Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Naruto. I simply use them as tools of my amusement.
Behind Every Great Man- Part two
When she was my friend, I had found out that she was rather loud, impatient, and absolutely addicted to ramen. I had often chided her, telling her that she had to eat something other than ramen to stay healthy. She just brushed off the words with a wave of her hand and commented how ramen has to have some of the food groups in it.
When she was my girlfriend, I had found that she was good with animals, children, and pretty much all-living things. There was no way that any one could hate her. She was just too kind; she had a way of making you feel good with just a smile. That's how I discovered that there were two sides to her. One that was calm and happy, and the other that only came out when she was in battle. The demon that was fierce, cold, and calm.
Then, we married one-spring day underneath the falling cherry blossoms. It was only about three months after I had become the Yondaime. But it was odd how in some way, everything I had ever done in my life had led up to right then. Every painful memory I had ever gone through, I would relive just to get to that day. The day that she came up to me in a white dress, with my girl, Rin, by her side. It struck me as amazing how her and Rin had taken to each other. They acted like sisters. My boy, Kakashi, had just shrugged and replied in one simple sentence.
"You could do a hell of a lot worse."
That, in my experience, was Kakashi-speak for "I like her and she brings out the best in you."
In our marriage, I had some of the best times of my life. I smiled nearly every day, and when we fought, I had to try and keep a smile off my face because she looked so cute when she was angry. But even when we fought, we always worked our way through it to get to the smiles away. I would always say cheesy romance lines to her, the kind that you read about in one of my sensei's perverted books. But she would just smile slightly, and roll her eyes with a blush on her cheeks, saying that I was the cheesiest guy in the universe, but she loved me anyway. She hardly said any romantic words, besides "I love you." But she said that three-letter sentence every day. But she didn't have to say any romantic words with me. Because she was a woman of action, and all her romance was in those actions. Oh God how it was in those actions.
Sometimes though, her actions weren't quite so great.
She had come into my office one day, all decked out in her ANBU uniform, with her mask pulled over her face. I knew it was her though by her footsteps and her scent. She walked up to the front of my desk and bowed. We had made a deal that whenever we were in uniform; we were no longer husband and wife. We were Hokage and ANBU. She was my subordinate, and I was her leader. That was the way we worked. I nodded my head at her, a slightly pained expression on my face. My stomach had been killing me all day. It felt like a little mutated animal was going to break through the skin and rear it's ugly head.
"I come to you today, not as an ANBU but as your wife, Hokage-sama."
I nodded at her.
"Continue on."
She pulled up her mask and ran over to where I was behind my desk, saying my name desperately.
"Please tell me you did not drink the milk that was in the fridge this morning."
I paused.
"Why?"
She groaned, and then muttered a cursed sentence.
"It was over its expiration date."
I could have thrown up right then. She looked up at me with pleading eyes, then hugged me, her head on my shoulder and one arm around my neck while the other was on my stomach.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I forgot to throw it out! It's all my fault!"
Oh yes, that was such a fun day. But then there were other times that she came into my office that were quite…enjoyable.
"Hokage-sama."
I looked up and nodded at the bowing ANBU. She lifted up her mask, revealing the face of my beloved, and walked up and sat on my desk. I cast a confused look at her.
"I'm on my lunch break."
I nodded and she smiled and leaned forward, kissing me softly. She had such a way that when she kissed me, one of her hands always cupped my cheek, while the other went into my hair. I don't know why she did this; I had never really found the need to ask. But somehow it was something that brought us closer together.
She had pulled away, smiled, and looked at the Hokage's hat that lay on my desk.
"Hey, can I try it on?"
I chuckled.
"Be my guest."
She lifted the red and white hat, and put it over her head, then looked at me.
"How's it look?"
"Wow, see, I don't look all cute when I wear it."
She laughed and put it back onto my desk, then asked me how my day was.
"Uneventful."
Being a Hokage wasn't as fun as I thought it would be. I mean, sure, you were declared the strongest ninja in the village, and you could fight and everything. But, really, when there wasn't any fighting going on, you just sat in your office and did paper work all day. That was the sucky boring part of the job, and my wife knows that I have to keep moving around, or else I start to get twitchy.
Months passed, and about six months into our marriage she confronted me with a question.
"Love, how would you like to be a daddy?"
My jaw dropped to the floor. I could feel my eyes become saucers. I pointed at her stomach and uttered two words.
"You…mean…"
She nodded, and smiled nervously.
I let out a loud whoop followed by a fit of laughter as I wrapped my arms around her waist and swung her around in a circle. Then I set her down and held her tightly.
"This…this is…well, I don't think amazing quite covers it! How did you find out?"
"I felt a shift in my chakra, so I went to the medics, they did an exam and told me. Also, the fact that I've been sick the past few weeks helped me out a bit."
"How far along are you?"
"About a month and a half."
I kneeled down so I was face to face with her stomach and lifted her shirt, putting a hand on her bare skin. I smiled and patted her flesh.
"Hello in there. Hi! I'm you're daddy!"
She laughed, and patted my head.
"I'm only a month and a half pregnant, dear, the baby doesn't have any ears yet, and he can't hear you."
"He?"
She shrugged.
"Call it mother's intuition, but I just know it's going to be a boy."
I had only cried a few times in my life. The first time, was when my student, Obito, passed on. The second time, was when I found out I was going to be a father.
About six months later, my wife walked around with a hand on her round belly and a smile on her face…except for those times when she cried because she put her shoes on the wrong feet. She had smiled as we picked out names for our son, but in the end we had agreed on Naruto. But among all that joy that was going on in my life, terror started to show it's ugly little head. I received news that a nine-tailed fox demon was making its way towards Konoha. It had already desecrated four villages. I told the Jounin and ANBU to keep a look out for it. That was really all that we could do for now.
The months flew past, and three months later, my wife came to my office one day and calmly stated that she was going into labor and would like to be taken to the infirmary.
Within three hours into her labor, an ANBU appeared next to me and told me a sentence that would break me.
"The nine-tailed fox had just appeared on the horizon. It will be outside Konoha within the hour."
I nodded and told him that I would be there in a moment. He disappeared and I sent a look to my wife. She nodded.
"Go on, Hokage. You're village needs you. I'll be there as soon as I can."
I nodded in thanks, and kissed her a few times in apology. I wouldn't be there to see my son's birth. But I would damn well make sure that he would have a village to grow up in.
When I had appeared outside the gates of the village, the entire ANBU and Jounins were there, including Kakashi. The fourteen-year-old Jounin appeared next to me and gave me a report.
"He's taken out a village to the west. Within five minutes he'll be in front of us."
He was. Within three minutes, all of the Ninja of Konoha were fighting the nine-tailed fox. I could hear the screams and cries echo in my ears as some of the best ninja were killed and wounded. The fox was so large, that when it whipped its tail, the east side of the village turned into smoke and rubble. I felt my breath hitch in my throat until I realized that the hospital was on the west side. I barked out orders and did a million jutsu. Before I knew it, things had gotten so bad that was standing on my great giant frog, my partner in war. Within a half hour of the battle, I had decided. There was no way that we could beat him. Not like this. But I could. There was only one way I could.
The forbidden sealing jutsu.
It was the only answer. But I don't think anyone would want a fox in them. Except…
No, I couldn't do that to him. Not to him. It would be torture. He would be alone. But he wouldn't. He would have his mother. Someone to love him. He would be a hero, the one who harbored the bloodthirsty giant. Yes, my son was the new hero of Konoha.
Right as I made this decision, an ANBU appeared next to me. Even with the metallic scent of blood, I could make out the scent of vanilla. My wife was standing next to me. By the way her body stood, I could see she was tired. I wanted to shout at her for being here. Tell her that she was too weak with the blood loss. She said my name, and I looked over at her. She must have seen in my eyes the decision that I had come to, because she shook her head and replied in an equally firm voice.
"Hokage-sama, as an ANBU of this village I can not allow you to do this."
"Denied."
She looked into my eyes pleadingly.
"Then as your wife and the mother of your son, I beg of you…don't do this."
I smiled softly at her.
"I have to. You know that I do. It's the only way. Now go back to the hospital."
Her anger and sorrow flared, tears set in her eyes.
"No! There has to be another way! Think of Naruto!"
"I am. I do not wish for my son to grow up in this. For him to grow up in a time of terror and confusion. When I do this, he will be a hero. Love, listen to me. This is the only way, there is no alternative. If I sacrifice my life it could save the lives of thousands. That's an equal trade to me. We always said that we would be professional. This is what I have to do."
She searched my eyes, as if there she would find some compromise. Some other way for us to win. But in the end, she nodded, and tears fell down her cheeks. She knew who I was, and what I stood for. She knew that when I was just me, my wife and family came first. She also knew, that when I was Hokage my village came first. There was always someone else's safety above my own.
I smiled sadly at her; kissed her, told her I loved her, then said for her to give Naruto a hug for me.
She nodded, and I know the last thing I said to her.
"Go be with our son."
She disappeared. That was the last time I saw my wife.