Naruto:Making Of A Hokage

Unforgettable

Tsunade rubbed the bridge of her nose in annoyance, feeling the beginning of a headache building up. She had a lot of things to think about which was normal but the amount of problems and things that needed her attention had grown rapidly. From foreign affairs to local, it was as if things were stirring up to create something big in a matter of time.
Her current attention was on one of the Sound ninja Naruto's team had captured three years ago. Tayuya of the Sound, one of Orochimaru's most important followers. Her information on the bases, objectives and plans of Orochimaru would greatly help the village but she had refused to speak in all those three years. How she managed to keep quiet after being interrogated so many times she didn't know but, for some reason she decided to finally speak but made personal requests to her, the Hokage.
She wanted freedom and the return of her weapons. It didn't appear to be much but Tsunade couldn't agree to the request. All prisoners were marked with a tattoo that gave away which village had imprisoned them, if she were to get out and into some sort of trouble with some other village then it would be blamed on Konoha. With the current tension between the nations she couldn't allow something like that to happen.
What she could do is give her limited freedom. Don't allow her to leave Konoha, limit the time she spent outside, and have someone follow her around at all times to keep her from attempting anything. Maybe it could go on for a year or a few months depending on her behavior but it would raise another problem. She knew for a fact that nobody would enjoy babysitting a former enemy which could turn into some sort of trouble if they couldn't control themselves. She guessed that the best thing to do would be to assign the mission for a month to ninja that had been leaving the village constantly. It would allow them to rest while keeping their senses sharp.
She was pleased with the idea but couldn't help the negativity going through her mind, "Knowing my rotten luck, this will probably cause problems.
The air reeked of blood as Sasuke's blade fell to the ground. His eye was glazed over as he fell to his knees, stomach churning as he thought back at what he had done.
Killing wasn't something he was unfamiliar with but he had never killed someone so vulnerable. None of his teammates had seen, heard, or even felt him. They were too deep in their sleep and under the assumption that they were safe. The worst part was that he had enjoyed it, it made him feel powerful to just end someone's life so easily.
' Good… Now come.'
The Curse Seal burned against his skin, making him wince. "How are you talking to me?"
' It's not talking… it's hard to explain. Were we to have more time I would explain but there's a group of ninja coming your way.'
Sasuke quickly rose to his feet, picking up his katana as he looked off in the distance.
' Follow my directions and you'll find me.'
He didn't need to be told twice. Sheathing his blade and taking the kunai pouches from his ex-teammates, Sasuke took off. After three years he would be trained by Orochimaru.
Naruto smiled as he made his way to the Hokage Tower. It had been three days since he had fought the Akatsuki and much more since he had gone to Wave. He was glad to be back home even though he had wanted to stay until Gaara woke up but knew that he couldn't stay away from the village for long. Gaara was fine and should wake up without problems, another problem resolved.
' Still though, I wonder why Granny wants to see me…'
His team had arrived to Konoha in the middle of the night, as such they had left a scroll with details on the mission to one of the Hokage's attendants since she was gone for the day. The annoying part of the process was that he had to meet with Tsunade the next morning and go over everything again, sure it didn't seem like a lot of work but he still thought the process was a bit pointless. Couldn't the Hokage just give more power to their assistant and have them do those kinds of things? He dismissed the thought knowing that he wasn't knowledgeable enough to criticize the system.
It wasn't long until Naruto made it to the Hokage's Office, finding Tsunade sitting behind her desk while reading over something. She continued to read for a few moments before looking his way and giving a nod.
"I've read your report… I want to know about the Akatsuki," she went straight to the point.
"Well, I had a feeling that they were responsible for Gaara's disappearance as soon as I heard the news. That's why I moved quickly and found where they had taken him. Kakashi ended up using his ninja hounds to help us," he explained with his arms crossed. "We found them in a cave and made it there before they could extract his Bijuu. I ended up fighting Red Death, now in the Akatsuki, and took her down. The other Akatsuki member, his name is Deidara and he had a slashed Rock headband, ran off since we weren't in shape to fight him."
Tsunade mulled over the events before clearing her throat, speaking in a more professional tone, "You did good Naruto. Not only did you know you were needed and went on a mission before coming home, but you also knew not to be too rash and didn't endanger your teammates' lives."
She rose from her seat and placed a flak jacket on her desk, making Naruto's eyes go wide in disbelief. "Because of your actions the Kazekage was saved, and I grant you the title of Jounin," she handed him the jacket with a grin, amused at his look of shock, "You deserve it Naruto."
"A-Are you really sure?"
"Are you trying to argue against my decision?" Tsunade asked with a raised brow, making Naruto laugh nervously.
"Not at all," he looked down at the jacket with a smile before looking back at Tsunade, "Thank you, I won't let you down."
The Fifth Hokage smiled and sat back down behind her desk, "I know it's sudden but I want you to come by here tomorrow to speak about your new mission. Since you've just come back, I'll be assigning you a mission within the village."
"Understood," Naruto nodded before leaving her office, 'Wait until Ino sees this!'
Night fell on Konoha. A cool air washed over the area, starts twinkled in the clear sky, and the moon shone down on the village. It was the perfect night, Naruto couldn't ask more a more perfect opportunity but it still did nothing to ease his nerves.
The trips to Ichiraku didn't count and the last time they had gone somewhere else for a date was over three years ago. Thinking about that made him feel like a lousy boyfriend.
"Here goes nothing…" Naruto muttered to himself as he knocked on the door. He checked over his appearance one last time, black pants and a presentable white long-sleeve shirt. He had even gone to get his hair cut since his bangs would've made him look messy and they got annoying when he didn't wear his headband. Now his hair resembled the style he had three years ago though a bit longer.
He stiffened as the door opened to reveal a grinning Inoichi, "If it isn't Naruto, how've you been?"
"W-What?"
"Come on in," he pulled the confused teen into his home and led him to his living room where Shikaku and Choza sat, both turning their attention to the blond teen.
Shikaku was the first to speak, a teasing grin on his face, "So, I heard that you and Ino have a thing…"
Naruto looked at the man oddly, "Y-Yeah."
Choza chuckled as he pointed at Inoichi, who had sat near his old teammates, "This guy won't stop talking about you. He might act like a hardass but he's probably the first to approve of you guys."
"I-Idiot! Don't make me look like an idiot," Inoichi glared at the Akimichi, who burst out laughing.
Naruto had never felt more uncomfortable in his life. Something about older man gossiping about him freaked him out. Luckily he saw Miki through the corner of his eye, meaning that he was safe.
"Naruto, you're already here," she smiled before glancing back up the stairway just outside the living room, "Ino should be here any moment. Please, seat while you wait for her."
"Thanks you for your hospitality," Naruto smiled politely, though he had hoped she would have told him to wait outside or somewhere away from the three man. He wasn't stupid, he knew they had drank and would be asking him horribly embarrassing questions soon. Jiraiya had done the same on several occasions.
"So Naruto…" Choza began while giving Inoichi a grin. Something about the grin made Naruto freeze, he didn't need to read his mind to know what he would be asking.
"Sorry it took me a bit to get ready," came a voice from behind him.
Naruto had never been more relieved to hear Ino's voice. A smile etched on his face as he rose from his seat and turned to face her. He's body instantly froze as his heartbeat increased, he swallowed a lump as he took in Ino's appearance, dressed in a simple black spaghetti strap dress with a red sash. He didn't know why but he was completely at a loss of words, stunned by the way the dress seemed to bring out every feature in her body.
"Hey, stop staring at my daughter with those eyes!" Inoichi exclaimed with a bit of a slur.
Naruto tore his gaze away from Ino and looked away with a blush, Ino doing the same as the attention was on them.
"You've had enough to drink and are bothering everyone," Miki scolded her husband as she pulled him off the couch and dragged him away, "We're going to bed, let your daughter have fun."
"B-But!"
"We'll get going too, we have more sense than to interrupt a young couple," Shikaku grinned as he and Choza left the Yamanaka's home, leaving Naruto and Ino alone.
Naruto shyly turned his gaze back to Ino and gave her a small smile, a blush on his cheeks, "You look beautiful."
She blushed at the sudden comment before approaching her boyfriend and grasping one of his hands, "And you look really handsome."
He gave her hand a gentle squeeze before leading her out the door, "Come on, let's get going."
The young couple walked along the village hand in hand, enjoying each other's company. Ino, wanting to be closer, latched onto his arm and rested her head on his shoulder, sighing contently.
"Thank you for a wonderful date," she spoke tenderly, her voice carrying what she felt for him.
Naruto smiled down at her and rested his head against hers, "I promised you back at Tanzaku that we would go somewhere, just the two of us. And as long as I get to be with you, I don't care where we go."
She smiled as she tightened her hold on his arm, a blush suddenly tinting her cheeks, "Do you remember what you told me when you were leaving the village back then?" She felt him tense up, her blush deepening, "Can you say it again?"
Naruto's face was a deep shade of red, "I…" He swallowed, trying to calm his beating heart before speaking, "I love you."
Ino smiled widely, a giggle escaping her lips as she pulled away from his arm only to move in front of him and throwing herself at him, wrapping both arms around him and burying her face on his neck. His arms wrapped around her as he took in every second of the moment.
"I love you too," she responded after a brief silence. She pulled her face away from his neck and stared into his eyes, "So much."
The two kissed under the moonlight, conveying their feelings in the gesture and trying to pull the other closer. Naruto's heart beat wildly against his chest as his hands roamed Ino's curves, though he kept himself from anywhere he shouldn't, the last thing he wanted was to offend her in any way and ruin their great evening. The two broke away from the kiss, Ino resting her chin on his shoulders, her breath tickling his ear.
"Hey Naruto…"
Her voice against his ear made him shudder involuntarily, stirring things deep inside of him.
There was a long pause, as if Ino was thinking something over. He grew a bit curious but before he could voice it, he heard her speak.
"My parents went to sleep… they get up pretty late…"
Both teens flushed, cheeks a deep shade of red as they felt each other's heart beat loudly against their chest.
"I… want to stay with you tonight."