Disclaimer: Yes.

A/N: I admit, no action in this one. Nevertheless, enjoy.

A Nugget Of Advice, Chapter 8

Evening of the Invasion of Konohagakure by Oto and Sunagakure...

The last active sannin in Konohagakure arrived at the Hokage Residence, the very mansion many of the Hokage spent their reign living in. Of course, only three Hokage have spent their time here. Minato never did so, said he wanted to live in the village, and seem like he was one of the people. Jiraiya himself had been here a few times, visiting Sarutobi-sensei – when his late teacher's wife was around, and a few times when she had died – but he hadn't been too intimate with the place. Fortunately, he only had to worry about making it to the front gate.

The current jōnin commander was there to greet him. That commander being Shikaku Nara, an experience ninja of the force for many years and current head of his clan, the Nara Clan. The 38-year old man had an excellent service history, and was the very testament of why the Nara Clan was feared inside and outside Konohagakure. In fact, the Third Shinobi World War was won because of his role as jōnin commander even back then, serving as the village's tactician. If you brought him one scenario and needed a solution, his mind would immediately think of twenty ways to solve it in a very short time. Those Nara, man. Excellent allies.

Shikaku Nara unfolded his arms, and sent Jiraiya a slight but nonetheless respectful bow. "Jiraiya-sama, good evening. A hell of a day we just had."

Jiraiya bowed back. "Indeed. I can't wait for be over with it. I need a cold beer, and a babe in my lap. You know what I mean?"

"I don't really have to worry about the woman part, but I would definitely love a cold beer. Unfortunately, my wife isn't very keen on my drinking, especially late at night."

Jiraiya chuckled. "Probably one of the reasons I never got tied down. Life's too short to not be running around, and not enjoying yourself."

Shikaku shook his head with a strained smile. "Unfortunately, not all of of us are lucky to live that life. Or willing to. Anyway, shall we get this over with so we can get home and rest for the night?"

Jiraiya gestured him to lead, and the Nara clansman did, placing a key into the keyhole of the door, and opening the doors to the Hokage Residence. Jiraiya ignored most of the posh and swanky furniture inside the place, and focused more at the way they were going. If memory served him well here, they were on their way to Sarutobi-sensei's study.

Soon enough, they were in a large room with a sparse amount but still nice furniture; sitting chairs, a large book shelf circling the entire room, and a desk in the middle with a chair sitting at it. Jiraiya ran his fingertips on the wooden table, adorned with several scrolls and papers on top. The papers were piled up in a neat stack, looking intimidating. All things the Sandaime hadn't finished filling out. However, that wasn't his main focus. Instead, Jiraiya was focused on the scrolls instead. "Are these the letters Sarutobi-sensei were speaking about?"

"Yes, they are. Pick the one farthest left. That's the first one he wanted you to read."

Jiraiya nodded and did a little sigh, before unraveling the scroll. 'Time to get down to business then.'

"Jiraiya,

"I am writing this to you for the same reason I will write a letter to Naruto. The Chūnin Exams draw near, and I await the tournament with equaling anticipation and trepidation. I fear that the Exams will be the end of my reign as the Hokage. I fear Orochimaru will end up killing me. I am not in my prime, Jiraiya; I have not been in my prime for years. Simple training would have sufficed, but nothing so much in a month. I am, after all, not young and spry like our certain resident Uzumaki. Years in the office without stepping out for a battle has significantly made me weaker, and I am but a shell of a shinobi I used to be.

That was pretty bad of him to think like that… But maybe it wasn't that far from the truth. Sensei struggled in that last battle. He certainly was not in his prime, and definitely not fighting with his best.

"Yes, perhaps this is not how a Hokage should talk about himself to one of his subjects, but I feel like admitting this to you. You are more than one of my subjects, but a man I have come to care for like a son, really. Yes, I felt the same once for Tsunade and Orochimaru, but they have abandoned the village. Yes, I say this. Orochimaru has become perverted and sick, demented and irredeemable. I shall make sure if I die in the upcoming battle, I will try my best to rectify my past mistakes dealing with him. Words cannot alone express my regrets about Orochimaru.

'Sensei sounded like he was already preparing to use the Shiki Fūjin,' Jiraiya thought with a grimace. 'That's horrible for him to believe that he needed it to beat Orochimaru.'

"As for Tsunade, I still care for her, but she has abandoned her duties, her country, because she could not get over her own issues dealing with her former lover, and also her brother. I wept for the souls who have died in the Second Shinobi World War, as some of those souls were close friends, and family of mine. You, who have always had no parents, and you, who lost friends of your own, wept but you had gotten back up, and let go. You stood tall when things were falling apart – I have always admired that about you. I expected Tsunade of the same, but she failed me.

Jiraiya had to stop at that. That was… surprising. He never knew Sarutobi-sensei had those thoughts of his students. While it was flattering to hear Sarutobi-sensei had a high opinion on him, the less than flattering feelings he had for Tsunade was shocking. He could understand the disappointment he felt at Tsunade quitting as a shinobi, but for him to say she "failed him?" That was surprising uncharacteristic of him to say.

"As harsh as it sounded, she failed me.

"As terrible as it was, Orochimaru failed me.

"But you, you have always made me proud to call you my student.

"You, Jiraiya… Ah, yes, the gallant Jiraiya – forever roaming, but always serving his country, his countrymen, and his Hokage. You have done well.

"Thus, Jiraiya, I feel it prudent to ask you one final thing of you, and it is selfish, I know, but I felt like you were best suited for it. I have spoken to my advisers, and they have approved, but I will leave the final choice to you.

Oh no. He could feel butterflies form in his stomach. What did his sensei have planned for him? He wouldn't be worrying if he didn't think he knew what it was.

"What I ask of you is not easy, and is – again – very selfish, but I need to know Konohagakure will put in good hands, in the hands of someone who has always served the country first, and his needs second.

"I ask of you, Jiraiya, to become the Godaime Hokage.

Yep, he had a feeling that was coming. That didn't make it any less shocking. Him? The Hokage? Him, the slacker of the group of the Sannin? He was never a sort of genius like Orochimaru, or was from a legendary clan like Tsunade, who was the granddaughter of a Senju and an Uzumaki. He was an orphan with no clan ties, no bloodline, and no special upbringing. He had to work hard for his own.

"Perhaps you are scrunching up your face in confusion, maybe even downright refusing already, but I truly believe you are the best candidate in the village. Out of the strongest shinobi in the village, there is no other choice. Kakashi Hatake is much like Tsunade: too into himself and is still fighting his demons. He is immensely strong and experienced, but it wouldn't be wise to give him the position now – not until he is ready. Maito Gai is extremely strong, but is not so respected. He is better a soldier than a village leader. I do not think the world is ready for a Kage who only wear green tight body suits, Jiraiya. Shikaku Nara will downright refuse and call it "troublesome." He will also reason he is better as a strategist, and an adviser than he is as a leader. He will even have a very convincing argument ready for such. I already know it. Naruto Uzumaki, as much as I believe he will one day become the Hokage, is still a growing boy who needs to gain more strength, more responsibility, and more wisdom before he is ready to do such a thing. Only you are the best, suitable candidate.

Why was he the best candidate? He was a borderline-hedonistic shinobi who loved to travel, to drink, to have different women in his bed every night, and loved to never be in one place for a long time. He studied the plants, he studied the stars, studied new places he visited, and he studied people, but he never liked being in one place forever. He was thus good for the position of being the one running the spy network. It worked for him. He got to explore the world outside his village, he got to relax, and to reflect. Why was he suited for the job?

Sarutobi-sensei was right in thinking Jiraiya believed there would be others better than him. Shikaku Nara was better by a whole lot. He was what Konoha needed in a leader: strong, experienced, clever and highly intelligent. He was not afraid of doing what was needed of him for the good of his country, and would be excellent. Hell, Tsunade was more up to the task of filling in the role for Hokage than him. She was serious, had the right blood for the position (being a Senju and all), and would be an excellent Hokage – all she needed to be is convinced to clean up her act to do so. Plus, her amazing knowledge of medical ninjutsu was only rivaled by the Shodai Hokage. That would definitely be an asset to the village.

"You are the representation of the Will of Fire. You have stood for what was right to do. You have never deserted your village for selfish reasons. You have stayed loyal. You have served us outstandingly. You have never strayed from the path. Even when things have gotten dark, you stood there, holding the torch, to light the way. Tsunade and Orochimaru could never do that. Furthermore, you have what they do not: respect. You have the respect of the current ninja force – all of them. Tsunade's efforts and framework of modern medical ninjutsu in the world are to be lauded and respected, but she herself is not. Orochimaru is disgraced completely, and his name is tarnished. He had conducted live experiments on people, snatching and kidnapping orphans for his own ambitions. The great Jiraiya has been, and stayed, great. You have the entire respect and adoration of all of our ninja. The village would accept you. My advisers would accept you – perhaps begrudgingly, but they would accept you. The Fire Daimyō himself would accept you completely. There is, like I said before, no other suitable candidate.

"My advisers would perhaps disagree and say one more is a good candidate, but I do not believe so, Jiraiya. You know who I speak of.

There was only one person he could think that could cause Sarutobi-sensei to be wary.

"At this time, you may have noticed a mark on the top of this letter. Good. This seal is keyed to your DNA. Once you placed your hand on the paper, it has become readable to you and you only. This was something me and Shikaku came up with before the Exams once again started.

This was getting serious. He had noticed the mark, but he didn't pay much heed to it. In fact, it looked nothing out of the ordinary but the special marking that the Hokage had approved of this letter. Now that he did, he could see the complex writing, and miniature layers in the seal. How interesting. He would have to view over it more later.

"Danzō Shimura is the candidate my advisers would choose as Hokage, but I do not agree. I do not trust him. I cannot trust him. He is too steeped in darkness, and the Hokage is a position in which a person must walk in the light. Danzō has – many times – tried to undermine my position as Hokage, but none so much than five years ago, yes. He is an extremist, and while his love for the country is as strong as mine, his methods to keep the peace are wrong. More so than that, he has gone too much times behind my back, and would rather plunge Konohagakure in another armed conflict than try to keep the peace between the other major countries out there. You will do well to be wary of that man.

"I have another thing you must read. It will be keyed to your DNA just like the scroll, but only if you accept the position of Hokage are you allowed to see it, Jiraiya. Should you choose not, please, I implore you to not allow Danzō the position. I also ask you to – because I do believe you will try – to not seek a Hokage in Tsunade. She, like Kakashi, is too deep into her sorrows. Perhaps, more so than Kakashi. She will not be suitable, and until she magically comes back to the village fixed and ready, she will never be. I know how you feel about her Jiraiya, and you have hope in her, but I have grown cynical in my old age.

"Forgive me, Jiraiya. I am selfish, and perhaps wrong, but as Hokage, my word is bond. Choose wisely. Truly, I hope that this letter shall never come into your hands. Perhaps I shall live the upcoming battle, and perhaps I will be allowed a few more years to continue this, and perhaps a newer candidate like Naruto can take my place, but that is whimsical thinking, and like I said before, I am too old to think such.

"Thank you, and farewell,

Hiruzen Sarutobi."

And that was the end of the letter, which by the time Jiraiya was done, the toad sage was rubbing his temples rapidly. He turned to the Nara next to him, narrowing his eyes. "I assume you read the letter."

"I was there when he wrote it." The jōnin commander of Konohagakure correctly softly. "He's right though: I would definitely refuse the job. It's too troublesome for me."

"And it's not troublesome for a guy like me?" Jiraiya questioned rhetorically, rubbing the back of his head. "You know, a very long time ago, I wanted to be Hokage. Then when I realized that Orochimaru would get that position, I decided it wasn't worth it. I felt, for the longest, that I was always the weakest one of the group. I was the goof-ball, who hadn't accomplished things Orochimaru and Tsunade did. They were always praised for their talents. Both were child prodigies; I was not. I was seen as that guy who was a pervert, and nothing else. It was only after the Second Shinobi World War I started to see a difference. By that time, the war changed Orochimaru. He became more twisted, demented. He always seemed off, but none such like after the second great war. He did things that was terrible – even in our line of work. Perhaps in hindsight, he has always been bad. Then, Tsunade left, and he got worse. It became so bad that when the Third Shinobi World War ended, and Minato was named the Hokage, Orochimaru stopped being so secretive with his experiments, and he was caught quickly. By that time, however, I wasn't very much in the village after I accepted the job of being Konohagakure's leader in their spy network."

Jiraiya walked over to the large mansion window, staring at the skies' beautiful full moon that loom right over. "I got out to see the world; I got to experience it firsthand. Sometimes, as a working man in small towns; sometimes, as an aristocrat in capitals. Sometimes, as myself in neutral territories. I got out, and enjoyed life for once. I didn't have to worry so much about being second-rate to Orochimaru; I didn't have to worry about being a jōnin after Minato died; I didn't have to worry about anything. I stopped teaching, stopped training so much. I felt I had indeed reached a limit, and I didn't want to go any further. 'Let the old man choose who he wanted to be Hokage,' I said to myself. I would serve Konohagakure, but I would also enjoy my life. I sat down, wrote, lived life, had a girl or two a night, smoke and drank, because I needed to unwind. I was too stressed."

Jiraiya turned back to look into the dark eyes of the Nara clan leader. "And now, Sarutobi-sensei seemed to have chosen his successor, again."

"What will you do, Jiraiya-sama?" Shikaku said. Jiraiya had not known why he even said all of that to the man. Jiraiya doubted the man cared or wanted to care about Jiraiya's spiel. To him, Shikaku needed one thing and one thing only: a leader.

The white-haired man, for once, had no snappy remark back. Nothing flippant to say, and nothing to say jokingly. For once, like he had been since Minato died, he felt stressed, and worse of all, a little lost.

The Hokage was a position he didn't want, trying to find reasons to refuse the position. He still, in his heart, believed there was someone better. Maybe not Kakashi. Jiraiya hadn't had much interaction with the man, but since he was very close with the late Yondaime Hokage like Jiraiya had been, and also seen the death of his team, he could understand why Sarutobi-sensei didn't believe in allowing Kakashi the title. Plus, the Sandaime Hokage had more experience dealing with Kakashi as well. Since the man was too into himself, and he didn't know Gai nearly enough to trust him with the position, Jiraiya was running out of options. Shikaku has and would continue refusing, and no one wanted that old bastard Danzō in the seat. Shikaku didn't seem like he wanted him either.

In fact, Shikaku stared at him almost… expectantly. Like, he expected him to take up the mantle. "I want your honest opinion, Shikaku-san. What do you think of Tsunade?"

Shikaku gave him a neutral look, as he folded his arms behind his back. "Tsunade is, no doubt, an unknown. According to what I know, she has not returned, been in, or even contacted Konohagakure ever since she left. Our feelers have stated seeing her sometimes in Hi no Kuni, but never close enough to Konohagakure. All she has done is wasted her own savings, and her family's savings, on drinking excessively and gambling spots. She's not what she has been before, Jiraiya-sama. Plus, there is no telling if she has kept her skills polished with how long she has been gone. I have to agree with what Sarutobi-sama has written in the letter."

"So you would be opposed to her becoming the Hokage?"

"If she can put her past behind her, return, and be the leader we need, I would not. For now, I don't recommend her being elected as such. She has lost complete political clout with a lot of our ninja, and the Fire Daimyō – the one who truly has the last say in electing a candidate – has favored you for a number of years. The Daimyō has asked Sarutobi-sama many times when will he find a replacement, and our Lord has always suggested you, Jiraiya-sama, as Sarutobi-sama's successor." Shikaku sighed deeply. "That's all I'm saying."

Jiraiya grunted in displeasure. "I want to find Tsunade."

"My lord, our village needs a leader now." The commander declared, frowning deeply at the older man. "Tsunade is incredibly elusive, and it will take us months on end to track her. There is simply no time to look for her, then assess her skills and state of mind, then try to convince her to come back – which in itself is another difficult task – and then return her home. Konohagakure is reeling from the invasion of Suna and Oto, my lord. This is a crucial chance for Konoha's enemies to take a shot at her. We do not need another conflict with any nation. This is in my own opinion, as a tactician."

Jiraiya could not argue with that logic, not at all. No matter how much he wanted to, it was completely perfect logic. The sannin only sighed. "No other person, it seems."

"No other person." Shikaku shook his head, then sighed himself. "Troublesome. Perhaps we can just sleep on this. You came to see the letter like Sarutobi-sama asked you to. I would suggest thinking about it for a few days – maybe about a week at most. I believe that is as much as I can suggest you can spare before the advisers come themselves to ask you of your decision."

"Ask? More like bug." Jiraiya snorted humorlessly. "Alright. Tell you what: I'll come seek you out. Maybe… by tomorrow, we meet here again?"

"That's acceptable."

Jiraiya nodded. "Alrighty then. I think I'm going to skip both the beer and babe tonight. I'm going to go to my little hotel room, and sleep it off. Good night, Shikaku-san."

"The same to you, Jiraiya-sama. I only hope you make the right decision. Konohagakure needs this, sir."

Jiraiya sighed. "Oh, I know. I know." He was tired, definitely. It was all a long, drawn out day.

The future didn't seem so simple either.

"Yo, Sarutobi-jiji! Glad you could make it today."

The old Hokage grunted, stepping inside the Ramen Ichiraku stand, and sat down. "You never eat anything else, Naruto, do you? I swear, it is always ramen with you." The old man groused. Nevertheless, Sarutobi sent a kindly smile to the waitress who walked out to the counter from the restaurant's kitchen. "Good afternoon, Ayame-chan."

"Sup, Ayame-nēchan?!" Naruto grinned.

"Good afternoon, Hokage-sama, and good afternoon, Naruto." The brunette bowed respectfully to the village's head leader. "We're pleasantly surprised and grateful to have you here today. You usually don't stop by here."

The Hokage shrugged. "I allowed him to choose what we were going to have for lunch. Although, it was against my better judgment. My first choice would have not been ramen- uh, no offense, Ayame-chan."

"You insulter of our ways! Ramen is food for the gods, old timer!" Naruto bellowed quite dramatically. "Ain't that right, nē-chan?!"

Ayame only chuckled at the blond. "Sure, kiddo, though I think I can forgive Hokage-sama. After all, he's got a point. All this ramen is hardly good for you and your height, Naruto." Both the Hokage and Ayame ignored Naruto's immediate indignant cry. "Alright, so, what would you like today, you two?"

"Ah, a veggie ramen for me with a side order of terayaki-glazed fish balls, and anything our Naruto would like to eat."

"The usual, Naruto?" Ayame gave the boy a knowing look and smile. She already started to walk away from the two shinobi.

"The usual!" Naruto grinned. "A bowl of miso and then some more!"

"Coming right up!" The brown-haired girl yelled back, disappearing back into the kitchen.

"So, Naruto, how goes the training, my boy? Ebisu-kun's going too hard on you?" The Hokage asked.

"Nah, he's not so bad. I'm a little stumped on a part in the training, but it's going alright." Naruto answered back. "Man, I can't wait to get some ramen in me!"

"As always." Sarutobi snorted derisively, though Naruto could tell he was kidding around. "Well, that's good to hear. No complications with your chakra, yes?"

"Nope, but I'll let you know. If a snake guy comes put a seal on me, I'll let you know first."

"Smart boy." The Hokage affectionately rubbed Naruto's head, his fingers scrubbing Naruto's hair back and forth. Naruto didn't like a whole lot of people doing that, but didn't mind the old man doing so. "The month is almost up, Naruto. I hope everything you have been doing with Ebisu-kun has paid off."

"Yeah, things are looking swell really. Ebisu-sensei may be stiff, but he's actually a pretty cool teacher..." Then Naruto looked a little miffed by something. "Kinda makes you wonder what that would be like if he was my permanent one..."

"So, you're saying you dislike having Kakashi-kun as your teacher?"

"Sometimes." Naruto admitted. "I mean, I feel like I barely learned anything from him, and I know Ebisu-sensei keeps telling me that he took Sasuke for a reason to train, but I just can't help but to feel left out. Maybe I wouldn't be feeling like that if he spent more time teaching us instead of slacking off."

"Hmm, you know, when you become a chūnin, you are no longer obligated with staying on your assigned team. Do you think you will try to learn from another teacher? Perhaps Ebisu? Remember: he is your temporary teacher for the month. Unless he takes his time out for free to teach you, you will have to hire him as a tutor."

Naruto hadn't thought of that honestly. "But, then, who can help me finish my earth chakra training?"

"Well, perhaps Kakashi-kun."

Naruto scoffed. "I don't think he'll have time doing any of that. I mean, he's still teaching Sasuke and all."

"Naruto, perhaps you don't realize it but Kakashi isn't doing this because he wants to. In all honesty, I was the one who told Kakashi to focus training Sasuke-kun this month." Sarutobi raised his hand, trying to dispel Naruto's surprised cries. "Please let me finish before you start hollering. I did it because, in all honesty, Sasuke has always been in dark waters, ever since the massacre of his entire clan. This business with Orochimaru has not been the start of it. Sasuke isn't what you are, Naruto-kun."

"Huh? What's that?" The blond questioned.

"Bound by ties to the village. Do you get what I am saying, Naruto? Sasuke is… hungry for power. It isn't like what you long for. Your quest in life to become stronger so you can protect those of the village, and your loved ones. Sasuke, on the other hand, wishes to become strong enough to kill his brother, Itachi. He only looks to gain power because of it, and nothing else. He fights for nothing else. A dark path of revenge is his life and it needs to change."

"Sasuke isn't bad, old man!" Naruto exclaimed, getting angry that his favorite Hokage was bashing his teammate/rival/part-time friend. "You make it sound like he's going to do something wrong."

"I am not saying he's a bad person – simply misguided. It has always been like this. He has always been unreceptive to people, unwilling to let them in, and only worrying about getting stronger. Orochimaru has corrupted Sasuke further. A dark power such as the Ten no Juin is tempting to Sasuke, my boy. That's exactly what Orochimaru wants: for Sasuke to become a slave to that power, to rely on it to give him strength, and to go to him for more power."

Naruto wasn't convinced. "Sasuke isn't stupid. He's not going to use that power, Sarutobi-jiji, or go to that snake bastard. Furthermore, he has ties. He has his team – he has us. Why would he want to throw that away?" But Naruto didn't miss the meaningful look the Hokage gave him for a moment.

The Hokage merely looked at him evenly. "I hope you are right. Understand this however: your anger for Kakashi is understandable, but it is not truly his fault. Kakashi needed to see after the boy; to train him in order for him to get him to not rely on Orochimaru's seal. I hope you understand. You know about dark power, Naruto; how it can corrupt you if you let it."

Naruto slowly nodded, getting what the man was saying. There had been two situations he had been in that he had to rely on the Kyūbi, and both had been times he would not like to repeat. "Still, I can't help but to feel like things would be better if Kakashi-sensei trained us beforehand. Maybe that's why I'm still annoyed by it."

"And you are right to feel like that. I do not know why Kakashi decided to do what he did, and then put you three in the exams if you were barely trained, but here you are: in the semi-finals of the exams, going one-on-one with Neji Hyūga. I would say you did just fine." Sarutobi sighed. "Enough of that. I made the call; you can get mad at me if you like. Besides, I already had someone else to see to your training, even before Kakashi asked Ebisu to train you for the month. Unfortunately, he could not get here in time. Fortunately, he did make it here, and now, I will have him train with you next month."

"So, no more Ebisu-sensei?" Naruto couldn't help but to feel a little… saddened by that. Ebisu wasn't that bad of a guy actually. He was surprisingly meticulous, attentive when teaching Naruto, paying attention to everything Naruto was doing, and very helpful with mistakes. He was always there for help, and then some. Besides Iruka-sensei, former teachers Naruto had never stayed out late to help him out with something he was struggling with.

"I am sorry." Sarutobi obviously caught Naruto's tone of voice. "If you can convince him to either train you for free or hire him for his services – which I doubt either will be viable options, because I have assigned other duties for him – I would say your chances are slim. Fortunately, your training will continue. I have another option for you. There is another person I want you to meet. The man I have for you is a master at using Earth Release techniques – much more than Ebisu, truly. In fact, he's the former teacher of your hero, the Yondaime Hokage. You'll be learning from quite a great shinobi."

"No shit?" Naruto perked up, if a little bit.

"Naruto, I 'shit' you not." Sarutobi rolled his eyes at Naruto's crassness, but he had an amused smile on his face. "Have I let you down ever?"

The blond chuckled. "I guess not."

"Then there you go."

"Hmm, maybe I could do… both? Learn from both Ebisu-sensei and the new guy?"

"Maybe." The Hokage allowed with a shrug and a smile. Steam billowed into the air above them. "Ah, looks like our food is done."

Ayame smiled at both. "Here you go." She set down Naruto's food, and bowed to the Hokage. "Your veggie ramen is coming, milord."

The elder Hokage waved his hand, "Do not worry. I am in no hurry to leave and go back to work. Paperwork is one of the Hokage's many foes." The Hokage smiled at the blond genin, who was ripping his chopsticks out of its package. "A foe you will have to deal with one day, Naruto-kun."

The sixteen-year-old waitress giggled, and Naruto guffawed himself. "Nah, I'll be using my clones to go deal with that crap while I'm out saving princesses from snowy ice lands, ya old coot."

Ayame shook her head in exasperation. "So disrespectful, Naruto."

The blond grinned back. "What? The Hokage likes me calling him that."

"Hmph, I would not say that..." The Hokage grunted. "I think I am still sane for my age."

Lunch time was dwindling down, and it would be back to the same grind for both of them: Naruto with his training, and the Hokage tackling the many issues of the village. Naruto was finished with his last bowl of ramen, and the Hokage had long finished his hearty meal. Small talk again began between the two, with sometimes Ayame joining in the conversation. For the most of it, Sarutobi and Naruto talked while Ayame tended to other customers.

"Ah, time is up, Naruto-kun. I am about to get back to my office. Ah, check, Ayame-san." Sarutobi called over the girl, bringing out his wallet, but was surprised to see Naruto push his hand down. "Naruto?"

"I got this, Sarutobi-jiji. Relax. After all, I asked you out to lunch, right?"

The Hokage blinked, before smiling. "Oh? This is new."

"Well, gotta act responsible sometimes, right? After all, I'm going to be a chūnin!" Naruto grinned. "That's the point of all this: being responsible."

"Seems like you learned the answer to your previous question. I guess I will be seeing you soon at the Mission Assignment Desk, begging for a B-rank, right, Chūnin Naruto Uzumaki?"

"Yeah, of course!" Naruto said, without shame in his tone. "You got to promise me though that we'll go out and celebrate, jiji! I'll be nice, and allow you to choose the location."

"Well that would be nice for once..."

"Yeah, because that means you're paying!"

After the Invasion of Konohagakure, Four Days Later…

All that was a painful memory from a few days ago before the start of the semi-finals of the Chūnin Exams; a sad reminder that none of that would be happening. There would be no great celebration, no grand party congratulating him on getting promoted, and no old man laughing with him joyfully as he was a step closer to taking the job of Hokage from him.

He had been up since the crack of dawn, yet hadn't done nothing. Naruto laid in the darkness of his room in his bed, playing that memory again in his head for the third time today. It had been so long since he had felt so lifeless.

And outside looked lifeless. Morning has risen an hour ago, but yet, it had been cloudy since last night. A far cry from the usual weather in Konohagakure. Usually, the Sun was almost never obscured by clouds in the skies. Instead, it was a gloomy day in Konohagakure, the day after where one of the greatest shinobi he knew died in a stupid invasion that was quelled in one day. The weather seemed to reflect that gloominess as well; there was no Sun, and it was so dark outside. It looked like it wanted to rain, but it hadn't yet. The overcast weather had smothered Konoha's skies for a while now, and yet, it had yet to rain. He rather it came down already, and got it over with.

Maybe if it rained, it would make him do the same too, because he couldn't cry. As much as he loved the old man, he could not cry. He wouldn't. There was too much pride in his soul, and he told himself a long time ago that crying didn't solve a damn thing. To get even, to avenge the old man, he would have to work twice as hard at becoming the Hokage, wouldn't he? Orochimaru, the snake fuck who killed the Sandaime, was dead himself, so there was no one to truly get revenge on. The best type of revenge now was to not let it shake him, and show the fuckers who had their hand in this, that they didn't defeat him. Besides, Sarutobi-jiji wouldn't have wanted Naruto being so down about things for long. He instead would have encouraged Naruto to get stronger, to be better, and to live his life the way he wanted it.

Naruto had to grow up, accept that in this life, people died, and go on with his life. It would be a lesson he was sure he would have a very hard time learning.

So much things he wanted, he never got.

That's just how life was.

He still didn't feel like he had a lot of energy to get up. Soon he would have to.

It was just going to be hard seeing the guy who he looked up to as a grandfather in that coffin. He did have a funeral to attend to, after all. Shit, he didn't even own a damn black cloak – the thing people usually wor-

A knock began at his door, and Naruto glazed his eyes over to the direction of his door. He would have ignored it, but then the knocks became more frequent and louder. Groaning, he got up from his place in his bed, and groused out, "Yeah, yeah. I'm coming. Hold your horses…"

Opening the door, he blinked as he stared at the people in front of him. "Ah, Sakura-chan, Kakashi-sensei? You're here?"

"Well, what do you expect, Naruto?" Sakura questioned, looking annoyed at his question. He knew he seen Sakura about a few days ago, when the invasion was going on, but he hadn't really taken in her appearance. The first thing he noticed was her hair. Her hair was still in the same short cut, only most of her uneven edges and ends were cut properly. It was a far cry than it was in the Chūnin Exams Preliminaries. She looked nice though – she had on a light amount of make-up, eye shadow, dressed in a – for lack of a better word – nice black kimono, and the smell of her perfume entered his nose.

"You look nice, Sakura-chan." Naruto stated out loud, unabashedly.

Sakura sighed tiredly, but didn't seem too irritated at that. "Thank you, Naruto. Now, are we going to the funeral together or not? That was the reason we're here."

"Ah, yeah, yeah! Sorry about that, I just…" Naruto trailed off, not knowing how to say what he wanted to say.

Surprisingly, Sakura's eyes softened, and so did her voice. She knew how he felt about the Hokage. Naruto was – although strangely enough – very close to the Hokage, closer than anyone she knew. "Just get your outfit on, idiot. The funeral is around 10; its 8:30 now."

Naruto looked sheepish. "Um, well, I actually… don't have any funeral clothing."

The pink-haired girl's attitude immediately did a 180. "How do you not have-?!"

Kakashi patted Sakura on the shoulder as a silent gesture to calm her down. "It is not a problem, Naruto. All you really got to do is wear black. If we can't find you a traditional black kimono, we can always get you a nice black long sleeve shirt and pants."

"Ah, okay. Thanks, Kakashi-sensei." Naruto uttered, looking down. "Sorry for being trouble, guys."

"It's no trouble at all. You haven't been to a funeral before." Kakashi stated, barely seeing Sakura's emerald eyes of realization, or all that caring about it. His temperamental student could be kind of inconsiderate sometimes, and sometimes not that thoughtful, despite her intelligence. "Let's just get you something suitable to wear."

Naruto nodded. "Lemme go throw on some clothing and we can go to the store."

Sakura huffed and folded her arms. She looked vaguely embarrassed. "Just hurry up then."

The blond nodded again, and gestured them to come inside. It would have been the polite thing to do, even if his place wasn't in the best shape. "I wasn't expecting company, so excuse how my apartment looks."

"Hmph. You can at least attempt to clean up sometimes, Naruto. How come when I always come here, it looks like this place got hit by a tornado?" The female teammate of Team Kakashi complained.

Naruto smiled weakly, but did not respond to her comment. "I'll be right back."

When Naruto went into his room, Sakura was again patted on her shoulder by her teacher. "Ease up on him, Sakura. He's going through mourning. We all are."

"My point still stands though! It looks gross in here."

"Sakura…" Kakashi warned, looking at her with his one eye.

The pink-haired kunoichi flinched. "I suppose I can drop it…" Sakura sighed. "Sorry then."

"Don't say 'Sorry' to me. You know who you should do so for." Kakashi pointed to Naruto's room with an index finger, while he pulled out his signature perverted orange book from his pocket.

Sakura's face twitched in anger. "You're asking for a whole lot especially since you're reading that dirty stuff in front of me."

"When you get strong enough to stop me for doing so, then you can take it away from me, girlie. Until then, sit back and wait for our Naruto," Kakashi responded. He then lifted a finger and flicked to the next page of his book.

Sakura harrumphed for the second time today. Folding her arms, and pushing herself back into Naruto's couch, all she could do was ignore her teacher and wait for her knuckleheaded teammate to finish up getting dressed.

With Naruto, he knew without looking too hard in his closet that he needed to go shopping today. Naruto truly had little articles of black. It didn't take him long before coming back in the living room, and announcing that to his teammates. Kakashi merely nodded, and said they would simply make a quick stop at the store. With that, Naruto went to gather some boxers, a clean white t-shirt, and other necessary toiletries in order to get himself washed up. Not wanting to waste time with a shower, he decided just to wash up in his sink. A bird bath it was, but it would be sufficient enough to get him clean.

He threw on his jacket, which took something of a beating yesterday thanks to all the battling in the Chūnin Exams tournament, the matching pants, and his black sandals, and walked out with his teammates. He was off-duty, so he didn't have his headband. Sakura lacked hers too, which was usually on top of her head, framing her hair like a hairband. Kakashi, like always, had his, but it was more to cover his Sharingan eye. His last teammate, Sasuke, was still in the hospital for broken ribs, and other light injuries. So, there was no surprise he wasn't here.

The walk to the store was a quiet one. Usually, he would try talking to his crush, Sakura, and convince her to go on a date with him, only to fail and get screamed at. He didn't have the energy for it today, though. Sakura also didn't bother talking to him. It was interesting. Despite being on a team with her, Sasuke, and Kakashi for months, going on a year now, the person he least spoke to – outside of bothering her about going on a date with him – was Sakura. Then again, what did they have to talk about? All he liked was training, getting stronger, and ramen. Sakura was… well, he didn't know what she liked, really. Maybe he should learn how to talk to her without doing all of that, eh?

It didn't matter at this time anyway. It was something he noticed.

He silently took what he needed when he entered the shop, and spent no time looking around for anything else. He took a black pair of pants that many chūnin and jōnin wore. Then, he took a black long-sleeve shirt. He didn't see a cloak, so he decided to forget about it, like Kakashi-sensei had stated before.

It wasn't long before they proceeded to the place where they were holding the Hokage's funeral.

The smell of incense was strong in the air of the outside funeral of the Sandaime Hokage. On top of the Hokage's office, at the academy of the village, hundreds of people – villager and ninja alike – came to the funeral. All solemn and quiet; all dressed in black. Some were crying even – most seemed to be younger children and females. Naruto thought he saw Konohamaru, but was glad he didn't have to see the young boy cry. It might have had a similar effect on him.

So, a funeral. He had never gone to one before, and he never wanted to again. Though, a dark thought entered his head, it probably won't be the last.

The beginning part of the funeral – Kakashi-sensei referred to it as a "wake" – was something to behold. The Hokage, dressed in a black kimono, arms folded over his chest, looked ever so vulnerable and pale. It was a far cry from what he remembered the man as. Sarutobi-jiji looked perhaps even older than he once did. It was hard seeing him like that. Memories of the old man's sunny disposition, and lively self, came to mind.

He was truly gone. He was truly dead.

Naruto's eyes burned again, but he didn't dare let anything show. None of it.

He bit his lip hard, and clenched his fist harder, but he wouldn't dare cry.

He stood with his teacher and female teammate, and watched others stand down nearby them too. In the same aisle, he seen a few people he knew. Shikamaru, Chōji, and Ino came to view. Then, Kiba, Hinata, Shino, Rock Lee, Tenten, and of course, their asshole teammate, Neji. He merely glanced in their direction for a second, before turning back. If they've seen him, then that was fine. If not, that was fine too. He didn't care all that much.

A man – Naruto believed it to be some sort of monk – came in front, and said some choice words in a form of a prayer. The prayer sounded nice, but he was hardly paying attention to it. He felt heavy and dizzy, and honestly, wanted to go home. He didn't dare leave though.

After the man said his words, he bowed to the crowd, and walked off. And with that, the gloomy, cloudy sky started to drizzle rain.

The rain continued onto the next day.

He woke up, and had his black shirt and black pants ready. Kakashi-sensei came to pick him up. Sakura-chan wasn't there. "She went on ahead with the Yamanaka girl," Kakashi later explained, referring to Ino Yamanaka. He wasn't surprised to not see Sasuke. His other teammate was still not cleared from the hospital. Of course, it had only been a few days though since the invasion.

Part two of the funeral commenced the next day, with people moving to put flowers at the podium where the Hokage's picture was at. They were pretty white flowers from the Yamanaka Clan's shop. Chrysanthemums, Kakashi-sensei called them. The white stood for "lamentation and grief." Kakashi had gotten some for him the other day, seeming to predict that he would need some for today. It was something he silently thanked his teacher for. He moved to put his flower to the podium, and then returned to his spot.

Naruto stood near his former peers, and Konohamaru, who was bawling his eyes out. Iruka-sensei was there to comfort the boy however, hugging him gently as he cried in his arms. Naruto didn't help comforting his younger friend. He had no energy for such.

He couldn't wait to go home. His eyes were starting to hurt.

Jiraiya himself came around to see the old man a while when the funeral was starting to close. A lot of people were there, and a lot were sorrowful. It just went to show you how much the Sandaime went and touched the hearts of these people.

…

He just hoped he did the same.

The toad sage sighed, somewhat in annoyance. 'Alright, alright. I suppose it's time to make my final decision, isn't it?' He put his hands inside his pockets, and started walking towards the Hokage's suite in the Academy.

It was there he knew the elders would be at.

End.

A/N: Alrighty. Enough of the filler. It's time to get back into some action instead in the next chapter. I had to get it out the way though, to set the next part of the story up.

I apologize with how long it took. Work, school, writer's block, and general other things of my life were really the things preventing me from rolling this out to you. Since in a few months, I'm going to focus more of my time in school, and leave the whole work thing alone, I should – the keyword being "should" – have more time to write. Well, at least the next chapter shouldn't take long.

The funeral had some elements of Japanese funerals that I read up. Of course, since this is all information from the internet, it can be disputed. Either way, I felt satisfied with it, and this chapter's purpose has been served.