A/N: There are rumors about every famous person in history, every great leader. These are the rumors about Konoha's Rokudaime Hokage.

I don't own Naruto and I don't make any money with this either. Enjoy.

Rumors

There are many rumors in Konohagakure regarding the Rokudaime. Some of them are ridiculous, others scandalous and a few even dangerous, considering that saying those things about your Kage out loud is considered treason, which can be punished with death even in the Hidden Leave.

"They say that the Hokage was the dead last in the Academy." one soon-be-Genin tells the others, and the arguing starts immediately. Because really, everyone knows that the Hokage is the strongest of all the leaders of the hidden villages and there is just no way that he nearly failed is Genin exam.

Someone even say that he did fail, probably more than once, while others claim that he became Genin at age eight straight after entering the academy. He passed the test after training for a whole day, some say, and a fresh Genin explains to his friends how he didn't have to try at all because the Hokage is of course a genius.

There is also a persistent group of Genin and young Chunin that tells a story about how the Rokudaime discovered a traitor and gained his Genin rank by stopping him from stealing a kinjutsu scroll with Konoha's most prized secret techniques inside of it. He was eleven then, or ten, or maybe seven… no one is sure about it.

Only few actually believe this rumor, but it is often told and popular with the Academy children. The Kage of the Leave is the greatest of them all after all, and a tale like this is only fitting for a man like him – and while he in reality most likely aced about every test in his career, the teachers let it pass because what does it hurt to motivate the kids with stories of their idol?

Sitting in the corner of the Chunin common room old Iruka doesn't have the heart to tell them otherwise. He thought about it in the beginning, but then remembered the grinning face of a young blond boy telling unbelievable stories that the other children would scoff at him for.

He lets them have their stories, knowing that is favorite student would have loved every one of them.

"The love of his life… she died in the great war." it is no Genin narrating that story but a new ANBU recruit, a female with black hair and the dark eyes to match. The others listen to her, fascinated – even the men who pretended to ignore the gossiping women in their midst.

It is a grand tale of how the love of the Rokudaime died during the Fourth Great Ninja War, leaving him grieving her death for days, months and even years some say, while others suggest that even to this day he visits the grave of his nameless lover every morning before the sun rises. Some Jounin have even observed the graveyard and the memorial for days, waiting to get a glimpse of their leader mourning his wife.

No one knows if she really was though, his wife. Most say that she was his lover, beautiful like the moon princess and with a heart so gentle that she even forgave the enemy ninja that slayed her.

"She was his wife." another young woman insists, and there are a lot of the others who share her view. The Rokudaime isn't married, was never seen with a woman beside him even though there is no lack of suitors, and to most it is a tell-tale sign that he still loves his first – and only – wife, the woman war took from him when he wasn't even fully a man.

"You stop this nonsense, now." a firm voice orders the new recruits, and the lot of them hastily bows. "Of course, sempai.", "It won't happen again.", "Gomen nasai, Tora-sempai." they murmur and hurry away to resume their training, shooting anxious glances at Hanabi all the while, whose face is contorted into a grimace behind the mask of the tiger.

She knows better, knows that her sister was many things but never the lover of the Rokudaime Hokage. Hinata is dead now, has been for many years, but Hanabi still doesn't have the heart to tell them that they are wrong, that her sister may have loved the Hokage but that he never loved her… she just can't tell them, because Hinata would have probably smiled listening to those stories.

"It was the Hokage, you know? …the one who forbade the cursed seal." one young Hyuuga boy tells another, being careful that there is no one else around to listen to what he is about to tell.

He is not the only one telling this story, though most of those spreading the rumor are indeed Hyuuga. Even they don't know what is the truth and what isn't, if it was really the Rokudaime that abolished the century old tradition of main and branch house or if the official version is true and their clan head really did it on his own.

Technically they aren't even allowed to think things like this, because the Hokage isn't allowed to meddle in clan business and if he is found out it would cost him his title. A leader has to be unbiased, and being involved with the Hyuuga would certainly draw the ire of the other prominent clans in Konoha – no one in the Hyuuga household wants to be at war with the Aburame or the Nara families.

So they whisper to each other, talk in hushed voices and fall silent when the clan head passes by them. "Konnichiwa, Neji-sama."

Nodding at them he walks past, never stopping, never staying for a talk because he has more important matters to attend to, and the clan members let out a relieved breath when he has rounded the next corner and is out of sight. They are less worried knowing that the has no time to listen to rumors like this one.

Neji pretends that he doesn't hear, pretends that he doesn't care, pretends that he doesn't know – it is for the safety of the clan. All the wants to do is tell them, tell them that they are right, that it is the Hokage who saved them from sharing the fate that was once his own, but he won't. He promised, promised that he would never tell a soul because that is the only thing he can give the Rokudaime in return for saving his clan.

"…I mean the bitch ditched the Hokage!" the nurse shouts with disgust. That rumor is one of the most popular, and there are more versions of it than Konoha has Jounin.

They vary in length and detail, but the core of all the stories is that the Rokudaime when he was still a young man, no older than fifteen, fell in love with his female team mate. She was a beautiful woman they say, less beautiful than his wife of course, but still beautiful enough for many a man to fall in love with her.

She was gorgeous, but also cunning and shrewd and the young Hokage loved her form the moment he first met her, to kind-hearted a person to see her flaws. Being the clever woman she was she noticed this, and knowing that there was a great carrier in front of him feigned to love him, too.

Someone say that she really loved him in the beginning, but then met the man that was her soulmate and left the Rokudaime because she knew that they weren't destined for each other, while others say that she pretended from the start and only wanted the fame of being the Hokage's wife – no one knows details though, and even the name of the mysterious team mate his unknown.

Everyone aggress however that she left the Hokage in the end, either because she cared more for her new lover or because she had never loved the Hokage anyway. One day she was just gone and left the Rokudaime without a notice, leaving him heartbroken at having lost his first ever love.

He mourned the loss of their relationship for weeks while she ran off with another man and had a family shortly after, never thinking of him again.

It is a dramatic story, a rumor told mostly by women that men usually don't care about. They tell it in the hospital corridors, from one medic-nin to another, from civilian to nurse to kunoichi and back because they all can relate to that tale. They mourn with the Rokudaime, mourn for him, and curse the bitch that left the most sought ought bachelor in all of fire country.

Karin tries to not let Ino hear it too often, because "Really you look like someone kicked you in the gut and it's not a pretty sight at all.".

She hates to see her friend cry.

"It's that day." the Chunin on desk duty tells the incoming group of Jounin and their faces become solemn, all three leaving the Hokage tower after a short nod to the Chunin. He tells it to Nara-sama too, who frowns but doesn't remark and just turns on his heels.

The only one who is actually brave enough to knock on the Hokage's door is the son of councilman Hatake, his bright green eyes cast down in sadness when the Rokudaime won't let him in – the others don't even try, knowing that any attempt at communication with their leader is futile.

The Hokage had a brother. That is the rumor everyone knows, because once a year he won't talk to anyone, wants to be left alone and even the civilians know that this one spring day marks the death date of the Rokudaime's brother.

Nobody knows anything about him, and those who do know never tell. He was the Hokage's only family they say, and most people agree because nothing is known about their leader's parents and even the story about his wife and his lover in the end are nothing but rumors. They came later.

"The Hokage had a brother and he died." a Jounin tells his Genin team outside the Hokage tower, and Konohamaru can't help but listen while he walks by them and up the stairs of the building, past the Chunin at the desk and all the other ninja lingering in front of the Rokudaime's door. He doesn't bother knocking, just walks in and lets the door fall shut behind him.

He hates that that rumor, he thinks while he holds a sobbing Naruto, because he knows that it is the truth.