Chapter 32:
Naruto returned to speak with the village leader and clear up the whole ordeal. The leader was willing to listen and, just as Naruto believed from the beginning, the man was very reasonable. Without saying exactly what had taken place, he explained that the stone blocked the flow of water which caused their land to flood, resulting in the springs they had been using behind the buildings. However, in doing so, they caused other bodies of water to become contaminated, harming anyone who used them. Since it could all be traced back to them and the stone, the village would ultimately be blamed for any illness that befell those who used the contaminated water. For this reason, it was best to removed the stone and seal off its point of entry into the cliff face. The leader was in agreement.
Naruto watched to make sure the hole was properly sealed off without obstructing the water's path inside. They basically threw a metal board over the hole to prevent anything from being wedged inside. Once that was taken care of, Naruto, in a gesture of good faith and reward, told the leader about the large spring in the forest. Since it was in the middle of the forest, no one had claim of it and could be used by anyone. Tourists would still come to their village to use the spring, needing provisions and bring business just as the people had hoped from the start.
Once all that was taken care of, Naruto and the rest of the group returned home to the Leaf, albeit with a few extra items.
"What's all this?" Hinata asked when she saw the numerous cake containers in the kitchen.
Naruto sat at the table, resting his chin on his hand with a grimace of a smile. "A little splurge I had made while outside the village."
Himawari shoved chocolate cake into her mouth, happy with his purchase. Naruto ate his lemon cake more slowly, watching his parents' interaction.
"This isn't all of it, either," Boruto added when his mother stood stunned where she was. "He gave, like, five boxes to Chocho."
Naruto grimaced again.
"Just how much did you buy and why?"
"Long version or short version?" Naruto asked his wife.
Boruto smiled mischievously behind his fork. "Tell her the long version. If you're too tired, I will."
Naruto rested his forehead against his palm.
Shikamaru looked at the white cardboard box on the counter containing several pieces of cake and other confections and moaned. "I can't believe we ordered so much… What were we thinking?"
"You were thinking like a kid," Shikadai told him, pushing his empty plate aside.
Shikamaru moaned again. "Maybe your mother won't be too mad if I say I got them for her as a gift. I'm pretty sure she'll like the cookies. It also helps that Naruto paid for them."
"Chocho was happy about the cakes. Five whole boxes of assorted treats."
"I'll bet. It's a miracle they lasted the way home. Thought she'd eat them on the way."
"We made good time," Shikadai told him. "I'm surprised we got back here as fast as we did."
Shikamaru sat back in his chair. "If nothing else, this whole thing was very refreshing. Like a little vacation. Even Naruto didn't feel tired on the way back and he's usually fighting off sleep at his desk."
Shikadai cracked a smile. "You guys did sleep a lot. And when you weren't, you were just hanging out. Guess you caught up on some rest."
"Yup." Shikamaru stretched his arms over his head. "What about you? You tired?"
Shikadai wasn't ashamed to admit it. "Physically and mentally, yes, I am."
Shikamaru chuckled. "Well, don't worry. You can catch up on plenty of rest. You earned it."
"Thanks. I plan on taking a nap as soon as I'm done." Shikadai nursed his glass of milk. "I can't believe how exhausting it was just keeping an eye on you. I felt like I was losing my touch. So many things I could have done better. Even using my shadow to stop the Hokage when he had picked up that firework instead of going after it myself. I just panicked."
"Well, that's what happens. Can't tell you how many times I back-pedaled raising you."
"Really?"
"And dealing with your mom while she was pregnant. But it works out."
Shikadai took another sip of milk. "I kept thinking it should have been easier than it was. And how could I lose track of you guys like that? Little kids I can understand but you're grown men. How hard is it to keep an eye on you?"
"Clearly." Shikamaru smiled at him. "But you did amazingly. Shino even praised you for it."
"It did put things in perspective, I'll agree with him there." Shikadai changed the subject. "Was it ok for us to just leave the stone at the spring like that? I know it was just a rock, but shouldn't we have taken it with us?"
"No point. The hole's sealed up and like you said, it was just a rock. Why bring it here? Having it there make sense because it's hidden in plain sight and we know where it is. Makes no sense to let it take up space here in the village. It's fine where it is."
"Guess so." Shikadai finished his milk and set the glass aside next to his plate. "As tough and weird as it was, it was kind of fun."
Shikamaru smiled. "Yeah, I guess it was. Maybe we did need it, in a way. A nice break from all the usual."
"I'm glad you're back to normal. I'd rather have you like this."
"Good to hear it." Shikamaru rested his elbows on the table. "Great bonding experience, though, right?"
"A weird one, but yeah." He looked at the table. "Guess it comes in handy, being so similar. I sort of knew what you needed. Inojin seemed more freaked out about his dad than anyone else but I can tell he bonded with him, too. And Boruto."
"Yeah," said Shikamaru. "Glad they could spend time together. I enjoy being with you, but maybe we shouldn't reverse the roles, hm?"
"No arguments there." Shikadai gave his father a smile. "Maybe later we can do something. Just hang out at home."
"Sounds fine to me."
Temari's voice rang from the other end of the house. "What's this hotel thing I found?! You spent how much?!"
Shikamaru stood up from the table, face turning pale. "I'll be at the office."
He doubted cake would pacify this matter. He was going to be working late for a long time to avoid her.
At the school, Shino sat down at his desk to look over his study assignments and lesson plans. He glanced around the office before taking something out of his pocket. He placed the little toy beetle plushie on his desk beside his pens.
Looking back on the event, Shiro was amazed at how he had changed over the years. Even his students expressed their surprise at learning how stoic he was at that age. They didn't seem that surprised to learn how sensitive he was, however. Only at how he chose to show it, or lack thereof. Shino was surprised at his own sensitivity, forgetting how he expressed it at that age. Did he really pout that much as a child? It was pretty embarrassing. Good thing his students were more focused on the other adults so he could just slip into the shadows. When they did finally get to him, he wished he could just be invisible like he seemed to be the rest of the time.
It was heartwarming to know that his students actually did care about him and his feelings. Sarada's concern for him was rather touching and this beetle plushie was proof of their consideration. He didn't receive gifts as often as the other teachers and this one in particular was very special to him.
Satisfied with his plushie's new home, Shino sat down to get to work, happy to have a study partner.
The end!
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