isn't someone you can replace, I get that. Though, she wouldn't want you to be like this. She would want you to push forwards like you have always done." Kakashi said.
Naruto looked at the ground. "Yeah. You're right. We have to go to jiji." He said and walked on. Kakashi sighed as he followed. He had noticed that something was strangely off with his student the more he was around him.
When Naruto was hokage, Kakashi had overlooked the signs of tiredness and stress obviously starting to get to him. He had spent more and more time at his office and while Kakashi normally would worry, he had let it slide.
Now, seeing how this twelve year old kid lookes so old, he reconsidered his choices. The paperwork that followed with being Hokage had tired out many of them, but it was possible to have a better routine at it.
Naruto was at the office from early morning to late at night, it wasn't healthy and he used his shadow clones to help people all around the village. But he also used shadow clones to be with his family. Not being there by himself, the clones were with them. Or A clone was with them.
Naruto himself probably knew that it wasn't the best way of solving things, but he put so much pressure on himself on being the best hokage, but he had no idea what a parent was supposed to be except from what he had from Minato and Kushina, and he had roughly met them, he was mostly in a difficult fight when they showed up.
There was something of that Naruto who overworked himself that had remained within him when he travelled back. He could see that Naruto had regrets about many things, yet hadn't voiced them, well until now.
The two arrived at the Third's office soon after. Knocking on the door the two waited for the familiar 'enter'. They stepped inside.
"Ah, Naruto, Kakashi. Back already?" Hiruzen asked. Both Naruto and Kakashi bowed shortly before standing straight before their hokage.
"The mission was successfull, a bridge has been built between Wave and the Fire Country. Tazuna said that the Wave daimyo wants to work out an alliance between our countries." Kakashi reported shortly.
"I'm going to write a full written report tomorrow, I just wanted to check in and give a mission clear." Kakashi said. Hiruzen nodded affirmatively. "Naruto?" Hiruzen looked at the blond. "While Kakashi-sensei obviously did was he was supposed to do, hokage-sama. I would like to make a thing clear. This is my jonin sensei. The one I was assigned when I graduated to genin, around twenty years ago." Naruto grinned.
Hiruzen's eyes widened and looked at Kakashi, who gave an ackward laugh. "Well, you know, I would have liken to have a more smoothly introduction, but I guess Naruto likes the dramatic entrance." Kakashi smiled.
Hiruzen nodded. "Two timetravellers." He stated. Naruto and Kakashi nodded in unison. "Anyway, Hokage-sama. Anything from Jiraiya?" Naruto asked. Hiruzen nodded. "He arrived today, in the afternoon. He's staying in his apartment in the village. I told him that you would be back soon and that it had something to do with the seal." Hiruzen said.
Naruto nodded, his eyes darkening slightly. "I have to think this through, I can't just come up to him and demand the toad summoning and the key to the seal." Hiruzen and Kakashi nodded in agreement.
"If you meet him with me, however." Hiruzen said. "We can get the key easily. The toad summoning however, that's up to Jiraiya." Hiruzen continued.
Naruto looked at the third. "Summon me when we meet, I'm going home to sleep." Naruto said as he bowed again. He looked at Hiruzen for dismissal. The old man smiled at him as he nodded. "Expect it tomorrow around twelve." Hiruzen said. Naruto nodded and left.
"Kakashi." Hiruzen said. "Naruto hasn't told me much about the future. I guess you follow his command there?" Hiruzen asked. Kakashi smiled. "While he is currently twelve years old, I still feel like he is my Hokage. If others of our time had come here too, they would follow him blindly, even if it meant against you. He has hunormous amounts of trust, Hokage-sama. He has by far surpassed his predecessors. I've never seen a better Hokage, even though he does tire himself out." Kakashi said.
Hiruzen smiled. "I can see it." He said. "Kakashi, I'm getting old. I know something will happen in the upcoming exam. Naruto was supposed to give me the details when he came back, but I guess it will have to wait for tomorrow." Hiruzen continued.
Kakashi looked at the old man. "Hokage-sama, are you thinking of retiring?" Kakashi asked, his voice showing no emotion. "It has crossed my mind, yes." Hiruzen sighed. He grabbed his pipe.
"Naruto is too young." Kakashi said. "If that is what you were thinking." He continued. Hiruzen took a drag from his pipe. "I was a teenager when I became Hokage." Hiruzen said. "I'm not planning on retiring today. I want him to be able to deal with whatever his happening in the world right now. The only thing is the chance of me dying. My decision is final, Naruto will become the fifth Hokage." Hiruzen said.
Kakashi looked at him. "I don't doubt the fact that Naruto is and will be a great hokage, but the villagers and the council..." Kakashi said. Hiruzen looked at him.
"The villagers have no say. I will write it as my final order, I'll add special seals that will only allow Naruto, Jiraiya or the daimyo to open it or remove it from my desk. It also will have security seals only the hokage know of. Naruto's heritage will be revealed during the chuunin exam where he will get a promotion. I'll make sure he gets the required missions to gain the village's trust while he still will be able to move around." Hiruzen said
Kakashi stared at him. "You're basically training him to become Hokage, well, you already know he is a hokage and a great one, so you're just giving him the tools to gain the trust of the villagers again. While I don't think you're wrong, Naruto won't agree." Kakashi said.
Hiruzen raised an eyebrow. "Naruto is Naruto, he wants recognition because he earned it, not because he was given it. He won't accept-" Hiruzen stared him dead in the eye.
"Danzo will try and get the seat, both me and Naruto won't allow it. I know you won't either. Jiraiya wouldn't want the position and rather just do something stupid and Tsunade doesn't want to be in the village. I have no other person I trust with this. I'm also going to make precautions. I'll give instructions to Koharu and Homura, they'll 'teach' him how to deal with different affairs, when they see how he is already skilled in the job, they won't have any worries." Hiruzen said.
"I'm still not going to retire now, Kakashi. I don't plan on retiring for perhaps another three or four years. I'm just worried about the exam or another occurence." Hiruzen said.
Kakashi nodded. "I'm not the one against your decision, Hokage-sama. Naruto won't disobey your orders either. If you retire, then perhaps he will try and argue his way out, but if something were to happen and this will of yours appeared... well, I don't think he would risk opposing you." Kakashi said.
"I have also written a side note to the Daimyo, it will be a detailed report on Naruto's skills. I want you to help me detail more which I don't know." Hiruzen said. Kakashi nodded.
"I'll do it, I don't want to end up with Danzo, but I do think Tsunade might be an option." Kakashi said. Hiruzen shook his head. "While I believe Tsunade would become a great hokage if she chose it, I'd rather have her come into the village in a better way. Like the medical program she tried to get in during the war." He said.
"I see, well then, I need rest. I'm still training Sasuke and Sakura, even if Naruto probably will be busy the entire day with Jiraiya." Kakashi said. Hiruzen nodded. "Yeah, you're dismissed Kakashi." Hiruzen said. Kakashi bowed before using the Body Flicker out of the room.
Naruto woke up the next morning with a loud yawn. He dragged himself out of bed before putting on his clothes. Half asleep, the blond headed towards the Hyuuga compound. The sun had just risen and yet the village had some of it's usual energy.
Naruto smiled as he watched the villagers, contempt with seeing them so happy. A glare was sent his way. Naruto met the eyes of the villager. He smiled at the old man. "Good morning." Naruto said as he continued past him.
The old man looked at him strangely. He huffed before turning back to his little shop. Naruto smiled for himself. It didn't take him long to reach the compound. The guard just nodded at him as he entered.
Naruto went to the Clan Head's house. Ko stood by the entrance. "Hinata, I guess." Ko said. Naruto nodded. "We're going to train for an hour or two this morning before I meet with the Hokage." Naruto said. Ko nodded. He went inside the house.
After a couple of minutes he returned with Hinata. She was dressed in a simple dark sweater and pants, mobile and light for training.
"Hinata." Naruto said smiling. The other girl blushed. "Hello, Naruto-kun." She said quietly. "Let's go, I know a great training spot." Naruto said as he lead the way. Hinata followed after him, her face still red.
Training ground 36 was a quiet training ground just at the edge of the village. A river ran through it and it was a fairly large clearing with a thick forest around it. Naruto looked at Hinata. "This is it, now, we should start with a spar so we can assess eachother's skills." Naruto said.
Hinata nodded, although she was hesitant. Naruto threw off his hoodie, showing his mesh tshirt underneath. "Come at me." He said. Hinata nodded and got into a shaky stance. Naruto got into another stance, although his was much more firm.
Hinata's byakugan activated, her heading towards Naruto at a mediocre speed. She aimed a punch at his shoulder, which he easily deflected. Naruto aimed a fist at her stomach which she dodged, but Naruto followed up with a kick which hit her dead on.
Naruto stopped. "Hinata." he said. Hinata looked at her. "Are you underestimating me?" Hinata's eyes widened. "N-no, why d-do you think that?" She asked. Naruto looked at her. "Hinata, I know you're strong. This however, you're holding back. I'm not someone you need to hold back on. I want you to come at me with everything you got!" Naruto said.
Hinata blushed as she stared at him, the wide smile he wore as he wanted her to fight him seriously. She got down into her stance, a determination starting to show across her face.
"Let's do this!" Naruto said. Hinata sped at him, this time more accurate with her strikes. Naruto could still easily dodge them, but he felt Hinata's determination flow through her strikes.
After around ten minutes, Hinata was getting tired. She was panting as she continued to dodge Naruto's strikes. Naruto held his hand up. "That's enough." He said. Hinata looked at him, disappointment flashed across her face.
"I'm not good enough." She said quietly. Naruto shook his head. "I've seen more than enough Hinata, you're strong. You just need better help. The Hyuuga clan has been so stuck up with their traditions. You're more a speed based person, but the other Hyuugas are more like strength-ish." Naruto tried to explain.
Hinata looked at him with wide eyes. "How do you know this?" She asked. Naruto shrugged. "I just read myself up on some stuff, now I want to check your chakra nature." Naruto took out a piece of chakra conductive paper.
"Just channel your chakra to this. If it turns to dust, it's earth, if it splits in half, it's wind, if it catch fire, it's well, fire. If it turns damp, it's water and if it crumples, it's lightning." Naruto explained. Hinata nodded and took the paper.
She channeled her chakra into it, the paper turned damp almost instantly. Naruto smiled. "Water. Now, I have several water styled techniques, you can borrow these scrolls and study them at your own pace. I'll help you out with what I can. Also, there is water in everything. If you stay by the river, you should try and create bubbles of water. It's a water nature training, you could say." Naruto explained.
Hinata smiled. "Thank you, Naruto-kun." Hinata said. Naruto looked at her. "Now, your stance is very rigid. I want you to focus on your speed and precision, also work on your chakra reserves. Chanelling more chakra to your palms won't help with the juuken, but you'll last longer." Naruto said. Hinata nodded.
"Also, if the juuken doesn't fit you, why don't you just try and create your own style. I have done that. My style revolves around my shadow clones and my different ninjutsu, being able to utilize them to their fullest potential. Having to switch between ninjutsu and taijutsu won't always give yourself an advantage. Of course, being unable to use taijutsu if your chakra isn't available will be a drawback. That something you should keep in mind." Naruto said.
Naruto grinned at Hinata. "I suggest you train really hard this week Hinata, there's something big coming up soon. You can train here whenever you want, the Hokage has reserved this area for me. Also, if you want me to train with you, just go to my apartment. It's on the third floor in the complex at the end of the backstreet." Naruto said.
"I'll come by every now and then to check how you're doing. I have some sensory skills, so don't worry about me not finding you." Naruto said. Hinata smiled.
"Thank you, Naruto-kun, I don't know what to say..." Hinata said as she fiddled with her fingers. Naruto grinned once more. "Don't worry about it." A hawk's cry from above got the two genin's attention.
"The Hokage is calling for me." Naruto said. He looked at Hinata. "Sorry to have to cut this short. I have to go, see you later!" Naruto waved as he ran off.
Naruto arrived at the tower shortly afterwards, heading straight towards the Hokage's office. He knocked. "Enter." Naruto opened the door. Hiruzen, Jiraiya and Kakashi was inside. "Jiji." Naruto said as he bowed slightly.
"Naruto, you're as fast as ever." Hiruzen replied. "Jiraiya, this is Naruto." Hiruzen told Jiraiya. The white haired man nodded. "I know." He replied. "Now, this was about the seal?" Jiraiya asked. Naruto nodded.
"I need the key." He said. Jiraiya's eyes widened. "What? You can't possibly be thinking of releasing the Kyuubi!" Jiraiya exclaimed. He looked at Hiruzen and Kakashi. "You both knew about this? It's insane!" He said.
Naruto looked at him. "Hey, I know my capabilities better than you. While I do respect you more than anyone, The seal is currently in my way, at least it's way too tight." Naruto said. "The Fourth Hokage sealed it that way so that the beast wouldn't escape." Jiraiya said.
"Dad sealed the Kyuubi inside me so I could have the power to defeat a powerful person." Naruto said. Hiruzen looked at him with wonder this time. Jiraiya's eyes widened. "You know." He said. Naruto nodded.
"It doesn't take a genius to find out." Naruto said. He looked at Kakashi, a look of doubt across his face. His hand was shaking.
"I need the key. The sooner the better. The Chuunin exam is coming up and we need to plan stuff." Naruto said as he avoided looking at Jiraiya. It didn't go unnoticed.
"Naruto." Kakashi said. "Don't push this. We both know how-" "Kakashi-sensei. We both know how important this is. My personal feelings can't get in the way." Naruto said. Kakashi stared at him, slightly taken aback by the retort.
"I need the key." Naruto said as he stared at the Third. The old man's eyes was steeled at him. "Sensei." Jiraiya said. "I can't go along with this, Minato gave me the responsibility to-" "To give me the seal when I was ready. I know what he did!" Naruto interrupted.
Kakashi finally snapped. "Naruto, this is enough." He said loudly. Naruto winced. "I'll go over the Chuunin exam with the Hokage. You go and cool down. This last week's events have probably taken it's toll. I should've noticed yesterday. Jiraiya-sama, Naruto is more than ready to have the key. Just give the kid some time, he's been through a lot." Kakashi said.
With that said, Kakashi looked at Naruto with hard eyes. The blond went out the door silently. Jiraiya looked at Kakashi and Hiruzen. "Should I stay here for this conversation?" He asked. Kakashi smiled slightly. "Actually, I think you should talk to Naruto. He needs someone to talk to now, but don't back down if he blows up a little." Kakashi said. Jiraiya nodded as he followed after the blond.
A/N
That's it for this chapter.
The next chapter will be deciding Naruto and Jiraiya's relationship throughout a large part of this story. I would like y'all to tell me your ideas on how it should turn out!