I don't own the rights to Naruto, but I do own manga! Some manga which I expecting to get popular if they get good anime adaptations, just like how Spy x Family is doing! As DarkFusion mentioned in their review, Sakamoto Days and Kaiju no. 8 are both great ones that I hope to see soon too, but I'm also going to throw out Frieren: Beyond Journey's End/Sōsō no Frieren! If you have not read any of those three, PLEASE give them a shot, or at the very least, be on the look out for anime adaptations hopefully for all three! I promise you; you will love them so much!
"We're getting married!"
Shikamaru's and Dosu's eyes widened in response as Naruto and Hinata, who were both holding hands, were practically beaming at the two. Both had expected that the couple had invited them to breakfast at a small café close to Dosu's apartment just to spend time together; they were not expecting any important news to be exchanged.
Both Naruto and Hinata stared at them, waiting for some excited uproar or reaction from the two.
Instead, Shikamaru nodded his head in acceptance while Dosu took a sip of his coffee, before immediately placing the cup down, a frown on his face.
"Do people really prefer this over tea?" He noted, shaking his head.
"It's an acquired taste." Shikamaru replied, taking a sip from his own cup: "I actually like it."
Dosu shrugged his shoulders in response: "To each their own, I suppose."
It was Naruto's and Hinata's turn to stare at their friends in wide eyes. They were still for a moment before the Uzumaki cleared his throat, bringing their friends attention back to them.
"Uh… hello? Any reaction at all?" Naruto asked.
"No, not really." Dosu shook his head, chuckling: "We've known you two were going married for a long time."
Shikamaru snorted in response: "Correction; everyone knew you two were going to get married. If you two didn't stay together, then love is an illusion."
"Oi, don't be smartasses!" The Uzumaki scowled: "We're telling you it's happening soon!"
"Soonish." Hinata corrected, poking her hands together slightly: "We're still getting the timing worked out."
"It'll be exciting to see." Shikamaru said, a smile developing on his face: "In all seriousness; congratulations."
Dosu nodded his head in agreement, smiling as well: "I am happy for the two of you as you take this next step together."
The smiles returned to both Naruto's and Hinata's faces, which quickly widened to grins.
"Thanks!" Naruto exclaimed.
Conversation stopped for a moment as plates of salmon and tamagoyaki were delivered to their table. The four friends focused on eating their breakfast, eating at a rapid pace, before they turned their attention back to one another.
"So, you all have anything planned specifically?" Dosu asked.
"Some things. Hinata's actually had some ideas in her head about what would be nice." Naruto noted with a chuckle.
"What? You've thought about this for a while, Hinata? That's rather surprising for you." Shikamaru noted with a snort.
Hinata's cheeks reddened in response as she shook her head: "Sh-Shut up, Shikamaru-kun."
"I imagine you could get something organized rather quickly, to be honest." Dosu noted as he brushes his lips with a napkin before continuing: "Your father most likely will want to help."
"Yes, he does." Hinata nodded her head in response: "He's also put some thought into it. Apparently, he and Naruto actually talked about this a while ago."
"Yeah, before the Kumo mission." Naruto noted, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly: "He said he wants to help financially. And Old Man Masakado wants to help out too." He then began to chuckle as he started to hunch over slightly, making his experience more exaggeratedly 'old': "'You need a proper Uzumaki wedding that would make Uzushio proud, dammit!'"
Shikamaru snorted in response: "Masakado-san doesn't carry himself like that."
Naruto straightened himself, shaking his head: "But he does talk like that!"
The Nara shrugged his shoulders: "Touché."
"So you said the wedding would be 'soonish'?" Dosu asked.
"Mhmm." Hinata nodded her head again: "We thought it'd be best. After all… well…"
The expression on both of their faces faltered slightly for a moment before Naruto continued.
"Well, we know shit's probably gonna hit the fan again with the Akatsuki." He stated: "We'd obviously cancel and reschedule depending on what happens, but we'd rather have our wedding before anything really goes down. In case…"
"… In case if anything happens, and someone can't attend?" Dosu finished the thought.
Both Naruto and Hinata nodded in response.
'Dad…' Shikamaru bit down on his lip as an image of Shikaku entered his head.
The air around the table was quiet for a moment before Naruto spoke-up again, looking towards Dosu.
"So yeah, I think Misora will be able to get some time off to attend. So you can see her again soon, I think." He said, his smile returning.
"Ah." Dosu's eye widened before he smiled back: "You have my appreciation for that, but no need to feel pressured. I know you and her weren't close, and you probably want to have mostly friends and family only."
"Nah, we got closer in Kumo." Naruto shook his head: "She's cool. I'd want her to come."
"And we're going to have a lot of invites to send out as well." Hinata admitted, a sheepish look developed on her face: "Uh… yeah, Masakado-san and my Father do want us to have a big wedding… and I think I'd like for us to have something special like that."
Shikamaru's eyebrows raised: "How big are you talking?"
"Well, we have a lot of people to invite that all live here." Naruto noted, his hand returning to the back of his head: "And we also got to send invites to some our friends in Suna, Kiri, Iwa, and Kumo…"
"… Got to make sure that Kurotsuchi, Kazekage-sama, and Mizukage-sama get their invites…" Hinata added.
"… And that all the jinchūriki can come…" Naruto added. "And, uh… I know that apparently Kusagakure has her on lockdown, but I really would like for Karin-san to come to the wedding…"
Shikamaru and Dosu were quiet for a moment as Naruto and Hinata began to ramble on about all the different people they wanted to invite and the people they hoped would be able to come. They were still for a moment, just processing all the information until the two stopped talking.
"… Well, you all got your hands full with this shit." Shikamaru noted.
"Good luck." Dosu offered.
All Naruto and Hinata could do in response was chuckle anxiously in response.
Neither were fully aware – nor prepared – for their most difficult pseudo S-Ranked mission yet: planning a wedding!
"Hiashi, be reasonable, dammit!"
"I am being reasonable, Masakado-san. Listen to my reasoning!"
Both Naruto and Hinata blinked in response. They had wanted a simple meeting with Hinata's father and Naruto's pseudo-grandfather where they could discuss some generic plans they had and could get some feedback, which is why they agreed to meet with them for tea at noon at the Hyūga Clan Compound.
Instead of the peaceful, laidback session they were expecting to have, they were instead greeted with both Hiashi and Masakado both quickly and mercilessly coming for each other's throats.
"There is no 'reasoning' to listen to!" The Uzumaki hissed back. "Having the wedding here is ridiculous! Your clan compound is too crowded with too many people!"
Hiashi shook his head: "You act as if I'm suggesting they get married in my home. There is a lovely shrine near the rear of the clan compound that is beautiful and elegant. It is where Hitomi and I got married and is precisely the ideal location for their wedding."
"It's still too crowded! There's not enough space for the number of people they want to bring!" Masakado insisted: "I'm not suggesting that the wedding be at the Uzumaki Compound because it's preferable to me; I'm suggesting it because it just fucking makes sense." Hiashi's eyes lightened slightly in response, but before he could reply, Masakado crossed his arms and continued: "Besides, it's about damn time there was a proper Uzumaki wedding. If it's at the Uzumaki Compound, I can assure that it's done the Uzushio way!"
Instantly, Hiashi's eyes narrowed: "This is Konoha; not Uzushio. This is precisely why it cannot be held there; I do not trust you to bite your impulses and to make it something unnecessarily 'Uzushio'."
The Uzumaki scoffed in response: "Says the man who wants the wedding held on Hyūga property, and to accommodate Hyūga traditions, I presume."
Hiashi's scowl deepened: "Our traditions are aligned with Konoha's traditions. They should have a proper wedding fitting of both their village and their heritage."
"You mean your heritage!"
"Don't put words in my mouth!"
As the two men continued to argue further-and-further, Naruto elbowed his fiancée on the shoulder, causing her to turn towards him.
"This is why couples elope, right?" Naruto asked.
"I… imagine." She mumbled, shaking her head.
"… Oi! Hiashi-san! Masakado-jī-san!" Naruto called out, turning his attention to both men: "We wanted to talk to discuss shit, and so far, only you two are talking! Quit fighting!"
"As I said, the wedding will be held at the Hyūga Compound at the shrine. I will hear no objections!"
"You hear; you just don't give a shit, you bastard!"
Naruto blinked as the two men continued to argue before turning to Hinata and sighing.
"It's too late to elope, right?" He asked.
"… Possibly." Hinata nodded her head.
"… I'll do my best to get the old man calmed down if you can get your dad to do the same." Naruto offered.
Hinata nodded her head before the two walked over to the sides of their respective relatives, who were still ignoring them in favor of their heated discussion. Hinata grabbed onto her father's shoulders, holding him still for a moment, while Naruto opted to punch Masakado in the face.
"Hinata?" Hiashi blinked, turning towards his daughter.
"Ack!" Masakado hissed in pain as a black eye began to form. He quickly turned to glare at Naruto: "The hell was that for?"
"Ah, so you do notice that we're here. Good. Good." Naruto nodded his head in a dramatic fashion for a moment: "Now, let's get back to discussing somethings about our wedding and remember to take our opinions into account!"
"Naruto and I are here to contribute, so we would strongly prefer to not be talked around and to have our thoughts taken into consideration." Hinata added, a bright smile developing on her face. Too bright. Her hands tightened on Hiashi's shoulders, causing his eyes to widen at the amount of pressure: "So, would you please hear us out?"
Masakado grumbled to himself, but nodded his head in agreement before his right hand went to his face to nurse his wound. Hiashi, in contrast, remained still at the slightest trace of killing intent from his daughter, before he too nodded his head.
Conversation flowed much more smoothly after the fact.
After a brief stop at the Hokage's office to discuss a potential future mission, Shikamaru returned to his home, yawning slightly as he stepped inside. He made his way to the courtyard to lay down and relax for a moment, but upon arrival, his eyes widened in shock.
His mother was already in his spot, lying on the ground, watching the clouds.
Shikamaru walked over to her side. She briefly glanced over at him, a small smile developing on her face, as she wordlessly pat the ground next to her. Shikamaru quickly laid down next to her and, for the first time in his life, began to cloud watch with his mother.
The two did not say anything for a few minutes before Shikamaru's eyes moved towards his mother.
"Relaxing, isn't it?" He asked. Yoshino nodded her head in response, which caused him to smirk: "Regret giving me shit for 'being a lazy ass' while growing up?"
Yoshino shook her head: "You were being a lazy ass."
"Well, how does it feel to be a 'lazy ass' yourself?" Shikamaru asked.
Yoshino snorted in response, her smile widening slightly: "It's nice. It's… calming." She brought her hands to the back of her head: "I feel like I can actually think for the first time the past few days."
"Hmm." Shikamaru nodded his head, turning back to the clouds: "It helps block everything else out."
The two Nara were quiet again for a moment, focusing instead on the clouds. The sun came out from behind the clouds, making the courtyard a tad brighter. Yoshino brought her hands together for a moment.
"You met with Naruto and Hinata earlier, right? How were they?" She asked.
"Good." Shikamaru said: "They actually are starting to plan their wedding."
"That soon?" Yoshino's eyes widened for a moment before she shook her head: "I… guess that makes sense. They've been together for three years, and they're both jōnin. Guess it's about time for that."
"I'll keep you updated on things as I hear." Shikamaru stated with a chuckle: "I know they want you there."
His mother nodded her head: "I'd love to go."
The two fell into silence once again. After a few more seconds of cloud watching, Yoshino turned her head towards her son. She pursed her lips for a moment before sighing.
"You… You want that too, don't you?" She asked. Shikamaru turned towards her with a raised eyebrow, which prompted a sigh from her: "To get married. You and Kurotsuchi have been together almost just as long."
"Ah." Shikamaru's cheeks reddened for a second before the blush quickly faded. He nodded his head: "That's the plan."
"I… I know that. And after that, you'll probably have to head to Iwa." Yoshino noted.
Shikamaru frowned in response: "We're still-"
"Can I ask you something?" Yoshino continued. Shikamaru stopped talking for a moment as his mother took in a deep breath: "Can… I make one selfish request to you, as your mother?"
"… What's up?" He asked, his eyes softening.
"… The Nara Clan needs a strong leader." The Nara matriarch noted, bringing her hands together: "I… I'm not that person that the clan needs. That the village needs. I'm just a woman who's been a housewife since I got married. I'm someone who never moved past chūnin. I… I'm not like neither you nor Shikaku."
"Mom…" Shikamaru bit down on his lip in response.
"I… I actually met with Hokage-sama last night." Yoshino stated: "I'm back on active duty. I need to get stronger." Her eyes then narrowed on Shikamaru: "I… can you please stay in Konoha for a little bit longer? Until I'm strong enough to stand on equal footing with the other Clan Heads?"
"Mom, you're plenty strong already." Shikamaru said with a smile.
"I mean this, Shikamaru." Yoshino's eyes narrowed: "Please. I trust you. I know I can train with you and that you'd push me to get stronger. I… I need to be able to fill the spot that your father left behind. And I want you there to see if I can do it."
Shikamaru was quiet for a moment as he stared at his mother. A few more seconds passed by before he nodded his head.
"I promise." Shikamaru noted: "I… Kurotsuchi and I still need to work out what are plans are together, but I promise I won't be leaving this village until you feel strong enough."
"Thank you…" Yoshino bit down on her lip again as her eyes started to water: "I… look at me; I'm holding back your own plans for my own sake." A forced chuckle escaped her lips: "I'm sorry your mother's a weak, selfish bitch, Shikamaru."
"Nah, you're not. And you know that." Shikamaru spoke-up as he pulled himself off the ground. He then walked over to his mother, pulling her up and quickly hugging her tightly: "You're one of the strongest people I know. You're troublesome, but there's not a Nara out there more motivated than you."
Yoshino was silent as she returned Shikamaru's hug. As the two broke their embrace, Yoshino rubbed at her eyes as another chuckle escaped her lips.
"You think I'm motivated, huh?" Yoshino asked: "You… did you know that the scariest thing in the world, even scarier than fear itself, is a motivated Nara?"
Shikamaru snorted in response: "Did you just make that up?"
"I heard that somewhere." Yoshino shook her head before she held out her arm, flexing slightly: "But it's true. I mean, you used to fear me a little bit when you were a kid, right?"
Shikamaru began to sweat slightly: "You know kids aren't supposed to be afraid of their parents, right?"
Yoshino laughed in response, which prompted her son to laugh with her. He noticed her laugh sounded a lot more natural and reminded him of her normal behavior, prior to her mourning. A smile developed on his face as he shook his head.
'I'll stick with my promise, but I don't think it'll be too much of an inconvenience for me. After all, I think you're one of the strongest shinobi out their emotionally in this village.' Shikamaru told himself as he continued to stare at his mother: 'You'll hit jōnin in no time."
"You're ballsy, kid. I'll say that at least." Jiraiya shook his head.
Naruto rubbed his head sheepishly as he watched Jiraiya sigh and reseal the scroll that he had given him. The Hokage proceeded to stand up from his desk and walk over to Naruto's side, which prompted Naruto to take a step back.
"I-I mean, I think it's doable-"
His words were interrupted as Jiraiya shoved him, pushing Naruto back while giving him back the scroll. He winced in response before he made eye-contact with the Hokage, who now looked extremely irritated.
"Naruto, you bet your ass that I'm happy you and Hinata are gonna get married and shit, and I'm more than willing to help make that day extra special, but did you even see that wedding list you just handed me?" Jiraiya nearly spat out: "First off, do you know how much of a pain in the ass it's going to be to keep all those shinobi in the village?"
Naruto shook his head in response: "You say it like we want the whole village to attend."
"No, but you do want nearly all our top shinobi in attendance." Jiraiya rolled his eyes: "Anko is one thing, as she's yours and Hinata's jōnin-sensei, but all the shinobi that graduated in your class? Kakashi? Tsunade? Homura and Koharu?" The Godaime shook his head: "Kid, why the hell do you want those grumpy old fucks at your special day? As far as I'm concerned, the point of having them back on active duty means I can send them away from the village; not find reasons to keep them here!"
"Hey, I happen to get along with those grumpy old fucks!" Naruto noted with a grin: "They can be funny sometimes!"
"That's a lie." Jiraiya grumbled before shaking his head: "… Also, you want Gai at the wedding? I wasn't aware you knew him!"
"I mean, I don't know him well, but he's Neji's, Tenten's, and Lee's sensei, so he's gotta be a cool guy." Naruto said with a shrug: "I'm sure he'll make it fun!"
"…" Jiraiya rubbed his temples for a moment before he looked away from Naruto: "But to be honest, the Konoha shinobi you intend on inviting isn't the problem. It's the foreigners. You honestly expect to invite the Kazekage, Mizukage, and Tsuchikage, and also all the jinchūriki, and expect for them to come?!"
"I mean, if they can't come, they can't come, but I'd like for them to be there." Naruto clarified.
"… Fair, but it's rather-" Jiraiya's words died on his lips as a thought occurred to him. His eyes widened in horror: "Wait, you want to invite all the other kage except Ē? You even intend on inviting his brother, but not him?"
"I don't hate him, but he has no place there." Naruto stated, crossing his arms: "Not after what he tried to do to Hinata."
"See, I get it kid, but you have to look at the optics of literally inviting every other Kage, and inviting his brother for fuck's sake!" Jiraiya noted: "It's literally bad politics!"
"I don't think so." Naruto shrugged his shoulders: "The Raikage's not stupid. All things considered, I don't think he'd want to go to our wedding, nor would he expect an invite."
"… Fine. You know what?" Jiraiya's eyes narrowed: "It's your wedding. Invite whoever you want. But if this causes anything with Kumo after finally establishing some kind of peace with them, I'm demoting you back to genin and I'll make sure you never promote ever again."
"Nothing's going to happen, but even if it did, it wouldn't stop me from going on missions or becoming the Hokage." Naruto said, rolling his eyes. Jiraiya's narrowed eyes were still focused on him for a moment before he finally sighed and held out his hand: "Fine. If you're being serious, then I'll accept that condition."
Jiraiya wordlessly accepted the handshake before he walked back further into his office, towards the window. His eyes focused on the Hokage Monument for a moment before he sighed.
"Kid, just let me know as fast as you can exactly what day your wedding's going to be." He noted. "I'll try and do what I can with the missions, but you need to give me as much heads up as possible."
"Will do!" Naruto grinned in response as he rushed over to his godfather's side and hugged him tight: "Thanks Ero-sennin!"
Despite his earlier grumbles, Jiraiya smiled back at Naruto, returning his hug. After the two broke their hug, Jiraiya's eyes remained focused on the Hokage Monument. Naruto noticed the expression on his face before a bittersweet smile developed on his face.
"Did Mom and Dad have a wedding?" He asked.
"A private one." Jiraiya noted: "They were planning on doing a public celebration, but a few years later. Probably after they decided to finish having kids."
"Kids?" Naruto repeated the word, blinking: "How… How many did they want?"
"Both wanted a big family." Jiraiya admitted with a forced chuckle: "I don't know if they ever changed their mind, but Minato told me that he wanted at least four."
"Four…" Naruto repeated the word for a moment before closing his eyes: 'I… I could have had three siblings. And Mom and Dad…'
"But yeah, the private celebration they had was very sweet." Jiraiya noted, his smile turning more genuine: "Very small guest list. It was just me, Sarutobi-sensei, Tsunade-hime, Uchiha Mikoto, and Minato's parents."
"Mikoto… That's Sasuke's mom right-" Naruto's eyes widened as Jiraiya's last words dawned on him: "Wait, 'Minato's parents'? You know my grandparents."
Jiraiya's smile dropped slightly as he nodded his head: "Knew them pretty well."
"Are…" Naruto bit his lip as he took in a deep breath, asking a question he felt like he already knew the answer to: "Are they dead?"
Jiraiya sighed in response: "I wouldn't know."
Naruto frowned in response: "What do you mean by that?"
"… Well, when the Kyūbi was released on the village, your parents died and the village was temporarily in shambles." Jiraiya noted, his frown deepening: "Your grandparents… they lost their only son, their precious daughter-in-law, and since your birth wasn't made public, they thought their grandchild was lost. So, about a month after the Kyūbi attack, they left the village."
"They weren't told about me?" Naruto's eyes widened as his frown morphed into a scowl: "What the hell? Why not?"
"Kid, Sarutobi-sensei took his law about keeping your lineage a secret very serious." Jiraiya stated.
"They're my grandparents, dammit! Couldn't they be told privately?" Naruto insisted.
"I…" Jiraiya sighed again, beginning to look a few decades older than he actually was: "Believe me, I asked him. But Sarutobi-sensei was very clear about his demand. He said he couldn't trust a pair grieving civilians with that information, and I got my ass kicked when he thought I was going to tell him regardless."
'Old Man… why?' Naruto's scowl deepened as he shook his head: 'They were just grieving civilians… what harm could have come from just letting them know about me? I'm sure they could have kept it a secret. Maybe even…'
Naruto's eyes reddened slightly. He sniffled for a moment, rubbing at them before any tears could form, before he looked up at his godfather with a serious expression.
"You don't know where they are, huh?" He asked.
"I… had attempted to keep tabs on them." Jiraiya noted, another sigh escaping his lips: "The last time I saw them was nine years ago. Your grandma, to put it politely, told me to 'Kiss my ass and never speak to us again' and, well…" He bit down on his lip: "Honestly, kid, I failed your father. I failed Minato in so many different ways and they knew that. So, the least I could do for them is to accept their wish and not bother them anymore."
Naruto was quiet for a moment before he nodded his head. He proceeded to walk off for a moment before he turned back to look at the Hokage.
"What… are their names?" He asked.
"… Your grandfather's name is Namikaze Masayuki and your grandmother is Namikaze Chiasa." Jiraiya answered: "Masayuki-san's a tailor and Chiasa-san was a teacher at a civilian school here in Konoha."
'Namikaze Masayuki and Namikaze Chiasa…' Naruto repeated the names in his head for a moment before his hands tightened.
With a quick, soft 'thank you' to his godfather, Naruto walked out of the room. Jiraiya stood alone in the Hokage's Office for a moment before sighing and returning to his desk to get back to paperwork.
As Naruto left the Hokage's Office, the sun began to set over the village. He looked around the streets of the village for a moment, biting his lip slightly, before he shook his head and began to walk off.
The Uzumaki made his way through the village until he reached the Hyūga Clan Compound. He briefly acknowledged the Hyūga clansmen at the gate before he hurried inside, heading towards the Clan Head's residence.
It did not take long for him to reach Hinata's room. He knocked on the door softly before he crossed his arms, beginning to wait. Three seconds passed by before the door opened up, revealing Hinata.
"Naruto?" Hinata smiled as she tilted her head slightly: "What are you doing here?"
"Well-"
"I was unaware you were expecting your betrothed, Hinata-sama."
Naruto's eyes moved past Hinata towards another figure that was standing in her room. She was a woman with short dark-green hair and the same pale-colored eyes that the Hyūga clan possessed. She wore a navy-blue kimono with a white apron over it.
Hinata quickly turned back to her: "No, Natsu-san, it's alright-"
"I did not mean to take up your time with him." The woman shook her head, a slight blush on her face: "I promise to not waste even a second more." She then bowed before quickly rushing out of the way: "Have a good evening, Hinata-sama. You as well, Uzumaki-sama."
"Wait-"
Hinata's words died on her lips as the other Hyūga quickly rushed away. She sighed for a moment as she shook her head. Naruto, in response, rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.
"Uh… was I interrupting something?" He asked: "Who was that?"
"You… You weren't." Hinata shook her head, sighing: "That was Natsu. She was my caretaker when I was growing up. She… She wrote a book and is apparently embarrassed about it, so she wanted to ask-" She shook her head: "Actually, she wanted me to not tell anyone, so I'll stop there."
"O… kay." Naruto shrugged his shoulders as he walked further into Hinata's room: "Sorry to interrupt, though."
"You're never an interruption, Naruto." Hinata shook her head again as a smile developed on her lips. Her smile faded slightly as she noticed Naruto's expression: "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. I…" Naruto crossed his arms as he nodded his arms: "Just got something on my mind."
Hinata was quiet for a moment as Naruto began to tell her about his conversation with Jiraiya. Her eyes widened as he mentioned his grandparents, before a frown developed on her face as he told her what had happened to them.
"So, your grandparents might still be out there?" She asked.
"I don't know." Naruto said with a sigh: "I… I don't know. Just not sure how to react to this. It's like… I'm both sad, pissed off, worried, but hopeful, I guess?"
"Pissed. Are you angry at Jiraiya-sama?" She asked.
"… I'm annoyed at him, but I don't think he could do much. I know how he was with Old Man Hokage and his orders, so there's no point to be angry at him for just following orders." Naruto noted, his hands tightening: "I am pissed at the Old Man, though, but that's pointless, cause he's not here for me to yell at him."
"It's never pointless to feel anger, Naruto. You told me that about Kumo, y'know?" Hinata said, walking towards Naruto and grabbing his hand.
The Uzumaki was led over to Hinata's bed, where the two sat opposite of one another. Naruto was quiet for a moment before he shook his head, scowling.
"I… I understand the thing with ordering Ero-sennin away. He may be my godfather, but he was a Konoha shinobi first and had to do a lot of spy work stuff in the aftermath of the Kyūbi attack to make sure our village wouldn't get attacked." Naruto stated as he began to grind his teeth: "But what the fuck is up with this? Not even telling my grandparents I was born? That's… That's fucked up!" His teeth grinding grew louder and louder: "He couldn't trust them or something to hide me? That's bullshit! He trusted his advisors – including that asshole Danzō – but he didn't think my grandparents wouldn't keep something a secret? They didn't even have to raise me; just know that I'm not dead! Fuck him-"
Naruto's words were cut off as Hinata placed her hand on his shoulder. Immediately, his teeth grinding came to a halt and he sat still, taking in deep breaths. Hinata's grip tightened for a moment.
"… Fuck the Hokage?" She offered.
Naruto snorted in response, his anger momentarily escaping as he began to laugh loudly.
"Heh. Not really, but for right now, yeah, fuck the Sandaime." Naruto stated. He then looked towards the door of the room before he took in a deep breath: "FUCK-"
"W-W-Wait, Naruto, don't say it too loud!" Hinata's eyes widened: "I, uh… that's probably not the best thing to say here so loud like that."
"Well, it worked with the Raikage." Naruto noted, a small grin developing on his face: "Hell, we were here on Hyūga property back then!"
"Yeah, but that's the Raikage." Hinata countered, returning his grin with one of her own: "Honestly, we would have probably gotten a few other Hyūga to say it too."
"Okay, fair. Fair." Naruto nodded his head. He then made eye contact with his fiancée as he raised his eyebrow: "Quietly though?"
Hinata nodded her head. The two took a few seconds before they both raised their voices ever so slightly.
"Fuck the Sandaime!"
Immediately, the two began to laugh. Their laughter grew louder as they began to relax on Hinata's bed, lying next to one another. The two were still for a moment, enjoying the moment, before Naruto finally broke the silence.
"Thanks." Naruto stated: "I, uh… I don't think I could ever hate the Old Man, but I know I needed to get that out."
"Trust me, I know." Hinata said, smiling back at him: "And you can always count on me if you need me, Naruto."
"I know. I know." Naruto replied, a grin developing on his face: "So damn lucky I'll get to call you my wife soon!"
"… Eep." Hinata blushed in response before a grin developed on her face as she nodded her head: "It almost feels unreal that it's going to finally happen soon."
The two were quiet for another moment as they enjoyed each other's presence. After a few more minutes of holding onto one another, Hinata tightened her grip on Naruto once more.
"Are you okay otherwise, though?" She asked: "About your grandparents?"
"… Yeah. I should be sadder that they may be dead and I never got to meet them. But…" He bit his lip as he shook his head: "I don't know, there's a dumb part of me that thinks they might still be out there."
"Because they probably are." Hinata stated, shaking her head. "I'm sure of it." She then smiled at her fiancée: "And then you can find them!"
Naruto's eyes briefly widened for a second before a grin developed on his face as he nodded his head emphatically.
"Yeah, of course they are. I can't wait to meet them!" Naruto stated: "And then I can 't wait to introduce them to you! We'll find them; wherever they are."
Hinata was about to reply back, but she was interrupted as Naruto closed the distance between them, kissing her on the lips. She quickly melted into his embrace, kissing back.
"And now, for the first time, our newest, full generation of the Seven Swordsman of Kirigakure: Momochi Zabuza, Chōjūrō, Hōzuki Suigetsu, Uzumaki Honoka, Mitarashi Anko, Yuki Kahyō, and Kamui!"
"Ugh…" Anko grumbled, rubbing her head as she came to consciousness. 'The hell happened?'
Anko's memories after Mei's introduction were a blur; she vaguely remembered rounds of applause and cheers, along with some meaningful conversation with Kirigakure citizens, but these memories were locked behind an alcohol-induced haze.
'Maybe… I should… quit blackout drinking like that…' Anko hissed as she tried to pull herself up. "Goddamn…"
After a few seconds, Anko managed to finally look around and gather her bearings. She took in the sight of a rather plain looking bedroom. The walls were painted a beige color and there was no furniture whatsoever; the only two things present was the bed that she had been lying down on and her belongings, which were piled neatly in the corner of the room.
"This… isn't the hotel I was staying at…" She noted. She tried to recall where exactly she was, but immediately her head began to sting. Her grip tightened on her head: "Shit!"
She continued to rub her head as she slowly walked out of the bedroom and walked into a hallway, with walls painted the same beige as in her room, with nothing lining the hall.
"Seriously, where the hell am I?" Anko hissed as she made her way forward: 'Who the hell would stay in a place like this? It's so… boring!'
After a few more seconds of slow, painful walking, Anko arrived in a small, humble dining room, with only a small wooden dining table in the center of the room. Sitting down at the table, however, was a familiar sight to her. Her eyes widened as she made eye contact with Momochi Zabuza, who was currently eating from a small bowl of natto with a bottle of sake next to him.
"Finally awake, huh?" He said, chuckling: "If you want, there's some extra natto I made on the kitchen counter, along with a bowl of miso soup." He then shrugged his shoulders: "Serve yourself if you want. I'll eat whatever you don't eat."
Anko was quiet for a moment as she continued to stare at Zabuza. The Kirigakure shinobi stared back, a scowl developing on his face.
"You got something to say?" He asked.
"You… really live here?" She asked.
"That's a stupid question." Zabuza snorted: "Of course I live here. Why else would I be here?"
"I…" Anko shook her head for a moment: "I… I don't know. Guess this place seems too boring for you." She then shot him a concerned look: "You really got to do something to your place."
"And why should I? I only come here to sleep and cook." Zabuza shrugged his shoulders: "Most of my time is spent on missions, so why should I care what my apartment looks like?"
Anko rolled her eyes: "I don't know, in case if you get company?"
"I don't get company." Zabuza stated sharply as he took a sip from his bottle: "The only person who stops by is Haku, and he's never commented on it before."
"Well-" Anko was about to comment back, but she hissed for a moment as her head as her head began to ring again: "Urgh!"
Zabuza watched the woman stumble for a moment. A sigh escaped his lips as he pulled himself up from his seat: "Sit down. I'll be right back."
Anko did not reply as she walked over to the second chair at his dinner table. A second passed by before Zabuza returned with two small bowls of natto and miso soup. He quickly brought the soup closer to her.
"I made this special to help with hangovers." Zabuza stated: "Help yourself."
Anko did not immediately reply and brought the bowl of soup to her lips, drinking it down like it was water. Within seconds, she finished the whole bowl before placing it down on the table, sighing in relief.
"… I'll get more." Zabuza sighed as he took her empty bowl and walked back to the kitchen.
Anko remained quiet for a moment longer, focusing on her hangover pangs until Zabuza came back to the room with another bowl of miso soup.
"How long was I out?" She asked.
"You passed out after walking into my apartment." He responded back before snorting: "Surprised you lasted that long. You drank so many shots at the party, I thought about asking Sugita to look after you to make sure you didn't die from alcohol poisoning."
"I drank that much?" Anko blinked in response before she whistled. She then winced slightly again as she rubbed her head: "Fucking hell."
"Finish the soup." Zabuza stated. Anko nodded in response as she took the bowl and began to drink once more. He continued to watch for a moment before he shook his head, chuckling: "Got to admit, though, you can sure drink. Outdrank Suigetsu, Honoka, and myself out there."
"I can drink, yeah, but shit do I feel it later though." She grumbled. She finished her miso soup and took in a deep breath before she locked eyes with Zabuza again. A small smile developed on her face: "Thanks for taking care of me, though."
"Least I can do." He replied as he sat back down.
The two were quiet for a moment as they turned their attentions back to the natto. Both swordsmen quickly devoured their plates before they turned to face each other again.
"How long are you planning on staying in Kiri?" Zabuza asked.
"Not long. Probably will head out tomorrow or the day after." Anko admitted. Zabuza's eyes narrowed, which prompted her to sigh: "Look, I still got some shit I need to do. I dropped everything to get over here for Kamui's induction, now I got to get back."
"… Understood." Zabuza nodded his head in acknowledgment.
Anko's eyebrow rose slightly at the tone-of-voice, unable to quite piece it. A grin developed on her face: "You gonna miss me already, Zabuza?" He did not immediately reply to her comment, which caused Anko's eyes to widen exponentially: "Wait, are you going to miss me? For real?"
"… Things are more interesting when you're around." Zabuza admitted, shaking his head: "That's all."
"A-Ah." Anko's cheeks reddened ever so slightly before she shook her head, brushing it off: "You still drunk? That doesn't sound like a sober thought coming from you."
"Bite me." He snorted in response: "You should get the hell back to Konoha if that's how you're going to be."
"Nope, I'm definitely going to be staying for another day at least." Anko replied with a chuckle: "What were you wanting to do later?"
Before Zabuza could reply, a knock sounded on the front door. He quickly got up and walked over to the door.
'How convenient. Someone stops by now-' Anko's eyes widened as a grin developed on her face as she shouted out: "Hey Zabuza, look; you got company over. Would be nice to have something other than beige to look at, huh?"
A few seconds passed by before Zabuza walked back into the dining room with a raised middle finger, earning a chuckle from Anko. She then turned her attention towards Mei and Yagura, who had his 'Kamui' disguise active.
"Nice to see you over here, Anko. Got worried when we didn't see you at your hotel." Mei noted.
"Nice to see you two." Anko nodded her head before her eyebrow raised at the Mizukage: "Were you looking for me?"
"Yes, we wanted to catch you in case you left today." 'Kamui' spoke-up as he quickly held out a small invite: "When you return to Konoha, make sure to tell Naruto and Hinata that we will try to attend."
"Huh?" Anko blinked in response: "Attend what?"
The Sanbi jinchūriki blinked back in response: "What do you mean 'what'?"
"What do you mean 'what do you mean'?" Anko asked back.
"He is referring to your students' wedding." Mei stated. Anko's eyes widened, but the Mizukage continued to speak: "A toad just stopped by today and dropped off our invite. It all depends on exactly what is going on, since we'll need to make sure Kiri is secure in our absence, but we would be honored to attend-"
"The hell do you mean 'wedding'?" Anko interrupted.
Before either Mei nor 'Kamui' could respond, Anko snatched the invite and began to read it. Immediately, whatever small traces of a hangover evaporated as her eyes skimmed the writing.
"Cordially invited… to the wedding… of Uzumaki Naruto… and Hyūga Hinata…" She mumbled.
Her brats were getting married. After all these years, the two were finally going to get hitched.
…
…
And they had not told her?
And they told MEI AND YAGURA before telling her?
"They're dead…" She mumbled under her breath, much to Mei's and Yagura's confusion.
Anko would stay an extra day longer to spend time with Zabuza, but she was already planning to rush back to Konoha and have a nice little talk with her students about upcoming life events.
"Huh?" Naruto blinked as a shiver ran down his body: 'Why do I feel like I'm going to get my ass kicked for something over something that's not my fault?'
In his daze, Naruto, who had been working on a seal, accidentally messed up a brush mark on the seal. A pen was then thrown at his face, pulling him out of his stupor as he hissed in pain, his hand going over to a small mark on his forehead. He then turned his attention to the source of the thrown pen: Uzumaki Masakado.
"The hell was that for?" He asked.
"You got distracted." Masakado hissed in response: "I know you're wedding is excited and all, but stop daydreaming about it and get back to work!"
The blond shook his head: "That's not-"
"As I've expressed multiple, multiple times, and you have witnessed yourself, when you're working on the Chrono Reversal seal, you cannot mess up a single thing in its preparation." Masakado interrupted, glaring intently at Naruto's botched seal: "One brush stroke even slightly incorrect could tear apart your body on a molecular level!"
"I know." Naruto said, sighing as he crumbled his failed seal before pulling out another sealing tag. "Just… need to get this down…"
Masakado watched Naruto stare intently at his pre-drawn seal. He sighed, shaking his head as he looked away.
"It's hilarious to me that this is the part you're struggling with. You managed to actually pull off the Chrono-Reversal seal from the seal I had given you, and using the jutsu itself should be the hard part."
"Oh believe me, I felt like hell right after." Naruto noted, rubbing the back of his head: "I don't think I ever felt as drained of chakra as I did in that moment!"
"As expected." Masakado nodded his head as he brought a hand to his chin in thought: "With my reserves, I'm only able to use the jutsu once. I would be able to use it in combat; I might have the chakra for one or two more jutsus after it, but that'd be it."
"Hmm. I could barely stand after." Naruto nodded his head in agreement. His eyes then widened though: "Then again… I was trying to use it at the end of my fight with Pain, when I already had used a shit ton of chakra against him and the other Akatsuki. If I had used it fresh, I wonder what my limit would be…"
Masakado's eyes widened for a brief moment as well. He quickly shook his head, a chuckle escaping his lips: "Swear to god, giving an Uzumaki a bijū is probably a crime against nature. I can't even imagine the full capacity of your chakra reserves."
"Heh. And I'm sure my reserves will grow more as I practice with the jutsu. But I need to have it be my own seals." Naruto noted before he turned back to his sealing paper: "Back to work!"
Before Masakado could respond, Naruto began to draw on the sealing paper, slowly trying to copy from Masakado's pre-drawn seal. The former Uzukage watched the blond for a moment as he shook his head, a smirk developing on his face.
'Then again, chakra reserves and all that means shit if you don't have the motivation, and this kid's got it in spades.' Masakado noted: 'You're gonna go far kid.'
The rest of the session flowed by quickly, as Naruto continued to practice producing the seal to the best of his abilities while Masakado appraised his work right after.
'Alright, I'm here.'
Hinata took in a deep breath as she arrived at the Hokage Mountains, walking towards Hashirama's face. Once she arrived in the shadow of the Shodai's face, she channeled chakra into her hands and slammed her open palm onto the ground. Immediately, the rock stairwell opened up, revealing the path to the Nidaime Hokage's secret training ground. She then began to walk down the stairs, heading into the darkness.
'Hopefully I haven't kept her waiting.' Hinata noted, biting her lip slightly.
It was a surprise to her when she was getting ready for the day when a Hyūga shinobi brought a letter from Utatane Koharu to come meet with her for a discussion. She had not spoken to the woman in a few months, despite the fact that they both had gone on the Kumogakure mission. It was actually a pleasant surprise to see the woman reach out to her, but at the same time, it filled her with confusion.
'What does she want to meet up with to talk? And over here of all places?' She wondered as she continued to descend.
After a few seconds, the darkness began to fade as she entered the illuminated springs around the training ground. Hinata took a few steps forward until she noticed Koharu standing in front of a rock formation with her arms crossed. As she grew closer, she also noticed another familiar sitting down on the ground.
"Shikamaru-kun?" She mumbled.
Both Koharu and Shikamaru turned to look towards the Hyūga. Shikamaru waved at her while Koharu simply nodded her head, uncrossing her arms as she cleared her throat.
"Good to you see Hinata." She noted: "Now that you both are here, we can begin."
"Just us?" Shikamaru asked as he pulled himself up from his position: "If you're meeting with both of us, shouldn't we also expect Naruto?"
"Uzumaki Naruto was not invited." Koharu stated as Hinata walked up next to Shikamaru: "This meeting is about him, though, in a manner of speaking."
Hinata's eyebrow raised slightly: "In what way?"
Koharu was silent for a moment as she cleared her throat. She stared forward at both Hinata and Shikamaru, as if seeing something else instead. She took in a deep breath before her eyes finally focused on the two in front of her.
"This is something I have been wanting to discuss with the two of you, but after hearing more about how the Kumogakure invasion went, it felt prudent to bring this up now." She noted. "I want to bring up your careers as shinobi in relation to Uzumaki Naruto."
"What about our careers?" Shikamaru asked.
"I want you both to look at him, not from the perspective of your fiancée and best friend respectively," Koharu's eyes moved from Hinata to Shikamaru for a moment, "but rather, see him as who he is from an objective standpoint. Uzumaki Naruto, as the clan name suggests, is an Uzumaki. He is also the Kyūbi jinchūriki and has obtained the 'Bijū Mode' that allows him to freely control the bijū's power with no risk of losing control." She crossed her arms: "To put it bluntly, Uzumaki Naruto is an exceptional shinobi that is on track to become one of the strongest of your generation across the Elemental Nations."
"… Yes?" Hinata blinked for a second, tilting her head: "Yes, Naruto is doing amazing in making a name for himself." A smile developed on her face as she closed her eyes: "And I know he'll be the Hokage sooner rather than later."
"That is true. I do believe he will be Hokage." Koharu nodded her head in agreement. Her eyes then narrowed on the two in front of her: "And where does that leave you two?"
It was Shikamaru's turn to tilt his head: "What do you mean by that?"
"Are you two comfortable with just allowing your former teammate outclass you both this much?" She asked.
Both Hinata and Shikamaru blinked in response for a moment before their eyes widened. Seconds passed as Koharu's words began to ring loudly in their heads.
'Naruto's getting so much stronger…' Hinata nodded in agreement. She bit down on her lip as she recalled the sparring session she and Shikamaru just had with Naruto, who had to hold back when using Bijū Mode to avoid causing them severe pain: 'He's… He's really above us, huh?'
'At the rate things are going…' Shikamaru frowned in response as he began to see Naruto in his head walk past him: '… He's going to keep getting stronger and stronger… and I… no we…'
"You two won't be able to stand next to him as equals sooner rather than later." Koharu stated bluntly. Both Hinata and Shikamaru tensed in response, which prompted Koharu's eyes to soften: "And how does that realization feel?"
"Horrible." Hinata admitted, shaking her head: "I… That can't happen. I can't let it." Her hands tightened into fists: "Naruto still has a lot of enemies out there. I… I need to be able to stand next to him as an equal in order to help him fight them."
"But are you sure you two will be able to?" Koharu asked. "The enemies that he is facing, at the upper echelon of the Akatsuki… they are on another level than either of you are used to." She crossed her arms once more: "You two are elite shinobi, and are able to fight against S-Rank enemies, but you need to be aware that's not enough."
"That…" Shikamaru bit his lip again in response as he began to think back to his fight with Deidara and Sasori. He was about to reference killing Deidara, but he also recalled falling unconscious, only surviving thanks to Kurotsuchi fending off Sasori. "You…" He brought his hands to his side as a sigh escaped his lips: "You're right… for now."
Koharu's eyes focused on Shikamaru for a moment.
"… You both have two options moving forward. The first of which is to accept that Naruto is overtaking you and to not let it bother you. To be content being assets and confidants, but knowing you will not be able to fight at the same level as him." Koharu noted. "It's… potentially uncomfortable to process at the moment, but it is the fate that both Homura and I accepted. We slowly came to the realization that Hiruzen had passed us around the time he was first referred to as 'God of Shinobi'." A forced chuckle escaped her lips: "Sure, Homura and I picked up similar theming nicknames – Konoha's Guardian Angel for him and Konoha's Grim Reaper for me – but we were not on the same level as god. And we never would be.
"Thus, we simply accepted it. We aimed to be useful to Hiruzen in other ways. We would assist him in areas of tactics and give him fresh ideas whenever he needed. We would take on missions in order to allow him to not be distracted by lesser tasks." She noted, a small bitter smile crawling on her lips: "We weren't able to be on his level, but we were able to still help him in his tenure as Hokage. And that was all that mattered to both Homura and I."
Both Hinata and Shikamaru were silent for a moment as they stated at the elder. The two waited for her continue speaking, but it became rather clear that the woman was starting to become lost in thought.
"… That's option one." Hinata finally spoke-up. "What is the second?"
Her words pulled Koharu out of her stupor. The elder shinobi's eyes narrowed once more: "The other option is to catch up to him. And if that is the direction you both intend on taking, you need to take it now." She shook her head: "If I am being generous, you both maybe have two years at maximum before Naruto is at a level that you both can never hope to obtain. And if I am being honest, there is a chance he could already be at that level. So, if you intend on standing next to him as equals on the battlefield, you both need to work towards that goal now before it's too late."
"Standing next to him as equals…" Hinata repeated the phrase for a moment before she shook her head: "All… All the time, growing up, that is what we were. Shikamaru and I stood next to him as equals. We trained together. We grew together. We… We pushed each other and helped each other."
"That's right." Shikamaru nodded his head in agreement: "That's how it's always been."
Both Hinata's and Shikamaru's eyes narrowed intently: "And we're going to keep it that way. We will always be his equals."
Koharu was quiet for a moment. She stared intently back at them, meeting both of their gazes, before she turned away.
"Then you better figure out how you intend on doing that." She said bluntly. "I am aware that you are planning your wedding, Hinata, but you need to also be taking your training seriously." A small smile developed on her face as she turned back to them: "I am not sure if we will be useful, but Homura and I will be able to provide assistance should you two need. I would prefer you both not follow our path; you two need to do your parts to keep up with him. It will not be easy, keeping up with a Perfect Bijū, but you two will need to find a way."
Conversation ended shortly after as both Hinata and Shikamaru bid farewell to the Konoha elder before they left the training ground. The two then moved their separate ways through the village. Despite going their own ways, and having their own plans for the day, Koharu's words would echo loudly in their heads and a similar thought was running through both of their minds.
'What can I do to keep up with Naruto?'
"Enter."
Jiraiya turned his attention away from a scroll on his desk towards the door to his office as it opened, revealing Hatake Kakashi. A smirk developed on Jiraiya's face as the jōnin walked towards the Hokage.
"To reward you for using the door instead of entering through the window like normal, Kakashi, I got some juicy news that you'll appreciate." He stated as he reached into his desk.
Kakashi's eyebrow rose slightly as Jiraiya pulled out a book. The book had a yellow cover and featured an image of a man and a woman. The man had a conflicted look on his face while the woman looked at him with concern. In katakana, right above the image, was the title of the book.
"Wait…" Kakashi's eye widened: "It's… Is it finally time… for…"
"Yup." Jiraiya nodded, his grin widened as a reddish blush developed on his face: "The fifth book in my saga: Icha Icha Revelations is set to come out in a few days!"
Kakashi was quiet for a moment, his attention solely on the book. A few seconds passed by before his eyes briefly focused back on the Hokage.
"What's…." He began to mumble, but could not find the words.
"The focus?" Jiraiya finished. Kakashi nodded his head, causing Jiraiya to set the book down on his desk: "It's all about dramatic revelations and how two can be overwhelmed by their own passions and how that can ultimately shape their relationships. It's a masterpiece! A perfect follow-up to Icha Icha Tactics!"
Kakashi was silent once again as he stared at the book intently. Jiraiya chuckled for a moment as he pushed the book forward.
"It'll be out soon, but I know you're the type to have a second copy. You can take this one, if you want." The Hokage offered.
Kakashi immediately reached for the book. He gripped it tightly as he bowed his head: "Thank you."
"Anything for my most devoted reader." The Godaime said, smiling at the man. Immediately, the smile dropped and a more serious expression developed on his face: "Anyway, as for why you originally came here. I presume you have an update for me."
Kakashi nodded his head, his demeanor shifting as well as he pocketed his new book.
"We've returned back from our mission to Ame no Kuni. We were unable to find any sign of Akatsuki presence." He stated. "Amegakure, in particular, looks like a ghost town."
"How sure are you of that?" Jiraiya asked.
"Completely. Neither Kiba nor Akamaru could trace any scents back to ones we recognized in Kumo, nor could any of the ninken we summoned find any trace." Kakashi stated: "It appears like the remnants of Akatsuki are aware that we would trace them back to Ame, so they're recuperating somewhere else."
"Makes sense…" The Hokage sighed: "It would have been too easy if we could trace themselves back to there." He shook his head for a moment: "I understand I was putting you at risk sending you and your squad out to potential Akatsuki territory like that. Even if the mission did not produce the results we were hoping for you, you and your team have my gratitude for your bravery."
"It's our duty, Hokage-sama." Kakashi said, shaking his head: "We'll find them. I'm sure of that."
"Hopefully we find them before they can get another attempt at an attack." Jiraiya said, bringing his hands together as he closed his eyes: "The only reason the Kumo invasion was not a disaster and we were able to combat it was that Itachi was able to leak the information to us. Without him, it is going to be a lot more difficult to predict their movements, and even more so to respond to them."
"Would it be possible to send someone undercover once more?" Kakashi asked: "I'm sure Akatsuki is most likely recruiting."
The Hokage shook his head in response: "I'm sure they are recruiting, but they'll most likely be vetting their new recruits heavily. I don't think any of the major shinobi villages have anyone we could send as a spy that they would find believable." He sighed once again: "I'm willing to let someone try, but I'd rather not throw someone's life away unless there was a real chance."
"Understood." Kakashi nodded his head.
"I'll send out more spies to keep their ears out for murmurs of Akatsuki. Here's hoping we can find them before too late." Jiraiya said. He then looked towards Kakashi and smiled: "Thank you for you checking Ame, though. I'll make sure you and your team are properly compensated."
Kakashi bowed his head in response. He then turned around and began to walk towards the door. As the man began to walk, a thought entered Jiraiya's mind.
"Hey, Kakashi. I have a question for you." He spoke-up. Kakashi stopped at the door before turning back to face the Hokage: "I am aware this might be a little personal…" He sighed: "Did you ever keep in touch with Minato's parents after they left the village?"'
"Sensei's parents?" Kakashi stiffened for a moment. A small, sad smile developed on his face under his mask as he shrugged his shoulders: "Not recently, but I did for a moment."
"Really?" Jiraiya's eyes widened in response.
Kakashi nodded in response: "We exchanged letters for a little bit. Masayuki-san and Chiasa-san were worried about my mental health after everything, so they wrote me from time-to-time." He rubbed the back of his head: "I didn't reply back at first, but a few years after Sensei's death, I was able to finally write back."
"How… long ago did you last talk to them?" Jiraiya asked.
"Seven years ago." Kakashi said with a sigh: "I wrote to them shortly after I left ANBU, but never heard back."
'Seven years… plenty of time for something to happen to them… but maybe…' The Hokage shook his head for a moment before his eyes narrowed: "Did they ever mention where they were staying in their letters?"
"They moved somewhat frequently per their letters, but the last letter they sent to me, I believe they were near Tanzaku Town."
"… I see." Jiraiya nodded his head: "That was all. Thank you, Kakashi."
"Of course." Kakashi, again, bowed his head before he turned around and left.
The Hokage remained at his desk as he closed his eyes in thought.
'Tanzaku, huh? That means they're still in Hi no Kuni…' He took in a deep breath, as if committing to something in his mind: 'God, hope they still don't hate my guts.'
Omake 16 – "The Literary Champion"
Ten Days Later…
"Naruto, is Hokage-sama okay?" Hinata asked.
Naruto blinked in response. The two shinobi had went on a walk through the Konoha streets one lazy afternoon when they found Jiraiya pacing outside a building.
The two had seen Jiraiya in many different moods – happy, silly, excited, perverted, horny, angry, pensive, solemn, and disheartened, to name a few – but this was the first time either of them had ever seen the Godaime Hokage this stressed before. Not even the impending invasion of Kumogakure had him as visibly shaken and stressed as he seemed to be right now!
"Uh…" Naruto began to mumble before he shook his head, his eyes narrowing.
He rushed over to Jiraiya's side, who did not seem to notice him. He poked the man on his side, causing him to flinch in response and turn to face him.
"What do you want-" He nearly shouted until he saw the face of his confused and concerned godson: "Oh! Naruto. Uh… didn't see you there." He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly: "So, what brings you out here?"
"On a walk." Naruto replied as a frown developed on his face: "And what you about Ero-sennin? What's bothering you?"
"Is everything okay?" Hinata asked as she hurried to Naruto's side.
"Huh? Do I look bothered?" Jiraiya asked as he began to laugh awkwardly: "Me? Th-That's outrageous! I'm calm-"
"Sure about that, 'Ero-sennin'?"
Naruto, Hinata, and Jiraiya turned towards the source of the voice. Both Naruto's and Hinata's eyes widened as they watched both Rōshi and Han walk towards.
"Old Man Rōshi? Han-nii?" Naruto rubbed his eyes for a moment before a grin developed on his face: "What are you two doing-"
"And what's that supposed to mean, Rōshi?" Jiraiya interrupted, his anxiousness leaving as a scowl quickly developed on his face. "First off, NEVER call me that again, you stupid old monkey! And second, I invited you here for a reason! You're going to see proof once and for all who the superior author is!"
"As if!" The Yonbi jinchūriki snorted: "I'm going to kick your ass today. Just watch!"
"… To answer your question," Han coughed, drawing Naruto's and Hinata's attention, "Rōshi and Jiraiya-san have both published on the same day. Once the Hokage found out about Rōshi's planned release date, he apparently pushed his release back to have the same day, and then invited us here so we can both see a sells report on the same day."
"Really?" Hinata's eyes widened as a chuckle: "That's a coincidence! My-"
"Is that really a good metric, though?" Naruto asked: "I mean, you're both in Konoha. I'd think Ero-sennin would sell more since this is his home village!"
"Actually, both Jiraiya-san's 'Icha Icha' series and Rōshi's 'Tengoku no Soto' perform equally well here, on average. More so than any other village." Han noted: "Your village is actually the perfect location for this literary spar."
"And it will be perfect proof that I'm the superior writer!" Jiraiya declared, grinning as he pulled out a yellow book from his bag: "Icha Icha Revelations is taking the world by storm! Every reviewer so far has offered gushing praise, and there's even more people reading it out in public than ever before!"
On cue with Jiraiya's words, Kakashi walked by, flipping a page of his copy of Icha Icha Revelation.
"Your glorified porn has nothing on my work, Jiraiya, and you know that." Rōshi scoffed as he reached into his own bag, pulling out a rather thick, purple book with an elaborate drawing of a winter storm printed on the cover: "The Coming Winter Storm is the pen-ultimate book in my seven-book series! I've got so much hype riding on this bad boy, and so many plot threads that are going to get resolved before dangling the biggest cliff-hanger before my final book in the series. Every person who's read it so far hasn't stopped reading it yet!"
On cue with Jiraiya's words, a very pregnant Kurenai was walking down the street alongside Asuma, both reading a copy of 'The Coming Winter Storm'.
"If I might also add my own two cents." Han spoke-up, a chuckle escaping his lips: "As Rōshi's illustrator, I assure you with no disrespect, Jiraiya-san, but we have this contest on lock."
"And let me remind both of you that Icha Icha is more well-known and well-read all across the Elemental Nations." Jiraiya stated sharply: "Just you wait-"
Before Jiraiya could finish his taunt, the door to the building opened. Both Jiraiya and Rōshi tensed up immediately, the color leaving both of their faces as they both ran into the building in near unison, before rushing out at the exact same time with a scroll.
"We're looking at the same time, right?" Jiraiya asked.
"Yup. I want to see your reaction in real time!" Rōshi said with a snicker.
Naruto, Hinata, and Han stared silently as the two writers opened up their copies of the sales reports and began to study it.
Within seconds, both shinobi dropped the scrolls to the ground, their eyes wide in horror.
"No way…" Jiraiya mumbled.
"How…" Rōshi muttered, near tears: "How did this…"
Han's eyes widened in horror: "We lost, Rōshi? I refuse to believe that!"
"It… I…" The Yonbi jinchūriki stuttered in response.
Naruto and Hinata both looked at the two old men on the ground with a confused look on their faces before they both walked over and picked up the two sales reports. It was then they learned the current results of the battle between the two.
Both Icha Icha Revelation and Tengoku no Sato: The Coming Winter Storm had tied, but they were both eclipsed by a different book series.
At the top of the paper, written above both with over 4,000 extra copies sold over both of their books, was the true winner of their competition: The Apothecary Diaries by Hyūga Natsu.
"Who the hell is this Natsu person?" Rōshi nearly roared out, slamming his fist into the ground hard enough that he created cracks on the road: "I have never seen a beginning author make records like that!"
"It's unreal. I… I can't compete with that pace." Jiraiya shook his head, gripping his hands so tightly that his fingers started to lose color: "And it even notes on the report that it is a first book! She… She's going to release more!"
"We'll have to compete against that?" Both Rōshi and Jiraiya shouted in near unison before they both passed out on the ground.
Naruto, Hinata, and Han stared at the two old men on the ground for a moment before Han reached down and picked up Rōshi's body.
"Forgive me, Naruto, Hinata, but I'll cut this visit short. I…" Han bit his lip under his mask, shaking his head: "… My pride is hurt, and I'm going to have to attend to it, and to whatever physical ailments Rōshi may feel as a result of this. Good day."
Naruto and Hinata waved goodbye to Han as he rushed out of the area. With the two Iwa jinchūriki out of sight, Naruto's eyes lit up in recollection.
"Ah! That's who I met that one day, right?" Naruto asked: "This is what she was asking about?"
"Yes! She said she was thinking about publishing, but wasn't sure her writing was good enough!" Hinata said, a grin developing on her face: "I'm so happy she listened to me and published! I'm so proud of her!"
With those words, both Naruto and Hinata quickly rushed inside the book store and purchased a copy of volume one of The Apothecary Diaries before they walked off, having forgotten Jiraiya.
The Old Hokage remained on the ground, moping in his defeat as many people walked by. Some of them were reading books, but it was all copies of The Apothecary Diaries, with no copy of Icha Icha Revelation in sight.
This was a day that neither Jiraiya nor Rōshi were ever going to forget.
Quick Notes:
1: The Apothecary Diaries is an actual light novel. Written by an actual person named Natsu Hyūga. My wife has all four volumes that are currently out in English and plans on getting the fifth, which is supposed to come out mid-July! I've been curious to read, although I haven't looked at them myself yet, but I did notice the name of the author and I nearly snorted when I realized that she had the same name as a Naruto character! That moment spawned this Omake... so thank you, IRL Natsu Hyūga! I'll make sure my canon's Natsu is very financially stable in your honor :)
2: I want to sorta comment a bit before anyone else brings this up, that yees, maybe in a somewhat objective sense, a wedding isn't really the best for this time considering the unknown state of the Akatsuki. I kinda acknowledged that with Naruto and Hinata wanting to have a wedding sooner 'before anything could happen'. I just want a light-hearted arc to kinda work on, and thought this was the perfect one, so I'm going with it! :)
So, yes, I'll try and post really quick with these next couple of chapters, because I actually am writing this pretty quickly! I didn't get a ton of time to write, but every writing session I had was super productive! Finally not having fight scenes does that for my productivity XD Anyway, I'll try and crank them out as soon as I possibly can!
Author's Note: Hey! Chapter 132 is done! :)
So, uh, life update. I GOT A NEW JOB! Still same role as a pharmacy technician, but now at a specialty pharmacy! And, surprisingly, better hours and better pay than where I had been! So, more money means less financial insecurity, and better hours means more writing time! All this adds up to a happy me! Yay basic math skills XD
Genuinely, though, I have been getting a chance to write on my lunch breaks (because I actually get, like, proper lunch breaks now) and that's been massively helping me catch up writing when I haven't been able to in the past. I REALLY think this is a good sign for the pace for future chapters, so wish me luck for speedier updates. I don't want to make too many promises, cause I hate breaking them due to unforeseen circumstances, but fingers crossed this leads to good fortune!
Other than that, though, got nothing really else to say. I've been reading a lot of manga, if you can't tell from the disclaimer earlier. SERIOUSLY CHECK OUT SAKAMOTO DAYS, KAIJU NO. 8, AND/OR FRIEREN IF ANY OF YOU GET THE CHANCE, I PROMISE YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT!
... ahem ... sorry about that XD
Anyway, onward to the next one! I'll see you when 133 is finished. Until then :)