AN: WOW! I honestly did not expect this to get any sort of following. I was mainly writing for myself in the beginning but seeing that the Fandom is still alive and well warms my soul.
Truly, thank you guys for all the support. It means a lot and definitely motivates me to keep going.
For all those who reviewed or messaged me about ways to improve my writing, I really appreciate it. I hear you loud and clear and hopefully you'll notice the difference too!
Anyway, thanks again, and enjoy!
Chapter 3
Naruto landed on the top of a rooftop near the entrance of the village. He was sweating and out of breath. He hadn't stopped moving since he left the training field. He slammed his fist into a nearby wall and leaned on it for support while clutching his chest with his other hand. Slowly, his breathing steadied as he forced himself to take several deep breathes. He looked down at the ground and let out a long sigh.
'Damnit' he thought, 'why does this have to be so hard. Why can't I just let it go and move on. Why does this have to hurt so much.' He turned around and leaned against the wall as he slowly slid down and rested his elbows on his knees. He looked up at the sky can couldn't stop a small tear from forming at the edge of his eye.
He thought back to 2 years ago, right after the war ended. He remembered the feeling in his chest when Sakura Haruno had asked to join Sasuke Uchiha on his quest for redemption. The feeling of his heart breaking in two was not something that he would soon forget. On that day, the harsh reality hit him. He realized that Sakura still loved their other teammate, and even after everything that had happened her feelings hadn't wavered. He knew it was naive to hope otherwise, but seeing it in person was even more crushing that he could have imagined. On that day, Naruto had decided to bury all feelings he had for his pink haired teammate. If she could be happy, even in the arms of another man, than he would step aside and not try to interfere. On that day, he had sworn off Sakura Haruno.
...or so he thought. But even he never could have predicted how close the two of them would become in the years following the war. If he was being honest, he didnt even know how it happened. In the beginning, he just thought she was being friendly or being his teammate. As time went on though, he realized that their bond was growing even stronger than it had been before. She had become his confidant and his closest friend. He recalled all the memories that they had made over the past two years. All the punches he had received over stupid comments. Truth be told, he had learned to like her semi regular beatings. It reminded him that he wasn't invisible and also kept his knucklehead side in check (relatively speaking.) And slowly, the wall he had built after the war started to fall. He thought that having her at his side in any capacity was better than not. He thought that being her friend would be enough. Again, he was being Naive.
The last two weeks had been some of the worst in his life, and that was saying something considering his childhood. When his former sensei had informed him and Sakura of Sasukes imminent return, he felt the joy of the last two years sucked away in an instant. He knew that once his rival returned, then that would be it. It would only be a matter of time before Sasuke and Sakura got together, and then she wouldn't need him anymore. In the back of his mind, he knew that this day would come. It didnt make actually going through it any easier. That night he had cried himself to sleep. He came to the decision yet again to step aside for the sake of her happiness. He had used any excuse to avoid her since that day. He had given them ample opportunity to pursue one another. He had done everything right in his opinion. So what surprised him the most was that nothing had happened.
Contrary to poplar belief, Naruto was not emotionally stunted. Sure, as a kid his mind had been pretty black and white, but after traveling with Jiraya and going through everything he has with his fellow Ninja, he had actually become pretty good at picking up on subtle emotional clues. So when he saw Sakura and Sasuke interact at the training field earlier that day, it had shocked him that it was clear nothing had happened between the two of them. That being said, it didnt stop him from feeling crushed as he watched her touch his back, even to heal him. He just didn't understand it, couldn't understand it. They had fought for so long. He had fought for so long to bring Sasuke back. And now that he was, Sakura was acting as if nothing had changed.
And then there was the look she had given him when he tried again to give her space today. It was a look he had never seen on her before. She looked totally rejected. It was only for a second before she hid it and changed the subject, but he had seen it clear as day. It had only served to confuse him more. On top of everything, he was now concerned with being a poor friend to her. Yet despite this he couldn't bring himself to be alone with her. He was afraid her company would be too much to handle, and he might say something he would regret later. He knew he couldn't ignore her forever, he didn't want to ignore her at all but he was so lost. He took a few more deep breathes before finally standing. He was broken out of his thoughts when he heard a familiar voice calling out to him.
"There you are boss, I have been looking everywhere for you." Konohamaru said as he landed on the roof in front of Naruto. "You didn't forget we were supposed to meet did you?" "Sorry kid, I just got a little distracted." Naruto responded. Konohamaru could tell something was off. "Hey Naruto, are you okay?" He asked his blonde friend. Naruto shook his head and grinned at the boy. "I'm fine, just some stuff on my mind. No big deal." he responded. Konohamru could see he was lying, but decided not to push the subject and instead change it. "It's all good, cmon, I have something I think your gonna want to see." And with that he jumped down to the street level below and waved for naruto to follow him. Naruto looked up at the sky once more and took a deep breathe. 'No use working myself up, I will figure it out eventually." And with that he joined his friend as they walked toward wherever konohamru was taking them.
Naruto followed Konohamaru through the busy streets of the village. As they walked, he was greeted by many smiles and waves from his fellow villagers. He was even stopped by some children who asked for his autograph, which he gladly gave them. Konohamaru stood there with a smirk on his face. He was incredibly happy, and also a bit jealous that his rival and friend had become such a celebrity.
Naruto never got a big head. He smiled and waved back at the villagers at took it all in stride. It had been two years since he had literally saved the world, and while it had taken some time he was now adjusted to the way he was treated. For the most part, he really liked it. It was the polar opposite of the way he was treated as a child, but he didn't harbor an ounce of resentment. Instead, he enjoyed the fact that he had earned the respect of every person who acknowledged him. That's not to say the constant attention wasn't sometimes taxing, especially his newfound popularity with the opposite sex. The number of gifts, naked photos, and flat out marriage proposals he received on a weekly basis would make his master proud.
Unlike his master however, Naruto did his best to ignore this kind of attention. He wasn't in a place to think about any girl other than the one that took up most of his time, and he was certain that even if he were to ever date, it would not be a civilian woman who couldn't at least try to keep up with him and his lifestyle.
The two shadow clone users made their way to a small wooden building that was on the outskirts of the village, right underneath Hokage Monument. Konohamaru took a key out of his pocket and unlocked the door. He turned on the light and the old bulbs made a faint buzzing noise at the contents of the structure were revealed. The walls were lined with piles of boxes, all filled and labeled as they extended all the way up to the ceiling of the building.
"Hey ah, kid, where are we?" Naruto asked as he looked around and took in his surroundings.
"This is the Sarutobi Clan's storage facility. It's not much but my family uses this place to keep things we don't need around the house. I think our family history is buried in here somewhere too" Konohamaru pointed to a specific box pile that was labeled "Sarutobi History" as if to prove his point. "I was searching around here for the first time in ages the other day and I found something that belongs to you!" He continued before moving deeper into the maze of boxes.
"Me?" Naruto asked in confusion as he followed his young friend and stopped when Konohamaru pulled out two medium size boxes and placed them on the floor in front of them.
"There are two things here. It looks like one of them my grandfather put aside for you. I didn't open it, but its labeled "childhood" so I am assuming its old stuff he wanted you to have." Naruto's mouth opened slightly but before he could respond Konohamaru continued on. "The other one...Naruto the other one is from your parents."
Naruto's eyes widened and he immediately picked up the box and read the label on the box. It read "Thing's for Naruto: Minato/Kushina." His eyes began to water as he stared at the box in awe. "This has been here the whole time..." he said to himself more than anyone.
"I'm sorry boss, you know I would have given it to you sooner if I had known but I just found it by chance," Konohamaru said apologetically. Naruto could tell he was sincerely worried he was at fault.
"It's okay kid, I have it now that's what counts. Well, since your here, wanna help me open this stuff?" Konohamaru's mood instantly shifted as he sat down on the floor only to be joined by Naruto shortly after.
Naruto decided to first open the box the third has left for him. He took a kunai out from his pouch and carefully sliced the tape that sealed the top of the box. He opened the lid, looked down, and smiled. He was greeted to the sight of various mementos from his childhood all the way up to the time the Third Hokage has passed. He reached out and removed the items one by one.
First he took out his old orange and blue jacket. He noticed all the holes and dirt on it, and he was reminded just how much he had trained in that outfit. It was nice to have a reminder that all the hard work wasn't all in his head. He folded the jacket neatly and placed it next to him. Konohamaru watched as Naruto went through the items one by one. His old goggles he would wear before he graduated the academy, his official genin photo, a rusty shuriken that he recognized as one of his first, his old sleeping cap, and an expired voucher for 10 free meals at Ichirakus, to which Naruto was extremely excited about until he read the fine print. When he was finished, Naruto carefully placed the items back into the box and shut it. After a moment he looked at Konohamaru.
"Thank you for this." He said, his expression painfully serious. "It's an honor to think your grandfather cared this much about me. I really didn't know that he did." Naruto looked back down at the box. He had always wondered why, if the Third had known about his heritage, he didn't do more to help him. He now realized that the old Hokage had done everything he possibly could while preserving the peace in the village, and he was deeply grateful to know the man had spent as much time as he had thinking about him, even if he couldn't do more.
"No problem boss. You wanna open the other one or take it home?" Naruto thought for a moment before looking back to his friend. "No time like the present right?" He smiled and took hold of the remaining box. He was nervous to open it, but he steadied his resolve and slowly cut the tape and lifted the lid. He gasped as he looked inside to see the contents, the mere sight of things that were his parents brought out emotions he hadn't expected.
The box had 4 items inside of it. Naruto pulled out the first one and held it in his hand. It was a frame that was divided into three sections. Two smaller ones of the top half, and one larger one on the bottom half. On the top left was a photo of his father as a genin, and on the right was a matching photo of his mother. Naruto had never seen a picture of his parents so young. He couldn't believe how alike he and his father had looked as children. He looked back over to his mother and a bittersweet feeling struck his chest. 'She reminds me so much of her' he thought as his mind wandered to his pink-haired friend. He quickly forced himself to focus on the happy task at hand and looked to the bottom half of the frame.
It was a photo of his father hugging his mother from behind, while she held her hands on her very pregnant stomach. The corners of Naruto's mouth curved slightly as a tear fell from his eye onto his mother's shoulder. 'We finally have a picture together.' He wiped his eyes and apologized to his friend, who brushed it off and motioned for him to continue.
The next item he pulled out was one of his father's famous thunder-god kunai knives. He was surprised to feel just how heavy the weapon was, as this was his first time holding it outside his tailed beast form. Underneath the Kunai was a scroll. Naruto unraveled is and read the first few lines intently as his eyes shot open.
"What is it!?" Konohamaru said a little too excited for his own good. Naruto closed the scroll.
"It's instructions on how to master my father's technique. From the looks of it, it's incredibly thorough and fills in all the gaps I've been having while trying to learn it myself." Naruto responded. "This is incredible." He spun the kunai around his finger before placing it next to the scroll and picture frame. 'Thanks, dad'
He reached into the box and gasped as he pulled out the final item. In his hands, he held a teal-green scarf, with white vertical stripes breaking up the pattern every few inches. He unwrapped the scarf and noticed that is was clearly hand-knit, yet incredibly well made. As he moved it, a small polaroid photo dropped out and he caught it before it hit the ground. It was in much worse condition than the framed photo he had viewed earlier, but what he saw brought a new round of tears to his eyes.
His mother was sitting in a chair in what he assumed was their home, knitting the scarf he currently held in his hand. On the back of the photo there were three handwritten words "Happy Birthday Naruto." That did it. The combination of knowing he was holding in his hands something his mother made, with the fact that it was made just for him was enough to push him over. He held his arm over his eyes as tear after tear started to flow down. Konohamaru watched as his hero and close friend broke down in front of him. He was about to say something when he had an idea. He got up, slowly took the scarf from his hands, and wrapped it around Naruto's neck.
Naruto flinched at the contact and, upon realizing what his friend had done, smiled in his direction. "They really loved you boss," Konohamaru said as he patted Naruto on the back.
Naruto took and deep breath and let out the words "Yea...they really did." before the tears returned. Naruto and Konohamaru lost track of time as they stayed there, not saying a word.
Eventually, the two leaf ninja left the storage house, Naruto carrying his newfound treasures with his friend following close behind. "Thanks kid, you have no idea how much this all means to me.
Konahamaru slapped his mentor on the back and grinned. "I'm just returning what's yours." The blonde was truly touched before he noticed how low the sun was in the sky.
"Crap! I'm supposed to meet with Kakashi Sensei. He said it was important, probably another mission. Oh man, I can't be late again!" He quickly formed his signature hand sign and a single shadow clone appeared beside him. He handed the box to his clone, but not before taking his new scarf and wrapping it around his neck. "You lose this, your dead. Even for a clone." A bead of sweat formed on the clone's forehead as he nodded before disappearing in the direction of Naruto's home. Naruto thanks his friend again and turned to leave.
"Hey boss!" Konohamaru shouted out and Naruto turned around "Good luck with whatever is bothering you." Naruto was surprised but shot his friend a thumbs up before jumping on the rooftops and heading for Hokage Tower.
—
Sakura turned the key to her apartment and quickly shut the door behind her. It had begun snowing halfway through her shift and she was ill-prepared to say the least. She had managed to avoid most of the inclement weather by ducking from cover to cover, but for the last leg of her journey home she was unable to avoid the snow and was now substantially cold and wet. She took off her shoes and headed towards the bathroom, but not before she noticed Ino and Sai cuddled up on the couch.
"Hello Sakura," Sai said, being the first of the pair to notice her. Ino turned to look at her best friend and smiled. "Long day?" She asked.
"You have no idea." She responded before heading into the bathroom. Ino and Sai shared a sympathetic look at each other before returning to their previous activities.
Sakura emerged from the bathroom a few minutes later, her hair wet and slicked back and a lime green towel around her chest. She looked over to the couch and noticed it was empty. She then heard Ino moan as a loud creaking noise came from her rival's room. She sighed and a vein popped in her forehead. 'Jesus pig, I'm happy you guys are together now, but it would be nice to not have to come home to every night' she thought to herself as she entered her room. She pulled out a pair of pink sweatpants and an oversized white shirt, and lazily flopped down onto her bed.
She loved Sai, and it was actually her that suggested he make a move on Ino. She had noticed he acted slightly differently around her after they had come back from a mission together, and it turned out her instinct had been correct. The two had been dating for two months now and she never would have guessed how close the pair would become. She also didn't think that they would be this sexually active, Knowing Sai, she had assumed it would take Ino a little while to teach him basic intimacy, let alone for them to go all the way.
Instead, she had found out Ino had broken the poor boy in two weeks' time, and now she was treated to a lovely private concert of her best friend getting pleasured on a near-nightly basis. 'It must be nice to be cared for like that' she thought, before her mind immediately shot to her blonde teammate.
She shook her head to get the thoughts to go away. 'What's wrong with you, he ignores you for a few days and now you can't get him out of your head.' Unfortunately for her, she had spent the better part of her shift trying to figure out why she was being ignored. After hours of deliberation, she hadn't been able to come up with a single reason.
The only idea that popped into her head was, as childish as it sounded, that he no longer wanted to be her friend. However, she rapidly pushed that thought away. She knew it wasn't true, and she also didn't want to think about him not being around her for that reason.
She groaned and grabbed a medical scroll she had been reading from her nightstand in order to distract herself. She had only been reading for five minutes when she heard a furious knocking at her front door.
"I'm coming, I'm coming!" she yelled as the knocking continues. She put down her scroll and made her way to the source of the commotion. She noticed Ino's door was still shut, and took a deep breath before opening the door.
Her heart skipped a beat when she saw Naruto standing there, his arms on his knees and bent over as he was trying to catch his breath. She noticed he was wearing a green scarf that she had never seen before.
"Naruto? What are you doing here? Is everything oka..."
"Sakura-Chan," he interrupted as he stood up straight and gave her one of the biggest grins that she had ever seen in her life. "Sakura-Chan...I am going to be Hokage!