Chapter 3: First date?
As the Hokage, Naruto has to wake up very early in the morning and start his desk job early too. That would keep him occupied until lunch break. He then looked at his clock and saw it is only 8 in the morning! Eight in the morning! He had to endure four hours of his boring desk job. Hour after hour, he looked at the clock waiting for lunch break. After three hours of his boring desk job, he looked at it again and saw it was already eleven o'clock in the morning. "Okay... an hour to go!!!" he smiled as he signed his paperwork. Time seems too slow when you're really waiting for something. As he waited for the lunch break; he continuously scribbled Hinata's name in a clean sheet of paper. Finally, he saw it was already 11:30 am. He smiled more. Then somebody knocked at his door.
"Hokage-sama... I have urgent news for you!!!" the man at the other side of the door shouted.
"Come in..." Naruto said.
The man then opened the door. It was Kakashi, holding a single piece of paper.
"Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto said. Kakashi didn't respond about Naruto still calling him 'sensei'' even though he was already the Hokage. Instead Kakashi stared at him with serious eyes. "What's the matter?" Naruto asked. Kakashi then placed the paper in front of Naruto, seeing his scribbles of Hinata's name. He formed a happy curve in his eyes while Naruto read the paper he gave to him.
"When did this arrive?" Naruto asked.
"Just a while ago, Hokage-sama..." Kakashi replied breaking off the happy curve in his eyes.
"An assassin outside wind country..." Naruto then surveyed a certain part of the document "has abducted a couple of Leaf nins..." he said. "Who were abducted?" Naruto asked.
"Three Chuunins ... Konohamaru, Moegi, Udon were the ones abducted. " Naruto's eyes twitched. Konohamaru is a very important friend of his, as well as Moegi and Udon.
"And the assassin has demanded that the Hokage should be the one who'll retrieve them personally..." Naruto said. "Kakashi.... who knows the information about the three's mission?" Naruto asked
"A relative of the client, Hokage-sama..." Kakashi replied
"I want you to get him and Tsunade..." Naruto said with a worried tone. Kakashi then left his office. Naruto sighed as he looked at the wall clock in his office. Five minutes until lunch break, and it looks like this problem is gonna take long. Hinata arrived at the Ramen house just in time for lunch. She observed her surroundings and saw no trace of Naruto at all. She then stood just outside of the Ramen house. She stared at her wrist watch and watched as it ticked. She looked up at the clouds and saw it is really dark. After five minutes, Kakashi arrived with Tsunade.
"Kakashi... where is the client's relative?" Naruto asked as he gave Tsunade the document.
"He was nowhere to be found, Hokage-sama..." Kakashi said.
"Damn... is Suna still planning to destroy Konoha?" Naruto retorted and banged his fist in his desk. Naruto then waited for Tsunade to finish reading the document. After a while, Tsunade returned the document to Naruto.
"Well... it looks like somebody has to go... or we lose these three Chuunins..." Tsunade said.
"I'll go..." Naruto said as he stared at his wall clock.
"But Hokage-sama..." Kakashi said "He didn't say whether it was the fifth or sixth that had to go there..." Kakashi added. "So it doesn't have to be you..." "The news about the Rokudaime of the fire country must have reached all the countries by now..." Tsunade said
"So that assassin will be waiting for me..." Naruto finished Tsunade's sentence.
"But what if something happens to you... Hokage-sama..." Kakashi said with a worried tone in his voice.
"Don't underestimate me, Kakashi..." Naruto said as he impatiently tapped his desk and looked at the clock. "It's already 12:15 NN, damn..." Naruto thought. "That assassin must be a skilled one... if we try to send a Hokage impostor... he might abduct him too..."
"Very well..." Kakashi said and then he left. Five minutes have already passed since Hinata arrived in front of the Ramen house. She sighed and then Ayame (the woman working at Ichiraku) noticed her standing outside. Hinata was getting pretty hungry.
"Hey... what are you doing there?" Ayame asked
"I'm waiting for someone..." Hinata replied.
"Ok then..." Ayame said
After fifteen minutes of standing outside the ramen house, Hinata's legs became tired.
"Um... excuse me..." Ayame tapped Hinata's shoulder.
"Yes?" Hinata's stomach let out a small grumble. Hinata blushed.
"Looks like you're pretty hungry and pretty tired... so why don't you came and eat here?"
Hinata smiled and then nodded. She then entered the ramen house and sat in one of its seats. She then looked at her watch and she sighed. "Where is Naruto-kun?" she asked.
"What will be your order miss?" Ayame asked
"One Barbeque Ramen, please..." she sighed again.
"Looks like your date is pretty late..." Ayame whispered at her. Hinata just nodded. "Well... it looks like I'll be in charge here for a while..." Tsunade sighed; she then looked at the paperwork piled in Naruto's desk..."
"I'm gonna leave tomorrow..." Naruto said with impatience in his voice, he looked at the clock again and saw it was already 12:18.
"Then I'm gonna arrange escorts for you..." Kakashi said
"Then... you're all dismissed..." Naruto then sat up.
"You sure are in a hurry, Hokage-sama... You're that hungry already?" Tsunade asked as she grinned at Naruto
"No... I'm going to meet someone and I'm pretty late" He then walked away from his desk.
"Is it a date?" Tsunade asked
"My personal life is none of your business." Naruto said as he walked towards the door.
"Is it a date with HI-NA-TA by any chance?" Tsunade asked while Naruto opened his door.
Naruto glared at her "You're too nosy..." he then ran out of the door.
"Tsk... youth..." Tsunade said After minutes of waiting and eating her ramen, there is still no sign of the hyperactive Rokudaime. Then all of them heard the sky's grumble.
"Looks like it's gonna rain soon..." the cook said
"You better get going if you don't want to get wet by the rain, miss" Ayame said
"Well looks like you're right..." Hinata said. She then paid for her ramen and left the Ramen house. After a minute, Naruto rushed into the Ramen house. He observed it and saw one empty bowl of Ramen.
"Did a blue haired woman eat here by any chance?" Naruto said.
"Yeah Naruto-sama... she just left a minute ago... you might be able to catch up to her..." the cook said pointing at where Hinata went.
"I really appreciate this..." he then left the Ramen house and ran to the direction where the cook told him to. After a minute of running, he finally saw a glimpse of Hinata's back.
"Hinata-chan, wait!" he shouted. Hinata then turned and saw Naruto running she smiled. Naruto then stopped in front of her, panting. He stood straight and then smiled at Hinata. "I'm sorry..." He said while scratching his head.
"It's alright..." she smiled again.
"How about dinner tonight?" Naruto exclaimed.
Hinata was pretty shocked. Naruto was this eager to ask her out? She thought. She then nodded. Naruto then walked her home to at least know her new home and pick her up there later.
"I'll pick you up here at 7" he then kissed Hinata on the cheek.
As the Hokage, Naruto has to wake up very early in the morning and start his desk job early too. That would keep him occupied until lunch break. He then looked at his clock and saw it is only 8 in the morning! Eight in the morning! He had to endure four hours of his boring desk job. Hour after hour, he looked at the clock waiting for lunch break. After three hours of his boring desk job, he looked at it again and saw it was already eleven o'clock in the morning. "Okay... an hour to go!!!" he smiled as he signed his paperwork. Time seems too slow when you're really waiting for something. As he waited for the lunch break; he continuously scribbled Hinata's name in a clean sheet of paper. Finally, he saw it was already 11:30 am. He smiled more. Then somebody knocked at his door.
"Hokage-sama... I have urgent news for you!!!" the man at the other side of the door shouted.
"Come in..." Naruto said.
The man then opened the door. It was Kakashi, holding a single piece of paper.
"Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto said. Kakashi didn't respond about Naruto still calling him 'sensei'' even though he was already the Hokage. Instead Kakashi stared at him with serious eyes. "What's the matter?" Naruto asked. Kakashi then placed the paper in front of Naruto, seeing his scribbles of Hinata's name. He formed a happy curve in his eyes while Naruto read the paper he gave to him.
"When did this arrive?" Naruto asked.
"Just a while ago, Hokage-sama..." Kakashi replied breaking off the happy curve in his eyes.
"An assassin outside wind country..." Naruto then surveyed a certain part of the document "has abducted a couple of Leaf nins..." he said. "Who were abducted?" Naruto asked.
"Three Chuunins ... Konohamaru, Moegi, Udon were the ones abducted. " Naruto's eyes twitched. Konohamaru is a very important friend of his, as well as Moegi and Udon.
"And the assassin has demanded that the Hokage should be the one who'll retrieve them personally..." Naruto said. "Kakashi.... who knows the information about the three's mission?" Naruto asked
"A relative of the client, Hokage-sama..." Kakashi replied
"I want you to get him and Tsunade..." Naruto said with a worried tone. Kakashi then left his office. Naruto sighed as he looked at the wall clock in his office. Five minutes until lunch break, and it looks like this problem is gonna take long. Hinata arrived at the Ramen house just in time for lunch. She observed her surroundings and saw no trace of Naruto at all. She then stood just outside of the Ramen house. She stared at her wrist watch and watched as it ticked. She looked up at the clouds and saw it is really dark. After five minutes, Kakashi arrived with Tsunade.
"Kakashi... where is the client's relative?" Naruto asked as he gave Tsunade the document.
"He was nowhere to be found, Hokage-sama..." Kakashi said.
"Damn... is Suna still planning to destroy Konoha?" Naruto retorted and banged his fist in his desk. Naruto then waited for Tsunade to finish reading the document. After a while, Tsunade returned the document to Naruto.
"Well... it looks like somebody has to go... or we lose these three Chuunins..." Tsunade said.
"I'll go..." Naruto said as he stared at his wall clock.
"But Hokage-sama..." Kakashi said "He didn't say whether it was the fifth or sixth that had to go there..." Kakashi added. "So it doesn't have to be you..." "The news about the Rokudaime of the fire country must have reached all the countries by now..." Tsunade said
"So that assassin will be waiting for me..." Naruto finished Tsunade's sentence.
"But what if something happens to you... Hokage-sama..." Kakashi said with a worried tone in his voice.
"Don't underestimate me, Kakashi..." Naruto said as he impatiently tapped his desk and looked at the clock. "It's already 12:15 NN, damn..." Naruto thought. "That assassin must be a skilled one... if we try to send a Hokage impostor... he might abduct him too..."
"Very well..." Kakashi said and then he left. Five minutes have already passed since Hinata arrived in front of the Ramen house. She sighed and then Ayame (the woman working at Ichiraku) noticed her standing outside. Hinata was getting pretty hungry.
"Hey... what are you doing there?" Ayame asked
"I'm waiting for someone..." Hinata replied.
"Ok then..." Ayame said
After fifteen minutes of standing outside the ramen house, Hinata's legs became tired.
"Um... excuse me..." Ayame tapped Hinata's shoulder.
"Yes?" Hinata's stomach let out a small grumble. Hinata blushed.
"Looks like you're pretty hungry and pretty tired... so why don't you came and eat here?"
Hinata smiled and then nodded. She then entered the ramen house and sat in one of its seats. She then looked at her watch and she sighed. "Where is Naruto-kun?" she asked.
"What will be your order miss?" Ayame asked
"One Barbeque Ramen, please..." she sighed again.
"Looks like your date is pretty late..." Ayame whispered at her. Hinata just nodded. "Well... it looks like I'll be in charge here for a while..." Tsunade sighed; she then looked at the paperwork piled in Naruto's desk..."
"I'm gonna leave tomorrow..." Naruto said with impatience in his voice, he looked at the clock again and saw it was already 12:18.
"Then I'm gonna arrange escorts for you..." Kakashi said
"Then... you're all dismissed..." Naruto then sat up.
"You sure are in a hurry, Hokage-sama... You're that hungry already?" Tsunade asked as she grinned at Naruto
"No... I'm going to meet someone and I'm pretty late" He then walked away from his desk.
"Is it a date?" Tsunade asked
"My personal life is none of your business." Naruto said as he walked towards the door.
"Is it a date with HI-NA-TA by any chance?" Tsunade asked while Naruto opened his door.
Naruto glared at her "You're too nosy..." he then ran out of the door.
"Tsk... youth..." Tsunade said After minutes of waiting and eating her ramen, there is still no sign of the hyperactive Rokudaime. Then all of them heard the sky's grumble.
"Looks like it's gonna rain soon..." the cook said
"You better get going if you don't want to get wet by the rain, miss" Ayame said
"Well looks like you're right..." Hinata said. She then paid for her ramen and left the Ramen house. After a minute, Naruto rushed into the Ramen house. He observed it and saw one empty bowl of Ramen.
"Did a blue haired woman eat here by any chance?" Naruto said.
"Yeah Naruto-sama... she just left a minute ago... you might be able to catch up to her..." the cook said pointing at where Hinata went.
"I really appreciate this..." he then left the Ramen house and ran to the direction where the cook told him to. After a minute of running, he finally saw a glimpse of Hinata's back.
"Hinata-chan, wait!" he shouted. Hinata then turned and saw Naruto running she smiled. Naruto then stopped in front of her, panting. He stood straight and then smiled at Hinata. "I'm sorry..." He said while scratching his head.
"It's alright..." she smiled again.
"How about dinner tonight?" Naruto exclaimed.
Hinata was pretty shocked. Naruto was this eager to ask her out? She thought. She then nodded. Naruto then walked her home to at least know her new home and pick her up there later.
"I'll pick you up here at 7" he then kissed Hinata on the cheek.