So, I may have lost the chapter after it was done, whoops. That's why I didn't post last week. Anyways, I finished it again so here it is, enjoy!
And btw, I'm not that dude in the comments, like I don't even know how to delete reviews but ok. I'll never answer through there, just in here. And can we please follow OcarinaTapion's advice? Let's just leave that fight behind.
I'd also like to thank OcarinaTapion87, Mewlover9000 and Kriffmaster for their reviews! I'll also be taking some of Why's points on count, although I'd really appreciate if we avoided insults from now on.
Alright, here's chapter 31, I hope you like it, and remember:
I DO NOT OWN DBZ NOR NARUTO.
"Excuse me, sir, why was I called here?" Gohan asked. It felt weird for him to be called to the office of the Hokage.
In the Third's former chair, a jounin was looking into a piece of paper, probably an important document. The towers of paper that used to fill the desk all those past times Gohan visited the office were gone. Yuichi seemed to have gone through a boring and tiring day, or at least that's what the saiyan assumed from seeing his eye bags. And when he took a sip from his cup of tea, he finally noticed the presence of the kid.
"Oh, sorry, I was busy doing some paperwork." The silver-haired man said as he put the paper away.
"So, are you the next Hokage, sir?" Gohan asked as he sat down on the chair in front of the desk, having been invited to do so.
"No, no, I am just covering the obligations of the Third while the council decides on a new one." Yuichi shivered at the mere thought of him doing all that paperwork every day for the rest of his life. "I'm not made for the job anyways."
"I see..." He cleared his throat before continuing, he expected the man to tell him then what he'd been called there for. "And why did you call me here, sir?" He asked with a soft voice, not wanting to give a negative impression.
"Right! I had forgotten." He pushed his blue haori away from the desk, causing it to fall down to the floor. From behind the desk, he took a green vest out, similar to the one he usually wore along his haori. "We've been told that you were able to defeat the One-tail by yourself, so we decided that you deserved this." Yuichi had already offered it to Gohan, but something suddenly came to mind that caused him to retrieve it back to his side. "I do have something to ask you. Knowing so little about you causes me to doubt, so I apologize." His face turned to a more serious expression. "Will you stay in the village and swear loyalty to it?"
The saiyan took his time to answer, specially because he was startled by the seriousness in the man's eyes. "I don't really have anywhere else to go, sir. This place is totally unknown to me." Before the jounin was able to reply, the kid continued. "But there is a problem."
"What is it?" Yuichi was relieved and satisfied for a moment, thinking that he had succeeded on keeping the kid within the borders of the Leaf, but those emotions disappeared quickly after hearing that last sentence.
"I don't think I relate with what being a shinobi means or what it requires." Gohan wasn't able to look at the silver-haired jounin in the eyes, he felt like he had just told him something disrespectful. His surprise was great when he heard a calm voice come from him.
"So you know what being a shinobi means? Well, we were informed that you visited the library regularly, so it wouldn't surprise me." He said as he put his haori on his lap. "What would surprise me, though, is that you got the true meaning of being a shinobi written in a mere book or scroll."
"I only read about jutsu and about some parts of the history of the village." The saiyan explained. "I think I got the meaning from what I've experienced alongside my teammates. The Chunin Exams, kids of my age or even slightly older fighting to death, and for what? For honor? For-"
"For their home." Yuichi answered the question. "Many shinobi don't fight just for fun or to kill, many fight for their families and loved ones in general, even to make a better world." He remembered when he graduated from the academy. "Back when I was younger, you were forced to become a shinobi, but now things have changed. And while young ones like you can feel pressured to choose that path, it isn't mandatory to do so anymore."
"So that's why there is people with other professions... I see, but still, when they choose to become a shinobi they're risking their lives." He hesitated for a moment, but decided to continue with his idea. "Don't you think that 11 years old is a bit too young to put your life at risk?"
"My opinion doesn't matter," Yuichi's words were unexpected by the young saiyan, "they decide for themselves, so I don't have the authority to make that decision." The kid seemed to be quite disappointed with that answer, and the jounin noticed it. "However, that doesn't change the fact that you can protect them."
It seems that's the only way... Gohan raised his voice once again, trying to find any other ways to find an alternative. "But does the academy educate for something outside of being a shinobi? Maybe that's the issue."
"Well, you could say that's the focus, but in the first years of education, general subjects are taught. And in a world so conflictive, it is hard not to focus education towards it, the system itself is built on that." He noticed that Gohan was putting attention, but he still preferred not to give him the explanation of how their society worked and why, he was still too young to understand. At least, that's what he thought. "It's complicated, but I think you understand what I meant."
"And can't the Hokage do something about it?" The saiyan finally asked.
"Within this borders, yes." He answered calmly. "And if the next Hokage is who I think will be, you can be surprised by her ideas." Yuichi explained. "When younger, she wanted to change some things, just like you do now. And even if that doesn't happen, maybe you can become the Sixth Hokage and change it yourself."
"Alright then," he seemed to have taken a decision, which provoked a smile from the jounin, "for now, I'll continue being a shinobi, because I have to make sure that my friends are okay." He remained silent for a couple of seconds, then raised his head to give the man a kind grin. "Thanks for your time, sir, and sorry for bothering."
"Don't worry, it was fun to talk to you." He gave the vest to Gohan, who put it in right after taking it. "Looks good on you."
"Thank you, sir." He smiled once again, and waved at the man before leaving the office.
As the door closed, he took back the paper he'd put away right before starting the conversation with the kid. It seemed to be a record, as it had the name of some ninja along with information about them. 'Jiraiya', 'Orochimaru' and 'Tsunade Senju' figured next to the name of the now deceased 'Hiruzen Sarutobi'.
So there's nothing on where she is... He thought as he read the title of the document, 'Team Hiruzen'.
Once again, the door of the office opened, this time gaining the silver-haired man's attention. From it, a tall man with long, white hair entered. He waved at Yuichi while having a wide smile on his face.
"Ready for the meeting?"
"No way!" Naruto exclaimed as he saw Gohan arrive at the place. "You're a chunin now? That's amazing!"
The blonde genin and Konohamaru were waiting outside of Ichiraku for their friend to arrive. The small ramen restaurant was almost empty, as usual. Both of the saiyan's friends' faces were filled with a smile once they saw him wearing the green vest.
"It isn't that comfortable, but I don't really mind." He preferred wearing a cape like Piccolo's, but he figured that he'd never have the chance to do it again.
"So, Gohan's closer than ourselves..." Konohamaru said. "Seems like we have to train harder, right?" He turned to the blonde genin, who nodded with great determination.
"Yeah! One day I'll beat both of you, believe it!" He pointed at the saiyan first, and then at his childhood friend.
"I'd like to see that." Gohan replied as he entered Ichiraku, inviting his two friends to do the same.
It was probably the second or third time he went there, so he wasn't really unfamiliar with the restaurant. They sat down in the counter, the only place to sit in except for two tables outside the small local. Teuchi was there to receive them, as happy as he always was to see them, although this time he seemed to be slightly happier; probably because of the saiyan's vest. From behind the middle aged man, a younger girl came out, probably coming out of the kitchen.
"Oh, hey Ayame!" Naruto greeted enthusiastically.
Gohan and Konohamaru also waved at the girl with a similar amount of enthusiasm. And of course, Teuchi's daughter waved back at them, walking to her father's side while she did.
"What will you want this time?" She asked with a grin on her face.
"I'll have the same as always!" The blonde genin answered.
"I'll have the same as Naruto!" Konohamaru replied with great determination.
"Hmm, I think I will have five bowls of what they ordered." Gohan said as he scratched his chin.
"Alright! Seven bowls of ramen coming!" She said energetically while grabbing her father's arm, taking him to the kitchen to help her.
Gohan couldn't help but smile at the girl's passion for her profession, it made him happy to see that people could be passionate there with something different than being a shinobi. The brown-haired girl seemed really young, which caused the saiyan to suppose that she was never a shinobi.
"And what will you do now that the exams are over?" Naruto asked the saiyan, causing the Third's grandson to also turn to look at him.
"Well, I'm not sure, maybe I'll go on missions with my team, like before..." He got into his thoughts for a moment before continuing the conversation. "Do you think we'll get missions to repair the village? I'm sure you've noticed that the invasion left many damages on buildings. Fortunately not Ichiraku, though."
"Yeah, that's good. And I don't know about the missions, that would be somewhat boring!" Naruto replied, only getting a disappointed look from the saiyan.
"I don't think that's boring, I actually think that would be fun!" Gohan responded. "I love helping people, and it's been a while since I helped anyone..."
"Here's the food!" Konohamaru cheered as both the middle-aged man and the young girl came out of the kitchen with the seven bowls of ramen they'd ordered. They were served on their place, and as soon as they were given the sticks, they started eating as fast as they could.
After finishing his bowl, Naruto stole one from Gohan, which started a stick fight. Konohamaru saw the chance and took it, stealing one bowl from the saiyan and eating it calmly while he fought against the blonde genin. Teuchi and Ayame laughed as both kids used the sticks as swords.
In the same floor as the Hokage's office, another important room stood. The council of the village held there meetings there, regularly they'd discuss important issues with the Hokage, but this time it would be different as the Third died during Orochimaru's invasion. Along with the elders, two other important shinobi for the Leaf were in the room. Jiraiya and Yuichi sat down in front of the elders, who remained in their special seats.
"Seeing that both of you reject the position... Which are your proposals for the next Hokage?" The elderly woman asked. "We have also considered Danzo Shimura as the ideal successor to Lord Third."
"I propose Tsunade Senju." The man of the long, white hair said with a relaxed tone.
"I also propose Tsunade Senju." The silver-haired jounin said as he crossed his arms. Danzo? Really?
"And do you know what her current location is? Such information is unknown to us, and I believe it also is for you." The old man glanced at Jiraiya, who stood up immediately after.
"Nope, but I'll find her." He stretched his arms as he spoke, which caused the elder to sigh.
"The replacement is urgent! The village cannot persist without a proper leader!" The old woman protested. However, she was stopped by the other member of the council, who beckoned her to calm down.
"I'm sure Yuichi can take care of that while we're out searching for Tsunade." He glanced at the jounin, whose face showed deep suffering. "Right?"
The silver-haired man nodded, keeping his glance down. If he was alone in that room, he was sure he would cry. The mere thought of the paperwork made him lose the will to live. "For how long will it be?"
"Jiraiya will be given a month to find Tsunade, if he isn't able to do so by the end of that time, Danzo will be chosen as the Fifth Hokage." As the old man spoke, Yuichi fell down to the floor; not only would he have to deal with the paperwork, now the decision of whether Shimura becomes Hokage is on the Frog Sage's hands. "Understood?"
Jiraiya calmly nodded. "Oh, and before I leave, I want to take the kid with me."
"Go ahead." Both elders said in unison. "Just make sure he comes back, you know the Kyubi is a vital resource we cannot lose."
"Alright." He waved them off before exiting the room. "Good luck, Yuichi."
Well, that was it for now, I hope you liked it!
So I spent a lot of time on the conversation between Yuichi and Gohan, as I think it's kind of important for his development, so I hope it was cool! And of course there's also the meeting, which is still pretty similar to canon.
Anyways, I think next chapter will come next week, just so you know. See you soon!