Story: A Strange Vacation

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or the Avengers.

Author: ChocolateCherryGenesis

Summary: Before becoming Sixth Hokage, Naruto takes a vacation to the Outside World to sooth his memories of the Fourth Ninja World War. It is just his usual luck that he runs into a helmet-guy with a cheap rip-off of the Shadow Clone Techinque while he was strolling through Germany. And what's with the people in Halloween costumes? And SHEILD? Perhaps he'll need backup after all . . .

Published: Thursday, January 3, 2013

Notes: Since Sakura died (in this fanfiction), I had to have someone take the place of her personality in the group –– I chose Yamanaka Ino. For those who complain that she's out of character, that's why. Sai is even more out of character because I haven't read or watched anything with him as a character in a really long time. When the time comes, this story'll get serious (I hope), but I must be in some really silly mood because no matter what I write, it always comes out as really sucky comedy. Also: I usually proofread my stuff before I publish it, but this is only my first draft. Therefore, everything is horrible –– grammar, plot, and word variety. You have been, officially, warned. If any of my reviewers address an issue, I will attempt to fix it if I believe it needs fixing. Speaking of which, I am desperate for constructive criticism and I'm very hard to insult, so point out every single thing you think I messed up! ^_^

Chapter One

I Need A Vacation. Badly.

A young man with wild blond hair covered by a brown traveling cloak looked down with wise blue eyes to the village below him. He sat with his legs folded on one of the heads of the Hokage Monument –– or, more specifically, on the head of the Forth Hokage's place in the Monument –– and watched. Even from this distance, his eyes could clearly see many details on the buildings and people below.

The buildings still had remnants of metal armor on the sides facing the walls, especially covering houses here and there so that they were gray-colored safe zones in case of invasion. Fences were strewn with old, bent shuriken and kunai, useless for any other purpose but to give enemies injuries –– no matter how small and insignificant. In spite of these obvious signs of recent, cruel war, the streets were strewn with bright colored banners the places that he once had holes were patched up and various pretty, eye-catching murals had been painted by random people on their walls. This was not a village that was struck by war, but a village that had been struck by war and was now celebrating the end of it.

Those who were ninja had Forehead Protectors either proudly worn on the forehead or stitched onto clothes. After the Ninja War ended, those who were lower ranked once again polished their Forehead Protectors until they shined brightly in the light, catching his attention. Those who were higher ranked and still working on Missions that took them outside the walls had their Forehead Protectors instead waxed with the juice of a berry that –– while not harming the metal –– caused the Forehead Protectors to not reflect light at all, so that their hiding places would not be betrayed by a fickle ray of light. Even these, though, were visible to the young man, which was acceptable within these safe walls.

Those without either a polished or waxed Forehead Protector were the Civilians, who thankfully rarely saw war, and whose numbers had been barely touched by the losses the Ninjas had suffered . . . The young man shook his head as memories of the Ninja War returned with a vengeance, pounding into his skull like a regiment of Tobi's finest mind-controlled troops.

"Sakura!"

She was covered with blood –– it was red, not the bright color of her shirt but a thick reminder of how fragile the life of Ninja –– the life of a soldier –– was. As he lifted her so that she could breathe easier, she lifted a hand and placed it on his arm to sooth him, staining his lower left arm with the crimson liquid. "It's all right; I'm going to see Lady Tsunade now."

"You can't die, Sakura! Stay strong! I'll get you to the medic tent!"

She gave a small laugh. "I'm the best medic-nin you've got, silly. Don't you think I would know if I'll make it?"

"You've gotta try!" he called frantically. Tears dropped from his eyes. "You gotta try, Sakura! Please!"

"Don't you ever . . . give up . . . your . . . dream . . ." she said. Her eyes closed, black lashes meeting fair skin and elegant hand dropping with an echoing thunk to the ground. Complete silence.

"SAKURA!"

Those who had heard his grief filled scream through the war-torn forest barely recognized it. For such a closely-knit squad as Team 7, the death of any member was more than just the death of a coworker or an ally or a comrade or even a friend –– it was the death of family, of someone who understood the deepest corners of one's heart.

The young man opened his eyes and gasped, not seeing the dark forest but instead momentarily blinded by the sunny, happy day, filled with the sounds of distant people bustling about their business and cherishing those who had survived. One hand flew to his forehead, the other attaching to the stone and sticking there with chakra so that he would not fall the hundreds of feet down to the ground before he recovered.

These dreams, these flashes of memory . . . They kept plaguing his thoughts more and more often. It was difficult to find peaceful moments when he could deal with this. Even now, he could sense three ANBU Black Ops members guarding him –– two at the bottom of the Monument and another at the top.

"Naruto . . ."

The young man blinked, looking upwards at Kakashi-sensei with a questioning look. The silver-haired ninja had a Dog mask on his face, on account of many of the greatest ANBU having died in the War, being the greatest warriors. Kakashi was one of the only truly strong ninjas who had survived the fighting without great injury, and had taken over the ANBU until such a time as a true leader could be found to rebuild the forces.

"You can't keep holding it in, Naruto," Kakashi said knowingly. His face was masked, but he still managed to radiate an aura of intense concern. He looked away from Naruto to the blue sky, taking a moment to locate a bird and point at it. "See, Naruto? Even birds make mistakes and injure themselves, breaking their wings. But that's okay. They don't have to fly when their wings are broken."

Naruto looked toward the bird, who was flying freely through the trees. "But the other birds don't know how to fix a broken wing," he said unhappily. "They can't fix it. It just has to keep going."

Kakashi frowned. He sat down next to the man who had once been his pupil in just another rookie Genin Squad, hopelessly naive to the cruelty of the world, the man who was now the heart of all the village. "That's where people come in, Naruto. Birds don't –– can't –– understand the pain you're feeling, Naruto. But your friends are worried about you. Sai especially. He finally figured out how to feel emotions again, only to feel loss through the War, and now worry at your sadness," Kakashi said. He took a long moment to think before adding in a low voice, "I'm worried too."

Naruto sighed deeply and looked back to the village. "I can't relax, Kakashi. There's much to be done. I don't have time to mourn."

Kakashi shook his head. "The War is over, the Village Hidden in the Leaves has been repaired, those who were injured have been healed as much as the medic nins are able to heal them. There is nothing for you to do. Nothing to fix."

Naruto laughed. "People don't need me to 'fix' anything they can see, Kakashi," he said. His eyes shone with a wisdom born from compassion and sympathy, a deep understanding of suffering born through a life of frustration and sorrow –– and yet his eyes sparked with also a hope and trust in the future, never dulled through the dark times when everything seemed hopeless. He smiled. "They need someone to look up to. After the Third Ninja World War, they had my father to look up to," he explained. He shifted so that he legs were out from under him, kicking them in the air lazily. "After the Nine-Tails attacked, they looked up to Old Man Hokage. After Old Man Hokage was murdered, Old Granny Tsunade was there for them."

Kakashi sighed. "And now it's your turn?"

"Yep!" Naruto said. "I have a lot to live up to, after all. And they already know from the War just how powerful I am, how dedicated I am to the village, how much I love the village." He frowned. "It would figure that it would take a World War to make a village that shunned me turn me into their greatest champion to date."

Kakashi was silent for a long while. ". . . Are you sure? Can you bear this burden?"

"Yes," Naruto said confidently. "I can bear it. For those who died, and for those who are still alive."

"Your coronation as Hokage is in three months."

"That's right," Naruto said.

Kakashi sighed. "You're not making this easy. I think that you need a vacation away from all this. The War only just ended a little over two months ago. We finished the repairs only a week ago. You've had no time to mourn. No time to think on what you saw. You were too young for War, like I was, but I was just one of many recognized Ninja. I had a great deal of time. Not three months before being tied to the village forever."

Naruto laughed with a touch of bitterness, standing up and holding his arms around him in a widely encompassing motion. "Where would I go, Kakashi? Tell me, where would I go where I would find those who did not know of my actions in the War? Even if I did leave the village, all the other villages hail me as a hero. I would not escape these pressures."

Kakashi stood up and started to walk away. Before he started down the Monument to the rest of the elite guard squad, he turned back for a moment. "There might be a way. If you're willing to try." And then he was gone.

Naruto did not know how long he stood there, or how long he had been stuck in his memories. Either way, when the sun was on the horizon and preparing to retire for the night, he left for his apartment with a quiet focus. The Ninjas in his path cleared the way in respect, and the Civilians pointed and grinned, whispering to each other. There's Uzumaki Naruto! –– That's the son of the Fourth! –– The hero of the War is standing there! –– That's our Sixth Hokage!

~ oOo ~

"Fine. I give up."

Kakashi grinned. Though Naruto had grown into a man capable of bearing the hopes and dreams of Ninjas all across the world, Naruto would always be the same in some ways. Almost. Kakashi felt a frown threatening to overcome his face when he remembered that his student's carefree attitude and happy grins were now mostly reserved for his closest friends, instead of how Naruto had once given them away freely to all those he saw. Nonetheless, his student would always be unceasingly curious about the secrets others kept.

"Hm?" Kakashi asked, peering around his book and pretending to not know what his student was talking about.

"You know perfectly well what I mean, Kakashi-sensei," Naruto said. "Where can I go?"

Kakashi dropped his book, his ruse seen through completely. "Oh, just a place called the Outside World."

"Outside World? Where's that?"

Kakashi grinned. "If you had payed attention in the Academy, you would know."

Naruto gritted his teeth in irritation. "We all know that I barely passed the Academy's paper exams, Kakashi-sensei. Get to the point!"

"Well . . ." Kakashi said, enjoying the way Naruto was barely restraining himself from flying toward his sensei with the intent of tackling him to the ground and jumping up and down on him, before throwing him off the Hokage Tower. Repeatedly. Or at least something along those lines, if Naruto's death glare and barely restrained dark aura was any indication. "The Elemental Nations are surrounded by a territorial barrier created by the first Kages. According to the ancient laws, only SS-Rank ninja are permitted to pass without restraint. Not even the Akatsuki went through the barrier. And not even I know exactly what lays beyond these nations of ours. It would be an adventure."

Naruto sighed, raising a hand to swipe it through his wild blond hair. "The Council would never go for it. No other Leaf Ninja is capable of becoming Hokage. They wouldn't risk it."

"Ah," Kakashi disagreed, smiling. "Not if you took a Squad with you. The ancient laws allow that. The guards could just follow you and leave you to yourself except in an emergency."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "And I suppose your name and Sai's just happen to be at the top of the volunteer list?"

"Coincidently . . . yes," Kakashi said without remorse, grinning so widely that his visible eye was shut.

"Well then," Naruto said, pausing. He broke out into a bright grin. "What're we waitin' for?! Let's go! Adven~ture! Adven~ture! Ha-ha!"

"I thought you would say that."

Yes, some things would never change, even if there were two gaping holes to either side of Naruto, with matching holes within the boy's heart where his teammates should have been when he finally was at the brink of completing his dream.

~ oOo ~

The Council sat at their places, whispering among each other.

"He can't––"

"––ceremony is too soon––"

"Shouldn't we––?"

"But he does deserve a break after the War . . ."

"He promised to bring along guards––"

Naruto sighed. This small action caused the room to quiet and focus on him. Though they had been troublesome for the Third and Fifth Hokages, the current members of the Council had fought with Naruto on the field, and they knew that they could trust Naruto. If that trust failed, they knew that Naruto had the power to just barge out of the room and drag any four ninjas with him as his guard –– no matter their rank –– and just leave the nations for a vacation even without their approval.

Shizune, the Councilwoman representing the medic ninjas and greatly respected student of the deceased Fifth Hokage, raised a hand to silence the room completely. She leaned forward to concentrate on the seventeen-year-old boy in front of her. "Are you sure, Naruto?" she asked. "Would this really help you?"

"I'm sure," Naruto said gently. "The War . . . being on the front lines and fighting against Tobi . . . I was able to do it, and I could do it again if I had to, but a little vacation would be just perfect before I become Hokage."

"Even to the Outside World?" Shizune's worried voice rang out through the large chamber, echoing off the walls because no other Ninja or Civilian would dare even breath while listening to their next Hokage's answer.

Naruto smiled sadly. "It's the only place I would get some peace."

Shizune and Naruto were silent for a moment, Shizune looking into Naruto's eyes and trying to determine what he was thinking and Naruto looking into hers to attempt to show her how much he had grown, how safe he would be.

Shizune sat back suddenly, sighing with resignation. "Go on," she said at last. "I could never stop you anyway."

"Thanks!" Naruto said with a grin.

"But if you need anything––" and here Shizune glared and stressed the word. "––feel free to call for any of my medic ninjas."

"Sure, sure!" Naruto said. "Now I wonder how much ramen I can fit if I stack them in sealing scrolls before stuffing my provisions bag . . . Do they even have ramen in the Outside World? Oh no! I better have Kakashi pack some extra just in case. Now that would be a real emergency!" he mumbled to himself, nodding firmly.

The Council barely refrained from collectively facepalming. Though their next Hokage was a great warrior and a wise man, he was also a (lovable) idiot at times. A very, very ramen-obsessed (lovable) idiot. Like a certain Fourth Hokage, to those few who were old enough to remember.

~ oOo ~

Kakashi sat on the windowsill as he watched Naruto pack his bags. "Don't forget clothes," he reminded his leader half sarcastically. "You can always leave one of your Toad Summons here and just reverse summon some ramen if the Outside World truly doesn't have any."

Naruto whirled around wildly from his place in front of a large suitcase filled with a few dozen sealing scrolls and a couple extra ramen cups. His eyes were wide in total disbelief.

"What?" Kakashi asked defensively.

Naruto's eyes filled with tears as he tackled his sensei with a bear hug. "You are a genius, Kakashi-sensei!" he exclaimed.

Kakashi blinked his single eye. "O . . . kay?" he said, making his answer sound more like a question than a statement.

"No, really, sensei!" Naruto said. "You are the greatest sensei ever! Why didn't I think of that? Woo-hoo! Ramen! Ramen-ramen-ramen! How I love you sooo!" he sang as he began to unload the suitcase, which began groaning in pitiful relief.

At that moment, Sai ducked through the window. "It's almost time to go, Hokage-sama," he said to Naruto. "Are you ready?"

Naruto's eyes widened. "No! Here, help me! You grab some shirts and –– Kakashi, you grab –– no, wait ––" Naruto's face was twisted in confusion as he tried to hurry in his packing.

Yamanaki Ino snorted as she jumped through the window after Sai and kicked the poor, confused Ninja aside, the teenage boy dropping his armful of shirts to the ground and finding his face planted in the pile of clean laundry.

"Okay, you male idiots!" she said, dropping her foot on Sai's back to keep him down and shouting in a reasonable impression of her best friend Nara Shikamaru when he was completely serious and would kick everybody's butt if they did not obey his every word exactly when he said it. "You're all horrible at packing –– public fact, sorry, –– so Naruto, you get your unmentionables and I'll pack everything else," she said.

She then proceeded to completely ignore the trio of boys as he opened Naruto's closet wide and planted a hand on her hip as she murmured to herself in thought. "We'll need some long-sleeved shirts, sweaters, boots, and jackets just in case the Outside World is cold, and then on the other hand we'll need some shorts, t-shirts, and sunscreen just in case it's hot ––" The rest of her words were mumbled so inaudibly that no one could make them out.

When Ino realized that Naruto was still frozen in shock, she whirled around with a glare. "Now, Uzumaki!" she barked.

"Y-Yes, Ma'am!" Naruto said with a salute, running off to his dresser.

Kakashi followed Naruto with a grin. "Boy, you're pathetic. Afraid of a girl."

"I heard that, Hatake!" a female yell echoed from Ino's turned back.

Kakshi sweatdropped. "I meant to say, Ino is such a lovely person and we should all listen. Yep, that's totally what I meant."

Naruto grinned and looked back at his former sensei. "Boy, you're pathetic," he repeated with a grin.

"And I heard that too, Uzumaki!"

Naruto flinched. "I meant to say, Ino's such a smart young lady and I should get back to what she told me to do," he amended.

"Much better, Uzumaki. Just be glad you're gonna be the Sixth Hokage or I would'a punched you right where you stand. Your lazy excuse for a sensei, too."

Sai finally managed to stand up from where he'd been primarily forced to the floor by Ino's kick and from where Ino had proceeded to toss clothing that did not pass her standards from Naruto's closet in a pile over the Ninja. As he kicked off a shirt from his leg, he frowned. "And what did I do to deserve your wrath, Miss Piggy?"

"That's what you did, you little creep! I am not Miss Piggy! I am the beautiful and talented Yamanaka-sama!"

"Miss Piggy-sama?" Sai tried.

"Yamanaka-sama, twerp!" Ino shrieked, once again kicking him and forcing him to flee from Naruto's room through the window.

Naruto sighed. "I'm starting to get what Old Man Hokage and Old Granny Tsunade meant when they said they hated it when people jumped in through the window. People at the window don't knock, so you can't pretend you're not at home."

~ oOo ~

A short while later, a small group of Naruto's closet friends came to privately send him off. Those who had noticed him holding a large traveling backpack while heading for the gate and followed him –– adding a couple dozen to the small gathering –– but Naruto did not mind. They appeared to be happy for his vacation. After all, unlike when the Sound Village had been threatening them and they could not appear weak, the other Ninja Villages were all at peace and none of them had a grudge against the Leaf Village. The office of Hokage could remain empty for a short while without risk.

"Shikamaru!" Naruto exclaimed with surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"Watching your oblivious butt," Shikamaru replied with a deadpan face, lifting his traveling pack higher onto his back. "You know that if you somehow die during this vacation of yours, they're going to stick me with the job. No thank you," he said with a snort. "Being Jonin Commander is more than enough."

"But you have to stay here to take care of the village while I'm gone," Naruto said. "Shizune can't do it by herself, and Kakashi's coming with me."

Shikamaru shrugged. "The Council can deal with it. I'm coming with you. If I'm lucky, we'll find ourselves in a nice, warm place with lots of grass and clouds."

"You'd still rather cloud-watch than lead a village?" Naruto asked with some measure of disbelief.

"You bet. Odds are, I'm not going to get another three-month vacation for as long as I live," Shikamaru said with a determined frown. "I'm making use of this chance now."

Naruto grinned with a nostalgic twinkle in his eye. "Same old Shikamaru."

"Same old lazy Shikamaru," Ino snorted from her place behind him. "While me, Kakashi, and Sai are all going to be taking shifts watching your back, Shikamaru's probably going to refuse to do any work at all –– you've never been in a Three-Man-Squad with him, Hokage-sama. Once they get started, there's no stopping the Nara men from completely retreating from reality."

"Well, I trust you'll remind him of his duties," Naruto said with a smile toward the Yamanka Clan Heiress.

"Oh," Ino said with a smirk, blond bangs causing a shadow to appear around her eyes. "It would be my pleasure."

Shikamaru's eyes widened in horror. "You're taking the she-barbarian too?!" he exclaimed in disbelief, taking a few steps backward. "Um, I take it back –– I'll gladly watch over the village while you're gone!" he said, turning around to race away. Before he could fully scamper off, Ino was standing with a sweet smile at his side, a hand on his shoulder with a grip tight and unescapable.

"Oh, but you can't leave now," Ino said. "We're going to have so much fun!"

"NOOOO! SAVE ME! CURSE YOU, NARUTO! YOU KNEW ALL ALONG!"

~ oOo ~

Iruka blinked as he heard the cry for help, watering his garden with a purple polka dot watering can. "I thought I just heard the famous Nara clan Shiek of Doom. Hm, must'a just been my imagination. I bet Naruto's already left the village by now. Too bad I couldn't see him off –– but I have to set an example for my Academy students."

He turned around back to his house with a cheerful whistle.

~ oOo ~

Silence.

Naruto blinked at the sight before him. ". . . Are you sure we're in the right place?"

"Yep!" Kakashi said with a grin, completely ignoring the frowns and glares turned in his direction. "The map said so!"

"So why is there nothing here?" Ino questioned. "There should be some sort of woooo, sparkling magical barrier around here. Instead, all I see is sand. Lots and lots of sand."

"And sand," Sai added helpfully with a smile.

"Thank you, creep," Ino said. She turned a deceivingly sweet smile toward Kakashi. "As Sai has commented, and sand."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow and said dryly, "With a whole boatload of sand."

"Aw, c'mon, guys," Kakashi said in protest. "The map said it would be right here."

Ino raised an eyebrow. "Right here?" she questioned. "Kakashi, we're in the middle of nowhere."

"Well," Kakashi said, studying the map, "Actually, we're supposed to be . . . right . . . here –– oof!"

Ino walked past Kakashi to the currently visible horseshoe shaped barrier, which now had a faceprint of Kakashi in one of its supports. "So this is the barrier to the Outside World, hm? I wonder what's on the other side."

She peeked through, seeing only a cement road hearing a loud "BEEP-BEEP-BEEEEEEP!" She looked toward the sound only to see a large monster machine heading straight toward her head at high speeds, lights on the front of the machine half-blinding her. She pulled her head back inside the barrier hurriedly. "Eeek!"

"What is it?" Naruto questioned worriedly.

Ino tried to remember where she'd seen the large monster machine before. Suddenly, it occurred to her. "It's one of those machines that the Spring Princess told us about, those things even more rare than trains."

"Oh, you mean cars?" Kakashi questioned.

"Yeah, those!" Ino said, holding a hand to her stomach to regain her breath. "Sorry about that, Hokage-sama. Now that I know that those cars are there, I can avoid them easily."

"So they're not as fast as trains?" Naruto hoped.

Ino shook her head. "Nope. Not the ones I know of, anyway. I've only been to Spring Country once."

Naruto nodded his head. "Okay then. Kakashi-sensei, you're head of the team for know. Shikamaru will take over if I am in mortal peril or am missing. Stay out of sight, keep a close eye, but otherwise just relax. The few records I managed to find said that the people in the Outside World don't use chakra, so they're all Civilians."

"Aye, aye, sir!" Kakashi said sarcastically. "Well, better hurry up."

Naruto sighed. "All right, all right. Fine. I'll see you in three months –– though you're forced to watch me twenty-four-seven. Sucks to be you, huh?" With that, Naruto jumped through the portal without further conversation. He was looking forward to his vacation, he really was.

If only he knew that his vacation would not be nearly as eventless as he had initially anticipated.

To Be Continued . . .

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