Someone not Naruto - but his age - becomes Hokage, and circumstances follow to bring back our original situation, only... somewhat reversed. A one-shot in three pieces, total 1,250 words.
Three: Isn't this familiar, after a fashion? 500 words.
Son
Rokudaime Hokage was far more famous in death than he had ever been in life. His features, carved into the mountains looking over the village, still seduced the occasional silly young girl, but beyond that, he had sealed the kyuubi, like Yondaime had, only before it caused the village too much harm. Everyone was sure what a sacrifice it had been, and how wonderful he was, dark and brooding and handsome and devoted to the village, a role model for children to look up to.
But the people of the village remembered titles much better than they did names, and so 'that Uchiha boy' was better known for what was sealed into his stomach than who his father had been. Most people hated him, so he that had only Konohamaru-sensei to look to, and even Konohamaru-sensei had someone he liked better than him. It just wasn't fair, especially since the elder to blame for his situation had died, peacefully, happily, at home in his sleep. He didn't have anyone to hate, no one in particular, and it was hard, harder than might be assumed, to hate a group of people in general.
To them, he was just 'that Uchiha boy,' nephew (or was it son? The gossip had corrupted the truth until no one knew for sure) of Uchiha Itachi. People whispered that it was in the blood, that the Uchiha were demons by nature, and surely the kyuubi vessel shouldn't be allowed to become a ninja, it was just a danger to the village that way – which made him determined to become the greatest ninja ever, Hokage even, and make them see him for him, make them eat their words and be grateful to him, make them respect him.
His greatest rival was the heir of the Uzumaki, Yondaime's grandson who would surely become as great as ever his grandfather had been. Even Konohamaru-sensei loved him, that serious boy his age who'd overcome the disease that had taken his mother and siblings and was determined to restore his family at any cost. All the girls swooned over him, with his bright gold hair and clear blue eyes and exotic, slitted pupils, with his kind, careful smile, and his polite manners, the sociable manner he had but still the sense that he wasn't really there, that there were deep matters that needed his attention and made his gaze always slightly abstracted and made them want to capture his attention fully, to make him their own. All the girls wanted him, even the girl that he, the unworthy Uchiha, secretly liked. Especially her.
It was his pride that, of all the village, the only one to make that Uzumaki bastard stop looking so far away was him, the kyuubi vessel, the one the village didn't want. Nothing and no one else could make those clear blue eyes lose their misty aspect, could make them narrow and focus solely on him, solely on him!
He'd never admit it, but that felt good.
end three
.: someday, someday, I live for someday :.
finis complet
.: round and round in circles :.