Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Kishimoto-sensei does.
A/N: As per tradition this one shot is dedicated to the greatest hero of all time on his birthday so here goes. Enjoy! P.S. this is set where the Boruto anime currently is!
Uzumaki Naruto stared at the papers in his hand and frowned as he began to wonder if he had been right about letting Mitsuki stay in Konoha and become one of its shinobi. Had he made the decision from the point of view of the Seventh Hokage or as a father who only wanted to leave a better future for his two children?
"You weren't wrong, you know," a familiar voice assured him.
Naruto glanced up to see his friend and advisor Nara Shikamaru enter his office before returning his attention to Mitsuki's photo and sighing. "Now I know how Gramps Third felt when he tried to get everyone to accept me when all they could see was the Nine Tails who had almost wiped out the entire village and killed so many Konoha shinobi."
"You both had your hearts in the right place," said Shikamaru as he strode over to Naruto's desk. "You both wanted to show people every kid deserves a chance regardless of what their situation or parentage may be."
"I doubt Gramps Third would have agreed with me on this though," murmured Naruto, putting the file down and leaning back in his chair with his hands clasped behind his head. "Mitsuki's the son of the man who killed him, after all."
"Perhaps," Shikamaru mused. "But from what I heard, even in the end Lord Third couldn't find it in his heart to hate his former pupil and died with a smile on his face."
"Tell that to Konohamaru," the Seventh Hokage replied.
"Konohamaru wasn't angry because he found out Mitsuki was Orochimaru's son," Shikamaru told him. "He was upset that you, his best friend and rival, hadn't trusted him enough to tell him the truth before any of this had happened."
"I know," muttered Naruto. "And I hated keeping it from him but I still believe I did the right thing. I want all of us to keep moving forward to a time when everyone has the opportunity to be accepted without being judged. Yet here we are still stuck in the past."
"Not everything from the past is bad," argued Shikamaru, smiling suddenly causing Naruto to cock a golden eyebrow at him.
"What's so funny?" he inquired.
"I was thinking about your son," Shikamaru replied.
"Boruto? Why?" asked Naruto.
"He's just like you were when you were young," Shikamaru pointed out. "Headstrong, enjoys playing pranks, and cares about his friends to the point he would do anything for them."
"No kidding," Naruto agreed with a sigh as he stared once more at Mitsuki's picture. "My son's facing the same situation I did when Sasuke left the village."
"Hopefully he doesn't do anything stupid," said Shikamaru as a Chunin burst through the door.
"Pardon me for interrupting, Lord Seventh," he apologized, kneeling down in respect.
"What is it?" asked Naruto.
"Sir, Uzumaki Boruto and Uchiha Sarada left the village sometime last night," the shinobi informed him.
"So much for not doing anything stupid," muttered Shikamaru. "Though I am surprised to hear Sarada went with him. She's usually so level-headed."
Naruto placed his hands on his face. "I should have talked to Boruto about this. Now they're both in danger."
"There's still time to bring them back," Shikamaru reassured him making Naruto lower his hands and stare at his advisor questioningly. Shikamaru smiled. "I have the perfect team in mind for the job."
"Shikadai's team?" he guessed. "Wouldn't it just be easier, not to mention faster, for me to send one of my clones out after them instead?"
Shikamaru shook his head. "I understand how you feel, trust me, but you're already utilizing too much energy investigating Kaguya's hideouts. Besides you're too close to the situation to be able to make calm, rational decisions. You'd be going in as a worried father not as the Hokage. You'd most likely only make matters worse if you went."
"And Shikadai will be able to make the best decision?" replied Naruto.
Shikamaru nodded. "He is my son, after all."
Naruto frowned but knew in his heart his friend was right. If he went after Boruto and Sarada, the situation would only escalate and make things worse for all parties involved. "Tell Moegi to get her team ready and head out immediately."
~ A Better Future ~
"Why aren't they back yet?" demanded Naruto hours later as he paced back and forth in his office. "They should have returned to the village by now."
Shikamaru crossed his arms and raised a hand to his chin thoughtfully. "Technically I didn't order him to bring them home."
Naruto paused and stared at him. "What do you mean?"
"I sent my son's team because I knew my son would observe the situation and make the optimum decision," Shikamaru explained. "Maybe he saw that going with them was the best decision."
"You mean like when Sakura-chan and I went after Kakashi-sensei and you all were sent after us but you chose to help me in the end?" replied Naruto, smiling slightly. "You think Boruto got Shikadai to feel the same way?"
Shikamaru shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not. While my son is a lot like me, he's like his mother too especially when it comes to her shrewdness. Right now he's probably just gathering more information before forming an actual decision."
"There all still things we don't understand," mused Naruto. "Who knows, Mitsuki might have left something for Boruto to find."
"If that's true then why didn't Boruto come to you?" wondered Shikamaru aloud.
Naruto turned and walked over to one of the windows that looked out onto the village. "Now that I think about it when we were talking to Kakashi-sensei and Granny Tsunade, I felt like someone was spying on us from outside the office. If it was Boruto then he must have heard how Mitsuki attacked those men and left willingly."
"Meaning he also heard how Mitsuki was being considered as a threat to the village so he and Sarada acted on their own," Shikamaru realized.
"I just hope he doesn't think I see Mitsuki that way," admitted Naruto.
"I doubt it," said Shikamaru. "If Boruto was listening in on our conversation with Lady Fifth and Lord Sixth then he heard you defend his friend and knows you only wanted to give him an opportunity to prove himself."
"Still I wish I could be there with him," muttered Naruto, clearly frustrated.
"You are there with him," Shikamaru told him causing Naruto to turn back around and look at him. "You're his father. A part of you will always be with him, no matter where he is. Besides, you more than anyone know how strong and resourceful Boruto is. He'll be okay."
"That's true," agreed Naruto. "Anyway, there has to have been a good reason Mitsuki left the village. I hope all of this gets resolved quickly before everyone decides they hate him; otherwise we'll slide even further back into the era when we shunned what we could not understand and hated others because of who they are related to."
"Your son was able to help resolve that mess in the Hidden Mist," Shikamaru reminded him. "If he hadn't, there could have been an all-out war and countless lives would have been lost. We owe a lot to our children's generation already. Maybe we should entrust them with more than we do. They have proven and time again how they can rise to a challenge like Boruto did when you were taken during the Chunin Exams."
"They're still just kids, Shikamaru," the Seventh Hokage murmured. "It isn't right to put so much on them."
"That's the father in you talking again," Shikamaru informed him. "What we need right now isn't just Boruto who's almost exactly like you were back in the day but you remembering who you were."
"Who I was?" Naruto echoed. "I thought I was the same person I've always been."
"The old you wouldn't be moping about the past or sulking because people didn't agree with what you felt was right," said Shikamaru. "He'd also have faith in his comrades particularly when one of them is his son who helped save his sorry hide and is a hell of a lot smarter than his old man could ever dream to be."
Naruto folded his arms and was silent for a few moments as he walked over to the window with the view of the Great Stone Faces. He recalled how his father had placed a hand on his head and told him he believed he would finish what he started. The Seventh Hokage also remembered when Shikamaru had attempted in vain to teach him that confusing game of his and how he revealed the King of the village wasn't the Hokage but the children. Then he thought back to Boruto and how he had carried their giant Rasengan and destroyed Momoshiki saving not only his life but millions of others.
"I truly am an idiot," Naruto noted quietly as if he were talking to himself before glancing at his friend with a smile. "You're right. Let's let Boruto and the others handle this. Hopefully they'll be able to discover what's really going on. After all, he's a hell of a lot smarter than me."
"Whatever it is, I hope it doesn't become a pain," replied Shikamaru making his friend laugh.
"Thanks, Shikamaru."
A/N: And there you have it! Love you Naruto! Happy birthday my amazing, blond ninja!