Naruto's Lament – Hero's Triumph
The leaves dance in the golden sunlight as the gentle winds flows graciously through the forest of the Fire Country, giving the illusion of them being on fire. As the sun descends over the horizon, eight shadowy figures darts from branch to branch, frantically searching for someone. "He's not here," says one of the shadows as it leaps to the next branch.
The fifth shadow asks, "I don't see him either. Sure we are in the right place?"
"This is the right location," adds the last shadow.
"Let's split up. One of us should be able to find him," says the third shadow. The eight unanimously agreed and each of them split off on their own.
One of the shadows approaches a nearby cliff and begins leaping upward towards the peak, in hopes to get a better view of the area. At the top, the wind's gusts were strong, but the person stood there ardently as his clothes fluttered vigorously. After the wind calmed down, the figure looked towards the sunset and cried out with all its might, "SASUKE!" And the echo from the shout reverberated through miles and miles of the forest.
A voice from behind him calmly responds, "You don't have to yell. I'm right here, Naruto." Naruto turned around to see a masked ANBU Black Ops soldier nonchalantly sitting on a branch in the tree next to him. The figure tranquilly removed his mask, revealing it was his best friend, Sasuke Uchiha.
Naruto turned away from the sunset, "Heh, there you are, Sasuke. I've been looking for you all over."
Sasuke jumped down from the tree and smirked at his friend, "I know. But I thought I let you run around for a while."
The blonde was clearly annoyed by Sasuke's humor and then turned around towards the sunset, as if looking for something out on the horizon. "Do you have the information?"
Sasuke smoothly responded, "Of course. Seems the rumors were correct. The creature had finally awoken and destroyed everything in its path in the Earth Country. Five days ago, it made its way into Iwagakure and obliterated it." He paused for a moment, "And there's more. The latest reports indicate that it had just entered the Fire Country, after devastating both the Waterfall and Grass Countries."
Naruto looked at Sasuke with shock at the news he was just told. Sasuke continued, "It is heading right for Konoha, and at its current speed. It will arrive in just three days."
Naruto silently clinched his fist in anger. He knew from the rumors that every time shinobi fought the creature, nobody survived. "I will inform the others of the news and hopefully we can think of something."
"Very well," Sasuke put back on his mask and as he leapt back onto the tree branch he remembered something, "Oh, Naruto." He turned towards Naruto again, "Sakura wants you to drop by the Hospital when you get the chance."
In spite of the bad news he just heard, Naruto turned to his friend with a huge smirk and said, "Oh, I should be there by now."
Sasuke was dumbfounded and mumbled to himself, "What does he mean?" Naruto put his hands together and disappeared into a cloud. He chortled, "Should've known, a Kage Bunshin."
Walking down the sterile hallways of the Konoha Hospital, a tall figure clothed in white robes and a white hat with red trim walked happily down the hallway. As he passed by a doctor and a nurse outside a patient's room, they stop give a quick bow, "Rokudaime-sama" The figure waved to them in acknowledgement.
When the Rokudaime Hokage arrived at room 301, he gently knocked on the door. And inside, a tired woman's voice could be heard, "Come in." Inside on the hospital bed was Sakura Haruno who was lying on the bed visibly exhausted. She looked over at her new visitor and enthusiastically greeted him with her remaining energy, "Hi, Naruto."
Naruto took off his Hokage hat and placed it on a nearby table and walked over to Sakura with a bouquet of flowers in his other hand, "How are you feeling?"
"Tired," she put her hand on her pregnant belly and looked down with a motherly gaze, "The little one here gave another false alarm."
The blonde chuckled, "Persistent isn't he?"
Sakura looked up with her own mischievous smirk, "Just like his father." Then she noticed the flowers in his hand, "Those for me?"
"Of course," he happily responded. Then Naruto placed the bouquet in a vase on the table next to Sakura's hospital bed.
But as he was doing so, she noticed his smile disappeared, "You got the news from Sasuke-kun, didn't you?"
Naruto knew he couldn't hide anything from Sakura after all these years, they knew each intimately. He nodded and turned to look out the window to gaze at the near-full moon, as it took over for the sun. "Yeah, Sasuke told me that Iwagakure was destroyed. And it's heading this way."
Sakura's face grew pale at the news. But then color returned to her face as she beamed a smile of confidence at him, "I know you will stop it." Naruto turned around and couldn't help but to smile back with his trademark grin.
But before he could respond, a foot tapping by the doorway caught their attention. A familiar voice angrily called out, "Visiting Hours ended a half-hour ago, Naruto!" Ino Yamanaka stood there at the doorway with her arms crossed and scowled at the young Hokage. When Naruto tried to say something, she marched over and forcibly grabbed his arm and started dragging him out into the hallway, "Hokage or not, your time is up!"
Naruto quickly grabbed his hat on the way out and hastily said to Sakura, "Eh, I'll see you later, Sakura-chan!" Sakura chuckled as he disappeared around the corner and down the hallway.
Ino could be heard scolding him down the hall, "Honestly, what kind of Hokage are you?"
