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Artwork: jessejzette - The 7 Generations of Hokage - Find jessejzette on deviant art.
A NEW WORLD – SUFFERING TOGETHER OR ALONE
The Hidden Leaf Hideout
The silence only adds to Naruto's depression as he takes the final few steps back towards the hideout that they have established. He has grown to be familiar with this feeling, too familiar. He has felt it all throughout his life, since he was a child, every time when he compared himself to Sasuke. The dark path that Sasuke had taken, it could so easily have been him. The same is true with Hashirama's path, and if it were not for Sarada's bringing him forward in time, he would have eventually wielded the power of 'death'.
Naruto has lost to Hashirama. Twice. What stings isn't the defeat, that can be explained each time by circumstances favourable to his opponent. What stings, is that every time Naruto fights it is a battle of wills, a battle of heart. Hashirama's heart has overcome his twice now, Hashirama has shown himself to be right.
The second Naruto steps into the Hidden Leaf hideout, a pair of people immediately teleport to his side with a flash of gold. Naturally, it is his father and his mother, two sources of eternal support.
"Are you OK?" Kushina asks, being careful not to touch any of her son's bruises. "What happened to you Naruto, you look terrible?".
Naruto sighs, "Sorry, I haven't taken care of the injuries yet".
Naruto exhales, sending 'life' energy through his body as he does so. It's as easy as breathing for him now, fixing his own wounds like these. A trifling matter for the man who has gained control of 'life' itself. It does make Kushina worry though, she knows that he must be seriously depressed if he couldn't even focus his mind to heal himself.
"Are you OK?" Minato asks, repeating his wife's question.
"… I'll be OK, I always am after all. I can't afford to get too depressed" Naruto says, ignorant to the irony in his statement. "Everyone is watching me right now, I can't go showing them any signs of weakness".
As large groups of captains, shinobi and citizens arrive to welcome their four leaders back, Naruto forces an empty smile onto his face, determined that it shall be as infectious and comforting as always. It isn't, everyone in the village knows him well enough to tell that something is wrong. However, they also know him well enough to know that he is trying, so each of them does the politest thing they can and smiles back at him.
Making his way through the crowd to General Clyde come new Generals Peterson and Sheer.
"General, you look disheartened, is everything alright?".
Clyde doesn't even look at Peterson, simply casting his eyes to Naruto. He wonders if he will now be eternally entranced by his actions.
"I watched them fight again you know, and it's not like they were going all out, it was just a battle of frustration. But each hit they landed was powerful, not physically but mentally. It made me realise just how pathetic I am right now" Clyde says painfully. "I didn't move, and if I had, I know should they go all out that I would be too weak to stop them".
"You need to stop expecting so much from yourself, that is Naruto after all" Sheer says, patting her boss on the back. "It is what we are all hoping for, we are all hoping that he will become so strong that he will leave us behind and become untouchable".
Clyde doesn't know how he feels about it now that he considers it. It's a dream, Naruto could be the one to kill the false god. However, if that dream were to come true then it would make Naruto something more, something even further beyond the gods of this world. There is nobody more suitable for such a role than Naruto, yet he is also the last person Clyde wants to see journey off towards the horizon.
"You're right Sheer, but I haven't felt this powerless in a long time" Clyde admits, "I'll have to calm down before the next fight comes, otherwise the same thing will happen again".
He says this optimistically, but he knows that what Naruto has said is true. If they fight again, the same thing may well happen again. There must be a change, not just quantitively but in terms of cohesion. Unless a miracle descends upon them though, that cohesion may never come to pass.
Hinata finally arrives, walking straight over to Naruto and questioning him about everything that happened.
"Why do you look so beaten up, did Boruto do it? Was it my son?".
"Hashirama" Naruto answers with a groan.
"Did you fight again?".
"Yes, but it wasn't like before. We weren't trying to kill each other. It's more like… we were exhausting ourselves on purpose" Naruto explains, his head lolloping slightly onto his shoulders. "We were emptying ourselves of all the bad things that have happened to us. There was no happiness in that fight, no hope for either of our causes, only our misery".
Taking on such misery and hatred, absorbing such strong negative emotions from another and destroying them within yourself, perhaps Naruto and Hashirama are the only living people who can do that for one another. Perhaps only they have souls strong enough to level with each other.
"What happened?".
"He won" Naruto says, glumly adding "again".
"I know I shouldn't look into it too much, but I can't help it, not when everyone is looking at me the way they do" he continues, "I need to be strong for everyone, because it is me they have put their faith in. Yet it is also me who has let them down".
Himawari, who followed her mother to her father, hugs her father gently. "It's like you said though, you shouldn't look too much into it dad" she lets go and smiles genuinely at him. "Lord 6th lost a fight recently when he went chasing after Boruto, but that was only due to frustration. When he and that Blackburn guy fought again, Lord 6th won, the result changed".
"I don't know if the same thing will happen if I fight Hashirama" Naruto replies.
"It is psychological" Kushina declares, "Is something in your mind stopping you from beating him?".
"I don't know…".
"Naruto, try not to get too depressed about this. You have climbed mountains like this time after time" says Kurama in his rarely used 'comforting' voice. "Right now, defeating Hashirama may seem difficult but you have to believe that you will find a way tomorrow".
Of course, he does. That's what makes him Naruto. "Yes, you're right, Kurama".
After having a few brief discussions, Sarada sighs and begins to walk away through the crowd.
"Sarada!" Himawari shouts, chasing after her friend.
"Are you OK, Himawari?".
"I'm worried about you, you hardly ever come home" Himawari says, leaning forward to look into Sarada's eyes. "You must be stressed and exhausted, why don't you come back with us now".
"I'll be fine" Sarada says dismissively, "I have a lot of work to do and it can't wait I'm afraid".
Himawari is about to reply when the 3rd Hokage approaches and interrupts their conversation. "I know that you may be tired Sarada but I'm afraid there is no time for rest. Shikadai has called an emergency meeting following our defeat".
Sarada rolls her eyes, 'another emergency meeting'.
Still, she at least has an excuse now, there is no way that she could miss this just to go home and play happy families. She straightens up, dusts herself off and continues with the non-stop duty of being the 9th Hokage.
"OK Lord 3rd, I will come immediately".
The Emergency Meeting
Shikadai's stance at the centre of the Circle is a picture that tells a thousand words. Now he stands there, merely the administrator whose role is to direct conversation. He is but a servant, a subject of the many mighty leaders around him. He is also the only one who made the correct decision during their previous meeting. Lara held them back in the fight against Carmen, she only wanted a selfish victory, Shikadai had been right.
There is a slight arrogance about his stance but nothing deliberate, he still tries to remain respectful of the judgements made. He is still respectful, after all, years' worth of admiration and respect for a group of people is hard to strip away in a single moment.
"Thank you for coming to this emergency meeting everyone. I know it's short notice but I'm sure we all appreciate that this meeting is necessary" he opens with. "Naruto, Sarada, Clyde, several of us have been talking in the time we have been waiting for you. I appreciate this is a lot to take on board, but several members of the Circle have suggested that Lara should be excluded from future attempts to defeat Carmen".
Sarada and Clyde have been suspecting as much. It's still quite depressing to hear it from Shikadai's mouth though. If the Circle has decided that then there can be no reversing the decision. This is a democratic process after all.
"No" Naruto adamantly declares, "She definitely should keep working with us. Making her stay behind would be the wrong decision".
Most of the room's occupants look sympathetically at Naruto, understanding his philosophy but struggling to sympathise with him. His obsession with working with Lara is beyond belief. At least logical arguments could be made for forgiveness in the past, but this is entirely different, they have already tried and failed. Amongst the chamber of the wise and powerful, Naruto is unfortunate to find that only one person agrees with him.
"I know this should be obvious, but I agree with Uzumaki Naruto" Elliot says.
"That's Lord 7th to you" Tsunade snaps at her lover's killer.
The tension is still palpable between the two of them. One an emotionless killer who simply operates on the cold logic of a soldier. The other an enraged Hokage, still grieving for the loss of the one closest to her. Coexistence has always been a tall order for this group, but it will likely never be possible between Elliot and Tsunade.
"Let's not argue about what to call each other in this state of emergency" Shikadai groans, it's like dealing with children. "Let's concern ourselves with the situation at hand. Lord 7th, there was no sensible logic behind your suggestion last time and this time the situation is even more against you".
"I believe in never giving up! We should try again".
Politics is a game best played by intellectuals, Shikadai is quick to be rid of Naruto's arguments and does so with a simple but correct gesture.
"I am not qualified to argue with a member of the circle, but we should vote on the subject" Shikadai says, quite correctly. "By a show of hands, who thinks Lara should join us when we next fight Carmen?".
Naruto raises his hand and looks around the circle.
Only Elliot has raised a hand alongside Naruto.
No support from the other Hokage, nor from Clyde's group. Even his family doesn't support him.
"Dad?".
"Sorry Naruto, I have to make a judgement as the 4th Hokage".
Naruto gets to his feet, failing to believe what is going on around him. Do the rest of them not see what he sees? Do the rest of them not feel the sadness in their chest about what they are saying he should do? He knows that they are trying to reform a world and knows no other way to do that than with good intentions. He previously fought a war, not against shinobi or soldiers, weapons or techniques, but against hatred. A war on hatred cannot be won with simple tactics or stratagems, a war like that can only be won by good hearted people who don't know when to give up.
"Don't the rest of you understand, don't you realise that this is what separates us from Hashirama's group" Naruto asks, "This is what makes us who we are, it makes us good people! We have to give her a chance, she has to help contribute to our power, otherwise we can't win! Sometimes people may take a while to change but they will never change if we give up on them".
Sarada lowers her head, wondering if that is true for Boruto.
The room quietens, as if beckoning to someone who can best counter Naruto's argument. Such a person takes his turn to speak, that person being the 6th Hokage, Hatake Kakashi.
"Naruto, I understand what you are saying, and I understand your nature, probably better than anyone here" he begins. "Frankly, I agree with you, especially after hearing your story of the 4th great shinobi war. Obito would never have been redeemed if your persistence hadn't prevailed over my attempts to kill him".
Sarada looks at Kakashi, always interested to hear anything of her nearly deceased clan.
"But we have given Lara a chance to change, and while Clyde took his, Lara threw it back in our faces" Kakashi declares. "We have to make the sensible decision now, we can't prioritise being good people over protecting the villagers".
Naruto doesn't know whether he is furious or sad as he speaks back to his teacher, trembling as he does so.
"This is about more than being good people, Kakashi sensei, don't you see it? We're not just battling Furst, we are battling Hashirama and Boruto".
"They said this would happen, these events are playing right into their hands, and while I'm sure many people agree more with them, those people decided to back me!".
"So we have to keep doing what I would do, we have to keep acting in this irrational way, we have to keep doing the right thing?".
"Why?" Kakashi asks earnestly, "Just because they were right about this one thing doesn't mean the people were wrong to choose you".
"I know".
"Then why must you insist we follow your suggestion" Shikadai asks.
"BECAUSE…" Naruto shouts.
"Because… if we don't win this way, then I will have lost to Hashirama completely".
The room falls silent for moments while nobody can bear to look at Naruto. His reasoning is pathetic almost childish yet at the same time so right. They agree, there is something important there in the relationship between Naruto and Hashirama. The fate of everyone may well be decided by which of them is right. Naruto being right may seem like a stupid thing to fight for, but it is something that the village desperately needs at the same time.
Despite his aching heart, not even Minato knows how to answer his son. He is faced with the terrible choice of balancing his duty as the Hokage and as a father.
Eventually, it is Sarada who gets to her feet, stepping over to Naruto and placing a calming hand on his trembling shoulder.
"Master… Naruto… I understand exactly how you feel" she says gently. "I want you to be right more than anything. No, I think you are right, in a crazy way you can see things that the rest of us cannot, because you have been chosen by destiny. But this one time, you cannot fight against the tide, you have to go along with the Circle".
Sarada looks to Shikadai and nods. "The Circle has voted to exclude Lara, that is what will happen".
Shikamaru, at Shikadai's behest, begins to note this down officially.
"I understand" Naruto says, his voice croaky and cracking, "Forgive me everyone, but I am going to leave for a moment. I need to calm down".
"The emergency meeting is complete" Shikadai concedes, "You may leave whenever you wish, Lord 7th".
When Naruto leaves the room in a rush, Shikadai had expected the bad mood would leave with him. The village making a decision based upon logic should be something to celebrate but this doesn't feel like a celebration. It feels like part of the village died when Naruto made his plea and that he helped to kill it. He is left to wonder if his facts and figures, his logic and his intelligence was the correct decision-making tool to use. Regardless, their course is set now, and it is exactly as he intended.
The Hidden Leaf Hideout
Naruto walks home, enjoying the silence. That's at least what he hoped to do, enjoying the silence is putting it rather strongly. His own words still echo in his head. That was the first time he realised what he truly needed. Deep in his core, there is a part of him that needs to be right, that needs to defeat Hashirama. All through his life, he has seen darkness brightened by single moments of hope, that has lead him down the path of 'life'. Hashirama too was born into a dark world but created a better place to escape from the darkness, however, being plunged back into the dark once more drove him down the path of 'death'. The leaf of today is built on Naruto's past, if all those beliefs he accumulated through the years were wrong, what was the point of it all?
"Hey, I know you probably don't want to hear from me right now" Kurama calls out.
"Yeah, I want to be quiet for now" Naruto responds.
"I just want you to know" Kurama begins, "I would have voted with you".
Kurama would have voted with him. Naruto begins to imagine it, not as another friendly face in the Circle raising their hand on his behalf, but as a giant nine-tailed fox squeezing into that tiny room. Slowly, he begins to chuckle, then begins to howl with laughter. Kurama would look completely out of place around that table, how big of a chair would he need, it would be ridiculous.
"What are you laughing at?" Kurama bellow from within his host.
Naruto stops, simply smiling as he walks along. "Thanks, Kurama, I wish everyone else thought like you".
"Of course" the prideful tailed beast answers.
Naruto walks slowly through the encampment, doing his best to avoid heavy traffic. The last thing he wants to do now is have to justify his sadness to some wondering shinobi or civilian. Right now all he wants to do is curl up into a ball and go to sleep.
When Naruto eventually does get home, he enters into the gamily tent and sees his father sitting alone at the table.
"Hello dad".
"Hello" Minato replies awkwardly. "Listen Naruto, about what happened back there. I'm sorry that I didn't vote with you, you know, that right?".
"Don't worry, it's like you said, you have to do the right thing as the Hokage".
Naruto sits down opposite his father, taking the weight off his feet and much of a heavy weight of his shoulders. In this setting Minato is not the Hokage but is his father, two very different jobs. He feels much more at ease knowing that the Namikaze clansmen will always trust his word on important matters.
"Do you think you will be able to win without Lara?".
"No" Naruto replies bluntly, "I think we will do even worse without Lara's help".
"Do you believe that she will change? Do you think that she would have started to work with the rest of you as a team of four?".
Naruto recalls a situation from his childhood, something he wanted to speak with his father about at the time but is only having the chance to do so now.
"Sasuke betrayed our team you know. He left Team 7, abandoned Sakura and I for years" he begins. "But when he overcame his reluctance, once he had his reasons sorted out he fought with us again, it was like he never left. I know that Lara has never fought with us, but she is a prodigy and she has watched Clyde throughout her life. If Lara worked with us, she would be an incredible ally to have".
Minato cannot deny that. With Naruto and Sarada away, the entire village shared a universal terror about the threat that was Lara. It looked certain that she would kill the lot of them, that the entire world would come to an end at her hands, such is her power. Only the truly powerful such as Naruto and Sarada could talk about her this way casually.
"I agree with you Naruto, but do you think you could ever convince Lara to work with you? Do you know how to change her like that?".
"I don't know" Naruto admits. "Other people have changed around me though. Nagato changed. Obito changed. Sasuke changed. I believe that if we don't give up Lara will change too, perhaps not because of me, but because of Clyde, or Elliot, or somebody. Do you get what I mean?".
Minato smiles and shakes his head. "I'm not sure I believe that. But I am sure that you believe it and that's good enough for me".
Naruto nods, looking to the two far ends of their living quarters. "Is Sarada in?".
"No, she's dealing with logistics again".
Naruto leans back in his chair, throwing his head back and lamenting Sarada's absence with a dreadful moan. "You know dad, I've noticed the way she looks at me, that others are starting to look at me, it's started to change you know".
"It hasn't changed Naruto".
"You haven't changed, you're my dad after all" Naruto explains, gesturing thankfully to his father. "Others have though, they look disappointed, as if they expect more but don't know what to say. It's not like when I was a kid, it's like I'm an old man and they know I'm about to die".
"Don't worry, I don't think you are going to die of old age just yet" Minato says, adopting a cheery tone in hopes of inspiring his son. "This is the curse of those who can see what others cannot. You can see hope, the value of working with Lara. Nobody else can see that hope, they think what you are saying is crazy, but unlike the rest of us, you are something more than a Hokage".
"Something more than a Hokage?".
"You are their hero" the 4th Hokage declares. "It's not because of you that their looks have changed. It's because their conclusions are different to yours. They are not doubting you, they are doubting themselves".
Naruto mulls it over. Is it possible to have such faith in another person, does he even have that much faith in another person? He's revered countless people throughout his life, Lord 3rd, Jariya, Lady Tsunade, his parents, Kakashi sensei and others. At times though, they all gave him advice he refused to take, particularly relating to Sasuke. Unlike them, his was the path of never giving up, that was the philosophy in which he trusted, his own philosophy. He has never lived by another person's code, according to the judgement of somebody else. Perhaps his code is now so well engrained in the minds of the people, that it is hard to accept any other way of life.
"I think I get it" he says.
"It' something most of us never experience, those doubtful looks, but I know that one other Hokage did. That was Lord 1st" Minato says. "The Senju clan looked at him that way once, back when he told them he had a friend named Uchiha Madara. After a while, they didn't doubt Hashirama, they doubted themselves. He then went on to prove that he was right and helped to create the Hidden Leaf Village".
Minato grabs Naruto's arms comfortingly and smiles. "You will prove those doubts correct Naruto, just like he did, I believe in you".
"Sarada may understand those looks too" Naruto ponders. "I thought she would be here so that we could support each other when times were hard. I thought the two of us were suffering through the pain together, but it looks like May have been wrong".
"Naruto…".
Naruto yawns, slowing getting to his feet and stretching his arms, he declares. "I think I'm going to go to sleep now. I will see you in the morning dad".
"… yeah, see you in the morning".
As Naruto disappears for the night, Minato asks himself if he should be worried. Perhaps he should be worried, but there is an illogical part of his mind too.
Minato has his own code.
Always believe in Naruto.