Hikaru took a deep breath as he stood in front of the door of the Hokage's office. Hesitation was eating him alive, his body fighting rigidity, his teeth clenching as he finally brought up his arm.
"Hikaru, stop standing outside there, and hurry up inside." The Hokage's voice was slightly subdued through the door. Hikaru's anger faded slightly as he pushed the door open to see a tired looking old man. He paused from the mounds of paperwork that littered his entire desk. The tired smile he wore only served to remind of why he was here.
"Sarutobi-sama."
"Hikaru, how may I help you?" Even the man's voice seemed exhausted. He took a deep breath before speaking.
"Hokage -sama. I do not wish for my nephew to continue living like this. I will not stand for it. I cannot live another day knowing that he must suffer so. This is inhuman in every sense." His voice dropped to a deadly whisper. At this the old man seemed to age before his eyes, and he placed his pen down on the table.
"What would you have me do, then Hikaru?" The red head's hands tightened in indignation.
"Give the boy to me and Hitomi, we are his only remaining kin. He deserves a life, he deserves a chance to live. That is something that you people will never give him. He has spent the first years of his life living in solitude and bearing the burden of a hatred strong enough to break even the strongest of men." He had spoken it resolutely and determinedly. And the Hokage sighed once more.
"Hikaru, you of all people should know that I would give him to you in a second, but it isn't possible. He is a Jinchuuriki. The jinchuuriki of this village, and there are many here who would die before they allow the most powerful weapon to slip out of Konoha's fingers. Although I would, I cannot, for the safety of this village. But I can if you are willing, help you become permanent fixtures in Naruto's life." Hikaru's eyebrow shot up.
"As I said earlier, I do not wish for you to simply walk into the boy's life, just to leave him alone again. If you want to be a part of his life, then it needs to be for the long run, Hikaru. No more running, no more travelling, no more disappearing acts. No more hiding. If you are to accept the full responsibility for Naruto, it must be full responsibility. No cutting corners. So what do you say Hikaru?" The old man let go of the paperwork to stare into the younger man's eyes. His gaze steady and open, ready to accept whatever Hikaru had to say. After a tense moment, the red head sighed and his shoulder dropped.
"I will not leave my cousin's only child alone in a village that despises him. Kushina was one of the sweetest, and loving people I had ever known, and I'll be damned if I were to walk away from her child, who while looking like her husband, is an carbon copy of her personality. If I leave him, what will happen to him? Who will watch over him? Will he loose the luster he inherited from his parents? Or would he descend into darkness and become the weapon the people of this village fear he is?" Hikaru had turned around and stared through a window.
"Hitomi and I, cannot leave Naruto, especially now that we have met him. He is as bright and glowing as his Mother." He turned slowly, tears streaking down his cheeks.
"And now he is all that is left of Kushina in the world." His voice was low and hollow.
"And there is no way in hell that I am going to leave him alone. He'll never be alone again." The older man leaned more heavily in his chair and motioned at a small cabinet in the corner of the room. With only a small moment of hesistation he opened it and pulled out a small bottle of sake with only a small questioning glance. Sarutobi accepted it with a grateful smile.
"I find that some days only happen with alcohol at its start." He poured himself a small shot and looked up at Hikaru, who merely shook his head.
"Hitomi'd kill me if I drank this early in the day." The third chuckled lightly and downed the small glass in one gulp.
"Well, Hikaru, we can't have you dying on us can we? So, tell me what are you thinking Hikaru?" A sigh slipped from his lips as he settled into the chair beside him.
"What can I say? He is amazing. He is exuberance personified. When he talked with us, he was so excited, and last night, and he was just so innocent. So happy. And yet, I could see the pain on the edge of it all. The sparse room, his excessive excitement in talking to us, his near empty kitchens, and he flinched when we surprised him. Its so obvious that he has been either neglected or abused. I cannot abide this thought." Th two fell into a silence that was neither angry not very companionable, just silence.
"I take it then, Hikaru, that you haven't quite gotten over your mistrust of the Village?" Another sigh fell from the red head's lips.
"I don't particularly like any village really. Be they Konoha or Kiri. I don't like the great nations and that's why I don't stay long anywhere." He stretched back in the chair.
"The Great Villages are too fast to forget about their word and their promises in exchange for protecting their own interests." The old man chuckled slightly, before sombering out.
"I remember the day that Ushio fell. We arrived but one day late." His voice was gravelly and full of sorrow.
"One day. Imagine how different life could have been if one day had not occured." The HOkage nodded sagely at his words.
"But we cannot change the past Hikaru. We can only look to the future." After a long pause, Hikaru nodded.
"I promise that I am not going anywhere. If Naruto cannot leave the Village so be it. This will be my home. In days past there were many of my people that lived in this village. I would like to take up that place again." A rare smile graced the old man's face.
"Of course. You realize that used to be the Senju Complex as well." Hikaru's eyes widened slightly, but he did nothing but give a curt nod.
"And I expect that you and Hitomi will want to claim Clan status. Being that you are of one of the most prestigious Clans in all of history, I expect that there will be little resistance to the idea. And when you are announced as Kushina's first cousin and a near relative of Mito's. I imagine that the rest of the complaints will remain silent until they are able to ascertain your level of danger to themselves." The Hokage chuckled quietly at his own predictions while Hikaru frowned.
"I get the feeling that you are too happy about this."
"My dear boy. I am tired of the status quo here in Konoha, I feel that this is exactly what this Village needs to shake itself back into reality. Most of the villagers have become settled into a routine, an illusion of something that isn't quite real. And so I look forward to the drop in the pond that you will be. I expect that you will send ripples farther than even you will realize." Hikaru rolled his eyes.
"I will say this. Hitomi and I will return to active duty once Naruto is of a more suitable age. So income shouldn't be a problem for the next two or three years." Sarutobi nodded.
"Also, his parents left him a substantial amount of money and Jiraiya will also be funding the boy. And I'm sure you know, the Uzumaki had secure accounts here, accounts that haven't been touched for your information, and thats not even going to include whatever you find sealed away behind the Uzumaki Seals. Money should not be an issue for you or your wife or Naruto. However, I do have another question for you." At this the old man placed his elbows on the table and interlinked his fingers, his eyes boring into Hikaru.
"Are there any more of the Uzumaki lost in the world?" Hikaru frowned.
"Why?" Sarutobi sighed.
"One of the most heartbreaking things I ever witnessed was the day Mito-sama heard her home was obliterated. She was perhaps the strongest woman I had ever met in my entire life. And yet when this happened and she heard that it was possible that she was the last of her family, she broke down and wept for her people. If I can help even a little to bring back one of the most proud and powerful Clans of history, I will do whatever is in my power to do so." After a moment of tightness, Hikaru lowered his head in respect his eyes glistening a little.
"You are a great man, Sandaime-sama." Came his slow answer, his voice thick with gratitude.
"No, Hikaru. I am an old man, and I have a lifetime of regrets, but even I must continually look forward." Hikaru swallowed thickly through a suddenly dry throat.
"Go, Hikaru. Go home to your wife, and to your nephew." As he stood and grabbed a hold of the door the Hokage spoke agian.
"Oh, and Hikaru."
"Yes, Hokage-sama?"
"Welcome home."