Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Leaf in the Desert ❯ Chapter 22

Chapter 22

 

Gaara and Naruto stood in the now-empty Kazekage's office, Safaia and Sora having taken Haru to his private quarters to try and wake him up.

 

“Sorry about that, Gaara,” Naruto said quietly, his voice oddly serious. “I wanted to deliver the good news first.”

 

The red-headed man nodded. “I understand- and am grateful. While I am not pleased to know that my seventeen-year-old son is a father, I must confess that he did choose a fine woman.”

 

“The Hyuuga clan is one of the most powerful in Konoha,” Naruto agreed. His face grew even more grim. “Stubborn and close-minded… but powerful.”

 

Gaara turned toward his old friend. “There is trouble?”

 

A moment of silence passed. “Neji… has given Gin a choice.”

 

“A choice? About what?”

 

He took a deep breath. “Gin can either give up her daughter to another family to raise… or Neji will disown her.”

 

Gaara growled. “That Hyuuga bastard. Never did trust him.”

 

“That's part of the reason I knew I had to hurry to meet with you. Gin's starting to falter.” Naruto's blue eyes met Gaara's aquamarine ones. “Tenten is dead.”

 

Grief appeared in the other man's eyes. “…How?”

 

“Failed assassination mission. Sasuke and Kiba were seriously injured, but they're still alive.” Naruto turned away to look out the window of the office. “Because she has lost her mother, and with Neji sent out a couple weeks ago on his own mission, Gin is starting to think about giving `Bara away.”

 

“No.” Gaara slammed his free hand on his son's desk. “My granddaughter will come here. If Gin Hyuuga does not want her, then we will take her. Haru would not allow his child to be given to someone else.”

 

“Indeed not.”

 

The two older men turned to see Haru, dressed in full Kazekage robes, walk into the office. “Gin said she… does not want my child?” he asked Naruto hesitantly.

 

“She wants to keep `Bara,” Naruto explained, “but Neji gave her an ultimatum. If she keeps the baby, Neji has told her she would no longer be a Hyuuga- and as such, would be cast out from their home.”

 

“Fine.”

 

Both men blinked. “Haru?” Gaara murmured, concerned.

 

“Tell her to keep Shirabara… and she will come here when this war is over. Her home will be with me- as my wife and mother to our child. She will not need the name of Hyuuga any longer.”

 

Naruto got all weepy. “Damn you, Haru,” he sniffled. “You went and made me cry.”

 

Gaara slapped him upside the head. “Knock it off. I know there is more to what is going on in Konoha than just this.”

 

A few moments of silence went by.

 

“I'm ending this, Gaara.”

 

Gaara gave his friend a skeptical look. “Ending the war? How? We have been trying for over a year to end it.”

 

Naruto's expression was more serious- and more grave- than Gaara had ever seen it, in their entire 28 year friendship.

 

“You need to bring all your squads back to Suna and hide them. Secure everyone in your civilian bunkers, as far away from the battle as possible.”

 

The two Kazekages exchanged a confused look. “You are asking us to retreat?” Haru asked.

 

“I'm intending to wipe out the entire Iwa army- and Kanaye with them.” The smile he gave them was familiar, but infinitely sadder. “At the cost of my own life.”

 

“WHAT?” Gaara grabbed Naruto by the shoulders. “You cannot! You are the Hokage-!”

 

“Which is why I must do this.” Naruto placed his hand on Gaara's arm. “Too many of my friends have died already. Fuzzy-brows was taken out while trying to stop the first wave of Iwa shinobi.” He paused. “He was the first of our closest friends to fall.”

 

“Rock Lee?” Gaara's expression grew pained. Memories flooded his mind. “It is hard to believe… that someone that fast could have been killed by any ordinary means.”

 

“Then Chouji and his squad were annihilated in an ambush while trying to protect a village of civilians…”

 

Haru crossed his arms, his face growing somber. “That is how Uncle Kankuro and Aunt Niira were killed.”

 

Naruto's eyes met Gaara's. “Hinata and her daughter were killed in a bombing of the civilian section in Konoha. Hinata's son Hige might be permanently crippled. Now with Tenten dead…” He shuddered and looked away. “I don't want to see any more of my friends die.”

 

Gaara gazed out the window. “We can send everyone to the shelters,” he said quietly, “but that will leave Suna open to invasion.”

 

Naruto hung his head. “I know. But I will work as quickly as I can. Konoha will be doing the same thing- so no one from our villages gets caught in the crossfire.”

 

Haru and Gaara both nodded. “Very well.”

 

Naruto looked at his old friend- who was shocked to see tears in the Hokage's bright blue eyes.

 

“We've been through a lot, you and me,” he murmured, his voice cracking. “When Sasuke left… you were there to fill the void he had ripped out of me. We understood each other's pain of being feared and loathed by the others in our villages while we were growing up. No one… has ever done so much for me. You are… my very best friend, Gaara.” He wiped one of his eyes and pulled the sand-master into a brotherly hug. “I only hope… that you won't forget about me.”

 

Gaara allowed himself to be embraced, going so far as to return the hug to his oldest- and first- friend. He knew this… was goodbye. “No one will ever forget you, baka,” he replied, his own voice hoarse. He pulled away and tried to smile but failed. “You are the great Naruto Uzumaki, right?”

 

Naruto gave Gaara a thumbs-up and his famous cheesy grin, marred only by the tears that had slipped down his whiskered cheeks. “Believe it!”

 

POOF!

 

Haru and Gaara stared for a moment at the cloud of smoke left behind. The young Kazekage was the first to speak.

 

“A shadow clone?”

 

Gaara wiped his cheeks, noticing how moist they had become. “Typical Naruto. Shadow clone master to the end.”

 

They never noticed the figure who had been listening at the door to the office walk away down the corridor.

 

--------------------

 

Kohaku walked into the Hokage's office, his face grim. “You sure you want to do this, Dad?”

 

Naruto heaved a world-weary sigh. “I have to. I can't let anyone else die.”

 

“Grandfather would have your ass if he had lived,” Kohaku pointed out.

 

The blonde man chuckled. “I know. All his sacrifice for squat.” He lifted an eyebrow at his son. “I'll bet the first thing he does when he sees me for the first time in 43 years is kick my ass.”

 

“Hell, I want to kick your ass, and I'm not even dead yet.”

 

“Point taken.” Naruto scratched the back of his head. “Is everything ready?”

 

“The last of the squads are arriving back in Konoha as we speak, and Konohamaru and Moegi are leading everyone into the deepest of the shelters.”

 

“And… your mother?”

 

Kohaku scowled. “Mom wants to kick your ass too.”

 

Naruto grinned. “Some things never change.”

 

Silence loomed over father and son. Naruto eyed the orange-haired man. “You made the arrangements for Gin and her child to be escorted to Suna as soon as this mess is over?”

 

“Of course.” Kohaku shook his head. “Can't believe that Haru's a dad already. He's a year younger than me.”

 

A particularly lecherous grin appeared on Naruto's face. “Guess that means that you and Aikou need to step it up a notch, eh boy?”

 

“Shut up, old man!”

 

Aikou took that moment to poke her red head into the room. “Am I interrupting something?”

 

Naruto kept the perverted grin as Kohaku turned and pushed her out of the room, his face bright red. “No! Let's get out of here and leave this hentai old geezer to his fate.”

 

Naruto chucked as he heard Aikou's voice grow fainter. “Hentai?”

 

He stood up and walked to the window, looking out much as he had for the past twenty years. He loved this village. He loved the people who lived here. Regardless of how painful and lonely his youth had originally been, his friends kept him going throughout the years, gave him a reason to keep trying. A reason to never give up.

 

And now… he was the Sixth Hokage.

 

He sighed and glanced at the paperwork sealed on his desk. If all went well, the elders would approve of his choice of Seventh Hokage. If they didn't…

 

He snorted. They wouldn't dare argue with him. He'd let Sakura kick the crap out of them for him.

 

Once more he looked out the window before turning away and leaving his office- for the last time.

 

Goodbye… Konoha.

 

-------------------

 

“Where are we going, Uzumaki?”

 

Kohaku growled. “Will you for once call me by my first name?”

 

“Why?”

 

He pulled her into his bedroom and closed the door behind her. She stared at him in confusion. “Because you're my girlfriend- and when two people are dating, they don't call each other by their last names!”

 

She tilted her head and regarded him curiously. “I suppose that makes marginal sense. I certainly do not have a last name, so you are required to call me Aikou.”

 

“I ain't gonna call you `Of-the-Desert'!”

 

Aikou tapped her lips with a finger. “You still have not explained why we are in your sleeping quarters… Kohaku.”

 

A shiver went down his spine and he took two steps closer to her… and froze. Patience, boy. “My dad… he's going out to end the war.”

 

Her ice blue eyes widened. “He is? How?”

 

“He's… going to sacrifice himself. To save Konoha- and Suna.”

 

Aikou sat down on the edge of the bed, stunned. “Naruto Hokage… is going to die?”

 

“Probably me as well.”

 

She turned her head toward him so fast he could've sworn he heard her neck snap. “You?”

 

“I'm the only one who can… help him,” he explained lamely. “There's a good chance I'll die too.”

 

Her eyes narrowed. “So you wish to do with me what my brother did with the Hyuuga girl before their mission to rescue us.”

 

He blanched. “That'd be nice, yeah,” he confessed, “but no. All I want from you… is a kiss.”

 

Aikou blinked. “A… kiss?”

 

Kohaku nodded slowly. “The only times I've been able to kiss you… I usually end up getting knocked unconscious into a wall somewhere.” He turned and looked at her, his face serious. “I want to be able to kiss you, as a man does with the woman he…” He trailed off and looked away.

 

“…Hmm? Go on… A woman he what?”

 

Slowly, he lifted his hand and brought it to her cheek, brushing his palm against her soft skin. His blue eyes were tender, sincere, and full of emotion he would only show to her.

 

“As a man does… with the woman he loves.”

 

Her eyes flew wide as he lowered his lips to hers, kissing her ever-so lightly, as if afraid she might hit him again. After that brief touching, he pulled back, holding his breath to see if her fist (or her sand) would end up in his face.

 

Instead, she was staring at him rather stupidly. “You… love… me?”

 

“I told you that over a year ago,” he reminded her. “When you first hit me. I've always loved you- it's just you who needed the convincing.”

 

She looked at her lap for a long time. Kohaku was afraid to move, certain he had said the wrong thing.

 

“Kohaku…”

 

His heart skipped a beat. Should he jump up and run? “…Yeah?”

 

“Kohaku…”

 

“Aikou?”

 

She lifted her head and he saw, with great surprise, that she was crying- and smiling. “Kohaku?”

 

“Are you going to hit me again?”

 

Aikou sniffled. “I will not… but only if you… kiss me again.”

 

He blinked. Hope flared in his chest. “…Kiss you?”

 

“Like you did… when you first took me for ramen.”

 

Kohaku happily obliged.

 

And in the hallway, walking away from the young man's door, drifted a smiling Hokage.