Author's Note: These aren't my characters, nor is the world they are in mine. However, I'd like to take some credit for the story. Beta'd and coauthored by my best friend, TheSlashBunny.
Naruto slouched in his large, somewhat uncomfortable chair at the head of the table. He was beyond disinterest and would soon reach terminal boredom. And the Kages from the other countries were still arguing, with no end in sight! He wasn't even sure they still knew what they were fighting about.
His stomach gave a very loud and very long grumble. He was soooo hungry, but he couldn't exactly break the meeting for lunch now—a pause would only make the fighting worse (and longer) later. Naruto would rather them get it all out of their systems now so that he wouldn't be stuck here all week. If he thought he could slip past his bodyguards, he would totally sneak out right now. He doubted any of the delegates would even notice at this point—the Raikage was red in the face, the Mizukage was fingering her kunai, the Tsuchikage was yelling at the top of his lungs; no, they certainly wouldn't notice his absence.
If he didn't want to be the greatest Hokage the Leaf Village had ever seen he would slip out and make a shadow clone for his bodyguards to drag back to the meeting. Perhaps in the future he could make one in advance to attend these meetings for him.
Naruto sighed, in any case, it was too late for that now. He was stuck in this meeting until whatever they were arguing about was resolved. He looked down at the sheaf of papers in front of him. They were now covered with doodles. He picked a piece that still had a small amount of empty space amid the drawings of kunai, Gamabunta in frilly skirts, and mysterious shadowy figures eating belligerent and argumentative delegates, and began to write.
Hey Gaara! Where're you at?
Well, mentally that is. I can see you sitting over there. I'm STILL stuck in the final meeting.
You know, the one that was supposed to be over with THREE hours ago? I'm bored and starving.
I would be soooo embarrassed by my stomach right now if the Cloud-nin and Lightning-nin weren't too busy arguing.
Want to meet at the Ichiraku Ramen Shop in a coupla hours? You haven't really experienced Konoha 'til you've had Ichiraku ramen.
Come on, it'll be my treat! You don't get out nearly enough. If this isn't out by the end of the hour, promise me you'll feign some
diplomatic emergency that needs my urgent attention to bust me out of this, k? I'm out of paper to doodle on, and they're yelling too
loudly to escape into some mental fantasy as you seem to have done, you lucky bastard. I don't think I can take much more.
Naruto
