𝐃𝐢𝐞 𝐀𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐃𝐚𝐲||𝐁𝐘 𝐓𝐑𝐔𝐄𝐕𝐎𝐃||

Chapter 14:A New Hope

"Kill. Murder. Destroy. Definistrate."

"Naruto," Mikoto sighed patiently as she nursed a hungry Itachi at her breast, "That last one wasn't a word, you know."

It took everything she had and more to restrain a grim smile as Naruto bustled past her, muttering crossly aloud as if he had only one focus in the world; wreaking havoc on those who had struck at the village. His reply certainly lent credit to that.

"Then I'll-a-make it one!"

"Wait. Can he do that?" Mei asked, looking up from the paperwork she was filing, green eyes flecked with concern. Initially she'd been more than a little wary of staying with this disorganized band of rogues until proper housing arrangements were contrived. But thus far, she had to admit, it didn't lack for entertainment.

"With all the influence he has now?" Pakura scoffed. "They'd name the bloody village after him if he asked!"

"I'm sure they wouldn't." Karura didn't even deign to look up from her meal. Odd. She'd had the strangest cravings lately...

"Right," Hoshi frowned. "Speaking of asking...!"

Slowly and painfully, her pale, benevolent gaze swiveled to him and Mikoto, brimming with an oh-so subtle aura of menace in place of her normally staid confidence. "It seems someone got a heard start when we weren't looking...!" Danger! Danger! Yandere alert! Ah, such was the price of caring for so many people, he'd learned a great many things about the beauties who surrounded him. Key amongst them; some did not take challenges to this strange little relationship kindly. Even if that challenge was something as unexpected as having a son...

"I hope so." Kushina's smile remained fixed in place from where she lounged on the couch, quietly combing a twitchy Yoruichi's hair, but the eerie aura of doom didn't abate, still leaking from her like a cracked sieve. "Otherwise, we won't be held responsible for what happens...

"You're not helping!"

Naruto swore and resumed his furious pace back and forth in the den room, hands clenched behind his back, trying not to unleash Susano'o and level the entire village. Distantly, he felt the warm hearth of the fire against his back, a balm to the otherwise immutable chills racing up and down his spine. He wasn't ill mind you, far from it, he'd never been more hale and healthy. The medics told him his wounds had healed at a ridiculous rate -no surprise there!- and he would be back in fighting shape in no time at all.

Try telling that to the terror gripping him, however, and it would have laughed.

A cold, frigid rope of dread had tied itself into painful knots in his gut ever since he'd slain Fugaku last night. 'Now...you know pain.' Those words rang in his mind, even now. Because it wasn't over. It wasn't. It was only beginning. Madara was lashing out at him now, actively seeking to interfere in what he was doing.

No sleep, no rest, he hadn't even eaten.

Every waking moment had been spent making sure others were already, clearing away the debris with his powers, hoisting this beam, helping Nawaki begin the reconstruction. Reassuring civilians and townsfolk alike that no, they weren't being invaded, no, Iwa hadn't struck at them; it was relentless. An endless series of shapes and blurs an' sounds that had long since ceased to have any proper purpose.

That wasn't even the crux of the matter!

In a matter of hours his stellar reputation in the village had gone from legendary to outright worship, and that bothered him immensely. For the life of him, he couldn't figure out what to do about it. Oh, he may have saved the village, may have driven off and subsequently slain the one responsible, but he still felt the guilt for the destruction that'd been caused most keenly. He had brought with him a horde of refugees and new shinobi that not only required food and shelter in a now damaged village, but needed to be integrated as well...