HOPE, A THING OF THE PAST – TO DEPEND ON ANOTHER
The Hidden Leaf Villagers, The Rear of the Pack
As the villagers walk briskly towards the East the subtle pitter patter of their feet is clouded only by the gentle sounds of their conversations. Despite the dangerous situation they find themselves in they do not shout, they do not scream. For many of the men and women of the hidden leaf village talking has become a coping mechanism, whether it is talking about the past or what they intend to do in the future.
One thing remains absent from their conversations however, that is the danger of the current situation. To the west at this very moment they are relying upon a guardian they never would have dreamt they would have. That guardian is Senju Hashirama, the 1st Hokage. Revered by many as the 'god of shinobi', Hashirama was a co-founder of the hidden leaf village, a village born of a dream he shared with Uchiha Madara, a dream that children would no longer have to die due to the bickering of adults. A dream that children could survive whatever stupid decisions were thrust onto them.
Children had started to die though; they had not been involved in the conflict yet the enemy saw fit to kill them anyway. Such a thing would be classified as a war crime by even the most villainous of individuals. Once upon a time Uchiha Madara told the five Kage, 'what sort of adult goes all out against mere children', something that the shinobi of this world had always appreciated. Many had done such ghastly things, yet to force suffering onto children was a sin that few dared to commit.
At the rear of the pack, walking side by side are two of the few remaining members of the Sarutobi clan. They do not talk, they merely keep their heads up and walk, making sure that nobody falls behind, as would be all too easy in the current situation. Naturally, this duo consists of Sarutobi Hiruzen and Sarutobi Mirai.
"Dammit" Mirai curses as she turns around to face eastwards.
"Mirai, is something wrong?" Hiruzen stops with his granddaughter to ask.
"This is all wrong" Mirai says throwing her arm out to the side of her body, "The village is under attack from a Colonel. A Colonel! Yet despite the great threat we are faced with we are just leaving this all to the 1st and the 7th".
"Don't beat yourself up over it" Hiruzen approaches Mirai and places a hand on her shoulder. Smiling gently, he continues, "Lord Hashirama and Naruto are the two of strongest shinobi the hidden leaf has ever produced, we're in good hands".
"I know that" Mirai shuts her eyes tightly, "But why am I here, doing nothing. You guys came forward from the past, you have all done your duty to the hidden leaf. I am just standing here, hoping that will be enough".
"Mirai…".
"I'm a shinobi, I am supposed to be fighting these guys myself. They've killed my friends; they've killed my family. You know Konohamaru was my cousin but I did nothing while he sacrificed himself for the village".
"It is a difficult lesson that all shinobi must learn" Hiruzen explains. "We want to do everything ourselves but we simply cannot, many have tried it throughout history and they have all failed. This is something that all the Hokage know".
"What lesson are you talking about?" Mirai asks.
"The lesson where you learn to depend on another" her grandfather answers. "I know that behind my back Danzo was doing many things that he shouldn't have been. Perhaps I should have had the courage to stop him. However, because of all those things that he did the hidden leaf is still here today, I've been thrust into a future that fills me with nothing but hope".
"How can you see this destruction and talk about hope". Mirai shakes her head as if she has heard an impossibility or a lie.
"Because you're still here".
Mirai lifts her head upon hearing the words.
"Mirai, you have an incredible potential, I saw it during our sparring session. You have abilities that no shinobi should have and you don't even realise it. There will come a time where you are called on to use that power, to protect the ones you love. When that day comes your grandmother and I will be watching and we will be depending on you".
"Grandpa…".
"Come on, let's go for now. We can depend on the 1st Hokage".
"Yes" Mirai answers, a small smile coming to her face.
'Don't worry old man, when the day comes that you are depending on me I won't let you down'.
Near the Hidden Leaf Pack
Nearby to the villagers from the hidden leaf is a clearing, with grass cut so perfectly by the passing of wildlife that it appears as if a gardener has been attending to it for the last thirty years. It is this paradise-like environment that once saw battles between the great clans that went on to become the pillars of the hidden leaf village. There is irony to the feudal wars of old, what better venue for a war, what better venue for hell than heaven.
Looking back to the west, Hatake Kakashi bears his Mangekyo Sharingan, his greatest weapon. The visual dojutsu has become much more important to Kakashi following the tail of the 4th great ninja war. It had already been a present from his friend Obito but finding out what Obito had done during the war, what sort of man lay behind the mask had a great impact on the 6th Hokage.
Kakashi looks momentarily into the sky. 'Obito, I know you are waiting there, in the afterlife. I hope that Rin is with you. Despite all the terrible things you did you made the ultimate sacrifice for this village and for this world. It might be in a bit of a state right now but I'll do my best to protect it'.
Kakashi smiles behind his mask, continuing the one-sided conversation in his head, 'Minato sensei is here with me and you know that you can depend on him. Plus, there is Naruto. I hear that you met him in the war, he's just like you were… like you are'.
'I'm going to protect this world for you Obito… Rin… dad'.
Kakashi hears faint footsteps on the grass nearby, quickly turning his head towards the source. It is not an enemy, instead it is one of the women brought forward in time alongside him. Uzumaki Mito.
"Kakashi, did I interrupt you when you wanted to be alone?" she asks politely.
"Not at all Lady Mito" the 6th Hokage replies.
Mito sighs as she walks to Kakashi's side, "We've told you before, stop using 'Lord' and 'Lady', if you take our ages you're actually older than I am. Not only that, you became Hokage which I did not, if you insist on titles then I should be the one called you Lord Kakashi".
Kakashi waves both his hands before his face, "Please don't do that, I'll settle for us calling one another by our names if that's OK".
"That is fine" Mito nods slightly.
Kakashi sighs as he looks back towards the west.
"Can you see it?" Mito asks, "My husband's chakra".
"Yeah" Kakashi simply answers.
"And?".
"I can't see the chakra of the colonel; I can just faintly make out something else though. It's like chakra but it isn't chakra, it's almost as if it's a power that chakra users wouldn't understand. Still Lord Ha… Hashirama's chakra is dropping quickly, it looks like he won't win this fight".
"What sort of man is he?".
"He?".
"Uzumaki Naruto, the last survivor of my clan".
Kakashi closes his eyes before slowly opening them again. "Uzumaki Naruto is my student, a member of team 7, the legendary team that the villagers credit winning the 4th great shinobi war to".
"When I first met Naruto he was loud, sloppy, dirty and he didn't have much talent. Despite that he was the son of my sensei and his wife Kushina, two people I care about deeply so I felt compelled to look after him".
"Naruto is the glue that held team 7 together, Sakura was too busy concerning herself with the little things in life to make it far as a shinobi. Sasuke was too close to being consumed by hatred, a hatred for his brother who massacred the entirety of the Uchiha clan, leaving only the two of them alive. The difference between Naruto and Sasuke was the strength of mind, Sasuke saw all the obstacles life saw before him and set out to destroy them, Naruto saw the same obstacles and acted like they didn't exist".
"I was a member of the Anbu when Lord 3rd…".
"Hiruzen" Mito interrupts.
"Right Hiruzen" Kakashi continues, "I was a member of Anbu when he suggested that I take charge of a gennin team, team 7. Before that I had lost my father, my best friend, my team-mate, my sensei and his wife. I saw no light left in the world and yet that bickering team, spurred on by Naruto, made me smile once again. They became my family".
"That's five people I just told you that I lost, I imagine you felt sorry for me in that moment but I should remind you, Sasuke lost his entire family. Sasuke lost his entire clan in a single night. Sasuke accumulated so much hatred for the system the village adopted that forced the Uchiha clan into such dire straits but somehow Naruto brought him back to the village".
"In a single day Naruto fought against the ten-tails, Uchiha Obito, Uchiha Madara and lastly Otsutsuki Kaguya, the progenitor of all chakra before fighting Sasuke and bringing him back to the village".
"This has all been accomplished by the man that Sarada brought forward to the future".
"This has all been accomplished by a man who is only 17 years old".
"So what sort of man is Uzumaki Naruto…".
"… He's a shinobi".
The Hidden Leaf Pack
Walking in the centre of the pack of hidden leaf citizens are the four women of the Uzumaki Hyuuga family. Uzumaki Kushina, Hyuuga Hanabi, Hyuuga Hinata and Uzumaki Himawari. Together they walk anxiously, awaiting the return of the trio who earlier set out to retrieve the body of a fallen family member, of Sarutobi Konohamaru.
Flash!
Suddenly two of the members of that trio appear from thin air, a yellow flash the only sign of their coming. This is of course, a result of the flying thunder god jutsu developed by the 2nd Hokage and mastered by the 4th Hokage.
"Minato" Kushina calls as she approaches her husband.
"This is the body of your husband Hanabi" Minato explains the corpse draped over his shoulder, "Sorry for the unceremonious way I have delivered him but I had little other choice seeing as you are on the move".
"It's fine" Hanabi replies, "I'm just really grateful he is back. Thank you, Minato, Boruto".
"I'll go and tell aunty Ino that you have Sai's body" Himawari quickly runs back through the crowd, using her byakugan to pinpoint the position of the surviving Yamanaka family members.
"Naruto shouldn't be far behind" Minato explains, "We left him to fight a captain".
"You did what!" Kushina exclaims with what appears to be anger.
"Well Boruto said that if he could defeat a Captain then Naruto would easily be capable of that".
"IDIOT" Kushina yells as she punches Minato in the top of his head.
Hinata and Hanabi look towards each other out of shock before returning their gaze to the violent woman and her confused husband.
"What did I do?" Minato asks.
"Can't you feel that overwhelming chakra from the west".
Minato turns his head while keeping up pace with the rest of the villagers, after a moment an expression of awe comes to his face. "This chakra is absolutely incredible, it's not Naruto's so it must be… the 1st Hokage's".
"The 1st Hokage has gone to fight a Colonel and needs Naruto's help urgently" Kushina shouts despite her closeness to Minato, "Hashirama needs Naruto to rush to his aid and you left Naruto with a captain. You should have fought the captain yourself and let Naruto run".
"Don't worry" Boruto smiles, "Dad will make it to Lord 1st in time. A captain won't slow him down".
"Just how strong is Naruto" Kushina asks her grandson, adopting a far calmer tone than she did with Minato.
"Another enormous chakra will appear in that direction soon".
"Then you will know just how strong he is".