New Soul (Naruto Various! x Reader)

Ch. 76: Zero Hour! The Destruction of the Hidden Leaf Village Begins!

3rd POV

The song girl is sound asleep, dreaming without a care. In the dark abyss, a distant memory replays in her head.

Flashback...

The night before the final Chunin Exam, y/n strolls up to the Hokage's office with mixed emotions. Half of her wanted to warn the old man but the other did not want to mess with the timeline. She slowly brought her fist up to the door and was about to knock but then paused.

"No, no, this is a bad idea." She whispered to herself before turning her body around.

She walks off down the hallway and around the corner. After a few minutes, she reappears again, marching right up the door. Taking a deep breath, she softly knocks on his office door.

"Come in." She heard his elderly voice.

She slides the door open and steps in to see the ever so busy Sarutobi smoking his pipe and writing his papers.

"Hi." She greeted him meekly.

The Third Hokage stops what he's doing and takes a glance. "Ah, y/n hello. Quite late isn't it? Shouldn't you be at the festival?"

"Yes, it is. I was at the festival but I thought of coming to visit you."

The Hokage smiles a grandfatherly smile. "Well, that's very kind of you. Are you also prepared for the exam tomorrow?"

The songbird bites her lips nervously and taps her fingers together. "Yeah, about that... Gramps, there's something I need to tell you."

He blinks as his happy grin turns into a straight face.

"You see, tomorrow— How do I put this?" She rubs the back of her neck. "There's gonna be—"

"Stop, I'm gonna stop you right there." He told her firmly.

She gazes at him in complete surprise.

"Y/n, I appreciate what you're about to do. But we can't risk it."

The h/c haired girl tries to keep her emotions in, but it's hard for her. "B-but, but what about the village, you're people, and Konohamaru?"

He stands up hearing his bones crack.

Walking around his desk, he moves closer to the girl. "True ninjas are those who have the strength to persevere through even the toughest challenges, and the courage to lay down their lives for the sake of others."

She gazes at him in awe as tears begin to pool in the corner of her e/c eyes. She almost didn't feel his wrinkled hand patting her head.

With a reassuring smile, he tells her, "it's going to be okay."

She stays quiet and starts to breathe shakily with a sniffle. Without thinking, she brings her arms around him in a tight hug and cries into his robe. Feeling him hug her back, she cries even harder. Like losing a family member, she can't stand having a sense of grief within her heart. She also can't stand seeing Konohamaru cry for his grandpa.

"Can I even help you in battle?" Her voice is muffled.

But Sarutobi can hear her clear as day. "I'm sorry child, but I have to do this alone and that's an order."

"Yes sir." She steps back and wipes her tears away with her f/c sleeve.

He sends her one last heartwarming grin with a hint of sadness to it. "It's been a privilege having you live here and become a leaf shinobi y/n."