Chapter 29
Keigo didn't know how much time had passed but he was still on that roof holding his father's body like a lifeline. Previously someone had tried to talk to him and hands had reached out to help him but he was too lost to do anything but continue to stare into those ocean blue eyes, the same as his own, now blind.
"Kiddo" a rough voice came from in front of him, Keigo ignored it like all the others.
He saw a pair of knees resting on the roof in front of him from the periphery of his vision.
"Keigo, look at me"
A hand slowly reached out to delicately close those blue eyes that continued to stare into nothingness and then Keigo looked up at who was there.
Shikaku-sensei stood there with a face Keigo had never seen him wear. He knew what he must look like in his eyes, completely drenched in his father's blood, tears still falling down his face and dull eyes.
When Shikaku saw that his former student had realized who was with him, that's when he pushed himself to gently remove Keigo's hands from Minato's now cold body. It was as if Keigo's strings had been cut, only Shikaku's hands guiding him made him move.
In the blink of an eye Keigo found himself on his feet, with no one in his arms.
Lost, he looked around just to see Shikaku there waiting for him. On weak legs he approached only to collapse in the familiar arms.
The adrenaline that had kept him going until that moment was abandoning him and so was all his little strength. His knees could no longer support him so Shikaku slowly guided him to the ground where he held him in his arms, the same way Keigo held his father earlier.
His vision was blurring at the sides, the tiredness was too much but he still couldn't sleep, not as long as his father's body was there.
"Sensei, I lost dad, I lost my dad" Keigo wailed like a wounded animal. The arms around him tightened, as if to protect him from the pain he felt.
Finally he collapsed.
As he began to return to consciousness, Keigo knew exactly where he was, the rough sheets, the stiff blankets and the hard mattress. Konoha Hospital.
His eyes opened slowly. A blurry yellow blur was the first thing he saw. Keigo blinked a couple of times to focus but by then a small body had already attached itself to him.
Naruto didn't need any more prompting, when Keigo opened his eyes he launched himself at him, face buried in his neck and arms and legs wrapped around his brother's body.
"Bubba" he cried.
Keigo instinctively wrapped Naruto in his arms finding comfort in the warmth emitted by his little brother.
"Bubba, you hadn't woken up in two days and-" Naruto's words were cut off by a sob, "I was afraid of losing you too"
Keigo didn't know what to say, what could he say when as a shinobi every day could be his last?
Now they were orphans, Naruto only had him to rely on and Keigo wouldn't let him down.
"Were you all alone at the tower?" Keigo asked worried that his brother was forgotten in an empty apartment.
"He's been with me, now he's my favorite Uzumaki, huh Naruto?" A voice from the door jumped in.
Kakashi was there and Keigo didn't know how much he needed to see him until that moment. He was tired, he could see it even with the mask covering almost his entire face, under his eye a black circle had formed due to lack of sleep and the spark in it had gone out. Keigo knew that Kakashi saw the same thing in him too.
They had lost too much, too many.
Kakashi sat on the edge of the bed so Keigo could lean on, their hands intertwined on the back of a now dozing Naruto.
No words were exchanged between them, the comfort they felt in each other's presence was enough to soothe the pain of the loss.
Keigo was on his way to shake the tower apartment out of Naruto's things and take them to his house. He wouldn't let his brother live in a place that was haunted by memories of their father.
He had no time to set foot inside the tower before the third hokage fell into step with him.
Keigo certainly didn't want to have a conversation with him but even though he walked faster the old man continued to stand next to him. The old man certainly didn't miss a day of cardio.
"How are you doing Keigo?" Sarutobi asked.
"Perfectly" Keigo replied lightly.
Keigo wasn't but no one could know that, not the Third, not Kakashi and especially not Naruto. Keigo had to be fine for them, even though he was slowly falling apart.
"Well then, if you wanted to follow me I would like to talk to you about something before you can continue with your commitments"
Keigo followed him without fuss to the roof where they leaned against the balustrade. The wind in his hair calmed him slightly, his eyes roaming the landscape, taking in the beauty that was Konoha.
"The will of fire has always flowed through your veins since you were a child, everyone could see it and your desire to serve Konoha has always been exemplary" the Third began to speak.
Keigo didn't understand why that was important in that moment.
"You grew up to be one of the greatest shinobi to ever live and did things many can't even imagine" Sarutobi was now looking Keigo in the eyes, "Your father had written down who he wanted to succeed him in case he died before the end of his mandate and the elders and I accepted his proposal"
Realization began to dawn on Keigo and he stumbled back a few steps.
"Keigo, if you accept you will become the fifth hokage"
There, he had said it and Keigo could no longer pretend not to know what the Third wanted to ask him.
"I'm only twenty-three years old, I'm not ready to be THAT" the panic was clear in Keigo's tone.
"I see the love you feel for this village and for the people who live in it, no one is better suited to lead us than you" Sarutobi said to calm the spirit.
Sarutobi saw when the words he said hit the young man in front of him. Keigo however holding traces of fear in his eyes had a new light in him. With a nod from the boy Sarutobi knew his mind was made up and watched him walk away to once again look at the village at their feet.
Seeing him from behind at that moment he could almost mistake him for another young man with yellow hair who before him had the same doubts of not being good enough.
Minato had been more than enough but Sarutobi knows that Keigo will be one of the best if not the greatest.