Hello, everyone! I haven't posted here in YEARS. This story was more of an impulse than anything else while listening to a couple of ABBA songs (especifically "Gimmie Gimmie Gimmie, don't ask why, I don't know). There are a few key aspects I want to clarify for the readers before they start:
1. My native language is Spanish, not English, therefore there might be some grammar mistakes here and there. I apologize before hand. Feel free to let me know and I'll fix them.
2. Although I consider myself an avid Naruto fan I, sadly, have not watched the whole series. I'm currently juggling Boruto and Naruto Shippuden in order to get the most out of the background story, but I know most of the general details of the canon.
3. This story is sort of AU-ish, set after the war, before Naruto became Hokage. Many years ago, before Boruto was even slightly visible in the horizon, I came up with these OCs as what I imagined could be the future generation. The kids of this story are not Boruto and the gang, but those OCs. I don't feel like I have a good enough grasp of the Boruto characters yet, the anime being only 28 episodes until now, so I'm using my own. Also, I wanted to point out that I wanted Sasuke with both arms here, so let's just say he has his prosthetic, just like Naruto. And Shikamaru is with Ino instead of Temari, for the OCs sake.
That's about all. I hope you enjoy this first chapter! :)
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. The OCs, though, are all mine.
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Title: Daddy Duty
Complete summary:"It's just for a few hours. I mean, what could possibly go wrong?" Naruto said nonchalantly and looked at Sasuke, noticing his attention wasn't on him, but overhead. "Naruto, your son is hanging naked from the ceiling fan." As if on cue, a small fireball erupted from somewhere in the corner, speeding through the air and barely missing Shikamaru's right ear. "What the f-?! What are you teaching your daughter?!" he exclaimed at Sasuke, losing his cool, his weary eyes on the little black-haired demon spawn staring at him like she was up to no good. 'At least my daughter knows how to behave' the lazy genuis thought, glancing at the sofa where the two-year-old was sitting…only to find she wasn't there anymore. 'Oh, man…'
Rating: T (for now)
Characters: Sasuke/Sakura, Naruto/Hinata, Shikamaru/Ino. The story mainly focuses on the males and their kids.
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'Okay, let's check one last time.'
The last rays of sunlight shone through the thin window curtain. It was almost six o' clock on a Friday night, but not just any Friday night. Today just so happened to be the day that Megumi, an intern from the Konoha hospital, would have her bachelorette party. Working at the hospital, she had been under the direct tutelage of Sakura Haruno, so it was only natural that a close friendship had formed between the women, and, subsequently, with the rest of the girls in the close knitted circle of friends of the pink haired medic. Tonight, one of the finest hotels in the Village Hidden in the Leaf would see that the last day of freedom of Megumi would be a blast, and Sakura, Ino, and Hinata were invited to the festivities.
Sakura was ready just in time: she had decided on a red bodycon dress with short sleeves that covered her chest up to her clavicles and exposed her back in a beautiful "v" cut. Her medium length hair was down and curled slightly, her makeup simple yet appropriate for the occasion. After making sure everything was in place with her outfit, the kunoichi proceeded to examine the objects laying in the bed in front of her one last time, just to make sure nothing was being left out. Just as she was about to start, a screech erupted from the hallway.
"MOMMY!"
Sakura barely had time to turn around when a crying mop of black tresses leaped into her arms. Maternal instincts kicked in faster than she could blink.
"Sayuki, what happened?! Are you hurt?!" she asked the crying toddler, examining her small body for any sign of injury. The little girl just kept crying, jade eyes wet with tears, her small frame shuddering with every wail. Between sobs, Sakura made out two words: "Tachi" and "Gwiggls".
Realization dawned into her, a sigh of relief escaping her lips. Her daughter wasn't hurt, not physically anyway.
"It's okay, sweetie. Don't cry." she cooed to no avail as the tantrum continued.
Fixing Sayuki in her arms to better carry her, Sakura exited the room and crossed the hallway to the last door on the left and knocked softly. Not a second after, the door opened just an inch, revealing the face of a little boy with black hair and dark eyes, his expression a mix of concern and guilt.
"Itachi, how many times have we told you not to take Sayuki's toys, especially Mr. Giggles?" Sakura asked with her free arm on her hip, eying her son. The five-year-old opened the door completely, the sight of the fluffy blue slug on his hand instantly ceasing his sister's cries. Her small hands reached forward.
"Mistwe Gwiggls!"
Itachi didn't move. He stared at the toddler and held the toy even tighter. Noticing his reluctance to give it back, Sayuki pouted, just about ready to start screeching again.
"Itachi." said a stern voice behind Sakura.
She turned around to see her husband standing in the hallway, arms crossed over his broad chest, his eyes locked on the boy. He wore a black long-sleeved shirt and black pants. Itachi's eyes widened, suddenly frightened at the look his father was giving him with those mismatched eyes.
"B-but, Dad, she burned my wooden kunai!"
Sasuke and Sakura exchanged a look, to later glance at the little girl in Sakura's arms.
"Tachi! Mistwe Gwiggls! NOW!" she cried, her voice rising and octave with each word.
Itachi looked from his Mom to his Dad, pleading for back up. Finally, Sakura sighed and stretched her arm to the little boy. Reluctantly, he handed over the slug, his head hanging down in defeat. The kunoichi kneeled in front of him, placing her daughter down beside her (who lost no time in snatching the toy back), and placed her hand on the boy's head lovingly.
"I'm sure your sister didn't mean to…" she gave a quick glance to her husband. "… burn... your kunai."
"But she did, Mom! She burned it to a crisp!" exclaimed an exasperated Itachi as he watched the girl plop down on the floor and start to play with the slug.
Just as Sakura was about to retort that there was no way a two-year-old would be able to use a fire style jutsu yet, the doorbell rang.
"Uncwl Nawuto!" exclaimed Sayuki and rushed down the hallway, her chubby legs padding silently on the wooden floor.
Itachi looked after her, an annoyed expression on his face. Sakura couldn't help the giggle that escaped her at watching her son's adorable expression.
"We'll talk about this later, okay? Now, go greet uncle Naruto." she said and placed a kiss on the top of his head. He grumbled something sounding like "fine" and walked down the hall, following his sister with slow and dragged steps.
Sakura stood upright, watching Itachi disappear down the stairs. The moment he was gone, a look of concern washed over her features and she turned to her husband, who was already looking at her.
"Do you think it's true?" she asked.
"It's not likely." said Sasuke as he started down the hall with his wife walking by his side. "She shouldn't be able to do any jutsu like that yet."
"I know, it's not like any of us is teaching her… but still, this isn't the first time Itachi's said something like this."
Sasuke pondered on this for a moment. Just a few months ago, his son had also made a similar accusation: Sayuki had gotten mad for losing to him in a board game and burned the game pieces. He and Sakura had searched every inch of his room for the ashes, but never found them, and discarded the incident as their son attempting to reclaim some of the undivided attention he used to have when he was an only child. Now, though, Sasuke had to wonder, because he knew his son couldn't lie if his life depended on it, something he, as a father, was very proud of. As a shinobi, well, it could use some work.
"Hey, Sasuke! Sakura! How's it going?"
"Good evening, Sakura, Sasuke."
Itachi and Sayuki had already opened the front door and invited their visitors inside. Naruto was standing in the door frame with a grin on his face. He wore an orange t-shirt and some black pants, holding a sleeping toddler in his arms with a onesie the same orange shade as his Dad's shirt. Hinata, on the other hand, wore a blue dress that reached her knees, her hair up in a loose bun, and was currently giving Sakura a friendly hug, Sayuki holding onto the latter's leg. Itachi was standing in front of Naruto, looking curiously at the boy in his arms, the supposedly burned kunai forgotten for the time being.
"It's so good to see you." said Sakura and motioned them to come inside. "Do you want anything to drink?"
"Water would be nice." Hinata said softly and turned to Naruto, her hands motioning for the baby supplies' bag dangling from his arm. The blonde handed it with a sigh of relief, as he was balancing both the boy and the heavy bag, most likely trying to act the gentleman with his wife.
The women disappeared into the kitchen, the Uchiha toddler on tow. Itachi stayed back and gave Naruto a high five when the blonde held his hand up to the boy.
"Well, look at you! You've gotten taller, almost as tall as uncle Naruto!" said Naruto as he ruffled the boy's ebony locks, earning a grin with a missing tooth from his nephew.
"Hopefully, he won't take after your intellect." interjected Sasuke.
"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?!" the blonde shouted back, earning a satisfied smirk from the Sharingan user at having successfully riled up the Jinchuriki.
"You guys can be such a drag."
Both men turned to the door to find three newcomers. The lazy genius, who had spoken, leaned at the doorframe wearing his usual Jonin attire, minus the flak jacket, a seemingly heavy purple bag hanging over his shoulder. The blonde woman beside him just shook her head, her long ponytail waving from the movement, and walked inside, her daughter holding onto her short purple dress. A pacifier the same purple shade as her onesie was being sucked lightly in the toddler's mouth.
"Ino! Shikamaru!" said Sakura, her head popping from the kitchen door.
Shikamaru merely waved hello as Ino walked over to the kitchen after having greeted the other two men. On the way, the small girl detached herself from her mother and turned to Itachi. Sasuke noticed how his son's cheeks turned a light shade of pink as the brunette toddler stared at him. The girl then walked over to him and gave him a hug, leaving the young Uchiha startled and unable to move.
"She does that to everyone now. Ino's been teaching her how to be nice to other kids." said Shikamaru. As if on cue, the toddler unwrapped her hands from Itachi and took out her pacifier.
"Itachi, friend." she said, her pronunciation impeccable, and turned to Sasuke, her arms outstretched. The Uchiha proceeded to carry her, receiving a hug as well.
"She's so cute, Shikamaru." Naruto said as the girl stared at him with her piercing blue eyes, just like Ino's.
"Yeah, she is." said Shikamaru, pride laced to his usual lazy tone. "She's a little shy, though."
"Are you sure she's not just a tiny bit lazy, like you?" snickered Naruto, the brunette girl still staring at him.
"She'll come through with time." said Sasuke, Shikamaru's daughter now looking at him curiously. "Sayuki was like that until we put her in the day care and she started making friends."
As if on cue, the raven-haired toddler came back to the room, the blue slug hugged in her arms. Her brother, suddenly remembering the past argument about Mr. Giggles, frowned slightly at her. Sasuke was sure his daughter saw Itachi's expression, but she ignored him like a true Uchiha would, not even batting an eyelash. Sometimes, he found it rather unsettling how much of himself he saw in her.
"Are you sure it should be called 'making friends', Sasuke?" Naruto interjected. "I heard she threatened a boy with a wooden chair because he pushed her."
Sayuki was now eyeing Naruto with a look very similar to the one Sakura used to give him to warn him that he was talking a little too much. Sasuke simply shrugged.
"My daughter can defend herself if she wishes." he said. The youngest Uchiha beamed at her Dad and sent a tiny, almost unnoticeable prepotent glance in Naruto's direction. Shikamaru did notice, though, as observant as he was.
"That's scary." he simply said.
A yawn made the men turn to the small boy in Naruto's arms, His blue eyes opened groggily and he stared at his father. Suddenly recognizing him, he grabbed a fistful of the blonde's hair and pulled.
"Papa." he said.
"Hey there, little one. You had a good nap?" Naruto asked his son. The boy nodded and pulled just a little harder on the blonde locks, making Naruto wince and laugh at his son's antics.
Sasuke and Shikamaru stared at the scene. The Uchiha couldn't help but feel intrigued by the way Naruto had so seamlessly slipped into parenthood. Of all the people he knew, his best friend was the one he had thought would have it the toughest, with him being so clumsy and hard-headed. Then again, if someone like himself had survived two kids without screaming bloody murder, there wasn't a reason why Naruto couldn't handle one.
Little did he know, the three women in the kitchen were wondering the same thing.
"…And when I came back from the hospital, everything was just fine. I would've never guessed Sayuki projectile-vomited all over the carpet. I tell you, one look at that carpet, and it's like it was never there." Sakura said and took a sip of her sake.
"I would've killed to see the look on Sasuke's face realizing he had to clean that mess up." Ino chuckled, a glass of red wine balancing between her fingers. "How about you, Hinata? How's Naruto coming through with the whole parenting thing?"
"There was that time I was sick and Naruto had to take care of me and Kenji. The little one was just starting to walk. He spent more time on the floor crying than anything else, but Naruto somehow managed without my help." said Hinata, her elbows resting on the isle in the center of the kitchen.
"That's nothing! You two should've seen Shikamaru that time I had to do a double-shift at the flower shop and he had to take Asuna to her day care. The other mommies told me the kids just went crazy over him and tackled him down. Can you imagine Shikamaru and his lazy ass being attacked by a pack of toddlers?" said Ino and the three friends snickered lowly so their voices wouldn't reach their husbands.
Sakura couldn't help but smile at all the anecdotes. Naruto, Sasuke, and Shikamaru had gone from being a bunch of bratty kids, to war heroes, and now extraordinary parents. She couldn't be prouder of them. There was no doubt in her mind that their children would grow up to be extraordinary ninja, just like them.
"Well, ladies, I think our time is up." Ino said, her eyes scanning the clock on the kitchen wall. Sakura and Hinata did the same.
"You're right, we should be going." said the pink haired kunoichi, taking the glasses over to the sink as the other women stood up to fetch their kids and husbands.
She was about to clean the last glass when a pair of hands took it from her and started washing it instead. She looked up to see Sasuke by her side. A smile made its way to her lips. There was something special about watching The Uchiha do mundane tasks like these and she was sure she would never grow tired of it. When he was done, he turned to her and bend forward to plan a chaste kiss on her forehead. She smiled at the small gesture of affection and reached her hand up to tuck away a stray hair from his face.
"Are you sure you guys will be okay?" she asked, a sudden concern laced in her voice.
Sasuke merely looked at her and gave a small nod.
"I mean, it's the first time you will babysit the kids alone, a whole night. We'll be back as soon as we can, okay? And remember to call me if anything happens. I left everything important on the bed an-… Darn it! I forgot to double-check! I'll just go a few minutes and make sur-"
She was cut off by Sasuke's lips on her's. Her rant instantly ceased as she closed her eyes and leaned into the kiss. A sudden urge she knew too well rose to the surface as she held onto him. They've both been so busy lately, with the kids, the hospital, missions and whatnot, that she couldn't remember the last time they made love aside of a quickie here and there. She could feel her skin burning where he touched her, his hands reaching slowly down her back. Just as she felt she couldn't take it anymore, Sasuke broke the kiss, panting slightly, just as she was.
"Go. We'll be fine." he said.
Sakura knew he was right, but she couldn't help but feel a pang of uncertainty. If there was anybody capable of taking care of a bunch of toddlers, it was those three. After all, it's not like babysitting four kids would be worse than, say, fighting the Akatsuki, or Kaguya. She decided to place her uncertainty to the detachment from her kids in the next hours.
"Okay, let me get my purse." Sakura said and headed upstairs.
Back in the living room, Ino and Hinata were saying their goodbyes to their children and their husbands.
"Remember everything Mommy taught you about being nice, okay, Asuna?" Ino said as she kneeled in front of the toddler. The girl, pacifier back in her mouth, nodded and gave her mother a hug, which she returned.
"Kenji, you be a good boy, okay? And be good with Daddy." said Hinata as she kissed the top of the boy's blonde head. He looked up like he was holding back tears. Naruto was quick to notice and scooped him up in his arms before his son could figure out the fact that his mother was leaving.
Itachi made his way over to Sakura and gave her a hug, barely reaching her waist. She smiled and kneeled as Sayuki made her way over to them, Mr. Giggles still in her hands.
"Itachi, take care of Sayuki, and help uncle Naruto and uncle Shikamaru if they need it. Remember, you're a big boy now and Daddy and I are counting on you." the boy nodded with determination, as if he was just given an S-Rank mission and not just instructions from his mother. She turned to the girl beside him, the little one's eyes glassy with unshed tears. "You be good too, Sayuki. Play nice with your brother, okay? No fighting or burning down anything."
Even if that last part was just to see if she could get any slice of the truth out of the three-year-old, the girl remained impassive, but Sasuke noticed from afar how her jade eyes glanced at her brother and narrowed slightly, a gesture that was gone as soon as it came.
"Okay, we're rolling out now or we'll be late." said Ino as she went up to Shikamaru and gave him a chaste kiss on the lips. He smiled at her and turned to pick up Asuna, who was holding her tiny arms up to him.
Naruto gave Hinata a quick kiss and told her to have fun, a comment to which the girl nodded with a faint blush on her cheeks. He grinned at her, Kenji pulling softly at his hair again.
Sakura was the last to say goodbye, giving Sasuke a peck on the cheek. She knew he was still somewhat reluctant to show much affection in front of others, and she respected that. Their bedroom was a whole other story, so she didn't complain.
"Bye!"
"Goodnight!"
"Take care!"
And just like that, the front door of the Uchiha household closed, leaving the three legendary ninja standing in the living room, looking at the four kids, who stared right back. It was roughly six-forty-five at night, and the girls would not be coming back for at least the next eight hours, if not the next morning.
"I guess it's dinner time now. Man, I'm starving!" exclaimed Naruto and started to make his way to the kitchen. "You hungry, Kenji?"
Naruto was too preoccupied with telling his son how he would make him some delicious ramen so he would grow to be just as strong as his Papa. He didn't notice that, when Kenji laughed and pulled at his hair again, a tiny spark of chakra appeared on the boy's fingers, therefore making the hair-pulling stronger. He, also, didn't notice how Asuna started glancing everywhere in the vicinity, a look more of assessment than of mere childish curiosity, just like Shikamaru used to do when he was drafting out a strategy in the battlefield. And, last but certainly not least, he didn't notice the way Itachi seemed to cling closer to Sasuke as they made their way behind the blonde, his eyes glued to his sister as the toddler walked in tow on her father's other side, the expression on her face a little more serious and calculating than just the mere annoyance of a three-year-old with her big brother.
Sasuke and Shikamaru were more observant that the Jinchuriki, and they noticed. With a frown on their faces, they looked at each other, silently deciding that it was probably their minds playing tricks on them because they were hungry. They knew these kinds were smart, what with the genes they carried. But purposeful chakra bursts? Assessing the environment? Calculating, what, attack maneuvers? That was an overstatement, surely. The three ninja crossed the kitchen door, completely ignorant to the events that would unfold that night.
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Thank you so much for reading! Please, read and review. I'll be posting the next chapter soon. Bye!