The Hero has Risen
Racing to the Hokage tower, Naruto landed in front of the main entrance with Sakura in his arms, he had wrapped her in a bedroom curtain he found in the remains of her destroyed house. His clone carrying Sasuke landed next to him. The avenger was still out like a light, and Naruto would ask Sakura how she did that as soon as she woke up.
He entered the tower, Sakura's head bouncing on his shoulder with the clone close behind. The shinobi were all running around, not even noticing them as they walked up to the Hokage's office. Naruto had been here many times before, but this time felt different somehow. He sensed that something bad was about to happen.
As Naruto approached the Hokage's office, he was met with an unusual sense of tension in the air. Shinobi hurried past him, their expressions drawn and serious, giving Naruto a sense that something significant was happening.
As Naruto stepped into the Hokage's office, he found himself amidst an unexpected gathering of high-ranking shinobi. At the center of the room stood Jiraiya, the legendary Sannin, flanked by a group of solemn-faced Jōnin. Naruto was met with a somber atmosphere that instantly set him on edge. The usual bustling activity had been replaced by a heavy silence, broken only by the occasional whisper of conversation.
"Naruto," Jiraiya's voice cut through the tense atmosphere, drawing Naruto's attention. "Where have you been, I sent Anbu to get you hours ago."
Naruto shifted the body in his arms until Sakura's face could be seen by everyone, "Something happened to Sakura, she attacked me." said Naruto not wanting to get into any of the details until he had time to process it all.
"And Sasuke?" said one of the Jonin, clearly a fanboy even now.
"Sakura knotted him out with one hit," said Naruto letting himself have that one little joy of seeing the look on the Jonin's face.
Jiraiya scanned Naruto's face, searching for any signs of the Haruno's influence. Relief washed over him as he detected no traces of manipulation or coercion. Letting out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding, Jiraiya's expression softened slightly. If Sakura wasn't in control, then it had to be the other way around. That's how it worked when a Haruno awakened their kekkei genkai. There were only three outcomes, Die, Yield, or force them to Yield.
"Come here, we need to talk," Jiraiya beckoned Naruto closer with a wave of his hand. The clone obediently handed Sasuke over to a Jonin, likely headed for the hospital, though one could never be certain with fanboys.
Confusion flickered across Naruto's features as he glanced around the room, taking in the serious expressions of the assembled shinobi. Skikaku's gaze seemed to analyze him with each step closer, as if crafting and discarding a thousand plans in mere moments.
"What's happening?" Naruto asked, his voice tinged with concern as he stepped to the desk.
Jiraiya met Naruto's gaze, his expression grave. "I'm afraid it's bad news," he began, his tone heavy with regret. "The Third Hokage... he died in the battle with his ex-student Orochimaru."
Shock rippled through Naruto as he absorbed Jiraiya's words. The loss of the Third Hokage, his Jiji, and guide, struck him like a heavy blow, leaving him reeling with a mixture of grief and disbelief. Unconsciously, he hugged Sakura closer, amidst the sudden breaking of his world.
"And that's not all," Jiraiya continued, his voice low and somber. "There is no one in the village that can take his place."
Naruto's mind raced with a flurry of questions. The loss of the Third Hokage was a devastating blow to the village, and without a replacement, the village could fall into chaos.
"Don't be so dramatic, Jiraiya. You can be Hokage, it's yours for the taking," said one of the Jonin Naruto didn't know.
"And then what, give my spies to Dazo? Are you mad? Half of them would never talk to us again, and the other half would turn against us after the first meeting," said Jiraiya. Naruto looked around, not knowing who this Dazo was.
"We are still in a state of war, and the Jonin commander leads the village when there is no Hokage. We have time, a little time, but time to find her and bring her back to the village," said Jiraiya, looking at Shikaku who gave him a nod of agreement.
It was then that Sakura opened her eyes and seeing Naruto so close she pushed back against him. The feeling of being wrapped in something and not remembering how she got there freaked her out as she yelled. "Naruto let me go!"
With her feet kicking to get them loose and one arm popping free she hit him on the chest until he dropped her onto the floor. In the flurry of movement, Sakura's struggles caused the curtain to slip from her body as Naruto released his hold. As she landed on the floor, the fabric pooled around her feet, leaving her exposed in front of everyone. Shock and embarrassment flooded Sakura's face as she looked down feeling the cool air on her skin, she quickly scrambled to cover herself, cheeks flushing crimson with embarrassment.
"Naruto, what the hell have you done?!" she exclaimed, her voice trembling with a mix of frustration and humiliation on the edge of crying.
Naruto's eyes having never turned away grinned at her, his cheeks coloring with embarrassment as well as something more. "S-Sorry! I didn't mean to—" he stammered, his words trailing off as he helped her pull the window current up to cover her once again.
Amidst the commotion, the other occupants of the Hokage's office turned their attention to the unexpected scene unfolding before them. Murmurs of surprise and amusement rippled through the room. Someone could be heard saying that the curtain matches the rug, getting a round of laughter among the mostly male Jonins in the room. Sakura hastily wrapped the curtain tightly around herself, her heart racing with embarrassment and something else as she was drawn to Naruto's side. The memories of the last hour came flooding back, her family dead and her kekkei genkai turning her into a monster like she feared.
"That was entertaining but we have serious business to talk about, why don't you find her some clothes, we can talk later," said Jiraiya not wanting to deal with an awakened Haruno until he had a chance to test her.
"OK Sensei," said Naruto and as he walked out of the office he found that Sakura was unable to keep up and keep the curtain firmly in place, with a grin and without warning he scooped her up into his arms and ran down the stairs. They would start at his apartment for a shirt and shorts she could wear and then go looking for more girly clothes.
Despite her attempts to maintain her modesty, the sheet slipped precariously, giving the people in the street a look at her long legs and a little more as it slipped off her shoulders, prompting Naruto to offer a reassuring smile.
"Don't worry, Sakura-chan, we'll get you some clothes in no time," he assured her, his tone upbeat.
As they made their way towards Naruto's apartment, Sakura couldn't help but feel gratitude, yes, but she was overwhelmed by the unease at her current state. She clung tightly to the curtain and to Naruto, acutely aware that she owed him everything at this one.
Arriving at Naruto's modest one-room apartment, he quickly retrieved a spare shirt and shorts for Sakura, offering them to her with a solemn expression. "You need to take care of yourself, Sakura. We can't have you ruining your clothes in every battle," he said quietly, his voice tinged with laughter thinking this would happen every time they went into battle.
Sakura accepted the clothing silently, her heart heavy with the realization of her reliance on Naruto. Had she moved from an overbearing bastard of a father to something similar? These thoughts filled her head as she changed into the clothes with trembling hands, feeling the weight of their chakra bond more acutely with every passing minute.
"What are you grinning at?" Sakura asked once she got the oversized shirt in place.
"Oh, nothing. It's just…" Naruto trailed off, pointing at the curtain on the floor. Then it hit her—she had dressed in front of him like it was nothing. What was happening to her?
With Sakura now clothed and feeling more grounded, the two set out to find something more suitable than a boy's shirt and oversized shorts. Despite the seriousness of the situation, Naruto couldn't shake the feeling of excitement. Naruto felt that Sakura's life was inextricably linked to his own, and the jutsu that was used to defeat her monster form had done something, something he couldn't quite figure out, as they walked down the street, their shoulders touching as they moved.
"Funny how this part of the village looks untouched," said Sakura looking around at all the rundown buildings in Naruto's neighborhood.
"They didn't put up any defenders here so the invaders just moved on," said Naruto
"There is truth in that, I wonder if that ramen stand made it through the battle," said Sakura offhandedly.
"OH no Ichiraku!", yelled out Naruto bolting down the street with Sakura doing her best to keep up in bare feet. Lucky for her Naruto lived close to his all-time favorite Ramen stand and they arrived just as Teuchi and his daughter Ayame returned from the village shelters in the Hokage mountain.
"Old man you OK, is everything still here," said Naruto, running up to the two as Teuchi opened the front door and walked in.
"Looks like everything is where we left it, hey Ayame you're out of luck the dishes still need to be washed.", joked the old ramen cook as they walked inside.
"Come on Naruto we have something to do, remember?" said Sakura, pulling him away from the shop.
"See you later, old man.", yelled out Naruto as they walked away.
"You want to go check your old house and see if there is anything you can use.", asked Naruto thinking that would be the fastest way to get her something to wear.
"OK, but can you …. can you carry me," said Sakura pointing down at her bare feet. With so much of the village in ruins, the idea of stepping on something sharp or the remains of a person made her squeamish.
Grinning Naruto squatted down and let her climb on his back before he started to jog to her old home. The village was filling up with people as the alarm sounded and the shelter doors opened.
Taking their time they arrived at the end of her street near the end of the day. The long shadows made the street look more dreadful than it really was as they stopped to look around.
"Naruto, can you send some clones ahead and cover their bodies? I don't want to have to look at them again," said Sakura.
"No problem, Sakura. I can do that," Naruto replied, and with a quick hand sign, a group of clones jogged down the street. They waited, looking at the nice houses and neat front yards, until Naruto received a memory from one of the clones that they had carried the bodies down the street.
"All ready, Sakura," Naruto said as soon as the memory flashed in his head. With her on his back, they walked down until they reached where her house used to be. The signs of their battle were everywhere, as the houses next to and across the street from her old house were gone, burned down to their subfloors. They looked like they had been crushed, burned, and then scattered as the fight moved over them.
Sakura walked gingerly over to her house, seeing the signs of chakra burns on everything. With Naruto's help, they picked at the rubble, lucky to find anything that was ripped or burned from the first landing of the snake to the battle they had over the remains.
"Sakura, look," said Naruto from over the pile. He was holding up a pair of sandals. Running over to her, luck held as they were one of her old pairs. Now able to move without fear of cutting her foot open again, Sakura used a little more force to dig into the remains.
The sun was almost setting when she added one more thing to the small pile of clothes they had found. With her room in the attic, it had taken not only the brunt of the first attack but had been mostly burnt from the second. Her hopes had been high when they found the back of her dresser, but when they turned it over, it was nothing but ash. Clearly, the gods were telling her she wouldn't be wearing any underwear until they found a store that was open.
"Naruto, stop. We've moved half the house and found nothing, and I'm not going to wear any of my mother's clothes, so let's just go," said Sakura as she wiped her forehead to keep the sweat out of her eyes.
"Okay, Sakura. But are you sure there are no family scrolls or, you know, heirlooms you want?" Naruto asked as he joined her in the street. The people from the other houses had come and gone, quickly giving up once they saw the amount of damage. They had been the only ones who didn't give up. The undamaged houses had quickly filled up with their owners, who stayed away from the two shinobi. Out of fear or not wanting to get asked to help, who could say?
"I don't know, and I don't really care right now. If there is a scroll that survived, it will be there tomorrow," said Sakura, her voice tired and disgruntled.
Walking back to Naruto's apartment took half the time, with Sakura walking on her own with the small bundle in her arms. Naruto wanted to take to the rooftops, but Sakura didn't want to strain her already weakened chakra network.
Upon entering the apartment, Sakura declared, "I am taking a shower first," as she walked, pulling Naruto's shirt off and dropping it on the floor, giving Naruto a view of her bare back before the door shut. It seemed to Naruto that she was a lot more free around him than she used to be, and that worried him somehow.
The scream that soon followed, "Naruto, what happened to my hair!", didn't surprise him at all.
"Sorry Sakura it kind of got cut in the fight," said Naruto not wanting to tell her about the wood-like tentacles that grew out of her back. That was gross even by Shinobi standards.
Coming out of the bathroom she had put on one of the two tank tops they had found and was still wearing his shorts. Now in pink and black all her fashion sense screamed that she needed to go shopping but she was too tired to even think about that ordeal.
"Ok, it's all yours," she said waving at the bathroom, before Naruto had a chance to run in, there was a knocking at the door.
"Sakura, get back, they never knock unless there is more than one of them," said Naruto pulling a kunai from his pouch and getting ready for a fight. This was still too early for the drunks to show up so it had to be shinobi.
Opening the door, blade in hand Naruto stopped as it was Jiraiya with a big smile as he walked in. "Glad to see you made it home Ok. I see you still have the girl, what's your name again," said Jiraiya as he walked in like he owned the place.
"Sakura," she said, not liking the way he was acting.
"Ah yes Sakura Haruno, or should I say the last Haruno," said Jiraiya, watching her every move like she was a poisonous snake.
"I guess so, it doesn't really matter," said Sakura tossing the towel in her hand on the sofa and putting her hands on her hips.
"Who are you and what do you want anyway," she added to the silence.
"Oh, I just wanted you to hold this," he said, handing her a piece of paper. In a matter of seconds, it burst into flames, and she quickly dropped it as it turned to ash before hitting the floor.
"What was that for?" she said, anger flashing in her eyes. But as she looked up, Jiraiya slapped a paper seal below her neck, where the bare skin was showing. The seal turned her into a human statue as Jiraiya turned to Naruto.
"Not a word. I will tell you everything in a minute," said Jiraiya as he pulled out another paper seal, this one covered on both sides with small, intricate symbols.
"I need you to trust me in this. Now, pull up your shirt," said Jiraiya, placing the seal dead center of the one that had started glowing on Naruto's stomach.
"What is going on, sensei?" said Naruto, feeling the cool touch of the seal on his skin.
"I need to confirm that it's you who won the battle and this isn't some complex plan. Harunos are famous for their plans, you know," said the Sannin, moving Naruto over so that he would be facing Sakura. Making more hand signs than Naruto could count, Jiraiya slapped his hand down between them. The two seals glowed brightly, and as he watched, a stream of chakra could be seen flowing from him to Sakura.
"Mmm, okay good, now one last test," with those words, Jiraiya touched the seal on Naruto, cutting off the flow of chakra, and waited as Naruto looked at him as if he had turned mad or even more pervy.
It took three minutes before Sakura's body started to shake. In four minutes, her eyes started to glow, and at five, her skin started to turn darker and darker. It was at this point that Jiraiya ripped the seal off Naruto and then off Sakura. She blinked for a second and then leaped on Naruto, hugging him close and talking incoherently while hiding her face in his neck.
"It's OK Sakura I got you," said Naruto all the while looking at Jiraiya.
"Meet me at our training grounds in the morning, alone," said Jiraiya as he turned and walked out the door.
"Who the hell was that?", asked Sakura as soon as she heard the door shut.
"That was Jiraiya, one of the Sannin, he's been my sensei while Kakashi was training Sasuke," said Naruto as Sakura took a step back and looked around making sure they were alone.
"Well whoever he is, I don't like him," she said, picking the towel off the sofa and throwing it in Naruto's face before she sat down on the sofa with her arms and legs crossed. The apartment was so small she didn't even get the pleasure of walking out of the room and slamming a door.
Heading for the bathroom for a much-needed shower Naruto said as he walked past, "Sakura, don't be like that." shutting the door as he entered he didn't see the look on her face as she uncrossed her arms and legs and sat up straight, his command ringing in her ears.
A few seconds passed and she looked around, "What the hell was that?" she said out loud but unlike so many times in the past that little inner voice didn't respond.
…
I hate asking but a review about what you think would be helpful. Why do you like it, why do you hate it, this sakura is great/awful, tell me what you think as I am writing this for the both of us ;-)