Traveling through the use of the Hiraishin was a peculiar experience, the details of how they traveled weren´t fully understood. But the sensation was well documented it took only a moment yet it felt like a few minutes, a sensation of being suspended in nothing, while everywhere around you there was a impenetrable blackness.
Then a sudden jerk and you're back in the material world, at least that's how Naruto understood it. He was not yet proficient enough to long distance teleport to a portable seals (like those his father used) instead he and Hinata showed up in a small shed in the backyard of the Uzumaki residence. The shed had a special receiver connected to the scroll Naruto carried around allowing much simpler passage between them. His mother (the resident seal master of Konoha) had set up the shed with her children in mind allowing them to return home rapidly from completed missions or difficult situations.
Kiba was there waiting for them and as Hinata and Naruto recovered from their traveling experience he spoke "Hey Naruto, since you got us home through the seal Hinata and I will take care of the paper work." Kiba looked at Hinata as he said it and she nodded in agreement. Naruto smiled at his friends' thoughtfulness "Alright thanks guys! Good work today. See ya!" he said as they left the shed.
The sun had started to set when he entered his home, after greeting his mother (who was in the kitchen having begun today's dinner) he hurried up the stairs and into his room, wanting to get out of his dirty clothes as soon as possible. Quickly shedding his jacket and the vest that signified his rank as chunin gingerly he took out the book that he had been carrying all day, setting it on his desk.
He was really curious about whom the book belonged to, though he realized he could probably not just walk up to one of his family members and ask them if it were theirs. If confronted by something like that most people would deny it out of embarrassment. Putting it away on his desk he decided to think about it after he took a refreshing shower and he grabbed a towel and went into the bathroom.
As he stood in the shower he suddenly felt a sudden excruciating pain in his abdominal region, like he had been stabbed. He fell down on his knees gasping for air. Together with that pain were also a flood of memories.
The fight had ended and the clone that had supported Hinata was the only one remaining, the one that had been with Kiba had popped while dispersing the smoke while the rest was caught in the paralyzing seal. He approached his main body, "Boss any new orders?" Naruto looked up at his clone "Yeah you patrol the surrounding area while we wait for the local authorities to show up" The clone did a quick salute and bounded off to start a patrol around the clearing.
A few hours later the clone returned to the clearing to report all clear, but all he could find were the empty remains of the caravan. Looking around in bewilderment he wondered "Eh? Where's the boss?" he scratched his head "he better not have forgotten about me and returned home!" he cursed at the skies. After waiting for a while it was clear that his suspicions were correct, the main body had forgotten about the last clone.
"I'll show him! I'll show him good!" The clone though with a sinister smile, slowly getting down on his knees, he pulled out a kunai. "He'll never see this coming" he said softly and chuckled. Suddenly his face grew grim and he gripped the kunai in a two handed grip, the blade pointed towards him. "HARAKIRI!" he shouted, plunging the knife into his stomach and slicing to the side, the pain was overwhelming, much worse than anything Naruto had experienced before. He barely had time for a last thought before he dispelled from the injury and pain "Ha! Worth it!".
The pain though powerful quickly ended but Naruto found himself more disturbed by the fact that his clone, an embodiment of himself, was willing to commit suicide to get revenge for such a petty grievance. Though it wasn't the first time he had forgotten about a clone on a mission, this was by far the most extreme reaction. "Maybe I should talk to a counselor about that? Eh whatever" Naruto thought as he stepped out of the shower.
After drying off he returned to his room, now wearing a pair of dark blue sweatpants and a black t-shirt with the stylized leaf emblem (that were also displayed on his hitai-ate) on his chest. He quickly shook his head to get rid of the thoughts the clone had put in his mind and directed his mind towards the puzzle of the book. "What can I do to find out who owns the book?" He sat down at his desk and picked up the book, checking it for any markings that could identify the owner.
Not finding anything he put it back down "I've had the book less than a day, maybe the owner doesn´t miss it yet." He began flipping through the pages when suddenly an IDEA come to him, not just a normal idea, but one that was as close to a masterstroke as he was capable. He smiled, now armed with a plan of how to expose the owner of the book, and maybe get a laugh out of it as well. He stashed the book in his bookshelf and headed downstairs.
As he entered the joint kitchen/dining room he could see his mother busy at work preparing dinner "You need any help?" he asked her. She looked up at him and smile "Yes dear, could you set the table please?". Naruto nodded and set about his business, as he worked he talked with his mother about his mission, giving a quick but clear description about what they had done, when he finished setting the table his father returned with a yellow flash, neither Kushina nor Naruto raised an eyebrow, being used to Minato using the Hiraishin to get around.
Kushina smiled and said "To think the yellow flash that used to put terror into the ninjas of Iwagakure now just uses his signature technique as a shortcut home from the office" as a greeting. Minato walked up to her and embraced her "Hey, it let me see you quicker so it was my best use of it yet!" he said with a cheeky grin.
Before they could begin kissing Naruto hastily greeted his father, having gone unnoticed by Minato as he was distracted by his wife. "Hey pops, how's it going?" Naruto said, making a small waving motion with his hand. His father let go of Kushina and said "Hey kiddo, I'm doing well, a lot of stuff going on at the office right now." He gave of a small sigh. All three of them sat down at the kitchen table and made small talk, waiting for the last member of the family to join them before starting their dinner.
As they sat at the dining table talking about this and that they heard from the entryway "I'm home" almost sung in a sweet voice, Hikari had returned. When Hikari passed by the doorway Kushina told her in a loud voice "We're in the kitchen sweetie, dinner is ready!" Hikari shouted back "I'll be right down, let me just get washed up" she said as she ascended the stairs. A few minutes later she rejoined them in the dining room.
Their meal finished they sat for a while speaking about nothing and everything when Naruto decided to put his plan into action. "Hey I really liked that "The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi" written by Jiraiya-sensei, has he written any other good books?" He said, carefully studying the expressions on his family's faces. His father didn't show any particular reaction to the mentioning of Jiraiya's books while his mother got a small scowl on her face. His sister was completely still, as if time around her had frozen and he was looking at a static image.
"Hmm can't determine it quite yet, might need to execute step two of the plan" he thought when suddenly his mother spoke with a fierce voice "Naruto! Those books, they are trash worse than ninjas that have abandon their teammates!" when Kushina finished speaking, Minato chuckled awkwardly and scratched the back of his head as he said "I figured you're at that age, when stuff like that gets interesting. But remember Naruto they are just stories and doesn't reflect reality that well".
Naruto was beginning to realize that his plan had backfired, his father was about to go into a birds and the bees talk, something Naruto had already experienced when he out of the blue had asked Sakura if they should make a baby together.
His father cleared his throat "When a man loves a woman and she loves him back, they desire to be with each other… in as many ways as possible" Naruto quickly interrupted him "I already know this, Kakashi spoke to me about it" His father looked relived at having dodge that bullet "Oh good, good, very good" He said.
His mother interjected "Naruto, remember that Jiraiya's books are smut and if I catch you with one of them in our home I will be very displeased!" she was about to go into a rant when Minato gently interrupted her "Don't worry honey, I'm sure Naruto doesn't have an interest in those kinds of books and just wanted another book like " The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi"." Seemingly calmed by Minato's words Kushina let the subject drop.
Naruto lazily stretched his arms into the air and said "I'm getting kinda sleepy, but I have to replenish my supplies from the mission, anyone needs anything while I'm out?" at this his sister jumped in her chair and she got a smile, no it was more akin to a smirk as she said. "Why yes, brother dearest… If you could get me some of that extremely exclusive chocolate ice cream I like that would be nice" Naruto looked at her "But I have to go to the other side of town to get that" His sister looked at him with a puzzled look "Yes? Now go get it" she said nonchalantly.
As Naruto rose from his seat his father said "Oh son get me some kunai, I used most of mine during a display at the academy." Naruto nodded and went upstairs to grab his jacket. Unseen to Naruto his sister kept a close watch as he left, when he had exited their house she snuck up to the door and peeked through, making certain Naruto made it to the street corner before she turned around, dashed up the stairs and entered Naruto's room. "stupid stupid stupid, how could I misplace the book" she thought "He must have the book somewhere around here" She mumbled through gritted teeth as she hastily started searching through Naruto's room.
In a corner of the bookshelf she spotted the vibrant orange of her book and she gingerly reached out for it. Picking it up and hugging it to her chest she started to celebrate when suddenly the book exploded in a cloud of smoke turning into a shouting Naruto "Ha got you now!". As he looked at the one that had taken the book he was flabbergasted, "Y-Y-You?" he stuttered out. Never in his wildest speculation had he suspected the book belonged to her.
His sister panicked and decided the best way to get out of this situation was to say nothing at all. Realizing she was still hugging the book now turned Naruto she quickly tried to let go, but the added weight had caused her to fall down backwards. And Naruto was now towering over her, quickly realizing the position they were in Naruto jumped off her and as she got back up he said "What are you doing in my room?" wanting to get a confession out of her to confirm his findings.
She looked at him with steely eyes and answered "Hn, that's none of your business." She crossed her arms in front of her signaling that was the end of the conversation but Naruto pressed the issue "it's my room, and you're going through my stuff, I think it is kind of my business" she got a petulant look on her face "No it's not." "Yes it is" Naruto answered and once more he got the reply "No it's not.".
Barely being able to stop himself from saying yes it is, once more, he instead took out the book from its hiding spot, showing it to his sister. Who looked at it with hungry eyes. "Were you perhaps looking for this?" He said with a smug expression. His sister looked at the book, then at his face and said "No." Naruto huffed now certain from her reactions that she was the owner of the book, but seemingly unable to get her to confess. He had had his laugh so he said "Well if you're not looking for this book, can you get rid of it for me?" As she heard what he had said Hikari got a huge smile gingerly accepting the book Naruto was thrusting at her. This time when she hugged to book to her chest and celebrated nothing happened.
Naruto looked at his sister as she received the book, thinking to himself "I've never seen Hikari smile like that before" a warm feeling filling him "I want her to always have that smile". With this new found desire he spoke to his sister, "You know, if you ever need anything just ask." She looked up from the book at his face and blushed. Not knowing what to say she replied "Hn, who would want to relay on a bum brother like you". Her words were harsh, but the huge smile she had and the gentle look in her eyes really took the sting out of them.
Hikari now with her book, walked out the room and in an barely audible voice whispered "Thank you." As she passed Naruto.