The Wanderers

Bonus Chapter – What Could Have Been

A/N: This chapter has no real bearing on the story. This is just something that I wanted to do since writing Tayuya's illusions. This is sort of a continuation of that. Imagine this as how I'd like the real Naruto story to end.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did, well I'd be damn rich.

BREAK

***Inside Hinata's dream between Neji knocking her out and Separation***

"Are you sure about this, Naruto? He's only 14."

The fifth Hokage smiled at his concerned wife before waving off her worry. "It's fine, Hinata. This is the best way for him to get stronger. Besides, he asked."

Standing next to the Hyuuga clan head, the young Erika Uchiha simply shook her head. They had only just returned from a mission, and Renji was already preparing for their next venture.

Naruto smiled as he saw his son activate his Byakugan and place his hands in an offensive Hyuuga stance. "Are you ready? Remember that in the Chuunin Exams there will be many tough opponents. You can't afford to hold back. I want you to come at me with everything you've got."

Through his white eyes, Renji smiled slowly as he began to mould chakra into his hands. They had just finished the compulsory missions in their team, and as his father had before him he wanted to try his strength in the Exams. Their sensei Itachi had tried to explain how dangerous they were for rookie Genin, but once Erika had gotten it into her mind it had been fairly simple to convince Renji to participate.

Naruto stood in his Hokage robes with a wide grin on his face as his son charged towards him. While he was thankful that Renji hadn't inherited his recklessness, there were times when he wondered about his battle instincts.

From the sidelines, Erika flicked her hands slightly before placing them back inside her Uchiha kimono. Standing next to her Hinata frowned and looked down at the young Uchiha heir. "What did you just do, young lady?"

The dark haired Uchiha shrugged with a wide grin on her face. "Nothing, Hyuuga-sama." The look on Hinata's face told Erika that she didn't believe her, but she let it go nonetheless.

Naruto pulled back a fist as Renji came into his range of attack. They had sparred before, and he knew his son wasn't doing this to defeat him. Unlike himself when he was a kid, Renji was a tactical fighter. He shifted his feet slightly so that his son's Jyuuken would miss him slightly, while he moved to slam his fist into his face.

Reading the move easily, Renji ducked underneath his father's strike, but was thrown back from a kick to the chest.

Naruto grinned as his son landed perfectly and stared at him through his Byakugan. Even after seeing he couldn't block my kick, he was able to avoid any damage. I knew those lessons with Neji were a good idea.

Renji took a deep breath before placing his hands in front of his chest, in a way that his father was quite familiar with. His eyes widened as chakra began to form between his palms. "Did your godfather teach you that? I wanted to teach you the Rasengan myself."

The young blonde Genin didn't respond to his father, rather choosing to charge directly at the Hokage. Naruto sighed at his son's reckless form of attack, it reminded him of his own style before he had sense beaten into him, and Renji didn't have as much stamina as he did.

He brought back a hand, preparing himself to grab at Renji's wrist, the one big weakness of the Rasengan. If Kakashi had taught him correctly, Naruto figured that his son would know that, yet the white-eyed Genin still charged straight at him.

Just as the ball of chakra went to strike him in the chest, the young Genin disappeared in a flash. Naruto's eyes widened momentarily as his counter-attack struck the air where his son had been, turning around instinctively to see the serious face of his eldest child.

"RASENGAN!"

The swirling ball of chakra slammed into Naruto's chest as he stared into his son's serious white eyes. It was only for a split second, but Renji could have sworn the Hokage was smiling as he span away wildly.

Renji stood up and breathed out slowly, turning to give his mother and teammate a wide smile. Hinata waved with a smile, while Erika grinned back before casually pointing in the direction that Naruto had landed.

With a characteristic shout, the rock that the Hokage had slammed into shattered as Naruto picked himself up from the ground, casually wiping the dust off his robes. "The Hiraishin as well? Renji, my son, you are truly astounding."

The Hokage disappeared in a flash and appeared in front of his son, taking a second to ruffle his hair before driving a fist into his chest.

Renji cried out and collapsed on the ground, his father sighing again before reaching down and picking up the young boy. They both disappeared for a few seconds before Naruto reappeared with a smile on his face.

"Where did you take him?" asked Hinata, having seen how heavy the punch Naruto had given their son.

The Hokage pecked her on the cheek with a smile, "To the hospital. He's got a few fractured ribs." He turned around and walked back out to the battlefield, picking up the kunai attached to the ground with a familiar-looking seal attached to it.

He turned around and tossed the kunai towards Hinata, who let the young Uchiha standing next to her retrieve it before placing it in her pack. "Thank you, Hokage-sama."

Her village leader grinned widely before ruffling up her hair. He loved doing that to the kids, even though he knew they didn't like it that much. "You guys make a good team. But you might want to work on your positioning. The seal was too far away, it gave me time to react. Other than that, I think you guys are ready."

Erika had the grace to blush under his stare before disappearing in a crack of lightning.

Both Naruto and Hinata's eyes widened at her technique, taking a moment to look at each other before Naruto rolled his eyes slowly. "What is it with their generation? Do you remember us being that strong?"

Hinata giggled before placing her arm into the Hokage's. "I think you and Sasuke-kun were fairly close. Come on, you've got a meeting in a few minutes."

oOoOoOo

Naruto sighed and put down the last sheet of paper. It had taken him the rest of the day, but he had finally completed all the paperwork from a week ago. He reached out and grasped one of his cherished possessions, lighting up the end of the pipe before placing it in his mouth.

"You know that's bad for you, right?"

Taking a long drag Naruto grasped the pipe between two fingers, blowing a plume of smoke out of his mouth. "I could say the same about those books you read." He grinned and glanced up at the figure leaning on the chair opposite his desk. "I have a bone to pick with you."

His one-eyed companion smiled as he regarded the Hokage. "Renji came to me. I gather he surprised you, as intended?"

"He knew both the Rasengan and the Hiraishin. Including the Kage Bunshin, he knows more A-Grade techniques than some Jounin. It's almost frightening. And his teammate is even stronger." Naruto took a final drag before placing the pipe on its holder. Initially Hinata had balked at the idea of him smoking, but after a time she claimed to find the smell endearing, though Naruto knew she was likely just being considerate.

Kakashi laughed as he saw the despairing pride across his superior's face. "The Third always said that the next generation would overtake the first. I would say your son is destined to do the same. And don't talk to me about those books, you wrote the last three."

Naruto laughed as he glanced at the latest book poking out of Kakashi's pocket. "Don't blame me for that. Konoha needed the funding, and with Ero-sennin gone I was all that was left to write them."

They both chatted and laughed for several minutes before the door to Naruto's office opened. A scar-covered shinobi entered with an indifferent look on his face, a cigarette hanging out of his mouth. "Oi, Naruto. You coming down or what?"

The Hokage stood up slowly before offering to show his old sensei out. "I'm coming, Shikamaru. I don't know how your wife deals with that attitude of yours."

The Nara clan head and personal advisor to the Hokage simply shrugged and leant on the side of the doorway. "With frequent beatings and the fact that she has given me four daughters."

Kakashi laughed as he walked past the lazy Jounin. "You haven't changed, Shikamaru."

With a shove, Naruto pushed them both out of his office before closing the door behind him. He had kept his robes on, primarily because they were more comfortable than regular shinobi clothes, but also because of how proud he was of the position he held.

"Where are the two of you going?" asked Kakashi, the three of them making their way down the staircase towards the village proper.

Biting at the cigarette in his mouth, Shikamaru grinned slowly, "We are going to the pub. You are welcome to come, if you feel like it?"

Kakashi shook his head slowly as they reached the bottom of the stairs. "I doubt I could keep up with you guys, anyway. I've got paperwork to do."

He smiled and waved as the two middle aged shinobi walked past him and waved absentmindedly back. He sighed as he watched their backs disappear into the village. It feels like only a few years ago they were running about as Genin. Now they've got kids of their own, and I can't be bothered trying to keep up with them.

Reaching into his side pocket, the old shinobi produced the latest Icha Icha book, smiling as he looked at the picture of the author on the first page. Flicking through the pages, he began to walk back to his office.

oOoOoOo

The two of them passed the upgraded Ichiraku's quickly as they made their way to the pub. "How are the negotiations going?" asked Shikamaru. As the Hokage's primary advisor he handled much of the leg work, but there were things that Naruto handled himself that most of the village wasn't privy to.

With a sigh Naruto looked at the passing shinobi. "They've broken down, again. They've elected a new leader, and he doesn't listen to reason. The rest of the Kages are pushing for another war, but I don't know if we would win."

"They are that strong?"

Naruto shook his head, indicating that it wasn't the time to speak on such things. He grinned as they pushed through the entrance of the bar, looking around for their group. They both turned at once as a green-clad shinobi waved at them frantically from a large section of the bar. With a shared look and a smile, the two of them took their seats at the table.

"What took you guys so long?" asked the waver, clapping Naruto on the back. He was the only one on the table that wasn't drinking, primarily because he still hadn't overcome his propensity to rampaging when drunk. Lee wore his teacher's uniform over his shinobi green, yet still looked like he had been put through a dozen walls in the past ten minutes.

"We all know Naruto is not one for punctuality" commented a white robed drinker with a smirk. His white eyes complimented his smirk, something that Neji had been known for since his Hyuuga seal had been removed.

The Hokage pointed an accusing finger at the elder Hyuuga. "Like you can talk, Neji!"

Shikamaru sighed and ordered a round of drinks for the table as he looked over their drinking companions. All of them had their share of battle scars from wars long ago, but they all seemed to be in good spirits.

Kiba slammed down his empty mug and reached for another with a booming laugh. The Inuzuka clan head had been banned from bringing either Akamaru or his wife into the bar, mainly because both of them caused more chaos then an enemy invasion.

Sitting next to the loud shinobi was the quiet Akimichi clan head, though Chouji was happily laughing with the rest of them. They had tried to gather together like this for a long time, but as the most powerful people in the village they rarely were all free at the same time.

With a characteristic grin, Lee passed the next round around the table, taking a glass of water for himself.

Naruto nodded his thanks as he accepted the drink. "How's your daughter, Lee? Is she ready for the Exams?"

The taijutsu instructor nodded with a sip of his drink. "Her mother is giving her some last minute training. I'm telling you, she is more Sakura's child than mine."

"We're all just happy she looks like her mother and not you" said Sasuke with a smirk.

Lee looked down at his glass for a moment, "Yeah…hey! What do you mean by that?"

The table burst out laughing as Naruto clapped the bowl-headed shinobi on the back. "Relax, Lee. If your daughter had looked like you, I'm sure she would have been fine."

"Still, it is like our old team, the three of them." Sasuke leant back in his chair with a distant look in his eyes. "Who would have expected them to be so much like us?"

Naruto downed his sake quickly. "Yeah. Though they don't take after us at all. Renji is Hinata's son, through and through. He's just got my techniques."

With a sad smile, Sasuke nodded slowly. "I know how you feel. Erika is too much like her mother."

They continued chatting for a while before Naruto glanced over at the clock on the wall. Swearing under his breath, he stood up from the table. "I've gotta go. A Hokage's work is never finished."

Shikamaru frowned as a red blush slowly appeared across his forehead, one that he got whenever he drank too much. "There's nothing on the agenda for tonight, Naruto."

"It's a personal thing, Shikamaru." Naruto grinned as he dropped a small stack of bills onto the table. "Next one's on me. I've got a date to keep."

With a wave he disappeared in a crack of lightning, leaving the Konoha clan heads to their drinking.

BREAK

Hinata sighed as she straightened out the paper on her husband's desk. Naruto might be the strongest shinobi in the village, and the most dedicated, but his organisational abilities left much to be desired. With a swipe of her hand she moved all the empty ramen cups into the rubbish bin and moved it under his desk. She looked up as the door opened and an ANBU bowed and requested entrance. She had tried to tell them that they didn't need to do that in her presence, but Naruto had told her it was something she would just have to get used to. After so many years, she still struggled to think of herself as the Lady to the Hokage.

"What is it, Itachi-san?" she asked, waving the weasel-masked shinobi in with a smile.

The ANBU reached up and removed his mask, revealing the weathered yet smiling face of the elder Uchiha. It had been a difficult sell at first, but after several years the village had accepted him as one of their own.

"Observant as ever, Hyuuga-sama. I came to speak to the Hokage before we left for Kumo, but it would appear he is not here. Excuse the intrusion." He motioned to leave the room, but Hinata indicated for him to take a seat. While she didn't like the idea of having authority, when she spoke people listened. Itachi smiled and sat down on one of the chairs as Hinata leant on her husband's desk.

"Since you became my son's teacher, I've been meaning to ask you something, Itachi-san."

Itachi smiled and leant back on his chair. "Why I quit being the head of the ANBU to be your son's Jounin teacher?"

She nodded with a smile. It was the same thing Kakashi had done all those years ago. "It was a strange thing, to do that. It gave Naruto quite the headache, trying to replace you."

"Didn't he just dragoon Kakashi-senpai into taking the job?"

Hinata nodded again, she had been there for the conversation. It hadn't been hard to pull Kakashi out of retirement; the lazy Jounin had been bored out of his mind. "So? Why did you quit?"

Itachi sighed loudly and stood up slowly. "Let's just say, my niece is very convincing. Not unlike your husband."

"Yes, he is a bit like that." She glanced over at the clock on the wall before a slow smile crept onto her face. "Speaking of which, I'm sorry but I will have to cut this short. I have an engagement in a few minutes."

Itachi stood up and gave her a short bow. "Of course. Please give the Hokage my regards. And remind him that regardless of his relationship with the Raikage, he is expected at the final Exam."

Hinata nodded as Itachi left the room. In battle he was a frightening sight, but she had to admit that the former Akatsuki was the best instructor possible for their children. He had an odd mix of power, humility and an understanding of how the world worked.

Taking a few moments to finish up her cleaning of her husband's desk, Hinata left the office with a smile on her face. While she could use Hiraishin, everyone in their family could, she liked walking through the village, particularly at night.

The Hyuuga clan head made her way through the village, smiling as those she walked past greeted her with similar smiles. Glancing over at the faces on the Hokage Mountain, her smile widened as she gazed over Naruto's figure. She remembered when he had posed for the sculptor, how many times it had taken him to stop grinning wildly and let them make a serious sculpt for the mountain.

She glanced at her watch before pushing a small amount of chakra into her feet. With a single bound she leapt from the bottom of the mountainside to the top, a considerable feat. She landed lightly and breathed out slowly, taking a moment before a smile came back onto her face as she saw the figure sitting opposite her.

"It's strange to see you here before me." She sat down next to the Hokage and leant her head on his shoulder. "Normally I have to drag you here because you have no sense of time."

Naruto handed her a bottle of sake with an affectionate peck on the cheek, letting the Hyuuga clan head wrap her arms around his. "It's a special occasion. Not every day you get to celebrate something like this."

Hinata took a swig of the alcohol before nuzzling into him. Even after years of marriage they still acted like when they were teenagers, though their displays of affection had depreciated slightly. "You know I love you, right?"

Naruto took one of her hands into his, looking out over the village to the large moon eclipsing it. "I've never doubted you. Now and forever."

oOoOoOo

A few hours later they returned to their house, Naruto instantly on edge as they appeared in their bedroom with a flash.

"What is it?" asked Hinata, not able to sense anything. Due to his relationship with the Kyuubi, Naruto had near supernatural sensory abilities, and could tell when something wasn't as it should be.

He pointed to the corridor outside their closed door. "Can you look into Renji's room?"

"I promised him I wouldn't after that incident last year."

"Oh yeah…that didn't end well…" Naruto opened up the door and let Hinata walk through. He had indicated for her to follow him as they made their way through the complex. Initially their son's room had been next to theirs, but after they conceived Kushina their son had refused to return to his room.

Naruto placed an ear to the door to his son's room. "There is someone inside with him. I'm breaking the door down."

He moved back to force his way through, but Hinata blocked him with an outstretched arm. "Or, you could knock. He's a shinobi, Naruto. He can handle himself."

Her husband rolled his eyes but watched as his wife knocked on the door three times. They both heard a loud shuffling inside the roof, to which they both shook their heads and entered the room. As the two of them entered his room, Renji's white eyes widened in surprised as he pulled a large blanket up to his neck.

"Mother, Father…what are you doing here?" His room was barebones as usual; Renji didn't keep too many heirlooms in his bedroom.

Naruto stared at his son through blue eyes and was impressed at how stoic the blonde was under their gaze. "I do believe this is my house, Renji."

Hinata stared at her son's bed for a moment before smiling warmly, "You can come out dear. We won't hurt you."

They watched as a figure wriggled underneath the blanket besides Renji before a head of long black hair emerged, accompanied by dark eyes and a blushing expression. Hinata couldn't help but giggle lightly while her husband glared at their son.

"Renji…you…with her…" He took a long breath before pointing to the door. "The training yard, Renji. Now."

His blonde son scrambled out of the bed, revealing himself to be wearing just a pair of frog-covered boxers. "Let me put on a shirt, Father." A cautionary glance at the Hokage's face caused him to regret asking. "Sorry, I'll go." He left the room with his head hung.

Naruto glanced over at his wife. "Can you handle her? I think Renji has been slacking off on his taijutsu training."

"Don't hurt him too much. They have to go to Kumo tomorrow." She turned and looked at Erika with her usual cheery expression.

Naruto stomped out of the room and slammed the door behind him. Erika found herself unable to move under Hinata's frighteningly calm gaze. She pulled the blanket up to her nose.

"Are you wearing clothes underneath there?" asked Hinata. The young Uchiha's blush deepened as she nodded slowly.

Hinata let out her breath before collecting her dress underneath her and sitting down next to the young girl. "Is this as embarrassing for you, as it is for me?"

"I don't think so, madam. The look on the Hokage's face said everything."

"Don't let Naruto get to you. He was just surprised, that's all." She turned slightly and looked at the Uchiha heir, not for the first time seeing the scary amount of talent in the young girl, though at that moment she looked tinier than Hinata did on her first date with Naruto.

"Did the two of you…you know…"

"Of course not! We were just…I don't know…"

The Hyuuga clan head laughed lightly and patted her on the head affectionately. She saw much of her husband in the young girl, and despite what her husband would inevitably say about the relationship, she thought they made a cute couple.

She reached over the bed and picked up Erika's shirt, handing it to the blushing girl with a smile. "You know we'll have to tell your father about this."

Erika's eyes widened as she dropped the blanket and threw her shirt over her bra. "I know. We knew we would have to tell you guys eventually. It's just…we might not come back from the Chuunin Exams…"

"Do you love my son?" asked Hinata bluntly.

Erika threw off the blanket and threw her feet over the side, placing them into her shoes. "I do. From before we were Genin. I don't know how to explain it…"

"I understand." She got up from the bed and walked across the room before opening the window. "You should get going. Tell your sensei to work the three of you to the bone. Some of your best experiences will come from that Exam. Don't worry, we'll hold off telling Sasuke until you guys are out of the village. Whether he comes after you that I cannot say."

Erika thanked her and went to jump out of the window, but Hinata called her back for a moment. "Be gentle with him, Erika. My son isn't as boisterous as you."

"Thanks, Lady Hyuuga. I'll keep that in mind." With a grin that did nothing to stop her blush from spreading, Erika leapt out of the window and began to run back to the Uchiha part of the village.

Hinata watched with a warm smile before turning to go check on the rest of her family. She knew that Naruto would push Renji, but not too far. She made her way slowly towards the training yard, remembering the first time her father had caught the two of them together. That was only the third time Naruto had nearly been killed, but she'd never seen him so happy as when her father was beating the stuffing out of him.

She turned a corner and looked outside, seeing her husband and son sitting beside one another with their backs to her. She stayed out of sight as she noticed the bruises on Renji's skin, though both of them seemed to be laughing and having a fun time.

Naruto took a long draught from his water bottle before clapping his son on the back. "That was a good fight. Did you learn your lesson?"

The young boy turned to his father, "What was I meant to learn, Father?"

His father glanced up at the night sky. "I…I don't know. This seemed like a good idea at the time."

"Father, you are a strange man, you know that right?" They both laughed out loud as Naruto put his arm around his son's shoulders.

"So…do you love her?"

"I…I don't know. I think so."

The Hokage smiled as he tightened his grip before letting go of the blonde Genin. "You should use the test I used with your mother."

Renji turned to face him, "With Mother?"

With a nod, Naruto grinned. "Think of it like this. When you have a tough fight, who is the person you'd want at your back?"

"Erika. Though that's more because she'd kill me for getting into a fight without her."

Naruto laughed again and clapped his son on the back before standing up and stretching his arms. "There's your answer. Now go back to bed. And if your mother asks, you were taught a lesson and are very remorseful."

Renji nodded and stood up, taking a moment before wincing in pain. His father hadn't taken it easy with him, not that he ever did. "Father…can I…keep seeing her?"

Naruto looked at him with a smile before staring directly at the spot Hinata was standing behind. "Well…I don't know. What do you think, Hinata?"

His wife laughed softly as she revealed herself, patting her son on the head affectionately before leaning her head into Naruto's shoulder. "I suppose we can deal with it. But Renji do us a favour. Wait a few years before…okay?"

To his credit, Renji's blush wasn't as deep as Elika's had been, but it was fairly close in Hinata's mind. With a smile and a slight bow he returned to his room.

Naruto sighed and sat back down on the ground, his wife sitting down next to him before leaning her head on his lap, letting him stroke her hair affectionately.

"It's been a long day, hasn't it?"

"I don't know how you deal with all this stuff, Naruto. I'm exhausted."

Naruto smiled and kissed her on the forehead, "I have amazing people around me. You ready for bed?"

He looked down to see what her response was, but the white-eyed mother of two was already asleep, her arms tightly gripped on his legs.

"I guess that's enough for one day."

BREAK

Author's Note:

This was purely just for my own amusement. Not much else to be said, really.

The next set of chapters might take more than a week each to post, but I want to write them right.

Please review and tell me what you think. I try to reply to each review, and believe me I read them all. Tell me what can be improved, what you liked, what you didn't, everything. I'm a writer so I'm always open to criticism.