Chapter 5: Second Section - Chapter Four

Hello, y'all! Thank you for all the support so far, it makes me very happy to see people enjoying this fic!

I do not own Naruto.

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Becoming a Hokage 101

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Second Section: Go to school to make allies

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Chapter Four

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As a future hokage, having allies and people whom you can depend on is on top of your priorities list, especially seen as you'll have to blindly trust these people to have your back. Your first opportunity to assure you'll have decent comrades is at the Academy, which will most likely be your first contact with so many different children and adults, whether they are from clans or not.

First impressions are everything. Your peers may change their opinion of you later on, but that very first impression will always be in their memories, and finding the right balance between 'class clown' and 'stuck up clan brat' is much harder than it sounds. My advice would be to be approachable enough; work hard on your studies (being on the top five of your class is optional), but don't hold it over your classmates' heads. Talk to them and help them if they come to you, but always keep in mind you won't be able to be held in high regards by everyone.

Take care and know the difference between friends and acquaintances. If you were born on a well-known clan (see: First Chapter), chances are people will treat you differently, whether you like that or not. Be careful about remarks and talking back: be respectful of your seniors and teachers, but don't be afraid to put colleagues in their place when needed – and trust me, you'll know what to do when the time comes.

Finally, pay attention to your peers' growth and abilities throughout your academy years, but keep in mind that scores aren't everything. More often than not, how your classmates do on the practical side of things will be more important than the theoretical side, regardless of how well they did on the latter. It's preferable to be on the good side of clan kids, no matter how annoying they might be, especially if you happen to meet a clan heir. You'll most likely be hokage at the same time these people take over their clans, and having an amiable relationship with them is of the utmost importance.

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I would be lying if I said I don't love Hiruzen, because I do. I truly and well do. Being an absent father doesn't actually bother me. Sad as it is, we never got used to having him around, so we don't exactly miss him whenever he's working.

Besides, we all see it. My father may not make the best decisions all the time, but he tries his best and also aims to please the council, which is no small feat. In doing that along with running perhaps the most powerful ninja village in a mix of military and feudalism system, the kage in question will inevitably get exhausted more often than not.

"Very well. Now, keep on making it as big as you can. Make sure to concentrate on how you expel chakra and mold it over an existing piece of metal."

"Yes, father."

It gets me wondering, though. Sharing political power in such a system would certainly slow down the decision process, but it would also make things more well-thought and avoids corruption. The council has too much power for a bunch of conservative old people, but I can see the merit on the idea; even though the hokage holds the most power and has the final say in things, having a council of advisors who truly represent the villagers would benefit Konoha as a whole.

'No biggie, we just have to dismiss 80% of the current council and convince big shots like the Nara head to take the vacant spots. Not difficult at all.'

"How is your chakra?"

"...my chakra levels are fine, and I can still easily mold chakra. I'm slowly getting tired, though. Physically." The Sandaime hums thoughtfully but says nothing, continuing to observe me with keen eyes.

My father is a good person who aims to please everyone. You could call him a natural peace maker, although he's not very good at it. When he first saw the Iron Release all those months ago, it was the first time I had seen him so speechless and hesitant. In a job where people expect nothing less but perfection all the time, keeping up appearances is imperative - yet, he let that mask slip, even if just for a few seconds. His eyes, usually so tired but warm, filled with confusion and dread, although his hesitance did not affect me nearly as much as mother's did.

'And doesn't that say a few things about you, Sarutobi.'

Since then, only a handful of people know about it, and as far as I know, not even the council has caught wind of it yet. Apparently, it's all a 'need-to-know' basis, which makes me relieved, in all honesty. I haven't even told Kakashi about it, though I am planning on doing it soon enough. Fear does strange things to an individual, however, and that's why father thought it was of the utmost importance I practiced it everyday, so long as I did it hidden from prying eyes.

"I wish I could say you don't have to worry about a thing here, but I can't."

He'd said that with a sadness so deep it made me realize how painful it is for him to run a village and try your best but still have the need to tell your children to be careful. To try and make up for that, he oversees my training whenever he can - which is saying a lot, considering how little free time he has.

"That is enough. Turn it back into a ball."

The staff I hold in my hands is nearly twenty meters long, dark grey like the little metal ball that's become my companion. Focusing chakra and expelling it really isn't the problem, thankfully enough. What is still my biggest weakness is my lack of physical stamina, and although I can use chakra to make up for it, my reserves aren't nearly big enough to do that safely. Not only that, but doing it constantly may make your muscles literally addicted to it, which it might as well be a death sentence in battle.

Letting nature chakra absorb my own is as easy as molding and expelling it. In my hands, the metal object is back to its original size, strangely light for once. Maybe mother is right and I am getting better at this.

Chakra is an odd, odd thing, and Before I had never even heard of something like it. Here, chakra is in everything, but nature chakra was especially volatile mostly because it didn't have chakra coils like humans and animals did. A tree has chakra, but does not have coils; instead, its chakra flows through every cell in its body, vibrating and feeding the tree.

Then, there's the yin and yang chakra, used mostly in non-elemental jutsu, like genjutsu. Using this kind of chakra requires focus and precise control, which is why not everyone can be a medic-nin or a genjutsu master. Of course, there's also Tsunade's yin seal, which gathers spiritual energy. Even though I had met her already, there was never time or familiarity enough to ask her just how she did it and where did the excess yang chakra go, but for someone with perfect chakra control like she has, it shouldn't be too hard to channel that to other escape routes.

"Father?"

"Hmm?"

"Where do yin and yang chakra go after we've used it? I mean, I know that elemental chakra is absorbed by the very nature around us."

All at once, my brain feels like it's processing things too fast for me to be able to make sense of it, yet it also seems like I'm not thinking fast enough. One of the main reason why nature chakra is so unstable is because of all the foreign and strange chakra it is constantly in contact with. Some, like earth and water, are slightly easier to control because of their own intrinsic nature; by definition, earth is solid and grounding, and water flows smoothly. Other, like fire and lightning, require more concentration and fine chakra control because of their wild nature, all over the place and extremely difficult to tame. Even the Shodaime's Wood Release works like that, and it might as well be even easier on the chakra coils than earth. There are trees everywhere, no matter the climate or soil; it's just something that's naturally there, and nature chakra has no problem absorbing it because, hell, it's just wood.

What of yin and yang, then?

"That's right. It happens with all elemental jutsu, as well as genjutsu and taijutsu. It's a matter of physics, mostly, but it's also the reason why even the Shodaime could let nature absorb his chakra."

"Because wood already exists in nature. As well as lightning, fire, water, earth, and air."

My father nods once, a pensive look on his face.

"Yin and yang chakra work in a similar way. Even if they aren't elemental releases, nature chakra will still absorb them because it's something natural. They already exist in nature."

"Can a person's chakra be detected through that?"

"In theory, yes. However, nature absorbs chakra at an alarming rate, which makes it fleeting and weak. You'd have to get close enough in less than a minute for you to be able to get a glimpse of it, and even then it's not a sure-fire way. Trees and plants will quickly turn that chakra into their own, so if you wait longer than that it will be impossible."

"What about the air?"

"Everything has chakra, including the air we breathe. That would, however, be even harder than trying to track remnants of chakra from trees."

"And iron? It's a chemical element, and although it's not as abundant as the elemental ones, it's still present in nature."

Hiruzen rubs his chin thoughtfully, an unreadable look on his face. He vaguely looks like he's dying for a smoke.

"I suppose that would be a great challenge. The iron that exists in nature is scarce all over the nations, except perhaps for the Land of Iron."

"But it would still be possible. Theoretically speaking."

"Yes."

It's not a priority or anything I'd be able to use anytime soon, but it was an idea nonetheless. Sooner or later I'd have to take a hold of the iron present in nature to mold and use it according to my will, like everyone else did with their elemental releases. If I could get it to work as a sensor skill, well, that would be a bonus to my poorer than average sensor skills. It would be difficult, yes, as iron isn't exactly omnipresent, but I already have it as my nature release, why shouldn't I take advantage of it? Iron is grounding like the earth but unstable like fire; surely a person's chakra would react differently to it? I'd have to test it out.

"Father." I call out for him, my brain jumping from thought to thought and the sheer possibilities this could bring. If that worked out - if I could get a person's chakra to linger on the iron atoms, scarce but ever so present in nature, for as long as it normally did with earth and water -

"Will you teach how to do it?"

For a long moment Hiruzen looks at me, and he suddenly looks like he's aged ten years. A grim, ugly smile stares back at me, and I can't stay I don't understand where he's coming from – if I had a child like myself, I'd be afraid for their wellbeing as well. Kami knew what happened to prodigies in this universe, but I honestly was far from caring. If I knew how to play my cards and bide my time, being called a genius will actually be beneficial in the future. If I wait long enough to stay out of the radar, but do it soon enough to make it matter…

"Very well. I will talk to your mother, and we will include your brothers on this training as well."

Even though it was what I wanted and I was happy they were going to include my brothers on this, the sentence felt, oddly enough, like a punishment.

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I must admit I was extremely hesitant about finally entering the academy, not because I was The Hokage's Daughter – I needed to make peace with that if I wanted to move on and make a name for myself – but because it meant things were really starting. From here on out, it's when I'll start to plan and never take a step forward without double checking my situation. It's the time to make friends, acquaintances, allies. People who will eventually be under my command.

I also knew I had two years before the war, and that I had to convince Kakashi to graduate at a normal pace, not quite because of him, but for Sakumo. In a year or so, Sakumo will take that horrible mission that'll make him choose between his village and his comrades, and that will get him killed. I had no way to prevent him from taking the mission, anything I said about it would be regarded rather suspiciously – but I could deal with the aftermath. Sakumo ended up committing suicide because he was shunned by the village. A mission's outcome is not common knowledge, so he must have felt the pressure from his fellow shinobi, probably people who had clearance enough to discern what was real about a rumor and what was not. Jonin, then.

There came power in being the hokage's child. Whether I'd be hokage myself or not was irrelevant; as his child, I held enough power to whisper in his ear and make him consider other options at the very least. If I let it be widely known that what Sakumo would do was not to be shunned, but praised...

'It may be wishful thinking, but I have to keep thinking of the bigger picture.'

In front of me, our chunin sensei, some middle-aged man called Yutaka, rambles on and on about Konoha's history. It would be fascinating if I didn't have enough books of that at home and if his version of the story wasn't so much like brainwashing. My silver haired friend has never paid attention in the first place; if you don't know him enough, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between 'focused-half-lidded-eyes-Kakashi' and 'bored-half-lidded-eyes-Kakashi'. Sometimes I had a hard time distinguishing it as well, but one look at his chakra would be enough to confirm my suspicions.

If by some chance Sakumo didn't commit suicide, there was a possibility Kakashi wouldn't turn out so... broken in the future. He would be able to have his father's support, yes, but at what cost? Would Sakumo get depressive? Would he eventually kill himself anyway? Would he recover? Wouldn't that be even worse for Kakashi? Maybe. Maybe not. But I had to take my chances. Even if I don't end up on team Minato (which I'm seriously praying against), I needed Kakashi's full trust to prevent Obito from 'dying' because that involved telling him about the mission and well, I knew he would be very suspicious as to how I knew that. The more mentally stable he is, the better.

I glance at Kakashi. The back of my eyes sting from the tell-tale incoming tears signal, but I blink them all away before anyone can notice what's wrong. It makes my chest constrict and ache so so bad to think of him like that, as if he were nothing but a pawn in an extremely complex game of chess. I feel like throwing up.

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(Faceless pawns are kneeling before me, Kakashi and Gai long lost in the crowd. Hundreds are killed just as more genin graduate from the academy).

No!

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I swallow the knot in my throat down, my lips strangely dry. My ninja would not be pawns.

Said friend glances at me, a question clear in his eyes, but I look for his hand under the table and send him a message in a code similar to Before's morse.

'Later'.

It's enough to get him off my case for now, but Kakashi has never let me dwell on things.

Yutaka-sensei claps, apparently finishing off the lesson, and it's enough to bring my awareness back to class. My stomach rumbles distinctly.

"Alright class, lunchtime! Be back in thirty minutes!"

Mom's homemade bento is as protein-packed and delicious as always, and the familiar smell brings a smile to my face despite the nausea I had felt minutes earlier. Kakashi sits next to me, having already eaten his onigiri at the speed of light after everyone else left the classroom, and seems content in keeping me company.

He at least lets me chew on my first bite before pouncing. "So, what was that?"

Carefully avoiding his eyes, I take my time chewing, wondering how I'm gonna explain to him there's a part of me that's terrified of becoming a heartless dictator.

"...I'm a little bit afraid of the dirty work that comes with being hokage." Way-too-intelligent eyes pierce a hole in my head, but instead of meeting his gaze I pick up an egg roll with my chopsticks and quickly eat it.

I can't really taste it.

"Explain." I huff, annoyance overpowering hesitance for a moment. I feel the urge to fiddle with my bangs, nearly forgetting how they are neatly tucked in place by a dark hairclip. Thankfully, the novelty of The Hokage's Daughter And Her Strange-Looking Mark On The Forehead has passed, because as much as I'd hate to cover my seal, I'd hate even more to be the center of all the curious stares and bothersome questions.

"Not now, Kakashi, and especially not here, where everyone and their mother can hear. Later." Even through his mask I can clearly see his frown, but this time I meet his stare head on. Before he can say anything, a chakra signature that's becoming very familiar gets close to us.

Looking up, Obito's face is darkened by the angle I see him from, but his defiant nature and half-hearted glare reminds me instantly of three year old Kakashi, back when we first met. Said boy's chakra starts to swirl tensely, and I put a hand on his knee. 'Calm down' goes unspoken.

"So you're the hokage's daughter! The one they call hime!" The Uchiha's loud voice is more than enough to attract the attention of the entire year, and in my head I sigh heavily. Outside, though, I keep my face calm and relaxed.

'It's only the first week of school, but the time has come. Show your peers and future subordinates who you are.'

"Yes, my name's Chiyuki. Nice to meet you." I bow slightly, meeting surprised eyes with a small but sincere smile, and the unexpected reaction makes him hesitate.

He quickly regains his will, though. He harrumps, crossing his arms and sending a look of disdain at Kakashi, who bristles. I don't let go of his knee.

'Kakashi normally wouldn't be this tense because of a simple bully-wannabe. What's going on?'

"I don't care whose daughter you are! I, the great Uchiha Obito, will be the next hokage!"

Even with my sensor skills and the hand on his knee, nothing could have warned me of Kakashi's sudden rage as he pounces on Obito-

I'm absolutely horrified. There's no other way I can describe this terrible feeling of dread and hopelessness as I stare at Kakashi and Obito exchanging blows. A crowd quickly forms around them, and the children encourage them – some are even betting on the winner.

'Holy shit'.

Just before my vision of them is completely hidden by a bunch of legs, I see Kakashi quickly overpowering Obito, purposefully using fast and precise strikes. Something whispers for me to move, to do something, but it feels as if my legs are stuck to the soft grass beneath me. It's like I'm hyper-aware of everything – the wetness of the grass, the yells of the children, the two fighting boys panting and striking at each other.

'Move, Chiyuki!'

My legs spasm. I hear Obito gasp and fall to the ground.

'Move!'

I leap from my seat, quickly pushing through the crowd and trying to gauge when would be the best time to come between them. I have never been good at math Before.

'Screw it. No time for that here.'

After Obito manages to shakily get up and land one desperate kick in Kakashi's chest, he stumbles back a couple of steps, probably not used to the adrenaline moving his limbs.

'There's my opening.'

Hugging Kakashi from behind, I enhance my arm muscles with chakra and tense my legs to hold him back, the effort making me grunt.

"Kakashi!" I'm right by his ear when I yell, and he flinches. I should feel sorry, but everything seems so baffling. Where the hell is the chunin sensei?!

Thankfully, Kakashi stops struggling and sags in my arms, taking us both to the ground. Someone is (finally) holding the Uchiha back as well, but it doesn't stop them from glaring daggers at each other. Sighing heavily, I knock my forehead against the back of my friend's head.

'This is going to be a long, long year.'

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Logically, both Kakashi and Obito had been suspended for a week from the academy, though I don't think that'll do much for them aside from their hurt egos. While I don't doubt talking to Obito will be difficult, my priority was to find Kakashi and ask what the hell that had been.

Turns out that my friend was very difficult to get a hold of when he didn't want to be found, despite our familiarity and the limited places he could be. It hurt, yes, but I could learn to respect his space. He probably needed it more than I needed answers right now.

...though that didn't stop me from searching in other places.

"Ah, hime, I'm sorry, my son isn't here today again." I shake my head, looking up at Sakumo standing in casual clothes. He somehow looks younger without the green vest.

"It's okay. I came here to talk to you, if you don't mind." The silver-haired man doesn't look surprised or curious, just... oddly resigned. Huh.

'Very odd.'

"Of course, hime. Please come in."

Despite coming from a powerful clan, Kakashi and his dad share a small house near the outskirts of Konoha, with the simplest of furnishing and as plain as it can be. There are a couple of cacti here and there, but I suspect the only reason they're still around is because they don't need to be watered very often.

"Is normal green tea okay for you?" I kneel down in front of their small table, noting how there seems to be a fine layer of dust pretty much everywhere even though everything here seems rather... new. Unused.

"Sakumo-oji, I'm fine with anything." A ghost of a smile appears on his lips, but it's gone as soon as it came. Hatake Sakumo had always been strangely formal with me, even if I'm the same age as his son. When I'd asked dad about it, he'd said it was out of respect for their longtime friendship, but about a year ago I'd started to suspect this whole thing. No one treats their friend's kid this formally without some reason, especially not someone of Sakumo's caliber.

His happy-go-lucky demeanor wasn't anywhere to be seen, and that worried me as well.

"There you go." He places the steaming cup before me, and I sniff if appreciatively. I had liked green tea Before, but here it's not only part of my entire culture but also delicious. Where mother got all the fresh leaves from I had no idea, but was grateful for it nonetheless.

"Thank you, Sakumo-oji." Taking a sip, I worriedly notice the man's quite serious expression, and put the cup down. "Is there something wrong?"

He sighs heavily, and the sound doesn't fit him at all. When he speaks, his voice sounds tired. Worried. Resignated. Deep in my guts, I have an inkling of what he's going to say, but it doesn't mean I'm prepared for it.

"Hime, you've spent a lot of time with Kakashi ever since the both of you were three years old." I nod, taking another sip of the tea to try and calm myself down. "I have always been grateful for your presence in his life. You're aware that my son isn't the most sociable of children, but that has never bothered you – in fact, I think that's why you two get along so well. You do have a bit of an old soul."

It wasn't the first time someone had told me that. Both my parents and Aunt had told me that, but even though they had mentioned it with amusement, I'd resigned myself to it since a long time ago. Genius or not, refusing to act (or be) like a child even in a shinobi world was uncommon, but thankfully not unheard of.

The silver haired man hesitates, as if he doesn't know how to say his next words. I'm getting increasingly anxious.

"I will be as direct as possible, hime. I have never seen Kakashi take as much of an interest in anyone or anything else besides you, and that's hardly a bad thing. In fact, I think it's great. But... hime. I heard you plan on becoming hokage?"

'So the cat's finally out of the bag, huh.' I think, a strange calm overcoming me suddenly.

People were bound to hear about it sooner or later; it was to be expected, honestly. I didn't go around telling people, but I never said it was a secret either, and I definitely wasn't surprised Kakashi had told his dad. What makes me worry is the fact that he took so long to talk to me about it when it was obviously bothering him a lot.

"Yes, Sakumo-oji."

He sighs again, but does not ask me why or even if I'm sure. Something tells me he's way past that stage.

Then, to my absolute and pure horror, the man scoots back and bows his head to me, long silver hair falling from his shoulders.

Just like that, the calm vanishes, and I forget all my manners as I get up and rush to his side, clutching at his jacket for him to stop this and get up and ohmygod ojichan what are you doing-?!

"Chiyuki."

It's the first time he's called me without any honorifics, and I pause. My hands clutch his dark blue sweater tighter. He finally lifts up his head and locks eyes with me, a flurry of emotions I can't quite identify flying in his eyes in contrast to the blank mask he's wearing over his face. I gulp, my throat dry despite the tea I just drank.

"Do you know what was the first thing Kakashi said to me when he came home, two days ago?" I shake my head. That had been the day he and Obito got suspended, and I hadn't seen him ever since.

Sakumo chuckles dryly. "He came home absolutely furious, or, well, as furious as Kakashi can seem. He wasn't fazed by the suspension at all, that kid. His reputation, his grades – none of that matters to him. I clearly remember the look of rage in his eyes when I'd asked what the fight was about."

The man shakes his head, sighing softly.

'Stop sighing, ojichan. It doesn't suit you. It's because of me, isn't it?'

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(Another image forms. Kakashi and I are alone again. Nothing has changed; he's still bloodied from head to toe. In his blade, the blood of hundreds. A few steps back, his father watches, and I can hear the exact moment he breaks.

NO!

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"Ojichan?"

'Calm down. You're fine. Sakumo's just worried. You won't let his kid become a heartless killing machine - or anyone else, for that matter - for the sake of your dream.'

"I even remember his exact words."

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"That kid", Kakashi spat, surprising his dad, "had the guts to yell he was going to become hokage!"

Sakumo blinks, thoroughly baffled, and kneels to look his son in the eyes.

"Kakashi, becoming hokage is a quite common dream amongst children-"

His son shook his head, narrowing his eyes and interrupting his dad.

"No! He was just saying it because- I don't know! But he doesn't have the spark in his eyes when he says it – none of them do!"

Beyond baffled, the silver haired man furrows his eyebrows, struggling to understand his child. Had Kakashi finally become insane? He'd heard it was common amongst prodigies, but he didn't think it would strike his son so quickly and at such a tender age.

"What do you mean, Kakashi?" Said boy huffs and crosses his arms, visibly calmer but still rather miffed.

"When Chiyuki talks about it – being hokage, the people, making changes – her eyes sparkle. She loves this village, old man, not like any of us do, but like, like-"

Realization dawns on Sakumo just as fast as horror does.

"Like it's her own life force." He finishes blankly, and his son nods, content with the conclusion.

"Yeah. Like it's her own life force. That Uchiha brat had no right to make fun of her dreams like that when he doesn't even know what being a kage is about."

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In a detached sense, Sakumo briefly remembers scolding his son ("A dream is a dream, Kakashi, and you shouldn't assume things about people, especially not about people your own age who should not be called brats.") and calming the boy down, but what's extremely clear in his head are memories.

His hokage and friend, weary and tired from all the years wearing that hat, what he'd been like before he took up the position. The decisions he'd had to make, the blood in his hands, ANBU, ROOT-

Kakashi was going to follow Chiyuki into the depths of hell, no doubt about it. If the girl led the village one day, no one would ever be able to question Kakashi's loyalty. His son had probably been the first one to take her seriously and support her, knowing the duo as he does. Sakumo had no way to assure Kakashi's safety or well-being when he got older and when he eventually no longer belonged in this life, but if his son was about to become the right-hand of such a bright and ambitious mind like Chiyuki's-

"Hime, please take care of my son."

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Meditating is a great exercise, both to the mind and the body. Through meditation, one could focus better, raise their chakra levels and reach better understanding of their own body. A monk who had never studied or practice anything about chakra but who had meditated their whole life could have chakra reserves as huge as a jonin's, and just as precise control.

It was also a great way to calm down and pass time when you were unable to sleep.

"Dad, what does it mean to be hokage?"

I had asked my father that question a couple of years ago, back when Jiraya was still around and liked messing with my head. It's odd, really, because ever since I decided to become hokage I had never questioned myself.

'Do I want to be hokage? Or do I want to make a change?'

Essentially, they are different things. I could make a change by being a tokubetsu jonin, really; I'd have enough influence on the right people to make things go more or less the way I'd like them to, but it wouldn't be the same thing. I wouldn't be able to decide things for myself and get rid of threats because I somehow knew they were going to be trouble later on. I wouldn't be able to do things if I didn't tell someone of how I knew it, and that was going to give me a lot of trouble.

'Yeah, right. Like hell is a Yamanaka or anyone from T&I getting inside my head.'

I sigh, taking some time to focus on my breathing and the way the air fills my lungs.

In short, if I want to have the freedom to make the decisions I think are best, then I have to be hokage. The councils may question me and will probably piss me off more often than not, but ultimately, all they can do is give me 'advice'. I am okay with that. The real question here, though, isn't 'do I need to be hokage', but rather 'do I want to be hokage'.

The position entails many things, not just the leadership of the village. People look up to the hokage. People respect the hokage – hell, some people even love the hokage as much as they love the village. Not only shinobi love the village, but the civilians do as well. I dare say it's the best ninja village one could live in – we have nice weather, nearly everything can grow here, there are unlimited sources of clean water nearby and the merchants love how easy it is to come and go. It's honestly hard not to genuinely like such a peaceful little safe bubble right in the middle of a shinobi world.

"Hime, please take care of my son."

Hatake Sakumo is probably ANBU, with how highly developed his chakra coils are and how often he disappears on confidential missions.

Hatake Sakumo is one of the two remaining members of a clan that used to be held in high regard by the whole village, even if it was a small one. Technically, he's the head of said clan.

More importantly, Hatake Sakumo will choose his teammates over the village in a mission that will get him killed. He will sacrifice his entire career – his life - for the well being of people he might not even know that well-

Hatake Sakumo is entrusting his son to me.

Kakashi, the one who had (will have?) such an essential part in- well, everything. He'll be Obito's teammate, Minato's student, Naruto's teacher – he'll enter ANBU earlier than anyone else in canon and he'll be powerful enough to pull off crazy stunts like handling back-to-back suicidal missions and the Akatsuki. This man – no, this boy, this child – is being entrusted to me. Whether Sakumo sees the same bloodied Kakashi-robot I do or not, I have no way of knowing, but he definitely knows the risks that people closely related to the hokage take everyday.

'I'm sorry, Sakumo-oji. I don't think I deserve your son.'

Something drips on my leg, and with a start I realize I'm crying. Not the wailing, sobbing kind, because that was reserved for a nine on a pain scale. Gingerly, I touch my cheek. It's much colder during the night, and the breeze coming in through the window makes me shiver.

Yet, it's like I don't feel a thing.

(Sadness becomes numbness.)

'Do I deserve to be hokage? Was I even thinking about this whole thing seriously?'

(Numbness becomes anger.)

'Did you think it would be as easy as simply falling in the Narutoverse, decide to be hokage and change things to your heart's content?!'

(Anger becomes pity.)

'I don't deserve this kind of loyalty. A hokage shouldn't be this stupidly selfish-'

"Chiyuki."

'Asuma.'

My brother. My friend. My treasure. He looks so young, so innocent, but his face regards me with the same kind of wisdom mom does. I choke back a sob. Not that much pain (yet).

"You're thinking too much again."

In a very familiar fashion to both of us, I throw my arms around my brother's middle, only then realizing the tears flowing down my cheeks and my breath coming out in harsh gasps.

"Asuma-nii."

It might have been a call for help. A prayer, perhaps.

"Shh. I'm here. Go to sleep."

Regardless, he answers with something better than I could have hoped for.

'Why is it that he seems to be so much bigger despite being only a year older?'

.

.

"Your chakra nature is lightning?" I ask, feigning the right amount of surprise, while Kakashi nonchalantly nods. It's a nice day, really. It's neither cold nor hot, and the shade under the academy's tallest tree is perfect for a nap during lunchtime.

"Yeah. Why?" I shrug, but I know that he sees the motion even though he's got his eyes closed.

"It's not usual around here. Everyone in my family has either fire or earth. Or both." Mentally, I kick myself. I can almost hear my mother nagging at me.

'Eloquence, Chiyuki.'

Lazily, my silver haired friend opens one eye to look up at me, not making the effort to sit up from his comfortable position on the grass.

"Have you started your ninjutsu training?" I snort at him, and the little shit has the balls to blink innocently.

'You just want to show off, don't you.'

"I have." I answer with a wince, flexing my fingers out of reflex, the memories enough to make me flinch with pain, "in fact, I've been wanting to talk to you about it."

"I thought you'd have easy with that ridiculous chakra control." I roll my eyes in fond exasperation. Trust Kakashi to make me feel better in the strangest of ways.

"Sometimes it hinders me more than it helps. I can't mold it normally."

"What?"

On our left, a bit on the far side, Obito is playing ninja with a couple of other kids, occasionally looking back to where we are. When our eyes meet, he scowls at the boy next to me and grudgingly nods at me, but he focuses back on his fight just in time to get a kick to the face. I'm unable to laugh.

I look down at the boy laying down beside me, now with both eyes open and a hint of curiosity behind them. A month has passed since that fight between him and Obito, and although I know it's far from over, they at least don't go out of their way to make life worse for the other.

Not Kakashi, at least.

His dark eyes are half-lidded, as usual, but there's a sharpness in them I'd be foolish to miss. People don't usually notice how slight Kakashi's gaze changes, and that's both good and bad.

"What I'm going to show you is something only my immediate family knows of."

Leisurely, languidly, he sits up. To anyone else, it might have felt like a casual, unplanned action; something all people did. I saw it for what it really was, though. It's not often he does that, but there's something utterly terrifying about the calm Kakashi exudes when he's in his hunter mode. It oddly reminds me of a lioness taking an anything but casual stroll in the savanna, looking out for prey.

Neither of us says anything as I take the little metal ball from inside my overalls. In an unspoken agreement, we both hurdle closer together, making it look as if we were simply gossiping like two normal five year olds.

To his credit, Kakashi doesn't react as the object in my hands submits to my chakra and transforms into many shapes and forms right before our eyes. He doesn't even blink.

Blankly, he raises his gaze back to me.

'Five year olds should not be able to have an unreadable expression like that. They should not.'

"What." The youngest Hatake repeats, a hint of anger and exasperation in his bland voice.

'You're your own worst enemy, Sarutobi.'

"My parents think the seal and my unbalanced chakra have made it impossible for me to mold earth and fire separately."

"..."

"We've been calling it Iron Release."

"..."

"Mother thinks that if she can modify the seal, I'll be able to mold the two elemental releases one at a time."

"..."

"Kinda like the Shodaime. Only it took him a while to be able to use earth and water instead of only wood."

"..."

"...what?"

My friend sighs heavily, flopping back down on the soft grass and groaning.

"You're ridiculous. Absolutely, impossibly ridiculous."

I can't help but shrug, not knowing how to act. He's taking it in stride, and that's more than I could have asked for. He does seem a bit exasperated but hell, it's not like this is my fault.

Kakashi huffs, closing his eyes for a moment, and I take the time to wave at Rin who's talking to a few of the girls in class nearby. She smiles at me – a cute, little shy smile that makes her eyes twinkle and a blush to appear on her cheeks. Obito has such good taste.

"What do your brothers think about it?" He suddenly asks, seemingly interested in the subject despite his slight hesitance. I shrug again.

"They think it's awesome, but Tooru is understably worried."

"And what do you think?"

"I think that… it's not ideal, of course not. Sometimes I still find myself wanting an average chakra release but… I'm learning to adapt. I'm learning from it and with it. Either way, I'm going to make it work."

.

(Since that night, dealing with my demons has been... dare I say, easier. I don't see bloody people kneeling before me.

Instead, I see myself standing tall and proud, wearing the hokage hat, with a single person next to me. Asuma never says anything, but his comforting presence is more than enough.)

.

"My old man says I can graduate this year."

Reality splashes cold water into my face as I turn wide eyes to my childhood friend. He's sitting up again in that lioness style, sharp eyes taking in my reaction.

Now where the hell did this come from?!

'No, no. No. No.'

"Really?" I manage to stutter out after a few seconds of stunned silence, once again kicking myself mentally.

'Eloquence. Breathe. You can do this.'

This time, he's the one that shrugs, as if we were simply discussing the aerodynamics of kunai.

"Yeah. Our sensei told him that I can skip the first three years and do an intensive course on the rest of the academy curriculum if I wanted to. I'd become a genin with all the eleven-year olds." There's a hint of detachment in his voice, as if he'd known it'd come to this. It worries me greatly.

"Is that what you want to do?"

Very, very slowly, he turns his head to look at me, and the moment our eyes lock, I feel like he's staring into my very own soul. As if he can see behind every intention of mine, every white lie.

(As if he's waiting for an indication, or an order.)

.

"Hime, please take care of my son."

.

"I think that you can graduate earlier too."

Before I can stop myself, I scoff, and it's like the tension vanishes. He's no longer staring at me like I get to decide what to do with his life, but more like himself. The annoyed, slightly arrogant little Kakashi I know.

"No way." I frown, openly showing my distaste for the idea, and I feel my facial muscles pulling into a scowl similar to my mom's.

"Why not? You might struggle a little bit with taijutsu, but think about it. I know this kind of stuff is boring to you, too. We could go on missions together." If I hadn't known better, I'd have said he was pouting, or even whining.

"No."

He huffs, finally sitting up and crossing his arms. In my peripheral vision, I see Obito wanting to challenge Kakashi to yet another duel, but thankfully he knows how to read the mood well enough. Bless.

"Chiyuki-"

"I said no, Kakashi. That is my final decision."

In the back of my mind, I know we only have two more minutes of lunch break, which means I have to settle this now. Kakashi can get pissy very often, and dealing with the aftermath is not something enjoyable. Thankfully, we only spend a few more tense seconds glaring at each other before he sighs disapprovingly, hunching over himself and sulking.

'Keep your eyes open. The storm isn't over yet.'

"Fine." He all but spits the word out, clearly unhappy with me. He'll live, though. "Why, though?"

I blink, surprised he'd even ask for the reasons. I hold up two fingers.

"One; if I want to be hokage, I'll need connections, Kashi-chan. There are many clan children here, not to mention civilian children that come from rich merchant families that want their offspring to be able to defend themselves." He nods his silver bob of hair begrudgingly, impatiently waving at me to continue. I smile.

"Two;" I spread my senses and double check to make sure no one is listening in. I lower my voice, just in case. "Iwa and Kumo are starting to stir trouble. A few of their well-off civilians have been requesting missions from Konoha, which is making the kages very unhappy."

Was I supposed to tell this? Obviously not. Was I supposed to know about this? Negative. But if my father happened to be the hokage and if he happened to tell things to my mother when they thought all three children were asleep, well. Who was to say I couldn't take advantage of the situation?

"How do you even-"

"Kakashi, listen to me."

And he does. His gaze is extremely focused once again, and if once I feared to give that gaze a target, now I smile.

'Let's do this right and become a worthy hokage, mhm?'

"If we graduate right now, we'll be sent in to deal with those shinobi eventually. It could lead to a war. The political side of things really isn't looking that bright." I shake my head, trying to hide the fact that I know a war's gonna break out. There was never anything I could do about it.

"You've seen what I can do. If I'm thrust out there with an ability similar to the Shodaime's, how long do you think I'm going to last?" I ask dryly, showing more confidence than I'm feeling. The fight has left Kakashi, but he still seems to want to argue.

"I'd protect you."

The bell rings once, then twice. Children all around us get up and start to head inside the building, but my friend doesn't move a muscle. Time moves on, but the two of us are stuck in a silent conversation; it's not the first and it sure as hell it's not gonna be the last.

My heart swells and nearly explodes inside my chest.

'Oh, Kakashi.'

"I know you would." And it's the truth, because I know him, and I know myself. We'd both die protecting the other, but perhaps-

-perhaps this is what Sakumo-oji was talking about.

This determination and single-minded focus, the need to protect and keep safe and happy and healthy. This loyalty.

If Kakashi felt a third of what I felt for him, I was positive he'd never let anything happen to me.

"Alright. We'll wait."

Just like that, the world moves on at its normal speed. We both get up, heading back to the classroom.

.

(The image changes again. Asuma is standing on my right, while Kakashi is standing on my left. Both are clean and content.)

.

If you found yourself in the Narutoverse and could choose a clan to be born into, which one would it be and why?