A New Dawn
A New Dawn
Ten Years Ago…
The Fourth Ninja War raged across the land. Destruction and disaster spread across the earth like a poison in the body, and stretched even to the most secluded parts of the Five Shinobi Nations. The whole Ninja world trembled under the pressure of losing their free will.
At the Hokage Summit, the five major nations, Konohagakure, Kirigakure, Sunagakure, Kumogakure and Iwagakure took arms together. The forces of the Shinobi Alliance banded together to stop the great threat of the evil Madura Uchiha and his attempts to create a new ninja world.
It wasn't long before the great Madara was betrayed by the first original great evil, who first unleashed the dark shroud of Sin upon the human race. Her name was Kaguya Otsutsuki, mother of the Sage of Six Paths.
Two warriors…each embodying the forces of Yin and Yang, were chosen to fight the forces of this great darkness.
Breaking the generations-long feud between both their families, they banded together to combine their strengths and rid the world of Shinobi of all evil…
~Ten Years Later-Konohagakure~
The howl of the northern winds were righteous.
Destiny had taken its' course and was finally reaching it's endpoint in the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Any man who felt its power understood what this day in history finally meant, not only to the land of fire, but to the world of ninja as a whole. A hawk flew high over the village, its vision focused heavily on the conundrum happening below. It finally stopped and perched itself on the arm of a masked man who sat and watched from the balcony of his old home.
People were lined up, and thousands of them.
Almost every person hoisted a headband on their forehead, with the traditional leaf village symbol on it. Some wore green vests and came in all different shapes and sizes. Children, the elderly, women, and Shinobi alike gathered on either side of the long dirt paths leading up to a big building with a red roof. Behind that building was a small mountain that overlooked the city, which had five stone formation faces on it.
The one farthest to the left was a man with long, straight hair; the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, who had founded the village. Next to him was an armored-faced man with wild spiky hair; the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, who was responsible for establishing many of the systems Konohagakure now used today such as the ANBU, police force, and the Ninja Academy. The middle figure was an older looking man with a long pointy beard; the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was the longest living Hokage and was responsible for raising many of the splendid ninja who emerged from the village.
The fourth face was a young man's face, with spiky hair. He was the fourth Hokage; Minato Namikaze; who saved the village from a tailed beast many years in the past. He was one of the greatest ninja to ever come from the village. Finally, the last bust was a sole woman. She had a diamond carved into her head and was named Lady Tsunade, who was the world's greatest medical ninja. Tsunade was the fifth Hokage. These were the great leaders of the village hidden in the leaves throughout history.
The people laid roses and flower petals all over the ground, while children blew into little plastic horns. Signs hung from balconies and windows which read, "Welcome the dawn of a new era" on each one. Confetti and paper streamers flew through the air and music could be heard. The masked man, who's right eye alone was uncovered, could only feel one emotion. Joy.
As he reclined in his chair, he gently stroked the back of his pet's neck and smiled underneath the mask. "Quite a sight huh, my old friend?" He asked it. "It almost feels like I'm in a dream…" He looked into the plain air as the great winds waved his grey hair from side to side. He sat completely relaxed, as any man would after his time in service ended. The man had seen a lot of violence, the things that had shaped him into what he was. The only thing he had the energy to do nowadays was sit back and reminisce on his younger days, even though he wasn't terribly old. He found it funny that a man in his middle age, considered himself "old." But he knew that that was what the life as a Shinobi did to people. What a man would experience at the age of 10 as a Shinobi would be enough to cause a grown regular citizen to go mad.
It wasn't until a loud blast of ceremonial horns sounded, that the man snapped out of his trance and turned his attention down to the main road. A giant white convoy, carried on both sides by men wearing leaf village vests, eased its way up to road toward the Hokage tower. Thunderous applause accompanied the arrival of it. People cheered hysterically, some even shedding tears. Love exuded from the whole village, something which the world had been lacking since the Fourth Great War. The man stood and applauded heartily and the big bird flapped itself onto the balcony ledge from the masked man's lap.
"Finally… The times have caught up with me." The legendary ninja said to himself with a slight chuckle.
Gentle hands suddenly messaged his shoulders. "...I had to go downstairs and just take it all in. It's such a splendid ceremony." moaned a soft voice from behind him. The man turned his head around slowly. A beautiful women with long brown hair smiled warmly back at him. The man smiled back at her, "…Splendid is an understatement...Look how far we've come." He stood from his chair to face her.
She embraced her husband, and rested her head on his chest. "It finally looks as if the old Hatake Kakashi can finally settle down."
"…Possibly. There's no other place I'd rather be, Ayame."
He gently stroked her hair. "I'm happy..."
"So am I, Kakashi." She responded.
~Hokage Tower-Konohagakure~
An old woman sat on the head chair in the Hokage tower. She rubbed her chin as her face stayed completely still. Her eyebrows furrowed intensely, and she sat deep in thought. Her vacant hand that wasn't rubbing her chin was tapping on the desk in a fixed rhythm, although it was doubtful that she was very aware of the rhythmic tune at all. The old woman had blonde hair, and was an older looking version of the fifth stone head on the Hokage memorial tower. The name-tag sitting on her desk read, "Godaime Hokage: Lady Tsunade."
Inside the room sat two other women. One of them had black short hair, and wore a pair of glasses. Beside her sat a fat boar, sitting rather docile with no agitation whatsoever. The other woman was younger than the two others. She was very pretty with lovely emerald eyes, and bright pink hair. They were the apprentices of Lady Tsunade, both being acclaimed medical ninja like herself.
"Shizune…Sakura…" uttered the Hokage, breaking the long uncomfortable silence in the air. She continued to stare at her desk.
The two apprentices turned their attention to her, almost with the same amount of exasperation. "Yes, lady Tsunade?" they both blurted out simultaneously.
She glanced at both of them with her two fierce eyes. "…I was extremely skeptical about this decision at first but…" Tsunade started, voice in a monotone. "…I remembered the bond between the two of those boys..."
Sakura let out a subtle smile, seeing that Tsunade had finally warmed up to the decision that took ten years to decide. "I think that you're making the right decision, Lady Tsunade. Don't forget what was suggested to you…" She advised. Shizune nodded in agreement.
Tsunade nodded in acknowledgement, and swallowed her spit. "Never In a million years would I thought this guy, of all people, would be my successor..."
Suddenly there was a knocking at the door directly across from the Hokage chair. The three jumped a little bit and turned their attention to it. Tsunade closed her eyes and she took a very deep inhale, and then followed by a long exhale. Afterward, she opened her eyes slowly, and took a final look out from the window. She looked at her people. Descendants of the famous clans representing the leaf village filled the crowds. "It's time." She said with a smirk. "Come in!"
The door opened slowly.
The man took two steps into the room, and then stood in the dead center. His hands were at his side, and his stern, thin lips, sat clenched like a stone. Tsunade looked him dead in the eyes. The man looked back at her with the same sharp focus. However, there was no hatred in either of their eyes. Nothing struck Tsunade as threatening, no matter how much she tried to deny it to herself. All she could really see was a man who had washed himself clean of all prior demons. His raven black hair and his strong jawline made him look as noble as possible.
"Spread your arms." Tsunade said as she stood up.
The man complied with the order and spread his arms out wide to either side of him. Tsunade motioned to Shizune, and pointed to a closet in one corner of the room. Shizune nodded, and walked over to the corner and opened the door. Out of the closet she pulled white robes, with flame accents at the bottom; the Hokage suit, along with a large sun hat with the same design.
Tsunade looked back at him. "The Will of Fire was entrusted to you as a child and you rejected it..."
The man's face stayed stoic and straight.
"You are the sole cause of much of the turmoil our village had to endure...and in my eyes, your loyalty to this village is still highly questionable!" She clenched her teeth and balled up her fist.
Sakura and Shizune looked at the scene, both knew that they couldn't enter the fray just yet.
"However..." Said Tsunade, closing her eyes. "...You are still qualified to accept this offer as my successor. I've had my doubts about you, and the only reason why you're here in this office right now is because I respect the opinion of a dear friend of mine. Do you understand that?" She said. Her tone was sharp and elegantly fierce. The woman looked back up to him.
The man nodded, "I understand." He simply replied, answering with a subtle smirk.
Tsunade sighed one last time."Sasuke Uchiha..." She said.
"…You have been selected to be the Sixth Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village."
~That Evening~
The sun was setting, and the reddish sun was sinking behind the heads of the five stone Hokage faces. Sasuke Uchiha, still wrapped in robes and wearing the over-sized hat from that morning, looked out upon his village. The village he was born in, the village he had experienced his first feelings of loss in, the village he sought to destroy once, and ultimately, the village he ended up saving.
The Uchiha clansmen had conflicting feelings about this place called the hidden leaf throughout his life. The only issue for him now was how to feel about everything at this particular moment. It was only nine years ago that he had risked his life to save the whole world and fought alongside some of these people. He had such hatred for everyone at one point and realized that his hate would only drag him deeper into despair. Giving up that mentality was a hard thing for Sasuke to do.
Shikamaru Nara had turned down the job a few months prior, and it turned out a special someone had recommended him for the honorable duty. Virtually everyone knew who it was, Sasuke included, however this man's name had been so tied to folklore, nobody felt comfortable addressing him as if he was just some other leaf shinobi. Sasuke knew that his friend's act of peace had officially ended the longtime feud between the Uchiha and Senju clans. This conclusion is what helped Sasuke realize what his role would be. He had been forgiven by the village and its people, but he had not forgiven himself.
"Well, well, don't you look spiffy in that Orange and white Sasuke!" A voice blurted from behind out of nowhere.
Sasuke immediately smiled and let out a slight chuckle. "Speak of the devil." He thought. "I'm more of a blue-black person…but I could definitely get used to this." He turned around slowly.
There he stood. The man with the fox whiskers and hair that could pass off as a Super Saiyan's. His clinched eyelids covered his deep blue eyes, but below his flaring nose was a wide array of sharp teeth. "My pops definitely had some style didn't he? I swear Hokages get the best gear for free!" said Naruto Uzumaki, the great sage of Yang. He had many names across the globe, but anyone would be just fine for him. He carried a long stick in his hand, and wore nothing but an orange shirt and some long blue pants that stopped right above his ankles.
"Hah." Sasuke uttered. "I don't think I need any more merchandise that reminds me of your ass at all times of the day."
"It's ok to love me Sausy! I love you too buddy boy!" Naruto said laughing heartily.
Sasuke wiped some sweatbeads off of his forehead. "Shut up. You can't still be a complete idiot before leaving on your little escapade, can you?"
"I'm just joking with you." Naruto said wrapping his arm around his friend's neck, "...I can't have a little fun? I guess I just feel relaxed haha."
Sasuke looked at him with a slight bit of confusion. "Relaxed? I just don't understand how you could be so calm. I mean after all, your trip is –"
Naruto cut him off. "Yea, yea, yea! 'Completely vital to the safety of the Ninja world and future generations…yada, yada."
"If I were you I'd take this more seriously, Naruto..." Sasuke replied, after a sigh.
"...Well, you take everything too seriously! That's how it's always been." Naruto replied jubilantly. "Pervy-sage always used to tell me to enjoy myself especially when the task seems too challenging."
Sasuke smirked, "...So you're nervous then?"
"Nervous?" Naruto replied raising an eyebrow.
Sasuke replied with a simple nod, "...You can't change everybody in this world." He said.
Naruto stopped and pondered a bit about Sasuke's comment, he rubbed his chin and looked up into the sky. "Well...see Sasuke..If there's anything else pervy-sage thought me when I was younger, it was that we all have the potential to help someone tap into places they've never been…whether mentally or physically. I guessed I learned that rather naturally without even consciously thinking about it." He said with a chuckle.
Sasuke listened closer.
"...However…I'm no longer worried about saving people anymore, Sasuke…" He turned away from his friend. "…That's something that we did that together, you and I. Now, it's all about showing people what type of place this earth can be if we all find the guts to journey into that unknown place inside ourselves." He said with a smile. "Finding that untapped potential…you know what I mean?"
Sasuke looked at him. "…I see…" He responded.
Naruto stuck a finger up. "...And finding that potential can only be by choice... So in a way, there's no way I can 'fail' this one...I trust that you'll keep my home in good hands..?" Naruto responded, putting his warm hand on Sasuke's shoulder now. "You know…I used to have such big dreams of becoming Hokage…"
Sasuke chuckled a bit. "Yes…I'm aware."
Naruto looked up at him. "But…a hokage's real responsibility is to make the decisions that are best for his people right?"
"True."
"...So I guess by putting it in your hands…I've reached my own level of 'Hokage' too then."
Naruto stuck out his pinky. Sasuke looked at it for a second in slight confusion, and then looked back up at Naruto. The former Jinchuuriki said nothing, just gazed at him in return. Sasuke then caught the message and smiled, sticking his pinky out and connecting it to Naruto's own outstretched finger.
"Good Luck." They both said to each other at the same time.
As Naruto walked off up the path leading toward the exit of the village, Sasuke watched him. The back of his old dingy shirt showed the swirl of the Uzumaki Clan. He knew that Naruto had saved not only humanity along with Sasuke, but Sasuke's life as well. Sasuke now understood Gaara. He understood Haku. He understood now why everyone changed their being after coming into contact with Naruto.
He realized that the man named Naruto Uzumaki wasn't any one being. Naruto Uzumaki was the light that united the ninja world. His pilgrimage would be to an unknown destination, and Sasuke couldn't have the slightest Idea of when he'd return. However, he knew what his friend was doing would be for the good of many across the earth.
Sasuke blinked and something very peculiar happened.
As Naruto walked, his modest rags started to look like rich elegant robes. His walking stick became a gallant staff with a circular blade at the end. Six spheres of light circled around on his back.
Sasuke then rubbed his eyes once more and saw nothing peculiar about Naruto this time. Same orange shirt, and blue pants hanging down to his ankles.
"…Strange…very strange..."
~The man who walked the path of darkness now basks in the glow of a New Dawn~
~The child of prophecy embarks to lands unknown~
~A page of History has turned~
