Chapter 18

"Have you ever been up here before?" Sarutobi asked.

Naruto couldn't help but laugh. "Are you kidding old man? I come up here all the time!" They were standing atop the Hokage monument, overlooking the village. "I really like coming here at sunset. It's just beautiful!"

The Hokage nodded happily. "Oh I agree with you Naruto, I have always found the view here breathtaking."

They both stood there for a moment just enjoying the sight.

The Hokage then produced his pipe and carefully lit it. "You know Naruto; you really should be a bit more respectful to Jiraiya. You are going to be his apprentice and you do need to treat him with a certain amount of respect as your sensei."

Naruto took on a stubborn look and crossed his arms over his chest. "I don't want that pedophile for a sensei! Kakashi actually wants to teach me for once, why can't I just have him?"

The Hokage took a long puff and slowly released it. "I'm afraid the time when Kakashi was your official sensei is now over. The two of you will have different responsibilities. In any case, you should feel extremely honored to have Jiraiya as your sensei."

Naruto just shook his head. "Why do I get all the perverts for senseis?"

The Hokage chuckled.

Naruto looked up at him and frowned. "Can you just tell me why he should be my sensei? I mean I never even met him until a couple weeks ago and then he just wanted to jab me in the stomach."

"Naruto," the Hokage began seriously. "Jiraiya is a Sannin, and a bit of a legend both inside and outside this village."

"That guy?"

The Hokage nodded. "Not only is he powerful and well respected, he is also a great instructor. You do know don't you that he was the sensei of the Yondaime Hokage? If you were to be his apprentice he could teach you everything he taught the Yondaime. In addition, he is highly motivated."

"That old guy really taught the Fourth Hokage?" Naruto clearly found it hard to believe.

"He really did Naruto."

Naruto frowned and thought about it. Finally he gave a grudging nod. "Well, I guess if he was good enough to teach one Hokage he's good enough to teach another."

The Hokage eyed the young ninja carefully. "Naruto, tell me why you want to be Hokage."

"Huh?"

Sarutobi took the pipe out of his mouth and looked down at him very seriously. "I know it is your dream, but I want to know why it is. Please tell me why you want so badly to be Hokage."

"I want people to recognize me." Naruto answered without a second's thought. "I want to be acknowledged and have the villagers not look at me with hatred in their eyes." He paused. "But you know, I think that's finally starting to happen. I think people are finally starting to really see me."

"Are they?" Hearing Naruto say that pleased him greatly. The boy had not deserved the neglect and cruelty he'd received growing up. The thought hat the villagers were finally beginning to see him as a person and ninja rather than as a demon gave him hope.

"People left some gifts outside my door. At first I thought it had to be a trick. They left some food and I figured it was probably poisoned." The matter of fact way Naruto said that made Sarutobi grimace. "But it wasn't, they really were just gifts. And on the way here a lot of people smiled at me." Naruto was still trying to get used to the idea that maybe; just maybe, the whole village didn't hate him anymore.

Seeing just how much just a little recognition meant to him made Sarutobi wonder if things had been even worse for Naruto than he's imagined. "Do you ever hate them?" Sarutobi asked quietly.

"What?"

"Do you ever hate them Naruto?" Sarutobi clarified. "Certainly if anyone had the right to it would be you. Do you imagine becoming Hokage and punishing them one day for the way they treated you?"

Naruto looked shocked and quickly shook his head. "Never! I want to win their respect and make them see me. I don't want to punish them. I want to be like you old man. I want to be fair and just and always protect the village. And I want people to respect me for it, the same way they do you."

Sarutobi was very good at reading people, and he believed him. He truly is a worthy candidate, I am so relieved. "You have no idea how glad I am to hear that Naruto." He turned from the boy to once more look out over the village. "Naruto, do you know how old I was when I became Hokage?"

"Nope."

"I was your age, just thirteen."

"Wow! That must have been like a really long time ago then!"

The Hokage couldn't help but laugh. "Yes, it was. The village has grown and changed quite a lot in that time. Whole generations have been born. I have seen many fine people come and go, yet with each new life the village grows and becomes more." He looked back at Naruto. "Do you know that I was the student of the Nidaime Hokage? Both he and his brother the Shodai brought me to this very spot to inform me I was to be the Sandaime. Do you know what they said to me?"

Naruto shook his head. "No, what?" He was eager to hear.

The Hokage smiled as his eyes seemed to take on a far away look. "Each and every Konoha comrade is a part of my own body. The villagers believe in me and I believe in all of them. That is what being Hokage means. You must love the village and protect those who trust in you. Then you must nurture them, those to whom you can entrust the future." Sarutobi looked away again as memories of his teacher and of the great Shodai flooded back. For just a moment he remembered exactly what it had been like. To be thirteen and to be told by two of the greatest ninja alive that you were to be Hokage.

"That is what it means to be Hokage, Naruto." He said quietly as he looked out over the village. "You must love and protect the people. You must give everything for them. Do you still wish to be Hokage?"

He didn't understand what was happening, or how things had gotten so serious. But somehow Naruto knew that this was a very important question. "Yes," his voice shook just a bit. "I want to be the one to protect them."

"Very well," Sarutobi turned around to face Naruto once more. "As you like to point out Naruto, I am a very old man. I retired more than a decade ago and since returning I have grown very weary with the demands of my position. I have decided to retire again, this time for good. But I will wait three more years to give my successor the time he needs to grow into the man who can replace me. It will not be easy." Sarutobi warned. "It will require a huge commitment and total dedication. The Hokage must be acknowledged as the strongest ninja in the village. You have three years to become that, and to prove yourself a worthy leader."

Naruto gulped, suddenly feeling very nervous. "What do you mean?"

A ghost of a smile touched the Hokage's lips. "In three years time, if I judge you worthy, you will be Hokage."

XXXXXXXXXX

Hiashi gave them both a simple nod of approval. "I am very pleased with both of you. Your promotions do our clan honor."

"Thank you father," Hinata said.

"Arigato Hiashi-sama," Neji said, stiff and proud.

"I expect both of you to work very hard and to become Jonin before too long." Hiashi informed them.

Hinata wanted to groan, but knew better. She had actually hoped her promotion might earn her a short respite. She really should have known better.

Neji thought nothing of Hiashi's expectations. He wanted to be a Jonin soon for his own reasons. "Hiashi-sama, with your permission, I would like to be free tonight. I intend to have a date with Tenten."

Hiashi nodded immediately. "Of course, I think you and she make a fine couple." He had met the girl before and approved of her. She was a fine ninja and might make a fine wife for Neji one day.

"Arigato, Hiashi-sama." Then Neji turned to Hinata and spoke in an innocent voice. "And will you be seeing your boyfriend Naruto tonight, Lady Hinata?"

She snapped her head around and stared at her cousin. He'd done it on purpose! Nothing he had ever done, not even his behavior at the preliminaries, had even been so deliberately cruel.

"Boyfriend?" Hiashi frowned and turned his full attention to his daughter. "What is Neji talking about?"

Hinata looked up into her father's face and braced herself. "Uzumaki Naruto and I have been dating for the past month, ever since the day after the preliminaries."

Hiashi did not begin shouting at her, that was not his way. He was the clan head of the Hyuga, and as such he was always restrained and dignified, even in private. But the frown and the darkening of his face was enough to tell his daughter he was furious. "Did I extend you permission to date anyone Hinata?"

She gulped. "No father, but I…"

"You are the oldest daughter of the Hyuga main branch. You are the nearest thing this village has to a princess. Who you are seen with affects not only your own status but that of the entire clan. I forbid you to see or speak to this boy ever again. He is beneath you and not worthy of your time"

"Father you don't even know him." Hinata protested.

"I know of him, and that is quite enough. My decision is final; you will not see that boy again."

Neji grinned.

Hinata saw that and would remember. She looked at her father's face. "No," her voice was firm; there was no weakness or tremble to it at all.

A look of surprise filled Hiashi's face. She had never once uttered a word of defiance to him. "What did you say?"

"I said no father; I will not stop seeing him. I love him and I want to be with him even if it is without your approval."

He stared at her in complete shock. "Love? What does a thirteen year old child know of love?" Hiashi demanded.

"I know that he cares for me and would never ever, hurt me. When I look at him I feel courage and when I am with him I am happy. I have never been as happy as I have been in the short time we have been together, and I refuse to give up being with him."

"Whatever you may think you feel that boy is completely unworthy of you! He is lower that the dirt."

"He is going to be Hokage one day!" She shot back. She really couldn't stand it when people insulted him, even her own father. She could stand anything directed at her, but she refused to let others insult him. "He killed fifty enemy ninja in the battle yesterday and was promoted by the Hokage to Chunin just as we were. If you think our promotions were impressive then you must think the same of his! He is much stronger ninja than either me or Neji and more than worthy of me." Honestly, she always wondered if she was worthy of him.

"That weakling is not better than me!" Neji snapped. "How dare you even suggest such a thing?"

Hinata looked at him and refused to back down an inch. "You killed fifteen enemy ninja yesterday. I know because you haven't stopped bragging about it. Well Naruto killed fifty, so I think that would make him at least three times the ninja you are."

"He truly killed fifty enemy ninja?" Hiashi asked.

Hinata could hear the doubt and answered firmly. "He did, and he was promoted for it. The Hokage also announced that he was to be apprenticed to the great Jiraiya." She wasn't sure what to make of the man and the weird claims against him, but she knew his reputation. "Isn't that just the sort of ninja I should be with?"

Hiashi stopped for a moment and considered. He knew what was in Naruto of course, but was intelligent enough to understand the jailer was not the prisoner. His main objection was not that Naruto had the Kyuubi. In his eyes access to such a power was a plus. No, his objection was that the boy was an orphan and a troublemaker. Surely such a boy would never amount to anything.

And yet…

To have killed that many enemy ninja truly was extraordinary, a feat certainly deserving of promotion. He had wondered at the sudden vast improvement his daughter had shown in the past month. He had naturally assumed his own influence to have been responsible for it. But was it possible that this boy had, had some influence on her as well? He had never imagined his frail daughter would ever have the strength to actually oppose him. Yet here she was, showing courage in her defiance of him. Was the boy really responsible for that too? And he was apprenticed to Jiraiya? Any ninja in the village would kill for such an opportunity. Why would the Hokage and Jiraiya arrange that?

Hiashi came to a decision.

"I want to meet this boy and talk to him. Invite him to dinner tonight."

"Yes father."

XXXXXXXXXX

Neji left Hiashi's study amazed that Naruto would actually be allowed to have dinner here. He consoled himself with the thought that the loud, rude, orange loving baka would quickly find himself thrown into the street. And Hinata would probably be betrothed and locked in her room until she turned 16 and old enough to marry.

"Neji."

He came to a halt and turned around to look at his cousin. That she was angry was obvious. He couldn't help but smirk. "I am sorry for the trouble I caused you and your boyfriend. It must have slipped out."

"Nothing you say ever slips out." Hinata stated. "Every word is always deliberate and calculated. You said that with the intent of breaking Naruto and me up."

"If you say so," he replied calmly. It was true and it wasn't important enough to bother denying.

"Neji," she spoke slowly and deliberately. "I have never done anything to hurt you, with the exception of activating your seal. And for that I sincerely apologized to you."

He frowned. "Are you expecting an apology from me?"

She shook her head. "No, an apology would be pointless. You deliberately tried to ruin my relationship with Naruto, and for that I will never forgive you." She walked past him and said three words that were deliberate and calculated.

"I hate you."