Naruto Senju Shippuden

Chapter 25

Naruto feels a pang of guilt through his chest. Since his small stint as Hokage, he really has been neglecting his friends. He hears Ino before he sees her. The excited taps against the floorboards were heartwarming. She appeared before him soon after, and Naruto nearly lost his breath. She wasn't wearing anything different than she usually wore, and her happy face was also nothing new. But there was something about her that made Naruto want to squeeze her. "Hey... Sorry I haven't been able to see as of late..." He says as he rubs the back of his head. "It's okay. I heard you were the Hokage and had to leave," Ino says. "Do you want to go out and eat?" Naruto says after a few seconds of uncomfortable silence. "Sure," Ino answers.

They were walking towards Ichiraku Ramen. They didn't know if any other restaurants were open at the moment. They talked about what had happened when they were away from each other. They soon reach the temporary stand of Ichiraku. "Ossan! One bowl of Miso Ramen, and one..." Naruto says as he steps through the Noren of the shop. "I'll have the same," Ino says, and they sit at the counter. "It has been a while since you were here Naruto. I hope everything is okay," Teuchi says as he hands them their bowls. "Yeah, yeah. I'm fine. Just lots of things happening at the moment," Naruto answers cryptically. "I see. Well, the door is always open if you need some quick food," Teuchi says with a bright smile. "Thank you. It means a lot hearing you say that," Naruto says with a genuine smile.

The rest of the meal was pleasant. Naruto and Ino were leaning closer and closer to each other during the entire time. Naruto was leading Ino through the village after dinner. Naruto had an arm around Ino's shoulder whilst Ino had her own arm around Naruto's waist. She rested her head on Naruto's shoulder. She was basking in Naruto's warmth and chakra. "Don't burn yourself out," Ino says, interrupting their quiet moment. "Make sure to take some time off. I know what is coming up. And I get your place within it. But you will do no one good if you don't reach it," She continues. Naruto kisses her crown. "Thank you, Ino," Naruto says. "You have nothing to worry about. I will not die before becoming Holage for real. I promise," Naruto says softly. "Good..." Ino says as they reach Ino's house.

They stood in front of the door for a few moments. Both drank in the moment. A few seconds later. Naruto moves away from Ino's side, and she sighs a heavy, disappointed sigh. Naruto looks over the village. She looks over her boyfriend for a second; he looks tense and tired. "Naruto..." Ino says softly. "What is it?" Naruto asks. His stressed face melts away when he moves his gaze over to Ino. He had an easy smile on his face.

She reaches out for Naruto's cheeks and pulls him towards her. She places a kiss on his mouth. Naruto's eyes widen for a second, then sink shut when he kisses her back. Now they were really drinking in the moment. Ino's arms snake their way from his cheeks to around Naruto's head. Naruto's own arms find themselves around Ino's waist. He pulls her as close as humanly possible. Ino whimpers when she feels Naruto's firm, but not hard, pull. The kiss was over way too early for the both of them. Ino looked up at Naruto. Naruto couldn't quite place the look she was giving Naruto. "Thank you... Ino," Naruto says as he puts his forehead to Ino's. "What are you talking about..." She says with a cheeky smile. "Very well," Naruto says with his own soft smile. Naruto takes in her expression for a few seconds. "See you later, Ino," Naruto says finally as they separate. "Yeah... I guess we do," Ino says wistfully as she steps through the door of her home.

Naruto was walking down the streets of his home with a small smile on his face. Meeting Ino really helped his mood. He waved at the villagers smiling at him. He reached the Senju complex soon enough. "Yo," Madara's voice pierce Naruto's ears. Naruto turns around and throws a kunai toward the voice. It passed through him, of course. Madara was sitting on the backrest nonchalantly with his head resting on his hand. "I am not here to fight you, Senju Naruto," Madara says. "Really now... You sure do like to talk for someone who just declared war on the world," Naruto says as he still is ready to fight. He wasn't smiling. "Your readiness to fight me for the village really reminds me of Hashirama," Madara says. "Then again, that isn't that surprising considering your lineage," He continues. "You still haven't told me why I shouldn't capture you right here right now," Naruto says as he flexes his fingers. "If you do... then you'll never know why I used Sasuke..." Madara says.

Naruto perks up and relaxes his hand. "I hear you already heard why the Uchiha massacre had to take place - Good job on figuring that out by the way - so I'll give you the run down version," Madara says. "You and Sasuke are the reincarnations of Asura and Indra respectively. Just like Hashirama and I was before," Madara says. "I don't know how reincarnating works, but don't you need to be dead to be reincarnated?" Naruto asks. "Of course. I have already died once. In the Valley of the End. Where Hashirama killed me," Madara answers. "So what... you are some type of ghost? That doesn't make sense... I was able to punch you before," Naruto observes. "You are right. I'm not. Let's just say the Mangekyō Sharingan is a pathway to many abilities some may consider... unnatural..." Madara says cryptically. "Really now?" Naruto says. "Yes," Madara confirms. "Let's say I believe you and Sasuke and I are some sort of reincarnations of Indra and Asura, whoever they were. What does that have to do with anything?" Naruto asks.

"Indra and Asura were the sons of the Sage of Six Paths. They both inherited different aspects of the Sage. Indra inherited his eyes, the Sharingan, whilst Asura inherited the body, his massive amounts of chakra. They fought over how the world was supposed to move forward. Indra meaning the world should be run by strength, and Asura meaning the world should be run with love and compassion. The Sage chose his younger son, Asura, to be his heir, and Indra got furious. They fought, and Asura beat Indra. Later the sons founded their own clans to continue the fight after their deaths. Indra founded the Uchiha clan, and Asura founded the Senju clan," Madara says.

"And what does that have to do with Sasuke and me?" Naruto asks. "I need someone who can stand up to you... And the only one who can stand up to a reincarnation of the brothers is the other," Madara says. "And what about you? You said you were one of the reincarnations before us, right? So why can't you compete with me?" Naruto asks. "Like I told you and the other Kage. I am but a shell of what I was before," Madara says. "I have taken up enough of your time. The next time we met it will be on the battle feild," Madara says as he begins to vanish in his swirl. "See you... I guess..." Naruto says to the empty bench. He turns around and walks into the empty complex. He leans his head against the door and heaves a heavy sigh. "Sasuke... looks like our battle was inevitable from the start..." He says quietly to himself as he closes his eyes.