Naruto made his way into the Hokage office, his family following close at hand. Naruto had so many things he needed to tell Kakashi.
"Kakashi sensei!" Naruto shouted, opening the door.
"Oh it's you Lord Naruto, I'd heard rumours of your return." Kakashi said, standing up out of his chair.
"Well, we're all back in one piece." Naruto said, gesturing to Hana.
"I see. So I trust all went well on your mission?" Kakashi asked
"Yes, there are some details we need to discuss later but everything ran smoothly." Naruto said
"So, I guess you're taking over as the Hokage again?" Kakashi asked hopefully.
"You bet, sensei!" Naruto said with his signature smile
"That's nice, I was getting sick of doing this anyways." Kakashi said with a masked smile.
"Kakashi, take some time off. You've earned it." Naruto said, smiling to Kakashi who then teleported off.
Naruto walked back to his desk and returned to his seat, it felt good to be back after six months of travelling.
Sakura smiled, she knew this is where Naruto really did belong. He was a protector, and a very good one.
"So, what's my reward for completing my mission 'lord' Naruto?" Sakura asked teasingly while Hana walked around the room.
"I'll treat you to dinner later tonight, it's a promise." He winked at his fiancé.
"I'm looking forward to what's after dinner." Sakura said, giving Naruto a wink back causing him to blush immensely.
"Daddy?" Hana said, looking up at her Father.
Naruto lifted Hana up and placed her in his lap, before looking back down towards her, "What's up, princess?" He asked
"My tummy still hurts." Hana said with a saddened face as she pointed to her belly.
"I know Hana, it will get better. I promise." Naruto smiled and made his Daughter giggle.
"Why would Kabuto put a tetragram seal on her? Is there something he's planning on using her for?" Naruto thought to himself.
"Naruto, Shikamaru is here to see you." One of the Hokage assistants said.
"Send him in please." Naruto said back to the man who then opened the door wide letting Shikamaru in.
"Hey, look who's back." Shikamaru said with a small smile.
"Hey Shikamaru!" Sakura said with a smile
"Hey Sakura, long time no see." Shikamaru said extending out his hand for a handshake but Sakura quickly pulled him in for a tight hug.
"You idiot, I haven't seen you in six months and you have the nerve to give me a handshake?" She giggled
"R-right." Shikamaru said, his cheeks turned red. Naruto tried to stifle his laughter at the occasion.
Hana quickly ran away from Shikamaru and went to hide behind the table, after that experience with Kabuto it seems Hana didn't take kindly to strangers.
"So, I guess you're going to be taking over as Hokage then?" Shikamaru asked
"Yeah, effective immediately." Naruto answered.
Shikamaru sighed at the thought of Naruto having total control over the village, but he knew that Naruto would do a great job.
"So, I guess you know about the clan council then?" Shikamaru said, raising an eyebrow.
"No, what's up?" The Hokage asked.
"The next-generation of clan leaders have replaced their fathers in the council." Shikamaru said
"For instance, I'm now the acting leader of the Nara clan." he continued.
"So, that means Choji, Neji have also joined?" Naruto asked.
"Yeah, however.. Ino's Dad is still leading the Yamanaka clan." Shikamaru said, bowing his head at the memory of his dead friend.
"Ok, I'll pay the council a visit later." Naruto said with a smile.
"You got it, I'll tell them you're coming." Shikamaru said before walking out.
"Hmm, Sakura.. I was thinking.." Naruto said, holding his hands in a Sasuke-like thinking pose.
"I think it's time we give Hana some space, she needs to go make friends on her own." Naruto said.
"Naruto, she's only two years old!" Sakura said.
"I'm not saying we let her roam around the village. She needs to go into a day-care." Naruto answered calmly back.
"Oh, right." Sakura giggled.
It was the dawn of another day in the Leaf Village, the sun was shining and everything seemed to be at peace, except for the day-care centre of the business district.
"Daddy, I don't want to go!" Hana screamed, not letting go of her Father's leg.
"Hana, If you go I'll buy you some Ramen later." Naruto offered
"I don't want Ramen, I want my Daddy!" Hana said, crying into Naruto's pants.
Naruto sighed and picked Hana up into his arms, the girl was getting a bit to big too be getting carried around by her Father now, almost being three years old.
"Hana, I promise that Hinata will take care of you. She's a great person." Naruto smiled
"Hin-ata?" Hana tried to say.
"Yeah, she's just like Mommy." Naruto said
"Daddy, I want to be with you.." Hana said with a sad pout.
"Hana, Daddy is really busy." Naruto said back.
"But.." Hana said, tears forming in her eyes.
"Hana, you'll be fine. Just be yourself." Naruto smiled, wiping away the tears from his eyes.
"But what if nobody likes me?" She asked
Naruto was shocked, he didn't know his Daughter was that concered about that.
"Princess everyone in the village loves you, you just need to love them back." Naruto smiled, putting Hana down.
"Are you coming back?" Hana asked worryingly.
"Of course, Me and Mommy will come pick you up." Naruto said, planting a kiss on Hana's cheek before disappearing in a cloud of white smoke.
Hana was about to start sobbing but the she noticed a figure next too her lift her up into the air.
"Hi there Hana, I'm Hinata." She said.
"Hin-ata?" Hana said with a confused look on her face.
"Yep, that's my name." She smiled at the child, Hinata's confidence seemed to grow so much during these past few years, working with children really made her happy.
"I'm Hana." The pink-haired Uzumaki smiled.
"I know, your Daddy told me all about you. Come on in!" Hinata said, opening the door.
Hana stepped in to see more than a dozen playing infants, there were kids from every clan in the Leaf Village, some were from Nara and others were from Akamichi.
"Just be yourself!" Naruto's voice rang in Hana's head, she took her Father's advice and went to sit over next to the boys playing with building blocks.
"Hi, I'm Hana Uzumaki you know?" Hana said, the 'you know' seemed to not only stick with Naruto and Kushina.
The four boys just gave her a strange look then moved away from her, leaving her sitting alone on the mat but Hana was not discouraged she went over and sat with the girl group who were playing with dolls and talking about people they idolized.
"Hi, I'm Hana!" She smiled at the girls who turned at her, giving her a look of distain and moving away from her as well.
Hana looked just about ready to cry, nobody liked her here. Her Father had told her a bunch of lies. She wasn't meant to have friends. Or at least that's what she thought until a hand was placed on her shoulder, causing her to turn around.
"Hi, I'm Eko Yamanaka." She blonde girl smiled.
"I'm Hana Uzumaki!" The pink-haired girl smiled back.
"I like your eyes Hana." the Yamanaka smiled.
"Thanks, your hair's pretty to!" Hana smiled back.
Hinata looked at the two girls that seemed to be best friends from the moment they met, the two sat there giggling to each other and telling each other jokes and stories.
"The past has a funny way or repeating itself." Hinata smiled while sipping a glass of tea.
And before Hana knew it, the afternoon had come. Eko had already left to go home with Inoichi, it was only Hana and the Akamichi boys left.
Hana was tired of sitting alone in the corner inside, she had decided to go over to the boys in the outside playground, she walked over with confidence and smiled at the boys, she got the exact opposite response of what she expected, the boys turned around pushed the small girl over.
"Don't come near us, we don't like you." One of the brothers said.
"Yeah, you're one creepy chick." Another brother said.
"God, who even likes you here?" the final brother said, Hana looked about ready to bawl her eyes out when a tall man had appeared in the middle of the Akamichi brothers and herself.
His black and orange coat glistened in the afternoon light, his blonde locks were growing even longer his hair was starting to really resemble Minato's.
"It's the 7th Hokage!" One of the boys yelled as they ran up to him and idolized him.
Naruto looked down to see Hana pushed over to the ground, covered in dirt and crying.
"What's wrong with you three?" Naruto asked.
"What do you mean Lord Naruto?" One of the Akamichi's asked.
"This girl only wanted to be your friend, you should accept people no matter what they act like. She might even up saving you one day." Naruto said.
"Daddy!" Hana smiled, causing all the Akamichi boys to gasp in shock.
"She's.. your... D-d-daughter?" One of the boys managed to stutter out.
"Yes she is, so what?" Naruto said raising an eyebrow.
"We're so sorry, Lord Hokage, we didn't know!" One of the Akamichi's apologized.
"You should respect her even if she's not my daughter, every shinobi should be treated equally." Naruto said, picking up Hana into his arms.
"You've brung dishonour to your clan today, you'd better hope your father doesn't find out." Naruto said.
"No! Please don't tell Daddy Choji!" One of the boys pleaded
"I won't, but please be nicer to people." Naruto said before disappearing in a yellow flash.
They had re-appeared inside the Uzumaki home, Sakura was in shock when she saw Naruto teleport in with a dirty and sobbing Hana in his arms.
"Naruto, what happened!?" She yelled, taking Hana carefully from his arms.
"Hana wasn't having the best first day, the Akamichi clan decided to mouth off to her." Naruto said, sadly.
"Dammit, when I find Choji.." Sakura said, balling her fist up.
"It's okay Sakura, they're just kids. You used to do the same thing to me, remember?" Naruto said
- FLASHBACK -
"Hey, Sakura! I got you these flowers!" Naruto smiled.
"Pfft, get lost loser. I only care about Sasuke." Sakura said, pushing him away.
"Okay Sakura, I'll just leave them here!" He said, placing the flowers on her desk.
- END FLASHBACK -
The very thought of those memories causing Sakura to pull Naruto in for a hug and cry into his shoulder.
"Naruto, I'm sorry I treated you so badly.." Sakura admitted.
"Nobody ever deserves to be treated like that, you went out of your way to try to impress me.. you saved me so many times and I still ignored you and treated you like garbage, I'm so sorry.." Sakura continued, still sobbing into Naruto's shoulder.
Naruto reached around, rubbing Sakura's back and comforting her, "Sakura, I did those things because I love you, not because I wanted you to notice me. Love isn't like attention. It doesn't go away, I'll always love you Sakura." Naruto smiled and kissed the woman on her forehead.
"Really Naruto, even after I treated you so badly?" She asked
"Sakura, you could hate me for the rest of your life. I'd still keep being the same dumb kid who picks you flowers every morning." Naruto gave a goofy smile which was soon replaced by Sakura's lips meeting his.
"I'm so glad I met you, Naruto Uzumaki." Sakura smiled.
"And I wish I met you sooner, Sakura Haruno." Naruto smiled back.
"I'm going to go clean Hana up and put her to bed, I've got a surprise for you when I come back." She gave him a perverted smile.
Naruto sat on the couch, awaiting his surprise. Once he saw what it was he couldn't believe what he was seeing with his own eyes.
Sakura was dressed in a VERY revealing nightgown. The skirt, if it could be called that was shorter than he had ever seen her wear before, this was no doubt the surprise he was waiting for.
"Are you just gonna stand there, Naruto?" She asked, teasing him to follow her into the bedroom.
Naruto didn't allow her to reach the bedroom, he grabbed her and pulled her up against the wall kissing her passionately, Sakura had already unzipped the top half of her nightgown making it even more revealing.
Naruto was quick to notice, he broke the kiss and started kissing her neck before pulling her into the bedroom.
"Surprise." Sakura said teasingly before lying on top of him.
"This was worth the wait." Naruto smiled, as he continued kissing his pink-haired lover.
"What about Hana?" Naruto asked.
"She's sound asleep." Sakura said with a wink before removing his jacket and shirt.
"Then you've got no excuses." Naruto smiled, closing the door and pushing her over onto the bed.
