Day 4: Pranks

Summary: After one too many tricks, Boruto sparks a prank war with his father. Though, he seems to have forgotten that Naruto has a few tricks of his own hidden up his sleeve.

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It was no secret that the Seventh Hokage was a busy man.

In the past, his schedule had cut into the time he had to spent with his family, even taking a detrimental effect on his health.

Though, he had cut back his hours significantly, his work day still consisted largely of being locked away in his office, looking over mission reports, signing paperwork or debriefing with teams. It was rare that he could take time away from his desk before he clocked off in the early evening.

It was understandable, then, that when he burst through the Uzumaki's front door in the middle of the day, short of breath, Hinata could feel panic beginning to churn in her stomach.

For Naruto to have come home, and in such a hurry, something must have happened. Something of grave concern.

Her protective instincts flared up, the worst possible scenarios conjuring in her mind. Had Boruto or Himawari been hurt? Was the village under some sort of threat?

"Naruto?" She asked, moving forward and touching his arm. "What are you doing home?"

"Where is Boruto?"

Hinata blinked, momentarily flummoxed by the unexpected question.

"He already left this morning with the rest of his team." She answered slowly.

Her breaths began to even out as it seemed that Naruto wasn't here to break any kind of horrible news. Though she was still unnerved by the way he was agitatedly pacing. "Why? What's the matter?"

Releasing a low breath, Naruto turned his back to towards Hinata, her eyes immediately drawn to the fabric of his Hokage cloak as it billowed into view. Specifically, the intricate red kanji adorning the back.

What once proudly read 'Seventh Hokage' in bright, intricate print had been replaced with a single phrase.

'Dobe'.

Hinata wasn't sure if it was because of the overwhelming relief she felt; her worries dissipating as she was reassured that everything was in fact, okay; or the unexpected, sheer absurdity of the reveal. Either way, Hinata could barely contain the laughter as it rose from the back of her throat. Her hands reached up to cover her mouth, not wanting to upset her husband, but a muffled chorus of giggles had only broken from her lips.

She remembered that Naruto had been in something of a rush that morning, barely having time to kiss her on the cheek before slipping out the front door with a flash of yellow. In his haste to leave, he must have grabbed his cloak without noticing the alterations that had been made to it.

Having already been caught defacing the Hokage mountain shortly his father's promotion; an eerily familiar act of defiance; it wasn't difficult to determine who the culprit was and from whom he had learnt such a phrase.

Still, she couldn't help but find the situation amusing. How, Naruto, the unpredictable, knuckle-headed young ninja had grown up to be one reprimanding their son for his rebellious behaviour. Still, there was no question where Boruto had inherited his mischievous streak from, as a penchant for pulling pranks could be traced as far back along the Uzumaki line as his grandmother.

"It isn't funny, Hinata." Naruto pouted, folding his arms. "I was in the middle of the meeting with the other Kage. I wouldn't have even known if Gaara hadn't pointed it out to me. I knew I never should've let Sasuke teach Boruto."

"I know, I know, you're right." Hinata said. "I can have a word with him when he gets home."

"No, it's alright, Hinata. I can take care of it." Naruto waved her off.

"Eh? What do you mean? Aren't you busy?"

"If it's pranks that Boruto wants, that's just what he's going to get. I still remember all of my old tricks."

"What are you doing, Naruto?" Hinata asked, a rare sterness entering her voice as Naruto moved towards the front door.

"Just watch."

Hinata's eyes and forehead crinkled in confusion, as Naruto reached into his weapons pouch and retrieved what looked like a chalk board eraser. Pushing the front door open slightly, he reached up to wedge the eraser between the door and its frame, closing it tight enough that it held in place. The moment someone opened the door the eraser would fall, landing directly onto their unsuspecting head.

"There, he'll think twice before he tries to mess with his old man again." Naruto said, as he stepped back to admire his handiwork, dusting his hands off.

Though Hinata sighed, she had to turn away quickly to hide the smile that was pulling at her lips.

Perhaps things hadn't changed that much after all.

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The back of Boruto's hand dragged against his forehead, wiping away a thin sheen of sweat as he walked alongside Sarada and Mitsuki. Having just finished an early morning sparring session with his team, the three had worked up an appetite and decided to stop for lunch.

Boruto, though, had left his wallet at home; not thinking he would need while training; and they would need to make a quick stop at his house along the way.

Boruto's pace slowed to stop, however, as an ominous pressure, a dread, began to build in his chest. As if some instinctive, primal part was trying to warn Boruto of something.

"Hm?" Sarada turned, noticing Boruto had stopped, his eyes unfocused as he stood in the middle of the path. "Something the matter, Boruto?"

"Something tells me that I shouldn't go home."