The Hidden Leaf is abuzz with excitement. Who is the new Hokage going to be? The new Hokage has been the topic of most conversations for days, and now the inauguration day has finally arrived. A sea of people gathers beneath the Hokage tower, waiting for the ceremony to begin.
Nagato managed to get separated from Yahiko and Konan and is now looking for them. Unfortunately, because of the size of the crowd, Nagato cannot find Yahiko and Konan anywhere. Nagato tries searching for their chakra, but the amount of moving chakra signatures around him gives Nagato a headache. Nagato sighs and decides to just watch the ceremony by himself.
"Wassup, fool, ya fool?" asks a woman's voice, as someone slaps Nagato on the back. "Why the glum sighing?"
Nagato turns around to see a kunoichi in a Hidden Cloud jounin uniform and an expensive white scarf. The kunoichi, who has white hair braided in rows along her scalp, is grinning mischievously when Nagato turns. However, when Nagato turns fully, the kunoichi's face goes blank for an instant before she blushes and her eyes turn to hearts.
How is that even possible? Nagato wonders.
"I have seen the face of Kami!" the kunoichi says, clasping her hands together.
What is going on here? Nagato wonders. "Um...Hi?" Nagato isn't sure how to handle the situation. Maybe he should act like a strange Kunoichi isn't making eyes at him. "I am Nagato Uzumaki. Who are you?"
"His name is Nagato…!" the kunoichi says, a dreamy expression on her face.
"Ah, Miss?" Nagato is starting to get really weirded out.
"Oh!" the kunoichi stops letting off pink hearts and grins at Nagato, striking a pose that looks like something a bad rapper would do. "I am Killer B!"
Killer B? As in the Eight Tails Jinchuuriki?
"B!" yells a man, rocketing through the audience towards Killer B.
"Oh, Bro! There you are!" says B, sounding as if she is desperately trying not to rap the words. "I found me a sweet hunk of eye candy!"
"EYE CANDY!" Nagato yells, horrified.
The man grabs B in a headlock and gives her a solid noogie. "I told you to stay close! If you get lost again, we are leaving!"
"I'm not eye-candy, am I?" whines Nagato, crouching down and drawing circles in the dirt with one finger.
"Who's this Rain ninja you've managed to depress?" asks the man curiously.
"He's my new boyfriend," says Killer B, crossing her arms and nodding.
"Your boyfriend!" Nagato yells. "I didn't agree to this!"
"Calm down!" snaps the man. "B, you can't just decide that. Besides, he's from the Hidden Rain, their leader might not let him date you anyway."
"We will have to elope!" declares B.
"But the leader…" begins Nagato.
"Screw the leader!"
"I AM THE LEADER!"
"You are the leader of the Hidden Rain?" The man stares at Nagato in surprise.
"I am Nagato Uzumaki, leader of the Village Hidden in the Rain," says Nagato, mustering his shattered dignity and calling it to action. "Who are you?"
"I am the Fourth Raikage, A," says the man.
Nagato isn't sure what to do, so he pulls out some of his bottomless supply of snacks. This time he managed to grab a wrapped stick of dango. "Nice. Do you want some dango?"
"How long has that been in your pocket?" demands the Raikage, horrified.
"Oh, it wasn't actually in my pocket, it was in a storage seal on the cuff of my pocket."
"Can I keep him?" asks B, grinning. The hearts are back in her eyes.
"NO!" snaps the Raikage, and drags B away.
Gaara is feeling happy. Not grinning-or-laughing kind of happy, more like: my-dad-took-me-on-an-outing happy. Temari and Kankuro are there too, which Gaara is happy about. Gaara happily combs the audience for Naruto with his eyes. He knows better than to freak his father out by wandering off. Gaara's father is already freaked out by Gaara's determination to be nice.
"Gaara!" Naruto swoops down from the skies and tackles Gaara to the ground in a crushing hug.
"Hello Naruto," says Gaara, wondering why Naruto is being so huggy.
"Gaara, guess what?" says Naruto, all excited and grinning. "Sasuke's gonna be fine! I went on a road trip and found Granny Tsunade and she fixed up Sasuke with some help from Mrs. Karin's Mum! Sasuke's in a coma at the moment, but she'll come out of it really soon!"
Gaara feels even happier. One less victim! "That is good," says Gaara.
"You!" says Gaara's father, glaring at Naruto. "What are you doing here?"
"Oh hey, Scumkage," says Naruto flippantly. "How's your face?"
Gaara, Kankuro and Temari all freeze in horror.
Gaara's father stares at Naruto, who grins back. Gaara isn't sure, but Naruto looks smug about something. Gaara's father sneers and looks away.
Naruto grins even wider. Gaara wonders how Naruto's face doesn't split in half. "Look!" says Naruto, pointing up to the roof of the Hokage tower. "It's starting!"
Gaara looks up and sees the Hokage walking up to the edge of the roof, where everyone can see him.
"Welcome, everyone," says Lord Hokage. "Today I hand my stack of paperwork - I mean hat, why would I say paperwork? Today I hand on the title of Hokage." Lord Hokage tries to salvage his speech, but the audience members around Gaara are exchanging raised eyebrows. "Anyway, on with the proceedings!" continues Lord Hokage, taking off the Hokage hat. "Please welcome a man you all know. Here is your Fifth Hokage: Fugaku Uchiha."
Gaara sees the colour drain from his father's face as Konoha's Chief of Police steps forward in a new Hokage cloak and takes the hat from Lord Third. Gaara looks back and forth between his father and the new Hokage, not sure which one is more interesting.
Naruto is giggling, a huge grin on his face. His eyes are glued to Gaara's father.
Gaara wonders why his father looks dead inside.
Fugaku Uchiha puts on the Hokage hat and says seriously, "I have a mustache, and it lends me power."
Gaara's mouth twists into a smile. Then a torrent of laughter bursts out of him, laughter like he has never laughed. Temari and Kankuro join him, and the three siblings are soon leaning on each other and laughing, tears streaming from their eyes.
Gaara's father groans like someone stabbed him and sinks to his knees in despair. Naruto laughs and dances a victory dance around Gaara's father, cackling all the way.
A few other pockets of people around the crowd are laughing too.
But then someone yells in an angry voice, "Is that all you have to say!?"
The Fifth Hokage's eyes lock onto the person who spoke and he points right at that person. "I am hilarious!" says the Fifth Hokage. "And you will quote everything I say!"
Laughter spreads through the crowd, followed closely by some scattered cheer and applause. The cheering and applause gains momentum and soon the crowd is deafening.
Gaara wonders why his father is shaking and rocking back and forth on his heels. Naruto is still laughing at Gaara's father.
Then Gaara's father stands up and says, "We're leaving."
"You can't leave until you've formally met the new Hokage," says Gaara, crossing his arms. He knows these things. He's been reading up on what a Kage should do. Gaara has decided he will be Kazekage.
"Argh," Gaara's father marches off to greet the new Hokage. Naruto follows, grinning like he won a life's supply of free ramen. Gaara and his siblings follow along behind.
Lord Fifth Hokage is waiting for the visiting village leaders and representatives at the base of the Hokage tower. The Hidden Cloud's representatives are already there, along with a red haired man.
"I hope you can live up to your predecessors," says the man from the Cloud. That man is huge, Gaara thinks. "And I mean in regards to keeping on top of your paperwork."
"Oh, paper work and I go way back," says Lord Fifth Hokage, shaking the Cloud man's hand. "But thank you for the advice, Lord Raikage."
"You're gonna make a great Hokage, Lord Fugaku," says the red haired man, grinning. "Nice speech, by the way."
"Thank you," says the Hokage. "I improvised."
"Hey, Mr. Nice Police Chief!" says Naruto, grinning up at the new Hokage. Then Naruto frowns. "I guess you aren't the police chief anymore, so I can't call you that." Naruto screws his face up and crosses his arms. Then he relaxes and grins. "I know! I will call you Mr. Nice Hokage from now on!"
Gaara pushes his father forward. "You need to observe etiquette, Father."
Gaara's father glares at him.
"Alright then, Naruto," the new Hokage is saying. "I'll have to get used to being called that." Then he sees Gaara's father. "Ah, Kazekage," he says coldly. "So how is your face?"
"I hate you and the only reason I am speaking to you is because-" Gaara's father starts to say.
Naruto interrupts. "Because Gaara is all into etiquette now."
"And how are you, Gaara?" asks the new Hokage. "Better?"
"I have decided that to become Kazekage is my goal," says Gaara. "And I am sorry for what I have done."
The new Hokage smiles. "Ah, that reminds me. I have to go," he says. "I might rejoin the celebrations later." The Hokage shunshins away with a flourish.
"Huh," says the Cloud lady. "Where'd he run off to?"
"Oh, he's probably gone to see if Sasuke's woken up yet," says Naruto. "She's his kid. I'm Naruto Uzumaki, 'tebayo. Who are you?"
"I'm Killer B, fool, ya fool," says the Cloud lady.
Naruto frowns and says, "Can I talk to you about something? Someone told me you might have an answer."
"Sure," says Killer B. "What's it about?"
Naruto grabs Killer B's hand and drags her away saying, "It's private."