Naruto – Fall of a Hero
Good-Bye Old Friend
Two days passed since the arrival of the final delegates for the funeral, Tsunade lead the progression down the pathways of Konoha, Heads and heirs of clans showed up. The Civilians did not bother hiding their own disdain for what the visitors and some of the greatest people there were leading the. However thanks to the preparations that the Hokage did post before the representatives arrived did the trick for sure. There had only been two fist fights and a completely trashed bar. But where was the Hokage leading such a long train of people? Down the pathways towards a second crowd. Soft Silks and bright blues, reds and greens were seen.
The Progression met with that of the Hyuuga and Kimeraki Clan Heads, who escorted the Lady of the Land of Spring, and that of Tazuna and his people of the Wave Village. The Hokage bowed to both parties, to which they all bowed in return and then moved down the pathway together and as one moving body. Then she turned to an up kept road, one that had seen a lot of use in the past it seemed and yet now, with over a decade of no use what so ever, the road cracked and weeds and grass were reclaiming the land it seemed.
Despite what the Hokage thought, she felt that it was best that Naruto's final resting place be with those of his own blood and beside his parents grave markers. And there she led the way past the large mansion in the centre and moving towards that of the graveyard behind it. Dozens of graves lay there, from the beginning and formation of the Clan, who unfortunately had been dealt such a grievous blow during that of the Kyuubi Event. But in the back were two statues, one of the fourth Hokage, the other of his wife Kushina. There they stood, made of solid marble, and crafted to fight off years of assault. Between them though, was a new marker, one that had Naruto sitting in the Hokage Chair and wearing the Hokage hat, while having nine tails dancing behind him. A dark reminder to be sure, but one nonetheless. At the feet of the Statue laid that of the grave marker, holding his titles. And below that, was an open grave showing nothing.
Tsunade moved to her spot at the head of the great box and she nodded her head, bowing her head to the statue, and then standing at the base of it nodding her head to the great pit there. "Here, we are gathered, to give thanks, praise and farewell to one that is the greatest hero that Konoha has ever known. Here we hope that the great Kami will bless his travels as he returns to them in a world of peace and harmony that he has never known in this life.
"He bore a great burden, not by his choice, but forced upon him by his own father to defend the village in its greatest hour of need. Naruto grew up, came to age, and passed every challenge that this village could test him with, and still he surpassed their expectations by succeeding. His first day as a ninja was indeed, the day, as I've heard it told that it was the day that Naruto was reborn into something greater. Something that the people should have been proud to call theirs. We have sinned. Sinned so badly that it has claimed his life for our problems. Naruto's death has left a wound to all of us, and upon the land. One that will never heal. People like him are unique. Appearing like flashes of lightning, coming only every few generations. Konoha missed the boy's flash. What he may have been, we will never know. But if we allow his sacrifice to go in vain, then let him feel shame for us for we failed to learn.
Let us remember the sun upon his crown. The wisdom of his words. The temper of his will. Let us never forget the passion of his words, the strength of his convictions, or the determination in doing the right thing." Tsunade stated, shaking her head lightly, before she reached into her robes and tossed into the great pit that had been dug at the base, a photo that was taken of herself, Jiraiya, and Naruto on their way back to the hidden leaf village. "Let us never forget his sacrifices." Tsunade stated before she turned and moved away, while Shizune quickly approached and offered her a small glass of Saki. One to which she took the glass downed it, and then took the bottle, hidden safely by the form of Jiraiya who had taken that moment to peek down towards his notebook again, but then stopped.
Jiraiya's dark eyes turned up to the sky, clouds were forming up and rain was starting to come down. Much like that of the Third Hokage's funeral. Like the sky mirrored the crowd's sadness and loss at what had happened to the land of fire once again. Perhaps the gods had seen something there and their own sadness brought it all upon them. Or Perhaps there really was something else out there, looking down upon them and guiding their paths but never interfering. He did not like where those thoughts took him.
And thus the line ups came up to the Statue. Some offering thanks and prayer and others dropping down into the hole; Iruka took off his head band a second time and placed it down there. Sakura placed a photo frame down a photo of team seven, with Sasuke and Naruto glaring at one another while Kakashi placed an old scrap book of photo's that were of the Four Hokage and Kushina. Ino brought and tossed in a bouquet of red roses, a symbol to all that she would never forget him. Chouji had brought food for Naruto's grave tossing in fresh ramen from the Noodle stand that he enjoyed, and Shikamaru set a shoji board and pieces with the rest. The Most memorable was the fact that Neji came forth at his turn approached the pit, got down upon his hands and knees and put his forehead to the dirt.
"I will never forget, Naruto." Neji stated and stood and turned to regard Hinata and Hiashi who stared down at her. Whether or not she was looking weak, to a Hyuuga it was not an option. They always had to be in control. So when Hinata came to be, she set some of her own home cooked meal inside of the pit and on top of the others, before the tears that had been threatening to leave her moon coloured eyes spilled out. She Fell to her knees, but did not cry out. Hiashi had ran out to her at that point saw what was wrong and inwardly sighed, before he reached to his shoulders pulled off his long cloak and set it upon her shoulders gently. Hiashi would not speak of it on such a day, but the Hyuuga disapproved of such an outward display of emotions. Many came and went, and the gifts for the after life piled up into the grave site, with Jiraiya's being the last being that of the first book that he had ever written, the one that the Fourth Hokage and his wife had gotten the name for their son.
Soon Gaara to approached and peered towards the statue, and stared at it long and intently. Crossing his arms he turned his green eyes to that of the people gathered and he stared at them. Each of the first lines of people came under the stare. Iruka being the last and he immediately knew why the man was staring at them. Gaara wanted to understand, and that was when he approached, putting his hands into his black pants, his brown eyes softening as he approached. But before Iruka could speak, Gaara spoke. "What did he see in you?"
A simple question, and yet so many different answers, and for the first time Iruka smiled sadly while looking up at the marble statue himself. "I believed in him. I did all I could for him, but it wasn't enough. He saw in me a man that didn't see the fox, but Naruto as himself. That's a rare trait here. Acknowledgement of being who you are, not for something that happened or for your differences." Iruka stated as he peered towards the crowd and smiled at the Jounin faces, and then that of the Rookie Nine, the Villagers of the Wave Village, Temari, Kankuro and then that of Koyuki. "We all did. We all believed in him when we saw his true face. Maybe that's what he saw in us. Maybe that's why he stuck around for so long."
Gaara stood there for a long time, pondering upon this, and then looked back to the people once again. "They've a strange way of showing their belief of the man that saved them." Gaara stated simply, before he turned to the pile of things, and bowed his head to them, as the sand gourd attached to his back opened up and pulled out a teddy bear, one that showed a patch of the belly and some tattered parts here and there and clearly well cared for. The sand drifted out and placed it on top of the pile and then retracted immediately before Gaara turned and regarded his siblings with a nod of his head.
"Yes. We do…. Don't do what we did, Gaara." Iruka stated his own eyes watering up as he thought of one of the worst and brightest students that he ever had the pleasure of having, and one that he always thought about. "You want to do Honour to Naruto's name?"
"Yes." Gaara replied as he peered towards his own siblings, puzzling over what Iruka was trying to say. What did this have to do with his family?
"Do what he always wanted." Iruka stated, his eyes meeting confused green ones. "Keep your family. Fight for your future, and become the best that you can be. But none of that really matters… if you can't share it with the people who love you the most. You do that, and Naruto will never be gone." The elder man stated as he slowly approached the mourning group, and took a seat on the grass, as he bent forwards and put his head into his knees. The Shaking of the shoulders was the only thing that the people around him could tell that he was crying. A noble woman dressed in soft dark silks came to kneel beside him, reached out and wrapped her arm around his shoulders. It was not until that she raised her head to look at them, that they saw it was the Daimyo of the Land of Spring, Koyuki Kazahana.
Events rolled forward at a fast past, before Tsunade knew, the last tribute to Naruto was with in the hole and packed with dirt, and all gathered around and in the Senju Clan Compound, sharing drinks, good and stories about their favourite knuckle headed blonde. Koyuki surprisingly did not leave Iruka`s side, and her gentle voice rang out with gentle laughter as she heard the many stories that the Chuunin had on Naruto. Tsunade and Tazuna both joined the two soon after, listening to Iruka and passing a bottle of the finest Wave made Saki between each other.
But the younger generation, they all chose to speak with one another, while Hinata returned to home. Sorata Kimeraki just sat back in a chair and watched the younger generation with a mild interest. More specifically a young blonde, who crossed her arms. A unique situation was beginning to brew between them all. A sort of storm that one saw in the distance and was awed by the power it possessed. The Jounin watched as a slim blonde in a short blonde approached at lazy looking person sitting in a chair and peering up at the clouds through a window.
"You knew!" The younger woman accused, as she moved right in front of the window, glaring down at him with blue eyes. The young man of the group looked up to her rather lazily, blinking once, twice, Three times, before he tilted his head back and looked up to the ceiling.
"Ino, stop being so troublesome… I know a lot of things you don't, narrow it down for me, will you? Guessing is such a drag."
"Seriously not funny, Shikamaru!" Ino stated as she crossed her arms, glaring down at him. "You knew that Naruto had a demon in him. And you didn't choose to say anything to any one of us?" She accused, her tone not lifting a bar, as they spoke. Sorata had to chuckle at the woman's self restraint, and given where they were, and how many were there, if she spoke out to much to loudly, they'd have a blood bath in there. Not that he was complaining. The real life drama beat the soap opera's he was used to his mother watching on the television set.
Shikamaru met her blue eyes with his own black ones, and the look in them was enough to make Ino blink. There was a fire in him and she saw the flames flickering there. That was worrying. "Careful how you say things here Ino. There are a lot of people here who won't take kindly to that sort of talk." The young man stated as his one arm reached over to the side table that was beside the chair, and he took a long deliberate sip of his nuke warm tea. "Why would I have told you someone else's secret? A secret that was not my own? What business do I have doing that? Should I tell Sakura about your birth mark? Or how you got us all lost that we were a week overdue reporting back to the village?" He asked, and Ino's eyes widened at those words, and she sighed as she sat her bum down on he floor and she peered up at the ceiling her self.
"When you put it that way, I can see why. But still, what if Naruto became dangerous?"
"We're all dangerous Ino; Itachi Uchiha showed us that there is a demon even in the best of us." Shikamaru stated, shrugging his shoulders while he sipped the tea once again. "In Naruto's case, it's more literal. But does that change who he is to us? Does that change what he's done for the village in the past?" Shikamaru asked in regard, blowing Ino away again by the depth of how much he had thought about it. The young blonde just sighed and shook her head while slowly drifting her forehead down onto her knees.
"How did you know what to do, Shikamaru?"
"When I was told, I asked my father." Shikamaru stated, looking down to her, and tilting his head to the side, a small smirk upon his face. "He told me everything I needed to know. And I thought about, seriously, for an entire night. Thinking, Analyzing, wondering and in the end… Marvelling."
"Marvelling?"
"How many children do you think could take all that that the village did to him, and continue to fight and protect it? I probably would have ditched this hellhole when I was able to walk." Shikamaru stated as he leaned back into his chair. "Listen. I can't make you think about it Ino. But Keep what we just talked about, in mind. In the end, ask yourself one thing. What did the Third, The Fourth, and the Fifth see in Naruto as a baby and boy that they were willing to protect him and help him? During the Mission to get Sasuke back, I caught a glimpse."
The blonde's head slowly lifted up as she eyed her friend, as he leaned his head back, out towards the clouds again. "What was it? What did you see in him that we all missed?" That got a chuckle out of Shikamaru, and he shook his head lightly to her.
"I'll let you know when I figure it out." He stated simply, and left it at that. There were no more words that needed to be spoken. The Nara left Ino alone to think saying nothing more, but not leaving, while he himself sipped his tea, and stared out at the window. At one point in time the silence became much and Ino decided to speak with Chouji on the matter, who was with in a wheelchair still, recovering from the after effects of the pills that he ate during the mission to Rescue Sasuke. The Kimeraki Clan Heir smiled and shook his head, while he peered at the two, and then turned his head to see someone right beside him. A tall blonde with green eyes, four pig tails and a constant pissed off look.
"What?"
"What are you watching them for? Getting your jollies off of a couple of teenagers working out their problems." Temari of the Sand accused, making the blue haired Jounin smile and shake his head.
"Oh, how you wound my child, how you wound me. What makes you think that I need Children when there's a perfectly good rich man chastity bound motel just down the street?" Sorata bantered back, and the look of disgust that crossed her face was enough for him to chuckle. And then he looked towards the resting form of Shikamaru in his chair, and Ino against her wall, and gestured to them. "If you must know, I'm marvelling." He replied, and that got Temari's attention as she turned her head to look at the two that he was staring at.
"Marvelling at what?"
"At the future… You see, we all exist in moments of transition. No one knows how the transition and change will come. The only thing that we know is that it always ends in pain." Sorata stated, as he closed his blue eyes. "Our generation is dying, Temari. We are as rigid as Iron; Strong, yet Brittle. We will break before we bend. And yet, our children have seen our mistakes, lived them, and have fought past what we attempted to pass onto them. They've the capacity to see the real truth of matters. And to break them of the illusion that we pushed onto them, it took a good man's life."
"Moments of Transition. You know for a moment, you actually sounded like you were mature." Temari replied, and Sorata snorted while cracking an eye open, and watched her stare at something in particular. It could not be Ino that she was eyeing, though he would not put it past her. From what Sorata could see, the young lady was eyeing the Nara heir. "I owe you an apology."
"No, you don't." Sorata stated simply as he rose up and reached out and touched her shoulder lightly. "Remember. Moments of Transition. It does not apply to just them. Take this old man's advice, seize the moment."
"Old man? You can't be older than twenty." Temari stated, turning slightly red, while her green eyes narrowed. "And what do you mean seize the moment? What exactly are you trying to insinuate here?" Temari asked, her face going slightly red, while her shoulders squared. But a calm smile from the man immediately had her wondering what he was talking about.
"You like Shikamaru, nothing wrong with that." Sorata stated, as he slowly stood up, and cracked his neck, as he moved towards the kitchen where the primary food and beverages were being served. "People in our line of work don't last long and life is short. Do something about it, before something happens to him to. He's hurtin' inside. Two of his squad were wounded badly, and a third has been pronounced dead. He's hurtin'." The blue haired man stated as he walked to the table and began to socialize with some of the other clan heads. That meant that Temari was alone, and she was reeling inside.
Temari's green eyes stared at Shikamaru as he stared out through the window. Sorata had been correct; the Nara was now hurting inside, because of how the mission went. She knew all to well what that felt like, having experienced that herself. In that instant of her life, a deadly decision on her part got Kankuro hospitalized for two months and a mild concussion and a dislocated shoulder as her own reward. Had it not been for Gaara being there, they could have winded up dead, or possibly something worse. Something that she really did not wish to think about and yet did from time to time.
A decision was made. Whether it was conscious or not, and one foot followed another until she was behind the thinking form of Shikamaru. Then when Shikamaru least expected it, his eyes were covered by that of Temari's, who grinned while the man groaned. "Ino, seriously. I don't think you need to be that much of a drag to figure out that you need to think about this one." Shikamaru stated. The veil was lifted from his eyes, and he was able to breathe more easily now that he could see the sky. But a sudden pain to his left shoulder that knocked his weight to the right side of the chair was unexpected. The Nara's head snapped around, glaring at the attacker. "What the hell Ino? Wait. Man, what a drag… You're not Ino."
"An astute observation." Temari replied dryly, her green eyes rolling but the grin never leaving her face. "Tell me, what gave me away?"
"Your beautiful eyes." Shikamaru blurted out, closing his eyes. And then it struck him. His mouth had acted faster than his brain, something that never happened! Shikamaru's face went beat red, and he turned his body back to the sitting position and stared back at the clouds out the window. Temari on the other hand had been rendered speechless. She was sure that Shikamaru had commented on her, but that would have meant that he had been thinking about her, and that alone was something else. Something that she had not considered. But rather than lose the momentum, Temari glided around the chair, and placed her self between the window and Shikamaru's eyes. Bending at the hips, her face inched closer to that of Shikamaru's face, their eyes meeting one another.
"So you think my eyes are pretty, huh?" Temari stated, and Shikamaru turned away, his face going another shade of red and confirming what she had heard with her own ears. Slowly her hand reached out and she touched his, pulling him up to a standing position. "Well come on."
"Where?"
"Out." Temari stated simply and they ended up walking out of the Senju mansion, silence being their only company, but being watched by that of several of the Rookie Nine and that of the Clan head of the Nara Clan. Shikaku turned his head to look towards Sorata who just shrugged his shoulders.
"What?"
"You're a meddler you know that right?"
"Well its working isn't it." The Kimeraki clan head stated, while the Hokage took a seat next to that of Jiraiya. One looking at his dark eyes showed that he did not want to be there at all. He did not want to be around all of those kids when he had lost yet another apprentice to the hard life that was the Ninja way. And Sasuke, He had been allowed to survive. That much was certain and he did not care for it one bit. The silver haired man sighed as he sipped his own drink, keeping his brooding thoughts to himself and ignoring the world while Tsunade pondered the best way to get his attention. She could hit him, but that would have rendered him unconscious, and she did not want to sit in his lap. So that meant the only other option left. She reached out and snatched the glass from Jiraiya's fingers, getting his attention immediately, watching her as she downed the shot in front of him.
"Tsunade. What in thee hell is the matter with you?" The elderly man stated, and Tsunade just gave him a half smile. One that reflected both happiness of success and sadness of the situation.
"Oh nothing. I'm just surprised that you're not paying attention to Iruka's stories. Or Anko's scattered ass passed out over in the corner."
"I've heard a lot of them."
"Oh so you heard about the one where he filled an apple full of paint and set a touch trigger. Quite the mess as I heard." Tsunade stated as she reached out to the bottle of Saki the man had been drinking and poured herself a shot of her own to enjoy, While giving him another shot. "I'm not giving up. But it's coming down to this, and I think you should be the first to hear this. I'm retiring." She stated while watching the Saki that Jiraiya had been drinking come up and out of his nose at the shock of the announcement. A coughing fit ensued and she just smiled and shook her head. When the fit subsided and Jiraiya got rid of the liquid coming out of his nose, his eyes darted to that of Tsunade.
"I could have sworn that you just said that you were retiring."
"Good to know your hearing is still working, old man." Tsunade stated as she sipped her brew gently and shook her head. "Trust me, it's for the best. I'm not staying in the village full of ungrateful pricks. No. it's better this way." Tsunade stated as she peered down to the liquid that she had in her hand and then finished it quickly, peering to that of Jiraiya who continued to stare at her, and she blinked. "What?"
"So you're planning on quitting and running away again." Tsunade did not like the tone or the wording implied by that simple sentence. The words struck her just as annoying as pointed barbs under the skin. That was what it seemed like to her, but as she thought about it, it made more sense to her. The village had taken so much from her. First her brother, than her lover, and now the one person that she truly cared about had disappeared. Oh how she wanted to say he was wrong, but there was no point to it.
"I don't think I like how you said that." She replied as she took another drink, and Jiraiya just scoffed and shook his head gently in response.
"Wasn't meant to coddle you. You're running away again because you lost someone. I lost someone to, and I'm still here."
"For how long?" Tsunade shot back, and Jiraiya blinked before he turned away as well, and took his own drink. He knew she had a point on that, and he knew he could not dispute it at all. He would have remained silent had he not known that Tsunade wanted to discuss it, and thus the awkward silence that was beginning to flow through the air between them stopped when he spoke again.
"So your dead set on it. Okay. So what exactly are you looking at in terms of a replacement? Got any strong candidates?"
"I was thinking of Shikaku Nara, Kakashi Hatake and Hiashi Hyuuga." Tsunade stated as she sipped her drink again, while Jiraiya pondered that through his head. Shikaku would make a good one; there was no doubt in his mind. But the man was beginning to show signs of aging and wanting a retirement to stay home and have his wife beat him with a rolling pin. Dough was easier to get out of clothes than blood. Hiashi Hyuuga though, that was another story. The man was influential in any part of the world that he had visited, showing signs of being able to topple governments if he so chose to. Whether it was due to the fact that he could learn secrets and exploit them without people knowing until it was too late. The man was influential that was for sure. But if Jiraiya remembered right, the man was also ineligible to accept the title of the Hokage office. More so because it was within the charter that was once signed between the great ninja clans. Where the Uchiha, the Hyuuga and the Senju agreed that the Uchiha and the Hyuuga though were influential with the dealings of the village, they could not take the crown and influence the power.
Then his thoughts drifted towards that of Kakashi Hatake. The man was a great ninja there was no doubt about it, and he had the skills to run the village. But to do so on such a scale at his current state would be a bit more than what the Jounin was asking for. With one dead and another accused and guilty of treason, it had not put him in the best of light reputation wise. And earlier in his ninja career, his own ambitions and poor leadership got his two teammates killed, while he was still training under the Hokage. Those were the things that he could think why the man could not sit in the Hokage Chair. But the man had the backbone to get the job done, was not afraid to get the job done and give out the tough assignments to people that were adequate to deal with them, and was beyond well known throughout the ninja world.
"You remember that the Hyuuga cannot take the title of Hokage, right?" Jiraiya stated, and Tsunade turned to regard her, having a thoughtful look upon her face. And then she caught onto what the man was saying and she shook her head, offering a stupid look to her face.
"Guess I forgot about the clause."
"Good to hear that you admit that. But with you drinking like you are, wouldn't surprise me that you forgot." Jiraiya stated with a shake of his head, as he poured yet another shot. "Shikaku wants to retire. Let the Nara do that. Let him have his time down and allow him to be hit with that 'troublesome woman' of his. Who knows? He might get sick of it and decide to return to active duty for a time."
"Than that leaves…"
"Kakashi is the best bet from the three that you've given. All things considered, that would be the best as well. He'd do alright as a leader, Able to make the hard choices. He's familiar with the life and the expectancy that it holds. But now isn't the time for that sort of thing." Jiraiya stated as he looked towards the one eyed Jounin that just arrived, dressed in his finest, with his one visible eye peering around the room towards his colleagues, unaware of the plot forming around him. "Do you honestly think he has any idea of what you're trying to do to him?"
"Nope." Tsunade replied with a cruel laugh. "Not a chance in hell. You're not going to tell him, are you?"
"Come on. I know better than to ruin your fun." Jiraiya stated sagely as he turned his head to look around the room, seeing something of interest. It was the scarred face Chunin who was approaching them. With a sharp jab to the mid section of Tsunade, the Hokage turned her head to regard her Chunin teacher, and blinked towards him.
"Hey, Iruka. You look like you got something to say." Tsunade stated as she gestured to one of the chairs beside her, leaving a wide eyed and blinking Iruka confused as to how he had been caught about his intentions. He had wanted to get a little more drunk before he asked what he wanted. But his timing was about as good as ever. So there he sat, in front of the Hokage, who peered at him through honey brown eyes. Moments of silence passed, and though Tsunade was being extremely patient, she wanted to get back to working on her impending drunken state and early morning nude wake up call. "Iruka, The worst that I'm going to do is yell at you. That's all I can legally do. So why don't you just spit it out and we can all get back to the good times of Naruto."
Iruka did the one thing that he probably had not done since he had been a young man out on the field. He took the bottle of Saki that the two Sannin were drinking and took a massive drink from it, and with a burst of liquid courage, he then spoke. "Lady Hokage. I respectfully request an extended leave of absence."
"Granted." Tsunade stated as she snatched the bottle back and poured herself another drink, leaving the Chunin speechless. The look that he used mirrored that of a cow with its mouth open in shock. When Tsunade noticed it, she grinned and shook her head lightly. "Don't look so surprised, Iruka. I've been expecting it for a while now."
"You have?"
"You were closer to Naruto than anyone else in the room. You've seen Naruto's various faces, the times that he was happy or angry. The times when he pulled the pranks to get attention, and those rare moments when he showed the world his greatness." Tsunade stated as she reached out across the distance and touched the gentle teachers shoulder lightly, giving it a gentle pat. "You need this just as much as everyone else. I plan on a long sabbatical for most of the people here. Well those who can be spared. You just happen to be the first one who asked really. Well, Hinata did collapse at the funeral service, so I'm putting her on medical leave with the addition of seeking Psychological treatment." She replied.
"Just like that?"
"Just like that Iruka." Tsunade as she looked towards Jiraiya who was busy chuckling lightly at the stupefied teacher. "Quick to catch on, Isn't he?" she jested lightly, and the toad sage nodded quickly in agreement. But when he noticed Iruka's calm face and the slowly spreading grin upon the Chuunin's face, Jiraiya could not help but chuckle.
"Oh ho. looks like he's got other motives other than grievance." Jiraiya proudly proclaimed to Tsunade who shrugged her shoulders lightly.
"Men usually do." Tsunade commented over the rim of her own glass, while offering her own smirk towards the young man. She was indeed curious about this one.
"So who's the woman? Huh?" Jiraiya asked as he leaned forwards, and Iruka did not have to say anything on the matter. His eyes drifted to where he had come from, and to the silken clad form of Koyuki Kazahana , Looking proper and regal sitting down there and sipping her tea gently, and peering down towards a book. Jiraiya had a nose for such things and his eyes darted that way to, only to have his jaw drop. "No way. Not the Lady of Spring? You certainly do love to live dangerously, don't you?" Jiraiya stated and Iruka's proud face turned red while his eyes narrowed. The Toad Sage held up his hands before the young man could act on the impending urge to beat him. "Relax. Relax. I'm just having a laugh at it. Sheesh."
"Have to admit though; he set the aim high on that one." Tsunade stated and she nodded her head towards Iruka with an all knowing grin. "Take as much time as you need, Iruka. Have the paper work ready for me in the morning, and put in for an extended leave of absence for grievance… Just do me a favour?"
"Yes, Hokage-Sama." Iruka stated as he bowed his head. "What is that you want?"
"I've heard that that the land of spring has a bit of a beach now… Could your superior a favour and bring back some pictures of some handsome young men for me?" Tsunade stated giving him a sultry wink which completely mortified the Teacher, to the point of where he rolled his head lightly. Iruka was the kind and proper person when it came to addressing people, and thus he bowed his head and nodded.
"I will…. See what I can arrange." He replied as he stood up and moved away from the two smiling, as he approached the bench of where Lady Koyuki had remained where they had separated for a time, and she gave him a heart felt smile, as she reached out and took his hand with in her own.
"And what did the Hokage have to say about your trip to the land of Spring?" Koyuki asked, and Iruka smiled and nodded his head towards her, as he leaned back and stared up as the ceiling, and groaned.
"I swear Master Jaraiya is going to be such a hound later." Iruka complained and the young lady just shook her head lightly towards him, that warm smile never leaving her face. Since he had met the young lady beside her at the funeral party, he had not left her side. More so for the fact that the young lady seemed to enjoy the tales of Naruto and that made her just fine in his eyes. And she had said some things about the young man that even he had not known. "But I've been given a leave. An extended period of absence."
"That's good." Koyuki replied as she reached out and collected a book that she had been reading and handed him it. It was a copy of Jiraiya's book. Icha Icha Paradise. A shock for the young chuunin who had not read a single copy yet. "There's some good idea's to try on page fifty two." Koyuki stated as she stood up and gestured to her guards who nodded and joined her. As they left, Iruka could not help but stare at something that was not the back of the woman's head. No, it was the sultry sway of her hips. Whether she had been doing it on purpose or not, it did not stop the scarred mans eyes from staring, much to the amusement of the Hokage and the Toad Sage, who toasted one another and nodded their heads to it.
Perhaps things with the land of Spring would not be so bad at all.
-Chapter End.