Note from the Author: So I actually got a review that made me so furious that I replied to it personally because it didn't deserve a spot with all of my lovely reviewing friends in the actual fic.
This is dedicated to Naash who was my 150th Shinobi Sparkles review! I'm sorry this didn't come out quite as sad as you probably hoped. But it's spring, the sun is shining every day, and I'm having trouble keeping the smile off my face.
Naash: It's a great couple, isn't it? Thank you for the lovely compliments – you always make me blush.
Ravensbff: You're welcome, darling. I'm glad you enjoyed it. Angst! It's my favorite. Haha. As for the whole loving-ShikaNeji- I did the same thing. I read a random fic and fell in love with it.
Mizutamari-chan: You're so sweet! Thank you very much for the compliments and the cookie!
LeeLover09: I think I visibly twitched at that. I wouldn't even know where to start. O.o
Shikamaru's Hot Honey: I think I actually say Neji and Gaara in Chapter 37. Haha. But 38 is KakaTen, and 39 is GaaTema.
Azab: Unfortunately, I watch the anime and don't read the manga, so I haven't met Sai yet. The time skip just started for me.
CaveDwellers: I do a lot of requests, and some of my more random pairings come for that. For example, I don't like sensei-student pairings. They kind of freak me out with all their pedophilia. But there are only four pairings I refuse to write: SasuSaku, NaruHina, ShikaIno, and NejiTen. So if it's not one of those, I'll write it. Haha. And thank you for the review!
Victory
The Hokage hat still smelled like Tsunade.
Naruto smiled at the sent of jasmine that hung so closely around the clothing. It was strange that it should smell so much like her, considering how seldom she wore it. She said it was stuffy, that she wasn't so old that she should cover herself completely yet.
It had only been in her last few years that she had worn it everyday. Naruto had never thought her face as beautiful as beneath the wide brim of that hat. It was in those years that she was to him not Granny Tsunade, but Hokage-sama.
And now she was hidden deep underground somewhere, beside Jiraiya, sleeping for eternity. When she died, there had been a smile on her lips, like she was suddenly alright with it, especially when the elders had sworn Naruto would succeed her.
And he did. Never had a Hokage smiled like Naruto did now, so proudly. He realized that the shoes into which he was stepping, the robe into which he was shrugging; they were made large by the memory of those who had worn them before him.
But he would not put these robes to shame. He would make proud those faces carved into the mountainside. He would engrave his own name into the hearts and memories of his villagers.
His eyes had darkened a shade in the past few years, and the effect gave him a distinct maturity as he gazed at himself in the mirror. He was eighteen years old, the youngest Hokage to yet be appointed, and his age was reflected in his eager smile, smooth face, lanky frame. He had grown taller, and stood almost a head about most of his companions.
The children gazed in awe at him, and his friends wondered when they thought him a monster because, if anything, he was like a puppy – all excitement, affection, determination.
Of course he was inexperienced, but he was suddenly alright with admitting this. He had a family of hundreds lifting him up to the height of those mountains.
His eyes left his own reflection to gaze at that of his friend, who stood smiling proudly in the doorway. "You've come a long way, Hokage-sama." Her voice was soft, sweet, and her pink hair swayed as she moved toward him. "I never really thought this day would come."
He grinned at her. "Sakura-chan, I was the only one who thought I would make it this far."
Her head rested on his shoulder, and she pressed against him in an embrace, sisterly and affectionate. "No, there was another who believed in you." She paused. "Do you miss him, Naruto?"
His eyes softened with something near sadness, and he noticed how tired his frown made him look. "I wonder sometimes what he would think if he could see me today."
"I'm sure he sees you, Naruto." Her whispered assurance quaked with emotion. "I'm sure he's so proud of you."
0
The village cemetery, stationed directly before the Hokage faces, was small. The graves made here were for those who died of natural causes, and the numbers were few, since most ninjas died in action. Seldom, and only with permission from the Hokage, did a person make their way here after death if they were killed in battle. Usually, bodies were buried in a cemetery outside of the village, with no identification except a cross, and their names were carved on the stone that seemed to be getting so cluttered.
Naruto stood before the grave of his best friend in this small cemetery, wondering what had happened that he was alive and Sasuke was dead.
"It wasn't supposed to be this way, Sasuke." He said it every time he came here, like it would change something, like it would make a difference.
The tombstone read "Uchiha Sasuke", his date of birth and death carved neatly beneath it. On the grass, which had grown brown as Naruto tread constantly on it, lay only his flowers.
"Were you really a traitor, Sasuke?" he whispered, wondering why he bothered to ask. "Why did you leave? Why did you come back?" He knelt down, his fingers running over the cool familiar indentations of his friend's name. "Sasuke, why did I have to kill you?"
A breeze came up, delivering him from his sadness, carrying the scent of jasmine. Somewhere nearby, a child shrieked with laughter and, from the training grounds, he could hear the thunk of kunai meeting wood. The smell of ramen drifted toward him, Ichiraku busy with the lunchtime crowd. A smile lighted softly on his mouth as he recognized the activity of the village – his village – of Konoha.
He adjusted the brim of the Hokage hat, climbing to his feet. "Well, Sasuke. It looks like I finally beat you."