A/N: Here we are with the actual first chapter! It's longer than the prologue, and honestly was just a really fun chapter to write. Quick heads up, through. This is an AU (I mean, that's probably pretty obvious from the fact that Sasuke's Hokage), so a lot of stuff is going to be pretty different, especially with Konoha itself. The history's different, the government's different, the people are different, so just be aware of that. This is going to be pretty different from canon (though there will definitely be some similarities). Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter and please leave a review (they really mean a lot to me)! :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

~Chapter 1~

Konoha is a village of honor. Built upon a foundation of principles by Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara themselves, it is rigid in its traditions. Shinobi are soldiers, bound to the laws and governance of the Hokage—and so they must be noble in both heart and mind. The village hidden in the leaves is no place for ulterior motives, shady intentions, or greed.

It is this knowledge that Itachi passed down to him, imparting his advice to a nine-year old Sasuke with big dreams and an even bigger love for his older brother.

Be honorable.

Sasuke has tried to live his entire life by that motto, rising up in the ranks to where he is now: one of the Hokage's most trusted shinobi. And every step of the way, he has followed in Itachi's footsteps, putting the interests of the village first and foremost.

Sometimes he wonders if he's spent so much time trying to be Itachi that he's forgotten how to be himself.

Stepping into the Hokage's office, he takes a deep breath. Tsunade hates tardiness, and he has beaten his very own mentor's record of lateness; his arrival date was supposed to be three weeks ago.

He closes the door behind him softly. The office is neater than he remembers; no papers flood her desk, there are no empty liquor bottles scattered around the room, and most shockingly, all of Tsunade's personal items have been packed into a small cardboard box sitting on her desk.

"Hokage-sama," he greets, eyes drifting back to the box. The Godaime studies him warily, the tiniest hint of a smirk on her face.

"You're late, Uchiha."

"Aa."

He hangs his head low in acknowledgement, and perhaps a little shame. He's always been punctual, so his lateness is a sharp blow to his nearly perfect record. But he can't ruminate on that any further. The most pressing thing is the intel he received.

"We found Orochimaru's men," he explains. Tsunade doesn't look nearly as surprised as he thought she'd be, merely sighing. He supposes Naruto has told her already.

"I heard." She looks him up and down. "I also heard you were hurt," she says, eyes narrowing at his lack of any visible injuries. Her statement begs an answer.

"I was healed."

He sees her eyebrow raise, a calculating look on her features. But he can't answer her unspoken question this time.

Sakura is a genin, and genin aren't allowed to perform medical procedures—only certified medical ninja can do so. If he spilled, it might end her career.

Luckily, Tsunade drops the topic, following his gaze to the room's bare furnishings.

"I'm retiring."

Sasuke freezes.

Unbidden, a bubble of hope rises in his chest. He could finish what Itachi started, maintain peace in Konoha, do what he's been dreaming to do since he learned what being a shinobi was.

Tsunade appears to read his thoughts, smirk growing wider. He swallows, feeling uncharacteristically nervous inside the imposing office, window opening out to show the entirety of the town sprawled out below. He feels like the village is watching him, leaves all rustling in his direction as Konoha itself listens in.

Sasuke doesn't know how much time has passed before Tsunade speaks, and he finds himself hanging onto her every word.

"I'm appointing you as my successor."

And just like that, his dreams come true.

Naruto finds him outside later, blue eyes shining and a grin on his face. Clapping him on the back, he congratulates Sasuke as they continue to walk down the streets of the village.

"Took ya long enough, Teme!" he exclaims with a laugh. Sasuke rolls his eyes. His best friend has known of his ambition for years. He doesn't quite remember ever telling Naruto, but, somehow, the blond knew—he supposes it's one of the side effects of being around somebody since the day you were born; words become unnecessary.

Suddenly he's reminded of glittering jade eyes and a smile so bright it outshines the sun, of how he had felt a hypnotic pull towards her—an unspoken connection. Words weren't needed then either, and he wonders if the same thing can apply to strangers.

Shrugging his question—and the memory—off his mind, he tunes back into Naruto's prattling.

"Have you told your parents yet?" he asks. Sasuke blinks, and then sighs.

"No, you idiot. I just found out."

His parents won't be pleased, he thinks. Their philosophy has always been Uchiha first, Konoha second and being Hokage runs counter to that.

"Well, I can't wait to tell mine. Pops may have some tips for you to manage all that paperwork," Naruto says with a laugh. "I sure am glad I don't have to deal with that shit."

Sasuke smiles wryly. Naruto's distaste for paperwork and anything of the like has been well-known to him for years. It's probably a result of the blond having seen his father suffer through all of that and then deciding that being Hokage wasn't for him. Thrillseeker he was, Naruto joined ANBU instead.

He might've actually been the one leading it were it not for his recklessness.

"I enjoy it," Sasuke admits. His best friend stares at him like he's grown three heads. But before he can say anything, the Uchiha speaks again.

"Bye," he says, turning down onto a street. He hears Naruto make flabbergasted noises at him and smirks as he continues down his way to the Uchiha district. Looking up at the darkening sky, he takes a deep breath and lets himself feel the pride he's been holding back.

He finally did it. By next week, he'll be Uchiha Sasuke—Rokudaime Hokage. He closes his eyes and feels the cool breeze wash over him. Opening them once more, he clenches his fist, resolve hardening.

He won't let his brother down.

"Ami!"

Sakura swings the shop door open, startling more than a few of the patrons. It's a tiny store, nestled in the corner of two streets right in the middle of Konoha's most populous civilian district. A smart location that helps account for the sizable number of customers even on a Tuesday afternoon.

But the kunoichi ignores the whispers and stares her arrival has caused, instead choosing to search desperately for her purple-haired teammate. She finds her behind the counter, currently assisting an elderly woman with a purchase.

Rushing towards her, Sakura very nearly trips. She stops right behind the customer, waiting patiently for the old woman to take her leave. The second she does, Sakura leaps.

"The chunin exams might be here!" she exclaims. Ami simply stares at her with disinterest, rolling her brown eyes at Sakura's excitement.

"So?"

Sakura can barely believe her answer. The chunin exams are the pathway towards rising up, towards being a real medical ninja. How can her teammate be so…indifferent?

Of course, she realizes, Ami's response has been the same every time. She seems perfectly content being a genin, working at her parents' shop and never being sent on a mission higher than a C-rank. Her other teammate is the same, but Sakura isn't. She's dreamed of being a medical ninja ever since she had first seen someone heal.

She had fallen in the park that day, and her knees had split open, bleeding red and scaring her five year old self. Then she met a man, all dark hair and kind eyes, who had offered to heal her. The moment she saw his hands glow green and felt her skin slowly patch itself together, she was hooked.

But being a medical ninja required certification. And in order to get that, you first had to be a chunin. Unluckily for her, the chunin exams could only be taken by a three-person cell—unless you were granted an exception by one of the Kage.

"We could take them," Sakura explains, though part of her knows what the purple haired woman's answer will be. She isn't close to her teammates—the stark differences between them made forming the usual bonds of a team virtually impossible—so the thought of Ami doing anything for her sake is unimaginable.

The woman in question rolls her eyes before looking straight at her.

"Listen, Billboard Brow," she starts. Sakura bristles at the nickname. Somehow, it doesn't sound as affectionate coming from Ami as it does from Ino. "We're civilians. This—" she gestures to the store. "—is the best we can do. And honestly, it's better this way. Do you have any idea how dangerous the missions are for chunin?"

"I do," Sakura says, rushing to defend herself. "I understand that, and I want that. And besides, it's the only way I can become an actual medical ninja."

Her teammate sighs.

"You and your dreams, Forehead. Grow up." She shakes her head. Looking back at Sakura, she pauses. "Listen, you can do whatever the hell you want, but you can't drag us into it. I'm sorry you can't just take the exams solo, but there's no way Fuki or me are gonna take them."

She deflates, and there's nothing she can say to that. Because really, Ami's right. It isn't fair to push them to take the chunin exams, but it still hurts.

Sakura tells her just that, and the purple haired woman is unimpressed.

"Just get the hell out of my store."

The cool breeze is welcome as Sasuke steps into the graveyard. The Uchiha have their own place to bury the dead, away from the rest of the village. It's a mentality represented in everything they did; no matter how intertwined they were with Konoha, the Uchiha clan were tight-knit and isolated—clan first, village second.

Itachi had challenged that belief. He loved Konoha more than anything else, and had passed that love to Sasuke. The Will of Fire was paramount. The village was his family, and he had to do his best to keep it safe and tranquil.

He makes his way towards the far east corner of the cemetery. Sitting down in front of a headstone, he sighs. The flowers his mother brought last week have dried up already, white petals fading into yellow.

"Nii-san," he says as a greeting. There is no response, but he can feel his brother listening. "I did it." He feels that sense of pride rushing up inside him again. "I'm going to be the Hokage."

Sasuke swears the moon shines a little brighter right then.

His brother approves.

Sasuke's family is a very different story.

He walks into the main house and takes note of the extra pair of sandals on the doorstep—Shisui's here. His cousin probably knows already; his friends are in high places and their taste for gossip may just be stronger than Shisui's.

Sasuke just hopes the news hasn't been spilled to his parents.

He doesn't live with them—he moved out eight years ago at the ripe age of eighteen, feeling too alone inside the cold walls of their house—but they are still integral parts of his life. And the small part of Sasuke that's seven years old is still waiting for his father to acknowledge him; parental approval is something he craves for even now.

"Hey, cuz!" Shisui shouts, ambushing him with a headlock before he can even step foot into the living room. The loud greeting has drawn the attention of his parents who sit at the table, cups of tea in their hands.

The Uchiha are known for their fierce love and loyalty; it has always been their weakness, so they keep it buried inside them. But Shisui apparently does not, and Sasuke has never really quite had the time to ponder why. He's always been somewhat of an exception in his family. Warm and exuberant, he almost resembles Naruto in demeanor—a stark contrast to the frigidity the rest of his clan carry themselves with.

If this was any other day, Sasuke would've flipped his cousin onto his back and into the nearby furniture, but today is special—he simply shrugs off Shisui's arm.

"Shisui," he greets, eyes trained on the older man's face to figure out if he's told his parents. Shisui seems to understand his question; he gives Sasuke a minute shake of his head and sits himself on one of the cushions surrounding the table. His cousin seems to finally have learned to keep his mouth shut.

"Sasuke, you're finally back," his mother says warmly, eyes crinkling in happiness. His father just nods at him.

Folding his legs underneath him, Sasuke takes a seat.

"Kaa-san, Tou-san, I have news," he states clearly. His parents stiffen, placing their mugs down onto the lacquered wood. Their eyebrows are drawn in confusion—seemingly expecting something negative—and he hears Shisui hold his breath.

"I'm the next Hokage."

His statement is met with stunned silence, both his mother and father staring at him in shock. Mikoto is the first to recover, blinking back surprise and clearing her throat.

"What?" she asks, voice almost a whisper. He opens his mouth to speak, but Shisui beats him to it.

"He's the Rokudaime. Tsunade called it quits and she appointed him the successor," his cousin explains quickly, a playful smirk on his face.

"O-oh," his mother says shakily. His father has yet to say a word. "That's amazing, dear," Mikoto says, though Sasuke can see the uncertainty in her eyes. The elders won't approve of this, he knows, but he's beyond caring.

"You're the next clan head, Sasuke."

His father's voice is a sharp rebuke, and he can hear the unspoken meaning in between his words. Your responsibility is towards the clan, not the village.

It had been drilled into him as a young child, but Itachi had taught him otherwise. Scarred from seeing the war and with a wisdom beyond his years, he had instilled in his younger brother a firm, unwavering loyalty not to the clan, but to Konoha.

Sasuke doesn't tell his father this, though, choosing instead to answer with a response he hopes will be better received.

"I can be both, Tou-san."

It doesn't work, and the wrinkles on Fugaku's face suddenly become more pronounced and severe.

"The Senju have appointed you," he says, and Sasuke's not certain if that is a question or a statement. He nods anyway, and he can practically feel the disappointment radiating from his father.

In Fugaku's eyes, to accept that position is akin to aligning himself with the Senju—an unforgivable betrayal. The Uchiha protect Konoha through the police force, but that is the extent of their fidelity. It is a silent compromise between the two rival clans: the Uchiha fulfill their duty to protect and the Senju fulfill their duty to manage—neither cross that line.

But recent generations have, Sasuke included. Tsunade herself allowed him to serve on her council for years, and when he had protested—citing the unspoken agreement between their families—she had simply rolled her eyes and asked him if that was what he wanted. Itachi's voice had trickled into his thoughts and reminded him about all he desperately wanted to fix, drowning out the objections of his fellow clansmen.

It was that day Sasuke first rebelled against his clan.

So he doesn't react when his father suddenly gets up and retires to his bedroom without a word. Doesn't say anything when his mother apologizes and attempts to console him. Doesn't even flinch when Shisui's hand claps his back and his voice exclaims loudly about his position. He still feels the sting of Fugaku's disapproval; no matter how much he tries to ignore the opinions of the rest of his clan, he still craves his father's attention and acknowledgement.

Sighing, he remembers Itachi's advice.

'You must pick your battles, otouto.'

This is the one fight he's ever made with his clan, with his father. The one hill he'll die on. According to his older brother, it's the only one he can choose. If he strikes out and disobeys the clan in this matter, then he must obey them in everything else—a bargain for the sake of peace.

And peace was all Itachi ever wanted.

Sasuke has already made his choice: he's going to be the Hokage. It's a huge rebellion, a betrayal in his clan's eyes, so he will have to compromise on other matters, let them regulate the rest of his life. It doesn't lessen the sting, only serves to make it worse.

But for now, Sasuke lets the hurt settle into the pit of his stomach, and decides instead to revel in his achievement.

Tuning back into the conversation, he thanks his mother for the dinner she's begun to serve. He knows how to cook, and can do it well, but his mother's cooking is something else. A small smirk surfaces as he listens to Shisui regale them with tales of his most recent mission. His cousin's penchant for storytelling hasn't changed in the slightest.

When Mikoto turns to ask Sasuke about his own mission, he only provides the barest of details; he prefers to keep those startlingly green eyes to himself.

It's time.

Sakura checks the clock again from her chair. Her shift is over now and she fidgets in her seat as she waits for the next secretary to take over. Glancing down at the medical textbooks that litter her desk, she sighs, a familiar bitterness seeping through her veins. Is this all she can ever be: a secretary with dreams she can never accomplish?

It's a train of thought she has traveled down often, and yet it still never fails to make her heart sink. She isn't even allowed to perform basic procedures, can't even make diagnoses or give advice or really do anything she's ever dreamed of doing. How could she ever—

'I trust you.'

The memory of those words flashing through her mind sends a shockwave throughout her body, and she finds herself thinking yet again of those dark, smoldering eyes. He trusted her, let her heal him; he was a jounin and he let her do it anyway. She could've accidentally hurt him, or even killed him, but he trusted her. The thought fills her up with a dizzy sense of pride that has her sitting straighter.

'You healed me.'

Smiling at his past words, Sakura takes a deep breath and brushes Ami's refusal to the back of her mind. She healed him, and she won't be giving up so easily.

"Sakura," a voice calls out. She glances up to see a man coming through the hospital doors. Relief courses through her veins; he's her replacement. Grabbing her books, she races outside. The ceremony for the Rokudaime is today and Ino had made her promise to go.

She's pretty sure the only reason her best friend is going is so that she can see her boyfriend. Sai is the head of ANBU, so he has to attend the ceremony and help welcome the new Hokage.

The occasion also gives Ino the chance to dress up—and Sakura knows that blonde would never miss out on an opportunity to do that.

"Forehead! Hurry up, it's almost starting," Ino yells at her, dragging her through the crowd. She had practically jumped Sakura the minute she set foot into their apartment, forcing her into a bright green dress and heels. She doesn't share her best friend's love for fashion, but she acquiesced just to get her to stop nagging about her choice of attire. Looking at the rest of the people gathered, she realizes that Ino might've been right; almost everybody is dressed formally.

The pair manage to find a spot where they can clearly see the top of the tower. Squinting, Sakura looks up to see Tsunade herself standing at the very edge and lets out a small gasp of wonder.

She has never met the Godaime in person, but she knows her accomplishments well. Senju Tsunade is the best medical ninja in all of Konoha's—and perhaps the world's—history. Her monstrous strength and her hundred healings seal make her an extremely feared fighter as well.

She is Sakura's idol, and seeing her—even from far away—makes her feel jittery with excitement.

"Look, Pig, it's Tsunade-sama!" she practically squeals, all too aware that she sounds like a frenzied fan girl. But she can't help it, not when her hero is standing right there.

Ino rolls her eyes and smiles, opening her mouth to no doubt make some clever retort before she is interrupted by Tsunade herself.

"Citizens of Konoha," Tsunade's voice booms. Even from down below, Sakura can hear her clearly.

"As the Godaime Hokage, I'd like to announce my successor."

The blonde turns around, nodding to somebody behind her, and a man in white robes steps forward. The large hat on his head covers his face, but Sakura can see spikes of dark hair poking out from under it. She can feel a whisper of recognition as she examines the way he holds himself, back straight and imposing. Her heart is beating faster now, and her mouth feels dry. She can feel it again, that inescapable pull.

When he takes off his hat, Sakura gasps.

It's him.

The same eyes, the same face, that same smirk—it is undeniably the man she met in the Land of the Waves, the man she healed, the man she feels…something for. Swallowing, she tries to steady herself. Maybe she's just seeing things.

Tsunade swings her arm to gesture to him, and Sakura's breath catches in her throat when she watches him raise his arm towards the crowd in greeting. His gaze suddenly locks onto hers and she can't breathe, trapped underneath its weight. She wonders if she's imagining the way his posture seems to relax as his eyes bore into her and drown her in their depths.

An eternity seems to pass before Tsunade finally speaks, voice loud and resounding.

"The Rokudaime Hokage, Uchiha Sasuke!"