"She's pregnant, isn't she?"

"Yep! She's due in only a few days."

"Congratulations, Hokage-sama."

"Congratulations? She hasn't given birth yet."

"It's in advance."

Yondaime smiled at his student. Kakashi was always a clever child.

"Thank you."

The Hokage proudly walked through his city of Konoha, and he smiled at all the turning heads and waving hands.

"Good morning, Hokage-sama!"

"How are you, Hokage-sama?"

"You'll be a great father, Hokage-sama!"

He stopped at the comment, smiling wider as a blush appeared on his tan face, before proudly marching down the street oddly. Kakashi sighed.

"...How did you ever become Hokage-sama, sensei?"

"WITH KINDNESS!" the ruler of the Fire Country shouted out to his student as he laughed loudly, his awkward march never ceasing.

- - -

"...Naruto?"

"Hmm?"

"...Are you okay? You've been staring at the Hokage faces all afternoon."

"...Yeah, I'm okay..."

The pink-haired kunoichi sat beside him, swinging her slim legs over the pond's edge to splash in the water lightly. Naruto stayed silent.

"...Are you sure?" Sakura asked again.

"Yes, Sakura-chan." Naruto whispered.

Sasuke watched them from a distance, leaning against a tree behind them.

"Usuratonkachi..." Sasuke called out, and Naruto tensed immediately. He didn't answer him.

"...We're on a mission. So hurry up with your depression so we can GO already." Sasuke hissed out, deadly venom stitched in each word. Naruto's shaking was light and barely noticeable, but Sasuke noticed. Naruto stood up, brushed himself off, and led them through the forest with a fast pace, not showing his eyes the whole mission.

---

"HOKAGE-SAMA! HURRY!" the jounin shouted. Hokage rushed from his wife's side to the man.

"What is it?" concern laced his voice. The jounin coughed as he caught his breath.

"The nine-tailed fox, sir! It's attacking the village! You must stop him!"

"...Shit..." He turned to his wife, currently in her last stage of labor, and closed his eyes solemnly.

"...I'm sorry..." he told his wife. She looked up at him with wide painful eyes.

"...Wa-What?" she hoarsely whispered to him.

"I want his name to be Naruto...And when this is over, I want him to be regarded as a hero...This is all I wish." He turned to the jounin.

"...Why are you saying this now, Hokage-sama?" the jounin gasped out.

"...Because I will die..." Yondaime whispered, and the room went eerily silent. Jumping from the window, he flew on fast feet to defeat the demon. Upon reaching the giant fox, the demon smiled a bloody smile.

Hokage-sama, eh? You don't look so strong...

After summoning the giant frog Gamabunta, Kyuubi revised his thoughts of the blond Hokage. Yondaime, standing atop the frog's head, calmly collected his chakra into his very last ninjitsu technique he would ever use. And as the demon launched itself at the Hokage, he released it.

"...Sealing technique..." The Hokage whispered.

The ebony seal burned itself into the baby's stomach; all of Kyuubi's chakra sealed after the umbilical chord was cut. The mother had died in childbirth, and the father had now sacrificed himself to save all of Konoha. The jounin lifted the sobbing newborn into a blanket, and stared down at him.

"...Hero?"

---

"MONSTER!"

A sharp can met Naruto's left temple in a painful collision, and the blood oozed profusely. Naruto took no mind, since he went through this every single second of his life. Another sharp object was launched in his direction, and this one hit his left eyelid, and he was thankful it wasn't his eye. Blood was running down his face, and along with all of Konoha glaring at him, he made his way toward the cemetery.

Unknown to the blond, he was being watched intently by Sasuke Uchiha.

The raven-haired teen saw Naruto break down to his knees in front of a large and glorious looking gravestone. And as he got closer to his teammate, he was able to read the chiseled letters.

Yondaime of the Fire Country

Husband

Father

Hokage

Hero

Father had been carved out angrily, most likely by one of many Naruto-haters. As Sasuke got even closer, he accidentally grabbed Naruto's attention. Naruto looked at him for barely a second, before turning away to wipe the salty liquid from his cerulean eyes. The blood was swiped at too, in attempt to hide it from Sasuke. Sasuke pulled Naruto toward himself to see the blood and tears running down Naruto's pained face.

"Today was the day he died...Today is my god damn birthday" Naruto whimpered. And Sasuke stayed silent as Naruto bundled himself up, his knees to his chest, sobbing as quietly as he could. Sasuke sat down in front of the tombstone beside Naruto looking up at the fancy calligraphy and stone statues of the wonderful and honorable Fourth Hokage. Sasuke's toes twitched.

"C'mere." He said quietly as he pulled Naruto into his strong arms and let him cry, still his voice silenced, letting his tear ducts leak quietly. Sasuke didn't know what to say, naturally. He had never been in such a situation. His parents had died too, but he had revenge to hope for. What did Naruto have?

How can you get revenge when the thing you're after is YOU?

So the blond cried, starting to shake. Sasuke held him tighter.

"You're no monster to me..." Sasuke whispered, "...You're a hero..."