~~ Thank you everyone for reading. I hope you all had a fantastic Christmas.~~ (=^_^=)
The slight breeze flowed gently through the village of Konoha. Above the village, the current Hokage, Tsunade and the soon to be Hokage Naruto sat on the balcony of the Hokage's office, watching over the village. Tsunade watched Naruto intently as he sipped his green tea, lost in thought.
"Nothing will be the same, will it be Naruto?" Tsunade mused, flipping her hair off of her shoulder.
"So much has changed recently, it sure seems like that." Naruto nodded in agreement.
"What exactly happened with your Fa.. I mean Minato?" Tsunade altered her sentence as she noticed Naruto stiffen.
"I summoned the miniature version of the Kyuubi to help me come up with a full proof Henge for my parents. I mean…the Kyuubi doesn't have an ounce of Chakra when he's in that form, and he's completely vulnerable. Minato tried to kill him. I intervened. I know that the attack on the village was a horrible thing, but it was truly Madera's fault, not the Kyuubi's. So, I protected the one who had protected me all of my life, and will continue to and now also protect my child when it is born. I never thought that I would be the Hokage, after all, these villagers wanted me dead all of my life, and now that I know it was all Haishi's fault, I can't harbor hatred for them anymore. I'm just scared, I guess." Naruto chucked, ruffling his hair.
"Scared about what?" Tsunade probed.
"Well, I'm going to be a Dad. I mean, how will I know what to do? I was on my own most of my life, and never really was taught how to be a good father. I just don't want my child to ever feel the way I did, about anything, including being a Jinchuuriki." Naruto shrugged, as he finished his tea.
" I know things are tough, so much is changing. All I can say is, trust your instincts because you have a heart of gold, and I believe in you." Tsunade smiled, and pulled Naruto into a motherly hug.
The two were broken apart by shock as the doors of the Hokage's office were busted open, and a very pissed off Tsume Inuzuka stood before the Hokage.
"What the Hell? Why don't any of you ever knock!" Tsunade glared.
"Oh, my sincerest apologies, Hokage," the words dripped of venom, "but you will tell me what happened to my son, and you will tell me everything right now!" Tsume barked out.
Tsunade was about to speak, but was silenced when Naruto placed his hand on her shoulder. Tsunade shot a glance at Naruto, and looked into his all too serious eyes.
"Do not speak to the Hokage in that tone. If you're frustrated, speak to me. I was the team leader." Naruto spoke, his tone sharp.
"Okay then, you tell me" Tsume spoke, shaking, trying to control her anger.
"I don't know how he was killed, or Akamaru. All I know is we were on an S rank mission, and your son left the group. Despite the fact that the ANBU and searched Orichimaru's hideout, they could not have found every trap. Orichimaru was very talented and also quite evil, and that's a bad combination. When we were fighting through some traps, he left the group. We don't know where he went, all we know is he died. It's no one's fault. It's the life of a Ninja." Naruto explained.
"That's bullshit. I don't have to listen to another word. You may be the same rank as me, but you're just a child. The Inuzuka clan is leaving!" Tsume shouted, and Tsunade bit her lip to stop herself from saying something to make the situation worse.
"If you mean what you say, I will do the paperwork. Immediately." Tsunade spoke, forcing as much respect as she could muster. " What village will you be joining?"
"Suna." and with that, Tsume stomped out of the office.
Naruto and Tsunade started to laugh, after all that was so completely random, and absolutely ridiculous. With a shake of his head, Naruto left the office, to return to his house. Naruto stopped just outside of the door. With a great sigh, he pushed open the door. He had made it right on time, and dinner was just being served. Despite the fact he had not eaten, he still wasn't quite hungry. With a sigh, he sat down at the table. Kushina and Minato sat, neither of them looking at Naruto. Hinata sat down, after serving dinner, and they began to eat in silence.
Hinata finally slammed her glass down, and stood.
"Okay everyone, enough is enough. I just went through a hellish mission, I came home and cooked this wonderful dinner, and I'm pregnant! So someone better smile, and begin a conversation." Hinata glared as she sat down.
Naruto smiled, and cleared his throat.
"Hina is right, we shouldn't be acting like were in a morgue. So, erm… Mom…Dad, would you like to train with me for a little while tomorrow? I want you all to know about all of my techniques so that we all can know what we have for support in battle, or in an emergency. Plus, I have an uneasy feeling about Suna right now. I could be wrong, but I feel another Ninja War coming over the horizon. In any event, we all need to train. Hinata, I have a special training in mind for you. Shall we do it tomorrow?"
"Okay Naruto, that sounds like a plan." Kushina nodded, and Minato smiled in unison.
The family finished their marvelous dinner, and Minato and Kushina retired to their home on the Uzumaki Clan residence. Naruto and Hinata were now alone, washing up some dinner dishes. Naruto suddenly pulled Hinata away from the kitchen sink. He grasped her, and held her in a loving embrace, running his hands lightly through her raven hair.
"Things are so off the wall, aren't they?" Naruto mused, picking Hinata up, and carrying her to the bedroom, and placing her down on the bed, and cuddling up next to her.
"Things are really weird… it's like we just can't get a break." Hinata nodded, patting her rounded stomach.
Naruto slightly frowned and placed his hands on her stomach.
"We will be good parents, don't you think?" Naruto asked.
"Of course, I mean it has to involve a lot of instinct. We know what not to do, that's all that truly matters." Hinata replied.
Naruto smiled, and pulled Hinata to lie across his chest.
"Do you really think that there will be another great Ninja war Naruto?" Hinata asked, gazing deep into Naruto's eyes.
"Yes. Tomorrow I will go over every single Jutsu and ability that I possess. I will also train you how to summon. Chakra exhaustion is better for you then physical in your current state." Naruto replied, with a sigh.
"I really hope the war won't begin until I've had our child… I want to be able to fight." Hinata responded.
"I think the war will begin before the next five months are over. I just have a feeling. Normally, I'm never wrong. So, we'll just have to wait and see. I'm going to master Sage mode hopefully. I'll be leaving in a week to go with the Chief Toad. While I am gone, spend some time learning a medical Jutsu, or work on your water element with Anko. We will need to be prepared, for anything." Naruto ordered his eyes clear.
"Of course Naruto." Hinata nodded, and began to doze off.
Naruto was about to fall asleep himself, when a loud knock emerged from the other side of the front door. Naruto and Hinata groggily opened the door to find the ANBU captain waiting outside.
"The Hokage requests all of the Ninja of Konoha immediately. Head to the Hokage tower."
Naruto and Hinata exchanged glances, and transported. Lady Tsunade stood above the antsy Ninja who were all nervous about the informal meeting.
"Shinobi of the Leaf, we have an emergency on our hands. The village of Suna has appointed a new Kazekage, who is also the new leader of the Akatsuki. Furthermore, all of the prior residents of the Hidden Sound Village have also joined. Our alliances with the Hidden Mist, Hidden Cloud, and the Hidden Rock Villages are strong, and have given their consent to aid us against the Villages of the Hidden Rain, Hidden Sound, and Hidden Sand. We have no information on the Kazekage. According to our information, we have six months to begin intense training and preparations before the next Ninja War will commence." Tsunade announced.
The Shinobi of the leaf began to talk all at once, clearly confused and concerned.
"Before I dismiss you, I have one more announcement," Tsunade paused, "Uzumaki Naruto please come front and center."
Naruto gulped, and walked through the crowd of Shinobi, avoiding curious stares. Naruto stood above the crowd, next to Tsunade.
"I will be stepping down from the Hokage title. I am clearly more ready for battle then anything else. Naruto Uzumaki will be the next Hokage, and will be taking my place. He will lead the attack in the war, and create his own personal team of experts to council him, and help make decisions. The change in command will commence within the following week. Now, do we all agree to this change?" Tsunade questioned.
"Hai!" every Ninja of Konoha saluted.
Naruto smiled with bliss, and took on center stage.
"Tonight, we will rest. The training will begin at sunrise tomorrow morning. We will separate your teams, and place with you with Ninja of your same element. From there, you will enhance your Jutsus, and spar with the other elements. We have six months; let us not waste a single second." Naruto concluded, and shot his fist through the air.
The battle cries of the Ninja shot out through the air, and Naruto smiled above the crowd, anxious to begin his training, and release the secrets he had up his sleeve.
~~R&R please… and any special requests? Let me know!~~
+Awoken Dreamer+