Kakashi's POV
He already hated being Hokage and he hadn't even officially been given the title. Firstly, Guy had challenged him to a race through the village that had naturally escalated to them dodging around people and throwing random objects at each other. When the race had finished he had barely been able to catch his breath before he was strong armed by an old, rather cranky, man into letting him get the measurements of his face. Kakashi certainly hoped this was the official stone carver of the village and not some random man. When the man had tried to rip off his mask, Kakashi had ran. He didn't want a carving of himself hovering over the village, especially without his mask on. Every time he saw it he would see his father and that thought was too heavy to hold.
He had spotted Yamato and Aaliyah talking outside one of the food tents and had quickly darked around them, spitting out a quick 'you didn't see me' before hiding inside. The two laughed but at least they passed on his lie when the sculptor's assistant came asking about him. Unfortunately that meant he had to deal with the amused expressions on two of his ex-subordinates. He longed for the days that he could order them to do boring tasks as punishment for being smart with him. Though, since Aaliyah had been assigned to his team to monitor his mental state she rarely reacted to his 'punishments', instead choosing to smile at him and pat his head as though he was a good dog.
"Are you going to tell us why you're hiding from a kid?" Yamato asked, a smirk twitching on his lips.
"I wasn't hiding from the kid, I was hiding from his grandfather." After he said that he realised how it sounded. He scoffed at their laugher.
"I have so much faith in our new Hokage," Yamato went on, "Don't you, Aaliyah?"
"Well, at least I don't have to worry about him wondering what colour my underwear is," Aaliyah retorted, patting Yamato's chest sadly before walking over to one of the tables.
"I wasn't," the dark haired man yelped, blushing dark.
"I don't know, Aaliyah can tell what people are thinking and feeling quite easily," Kakashi teased, "I'm liable to believe her. Though if you ask her nicely, she might tell you what colour they are, Tenzo."
"I don't want to know and don't call me that!" Yamato huffed, sitting next to a sniggering Aaliyah. He waited for the other two to calm down before turning to Kakashi. The look on his face told the older man what topic they were about to discuss. "I talked to Shikamaru. Naruto has eaten and is resting but she is still shaken. Oh-" He looked at Aaliyah who raised an eyebrow. "You already knew about Naruto's gender, didn't you?"
"No," Aaliyah drawled, "because I am horrible at the skills that got me into the anbu! It's not like it's my job to be able to read people's secrets off their faces and such, a woman who doesn't want to hide is the hardest to read."
"Well, if you've had a chance to get a read off Naruto, what do you think is getting to her so badly? Do you know how to fix it?" Kakashi asked, studying the woman in front of him.
"She is scared, and confused, and feels like she has to keep making people happy so they won't turn on her again. There's more going on, but that's the read I was able to get off her. I only met her a month ago, and her issues run too deep for me to assess without her trust. As for how to help her… she's right there, just ask." Aaliyah pointed outside the tent were the three could see Naruto off in the distance, vaguely holding conversation with two civilians.
Kakashi called Naruto over. She waved off the civilians and slowly walked towards them. Her steps were unbalanced, her skin paled, her eyes dull, and somehow her hair was also limp and dry. Naruto always radiated an energy that neither of her parents had had. She was vibrant, colourful, loud, and optimistic. Now, however, it looked like every step she took, every breath she breathed was taking more energy than she had to give. When she reached them she gave them a weak smile, sitting down heavily as though her legs couldn't carry her any longer.
"I thought you were resting at the Nara estate," Kakashi commented, eyeing her encase she toppled off the bench.
"I wanted to go for a walk," Naruto muttered.
He knew that statement was touching on something more but wasn't sure how to touch onto the subject. He looked at Aaliyah for help and almost face palmed when the woman spoke to Naruto.
"What thought are you running away from?"
Surprisingly, Naruto sighed. "Shikamaru said something… weird to me."
Figuring that Aaliyah's blunt approach was worth a try, Kakashi cleared his throat. "And what did he say?"
"That I don't do what I want and instead do what everyone else wants. He is really upset about it."
Kakashi narrowed his eye. "Do you think he's wrong?"
"Well, I want to help the village, and doing what they want helps them."
"That's a good point," Aaliyah spoke up, ignoring the shocked looks from Kakashi and Yamato. "Oh, you heard about how Danzo caused a mess at the Kage Summit, right? Well, between that and the Uchiha kid attacking the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki the tension between us and the Cloud are escalating. Luckily a plan has been made to fix that. It's been decided that since the Cloud is the wronged party they are allowed to choose someone of note from the Leaf to marry the Raikage. They decided the Hero of the Leaf." When Naruto looked at her in confusion, Aaliyah elaborated. "You! They chose you to marry the Raikage."
"Oh," Naruto breathed, sitting back. She looked lost for words, her eyes flickering around the tent. "I…if the village needs it."
Kakashi groaned. "Do you hear what you're saying? The man you met, the one who was rude to you, and wants to kill Sasuke, you'd marry him if the village wanted it? Really?"
Naruto looked away, her shoulders sunk. She looked back towards him multiple times, clearly trying to find words to what she was feeling. She was rarely at such a loss that Kakashi felt guilty for putting her into the situation they had created. However, he knew Aaliyah was skilled at getting to the issues and getting them out in the best way for each person. Naruto would benefit from this moment later on, even if she didn't look back on it with positive emotions.
"Naruto," Kakashi started slowly. "You are allowed to put your feelings first at times." When Naruto continued to look confused he sighed. "What about Sakura? How do you feel about what she did?"
"She was trying to help me," Naruto muttered weakly.
Aaliyah tapped on the table twice before tapping her heart. Kakashi recognised the gesture from years of working with her. With guilt welling inside, Kakashi gave a subtle nod, letting the woman take over.
"Her plan had an abundance of flaws, you must see that." When Naruto shrugged, avoiding the other woman's eye, Aaliyah went on. "So you have no issues with what she did? Even if what she did was done by someone you care about. A man you might have feelings for. Imagine if that man came up to you, and confessed his love for you to manipulate you."
Naruto's face pinched. "He wouldn't do that."
"Imagine he did," coaxed Yamato. "Replace the image of Sakura 'confessing' her love for you with someone you actually have feelings for, but you know he is lying to you."
The blonde started to shake before her fist slammed down onto the table. The wood groaned painfully. She glared at Yamato.
"He wouldn't do that to me!" Naruto snapped. "Why are you doing this?"
"How do you know he wouldn't do what Sakura did?" prodded Kakashi, holding in a wince.
"Because… because…" Naruto stammered. "Because he wouldn't do that to me! It's mean, and painful, and what if I believed him? What would he do then? Telling me a lie wouldn't stop me from going after Sasuke and he would know that! Like Sakura did! Why did she do that? It was selfish and only hurt me. She only sees me as the Nine-Tails but I'm not! I'm a strong ninja and if she was really my friend she wouldn't have done that to me!" Naruto finished her rant with a pant, her eyes wide. The look of shock on her face matched the expressions on the three Jonins' faces. She turned her eyes onto Kakashi, making bile well in his stomach. "Why are you doing this to me?"
He opened his mouth to try and explain but Naruto jumped up, running off. He shared a look with his two friends before they raced after Naruto. They caught up to the blonde as she ran into a building sector. She tried to run in another direction but was blocked by people bringing in building material. When she tried to find another way out of the area, Kakashi grabbed her shoulders she turned, throwing off his hand.
"NO! I DON'T WANT TOO! STOP MAKING ME FEEL! I DON'T WANT TOO! WHY DOES EVERYONE WANT ME TO HURT?!" Naruto's yelling had drawn a crowd, including Shikamaru. Kakashi, looking at the tears running down Naruto's pale face, wished everyone would give the woman privacy.
"FEELINGS ONLY CAUSE PAIN! THEY HURT! WHY CAN'T I JUST NOT FEEL?" Naruto started to hyperventilate. She collapsed to the ground, hugging herself. "My heart is meant to be iron."
The Jonin noticed some in the crowd ushering other, bewildered, observers away. The looks these select few gave Naruto were not of sympathy but of empathy. By the time Naruto choked on her tears, dropping her head onto her knees only the three Jonins, Shikamaru, and a green haired man remained close to the blonde, others spying on Naruto from behind half established building. It was the last person who spoke first.
"I know, Naruto. It's hard, but you have to remember that you're safe now. It's okay to feel things and to act on those feelings." He crouched down so he wasn't towering over her. "I know you were taught otherwise, but you don't have to be afraid to be honest with yourself."
Naruto shook her head, not looking up at them. "No! Varric, it hurts. If I don't feel, it doesn't hurt."
"True," Varric agreed. "You don't get any of the bad, but you don't get any of the good either. And there's so much good around you. Naruto, you don't need to do whatever others want you to do. People won't start turning on you if you put your needs ahead of their wants." The man looked at Shikamaru, cocking his head at Naruto.
Slowly the Nara walked up to Naruto, hugging her to him. "Just breathe," he whispered, shooting a hard look at Kakashi over Naruto's head. "We're not trying to cause you pain. We want to help. Just take a breath and tell us something you need. Something little if it helps."
"I just need everything to stop," Naruto sniffled. "I just… just want to stop. Stop asking me to do something that makes it hard to breath!"
"Naruto," Aaliyah started softly, "Everyone wants to help you. We aren't trying to cause you pain, we're trying to get you to speak for yourself."
The blonde stilled before slowly standing and looking at the three Jonins. They could see that Naruto was stealing herself, as though expecting retaliation. "I want to stop talking to you three and I want to go home."
Kakashi nodded. "Okay."
The look of surprise and suspicion on Naruto's face filled the sensei with heartache. Something in her was broken, had been for so long that Kakashi wondered how she had hid it from everyone so well.
Shikamaru drew Naruto into his arms, kissing her temple. "Alright, let's go home."
After Shikamaru had led Naruto away, Kakashi looked at Aaliyah and Yamato, wondering what to do. Yamato noticed Varric start to walk away and told him to stop.
"What's wrong with Naruto?" he asked the man. "You know, don't you?"
The man sighed. "Yes. It's one of the ways Mrs Huruma broke us. She would take our feeling or our desires and use them to hurt us. At times when we did something she didn't like the one we cared for the most was punished and not us. Sometimes for the smallest things. And Naruto was her favourite victim. So to protect others Naruto stopped feeling and stopped wanting."
"How did this Huruma do this? How haven't we heard about this abuse?" Yamato asked.
Varric snorted in derision. "Didn't I just say she broke us? Even when we leave her 'care' she still has control over us. The better question is: what the fuck were you doing to Naruto?"
"Helping her," Aaliyah stated simply. "She needed a hard push, even if it was going to hurt her."
"It better work." Varric shook his head before his eyes were drawn to a Chunin running up to them.
"Kakashi, sir," the Chunin puffed. "It's Lady Tsunade. She's awake!"
Kakashi quickly took off running to Lady Tsunade's tent. When he got there he had to wait around for answers. He did get confirmation that she was awake but it wasn't for another three hours that he was allowed to see her. He had prepared himself to find the formidable woman looking weak, pale, and fragile. Instead she looked almost like she had woken from a peaceful rest and had a full meal. However, when she looked at him he saw a flicker of fatigue.
"You don't mind if I take back my title, do you?" Lady Tsunade joked with an easy smile before sobering up. "I've been caught up on what has happened. Shizune told me that the Raikage is leading the united army and has plans to put the two remaining Jinchuriki in a safe location. I have also been told that Naruto has been having some… issues. I want your opinion on her emotional status. Is the Akatsuki getting to her?"
With a sigh, he put his hands in his pockets. "I don't think they're helping, but honestly, I think this was always coming. Ibiki knows something about what Naruto's been through and I'm going to get someone to look into a woman named Huruma too."
Lady Tsunade rubbed her forehead. "I'll leave that to you, though I remember the name Huruma from the Second Great Ninja War. Naruto won't have to be sent to the secret location until the armies are assembled. It'll take a few weeks. Do you have any suggestions if Naruto doesn't start to recover?"
Kakashi shrugged. "Aaliyah Akimichi has given Naruto a push in the direction she needs. Being in the Nara Estate seems to be helping too. The Clan has been going out of its way to protect her and I think that's part of the reason Naruto has been having a hard time. She's allowed to be weak because they keep her safe, and Shikamaru is encouraging her to do things she wants. I think it's just bringing up things she didn't want to face. Give it some time."
/ / / / /
Sakura's POV
She was glad to have Lady Tsunade awake and taking over as Hokage again. Although Kakashi-Sensei was a capable team leader but the idea of him as Hokage was not something Sakura agreed with. He would be late to every meeting and probably burn his paperwork. Luckily that issue wasn't going to happen. Honestly she wasn't too happy with Kakashi-Sensei and Captain Yamato for leaving her to be slapped by Hinata and yelled at by people she thought were her friends the day before. They had said she wasn't a good friend to Naruto, but they were wrong.
Sakura was Naruto's best friend and always had his best interests in mind. Naruto had a lot of gaps in his knowledge that parents would normally fill in, like he shouldn't be a pervert and turn himself into a naked woman. When he was put on the team with Sasuke and Sakura she had decided it would be her job to try and educate him and reign in his behaviour. If Naruto had an issue with it he would have told Sakura to stop, but he never had.
When Lady Tsunade had decided to rest for the day Sakura went to find the blond boy. She had heard about Naruto having some issues the day before and wanted to see what had happened. Unfortunately he was still staying at the Nara compound for some reason that Sakura couldn't understand. She, herself, was stuck in a tent with two other females she didn't know. She would have stayed with Ino but her house had been destroyed and was staying at Shikamaru's. Since she was still forbidden from entering the Nara Estate she had to transform herself into Sai to get through the gate. The fact that Sai was allowed into the estate but she wasn't infuriated her.
It was easy to spot Naruto. He was the only one with bright blond hair. He was sitting near the forest that bordered the Nara Estate on two sides with a small, black deer curled in his lap, little white horns poking out of its head. Naruto didn't look up when Sakura drew close to her.
"Sakura, why are you pretending to be Sai?" Naruto continued to pat the deer's head.
"Because Shikamaru won't let me into the estate," Sakura huffed.
"Well he is the Heir so maybe you should respect his wishes."
Rolling her eyes, Sakura dropped the transformation and reached down, intending to pat the deer in Naruto's lap. However, Naruto's grabbed her wrist, finally raising his eyes to meet Sakura's.
"The Nara deer don't like strangers touching them." He let go of her wrist, going back to patting the deer.
Sakura was thankful that Naruto was no longer looking at her. His face was pale, his eyes dull, and he looked small, almost broken. She couldn't help but wonder if the Naras weren't bothered with feeding him or if with the Nine-Tails fully locked away Naruto was weakened or sick.
"Well, come on, you can take me to dinner." Sakura turned to leave only for Naruto to speak, making her look back.
"Why?"
"Because we're friends."
Naruto sneered, dark humour tinting his words as he looked up at Sakura again. "I thought we were in love."
"I know Sai told you what I was really doing. Dummy, I was trying to protect you!" Sakura gave a laugh, bringing her fist down towards Naruto's head.
However, she again found her wrist captured in Naruto's grasp, though this time his hold was painful and his stare was sharp. The deer lifted its head off Naruto's knee turning its head to look at a large deer slowly walking out of the forest.
"Stop hitting me!" Naruto let Sakura's wrist go with a push. "I don't like it. And we're not friends, we're barely teammates."
"What's making you say this? Has Shikamaru been saying mean things about me?" Sakura snapped, rubbing her wrist. Bruises in the shape of fingers were starting to appear on her skin.
The deer got off Naruto's lap, allowing him to stand. "He can say whatever he wants, that doesn't change my thoughts. And I think that we aren't friends. I don't want you in my life. I will get Sasuke back for him, no one else. But you're not my teammate anymore. Now leave!"
"Naruto, where is this suddenly coming from?"
"From me! What you did was horrible. You don't even know me enough to know I like a man, not you. Get out!" Naruto clenched his fists, trembles going through his body. "Get out!"
Sakura heard a deep, throaty growl. She looked up to see the large deer lowering its head, stomping its foot. Naruto looked over his shoulder at the deer, before noticing the little black deer beside him doing a similar stance.
"Brefew, Fie, what's wrong?" Naruto asked, a note of panic coming into his voice.
"Get back!" a man with curly brown hair yelled, running towards them. He put himself between the large deer and the two ninjas, shooting Naruto a look over his shoulder. "What happened?"
"I don't know. I was telling Sakura to leave the estate and then they start to act weird. Ryota, what's going on?"
"She hasn't obeyed your order. Brefew and Fie must think she's a threat to you now and will kill her if she doesn't go." He glared at Sakura. "Get out now! You're not welcome!"
Sakura shot Naruto one last look, who appeared more concerned about the deer than his teammate, before turning and running for the compound's gates. It wasn't until she was two streets away that she stopped to catch her breath. As she thought over Naruto's words a tear ran down her cheek. She had tried to do what was best for Naruto and yet everyone, even the blond, was telling her that she was wrong. She wondered how that could be true when she remembered what Naruto had said. He liked a male. With a gasp Sakura realised that she had no idea who Naruto was talking about and had honestly thought that the blond had been in love with her. It was disorienting to realise something she had thought to be fact turned out to be entirely wrong. However, she had tried to care for Naruto and teach him, so she didn't understand why the blond had kept so many things from her. She would have spent more time with him if he hadn't run around making sexy-jutsus and saying idiotic things. But the bruise on her wrist made one thing clear to her. Naruto had been letting her hit him all this time. She hadn't even seen the Genin move to grab her wrist and could tell that the blond had been holding back a lot with his grip.
Surely I know something about Naruto! she thought. Thinking hard, she tried to answer simple questions about her teammate. What was his favourite flower? What was his biggest fear? What was his favourite dessert? Did he eat dessert? All she really knew was that Naruto liked the colour orange and ramen, and wanted to be Hokage one day. At first she thought she was forgetting facts about Naruto that she had gotten so used to that she didn't think about them but realised with surprise that she simply hadn't taken the time to really know Naruto. He talked a lot but Sakura hadn't realised that Naruto never actually said anything. She wasn't even sure how Naruto had known it was her and not Sai to begin with. Perhaps they truly weren't friends after all.
I figured Sakura's part was too small for a whole other chapter so I combined it with this one.
R and R.