Chapter 3: Responsible Adult
Kakashi felt like a new man. It was amazing what 14 hours of sleep could do for the chronically conscious. He had been rather embarrassed when Shizune woke him up after his impromptu nap, the Hokage having gone to tell Shikaku that his services would be required longer than she had expected. After an apology, and a short bow, he had made his way back home where he resumed his previously interrupted rest. The sun was still out when he fell back to sleep, but he figured he deserved to be able to relax with everything that had been happening lately.
After taking his morning shower the next day, Kakashi had decided to give himself a bit of a break. Setting out to get himself a proper breakfast rather than the ration bars he usually ate. Taking time to de-stress was one of the often-overlooked parts of maintaining your ability to perform in the field. Taking his time to walk to a nearby restaurant. He looked at the specials that were plastered on the windows near the entrance.
Oh, the miso soup was on sale, that would be nice. They even had salt-broiled saury. His favorite! Stepping into the restaurant Kakashi was seated by a kind waitress and quickly placed his order. Leaning back in his comfortable chair he looked out the window and watched as shinobi and civilian alike walked the streets. Occasionally sipping on some of the complementary tea as he did. All without anyone see his face of course.
Yes, Kakashi had needed a break, and this was most definitely good for him. Taking time off to take care of your own needs was a very responsible thing to do. That's all he was doing, taking some time to collect himself. He most certainly wasn't trying to postpone the inevitable discussion he would have to have with Sakura later. Nope... not at all.
UN:PoA
Sasuke was growing impatient. He had been promised power, training, techniques, and knowledge. He had assumed he would be taking up a place as Orochimaru's apprentice, or at least one of his top pupils. Instead he was treated even more delicately than he had been while in Konoha. It was like all of these Oto ninjas had been told that he was Orochimaru's prized chihuahua, that also just so happen to be made out of equal parts glass and pressure-sensitive gunpowder. He hadn't even seen Orochimaru yet, having been told he had been "previously engaged" before Sasuke could show up. Whatever the hell that meant.
The Oto base he was located in was rather large, especially considering it wasn't even part of Otogakure proper. In fact, it was a bit north of Otogakure. Meaning, he had been ushered past where Orochimaru was currently located so that he could wait in a base while the snake sannin finished whatever business was keeping him. The layout of the base was a simple cross shape that was nestled against a mountain, with the northern tip of the cross going into the mountain. He had been given free rein over the entirety of the eastern and southern wings of the complex. There was plenty to do. A sizable cafeteria for him to eat at. Several libraries filled with everything from historical manuscripts to the fundamentals of chakra theory. There was even a training ground for him to practice in.
If he had wanted public libraries and empty training grounds, he could have stayed in Konoha. He didn't betray his home and brutally murder the closest thing he could call a friend just for a change of scenery. He was tempted to test the Mangekyo but didn't dare use it without good cause.
After unlocking the Mangekyo Sharingan a sort of instinctual knowledge on what he could do with it had entered his mind. Along with the risks associated. Suddenly, he knew that with Kagutsuchi in his right eye he could manipulate and even extinguish the flames of the Amaterasu that came from his left eye. With the Mangekyo active in both eyes he could create the chakra manifestation Susanoo. It would be weak at first, but would grow stronger the longer he had these eyes. He also knew that with every use of a Mangekyo technique his eyesight would deteriorate until he eventually went blind.
The idea that the use of the Mangekyo would inevitably leave him permanently blinded was worrying. He had to ration his use of it as much as possible, use it only as an absolute last resort. He needed to postpone the loss of his eyesight. At least until he could kill Itachi.
UN:PoA
The sensation of wind blowing past his bare forehead felt strange. Naruto had worn his hitai-ate almost constantly after Iruka had given it to him. Running outside without it, he almost felt more naked than if he had been wearing nothing at all. He would have to find something to put on his forehead. Oh, what if he got one with horns like Jiraiya had! That'd be so sweet! Except instead of the word 'oil' on the front he would put something super cool. He didn't know what it was gonna be yet, but he knew it was gonna be awesome.
He was making good time; not that he was trying that hard. He highly doubted anyone would try to track down someone they had buried. His grave had been recently dug, so no one should notice that a bit of dirt was out of place. Of course, he had left his old hitai-ate there like an idiot. It had seemed like the right idea at the time. He wasn't planning on staying in the Land of Fire, and he didn't want anyone to start asking questions about the lone Konoha ninja wandering around. Looking back though he should have done something other than leave the thing on the ground. Maybe he should have buried it? That sounded like a symbolic type thing to do. He would have just had to think of what it symbolized later.
Naruto's introspection was cut short however when a branch broke under his weight. "Shit!" he cursed before righting himself instinctively. Landing on the mucky soil beneath the canopy. The trees had begun to thin out a few miles back, and he had to make riskier and riskier jumps in order to stay off the forest floor. He would have to travel on the ground for now. It was a little slower, but not a big deal.
A slight growl emanated from Naruto's stomach as he resumed his run. He hadn't eaten anything since before he left to get Sasuke, and no one had thought to pack a bento for his trip to the grave. Slowing to a stop, Naruto rummaged around his pockets. His jacket was empty, whoever swapped his old one out having neglected to replace any gear. His pants were a similar situation. Although he hoped no one had changed those while he was unconscious.
He still had four kunai in his pouch, about a dozen shuriken, and a few yards of ninja wire. He may be hungry, alone, and penniless, but he was a ninja dang it! He would use what little gear he had to trap a mighty beast that would feed him for days! Future generations would tell the tale of Uzumaki Naruto, the great hunter!
Naruto's stomach growled again; this time much louder. "I could really go for some ramen right about now." He mumbled to himself as he began setting his snares.
UN:PoA
Sakura rolled around on her bed. Her parents were both out on missions for a while, so she had no reason to try to act normal today. Ino had come by earlier in the week and talked at her for a while. Saying things about how stupid they were for letting Sasuke get between them, how they were still best friends and Sakura could go to her for anything. Generic 'I'm sorry your world fell apart' nonsense. She had heard many such speeches since Naruto died. Various friends and family that told her to stay strong, that she could make it through this, etc. etc.
How had no-one seen what she had done? She had killed him, she had killed 'Naruto the Hero.' She was just as much to blame for his death as Sasuke, if not more so. She had been so stupid, so childish. All she had cared about was getting her crush back, regardless of the threat to her teammate. Her teammate that had secretly been protecting her from a threat so large that even the Fourth Hokage couldn't destroy it.
The revelation that Naruto had been carrying the Kyuubi inside him since birth shed a new light on every interaction they shared. He had held that hidden pain with joy as he declared that he wanted to become Hokage. Saving thousands of lives every day with his mere existence wasn't enough for him, he wanted to save even more. He held a power that could destroy entire nations and found pleasure in the simple joy of eating cheap ramen and pulling harmless pranks. If he had revealed his pedigree and duty as jinchuuriki, he would have had full grown women fawning over him. Instead, he had sent love letters to a neurotic, flat-chested idiot with a large forehead because she had been nice to him once. How had she gotten everything so backwards?
Sakura sat up in bed when she heard a knock at the door. This couldn't be right. Her parents weren't supposed to be back for days and she had made plenty of excuses to keep other guests away. Part of her didn't want to answer the door, to pretend that she hadn't heard anything and go back to her moping.
Another knock on the door told her that hiding wasn't an option. With great effort she managed to pull herself out of bed and put some clothes on that looked halfway decent. Taking her time to walk down the stairs she ran her fingers through her hair. It was tangled and slightly greasy, she hadn't showered in a day or two.
Brushing her hair with her fingers to look at least half-way presentable she opened the door. Cocking her head to the side she saw the tall lanky figure of her old sensei. "Kakashi-san?" She asked, dropping the -sensei for a -san; assuming team 7 had been dissolved after the other two thirds were dead or gone. What was Kakashi doing here? Unless he was here to give her paperwork on when she would be reassigned. Although that didn't seem right. Why get a jounin to deliver paperwork?
Sakura frowned. There was no way she could handle being placed on another team. It felt like a betrayal to Naruto, and oddly enough to that bastard Sasuke as well. She would have to resign. She could guilt-trip Ino into giving her a job at her family's flower shop and live out the rest of her life as a civilian. The only reason she had tried so hard to become a kunoichi to begin with was to get closer to Sasuke, and now the idea of being close to him wasn't very appealing.
Kakashi looked Sakura up and down. She was a bit of a mess, but he had actually been expecting worse. He would still have his work cut out for him though. Squatting down to her level he placed a hand on her shoulder and gave her the most sincere eye-smile he could. Reaching into his pocket with his spare hand Kakashi pulled out a single bell and held it out for Sakura to take. Reaching her hand out she took it. "Meet me at training ground 3 tomorrow at 8AM. I won't be late. We can talk more then," He whispered before standing and walking away.
UN:PoA
Naruto sat back and picked the last bit of meat off the bone of his freshly cooked squirrel. He had been hoping for a rabbit or two, but this would suffice. After setting a few snares he only managed to catch a single squirrel, and the thing had thrashed around, tangling his ninja wire beyond hope. He still had about 2 yards worth of the stuff, but he would have to get to civilization soon. Although, the question remained of how he would make money once he got there.
He highly doubted that the Land of Hot Springs would accept a lone, villageless genin to contract their missions out too. Unless he got extremely lucky, there was no hope in him finding a stable living situation in Hot Springs. Even the smaller nations weren't exactly keen on taking in and training mysterious children that refused to answer questions on why they were there. What would he say? 'I ran away from my village because they all think I'm dead? I'm too scared to go back and let everyone know that I failed what was probably my most important mission of my life? Oh yeah, and it turns out my dad was the Fourth Hokage, and now everyone knows I have a demon inside me? A demon that would like nothing more than to be let out and eat every one of us.' Oh yeah, that'd turn out just swell.
Throwing the last of the bones into the fire Naruto wiped the grease off his lips. Squirrel tasted fine, but he wished there was more of it. A single squirrel wasn't exactly capable of filling him up. He was a growing boy and needed his protein. Unless ramen was an option, in which case screw protein give him those sweet, noodly carbs!
Taking his jacket off, Naruto bunched it up into a makeshift pillow and leaned back on it as the fire began to dwindle. Tomorrow was a new day, and he really hoped it would be better than the last.
UN:PoA
True to his word, Kakashi had arrived on time to the meeting spot. 8AM sharp. Strangely, at least to him, it was Sakura that was late, around 15 minutes so. Kakashi decide not to bring it up. Although, Sakura did look a little shocked when she saw that Kakashi was waiting on her.
"Good morning," Kakashi greeted, forcing a smile on behind his mask. Sakura had made herself much more presentable compared to yesterday. "I have plenty of ideas for your training, but first I want to test your abilities and how you've improved since the chuunin exam." He explained, jumping off of the post he had been waiting on. "Do you still have the bell I gave you yesterday?"
Sakura nodded and dug the little bell out of her pocket, holding it in her hand. "Kakashi-san," Sakura paused, not sure how he would respond to her next words. "I appreciate you deciding to continue training me, but I don't believe that will be necessary. After thinking about it more last night, I've decided to resign. I've decided that being a ninja isn't for me."
"No." Kakashi said. Direct, and serious. His smile dropping. "As your jounin sensei, all resignation requests must first be approved by me before being further approved by the Hokage. I refuse your resignation."
"What? Kakashi-san-"
"Kakashi-sensei." The jounin corrected.
"I'm not cut out to be a ninja!" She continued, heedless of his interruption. "I'm just a genin, and I've already killed one teammate and driven another to treason! I'm great at paperwork, but I can't handle being a kunoichi!"
Kakashi cocked his head to the side. It was amazing how the world appeared to revolve around you when you were younger. "Do you really believe that? That you're the sole reason Sasuke betrayed the village, or that Naruto went after him?" He asked rhetorically. "Sasuke has been fighting his demons since his family was killed. No actions you did or didn't take would've changed that. Besides 'my teammate annoyed me' isn't a viable excuse for treason and murder."
Sakura frowned at that. True, Sasuke had been fighting a losing war with his childhood since she knew him, but there was still a sliver of a chance that if she had behaved differently it would have turned out better.
"What about Naruto?" She began, deciding to drop the earlier line of reasoning, knowing she wouldn't be able to convince Kakashi. "I begged him to bring Sasuke back, I made him promise to bring Sasuke back. If I hadn't done that, then he might still be alive. I took advantage of his feelings for me, and now he's dead because it!"
"Do you honestly believe that Naruto wouldn't have gone after Sasuke if he hadn't promised to bring Sasuke back? Yes, keeping his promises was a major part of Naruto's nindo, but he saw Sasuke as a brother; you couldn't have stopped him from going after Sasuke if you tried." Kakashi explained before stepping forward and placing a comforting hand on Sakura's head. "Sakura, I'm not going to lie and pretend that you can go back to the way things were before Sasuke left. You're a new person now, your experiences have shaped you. Every day we wake up a different person than the one we were before we went to sleep. If you truly want to honor Naruto's memory, than take the pain you've felt and make it a part of you. Use it to drive yourself to be a new, better Sakura. Will you let Naruto's death mean nothing? Just a footnote in a history book? Or will you grow, and carry his dreams for him?"
Sakura was fighting back tears, but she could feel her resolve grow to match them. Her burden was still heavy. She would bear it. She would kill her old self. The weak, lovestruck child that thought about nothing but boys and popularity. She would rise anew with the sun and face her challenges head on. To do anything less would be to disgrace Naruto's memory. It would make Sasuke right about Konoha. It would make Sasuke right about her. Her head hurt. She had been whipping back and forth between extreme emotions since Sasuke left, and it seemed like only now was she finding a reasonable place to settle in the middle.
"So, now that you're a new person, I think a new introduction is in order." Kakashi took his hand off of Sakura's head and sat cross-legged on the grass.
"My name is Hatake Kakashi. I like many things and dislike many more, but I can't stand those who betray their friends or themselves. My dream it to finish training my student, and protect Konoha until I am no longer needed."
Sakura nodded at his introduction. It was much more sincere than the first time he 'introduced' himself. She took a deep breath. She would do it, she would rise above what Sasuke had done to her and carry on, just like Naruto would have. "My name is Haruno Sakura. I like relaxing with a book on warm summer days. I dislike traitors and being weak. My dream is to-" She paused. No, it wasn't a dream, it was a duty. "I will carry on Naruto's dream. I will become Hokage."
Maybe 'a reasonable place to settle in the middle' hadn't been completely accurate. To pick up Naruto's torch and attempt to become Hokage was its own type of extreme, but it was one she could live with.
'I won't forget you Naruto.' Sakura thought to herself, 'I still blame myself for your death, but I won't let it be in vain. I'll become Hokage, just like you would have if it weren't for me. I'll make this village a better place. A place you would have been proud to call home.'
Kakashi smirked at her declaration. He hadn't expected that. She was still young though, and had all the time in the world to adjust her dreams as she went. He didn't know if she had what it took to become Hokage, but he would help her try. He clapped, standing up. "Now then, about that test. You have a bell; I want it. Your job it to keep it from me. No trick answers this time. I'm genuinely going to try and get that bell, and you're going to try to stop that from happening. Ready? Go!"
UN:PoA
Author's note
I feel like I should apologize. In the last chapter I had Hiashi say that he would have killed Naruto himself if he had known that it would have had this effect on Hinata. My beta said he felt Hiashi should be more conflicted, and a review said something along similar lines. I was very tired at the time and figured I had simply misjudged how my intentions would come across and decided to add in the line "He laughed softly to himself, his dark sense of humor getting the better of him." Thinking that would clarify it. It didn't, and probably only made things more confusing. So I have decided to remove that line and will explain further here.
Hiashi would NOT have actually killed Naruto in order to make Hinata stronger. However, he is in no way saddened at his death and sees it as a net positive. He wouldn't have killed Naruto because it would be, frankly, stupid to commit treason and kill a leaf genin just to potentially strengthen his family's heir. Even if he had hired an outside village to kill Naruto on a mission away, the potential threat to him and his clan would have been unacceptable. So no, Hiashi would not have killed Naruto. He's just not upset about it. Instead focusing on how he can use his death to help push Hinata.
Moving on to this chapter however!
You'll Notice that Sakura was in a rather deep funk. She's been beating herself up relentlessly over how she asked Naruto to go after Sasuke. The whiplash of "Naruto killed Sasuke! That asshole!" to "Actually Naruto's dead and it's my fault" had thrown her entirely off balance. The fact that the entire village has basically began to deify Naruto isn't helping either. You know those people that worry and worry and work themselves into a lather? That's Sakura. However, now that she's out of that cycle, she'll be better. I should also address some of the things she thought. No, if Naruto had somehow figured out his parentage and revealed he was the son of the Fourth Hokage, odds are he would not have had grown women going after him. Sakura is just beating herself up and having a pity party.
Some reviewers have started asking about pairings. I'm not going to lie, I haven't put a lot of thought into pairings. Once the people of Konoha learn that Naruto is still alive (which is WAY down the line.) I expect Sakura and Hinata to have a bit of a tiff over who gets "dibs" on Naruto. That is unless someone else steals his heart while he's away~
Some have complained that Naruto leaving is illogical, you're right. Naruto is basically in denial and operating on pure instinct. His entire world has been turned on its head and he's scared, and what's the first thing you think of when you're scared? "Run away!" Just like a kid that tries to run away from home, Naruto put no thought into what he would do once he actually, y'know, LEFT. He thinks he can't go back. Now he has to deal with his questionable choices.
My beta asked how Sasuke already knew so much about the Mangekyo, so I figured I would preemptively explain here for others that are also confused. I'm making it so that once someone activates the mangekyo, they have an instinctual understanding of it. I figured it would make sense for that to be the case considering everyone with the mangekyo has different abilities. For example: canonically speaking Itachi can use Tsukuyomi, but Sasuke can't. Even though they both had the mangekyo. The only reasonable way that I can imagine any Mangekyo users know about their apparently randomized powers is if the knowledge comes inherent with the Mangekyo's awakening. I'm just fudging canon a bit and saying that knowledge about the fact that use of the Mangekyo will deteriorate one's eyesight is instinctual as well.
Others have asked why Naruto didn't henge in order to check out what was going on in Konoha. Guys, Konoha is probably the most heavily fortified area in all of the Land of Fire. Do you really think a genin's henge would be enough to trick an entire population of ninjas? Henge may be useful for tricking civilians or infiltrating bandit camps, but not much beyond that. Tsunade has an apparently unique form of henge that she can maintain "without exerting any effort, even while injured or asleep" according to the wiki. However, Naruto only knows the basic academy version. Something that requires chakra usage and could therefore be felt by any ninja worth his salt. If a guard noticed a henged individual trying to sneak into a what is essentially a military base, it's gonna cause some problems. Naruto is brash, thickheaded, and runs on instinct more often than not, but he's not stupid.
