Quote of the chapter: "People may die, but they will always live in your heart." -Gray Fullbuster (Fairy Tail)
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cнαpтer 1
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"WHAT?! A-Are you serious Tsunade-baa chan?!"
A sigh escaped the Godaime's lips as she placed her hands at the desk. "Uzumaki Naruto!"
Naruto stiffened at her sudden call and he made a straightened his body's position.
Tsunade pointed at Naruto. "You, will be the next Hokage!"
Kakashi, Sai and Sakura who were also in the room, had their eyes widen in surprise.
"R-Really?! I'm gonna be a hokage!" Naruto kept on jumping and cheering as he looked to Tsunade and gave her a tight embrace. "Thank you Tsunade-baa chan!"
Tsunade smiled and returned the favor as Naruto let go.
Sakura was the first one, out of the three who were dumbstruck, who smiled and went to Naruto. "Congrats Naruto!" She opened her arms for a hug and Naruto quickly accepted.
"Thank you Sakura-chan!"
"Congratulations." Kakashi said as Naruto and Sakura broke their embrace while their teacher held out a hand.
Naruto slapped his hand away and hugged his former teacher. "I'm gonna be a hokage Kaka-sensei!"
The masked Hatake grinned, patting his student's head.
When Naruto and Kakashi let go of their contact, Naruto blurted. "I'm gonna be hokage Sasu-"
Then realization came to him. Sasuke is gone.
With the thought of his best friend, he frowned. Upon hearing that name, Sakura looked down and Kakashi had a stern expression mixed with sadness.
Sasuke has been gone for three years and yet, they still believe he wasn't dead.
Silence in place, one of them decided to destroy the tension. He smiled while handing his free hand towards Naruto. "Congratulations, dickless."
That made Naruto out of his thoughts. "Who you callin' dickless you bastard?!"
You guessed it. It was Sai who broke the ice.
Sakura and Kakashi were also back to their senses.
Naruto bursted the door open. "I'm gonna tell the others!" Without hearing their responses, Naruto closed the door shut then he went out of the Hokage tower.
There he spotted Hinata walking by. "HINATA! HINATA! HINATA!" He spoke as he ran towards her.
Hinata stopped her tracks as she gave a toothless grin towards her boyfriend. "N-Naruto-kun."
"I'm gonna be the Rokudaime!" Naruto didn't hesitate to hug the shy Hyuga.
Hinata was surprised. She expected Naruto to be the next hokage but she didn't expect that it would be now. "C-Congratulations!" She returned Naruto's hug.
When Naruto let go of his grip, he ran towards random civilians and shook them through their shoulders back and forth, saying. "I'M GONNA BE HOKAGE!"
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Just as Naruto left the building, Tsunade placed a palm at her forehead. "I was planning on announcing it."
"With Naruto screaming all around, I think everyone will get the news quickly but I don't think they'll believe him." Sakura pointed out.
A knock disturbed their conversation.
"Come in." Tsunade ordered as an ANBU appeared.
"The blonde jinchuuriki is on the loose. Villagers are complaining about his noise." The unknown ANBU sent the message as a sweat drop at their foreheads.
"Guess we'll be searching for him around Konoha then." Kakashi read the last sentence of the page as he shut his book.
"Excuse us Tsunade-sama." Sakura bowed at her mentor as they disappeared along with the ANBU.
The three ninjas were hopping from roof to roof as they seek for a certain jinchuuriki.
"Where should we start searching?" Sai asked his teammates.
Sakura replied as they continued to ran at the roof of the houses. "Easy. Just find the noisiest part in Kono-"
"HA! I DEFEATED YOU KIBA!"
"Well there he is." Kakashi muttered with his half-lidded eyes.
"I'm gonna be hokage~" Naruto cheered against Kiba.
"Well at least I passed the ANBU exams." Kiba replied with a smirk, knowing that Naruto got owned.
"Arf! Arf!" Akamaru barked as he and Kiba walked out like a boss.
Naruto stopped his joyful spirit and he said. "Hmph! At least a HOKAGE is at a HIGHER rank than ANBU!" He shouted to no one since Kiba already left.
"Baka." Naruto mumbled as Kakashi, Sakura and Sai appeared behind him.
"Dickless." Sai responded with a fake smile.
"You wanna fight the next hokage?" Naruto made a fighting position as Sai stood with a fake smile.
Sakura grinned as she held Naruto's left shoulder. "Come on, let's eat. Kaka-sensei's paying."
Naruto's eyes sparkled. "To Ichiraku!" He yelled as he rushed to the stand with Sakura and Sai following him.
Kakashi was just reading his book. "...Eh? O-Oi, *mate!" He said, upon hearing that he was going to pay as the three speedily walked to Ichiraku.
They went to Ichiraku to celebrate before they go to their separate ways. It was sunset by the time they ate so it was an early dinner for them.
"Naruto, I heard you'll be the next hokage! Congratulations, I hope you'll still come by here even though you'll be busy." Ayame proudly stated as she served their food.
Naruto slurped the noodles as he swallowed before answering. "Thank you Ayame-san! Of course I'll come by here everyday!" He finished his meal as the others continued to eat.
"You're gonna be the next hokage?" Teuchi laughed to which Naruto felt a little gloomy until he saw another bowl of ramen in front of him. "I knew you had it in you. That's in the house. Just keep Konoha in good state, eh kiddo?"
Naruto's face brightened up as he nodded jubilantly, accepting the offer. "I'll definitely protect Konoha dattebayo!"
When they finished their meal Kakashi was about to hand over the money in order to pay, until Naruto stopped him by saying. "Let me pay for it Kaka-sensei! As your future hokage, I'll pay for our meal!" He enthusiastically stated with courage.
Until his eyes were as big as tires and his jaw dropped. His frog wallet was empty. He scratched the back of his head with a sheepish grin. "Uhh I remembered that I spend all my money on the ramen contest the other day. Hehe."
"He might be the Rokudaime but he's still Konoha's number one idiot." Sakura's eye twitch.
"Of course." Kakashi mentally sighed.
"I read in a book that you should at least have savings in troubles like this." Sai suggested, adding fuel to the fire.
Naruto defended his side as if he was being accused in a crime. "It's not my fault that I wasn't assigned in A or S-rank missions!"
"Maybe that's why you're dickless."
Naruto held up a fist, itching to punch Sai's smile off his face. "Why you-"
Kakashi exhaled as the ruckus continues. He ended up paying their meal after all.
As their noise (specifically Naruto) got louder, Sakura's short temper overflowed as she smacked the two idiots' head.
"Sakura-chan that hurt!" Naruto whined as he rubbed the side of his head.
"People are looking!" She hissed, taking a glance at other people who were simply smiling at them or giving them odd expressions. They should probably be used to the blonde's noise by now.
"It's alright Sakura-chan! I'm gonna be the next hokage, dattebayo!"
That earned him another slap.
"ITE!"
Sakura looked to Sai who just kept quiet with a smile on his face, feeling that he might have something to defend himself as she cocked an eyebrow at him.
"Sorry...?"
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Kakashi was reading his favorite book as they walked. He glanced at his students who were now fighting verbally while defending themselves with their opinions. Somethings never change.
Except for one...
It may be three years since Sasuke's presence was out though they still can't get over that. People may say that Sai is Sasuke's replacement but the team seven members accepted Sai as a new member of the team.
To them, no one can ever replace Uchiha Sasuke in their lives. Despite his criminal actions before, he is still their teammate or student towards Kakashi. Maybe even treated as a son.
If Sai really replaced Sasuke then Kakashi would've taught him the chidori and Sakura would love him instead. Although that didn't happen because they treat Sai as a friend and a new member of team seven. Not Sasuke's replacement.
By the thought of one member of his students Kakashi frown as they bid their good byes and parted ways.
"Don't drain your chakra, Sakura." Kakashi warned his student.
Sakura has always been recklessly wasting her chakra due to the patients in the hospital. She would always put other people at first than her own wants and needs. Protecting the ones she loves and saving countless of lives was her ninja way.
"I'll try not to Kaka-sensei." She smiled sweetly, knowing that she couldn't keep that promise.
"See yah around dattebayo!"
"Ja ne~"
"Bye."
"Later."
Kakashi first dropped by at the cemetery. It was now a habit that he'd pass by the cemetery to visit Obito's Rin's and the Fourth Hokage's graves. Add Gai, Neji, Asuma and Sasuke. He would talk to them through his mind though normally he just stands there and stare at the graves.
As Kakashi entered the cemetery, he spotted a familiar boy crying while standing at his usual standing spot.
It was Naruto.
He was standing at his parents' grave which is near to Sasuke's and Neji's graves.
"Neji, Hinata is my girlfriend now. I promise I'll keep her safe no matter what." He said in tears with a small smile.
At Neji's death, Neji transferred Hinata's care and safety to Naruto in which he promised to fulfill. He wouldn't want to fail one of his closest friends. Besides, Naruto was very blind towards Hinata's love for him until she confessed during the attack of Pein at Konoha. Also in the Fourth Shinobi World War, Hinata would've died to save Naruto if it wasn't for Neji who blocked them both plus when Hinata was in danger, Naruto sensed it like a mind telepathy. In two years of the two's bonds getting stronger, They started dating once Naruto acknowledge his feelings for Hinata and when Naruto had the guts to ask her out which is a year ago.
Naruto sniffed as he was deep in thought. "I did it, I'm going to be a hokage! I wish at least one of you will be here to see it." In that last sentence, Naruto couldn't hold back anymore as he burst into tears and he fell on his knees.
He knew that neither his best friend nor his parents would be there to celebrate the occasion with him, but he wished to at least feel their presence. When he tells Sasuke the new, he dreams that Sasuke would be jealous and he surpassed him. Though a part of him doesn't want to accept being the Rokudaime because he wasn't strong enough to save his friends like Neji and Sasuke.
As for his parents, he hopes that whenever he goes back to his apartment after a certain mission, he wants someone to greet him welcome back and be proud of him like his parents would. Unfortunately in reality, he would just unlock the door, flicker the lights open as he walk inside with no one inside.
That is when Kakashi came. "They will be there." He said with his hands in pockets. "Remember what Sasuke believes in?"
Naruto just waited for Kakashi's response as he sniffed and stared at the grass.
"The stars symbolizes as the people whom you love that isn't here in this world anymore. Just look up and you can feel their presence." By this time, Kakashi was already staring at the stars. "And they will always be here." Kakashi pointed at Naruto's chest, meaning that they will always be in his heart. "Don't ever forget that."
It was one of the reasons why Kakashi lived on despite the deaths of his friends that he passed through that they were guiding him in his journey of life.
Naruto reluctantly wiped his tears off. "Thanks Kaka-sensei." He gave his wide smile and Kakashi just patted his shoulder.
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Naruto was still partly sad with the thought of his parents. He wore a frown up until he reached the door of his apartment. He inserted the key as he twisted the knob to enter the room. He pushed the door widely, enough for him to get in. He turned on the light switch as the brightness in the apartment beamed. He walked to the hallway as he twist to the left and was surprised.
He saw Iruka smiling and standing, holding a cake with 'Congratulations Naruto!' written as the icing. "I bought the cake as soon as I heard the news. Congratulations Naruto for being the next hokage!"
Naruto grinned as tears erupt his eyes. He remembered the time when he came back from the other dimension and Iruka was the one who greeted him when he got back since it was his birthday. (From the movie 'Road to Ninja.')
Naruto blew the flame away from the candle he pulled Iruka to an embrace once he put down the cake. "Thank you, Iruka-sensei! I'll be the best hokage dattebayo!"
Iruka smiled and hugged Naruto back. "I know you will."
Despite the fact that he missed his parents, at least he felt the presence of a parent through Iruka and his heart.
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Three days later, Sakura broke her promise to Kakashi. She had been working hard ever since.
She was on her way to the hospital. Kakashi, Naruto and Sai were on different missions and they left once they finished eating their meals at Ichiraku (In Kakashi and Naruto's case, Kakashi left once they were done talking in the cemetery and Naruto left the next day.) And Sakura has been on duty at the hospital or sparring with one of the Konoha 11, which is now Konoha 9.
While she was strolling, she felt a presence behind her...following her. She would always have gut feelings that someone was following her but she would feel protected like some sort of a guardian angel? If it was a stalker then she would've punch the daylights out of them. But there was no one.
Fast and close like a shadow though she would usually shrug the thought off.
She took a glimpse of her surroundings.
No thing.
No body.
No one.
Just herself.
It has always been like this ever since Sasuke left. The feeling of loneliness. Like she said before, without a certain person she will feel lost and insecure.
With that thought coming into her mind, it made her fell in sorrow with only one person in particular.
And that person was the one and only Uchiha Sasuke.
There isn't a day had passed that she didn't thought of him. Even if she believes that her love is one-sided, it still hurts. That you have feelings for them, but they don't return your love. In her case even though they are separated, despite the fact that Sakura knows he just treats her as a teammate and that he's gone...she can't erase Sasuke in her heart no matter what even how many attempts she tried.
Shaking her head from left to right, she continued her path to the hospital.
After a couple hours, Sakura was drained. Overtime and night shift at the hospital was really tiring since most shinobis would come late at night to treat their wounds after a mission.
She yawned as she signed and checked the papers at her clipboard that was needed to be finished.
"Sakura-san, you may go home. I can handle this shift."
Hearing the woman's voice, Sakura blinked a few times to regain her proper eyesight. "It's alright Shizune-san, I can handle this."
Shizune knew that Sakura wouldn't give up in taking shifts like overtime so she took Sakura's clipboard and help her take off her lab coat. "Go and sleep Sakura, you have a training with Tsunade-sama tomorrow."
Sakura had her eyes shut and wave her hand dismissively towards Shizune. "Yes mother." She walked out of the hospital like a zombie which made Shizune chuckle.
Sakura moved but she didn't know where she was going. She just walked and walked until her legs gave up on her.
Damn why was she really this tired? She's just been into spars, trainings, a lot of overtime in the hospital and missions for the past few weeks. Maybe that was the cause with her chakra all drained.
Sakura stopped to see where she was. She opened her eyes once and noticed that she was at the bench.
The bench where Sasuke left her.
Sakura took a step nearer towards the bench.
Sasuke.
He was always there.
Sakura walked further as her eyes heavily shut.
Sasuke.
He left her.
Sakura was already at the edge of the bench with her eyes sealed and her conciousness slowly leaving.
Sasuke.
He was now gone.
That is when she blacked out at the bench.
END OF CHAPTER 1
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UNEDITED//PUBLISHED.8.5.14.//
*Mate-wait (pronounced as "Ma-teh")
Yes, this chapter kindamaybesorta sucked and a little short because I was just showing on how they're doing after three years at the war.
Thanks for reading :D
~TheSketcher