The Hokage Mansion.
After a very, very long and much-needed hug from both his favorite girls, Naruto finally freed Hinata so that she could finish making lunch for everyone, but he still didn't let go of Himawari, pulling her to sit in his lap until Hinata was done making food — which, despite the girl's initial embarrassment, Himawari was really enjoying. The father-daughter pair were in the living room as she watched one of her favorite shows — a reenactment of the fourth great ninja war, albeit much mellower and without showing the real bloodshed.
"Tou-chan," Himawari called, "Did you really have so many shadow clones fighting all around the battlefield that the shinobi forces didn't even get the chance to fight anyone preventing many casualties?"
Naruto's gaze was fixed upon his wife's visage as she made her way through the kitchen on the other side of the large room, fixing the food that had almost been burnt due to his clingy actions. He was lost in how she was moving around with different thoughtful expressions on her face. The way her short hair swung to the other side whenever she turned a bit too quickly. The way she seemed to be mumbling to herself as if going through a checklist mentally. The way her brows would scrunch up in thought whenever she tried to remember —
"Tou-chan!" Himawari's call distracted Naruto from his musings as his lost expression got a bit more focused. Still, however, he kept looking at his wife, admiring her each and every slight movement.
"Hm?" He asked while patting Himawari's head and combing her hair with his fingers, his eyes still locked on his wife, "What is it, my Hima?"
"Tou-chan is only focusing on Kaa-san," Himawari pouted, "You didn't even listen to what I asked you."
Naruto could swear that he noticed Hinata blushing as she heard Himawari's words from across the room. He chuckled before bringing his focus to his daughter, "Then I'll pay all my attention to you now, okay, my Hima?" He asked before nuzzling his nose in her neck, making her squeal as she tried to push him away.
"It tickles ~ " She giggled helplessly as Naruto's face was pushed away from her cheek and neck. Naruto played around with her for a while before she finally got the chance to ask him her question, "Tell me!" She said, "Were you really present all around the battlefield like a one-man army?"
Naruto laughed lightly, "Something like that," He said, "My clones were only able to make such an impact because I worked with so many of the other shinobi forces." Naruto would never tell his daughter about the true horror that was the fourth great ninja war. Even the show was more propaganda from Konoha that was used to rile up the younger generation about becoming a ninja. Each of the five main ninja villages had its own version of the reenactment where although Naruto's achievements were shown, they were shown in a way that made the specific village look better.
"So Tou-san isn't the strongest?" Himawari seemed sad.
"Who told you that?" Naruto said, "Your papa is the strongest shinobi ever."
"I don't believe you," Himawari teased him.
"Then I just have to make you believe me," Naruto said before tickling the girl's waist and making her squeal as she tried to resist unsuccessfully.
As the Hokage was playing with Himawai and teasing her, he paused momentarily as the memories of his shadow clone entered his mind. Giving a thoughtful hum, he continued playing with Himawari.
"Naruto-kun," Hinata called with a gentle smile on her face as she looked at the father and daughter pair bonding together, "lunch is ready."
"Coming," Naruto stopped teasing Himawari and held her by one arm before standing up from the couch. "Let's go eat, okay?" He nuzzled her face one last time as she nodded with a giggle.
"My seat is there, Tou-chan," Himawari pointed to the seat beside the one Naruto was approaching.
"No," Naruto said, "your seat is right here, in Tou-chan's lap. I will pamper my birthday girl fully today and tomorrow."
The girl felt embarrassed, "I'm already ten, papa. I can eat by myself," She felt that she had to defend her pride.
Naruto chortled when her heard her words, "Do you remember what I said before?" He asked her, "You will always be my little girl no matter how old you get. And you aren't ten yet."
"Mou~" She pouted at Naruto's stubbornness as he sat at the head of the dining table with her in his lap. She leaned back and made herself comfortable as Naruto looked at his wife who was setting the dishes on the table.
"You two can start eating, I'll be there soon," She turned to the kitchen to get some more work done.
"You're eating with us, Hinata," Naruto said with an undeniable tone, "Sit beside me. I want to eat with my wife and daughter." To make his point, he used his chakra to push the chair beside him back so that Hinata could sit in it.
Hinata was especially weak to Naruto's words even when he spoke naturally, let alone when his voice contained an undeniable authority that only people who are at the peak of political power have. Her acceptance came swiftly and involuntarily as she found herself sitting in the seat that Naruto had pulled back for her before coming back to her senses, "Naruto-kun …" She looked at him, "I need to take care of some things for Boruto. He should be here any minute after having submitted his mission."
"Who did he submit that mission to?" Naruto asked with a smile that made Hinata blush in embarrassment.
"If you're here, then that means that he submitted to Uncle Shikamaru, right?" Himawari asked. "He is your second-in-command."
Naruto nodded, "You're correct," He said while patting her head, "but I had a shadow clone sign the completion of his mission. I also gave him the chunin registration form, so he's going to take a while to come back home," He said before turning to Hinata.
"A shadow clone taking over your Hokage duties?" Hinata asked with concern, "Are you sure? You never did something like that before."
"Shikamaru knows," Naruto told her, "I couldn't, in good conscience, abandon my daughter on her tenth birthday."
Hinata nodded with an appreciative smile on her face, "Let me serve the food," She said while grabbing a bowl and pouring the soup for Naruto.
"Oh, and could you both keep this a secret from Boruto?" Naruto asked, "That it's the real me that's here."
Hinata looked at Naruto's mischievous expression helplessly and sighed, "Fine, but only because you came home early and spent so much time with Himawari for her birthday," She said while serving the rest of the food to Naruto.
Naruto blew on the soup before slurping some of it directly from the bowl, "It's amazing, Hinata, you're the best cook ever. Try it, Hima,"
Hinata blushed and started slurping the soup directly from the bowl to hide her face somewhat.
…
Meanwhile, Naruto had a clone out doing another important job. It had already left the village and was quickly making its way through the forest surrounding the village, jumping through the branches with nimble movements. Soon enough, he reached a clearing with a small bunker entrance that was camouflaged by leaves and dirt. There were even a few trees growing from around the protrusion of the bunker entrance to make it seem like it was just a unique tree formation.
Naruto's clone cast a few hand signs and sent his chakra in a specific manner to make the door open. Just as he entered, the door closed behind him and he started descending the stairs. Even though there were no torches on the way, there was still a dim light that illuminated the path downstairs.
Soon, the light got stronger as Naruto reached the bottom of the stairs, lighting up the hallway that had walls as they were made of the scales of a snake, "I see you're putting Manda's shed scales to good use, Orochimaru," He said out loud as his fingers grazed the hard scales that covered the walls.
"I like to utilize all the resources at my disposal, Hokage-sama," Orochimaru emerged from the wall as if he had already camouflaged himself before Naruto reached here.
"You look younger," Naruto said, "immortality treating you right?"
"Just as much," Orochimaru said, "You seem different, Hokage-sama," He said with a chuckle as if it was an inside joke, "Not to mention it is very rare for you to come to meet me. I believe the last time you came here was when the whole debacle with Shin Uchiha took place."
"I don't have any interest in seeing what you're up to," Naruto said, "I don't really mind what you do as long as you work for the good of Konoha and don't harm our people." Orochimaru opened his mouth to give Naruto a remark. "Anyway," Naruto interrupted him before he could say anything, "Is Karin around? There is something I need to talk to her about."
"She must be in her lab or in the lounge," Orochimaru said, "Suigetsu gave her the idea to culture her cells so that her healing ability could turn into a mass-produced healing remedy of some sort. She's been busy with it ever since."
"Good, lead me to her," Naruto said as he started walking, leaving Orochimaru to follow behind him.
"Hm …" The snake-man was thoughtful, "You seem to have taken up the mantle of Hokage in stride, much more authoritative than the kid whom I remember …"
Naruto's clone didn't bother answering.
***
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