Forever.
All standard disclaimers apply.
WARNING! Manga spoilers, MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH! (As in, almost EVERYONE!) Immortal!Naruto
This story is AU, diverging right after chapter 246. In this story, Gaara beat the crap out of Diedara and Sasori instead of the other way around, so the Gaara rescue arc never started.
Also, MOST of this fic will be flashbacks until they are done with…which can be whenever.
Also! There will be mainly Shounen-Ai. No heavy stuff, as I am unable to write that. (Though, I could always hire one of my pervy friends to do it for me…Kukukuku)
Main Pairings: Sasu/Naru, Saku/Lee, Kaka/Iru,
Barely mentioned pairings: Sasuke/OC, Neji/OC. (They don't even get names. Its for the children. XP)
Enjoy. I put a lot of work into this.
This is my first fanfiction, ever. Constructive criticism is appreciated, and hella-needed. twitch
'thoughts'
flashback
Beta'd by: Mo, Goda, and Crimson. You know who you are.
Forever.
In all of the long history of Konoha, and even in the history of the world, there has never been a single man as strong as him.
As a child he had been abandoned and ridiculed for being the container of the monster that nearly destroyed Konoha. As a teenager he overcame these obstacles and slowly showed those who had hated him that he wasn't a monster, and that he cared about the leaf more than anything. Through hard work and never ending determination, he achieved his dreams, and became the sixth Hokage to lead those of the hidden village of Konoha.
With nearly boundless strength and energy, he guided Konoha through the worst war in its history and raised the village to new heights.
Ten years after achieving what he had aspired to become, however, this man disappeared from his post and village, leaving nothing but a successor and a necklace behind. The reasons behind his disappearance were shrouded in mystery, but the rumor whispered on the wind said it had something to do with the beast the Yondaime had sacrificed his life to seal away.
The prosperity which had begun with his rule continued even after he left, though the town seemed a bit darker without its hero's light.
However, it is said that in the most dismal time the hero will reappear and crush those who try and destroy his village, only to vanish once again.
And so, that is how it has been for thirty years. However, as if following the rumors of war, the hero returns. His name is Uzumaki Naruto, most commonly known as the Rokudaime.
Chapter One: Celebration and Homecoming
It was October 10. This date marked both the defeat of the Kyuubi and the birth of the Rokudaime, a whole sixty years previous. An annual festival was held for a week around this date, and it was regarded as a time for both celebration and vacation. Brightly colored banners decorated the streets, which were all lined with booths ranging from merchandise to games. From the surrounding area of the great fire country a massive amount of people filled the hotels to the brim, wanting in on some of Konoha's great splendor.
The traffic through the gates was the busiest all year, clouded with various people walking in and out. The ANBU team sent by the Hokage to watch for enemy ninja had their hands full, as well as the chuunin who usually always guarded the gates. It was because of these reasons that a cloaked figure was able to quickly dart through the gates, blending in with the citizens of the fire country and drawing no attention whatsoever.
"Well, well." The cloaked man said quietly as he leaned against a building, looking steadily at the gate. "It looks like gate security has become a bit crappy lately. Now what is the Hokage thinking?" The man said to himself in an amused tone. Quickly stealing a glance upward at the quite visible Hokage Mountain, his eyebrows rose as he recognized the features of the eighth. "Couldn't be…"
The look upward had caused the hood to slip slightly away from the man's shadowed face, revealing bright playful blue eyes, a tanned youthful face, and a hint of sun-kissed blond hair. Adorning each cheek were three whisker-like marks, which only seemed to enhance the man's fox-like overall appearance.
Pulling the hood back up immediately and glancing around to see if anyone had recognized his face, the blond sighed heavily in relief before continuing his walk. Twenty years earlier, everyone would have recognized him, immediately gathering around to berate him with questions and praise. Now, he was just another face in the crowd, not the legendary Uzumaki Naruto.
Snorting and cursing himself for thinking such things, Naruto shook his head slowly. 'This isn't the time to think of such things' He thought before pausing and stealing a glance back at the gate. It was forty-four years ago that he had stood in this exact spot in the rain, watching a certain man collapse inside the gate.
44 Years Previous. Naruto's age: 16.
It was the third year anniversary; three long years since Sasuke left and six months since Naruto had returned. Team Kakashi had just finished another 'A' rank mission, their tenth in a row, and the Godaime had then followed by giving them a week off. Strict instructions prevented both Sakura and Naruto from leaving to look for the Uchiha heir, and both of them took it hard.
"As much as I hate to admit it," The Godaime said, honey-brown eyes darkening. "Sasuke is as good as gone. There is no way the two of you would be able to get into Sound and rescue him, even if he wanted to be rescued."
Naruto abruptly stood, glaring at the Godaime and opening his mouth as if to protest. Tsunade held up a hand to stop the genin's protest, glaring at the blond. "I'm sorry, kid. I truly am, but…you two aren't to leave Konoha. That's an order. Especially you, Naruto. Akatsuki already made an attempt at Gaara and you could very well be next." She said quietly, silently heartbroken at the expression the blond wore. Sakura looked at her master in sorrow, putting her own feelings aside for a moment and placing a comforting hand on Naruto's arm. They both knew how much Naruto's word meant to his 'way of the ninja', and it hurt the fifteen-year old deeply to know he could never fulfill it. Naruto stood, slowly, not looking at either of them.
"I understand, Hokage-sama." He spoke softly, and Tsunade winced as he used her formal name instead of 'baa-chan'. Both medical nins watched the sixteen-year old trudge to the door, open it slowly, and disappear down the darkened hall.
In the days since that had taken place, Naruto had felt ANBU on his trail ever since. Though the thought crossed his mind, he never tried to leave Konoha. Sasuke or no Sasuke, he had his own dreams to achieve…
The very last day of Team Kakashi's vacation came, and with it ominous weather. Naruto began the day as he always did. After finishing his daily training and eating lunch with Iruka-sensei, the Kyuubi vessel took to sitting at the gate and staring out into the great woods surrounding the village, reminiscing of Team Seven and what it was like when Sasuke was still around.
Naruto's thoughts had dwelled on the raven-haired boy almost every second of every day since he returned to Kohoha. Strange feelings he had not been able to decipher when he was younger flared up again, causing quite a large amount of confusion in the blond. Naruto still thought of Sasuke as his best friend, but sometimes he felt as if the bond was somewhat deeper than that…
A large droplet of rain interrupted his thoughts, and Naruto looked up at the cloudy sky. Around him the droplets increased in amount, and in thirty seconds it was pouring. Standing shakily and turning to walk back to his small apartment, he barely made it twenty feet before a strange and familiar chakra invaded his senses. Turning in surprise and horror, Naruto watched a pale figure inch its way towards the gate. His whole body froze as the –male- figure limped closer, passing through the gate slowly.
The man raised his head slowly, the jet black hair covering most of his face moving away and revealing quite familiar eyes. Black met blue, and Naruto gasped. 'No…No way!' Flashed through his mind briefly, before the dark-haired man's eyes slowly closed and his body swayed with fatigue.
Running forward without thinking and catching the man as he fell, Naruto twitched as he heard the soft whisper come from the man, a voice he hadn't heard for what seemed like eternity.
"Clumsy…idiot."
A/N: Chapter one. Sucky, No? I think it was horrible. Something just isn't right, you know?
It was short on purpose. No complaining about that.
Ah well.
Next chapter: Homecoming and Redemption
Sasuke's return to the light and confession. The flashback continues.
RM