Chapter 30
Keigo was lying on the bed and staring at the ceiling without really seeing it, lost in his thoughts. The Third had said that he had been chosen to become the fifth hokage.
He, Keigo, would lead a village at only twenty-three years old, the youngest in history. Scenarios of the village in flames, of riots and famine were running through his head, fears that with him at the head Konoha would fall.
His predecessors had led the village during the great shinobi wars and he would destroy years of hard work. The two Senju as the first and second, Sarutobi as the Third and his father as the Fourth, great examples of shinobi, shinobi who represented Konoha's will of fire.
He was just Keigo.
His father should have been where he belonged instead of cold in a box waiting to be buried six feet under.
His father.
The world kept spinning even without him. Keigo couldn't wrap his head around the fact that even with his father death the world kept spinning without problem.
Sure the village was mourning his passing but none of them were really personally affected by his death.
His funeral will take place tomorrow, Keigo should make some preparations, look for the black robes for him, Naruto and Kakashi but the only thing he could do was lie there staring at the ceiling and the imperfections in the plaster.
On the day of the funeral, all three of the apartment's residents were on autopilot. Keigo and Kakashi had untangled themselves from bed and moved to the bathroom in their routine without exchanging a word, and Naruto was moving around slower than usual.
Keigo was tidying up Kakashi's black robes when they heard loud banging on the front door before it was forced open.
"Did you think you were going to leave me out there forever, brat?" Tsunade with her bossy tone appeared at the door.
Jiraiya must have gone to get Tsunade. Keigo didn't know how he managed to bring her back to Konoha but he was immensely grateful to him.
The woman was exactly how Keigo remembered her from when he was a child, strong but a little haughty, arms planted on her hips and an expression that did not allow for excuses. She still had the same long blonde ponytails.
"Granny Tsunade" Keigo said before walking over and snuggling into her arms as if he were 10 instead of twenty-three.
The woman melted and welcomed him, holding him close.
"You're back" Keigo whispered to her.
"Whenever my firecracker needs me" Tsunade replied. "And I'm not leaving"
"Are you really staying?" He asked in amazement.
"I'm staying" she said, "Then the old man offered me a job as the head of the hospital and surely I can't leave you here alone to run this village of idiots right?"
In front of the tower, an altar had been set up with a photo of his father.
He was radiant as ever, his smile making his blond hair and blue eyes shine even brighter.
The whole village was present, in front the orderly rows of active shinobi then the retired ones and finally the civilians.
Keigo was in front of everyone, Naruto's hand in his right, Kakashi's in his left. At Kakashi's side Obito was stoic with Itachi and Sasuke just behind him. Behind him, Keigo felt the firm presence of Shikaku with Yoshino and Shikamaru. Tenzou was on duty as Cat and flanked the Third but he saw that every now and then he glanced at him to check on him. Tsunade and Jiraiya were also with the Third.
Keigo's entire dysfunctional family was there but every time he looked at that radiant face in the photo he couldn't feel more alone than ever.
Five steps.
Five steps, that was the distance that separated his father's headstone from his mother's.
Keigo had walked that distance so many times that a groove began to form in the grass.
He was radiating nervous energy from every pore of his body but not for nothing, tomorrow he would climb to the roof of the tower and in front of the entire village he would be presented as the next hokage.
Sleep had been deemed too difficult without trying and with Naruto and Kakashi asleep his house was out of consideration.
So graveyard it was.
He had been there for hours, so many that at one point he felt Kakashi's presence curling up through the trees to check on him.
Keigo was afraid. Afraid that his job would sink its claws into him and keep him trapped in that miserable office. Afraid that his family would despise his absence as he had once done with his father.
Obviously he didn't mean for something like this to happen but what if it did?
Keigo stopped his thousandth lap and with a huff lay down on the ground between the two graves. With his arms outstretched he could almost touch them both.
With the sky starting to lighten Keigo finally let his eyes close, sleeping between his parents like when he was a child.
Keigo was holding his father's hand as they walked to the top of Mount Hokage. The firm but gentle grip encouraged him to continue climbing.
Keigo tripped over his own feet and let go of the hand guiding him.
When he went to take it back his father was too far away.
Keigo tried to run after him but it was like he was moving through honey, his movements were in slow motion and the distance kept increasing.
"Dad"
His father gave no sign of hearing him as he continued to advance.
"Dad"
Keigo screamed louder, his arm extended as if he could grab the back of his father's shirt.
He was too far away, he was leaving now, he had left him behind.
"DAD"
Keigo jumped up with a strangled cry for his father.
He was still in the cemetery in the same place he had lain on the night before. Dew soaked his clothes and the sky was just starting to lighten.
In a few hours he would be expected at the tower for his installation ceremony.
He could do it, he had to do it.
He had passed by the house briefly on his way to the tower. Kakashi was already dressed and Naruto was half asleep at the kitchen table eating but they had both brightened at the sight of him and after numerous hugs and reassurances, and maybe a few stolen kisses, they had sent him on his way.
The tower was bustling with action, people running around, documents needing to be signed and general disorganization.
Only the Third was present in the hokage's office, waiting for him sitting behind the desk.
He bowed.
"Ah Keigo, just in time" Sarutobi croaked, "I just received a delivery for you"
Keigo then looked up at the folded square of fabric being handed to him.
He held it up with his arms extended in front of him to see him better.
It was a cloak, his hokage cloak.
He put it on to try it on and walked to a mirror in the corner of the room.
More than a cloak it was a short kimono, it reached his hips and the sleeves reached just below his elbows. The edges of the sleeves were decorated with red flames and the same at the bottom. A red belt kept it closed but underneath you could still see the mail shirt that Keigo usually wore. He hadn't changed out of the cargo pants he usually wore but they gave everything a touch of modernity that would have been useful.
A red hat was placed on his head and the figure of the third appeared reflected at his side.
"I look like someone playing dress up" Keigo muttered.
"You look like a hokage to me" Sarutobi replied.
At that point Keigo turned to look him in the eyes and didn't detect even a shadow of a lie, the Third believed in him and looked at him as if he could hang the stars.
Sarutobi saw the moment in which Keigo understood that he was the only one who didn't believe in himself, he knew that they were entrusting the future of the village to a boy who had just turned twenty-three but he did so with the certainty that that boy would accomplish great things.
Keigo was waiting at the roof entrance for the Third to call him to introduce himself to his people.
He missed the first part of the speech because he got distracted but reconnected for the last words.
"And with pleasure, I present to you the one that'll continue to carry on our will of fire"
His legs trembled as he walked towards the balcony.
"The Fifth hokage, Uzumaki-Namikaze Keigo"
The crowd exploded when they saw him for the first time, in the front row he could see his family exploding with joy for him, but he didn't expect such a reaction from the rest of Konoha.
Everyone in Konoha knew what the Will of Fire was, but Keigo wasn't ashamed to admit that until that moment he hadn't really understood what it felt like.
With the hat on his head and the kimono, the crowd cheering him as the fifth hokage, it was as if a fire had been lit inside him. No, the fire inside him was already there, a small one that burned for his family, but now it burned high, it burned for all of Konoha.
And at that moment, on that balcony, Keigo out of the corner of his eye saw a flash of four figures lined up to his right, a warm breeze carrying a gentle caress on his cheek.
"I'll leave it to you bubba" a distant echo.
The Will of Fire that united everyone in Konoha did not forget who they had to leave behind.
It had been decided that Naruto would leave with Jiraiya to train, they didn't know for how long but no less than a couple of years. Keigo was happy for his brother, he would have a change of scenery for a while, recover without the ghost of his father haunting him in every corner, but he would miss him. Damn he was going to miss him so much.
For thirteen years it had been his mission to raise him and try not to screw him up too much and he had done a decent job of that too and now he doesn't have to do that anymore?
It was the night before his little brother was leaving and Keigo was pestering him about getting ready.
"And did you bring enough changes of underwear?" Keigo froze at his own question with a look of terror, "Oh god, I'm turning into Yoshino"
Naruto who had been particularly quiet snickered at his expense before turning serious again and looking him straight in the eyes.
"Aren't you mad at me for leaving?" He asked.
The question shocked Keigo, he could never be angry at Naruto for something like that.
Keigo bent down to be at his height, Naruto was growing and he no longer had to kneel down to reach him.
"I'm not angry with you, love, you are the biggest thing I've lost, I'll wait for you forever"
"You promise?" Naruto asked.
"I promise" Keigo assured.
That evening they curled up on Naruto's futon together like when they were children and slept clinging to each other.
The next morning Keigo and Kakashi accompanied Naruto to the main gate to hand him over to Jiraiya and say goodbye.
His little brother turned around twice before starting to run at Jiraiya's insistence.
Naruto had run off with Jiraiya, Keigo watching them from the village gate. Their forms had just disappeared over the horizon.
It couldn't be the last time he saw his brother, he needed another look, one last look.
Keigo took off running ignoring the shouts calling for him, the road Naruto would follow made a right turn before exiting the edge of the village so Keigo dashed into the woods trying to catch up to them.
He ran and ran and when he got to the edge of the woods and didn't see them he thought he was missing them when an orange blur passed in front of him and as if in slow motion their eyes met, two identical ocean blues.
And just as he arrived Naruto vanished outside the borders of the village that Keigo couldn't get past.
"I'll wait for you to come home" Keigo whispered into the wind.
"I promise"