"You're it! Haha, you can't catch me- oof!" The little boy shouted as he crashed into someone's leg. Quickly backing away, he looked up to see who he had run into. He gasped when he realized who it was. "The 6th Hokage! I'm r-really s-s-sorry! I didn't mean to-" He stuttered.
Naruto bent down and grabbed the boy's shoulders to steady him. "Are you okay? I'm sorry, I should have watched where I was going." He smiled apologetically to him.
The boy shook his head vigorously "No, it was my fault. I should have watched where I was going. I'm sorry."
Naruto grinned at him "Well, as long as you're not hurt."
The boy stared at him, amazed by the sincereity of his words and smile. It was only when he felt someone poke his head, did he look away to see who it was.
"You're it!" A little girl with blonde hair in four pony tails grinned at him.
"Hey! No fair! I want a rematch!" He cried.
"No way! Face it, you're it and that's final!"
"Girls are so bossy!" He complained.
"What was that?" She demanded as she started pinching his ear.
Naruto laughed as the two kids fought with each other. He suddenly stopped when he realized how familiar the little girl looked.
"HUH?! TEMARI, YOU TURNED INTO A CHILD?!" Naruto cried, his jaws dropping. The two kids stopped and looked at him with a puzzled expression.
"How many times are you going to confuse Temari with my daughter, Naruto?" A voice sighed.
Naruto turned around to see Shikamaru walking towards them. "Shikamaru!" He cried, and then pouted at what he said "It's not my fault Tekari here looks exactly like your wife."
"Daddy!" Tekari shouted happily, running towards Shikamaru.
"Uncle Shikamaru!" The little boy shouted, also running towards Shikamaru.
"Hey, are you two playing nice together?" He asked.
"Girls can be such a pain." The little boy complained.
"Why don't you say that again! I'm older than you, so you should be more respectful to me!" Tekari shouted.
Naruto laughed "Shikamaru, you sure rubbed off on Asuma Junior here, huh? He's like a mini you!"
"Man, what a drag." Shikamaru said, scratching the back of his neck, "I wonder what Asuma would think if he saw his kid now? Anyway, come on Asuma Junior, if I don't get you home before dinner, Kuranai will get mad. Same with you Tekari, you know how your mom is when she's angry."
"What a drag." The three of them sighed.
They waved goodbye to Naruto and walked off in the other direction, both of them holding Shikamaru's hand.
"Hey, daddy, you're one of the Hokage's advisors, right?" Tekari asked.
"I sure am. Why do you ask?"
"What kind of Hokage is he? He doesn't seem like a very reliable one if he even confuses me with mommy..."
"What are you talking about?!" Asuma Junior cried, "The 6th Hokage is an amazing person! He can crush mountains and stop waterfalls and-"
"Oh, come on! Those are just things you hear in rumors, right daddy?"
Shikamaru smiled, "It's true, he can do all those things and more. He may not seem like it... but the 6th Hokage has surpassed all previous hokages. And not only is he strong, he has inherited the will of fire too."
"The will of fire?" Asuma Junior asked.
"It's the will to protect this village with everything you've got." He answered.
"Oh, if that's what it is, then I've got it too! I'll protect this village from any dangers that threaten this village!" Asuma Junior declared.
"Stupid! You're too weak for that! Besides, there are no dangers to this village! Speaking of which, why is that, daddy? I learned in the academy that shinobi villages used to fight with each other and there used to be war."
"Yes, that's true, but after the fourth shinobi war, Naru- I mean the hokage found a way to stop all hatred and create peace. It was a struggle, but with everyone's help, he was finally able to do it."
"Really?" Tekari's eyes widened, "The Hokage really is something, huh?"
Shikamaru watched as the sun set over the stone carvings of all the Hokage's faces. He smiled "Yes, he is."
Thanks everyone for reading! I hope you enjoyed and don't forget to review! Some constructive criticism is always welcome to improve my writing and stories!
