HOKAGE AND THE STARS
"Iruka." Minato ordered and said jounin approached him.
"Yes, Lord Hokage?" Naruto could tell that Iruka felt guilty for letting them get anywhere near the Forest of Death and that only made the blond boy feel worse for he knew it was all his fault.
"Take Neji and Hinata home. I have to teach my son a lesson." Minato said and immediately Iruka walked over to the Hyuuga children.
"Come you two." He looked over at Naruto with a sad smile. "Good luck."
And with that they were gone, Naruto stared after them longingly, hoping they could stay just so there was someone to witness his murder.
"Naruto." The voice was strong and firm and said boy gulped before making his way over and stood next to Minato.
"Naruto, I'm very, very disappointed in you." Minato said, not bothering to look at his son but was looking up at the large cliff face that showed the faces of the previous Hokage's, his own father included.
"I know, but I --"
"You could have been killed!" Minato's decibel level rose slightly as he glared at his only son. "There is a reason I told you the Forest of Death is forbidden! There is a reason it is called the Forest of Death, and what's worse, you put Hinata and Neji in danger!"
"I -- I was just trying to prove that I could be a brave H -- Hokage like you." The young boy was now letting tears fall down his cheeks and his father gave him a sympathetic look, he could understand why Naruto felt the need to prove himself, after all he was going to be the future Hokage and many of the citizens had yet to see why the child deserved the position.
"Naruto being brave, doesn't mean you go looking for trouble." Minato said, finally turning to look at his son.
"But you're not scared of anything." Naruto stated and Minato raised an eyebrow at him.
"Clearly you've never seen your mother during PMS." He mumbled to himself.
"Huh?"
"Nothing, I was scared today, Naruto. Do you know how scared it made me feel when Iruka burst into my office in the horrific state he's in to tell me my son was trapped in the Forest of Death with three sound ninja?" Minato hid it well, but he was holding back tears at remembering the memory.
"I guess even the strongest of shinobi get scared, huh?" Naruto said sadly, he was looking at his feet but then he suddenly looked up with a huge grin.
"But you know what?"
"What?"
"I think those sound ninja were even scareder."
"That's because nobody messes with your dad. Come 'er you!" At this Minato quickly grabbed his son and held him tight while rubbing his knuckes into the child's head.
"AH NO LEMME GO!" Naruto screamed and squirmed out of his father's grip before giving a smirk of his own and lunged at the older blond in an attempt to give him the same treatement he had just received. He ended up knocking his father to the ground and they calmed down, lying exhausted (in Naruto's case) on the cool grass.
"We're pals right dad?" Naruto suddenly asked out of the blue and Minato turned on his side to look at him.
"Sure!" He exclaimed happily with a wide smile but Naruto didn't give anything more than a small smile.
"You'll never leave me, right?"
Minato stared, the smile from his face now gone, where had this come from? Naruto wasn't one to act so serious, to put it bluntly. It made Minato feel like something bad was going to, or already had, gone terribly wrong.
Then again, Minato was not one to lie to anyone, least of all his own son. "Naruto, let me tell you something my father told me. Look at the stars. The great Hokage's from generations past look down on us from those stars. So whenever you feel alone, just remember that those stars will always be there to guide you. And so will I."
