The Sixth Hokage: Ascension
Chapter Ten: Ascension to Rokudaime
Author's Note:
Finally, the last chapter and the point where it all ends! Congrats Naruto, for making it to the Hokage position!! :D
Uzumaki Naruto sat in front of the Konoha Elders, and a disgruntled Danzo. He seemed to be holding his breath, one of the elders thought, as it seemed as if his chest wasn't moving in the slightest bit. "Naruto," the first elder began. "Calm down. We're not executing you." The blonde nodded and gulped. He didn't think becoming Hokage would be this scary, and yet, he felt terrified.
Danzo was the second one to speak. "You, boy, have been chosen by the Godaime to become Rokudaime. Do you accept?"
Naruto scratched his head. "Yes," he replied, his voice barely audible.
"What?" asked Danzo, narrowing his eye at Naruto. Apparently, he didn't hear what Naruto said.
"Y-Yes!" replied Naruto, this time his voice was much louder. Danzo nodded. "Good."
One of the elders spoke. "Then you accept all of the responsibilities that are to come, in being Hokage from now onwards?"
"Y-Yes," Naruto stuttered, feeling a thousand ton weight being thrown on his shoulders. He felt like he bore the burden of the whole village now.
The elders smiled. "Very well," said Danzo, which was more of a growl than anything normal. "Right now, we have some administrative matters to attend to."
'I gotta do this already?' thought Naruto shrewdly. 'I don't think I'm ready for this at all.'
They moved into the meeting room and sat down around the table. "So, Naruto, now that the Akatsuki is assumed to be extinct, what do you plan to do now?" asked Danzo. Naruto shrugged. "I mean – they're gone. There's no other threat worse than the Akatsuki, is there? I guess we just gotta … improve on what we have now and be prepared for the future," he replied. "So what are we to do?" Danzo pressed further. Naruto swallowed hard and said, "Let's move along." The whole room fell silent. Naruto thought that he had said the wrong thing, so he quickly corrected himself. "What I mean was-"
"You're right, Rokudaime-sama," said one of the elders.
"Move on with our lives," muttered Danzo under his breath. "What kind of order is that?"
Naruto smiled and folded his arms. "Then we take care of Gaara until he fully recovers."
"Naruto, you must understand that your personal problems aren't part of being Hokage anymore," said Danzo arguably.
The blonde felt slight anger rising. What the heck did Danzo mean by that?
"No, I think you have to understand that if I am to lead a whole village into the next few decades, I have to take my personal problems seriously, before I can take the village's problems seriously." The elders seemed impressed with Naruto's profound sentence. "Tsunade chose well," said another elder.
"As for the Kyuubi," said Naruto, "you won't have to worry about a thing." He noticed Danzo's look of disgust on his face. Disgust for a demon.
"He's with me now, and he'll never destroy Konoha," he continued proudly. "I'm quite glad I have a friend like him. He's been with me since I was a baby, I'm sure all of you know that."
"Yes, Naruto, and we respect you for that. No one could have survived the torment you went through, and that is why you are now the most powerful shinobi in the village. We will watch you grow, Naruto, like we always have."
Naruto smirked and nodded. He felt much more confident now.
"Well, Rokudaime-sama let us hand you a few items first, before you step into your office."
Naruto raised his eyebrows. The oldest man opened the cupboard and pulled out a Hokage robe. He smiled warmly and handed it to Naruto. "It's yours now. Wear it or not, you are our leader."
Naruto took it gladly and set it on the table. "Minato would be proud." The blonde blinked in surprise.
"We'll tell you that tale another time, Hokage-sama. For now, you have some personal problems to attend to, don't you?"
Naruto nodded and bade goodbye. He rushed to the bridge, where many of his friends were waiting for him. As he arrived, Sasuke smirked and folded his arms. "If it isn't the Rokudaime Hokage," he teased. Naruto clutched the Hokage robes and hat in his hands and smiled broadly. "Can't believe I made it."
"I knew you'd make it one day, dobe," said Sasuke.
"Yeah, thanks." He looked around and asked, "Where's Shion?"
Sasuke shrugged. "I think she left. But you can stick around to check if she's still here."
Naruto felt heartbroken. Shion had left without a word!
The afterglow of events left him shattered, though. He didn't have a chance to tell Shion what he kept inside all this while. After a while, however, of talking with his friends, a voice suddenly spoke. "Naruto, I didn't think I'd find you here."
He turned around and saw Shion standing there, with her guards behind her. "Shion!" he exclaimed, running up to her. Shion smiled and grabbed his hand. "I wouldn't leave without a word."
"I know you wouldn't," lied Naruto. He had so foolishly assumed that she had left without any warning, and here she was.
Shion kissed him on the lips and said, "But I have to." Naruto smiled lovingly at her and kissed her on her forehead. "There'll be a time when the Demon Country needs no Priestess." Shion smiled too. "I know it's approaching, that wonderful day where we can be together forever."
"For now," she continued, "I have to return." Naruto held her close to him in a loving embrace and whispered, "You know, I love you." She whispered back into his ear, "I love you too, Naruto-kun."
The two kissed for a long while, making the guards feel awkward and uncomfortable for the whole period, and as they broke away, their hearts remained chained to each other. Naruto sent Shion off, and knew that he would see her again one day.
For the next few years there was peace. Naruto had grown into a fine man, and a great Hokage as well.
He led Konoha into a new year of glory and happiness, and soon, Uzumaki Naruto knew that he had given Konohagakure a brighter horizon, a brighter future.
The End.
Author's Note:
Uuuuuwaaaaah! This story has really tired me out.
So this is the end of Ascension!
I'll think about doing a sequel. But first, my priorities are concentrated on other stories!
Thank you for reading (even though you never reviewed) and I hope that you'll review on my other upcoming stories!
(: Goodbye!