Kama then began to snicker, "Hee-hee-hee! So you went and talked to her after all, huh Sempai?"
Naruto's mood jump-started itself as he laughed, and looked at his student with endearment, "You know Kama, you are just as skilled an observer as your father was, maybe even more so."
Kama beamed up to Naruto, "Really? Was he really that great?"
A confused expression overcame Naruto, "Haven't I told you about your father before?"
"Only little bits, all I ever hear is 'Copycat Kakashi' this and 'Son of the White Fang' that. Tell me what he was like! What kind of ninja he was, what jutsu he used! What did he look like?"
Naruto began scratching the back of his neck, "Actually, I never got around to seeing his face. He kept it covered at all times." Naruto laughed awkwardly, knowing this answer would not be enough. We might be up all night doing this, Naruto worried.
"Nani? He was your teacher and you never saw his face?"
"Well, he had a strange way about things. I had an opportunity when he… at the end, but by then I liked the mystery, and apparently he liked it that way too. Although, whenever his face was revealed to anybody else, it looked like they fell in love with him instantly, so I imagine you look more like your mother." Naruto teased. The truth was, he had a good idea what Kakashi's face looked like because people had that same reaction whenever they saw Kama. He could see his sensei's face in Kama all the time.
"You're one to talk, you wouldn't even go to talk to that lady yourself, you had to send one of your shadow clones to do the work for you." Kama retorted.
A fist came bashing down on Kama's head, "HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU? IT'S THE SAME THING!" Naruto exploded. Kama mumbled something under his breath after collecting himself. Calming down, Naruto informed Kama on the new schedule, "Tomorrow, Kama, you will meet another former student of mine, Konohamaru Sarutobi, he will instruct you on your next jutsu. I expect you to be on your best behavior."
"Ooooooooh? Why is that Naruto-sama, got a date?" Kama pried. Kama saw the fist coming down this time but by then it was too late to move. Naruto's fist went straight through the boy as his shadow clone 'poofed' away.
Naruto smirked, He's a very skilled ninja, and a quick learner too, like his father, he thought.
Naruto returned to his favorite meal and felt as though he was being watched. He scanned the restaurant with his peripherals and saw that the bar was empty except Tenten and some ANBU operative with a mask resembling a bear sitting at the other end.
"Oy, Tenten? How have you been?" Naruto asked, looking to start conversation with a fellow leaf ninja who he had rarely spoken to.
"Naruto! Congratulations on the war! Neji and I were always listening for news on your advances in the field. I'm fine, I didn't really see a lot of battle, I mostly staid in Konoha and trained the students at the academy, but now I have my own platoon!" Tenten smiled in pride.
Naruto looked pleased with this, One question and she gives six answers, now I remember why I avoided her… he thought to himself. "That's good Tenten, Neji must be proud of you. Speaking of Neji, I heard you two got married a year or two back, where is he now?" Naruto prepared himself; he had learned to fear the answer to questions like this one.
"Oh, don't worry, he's around…" Tenten gleamed while glancing insinuatingly to the masked ANBU operative sitting next to her; drinking tea and looking just like another person in the bar.
While sipping at his tea with the mask slightly tilted up to free his mouth, Neji spewed his drink out instantly. This would have soaked the two chefs behind the bar if it weren't for the mask slapping back down, which made Neji's face the sole victim of the outburst.
The ANBU took a cloth from his pack and wiped under the mask to dry his face. "Tenten, I told you that my identity needed to remain unknown to anyone other than you and the children." Neji whispered.
Tenten turned and leered at her husband, "This is Naruto we're talking about! You told me it was him who 'saved you from the darkness,' so why keep him in the dark? Besides, and most importantly, he is our –MPH!meht-meh-moh!" Neji's hand suddenly, and quickly covered Tenten's mouth midsentence.
Naruto scratched the back of his head and awkwardly laughed, "Maybe I'll catch up with you guys later…" Naruto got up and backed slowly and cautiously out of the restaurant, and started towards the Hokage Residence. He began moving quickly when he heard Tenten pull out her mace, shouting at the ANBU in rage.
Once well away from what was sure to be a bloodbath Naruto slowed his pace. The chilly night breeze comforted him as he strolled across the rebuilt village. He wouldn't even recognize it if it weren't for the Hokage Monument, towering above the Hidden Leaf as though watching over it. Naruto reached the Hokage Residence, a perfect replica of the one destroyed by Pain. He ascended the staircases to Tsunade's office, where all of the lights were off, only a couple of dim candles burned in the room.
"Granny?" Naruto called out, "Tsunade-samaaa?" Naruto walked cautiously into the large office and saw that the desks had all been knocked over, papers scattered throughout the room, and the Hokage lay passed out, propped up against the far wall.
"Granny!" Naruto shouted, and raced over to her.
"Baka!" Tsunade barked back at him, lazily raising a large bottle of sake up to her forehead, "Notso… damn loud, Naduto." Tsunade was trashed.
"Shit Granny, I thought you were dead." Naruto slid his arms under her shoulders to boost her up; a shadow clone turned her chair upright then disappeared. He pulled her limp body into the seat. "What the hell happened in here?" Naruto demanded.
Tsunade laughed amusedly, "Remobeling." The drunken Hokage then roared with laughter, "Ya'know, it was years ago today that Jiraiya died. It wasn't confirmed for several days but I knewit immediately, I could feel it." She then began sobbing.
"Yeah, " Naruto sighed, "I felt it that day too." He leaned up against half of a broken desk across from Tsunade. "You still take it this hard?" He questioned.
"Wha-?" Tsunade blinked and looked around sleepily, "Oh. No, this wasn't because'f him." She started to laugh quietly again, "He wa'so hard-headed, always goin' g'out on his… own, nev'admitting he needed-*HIC!*-help, never accepting it." She grew quiet for a moment and took another swig of her sake, reminiscing, "S'many times he would *HIC!* just dispear without'a single… word as'tuh where he… was. Much like you did Narubo."
Naruto could sense where this was going, and he had seen it coming, "Obaa-chan…"
The Hokage wobbled a little bit, then rose her eyes up to the Jinchuuriki, "Where wer'you Maruto? Wher'd'ya go all'v those times, stationed at ALLIED NINJA BASES'N ORDERED TO STAY PUT, WHERE'D YOU GO?" She boomed and tried standing up, her legs shaking and buckling under her drunken stupor. "D'you have any… idea how many *HIC!* times I worried that you might've died out there? Days, sometimes weeks, even a whole… MONTH, once, I waited to hear word of your return to the bases!" She fumbled over her words, but was trying to get them through the alcohol numbing her.
"I…" Naruto closed his eyes and lowered his head, "I had things… to take care of." He knew that he had everyone freaking out about what happened to him whenever he left. When he returned Sakura gave him many beatings and scoldings for leaving in the middle of the night without at least telling her.
Tsunade scoffed, "You mean chasing after Zazuke? HA!"
Naruto became agitated, "Yeah! Some of the times I had heard word of Sasuke in the area and went looking for him! We had unfinished business…"
The Hokage looked back up at Naruto again, "And the other times?" She interrogated.
He took a deep breath to prepare for this one, "A couple of times Akatsuki found my camp and I lead them away from everyone else. And I know what you're going to say. We couldn't just hope that I could change their minds every time! There wouldn't always be a second chance for the lives of my friends! I had to do something." Flustered, Naruto walked across the room, picked up another chair and sat down with his arms crossed as if to say 'what's done is done.'
Tsunade, looking satisfied with his answer, sat back as she gulped down the last of her sake and let the bottle drop to the floor. "I cn'see you've turned into quite th'shinobi, Naruto," She can finally say my name right, Naruto thought. She nodded her head in decisiveness, "*HIC!* 'n quite a man."
Naruto laughed at the compliment. "Thanks Granny, that means a lot coming from the Hokage." He looked around the dimly lit room and thought aloud, "So I pissed you off this much."
Again, she laughed and replied, "No. This was'a argument b'tween me and the Village Elders."
Naruto became curious, "An argument about what?"
She took a deep breath and let out a long sigh, "Ya'know, Naruto, most'v th'other boys've all gotten girlfriends, married 'n even start'd families. I was sure you would'a… made a move on Sakura long ago, but now she's married that funny-lookin' guy. D'ya have any lady friends your interested in?" Tsunade smiled with a penetrating glare in her eyes.
Naruto's expression became clearly disturbed, "Granny, you're like three times my age…"
Tsunade leaned over as though she were slowly passing out, then grasped the bottle back in her hand and flung it at Naruto, "BAKA!" The bottle slammed into his face and knocked his chair over, with him in it.
"Answer the question!" She demanded. She seemed to have sobered up a little after inflicting pain on the younger man.
Naruto got back up rubbing his head and wincing in pain, "Well, just tonight I went for a walk with a… 'lady friend.'" Naruto was still very confused as to what she was getting at. "What's this got to do with?"
Tsunade linked her hands together and rested her head on her fingers, "It's about you becoming Hokage," Naruto held his breath at the word, the excitement building up inside him, "The elders say that if you are to be announced Hokage… you must be, and stay, single."
Shock and despair swept across Naruto's face.