Hello! It's has been ages since I last updated! I had a lot going on and I didn't find the motivation and inspiration to write anything. Anyway, I do plan on finishing this fanfic as there isn't anything more annoying than an unfinished story. Enjoy :)

Chapter 7: Comfort

The sun was shining too proudly in the sky for such occasion, not wanting to suit the mood. The grass beneath their feet was still damp from last night. He should've known that the sky had been crying for a week, not wanting this day to come.

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23:20 (The night before)

Naruto had spent the whole day eating ramen and watching old martial art videos as it had been an awful rainy day again.

He currently had a pile of documents which he had been avoiding to complete all day because it was his day off! But he wasn't a kid anymore, he had responsibilities and duties towards the village. Therefore he finally turned off the TV and sat down, his legs under the kotatsu and started looking at the reports.

Most of the missions carried away by his gennin involved community service and from time to time an escort mission. When he had their age he already had put his life on the line at least 5 times. He wondered if the new generations would grow weaker in this new peaceful world. That they would lose the ability to act in desperate situations. If he were to be hokage he would make the young ninjas training more intense.

The doorbell disrupted Naruto's thoughts. Who could it be at this time?

As he twisted the door knob two figures appeared in his visual range. Kakashi sensei had an arm around Sakura's shoulder in a caring way. The pinked haired kunoichi didn't give the blond time to say anything as she threw herself into him, her face covered both in tears and raindrops.

Sakura's sobbing made the blond's heart agitated. What happened? For Sakura to be this heartbroken it must be something serious…Sasuke?

"Why is Sakura crying, Kakashi sensei?" The jounin took a deep breath before pronouncing the next words "Tsunade just passed away" It took Naruto a good ten seconds before his eyes widened in surprise and shock at the same time. His muscles twitched and he had to grab onto the door frame fearing his body might collapse. Sakura who still sobbed uncontrollably in his arms made him find the strength not to give into this own grieving. "How it happened? Did she suffer?" "We found her sleeping in the hokage office. She had been drinking sake and she just felt asleep on her desk not to wake up again." Naruto felt relieved she hadn't suffered and that she died a peaceful death. "Tomorrow the funeral will take place. I hope you can make it." Naruto nodded and gently pulled Sakura a couple of inches away from his chest "Do you want to stay in here?" She looked into his blue sincere eyes and muttered a delicate yes.

Naruto dismissed Kakashi and slowly walked Sakura to his bedroom and placed her on his bed. "Would you like a cup of hot chocolate?" She nodded her head shyly. Naruto pulled the bed covers over her slim figure and marched towards the kitchen.

He felt so awake all of a sudden, too many thoughts running through his head. He picked up the two steaming mugs and carried them to his bedroom. Sakura had stopped crying and lay exhausted on Naruto's bed. He offered one of the mugs to her and then he sat on the edge of the bed next to her. He didn't have the need to say anything so he just sat there taking sips at the hot chocolate.

"I knew it was going to happen, she had been struggling at work for the past few weeks. She kept on insisting that she was fine, that it was only fatigue but I knew there was more to it than she wanted to admit" Sakura made a pause to drink her hot chocolate "I researched into the hyakugou seal and its effects and she had been in pain weeks before her death… When it reaches its limit, the seal extracts your chakra gradually until you die. That leaves you unable to use techniques and later on, unable to move your body and use your senses. Just like a flower, you wither to your death".

Naruto who had intently listened to what the girl had to say proceeded to finish the rest of his drink. "She did what she had to, even if illness took over her body, she still had responsibilities to the village." The hot chocolate made her feel at peace, or maybe it was Naruto sitting next to her or maybe it was the comfy bed which smelled of Naruto. In any case she finished her drink and quickly fell asleep.

Naruto walked slowly out of the room, shutting the door behind him. He went into the living room to finish filling up the pile of reports waiting for him in the hope to clear his mind from the unexpected event that just happened.

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It seemed that the whole village came to pledge its respects to the last of the sannin. Even the birds decided to hum a melody for her.

Everyone was standing still, waiting for Shizune to make her way through the crowd. With trembling hands she pronounced the last words dedicated to the fifth hokage. Her reading pace was slow and her voice was tainted with sadness.

"Many of you will remember her as one of the legendary sannin. Others will remember her as an exceptional medic ninja, and some will remember her… as the eternal loser – her voice broke. She inhaled and continued reading the sheet of paper- "but to me, she was like a mother. She took care of me when my uncle died…-there was a brief pause- She was a strong woman, fearless against the enemy and gentle with the ones she loved. The fifth hokage always loved this village, even though it took everything away from her. She left, hurt by this village she swore to protect but she found hope in a certain troublemaker and decided to place her last bid on that boy."

The woman had to stop in order to control a sob that was growing bigger inside her. "She soon realized the one thing the village didn't take away from her…her will of fire. From that point onwards she strived to protect all of you until her last heartbeat. We will always be thankful for your wisdom and your leadership. You've been a wonderful hokage, you shall be united with your beloved ones and always remembered by the living ones. Thank you.

Shizune stood by Tsunade's memorial as the shinobi put down their offerings. The first one on the row was Gaara, the kazekage whose alliance and bond with konoha remained as strong as the day he was named kage. He put a sand crafted symbol of the shinobi alliance next to her photograph to remind everyone that she had belonged to the first ninja alliance ever made and that she had played an important role in bringing peace to the world. "Thank you" There was no need to say anything else. He bowed to shizune and walked away accompanied by his elder siblings.

The jounin and the anbu squads were next, followed by the rest of shinobi. The place was gradually getting filled with flower scents to a point it was intoxicating. At least that's what Naruto felt like as he watched the rookies pledging their respects to the old granny. Hinata was crying while Kiba rested an arm on her shoulder in case she crumbled under her weight. She had been one of the last patients of the fifth. He wanted to say something but he couldn't, everything was too recent. He hadn't had time to find the proper emotion, the proper words.

And there he was standing now, still not knowing how to feel. He was sad, but knew it was okay to let go. He had lost so many people dear to him that this situation wasn't new to him. It wasn't like Ero sennin who died in the most horrible way. He was aware Tsunade was an old lady even though she looked young and beautiful.

She was the first one to bet for him and he had so many things to be thankful for, especially for having faith that he could bring Sasuke back. He got distracted when he felt somebody's weight against him. It was Sakura who clung to him for some comfort. Her eyes were red and puffy.

Naruto hugged the pink haired girl as she cried at the same time people started to make their way out in silence and soon, the area was almost deserted.

"You know… She is probably enjoying some sake with Ero sennin somewhere. The fact that today is sunny is proof that she is happy don't you think?" The girl nodded slightly trying to pull herself together back again. "Thank you, Naruto". She moved away from his arms and tried her best to draw a smile on her face. Even though the academy had called a day off, there were people that needed her in the hospital. Tsunade would've carried on with her duties. She would not let her down.

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Someone else had been there the whole time but Naruto didn't want to face him. They hadn't talked to each other since the sexy jutsu incident and the tension between them was just growing bigger and bigger. Thoughts from last night invaded Naruto's mind like if someone left a pipe open in full blast. Now that Tsunade was gone, there was no one to protect Sasuke. What if the villagers would turn against him? Even the Anbu squads could plot to get rid of him. He started breathing quicker than normal, as he felt like his brain wouldn't be able to cope with all the new information trying to get in. He looked at Sasuke with worrying eyes hoping the other would want to talk to him.

Instead he felt a gentle yet firm pull. Sasuke was hugging him in silence. The Uchiha already knew what the blond was thinking and he didn't give a shit. As long as Naruto wanted him to stay that's what he would do. Even if the whole village repudiated him, he didn't care, because he never cared for the village anyway. His only reason to come back to the village was pressed against his chest right now. And that was all he needed.

Sasuke felt so warm to the blond. In other circumstances he would've moved away and started insulting him but right now he needed a hug more than he wanted to recognize. Or maybe he was getting used to feel Sasuke so close to him. Either way, he was able to find peace in that instant. And all of a sudden a gush of pain swelled up in his throat, his composure broke and finally the tears he had been holding back since last night made their way out of his eyes.

This could've perfectly been the most embarrassing moment in Naurto's life, being held by his rival while having an emotional breakdown. Instead it felt so right, Sasuke had looked into Naruto's heart before and he had seen the very core of his soul and his feelings. He had nothing to hide from Sasuke, nothing that he already knew. That's why he was the only person able to understand him and able to comfort him.

After a few minutes of them not saying a word Naruto found the strength to recover his composure "Thank you, Sasuke". The Uchiha shrugged his shoulders "I hate it when you look at me with that moronic face". Naruto understood the meaning behind those words and he smiled a little bit, it always made him happy to know Sasuke cared for him.

"May I borrow Naruto for a bit?" It was Kakashi. The blond looked at his former teacher and moved away from Sasuke "What's up Kakashi sensei?" The jounin took his time to formulate a reply, he was looking for the best way to say it "Naruto…the elders want to talk to you". That's as much as he needed to know reckoned Kakashi. The blond looked a bit confused but understood the message, as he left Sasuke's voice was clear "I don't need the protection of a dobe". Naruto kept walking away, with only one thought in his mind "I will protect Sasuke".

Kakashi stood by the Uchiha as they watched Naruto's figure disappear into the distance. He had realized a long time ago about Sasuke's feelings towards the blond. He knew his students too well by now and somehow he felt involved into their strange love triangle. "Are you content with this situation, Sasuke? How long are you going to wait?" Sasuke was not an idiot and he immediately realized what Kakashi was hinting at. "How long did you wait to come to terms with your feelings of guilt over Obito's death? How many years did you spent in front of the ninja memorial pitying yourself?" "Forgive me" Sasuke was right, who was he to lecture him about life when he had made a mess of his own. Still, Naruto was bound to find out sooner or later and feelings grow cold over time.

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Naruto knocked at the door before entering the room. The new elder advisors were waiting for him, seated on the big sofas. "Come take a seat with us, Uzumaki-san" The blond sat quietly and waited for someone to explain him why was he summoned there.

"With the recent passing away of the fifth's hokage, the village has become weak. The Hokage plays a major role in supervising trade as well as being on top of the ninja's hierarchy. We need to appoint someone to take over the role as soon as possible" Naruto felt slightly annoyed by their words, old granny just died! How can they get over it so easily…"Old granny just passed away, don't you have any feelings, old geezers?" The seniors looked at each other as if they were expecting the blond's reaction "We are all affected by Tsunade's passing but she died in the moment were we needed her the most. You see…There will be a kage summit in the next few weeks to discuss our next course of action involving the immortal enemy and we need a Konoha representative" Naruto seemed to understand as he went quiet not knowing what to say "Why are you saying this to me? I am sure Kakashi will be happy to take on the role…" "We already consulted with him but he refused to do it…he appointed you instead" Naruto's eyes went wide open in disbelief.

"Wait, hold it. Does that mean I am to be the next Hokage?" The elders looked unsure about their decision "well, technically you won't become hokage until the feudal lord gives his approval, you will be a representative of the former hokage for now" Naruto had a pondering expression on his face, he wasn't sure he could live up to the title. "Naruto-san, He haven't forgotten your heroic actions during the fourth ninja war. You're a valuable asset to the village and we all owe you our lives. Tsunade-sama would've chosen you to become the 6th hokage. So, what is your answer?"

The elders sat there in silence as Naruto's mind couldn't get over the fact that he was very close to become what he wanted the most. To become Hokage. He kept thinking how much he would rub on Sasuke's face his new title. How he would come up with cool missions for the new gennin. He will be able to stand up as an equal to Gaara once again. How respected he will be, the amount of power and responsibility he'd have. But also, he would be able to protect Sasuke. That was what ultimately made him accept the elder's request.

"Yes, I will become Hokage".