I Need You, All of You
Chapter 4: The Book
Naruto paused, panting. The handles to the bags he carried cut into the skin of his tanned arms; the extra weight beginning to tire him out.
I know I said I'd carry the bags, but she normally doesn't let me take them from her…
He took a glance at the contents in dismay. Eggplants, carrots, cucumbers, leeks... Ugh. If she'd just let me run, we'd be at the Hokage's office in no time!
Then, the memory of her stern face appeared in his mind's eye. "Naruto-kun, don't run, or the fruits will get smashed!"
Damn fruits, he thought. I just wanna go home already!
He lifted his gaze to Hinata, her strappy black sandals softly tapping the concrete pathway just ahead of him. She carried Naruto's bag with the gift-wrapped kuromitsu dango. Her glossy sapphire hair swayed rhythmically from side to side across her mid-back, skimming her creamy white skin. He longed to run his fingers through it, but felt the weight of the bags against his arms with another step forward. He glanced at the other bag and saw all the red discount stickers inside. The corners of his mouth curved up into a smile.
Ever since she'd married him, and even before that, when they were dating, she'd make him eat his vegetables, saying that a ramen-only diet wasn't healthy. She always chided him when he turned his nose up at fresh veggies in front of Boruto and Himawari, saying to him, "Naruto-kun, you need to be a better role model for the kids! They want to eat what their 'Tou-chan likes!"
Gradually, bit by bit, thanks to her, he'd incorporated more color into his diet and he could feel the difference. He never knew someone could make vegetables taste good, but somehow, she managed.
Wow… he thought, his shoulders perking up. I really have an amazing girl, don't I? The thought gave him the drive to hoist the heavy bags up and stop dragging his feet, but after a second, grunted and sighed. Man, this sucks. Been carrying these bags for so long now! But, if something like this is tiring me out already, then I am REALLY slacking off with my training… all that desk work and my ramen-only diet lately is destroying my body, dattebayo…
Hinata turned around and looked at him, "You ok, honey?" She had a bit of a worn expression on her face but smiled said, "I can carry one of the bags for you. I'm sorry I asked."
Naruto stiffened and said, "No, love, I've got 'em."
"Are you sure, Naruto-kun? Your face doesn't look too good," a frown appearing on her face. She came over and held his face in her hand, gazing up at him with concern.
His eyes widened at her unusually gloomy countenance. What am I doing? Worrying her like that? Pressing his lips in a firm line, he lifted his shoulders up and back and smiled. "I said, I've got it, -ttebayo! Let's go!" He skipped up and nudged her shoulder playfully. She giggled and gave him an apologetic smile.
Relief washed over his face as she looked out peacefully to the slowly darkening sky, the moon starting the emerge through a gauzy veil of clouds.
"I'm sorry, honey, we're almost there," she said, reaching her hand out to rub his back.
"Alllright!" Naruto said cheerfully. But after a moment, he felt worry start to fester in his gut and started breaking out into a cold sweat. He glanced over at his wife and back towards the red fire symbol of fast approaching Hokage's office.
Shit! He began to remember the events from earlier that morning, the memory gnawing at his insides.
~ x ~
"Naruto…" said a voice flatly.
Naruto groaned and swung his arm to shoo away whoever it was that was pestering him.
"Mendokusei… (What a drag)" continued the voice, "Naruto, c'mon man, get up."
Naruto peeled his eyes open slowly, sleep crusted in thick mustard globs along his lashes and in his tear ducts. Bright light filtered in from the rear window and warmed the skin of his neck and back. It felt too nice to move but it was impossible to see. It took a few seconds before his tired eyes could adjust. In front of him was a pair of fatigued dark brown eyes under a set of furrowed brows.
"Tch," Shikamaru said, having had enough of the Hokage's moaning and groaning.
Naruto was sprawled out on his desk groaning groggily, a red imprint on his cheek from a pen he'd fallen asleep on. It prickled slightly with a loud yawn, his eyes watered and he let his head fall back to the desk.
Shikamaru took a patient breath in, pulled gently on his goatee and cleared his throat.
"-ttaku (Seriously…). Nanadaime, sorry, but you gotta get your act together."
There were disposable wooden chopsticks beside Naruto's sandal-clad foot and empty instant Ramen Styrofoam cups littered across the Hokage's desk, the red and green seasonings crusted up on the curled aluminum lids. Naruto's drool pooled on the edge of the desk, which had stacks upon stacks of paperwork yet to be done piled up. His hand was still resting on the computer mouse and on the computer screen was a blank document, save for the letters, "Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii" before it stopped completely. A small spider plant sat in a clear black and red tray next to a picture of his family from the inauguration day.
"What do you want, -ttebayo?!" he complained, burrowing his head in his arm.
Suddenly the wooden door to the office swung open with a loud creak, shocking Naruto upright and back, causing him to spin around in his wheeled chair. He grabbed the arm rest and tried to stop the motion when heard a familiar voice.
"Now…what do we have here?"
Kakashi-sensei! Naruto thought, brightly bolting up in his seat and trying to steady himself.
"Ossu! (Yo!) Kakashi-sensei!" he said, suddenly wide awake, smiling from ear to ear.
"So, this is what you're like as the Hokage?" asked Kakashi, squinting his eyes and smiling.
"Ah…no, you actually caught me at a weird time, dattebayo…" he said, his voice trailing off as he smiled nervously, scratching the back of his head. He took in the scene around him and felt his cheeks starting to burn with embarrassment.
"This is so like you, Naruto," Kakashi said and chuckled.
Shikamaru chuckled too and whispered, "It's Hokage-sama in here, though…" You of all people shouldn't need the reminder, Kakashi.
Naruto corrected him and said, "Nope! For Kakashi-sensei, plain old Naruto is fine," He gave Kakashi a big thumb's up. "So, what brings ya in here, sensei?"
"Nothing much, just dropped in to see how one of my favorite students were doing," he said, putting his hands in his pockets and closing the door with his foot.
"Really?!" Naruto's eyes shone brightly, a warm smile on his lips. After a second he said, "Well, I'm doing grrre-"
"He's a mess, Kakashi," Shikamaru said, shaking his head.
"Shikamaru!" Naruto shot him a disapproving look.
Shikamaru chuckled, rubbing the back of his head. But it's true.
"Naruto, as your friend, I can understand, but to be frank, as the Hokage, this is borderline unacceptable. Imagine if it wasn't Kakashi-sensei who walked in here."
Naruto groaned and let his head fall back onto his desk.
Shikamaru smiled awkwardly and scratched his temple, "-ttaku…(Seriously…)"
Naruto felt a warm hand on his shoulder. "There, there, tell Sensei all about it."
Naruto looked up at Kakashi and who smiled softly at him with his eyes closed, soft crinkles around the corners.
"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto cried out melodramatically, balling his hand up into a fist before letting his forehead rest against his teacher's arm.
"Day in and day out, all I seem to do is approve reports and send out emails. As soon as one stack's done another comes in. It never ends! I'm just so tired!! I haven't slept properly for a week!" he whined.
Kakashi gave Shikamaru an apologetic look, sighed and tapped Naruto's shoulder lightly in an attempt to console him.
"Well, maybe you should go home and take it easy, you know, recharge?" Kakashi said.
Naruto lifted his head up and turned, cupping his fist with his other hand. Tenacity replaced the melancholy in his eyes.
"I'm the Hokage now," he said, his voice firm, "I can't be a loser who shirks my duties, even if it is mostly desk work."
"But you know, Naruto…," Kakashi said, resting his hand on Naruto's shoulder. "You can't do your best at work…if you're bottling up all of your misery and homesickness. Don't you think Hinata and the kiddos miss you?"
Naruto looked down at his palms. I doubt they miss me as much as I miss them.
"As the Hokage, the whole village is my family, that's why-"
"Naruto," Kakashi said, cutting him off. "Do you think the people want to see their Hokage looking like this? All disheveled? You've got bags under your eyes and your skin's gone all pale. You're... a mess."
Naruto threw his head back and dragged the pads of his fingers down his face. "I guess, I never knew being Hokage would be so hard."
Kakashi laughed genuinely and squeezed Naruto's shoulder. "Yeah, that's what I thought too when I first sat where you're sitting now. It's not quite as glamorous as you think, huh?"
Shikamaru poured some green tea into two small moss green glazed clay cups and handed them to Naruto and Kakashi and then took a sip from his own cup.
"Thanks, Shikamaru," Naruto said and took a sip. The warmth felt soothing as it ran down his dry throat.
"I'm worried about you," Kakashi said, looking around the room.
"Kakashi-sensei, you should really have more faith in me. I just need to get used to it."
"Ah," he said, agreeing with him. "Oh, but Naruto, I brought you something."
"Ohhh! Omiyage?! (a souvenir?!)," Naruto asked delightedly and took another sip of tea.
Kakashi scratched his head and squinted, "Uhh…I guess you could call it that."
He pulled out a thick black and orange manga from his pocket, glossy and new and put it on the desk in front of him.
Naruto spit out his drink, tepid tea dripping down his twitching fingers. His eyes bugged out of his head.
"Ah!" Shikamaru said, staggering back a bit, a blush spreading across his face.
"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto shouted, "What the hell is this?!"
On the cover read the title and synopsis, "NaruLove Cocktales: Volume 1. Is he really the #1 ninja? Follow along Naruto Uzucocki's secret sexcapades as he tries to take the title!"
Naruto felt his stomach cave in as he gawked at the cover, in utter shock.
Before him was a full color illustration of what looked like himself from a few years ago. The character had a cocky grin plastered on his face, looking back to the reader, winking and giving them a smart-ass thumb's up. He held a massive hard-on in the other hand through the fabric of his bright orange pants. Directly across the tip of it, towards the right edge of the cover was a crowd of three or four women, their mouths wide, tongues dangling out, as if they were dying of thirst. One donned fishnets and had dark blue hair, one had formidable flaming pink hair and there were a few blondes with breasts bursting out from their tops. Their eyes glittered, their hands reaching out to the Naruto-esque character, a cloud of dust behind them as they charged towards him.
"Uhhhhhhhh," Kakashi said, as Naruto sat there, still in shock. "They even got me in there," he said, taking the book and flipping it over to reveal back cover. It showed a character closely resembling Kakashi donning ANBU gear without a headband, the ANBU mask slung on his arm as he leaned back against a tree, "Icha Icha Tactics: Volume 3" in his hand. He looked back coolly at the reader from the polished black background.
"Ka-ka-kakashi-sensei!" Naruto said, incredulously.
Shikamaru, red in the face, gingerly approached and peeked, as Naruto picked the book up in his hands and slowly opened the cover to real a double page, full color spread with his naked shadow clones chasing half-naked village women and outrageously drawn kunoichi, some of whom had some pretty recognizable features. It made his gut wrench. Blown up at the bottom edge was a character donning fishnets, long dark hair that fell past her hips and pale white eyes. She tried futilely to hold one of her gigantic swollen breasts, but it spilled out her hand like a sandbag. What looked like a very submissive, blushing, chuunin-aged Hinata Hyuga screamed out in surprise, looking back with a wince as Naruto Uzucocki's huge cock spurted out a gallon of sperm at her through the air with a devilish grin on his face.
Naruto slammed the book shut and jolted up, snapping his head towards Kakashi and glowering.
"What's the meaning of this, dattebayo?!" he said, grabbing Kakashi by the collar, fuming, trying his best to quell his desire to punch his teacher. His neck felt unbearably hot.
"Hold on, now, Naruto," said Shikamaru, his hands ready to form the seal for his shadow imitation jutsu.
"Sorry Naruto…," Kakashi said, grabbing his wrists gently, "but it looks like some people have a thing for their Hokages…ah..he he he." Naruto released Kakashi from his grip and tried to calm himself down.
"What?! So you mean… they're selling these? How is this sort of thing even legal?!" Naruto said, slamming his fist down on the desk.
"Uh…so you see…," Kakashi began, "the artist didn't use any real names… and as you can probably tell, the characters only share a strong resemblance with their real life counterparts – at least from what I've gleaned. I haven't really read it."
"Hmph. Yeah right, you love this kind of stuff, you perv!" Naruto accused.
"Calm down," said Kakashi wearily. "I just saw it sitting on a shelf at my usual place. I figured you hadn't known about it and thought I'd show you. And as I guessed, I was right." I don't remember the last time Naruto picked up any kind of book for fun. He might never have known if it wasn't for me.
Naruto slapped his palms against his face and tugged the skin down dramatically letting out a despairing groan. "My God, it's just one thing after the other, dattebayo!"
Shikamaru moved forward and gingerly put his hand on Naruto's arm. "Listen, man… I think you should head home and rest up for the day, you're really not acting like yourself…" I mean, you just attacked Kakashi.
Naruto sighed and turned to Kakashi, balling his fist beside him. "Kakashi-sensei, can you do something for me?"
"What is it, Naruto?" Kakashi asked, a bit nervously.
"Can you find these books and get rid of them? All of them. If Hinata finds something like this…"
"I won't let that happen, Naruto," Kakashi said seriously. Naruto relaxed and let out a sigh.
"My usual place is a hole-in-the-wall bookstore and it's a bit out of the way to get to. This was the only copy they had, so I'd relax. Since it's basically got your face in it, I doubt it'll sell anyway."
"Oy! What's that supposed to mean?!" Naruto asked impetuously, crossing his arms and furling his lips up at him.
Kakashi let out a sigh. Man, this kid's ego…
"All I mean is that since it's got you in it, or your semblance, rather, it'll probably be too taboo to become popular… in other words, it'll probably be hard to find. I wouldn't worry about it so much, but I just wanted to show you that so you were aware. I can take it back no-"
Naruto stepped back suddenly, guarding the book behind his back. "No way! You can't have this, you weirdo!" He pointed an accusing finger at him.
It's got Hinata's naked body in there! And mine! His stomach churned at the idea of Kakashi getting a certain kind of excited while reading it.
"But it's got my face on it!" Kakashi said, making Shikamaru and Naruto stumble back a bit. Naruto twitched with unease.
Is he proud of that? Shikamaru wondered.
"And let me clarify," Kakashi added, narrowing his eyes at Naruto. "I'm not into trash like that, I just picked it up for your sake… hmph." -'ttaku.
Naruto scoffed.
"Quality in the erotic graphic novel game sure has fallen… Jiraiya-sama would've been appalled," Kakashi mused and chuckled nervously, feeling the tension still in the air.
"F-fine. But I need to take out some of the pages first. You CANNOT look at them." Naruto said, turning away. He opened the book carefully, his throat beginning to feel arid as he tried to mentally prepare himself for what he was about to see. It wasn't the first time he'd seen a hentai manga, but it was the first time he'd seen one that made his blood boil.
He parted the book down the center and saw someone who looked like Kiba, without the characteristic stripes on his face, and a huge dog, hovering over a dark-haired girl with white eyes, her hands and legs tied to the bed posts with a sly grin on his face.
He felt his body growing hot and balled one fist, a line forming between his brows. He flipped to another section, and another and another, seeing what was supposed to be himself, his shadow clones and fellow comrades doing outlandish things, saying even filthier things. It even had Shino's huge larva spitting out a pool of gooey spunk on a girl who didn't look a day over 14. He wanted to throw up. A confusing combination of rage, disgust and arousal rushed through him and he couldn't stand that he lacked control over it. He kept flipping through it, seeing that dumb cocky smirk. His character was on practically every page.
"Nanadaime-sama, you don't look so good," said Shikamaru, seeing Naruto's face grow pallid and knuckles turn an alabaster white. Naruto didn't seem to hear him.
Shit, Shikamaru thought, This is bad. This is really bad.
"Kakashi…don't you think…?" Shikamaru began, before Kakashi interrupted, already two steps ahead.
"So! I'll take that from you, I mean… I'll get rid of it for you." Kakashi tugged at the book until Naruto relaxed his ironclad grip, the color rushing back to his knuckles.
"I'll leave it to you," Naruto said after a second, low and brooding, before returning to his seat. He slumped back into his chair and looked down at his trembling hands.
"Uh… Kakashi," Shikamaru said, glancing at him.
Damn it, Kakashi thought. I have to do something.
"Oy, Naruto, snap out of it…" Kakashi said, snapping his fingers.
"I got it, dattebayo," Naruto said, shooing him away. He took a shallow breath and rolled the wheels of his desk chair forward. He put his hands on his keyboard, but didn't press any of the keys, his eyes downcast. Naruto's heart ached with an odd sense of loss and yearning as he glanced at the picture frame on his desk.
It's been so long since I've been home. So long since I've seen their faces… so long since I've seen her face… Hinata…
They heard a knock at the door. Kakashi-sensei acted quickly and pushed Naruto's chair back, stepping forward to block him from view. Shikamaru stood unnaturally erect.
"Mission report!" said a voice, who promptly apologized for the intrusion.
"Ah," Shikamaru said, "Just put it in that stack over there."
"Ah," said the shinobi with a nod, before vanishing.
He's still out of it, Kakashi thought, feeling guilty for sending Naruto into such a stupor. It was just a stupid hentai manga… I didn't think he'd react that strongly to it.
He turned around and bent his knees, lowering down meet Naruto's gaze and said, "Oy, Naruto, beat it."
Naruto looked up at him and jerked back, as if he was being woken up from a dream.
"Sorry… I must have zoned out, -ttebayo!"
"Go on and head home for the day," said Shikamaru, taking a step forward. "I think you need rest more than anything right now," He put a hand on his shoulder comfortingly.
"Kakashi and I'll stay back here and try to get through some of this paperwork. Hopefully nothing happens that'll require your immediate attention."
Kakashi stumbled back, unsure of what was happening. "Eh? I'll do what now?"
"But-" Naruto began in protest before Shikamaru nudged him up out of his chair and began to push him towards the exit. "Go on, I don't want to see your face back here until you get some proper rest."
Shikamaru looked at Kakashi. A little help here?
Kakashi felt a drop of cold sweat fall from his forehead.
"It's ok, Naruto. Sensei will take care of the rest," he said, in the way he always did to talk the golden-haired boy down. "Go on, now. Go home. And don't come back until you've… recovered."
"What is with you guys?" Naruto said, miffed.
"Trust in your sensei and the former Hokage… we'll be fine taking over for a little," said Kakashi, nodding affirmatively.
"And I'll let you know if we need you for anything," Shikamaru said, putting his hand in his pockets.
Naruto thought of his smiling wife, her beautiful lilac eyes and soft cheeks. He imagined himself crushing her in a loving embrace and taking her by surprise. He chuckled sheepishly. HINATA-CHAN!
"Well," Naruto said, his lips curling up into a smile, his voice a bit sunnier. He glanced back at them and said, "Looks like I don't really have a choice, do I?" The two looked back at him in surprise.
"I'm countin' on you! Shikamaru, Kakashi-sensei!" he said, giving them a salute.
"Aa, ryoukai! (Understood!)" Shikamaru said with a nod and smirk.
"See ya," Kakashi-sensei said with a solitary wave of his hand. He sighed exaggeratedly, sinking back into his old chair. It wasn't exactly a nostalgic feeling - being back there.
Naruto smiled broadly and bounded out the door, bubbling with excitement.
~ X ~
After Naruto left and the door shut behind him, Shikamaru's shoulders relaxed down his back. His head fell to his chest and let out a deep sigh. Man, I need a smoke.
"Well, where do I start?" Kakashi asked. "Can't believe I got sucked into doing his work for him… that Naruto…" He looked at Shikamaru dully.
"That was a bit much, Kakashi, I mean, I wasn't expecting that." Shikamaru responded, rubbing the back of his head with a face that spelt discomfort.
"Neither was I! That wasn't part of the plan." Kakashi said, raising his hands defensively. Kakashi stowed the dirty comic away in his bag.
"Tch," Shikamaru said, pulling up a chair by Kakashi. "Sorry, but after seeing what you did to Naruto…serves you right."
"I'm kinda regretting I came," Kakashi said, sighing and cupping his face in his palm.
"Well, anyway. With our combined brainpower and your experience as Rokudaime, I'm fairly certain we can get a lot of this done quickly, if nothing goes awry."
"I guess it can't be helped, then." Kakashi said. After a moment, he grinned and said, "In any case, we finally got him to leave."
"Yeah," said Shikamaru, picking up a stack of papers, taking half for himself and handing half to Kakashi to review and stamp. "We can only hope this plan pans out well."
~ x ~
Naruto broke out into a cold sweat as the red fire symbol of the Hokage's office came clearly into view.That book! He pictured Kakashi sensei leaning back in his chair, chuckling with sick amusement as he read the so-called trash hentai with his nuts all over it.
Naruto swallowed as thoughts raced through his head, causing his blood pressure to skyrocket. What if she sees it? She is going to freak out and get all gloomy! He imagined her seeing that stupid cocky grin on the cover, her expression turning from shock, then to anger and quickly into sorrow as she became overwhelmed with a sense of betrayal, copious salty tears streaming down her beautiful face. It filled him with a sense of dread. He could feel goosebumps forming along his skin.
"I won't let that happen, Naruto." Kakashi's words echoed in his head. He exhaled slowly, trying to get a grip.
That's right, he thought. Kakashi-sensei wouldn't let me down, not for something like this.
He glanced over at Hinata whose gaze was cast down to her feet, the skin of her face looking a bit pale.
Oh shit! He thought. Is she mad? Is she still mad about that kiss?
"Hinata?" Naruto asked cautiously, tilting his head to peek at her face.
"Hmm?"
"What's wrong?"
She waved dismissively and said, "Oh, it's nothing,"
"Then you can tell me," Naruto pressed.
"No really," she said, offering a small smile, "It's nothing."
Damn, he thought. She IS still mad! Or mad about something! He stopped in his tracks and carefully put the bags down, before leaping forward to capture her in his arms. She gasped as he wrapped his arms across her chest, resting his chin up on her shoulder.
"Hinata, please don't be mad at me!" He gave her a gentle squeeze.
"H-honey, what are you talking about?"
"Don't be upset, please! You know, he'd never forgive me - if he saw you upset because of me…"
"Huh?" Hinata asked, completely confused.
"That guy… Neji."
"Neji Nii-san?"
"Please forgive me!" Naruto said, kissing her shoulder and burying his face in her neck.
Hinata chuckled and rubbed his head gently. "Naruto-kun…"
He lifted his head in surprise.
She turned towards him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. You sweet, sweet man.
"I'm not mad at you, silly. Why would I be mad?"
"The…cinnamon roll…kiss?" Naruto said, puzzled.
She broke out in laughter, her whole body shaking in Naruto's arms.
"Naruto-kun! You're so –, that's so-!" She giggled and Naruto's face instantly brightened up.
"Honey, I'm not still mad at that," she said, holding his cheek. You silly goose. "I'm just feeling a bit lightheaded and I didn't want to worry you. That's all. Sorry if I was acting weird earlier."
"Oh." Relief washed over his face and quickly filled with concern. He turned her body to face him. He placed his hand on her forehead to confirm she didn't have a fever. "Hinata, are you ok? Do you want to go home?"
"Naruto-kun," she said, holding his arm, "We're right here, let's just drop in and say a quick hello and then we'll head home, ok? It's the least we can do for them letting you have the day off. After all, Kakashi-sensei did take on your work load."
"Errr..." Naruto's brows furrowed as he averted his gaze.
"C'mon, honey," Hinata said with a big smile, grabbing his arm and giving it a tug.
"Mmmm, okay…" he said reluctantly, before picking up the grocery bags again and walking quickly towards the office.
~ x ~
Naruto's hand hovered over the doorknob to his office and shook. The possibilities of what could be behind that door ran through his head making his whole body tense.
"Honey, what are you doing?" Hinata said, before grasping the knob on her own and twisting. It creaked open.
Kakashi sat at the desk, a pen behind one ear and another in his hand. "Oh," he said, before raising his hand a bit, "It's you two."
A majority of the stacks that were on the desk earlier was gone, along with all the Styrofoam cups.
"Rokudaime," Hinata said, giving him a little bow and a polite smile.
Naruto stepped into the office, the dread suddenly dissipating. "Wow! Kakashi-sensei!"
Shikamaru stepped forward, his hands in his pockets, "Yo."
"Shikamaru! You guys really did it!" Naruto said, his eyes wide with surprise.
Kakashi chuckled. "You're welcome."
"Thank you, dattebayo!" he said enthusiastically.
"Well, looks like you've recovered," Shikamaru said, with a grin.
"Yep! I'm all revved up now!" Naruto said, pumping a fist into the air and giving Hinata's hand a gentle squeeze.
Kakashi sighed and said, "That's good. No doubt, thanks to miss Hinata over there."
Hinata chuckled and tried to pull her hand away Naruto, but he didn't let go. She waved her other hand dismissively and smiled.
"Oh! Shikamaru-kun," Hinata said, shifting forward. Naruto released her fingers and she walked towards him. She offered him the gift box, giving him a sweet smile. "Thanks for always taking care of Naruto-kun! Sorry for all the trouble he puts you through!"
Shikamaru accepted it and said, "Iiya, it's nothing at all."
Naruto smiled broadly and said, "It's kuromitsu dango. It's really good, dattebayo!"
"Oh?" Shikamaru said and smiled warmly as he thought of Temari stuffing a skewer of dango in her mouth a rosy blush splashed onto her cheeks. Can't wait to share these with her, he thought.
"Temari likes dango, doesn't she?" Naruto asked with a grin.
"Ohhh," Shikamaru said, rubbing his head and blushing. "Yeah, she does."
"And Kakashi-sensei," Naruto said proudly, "We got you something too!" He pulled out another gift-wrapped box.
"I didn't know what to get you," Hinata said shyly, taking it to him. "So I got this. I hope you like it!"
Kakashi took the box and his eyes widened in surprise. "Oooh! Ichigo-Daifuku! (Strawberry Stuffed Mochi)." He took one out, opened his mask slightly and popped it in, chewing happily. "It's got red bean paste in there too, huh?"
Hinata giggled and nodded.
"Thank you, Hinata!" Kakashi said, after swallowing another one.
Her cheeks grew warm and rosy. "I'm happy you like it! It must have been hard work, staying here and working in place of Naruto-kun."
"Ah…" he said and let out a puff of air, staring at Naruto dully.
Naruto chuckled apologetically and scratched the back of his head.
"So…" he said, looking back down to the paper stack in front of him, the stamp in his other hand. "I'm guessing you two did it?"
Shikamaru coughed and stumbled back. What the fuck, Kakashi?
Naruto's felt his breath hitch in his throat and made a strange wheezing sound as it released. Hinata was silent for a second before her face turned beet red.
"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto said. What the hell, man?!
"What?" he said and shrugged.
Hinata began to wobble and her vision began to double. "Oh-oh…ah…" she murmured, before she lost her footing and was enveloped in all black.
Naruto ran to her side and caught her in his arms. "Hinata! Hinata!" he yelled out, putting his palm against her forehead. She was feeling a bit hot this time around.
He glared at Kakashi. "Look what you did!"
Kakashi raised his hands up defensively and said, "Sorry!" before adding, "But don't you mean.. what you did?" He winked and smirked at him, making a hole with his thumb and index finger with one hand and moving the index finger of his other hand in and out.
Naruto gawped at Kakashi in disbelief. His eye twitched. "Eh..eh…eh…" He was speechless.
Shikamaru slapped his hand to his face, incredulous that this was happening in the Hokage's office.
Naruto grunted as he felt the weight of Hinata in his hands. She breathed softly against him. He scooped her up his arms and said tersely, "I gotta go. Shikamaru, I'll see you tomorrow."
"Ahh…ok." Shikamaru said and nodded.
In a flash, Naruto leapt out the door, leaving their grocery bags in the center of the floor.
"Wait! Naruto, you for forgot your-" Kakashi began before sighing.
"I don't think he's coming back anytime soon," Shikamaru said, rubbing the back of his head. "It's a bit of a drag, but I think I'll take them over for him. I don't think him forgetting them here would make Hinata very happy."
"Ah- sorry," Kakashi said, scratching the back of his head.
"Still, even though it was troublesome, looks like the plan went without a hitch."
"Seems that way," Kakashi agreed, folding his arms and leaning back in the chair.
Shikamaru smiled, relieved. "Thankfully! Hearing him call her name over and over again and having to wake him up all the time was getting to be a real pain." He walked over and grabbed the handles.
"You're a good friend, Shikamaru," Kakashi said, "and an even better advisor. He's lucky to have you by his side."
"Don't mention it. He's the Hokage now, so he's gotta be performing at his best, you know."
He turned back and grinned, "Oh, and thanks for your role, too, Kakashi. You know he can be a real blockhead sometimes. I've been telling him for a while to go home, but he doesn't really listen. He stays back late working himself to the bone like an idiot. Mendokusei…"
Kakashi waved dismissively. "I've been meaning to come check up on him for a while now. He's grown so much. Naruto may be the Hokage now, but he'll always be a precious student of mine, and in some ways…" He chuckled before continuing, "He's still just a boy."
"Right?" Shikamaru said and laughed warmly before taking a step out the door. "I'll be right ba-"
"Don't bother," Kakashi said, with a wave of his hand. "Just go on home, there isn't much left to do, I can manage the rest."
"No, that's ok, it feels wrong to have you working here by yourself."
"It's fine. Really," Kakashi said shrugging. "I'm almost done. And anyway, I'm sure Temari won't be happy if you're late. I heard she gives you and Shikadai a hard time."
"Eh?!" Shikamaru's face contorted.
"Boruto told me," Kakashi said and chuckled.
"Boruto did…? Mendokusei…" Shikamaru said, as his forehead creased.
"Temari can be a riot, can't she?" Kakashi said, squinting at him.
Shikamaru's back stiffened as a blush splashed across his face. "Uh… Kakashi… don't you think that's a bit…?"
Kakashi sighed and smiled. "I only meant that she's hot-headed and you might be doing yourself and Shikadai a favor by going home a little early and you know, cooling her down."
"-ttaku," Shikamaru said and let out a puff of air, trying to hide his smile.
"Jeez, so much aggression today… give this old man a break, would ya?" Kakashi complained.
Shikamaru smirked. "Tch, you sure don't act like an old man."
"Oh?" Kakashi cocked a silver brow.
"Just don't stay here too late, ok?" he said, waving Kakashi goodbye and carrying the bags out.
"Ah," he replied with a quick nod as the door swung back into place. In some ways, he's just a lovesick boy too, Kakashi thought and smiled.
Author's Notes:
Well, there it is, Chapter 4 in this series! Hope you enjoyed seeing our guest, Kakashi-sensei make things delightfully awkward for everyone and Shikamaru and Kakashi teaming up to help Naruto, even though this one was a bit long :) It's wonderful that he has such a great support system! But I know I took a while, and that's simply because I was mentally taxed with my work and needed to recharge. I hope I've made up for it, because I'm posting two chapters! ;) The next chapter is all BoruSara and maybe some more NaruHina and the one right after that is going to have everyone at home, and I am so excited to write it! So, look forward to that / let me know what you think! :) Thanks as always!
- Kx2