Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto
Chapter 9-
Word Count- 1800
Hisato had to admit. He was embarrassed. Breaking down in front of Kakashi, friend or not, was really, really embarrassing.
They had stayed in that position for almost an hour, the sun finally setting. Emotionally exhausted and weary, Hisato had stood first, pulling Kakashi up with him.
Even a novice could notice the concern Kakashi had written all over him. Hisato wanted to hide himself away, self-conscious from the way Kakashi's gaze penetrated him. Every corner was uncovered by his friend. From one look alone, Kakashi knew everything that was wrong. It made him happy, knowing that there was someone that could read him so thoroughly.
When Hisato tried to move away, stepping back, Kakashi took his wrist, firm but comforting. He gave up on trying to escape the hold, instead following the other into his bedroom.
The bed was unused and clean, its heavy and warm covers only there for decoration and keeping up appearances. Nevertheless, it sufficed in the cold air of the apartment. Kakashi dropped in and held up the covers for Hisato. Knowing the futility of refusing, he obeyed.
He was swathed in a familiar circle of arms. His back was pressed against a strong chest, held tightly and lovingly. He covered the limbs with his own. His legs fit against Kakashi's and he felt a chin atop his head.
Encased with the comfort and love of Kakashi, he could finally close his eyes and sleep.
Hisato found his courage six days later. He was still sore and sick, shouldn't be moving around if he could help it. But he had a mission to keep and he sure as hell wasn't going to abandon it.
They entered the jonin lounge once more, Hisato sticking close to Kakashi's side. There were many more people than the last time he was here. It proved to be more of a challenge this time, but discreetly clinging to Kakashi's side helped.
The silver-haired jonin led him to an empty couch. When jonins came up to them, asking questions and greeting Kakashi, Hisato would find something to look at, mostly the floor. The shinobi respected his unspoken needs, keeping conversations brief and running off again.
Conversations aside, it was hard to escape direct contact.
When Shikaku sat beside him on the couch, Hisato stood his ground, pushing down the anxiety and pulling on a strong face. He nodded to the Commander in greeting. Shikaku did the same, then extracted a shogi board from an unknown region.
Hisato hid his disdain and prepared himself. Any excuse he came up with not to play would be neatly ignored or countered. There was no way out of the game.
As expected of the head Nara, Shikaku uncovered Hisato's silence. Some could mistake it for being shy and socially awkward, but Shikaku understood that he physically could not speak.
They played their game in silence, no one disturbing them. Kakashi, at one point, peaked over Hisato's shoulder, watching them play for a few minutes.
Hisato recognised the hidden intentions of the Nara. Find out more about the new jonin through gameplay; at the same time observe everything the new jonin did. It was the job of the Commander after all, to know the strengths of his soldiers, their limits and weaknesses too.
Sometimes, though rarely, Shikaku would murmur easy questions. Hisato would respond with quick hand signs, focusing more on the shogi at hand. They were ordinary inquiries. Elemental affinity; best field; best range at fighting.
He tried to ignore the scrutinising stares and suspicious gazes leveled at him. He was still unknown to many of the shinobi, and any person would find themselves staring curiously at his sickly features.
Two hours later, Shikaku ended the game. Hisato was not disgruntled at the loss. Shikaku was miles above others when it came to strategy.
"I haven't had a good game in a long time. Thank you for that," Shikaku grinned. Hisato smiled and tugged sheepishly at his scarf. "I didn't ask, but your name?"
Kakashi looked up from his book and answered for him.
"Uzumaki, eh? You certainly have the reserves of one," he said. As quick as that, the Jonin Commander was gone. Hisato and Kakashi spent the entire afternoon there. It was progress.
The camp that the remaining shinobi was widespread. It covered two entire valleys, including the cave system beneath. To any outsider, it would seem amazing. But the tenants of the camp knew better. They were the last of the nations. No civilians, no villages that remained standing.
One Kage left, though it was clear she was past her prime and there was not much time left. Tsunade made the decisions, sent them to their deaths. She healed them, fought beside them until she dropped. She had the respect of everyone.
Next were the Commanders. Naruto, Shikamaru and Kakashi. Some would call blatant favouritism, but there was no other choice. The camp was largely made up of Konoha's shinobi anyways. Even then. Anyone could see they were the right choice. Unyielding, smart and strong, everything that a commander needed. The hopelessness of fighting never lowered their spirits, a surprising fate for the Nara.
It was sparse to lose a battle. When it was obvious they could not win, they did everything in their power to save as many possible. Compared to what could have been, the casualty rates a far lower. Not as many as the beginning of the war, but still too high to comfort.
In the constant warring, only four thousand of the shinobi alliance remained. Four years since the Fourth Shinobi War began. It seemed a curse, the number four. It wrought death and endless suffering.
"You're a valuable asset. We need your strength to overcome this war. To do that, you need to push aside your ideals and take lives," his mother figure had told him.
"No, I refuse. These people are confused. They have hearts and feelings too. Madara's controlling them and manipulating them. They're humans with families and homes to return to. I can't kill them. I refuse." He remembered his words, futile as they were.
Naruto's head was pushed firmly into a chest. Tsunade stayed silent for a while, merely comforting him without words. "I understand. But one day, your hand will be forced. One day, there's gonna be no other way."
He figured it out soon enough.
Being a commander was hard. Every decision Naruto made sent more to their end. The perished lay atop his shoulders in a ton of guilt. It was his fault.
Being a commander was hard, but being a Kage was harder. He found that out soon enough, not two years later.
Tsunade was newly dead, taking down a legion of zetsu and the humans that Madara had brainwashed. Naruto was chosen by the last two thousand people to be the next Kage, a tribute to his brutal force and great feats as a commander.
His two commanders and Sakura were his greatest supporters. He didn't know anyone else in the army as well as he did them.
Despite the dangers of losing the Kage, Naruto went on many solo missions, leaving Shikamaru and Kakashi in charge of the drastically smaller camp. Those words spoken what seemed a lifetime ago… he understood them so much more.
No one else should bear the burden. No one but the Kage.
The one that decided everything should be the one to ease their thoughts.
His kill count rose into the thousands. He slayed many before they could get within the territory they held. He protected his warriors like he would his closest family.
The massacres scarred his mind. He became withdrawn, scarcely speaking. They tried to help him but he said he was fine.
He gained the nickname, Shinigami. Known as that on both sides, and that hurt more than loneliness. To be acknowledged as something so bad by his own people, even meant well and with awe… it hurt.
One last plan, one final wave of destruction. Madara led his army of twenty thousand, mostly zetsu clones. The last of the humans he controlled had been ended by Naruto.
All two thousand were killed in the onslaught. A battle that lasted two weeks, no ceasefire in between. Only he and Sakura were left. Against a thousand clones, they won.
Madara retreated, tail between his legs. He was a coward, injured and half-dead coward. To bide his time, heal, and then lash out again.
Naruto and Sakura, the last of the nations. It was a hellish nightmare. Running. Hiding. Fighting to survive, not to win. There was no point to it all.
Hisato and Kakashi walked alongside each other. Hisato took the lead, steering them through the forests surrounding Konoha. They did not take to the branches and run, just went on, calmly and slowly, letting the time run by without them.
The air was still and bordering on humid, yet pleasant at the same time. It edged on warm but not excessively hot, a break in the heatwave they have been experiencing. There was no wind to cool down even further, nor any rain or storm approaching.
Unconsciously, Hisato had been leading them to a place he used to go, before Konoha was destroyed in his timeline and before the war even began. He never told anyone about it, would disappear for days on end without notifying anyone. The first times he had done so, his team became worried for his safety and reprimanded him for hours when he returned. They had gotten used to it eventually.
A long wall of thick shrubs and thorns outlined the space in front of them. Hisato pushed past the overhanging vines and leaves, Kakashi on his heels. He held them up for his friend and dropped them down when Kakashi entered the gully. The jonin sucked in a sharp breath when he gazed around. Hisato smiled at his reaction, he too turning to admire the landscape.
Created centuries ago by a river, long since dried out, the gully was a quiet and overlooked shelter for animals. At its centre lay a crystalline stream, water gurgling and trickling over rocks. The pebbles beneath were visible in the clear water, shining white and silver. All against the ridges that closed the gully in was greenery. Bush and tumbling ivy, a myriad of flowers blooming against the dark green.
They stood on the bank of pebbles, stretching on either side and disappearing past the gully. The sunlight lit the water and the rocks beside, leaving shady overhangs. Sakura trees were spread throughout, some branches reaching over the stream. They weren't yet in bloom.
Hisato took Kakashi over to the tree that lay right against the water. The Hatake sat against the trunk and pulled Hisato down with him. The redhead merely smiled and leaned against the other's chest, hugging his arms around Kakashi's. The water washed over his bare feet, relaxing and warm.
He closed his eyes and snuggled into his friend. They slept the afternoon away, basking in the beauty of the stream.