Title: Into the Endless Sky
Fandom: Naruto
Pairing: Naruto/Sasuke
Genre: Angst (sorta) with bonus sap.

Notes: Another Really Old Fic and "Naruto becomes Hokage" story. Again, posted a long time ago originally on Livejournal and just never got around to posting on here until recently (and with urging from other people). I'm not thrilled with this one, but the general idea of fooling the audience still amuses me, so here we go. Title was totally stolen from Kyo Kara Maoh. Oddly, I like this a little better than the NaruSasuSai fic ("Reason For Life") even though the section with Neji and Hina makes me cringe. I'd edit it out if it were a newer fic. But I figure, so long after the fact, it doesn't really matter anymore...

Naruto woke up alone that morning.

He managed to remember not to feel the other side of the bed for someone that was not there, but only just.

Yawning widely, he threw back the covers and stumbled into the bathroom. He showered and brushed his teeth before finally catching his reflection in the mirror. There were shadows under his eyes, which did not look so bright today.

Naruto tried to smile at himself. "Heh heh. What's this? I'm supposed to look happy, today of all days, right?"

But he couldn't feel it. He was happy; there was just one vital piece that was missing.

Maybe Sakura could do something about his face. The future Hokage shouldn't look so depressed on the day of his inauguration.

A knock at the door broke him out of his revelry.

"Naruto! Are you awake?"

"Coming, Iruka-sensei!" Once more Naruto practiced his smile, gave up, and went to let the man inside.

Iruka, perceptive of the young man's moods, took one look at Naruto and knew exactly what to do.

"Alright. We're going to Ichiraku's!"

*

So naturally, Iruka was startled when Naruto did not cheer up, even after his fifth bowl of ramen.

"It's going to be a long day, huh?" the academy teacher spoke conversationally.

Naruto nodded, gaze not leaving his noodles. "Mm. I have to meet with Sakura-chan and Shizune so they can go over the ceremony stuff with me, then I have to complete the move into the Hokage offices—at least I know nobody will be holed up in there like when Tsunade-baa-chan did it, right?" Naruto quirked an amused smile in remembrance before abruptly grimacing. "And somewhere in there I have to go out drinking with Pervert Hermit since he says I'm a man now."

Iruka chuckled. Even at twenty, the blond had no interest in imbibing himself. The few times he had, his behavior tended to be even more outrageous than when he was twelve. (This was only made worse the one time Lee joined in. A good third of the village had had to be repaired.)

"Tsunade-baa-chan is going to introduce me formally to the elders just before my speech," Naruto went on, looking despondent. "They're not too happy with her naming me the successor."

"Don't worry, Naruto," Iruka told him comfortingly. "As many as there are who oppose your succession, there are those who believe you can do it. We're right beside you, no matter what."

Naruto smiled wanly. "Thanks, Iruka-sensei. That means a lot…" He sighed, pushing the rest of his ramen away. "I know I wasn't always the easiest student—Kakashi-sensei keeps saying that if karma exists, someday I'll have a student just as obnoxious as I was—but you've always meant so much to me. You've been like… well, kind of like a dad, I guess."

"Naruto…" Iruka thought he would cry.

"But so are Kakashi-sensei and Pervert Hermit—and Tsunade-baa-chan is like a really annoying mom—so I guess that's not a really flattering thing to say!" Naruto grinned cheekily.

"Ah… Yeah…"

Naruto laughed at his expression before sobering again. "But I really don't know what I would've done if I hadn't met you… so I guess I want to thank you, for being my friend."

"Naruto…" Iruka ruffled the younger man's hair fondly. "I'm glad I met you too."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah!"

"I'm glad." Naruto stared off into space for a moment, looking lost in thought, and Iruka knew it had nothing at all to do with what they were talking about.

"Naruto, about Sasuke…"

"I know," said the blond before Iruka could get started. "iI know./i I'm being childish. I should just get over it, right? I'm a man, not a child, so I'd better start acting like one." Naruto stood from the table and turned to leave.

"Naruto, wait!"

Naruto threw a smile over his shoulder. "I'll be okay, Iruka-sensei. Really. See you at the ceremony! I'll be looking for you in the crowd!" That said, he ran from the ramen stand, heading for the direction of the Hokage Tower.

Iruka sighed heavily, feeling helpless.

"He's still like that, huh?" a new voice spoke up.

Iruka was proud that he didn't startle at the sudden entrance and turned to face Kakashi calmly. "Yes. Honestly, I don't know what to tell him... Not about this."

Kakashi nodded. "He's always been very stubborn with anything that concerns Uchiha Sasuke."

"Yeah."

*

Naruto heard the whispers and, while he wasn't surprised, it still hurt a lot to hear the villagers talking about him. All of those lonely days of his childhood came rushing back and he felt like nothing had really changed at all.

"There he goes, the Kyuubi boy."

"I can't believe he's becoming the Sixth Hokage! That terror!"

"It won't be long before the entire village goes up in flames, mark my words."

"Why are the elders allowing this to happen? It's atrocious."

"We have to protest! We can't allow that brat to be in control!"

"Yeah!"

The voices grew louder as they grew bolder, and every word pierced Naruto's heart, until the comments were sharply interrupted by a new speaker.

"You're all such sheep!"

Naruto whirled around in time to see Neji step onto the scene, Hinata right behind him. The female Hyuuga had a shopping bag in her arms. Both looked angrier than Naruto remembered seeing them in a long time.

Neji continued. "Uzumaki Naruto has helped save this village many times since he became a Genin. He's a powerful shinobi with his own brand of wisdom and he has the ability to touch the hearts of anyone willing to listen—or in some cases, unwilling," the dark-haired boy added sardonically, obviously referring to himself. "Whatever else Naruto may be is inconsequential next to the person he tries to be.

"And if you're worried that he's too young, you'll do to remember that the Fourth was also in his early twenties when he began his service, so that's no excuse! Now get lost and do something useful!" Neji glared at them all until the villagers slowly walked away.

Hinata went to Naruto's side, concerned. "Are you okay, Naruto-kun?"

The blond forced a smile. "Yeah. Thanks, Neji, but you didn't need to say all that."

"Yes, I did," the other man said firmly, leaving no room for argument.

Naruto blushed. "Um, what are you guys doing? I thought your clan would be pretty busy today too…"

"We are," Hinata said, "that's why I'm doing the shopping for my mother. Neji-kun agreed to accompany me."

Neji nodded in confirmation.

Naruto marveled once more over the change in Neji since their fight in the Chuunin Exam, not for the first time. Whether he was truly the reason for it or not, he was still glad.

"You're still going to change things right?" Neji asked lowly.

"Huh?" Naruto blinked, confused.

"You promised before that you would change how things were in the clans," Neji reminded, smirking softly. "It's your way of the ninja to keep your word, isn't it?"

Slowly, Naruto grinned. "For sure! I said I would, didn't I? You'll see!"

He had been talking about a lot of these things with Tsunade the past few weeks. It wouldn't be easy, but getting to this point in his life hadn't been easy either, so he would just have to see it through.

He would keep his word.

*

Hinata beamed at her cousin after Naruto departed for the tower. "You said that to cheer Naruto-kun up," she noted.

Neji shrugged uncomfortably, not surprised she had caught on. "I figured that with everything he could use the reminder. It's not like Uchiha's around to do it."

"Neji-kun…"

Neji glowered, wishing he could give Sasuke a good throttle, not for the first—or last—time. "Let's get back. We'll be late."

"Ye-Yes…"

*

"Naruto, you're late!" Sakura shouted as soon as her former teammate entered the office. "We have a lot of things to do still, you know!"

Naruto couldn't help but smile as the girl gave him a good scolding. He knew she only did it because she cared. "I know, Sakura-chan, but I ran into a lot of people on the way, and then I had to hide from Pervert Hermit—I think he's been binging because he looked really drunk already, and…"

Reclining at the table, Tsunade snorted derisively at this. "He's been celebrating. The old fart did the same thing with the Fourth…"

"You joined him last night though," said Shizune cheekily.

"Shut up."

Sakura giggled. "Well, at least you're here now. We can get started." Then she got a better look at her blond friend. "Naruto, you look tired! Didn't you get enough sleep?"

"Ah, well, not really…" Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"Idiot! Well, I guess we could use some makeup…" Sakura bit her lip, looking him over anxiously. "Naruto… I know you're missing Sasuke-kun, but—"

Naruto held up his hands, quickly interrupting. "It's okay, Sakura-chan! Really!"

"But…"

Naruto pasted on his best fake smile, grinning widely for her. "Come on! We have a lot to go over, right?"

"Yeah, but…"

"Sakura, Shizune," Tsunade broke in. "Please wait outside for a moment."

The girls looked at each other, seeming to communicate silently, and decided that Naruto would be best left in their teacher's capable hands for now. They left without comment.

The blonde woman stood and went to the wide window. "Brat, come here."

Glowering in irritation, Naruto obeyed, standing close to her side. He was taller than her now, but she could still make him feel like a tiny twelve year old with but a look.

Tsunade glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, catching sight of a flash of blue crystal. She grinned. "You're wearing my bad luck necklace today."

Naruto smiled back, touching the necklace Tsunade had given him years ago. Today it was clearly visible instead of hiding underneath his shirt. "Yeah. It seemed like the right thing. It's… something I will always treasure."

"You'd better." Tsunade had to look away. She would not cry, not on a happy day. Happy crying had always struck her as terribly silly.

Naruto spoke up before she had the chance to say anything about it. "I know I'm behaving selfishly. It's dumb of me, but… I always had this clear image of how things were going to be today. The image has changed a little over time, but that one part was always there… That in one shape or form, Sasuke would be there."

Tsunade frowned. "Naruto, it's okay to feel that way. None of us are going to hold it against you."

The boy shook his head. "No. If he saw me now he'd call me a complete idiot for the way I'm behaving."

"And you'd get mad and start calling him names, the two of you falling back into your behavioral patterns since you were twelve until a third party decided to yell at you." Tsunade shook her head sadly. "That's acting immature. How you feel right now is perfectly understandable.

"Just remember that everything you've done has led to this moment. You have to look up into the endless sky and gaze at the future." Smiling, she squeezed Naruto's shoulder. "And remember, you're not alone anymore."

Naruto gulped, remembering a night long past.

"Loneliness be over."

"Huh?"

"I think I heard that somewhere. Can't remember now." Sasuke shrugged carelessly. "It's just, right now, it seemed to fit."

"Heh… Sappy bastard."

"Idiot."

Forcing his mind back into the present, Naruto offered Tsunade a real smile. "You're right. I'm not alone. I'm not the brat I used to be. I'm me."

He glanced back at the table suddenly. "Hey, can I keep those scrolls?"

"No."

"Aww."

*

Sakura rushed Naruto onto the roof, helping him adjust the large red and white ceremonial hat. "Hurry! We're running late already!"

"We wouldn't be if the elders hadn't insisted on arguing with us for so long about it!" Naruto yelled, glowering over at them, still disgruntled.

"I know," Sakura harrumphed. "You'd think they were the young people, with the way they were going on." She adjusted Naruto's hat once more before stepping back, looking him over with a radiant smile. "Oh, you look so handsome and distinguished!" Though he was still wearing his signature yellow, the black at least helped tone it down at little.

"It's the hat," Kakashi remarked quietly to Jiraiya, who suppressed a laugh.

Naruto flushed proudly. "You've helped me so much today, Sakura-chan. I wouldn't have made it through without you."

Sakura looked like she barely held herself back from hugging him. "I'm so proud of you, Naruto. We all are."

"Go knock 'em dead, kid," Jiraiya said, grinning from ear to ear.

Naruto nodded, beaming at his two teachers, Sakura, Tsunade, and Shizune. Maybe it wasn't exactly perfect, but it was still the beginning of his dream coming true.

He was happy.

"Wait!"

Startled, they all turned to see Shikamaru, Chouji, and Sai all running up the stairs to join them, looking like they had rushed the whole way.

Naruto was elated. He ran to meet them. "You made it!"

Shikamaru grinned tiredly. "Like we'd miss this."

"Not with the buffet they're having later!" Chouji added, looking like he could use a good meal after their run.

Sai laughed breathlessly. "At least we made it in time. We were worried we wouldn't, what with all the delays."

"How was the mission?" Naruto asked eagerly. "And where's Sasuke?" He glanced behind them, not seeing his favorite raven-haired ANBU.

He became instantly uneasy when the three exchanged nervous glances.

"What? What?! Where is he? What happened? Was he hurt? Is he in the hospital? I don't care if we have to postpone the coronation, I wanna see him!"

Still Shikamaru, Chouji, and Sai hesitated.

"What the hell happened?!" Naruto shouted threateningly.

The puff of smoke startled him, which it really shouldn't have but he was otherwise distracted. Sasuke appeared, looking perfectly healthy but for a few scratches, and a little out of breath as well.

But he was there and Naruto couldn't breath for a few seconds.

"Why are you yelling?" the Uchiha asked, looking slightly concerned until he was nearly plowed down as his lover came rushing into his arms, the large hat falling uncaringly onto the floor. "Naruto? What's wrong with you now?"

Behind them, Shikamaru and his other teammates were trying very hard not to laugh, even as Sasuke glared at them dangerously, realizing what had occurred before his entrance.

"Oh, honestly," he sneered. "You didn't have to scare him. You know he's too honest to know you're teasing."

Naruto didn't care at all about that though. Sasuke was there; he'd made it back after all. He had been terribly disappointed when Shikamaru sent a message saying that his team would be late on the return journey, unsure if they would make it in time for the inauguration. But he hadn't protested—at least, not too much. It was a mission. What could they do?

But everything was okay now because Sasuke was home.

"You made it," Naruto whispered into his shoulder, clinging to the shorter man like a lifeline.

Sasuke patted his shoulder awkwardly. "Yeah. You don't need to cry though."

"I'm not crying, you jerk." Naruto wiped his face against Sasuke shirt anyway, giving himself away.

"Sure." Sasuke smiled fondly and smoothed down the thick blond hair. "Later, I'll make you cry in a very different way," he promised.

That surprised a laugh out of Naruto. "God, I missed you." It had been a very long mission. Naruto licked his neck mischievously, grinning when Sasuke gasped quietly.

"Oi, come on now." Sasuke picked up the hat, dusted it off, and placed it back on Naruto's head. "Mustn't keep your fans waiting."

Naruto grabbed his hand. "I want you next to me."

Sasuke frowned. "Naruto, we talked about that—"

"Yeah, you betrayed the village, joined Orochimaru, went rogue—whatever." Naruto waved his free arm uncaringly. "They don't like me much either. I don't care. You're next to me. They'll just have to get over it."

Sasuke didn't really care either, but he didn't want this to be harder on Naruto than it already would be. Even so, Sasuke found himself agreeing, standing a step behind Naruto as he faced the village. It wasn't worth arguing about, really.

Naruto grinned as he saw familiar, smiling faces below. Lee and Gai were doing their "nice guy" poses the moment he appeared. Gaara, who had come though it was unusual for the Kazekage to be present, was the first to start clapping. Konohamaru was definitely the loudest among the cheers. Everyone he knew, and even many whom he only knew in passing, were very happy.

Looking up at the bright blue sky, Naruto took a deep breath, steadying himself.

He had made it. He was finally there, and everything was perfect.

It was the start of his greatest adventure. He would face it head on, because he was strong and he wasn't alone.

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto! From today on, I'm the Sixth Hokage!"

The end. Thanks for reading and let me know what you thought. ^^; Though telling me how cliche it is isn't really necessary...