CHAPTER XIII

A Ninja Playing Hokage

"Hmm, you're amazing, you know that?"

"WHA—?"

He smirked, "… Naruto."

The blonde speedily jerked his head around, still he saw darkness glaring a hole through his head and stinging his eyesight delicately, "W-where the hell am I!" Bosatsu just stood there patiently before him, staring upon Naruto with an unbearable intensity which aggravated him to the bone. Naruto's thoughts briefly trembled and wondered whether or not he was going to die by the hands of a feeble blockhead.

"And what're YOU doing here?" spat Naruto, his chest filling with a forceful courage as he hastily flushed all fear and insecurity he felt,

"We're deep in your subconscious." Bosatsu said,

Naruto's eyes widened, "Waitwaitwaitwaitwait… YOU'RE in MY mind?" Bosatsu nodded, bemused by the youth's tone, "Then get the hell outta here, dammit! Who knows what damage you can do?"

"I think that you can cause more damage compared to what I'm capable of doing…" the old man said in a barely audible reply,

He shooked his head and grimaced, "WHAT?"

"I said I'm just here to talk some sense into your petty little head," Bosatsu continued, raising a smug eyebrow and sneering all his best, "No, not 'petty' at all, 'empty' is more like it."

Naruto made a gruff sound of annoyance and lifted his fist up, in front of the old man's irked face, "Say anymore, old stuff, and you'll have THIS stony fist scrunched in your frikkin' eye!"

"Such displeasing words coming from YOU," he merely swiped at Naruto's fist away, "But my counsel stands the same, you must give her up. She is only a weakness which may distress your life, and you mustn't loose your life because of a bothersome damsel like her…"

"Ugh, how many TIMES do I have to tell you to? Fuck off, dammit!" he glared, "Do I have to repeat myself:chuh: Why the hell are ya' following me, anyway?"

"Because you—" Naruto took the opening and quickly snuffed him, roughly standing his ground and turning his back against the old man who's mouth was still agape from being cut short of his words. He quickly ran away like a wily squirrel, deep into the lingering darkness before him, yet in truth he was clueless as to how he was going to escape his mysterious subconscious and escape from—'him'.

'Hmm… wonder what I'm gonna get for breakfast. Neji told me that he's gonna buy me ramen if I talk to Sakura-chan.' — yes, he was that dense, but not dense enough to ignore that finger pressed on his forehead. Bosatsu stood in front of him, one arm tucked behind his other arm, which was raised and poised, and was pointing a steady finger on his silver brow,

"EEH?"

"You still don't know where you are, don't you?" he said, Naruto dislodged his forehead from the tip and rubbed it sorely,

"Shut uup," Naruto hissed childishly, "I know PRECISELY where I am,"

"Do you?" came his amused voice, "I dare not ask you how you knew, but then again— all right, I'll give you a chance to run off from me—again," Bosatsu took his finger off Naruto, stood aside, and showed a humble arm to where Naruto was heading, "But I hope you don't get LOST, moron."

"Look who's talking," Naruto mumbled as he noisily stomped onwards across the bleak path he chose, firm on his stubborn head; firm that he would stick to this path without that—that IDIOT'S advice.

'She's my world now,' he thought resolutely, 'Without her I have no purpose,'

He momentarily chuckled.

Purpose… what IS purpose anyway? Was it something everybody must feel to justify his existence, or was it something which can absolutely make everyone feel loved or needed, just so he could escape the reality of existence, which clearly states that humans exist for no reason at all? Perhaps. And now that he's sunk low in just one day because that Sasuke took his purpose in life, the only thing he could do with his existence right now is to protect her. Besides, this illusion made him feel better, anyway.

One strange thing, though, the kitsune was no where in this part of him.

'Maybe this is just another place I haven't gone to yet— as strange as it sounds,' he thought,

Now how did he get in this place anyway? The last time he was cognizant, he was staring at his ceiling when Neji told him to sleep away. So he did. Is this some twisted dream, then? He had pinched his left arm and felt pain ('YIKE!' -Naruto) while his foot overstepped the other, so he wasn't in a dream like he had hoped he would be in. Well, how's he going to escape his subconscious then? And who was this Bosatsu guy who kept telling him to let her go? It was pointless for him to tell him that.

Utterly, utterly pointless, no matter how tenacious his mind already was, he will never give up on her.

Still worked up deep in his thoughts, Naruto bumped into somebody standing across his path stubbornly. He looked up and was surprised to see—Bosatsu? Still with that annoyingly smug face plastered on his lips and those smug PREJUDICED eyes… his eyebrow twitched, and his lips angrily pursed, "How… w-wha—!"

"I wasn't following you…"-- came the dull reply,

Naruto perked his head in a bemused manner, "Hunh?"

"You were just walking in circles, Naruto, I wasn't doing anything."

… shit. The darkness only lead in circles, how was he going to escape this delirium, then? Dammit, all he wanted was some ramen for his empty stomach…

"May I ask you something?" Naruto sighed and crankily nodded, what's up with him, anyway? "Why is it you chose to protect her?"

Naruto steeled his eyes, "Because she's my precious person…"

Bosatsu nodded with an understanding a wise man has, "And if your precious person you failed to protect, to whom will you turn to then, eh?"

"What!" Naruto heatedly said, "I WON'T fail!"

"You just did…"

His eyes dangerously flashed, well that hit a nerve, "Shut up."

"I asked you a simple question; I expect a simple answer," Naruto stood dumbstruck and breathing with rage, those words and that question seemed to hit him somehow, "What IF?"

The blonde's frown ceased. If… if he failed to protect Sakura-chan? Then… but— where in the world is this conversation going to? Is it not enough that he finally chose his own purpose? He just couldn't get this guy. Maybe he's looking for trouble after all, but then again, those prejudiced eyes which once shone with superiority melted into something… Iruka-sensei and Kakashi-sensei would wear, if not their changes.

Naruto smirked, he forgot about them…

But—what if this purpose isn't the right thing to do? What if he was being selfish again? He WAS being selfish again. After all, Sakura-chan makes him happy by just being happy. He knew the answer deep within his pulsing bosom, but what WAS it he couldn't put a finger on?

"The—"

He just didn't know what to say, and he didn't know what to do. He just stood there, deep in his thoughts: 'If he failed to protect Sakura-chan… who must he turn to, then?'

"The People of Konoha,"

… Konoha? That word rolled through his tongue out of the blue: the People of Konoha— was this the old geezer's point? The words which all of the Hidden Leaf's Hokages shared upon their generations? The very feelings which Yondaime felt when he sacrificed his life? He suddenly felt ashamed of himself…

Bosatsu's thunderous laugh struck him from his thoughts, "You're an idiot, Naruto, but I'll forgive you this time. This must be a very traumatizing thing for you to experience… but yes," Bosatsu gently put his hand on the youth's shoulder protectively, "Sakura-chan is just an apple placed in front of your eyes, but the seed which grows within is often neglected when it can create a more fruitful tree. Konoha needs you, even if they have forgotten you, it doesn't mean that you must forget yourself."

Naruto grimaced. He just couldn't believe it: he'd been in hell for days and now he's turned into a selfish devil? Indeed, his future wasn't Hokage, but that didn't mean that he must forget his responsibility—as a shinobi of the leaf. That's—his ninja way.

"Have you forgotten?"

The pause between them seemed sinister this time, since the world around him was pulled down to darkness in every degree, so Naruto decided to break the disturbing isolation around them, "No."

Good answer. That loosened the tightness around them for a bit, and gave Naruto a good amount of space to breathe: No, he didn't forget his obligations as a ninja, and he knew, within his soul, that it would take a giant bullfrog and all the devils in hell, and all the angels in heaven to make him forget.

"Why the hell do you care, anyway?" he asked faintly,

"Because I—"

"FINE! Now can you PLEASE get me out of here, or at least stand aside so I can find the exit on my own?" Bosatsu's eyebrows rose dazedly, he didn't expect for him to revert to his old self in minutes. One second he was listening to him with open ears… and now he's acting like a jackass—again.

"You're still the same jerk you were, Naruto-sama." Bosatsu sighed and smirked. He turned around and seemed to disappear within the darkness, yet his voice still trembled in the depths of his mind, "It would be nice if you didn't mention this to anybody, for the sake of my existence. Oh, and by the way, you're about to get drenched in cold water…"

…

What?

-SPLASH-

"ACK!"

A flail of limb…

"GUH…"

A desperate cough…

Naruto bodily shivered because of the blistering coldness which covered him from hair to torso. He gasped, and looked around his room—only to find Neji standing there with a placid face, holding a large basin of… well, which used to be cold water. Naruto's frown tore a small smile on Neji's face, so it was obvious that the guy was amused of Naruto's rude awakening.

"Come on, Uzumaki," Neji said, chucking the basin down on the floor, "I'll buy you some ramen." He grabbed something on the chair and flung it on his face impulsively, "Dress up, nobody's gonna have the stomach to eat if they see you half naked…"

The blonde ridiculously scowled, striping his smelly clothes of his head, "More for me, then!"

A peaceful day at the Ichiraku Ramen Bar, and Naruto never expected that this is how Neji ate—no, INHALED his meal, and not 'ate'. Neji just kept shoveling the stuff down his throat (considering, of course, that he failed to eat a bite during his mission), while Naruto just couldn't get enough of the stories Neji is—or mostly was— telling him of the past he failed to witness. And the great fight he failed to glimpse.

"So what did you guys do?"

"Well," Neji breathed, raising his face from the large bowl his head was in earlier, "I remember the Dragon's tail going up to a hundred feet from the ground, and on the hospital you were on."

Naruto sweat dropped, "Yeah?"

"Yup," he nodded, "Sakura was there at the time, and she didn't pass on leaving you in that hellhole of concrete cadaver. She actually leapt down the building with you… of course, good thing Tsunade-sama was there to prevent some serious damage for you guys."

"What about the other patients?"

"Some of them died, some of them lived." Neji mumbled, "Another thing I remembered was that the White Dragon had the ability to turn to a human—"

"You don't say…" he gulped, turning his knowing expression to the other direction, away from his friend's glance,

"Well, he actually tricked us once, turned to a kid who was half-dead," Neji said, "He was put upon Tsunade-sama's care. She didn't trust him much, that I knew, but she was confident that she could psyche him out for any possible information, about either Jiraiya's current location or on how to kill the demon. The kid didn't say anything since his tongue was cut off so she waited for any promising sign of answer from him."

Neji bowed down to his bowl from Naruto's interested view and began to eat once more, ignoring his friend's growing frustration: Neji tended to lag away from conversation, and that taxed him… a lot, "AND?"

"Eh? And what?"

"What the hell happened?"

"Well, she finally gave up on the boy, finding no solid evidence that he WAS a demon who worked for the Dragon, but then again she did decide to drop THIRTY shinobi around his bed while he slept. Of the best kind, of course, and I was one of them."

"Of course," Naruto rolled his eyes: Neji is just too full of himself.

"It was obvious Tsunade-sama still didn't trust him, but she just couldn't leave the boy alone. Sure enough the kid tricked us. He wasn't just a mere boy, of course, nor was he the Dragon's subordinate. He was the White Dragon himself." Neji furrowed his eyebrows with grief, "One night he suddenly hurdled off the bed, threw something fiery and disappeared without a trace. The burning stuff turned out to be a poison, a 'Curl-worm poison' or something like that. Fourteen ninjas died that day… Hiashi-sama included."

"Hiashi-sama?" Naruto exclaimed, "Hinata's DAD!"

"The same guy, Naruto. Tsunade-sama didn't expect the kid to turn out as the White Dragon since the said demon was rampaging outside Konoha at the time. The Dragon really surprised us since he didn't use the usual chakra; it was something else… dark." Neji paused as he looked deep into his bowl, as if looking deeply into the past and into that very day Hiashi died. He smirked, "Plus we weren't aware of its ability to turn into a human, but— I just wish she wasn't very distracted at the time."

A wind guzzled around them, and Naruto looked down his fingers solemnly, "Jiraiya," he whispered, "Was he— ever found?"

"Nope, still gone. Tsunade's still searching for him, though, since his body never did turn up."

"Oh…"

So, the White Dragon was actually responsible for Jiraiya's plausible death. Slowly he had begun to remember everything that night, after he chased the field of butterflies. Although some part of it was just something he couldn't recall. The White Dragon… was this Bosatsu guy telling the truth at all? Should he even dare trust him? But the White Dragon was… wicked.

… he seemed to remember something… that the White Dragon… was actually the—

"When are you going to talk to her, man? Are you waiting for the first snow-flake?"

What is going on around here? Were there forces growing darker at each second under his feet, or was it just him? Naruto could feel it, there was something—something going on down there. The question is: was he involved and was he in danger? Was Konoha in danger?

"Naruto…"

Then again, maybe the White Dragon is going to strike once more in the near future. Right now he had some pondering to do— a very serious pondering: should he tell Neji of that butterfly incident, or just let it be? Bosatsu said something about his life depending on Naruto's choice of words about the Dragon, but nevertheless, he must be ready for anything.

He must be ready to protect Konoha.

"Naaaruto..."

Yes, he'll find out everything that's been going on… that is, of course, after he curses Neji for hitting the back of his head.

Naruto yelped as his left hand automatically found his stinging skull, while Neji just sat there with a smug grin on his face, "Geez, Naruto, have you gone deaf?"

"Ugh, stop nagging. You're starting to sound like Jiraiya on a bad day," Naruto grouchily said,

"Jiraiya nagging?" Neji raised an eyebrow, "Tsunade-sama seems fitter for the name. Alongside with the 'Legendary Sucker', she should've been called the 'Legendary Bitch',"

Naruto chuckled at that, "If she heard you talk about her that way…" he said in a teasing voice,

"She's not here now, is she?"

Naruto chortled: Neji was actually fun to be around with. He remembered that day when they fought each other, and fought together. Those faces of Neji himself were incredibly different from each other: one with a closed mind, who decided to leave his body and let the fates decide, thereby plunging into the same dark dungeon Naruto had just presently crossed: the living hell; and the other with a wide one, who overcame all the difficulties of the world, and became who he always wanted to be. Neji was a genius of a guy, and now, wiser, at the least. He was glad… that Neji invited him for Ramen.

Naruto smiled gratefully… what a guy…

But after a lot of gracious thoughts towards his present comrade, his smile pursed into a thoughtful frown as he mentally braced himself: "Neji, what else happened during the White Dragon's attack? Did anything strange happen while the Dragon was here? Did he have any subordinates, any ninjas working for him at all?"

"Well," Neji scratched his chin with thought, "He did have some monstrous subordinates, but I don't remember anything strange going on inside these walls… except, of course, a large dragon terrorizing Konoha, idiot."

… Although, Neji still IS a smart-ass.

"See ya, Nej!"

"Uzumaki! Don't call me that, dammit!"

Naruto boisterously waved his hand as he walked away. Today was different from all the other days. Today was magnificent. Absolutely magnificent, that he couldn't help but smile while he walked away. Everything was turning over a new leaf, and he felt refreshed that someone—someone—finally acknowledged him. He'll gain his former title back, as the greatest Jounin of Konoha, and gain the favor of many peoples. Yes, that would be wonderful.

Naruto placed two palms behind his head, smiling all the way. At least the Kyubi wasn't a serious matter right now, at least his reputation as the once respected Uzumaki Naruto was still printed within Konoha's spirit—and not Kyubi no Yoko. He was definitely not recognized as Kyubi no Yoko.

'Hm… gotta take a bath. I smell like a damn snake.'

… he stopped—

There… just across the road: a beautiful snowflake… the very first snowflake of Konoha which had caught his sight in a fleeting instant.

The very first snowflake… of Konoha...

A/N: HOLY CURD! I am sooo late. So sorry :sweatdrops: but according to a bet I made with a friend of mine (Hi Juri-chan! ) I'm gonna have to finish this fic within 3 weeks. I hope you guys liked this chapter... concluding that you haven't read it yet in the Heaven and Earth Forums... oh well...

Please, R&R, and no flames!