From the Yondaime Story Arc:
Valor & Harmony
Chapter 6: Approval

What do you think of Arashi?

It was a question that Uzumaki Narashima had become very familiar with. Not that anyone asked her that...it was simply that her own mind seemed to pose the question at least thrice a day. She'd grown quite used to the way her mind would drift to that topic anytime she wasn't presenting it with urgent work.

It made sense to her that she'd get so stuck on that topic...it was the freshest topic in her life as a shinobi. Over a period of about 2 weeks, she'd grown closer to him than she'd ever thought she could. She had never thought there was a distance between them to be covered in the first place...to discover that the gap between them had grown so wide was startling. Every day, she'd discovered something new that made her have to evaluate the question from scratch. Every day, she had felt like she had met a new person...so much like the old one, but not the same. It was no wonder her mind hadn't gotten over it.

What do you think of Arashi?

Six weeks had passed since the day Nara and Kazama Arashi had fought. Now that her ribs were healed, Nara was back to active duty, and Arashi was no longer tending to her wounds. Somewhere along the way, she'd left Konoha for a mission, and it dawned upon her suddenly that she hadn't seen him in nearly a week and a half. In that time, her mind had continued to ask the same questions, but now she had enough time to marinate upon the answers.

For the longest time, Arashi had been a friend to her. A good friend...the type she'd never trade in for anything. He'd been around for so long that Nara had accepted him as an unchanging part of Konoha's landscape. Almost like a pet, or a butler...or a brother. It was hard to notice when he grew out of the box she'd put him in, but it had certainly happened. And even though it had taken her some time to adjust to that fact, once she'd noticed, she'd really noticed.

She liked him. A lot. She hadn't bothered to tell him yet, but -- considering their meetings the week before she'd left, it probably was pretty clear. They'd gotten together a lot before her return to active duty, especially after that lunch trip to the sushi and barbecue place. Since that meeting, every time she looked directly at him, her cheeks would inevitably turn six or seven shades redder than normal. If that wasn't a clue, she didn't know what was.

He had turned into quite the handsome man, of course, but that wasn't the reason she turned into a cherry when she looked at him.It was his eyes that truly caught hers. The confidence his eyes reflected intrigued her, for she knew that had never been his strong point. The way his eyes gleamed with intensity...the way he made direct eye contact with her and didn't look away anymore...those were her greatest witnesses to the changes he'd gone through. When she looked into his eyes now, she found it hard to look away.

Even though she'd been growing more and more interested in him every time they spoke, the week plus away was really doing something to her...far more than she'd expected. She missed him something awful today, and she couldn't wait to catch up with him. After all, she was back in Konoha, and it was an off day for her. It would be good to see her friend again. And then, she heard the question.

"What do you think of the Yondaime Hokage?"

At first, Nara thought the words were coming from within her own mind, but it wasn't often that she thought of Arashi by his title. No...this time, the question had been spoken. She had been absentmindedly moving through the streets of Konoha, and her eyes quickly took in the scene, feeding her conscious mind images to work with. She realized she was standing in a major intersection of downtown Konoha, near the market area. Glancing to her left, she realized where the conversation was coming from, and quickly slid out of line of sight and onto a bench near the wooden fences.

Another voice could be heard replying to the first one. While the original voice had been powerful and cold, this one seemed to hold more authority...or at least was trained to sound that way. "I don't know of him...I have yet to meet with him."

The first voice was surprised. "Hiashi-sama, he has met with the majority of the Jounin. Have you not had any contact with him?"

"I have little contact with anyone unless it is necessary. This has been an important transition for my family, and I've taken my time with it. Besides, I think my brother has had contact with him..."

Nara recognized the second voice...it was one of her contemporaries, Hiashi...the newly appointed leader of the Hyuuga clan. But who was he talking to?

The first voice spoke again, keeping the conversation light, even though their subject matter was pretty important..."Being a clan leader at your age is rough. Which makes me wonder even more what being Hokage at his age must be like."

It was at this point that Hiashi crossed into the intersection, and Nara glanced away, only looking in the corner of her eye. The frown on his face was clear. "He is 5 years my junior, and already Hokage. It indeed must be hard on him."

The other voice boomed, and then lowered itself as it considered the area it was speaking in. "Do you think it wise of Sandaime to have chosen one so young?" Finally, he passed in front of Nara. With a start, she looked directly at him as he passed. The man was like a walking mummy, tied up in a significant amount of bandages. The top of his head and one of his eyes was bandaged. The man glanced to his left, and the eye that was uncovered locked on Nara for a split second, then he looked away.

Hiashi paused and turned to face the man. "Danzou-sama, why are you asking me this?"

Nothing from Danzou for a moment, and then he too paused. "No reason...just making conversation, and speculation." Danzou turned and faced Hiashi. "Do you think he'll last?"

Hiashi frowned. How did one answer such a question? It wasn't as if he knew the Yondaime. And yet, he did have an opinion. "If he's smart, he'll get strong advisors, and he'll survive."

Nara felt like there was more to this conversation that she had caught, but Hiashi's words were wise. She found herself suddenly drifting to thoughts about Arashi. Was he having trouble with the job? Was there any truth to what was being said? She suddenly felt bad for not checking up on him recently...

Danzou frowned, and carefully crafted his reply to Hiashi's well-stated remarks. "And if not?" It was a simple question, yet it was loaded.

Hiashi didn't waver at all. "He would not be Hokage if he was not smart."

Danzou's expression did not change, but he glanced to the Hyuuga lord and spoke. "The exuberance and invincibility of youth speaks through you...as it does through all those who come to his defense." Danzou began to walk away from Hiashi before pronouncing his opinion. "The boy won't last the week."

"HOW DARE YOU! Where do you get off insulting the Yondaime?"

Danzou gave pause, quite surprised by the outburst. It had not, however, come from Hyuuga Hiashi, but from behind him. Danzou turned to meet the disturbance, and carefully eyed the female who stood in front of him...the same one he'd noticed listening in a moment earlier. Based on her clothing, he'd bet she was a Jounin, and her brown-red hair spoke to the fact that she had a fiery streak in her. Danzou exhaled in frustration. This was the last type of interruption they needed.

"I am talking with Hiashi, not you...please see your way out of our conversation."

Uzumaki Narashima shook her head and looked boldly at Danzou, even though there was nothing for her to make eye contact with. "When you insult Konoha's leader and slander his name, you make it the Leaf's business." She bit back the urge to follow that with a more personal reason for butting in.

Danzou exhaled slowly, allowing her veiled threat to pass by unheeded. "What is your opinion, then, woman?"

Nara realized that he hadn't bothered to respect her rank. She obviously was wearing a Jounin jacket, but the man had dared to even be sexist in his reply...Nara balled a fist, but held back her rage for a bit. "Who the hell do you think you are?"

"I am Danzou, leader of Konoha's Root," he said coolly. "I don't care for your introduction, so don't bother." With that, he turned back toward Hiashi and began to walk away from her. "In fact, your opinion isn't important either..."

Nara's eyes burned with fury; they had just insulted Arashi and her, but it was the insults against the Yondaime that angered her so heavily. She had no idea what Konoha's Root was, but she knew that this fellow was old enough to be the Third's contemporary, and obviously thought highly of himself. She was pissed off now, and she was going to make sure he knew why...but she held her initial rage in.

"What makes you think you're the expert on Hokage survival?"

Danzou was set to ignore her, but Hiashi raised an eyebrow and gave a look that suggested he was thinking the same thing. Danzou immediately realized it was going to take more than just ignoring the woman for his conversation with Hiashi to continue. Danzou turned back around, and Nara could feel the hole he burned into her skull with his intense stare...even though it was only with one eye. "I simply read into the facts a bit more than most people are willing to...before it's too late."

Since she'd provoked him, and it looked like he'd have to explain everything to everyone listening in now, he would hold nothing back. "The boy is 16 years old, presented with the mission to protect this village. After being trained for a month or so, he's lost his primary trainer, his former teacher, the best fighter the Leaf has ever seen, and the best medical ninja ever trained. The country is vulnerable, and he's emotional and wishy-washy from the loss of his teachers. He's under more pressure than he's ever been placed under, and Sarutobi never trained the boy for war...he was too blind to see it mounting himself."

Hiashi fought the urge to roll his eyes. Leave it to Danzou to get in a barb about his eternal rival, Sarutobi Sandaime...there was no love between those two. He no longer felt the urge to keep his opinions in check. "I do not appreciate you insulting the Third Hokage...he was nothing if not working in the village's best interests." Even if he would speak his mind, he would do so diplomatically.

"The Third was a foolish man, chasing an ideal...a peaceful world that would no longer need war." Danzou raised his voice a bit, then paused. With a sigh, he loosened up, and began to walk away. "I can see my words are wasted here. Very well...that is twice today. It will not be said that I did not try to get people to see."

Nara had caught enough of what he'd said to jump on. "So you, Danzou, are a hawk? You want war? You would risk the Leaf's lives in order to fight an unnecessary battle?"

Danzou was in no mood to defend himself, but he wouldn't let the doves dominate this conversation..."What battle is unneccessary?"

"Sandaime avoided putting the Leaf in danger as much as he could...what could you possibly see wrong in his approach?"

"He only delayed the inevitable...and lo and behold, what happens as soon as he leaves?"

Nara raised an eyebrow. He was talking like war was already happening...

Hiashi licked his lips and spoke. "I think a man who saves lives will surpass one who takes them. He avoids war because he values life...which is more than I can say for you."

Danzou didn't look at him at all... "You are a fool...those who side with him often are." Danzou took a deep breath, and then continued on. "Some of the traits you speak of may be useful in stopping war, but that doesn't matter anymore." Danzou walked further away from them, and announced, "War is upon us, whether you like it or not."

With that, he was gone, and Hyuuga Hiashi made a hasty exit. Nara sat down on the bench and let the conversation sink in...

Whatever was going on, Nara decided it was time to hear it from the horse's mouth. She hadn't seen Arashi-kun in a week and a half...he was busy being Hokage, and she errands to run and training to get back to now that her ribs were fully healed. It was time for that to change. Nara went into Central Command and up to the 4th floor, and knocked on the door to Arashi's office.

A not so warm response replied to her knock...it sounded like it lacked the energy to be warm. "It's open..."

Nara tried the door and indeed found it unlocked. Lightly opening the door, Nara took a look around. It was the first time in a while that she had been in the office of the Hokage. She certainly had never come here since Arashi had become the Fourth, and even before that her memories of the Third's office were faint. Only the most secret of missions required debriefing within the office of the Hokage, and she had rarely been involved in those. As she walked in and glanced at the pictures on the wall, she began to wonder if the Third had ever felt comfortable here.

It sure didn't seem like the Fourth was.

She only took a single step before she noticed the look on the Hokage's face. He had a thick sheet of paperwork in his hands, and the look on his face was angry and brooding. "Geez, Arashi, you look...mean. Nara blurted, immediately regretting the outburst. She had disturbed him, and that wasn't her plan at all. Slowly, Arashi's features softened, and he cordially waved her into the room. "Come on in, seriously."

Arashi diverted his eyes back to the paperwork, perhaps to finish before talking with her. Nara figured as much and remained silent. Instead of sitting, she walked over to the window behind his desk and took in his view of the village. She suddenly became aware that the room and halls were completely quiet...every visit she had ever made to this area had been filled with noise, hustle, and bustle. Now, she could hear a pin drop, or in this case, a pen. Arashi stooped down and picked up the dropped writing utensil, mumbling something beneath his breath.

Things in this room seemed even more down than Danzou had alluded to. It seemed the Hokage had a ton of stuff on his mind.

Nara waited a bit longer, but something hinted to her that Arashi was pretty much done with the paperwork. With a start, she jogged over to one of the chairs and dived into it, landing sideways on the chair's armrests and tilting so that her butt just barely touched the backrest of the chair. Lightly, almost goofily, she asked exactly what was on her mind. "So...what's got you so tied in knots?"

Arashi seemed to hold what he was doing and think for a moment before responding. "I've just had a rough day, that's all."

Yeah right, Nara thought. She actively attempted to make eye contact with Arashi, and he actively diverted his eyes away. Why was he being so guarded today? Whatever the reason, it wasn't like him, and she found that more unsettling than his down mood. "You're having more than just a bad day," she said, half-demanding an answer.

A frown crossed Arashi's face and stayed there, and his brow furrowed deeply as he considered his options. "I really shouldn't discuss any of this until I talk to the elders..."

Nara eyed him sadly. Haven't you learned to trust me yet, Arashi-kun? She didn't want to press him on that at all, but everything she'd needed to get across came across in the next two seconds of eye contact. "I won't tell anyone," Nara whispered. It was a simple statement...not really a demand for answers, so much as a promise to keep those answers locked away if asked to do so.

There was a small pause, and then Arashi seemed to make a decision. "We found Orochimaru today..."

Nara gasped. That was significant news.

Arashi paused and then frowned. "Actually, that's not accurate. Uchiha Sazuka, one of the Konoha police investigators went out on her own and found him. The ANBU, and all the official lines of investigation, were not involved. She found him, and the ANBU found her later, bleeding to death." He paused again, perhaps in honor of her effort. "She apparently put up a good fight, but she died in vain...Orochimaru will not hang around anymore now that he knows we're on to him. She should have gotten the heck out of there."

Nara gave no reply. She would let him speak, and respond after he'd told her what he needed to get off his chest. Still, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was off with him.

"On top of that, a couple of diplomats from Rock Village of Stone Country and Cloud Village of Lightning Country showed up today. At least they claimed to be diplomats, but it was obvious that they were probably trained scouts and spies. There's a good chance they were in the area already, waiting for a cue. They came asking about the chuunin exams that Sarutobi had arranged to have held here...they wanted to change their previous votes and discuss the security of Konoha for the exams. It's obvious that they'd gained word of what all has happened here this week...and they were looking to confirm it." Arashi sighed and ran a hand over his face.

"I'd rather have told them to go f--- themselves than give them that information, but Sarutobi has me hemmed in a corner. If we want to keep the chuunin exams here, we have to tell them all that's happened and discuss it. So the real question is if we want the chuunin exams here."

Nara nodded lightly and responded. "Do we want the chuunin exams here?"

Arashi replied, "Not at the risk of national security, I'd say. But, apparently my say in the matter is limited, because this was one of Sandaime's biggest fights in diplomacy, and to go back on it would be to spit in his face. The elders aren't taking it lightly, and I think we're going to take the fall for it."

"How much of a problem will this create?"

"A big one. We don't want to let on anything to Rock and Cloud that we don't have to...but this would pretty much alert them to the fact that the Sannin are gone. That might change their mind about a lot of recent diplomacy..."

Nara paused at his words. So, this was really an issue of the Sannin being gone. Hadn't he said before...

"Enough has happened here in the last few days that they might consider changing their relationship with Konoha entirely. This could easily turn into war...a war we wouldn't win easily." The words were stated solidly, as if they had been considered for hours, and this was the final verdict.

Nara's brow furrowed as she considered those words. She looked toward the depressed face of Arashi, and confusion washed over her. Weren't you the one who said our power was in our middle? That hasn't changed...why was he so convinced that they would have trouble if he really believed what he had said? His entire analysis thus far had just included being secretive about what had happened with the Sannin...it didn't seem like there was any other reason for his lack of faith thus far...Nara remained silent, but her face gave away her confusion.

"In fact, I'm afraid that the way we are now, we'd lose that fight if they allied with each other." Arashi balled a fist in frustration. "I wish Sarutobi were here..."

Something within Nara registered this for what it was. This was Arashi's old lack of confidence rearing its ugly head again. Instead of feeling bad for him, however, she was just confused. Everything I've seen in him recently suggested this was gone...and now it comes back this strongly? Nara considered herself an expert on the way Arashi thought, but she could see no logical reason for him to be so down right now, unless...

Unless he'd never really been confident in the first place. But was that possible? Nara ran through the past in her mind.

When she'd fought him, he'd definitely shown complete confidence in his ability. That wasn't to be disputed now. He had handled everything she'd thrown at him, and he'd done so with flying colors. But, that was his combat ability...he had been trained by the legendary Jiraiya, so that was to be expected. And it wouldn't be surprising for him to be entirely confident in his abilities there, when he trained with Jiraiya every day...

Did Arashi truly believe he was the right person to be Hokage? That, Nara realized was the true question. It was a question that, unfortunately, she had had no way to test in her battle with him. Even if he wasn't completely confident in his ability as a leader, he knew he had backup that was. Jiraiya could be Hokage if he wanted...but he didn't want to. Tsunade certainly understood what was involved in the job, considering she herself was the granddaughter of the First...the founder of the Leaf Village. And of course, there was Sarutobi himself, who was training Arashi directly...

It was possible, she concluded, that he didn't believe he was ready. Beyond that, it was possible that the Sandaime hadn't believed he was ready either. That would explain why he had hung around so long. She didn't like the theory...it took away a lot of Arashi's credibility.

Suddenly, the conversation they'd had at lunch with the other Jounin and chuunin entered her mind...the one where he talked about the Konoha ANBU and their influence on the country's strength...

"...this situation is a direct consequence of the way ANBU has been organized…remember…a strong top is vital, but a nation that has a strong middle—or even a tough bottom—is going to outlast a nation with just a powerful top, more than likely. Unless the tops are just not worth comparing..."
Her mind began to question the credibility of what Arashi had said that day. And, while she wasn't in a position to truly question his statements, she could say one thing. Her face shifted into a look of disgust as she realized the full extent of what her conclusion was. Arashi noticed the shift, and his words quickly dried to silence in surprise.

Nara had never felt as disappointed in anything as she felt right then, and she was sure it was showing in her eyes. And surprisingly enough, part of her was deeply angered. She'd given her best attempt to pointing out the fraud she'd thought Arashi had become. And she'd been right. She just wasn't strong...or smart enough to point properly. Quickly, she turned her eyes away from his and looked toward his picture on the wall instead. Even that picture looked depressed, and it only led her to feel even more pissed off.

"All those things you said before...about our strength being our middle..." She hadn't realized she was talking aloud for a moment, and she certainly hadn't expected her own voice to sound so shaky. Her mind was deeply wounded by her conclusions, however, and she knew it was because her image of Arashi as a man to be admired had been completely destroyed.

Arashi heard her words and raised an eyebrow in what seemed to be surprise. A part of her became unsure, seeing that expression, as to whether her conclusion was the only one. And yet, she couldn't come up with another valid one. "I see now...that you never believed that." Fire entered her words as she spoke...and anger overtook doubt.

Arashi was being two-faced in what he chose to show to people, and she would call him on it. When asked about Konoha's strength, he had said what he thought sounded cool, or perhaps regurgitated something that Sandaime-sama had taught him recently. Perhaps it was ANBU indoctrination at its finest, who knew? Wherever it had come from, however, Nara was convinced that Arashi was not a firm believer in his own words. He had become a bold-faced liar.

Looking into his eyes for some hint of further defeat, she found none. The look on his face was one of genuine confusion, but she refused to allow the doubt to come back. "If you honestly believed what you said before, you wouldn't be so distraught as you obviously are." She reached a point where it was hard to look at him...believing he was such a good liar required her to doubt everything he did until now...and that made her want to hit him. Her fists balled without conscious thought...

Arashi slipped onto the defensive in confusion. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Knowing what she thought she knew about Arashi, she expected that if she were dead wrong, he would call her on it. Saying "what the hell" was not dead out calling her out...it was evading giving a direct answer. Trying not to lie directly to someone's face. Nara's face reddened and her lip quivered as she grew absolutely sick of hunting for the truth. Either tell me I'm wrong, or shut the hell up!

"You know what I mean, damn it!" Nara rose from her seat in rage and smashed her fists on the front of Arashi's desk, watching him carefully as he braced for a moment, but kept his eye contact. His eyes remained confused more than anything, although panic was beginning to set in. "There's no need to lie to me too!" Arashi's lips began to quiver on their own, and no sound came out. Nara began to wonder whether it was better to hit him or just walk out. The longer she looked at him, the more she suspected it would be the former if she didn't leave now.

Suddenly, she saw recognition in his eyes, as if something had just begun to make sense to him. Almost immediately, he responded...urgently, as if something very important depended on his promptness. "NO. That's just not true. I haven't lied to you or anyone on that matter." He never broke eye contact with her, but his eyes shifted a bit, as though he were still considering something...

Nara's eyes burned with fury, but deep within, her brain was moving a hundred miles an hour. Everything about the look on his face suggested that this really was unexpected commentary from her. But, the only way that would make sense was if he was being truly genuine. Part of her mind warned her that if he was as good as lying as she was making him out to be, then making convincing faces wouldn't be too far of a jump...that just strengthened the other side's argument. The other part of her swore that Arashi couldn't have possibly been that two-faced. Considering how long she had known him, that part had much more influence.

The anger began to slip away, and soon Nara found herself completely lost again. "If that's not the case," she demanded, "then what is your problem?"

Arashi's expression remained unchanged...he was still looking directly at her, but within his eyes one could see the thought process moving along. It seemed things were finally sinking in on his end, and anger crossed his look for a moment. Nara stumbled backwards into her chair as Arashi raised his voice at her.

"Of course I believe my own theories," Arashi yelled. "Why wouldn't I?" Nara heard the frustration and anger in his voice...and realized that it had probably just sunk in that she'd called him a liar. Suddenly, she felt ashamed for having jumped to conclusions so quickly.

For Arashi's part, he realized that he'd just yelled at her, balled a fist, and hit the desk. Then, he took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and started over. "I believe my own theories," Arashi stated calmly, and glanced to her. "Who else does?"

Nara's breath caught when she heard his words. She knew exactly what he meant.

"Who among the Leaf really believes that the loss of the Sannin hasn't left us vulnerable and weak?" He returned the accusing look she had given him earlier. "Do YOU?"

Nara honestly couldn't answer that, and she quickly looked away from his defiant and accusing face.

"Who do you think, among our enemies, actually believes that? What good is our strength doing us?"

Nara couldn't say anything in response. He'd proven his point...and gone entirely silent. The silence took the room by storm, and Nara let his words sink in.

Arashi was not the enemy here. Rock and Cloud were. Nara refocused her anger on something that deserved it. With a sigh, Nara resigned herself to the fact that there was probably going to be war soon. It was time for Konoha to risk its life again. She realized Arashi was speaking again, his voice reserved and quiet.

"We've remained diplomatic with the Rock and the Cloud, despite their open determination to one day be the strongest countries. Their leaders have always been more than a bit afraid to cross us in the past, and that probably has something to do with it. Now...I don't know how long hostilities will remain down, especially considering today."

Something still didn't make sense to Nara. "So, we go to war," Nara pronounced tranquilly. She made eye contact with him again, her eyes less probing this time, but still quite curious. "That still doesn't explain why you're having such a hard time coping..." War was part of being a shinobi, and she was surprised that someone like a Hokage would be so shaken by the idea that they would have to fight soon...

She watched his look shift from depression to semi-shock, and he shifted forward in his seat, closing the distance between them a bit. "Do you realize how hard this battle will be? Do you remember those scenarios I told you about before, where the Raikage and Doukage attacked one wall, while the three lords of Cloud attacked another? There's a chance that something like that could actually happen, you know..."

Nara frowned a bit and nodded. "I don't mean to downplay them at all...but we've gone to war before. I just don't think that's what you are afraid of," Nara stated blankly. She had a feeling she wouldn't need to say more than that.

She didn't need to. Arashi shifted in the chair again and sat back for a moment as he recognized what she was getting at. He looked away from her and fiddled with the paperwork before speaking again. "Cloud and Rock are both north of us, separated by a lake and a country without a shinobi village. It wouldn't be too difficult for them to send reinforcements and cover each other's backs. They have a very well-placed geographical alliance, complete with a supply line that we can't easily shut down since we don't have a navy. Meanwhile, our distance to each is nearly as far as the distance between them...but our path involves cutting through other villages, or taking a more roundabout route..."

Nara nodded at each detail, making note of what he was saying. She had to stop herself from being as impatient as normal, but she knew there was a reason Arashi was saying all this, and she'd figure it out...

"Also, we're at a disadvantage because we don't intend to make the first move...that means we'll be playing from behind. Because of all this, we're going to be fighting with our backs against the wall for some time. This is the kind of battle which could easily become a war of attrition. It could go on for years before we effectively bring things into a stalemate and truce...or it could become a bloodbath for everyone involved, and we'd have to pick up the pieces of Konoha and rebuild..."

"One false move or error," Nara replied, "and kiss Konoha goodbye." Nara got it now. "You're afraid that the wrong decision that causes our failure could be your own..." She looked to him again, looking for confirmation.

Arashi looked away from her, which was all the confirmation she needed. "Despite everything I've been through, I haven't been trained to handle this type of chaos, and I've already done a horrible job. If I keep making mistakes, could we be put in an unwinnable situation before we even get the chance to fight?"

Nara finally began to feel like she was understanding him, but she didn't have time to be happy about that. Now, pure concern motivated her. Arashi had just effectively told her that his training wasn't complete, and she couldn't grasp what he meant...but if he thought he wasn't ready, that was a great problem for everyone involved. More so, it was a concern for her, his friend, because he was obviously hurting.

He got awkward under her continued scrutiny, but that didn't stop him from talking. "I wish Sandaime were here...I don't know how he managed this, considering the first half of his time as Hokage was a huge war. We haven't even had a war yet, and I'm already at wits' end...I don't know..."

This was it, she realized. The problem she'd been searching for...the thing that was depressing him so much. As little as she knew about being a Hokage, it was easy enough for her to recognize the fears in Arashi...he was afraid of anything and everything that was going on. Every detail was dangerous, because he wasn't sure in what he could or could not do. And the emotional stress this was causing him was magnified a thousand fold by the stakes of the situation. Arashi felt the weight of the entire city upon his head...because a mistake at his level would risk everyone's lives.

For the first time in a long time, she remembered that Arashi was 3 years her junior, and he really looked it.

And as much as she wanted to be older sister...to help him be Hokage, she knew he had to learn for himself...

Nara took a deep breath, and then lightly scooted her chair up to the desk and planted her hands on the end of it. "Listen to me carefully, Arashi." She looked directly into his eyes, unwavering, doing her best to show how much she believed in him. "You remember when we first became Jounin, when we thought they were going to give us teams to lead?"

Arashi silently nodded.

A very small smile crept onto her face as she remembered those happier times. She noticed Arashi began to smile too. "Both of us were scared to death of trying to train kids...we thought we'd get our whole teams killed." That had been her fear more than his, but that was beside the point. "Sandaime-sama told us something important when we talked to him about it...do you remember what he said?"

Arashi considered what she'd asked and tried to remember. A moment later, he shook his head no. Nara raised a finger and shook it lightly, surprised that she remembered this story more than he did. "There are times when you can't worry about your team...just do your part and trust that the others will do theirs."

There wasn't much more she could say to help him than that, but she was driven to say more. Compassion filled her heart as she realized what all he probably had gone through the past week. She honestly wished she had been here sooner, but this was all she could do now...Nara held the tears back and spoke again.

"If Sandaime would say that about leading a genin team, they are definitely still applicable now, Arashi...no one expects you to do it all...this isn't your war, it's Konoha's. And we are your team. You are our leader. Surely, Sandaime told you what a Hokage's mission is...this is the time you should do it, and trust that the rest of Konoha will do ours." A confident smile crossed her face as she spoke. You're not alone in this, boy. I've got your back.

Arashi smiled back. That was a good sign.

Before she could start crying, Nara did what she knew would stop her voice from being shaky: she raised it. "Do you realize you've reached the pinnacle of being a shinobi, and you're not even enjoying it?" She couldn't help a tear running down her eye as she spoke...the roughest part of their conversation had passed, but that didn't mean the emotions had gone away. It was rough for her to even consider what all Arashi must have felt sitting in that chair on a normal day, let alone what he had gone through today. "You're killing yourself with worry! I'd never want to be Hokage if I saw you moping around like this all day..."

All of a sudden, she realized she sounded like she was his mother.

Arashi chose that exact moment to chuckle loudly, and then a much more comfortable silence than earlier covered the room. Arashi looked back to her, and a warm smile spread across his face. "Thanks, Nara...I appreciate it."

That was all she needed...a little appreciation, and enough of a smile from Arashi for her to know her words had indeed affected him. She could accept his thanks with her words, but deep down, she'd needed to help him as much as he'd needed help. "Anytime," she said as nonchalantly as she could.

"No," Arashi said. "Really, I mean it." His eyes expressed sincere gratitude, and Nara noticed he was close to crying too. "You did something today I didn't expect from anyone." His hands slipped from her view and behind the desk, and she heard a drawer open. A moment later, there was a tissue box on the desk, and Nara quickly snatched the box from him and wiped the tears from her eyes.

"I really was thinking that my support corner had bailed on me. My sensei Jiraiya, almost like my father...my 'mom' Tsunade...my trainer as a kage, Sarutobi...all gone. I've felt so...alone." Nara watched as Arashi shut his eyes tightly and sobbed loudly. Part of her wanted to go around the desk separating them and hug him, but he quickly opened his eyes and smiled to her. The tears were flowing like rivers from his eyes, but it was obvious that these were tears of joy.

Arashi spoke with a shaky voice, and allowed the tears to flow down to his shirt. "Of all my support crew, Nara-chan...I'm glad you're the one who stayed."

That comment had Nara blushing like a madwoman, but Arashi didn't notice. His thoughts had drifted away for a moment, it appeared. Nara took a moment to blow her nose and let her cheeks cool before looking back to him again. When she did, she saw an entirely different person from earlier.

Arashi had that look on his face...the one that she associated with her parents...or Valentine's Day. It was a look of gratitude and love. "Someday, maybe I'll explain to you what all you just did...but for now this will have to suffice."

It was the look, and not the words that had her confused...she'd barely noticed what he'd said. Arashi walked around his desk and extended a hand to her. Looking up at him curiously, she saw those deep green eyes of his once more, and noticed that she could barely even tell he'd been crying and depressed all day. He looked reenergized and filled with vigor, and his face reflected the intensity she'd seen in it when she'd faced him in battle.

Once she grabbed his hand, he pulled her up from the seat and into his arms. A tight embrace surrounded her suddenly, and it was all she could do to melt into his strong arms. "Thank you," he said. "You've reminded me of more than you know...and you've proven why I call you my best friend."

She hugged him back as best she could, but he quickly let go of her. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to have to go back to being Hokage now." His eyes twinkled for a moment as he looked at her.

Nara nodded and smiled. "You go do that," she replied. Her eyes were locked upon his, and she could clearly see the strength and confidence in his eyes. It was like looking at an entirely different person than the boy sitting at the desk earlier. This was a man...and she could feel the temperature of her cheeks increase by 20 degrees...this was the man she admired.

Arashi didn't have time to notice, she hoped. He quickly said his goodbyes and she promised she'd see herself out. He had to go see the elders, and she knew that would take some time. You go be the Hokage we all know you can be, Nara thought.

And it was obvious to her that if he could just get his mind and body to match his eyes, he'd be the best kage ever. Yikes...

This is a freaking huge chapter...nearly 7500 words.

It's also a deadly serious point in the fic, and I really tried my best to make it the best chapter of the fic. Unfortunately, with this much detail and length, that proved to be a lot harder than I'd thought. It was an especially bad idea to do most of the writing at 2 and 3 in the morning. That's not normally a problem for me, but scenes like this are beyond what I normally write, and I'm not entirely comfortable doing them yet. I really need to get more time during the day to write.

Despite the fact that I've spent a little over 2 weeks on this chapter, it comes off a bit rushed to me. I wrote this scene from Arashi's viewpoint in Yondaime: Strength of a Nation, and I think I got tripped up a little bit in trying to give Nara's viewpoint for this chapter, and in trying to make it different enough for readers of one fic to want to read the chap from the other one. Even though I don't particularly like the way the chapter came out, I'm going to put up this version while I consider what to do about it. I'm on Spring Break at the moment, so I may do a full rewrite of this chapter at some point. If you think it's necessary (or you really think it isn't) let me know either through review or PM.

END CHAPTER 6