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Sixth Sense

Chapter Nine

Sixth Sense

June 15, 2008

Naruto walked through the streets of Konoha, hands nestled in the front pocket of his bright orange hoodie. It was still a bit early before he was due to meet Hinata at Ichiraku and the blonde genin had decided to wander a bit. He was always loathe to stay inside his empty apartment and today was no different. As he wandered, he graciously signed autographs and even smiled big for a handful of photos.

After his....friendly chat with his girlfriend's father, unable to return to sleep, he had instead spent the early morning engaged in light training, followed closely with a shower and an hours worth of review for his up coming jonin exam.

He was nervous as hell but determined to pass.

He couldn't let this opportunity slip away. Though Kakashi-sensei had been unable to promote him directly to jonin, the Rokudaime had at least allowed a one time waiver of the chunin exam. The decision had come after deliberation, a month after the end of the war. A compromise to reward his heroism and at the same time, avoid the appearance of favoritism. If he failed, he would be relegated back to the traditional procedure of increasing his rank and would have to apply for chunin before jonin. The response hadn't been what he was hoping for, but it was still more than enough for the determined Uzumaki.

Naruto wasn't too concerned about the how's and why's, he was just psyched for the chance to advance.

Becoming a jonin opened doors previously closed to him.

The position would finally give him the chance to head his own team, instead of being obligated to follow whoever was put in charge. He'd get first hand experience on what it took to lead, to gain confidence in the role of leader. A chance to put everything he had learned to the test.

Solo missions were also something to look forward to, though he was a little apprehensive about that. Most solo missions entailed a measure stealth, quiet intrusion and silent retreats.

Loud and clumsy on the best of days, he was about as stealthy as a giant orange elephant.

It was something he and Hinata planned to work on together. Though she was still a chunin, Hinata had been on several missions specializing in stealth and seemed to excel at them, or so he seemed to think after the stories she had told him about the lone missions she had been assigned during and after his absence with Jiraiya.

Not that he was surprised, she was quiet even when she wasn't trying to be.

With the money he had saved in his bank, he wasn't really that excited about the pay increase that would follow but he was satisfied he would be able to live off of his wages instead of using his savings to supplement the expenses his genin salary didn't quite cover.

After he reached jonin and settled into the position, his Kage studies would begin in earnest and he was looking forward to the daunting task. The amount of work it would take was a bit staggering and he was a bit green around the gills thinking about all the political fodder he was going to have to learn, but otherwise he felt a sort of surreal excitement and anticipation to be getting so close to the dream he had been proclaiming he would achieve as far back as he could remember.

Naruto frowned slightly in thought.

He was beginning to form a deeper understanding of what it took to bear the mantle of Hokage and was finding the title meant more than just being strong enough to protect the village physically. Economic protection was just as important for a healthy village to flourish and thrive.