The Gift of the Moon [Naruto]

Past, Future and Present

Yue's P.O.V:

I looked at the monument of myself (Of the one I used to be? Am?) and almost chocked from all the emotion that overwhelmed me.

I hated this, I hated feeling so weak and helpless. Feeling like that little boy who would go to sleep cold and hungry every night. The boy who never really grew because he never had enough nutrients. The boy who would always be afraid of going to sleep in fear that someone would break in and hurt him.

I hated them all and I hated myself for wanting them to love me. And I was, but It was an empty win. More than half the ninjas alive were dead, so much destruction... and it did not heal any of the wounds left from my childhood. It simply pour salt into the still open wound. How unfair it all was. How unfair it was that he had to fucking win a war to be welcomed as a hero and accepted by all...

That's simply not right.

"Be careful, or you'll start crying and I don't think you'll want to answer why" Itch's voice sounded from next to me.

I was so used to always knowing where everyone was that it shocked me when he appeared out of nowhere. But then again, I was so caught up in my memories that I wasn't paying real attention to my surroundings.

"You are using a genjutsu" I commented when I noticed the technique, ignoring the issue "What for?"

"So, we can talk without worry of someone eavesdropping or reading our lips" he replied "I'm surprised you came to see the monument."

"Really? It's on my honor" I replied, chuckling sarcastically "Why wouldn't I come?"

"I simply thought that now that Yue exists, there's no need for Naruto" he said carelessly, as if that wasn't what's been bothering me since I came back. I did not reply, so he continued "You wanted a clean slate, a new start, without any expectation. To simply be yourself without anyone telling you what to do or who you should be. The Gods gave you that chance... but what you wish is not always what you need."

"I wanted Naruto gone... I thought that if I became Yue all my sadness, anger, hurt would end up buried next to his body. But that did not happen" I sighed, finally letting my exhaustion to show. All I've carried with me during all these years out in the open "But Naruto never died, he lived on through me. I am Naruto, yet I am not. I am not Yue, yet I am... I don't know who I am anymore."

We both stayed quiet after I stopped talking, my eyes never leaving the monument of Kurama & Naruto.

"You are both" Itachi finally broke the silence "You are Naruto and Yue, they are both part you. You cannot forget or ignore Naruto, he is your past. What formed you into the ninja you are today. But there's no future without a past. What you need to find is a balance between both of them. You need to find your present. Don't worry, you are still young, you have time.

"You know I did not lie when I told you I wanted to keep my identity a secret for everyone's safety. I did not come back in time to inflict this horrible memories to the people I love" I confessed "But telling Sasuke would mean admitting that Naruto... that the pathetic little boy wha was so scared and alone was still there, lurking in the shadows."

"I know" Itachi admitted "But he will always be there. He will always be part of you."

"I know" I chuckled, swallowing a sob as tears poured down my cheeks "He wanted to be the Hokage, he wanted the village to accept him... what a fool. That hate only brings trouble with it."

"As the next Hokage I should be telling you to respect the position more" Itachi scolded me, lightly "As Itachi, I agree with you. No one who knows what it truly entails to be a hokage wants the position. Too much paperwork, always looking behind your back, never sure who to trust. It's a nightmare. No wonder Tsunade-sama escaped this fate for decades. No wonder Sarutobi-sama wants to get rid off the hat so fast."

"Get rid off the it?" I asked, now confused "Jii-chan loves being the Hokage. Why would he want to get rid of the hat?"

"He loved being the hokage, not anymore" Itachi corrected me "Sarutobi-sama is getting old, he's getting tired... no, he is tired. Why else do you think he's giving me the position of Hokage as soon as I got back? That's surreal. Still half of the ninja force do not trust me. His plan of trying to repay the Uhciha's for everything that went down during his reign is sloppy. He shouldn't have accepted the hat after your father died, his heart had mellowed down and did not allow him to see the horrors the people under his care were committing" he explained, and I could see what he meant "The position of Hokage is a curse, I am only accepting it because I have a duty to my clan. The fate of the Uhciha's has to change, they need to be treated with the respect and love they deserve. Me being the Hokage is the first step."

"Horrors they committed?" I thought out loud "You have not forgiven them for what they did?"

"I forgave the masses for cursing me and blaming my clan's demise, I as a ninja took a decision and accepted all the responsibilities that came with it" he answered me "But what Danzo did? The Elders? Orochimaru? What the people did to you? No, I never forgave those horrors. I might have given Sarutobi-sama the excuse he needed to retire in peace, feeling less guilty. But I did not forgive them. Him buying such excuse without a second thought is a statement of how tired he is and how desperate he's trying to find a rapid way out."

"So, you want the Hokage's hate to bring change to Konoha's ninja system" I commented, a bit calmer now.

"Yes. Things need to change. Kids joining the Anbu because they have the talent or genin graduating from the Academy without any idea of the dangers lurking outside the village's walls... things like that shouldn't happen" he continued bitterly.

"If someone can do it, it's you" I told him.

"Thank you" he said "About the Sasuke issue, take your time. I know he'll understand."

H amoved to leave but stopped hone I called him out: "Itachi. Word of advice, to defeat the biggest enemy a Hokage has ever faced" he listened attentively, I internally smirked "The biggest counterattack against the fearful paperwork is: Kage Bunshin."

Itachi stand at me for a few seconds, nothing showing on his face, before he threw his head backwards and laughed. I couldn't stop myself and joined him.

And for a moment I thought: Yeah, everything will be all right.