Author's Note: I graduated! That's it, it's official, final, signed, sealed, and over with. High school is now completely passed and I have a whole new future ahead of me. Now on to the main attraction. For many of you who have been wondering why 'Arashi' was named the way he was this chapter may or may not clear the air for you. All in all I am slightly more proud of it than the last one. Enjoy!
---
What--a--mess, were the only words that managed to cross Naruto's dumbstruck thoughts as he surveyed the damage done to his apartment. The wall that faced the morning sun was partially blown away and no one had even bothered to repair it unlike the rest of the building. It figured that the villagers wouldn't touch anything that belonged to him with a ten foot pole, not even a wall. Still, it was his home, what was left of it anyway. He'd make the best of it. Although, there was not much to make the best of.
There were piles of old and clearly decaying clothes that certainly hadn't been washed before Naruto left. He pinched and picked up one filthy sock, cringing. His nose, now being as sensitive as it was, stung with the stench of year-old sweat and mildew. It was so putridly disgusting, as was the rest of the heap, that Naruto found himself entertaining the most pleasurable idea of burning it all. He flicked the sock into the mess with the rest of it's brothers and sisters.
The rest of the small enclosure was ruined. A stack of scrolls was knocked over in the western corner. The single desk and its lamp was split in two and the empty, rotted instant ramen cups that had adorned its stained surface were scattered in all corners of the room. Cobwebs, rot and bits of cracked plaster were everywhere covered in a thick layer of dust like a salad of chaos. The bed was caved in from a section of the wall that had fallen on it. The only thing that had remained fairly untouched was a poster of Konoha's sigil and even that was ripped at the edges.
What a mess.
Naruto sighed and carefully slipped his back pack off and lowered it to the ground. Hiraku, by some freakish turn of luck, was still happily snoring away on his shoulders. Naruto had been sure all the commotion he had caused back at the restoration efforts had woken the child, but apparently it had not. Naruto lifted the skinny boy off his frame and gently placed him next to the pack so that it might serve as a temporary pillow.
Naruto then walked over to the derelict bed that crouched forlornly in the corner. Like so many things he owned, he had gotten it second hand as a gift or from the orphanage charity. Hardly anything he had was bought because the shop owners of Konoha had been unwilling to sell him anything when he was younger. His money had been as good as anyone elses, so he hadn't understood why. And then he was told...
You are a demon Uzumaki Naruto, you are not wanted in this world...
What a load of crap. Hell, he was Uzumaki Naruto alright; but not wanted? Ha!
Naruto snorted and looked at the bed again. The slab of wood and concrete that had so unceremoniously decided to use the matress as a nest was very large. For a normal man it would be impossible to lift on his own. Naruto peered over his shoulder and then through the gash in the wall. No one was watching. He squatted down and placed both hands under the gigantic piece of debris and raised it over his head effortlessly. Plaster and flakes of rusted metal rained down in a soft hiss. It was then that he noticed the doll.
It was just a straw stuffed pair of pants and a shirt really. It was amazing that it was still hanging from its hook, ripped halfway out of the ceiling, but it was there, twirling like some haunted marionette. It was Naruto's old punching bag, made specifically by the injured pride of his twelve-year-old self to alleviate his frustration. That frustration being of course due to the Uchiha Sasuke of which the dummy was a poor rendition and mockingly made to look weak. Naruto smirked at it and shook his head. He walked over and carefully set the severed section of wall next to the dummy. The thing swung lazily as he poked at it. He smirked again.
"Nice to see you again Sasuke." he said softly to the dummy with no small amount of sarcasm. "I'm glad to see you let nothing happen to the place while I was away."
There was silence.
The dummy twisted on its string, and had Naruto not then taken it down, it would have done so for a very long time. Naruto gazed at the relic of his past with some regret. The days when he had punched the stuffing out of the thing seemed a century away. So much had happened...so little had actually been done that it hurt him to think about it. Nothing had really changed from five years ago. Sasuke was still obsessed with killing his brother. Naruto was still trying to find a way to bring Sasuke back without killing him... Naruto dropped the dummy.
Walking back to the broken and rather dirty bed he brushed off the matress and dragged it out of its ruined frame to rest on the floor. Luckily it was that kind of matress that was packed with foam instead of springs. The springs were on the frame itself, but rusted and useless anyway. He sneezed a bit from the dust particles flying up his nose at every angle. What he did not notice was that the sneeze was barely a human sound and more like the snuff of a dog after recognizing a friend. He went on to his pack and knelt down. As he pulled some of the bankets out that covered him in the cave, Naruto looked over Hiraku's sleeping form.
In all honesty, the kid was the eighth wonder of the world. Stripped from his home whithout a shred of survival training, Hiraku hardly ever complained and when he did it was because Naruto had once again put his foot in his mouth. There was no denying that the child was a work of art in parenting. His parents, whoever they must have been, were probably missing the little mite terribly, Naruto already knew he would as soon as he found a safe way to deliver the kid back home. As much as he appreciated Hiraku's presence, and he did, it wasn't safe for an untrained child in a shinobi village; especially if it was found he was under the care of the evil Kyuubi vessel.
Naruto sighed again. It seemed he did a lot of that lately. He shook the blankets out and spread them over the old matress. It wasn't the most ideal of situations but it would have to do for now. Ironically, he thought as he gently placed Hiraku onto the makeshift bed and covered him with a sheet, his apartment was probably the safest place for anyone right now, seeing as how the place was untouched by human hands except for distruction. Naruto doubted that Hiraku would ever be disturbed. That done Naruto put his hands on his hips and grumbled. It was going to take a lot of work to straighten everything out...He wondered if he should do that now?
Eh...
If he put off going to see Tsunade-baba any longer he was likely to find himself dangling from the flagpole of the Hokage tower, minus a rib or two. He shuddered visibly. Kami, why did there have to be such angry women? Why?
---
"Shizune!!!" the rabid cry galloped out of the Godaime Hokage's office and smashed into her secretary's ears.
"Hai! Tsunade-sama!" Shizune skittered quickly into the room, purple robes flying and hands plastered to her sides in trepidation. The Hokage was scary!
"Shizune," Tsunade said more softly, "do you know what this is?" Tsunade held up a white clay bottle between her thumb and index finger, shaking it lightly.
"H-hai, Tsunade-sama." Shizune's heart filled with dred. "It's a sake bottle."
"And why do you suppose," Tsunade turned the bottle upside down, "that it is empty?"
"Because someone drank it?" Shizune managed a whimpered reply.
"No, no, my dear Shizune. You see this comes from my own private stash." Tsunade began to frown. "And as yet, I had not opened this particular one. You see," she showed the base of the bottle to her secretary, "I mark the bottles according to the day I will drink them. This is Friday's bottle, and this is Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday...Oh! And another whole week is completely empty! Clearly someone has emptied them." Tsunade said with mock surprise as she stacked one bottle after another on her desk. "Now tell me Shizune," the Hokage continued with a feral grin, "since only two people know about this stash and only one other person than myself has the key to this desk, who that someone might be?"
"Me..." Shizune said sullenly.
"Correct!" The Hokage shouted with wicked glee. "You win first prize Shizune! A weeks paid work on refiling the old ANBU reports! Happy paper shunting!" She waved cheerfully as Shizune stomped out of the room grumbling explicit language under her breath. The secretary was so involved in her own personal grudging that she failed to notice the tall blonde shinobi that hastily stuck himself to the hall side to avoid her.
"Whew!" Naruto exclaimed as soon as she passed out of sight. "She's in a bad mood! And if Shizune's in a bad mood that can only mean..." His face took on a pained look. "Tsunade's feeling vindictive today. Aw man! Why is it always me that picks the crappy day to report?" He peeked around the corner of the office door to see the Hokage scowling murderously at a pile of paperwork. Naruto's head snapped back. "Why me?" he whimpered.
It is indeed a very amazing thing that women hold so much power over men. Naruto was singularily the strongest shinobi within a hundred miles of the village and yet facing Tsunade gave him the chills. There was a reason she was the Godaime Hokage, and it wasn't just because she could split a man in half with her pinky finger, oh no. Tsunade was also Hokage because of her strong but lackluster leadership, that frankly scared the shit out of her subordinates when she was riled. Terrifying, was the word naruto frequently used to describe her in his head; along with old hag, granny, and witch. She loved him anyway.
Naruto inched slowly towards the door and raised a fist to knock gingerly on the frame. Tsunade's head did not raise from the stack on her desk.
"Come in," she said,"this had better be good."
"Well," Naruto spoke candidly as he entered the room, "whether it's good or not is entirely up to you, Tsunade-sama."
Naruto had been polite enough with his words considering that this was a day he had best not piss off the Hokage, which is why he did not understand her reaction. Tsunade's blonde, pigtailed head flew up in surprise and her mouth dropped open.
"Kazama-san?!" she shouted. At approximately the same moment a loud, fast thumping carreened down the hallway carrying Shizune with it. She screeched to a halt in front of the Hokage's desk, completely bypassing Naruto.
"Tsunade-sama!" the secretary panicked, "There's a wild rumor in the village! Someone said they spotted the Yondaime walking down the street and now the entire place is in an uproar!"
Tsunade simply stared at Naruto, completely dazed by the scene before her. It was only a few seconds after Shizune had made her untimely entrance that an ANBU guardsman puffed into existance, kneeling on the floor.
"Godaime," he said sternly, "we have reports that a Yondaime look-alike has entered the building. We think this may be an infiltration operation by an opposing village. We require orders as we begin lock-down."
No one except Tsunade was looking at Naruto. Naruto himself was finally understanding the situation and begining to get very tired of it, as was the Hokage it seemed when her dazed expression melted into something more serious.
"Tsunade-sama!" Shizune grabbed the woman's arm and tried to drag her to the window.
"Godaime..." The ANBU prompted.
"QUIET!" Tsunade bellowed lengthily until Shizune had backed off and Naruto clapped his hands over his ears to drive the ringing off. The Hokage stomped to the window and yanked open the blinds. Below, the people of Konoha were shouting en-mass with ear-smashing enthusiasm. When Tsunade stepped up to the window they went berserk and demanded in loud, screechy voices to see the Yondaime. Tsunade immediatly slammed the blind shut again and then stomped over to the young man that was standing at the head of her office, his hands lowering as she approached.
"You!" she poked the youth sharply in the chest, not noticing that he barely budged. "Explain yourself!"
Naruto was taken aback for a moment and then laughed nervously.
"You know, this is the third time this week someone I know doesn't recognize me." He scratched his head loosely. "From Ino I probably should have expected it, but from you Baa-chan? I'm a little disappointed." Naruto grinned sideways.
"Baa...chan?" Tsunade said suspiciously. She eyed the youth before her. Yes he definitely looked like the Yondaime, but there were subtle differences; for example: the eyes were a tad wider, more mischief in them. The jaw wasn't as angular, more rounded. The face had...wait a moment. The face had three fine, razor thin black lines crossing each cheek, like a pair of claws had swiped their way from the back of the ears to the top of the cheekbones. It was then that the Godaime Hokage realized who was standing in front of her, although she could scarcely believe her eyes.
"It's you.." she said, stunned for a moment. Then finally-"It's you! You damn brat! You scared me!"
"I scared you?" Naruto said incredulously. "You scared me! What the heck is going on? The moment I walk into this place the whole damned thing goes up in smoke. It's like no one even remembers that I exist apart from the fact that my apartment has seen the loving care of neglect."
"It's been a year you idiot! You were due to hit puberty sometime! Even I barely recognized you. And what do you mean your apartment is untouched? I specifically sent a team to clean it up last week."
Naruto turned up his head in mock disgust.
"Ew! Baa-chan. Don't talk about things like that! It's embarassing!" His face wrinkled in amusement. "Especially in front of the ANBU." He whispered.
"What? The apartment or puberty?" Tsunade said, not recognizing the game. "Get used to it Naruto! You're seventeen for Kami's sake!"
Naruto just snickered that he'd been able to get her to say the word again.
"I'm joking!" He said happily. It was his childish nature resurfacing again in the village that was his home. Chaos or not, it was good to be back to bugging Tsunade, playing pranks on his fellow shinobi, eating at Ichiraku Ramen as he was soon to do (if it was still standing), everything that Konoha was to him. What he had really missed however, was completely destroyed. The Hokage mountain was a landslide of rubble and ruin that had flattened several prominant buildings in it's downfall. He vowed that it would be the second thing he repaired if they let him work on it.
In the meantime the ANBU had left, seeing that there was no real emergency. Shizune was dumbfounded, this was Naruto? That tall blonde her Hokage was speaking to...Naruto? It couldn't be possible! Naruto was short, stocky, foul tempered and most certainly not capable of carrying on a conversation as he was doing. Tsunade however, was seldom wrong when it came to the people she cared about, and he was one of those. Shizune knew, Tsunade could not be mistaken, this had to be Naruto. It was just so--so unreal! And, it was as much to her surprise as the shinobi himself when Tsunade smiled brilliantly and swooped the teen up in a bone crushing hug.
"I missed you, you brat! So stop pulling stunts like that!" Tsunade was clearly happy that Naruto had arrived back home more or less in one piece. Naruto however was turning a new shade of the color red, not from embarassment, but from lackof oxygen. Even a mighty jinchuuriki needs to breathe.
"Tsunade," he rasped hoarsely, "I need my lungs back--Sometime this century!" He wriggled where his hands and arms were pinned to his sides. Despite the immense strength he knew he had, Naruto wasn't able to shake Tsunade off. What was it about women? One hug and you were either fighting for your life or theirs, whichever came first.
"Oops, sorry Naruto," she said, still grinning while she released him, "but I am certainly glad to have you here."
"Heh, yes," he gasped, bent with hands on knees, "I can feel that. Whew!" He wiped a but of sweat that had formed off his brow. Then Tsunade remembered something she had felt when she hugged him, a long, thin lump along his back.
"Naruto," she said inquisitively, "since when do you use a sword?"
"Oh that!" He exclaimed and looked over his shoulder. "Just something I picked up while I was away. Not really sure how to use it." He lied, though unsure of why he had. "Anyhow, what's new here other than domestic disturbance and barking dogs?"
Tsunade flinched slightly. Naruto still hadn't managed to get over his stumbling block of tactless statements.
"Well," she said plainly while returning to her desk, and the empty sake bottles, "there have been a lot of reports coming in on the status of the surrounding villages and they aren't good." Tsunade sat with her hands folded in front as was customary for her when she was concerned. Naruto frowned.
"How bad?" he asked and leaned against the wall.
"Akatsuki, it appears, has made it's mark on more than one hidden village." She stared pointedly over her clasped hands. "Suna sent a carrier near the end of fall asking for back up which at the time we were unable to provide. We were spread too thin at the time hunting the Akatsuki criminals. A common mistake but unavoidable."
Naruto held his breath. Suna? Gaara was having trouble with those damned black-robed bastards again? But they already had his bijuu! What else did they need?
"Fortunately the Kazekage it seems has been taking our advice and had a reserve taskforce trained specifically for emergencies. Although they were not as useful as hoped, they certainly stemmed the damage caused. I was also told," she smirked, "that the Kazekage was very impressive in battle. The Akatsuki followed the same modus operandi as here and with many other villages too. They managed to slip away however. Rock, Mist, and Cloud-nin have been found scattered throughout the countries with this story, 'the buildings were destroyed but the people left alone.' It is strange, very strange that the Akatsuki should so easily destroy the villages and leave the inhabitants untouched. What do you think Naruto."
Tsunade watched Naruto. She had expected him to respond right away, so it was rather odd to her when he did not. He just leaned there, chin in hand and scowling at the floor. It was most unlike him. She waited, curious to see what his response would be.
"I don't think," he began after a time, "that it's strange at all."
That, Tsunade had not been expecting.
"Oh?" she said, "Is there something you know that we don't?"
Naruto shook his head.
"Only what I see with my eyes." he said tapping his forehead. "There's a whole village of people out there that have mistaken me for their lost Hokage even though they know he's dead. It's just that Baa-chan, mass hysteria or whatever you wanna call it, nuts in a bunch. They're scared and they'll believe anything right now. I would if I were them. The same thing has to be happening in other villages. They're all scared shitless that someone could do this so damned easily. Now it's just a question of who's going to snap first. Us or them? It definitely won't be us, and most probably not Suna, but the other villages have no idea what Akatsuki is or why they're doing what they're doing. Soon someone will probably blame us, or the other guy and then it's all going to go boom from there."
Tsunade was stunned, absolutely stunned.
"Well that's a first," she said strangely. It certainly sounded strange to Naruto's ears.
"What?" He shouted. "I can think too you know!"
Tsunade held up her hands in defense.
"I wasn't questioning your ability," she snickered, "but it's just that I'm impressed despite myself that you came to that conclusion. I'm honestly considering it as a possibility, it sounds much more likely than the crap my advisors have been spouting since day one."
"You really mean that?" He asked, surprised.
"Yes I do," Tsunade smiled, "in fact I am wondering if you would care to give me your input on some other matters once you give me your report, your full report on your time away. Leave nothing important out, and I expect it on my desk by tommorow morning." She turned to her paperwork but was interrupted by a cold feeling. She looked up.
Naruto was scowling.
"About that," he said darkly, "there are some things better left off paper. I really don't want to do this but I need you, the Ero-sennin, Kakashi-sensei, and probably Iruka to arrange some sort of time and place where we can meet. Jiraiya already has some of the details but what I have to say I only want to have to say once and I'd rather do it where it's safe."
Tsunade sensed even without the words that this was of earthshattering importance to her protege and nodded.
"I will summon Kakashi immediately. He's directing work on the new colloseum." She withdrew a scroll from one of her many desk drawers and threw it at the floor where it unraveled neatly. In seconds a puff of smoke went up and dissipated revealing the copy-ninja himself.
"Oh? Hokage-sama, to what do I owe the pleasure of this...impromtu meeting? I thought I was doing fine at the construction site." Kakashi's one visible eye traveled lazily over her desk, and the sake bottles. "Having a party?" He stuffed his hands into his pockets as Tsunade began to fume.
"I, am, not in the mood for your tomfoolery Hatake!" She thundered to her feet, slamming her palms down on the desk and then quieted as Kakashi placed his hands up in defence and apologized.
"Gomen, gomen Tsunade. I was simply observing your collection. Impressive, as always."
"Hmph!" Tsunade snorted and then grinned viciously. If she could mistake Naruto for him then surely Kakashi...Oh, he most certainly would! "Hatake Kakashi, there is someone here who would like to have your attention if you would be so kind."
"Oh?" Kakashi's eyebrow raised. "Who?" He asked.
"Behind you." Tsunade pointed brusquely. Kakashi turned around and his eye bulged out of its socket. Tsunade had only planned to surprise Kakashi with Naruto's appearance. She did not plan on what happened next.
"Arashi-" Kakashi began and was cut off by Naruto who answered,
"-Yes?"
It was unfortunate that at that moment Naruto was still used to hearing that name being called in reference to himself and responded out of reflex. It was also unfortunate that Arashi was the name of the Yondaime Hokage. It was also unfortunate that the Yondaime had been Kakashi's mentor and idol until the day he died. It was then very unfortunate that Kakashi did a very un-kakashi-like thing and fainted with the word 'sensei' on his lips. Tsunade watched in horror as the jounin's eye rolled back in his head and he keeled over, convulsing onto the floor.
"Shit!" she swore. "Shit shit shit!" She felt for a pulse and checked his breathing. Both were erratic. "This is not good! Naruto! Contact the hospital unit on the bottom floor of this building immediately!"
"What! He just fainted there's no nee-"
"I said now! Tell them it's pre-cardiac arrest syndrom. Go!"
Naruto needed no more telling and flew out of the office as fast as his feet could take him. He was at the bottom floor in thirty seconds, not even breathing heavily. The place was thick with medical personnel that were treating daily cuts and bruises caused by the falling debris in the village. As soon as he entered a ripple of shock spread throughout the room. He ignored it and shouted.
"Somebody quickly! The Hokage needs help! Kakashi in pre-car-whatever-ack arrest! Office! Now!"
A team of medic-nin immediatly brushed past him and raced up the stairs without comment. They knew their job and Naruto's was done. He flopped down on the stairway and felt a flood of energy rush out of him. His own heart was pounding wildly in fear. What had happened to Kakashi? He sat there feeling absolutely drained, head hanging, until a small but familiar voice reached his ears.
"Niisan?" Naruto's head felt too heavy to lift. He knew who that was though.
"Hello Hiraku," he said blandly. "Sleep well?"
"Yeah, better than you did I think. You look awful. What happened?"
"I just had a very scary experience."
The rest of the room was listening in but Naruto could care less as Hiraku took a seat beside him.
"One of my oldest friends just got hurt real bad. I don't know how it happened, but he's up there in some sort of condition that I can't even pronounce. I did what I could, but now that I can't do anything else so I'm feeling kind of useless. How'd you find me anyway?"
"Well, when I woke up and you weren't there I remembered Arashi always saying to follow the trail of disruption and I'd find you so..."
"You just looked for the point of most chaos and I'm at the center of it."
"Something like that, yeah."
They both laughed, Naruto uneasily.
"It figures, we are basically the same person if you think about it."
"Yeah, but he's more serious than you."
"And shorter."
There was a period of silence between them in which the staff of the make-shift clinic busied themselves with other things. Naruto stared at an ant that was frantically scuttling its way across the floor while Hiraku swung his scrawny legs back and forth. Then, being the child he was, Hiraku's overwhelming dam of questions burst and he was talking a mile a minute.
"How come you were so scared? You didn't get hurt too did you? Where there enemy ninjas? Is your friend a ninja and what's a Hokage? What do they-"
"Whoa, whoa kid! Slow down! I can only answer so much before my head begins to spin." Naruto said pleasantly. "Okay," he continued, "first and second question. I didn't get hurt. As you can see, all limbs are attached." he wiggled his fingers in front of Hiraku's eyes and the child giggled. "And why I was scared, well, I guess you could say it's more like worry. You see, unlike you and most people I didn't grow up with a lot of family, in fact I don't even know who my parents were. I'm not complaining about it, I've never had a reason to but my friend, Kakashi, is one of the first people who ever accepted me as I am, not for what I could be."
"What could you be?"
"A monster!" Naruto grinned suddenly and began a tickle fight with Hiraku and the child shrieked with laughter. "A terrible monster with fangs and claws to catch you with!" Naruto mercilessly dug into the boy's ribs and Hiraku did his best through the ordeal to hold him off.
"N-no fair!" he gasped. "You're bigger than me! Meanie!" One of Hiraku's flailing feet shot up and clipped Naruto in the jaw.
"Ow!" the jinchuuriki exclaimed and released his hold on his young charge. "You've got one heck of a kick kid. I might even get a bruise from this." He smirked and pointed to the red spot on his skin.
"Yeah well..." Hiraku chirruped. "You deserved it, picking on helpless little child like me."
"Helpless my ass." Naruto mumbled while rubbing the sore spot on his jaw. The rest of the people in the room were trying very hard to hide smiles and muffled snickers. All of these Naruto saw and heard but paid no mind. It was good for them to have some comic relief anyway. Sometimes he felt as if all the humour in the world had been sucked out of people and he was the only one left who remembered how to laugh.
"Anyhow," Hiraku started up again, "you still haven't answered my other questions."
"Oh, sorry, I forgot them. What was it you wanted to know?"
"Is your friend a ninja?"
"Yep," Naruto was proud, "and a damn good one too. He's just getting old and shocks easy."
"Ookay," Hiraku said dubiously, "then what's a Hokage, and what does it do?"
In that moment a delicate hand was placed on both of the boy's shoulders. Naruto froze and Hiraku sat bolt upright.
"A Hokage," said the female voice that Naruto knew only too well, "is the head ninja of all the others in Konoha, like a village chief. He or she runs things to the best of their abilities and is the strongest in the village. It was Naruto's dream, and if I know him at all it still is, to become the Hokage."
Both Hiraku and Naruto turned at the same time. Naruto had a sheepish smile on his face but Hiraku looked scared.
"Hi Baa-chan!" Naruto said brightly. "How's Kakashi? Alive or do I have to pound some life into him?"
"He's stable," Tsunade said gravely, "but I want to know what possessed you to respond in such a manner. Arashi is not your name! It's the name of the Yondaime Hokage!"
"Oh so that's where it came from!" Naruto's eyes widened. "I'd been wondering where I picked it up, but I guess that's it."
Hiraku was confused.
"Arashi's a Hokage?"
"No silly, he just has the same name."
Tsunade's eyebrow twitched. "Would someone tell me..." she seethed, "what the hell is going on! Who is this Arashi, and this child! Naruto! You have some explaining to do!"
"Hai! Tsunade-sama!" Naruto snapped to attention and then relaxed. "I'll tell you everything but it needs to be all at once. But I think we're safe with telling your name eh Hiraku?"
Tsunade's temper softened a bit to let the child speak as Naruto pushed him forwards. She still glared at the jinchuuriki but it, as always, seemed to have no effect. Hiraku however, was petrified.
"M-m-my name is Am-Amateras Hiraku m-ma'am." His voice was small, sweet and utterly endearing to Tsunade, who being the softie at heart she was, melted like a stick of butter. She bent down and ruffled the child's hair. Hiraku's eyes crossed in the center and he became even more nervous trying to escape without actually moving.
"It's alright." Tsunade cooed. "I'm sorry I scared you."
"T-that's fine!" Hiraku squeeked and backed away hastily, hiding behind Naruto's legs. The legendary medic's brows flew up into her bangs and she stared directly at Naruto who shrugged.
"Okay then, Naruto, you will fill me in on the situation later correct?" Tsunade glared fiercely at the blonde shinobi.
"I promise." He was serious, albeit a bit frazzled.
"Good, you can come see Kakashi in the hospital in about half an hour. We'll have a room for him by then. Luckily most of them weren't damaged in the attack." Her voice trailed off as she went back up the stairs. Naruto looked after her for a while until she was fully out of sight. He tapped Hiraku on the shoulder.
"You can come out now." He said gently.
"Is..is she gone?" Hiraku snuck a peek around the orange fabric covering Naruto's legs.
"All gone. I admit she's hella nasty when she's mad, but she's not that bad. What scared you so much?"
Naruto felt a tremble go through the thin bones of Hiraku's body.
"Her chest," Hiraku whispered, "her chest was trying to eat me!"
Naruto just stood there, completely swamped by the idea. Tsunade's chest...trying to... Oh man, that was funny! He fell against the wall laughing hysterically and clutching his sides.
"Hi-Hiraku!" He gasped through gales of laughter. "D-d'you have a-any idea wh-who that was?"
The child shook his head vigorously, no.
"That, was the Godaime Hokage! Ha!"
"Please tell me you're joking," Hiraku groaned.
Naruto just howled with mirth as he led Hiraku out of the building but was quickly silenced as a mob of men and women rushed at him as soon as he stepped outside. Purely out of reflex he scooped up Hiraku and leapt as high as he could, which was to say, higher than the top of the Hokage tower. Naruto stuck his tongue out at the crowd below, which they thankfully could not see from that distance.
"Yee! They're more obsessed than Sasuke's fanclub!" Naruto stalled for moment before gravity took effect and pulled him down. As they began their descent Hiraku hung on for dear life.
"Naruto!" He cried. "We're going to crash!"
What Hiraku did not yet fully understand about normal well trained shinobi is that a simple drop from a hundred feet was like falling out of bed for them. Naruto was not normal.
"Hold on tight kid!" Naruto whooped craftily. "We're going flying!" When his feet hit the top of the tower he sprang away like a loose rocket and sent them sailing through the air. Wind whistled and slashed through his hair in a blast of enthusiasm, and as he soared above the rooftops with the people staring up below, Naruto couldn't remember when he had felt more alive.
---
Sometimes, when we see what we want to see it becomes so real that we cannot change the way we view it. For some of the people of Konoha it was most certainly that way, inside and out. Utatane Koharu was able to bend her views on the subject of the jinchuuriki her village held. Mitokado Homura however, a man of extreme pride, could not. They were the highest ranking councel members of Konoha and the Hokage's chief advisors. That didn't mean they liked her.
Koharu, as per her usual custom, was seated primly in her parlor room with a clay cup of steaming tea and the latest reports from her subordinates. Old she may be, but dull she was not. It was made known to her only minutes after his arrival that the demon vessel was back in town, and more importantly, by all accounts of him he was not as foolish as when he had left. That was dangerous.
There was a steady knocking at the door.
"Come." She commanded without looking up.
The door opened noiselessly and a man entered. Like most things in her life Koharu preferred perfection, even in the working of door hinges which she kept well oiled.
"What is it you want Homura?" She tranquilly sipped her tea and placed it ever so lightly back on the stand the stood beside her highbacked chair. She flipped a page of the report.
"He is back." Homura grumped and shuffled around the room, pacing.
"Yes, I was informed." Koharu flipped another page.
"Well?" He wanted to know.
"Well what?"
"What are we going to do about him?" Homura's tone was calm but Koharu was never fooled by that expression of his, even without looking at it. He was raging to cause some damage under that windbag veneer, and she was more than willing to scratch it.
"We?"
"Yes, we! You didn't expect me to involve Danzou in this did you?"
"Certainly not."
"Then, what are we going to do?"
"I," Koharu picked up her cup, "am going to finish my tea." She sipped it. "And then, I shall go for a walk while I contemplate the latest ANBU recommendations. You may do whatever you wish."
Homura goggled incredulously at his old team mate.
"Tea?" He spluttered. "And a walk?"
"Yes."
"Tea and a walk?" He repeated, as of he had not heard clearly the first time.
"I believe I already said that." Koharu skimmed over the rest of the report and downed what was left of her drink. "Now if you would be so kind to lock up after you leave, I am going out on my walk now." She stood and walked over to the door. Homura was close behind her and blocked her hand's way to the knob. Koharu turned and gazed serenely at her confidante and co-operator in the village's affairs. Homura was pressing his spectacles against the bridge of his nose despite the fact that the were not in the slightest bit loose. It was a sign of his inner fury that only a few knew how to read.
"Remove your hand from my way Homura." Koharu said coldly.
"I will more than happy to oblige," he responded with equal venom, "as soon as you give me a proper answer."
"I told you truthfully, that I am going for a walk." Koharu clutched his hand at the pressure point. "Now remove your hand, or I shall remove it for you."
"I believe you," Homura minced carefully, "however, your actions are never without cause. This must have some reason?"
As usual, Homura was his raging, nosey, picky self. Koharu almost smiled.
"Hmm, yes, I was planning on visiting Hatake Kakashi while he is hospitalized."
"What? When did this occur?"
"Shortly after the boy arrived, this morning."
Koharu waited for the planted implications of the statement to take effect. She could almost hear the cogs and wheels spinning in Homura's spitefully small skull.
"I see..." The elderly man held out his hand. "May I join you for that walk?"
"It would be my pleasure." Koharu allowed him to take her arm and they walked out of the house together, as always.
---
Author's Note: As silly as it may seem, one of my primary reasons for naming Naruto's split personality 'Arashi' was soley to see the look on Kakashi's face when Naruto, an obvious Yondaime look-alike, responded to it. I couldn't get the image out of my head so I had to fit it in somehow. Surprisingly it has worked very well for the ploteline and it even helps me hook some new elements in that will be incorporated in the very near future. Happy readings!