disclaimer: emo fox ATTACK does NOT own Naruto

Chapter 5

Panic. Complete and utter panic.

That is what Homura felt when Tsunade announced her successor. He could see a similar panic boiling beneath the calm exterior of Koharu's visage, and Danzo- well, Danzo was inscrutable as usual. But, this was horrible, horrible! It was like everything was falling apart, and there was nothing that could be done to rectify the mess.

Surprisingly, it was Kokoro who managed to keep her head.

"Well, that threw us for a loop, right dears? Let us not lose our heads! Come, come, we'll discuss this over tea."

And so the Council of Elders found themselves convened in Kokoro's cozy apartment, sipping tea from delicate china.

It was good tea, Homura noted duly, grimacing slightly as he shifted painfully in his recliner. Koharu sat nearby, speaking in soft tones to a fierce looking Kaoru while Itsuki stared off into space, bored, at her side. Haru and Hitomi were joking together on a plush, floral-patterned love-seat, and their light hearted, rasping laughter was a peculiar counterpoint to the sharp whisperings of Koharu and Kaoru. Danzo sat separate from the rest, perched in a stiff wooden chair which set Homura's back into a protest of aches at the mere sight of it. Only Kokoro and Hachimaru seemed at ease, Kokoro due to her infinite optimism; Hachimaru in that he did not seem to care much for anything. Homura cleared his throat, and all eyes turned to him.

"Well, ah… the tea is good," he said awkwardly. Kokoro beamed, while Danzo snorted.

"Let us stop pussyfooting around, Homura," he growled, to which Kaoru nodded.

"I agree with Danzo. We must address this new issue with the Jinchuuriki. We cannot allow it to become Hokage." A hum of assent rent through the room at her words, but Hitomi coughed delicately.

"Tsunade-sama named the boy her heir apparent many years ago- I don't understand why you all are making such a fuss about it now! The boy has been nothing but an asset to the village; why, I would go so far as to wager he would make a wonderful Hokage." Hachimaru laughed lowly at this.

"You would think that, Hitomi…"

"I won't have you insulting me, Hachimaru!"

"Silence!" Koharu's voice was unusually harsh, and Hachimaru and Hitomi quieted, both suitably abashed, though Hitomi's lips thinned into a hard line as she cast one last contemptuous glance Hachimaru's way. "We must focus on the issue of the Kyuubi-bearer. It is true that we cannot prevent him from becoming the Rokudaime; let us explore our plausible options."

Silence. Danzo was the first to speak.

"I say we eliminate the Kyuubi before it becomes a further nuisance." A contemptuous snort followed his proclamation, and Danzo turned his sharp gaze onto a sneering Kaoru.

"You are getting predictable, Danzo," she said finally. "A tempting proposition, I will admit, but killing the Jinchuuriki would prove too problematic. Tsunade would become incensed, as would Jiraiya- I for one am not privy to making enemies of the Sannin. They would not rest until they destroyed us all." At this, she closed her eyes tiredly, and Itsuki stroked her wrinkled hand absent-mindedly.

Danzo was not pleased at the dismissal, and growled his displeasure. "If killing it is not an option, what would you do, Kaoru?" The challenge was clear, and she met it flawlessly.

"What would I do? Why, the answer is simple. It is true that we cannot prevent the Jinchuuriki from becoming Rokudaime, as it remains the prerogative of the Hokage to select a successor. However, should the candidate prove unsuitable, it is well within our powers to see that the selected does not remain Hokage. Do you see now, Danzo?" Kaoru's tone was mocking. "Killing is not always the solution." He glowered, but kept quiet. Surprisnlgy, Haru was the first to respond to Kaoru's reasoning.

"So, you wish to impeach the boy? If I may, won't that be a tad bit transparent? I'm quite sure Tsunade-sama will see the ploy as what it is: an excuse to keep the boy out of a position of power."

"So you support the Jinchuuriki as well, Haru?" Koharu asked gravelly. He leveled her with his mild stare.

"Well, I'm certainly not against him."

She sighed. "I see."

"On what basis shall we impeach Uzumaki?" Itsuki asked passively, taking a disinterest sip of tea as Homura shrugged.

"The Kyuubi-bearer has grown into an accomplished shinobi, I will admit. However, he remains impulsive and overly-emotional. I am fully confident that it will be a mere matter of time before he does something which will provide us with a solid basis for his dismissal."

"Hear hear!" Hachimaru muttered, with a vicious glance at Hitomi, who puffed up angrily before deflating reluctantly when Kokoro sent her a pleading look.

"Please, lets not fight," she entreated weakly, reaching forward and picking a opalescent tea pot off her low sitting table. Her hands shook slightly as she refilled cups, and Homura was reminded suddenly of just how old they all were. Was it worth it, wasting what were possibly the last years of there lives, to preserve the sanctity of the Hokage's office when he could feel the cold breath of death nipping at his nape every day? Was it not their due, to be allowed a small reprieve to enjoy the time they had left, after devoting so much of their lives to protecting the village? Looking into the calculating eyes of Danzo and the resigned face of Koharu, he knew that action was the only possible course to take.

They would challenge the Jinchuuriki, and they would win, for they were shinobi, charged with maintaining the harmony of Konoha.

A shinobi knew no rest until his final breath, after all.

Grumbling and cursing, Sakura rolled out of bed and stumbled towards her front door, left hand crackling with sickly green chakra. She had escaped from her parents around midnight and had managed to fall asleep less than an hour ago. It was three o'clock in the morning. Her hospital shift started at six. "It had better be important," she mumbled darkly, yanking her door open, scowl in place before it shifted into a look of surprise. "Naruto? What-"

He was visibly distraught, which set Sakura on edge. Naruto was her best friend- no, Ino was her best friend; Naruto had become something way more than that. She trusted him with her secrets, with her life, and he bestowed that same trust on her in return. But, he rarely showed her his pain so openly.

"Come in, come in out of the cold," she said and he walked in, eyes blank. Sakura followed him into the living room, where he sat on the couch; she perched delicately on a chair across from him, scanning his face worriedly. Were those tear tracks?

"Naruto?" she called softly, entreatingly. His shoulders shook slightly.

"Sakura…" his voice hitched towards the end.

"I'll get us some water," she said, sensing that he needed some time to gather his wits about him. The light in her refrigerator was uncomfortably bright as she reached for two water bottles, and she squinted as she turned and started back to the sitting room. Her steps faltered slightly when she caught sight of Naruto's eyes. Some light from the street lamps filtered into the room through folds in the curtains, and his eyes gleamed faintly in the quasi-darkness.

'Is Naruto developing… a tapetum lucidum? Another effect of the Kyuubi…?' She willed these thoughts away and made her way back to her chair, tossing a bottle to Naruto. Now was no the time for speculation; Naruto had come to her distressed, and she was there to hear him out and comfort him, as he had done for her so many countless times.

"Sakura…"

"Yeah?"

"I'm gonna be Rokudaime."

"Of course you are, Naruto."

"No, you don't understand. I'm gonna be the Rokudaime. I'm gonna be sworn into office in a month."

"Oh… I see… sooner than I'd expect, to tell the truth…"

Sakura was not surprised that Naruto was going to be Rokudaime; hell, there was no one more deserving of being considered to hold that most venerable of positions. She could see him now, standing up on that podium, a glowing being of crimson and shining gold, his strange purple dusk eyes glittering with a happiness she had not seen in years.

"Why were you crying? This has been your dream for so long, aren't you happy?" He raised glittering eyes to her face.

"Can we go to sleep?"

Sakura frowned at the diversion, but let it slide. Naruto would tell her everything in time, and she suddenly remembered just how tired she was, and that she did need to rest, at least a little, if she wanted to restore her chakra reserves to a suitable level. Gently, she took his hand and led him to her room, where he rummaged through a dresser, crowing in weak triumph as he found a few of his night shirts, testament to past sleep over sessions. Silently, he slipped into bed, where Sakura was already under the covers. It was a cool night, and Sakura curled against him; he was a constant source of heat, what with a fire demon locked within.

"Why were you crying?" she mumbled into his chest, absently runner her fingers through the fine hairs at the nape of his neck.

"I'm scared," he said after a long time. "Of course I'm happy about it, but it's scary at the same time. A Jinchuuriki as Hokage? Can you imagine the backlash?"

"Gaara didn't have that much trouble, did he?" Sakura asked, fighting back a yawn. Naruto shook his head.

"No…but, Suna's more practical with stuff like that then we are. When it comes down to it, I guess they decided to count their blessings that Gaara didn't kill them all, and realized the benefits of having a demonic Kazekage." He laughed darkly, and Sakura silently admitted he had a valid point.

"It'll be rough," she conceded. "But, who else could be Hokage, really? No one else is worthy, in my opinion. You need o believe you deserve this, Naruto. You used to say that all the time when we were kids, remember?"

A humorless chuckle. "Things were different back then. I'm older now; I know what worries are." Sakura sighed. She too, knew what worries were.

"There's just so much to do. I didn't know how much I'd have to do 'till Baa-chan talked to me."

"You spoke with Tsunade?" She was tired, so tired, but Naruto was more important than the hospital.

"Yeah, I did," he said, and his voice was distant, and it held that subtle tremor again. She reached over and stroked the raised scares of his cheeks, and he moved towards her, sighing quietly at the gentle ministration.

"Lot's of people won't want me as Hokage, you know?" Yeah, she knew. And suddenly, Sakura knew exactly why Naruto was so upset. She grabbed his face and pulled it towards her, making sure his glinting eyes were staring straight into hers.

"No matter what Naruto, we'll always have each other. No matter what, I'll always be there for you, and you'll always be there for me. Right?"

She saw a faint gleam of ivory, and knew that Naruto was smiling at her. She smiled back.

"Right."

They both relaxed, and Sakura felt herself sink into the slow oblivion of sleep. Her mind was blank, a pleasant blue-black haze of indistinct images and brief, already forgotten half-thoughts. A small part of her mind was fully alert, but the manic edge of vigilance that was usually present was tempered tonight. She was safe with Naruto.

"Sakura?"

"Yeah?" she whispered.

"I'm thirsty."

"I gave you a water bottle," she sniffed deeply, stifling a yawn.

"Left it up front."

"Too bad. Go to sleep."

"Alright."

She smiled, and sank back into the soft embrace of rest. Tonight was a good night.

A/N

Once again, I apologize for the lateness of this chapter!!! I lost my inspiration for writing in general, and its been gone for a LONG TIME. A well timed winter break got me back in commission though, and I suddenly realized how much I missed this. Thanks for all the reviews, and I hope this chapter is DECENT. I'll admit, I'm getting impatient, I want to segway into the meat of the story now!! But, I know patience, and I'm gonna do this the right way...

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!! AND REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW :)

~emo fox ATTACK