Well well, here I am, 7 years later. Married with a fulfilling career saving lives. This story was on my mind recently and I knew I had to comeback at some point. I gave my word and here I am.
I'm very sorry. Better late then never.
Enjoy.
"Can you handle losing someone else?"
Shikamaru's voice echoed in the dimly lit room, each word carrying the weight of a thousand sorrows. Naruto's gaze fixated on his friend, his eyes widening with a mixture of disbelief and dread. His chest tightened, suffocating under the burden of memories too painful to bear. His hands clenched into fists, nails digging into flesh, as if physical pain could distract him from the emotional agony threatening to consume him.
The question pierced through Naruto's soul, dredging up memories he had tried so desperately to bury. Hinata's face flashed before his eyes, her gentle smile haunting him like a ghost from the past. The wound of her loss, still raw and bleeding, throbbed with every beat of his heart. He had failed her, failed to protect her, and the guilt weighed on him like a stone sinking to the depths of the ocean.
Regret gnawed at his insides, a relentless tormentor whispering accusations of inadequacy and negligence. If only he had been stronger, faster, better... If only he had been there when she needed him most. But the past was a cruel master, its grip unyielding, its lessons etched in scars too deep to heal.
Naruto's mind became a battleground, emotions waging war against reason, grief threatening to drown him in its suffocating embrace. How could he bear the thought of losing someone else, of facing the agony of another empty grave, another name added to the list of those he had failed?
He glanced around the Hokage's office, the weight of his responsibilities pressing down on him like a mountain threatening to crush him beneath its colossal weight. Being Hokage had been his dream, his purpose, his reason for living. But now, the title felt like a curse, a heavy chain binding him to a destiny he could no longer bear.
Tsunade's image flickered in his mind, a beacon of warmth and strength in a world consumed by darkness. She had been his mentor, his confidante,…his lover the only one who truly understood the burden he carried.
"Naruto," Shikamaru began, his voice soft yet filled with concern, the first words uttered in what felt like ages.
Shikamaru's gaze bore into Naruto's, a silent plea for honesty, for vulnerability, for the truth. Naruto felt his resolve falter, the mask of stoicism slipping from his face to reveal the raw vulnerability that lay beneath.
"I can't," he whispered, his voice barely a breath, the words heavy with the weight of his admission. "I've lost too much already... I can't bear the thought of losing her too."
Naruto knew that he would do whatever it took to protect Tsunade, even if it meant sacrificing everything he had ever worked for. With a nod of gratitude, his heart heavy with sorrow but also filled with a newfound sense of purpose, he rose from his seat, his movements heavy with determination
"This is going to be troublesome," Shikamaru thought as Naruto's figure became obscured by the swirling vortex of foliage, his form gradually fading from view until all that remained was a scattering of leaves dancing on the breeze.
Short but heavy chapter. I will be back. Promise.