Whew. I'm finally finished with this chapter!! ((Grins and cheers)) I'm so happy! :D Anyway, it's fairly long, so that makes me (and you guys, I'm sure) even happier! :3 So yeah. And another thing...this story is coming to an end. ((Sigh)) Sad, I know. I so enjoyed writing this--and I'm glad everyone who's read it has liked it equeally as well. :-) I'd like to thank all reviewers for your support as well. Luv you guys!! ((Hugs and chocolate))
Disclaimer: I can only wish. But I don't believe in wishing much, so yeah, the Naruto characters are still not mine.
Chapter Thirteen
Valkyria (sky warriors who served Greek gods) Ronin (Samurai without a master) was taking a break, finally getting an off day from his job as an ANBU. At twenty-eight, with orangey-red hair and emerald eyes, his tall figure and friendly smile made everyone comfortable around him and like him nearly instantly. He joked a lot and loved to make new friends. But even a guy like Ronin needed a day away from everyone to just relax.
And that was what he was doing while he was taking his stroll through the quiet streets leading to the gates. He looked at the doors that lead to the outside of the village and smiled, walking through them. A nice, calming walk through nature could sooth him even more. He nodded at the guards, who smiled and waved back.
Ronin sighed in contentment as he walked through the trees, enjoying the sound of birds chirping and squirrels chattering to one another. He loved nature, enjoyed the feeling of just being able to have the sun shine on his face, or the smell of fresh grass. It sounded so cheesy, but he couldn't help it. It was who he was. It was probably why he specialized in Earth jutsu better than most.
Whistling softly to himself, he looked through the leaves of the trees, watching as the day faded. Soon it would be nighttime and he'd head back to the village. But for now, he'd walk until he was too far from the village for safety. Then he would turn around. Smiling to himself, he continued his whistling, closing his eyes and tilting his head back to feel the sun's rays through the leaves.
At one point during his walk, he stopped, noticing everything seemed silent. The birds had stopped twittering, the squirrels stopped their chatter. No breeze blew to cool the slight humidity, and nothing moved to scurry away from Ronin. He frowned and searched for another's presence. When he found one, he gulped thickly. It was weak and in need of medical assistance. He ran towards the source and gasped at what he found.
A blonde figure lay on the ground on his side, his clothing ruffled and bloody, his features courted in anxiety. Ronin knew who he was looking at; Uzumaki Naruto, the Kyuubi vessel. He squat down beside Naruto's side, checking him over. He wasn't dead by far, but he was pretty beaten up. Ronin bit his lip and picked the blonde up gently. Then he raced back to Konoha as quickly as he could.
--XxX--
"Dammit Uchiha! Why are you still here!?" Tsunade cried as Sasuke locked kunai's with Itachi once more. He grunted and used another in his other hand to slice through his brother's stomach, shoving him back. Then he managed to answer, "I don't know. It was your jutsu; you tell me." Tsunade ground her teeth as she launched a kick at Pain, missing as he jumped back. Jiraiya growled and replied, "He must've been out of your jutsu's range Tsunade. You probably missed him by only a couple of inches!" Tsunade swore under her breath and missed the kunai that came flying towards her back, at her head. Sasuke leaped to the side and deflected it, catching it and throwing it back at the clone, making it disappear. Tsunade was wide-eyed a moment before nodding in appreciation and going back to Pain. Sasuke grunted and returned to fighting Itachi, wondering where the Hokage had sent Naruto.
Their fights ranged another hour before the three Leaf ninja—including Sasuke in that category—felt their chakara draining away to nothing. As a result, their fighting skills were becoming sluggish, excluding the fact that they were seriously wounded for the most part. Tsunade was constantly healing herself, making her life span shorter and shorter. Jiraiya had received fatal wounds to the chest area, stomach, and back, causing him to lose enormous amounts of blood. Sasuke was in just as bad a state as the elder two, finding himself seeing things in two's and three's more often than not from blood loss.
They were losing. And if they didn't retreat, or rather, finish the battle, they'd all die.
Jiraiya panted as he deflected yet another kunai sailing towards him and cried, "Tsunade, the jutsu! Send Sasuke to Naruto!" Tsunade gave a nod and waved Sasuke over. Needing no further invitation, he ran towards her. She made a number of hand-seal's, preparing for him to come to her. He was only five feet away when Itachi attacked from behind.
Implanting a rather large double-sided kunai in his younger brother's side, he wrenched it out painfully, gaining a cry from the smaller raven. Sasuke stumbled forward anyway, desperately trying to reach the Slug Sanin. He had to get to her or else he'd probably never live to see Naruto again. And he'd be damned if he'd let that happen.
But Itachi was determined to make him miss his only chance. He let him get three steps further before Tsunade was forced to plant her hand on the ground, initiating the jutsu. With only one step to go, Itachi rammed into his brother's back, knocking him twenty feet away. In that time span, Tsunade's jutsu was finished, leaving her nearly completely drained of her chakara. She fell to her knees panting. Jiraiya was then knocked beside her by Pain, who smirked as he prepared to deal the finishing blow to both remaining Sanin. Itachi waltzed over to Sasuke, who made no attempt to move whatsoever. The three knew their times were finished.
As Sasuke stared at the star-infested sky, just then noticing that it was night, he took a shuddery breath. 'I'm sorry Naruto.' He thought as his brother approached. Kneeling, Itachi unsheathed Sasuke's own Kusanagi and held it above his chest; just as Sasuke had done when he'd killed Itachi. Sasuke's gaze never even flickered to his brother; he just kept watching the stars, remembering the time when he'd first come up with the idea to take his blonde. A small, soft sincere smile took over his lips.
'It's like a sea of diamonds.'
The blade came down, and everything was dark.
--XxX--
"Sasuke!" Naruto cried out, snapping into a sitting position. He was panting, a cold sweat beading his forehead. A bead ran down his cheek as he gasped, "Tsunade-baa-chan…Ero-Sanin…" He finally caught a look at his surroundings, realizing he was no longer with them. White walls and a smell of antiseptic filled his senses. A hospital. Naruto looked around wildly and yelled, "Nurse!"
A woman came in with violet hair and lavender eyes. She broke into a smile and said, "Oh, Naruto! You're awake! How are you feeling?" Naruto stared at her as if she'd grown two more heads and tentacles. "Where are they?" he demanded. Sera forced herself to keep her smile. "They? Well, Sakura-san is here…" "Bring her to me." He ordered, making it clear that there was no room for argument by his tone. Sera nodded and hurried away. A few seconds later Sakura appeared.
"Naruto! Oh thank goodness you're okay—" "Where are they?" Naruto demanded once again, ignoring her concern. His eyes were hard with only a little bit of sadness in them. Sakura hesitated before settling for telling him the truth. "There are no others Naruto. You were found alone, about a mile from the gates." Naruto stared at her the exact same way he had Sera, before whispering, "No…"
"What happened Naruto?" Sakura asked, laying a hand on his. He jerked away and hissed, "Don't interrogate me right now Sakura. We have to find them—!" "I'm not trying to interrogate anyone," Sakura snapped back, bringing back her hand. She took a breath to cool down and then continued, "And you're not going anywhere. Everyone in this hospital has orders from the Council to keep you here until you are completely well. And that means we can use any type of force to do so. When you're well, we were also ordered to bring you to them. Immediately." Naruto's glare deflated and he inquired softly, "What do they want?" Sakura shrugged. "No one knows. I'm sorry."
Naruto's gaze dropped to his hands and he asked, "When will I be out of here?" "Soon. Two days or so. The way your healing rate is, you'll be fine in that time. The doctors will want to keep you an extra day just in case." Naruto nodded, then looked up. "Where's Harumi-chan? I want to see her." "She's awake." Sakura actually grinned. "And she's got a surprise for you. She'll tell you all about it when you see her." Naruto nodded and asked, "Am I allowed to get up?" "If I take you to Harumi-chan's room, then yes." Naruto groaned and stood.
"This is gonna be like detention or prison." He muttered, making Sakura giggle. She took his arm and said, "C'mon, cheer up. The Council has sent out ANBU in search for Tsunade-sama, Jiraiya-san, and Sasuke-kun. They'll come back soon. And the Council won't do anything to Sasuke-kun until they get orders from Tsunade. Besides, he'll have to come here first. It'll work out." Naruto finally gave her a smile and nodded. Then he allowed her to escort him to Harumi's room.
--XxX--
Harumi looked up and gave a squeal of delight as Sakura entered with Naruto. Naruto's eyes brightened for the first time since he'd woken and the little girl leaped up from her bed. She was dressed in dark purple leggings with a light purple skirt over top, sandals, a light yellow off-the-shoulder sweater with a light pink, no-sleeves shirt underneath. Her hair was pulled back into a long braid with a pink hair bow, and two little pink clips held back her bangs. Her skin seemed a little tanner and her eyes sparkled with excitement and joy.
"Naru-oji-san!" she cried, leaping off the bed and landing with perfect precision right in front of him. He blinked and looked at Sakura who grinned again. "I'll be right back you guys." The pink-haired kunoichi said, walking out and closing the door. Naruto picked Harumi up and hugged her tightly. Harumi returned it and they stayed in silence for a while before Naruto sighed, finally past the eye-stinging stage and let her down. He smiled brightly at her and walked to her bed, sitting.
"So Harumi-mei (niece), what have you been up to since I've been gone? You look great." Harumi grinned brightly, having mastered his own grin. "I've been training!" she laughed, bouncing up beside him. Naruto blinked in surprise again. "To become a ninja! Just like you and Sakura-oni-san!" Harumi finished, giggling at his shocked look. "Really?" he asked. She nodded and pointed to a pack with all her weapons. "See? Sakura-oni-san and I go out everyday to train. She taught me all about chakara and stuff. And guess what!?" If possible, the child's grin widened even more. Naruto felt himself smiling and he asked, "What?"
"Sakura-oni-san said I was a really fast learner! 'Cause I can already climb a tree with no hands!" Naruto gapped at her. She was barely six and she could already…? "Wow Harumi-mei, that's amazing!" he praised, hugging her. She laughed. "And Sakura-oni-san said that I'll be a great ninja one day. She says I've even got the skills to become a medical ninja too if I want. But right now I just want to be what you are." Naruto grinned and poked her nose gently. "You be whatever you want to be. I believe you can achieve anything Harumi-chan. You've got a big heart." Harumi smiled and hugged him around the waist again, burying her head into his chest.
"I missed you Naruto." She whispered. Naruto smiled and pat her head before hugging her back. "I missed you too Harumi." He murmured, rocking her a little.
Sakura found them half an hour later, lying beside each other asleep; the curtains open so the stars shown through.
--XxX--
Three days later Naruto, dressed in nice black pants and a sleeveless black sweater, walked confidently into the Council room, determination written across his features. Tucking his hands in his pockets, he looked at the Council members with no emotion, mastering Sasuke's indifference look. The door closed behind him, soundproofing the room, and the talking began.
"Have a seat, Naruto-kun." Kazue (first blessing) Satoshi (wise) smiled, waving a hand for the head seat. Naruto nodded at him and obliged. Noomi (above all) Katashi (firm) shifted her eyes from the blonde, obviously not pleased. Naruto ignored her and smiled at Satoshi instead. "There was something you wanted to discuss with me sir?" he asked politely. Satoshi smiled widely and said, "Satoshi, please. And yes, there was something rather important we'd like to talk with you about."
Naruto nodded and folded his hands on top of the table, taking in the sight of everyone. Even thought he seemed cool and uncaring outside, inside his nerves were working in overdrive, making him come close to shaking if he weren't able to control himself. His brain was working up reasons as to why the Council wanted him to begin with—he knew they all hated him because of Kyuubi. He tried not to gulp. What had he done? Was it because he'd gone after Sasuke?
But instead of scolding, Satoshi smiled again and said calmly, "You don't have to fret Naruto-kun. We're not going to hurt you for anything. In fact, we'd like to congratulate you." Cobalt eyes blinked in confusion. "Congratulate me? On what?" he asked. Satoshi chuckled. "Before Tsunade-sama left, she signed the Hokage papers to who she wished to become Hokage after she was no longer with us." Satoshi's eyes crinkled in the corners and he said, "It was you. She gave us a magnificent speech as to why she wanted you to become Hokage and we agreed with her decision."
Naruto couldn't help but let his jaw drop in shock. He was going to become the Rokudaime? The Sixth? "…Really?" he whispered. Another woman, named Haruki Emi beside Satoshi nodded, a bright smile on her face. "Really, Naruto-kun. If you're willing to except that is." She handed a stack of papers down to Satoshi, who then handed them to Naruto. Naruto looked at them then back to Emi. Her eyes twinkled as she asked, "Do you, Uzumaki Naruto, accept the role as Rokudaime Hokage, leader of Konohagakure?"
Naruto's eyes were wide as he stared around at the smiling faces before him. Never in his life did he think this day would come, at least not while he was still so young. He was only seventeen…his birthday wasn't for a few months. Even so, he smiled brightly; a genuine smile as he took the pen Satoshi held out for him. He nodded and answered, "Yes, I, Uzumaki Naruto, accept the role as Rokudaime. And I will protect this village with my life—believe it!"
Hehe. ((Big grin)) I loved the way the ending turned out, really. I just see Naru-chan saying that.
So, we all know that Harumi-chan is okay now. I finally brought her back into the story. ((Rubs head emarrassed)) Heh, I didn't mean to "forget" about her, but I was caught up in the NaruSasuNaru-ness-ness...yeah. XD Lol. And I'm sure you're wondering about Sasuke, Tsunade, and Jiraiya huh? Well, I'll never tell you what happened!!...Until the next--and last--chapter. X3 And, just to remind you all, I'm a firm believer in happy endings. So you don't have to worry...much... XP
Reviews are appriciated as always!! :D
And important FYI guys--I'm headed off to the beach on March 26th--tomorrow here--so yeah. If I don't finish the Epilogue tonight and post it, you'll all have to wait until I get back from the beach--which, might I add, will be the 30th! So then I probably won't even get around to finishing it until Sunday night--maybe--and then possibly posting it until Monday evening after school. So you guys will have plenty of time to R&R for this chappie, and such. :3 Anyway, Imma try really hard to finish the Epilogue tonight and finish the fic. I'm working on it as we speak--or I type, and you read--or...whatever. XP Hehe. So, toodles till later folks!
-- Miah-Chan