"Thanks, Teuchi." Naruto bowed slightly to the old cook behind his counter and took the bag where two takeaway cups of ramen were leaking steam from their closed top.

"You're welcome Naruto." The elder man answered with a smile.

With a smile of his own, the teenager exited the new restaurant - it was not even fully finished that business was already going in full swing. Someone in the waiting line - Ichiraku was only take-out for the moment - nodded to Naruto. The blond answered in kind, smothering the usual chaos of feelings welling inside him.

He wasn't surprised at the gesture anymore, no. More and more, the ninja of Konoha greeted him discreetly in the street. It wasn't anything obvious either; a simple nod and that was it. They never spoke to him, never did anything crazy like offer him a drink or something.

They just acknowledged a comrade.

Naruto had wanted that, for sure; having his existence recognized was precisely the reason he had become a ninja in the first place. If he could become one of them then it would mean he would not be alone anymore.

He hadn't envisioned that achieving it would make him angry.

First of all, given that to most of the civilian population, he was still "that boy", it was jarring when the warriors of Konoha accepted him as one of them. That situation was grating on his nerves something fierce. However, that wasn't the true root of the mess inside him.

Naruto had done his duty. He had just done what was expected of him. That was the reason he was acknowledged by his peers: he had protected Konoha, fought alongside the other shinobi for the village.

A mission he was fulfilling since he was born. Every single day of his life, just by existing, he was keeping Konoha safe. Why was he deserving of recognition in one case and not in the other? He had needed to think long and hard on the question before finding his answer.

These people simply took his existence for granted.

One thousand things could have happened to him. He knew birth was a process that could take hours; what if his mother had needed more time to birth him? Konoha would be in ruin. He could have lacked food, warmth, have fallen sick or from a tree; he could have died in a thousand manners since his birth and Konoha would have been in ruin.

The strange bone user could have decided to gut him rather than Genma. The Death Wind of the Ichibi could have reduced him to organic sand.

There was no guarantee he would see tomorrow. Yet, all the same, the people lived as if he would forever be here, keeping the Kyuubi at bay. Or maybe as if there would each time be a Hokage able to stop the menace. As if there would be each time a child to sacrifice in order to contain it.

As long as it wasn't them. As long as it was someone else. They were fine. They did not realize that it was far from being a solitary burden, that they were all responsible for their safety.

And that angered Naruto. Because if he were to protect people, he would prefer if they were not a bunch of cretins.

He simply did not know how to make them see, how to make them understand. He had no idea how to demonstrate to these people that there was no such thing as the good of the many against the well-being of the few. He didn't know how to show them that the good of the many was the good by the many.

So, he would try to begin with himself. Take nothing for granted, do what you can do and enjoy what you have to the fullest; Anko gave good advice. He could see it now and he was going to act on them.

Taking a deep breath, Naruto entered the Uchiha district. The place was obviously completely deserted. The teenager looked all around him; the houses were starting to slowly decay, showing signs of wears that had not been repaired. Everything seemed plunged in a sort of perpetual twilight as if the day had not risen again since the fateful night of the massacre. Naruto swallowed and started to walk. He took one left, two rights and ended in front of a small house.

He knocked firmly and waited.

A few seconds later, Sasuke opened his door. The Uchiha boy could not quite the look of surprise that painted itself on his visage before he smoothed his emotions. Much like Naruto remembered was his habit.

The blond teenager rose the bag of food. "Would you care for some supper?"

"It is unusual for someone to come like that, uninvited," Sasuke answered dryly.

Naruto chuckled. "A bit of surprise has never hurt anyone."

Sasuke stared at Naruto, without heat but certainly wondering if the blond wasn't playing a prank on him.

It would not have been the first time.

Naruto opened the bag and revealed the boxes of ramen. "I'm not learned in the art of peace offering but it's not poisoned."

Sasuke cocked one eyebrow. Slowly, the raven-haired boy shifted his body to allow the blond to enter his house. Without another word, Sasuke led Naruto to a small dining room. As discreetly as he could and with as much modesty as he was capable of, the blond eyed the place.

It was empty. Much like his flat had been, there was nothing; no memento of any sort to evoke a cherished memory, no decoration to make it more welcoming. Even Naruto had been better with the few posters about ramen on the walls.

Silently, Sasuke took a seat and crossed his fingers to rest his chin on them. "What do you want?"

"Simply to share a meal."

"Do you not have anyone else to share it with?"

Naruto smiled, a fleeting arching of his lips. "Yes. And no."

Seeing as Sasuke would apparently not say anything, the blond teenager breathed deeply.

"I used to share ramen with Jiji. The Hokage," clarified Naruto when he saw the interrogative look of the Uchiha.

Sasuke nodded.

"I know," said Naruto simply, looking at the Uchiha. "I guess that's what I mean to say. And I get where you come from. Your… Your ambition."

He had never forgotten the day when Team Seven had been formed. The intense rage and hate oozing from Sasuke had scared Naruto. At the time, however, he had thought he understood the Uchiha; they were both lonely and that was it.

That was not it.

Until two days ago, Naruto did not understand Sasuke, not entirely.

"Why are you here?"

Naruto smiled slightly. It wasn't one of his overly large smile, simply a soft arching of his lips, almost tender. "To have ramen. Because I thought, loneliness and loss aren't the only things we should share."

Sasuke exhaled and it sounded like a sigh. The Uchiha recoiled in his seat and looked up, his eyes losing themselves on the ceiling to visions only he could see.

"Why?"

"Tomorrow isn't a given, Sasuke. If it's in my power to do something, I might as well do it today."

Sasuke frowned for a second before he scoffed. "So that's it?" He bit harshly. "I might as well give up if I can die any day, is that what you're say-"

"Fuck you, Sasuke." Naruto interrupted, his voice loud to cut through the Uchiha's and impatient. "Fuck you, because that is not what I said," repeated the blond in a more measure tone. "Who will you even give your tomorrow to? No one, because you're full of hate and you're alone. You can't fight Itachi today but you could make friends though. You could fill that hole and have a positive reason to make sure tomorrow comes. Don't forget your hate, just balance it out. But no."

Abruptly, the blond teenager got up from his chair. The sound of its legs grinding against the floor was deafening. "I'm sorry that I disturbed you. I wish you success in your quest." Naruto gritted his teeth before he shook his head and sighed. "At least, I tried."

"Wait!"

Naruto was already walking away and halfway through the entrance hall when the call made him stop. Slowly, he turned around and saw Sasuke standing behind him. The Uchiha breathed in and out several times, his eyes on the ground as if searching for some kind of truth or inspiration.

"You brought ramen." Sasuke finally said. "Let's eat. Let's eat them." The Uchiha swallowed. "Also, I apologize."

Naruto walked up to the Uchiha boy and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Alright. Let's eat." He said with a slight nod.

Jiraiya was like everyone else in that he enjoyed a good joke every once in a while. He was sport enough that he even accepted a prank at his expense.

Making him the Hokage was definitely going too far. It wasn't even funny, to begin with. The tall man eyed the assembled clan leaders and the various high officers of Konoha. They were the people who had the power to place the hat on his head.

He understood their reasoning, it was very logical and he knew he didn't have any strong argument against it. He just knew that it was a bad idea. He had never wanted to become Hokage.

"Honoured clean leaders, hogatana and elders," began the white-haired man. "It is a great honour for me to be shown such trust and be voted in as your next Hokage." Jiraiya sighed. "However, I do not believe I'm the man for the situation."

"We need our Godaime to be in business as soon as possible," retorted Homura form one of the elder seats. "We have already asked a number of jounins and they would support you, Jiraiya. And if you, one of the Sannin, aren't fit then who else?"

Jiraiya took a moment to sweep the room with a glance. "If it is one of the Sannin you wish as your head, then there's still one."

The assembled shinobi stayed silent but Jiraiya could see they knew who he was talking about before he even spoke.

"Tsunade."

"She abandoned this village," said Koharu immediately. "She abandoned the legacy of her own family and you expect our troops to trust such a leader?"

"She has been hurt."

"Like anyone of us here."

Jiraiya sighed. "Really? Have you ever petitioned for something that was refused which in turn ended up being the cause for the loss of your family?"

"It was war, Jiraiya." Homura tempered.

"Precisely. Exceptional time requires exceptional measures. She knew that better than the Sandaime even. Certainly better than me. That is why she'll make a better Hokage."

"I concur," said Hiashi Hyuuga. "Without her guidance, the proficiency of our medical staff has declined and my very own nephew is paying the price right now. We don't need her only as our Hokage."

"We do not need another vote, the village needs its Hokage now!" Koharu retorted heatedly.

"If!" Jiraiya bellowed to be heard and silence the others. "If I'm your Hokage, I can choose my successor, correct?" He asked rhetorically. "And as I recall, there is nothing much you can do about it. If you are bent on bestowing me this kind of authority, I'll go fetch Tsunade either way."

The tall man stared at the assembly. "So?"

"Tsunade-sama coming back could be a boost to our moral. She is the granddaughter of one of the founding fathers. To have her back right after such an attack on our soil would foster unity." Inoichi analyzed aloud.

"She is definitely a capable ninja and a consumed leader. She has proved herself during two wars." Shikaku Nara remarked, his palms pressed together as if praying.

Jiraiya nodded. "Good. I'll go and fetch Tsunade."

"You have no idea where she is!" Koharu protested once more.

"Silence, you old coot!" The Toad Sage snapped dryly. "I'm not one of the best spies in the known world for nothing."

"You already know where she is," Homura stated tiredly.

Jiraiya smirked. "I have a solid hunch. Now if we are done here, I'll go. I don't have time to lose."

"Very well. We are done for today. The strategic bureau will ensure efficient manpower distribution and the business bureau will maintain the mission flow for the time being." Shikaku concluded. "Ladies and gentlemen." He rose from his seat and the other attendees followed after him.

Jiraiya watched as the various clan heads and hogatana vacated the room and sighed. Tiredly, the man massaged his brow. It was an opportunity for Tsunade, the estranged daughter of the Leaf, to come back home. He only hoped he would successfully convince her.

He honestly wished he could find someone to help him tug at the woman's heartstring. Unfortunately, there wasn't anyone in the younger generation who had the necessary fire in them.

He felt a wave of regret trying to submerge him and smothered the feeling as best as he could.

If he had been here for him, would his godson burn with the same flame as his father?

Jiraiya sighed. That was the reason why he could not become the Hokage. How could he take care of the entire village as his family when he had failed his familial duty in the first place?

Tsunade had the maternal fibre; Jiraiya had little doubt that she would take a liking to his godson, the boy was nice. She would do much better than he had. The boy deserved it. With heavy steps, the white-haired man exited the empty assembly room.

Naruto nervously squeezed his hands. The teenager took a deep breath to relax but found that he was wound up as tightly as the gordian knot and that waiting for the tenseness to leave his body would require a long mediation session.

"I'm not promised tomorrow," muttered the teenage boy. "Nobody is." He said, more forcefully.

His resolve firmed, Naruto decided to just go and knocked at the door of the Hyuuga estate. The two heavy panels of wood and steel were open but he figured knocking was the polite thing to do.

One of the two guards, who had been affecting to not see him until now, turned an expressionless mien to him. "Yes?"

"Hum. I'd like to know if Hinata is here? I'm one of her friends."

"The young mistress is here, yes."

Naruto fidgeted. "Can I… Can I enter and see her?"

"Certainly. I'll show you the way."

Naruto nodded his thanks and followed after the straight-backed Hyuuga. Behind him, he heard someone snort but when he whirled around, the second guard was just as serious as his companion. The blond teenager narrowed his eyes before he shrugged and walked after his guide.

He definitely heard someone chuckle behind him but he was already entering the mansion.

The place was huge and Naruto could not help but have his eyes dart everywhere he could see. The Hyuuga clan appeared to live in the same enormous building, which the teenager found peculiar.

He had been in the Uchiha compound just the night before and the Uchiha had lived in separate houses. Naruto scratched his jawline. It probably had to do with the fact that the Hyuuga were "big on the family" and all that.

"Keep your slaves close to you for if you do not, they shall revolt." Naruto shuddered at the thought as he remembered the words of Neji. The older boy had been an asshole but it seemed the village engineered reasons to be one easier than reasons to be happy. Though Naruto could admit that his perspective was skewed by his own circumstances.

As he was thinking and observing, he was led to a large room kept close by a sliding panel. The guard knocked and was immediately answered with an invitation to enter.

"Your name," the man asked simply, startling Naruto out of his thoughts.

"Huh? Naruto."

"Your full name," sighed the man, as if he were speaking to a child.

"Naruto Uzumaki," answered the blond teenager politely, not keen on creating a conflict.

"Hiashi-sama," said the retainer as he opened the sliding door, "Naruto Uzumaki is here to see Hinata-sama."

Naruto saw the head of the Hyuuga clan lift his head to stare at him, which prompted the blond to bow slightly.

"Good day to you, Uzumaki-san. Why do you wish to see my daughter?"

Naruto threw a confused glance to the man. "Huh… I just want to speak to her." Seeing as it did not seem to satisfy the man, Naruto decided to give him a little more. "About some private matter."

"I see. Very well, you may see her. Hajime, guide Uzumaki-san to my daughter if you please. You know what to do."

"Yes, Hiashi-sama."

The door was slid shut and Naruto exhaled in relief, wondering if Hinata was the daughter of the clan head or an esteemed prisoner.

"Hiashi-sama can be intense," noted the guard with a touch of something in his voice that Naruto chose to interpret as amusement.

The blond nodded. "Yeah."

The two walked in silence in hallways that did not seem to want to end until, after several minutes, the reached another door. They were, or so the guard had informed Naruto, in the habitation quarters of the main branch.

Naruto bowed to the man. "Thank you for guiding me, Hajime-san. No doubt I'd have been lost without you."

The man smiled and it was an almost invisible twitch of his lips upward. "That is entirely normal." Hajime turned to the door and knocked. "Hinata-sama, a comrade of yours is here to see you. Naruto Uzumaki."

Something clattered on the ground behind the door and both men could hear a hurried shuffling before Hinata gave her authorization for the panel to be opened.

"Y-yes!"

"I should warn you, I'll be watching over you two," Hajime said before bowing and taking a few steps back.

Naruto sent him a puzzled look before he opened the door. He had to hold back his laughter when he saw Hinata.

The girl was sitting in seiza on her futon, her lips set in a wobbly smile that seemed to large for her face. Her eyes were riveted on the wall next to the door, not daring to look at him. Finally, Naruto could have probably boiled the water for his cup ramen on her face.

"Hello, Hinata."

"H-h-h-h-"

"Deep breath, Hinata."

"Hellonarutohowareyou!"

Naruto chuckled. "Right. May I enter?"

Not trusting her voice, the girl nodded frantically. The blond teenager entered the room and gently approached Hinata before sitting at a respectable distance.

"How are you today, Hinata?"

The girl nodded furiously once again, which caused Naruto to smile.

"Right. I suppose it means you're doing good." The girl confirming his guess by her still frantic nods, Naruto looked around. "You should remember to breathe Hinata." The teenager offered off-handedly.

Naruto heard the girl take a large gulp of air as he was looking at the carefully framed pieces of flower pressing decorating the wall opposite the futon.

"So, I was thinking of inviting you somewhere to spend the day together. As in-" Naruto felt his voice pitch higher than it should and coughed. "As in a date. I guess. Maybe? Are we too young to go on dates?" The blond teenager scratched the back of his head, still resolutely looking at the wall and the flower pressing as he rambled. "No, not I guess or maybe, sorry. What I mean is, do you want-"

"Y-y-y-y-y-y-yes!" Hinata screamed right in his ear, almost sending Naruto flying with the force of her lungs.

Naruto chuckled. "To spend the day with me. Right. Sorry for coming without warning. So you're okay. Good." The teenage boy sighed in relief and slowly turned to face Hinata. It suddenly felt incredibly difficult to look her in the eyes, he wasn't sure why. She had said yes so there was no reason for him to be anxious.

"I'll apologize now and say that I have no idea about what I am doing," he blurted. "Is that still okay?"

Hinata nodded. "Yes!"

Naruto smiled. "Right. Hum. Can we… Should we go? Do you wanna tell your father first?"

The girl suddenly looked like the breath had been robbed from her lungs. "Y-yes," she muttered. "I have to warn… To warn my father."

"Hinata-sama, if I may." Hajime suddenly interrupted. "I can tell Hiashi-sama that your friend here took you out. Just be back here before curfew."

Naruto saw Hinata send a grateful look to the guard, which further cemented his vision of the girl being more a prisoner in her own house. The teenage boy smothered the sadness under a smile and nodded his thanks to the man.

"Thank you Hajime-san. What hour is this curfew?"

"Ten hours after noon, the gate is closed for the night. Please be back here with Hinata-sama before then."

"You have my word."

"I thank you for it, Uzumaki-san. Have a pleasant day, Hinata-sama."

"T-thank you, Hajime-san."

The guard nodded and departed, leaving Naruto and Hinata alone in her room.

"Let's go?" Naruto questioned, already rising from his lotus position.

Hinata jumped on her feet eagerly and followed after the taller blond, eyes affixed on his back. She was startled when Naruto whirled around, hand scratching the back of his scalp.

"I have no idea how to get out of this maze."

Hinata giggled and with her laugh, her tension bled from her countenance, leaving her finally relaxed. More or less. She managed to smile sweetly - Naruto vaguely noticed it caused her to go up another shade of red; he was distracted by the butterflies he suddenly felt fluttering in his stomach.

"Please, follow me, Naruto-kun."

AN: Alright, before the pitchforks, I ship no one in particular. If you read the chapter, then you know why Naruto went to Hinata.

I'd like to try and give Sakura and Hinata the opportunity to have a little more screentime and be less defined by just "I love a boy".

rANt CoRnER:

In order to get a feeling of Jiraiya and Tsunade, I re-read a small part of the manga online. I began in chapter 140 if you're curious as that is where Jiraiya refuses the seat of Hokage.

I kept reading to have a coherent vision and oh boy.

In chapter 143, Jiraiya is shown speaking with Kakashi about the Akatsuki and how Naruto is going to need to be trained by Jiraiya. The Toad Sage actually praises Kakashi and tells him that Naruto "has been well looked after" (the translation, not me).

I'm one of the many people who feel Naruto could have been a little more than SC, Ransengan and charging head-first and I also know we feel the mentoring characters in the manga didn't help the boy much. However, I did not remember these characters being so blatantly cruel and disregarding. A kid is ostracized by his village for a decade, has to commit a crime to even graduate military school, all his mentor and team-captain taught him is tree-walking and that is being "well looked after"?

It is a relief certain things have absolutely no consequence in this manga. I'm going to go and mistreat a kid; according to mister Kishimoto, all will be fine.

In chapter 150, Jiraiya then shamelessly proceed to steal Naruto's savings, for comedic purpose. I'm not laughing because it's not funny, it's revolting. In chapter 150/151, Jiraiya then explains the first step to the Rasengan and does it pretty well, except for the fact that Naruto has to rotates the water in all directions. Naruto succeeds because he is actually observant and clever. Why did Jiraiya explain everything but that? At this point and given my previous impression, I'd say it is because he is an asshole. Chapter 152 reinforces this feeling.

Now let us shift focus to Naruto and jump a few chapters to the Sannin fight. Suddenly, Naruto's capacity to observe things and be clever has disappeared. He doesn't recognize the man who attacked his team in the Forest of Death, apparently didn't get the memo about the Sandaime being killed by Orochimaru (I'm not kidding, a few lines of dialogue make it clear) and cannot even tell Kabuto wears another village's headband.

I get "the protagonist isn't the sharpest" trope. Here, however, it becomes a Flanderization of a characteristic that isn't even consistent and comes and goes according to the author's whims. It also shot down my suspension of disbelief; if a character is that retarded, I cannot understand how he survived until now apart from the "Mc plot-armour". And in fact, that is the only reason Naruto isn't killed by Kabuto.

I have no conclusion to all this but I needed it out of my system.