Goku Tamani: Sometimes

OV: The ghosts of the past return to haunt the present.

AN: Who is that face in the file photo? Remember…

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Today I am Rokudaime Hokage. I'm no longer an outcast, instead I'm the one to protect and hold the village together. Today I will follow in my father's footsteps. Today I…

The effect of the red walls caused the fire pattern to dance throughout the room as the first rays of sunrise shone into the Hokage's office. It felt unseasonably hot; Naruto broke from his reverie and got up to open the window. His eyes finally focused on the site before him, and his ears took in the sound as he shoved the window up as high as it would go. That was the final mistake. The flames licked at the room greedily, they were hungrily devouring the hard wood floors and rice paper coated walls. The oxygen flow from the open window fed the fire and it rose unbearably hot and devoured the office in seconds. Naruto had nowhere to go. He was instantly overcome with smoke and intense heat. "I'm going to die, I'm burning to death and no one can do anything. I'm …too …weak…" He fell onto the floor and lie there limp and lifeless as his breath came in gasps, slower and slower, and then none at all as the once oxygen rich breath in his lungs was replaced with the carbon dioxide laden smoke that filled the room. The fire consumed his body like a funeral pyre, as he lost the battle with life his last thought was, I wasn't supposed to have to die alone.

Naruto tossed and turned in his bed, the nightmare so vivid he couldn't awake from its fiery grasp. He was sweating profusely, his skin red from the intense heat he envisioned. A sudden lurch threw him out of his bed and onto the tatami mat that covered his floor. His eyes flew open and he took in the pain in his back and neck with great relief and gasps of air. "I'm not dead!!" he shouted to the empty room as realization and relief flooded over him rinsing away the flames that had been so threatening in his mind.

His hand absently grabbed the seal on his stomach as he thought about how the fire had seared his flesh. The dream had felt so real, and his skin was still red from the heat, his Pyjamas were drenched in sweat and the light breeze that passed through his room chilled him. Kyuubi.

He had felt searing heat like that before. His mind recalled things from his subconscious that he could not remember outright. He recalled a bridge, the fight with Haku and Zabuzu, the ice mirrors and how he had tapped into the Kyuubi's chakra to defeat them. There were other times too, during the Chuunin exams in the Forest if Death when he fought Orochimaru, and when he fought Gaara as the demon Shukaku was freed. He remembered another time too, this is the time that his mind had been trying to recall. He didn't remember this time though. He was angry, it was that damn snake Orochimaru again, and he was so mad. He had just allowed the anger to overtake him. He was going to defeat that slimy bastard and get Sasuke back. Afterward he hadn't recalled fighting Orochimaru, but he had seen the destruction that had amassed. Sakura had started to say something, but Kakashi stopped her. He remembered now. It had been him that had caused so much destruction; he had actually hurt Orochimaru and had him running scared. He remembered the look of sheer terror and if he wasn't already as pale as a ghost he'd have surely gone white with the icy fear that shone in his eyes as he looked upon Naruto in half demon form.

The flames in his nightmare had been like that, they had seared his skin and his blood had boiled. I've gotten to a point where I can tap into the Kyuubi's chakra when I need to, and I think I can control it. So why was I dying in fire in that dream?

Naruto was up for the day, so he showered and dressed in his usual orange pants and jacket. Today he had a special robe that he would wear before the village during his induction, but his orange outfit was his favorite, and he saw no reason to abandon it. The robe would be a new accessory, instead of his usual jacket. He yawned and ran his hand through his hair. He looked out his window to check the time; the sun was barely peeking over the horizon. Might as well get this day started, he thought as he threw his pack over his shoulder and opened the door for the last time.

"Hokage-sama," said the ANBU guard from behind his white porcelain mask as he kneeled.

"Don't kneel for me." His words were serious but he had a kind smile on his face. He would have no one kneel before him. They weren't beneath him in that way. He might be Hokage, but he wouldn't have people kneeling for him, it just didn't feel right.

"Your father was the same way."

Naruto turned to see Jiraya sitting on the wall across the street. "Ero-sennin! What are you doing here so early?"

"I wanted to be the first to greet you on this day."

"Well you're not; he already beat you to it." He said laughing at the flustered look on the bushy white haired man's face. "Come on, you can walk with me to the Hokage building. I want to ask you about a dream I had last night."

"Oh a dream!?" Jiraya asked excitedly, "Were there beautiful women in your dream?"

"Ero-sennin, women aren't everything!" Naruto retorted exasperated.

He told Jiraya about the dream as they walked. Jiraya's reaction wasn't what he'd expected. Naruto had been sure the perverted hermit would tell him he was being a big baby or that it was just nerves from the ceremony today. Instead he'd acted concerned and made Naruto retell every detail, even the recollections he'd had after he'd woken up.

"Naruto, I hope it's nothing, but be careful. I think that dream was a warning. It could be either not to rely on the demon fox's chakra, or that those who seek to capture you are on the hunt again. I'm not sure." Jiraya looked at Naruto carefully. He didn't want to spoil what was a momentous day for the boy he'd come to think of as a son or grandson.

Naruto just laughed and shook it off his shoulders like he would anything else. "I'm not worried. Those Akatsuki guys would be fools to try to attack Konoha. Besides, my new attack would finish them off."

Jiraya had to agree, the new attack he'd perfected was the Fourth's legacy after all. Naruto had perfected and completed the rasengun, just as Jiraya had believed he would when he'd taught him the Jutsu.

They walked in companionable silence to the office, stopping once along the way to grab something from a vendor's stall that had already opened along the street. Naruto hadn't told the vendor who he was, but he'd been sure that he'd gotten a much larger portion than he'd ask for, and at a much cheaper price. He only had to compare his serving to Jiraya's and the price. He grinned. It wasn't typically him that got anything good; he was usually the one who got gypped. That feeling he'd had at the Tea ceremony the night before at the Hyuuga estate had spread over him once again. For once, all was right in his world.

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Naruto stood behind the closed doors off the balcony. He'd been rushed around for the past hour, getting papers signed, taking photographs, meeting important people. He had remembered many of their faces, like Princess Koyuki from the snow country, and Boss Jirocho from the tea country. Of course Gaara was there, as well as several other people Naruto had influenced through missions and by meeting them other ways. The crowd was noted to be one of the biggest ever for any event, much less a Hokage inauguration. It was a small testament to just how many people Naruto had touched.

The residents of Konohagakure were stunned to see so many people who had come to support Naruto. Too many of them had considered him merely a nuisance or worse yet a demon. There were a lot of heads hung in shame, and many vows were made to be kinder to others. Naruto was changing people again without even trying.

He stepped up to the doors, and pushed them open. A sudden silence fell over the assembled crowd. They waited for him to walk to the edge of the balcony, and when he did there were at least a hundred intakes of breath and double-takes. There were cries suddenly of: 'The Yondaime Hokage lives on!' and many simply fell silent. Naruto had on a cream colored robe that had red and orange flames dancing around the bottom of it. His blonde hair shone in the sun's light causing a golden halo of reflected sunlight to appear around his head. His eyes shone bright and clear blue like the cloudless sky behind him reaching high above the Hokage monument. He carried his hat in his hand, and without flourish simply placed it in its rightful place atop his spiky blonde hair.

This simple gesture caused the crowd to thunder with applause and whistles and shouts of approval. Naruto, for the very first time in his life, was accepted.

He stood there for a few minutes waving to the crowd, the biggest grin on his face. Finally he cried out over their noise, "I promise to be the greatest Hokage ever! I will protect the village of Konohagakure with my life, just like Sarutobi-sama, the Sandaime Hokage did, just like the Yondaime Hokage, Minato, my Father did." It was no longer any secret that Naruto was in fact the son of the Yondaime Hokage; however his bold statement caused a momentary lapse of jubilation. He stood there as a permanent reminder of why the Yondaime Hokage was dead.

He sensed a change in the atmosphere. It only served to embolden him more. "My father made me a Jinchuuriki the day he died. He did it to protect the people he loved; he did it to protect Konoha! I have always tried to protect those I care about. I promise I will protect all of you, because Konoha is my home and all of you are the people of the village I love. I am the Rokudaime Hokage, and it is my job to protect the village of the hidden leaf at any cost. I will not ever go back on my words, because that is and has always been my nindo!! That is my Ninja way!"

His words caused a new surge of shouting and yells of agreement. He stood there strong, defiant, and confident. Tsunade was crying as if he were her own son, or brother, or friend. She wouldn't have been prouder of him if he had been.

Naruto called out for the crowd to go and enjoy themselves with the vendors and games and things to see and do. He turned to go back inside, but his eye caught sight of the Hokage mountain monument. He looked up at the statue of the Fourth. He'd always used that statue as a mark of measurement, even before he'd known about Minato. He smiled up at the image of his father and a tear fell down his cheek. He didn't notice it, instead he slipped into his office, and took his seat in the chair behind it. Tsunade followed him in.

She didn't comment, rather she watched him silently for a few moments. Finally she crossed over, stood beside Naruto's chair, spun him around to face her and placed a kiss on his forehead. "Naruto I know you're going to be a great Hokage." She said then she slipped out of the room, effectively handing it over to its new occupant.

Naruto noticed that she'd cleared off the desk, but that there were still a few stacks of papers. Sticking out from one stack was the edge of a blue folder. Naruto looked at it, then carefully pulled it out from its place lodged within the stack. He looked at it with a bit of surprise. It was the folder he'd been looking at the other day, and this time it was his to do with as he wished. He started to open it, but a knock at his door made him stop. He slid it into the top drawer, and called for whomever to enter.

Gaara with Kankurou, Sakura and Sai, Neji and Ten Ten, Shikamaru and Temari, Ino and Choji, Kiba and Shino, Lee, and Hinata all entered. Naruto smiled up at them. They were quickly followed by Kakashi and Ayame, Ichiraku's daughter, Iruka and Kurenai with her and Asuma's little boy, Konahamaru and Moegi, Udon, and Gai. There were so many people, and they were crowded around Naruto's desk. He looked at every person and smiled at them his bright blue eyes shining with mirth. "How nice it is to see my most precious people almost all gathered in this one room."

He looked at them and stood. "Come on, we better get to the festival before all the good seats are taken." And he stepped through the space they made for him. When he reached the door he turned back to look at the group of people assembled in his office, "Last one out the door has to buy ramen for everyone!" he called out and took off running down the stairs. He didn't stop until he was cleanly outside, then he turned to watch as all his friends, and the people he'd come to think of as his family, rushed out into the clear day.

Naruto burst out laughing as Kakashi came out the door, followed by Ayame. "Kakashi-sensei! That's not nice; you should let her out the door before you!" Several other people chuckled as they realized who had been last out the door.

Ayame being a good sport smiled and explained that it would be a honor for them to all come to Ichiraku's stand for free ramen. Naruto thanked her, then offered to take them out another day. He knew there would be so much free food they'd all get their share.

They wandered off, breaking off couple by couple as they saw something that caught their eye. Gaara was dragged off by his enthusiastic brother who was determined to see if Konoha threw as grand a festival as Suna. Eventually only Lee, Hinata, Konohamaru and Moegi, and Sakura and Sai were left. Naruto's guard wasn't noticeably following, however they were stationed everywhere, and no less than a full squad of four ANBU guards was keeping watch at any given time. Naruto convinced Konohamaru to take Moegi into a haunted house, and Lee ran off to follow Gai-sensei who had challenged him to a contest of 'eternal youth.'

Sakura looked at the Hyuuga heiress and smiled at Sai with a knowing look. "Naruto if I don't see you at the fireworks later I'll come check on you tomorrow, right now I want Sai to win me a teddy bear." She then proceeded to drag a protesting Sai off towards some carnival type games. Naruto could hear him complaining that he wanted to 'find out once and for all if Naru'…. But that was all that could be heard as Sakura not too gently dragged him to the farthest booth possible.

Naruto stared into Hinata's eyes, and she blushed. "Do you want to get something to eat?' he asked her.

"Hai, Naruto-kun." She answered so softly he could barely hear her.

He grinned and gently guided her to a restaurant that he knew would be both quiet and private.

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Well I think I'll leave Naruto and Hinata off by themselves, as much as they can be with guards all around…That would be the worst thing about being Hokage, you'd have moments where you'd have privacy, but wouldn't you have guards anytime there was a big event?? Blah!! Chapter 5, 1/3 of the way through my story, and I think it's still progressing like I expected. I'm excited!

-Kneise