Fox Fire 4:

While wandering the woods, Himawari finds and befriends a kitsune. Learning that the kitsune knows about Naruto and wishes to see the Leaf Village, she takes him home. Soon she realizes that this kitsune is trickier than she thought and unwittingly puts the village into jeopardy.

Chapter 1:

"Seventh."

Naruto rubbed his forehead. "Is it Boruto again?" he asked, annoyed.

"No, not this time."

Since he had only just scolded his son an hour ago for writing 'idiot' on his office door, Naruto was relieved.

"Then what is it?"

Udon stepped forward and handed Naruto a letter. "This letter came for you. Special delivery."

"Special?" Naruto took the envelope from the young man and opened it at his desk. He carefully pulled out the single piece of paper and unfolded it.

Shikamaru peered over to catch a glimpse of the letter when he saw Naruto's smile.

"What is it?" he asked. "It's not a mission request, is it?"

He already knew it wasn't. They didn't receive mission requests in this way. Sure, they received letters, but they were never labeled 'special delivery'. Still, there was always a chance that he was wrong. It could have been mislabeled or someone made a mistake. It was also possible that the writer disguised the letter so it would reach the Hokage faster for whatever reason.

However, Shikamaru knew it wasn't a mission request solely on account of Naruto's smile.

Naruto lowered the letter. "Nah. It's an invitation."

"An invitation to what?"

"To attend a party celebrating the thirteenth birthday of a prince. In Ayahuasca."

Shikamaru put a hand to his chin. "Why does that town sound so familiar?"

Naruto's grin widened. "That's the town that's ruled by Prince Akio. Of course, he's king now. The prince is his son. The royal family have kitsune for neighbors."

Shikamaru's eyes widened with recollection. "Ah, that's right. The mountain with all the kitsune." He smiled as well. "Your friends."

Naruto sighed, a tender expression on his face. "Yeah. And they still consider me a part of their pack."

His heart still beat warm when he thought of them. He still considered himself to be a part of their pack as well. They welcomed him into their family without much fuss. They were good friends.

"If you attend this party, you can visit them," Shikamaru told him.

"That's true. I could."

Udon looked troubled. "You can't just leave to go to some kid's birthday party in another town. What about the village? The Chunin exams aren't that far away. We need to start preparing. Not to mention the forms that need your signature for the-"

"I get it, Udon. Thanks." Naruto sat back in his chair. "I know I can't go. I can't leave the village. I know this."

Not when there was so much that needed to be done. At the very least, he couldn't leave the village unattended. That alone spelled trouble.

"Besides, if I couldn't be there for my own kid's birthday, how would it look if I went out of my way to go to a party for someone else's kid? That wouldn't be fair."

It wouldn't.

"Although…" Naruto looked at the ceiling. "The king is a friend. And the kitsune are more than friends to me. And the town Akio rules over is pretty well off. Secure and fruitful. It wouldn't be a bad idea to conduct business with them."

"What kind of business?"

"Well," Naruto said with a slight chuckle. "With the kitsune looking over the town, it's not like they would need our protection. But we could trade with them. Akio already trades with other lands. Why not us?"

Udon seemed hesitant. "I suppose..?"

Shikamaru knew exactly what Naruto was doing. He was coming up with an excuse to visit the town. If he was going there on business and there just happened to be a party going on, it wouldn't look as bad.

However, there was still one problem.

"You'd still need to leave the village, Naruto."

Naruto sighed. "Well… I could be in two places at once."

"Boruto, don't leave your dirty clothes lying around on the floor like this," said Hinata.

"Sorry, Mom." Boruto helped his mother pick up his dirty clothes.

Hinata watched him clean up with a frown on his face. It wasn't because she called attention to his mess or because he had to pick it up. It was because his father had scolded him again.

"I'm so glad I have you two to help me out with the chores. If I had to do it all by myself, it would take forever. And if I had even more chores to do, I'd be too busy to do anything else. I'd be stretched so thin."

Boruto frowned harder. "Why can't Dad make a clone take his place? It's not like he has to do anything but work anyway."

Boruto knew what she was hinting at and he wasn't giving his father any sympathy.

"We'd all like to spend more time with him. It's just that-"

The front door opened.

"Hey, guys!" Naruto called from the hall.

"Daddy!" Himawari came running. "Papa's home, Papa's home!"

Boruto stood up in surprise. "Dad?" He was actually home before dinner for once.

Naruto came walking in with Himawari strapped to his hip. She wouldn't let go. "Hey, Boruto. Himawari… How would you two like to go on a trip with your dad?"

"A trip?!" Himawari asked excitedly.

"With you?" Boruto was very shocked. "When? Where? What's the catch?"

Naruto held up the letter. "I got an invite to a prince's birthday party. Would you like to join me? I bet it's going to be good."

"For a prince?! A real prince?!" Himawari squealed. She was even more excited than her brother.

Boruto was suspicious. It wasn't like his father to drop everything in order to take them on a trip. Outside of the village, no less.

"It's in a couple of days." Naruto pulled Himawari off his leg and stood her up in front of him. "I've been to this place before so I'll be happy to take you there. What do you say?"

"Yes!" Himawari jumped up and down.

"What about you, Boruto? Interested?"

Boruto eyed his father up and down. He expected to be escorted by a clone. There was no way his father would ever take time off to take them to such an event. He could barely be away from his desk for their own birthday parties.

Even so, there was still a chance, a very small chance, that Naruto himself would take them. If that was the case, then maybe he should take up the offer. This may have been his only chance to spend time with his father.

"Well… Ok."

Naruto grinned. "Great. Tomorrow you can pack a bag and we'll set out. The King might let us spend the night. I'm not sure how long the party will go so it's nice to be prepared."

"What about Mama?" asked Himawari. "Is she coming?"

"Are you?" Naruto asked.

"I'd love to but I already promised Sakura I'd help her out with something that day. I'm sorry."

"That's ok," said Naruto. "It'll just be me and the kids. Right, guys?"

"Yeah!"

Boruto turned away. "Yeah, right," he mumbled under his breath.

The day finally came for them to set off for the King's palace. Himawari packed her best dress for the occasion and her dress shoes. She rarely ever got the opportunity to use them and now that she could, she made sure to have them shining like new.

She was so excited, Boruto didn't have the heart to tell her his doubts about the party. Not the party itself, but whether or not their father would be joining them.

As instructed, he packed his bag and was ready to leave. He kept all his feelings of doubt to himself. He didn't want his sister bursting into tears, insisting that their father would be there. Or crying when she found out the truth.

She would find out at some point, but Boruto wanted her to live in a fantasy a little longer. Why break her heart now?

Then their father showed up. "I'll take them from here," Naruto told Hinata and gave her a kiss.

Boruto picked up his bag and carried it on his back to the door. Himawari did the same.

"Let me help you with that," Naruto said, bending down.

"I got it, Papa."

"I know you do, but I want to help."

He peered inside her bag, making sure she had everything she needed. Then with a nod of his head, he zipped the bag shut.

"Ouch!" Naruto pulled his hand back and looked at his finger. "Jeez, that was a nasty pinch."

Boruto looked closely at his father's finger and saw a tiny drop of blood from where the zipper caught his flesh.

His eyes widened. If this had been a clone, it would have popped by now. Once they were injured, they vanished.

This was his real father!

Naruto was coming with them in the flesh.

Hinata put a bandage on Naruto's finger and handed him the bag.

"Ready, guys?"

Boruto nodded with a big smile. "Yup!"

If Naruto was really coming with them, what reason did he have to be upset? He was getting his wish.

"Ok!" Naruto pumped his fist into the air. "Let's go!"

"Yeah!" his children shouted.

Naruto opened the front door. "To the part-"

"Naruto!"

"Eh?"

Shikamaru was standing in the doorway with his hands on his hips. "You're still going? After everything I've said?"

"I…"

Shikamaru saw the children standing behind Naruto. He sighed. "What about all that work back at the office? You can't dump it all on me."

"I wasn't going to."

"And the meeting this afternoon. What do I tell them? We have people traveling."

"I know that."

"And let's not forget-"

"I get it. You don't have to nag me. You sound just like Sakura when you do that."

Shikamaru's face turned red for a moment then returned to its normal color. He sighed.

Then he looked at Naruto's children. "Can you give us a second?"

They looked at Naruto, unsure.

Naruto grinned at them. "I got this. We'll leave in just a second, ok?"

Boruto and his sister went back inside.

As soon as the door was closed, their mother came to see what was going on.

"Weren't you leaving? What's the delay?"

"Shikamaru showed up and he's talking to Dad."

"Oh, I see."

"Daddy's still coming, right?" asked Himawari. "He is, right?"

Hinata smiled. "Oh, you know how important this trip is for him, don't you? He wants to take you and that's what he'll do."

Before they could say anything else, the door opened again.

"Ok, guys," said Naruto. "I chased him away. We can go now."

Boruto stepped outside and didn't see a trace of Shikamaru anywhere. He looked back at his father and saw the bandage on his finger. Pleased, he held the door open for his father and sister.

"Come on, we don't want to be late."

"We'll get there," Naruto assured. "Bye, Hinata. And don't worry about a thing. They'll be fine."

Hinata gave a small wave, watching them go from the doorstep.

Boruto kept a solid hold on his father's arm until they reached the gate. He didn't want anyone stopping them from leaving together. They passed the front gate without incident and were on their way. Only then did Boruto let go of his father.

"We're going to a real ball! A fancy ball for a real prince!" Himawari bounced. "Papa, will it be really fancy?"

"I bet."

"And lots of food?"

"So much food."

"Lots and lots?"

"Yup. And a cake as big as you."

"Wow! Really?"

"I bet."

"I want to see it now!"

"We'll get there. Don't worry. It's not going anywhere."

Boruto walked beside his dad as they walked. "And neither are you," he said under his breath.

As they traveled, Naruto played games with his children. To help them get there faster, they hitchhiked. They rode in the back of a cart carrying hay to a farm in the direction they were traveling. Himawari observed how hard the blocks of hay were. They had to sit on them no matter how uncomfortable they were. When the driver had to turn off down another path, they got out of the cart and parted ways.

Naruto looked around the forest with a smile. "We're getting close."

"How close?" asked Himawari.

Naruto pointed. "Through those trees there. We'll reach the top of a hill that overlooks the whole town and you can see the palace on your right. It sits atop a smaller hill a short distance away from the town."

"Really? Let's go see."

Himawari and Boruto held hands as they ran. The dirt path was easy to run on. Himawari managed to keep up with her brother's strides and they reached the top of the hill within seconds.

"Oh, wow! Look, Daddy! Papa, look!" Himawari pointed to the waterfall cascading down the mountain in front of them. "Isn't that pretty?"

Naruto stood behind his children and looked at the mountain. "Yeah. It is a sight, isn't it?"

The memories all came flooding back.

Running up and down that mountain, zipping through the trees, drinking from that waterfall. The chattering voices of his foxy friends. The blue and green wisps of flame from their tails and paws.

Their battles, their playtime. Everything they had been through together. It all came rushing back when he saw that mountain.

Boruto saw the sparkle in his father's eye and wondered what he was thinking about.

"Come on. Let's let the king know we're here."

Naruto took his kids down the path into the town. Some buildings were old and some were new. Some buildings only had a new roof. He imagined it was on account of the battle in the past, back when the king was still a prince.

He took his children up to the front gate and showed the guards his invitation. They let him through and an escort was there to see them inside.

The foyer was just as Naruto remembered it. Open with a long carpet leading from the front door, up the stairs and up to the second level. His children, however, had never seen the inside of the palace before. To them, it was jaw-dropping.

"Naruto, my friend." The king came down the carpeted stairs with his son in tow. "So good to see you again. And you've brought your children. Delightful."

"Hey, Akio," Naruto said casually. "These are my kids. Boruto, Himawari, say hi to Akio, the king."

They both bowed. "Thanks for having us, King Akio."

"The pleasure is mine." Akio pulled his son to the front. "Let me present my son, Prince Hoshi."

Hoshi and Boruto locked eyes. They remembered each other.

Akio gave his son a nudge. "Please greet them properly."

Hoshi sighed. He straightened his back and dipped his body forward slightly. "Welcome to our home, honored guests," he said in a rehearsed manor.

Boruto could tell the king had instructed him to speak in this fashion. The introduction sounded forced. Having met Hoshi before, Boruto knew this wasn't how the prince wanted to greet them.

"Well done, Hoshi. Very good." Akio addressed Naruto again. "It's a pleasure to see you again. On good terms, too. The celebration won't be for some time. If you like, you can make your way to one of our rooms until this evening. My servants will attend to your needs."

"I got this for the prince," Boruto said, abruptly. He held up a poorly wrapped gift in his hand.

"Gifts aren't until-"

"I want my present!" insisted Hoshi and made a grab for it.

"Ho-"

Akio wasn't quick enough to stop him. Hoshi grabbed the gift from Boruto and opened it then and there.

As soon as he saw what it was, he hastily wrapped it back up and shoved it back into Boruto's hands.

"N- Never mind! It can wait until this evening," he said hastily.

Akio looked at the wrapped object. "What is it?"

"Nothing!" Hoshi said quickly.

"Hoshi…"

Hoshi shuttered, panicked. "He… He, uh… He should have waited until this evening like everyone else. For that reason, we should not accept his gift. Let's forget about it, Father."

Akio looked at Boruto. "Show me the gift, please."

"It's ok! His gift is hardly worthy for a noble-"

"Hoshi, I am speaking to Boruto."

"But-"

"Hoshi," he said sternly and Hoshi shut his mouth.

"Open it," Akio ordered Boruto who obeyed.

Boruto unwrapped the gift. He noticed that Hoshi was trying to hide behind his father with an anxious look on his face. He must have been in trouble.

But why? How could Boruto's gift get him in any sort of trouble?

Akio held up the anklet.

Naruto blinked. "That looks familiar. Wasn't that yours, Akio?"

Akio turned to his son. "Hoshi…" he said slowly. "What… was our family heirloom… doing in Boruto's possession?"

"What anklet?" Hoshi muttered without making eye-contact.

Akio held it in Hoshi's face. "This… is a family heirloom passed down from king to prince for generations. It belonged to my father and his father before him. I wore it when I was a prince and when you were born, I gave it to you, the new prince. Why did a ninja have it?"

"What anklet?" Hoshi repeated.

Himawari tugged on Naruto's sleeve. "Daddy, what's an heirloom?"

"Something that's kept in the family and passed down through the generations," he explained softly.

"Hoshi gave it to me as payment for a mission," explained Boruto. "I forgot to give it back to him when I was leaving the town. It was late at night. When my dad told me that the birthday party was for you, I thought this would make a good present. I didn't know what else to get for a prince, and since you gave this to me, I figured I would return it to you this way."

Akio frowned. "Hm."

Hoshi continued to look away.

"Son, this is not something we hand out as payment for anything and we do not give it away to people. This belongs in the family."

"I'm sorry…"

Akio handed the anklet to his son. "Keep this strapped to your ankle where it belongs and do not take it off again. This is yours and you do not give it to anyone other than your son, is that understood?"

Hoshi nodded.

"Am I clear?"

"Yes, Father."

"Good." Akio straightened up. "Put it on."

Hoshi obeyed.

Boruto felt guilty. He didn't mean to get the prince in trouble. "Sorry. I didn't mean to-"

"It's fine." The king smiled at him. "Please, make yourselves at home. If you'll excuse me, there's still much work to be done. The entire town is invited tonight."

"Actually, can I talk to you about something?" Naruto asked.

"About what?"

"Business."

Akio gave a nervous chuckle. "I'm sorry, Naruto, but the entire day has been set aside for my son. I've cancelled all meetings and refuse to conduct business today with anyone."

"Really?" Boruto asked, seeing the king's devotion to his son. "So even if there were people who needed to meet with you today..?"

"Today is for my son. I would have to refuse them."

Boruto wished his father would do such a thing. He never set aside a whole day just for him. Not even when it was his birthday.

"But that's the only reason I was allowed to come here today," said Naruto. "They wouldn't let me leave the village unless I promised to talk business with you."

Boruto shot him a look.

So this whole thing was a business trip? He didn't really care about taking them to a ball at a prince's palace? It was just an afterthought?

"Sorry, but I can't," said Akio.

"Hang on a second." Naruto stood in front of Akio. "King Akio, may I talk business with you?"

"Not today, no."

"Can I talk business with you another time?"

"Yes."

"Ok!" Naruto clapped his hands together. "I talked business with you. My obligation is fulfilled." Naruto turned to his kids. "This way I can tell Shikamaru without being called a liar. I kept my promise."

Boruto raised a brow at him. "That's pretty sneaky, Dad."

Naruto shrugged.

"Eh, whatever gets the job done. At least now it's all about us, right?"

Naruto nodded. "Yup. Like I said, Shikamaru and the others didn't want me to go. I told him if it was business, then I'd have to be allowed to leave. Even then, no one was on board, but it was the only way I'd be able to get out of there. See?"

"Yeah, I get it." Boruto understood. Naruto had to make it a business trip in order to be allowed to leave. He could accept this but chose not to completely. "Ok, so what now?"

"Well, we have some time before the party. What did you want to do?"

It's been a while, right? Well, I've kept you waiting long enough.

Hope you're excited for the new Fox Fire fiction.

Please review! ^-^