Disclaimer: I don't own nor have I contributed to Naruto in any way! Nope! None!
Sky-eyed Kitsune and Gomi-kun blab & Updates
Sky-eyed Kitsune: I really got my ass in gear on this fic XD This chapter is a little shorter but what I had written next would have seemed akward unless I had cut it off there.
For those of you just joining the madness now, I have stopped replying to reviewers because I've got so many that it tends to take an hour to do so! X0 But please know that I treasure each review I get, and read them all. In fact when I read them they made me smile in the way that a writer does when they've realized that they have a reason to write! So sincerely, thank you all who take the time and read and review! I will though be answering questions if someone doesn't understand one part of the story or something along those lines. ^^
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Chapter Thirteen: The Rifts that Split Us
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Naruto screwed his already shut eyes tighter as light danced across his eyelids.
He turned his position away from the intruding light, and regretted the action almost immediately when he felt a sharp spike of pain shoot up his backside and spread throughout his blood like a wildfire.
He bit on the edge of his pillow to stifle the whimper of pain that rose in his throat.
At least now he knew that the previous night wasn't a dream.
Naruto pushed his body up with his hands, and the light moved from playing on his face to his bare tan back as the curtains over the window shifted.
He looked beside him to see the other portion of the bed empty. Sai must've had a mission earlier that morning, and judging by the sun it was around eleven am.
Naruto hauled himself from the bed carefully, the cool air hitting him and making goosebumps erupt in a line along his skin.
He walked slowly to the shower, turning on the water as hot as it could get, before stepping in.
The heat was searing, blazing, and unbearable for a moment before he became used to it. His healthy tan turned pink from the immense heat as water cascaded down him in rivulets. He hoped to not only wash, but burn away any remnants of the previous night.
Thirty minutes later and he was out of the shower, dressed in his ANBU black shirt and pants. He shook out his hair some more, stray water droplets flying off in all different directions until he deemed it dry enough to be presentable.
With that he grabbed the house keys from the counter, locked the apartment, and made his way into the village.
"Sasuke. Saaasuke. Saaaaa-"
Kakashi stopped short as a kunai came whizzing out from under the lump of navy bed sheets before him, pinning his spiky white hair to the wall.
"Itaiiiii!" he whined childishly, tugging the kunai from the wall and releasing his hair. "That's what I get for the wake up call? I'm wounded, Sasuke!"
"Hn," Sasuke grunted. He sat up, and Kakashi had to disguise his laughing as coughing when he saw the catastrophe that was the Uchiha's usually perfectly pristine hair.
Sasuke narrowed his eyes dangerous and growled a little.
Kakashi calmed himself and shook his head.
"Sorry, had a late sentry duty last night and I might be catching something," he said. Sasuke rolled his eyes halfway.
"Why are you here?" he said, removing the covers from his body and swinging his legs over the side of his bed. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes with the heel of his right palm.
"Number one, I'm babysitting you today," Kakashi sighed, ticking off one finger on his hand. "Number two, it's already past eleven in the morning. Number three, everyone is setting up for Naruto-kun's inauguration as Hokage today, which will take place this evening."
Sasuke furrowed his brow.
"Today? He's being appointed as Hokage today? I thought Tsunade prescribed him rest for a week."
"Yes, but you don't need to go on missions to be Hokage," Kakashi pointed out. "Maa, c'mon, let's go help set up."
Naruto walked into the main plaza of the village, his hands in his pocket and his stride slow. He tried to make himself look as relaxed as possible, and not rigid with pain like he really felt.
Apparently it worked as villagers setting up the plaza for the Hokage ceremony smiled and waved at him. A few even stopped and talked with him about how proud they were to have him as their next Hokage. He did his best to fake all the smiles he gave and the happy words he said. They tasted stale and brittle in his mouth, and left a bitter flavor, but he continued with it nonetheless.
"Naruto."
Naruto turned and actually smiled genuinely a little as he saw Gaara walking toward him in his Hokage robes.
"How're you feeling?" the redhead asked, his usual emotionless demeanor a little more uplifted than usual upon seeing the blond.
"I'm fine," Naruto lied. Gaara paused and studied him with his critical jade eyes.
"No, you're not," he said. "You're anything but well."
"Damn, you really know me well," Naruto chuckled, scratching the back of his head sheepishly.
"I have a feeling this is no laughing matter. Now, what's bothering you?"
"It's nothing, really. Just some before ceremony jitters is all."
Gaara narrowed his eyes, before heaving a sigh.
"Fine then. You can come to me when you're ready or want to talk about it then."
He smiled a little, just for his best friend, before weaving back through the crowd to Neji.
"Ah, Naruto-kun. I wondered why you left me," Neji said to Gaara as he looked at Naruto.
"He's not well. Something is wrong, I know it," Gaara murmured so just the two of them could hear.
"Physically?"
"I'm not sure."
"Let me have a look." Neji made the appropriate had seal and wordlessly activated his biakugon. His eyes widened a little when he saw the Kyuubi's healing chakra levitate to his backside, and the nerves there strained and terribly wounded from pressure.
He released his biakugon, his cheerful mood gone and replaced with immense sorrow for the Hokage-to-be.
"He must be in so much pain…how can he look so calm?"
"Well?" Gaara asked.
Neji shook his head. "This is something that you should hear from Naruto-kun himself."
Naruto meanwhile, knew that Neji had used his biakugon on him, and that he was aware of Naruto's condition. But he trusted Neji to keep his secret until he was ready to tell it, if he would ever be.
Naruto lifted his gaze up to the altar being prepared, where he was to stand on stage and recite his vows as Hokage in just hours.
He lifted a hand to his forehead, his palm resting against it as his fingers rested in his hair.
He turned away from the scene, and almost fell backward as he bumped into someone.
"Gomen!" he said quickly, then went silent as he saw who it was.
Sasuke surveyed the area.
It was bustling like never before; not even the largest festival in Konoha's past could match the liveliness in the plaza, and the ceremony hadn't even started yet!
Kakashi stood three feet behind him, buried in his perverted orange book as usual.
The Uchiha continued forward, ignoring the unwelcome looks some villagers sent him. Since his return though, they had accepted him much more. He wasn't glorified for being the last Uchiha as he was when he was younger, but his presence was tolerated.
He sped up a little when he saw a flash of golden spiked locks, but then paused in his step as he saw Sai right in front of the blond.
Naruto looked anywhere but directly at Sai. He knew if he did then he would be tempted to yell at him, scorn him, fight him, and he couldn't do that. He didn't want to hurt Sai like that, even if he had hurt him.
"Naruto," Sai said placing a hand on Naruto's shoulder. The blond flinched at the contact.
"Get off get off get off!" his mind repeated frantically, but he kept his cool exterior.
He felt something gently lift his chin, and his gaze was brought up slightly to meet Sai's.
"I'm sorry," he said. "Last night was…" He sighed uneasily. "I let my anger take over. I was jealous, I really was. I never want to see you in pain, but I just couldn't handle the fact that you had been touched by someone else."
Naruto didn't resist when Sai kissed him softly, but his body shook slightly with the painful remembrance of the night before.
The kiss broke quickly, and Sai cupped the blond's face.
"It's OK," Naruto said quietly. "I know you were jealous, that's why I was afraid of telling you, but I needed to."
Naruto's face grew stern and he pulled his face from Sai's hands.
"I am not a possession," he said firmly. "You don't own me, you and no one else ever will. You can't control my actions and treat me like some tool that you can use harshly and expect to be like new the next morning. I forgive you Sai, but I can't be with you anymore."
Naruto slipped the promise ring from his finger and handed it to Sai.
"I am also declining your proposal," he said. He looked at Sai's shocked and sorrowful face and shook his head sadly. "I loved you Sai, I really truly did, but obviously not enough to get through this."
Naruto pressed his lips against Sai's gently one last time before turning and walking ahead where Tsunade was arguing with Jiraiya by the altar.
Sai felt his eyes sting as he looked down at the silver ring resting peacefully in his palm, shining just as brightly as when he had slipped it on Naruto's finger.
A tear slipped down his cheek and splashed onto the ring, and it sparkled in the sunlight.
Sasuke blinked, unsure of what he had just seen.
Naruto giving Sai back a ring, leaving him with the most broken look on his face?
Had Naruto just…left him?
Kakashi's book was shut in one hand as he too stared at Sai, startled from the spectacle the two of them had just witnessed.
Sasuke moved his eyes to watch Naruto weave his way toward Tsuande and Jiraiya, wholly composed and unruffled from the scene.
"He's so ready to be Hokage," Sasuke said under his breath, shaking his head a little in disbelief. It was amazing how much Naruto had matured since he had left.
Kakashi nodded.
"Naruto-kun has been ready for four years to be Hokage, the year he turned eighteen. Tsunade knew it too, and offered him to be inaugurated right then and there, but he refused."
Sasuke gave Kakashi a confused glance.
"Naruto said that he wanted to train more," Kakashi explained. "He said that he didn't have enough knowledge to be Hokage, so for the next four years he went on S-class missions, studied ancient jutus, bloodlines, and methods of chakra control, and in his spare time sparred alone."
Sasuke knew that when he had talked to Naruto- no, not even then, it was just when he saw him- he knew that the blond was different. He wasn't just matured now, but wiser and more logical.
He was ready to take his place atop Konoha.
Evening came quickly and the plaza was bursting at the seams. Every villager and shinobi that could attend did attend, with the exception of some on mandatory sentry duty.
Tsunade stood at the altar on the stage above the plaza which was decorated with white lilies, bluebells, and sakura blossoms.
Off to the side of the stage sat Konoha's council, conversing quietly amongst themselves.
Tsunade stepped forward more and a hush fell over the enormous crowd.
"Over twenty two years ago, Yondaime Hirashi Uzumaki sealed away the Kyuubi inside of his only newborn son," she said, her voice resonating strongly throughout the air space.
"He hoped that his son would be glorified for ultimately saving our village from destruction, but he was anything but. Uzumaki Naruto suffered the worst childhood had to offer. No parents, no place to call home, no friends, and no support, even from the villagers around him. Instead he was spat upon, glared, and named a demon."
The villagers in the plaza seemed to bow their head in shame for their behavior.
"Naruto was told later about the demon inside of him when he was twelve. He thought himself to be a monster, and didn't want us to feel as if he would be a threat to the village, so he put on the 'village idiot' scheme. Naruto was and still is, in fact, one of the most intelligent individuals I have had the pleasure of meeting. He's come a long way from sitting on a swing alone near the academy to being cheered by the village as he climbed the ranks to where he is now. It is for these reasons and too many more to state in one day's time, that I am proud to relinquish my position as Hokage to Uzumaki Naruto."
Naruto walked out from behind the stage in a black shirt and pants, smiling gently, and the crowd erupted in cheers, whistles, and joyful cries.
Naruto embraced Tsunade, who hugged back tightly, trying to dam the tears welling behind her eyes.
Naruto kneeled down in front of the altar on both knees, his head held up high.
"Uzumaki Naruto, do you promise to uphold the village standards, be just and fair, and protect the citizens of Konoha like you would your own life?"
"I promise," Naruto said strongly, and Tsuande nodded. An elder sitting down stood up, carrying a scroll. He unwound it, laying it over the altar.
"Please sign your name below those of the previous Hokages with a prick of your finger," he requested kindly, his old and tired face wrinkling as he smiled.
Naruto smiled back and looked down at the scroll. His eyes scanned the names, and he stopped at his father's.
He reached out his hand and caressed the elegant red kanji written in his father blood. It felt almost alive, like a fire was burning within the words there.
Naruto took off the necklace Tsunade had given him when he was thirteen, and used it to cut a small rift in his thumb.
He dragged the open wound over the scroll, writing out his name in kanji. He replaced the necklace when he had finished, and the elder rolled the scroll back up and sat down once more.
"Uzumaki Naruto," Tsunade said, removing her Hokage robes. "You are now Rokudaime Uzumaki Naruto!" She held ot the robe and Naruto slipped his arms through the sleeves, tying the sash at the front.
"Konoha! I present to you your new Rokudaime!" Tsunade cried out happily, and the plaza exploded with clapping, whooping, whistles, and more noise that got lost in the midst of the cheering.
Naruto smiled softly as he looked down at the flames licking up the white of his Hokage robes.
"I'll make you proud, Otosan."
Naruto had insisted on no after party, and he didn't get one.
He got a raucous festival in his name instead.
Into the late hours of the night drinks were passed, jokes were told, and dancing was abundant.
Naruto was tugged back and forth between everyone that wanted to talk to him, until he was so dizzy from exhaustion that he couldn't tell where the earth met the sky anymore.
He was elated when the party was over and he could go back home…or elated as a deflated orange balloon could be.
He unlocked his apartment and stepped in, but didn't take off his shoes. He wasn't staying long.
He was relieved to find that Sai had not returned from the festival yet, and he could now pack his things in peace.
As Naruto folded his clothes into his suitcase, his hand hit something in one of the drawers.
He pulled it out, and paused in his packing.
He held a picture frame containing the photo from when team seven had just joined together.
Kakashi was leaning forward, no doubt grinning under his mask, both of his hands on Sasuke and Naruto's heads. Sakura was kneeling in the middle, her eyes closed as she smiled. Naruto himself was glaring (or more like pouting) across the picture at Sasuke, who was glaring somewhat more coolly right back. Naruto chuckled lightly.
He could almost see the lightning fizzling between their eyes.
He had thrown the picture into his bottom dresser drawer when he had turned eighteen and fallen out with his team.
Naruto traced a large crack that split across the frame, no doubt from when he had handled it so roughly.
He placed it on top of the dresser as he finished packing.
Fifteen minutes later and any traces of him ever having had been there were erased.
He scanned the bedroom with his eyes one last time before turning, suitcase in hand, when he suddenly paused.
He walked back over to the dresser and took the picture frame from its surface before shutting the door.
Mmm yerp. Okay, guesses for where Naruto is going to go now to sleep? It's not what you think! XD
Sky-eyed Kitsune
Translated by Gomi-kun