The Second's Second Chance

The Student

Sarutobi Hiruzen was a tired old man. He had been a Hokage for more than fifty years and it had aged him more much more cruelly than any other job might have. He had been ready to hand over the hat seven years to Minato and he had done so. Minato, a bright young man, was supposed to lead the village to heights Hiruzen had been afraid to imagine, while Hiruzen enjoyed retirement with his wife and children.

Then, Minato had gotten himself killed and turned his infant son into a jinchuriki, and Hiruzen had to take back the hat, before he was able to bury his wife. For the good of the village. That was all his life had been, for the good of the village, since Tobirama sensei had passed him the hat. Sometimes, during the especially dark days Hiruzen hated his sensei for that.

And now, because of some quirk of fate, Tobirama-sensei was back, as young and full of energy as he had been when they last saw him, which was fortunate because he would need his energy when Hiruzen would give him back his hat.

His musings were interupted by knock on the door, which was strange because normally his ANBU wouldn't allow anyone to get close to his office without Hiruzen's approval, except when it was Naruto of course. But the young boy was too boisterous to even knock so politely, leading him to the conclusion that his sensei had decided to visit him.

"Come in." He answered, and was proved right when Tobirama-sensei entered his office along with a sheepish looking Shisui, and, to his surprise, Naruto.

"Jiji!" the blonde boy yelled. "Why didn't you tell me that I'm a jinchuriki?"

Hiruzen felt his eyebrows raise that those words. He didn't need to ask who told him that.

"That is an S class secret, Naruto-kun. Please don't go talking about that in public." He told the boy.

Naruto scruched up his face at that. "But this jii-san did. You're not going to punish him, are you?" He looked at Tobirama-sensei, who raised an eyebrow at Hiruzen.

Hiruzen actually chuckled at that. "No, I'm not going to punish him. Why don't you go with Shisui-kun and he will show you some cool jutsu if you're good?"

"Really? Come on, Curly-niisan. I'll be really good." Hiruzen watched fondly as the boy manhandled one of his best ninjas out if his office.

"He's an Uzumaki." Sensei commented.

"He is." Hiruzen agreed. "There's no one left of his clan, though."

"What about Tsunade?"

"She hasn't been inside the village for the last fifteen years."

"What has she been doing?"

"Drinking, gambling, wasting away. It's certainly better than my other student who is experimenting on children and dissecting their corpses."

Tobirama-sensei looked at him for a few moments, before speaking. "I think you have carried this burden long enough. If you want, I'll carry it for you as long I'm able."

Hiruzen took the hat off his head, feeling a huge weight leaving his shoulders, and handed it to his sensei, as a tear rolled down his face.

"Thank you." He whispered.