Naruto: Path of Uchiha

Chapter 18: Grief

A week has passed since the passing of the late Hokage. The village of Konoha, which normally is bursting with liveliness, is eerily quiet today, still mourning the death of Hiruzen Sarutobi.

The most affected are his family, the people close to him, and his dear friends.

Naruto, who looked up to the Hokage as a role model, is also grieving; his way of dealing with grief is to stay locked in his room.

'Naruto! Open up! It's been a week already. You know we're here to talk to you', Mikoto, who's been constantly trying to get her son to open up, urges from behind the door.

Everyone has tried to get Naruto to come out: his friends, family, brothers... but all were unsuccessful in doing so.

'That's enough, Naruto. Come out or I will break the door', Sasuke says, wanting his brother to come out immediately.

'Sasuke', Fugaku, who's standing beside Mikoto, warns. 'He will come out when he feels comfortable; it's no use pressuring him', he adds.

'Ugh, he's such a stubborn head', Sasuke grunts.

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Naruto's POV

Hearing my family from outside calling for me hurts. I want to go outside, but I just don't want to at the same time.

I turn my attention toward Kurama. He's the only one I've talked to in the past week.

'I feel empty, Kurama',
'I know, but you have to go out at some point. You don't want to die of hunger, do you?'

I sigh at his response.

'Naruto. Go out. Talk to your family. It will make you feel better',

I guess I should. I stand up and make my way towards the door. But I stop, then sit back down from where I stood.

I hear Kurama groan.

A while later, I hear another knock against my door. It can't be one of my brothers; they don't have the courtesy to knock.

'Naruto, it's me. Please open up',

It's Hinata.

She had been here before with Shikamaru, trying to make me come outside, but my mind was just so out of place then that I couldn't even register their presence.

Hearing her voice, my feet instinctively make their way towards the door, and my hand automatically goes towards the knob, making me unlock the door.

'You're such a simp', is the first thing I hear.

Not from Hinata, of course, but from Sasuke.

'I agree with him',

Hinata makes her way towards me, followed by Sasuke. It seems Shikamaru is here too.

They all embrace me at once.

'Let go; I can't breathe', I say, feeling the hug getting tighter.

Sasuke and Shikamaru let go; Hinata doesn't.

I don't mind.

She then lets go. 'Come on, let's get you something to eat', she says.

'Go shower first; you look awful', Shikamaru says.

I probably do.

'You actually do'

***

I showered and got ready. Looking in the mirror, I realize I finally look presentable.

Mama made me my favorite food after ramen, red bean soup.

I enjoyed it thoroughly, not sparing a single bite.

'So.. you want to talk about it?', Sasuke asks, having noticed that I finished my food.

'Yeah... I just can't accept that he's gone', I say honestly.

'That's alright. It can be hard coming to terms with it; it's normal for it to take a while to sink in', Hinata assures.

I give her a thankful smile.

'I regret not getting the chance to say goodbye to him; maybe if I had remained strong and didn't faint after my fight with Kabuto, then I would have gotten the chance to attend the funeral', I sigh.

'I wasn't close to him like you were, but one thing I can say for sure is that he would've been so proud of you for taking on Kabuto', Sasuke says, patting my back.

'As for missing his funeral, you can visit his grave whenever you want', Shikamaru encourages.

'Thanks guys',

'No need to thank us', Hinata says.

'Yeah, go get some fresh air now', Shikamaru says, pushing me to stand up.

'Mhm, go outside now', Sasuke agrees.

——————————————————————————

As per his friend's demands, Naruto went outside to get some fresh air.

They wanted to tag along, but Naruto insisted he go alone.

Naruto had an objective he had to fulfill.

He sensed the chakra he was aiming for and headed towards it.

'I didn't expect you to be here', he says, spotting the man he was looking for.

'Oh gosh, you surprised me', Jiraiya says, noticing the blonde only when he spoke.

'You're going to invite me to sit down or what?', Naruto asks, pointing towards the space next to the Sanin.

'Oh yeah. Sit down. I just didn't expect you to come see me. I thought you would—', Jiraiya begins to say, but gets interrupted by Naruto.

'You thought I would resent you for Ji-chan's death?', he asks, sitting down next to Jiraiya.

'Yes, and honestly, I wouldn't blame you for it',

'You know, during the first few days, I did. I thought if you had been here in the village, then Ji-chan would be alive right now. But as the days passed, I realized I was wrong. There was no point in blaming you; if I did, I would be stupid and wrong. It would go against my morals', Naruto says. Jiraiya's eyes widened in response.

'I'm surprised every day by your maturity, Naruto', Jiraiya says. 'I wish you were older sometimes, so I could take you for a drink', he adds.

This makes Naruto chuckle.

'Time will fly by; don't worry', he says.

'You removed Sasuke's curse mark?', Naruto asks, suddenly remembering.

'Oh yeah, I did; it was a tough one', he replies.

Jiraiya then puts his hand on the ground behind his back, leaning backwards to look at the sky. 'I just miss him so much; I wish he were here right now',

'Likewise', Naruto agrees.

They both spent the next few hours enjoying the blues of the sky, not bothering to say anything, and finding comfort in the silence.

'The almost new Hokage. You're close with him; that will be fun', Jiraiya says, breaking the silence.

'It will be',

'Wait. You didn't tell me who the new Hokage would be'.

'You will find out soon, Kurama'

***

On his way back home, Naruto crosses paths with Kakashi, Itachi, and the soon-to-be Hokage. The three are heading home, just like Naruto.

'You're finally out of your shell?', Kakashi asks, making Naruto frown and the other two smile.

'Yes Nii-san. I am', he answers.

'It's sensei for you now', Itachi says, referring to Kakashi.

'Huh? Kakashi Nii-san, is Team Seven's sensei now?', Naruto asks, bewildered.

'I am. Any problems?', Kakashi raises his eyebrows.

'Many', Naruto says honestly.

'I know you will miss me, Naruto. But Kakashi is not that bad', the next Hokage in line, or rather, Obito says.

'I am sorry, but I don't agree with you, Hokage-sama', Naruto says, earning chuckles from everyone.

'Are you alright, though, Naruto?', Itachi asks out of the blue.

'Yeah, I talked to my friends, to Jiraiya-sama as well', he answers.

'That's good; you want to ask us something?', Obito questions.

'I actually do. Does... does it ever get easier? Dealing with grief?', Naruto asks, his gaze going over each of his brothers.

'It doesn't', Kakashi says, not bothering to sugarcoat the answer. 'You just have to learn to live with it', he adds.

'He's right', Obito agrees.

Itachi nods in approval.

Just then, they reach their home, the Uchiha compound.

__________________________________

Naruto's POV

The next few weeks passed by in a blink, and somewhere in between took place Obito Nii-san's Hokage ceremony, making him the fifth Hokage at the age of just 18.

Being the humble person he is, he has given me the privilege to call him Nii-san. Perks of being his favorite person.

'Don't be delusional',

I was now heading towards the Hokage office, as I was called for by Nii-san. Sasuke decided to tag along because he was bored.

'Oh Naruto, you're here', Nii-san says as he notices me. 'It seems Sasuke is here too', he adds, not surprised by his presence.

'What did you need me for?', I ask.

'After much delay as much was going on, you, Naruto, are promoted to the rank of Chunin after the Chunin exams', he asks.

It takes a moment for me to register what he is saying.

'Me? Chunin? Why? I thought the exams were cancelled'.

'Dude, don't ask why; just accept it!', Sasuke says, shaking me.

He seems more excited than I am.

'Well, the chunin exams were interrupted. But we had to promote some chunins after all. So after much consideration, you have been promoted',

I was about to protest, but he interrupted me.

'Your fight with Kabuto was remarkable. You showed quick thinking and impressive fighting skills, even without having learned any high-ranking jutsus', he adds.

'That's super cool, Naruto!', Sasuke says, hitting my back.

I wince.

'Chunin and Naruto. They do go well together',

'You may collect your vest. I have much work to do, so you both are dismissed', Nii-san says.

Sasuke grabs my hand and takes me straight to Hinata and Shikamaru to celebrate.

***

It had been a week since I was promoted to Chunin. Mama and Papa were really proud. Kakashi Nii-san and Itachi Nii-san congratulated me by treating me to Ichiraku's. We threw a small party with Hinata and Shikamaru to celebrate as well.

I felt really loved.

Currently, I sit at the Hokage monument, thinking about what I would do without these people by my side. I would probably be really lonely. I would really hate that.

I sensed Jiraiya-sama coming towards me.

'I was looking all over for you. I should've come here first', he says, taking a seat beside me.

'Chunin, eh?', he says, looking towards my new vest.

'Mhm', I answer.

'You're one of the few who became chunin at such a young age', he says. 'Let me treat you to ramen sometime', he adds.

'Thanks for the praise, but you are obviously here for something else. So... what's it?', I suspect.

'You got me', he says, raising both his hands in defeat.

'I want you to take you on a trip', he says.

'For what?', I question.

'We will train on the trip, I will teach you those high-ranking jutsu, then I know you are desperate to learn, and lastly, we will bring back Tsunade Senju', he says.

'Tsunade Senju? The slug princess? Your former teammate?', I ask.

'Yeah, you know your facts. I just feel like since Obito is still young, it would be better to have her in the village. I would obviously go for Intel. She's the best medic I know; it will really help the village', he says.

'You sure it's not because you have a crush on her?',

'I don't accept nor deny',

'He does, doesn't he?'
'He sure does', Kurama agrees.

'As for the trip, I will think about it', I say.

'Yeah, take your time. Talk to your parents and all. You can get back to me',

I nod in agreement.