Well here's the first real summoning! Enjoy!
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"Th-the First H-Hokage? His n-n-name w-was Hashirama S-Senju r-right? Why d-do you w-want t-to s-see h-him?" Hinata asked. As far as she was concerned, she didn't know much about the First Hokage at all.
"I've always wanted to meet him! This could be my chance!" Naruto's eyes shone. "I mean, he was the first! The beginning of the whole Hokage concept, right?" he smiled. Hinata thought about that for a moment and nodded.
"F-fine. W-we'll t-try c-calling h-him but j-just don't g-get y-your hopes up, N-Naruto. I d-don't e-even know i-if this w-will w-work." she said.
"You just leave that to me, Hinata!" he replied enthusiastically. "Oh, and when I give you your cue, channel as much chakra as possible into the ground." he added. Hinata looked confused.
"B-but that w-would j-just m-make a c-c-crater." she pointed out. Naruto shrugged.
"Don't ask me. That's just what it says in this book." Naruto obviously decided not to debate about it any longer and relit the candle.
"Okay, here goes nothing!" he quickly began to flip through the book until he found the page he wanted. Naruto cleared his throat and began to recite.
"He who has left this world for his grave, return and walk among us once more! I summon you, Hashirama Senju!" he cried. Then he slammed his palms down on the floor, pouring chakra into it. Hinata took that as her cue and did the same. To her surprise and bafflement, the floor in fact did not break but the pentagram around them glowed brilliant blue.
Instantly, Hinata felt a cold chill run down her spine. She barely had time to register what happened when a breeze began to blow. Hinata gasped. How could the wind blow in a closed room? Then the wind gathered speed, the curtains billowed, something fell to the floor with a crash. Hinata screamed, for lack of anything else to do. She heard Naruto faintly over the howling wind.
'Don't move? Easy for him to say!' she thought and squeezed her eyes shut. But then the wind began to die down and soon, it was as if it had never even been there. Still, she kept her eyes shut, not knowing what to expect. There were a few moments of silence and Hinata began to worry about what might have happened to Naruto.
"Hinata, you have to see this." Naruto sounded awed and mystified. Cautiously, she opened her eyes. And was struck by what she saw.
"Hi, you summoned me I presume?"Besides a startled looking Naruto across from her, in the center of the pentagram, stood the First Hokage. Actually, stood wasn't the right word for it. He was more or less hovering. The First Hokage looked like a good natured man with a casual smile and long black hair. But, he also looked a little pale and slightly translucent.
"Uhhh… yeah, we did!" said Naruto, remembering his voice. The First nodded and began to look around the room, not that he could see much with all the lights off. It was then that Hinata noticed the candles. Despite the wind, they had not gone off.
"So where are we?"he asked curiously. Hinata felt like she had to at least say something.
"K-K-Konoha." she said quietly. His eyes lit up.
"Konoha?! You're joking! It's been so long, I can't believe it!"he cried with childish excitement. But then he noticed something. Something shiny and valuable around Naruto's neck.
"Hey, is that my necklace? I thought I gave that to Tsunade."
"Granny Tsunade and I had a bet over it!" grinned Naruto. The First laughed.
"Granny huh? I wonder how she's changed. Oh yeah, how is Nawaki?" he seemed very talkative once he found out he was in Konoha again. Naruto shifted uncomfortably. Hinata rescued him from having to break the news.
"N-Nawaki p-passed a-away y-years ago." she said. Hashirama's smile disappeared.
"Ah… that is unfortunate. Things have changed since I've been gone." he said sorrowfully. A few minutes passed in silence.
"I would like to see Konoha if that's possible." he said suddenly. Naruto leapt up from his place and threw open the curtains. Hashirama gaped at what his city had become.
"Wow." was all he could say. Naruto pointed excitedly to the Hokage Tower.
"Well that hasn't changed I bet!" he said. The First nodded.
"I would give anything to see the view from up there again… But unfortunately I can't leave this circle." he sighed wistfully. Naruto thought for a moment.
"Actually, I think it's possible." The First looked at him hopefully.
***
Hinata blushed at all the attention their group was attracting. Hinata and Naruto were making trails of powdered chalk behind them, so that it formed a pathway sort of thing. Hinata was holding the candle in her hand, letting the chalk trail out from a pouch around her waist. Perhaps someone might have found that strange if it weren't for the First Hokage walking calmly between them and waving jubilantly to everyone in sight as if he had known them all his life.
Needless to say, there was a huge commotion that followed, with people screaming, gasping, fainting etc. But everyone was saying the same thing.
'The First Hokage is back!' Naruto seemed oblivious to the citizens who parted in order for them to pass. He was locked in an animated discussion with Hashirama as he reminisced about Konoha's past. Hinata wondered how Naruto could take this so casually. Here he was, chatting with a guy who died ages ago and he was acting like it happened everyday.
'I guess that's just how Naruto deals with shock. Forgets about the awkwardness and turns the tables in his favor.' she thought. She had never expected this séance thing to work so well anyway. Right up to the moment when she saw the First Hokage in the room, she kept hoping it was just theatrics. But here he was, in the flesh… okay not really, but close enough.
"Hinata!" Naruto's voice broke into her thoughts. She looked at him. He was holding out a piece of chalk. She took it questioningly. Naruto pointed to the wall of the Hokage Tower.
'Here already?' she thought. But now she understood what needed to be done. The two began to walk up the wall, drawing a trail for the First to walk in. Meanwhile, the citizens were still watching in silenced awe. They had forgotten everything and were focused on the strange sight, now walking up the Hokage Tower. When they reached the top, the First Hokage seemed a little stunned.
"I thought I would never see this sight again." he breathed. He looked around dreamily until his gaze rested on the Hokage Monument. He smiled to see his own face carved in it.
"When I was alive, that monument was just a blueprint." he sighed.
"I'm going to be up there too some day." said Naruto. Hashirama looked at him.
"Hm?" he didn't quite understand.
"I'm going to be the sixth Hokage!" he cried, proudly stating his dream. Hashirama was struck with déjà vu.
***
"Nawaki, what is your dream in life?" Hashirama asked his grandson. Nawaki's face broke into an adorable grin.
"I'm going to be the Hokage!" Hashirama affectionately ruffled his hair. A young Tsunade turned that way.
"Well you'll have to beat me to it." she said smugly. She was only joking but Nawaki took it very seriously.
"No way! I'm going to train really hard and someday, I'll even beat you Tsunade!" he cried. His face was slightly red as most children are when they scream. Tsunade chuckled and ruffled his hair for the second time before leaving for her training session. Nawaki looked at his grandpa.
"You believe me, right Grandpa?" he asked. Hashirama nodded with a smile.
"I know you'll make a great Hokage someday, Nawaki."
***
"Hokage sama!" Naruto had this habit of breaking people out of their daydreams. The First gave him a glance. It was then that he realized how similar the two were. That same determined smile, that attitude…the hair. Only, Nawaki could not reach his goal. But this boy could.
"I didn't catch your name." he said abruptly.
"Naruto Uzumaki, sir!"
'Naruto… same number of letters too. It must be fate.' thought Hashirama.
"You know what, kid? I like you. I'm going to give you some advice on being Hokage." he said. Naruto instantly perked up.
"First off, know the difference between a leader and a dictator. A lot of people let power go to their heads. Your job is to protect the people, not enslave them." he started. Naruto was giving him his full attention. Hinata was listening but being Hokage was Naruto's dream.
"Second, know when to retreat." Naruto was confused.
"Retreating is cowardly! A ninja fights with honor or dies trying!" he said.
"That is probably true when you're on your own. But when you become Hokage, you suddenly become responsible for a huge amount of people, each with their own ways of thinking, their own perspectives and their own lives. Knowing when to pull back and cut losses is an integral part of the job. It may seem cowardly but in the end, that's what prevents all those people dying in vain." Naruto was silent. Clearly he had never thought of it that way before. Meanwhile the sun was beginning to set. Hinata soundlessly pointed out the shrinking candle. They did not have much time left. The First Hokage's form seemed to waver as if he was going to fade soon.
"Finally, no matter what happens or what they do to you, you must love Konoha and its people. This may sound strange, but it was the hardest rule for me to follow!" he said. Naruto raised an eyebrow.
"Why should that be hard for you of all people?" he asked quietly. The First Hokage kneeled and rolled up the leg of his pants a little way to reveal a deep scar just below his knee. Hinata gasped but Naruto just looked grim.
"I've made some bad decisions as Hokage and the citizens made sure I was aware of that. To this day, I've told everyone it was a training accident." He let the pant leg fall over his scar again.
"But, if you want to lead, you have to love." Naruto took this in without a word. Hinata noticed that the candle was drowning in its own wax and so did Hashirama.
"Well that's it then." he smiled as his form faded further. "Please remember what I told you. I can rest easy knowing that I've left the future of Konoha in your hands." he didn't know why he had suddenly grown so attached to this boy. It wasn't just because he looked like Nawaki either. There was a certain aura about this boy… But Hashirama shook his head. It was time he stopped interfering in this world. The light of the setting sun illuminated his face as the candle flame, and the ghost, both flickered away.
***
Hinata and Naruto walked back the way they came in the dying sunlight. Naruto hadn't said much and Hinata guessed he was still thinking about the First Hokage's words.
"I-I think th-the l-last r-rule i-is hardest f-for y-you t-too." she piped up to break the silence. Naruto looked up abruptly and made her regret saying it.
"Why do you say that?" he asked. Hinata froze up for a moment. She then grabbed his left arm and gently rolled up the sleeve a little, exposing a cruel curved scar, worse than Hashirama's.
"I-If I r-recall, y-you t-told everyone that w-was a-a t-training a-accident t-too right?" she said quietly. Naruto snatched his hand back in surprise.
"H-How do you know?" Hinata blushed.
"Ummm… When I-I s-saw i-it, I g-guessed it m-m-must b-be f-from a p-penknife, n-not a k-kunai." she twiddled her fingers nervously but Naruto decided not to pry. Besides, there was something much more interesting going on ahead. A group of people were frantically running to and fro, apparently in pursuit of something.
"Hey Hinata, who are they?" he pointed.
"Oh n-no… R-Reporters. I-I b-bet th-they're after u-us." she said, glad for the change of topic. One reporter spotted them and called for the rest. Moving in a mob, they began to run towards the two.
"C-Come o-on N-Naruto! G-Get out o-of th-the w-way!" she cried, pulling his arm. But Naruto just smiled.
"I've always wanted to be interviewed." he smiled dreamily. And Hinata and Naruto were swallowed up into media frenzy.
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So how's it going? This is actually a trial so I'm still deciding whether or not it's good enough to continue.
Cya!
Kira
