(Morning)
(Five Minutes After Breakfast)
(Hokage's Office)
Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage, The God Of Shinobi, inhaled from his shisha deeply as he considered the Haruno duo's words in his mind.
The smoke billowed out of his mouth with each word: "So you mean to tell me your 4 year old child managed to decipher the inner workings of the radio after a few minutes of inspecting it? And that you found it to be a listening ear?" Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage asked again before taking another puff and holding it.
"Hai Hokage-sama!"*2
The Haruno husband and wife duo replied in unison.
Hoshito Haruno looked proud and at ease in his presence, with a proud puffing of his chest and bright eyes. He seemed happier these than the past few years Hiruzen saw him. He had always been an open book, from childhood to even now, which is another one of the reasons he wouldn't be donning the Jonin flak jacket.
Though he made for a good teacher to any new Chunin he got assigned to work with, so maybe he could join the Academy as one of the teachers.
'No. He is too good of a diplomat.' Hiruzen would've to find another person for the particularly important task.
"You know, that child of yours is drawing quite the attention, it would be better if his contributions this time does not reach outside this room." He said as he puffed out the smoke in his lungs, a whim making the smoke take on the shape and temperament of a dragon. He smiled and added another, this time a tiger that would fight against the dragon.
"Hokage-sama, if I may be so bold, could I request one thing as reward for our find?" Mebuki Haruno asked, she has been serving under the Falcon ANBU mask for the past six years minus the time she took maternity leave, a woman of many talents ranging from jutsu creation to torture and interrogation. A part of him wondered why someone as serious and driven as her would pick an underachiever like Hoshito, his handsomeness couldn't have been all it was could it?
"Say it, and I will consider it."
"As his mother, I do not want Sakumo to be pushed to graduate early. Could I ask you for your word to stave off any external pressures for such an event?"
"Hmm. So you want to put Sakumo under my wing, your family has more than earnt such a thing, but who exactly do you think would pressure you?" He had an inkling of course, but he would listen before making assumptions.
The two shared a glance before Mebuki took a step forwards to be the one leading the talk. Cautious, desiring to be diplomatic and not step on toes.
"Elder Danzo-sama, Hokage-sama." She said simply.
Hiruzen stared at her eyes, trying to read her but she was trained too well for that, Hoshito on the other hand always knew when to play dumb and was something of an expert at that act. Hiruzen was sure even a Yamanaka would have trouble breaking through his act.
"While Danzo is influential enough and proactive enough to be able to put pressure on you I do not think he would do it through ill intent, or do you know something I don't?"
Only a slight disappointment in Mebuki's body language and a feeling of her deciding to drop her request. Hoshito was smiling blankly, seemingly in his own world.
It rather irked Hiruzen. The Haruno's weren't even a real clan and already they were acting like they had secrets worth keeping from him, the Hokage. He did not snort, even if the desire to do so was there. He leaned back and closed his eyes, the tiger and dragon dissolving into air.
"Was it a vision?" He asked, focusing on their chakra signatures. Mebuki's slowed down its eternal churning, showing that he hit the nail on the head.
It was Hoshito's that gave him all he needed. It hardened, felt combative and protective, it did not reach for Mebuki's though so someone else. Most likely Sakumo-kun is a seer, and a strong one since he had been able to see Hinata Hyuuga's kidnapping. The abundance of Yin chakra he had already drew Hiruzen's notice the one time he saw him, when he was still in the womb.
"Hokage-sama." Mebuki called out in protest and Hiruzen opened his eyes to see her shifting uneasily, a protective and vulnerable fear written on her expression.
*Snort*
Hiruzen snorted and smiled at her then waved dismissively: "It is okay Mebuki. Sakumo Haruno is under my protection now. He is to be kept safe. You don't need to be so tense." He said but then internally frowned at their shared glance. They did not want him safe?
Hoshito stepped forwards and with a sheepish expression apologized: "Sorry, Hokage-sama, we actually just want him to live a normal life. Preferably graduating at 12 and getting a good Jonin Sensei, like Kakashi Hatake."
'It is another vision. So Kakashi will eventually leave ANBU and become a teacher. Or would it be to fulfill the unofficial requirements for a Hokage?'
"If that is what you both want for him, then so be it. Is there anything else you wish to say?" Hiruzen kind of wanted them out of his hair now, they had multiple visions that were guiding their side of the conversation and that made it impossible for him to fully understand them.
"No Hokage-sama."*2
"Good. Then dismissed."
(Mebuki Haruno POV)
"Good. Then dismissed."
Hoshito and I immediately took our leave at those words and did not utter a word until we reached the teahouse. Their paper walls were plastered over walls of seals designed to keep what was said inside, inside. There were radios in each room as well, but a single request from me was enough to make the Chunin take the radio to another room though it made them raise their brows and shoot a suspicious glance at the radio.
"You shouldn't've done that." Hoshito said after the girl left.
"We already reported and aren't part of the investigation, I doubt the one who planted those bugs would fail to realize how every high ranking Konoha ninja is overnight not talking near their radios. They are likely in the process of running away, or if they didn't realize, will soon. After that it will fall to the hunter ninja. Besides the more panicked they are the more likely it is to find them." She dismissed the matter as she poured them both a cup of tea.
"You are the expert." He said and they began drinking slowly.
This was to calm their nerves. It had been a tradition of theirs for a long time, if after a mission one of them felt hyper they would come here or otherwise drink tea and wait for their nerves calm down enough to speak. This was how they got over their first breakup and reconciled.
"He is making assumptions." She said.
"Correct ones." He added.
He took the pot and began pouring the tea, the tiny pot looking comedically small in his hands, enough to bring a smile to her lips.
"Sakumo is talented, he is blazing through every goal I put in front of him." He said.
"He isn't like most kids after all." She said.
She took the pot and poured his tea, hers still half full.
Neither one of them spoke as they drank. She finished her empty cup down and looked at him.
"What do you think I did wrong back there?" She asked the thing that had been bothering her, she is a perfectionist and if he said she did nothing wrong then she wouldn't worry about it anymore, but if there was a problem in how she handled that then she would work to not repeat the mistake.
He frowned while considering it before sighing: "He doesn't about Danzo. You thought he did."
I nodded and rationalized it: "He didn't with Orochimaru, so it makes sense for him to not to know about Danzo. He is old, he can't be everywhere, even though the propaganda says otherwise I shouldn't be blind to his faults. He is as human as the rest of us."
He snorted: "Some human." He muttered under his breath.
She smirked and shook her head: "There is another reason I brought you here."
He raised a brow: "And that is?"
"Sakura Haruno. I want her." She said while smiling demurely.
(Hoshito Haruno POV)
"Sakura Haruno. I want her." She said with that lusty grin.
He blinked slowly, to process what the hell she meant exactly: "You want a kid?" He asked.
"I want a daughter." She replied instantly.
He snorted: "That's not how children work, you don't get to pick their gender." He said while shifting in place, her words already sent his lower body to work.
She showed him that dangerous smile: "Then we'll try until we get a girl." And she pounced at him.
Looking at ceiling as Mebuki began ripping his clothes, he thought about some snarky choice of words before he realized he was trying to object to sex. So he slapped himself hard on the cheek and wrestled her so their positions were reversed.
"Time to expand the Haruno clan!" He roared as he dove between the muscular legs of his wonderful wife.
Her excited moans music to his ears.