Here's a quick, random oneshot for ya.
As always, I don't own Naruto.
Now please do enjoy, The Hokage's Assistant.
"I know he's in there damnit! LET ME IN!" A very angry, feminine voice yelled.
On the other side of the door, safe behind his desk, the new hokage gulped fearfully. There weren't many things in the world that scared him. He could go toe-to-toe with a tailed beast and not bat an eye; he could take on an entire army of rouge ninjas and not have a single moment of fear; he could stare down the most powerful ninjas in the world without blinking… But that voice,that angry voice… It scared the shit out of him.
"NARUTO! I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE! TELL YOUR ASSISTANT TO LET ME IN RIGHT NOW!" The voice screamed.
"The Hokage isn't in right now Sakura-sama!" Naruto replied, speaking in as high a voice as he could. "I heard he went for some ramen."
"IF YOU'RE GOING TO TRY TO FOOL ME, AT LEAST USE A VOICE CHANGING JUTSU!" Sakura roared back. "SCREW IT, I'M COMING IN!"
Naruto shivered as a loud knock pounded against his door. He had put up a reinforcement seal on his door so it couldn't be knocked down. It was a very sturdy seal, but he wasn't sure how long it could hold up against Sakura's strength… especially when she was this angry…
"DID YOU REINFORCE THE DOOR?!"
"Maybe… Now's not a good time Sakura! I've got a lot of paperwork to do." Naruto lied. It was literally his first hour on the job. He was so excited to start his new position that he arrived at his office an hour early. His desk was completely empty thanks to Tsunade's gift (she made sure to complete all the paperwork before she handed the job over.)
"HAH! SO YOU'RE IN THERE!" Sakura yelled. "YOUR REINFORCEMENT WON'T STOP ME DAMNIT!" The door to his office groaned in protest as Sakura began peppering it with powerful blows. Naruto prayed his reinforcement seal was strong enough.
"This is the only bad thing about being the hokage…" Naruto muttered quietly to himself. He had been so excited when Tsunade named him her successor, and he had never been as proud as he was during the ceremony where he officially took over. But he overlooked one very important detail about being the hokage…
"THE LONGER YOU MAKE ME WAIT THE WORSE IT'S GOING TO BE FOR YOU! YOU CAN'T HIDE FROM ME!"
Naruto gulped again. He wished he could still hide from Sakura. Back when he was just a regular ninja, he could run away and hide from Sakura when he did something to piss her off. But now that he was hokage, he had to stay here in his office. If he randomly went off and hid, his entire village would be thrown into an uproar searching for their leader.
"Responsibility sucks sometimes…" Naruto quietly grumbled.
His door continued to groan as the angry kunoichi on the other side continued to punish it for standing in her way. If that kunoichi was anyone but Sakura, ANBU would have intervened by now. But everyone in the village knew that Sakura wouldn't actually kill Naruto… She was fiercely protective of him. Severely injure, maybe. But she wasn't a threat to his life. Since she wasn't a threat, no ANBU wanted to risk drawing her wrath by intervening.
Sakura's blows were starting to make the door rattle. Naruto really wasn't even sure what he had done to piss her off so much. But he had a habit of drawing Sakura's ire from time to time… If he knew what he had done, he could start preparing some sort of defense…
"IT'S ONLY A MATTER OF TIME NARUTO!" Sakura yelled. It seemed she noticed that the door was having a difficult time absorbing her blows as well.
Normally at this point, Naruto would face the music. But now he was curious. No matter what he did, he was screwed. He knew that. What he did not know, however, was how much punishment his reinforcement seal could officially handle.
Judging by the way the door bent inward each time Sakura struck it, he was going to find that out soon though. As if on cue, the door creaked in protest as Sakura's fist finally managed to knock it off its hinges.
"Ah Sakura, how are you this morning?" Naruto innocently asked.
"HOW AM I?!" Sakura roared. "How am I…" She stomped towards him like an angry bear.
"I come into work this morning to find that I've already been replaced. How the hell do you think I am?!"
"You stopped yelling!" Naruto smiled. He wasn't sure what inspired him to point that out, but as soon as the words slipped out he instantly regretted them.
"You think this is a joke?!" Sakura hissed.
"I er… no?! I didn't mean it! Umm… what's the problem exactly Sakura?"
"The problem? You agreed that I would be your assistant when you became the hokage! Yet here we are, you're the hokage and I am not your assistant!"
"Huh? You're mad about that? Wait… you were serious then?" Naruto sputtered, his mind flashing back to the conversation Sakura was referencing.
FLASHBACK
Fireworks exploded in the night sky to the cheers of the members of the Shinobi Alliance. With everyone working together, they were able to overcome the insane power that Madara wielded. The world was safe once again.
Sasuke and his team had joined the battle, fighting with the Shinobi Alliance; they were currently being "interviewed" by the kages. Tsunade had told Naruto that things looked good for Sasuke though. Despite his fall to the dark side, he was instrumental in stopping Madara, and he genuinely seemed to want a chance at the life he left behind all those years ago.
With Sasuke currently imposed at the moment, Naruto was left with the third former-genin member of Team 7: Sakura. The pair was surrounded by friends, both old and new, yet they only seemed to notice one another. They hadn't really gotten to see spend time with each other after the war started after all.
"You know, with your performance on the battlefield during the war, you'll probably be hokage before you know it." Sakura murmured.
"That's good news for Konoha then!" Naruto boasted. "Because I'm going to be the best hokage ever!"
Sakura giggled at her teammate; it was quite apparent that she had missed him.
"You're not going to be the best ever by yourself. You're way too hyperactive and absent-minded." Sakura teased. "You need a good assistant to keep you in line. If you have that, then you will be the best hokage ever."
"Well I'll just have to find a good assistant then." Naruto smiled. "Shizune has always stuck close to Tsunade, so I doubt I can count on her to continue."
"You definitely cannot." Sakura confirmed. "She's ready for a life that isn't so stressful. She certainly won't get that if she's your assistant."
"That's too bad. But there's an entire village to choose from. I'm sure I can find someone good."
"You don't need to look really." Sakura smiled at him. "You happen to have someone right here who enjoys keeping you in line."
"Eh?"
"Me you idiot." Sakura rolled her eyes. "I'm saying I can be your assistant. You've worked so hard to achieve your dream; I want to do everything I can to make sure you're successful now that you've reached it."
"Sakura…" Naruto said with a shocked expression on his face.
"Don't Sakura me! You really shouldn't be surprised. We've grown pretty close over the years, I'm Tsunade's apprentice so I have a feel for the job… It just makes sense."
"But you're doing so well as a medical ninja. Being my assistant will slow your advancement there at the very least."
"I'll probably never be the head of the hospital as long as you're hokage." Sakura agreed. "But Shizune managed to still make time for the hospital, and I'm sure I'll be able to as well."
"Yeah, but Shizune has a crazy schedule. She works just as much as Tsunade does."
"Her schedule may be crazy, but she gets to spend a lot of time with the hokage, AND she gets needed time away from Tsunade with her hospital work. I have no problems with such a schedule."
Naruto couldn't believe what he was hearing. Was Sakura really willing to go to such great lengths just to help him? He would certainly love to have her as his assistant, but he would do just fine without her. He could be serious when needed. His organization wasn't the greatest, but Sakura wasn't the only person in Konoha to excel at organizing.
"Are you going to say anything? Or are you just going to keep staring at me like an idiot?" Sakura asked, poking him in the forehead.
"If you want to be my assistant Sakura…"
"I do."
"And if you're willing to deal with the crazy schedule it would require…"
"I am."
"Then I would be honored to have you as my assistant when I become hokage."
That seemed to be the right thing to say. Sakura's flashed him a beaming smile that seemed to be brighter than the fireworks that were currently going off above them.
FLASH IN
"WHAT IN THE HELL MADE YOU THINK I WASN'T BEING 100 PERCENT SERIOUS BACK THEN?!"
"Err…" Naruto scratched his chin in thought. Truthfully, he knew full well that the conversation they shared under the fireworks was serious. There were no reasons to doubt her words. "Well I um…"
"Well you um…" Sakura growled.
"You didn't think it through!" Naruto finally relented. He was trying to find a better way to say it, because telling Sakura she didn't think something through was an open invitation for a fist to the head.
"What?!" Sakura sputtered.
"Think about it Sakura... If you're my assistant you will be working from the moment the sun rises to well past the moment the sun sets. You will have no life beyond this job."
"And?"
"And I don't want that for you!" Naruto admitted. That seemed to be the wrong thing to say. To Naruto's surprise, a hurt look flashed across Sakura's face.
"It's not that I wouldn't welcome spending so much time with you Sakura, and it's not that I have any doubt what an awesome assistant you would be. You're one of the most organized people I know! But really think about what you'd be giving up. I know you say you're willing, but you're overlooking things that are key to your happiness!"
"Is that so? And what are those Naruto?" Sakura asked, in a genuinely curious tone. Naruto thanked kami that finally she looked like she wasn't going to kill him anymore. He had aroused her curiosity for now.
"I know I mentioned this back then, but your career as a medical ninja for one. Shizune got to spend so much time in the hospital because Tsunade also spent a lot of time in the hospital. I'm not an expert medical ninja, there is no reason for me to be prowling the halls as often as Tsunade did. That will cut down on the time you are able to spend there as my assistant. You've put so much work into becoming the amazing kunoichi you are today; I would hate to be the reason you get spun off your path."
"I can figure out a way to make it work." Sakura confidently replied. "So if that's the only reason you have, then you can tell that lady out there to…"
"It's not the only reason." Naruto sighed. "You're overlooking something even bigger than that."
Sakura quirked an eyebrow and motioned for the young hokage to continue.
"Relationships." Naruto said. "You aren't going to be able to have the relationships you've always wanted if you're spending all your time with me." He hoped Sakura wouldn't press him any further, because admitting this part wasn't exactly fun for him. No guy enjoys pushing the girl he loves towards the guy she loves (that isn't him).
"Is that so?"
"Yes! Sakura, Sasuke is a fully reinstated Konoha shinobi now. But he isn't above any of the others. Sure, as my assistant you'll see him when he comes in for mission briefings or mission reports, and we'll still try to make time to at least get a lunch with him every now and then… But you will definitely not have the free time to start a relationship with him."
"True. I would not be able to start a relationship with Sasuke as your assistant…" Sakura deadpanned.
"Exactly! And I know he's who you've always wanted. So don't worry about not being my assistant. Kiyo out there is very organized, and I am confident she will do a fine job. I am going to be the best hokage ever, and you are free to be the best medical ninja to ever walk the land and finally get together with Sasuke like you've always wanted."
Naruto offered Sakura a mostly genuine smile. He truly did appreciate that she valued their friendship so much that she was willing to go to such lengths for him. But next to the safety of Konoha and its people, Sakura's happiness was one of his top priorities. Even though he didn't want to, he would let her go and push her towards the life she had always wanted.
"My I can see why you're going to be the best hokage, Naruto." Sakura said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Well that sounds a little mean when you say it like that Sakura…"
"You were able to think of things that surely I hadn't thought of, and save me from making such a horrible mistake. Obviously if I become the hokage's assistant I will become a workaholic who never finds happiness with her life."
"What? That's not what…"
"And, in all your wisdom, when you figured all this out, you decided not to talk to me about it. Even though we had already agreed I would be your assistant. Instead, in all your wisdom, you decided that the way I would find out you were backing out of our agreement was when I showed up to work this morning to find another woman in my desk. You sure are brilliant Hokage-sama."
"Those words would make my day if you weren't being so sarcastic." Naruto pouted. He thought he was pretty damn smart. Not many people in his position would look at the bigger picture like he did, and not many people in his position would willingly make the sacrifice he was making. He was doing the right thing here!
"Now let me tell you why you're still a damned idiot." Sakura growled, anger returning to her features. Naruto gulped fearfully.
"You say that my advancement as a medical ninja will stop, that I won't be able to find ample time for the hospital. I say that my advancement as a medical ninja will be just fine. As the hokage, you are going to be in a lot of meetings that you will not need me in, and not to mention, there will be blocks of your day scheduled just for paperwork. There's certainly time in that schedule for me to slip away to the hospital."
"Well… I guess…"
Sakura slammed both of her hands down on Naruto's desk, effectively silencing him. She leaned forward so their faces were nearly touching.
"As for my relationships, you say that I'm going to be giving up a chance to have a relationship with Sasuke if I take this job; that is true. BUT I really don't give a damn about that. Sasuke is one of my precious people, but I have no interest in getting together with him."
"You don't?" Naruto gasped. "But…"
"Shut up." Sakura cut Naruto off. "You just shut up and listen. All those things you thought I hadn't thought of? I've thought about them… a lot. I had spent hours thinking about them before I told you I wanted to be your assistant when you became hokage."
"But why…" A glare from Sakura caused Naruto to smartly close his mouth.
"When I thought of my career, the question was never if my advancement would stop or slow. The question was if I was good enough to make it work. And you know what? I damn well think I am!"
"Of course..."
"Ah ah ah. Shut it. If you open your mouth one more time before I give you permission Naruto, I'm going to punch you straight into the emergency ward."
"As for relationships… You're absolutely right. As your assistant, you and I will spend a lot of time together. I certainly won't be able to pursue any outside relationships. But that's just the thing Naruto, I'm not looking for any outside relationships."
Sakura leaned forward just a little bit more so their foreheads touched. She let the anger melt away from her face so she could offer Naruto a small smile.
"Your schedule as the hokage is going to be crazy. You're going to be working from the moment the sun rises to well past the moment the sun sets." Sakura said, recycling Naruto's words. "Sure, you'll make time when you can to see me and the rest of your friends, but you really won't have time to start any sort of relationship."
Naruto's eyes were wide as saucers. It sure sounded like Sakura was headed in a very specific direction with her words, and boy did he ever want her to go in that direction… But there had to be a more reasonable explanation here.
"What you failed to notice, dumbass, was that our relationship changed a while ago. We went from reluctant teammates, to teammates, to friends, to best friends to something even more than that. I want to find out what exactly more than that is Naruto. I know full well that, as your assistant, I will be spending a lot of time with you. I'm counting on that."
Words failed Naruto at the moment. It definitely appeared that Sakura was saying what he had always dreamed she would say. But there really had to be some more reasonable explanation here.
"So, if you would rather me kiss you instead of punching you as hard as I can in the face, you will kindly inform Kiyo out there that the job has already been taken."
"K-kiss?" Naruto stammered.
Sakura moved her lips upward and planted a gentle kiss on his forehead.
"Honor our agreement, and I'll give you a real one. Continue not honoring it, and I'll put you in the hospital." Sakura warned. She put both of her hands on Naruto's shoulders, waiting for his response.
"I'll honor it!" Naruto squeaked. "Umm… Kiyo, I'm sorry, but I forgot that I named Sakura here my assistant a while ago. It's only right that I honor my original agreement with her."
Naruto's assistant Kiyo poked her head in the room and blushed when she saw the position Sakura and the hokage were in.
"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed…"
"If you care for his health, you will accept his decision Kiyo." Sakura said in an all-too-sweet tone.
"Ok, ok! I'll get the things from my desk." Kiyo beat a hasty exit; she didn't want to be the one responsible for Sakura Haruno completely decimating the hokage!
"You are so lucky that the ANBU know you're no real threat to my life." Naruto chuckled. "If they didn't, you would be so screwed right now after all those threats."
"Shhh." Sakura shushed Naruto by pressing a finger to his lips. "You honored our agreement. So that means that you get a kiss instead of a fist." She slowly leaned forward and pressed her lips against his for a soft, loving kiss.
Her lips felt even better than Naruto could ever have imagined against his. Just as he closed his eyes and started to return the kiss, Sakura pulled away.
"Wha…?" Naruto tried to question. One second they were locked in this amazing kiss, the next she was just pulling away?
"Ok, it's time for you and me to go over your schedule for the day. Shizune told me how much paperwork comes through for the hokage on an average day, so you will be spending two hours later this afternoon on it. You have a meeting with the…"
"WAIT! What about our kiss?" Naruto asked. His question was rewarded with a light punch to the back of his head, raising a lump.
"Don't interrupt me when I'm giving you your schedule for the day idiot! Focus! You aren't going to be the best hokage if you aren't organized, and my schedules will keep you organized!"
"But…you haven't even had a chance to really be on the job yet! How can you have my schedule already mapped out?"
"I asked Shizune for some help last night for this first one. Luckily, she remembered Tsunade's first day on the job. Now shut up and listen!"
"I will listen, if I get another kiss from you." Naruto attempted to bargain, causing Sakura to roll her eyes.
"You will listen or you'll get another fist from me, and this time I won't hold back!" Sakura countered.
"Ok, ok, I'll listen!"
Sakura smiled before rattling off the rest of his schedule. Once she finished, she turned to leave but was stopped by Naruto's hand grabbing her own.
"Naruto?"
"I just… do you really mean all this? Is this what you really want? Am I who you really want?"
Sakura flashed him a loving smile. "Yes, Naruto. I meant every word. This is what I want, and you are definitely who I want."
Sakura's eyes were almost blinded by the bright smile her words helped form.
"BUT I do expect to be included on the Hokage Mountain once I help you become the best hokage yet. Because obviously you need serious organizational help and someone who knows how to keep you on task to achieve that goal!"
"Deal." Naruto murmured. He was clearly mesmerized by her words.
"Hey, focus! I'm happy that I can have this kind of effect on you, but we're at work idiot! You've got your first jonin meeting in 20 minutes. Prepare your opening speech!"
"Yes Mam." Naruto drawled. That response seemed to satisfy his assistant who took her leave. Once again left to his own thoughts, Naruto still had a hard time believing everything that just happened. He started the morning out with a furious Sakura busting his door down. But instead of getting the crap get kicked out of him like he expected, he got a confession of sorts from the girl he loved.
As much as he would like to think about it more, Sakura was right. His first ever jonin meeting as the hokage was starting soon, and he needed to make sure he had a speech and plan ready for it. With his lips still tingling from the kiss, Naruto put ink to paper and began scribbling down his plan.
Fin! Review if you please, and have yourself a nice day!
-ND