Okay all, here's the last chapter of Redemption. I hope you like it. It's just a round up chapter really. Thanks to everyone who kept up with this fic and bothered to read it. I truly appreciate it. I am going to put up summaries for fics that I've started writing but obviously haven't put up yet. Please feel free to PM or tell me in your reviews which one (or ones) you'd like to see come up first. I will take everyone's opinion in to account of course. If I could remember how to put up a poll properly, then I'd do it. I might do it anyways when I figure out how. Anywho's on with the last chappie.
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Redemption.
Chapter Twenty – Forever.
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Naruto and Sasuke were at the Ninja Academy. Most children knew Naruto. In fact the children would often call him 'Naru-Jii-Chan' now. After all, Naruto was an old man. So was Sasuke. But most people, although they knew Sasuke to be a good-natured old warrior, didn't usually pester him. Sakura sat on Naruto's other side. She was old too. Some small children were sat around their feet. A little girl with black hair, and big blue eyes, stared up at all of them incredulously. "Naruto Jii-Chan! Sasuke Jii-Chan! Sakura Baa-Chan! When are Hiashi-Kun and Haku-Chan coming out?" The little girl asked.
"Don't pester Naruto Jii-Chan, Sasuke Jii-Chan and Sakura Baa-Chan, Mikoto-Chan. They'll come out when it's time for them to come out." Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura smiled at the red haired young woman who came over to them. One eye was onyx, the other blue. She grinned at the child, who cheered loudly. "Kimi Nee-Chan! I missed you!" Mikoto screamed loudly and ran up to the older female. She picked up her little sister and looked at her grandparents cheerfully. "Where're Mom and Dad?" Kimi asked. "They'll be here in a few minutes. Your Mom just got a missing nin in to the Interrogation building thanks to your Dad." Naruto replied. Kimi shrugged and sat down with her grandparents. Then another pair of males were walking towards them. They were walking clones of their fathers, holding their own, two year old clones in their arms. "Uncle Sasuke! Uncle Naruto! Come on! Hiashi-Kun and Haku-Kun aren't out yet!" Mikoto yelled. Kimi rolled her eyes at her small sister's loudness. Naruto Uchiha, sat down next to his father, and passed his two year old son, Sanosuke, to Sasuke. Sasuke Uzumaki, sat next to his father, and passed his son, Ryo, to Naruto.
Of course that was when another set of people turned up. A woman who looked very much like her mother before her, was leading a little girl by the hand towards the group. Her dark hair shone with the streaks of gold she'd had since childhood, and her daughter was no different. "Come on Sakura-Chan! Look there's Sakura Baa-Chan, don't you want to say hi." Hinata Sabaku, asked her small daughter. Yes Hinata had married one of Gaara's two sons, Takashi. He walked with them. Her daughter, little Sakura, was as shy as her grandmother, Hinata, had once been.
From another direction, another girl walked with a baby in her arms, and a ten year old boy trailing behind her. "Come on Kenji, everyone's waiting." The woman stated. "But Mom, all Kiku does all day is whine. Couldn't she have stayed at home with Dad?" The ten year old boy asked his mother. The woman pouted irritably. "Of course not. Kiku is too young to be left without me for too long." The woman said. "Kasumi, come and sit down!" Hinata called out. Kasumi nodded and walked over cheerfully.
A pair came walking towards the group. Each of them held a baby. One was a blonde male with green eyes, the other was a pink haired female with blue eyes. "Auntie Chiyo! Uncle Minato! Hurry!" Mikoto yelled as the twins walked over. Both ruffled Kimi's hair before they sat down. All of them being close to the same age of course.
That was when a dark haired female walked towards the group with two young children. A five year old and a three year old. The two children were running ahead and playing together like a pair of tumbling kittens. The woman waved to the group as she arrived, and the two children followed her obediently when she sat down. "Hi Hikari! Are Miki and Asuka giving you a hard time?" Kasumi asked when she was finally seated herself. "No not really. They're just so playful recently." Hikari replied.
That was when Saiyuri arrived with Dan. Their own daughter trailing with them. "How are you doing Saiyuri, Dan?" Naruto asked. Dan grinned. "We're doing fine Sensei. Hopefully Iruka will graduate today." Dan stated. "And Shizune here should be happy to see her older brother graduate. Right Shizune?" Dan said to his daughter. She shrugged. "I don't care." She said as she pouted. Her chocolate coloured hair and dark eyes shone in the sunshine.
"You shouldn't think like that Shizune." The group looked at Sakumo and Mayumi. It was Sakumo who had spoken. A little girl hid behind Mayumi's leg. "Come on Rika. Come out and say hi to everyone." Mayumi said gently to her little daughter. "Don't you want to see Shin-Aniki come out of the Academy?" Sakumo asked his small daughter. The little girl came out from behind Mayumi's leg, but she didn't stray too far from her parents.
"Hi everyone!" The group looked to see Nawaki coming along. Tsunade was with him. She was very old now, and didn't hide her age with Genjutsu anymore. She walked with a cane, and was very happily retired. Nawaki had always taken good care of his mother. "So you're hoping Jiraiya and Little Tsunade have graduated of course." Naruto said to Nawaki. Nawaki nodded. "It really makes me think about their Mother. She'd have been so proud." Nawaki stated. Everyone nodded their understanding.
That was when they noticed a flash of red coming from far away. "MOMMY!" Mikoto yelled. She was bouncing in her seat. Two of the younger children looked out for the flash of red, and as it got closer, they could see Kushina's face. Next to her was Itachi. The pair were holding hands. They'd been married for a while now.
Mikoto and the other two children jumped up and ran ahead. Mikoto threw herself into her mother's arms. The other two screamed in delight, as Itachi picked them up and swung them around. "Hi Dad, Uncle Sasuke, Auntie Sakura." Kushina said to the older adults. They gave her a grin. "Have Mikoto, Noriko and Shuya been good today?" Kushina asked, as she ruffled the hair of Mikoto. "Of course. They're always well behaved." Sakura replied. Naruto grinned.
That was when they saw a white and red robed figure coming towards them. It was Konohamaru. Naruto had appointed the younger man Hokage when he reached his own old age. After all, it was his dream also. Konohamaru grinned as he approached the group. Several others came along. Kakashi and Anko, all the old rookies, and they were old now, and even Gaara had turned up. That wasn't such a surprise. After all, his son, Hiroki, had taken over as Kazekage a few years ago. Gaara had wanted to be near his closest friend. Naruto was the closest friend he had ever had, and the two males always spent some of the time each day playing chess. One after the other, people turned up to watch the students come out of the Academy. After all, this was a special day in Konoha. It was the day of graduation.
As everyone watched, students came pouring out of the academy. A pair of twins caught Kushina and Itachi's attention. Two dark haired boys with one onyx eye and one pure white eye came running over with Cheshire grins on their faces. They both displayed headbands on their foreheads proudly, and Kushina and Itachi gathered the two boys into hugs. Other students arrived, and their parents greeted them. That included Nawaki, Sakumo and Mayumi, Dan and Saiyuri, and several others.
Sasuke and Naruto grinned at each other. "You know, it's amazing how this village keeps going." Sasuke said softly. Naruto chuckled. "It keeps going because we keep believing in Konoha. As long as we keep believing in Konoha it will always keep going." Naruto replied. The two men watched their grandchildren play together and realised that indeed, Konoha would carry on forever. It would carry on in the hearts of their children and grandchildren. Sasuke grinned. "Konoha will always live on then. Even after we're long gone, our children will carry on believing. Then our grandchildren will too." Sasuke stated. Naruto smiled widely. "I think the word you're looking for Teme, is forever." Naruto said softly. Sasuke nodded. "Yeah. Forever. It sounds right." Sasuke replied.
"To Forever then." The two men looked at Sakura, and Kakashi was next to her. "Yeah to forever." Both men replied.
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Okay all that's the end. I dunno who sappy this all looks at the end. I hope you all enjoyed the ending anyways. Thanks to all of you for reading and sticking with the fic to the end. I really appreciate it. Please R&R and let me know what you think. Anywho,