Chapter 47
It was raining in the Hidden Village in the Leaves. The whole village was out, dressed in black. They all stood in the rain to say good-bye to the village's leader, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi. He had given his life to defend the village during the invasion. The Leaf was in mourning and respecting his sacrifice.
Naruto stood with the Inuzuka family with a sad expression. He would miss the old man and it hurt when he learned of his death. Thankfully, Tsume gave him a place to stay so he wouldn't be alone. His friends were also checking on him and that made the hurt less. Still, he would greatly miss him swore to live up to his ideals. He wasn't the only one who thought that way.
The funeral ended and everyone began to head home. Naruto was leaving with the Inuzuka family when Ibiki confronted them.
"Ibiki? Is something wrong?" Tsume asked.
"Nothing bad. I just need to borrow Naruto." He said before looking at the confused blond. "I don't know what you two talked about during your battle, but he is being reasonable. Hopefully, your connection can reveal a little more than he's told us." Tsume looked at Naruto who just nodded at her. Naruto moved to Ibiki and stood next to him. He waved good-bye as the two vanished. Shikamaru, Choji and Sakura walked up to the group.
"What was that about?" Sakura asked.
"Ibiki needed Naruto to talk to that Gaara guy. I don't get it. Why does it have to be Naruto?" Kiba asked.
"If there is one person who can connect with Gaara, it's Naruto. Trust me, Ibiki knows the reason why." Tsume said. This only served to confuse them. Why was Naruto the only person who would connect with Gaara?
XXX
It would be a few days since the funeral. The Hidden Leaf was back into the swing of things. They rebuilt the damages done to the village, which was much. They were smiling faces again and that was something good. On the roof of the Hokage tower, Jiraiya was giggling as he enjoyed the view of the women enjoying the hot springs. He could not get pass the brat's seal array, which annoyed him. Still, he found a way around it. That was until his vision suddenly got foggy. Jiraiya tried to see through the fog but he couldn't, and it was pissing him off.
"Having problems?" Jiraiya turned to see the elders stand by the window. He glared at the two.
"I'm assuming that this was you're doing? Did you set the brat on me to ruin my fun?" Jiraiya asked with a tone.
"Actually, this was your doing. While he has matured some, Naruto is still a child that apparently you have been ignoring." Koharu explained. Jiraiya growled at her when she said that. Yes, he ignored the brat for more important things. He did not need to be punished for it. With a frustrated sigh, Jiraiya turned to face the elders.
"Well, what can I do for you uncle Homura, auntie Koharu?" Jiraiya asked mockingly. The elders did not show any annoyance at his mocking.
"We have some things we need to discuss." Homura said. Jiraiya just nodded so he continued. "The first is the escort of the Hidden Sand's prisoners we have."
"How did you manage that?" Jiraiya asked with genuine surprise.
"The Third Kazekage's body." Koharu answered. "It was found two days ago, along with his guards. The Kazekage had a fatal wound to his chest due to a sword. His guards were stabbed multiple times by a pike-type of weapon. It was concluded that they were killed by Orochimaru."
"The Hidden Sand had taken the stance that they were manipulated by Orochimaru, making them out to be the victims. A deal has been made between our daimyo. It will be years before they return to their full strength." Homura added.
"Color me impressed. I thought for sure your colleague would have objected to any type of trade, especially with the chance to gain another demon container." Jiraiya said. The two elders knew who he was talking about.
"He... was vocal about keeping Gaara but the gains outweighed his objections." Homura said, passing him a piece of paper. Jiraiya looked at it and his eyes widened.
"Damn, you weren't kidding when you said that the Sand wouldn't recover right away. Something tells me that the Wind daimyo wasn't happy." he said.
"He didn't have much of a choice in the matter. His ninja village attacked us over a petty matter." Koharu stated firmly.
"Well, anything else I need to know?" Jiraiya asked.
"Other than your former teammate now wanted in two countries? Our reports have revealed that there has been movement on the borders of the Earth and Lightning countries. Our victory has gotten out and our rivals are nervous." Homura explained.
"Not surprising. We barely suffered any damage thanks to our genin discovering Kabuto as a spy. Orochimaru's lost his jutsu and the Hidden Sand's trump card was captured. Of course they would be curious. It was two against one."
"Which is why we need you to take up Hiruzen's mantle. We need you to become the Fifth Hokage." Koharu said.
"I'm going to have to take a hard pass on that." Jiraiya said.
"This is not the time for your jokes Jiraiya. We need to show the village is strong and for that we need a strong leader. That leader is you." she stated seriously.
"I'm flattered but there is another whose much more qualified than I." He said. The elders were confused by that." I just need to go and get her." The elders' confusion turned into surprise.
"You can't be serious?" Koharu asked.
"She has the strength and the pedigree. Who else should be the fifth?"
"The same can be said of Naruto but we aren't planning to make him Hokage." Homura stated.
"Look, she's our best option and I can convince her to take the job. However, I just need one person to come and help me."
XXX
"You've got to be joking? You've been ignoring me for two days and now you need me to come with you? You've got some nerve Pervy Sage!" Naruto shouted. The shout caused a few bystanders to look at the two with amusement.
"Must you call me that? Besides brat, you spoiled my research with that damn barrier." Jiraiya spat.
"Yeah, well the women of the village are happy with what I did, so suck it!" Naruto exclaimed with a smirk. It took all of Jiraiya's willpower not to pop him.
"Any way, this is an important mission. I would be accompanied by ANBU but that would only slow me down and raise suspicion. So, how about it kid? You want to come with me?" Jiraiya asked.
"I don't know. What's in it for me?" Naruto asked.
"Other than getting out of the village? How about a new jutsu to your arsenal?" he asked.
"You do know I make jutsu for fun, right?"
"Can you make one without hand seals?" Naruto eyebrows rose at that. Jiraiya smirked at his victory.
XXX
Kakashi stood leaning against a wall, reading his favorite book. However, he wasn't really enjoying it. It wasn't a good couple of days for the one-eyed jonin. After the invasion and the third's burial, he was called on by the shinobi council. He was questioned as to why Sasuke did not help Naruto during his battle with Gaara. They explained to him that Sasuke just stood by and watched as Naruto fought Gaara. The only excuse Kakashi could make was that Sasuke was injured and out of chakra. This was confirmed by Shikamaru's report. The council accepted the excuse and Kakashi was relieved. However, his troubles were just starting.
Kakashi caught Sasuke attempting to confront Naruto at his apartment. He quickly snatched him up before they were seen. Kakashi demanded to know what Sasuke was planning but Sasuke did not say anything. Kakashi warned Sasuke that Naruto and Sakura were off limits. He also berated him for not helping his comrade when he was fighting. Sasuke exploded and said that Naruto was not his comrade. He told him that Naruto was someone that he would deal with in time. Kakashi told him that he better not even try but he could see that Sasuke was not listening.
Since then, Kakashi had kept a closer watch on Sasuke. He used Shadow Clones for the task and he did not hide the fact that he was following him. He could see that it was annoying him but Kakashi did not care. He would protect the boy from himself if needed, for his sake.
'And mine,' Kakashi thought. He continued to read his book but he now kept his eye on the two men that were walking by him. At least this would occupy his mind while he thought of a way to deal with Sasuke.
XXX
Shikamaru was laying down on the grass. He was looking at the cloud in deep thought. There was just one question on his mind. It was a question he had since the third's funeral. What did Tsume mean by Naruto being the only one who could understand Gaara? How was that possible? The question just nagged at him.
"Thinking kind of hard there son." Shikamaru looked up from his spot to see his father. The elder Nara took a seat next to him and watched the clouds as well The two just laid there in silence before he spoke again. "Still thinking about Tsume's comment?"
"How did you know about that?" Shikamaru asked with some surprise.
"She told me what she said to you and the others at the funeral. Unlike Kiba and Choji, I know that you would keep thinking about it. It is the same thing you did when you discovered Naruto's clan. You got that curiosity from your mother. You call it her 'nosy' parenting." Shikaku said with humor..
"Gee, thanks for that." Shikamaru said annoyed. They were silent again before he spoke. "So, are you going to explain what she meant?"
"Let me ask you this. Would the answer change your opinion of Naruto?" he asked.
"What?"
"You have to understand something about your friend. That boy has had a very lonely life because of a heavy burden that has been placed on him. It isn't his fault because he had no say in the matter. Naruto should be celebrated for shouldering this responsibility but this is not a perfect world. It is because of this that he is the only one who can understand Gaara. They have lived similar lives. The only difference is that Naruto has you, your friends and our families to banish that loneliness. Gaara has not." Shikamaru sat up to look at his father. Shikaku did the same and looked at his son seriously.
"If you are truly Naruto's friend, what you will learn when he tells you will mean nothing to you. However, know that what he will tell you is a secret that none of you are to know. If you tell anyone what you and the others will learn, there will be dire consequences. Just remember that you two are friends and he trust you." Shikaku said. He patted his son's head before standing up and leaving. Left alone, Shikamaru just thought about the conversation. This must've been a big thing and it only made him more curious. Shikamaru just groaned and laid back down. Why couldn't he have normal friends?
XXX
"So we're going to retrieve your other teammate, Tsunade?" Naruto asked.
"I'm surprised that you know that name." Jiraiya said the two were on the road. The man informed Naruto of their mission, which he planned to tell him later. He only changed his mind when he would not quit asking him about the mission. He was way too much like his mother.
"We learned a bit about her. Hell, out of all of the Legendary Three Ninja, we studied her the most." Naruto said.
"Really? Why is that?" Jiraiya asked.
"Well, her accomplishments were just more known than yours or snake face's. She was a revolutionary in the field of medics. Her skills helped the Leaf village come out on top during the second World Ninja War. I know she had an idea to train combat medical ninja but it never got off the ground. It's because of that we learned basic first-aid in the academy." Naruto explained.
"Wow, that's way more than I was expecting. Anyway, she's going to be our new Hokage." Jiraiya said.
"Really?" Naruto asked concerned. Jiraiya picked up on that.
"What's your problem with Tsunade?" he asked.
"I don't have an issue with her per se. I just think that you should be picked to replace the old man. No offense but I don't really have a good opinion of your team. You guys were kind of similar to my team." the blond said.
"Well, it was a different time kid."
"I get it. It was during a time of war. Still, one of your teammates went rogue and the other hasn't been to the village since the Second World Ninja war. Did she go rogue as well?"
"No, she didn't go rogue. She just has a problem with the village." Jiraiya said.
"And we're going with her as Hokage?" Naruto asked with a tone.
"Don't be a wise-ass." Jiraiya said. Naruto just shrugged and kept walking. The two continued their journey, coming up onto a nearby village. Unknown to them, they were being watched from a distance.
"So, that is Naruto. He's different from what I remembered." the smaller man said.
"You're not getting sentimental on me, are you Itachi?" the swordsman asked.
"Just an observation Kisame. Let's go." Itachi said. The two followed the Leaf ninja toward the town.
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Authors' Notes
Nothing really to say. Enjoy the new chapter.
