The Future: Naruto Fanfiction

Chapter 43 HOKAGE'S BURDEN

The Next Day, The Circle

Shikadai looks around the room from his position in the circle. He sees Tobirama, Hiruzen and Minato. He sees Tsunade, Kakashi and Naruto. He sees Sarada and Shinki. It's the absences that cause his heart to darken. Next to Sarada and next to Tobirama rest two vacant chairs. The emptiness in the Kages hearts echoed by the emptiness of these seats. Two people are missing from this meeting, Boruto and Hashirama.

The teacher-student pair had a unique philosophy, a unique approach to the invader problem. Unlike the others, it had been their approach that the invaders should be killed and not spared. They had believed that their otherworldly presence could bring nothing but misery to the Hidden Leaf Village. While these opinions had been disputed, the masterminds behind them had been revered by the members of the village. To each and every member of the Circle, they were precious, close friends or even family.

A sigh escapes Shikadai's lips as he raises his head to look the others in their eyes. "OK, we got hit hard yesterday and I'm sure that all of us would rather take it easy right now. But you don't have that luxury, you are the Hokage and must continue to act as such".

In the wake of such devastating loss, anybody else in the village would be granted compassionate leave, they would be permitted to rest, to grieve, the Hokage are awarded no such privileges. To be the Hokage is to walk in front of the villagers, to take all of the pain onto yourself and to keep walking forward. It is a job that many strive for but so few realise how much it can hurt.

"You're right, Shikadai" Minato replies, forcing a small smile onto his face as he nods. "Please, proceed with the agenda".

"Food and water are the first on the list" Shikadai explains from memory. "That is always first whenever we have a situation like this".

Tobirama is one of the most logistically aware Hokage and has dealt with situations like this during the time he fought for the Senju clan. "We aren't going to have a problem with water, if nothing else I can create it for everyone".

"That isn't the problem though, Lord 2nd. Food is the true problem here" Hiruzen explains as he points to an imaginary map in front of him. "I don't know about the rest of you but I am not comfortable with asking the villagers to go outside the walls and go back to farming".

For the talented and powerful shinobi amassed in this room, going beyond the walls is not an intimidating prospect, even if they should run into trouble they are able to hold their own. In all but the worst situations, a Kage would be able to run away from an invading force. The same cannot be said for the villagers though, very few people outside this room would be able to survive if they encountered an invader.

"No, we can't do that" Sarada declares. She, better than anyone, understands the worries and fears of today's villagers, having grown up with and protected them all throughout her life. "Right now, what everyone wants is to be protected inside the Hidden Leaf's walls".

"Clones" Naruto mutters, drawing the attention of the room. "I am already at my limit but you guys could create clones to farm".

Naruto has been working to the utmost to maintain a calm in the village. The best way he can do this is to use his hundreds of clones to comfort people, to defend the walls. There is nobody more comforting for the villagers to see defending them. He is, after all, Uzumaki Naruto, the hero of the hidden leaf that they were taught of in their youth.