Gamabunta charged forward, transforming into the Nine-Tails midway through his rush. His newly formed claws dug viciously into Shukaku's body, and Naruto seized the chance to leap onto Shukaku's head.
"No! Get away from me, you little bastard! I won't be sealed away again!" the tanuki roared wildly.
Naruto created a Shadow Clone and began gathering chakra in his palm. "Hey, Gaara! Time to wake up! Rasengan!"
Naruto slammed the spinning ball of chakra into the red-haired boy's stomach, shredding the outer layer of his sand armor. The sleeping boy from Sunagakure woke in excruciating pain, but Naruto controlled the force of his attack so it wouldn't kill him.
"No! I only just got free! I won't go back!" Shukaku cried in despair as his body began to crumble, slowly retreating into the seal.
The agonizing pain from the Rasengan sent Gaara crashing to the ground, unable to stand. The giant toad's summoning ended as well, and Naruto walked toward the fallen boy, one step at a time.
"Stay back! You won't erase my existence! Why are you so strong?" Gaara shouted, his voice filled with panic and fear of death.
"Being all alone hurts, doesn't it? Not being loved like everyone else... that hurts so much. I became strong to protect the people I cherish. To keep them safe, I have to be strong. I don't want to kill you, Gaara. You and I are the same. I was just lucky enough to meet Iruka-sensei and have the old man help me. But you don't have to be alone anymore, Gaara. I want to be your friend," Naruto said softly.
Gaara froze completely. This boy had just shattered the way of life he had always clung to, yet now he was saying he wanted to be his friend, to help him. "Even after all the terrible things I've done, you still want to be my friend?" the red-haired boy asked, trembling.
"Of course I do. We're the same. There's a monster sealed inside me, too. We can understand each other's pain. I'd be honored to be your friend," Naruto said, sitting down beside the boy from Sunagakure.
"Thank you... my friend... Do you think I can have people I cherish, just like you?" Gaara asked pleadingly.
"Of course you can. In fact, you already do."
"Who?"
"Your brother and sister. They might be afraid of you, but it's obvious they've always cared about you," Naruto said.
The two sat together and talked for a long time, until Temari and Kankuro arrived to take Gaara away, turning and leaping out of Konoha.
"Temari, Kankuro... I'm sorry," the red-haired boy said softly. His brother and sister were stunned. Naruto Uzumaki... just how much have you helped our little brother?
Seeing that there was no chance of Konoha falling, they had no choice but to withdraw from the village quickly.
[One week later]
Naruto stood before the Hokage's gravestone and laid down a rose. Looking at the photograph on the stone, he fought desperately to hold back his tears as he said goodbye to the departed leader, the old man who had treated him like a grandson. He returned to the crowd and stood beside Kakashi and Team 7, ignoring Sasuke's jealous gaze.
The rest of the funeral passed in a blur before Naruto's eyes. All he could do was watch numbly as the families of the fallen stepped forward to carve their loved ones' names into the Memorial Stone. Once the funeral ended, he had only enough strength left to walk home, collapse onto his bed, and fall into a deep sleep.
[Three days later, with Jiraiya]
The Toad Sage sat atop a toad's head, watching his student from afar. The boy wandered aimlessly, still grieving the loss of the old man who had been like a grandfather to him.
"What do you two want with me?" Jiraiya asked, his gaze never leaving the boy, his voice heavy with concern.
The two elders clearly hadn't expected such an attitude from the Sannin. They paused before speaking. "Well, Jiraiya, the council of elders has met and decided that you should become the Fifth Hokage," Utatane Koharu announced.
"Not interested," Jiraiya replied flatly.
"What did you say? Aside from Danzo, you're the only person in the village strong enough to lead it. The shinobi council voted unanimously. At a time like this, we need one of the Sannin to take Sarutobi's place," Mitokado Homura said, hoping Jiraiya would reconsider.
Jiraiya turned to face the two elders. "Enough. You know better than anyone that I'm not cut out to be Hokage. Besides, I have my intelligence network to manage, and other, more important things to do." As he spoke, he turned back toward Naruto in the distance. "And there's someone else who was born to lead Konoha. It's in her blood."
"You don't mean her, do you? Jiraiya, she hasn't returned to the village in years. We don't even know where she is. Still, I'll admit she's an excellent candidate," Utatane Koharu said.
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