Days at the Namikaze-Uzumaki household
Chapter Four: First steps
Disclaimer: I own only the OCs.
The home of Namikaze-Uzumaki is strangely peaceful for the day, a huge relief their neighbours don't take for granted as the tranquillity doesn't last and it is often a sign of upcoming storm, the latter many pray not to be the case for the health of Konoha's villagers. Konoha also still has some uses from her current Hokage.
"Tou-chan, Kaa-chan's really not coming back tonight? No food?" Naruto rolls so his tummy is against the wooden planks of their home, the boy is lying on the floor, something his Kaa-chan will never approve him doing.
In the same position is Konoha's beloved Yondaime, facing his son who is on the other side of the room. "Yes, Naruto-kun. Kaa-chan will be home tomorrow. We have today to ourselves, a father-son bonding time?" he smiles that one-hundred-watt smile of his.
Naruto doesn't appear happy with his knitted eyebrows and pouty lips, "What about food?" You don't cook, not unless you want to kill us, is the accusation he expresses with his doubtful cerulean eyes.
"...We can have a take-out? Or we can go out, whichever works," Minato replies almost sheepishly. His wife's cooking is divine, the taste, supreme. His? Naruto's absolute refusal speaks for his skills in the kitchen.
This seems to upset Naruto, he is not the least appeased, "Miru-chan is one! No take-outs, Kaa-chan said! Outside-food is no-no, dattebayo!" he protests quite loudly, recalling his Kaa-chan's warning before she left the house earlier this morning after preparing breakfast.
As if to agree with her Onii-chan, Miruku chooses this time to make her voice heard, "Nuu! Nii-nii, nuu!" she babbles, crawling to the blonde-haired boy and nudges her head to his side, trying to slip her tiny-self under his tummy to snuggle.
Naruto allows her after a low laugh, the two children appreciates contact, the warmth whenever they cuddle with each other. So now Miruku is sandwiched between Naruto and the carpet, her head beneath Naruto's chin which is supported by his arms and her infant body covered by her Onii-chan.
It's been a while since Miruku spoke her first—as far as everyone is concerned, it is her first—word and it doesn't really come as a surprise when the baby girl, with her arms in a universal pick-me-up gesture, her azure doe-eyes wide with innocence only young toddlers have and attention solely on her most favourite person in the world, her rosy lips slightly parted and: "Nii," slips out.
Minato was elated, Kushina too. Naruto, soared higher than the skies as he whooped around, eagerly and carefully picking his imouto from her crib and proceeded to do victorious dance in front of their then slightly-pouty parents. Apparently both were betting on 'Kaa' and 'Tou' for Miruku's first—again, it is most definitely her first—word.
Kakashi who returned from his mission two days later received the most grievous mental scar inflicted moments before his mission report in the Hokage Tower, by an eight-months old baby. Naruto was too happy to rub it in his face, not that he showed much with the mask covering most of it. His eternal rival later claimed that his rival was the most 'unyouthful' and his 'hip' attitude was worst than ever for three days after. On the third day, a cheerful "Ka-ka" turned over his mood faster than one could blink.
Rumoured was that Anko managed to snatch a picture of Kakashi sulking with barely visible tears pooling in his eyes during the second day after his mission concluded. Said picture was said to be as elusive as a SS-Rank Shinobi found in your bingo books. The price appeared to be sky-high and it was said that the purple-haired kunoichi was opening a super-secret auction where light couldn't reach.
Apparently, in the years of his career as a shinobi, Hatake Kakashi aka ANBU Inu has managed to earn the ire of many, his fellow shinobi, not excluding several civilians and discounting his actual enemies outside the village walls. It says 'perfect blackmail material', in the slogan.
"Hah..." Naruto sighs almost pathetically, he levels a patronising stare at his Tou-chan before looking away and sighs one more time.
Needless to say, Minato is offended and it showed in his face, "What is it, Naruto-kun?"
Low grumbles are the answer and Naruto washes his irritations by cuddling his imouto who leans into his touch. "Why must Kaa-chan go? Tou-chan can't cook. Miru-chan needs food. I need food, dattebayo," he complains.
This time the one sighing is Minato, You and me both, son. You and me both, "I am not that terrible, Naruto-kun. Your Kaa-chan left notes for your lunch and dinner, it's curry today, you like it don't you?" And apparently it's a bachelor-food due to how easy it is to cook.
"...I guess," Naruto relents, almost slumping. Almost, because he would have crushed his imouto had he did, which reminds him, "What about Miru-chan? Miru-chan can't eat curry."
The one-year old perks up at her name, nearly head butting her Onii-chan's chin, "Kaa-ree, Miru," she parrots, her blue eyes twinkling with joy and pointing her index finger to her chest.
Naruto wants to say, "Yes! Anything for Miru-chan!", after all who is he to deny his adorable imouto's wish to eat curry? But then Kaa-chan would punish him, her crimson hair seemingly defying gravity waving around like nine tentacles. Her face almost as red as her hair with a deadly spatula in her hand. And he doesn't want that. Even the strongest shinobi in the whole wide Elemental Nations, his Tou-chan, is afraid of Kaa-chan.
So with a heavy heart, Naruto frowns and says in a solemn tone, "Sorry, Miru-chan. You can't eat curry."
For the young baby who is almost never denied anything, especially by her beloved Onii-chan, his refusal comes as a shock. Miruku is young but she understands few words, some that Naruto used and enough for her to realise it's a 'no'. Her instantaneous reaction is to scrunches her face, eyes watering and bottom lips jutted up.
As the children's Tou-chan, Minato knows it won't take three seconds for Naruto to break and then he would have two kids begging him to let his youngest child eat curry. That simply won't do. Kushina would have his head. Iwa has nothing on his wife.
"A-Ah, Miru-chan loves Kaa-chan's special baby-food, doesn't she? It's tastier than curry!" Minato quickly intervenes, two seconds away from Naruto's breaking, and gaining the attention of his children.
Miruku's teary gaze shifts from her Onii-chan's to Tou-chan's. She blinks a few times before smiling and clapping her tiny hands, "Kaa. Too-wuu-et-suu."
Ever supportive, Minato grins and gently pets the baby's head at her effort to pronounce new words, her wispy strawberry-blond hair soft against his hardened palm, his hand larger than her head. "That's right, Miru-chan. Kaa-chan's special, tokubetsu," he praises her.
Naruto watches the father-daughter duo with a grin mirroring his Kaa-chan. Then he remembers Kaa-chan left without cooking anything, which means no Kaa-chan-made-baby-food. "...Tou-chan is cooking the baby-food too?" his voice low and almost afraid.
The last time his Tou-chan was in the kitchen, his Kaa-chan made him a bed on the couch for a week. The disastrous event ended with three broken china dishes which were Kaa-chan's favourites, burnt kitchen table, exploding water-sink and some new kitchen utensils to replace the unusable ones after Tou-chan's short trip to the kitchen. The stew was purple, the smell weird and the substance gooey.
His Kaa-chan decided that throwing it out directly would harm the environment and might kill several unsuspecting animals, so she sealed the 'stew' into a storage scroll before burning it with a simple katon jutsu and spreading the ashes to the wind. It wasn't a good day.
"It's just cutting banana, apple and pear and putting it into the blender. Nothing will go wrong, Naruto-kun," Minato assures his son. Kushina pinned the recipe to the fridge and he had looked at it, the directions are clear and simple, the ingredients ready. It's easy. Even I should be able to do it.
Namikaze Minato is the Fourth Hokage of Konohagakure, the strongest shinobi in Naruto's honest opinion, wise and courageous, kind yet unyielding, furthermore, he is blessed with attractive face. A wonderful man—but a cook, he is not.
His doubt shows in his gaze, narrowed eyes and emphasised silence. Naruto doesn't wish for a repeat of the 'stew', without his Kaa-chan here, the three of them might really kick the bucket. He opens his mouth to retort and not a word out, his belly protests that it's lunchtime, loudly too.
"...Can't be helped then. Do your thing, Tou-chan," Naruto concedes, losing all his energies and hits the carpet. Miruku had ran when her Onii-chan's stomach growl surprised her that she crawled away.
(_O O_)
Befitting his moniker, the Yellow Flash doesn't waste any seconds to get to the kitchen and starts cooking. To be very very safe, he follows the instructions Kushina left him to a T. Believing Miruku's baby-food is easier to make than the curry and successfully completing it would encourage his confidence, Minato starts by taking out the fruits from the fridge and dicing them before putting it into the blender.
*THUNK!*
"Look, look! I hit bulls-eye, Miru-chan! I am amazing, right?" Naruto boasts with a wide grin, a leather-pouch clipped to his right leg to store rubber-kunai and rubber-shuriken. He just threw a rubber-shuriken at the wooden target practice pinned to the wall of Miruku and Naruto's joint-nursery, although it's more of Miruku's nowadays.
The target practice is a regular one many shinobi, mostly genin, practise on. Only this one is less durable and meant as a toy for young children aspiring to be shinobi. The circles indicate the area of accuracy of each throw, the closer to the centre, the better.
Little Miruku merely gives her Onii-chan a big, gummy smile as she claps her hands to show her appreciation. She hasn't yet taken her first step, enjoying her freedom granted through crawling and not really craving the need to walk like everyone else. Not yet anyway.
As usual, Naruto sets his wooden figurines and Miruku's plushies around the nursery as part of his target practices and as stand-ins for the bad guys, he, the hero, will defeat to save the princess, Miruku. The story varies each time but by the end of the day, the hero saves the girl, who might be a priestess, daimyo's daughter, or like today, a princess.
*THUD!THUMP!THUNK!THUMP!THUMP!*
"How's that for Hero Uzumaki Naruto!" Naruto crows after his rubber-shuriken hits every targets, posing with his arms crossed, chest puffed with pride and mouth grinning. "You're safe now, princess. Thanks to this Great Uzumaki Naruto!"
More claps from Miruku, gummy smiles and repeated words, "Nii-nii, Ee-woo! Ee-mee!" the last two words referring to hero, and hime, princess.
*CLANK!CLANK!THUNK!PRANG!PRANG!*
That... is not Naruto, nor Miruku. The two children pause momentarily as they determine the directions of the noises: the kitchen.
"...We heard nothing, Miru-chan," Naruto stares straight into his imouto's eyes, conveying his burning determination to not get involved with whatever doom their Tou-chan is cooking. Kaa-chan can handle him when she is home.
A guile-less blink is her response, so innocent and unknowing yet not questioning. Miruku innately believes in her Onii-chan and whatever he says, goes. So when Naruto continues with his spiels, she claps along.
"I have this plan, dattebayo. There's this pair of chūnin on gate guard duties," Naruto begins with a lopsided grin, his finger looping the circle-end of his pointy-rubbery kunai, "aaaand I think they need many supports so they don't sleep on jobs!"
As per regulation, two chūnin are stationed next to the Great Gate to Konohagakure, intended to check everyone who enters and leaves the village. Other then recording shinobi leaving and returning from duties, merchants and the likes, they are meant to be sentries who notice first sight of danger and report to the Hokage.
Yet those two particular chūnin sleep on hours. Even Shikamaru isn't that irresponsible. Or maybe he is that irresponsible but he is Naruto's age, so Shikamaru won't be put on gate guard duties.
"I'm still brainstorming though," Naruto grumbles, frowning now as he sits crosslegged and arms folded. "I like my sparklers idea but Shikamaru said something about it being non-re-cy-cl-ab-le. I just know it'll be fun seeing them prancing with sparklers on their feet."
To succeed his Kaa-chan's shining legacy and to be decreed as Konoha's Prankster King, Naruto has to devise innovative and effective pranks. He has those in spades but sometimes he lacks the means to execute them and when he manages, they are usually unconventional. Which is where Shikamaru comes in, he provides the logical methods and serves as the devil's advocate to his unearthly ideas. Not to mention, the Nara is especially adept at determining escape routes.
So yeah, Naruto does value Shikamaru's argument despite not fully understanding this 'non-recyclable' concept. That kid knows and uses many too big of a word. He is like a walking dictionary, he and Shino. On Shino's case, it's more that it's hard to understand due to his methodical and systematic speech pattern.
*DING!DONG!*
The sound of their house-bell ringing alerts Naruto from his musing, he shares a wondering look with Miruku and both ending the stare-off with two blinks. Oh well, guest or no guest, it's Tou-chan's job anyway. They just need to stay put unless called.
"Yo, Hokage-sama. Busy? This here the files you asked me to compile," the low, laidback voice drawls.
"Ah, thank you, Shikaku-san, Shikamaru-kun too. I was just cooking..." Naruto heard his Tou-chan says, which brings the question, 'is lunch ready yet?'.
Shikamaru offers a curt nod as a greeting, he can't be too bothered. It's his old man's business anyway, he's just here to escape his mother's nagging. Shikaku hands the folder to his Hokage then blinks as he recalls Minato saying 'he was just cooking'.
"...How's it goes? Your... cooking?" Shikaku asks, he knows the histories of the blonde's attempt in the kitchen and they aren't very nice.
Naruto and Miruku can't hear them but apparently their Tou-chan is on verge of crying because somehow, 'the curry is black!', 'it burns my eyes!', 'blender hates me', 'futon fails' and lastly, 'Kushina will kill me!'. Shikaku waits patiently until his Hokage calms down, the last one especially, he sympathises with. No one can deny Konoha's Jōnin Commander is strong, the same can be said for his fear of his docile-looking wife.
Shikamaru watches as his father soothes the distraught Hokage with back-pats. He can tell his father is amused but sympathy is also present. Shikamaru himself feels sorry for his friend, Naruto. Going with what was said, he is in for a nasty lunch or none at all. They can eat out of course but if his own mother is any indications, then their household is probably the same in that they are prohibited from eating out unless it's a special occasion or the likes. It's a mother's thing, he supposes.
"Join us for lunch, Minato. Yoshino won't mind. It's best for Naruto and Miruku too," Shikaku smirks at the now-composed Minato, as Academy-batchmates, they are quite close. Tagged along with his position is the Hokage's acting right-hand man.
Amongst their shinobi peers, Shikaku always knows that Minato will make it far. The man was kind and gentle even when he was a child but he was also determined and diligent, supported with high intelligence and willingness to put in extra efforts. Minato was actually quite frail-looking, especially when they were kids, he was slightly sensitive too. Which is why it isn't surprising for him to behave the way he did when he failed another of his attempts at cooking.
"Lunch by Yoshino ba-san?! Great! We are saved, Miru-chan!" Naruto literally jumps into the conversation with a delightful grin, bouncing the ever-happy toddler Miruku in his arms.
Shikamaru shifts his attention to his friend and the little bundle he has with him. He knows Naruto has a little sister of three-years age difference but this is his first time seeing her despite the numerous bragging the orange-loving boy had made since they know each other. The resemblance is there, with slight colour difference. Seems to be a bundle of sunshine too, much like Naruto.
"Yo, Naruto," he greets with a lazy drawl of a Nara, his hands in his pockets. Lifting it for greeting is troublesome and unnecessary.
Naruto finally acknowledges his friend's presence, he was too busy cooing at his imouto before. Besides, Shikamaru is boring most of the time. He is just lethargic, not wanting to move, preferring to nap and cloud-watch. The definite opposite of his energetic self.
"Shikamaru! You're running from your mom, ain't you?" Naruto raises an eyebrow at this, he is quite certain he is right. If there's one thing that can get his lazybutt moving, it's his mother's fury. That, and maybe a promise of a lifetime cloud-watching.
The raven-haired frowns at this, turning his head sideways, "Che. Troublesome."
Even if it's true, Shikamaru wishes Naruto won't speak of it so blatantly. It's not like Naruto isn't afraid of his Kaa-chan, they are the same in that regards. There's something about mothers that is just scary you don't want to get them angry. Besides, if he stayed home, he would have to do chores with his mother breathing down his neck rather than actually napping.
"Wee-doo-wuu-see," Miruku beams, testing the new word with her clumsy tongue.
Unlike his imouto who is happy to add another word to her vocabulary, Naruto is far from happy. There's just no way he will allow his adorable imouto to speak that Nara's catchphrase every so often. No way in hell. Miruku is a Namikaze-Uzumaki! She doesn't need the term mendokuse, 'troublesome' in her dictionary!
"Aa—ah! Don't repeat that word, Miru-chan! Better, forget it now, dattebayo! It's a bad, bad word! No!" Naruto chides his little imouto who blinks owlishly at him, all the while ignoring the two amused adults and somewhat affronted Shikamaru.
Miruku bats her wide cerulean eyes at him, lips pursed as she always does when she is told 'no'. "Aa-mee? Wee-doo-wuu-see, aa-mee?" she scrunches her nose cutely.
Every part of Naruto is squealing like a girl but no one knows that because he hides his reaction well. At least he thinks he did. His imouto is just too cute and he can't help but react like he did. Still, the mere idea of his very own imouto repeating 'troublesome, troublesome' like a certain friend of his is unacceptable. Namikaze-Uzumaki should instead end their speech with occasional, dattebane, dattebayo, or the variations of it.
"Mm-hm. Dame, no, Miru-chan. No troublesome," Naruto enforces this with a firm nod, his eyes boring into Miruku's huge eyes.
It takes three seconds but Miruku returns the nod, never breaking the eye-contact, "Aa-mee. Miru, aa-mee."
Naruto's whole being lights up at this. His imouto understands! His imouto agrees with him! "Miru-chan! You are soooo cuu—uute!" he sings as he holds her securely and swings her around.
At the moment, Naruto sees Miruku and only Miruku. There's no Tou-chan, Shikamaru's old man nor Shikamaru. Just him and Miruku, just the two of them.
For Minato, while the sight is adorable and heartwarming, it's lunch time and he can't afford for his children to miss their lunch. It's okay in his book to have late lunch once or twice but not in Kushina's. His Hokage's duties are tiring enough, he does not want to add another to the rising piles with a displeased spouse who can level a village if she so wishes it.
"Eh-hm, Naruto-kun? Miru-chan? Can we go now, please?" Minato coughs into his hand, flashing his thousand-watts smile that earned him as much fanatics as it does enemies.
And while his son is not within any of those two categories, the promise of edible food for his hungry stomach and his imouto's is enough to get his feet moving.
It takes a while but the group of five –accurately four, as Miruku is carried by Naruto– eventually walks out of the relatively quiet neighbourhood into a noisier street where villagers pass on their greetings to their esteemed Hokage and his right-hand man, as well as their children. Few minutes of that and they have arrived in the housing district belonging to clans, specifically the Akimichi, Yamanaka and Nara.
While Naruto is speaking quite loudly to Shikamaru, bouncing ideas of his planned prank on the two unsuspecting chūnin, Miruku seems content just staring at Shikamaru's long hair tied in a spiky ponytail. She wants to reach out, to have a feel of the black tresses and to pat and pull it. Shikaku styles his hair the same way but he is walking in front with her Tou-chan and he is much taller and so far out of reach. So Shikamaru it is.
The boy does notice the toddler's focused stare at his hair, she isn't exactly subtle. Then again, she is barely one. He can't help but ask though, so he jerks his head towards her, "What's wrong with your sister? She is staring."
Naruto takes offense for his sister, huffing, "That's just rude, Shika. Miru-chan never sees hair like yours or your old man's before. She'll get bored." Then he blinks, getting an idea and it shows in his mischievous grin and wiggling eyebrows, "Hey, you can let her touch your hair! I'm sure she'll stop then!"
"Yeah, right," Shikamaru scoffs, deciding not to pursue the matter because it's troublesome.
Unfortunately for Shikamaru, Naruto is not Naruto if he gives up so easily, "It's just hair, Shika! Miru-chan will be gentle, just a touch! It won't hurt, dattebayo!" he persists.
The walk to the Nara Compound continues with discreet conversations between the two adults, Naruto trying to convince Shikamaru by bothering him to the point of agreeing and Miruku simply enjoying the spiky hair in her vision.
(_O O_)
Nara Compound speaks for every Nara in existence. The traditional settings which brings out not noble feel like the Hyūga but nature at its finest. The grasses are green and clipped short with stepping stones for people to walk on. Trees and flowers filled the clan ground, well-taken care of but still exuding the natural feel. It's no wonder why the Nara loves napping on the grassy area and are lethargic most of the time. Even Naruto won't mind an hour or two nap if it's here.
Shikamaru's house is not the biggest but it looks refined, more than the others at least. Other then that, there's not much different from one house to another. The clan head's house in the innermost section of the compound so it takes a few more minutes walk to get there. The atmosphere is welcoming, warm and definitely has a homey-feel to it.
"I like your house, Shika!" Naruto grins, nudging the other boy's arm who merely shrugs in reply.
Shikaku and Minato reach the door first, followed by Shikamaru and Naruto a close third with Miruku in tow. The older Nara hasn't even ring the bell when the door slams open, startling everyone nearby, to show a stern-looking lady, with her eyebrows furrowed and lips quirking downwards. She doesn't appear very pleased and the should-be harmless wooden spatula in her hand somehow looks threatening.
"Shikaku. It's past one now. You said you won't be long and you even take Shikamaru with you! He hasn't had lunch, you inconsiderate goat!" the woman scowls, almost snarling in Naruto's opinion. She looks scary and he intuitively knows that she is a mother, Shikamaru's precisely. Because an expression that scary can only belong to a mother. A childish but sound logic.
The afore-mentioned 'inconsiderate goat' isn't the very least offended, even when it's apparent he has guests with him. At this moment, he knows that his wife only has him in her tunnel vision. Shikaku lifts his arms upwards, an effort he usually considers troublesome, to placate his wife. Shikamaru may be used to an angry Yoshino and Naruto may have build resistance to his own mother, but Miruku is young and if she starts crying that's just troublesome.
"I get it, Yoshino. I am sorry. And look, here's Hokage-sama," Shikaku shoves Minato forward not so gently so the blonde is visible in his wife's line of vision. "That's Naruto and his sister, Miruku," he jabs his thumb towards the frozen children, "Kushina is out and Minato is an awful cook. So they are having lunch with us. There's enough seats for three more, right, Yoshino?"
Yoshino blinks as she finally registered the extra presences outside her home, one being the Hokage –how didn't she see him?– and two are his children with one barely a toddler. "Minato-kun! Sorry about this, Shikaku can be so insensitive! Please come in, Naruto-kun and Miruku-chan, right? I cooked enough for you three and I can always add more, so no worries there!" she smiles, looking far kinder and gentler than the demonic appearance she had earlier.
The first one to snap into action is Naruto with his unrivalled sunny grin, "Thanks a lot, Yoshino ba-san! I can call you that, right? And I like your house lots! Oh, and this is Miru-chan, my adorablest imouto!" he chirps, lifting Miruku by her sides to proudly show his imouto.
Miruku doesn't seem to mind being displayed, she hasn't yet a concrete like and dislike and treats everything she experiences to be something new and interesting, unless it hurts of course, then she would cry buckets. It takes only wide, innocent cerulean pools, rosy chubby cheeks, button nose and peach lips and she successfully captures the Nara matriarch's motherly heart.
"Aww! You are so adorable!" Yoshino squeals like an academy student, wanting nothing but to smother the baby girl. She has always wanted a daughter and this one before her is just irresistible! "Can I?" she asks Naruto permission to hold his imouto, looking infinitely hopeful.
Knowing the feeling himself, that of utter adoration for the strawberry-blonde haired baby, Naruto grins and nods, "'course!" he trusts Shikamaru's mother with his baby imouto, Shikamaru was one before and he turns out alright, just lacking in energy.
As Naruto would expect, Yoshino carefully extracts Miruku from him and cradles her in her arms, she's very much an expert. Young Miruku honestly isn't bothered being tossed from a pair of arms to another as long as those she is familiar with are there with her, telling her she is safe. So even when Yoshino is practically a stranger, she gives her a wide gummy smile, earning her another excited squeal.
Shikaku inwardly sighs at his wife acting like a schoolgirl in her age, with a four-year old son to boot. He, however, is too much of a genius to say or even show a smidgeon of his thoughts lest his docile-looking wife turns her wrath on him. It won't do any good for Konoha's reputation if her Jōnin Commander is found incapacitated by his own wife who is only chūnin in rank. And his Hokage would cry, if at least for the inflated amount of paperworks on his desk.
All in all, lunch goes by fairly nice. Yoshino has indeed cooked enough and she is not below making more to fill Naruto's huge appetite, in fact, she is pleased with the amount he eats as she has been trying to get her own son to fill in more. Miruku's baby-food is also easy to make, exactly according to the recipe Kushina left her husband. Said husband is able to recite the entirety of the recipe which was lost in his failed attempt of creating it.
Soon after lunch, Shikaku settles down by the porch for a game of shōgi, he usually plays Shikamaru who is always eager. This time though, with the addition of their guests, they decide to switch things a bit: Shikaku vs. Minato and Shikamaru vs. Naruto. The Uzumaki isn't too happy about that so he makes a compromise, if they allow him to play on the Nara forest's outskirts as the old men do their game, he will play that shōgi game after they finished. Since Shikamaru is interested in the match the two adults are playing, he agrees.
Naruto runs around the clearing, occasionally stopping so Miruku can catch up to him, crawling determinedly fast as her Onii-chan cackles in delight at her efforts. It's simple and repetitive but Naruto truly likes the time he spends with his imouto despite Sasuke saying that little sibling is no fun if they can't even walk and run. Still, Naruto is immensely happy whenever Miruku eventually reaches him by her sheer determination even when her onesie is especially dirtied around her knees area.
It warms his heart, fizzy tingles in his tummy that makes him giddy. It's a comfort to Naruto, that Miruku will always be there, following behind him and eventually catching up to him. That even distance and hardships would not hinder her to eventually reach her Onii-chan in the time to come. Of course, Naruto would make the effort to keep them together but if the two of them work on it, then it'd be a whole lot easier. Love is a two-ways thing, right? For now though... it appears from the puffy cheeks and teary eyes, little Miruku has had enough of crawling for the day.
"...I get it, I get it. Don't be mad, Miru-chan! Onii-chan stopped, see? Err, let's just go to Tou-chan?" Naruto scratches his head sheepishly, admitting that he pushed his imouto too hard. Miruku rarely gets upset after all. He picks up the little baby, tucks her in his arms then marches forward to the Nara's house.
Naruto is infinitely grateful that Miruku is easily mollified. A soft caress on her pudgy cheeks and she would stop puffing her rosy, chipmunk-reminiscence cheeks, a light eskimo kiss on her cute button nose and she would no longer be scrunching her face adorably, and so forth. Knowing what makes his imouto flustered and settled is basic knowledge requirement as her Onii-chan.
The Nara forest is greener than most, with lush trees and wide clearing before the thick forests. Naruto likes it here, his house isn't as huge because Namikaze is not a clan and Uzumaki doesn't have a clan status in Konohagakure, so they don't own a compound and the benefits that come with it. They have a backyard where his Kaa-chan gardens but that's about it. He kind of envies Shikamaru for growing up with the Nara forest.
Walking out of the clearing, Naruto is soon greeted by the view of his Tou-chan putting on an expression so sharp, his temple furrowed as he stares at the shōgi board. His opponent, Shikaku appears more relaxed but still is serious for his usual standard. Shikamaru loses that half-lidded gaze he always has, he seems like he's having fun. What's so great about shōgi anyway? It only makes his head hurts, Naruto doesn't like shōgi.
His thought is disrupted by the squirming Miruku, who is determined to latch into her Tou-chan's welcoming lap. Naruto actually grimaces, he doesn't like sharing his imouto with his Tou-chan. Kaa-chan is different, she is special! But Tou-chan is often away, always busy with work. So yes, while Naruto loves and worships his Tou-chan, sharing Miruku with him is an entirely separate matter.
"Twou! Twou! Nii-nii wee gwo!" Miruku wails as she tries to escape her Onii-chan's hold. She wants to nestle in her Tou-chan's lap, it's calling out to her! She wants it now!
Naruto pouts. Why doesn't Miruku feels the same? Doesn't she want to be with him instead? Miruku should like him better, after all, Tou-chan is rarely ever home. He is the Hokage, his Kaa-chan tells him. It can't be helped, she continues. But that's why, isn't it? Tou-chan is hardly home. That's why his imouto seeks Tou-chan more than she does him.
At that thought, his hold on his flailing imouto loosen, allowing little Miruku to cross over directly into her Tou-chan's lap where she proceeds to curl her tiny body in a fetal position like a tired but satisfied caterpillar, fitting herself snugly. The sight alone is enough to fill Minato with unprecedented joy, his whole countenance brightens, making him even more striking to the eyes more than he usually does with his golden-blond hair.
Despite the heartwarming scene sitting before his eyes, Shikaku doesn't stare at them. Instead, he does what he does best and takes advantage of his Hokage's distracted state. It's not petty. It's that he is a good father to Shikamaru when he is bothered enough to try and since Shikamaru is so looking forward to his match with Naruto, he simply must end this game ASAP.
As such, five moves in from not-petty-Shikaku and four moves in from unfocused-Hokage...
"Otē," the Nara ends the game grinning like a cat who catches the canary.
"..."
"..."
"...Ah. I... lost," Minato slumps heavily, as if the world itself fell on his back.
He lost. Namikaze Minato, Kohoha's Yellow Flash, Yondaime Hokage, The Only Known Man to have a Flee-on-sight order in every nation's Bingo Book, lost. It's not even a good conclusion. He actually lost his concentration at the most critical point in the match, costing him the entire game. Worst, Naruto-kun and Miruku-chan witnessed the whole thing. So uncool.
Naruto is very vocal in his disapproval of his Tou-chan's defeat, his sapphire-blue eyes that mirrored his Tou-chan never seems to be more patronising than it appears now.
"Tou-chan... you are soooo not cool," he drawls the words as long as he could to emphasise them.
Cue to the weight of the whole world crushing down on the poor, poor, blonde.
(_O O_)
That neither of his children bothered with the very much depressed and spiritedly-crushed Minato only serve to plunge him deeper into the abyss of depression. Naruto even took it upon himself to push aside his Tou-chan off the cushion he was sitting on because he needs to sit there as it is now his turn to face off Shikamaru in this headache-inducing game-not-game shōgi.
As if the world itself is crushing down on him is not enough with his own son's dismissal of him, the Yondaime Hokage is then irrevocably betrayed by his precious baby daughter who proceeded to crawl out of his lap into her Onii-chan's lap, who is now seated as he tries to burn the board with only the strength of his gaze so he can avoid playing and getting a not-so-nice headache.
The view is very much amusing for the Nara Clan Head, and if not for the urgent business on hands, he would have loved to let his Hokage be all doom-and-gloom for as long as he could, because Heaven knows he needs the entertainment with how troublesome it is being the Jōnin Commander and dealing with moronic idiots on daily basis. Shikaku can only dream, but he is allowed that in the vicinity of his own imagination at least.
"Minato. Stop being troublesome and get here. We have a discussion," Shikaku drawls, one hand waving about the folder he delivered earlier, it would be nothing unusual if not for the serious undertone he would usually lack when he speaks.
It is a widely accepted statement that a Nara is notoriously lazy and they can't be bothered to do anything remotely close to what they considered as troublesome in their books. However, it also known that when a Nara unshed all those laziness that seems to permeate their bones is motivated enough to get serious, it is when you know that things are not just bad-bad but worse-worst.
Thus Minato snaps out of his theatrics from Namikaze Minato the Father of Uzumaki Naruto and Namikaze Miruku, Husband of Namikaze-nee-Uzumaki Kushina, to Namikaze Minato the Shinobi, the Konoha's Yellow Flash and Yondaime Hokage, the Living Nightmare of Iwa and the Menace of Kumo.
With the severity of the discussion they are about to have, the two highly-acclaimed shinobi move deeper into the house, Shikaku leading the path as the owner of the house, their disappearances went unnoticed by the children and with a silent glance from the Nara Matriarch. There is a room that is extremely secured by multitudes of seals layered over seals that all house of a Clan Head has, and this is where they will have their discussions.
The two men are silent for a while, the tension in the room is so high and neither are ready to break it. Shikaku starts first, as he is the man who compiles those files his Hokage had asked for. He places the folder on the desk with a soft thump before he raises his dark-raven eyes to focus on the cool-and-sharp sapphire-blues. Minato takes out the files from the folder to read them, and with each paper, his countenance only grows white with dread.
"...I have investigated, and I discovered a startling amount of unaccounted children. The numbers are higher in the civilian district, especially children from the orphanages, those without a single relative and less... significant," Shikaku is a father himself, learning that there are children out there, missing without anyone's notice and not even the village is alerted until now greatly disturbs him.
They are children, for Heaven's sake! They are what he and other shinobi are fighting for, what Konoha stands for! To discover this travesty is happening right under their noses and no one else is the wiser, is a failure he will remember and berate himself for, in his lifetime. Their enemies are smart, to move around like this, it means they have more than enough people spread around their midst. Their numbers are anyone's imaginations, and identities way beyond.
But This. Has. To. Stop.
"I have uncovered some suspicious disappearances and death reports as well, children from clans. Fugaku is currently dishing out the harshest reprimands he could to those stupid officers who brushed them aside as simple coincidences because he needs their hands to locate all those odd reports from the archive, which is more like finding a needle in a haystack, really. No idea what would become of them when Fugaku eventually finds them though," Shikaku shrugs uncaringly. Hey, he makes it clear he doesn't deal well with idiots. If those people had actually pick up on the oddness of at least one of those reports, they would be closer to the perpetrators by now.
Ah, the joy. Fugaku had turned the most interesting shade of red when Shikaku points out those moronic officers are the Uchiha Clan Head's own people, ergo, those idiots are actually his responsibility. Their negligences, are his negligences. Shikaku believes that Fugaku will simply be an insufferable bastard for a while after this event and he didn't envy any of those on the receiving ends of his brutal glares and scathing words. Then again, those idiots deserved it.
Minato has always known his beloved Konoha hides a darkness despite her brilliance, but he has never seen so much of her darkness since he is named the Yondaime Hokage. Is the Sandaime even aware of this? With young children of his own, Minato is deathly afraid for Naruto and Miruku.
But how about those children who doesn't have any adults looking after them? How scared must they be? And how long has this been going on? One of the file is dated to eighteen years ago!
This atrocity has to be put to an end, a permanent one. There are people involved in this farce, people with high stations within Konoha, those with connections to not only the hospitals, but also the KMPF. Perhaps even insiders within clans. This... this is scarier than the Third Shinobi World War or any other wars against the remaining Hidden Villages. This involves Konoha as a whole, of traitors in the midst, hidden in the shadows of their own home, coiled and ready to strike.
The silence is more pronounced by the heavy expression on the young Hokage's face. Namikaze Minato has been the youngest Hokage to ever take the mantle and he is currently facing perhaps the biggest problem since Konoha was founded. Not to mention, he has yet the full supports of everyone in the council. Following the successful reformation Minato made regarding Clan Elders, he has more stability and support in the council now, but he also earned himself enemies in the forms of those ancient Konoha Elders and the Clan Elders he decidedly snubbed with his own proposal that is sanctioned for several months now.
Shikaku is aware of what goes through his Hokage's mind, they both know it will be a tough fight, but neither is willing to back down. Shikaku has Shikamaru and Minato has Naruto and Miruku, the other Clan Heads have their own spawns as well. Routing out the traitors won't be easy as it is all about subtlety, more politics than it is about brute force. Not at all like the Shinobi Wars they fought in before.
"I have your back, Hokage-sama. Along with Chōza and Inoichi, no doubt," Shikaku's eyes never left Minato's even when the blonde closed his eyes to think, now his eyes glinted with promise and of a determination that will be fulfilled by nook or by crook. "Tsume will go wild when she is told the news, which is troublesome, but she will be onboard. Shibi will see logical reasoning, and Fugaku and Hiashi can be persuaded to our cause."
"We will get through this, Minato," Shikaku reaffirms and Minato agrees with him, his own blue eyes gleaming, sharp and focused.
They are fathers to wonderful children, and no one will so much as threaten their children in their own home.
(_O O_)
The world is generally troublesome. This is what four-years old Nara Shikamaru lives his day-by-day with. His mother is troublesome, his father is troublesome, getting out of bed is troublesome, and out of the house is even more troublesome. Naruto is troublesome and now his imouto is also troublesome. There's hardly anything that is not troublesome in Shikamaru's book. Shōgi is one, he likes how it makes his mind to relax, focused and not scampering to anything and everything under the sun.
Everything is easy on board, every piece has a role of their own, a rule they must follow. The world is nothing like that, and Shikamaru finds it highly troublesome.
As of now, his current opponent in shōgi is one of those existences who greatly defies the norms and makes it his personal goal to annoy every authorities and generally accepted rules: Uzumaki Naruto.
Shikamaru finds the Namikaze-Uzumaki to be troublesome, oh, the things he had done in the names of pranks and legacy of the Red Habanero. Despite that, Shikamaru stays anyway. The ideas the blonde comes up with is deeply intriguing, definitely creative and nearly impossible to pull, but he always manages somehow. It is the get-away that the blonde always neglects to plan and he is there to fill the role. Their merry band of friends consisted of: Naruto, Shikamaru, Chōji, Sasuke, Kiba and Shino.
They are troublesome, but they chased away some other troublesome, like boredom, away, so he sticks with them. And he can get away with challenging them to a game of shōgi most of the time, so that's a plus in his books. His friends always put new thoughts in his perspective whenever he gets them to play shōgi with him. Naruto, for example, always comes up with a surprising strategy that he doesn't even see as possible, because, that piece is highly valuable, and there are better ways to utilise them. Naruto would then grin, that big, wide, grin of his as he declares loudly, "That's why you didn't see it!".
At the time, Naruto is frowning, the space between his eyebrows is deeply creased as he ponders on where to place the Silver-General between his fingers on the board. He can think of some spots Naruto is likely to place them, but he can never be too sure with Naruto. That boy is the living definition of unpredictable, and thus, troublesome.
Meanwhile, little Miruku does not like the folds between her Onii-chan's eyebrows. She has tried patting them so it would be gone, but it would only be temporary because whenever her Onii-chan's gaze returns to that board, he will have those folds again. Miruku does not like it.
Shikamaru finds it troublesome when Naruto's imouto not-too-lightly pats the shōgi board with her tiny hand, causing the pieces on the board to jump a little, but not straying too much from the spots they were assigned to.
"Ack! Miru-chan, no! Don't do that!" Naruto snaps out from his headache to placate his imouto, no doubts that his cute imouto is getting impatient because it took him so long to place the piece!
Indeed, why should Naruto care where to place the stupid Silver-General anyway? Shōgi is stupid in the first place, why would one move only vertically, the other, one step to all sides, or in this case, three spots ahead: one directly in front and two others vertically and two spots behind: only vertically. This is simply madness!
So yes, Naruto no longer cares where that Silver-General goes. Miru-chan is soooo much more important and deserving of his attention, not some stupid pieces of stupid board games.
Now that her Onii-chan is no longer having those folds between his eyebrows, Miruku is all smiles. "Nii-nii, wee-doo-wuu-see, aa-mee!" she babbles this as her tiny hand points to Shikamaru's general direction.
Naruto is lost whether his adorable imouto is telling him not to be troublesome like a certain Nara friend of his, or if she is telling him to deny Shikamaru something. Of course, there's no way it is the former! Little Miru-chan loves her Onii-chan, so it must be Shikamaru's fault! Oh… Oh! Naruto gets it now, since he has headaches because of playing shōgi, and he plays shōgi because of Shikamaru, Miruku doesn't like Shikamaru, and thus Shikamaru is bad, and troublesome is bad, so Shikamaru is troublesome, that's why she said no!
"Miru-chan..." Naruto sniffles, so touched that his precious, precious imouto loves her Onii-chan so much.
Miruku only offers a tilt of her head, confused at the show of tears, "Nii-nii?"
Knowing to stop his tears so his imouto won't be worried for him, Naruto shoves back those waters and picks up baby Miruku and grins so widely it almost hurts Shikamaru's eyes just watching it, before he twirls the baby girl around as much as he could with his child's arms and strength while loudly proclaiming his endless love and adoration for his imouto.
"Miru-chan! I love you sooooo much!" Naruto's eyes then never left his cute, adorable imouto, and did he mention, cute?
So those stupid shōgi pieces? Shikamaru can place them by himself. Miru-chan needs her Onii-chan!
Shikamaru can only sigh as he knows the game is now concluded because Naruto lost the interest to play. Troublesome indeed, both Naruto and his imouto.
It would be a long long years later before Shikamaru realises that on the match between his father and the Hokage before his own game with Naruto, the Hokage had had his own Silver-General in the same spot as Naruto had, and had placed his Silver-General on the very same spot that young Miruku had patted not-so-lightly at, that had Naruto done he same, Shikamaru might have lost the game because he wouldn't notice the trap until it was too late and Naruto would notice first because he had always loved traps above all else, even in shōgi.
Apparently, the superior genes of the Namikaze-Uzumaki shows up early in one Namikaze Miruku.
(_O O_)
It was quiet in the Namikaze-Uzumaki household, Naruto has gone to bed and Miruku has been asleep not long after they left the Nara's household and has yet to wake since. Thus it is only Minato and his mind, working in overdrive as he contemplates the missing children and the fight he is about to face against faceless enemies within Konoha's own village walls, as well as the consequences of what the internal fighting would cost Konoha because there is no way Iwa and Kumo would let the opportunity slip out of their iron-vice grip.
There are threats from the outside, there are threats from the inside. Outside wouldn't wait to strike, but Inside has been waiting for so long. Would addressing the threats from the inside turns into a disaster as the outside wouldn't wait?
So immersed in his thoughts, Minato doesn't notice that through the gap of the door he left opened due to Kushina's insistence, out of habit and if nothing else, he misses little Miruku crawling in.
Now, baby Miruku is but a one-year old, she has no concept of understanding the cause of whatever it is bothering her Tou-chan, but as a baby, and thus sensitive to emotions, she easily picks up on her Tou-chan's pensive expression.
Thus the young strawberry-blonde baby who has just wake up, pushes herself off the ground to take her very first steps towards her troubled Tou-chan. The steps are unsteady, she toddles unstably than she walks, but the baby girl is her Kaa-chan's daughter and nothing short of stubborn nor determined.
"Twou! Twou!" she calls out, never stopping from taking another step closer, baby-steps they may be.
The childish baby calls alerts Minato immediately, his head snapping so quickly, it's a miracle it stay attached, then his sapphire-blue eyes spots his baby daughter. His baby daughter. Toddling, on her own two feet. Towards him. Miru-chan is walking—toddling—towards him, without anyone's prompting, and steadily advancing on him despite how with every step, her tiny baby body sways about left and right like a dandelion against the wind.
It isn't until the baby girl reaches him and tugs on his pants-leg as she looks up at him with her translucent blue eyes so much like him but lighter in shades, that Minato finally understands, really understands, what has just happened.
"M-Miru-chan... you...you just w-walked... you just walked! You walked! A-And to me!" Minato doesn't know what he sounds like at that moment, he is simply overwhelmed with surprise, joy, excitement, and so many others.
Little Miruku does not mind, she has the famous Uzumaki's wide-grin firmly plastered on her little baby face as she stares at her Tou-chan happily, "Twou!"
From the very start, it is clear that Namikaze Miruku's favourite is not her Kaa-chan nor her Tou-chan, but her Onii-chan and closely followed by her Ka-ka. Miruku's first chaste-kiss has been given to Kakashi before she even understands what such gesture means, her—officially—first word has been "Nii", for her beloved Onii-chan who always has a smile on his face for her, then the first person she crawls to is her Kaa-chan who is always there with her when she is not spirited-away by a certain silver-haired shinobi.
Minato... has just never been around much. The Hokage's job takes him away from his family, so often and too long. That's why he didn't expect much, because Naruto's firsts has been all Kushina's for the same reason, except his first steps because both of them were there with Naruto. That's probably why he is so surprised, so much that he fails to comprehend what just happened until his baby daughter tugs on his pants-leg.
This... this is what he is fighting for.
"Miru-chan... thank you," Minato gently cradles his daughter, his baby girl, as he crouches down to her level, knees on the floor.
Little Miruku doesn't understand, she is but a one-year old. Miruku enjoys her Tou-chan's affections, and she nuzzles her cheeks against his in return for the warm hug.
The laughter slips out from his lips no sooner after, happy, joyful laughter.
Come hell or high water, no Konoha's children will be at risk from both outside's and inside's threats. No more. Minato will make sure of that.
Naruto will be safe. Miruku will be safe. The children will be safe.
So yeah, how is it?
This chapter has been sitting on my phone for a long long time, and I found the need to finish it. I'll try updating the History As We Know It soon. Hopefully soon.