The Rokudaime
Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, there would be an abysmally large amount of NaruHina fluff in the show. Sadly since there is close to non, the ownership rights are still with Kishi. Dang it.
A/N:YESIKNOWITISAHORRIBLYUNIMAGINATIVETITLE.
EDIT 13/08/2014: Thank you to the awesome I Am The Land for pointing out that 'teme' is in fact a rude way of saying you, and not, as I had previously assumed, Japanese for bastard.
Being the Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato definitely had its perks.
Sure, he had to endure the loads of paperwork and treaties and politics and the general old-people-smell that seemed permanently ingrained in the Council room, but that was almost - almost - negligible compared to the benefits.
Besides the mere obvious- the villagers looking up to him, no more Kyuubi related tomato-throwing incidents (although it had been a long time since he had been subject to those)- there were also the more Naruto-esque ones, like the fact that the Bastard was his subordinate, or his own, private ramen bar in the Tower. Also, the sculptors had done a good job of rendering his likeness on the Hokage Monument.
But the fan-girls that came with his high ranking, good looks and newly attained riches, were decidedly not a part of said perks.
"Naruto nii-chan," started Konohamaru, looking warily at the Hokage, who was signing documents with a well-practiced hand. "We've got an issue."
Naruto nodded for him to continue while signing more documents. Konohamaru wondered how he was doing it that fast. It was borderline super-human to be that fast while just signing boring paperwork.
Then again, in their line of work, super-human speed was just like what shorthand would be in a civilian résumé.
"Nakamura Kaori has shown up, and she's demanding a meeting."
It was sort of hilarious, the way the Hokage jumped from his seat, paperwork lying forgotten as his face showed unadulterated terror.
The man was famous for killing off most of Akatsuki almost single-handedly, and for being the vessel of probably the most fearsome tailed beast, and he was reduced to this quivering mess at the mere mention of the epitome of spoilt nobility - Kaori Nakamura.
"What? A-And what exactly - what exactly did you...tell her?" asked Naruto, pleading to Kami that the younger Sarutobi had refused the simpering red-head's demands.
Konohamaru smirked and said, "Absolutely nothing."
Naruto's anxious features rearranged into a look of pure confusion.
"Huh?" he said, sounding like the clueless youth from his genin days.
"I didn't have to say anything, nii-chan. Hinata-senpai was already on her way here, so she suggested they come together. To save your time. Well Kaori-san didn't seem to like the sound of that, but I think she realized I'd never let her in otherwise," said Konohamaru, his smirk widening.
Almost everyone in Konoha, with the exception of Naruto (who could still be a knucklehead at times, much to his friend Sakura's chagrin), was aware of the crush that Hinata Hyuuga had nursed on said knucklehead Hokage since their Academy days, and possibly even longer.
"WHA- wait, Hinata-chan?" said Naruto, his face relaxing, with his Five-Great-Shinobi-Villages-Wide famous grin making an appearance.
And everyone in Konoha except the quiet Hyuuga and the Hokage, knew that he had slowly begun to return her feelings.
"Yup, nii-chan," confirmed Konohamaru.
"Look, Konohamaru, both of us know that I don't really... like Kaori-san. But we both also know one wrong word means she goes crying to Daddy. So... uh... what do I do?" asked Naruto, his initial happiness at the prospect of seeing Hinata fading.
"Well, you could always- nah, that wouldn't work," said Konohamaru, with a mischievous glint, undetected by Naruto, in his eye.
Naruto, desperate for a solution, urged him to continue.
"Well, I suppose since you and Hinata-senpai are good friends, you could ask her to help you out," said Konohamaru.
Everyone in Konoha was also too impatient for them to stumble around each other and never realise their mutual feelings. So Konohamaru figured he'd just give them a little push in the right direction and let them do the rest.
"Huh?" said Naruto, to whom this conversation was getting slightly confusing.
"Look. Since its Hinata-senpai and not Sakura nee-chan, you can just ask her to act like your girlfriend 'til Kaori-san goes away. You'll be less likely to get seriously injured that way. Honestly, nii-chan, sometimes you can be really dense!" said Konohamaru.
Naruto figured he was right. The Soon-To-Be-Hatake Sakura was definitely a force to be reckoned with. And he'd rather not be on the receiving end of one of her chakra-enhanced punches or her equally painful lectures which lasted hours.
He refused to acknowledge that a part of him was actually excited at the prospect of being Hinata's boyfriend.
"Okay, sounds fine. Send her in, and please- just her okay. Not Kaori-san," said Naruto, ending with a pleading note to his voice.
"Begging is unbecoming of you, Hokage-sama," said Konohamaru, leaving his office with a flamboyant wink.
A minute later, Hinata Hyuuga entered his office, accompanied by the shrill protesting of a very loud woman who seemed to want to know "why can't I see Naruto-kun?"
"Hokage-sama, I wanted to-" she was cut off abruptly by Naruto leaping over his desk and beckoning her to come towards him quickly.
"Hokage-sama?"
"What have I told you about the Hokage-sama thing, Hinata-chan?" said Naruto, reprimanding her playfully. "Anyways, Hinata-chan, I need a favor, please."
"A favor? Um, okay, Hokage-sama, I mean, Naruto-kun," she said, completely stutter-free.
Hinata and Naruto had become quite close after the whole ordeal with Pein, and there'd been no awkwardness because he'd forgotten her confession - honestly, that boy - but she somehow preferred how it'd turned out.
She knew that at the time she'd loved him for the wrong reasons. She hadn't known much about Naruto The Person, except for his extraordinary determination and his even more extraordinary passion for ramen, until after what was later referred to as The Day That Shy Hyuuga Girl Saved Uzumaki's Life.
After the war, they'd become much closer, and had hung out together a lot more, Naruto being impressed by how bold she'd been despite her usual meek demeanor and Hinata eager to learn more of Naruto's strange quirks. Like the fact that he'd initially worn orange to intentionally irritate everyone by his mere presence, but the color had grown on him and he eventually grew to love it. Or the fact that all the harsh, unjustified beatings he'd endured when he was a child was part of what had encouraged him to become Hokage. Not just so that he would be recognized as something more than a 'demon brat' but also so that he could ensure no child had to go through what he had.
She'd fallen in love with him all over again.
A few years into this strong friendship, which Hinata hoped would be an opening for something more, she'd gotten over her annoying speech impediment, with the stutters only resurfacing when she was flustered around Naruto.
Which happened much less than it used to, but still happened a lot more than she was willing to admit.
Now, however, she simply smiled at him in an enquiring manner.
"I kinda need you to - ah - pretendtobemygirlfriend?" he blurted.
"I'm sorry, Naruto-kun, I didn't get that," said Hinata.
Her tone was apologetic, and Naruto knew that she didn't conceal any underlying meanings to that sentence, much like Ino or Sakura would have done, but he swore that the gods and all the previous Hokage were against him at this very moment.
"I - Hinata, don't get mad, but I need you to pretend to be my girlfriend. Just for a little while - I promise - just 'til Kaori-san is gone. I'm kinda not very comfortable with her...advances," Naruto said, scratching his head sheepishly and flashing his stunning blue eyes at her.
Now was one of those moments, it seemed to Hinata, whose knees were starting to feel a bit weak. She bit down her shakiness and fiercely scolded herself. You're a kunoichi, Hinata, not a silly mouse. You can think of it as an undercover mission. There.
With her flustered-ness being successfully suppressed, Hinata was able to fully appreciate the humor of the situation.
Naruto, a fully grown and extremely powerful shinobi, one of the best, in fact, was scared of a civilian, spoilt, rich girl.
She seemed to regain a bit of her composure and said, "Sure, Naruto-kun, what do you need me to do?" she said while trying to suppress her giggles. The thought that a man like Naruto could be scared of Kaori of all people, served to help calm her remaining nerves at the prospect of this little task.
"Just, a little bit of kissing - on the cheek," he said hurriedly, the telltale spread of a blush across his cheeks. "And just sit on my lap. That's all, Hinata-chan."
"Ah. Sure, Naruto-kun. I could do that," was all she managed, her nervousness returning in all its glory. She was proud of herself for not stammering, though.
Naruto unceremoniously picked her up and easily slid over the overflowing desk to his chair, knocking off a few papers in the process. He sat down while still enveloping her ridiculously tiny frame with his arms, and perched her on his lap.
He was extremely rigid, and her position on his knees was very stiff and slightly uncomfortable.
Hinata frowned.
"No, Naruto-kun, wait I'll show you how to do it. There, sit back -" she coaxed his broad shoulders backward, marveling at the feel of his hardened muscle. "Alright, relax," she said.
Naruto was fixating on her tiny hand on his shoulder.
It was so small, but the tingles it evoked were anything but.
Shaking his head to stop his mind from wandering into unwanted and unfamiliar terrain, he complied with her request, relaxing his muscles until she took her hand away.
He missed its warmth immediately.
Hinata smiled at him and then proceeded to shift sideways until her legs were draped sideways across his lap and her torso was in line with his. She snaked her tiny hand across his back, and placed the other on his chest and whatever tingles he'd felt before were nothing compared to the ones he felt now.
"There. Now we're believable," said Hinata, hoping he couldn't hear her heart hammering desperately in her chest.
He was so unbelievably handsome, with the endless pools of cerulean that were his eyes, his endearingly crooked nose - which Sakura had put back together many times, doubtless, many after her own beatings - his unruly mess of blond hair and his sun kissed skin.
And he was so close.
The door suddenly burst open and a very prettily made up Kaori Nakamura marched into the room, her entrance accompanied by Konohamaru's admonishments.
She responded by closing the door and making a face.
Kaori Nakamura was all about beauty but definitely not a whole lot of brains.
Being the daughter of one of the wealthier lords, one of the Daimyo's relatives, in fact, in Fire Country, she'd been spoilt rotten and she had the shallow temperament to prove it.
When she first visited Konoha and met Naruto, she didn't think much of it, except a little flirting. When she came to know he was the Rokudaime, however, things changed.
She began to relentlessly pursue him and threatened the workers at the Hokage Tower with her higher-up relations lest they interfered in her plans for their leader.
The minute she learnt Naruto's mother was a red-head, she began pestering him about fate, and how it was totally a sign that they were meant to be.
Naruto didn't understand that. He preferred raven to red anyways.
Kaori's bright smile seemed to waver when she spotted Naruto and Hinata in their current position. If it were anyone else, they'd have taken the hint and just left the obviously happy couple alone.
But then again, Kaori Nakamura wasn't just anybody.
She pasted her sunny smile on her face yet again, and approached the Hokage's desk. "Hello, Naruto-kun," she purred, completely ignoring Hinata's presence. "How do you like my new dress?"
If Jiraiya were here, his eyeballs would have been on the ground, along with his jaw. It was downright indecent and made Naruto feel uncomfortable. If that scrap of silk was passable as a dress, then Naruto most certainly did not want Hinata to wear one of them.
The thought of lecherous men leering at the Hyuuga made Naruto tighten his hold on her. Other than a barely discernible squeak, Hinata barely reacted.
"Uh... It's okay, I guess. What do you think, Hime?" he said, fiercely hoping that his term of endearment wouldn't make Hinata blow their cover.
"Oh it's fine, I suppose, Nakamura-san, although that color seems to wash out your complexion," said Hinata, reminding herself that this was just another undercover assignment, and adding a slight smirk for effect. "I apologize about Naruto-kun, Nakamura-san, he isn't really... appreciative of women's garments," she continued, much to Naruto's chagrin.
"Ne, Hinata-chan, that's not true. I told you you looked very beautiful at that benefit last week. And you did, not matter what that bastard Sasuke said, 'ttebayo. He's just mad that he came home to find Sakura-chan with Kakashi," said Naruto, oblivious to the growing tension between the two females in the room.
Hinata couldn't help but blush at his statement, but played it off with a poke to his chest and a half hearted reprimand to focus on his guests.
"Oh sorry, Nakamura-san. What is it that brings you to Konohagakure?" asked Naruto, pasting a nonchalant expression on his face while poking his head over Hinata's shoulder.
"Oh? Er- please, Naruto-kun, no need for formalities. Please, call me Kaori," said Kaori, glaring at Hinata.
"Alright, Na - uh - Kaori-san," amended Naruto. "What did you need?"
"Oh nothing really. I just wanted to pop by and tell you that my father's invited you on a yacht cruise," Kaori smirked evilly. "He said it would be a great chance for you to - what was it? Oh yes, strengthen political ties," she pulled a face. "But Naruto-kun, please come it'll be so much fun!" purred the spoilt girl.
"Alright," said Naruto, causing Kaori to flash a triumphant grin at Hinata. "That doesn't sound too bad. What do ya say, Hime? Yacht cruise sound good to you? I bet Nakamura-sama will let you come along. I'll tell him you're my political aid or whatever," continued Naruto, and Kaori slumped at this.
"Uh, Naruto-kun... I'm not sure otou-sama will-" started Kaori, only to be cut off by Hinata.
"Don't worry, Nakamura-san. This big oaf is charming when he wants to be," she said, giving Naruto a wink. "But, he's incorrigibly bad at politics, so the Council would've made me go anyways."
Naruto looked relieved. He continued his charade, saying,"Yes! This is gonna be so romantic 'ttebayo! We're gonna have a blast, Hime!" He turned to Kaori, and thanked her. " Thank you for the invite, Nakamura-san. You can go now, Hina-chan and I are gonna discuss strategy and clan briefings. It's gonna be boring so I'll get Konohamaru to escort you out," said Naruto, pointedly kissing Hinata's cheek. She blushed a satisfying shade of red.
Konohamaru promptly strode in and guided a stunned Kaori Nakamura out while loudly chatting about the troubles of being the Hokage's apprentice when all the Hokage did was cuddle with his girlfriend.
"So," said Naruto to a blushing Hinata as the door slammed shut. "I think another undercover mission is in order for you, Hinata-chan!"
A/A/N: Yes, Hinata and Naruto are both OOC here, but I imagine in the manga when Naruto becomes Hokage (WHICH HE TOTALLY WILL DAT CUTIE), he would develop a better sense of maturity. And come on, we wouldn't want Hinata to go on being her stuttering self. SHE'S A KUNOICHI DAMMIT.