Chapter 34:
Towards the Future…

A dark-haired young man with a weary face went about his rounds, re-shelving books in the library of a trade town that lay on the banks of a river in the heart of Hi no Kuni. The head librarian had been leery of hiring him at first as his eyesight was failing, but he was quiet, intelligent, and diligent in completing his duties and so he had been given a chance. Once he had fully settled into the town and had money to spend, he would visit an ophthalmologist and see about acquiring glasses.

Once his book cart was empty, he returned to the main desk and settled into his chair to wait for a patron to require his assistance. It was rather early in the day and no one in town seemed keen on coming in to find a book to borrow. Taking advantage of this free time, the young man pulled a half-written letter from his pocket and began carefully composing new lines on the paper.

The soft shuffle of sandals on carpet alerted him to someone's approach.

"Osamu-san?" He glanced up at the name he had chosen for himself to find a young lady his age smiling shyly at him. "Do you think that you could help me research something for my father?"

"Of course, Emi-san," he nodded, tucked away his letter, and left his desk to assist her. "What subject are you researching?"

She told him and, with a little searching as he was not terribly familiar with the layout of the stacks yet, he led her to the appropriate texts. As she studied the dusty books, he took a moment to study her while she was distracted. Emi was a pretty brunette with unremarkable dark eyes and tanned skin with a dusting of freckles. If he hadn't already encountered her and learned that she was the daughter of a well-to-do merchant, he would've assumed her to be a farmer's daughter.

For the briefest moment, he allowed himself to contemplate his mother's promise to look after any children he might father and send back to the village of his birth. Emi seemed to be a nice enough girl—she was attractive, healthy, intelligent, and appeared to find him interesting. And if not her, there were many other girls who lived here that he might choose…

No…I don't think I should "settle down". There's too much blood on my hands…and too much hunting me. …It wouldn't be fair to any woman or child.

He shoved such musings away and focused on helping Emi find the books that she needed, and the best way to phrase the coded letter he needed to send to the Hokage.

Daisuke groaned as he settled down at his desk for the first time in nearly a week. A nasty bout of the flu had kept him in bed and away from work for what felt like forever. But now he felt human enough to return to duty and so return he had.

Glancing at the pile of paperwork in his in-box he moaned and wished that the flu had killed him.

"Where have you been?!" Minoru hissed when he caught sight of his co-worker.

"Home sick," Daisuke coughed. "Where else?"

"You missed the biggest event ever!" Minoru whispered, leaning closer to Daisuke's desk.

Daisuke blinked. "…What?"

"Ryuu-sama has a ring now!"

He was about to respond with "so what?" but then he recalled that this was Ryuu-sama. It was doubtful that the red-haired woman had owned any kind of jewelry ever. But now all of a sudden she was wearing a ring?

"What does that mean?" Daisuke asked warily.

"Well, you know how she's seeing the boss now?" Minoru answered. "Well, add a ring to that."

The administrative ninja blinked blearily and chewed that over in his mind for a few minutes. It had been the talk of the office (when the fearsome Kushina-sama wasn't around breathing down their necks, of course) when it became known that their boss, the Yondaime Hokage, was involved with his loyal assistant. But now a ring meant…that…

"…No way."

"Yeah," Minoru nodded, wide-eyed. "I know, right?"

"May the spirits have mercy on his soul," Daisuke muttered and pulled the top papers from his in-box to start working. And mine, too…stupid paperwork.

Kushina tried not to get too impatient as she sat in the exam room and waited for the doctor to return. It was really annoying that to get back on the pill that she had to visit the doctor and get examined. But since she needed to go in for a physical anyway, there was no real escape from the doctor's office.

The whole exam had been uneventful. Even though she was more or less retired from the active ninja life, she kept in good physical condition and her only chronic complaints were minor pains that occasionally flared up from old injuries. The fatigue and vague sick-ish feeling that she'd been experiencing lately had faded some and she'd almost forgotten to mention it. But she was sure that it was nothing—a mild virus and stress from work at the most.

This is so annoying, she sighed and fidgeted with the ring on her finger. How long does it take to get test results back and then give me my damn prescription?! Seriously…

She idly wondered how long it would take to get used to the jewelry on her hand. Women wore rings all the time and never seemed to notice the things. But she'd had hers for several days and was still acutely aware of the feel of it on her finger.

Naruto had noticed the ring fairly quickly. She had never worn jewelry before and he noticed the glittering band right away. Once she explained what it was, he hadn't seemed shocked or surprised. Apparently, Minato had already asked Naruto if he would mind if the two of them were to marry.

"Isn't that what you're supposed to do if you really love someone?" Naruto had shrugged. "Marry them? If you love him and he loves you, why shouldn't you get married if you want to?"

When she told him that they would be moving in a few weeks, he was more upset. They had always lived in the same apartment. He didn't want to leave the familiar rooms behind forever. But when she assured him that he would get a better room in the Hokage Manor (and might even be able to pick which one he wanted) he seemed a bit intrigued. She sold the idea by adding that there were private training grounds behind the house (not to mention a front and back yard; their apartment had neither) that he would be able to use sometimes.

He was still a bit reluctant about the future move, but she was sure that he'd get over that as soon as he adjusted to the new address. The worst part would be packing everything up and ferrying it over from their apartment to the Hokage Manor. But after that, everything would be fine.

Mikoto had noticed her new ring even faster than Naruto had. They hadn't been acquainted too long, so she hadn't jumped to any conclusions about it, but Kushina knew that the Uchiha had been suspicious of the jewelry. When Kushina had admitted what it was, Mikoto had smiled…but it had been a sad smile.

Perhaps it had made her think of her late husband. Or perhaps she regretted the way that her own marriage had started. There was no proposal for Mikoto. To prevent in-breeding, the Uchiha clan either green-lighted couples if they were genetically compatible or assigned partners. Mikoto and Fugaku hadn't fallen in love first, they'd been chosen for one another and any affection between them came later.

She stretched and yawned out of boredom. Where the hell is the doctor?! I have better things to do than sit around and wait for him to get back!

The sooner she got this over with, the sooner she could get her prescription filled, and the sooner she could get back on the pill and Minato could ditch the condoms. After the first few times without protection (years of nothing had left them too desperate to care) Minato had been persuaded to acquire the male birth control. He found the things annoying and was eager for them to no longer be necessary, especially now that Jiraiya had made fun of the brand that he'd chosen.

Like taking a pill everyday is any less annoying, she sighed. But I suppose it's easier than trying to remember to use something, and use it right, in the heat of passion. Bah, why does birth control have to be such a pain?

Slipping off the exam table, she started to pace the small room to get the time to pass faster.

On the subject of rumors, they were just as angry as before. News of her engagement hadn't really circulated beyond the Tower as far as she could tell. The villagers were simply too fixated on the shocking fact that she and the Hokage were together, and had been together in the past. When they eventually married, she was sure that the villagers would be even more upset.

Well, they're just going to have to get over it, she huffed and sat back down. There's nothing that they can do to stop it.

They were going to get married. The exact date hadn't been determined yet. But when it was all arranged, they'd find a nice little temple outside the village and have a little ceremony with only a few witnesses—probably no more than Naruto, Kakashi, Jiraiya, and perhaps Tsunade—and then it would be a done deal.

Everything was falling into place. The life that she'd given up on ever getting was settling in around her. She had her son, she was engaged to the man that she loved, they would all soon live in the same house together…and perhaps after she married, Minato would persuade her to have another baby. He'd missed out on Naruto's infancy and his recollection of Naruto's childhood was hazy in places.

Another baby might not be so bad. Naruto was getting too old to be cuddled; he was a ninja now and increasingly independent. And she was from a big family and had always wanted Naruto to have siblings like she had had growing up.

Maybe…eventually…we'll see… She fidgeted with her ring some more. Not right now, though. There's too much going on.

Kushina rolled her shoulders and glared at the exam room door, silently demanding the doctor to appear.

And then, magically, he did.

He was an older man, with more silver than black in his hair and clear lines around his mouth and eyes. He seemed intelligent and professional, and he'd been friendly enough with her when he'd done his examination. She greatly appreciated the polite way that he'd dealt with her so far, unlike the nurse who had assisted him. The nurse had had a sour look on her face the whole time, and been rather snippy.

The doctor glanced up from the file that he'd been studying, and the expression on his face immediately caught her attention.

What the heck is that look for…?

Shino was about to head out and meet with his team for practice when his father stopped him.

"May we speak, Shino?"

"Yes, father?" the young Aburame replied. "Was my performance on my latest mission not satisfactory?"

His team's C-rank mission had been simple enough, and they had completed it successfully and on time. However, without their sensei's mediating presence he and Kiba had clashed a bit more than they should have and there had been some rocky moments. Had his father heard about that?

"No," the elder Aburame replied. "I wish to discuss what is becoming a fixation on your former classmate."

Shino grimaced slightly behind the high collar of his coat. Despite numerous quiet inquiries and many hours of wandering the village streets with his ears open, he had yet to find any sort of satisfactory answer as to why the village as a whole seemed biased against one Uzumaki Naruto. It seemed even more illogical now that information had come out, revealing his former classmate to be the son of the Hokage—making him a child to be treasured, not scorned. Hinata had not minded assisting him in his endeavors, but Kiba was less and less enthusiastic.

"What of it, father?"

"What drives your curiosity?" his father asked.

"The villagers' behavior is utterly illogical. The social equation is unbalanced—there seems to be no cause that fits with the effect." Shino adjusted his round shades. "If there is discord within a hive and the reason cannot be found and corrected, then it will collapse. Is this not truth, father?"

"It is," his father nodded gravely. "However, human societies are regrettably not the same as insect societies. Human behavior is not always logical or fair. And our village is not an ordinary village, but a military village of civilians and ninjas."

"I understand that father," Shino nodded. "This does nothing, however, to explain the baffling and disturbing attitudes directed towards my former classmate and comrade."

His father regarded him through his square-lensed shades for a moment. "The explanations that you seek will come to you in time if you continue to excel at being a shinobi, and if you are patient. A larva must wait until it matures into an adult before it can be entrusted with the duty it must perform to continue the life of the hive. It is much the same for ninja. When you have matured into an experienced and skilled shinobi, you will be entrusted with the secrets of the village and you will surely discover the answers that you seek."

Shino was not the least bit satiated by this answer, but it was clear that his father would not support his personal investigation. He nodded as if to accept his father's words and moved to leave. However, his father's hand clasping his shoulder stopped him.

"Determination and relentless pursuit are worthy traits of a ninja, but patience is one of the shinobi's greatest virtues," his father said. "Do you recall the last instance where you fixated on a pursuit?"

He nodded, and thought of the Chuunin Exams. When his opponent for the final round, Kankuro, had dropped out at the last moment, he had been frustrated at the fight that he had been denied. In the chaos that had interrupted the testing, he had gone after the Suna puppeteer, determined to get the fight that he was supposed to have had. While his actions had helped Uchiha Sasuke, and he had been victorious in his battle, he had been poisoned and had his father not come to his rescue he might have been permanently injured or killed.

"Your actions were risky and reckless and could've had terrible consequences," the elder Aburame remarked. "Have you ever stopped to consider that your investigation might cause your comrade distress or strife?"

Shino hesitated. "No, I have not."

"Curiosity is an important trait in a ninja, but one must be careful not to allow curiosity overrule all other sense," he father warned and released Shino's shoulder. "I advise patience and greater focus on improving your ninja skills. There are few secrets in a village that a jounin does not know."

"Yes, father," Shino bowed and left his family home to meet with his teammates.

He was not pleased with the conversation that he'd had with his father, but he would learn from it. He had not considered what side effects there might be (if any) from his search for answers as to why Uzumaki Naruto was selected by the village at large to be the general scapegoat. So he would follow his father's advice and be patient with open ears, and focus on becoming a better ninja.

Kiba will be glad of that…

Tsunade groaned and sat back in her office chair to massage her throbbing temples. There was just so much paperwork to go over. The only place that she knew had more was the Hokage Tower…and that made her incredibly glad that she hadn't been roped into being the Godaime.

Shizune was taking the day off after successfully completing the grueling surgery on genin Rock Lee. So far, the signs were good that the budding taijutsu master would fully recover. When Maito Gai returned from his current mission, he'd be ecstatic…and probably cry many manly, Youthful tears.

I should've been there to help Shizune. I should've led the damn surgery! What sort of medic am I that I still can't stand the sight of blood?

She'd started work on developing her new medic training program, but how could she go through with it without being able to do any hands-on teaching? How could her future students respect her and take her lessons seriously? Something had to be done…

Maybe…if I practice exposing myself to cow blood from a butcher I could desensitize myself—

Her office door swung open and Uzumaki (soon to be Namikaze, Jiraiya had delightedly informed her a few days ago…in the middle of the damn night) Kushina darted inside, banging the door shut behind her. Tsunade raised an eyebrow at the unexpected visit. Her eyebrow went a tad higher when she noticed how agitated the red-head looked.

"…Yes?"

"Hi," Kushina waved stiffly. "Can I ask a little favor?"

"What kind of favor?" Tsunade inquired curiously. "Something medical, or otherwise?"

"Medical," Kushina muttered anxiously. "I…need a second opinion on something."

The woman Sannin hesitated for a moment. If it involved a blood test… No, it didn't matter. She might as well start somewhere with her crippling hemophobia.

"Alright," she nodded. "What do you need checked?"

Naruto jumped through the trees as he navigated the borders of the various training fields just outside of the village. He'd tried to train some with Sasuke, but the Uchiha refused to spar and focused on target practice, which Naruto had grown bored with after a few hours. Kakashi was out of the village on an A-rank mission, and wasn't likely to return for several more days. And Sakura was at the hospital, trying to get herself accepted into the new medic training program that Tsunade was putting together.

Maybe if I head to the onsen I'll find Ero-Sennin and get him to train with me…

But before he could make it back to the village and the hot springs, he came across Team 8 training. Shino didn't appear to be doing anything; he just stood off to the side in the clearing and seemed to stare at nothing. Kiba and Akamaru were racing around the edges of the opening in the trees, practicing their coordinated maneuvers. And Hinata was over by a small pond on the opposite side of the clearing from Shino, apparently trying to master the skill of water-walking.

Before Naruto could move on, Akamaru whizzed by his head…and hit him with a sprinkling of urine.

"Gak!" Naruto yelped and dropped from his spot in the tree to dive into the pond where Hinata was practicing to remove the pee from his person before it seeped into his clothes. "Kiba!" he sputtered after dunking himself a few times. "Akamaru peed on me!"

"Sorry!" Kiba gasped between laughs, proving that he was not at all sorry.

"Kiba…" Naruto growled and climbed onto the surface of the water.

"N-Naruto-kun?" Hinata squeaked, drawing his attention.

She was standing a few feet away up to her knees in the water. Her pant legs had been rolled up and her sandals set to the side to keep them dry while she struggled with the skill. She'd also removed her bulky jacket to keep it from getting damp, which was something he never remembered seeing her do before.

"Hi Hinata!" he grinned. "Did I mess up your practice?"

"N-not r-really," she half-whispered. "I…I wasn't r-really getting anywhere…"

"You're trying to walk on water, right?" he asked eagerly, wringing out his water-logged clothes. "I can help you with that if you want!"

"Y-you would?" she asked, disbelievingly.

"Sure!" he laughed. "I'm really good at it!" He padded over the surface of the pond to her. "You know how to stick to trees with chakra, right?"

The Hyuuga girl nodded mutely.

"Well, you just do that, only you keep up a steady flow of chakra through your feet instead of just concentrating some on the bottom of your feet." Naruto grinned and grabbed her wrists to pull her up towards the surface of the pond. "Just worry about finding the right amount of chakra you need to stand before you try to figure out how to take steps."

Hinata's pale violet eyes seemed to bug out of her head when his hands grasped her wrists and her cheeks flushed a bright red. She tried to stand on the water as he tried to coach her, but her chakra flow was unsteady, moving in fits and bursts that made the water under her feet thrash and bubble until she collapsed and sank up to her knees again. No matter how many times he pulled her back up to try again, no matter what advice he tried to give her, she only seemed to perform worse.

Shino, Kiba, and Akamaru watched them intently and Naruto started to sweat nervously as things kept getting more and more awkward. But Hinata kept trying, even as she seemed to dissolve into a pile of nerves at his feet. He couldn't help but be a little bit impressed that she was still trying and not fainting or collapsing into tears.

Man, Hinata's weird, he thought as he watched her face find a new shade of red. But…she tries. And she's nice. And she hasn't pestered me about my parents' love story, like Ino and Sakura do.

She was a nice girl, she'd impressed him, and he was determined to help her get this down, no matter what!

"C'mon Hinata!" he cheered with an encouraging grin. "Let's try this one more time!"

"Are you sure about your decision?" the old man asked.

Minato stared stonily back at Homura and Koharu, the two most respected elders in the village. "I would not have purchased the ring in the first place, let alone asked her, if I was not sure."

Koharu's wrinkled face was pinched with disapproval. "Your choice to marry her after so many years simply seems so impulsive…"

"You would prefer that I not marry her and keep her as my mistress?" Minato asked, bristling.

"Choosing her at all is folly," Homura grunted.

Minato's blue eyes hardened to ice. "Your responsibilities are to advise me, not to dictate my personal life."

"Your choice of wife impacts your public image," Koharu countered sternly, speaking to him as if he was her wayward grandson. "If she merely remained as your mistress, there would be far less of an impact on your own reputation."

"We said nothing when you took her as a lover, but we must put our foot down at marrying her," Homura continued.

"Get out of my office!" he snapped coldly. "Do not show your faces to me again until I call for you."

The two elders looked insulted, but neither spoke up under the weight of his killer intent. Both stiffly rose, bowed, and withdrew as he had ordered them two. When the office doors creaked shut, Minato slumped deeply into his swivel chair and groaned.

At least they didn't bring Danzou with them…

Running a hand through his spiky hair, Minato spun his chair around so that he could stare out his windows at the village laid out before him. It was a nice peaceful view that reminded him what his job was all about. He had to protect all of this, and the people that lived in it. It was a daunting task, but a rewarding one.

Well, most of the time it was.

Lately on the walks that he would sometimes take through the village, civilians would come up to him and ask him if he really was seeing the mother of that boy. When he would confirm this, not a single one of them seemed happy about it. Most looked troubled, while others actually seemed angry. Some young ladies who had probably dreamed of him sweeping them off their feet one day had run off to go cry.

They will adjust, he sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. Once the shock wears off and they see that things are lasting, they'll either come accept it or ignore it. …I just wish that the village would get over it faster!

Not everyone was against his relationship. Naruto was still a bit leery about everything, but since his mother had always been close to Minato and vice versa it wasn't a horrible shock to his world. Inoichi and his friends, Shikaku and Chouza, didn't mind—the three of them had expressed interest in giving him a bachelor party. Jiraiya was over the moon and, if he heard about Ino-Shika-Cho's offer, he would probably try to collaborate with them for his student's last night as a free man. Tsunade would be pleased and happy for them, as would her pleasant assistant, Shizune. Kakashi, his last remaining student, would take the news in stride once he returned from the assassination mission that he was on, although there was some risk that he might make some jokes about the situation to give his sensei a hard time. Uchiha Mikoto, as Kushina's friend, would be supportive. And the rest of the clan heads, if they weren't happy for them, would at least look the other way and say nothing.

The door to his office opened again and Minato turned his chair to find a grumpy Kushina skulking through the doorway. She probably just gotten back from her doctor's appointment where she was finally getting her birth control prescription renewed. She hated doctors and hospitals and even though her appointment would've been brief, she'd probably be a bit cranky for hours afterwards.

"Did everything go alright?" he asked.

She fixed him with a sharp look. "Stand up."

Minato blinked, but did as she commanded.

"Come here," she ordered, pointing to a spot on the carpet in front of her.

Uneasily he moved to stand in the indicated place.

"Now hold still," she growled, and then moved around to stand directly behind him.

He started to sweat. "What are you doing?" She's not…going to do that…is she?

"You remember that little agreement we had when you wanted to jump back into sex before making any arrangements for protection, right?" she purred darkly.

"…Yeah," he answered slowly, dredging the little conversation up from months ago. "I think I do."

"Well…" Unable to see her, he was caught unprepared when something hit him in the rear, so he was knocked to the floor. "There. Your ass has been kicked. Now I'm going to go home and take a nap."

And then she left.

Minato slowly sat up from his prone position on the floor. …Huh?

His fiancée could be a bit random at times, but she'd clearly kicked him for a reason. She'd mentioned a conversation at the re-ignition of their physical relationship. He frowned in concentration as he struggled to recall her exact words…

"…If I get pregnant from this…I'm going to kick your ass!"

He stumbled to his feet, tripped on his Hokage jacket, and practically fell out of his office door as he raced to catch up with her.

"Wait, Kushina—what?!"