Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Yondaime: The Strength of a Nation ❯ Chapter 1: Casting a Strong Shadow ( Chapter 1 )

A note: I don't own Naruto. If you wish to argue about that, email me. I'll prove it to you :-P

 

Well mediaminer, I suppose I should introduce myself. I've been doing this fanfic thing for approximately 2 years on ff.net, and I recently discovered the existence of this site. As such, I'm moving my work over here to get more readers...hopefully you all like this one as much as the other site did.

 

Anyway, if the name didn't give it away, this is a fairly long fic about the Fourth Hokage's time on the throne, and the conflict with Kyuubi. I'm still toying with the idea of putting some of my own theories into this fic…but those don't come up for a while so we'll see. Until then, enjoy the fic and please R&R! This was my first fanfic and I'm still writing on it as we speak. I would love to get some feedback!

 

Note: This is an updated version...my first one contained parts where it was unclear who was speaking at times. I've tried my best to make it clear now.

 

LEGEND:

 

Narration

 

Thought

 

“Talking”

 

“Stressing a point”

 

“Stressing a word” (with or without quotes)

 

On with the show!

 

Yondaime: The Strength of a Nation

Chapter 1: Casting a Strong Shadow

 

Unbelievable. Who would have ever thought? Tomorrow, I will wake up in the morning, look in the mirror, and see a shadow.

 

It was blatantly obvious to any random bystander that this young man was excited about something. Despite that, very few of those around him actually knew what had him so excited. It had only been an hour since he himself had found out. Now, here he was, at the steps of the front offices of Hidden Leaf Village. The boy walked carefully, taking each step slowly - seemingly savoring the moment. As he did, the jounin guards of the establishment turned and watched, bowing to him lightly and smiling as he passed.

 

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For Sarutobi, it was an up-and-down day. On one hand, he had made a decision that had been haunting him for weeks…at least that much was done. On the other hand, he knew what all that entailed, and the consequences of it. His eyes looked over the sheet of paper in his hand once again…but his mind was elsewhere. Sarutobi leaned back in his chair, considering how right the decision he made was. He chuckled, tugging on his gray goatee in thought. I know better than to second-guess these things…I'm forgetting my own lessons. Poor me…I'm nothing more than an old -baasan now. Still, the paperwork needed finishing, and then…

 

A knock at the door interrupted his thought process. Clearing his throat lightly, he turned his chair toward the door. “Yes, enter, please.” The door opened quickly, and in came a youth. Sarutobi looked quickly, then took a second look. Not who I first thought it was. Maybe a few years ago I might have gotten them confused, but not now. The boy…no…it wasn't right to call him a boy anymore. Still, his smile was brighter even than normal. His hair shined a brilliant blond, the sunlight from the windows playing and reflecting off of it. Sarutobi looked at his watch, and glanced his way once more. “Oh? You're early.”

 

A moment later, the young man's eyes focused forward on the elder one in the chair. Quickly, he bowed, embarrassed that he did not when he first entered into the room. “I'm sorry…forgive my intrusion, Hokage-sama.”

 

The old man smiled to him. “You don't have to be so polite…” The young boy's bowed head remained bowed. Sarutobi decided to toy with him some more. “After all…you are my equal, Yondaime-dono.” Despite not being able to see his face totally, Sarutobi could tell that the boy was blushing. “Only 16, and already you are a shadow…a kage….I am proud of you…Hokage Yondaime.”

 

Both boy and man chuckled at the words, and the blond-haired man raised his head with newfound confidence. “I don't think I'll ever get used to hearing you say that, Hokage-sama. And I won't consider myself your equal until I've proven that to myself.”

 

Sarutobi-sensei smiled from his seat. “You take your job seriously…humph…you need to relax some, even. Come, have a seat.” Yondaime took a look around for an extra seat, but was surprised to see the grand Hokage rise from his seat and offer it to the boy. Reluctantly, he took a seat, as his elder counterpart picked up his pipe from his desk and lit it. “This day…is both a relief and a stress for me,” the elder Hokage said while taking a puff from the pipe.

 

Yondaime raised an eyebrow in curiosity. “How so, Hokage-sama?”

 

“In truth, it makes me happy to know that Konoha will be in such able and confident hands. I'm sure you will find as much joy in this job as I did.” Sarutobi-sensei turned and walked towards the window, taking a look outside at the sunny skies. “But even so…it still wounds me in a way…to know my time is past.”

 

Yondaime looked downcast for a moment. “In truth, Hokage-sama, you are still needed here. I am not capable of taking your job yet…I don't have the slightest idea of what a kage truly is.”

 

“Don't worry too much about it. I will stay for a few months until you get comfortable…chuckle after all, if you were to die from stress, that just means more paperwork for me. I'll teach you what you need to know about leading a village, but you've learned most of it already…”

 

Yondaime was only halfway listening, lost in his own thoughts for a moment. He mumbled something beneath his breath. “I don't even know how I was chosen for this…why didn't Orochimaru get this opportunity?”

 

At the sound of that name, Sarutobi paused, nearly choking on his pipe. “I see…if you don't see why you were better for this than Orochimaru, then perhaps I better explain that. After all, someday, you will probably have to name your own successor.”

 

Yondaime sighed and replied. ”It's not like I don't know I'm capable or anything…both of us knew over 1000 ninja techniques…but he just seems so much more capable than I am. He knows such a wide variety of tactics…he is certainly the strongest of us all, so why me?”

 

Sandaime turned from the window and looked back to his young apprentice. “Do you think this is just about strength?

 

Yes…a Hokage must understand and be able to use over 1000 techniques…that's a basic guideline. But, it's not a rule….there is a reason for that guideline, however.”

 

Yondaime turned the chair towards Sarutobi-sensei and nodded, urging him to continue. Sarutobi-sensei coughed and cleared his throat, then began once more.

 

“When you don the name Hokage, you BECOME Konoha. Even if you happen to be the most pathetic leader ever, outside of this village you are still the face of Konoha. As a result, when people are hostile towards Fire Country or Hidden Leaf Village, Hokage-sama is a primary target to be acted against. If we had a minor tactician as Hokage and he got killed, it would be a huge morale change for everyone involved. We can't afford the type of chaos that happens with a change in leaders very often…so our leader must be able to defend himself against the elite of this world. This is one of the reasons for the 1000 technique requirement. Another reason is the experience.”

 

The look on the youth's face told Sandaime that he had just confused the poor boy. He paused for a moment to let it sink in, and then continued once again…

 

“Think about it. If you have learned 1000 techniques, then that means that you have seen 1000 techniques in action…and you've probably felt the pain of at least 700 or 800 of them yourself. You know how to counter them…you've done it before…you're used to ninja combat. And more often than not, by the time a ninja has learned over 1000 techniques, they have experienced death…of a teammate, a leader above them, a friend…someone. All of these things are important experiences for a Hokage to have…they will help him keep perspective on his goals for the country. And…they will help him keep his own ninjas ` confidence. So you see, the techniques themselves are a deterrent to other countries…the experience gained from learning them is an encouragement to your own. Both are equally important to the guideline.”

 

Yondaime listened studiously, making mental note that Sandaime was a very knowledgeable person, and also noticing how much his new sensei wanted him to understand these things.

 

“So, the guideline is made to ensure not only a powerful Hokage, but also one who has experience in life.”

 

“You're getting it now, Yondaime. But again, power is not at all the most important ingredient in a Hokage. If it were, then perhaps Orochimaru would have been the better choice…but he is lacking in a very specific area...an area so important to the job that I would never pick him because of it.”

 

“And what would that be?”

 

Sarutobi-sensei turned to face the young pupil, a focused look in his eyes…

 

“Heart.

True strength does not come from the fist…it comes from the heart. In attacking, we attempt to destroy something around us. We depend on rage, anger…rough and sporadic emotions to carry us through. But it is only when we are defending something precious to us that we truly find strength…prolonged strength to outlast the enemy and succeed.”

 

That's important for a warrior to understand, Sandaime thought. And even more important for a Hokage.

 

“This village…is strong. It was built on the arms of strong leaders, and its people will fight for their friends. But, when a true struggle comes and their strength falters, they will need a reminder…of how strong they truly are. THAT…is your job. NEVER…EVER…forget that, Yondaime-sama.”

 

Yondaime blinked, somewhat surprised by Hokage-sama's explanation. A light scent of tobacco wafted into his lungs, but he ignored it, noticing that Sandaime had begun to speak again. They didn't call this man “The Professor” for nothing.

 

“You, Yondaime, may not be better at paperwork or battle than Orochimaru. But, I have no doubt in my mind that if push came to shove and things got ugly, that you would certainly be the first to show our enemies the true strength of Konoha. That is why you were chosen. Orochimaru…is a great ninja. I ensured that. But, he is not rounded enough to handle such a heavy responsibility.”

 

Yondaime accepted the information, and figured he may as well get all his questions out while he's at it. “So…this may sound dumb, but what are the responsibilities of a Hokage?”

 

Sandaime smiled. I expected him to ask that. “This paperwork is one of the minor ones. Yes, it's important, but it's not nearly as important as anything else a Hokage does. Of course you know the main goal of the kage is to keep the village strong. If push comes to shove, you are the ultimate defender of this village.

 

But…before it gets that far, there are many more things that must happen. You have to have confidence in the strength of Konoha…and know its strength. Knowing your ninjas will get you out of many a tight squeeze. Because we are a strong ninja village, we have many requests for services…knowing the limits and capabilities of all your ninjas will be highly important.

But more than anything, supreme confidence is key. ”

 

“Supreme confidence, Hokage-sama?”

 

“Yondaime-dono….there is one thing you don't recognize yet. You should live each day as if it were your last…leave no regrets behind. That was my way of the ninja, and as Hokage, it should be yours.”

 

“Sandaime, I…I don't know if I understand…”

 

“What I mean is…you should be ready at any point…to defend this village. Even if it means putting your life at stake. Konoha is strong. But, even the strongest hearts have trouble standing alone.”

 

Sarutobi-sensei turned, his focused gaze eyeing the tree tops outside, the glass reflecting his closed eyes and wrinkled brow. “Every day since I became Hokage, I have asked myself if I was content with what I was doing. If I couldn't honestly say yes, then I did whatever was necessary to gain contentment. That way, if my time was called, I would be ready to go with no second-guessing. That…is the way of the Hokage, Yondaime.”

 

Much like the way of the ninja…many think it is too harsh. But, I cannot dispute the effectiveness of coming to terms with the fact that today could be your last day here. Even so…perhaps I shouldn't have said that now. He was so happy and excited...

 

Noticing the somewhat saddened look on Yondaime's face, Sarutobi smiled momentarily and continued. “Yes, Yondaime. This is anything but a figurehead position. The Hokage is truly the leader of this village…he makes the decisions about alliances…he oversees each clan of ninja and makes all the major military decisions…he assigns team arrangements …he assigns missions to those teams…he feels the pain and fear of the village ten-fold. But for his work, he gets to watch a country full of children blossom into adulthood and do great things...and take pride in the fact that he helped them along and inspired them.” A smile silently crossed the face of both kages, each confidently knowing that the blessings of the job outweighed the burden.

 

The meeting continued on for some time, and the young fire shadow Yondaime would never forget the words of knowledge his experienced senior had given him that day. He would live each day to the fullest; doing all he could for the village, he would make sure his heart felt no regrets.

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I've done a lot of fanfics on ff.net under the same name, and I'm going to slowly port them over here to mediaminer…I say slowly because it's taking a lot of time for me to transfer a chapter. There's a lot of formatting differences between the sites, and I'm having a bit of trouble fixing them all. Once I get the hang of it I'll toss everything over. I might actually stall a bit, in fact, in order to give everyone time to read a chapter at a time. If that's not your style, you probably know what you can do to see the next one…I won't say it here. ^_^