Hello everyone! Long time no see!
This fic's second anniversary is here, yay!
To celebrate, I decided to play with a couple scenes that have been in my mind for a while so that the date wouldn't pass by without any fanfare or news. I'm sorry to say this is just a small bonus chapter like Road to Wave was… I truly expected I'd have been long since done with my revision of this fic. It was supposed to be easy.
And then college happened, with this semester bringing a ridiculous difficulty spike I never saw coming. That, plus how I severely underestimated how tough it would be to modify the past chapters to match the standards of quality I now work with (on top of making everything consistent with newer chapters), made my progress with the fic to slow down to a crawl.
Like I explained in the last few chapters, I simply can't afford to fail in any subject in college, so I had to make that my absolute priority.
But I'm still alive and so is this fic. I'm afraid I can't promise when the next chapter is coming, but I can at least give you guys some fluff before I crawl back to my cavern. Like last time, there's a serious time skip going on.
Two extra notes before you begin:
1- gio08 has now joined the beta team alongside SimplePotato, so now I only have 33% of credit on my chapters. Boo. Even worse for this one since my parents inspired some of the stuff you'll read. Boo!
2- I have a really good fic to recommend to you guys, but I'll only do so at the end. The last A/N is pretty lengthy, so if you don't care for my ramblings at least pay attention to the bolded bits down there.
Bonus Chapter 2
Chapter 21 – Road to Suna, part 1 (v1.0)
When Hinata Uzumaki awakened to a sensation of unbearable heat, she immediately thought she was in the middle of the desert, suffering under the midday's brutal sunlight.
"Hnngh..."
But as her brain slowly started to work again, even if only a little bit, she realized she was in no desert. Her memory told her she was just in her bedroom in Konoha, and the heat was simple to blame on the summer that had been punishing the village for the last couple weeks.
Except there was another guilty party this time.
If the rhythmic breaths on the nape of her neck (something she only felt because her hair was up in a bun) and the presence against her back were any indication… Naruto had subconsciously decided to hug her from behind during their sleep, in a classic spooning position with his an arm draped over her waist.
Perhaps they even had gone to sleep like that, since the skies had decided to grace the village with rain while they were still up… but the lack of noise proved the rain didn't last, and Hinata could only wish it had stayed for a little while longer.
Cuddling up with her husband would've been all fine and dandy if Naruto wasn't a furnace. His body temperature was high and perfect for warming her up in the winter, especially since she felt cold so easily.
This was the opposite season.
Her skin was almost burning up where they touched, and her shirt—the only barrier between them—was drenched in a mix of their sweat.
Going back to sleep with that much discomfort was just impossible for Hinata, and on top of that, her bladder began to complain as well.
'I guess there's no way out... sorry, dear.'
With all the care she could manage, Hinata slowly pried herself away from her husband's grasp.
"Nhh… 'nata…?"
She sighed. Naruto could easily sleep through an earthquake, but somehow she could never leave their bed without being caught. It always left her feeling a bit guilty.
"Where you goin'…?" he drawled coarsely, voice heavy with sleep.
"Just the bathroom," she replied while getting up, her own voice also deeper than normal.
"Ah… okay," he replied, feeling the bed and the sheets shifting as Hinata sat up on her side of the bed.
She patted the floor around her with her feet, trying and failing to locate her slippers. It crossed her mind to just use the Byakugan but a bout of laziness made her ignore that idea. Using her bloodline limit for something so trivial and simple was almost disgraceful… and she did find the slippers after a couple seconds.
Sure, the room was really dark as it was likely very early in the morning, but she knew the layout like the back of her hand.
'Besides,' she thought as she got up, 'who needs a Byakugan just for moving around in their own room?'
…
"Wah!"
A loud thud followed her yelp, and Hinata's butt was on the floor.
Apparently, she did.
"Hinata! What's wrong?!" Naruto materialized by her side, though he was still on the bed. "Are you hurt? What happened?"
"Ouch… no, I'm fine. I just slipped," she said while rubbing her backside, and a laugh then escaped her lips. "Stumbling around my own bedroom like a true ninja, right?"
Naruto let his worried frown melt into a smirk at her humorous tone. "What did you slip on anyway?"
"Good question…"
This time Hinata didn't shun her dojutsu. Her eyesight flashed almost instinctively, and she picked up something from the floor with flat disbelief written all over her face.
"It was my bra."
He blinked. Why would that be on the floor…?
"And it's torn."
"…Oh."
Naruto let out an embarrassed laugh as some interesting memories of the last night flooded his mind. "So… this is all my fault, huh?"
She snickered at him. "Probably, but I did slip on it just now."
"That's also kinda on me…"
"Well… I guess that's true," she got up. "But don't worry, Naruto. I'm fine, I'm not mad, and I can probably sew it back somehow."
"But still—"
He felt her lips press against his forehead.
"It's nothing important," she said. "Now, what I have to do in the bathroom? Very important."
Hearing Hinata's footsteps echoing away, Naruto crawled back to his part of the bed.
'Well… at least I know what kind of souvenir to bring back,' he thought.
As the adrenaline from the scare earlier died down, Naruto almost fell asleep again in the two minutes Hinata took to relieve herself, briefly jolting awake when she waltzed back into the room. To his surprise, she didn't go back to the bed and instead walked past it.
His confusion disappeared almost completely when he heard her open his side of the wardrobe, and he had to smirk again.
There was only one reason she would do that, and if his guess was right, Hinata was walking around just in her panties.
"Y'know, you've gotta be more subtle when stealing other people's stuff. Wasn't the shirt you had on enough?"
"Consider this payback for the bra," she shot back playfully. "Besides, these shirts are all mine and you know it."
Naruto snorted. He didn't mind her thievery; it's not like he wore his pajama shirts unless it was outright snowing nowadays, but he couldn't help himself
"Might as well call them dresses if they are so yours."
"Yes!" Hinata giggled at his jab as she went back to her side of the bed. "They are big enough to reach my knees after all—it's the second biggest reason why I love using them."
Naruto felt her sinking on the mattress and turned to face her in the darkness, barely making out her shape. "Really? Then what's the first?"
"…They smell just like you."
Grinning widely, he scooted closer to his wife.
"Heh…. y'know, if that's the problem then I have a better ide—"
To his shock, Hinata gently pushed his arm away when he tried to embrace her.
"I-I think the shirt will be enough for now…"
"Hinata? What did I do?"
"Naruto, you didn't do anything wrong. It's just… you're too hot. I can't handle it right now."
Slowly and with an edge of smugness, the grin returned to his face and Naruto allowed his tone to drop to a lower pitch as he whispered his next words.
"So you think I'm hot, huh…"
He heard a muffled noise coming from her, and he just knew her cheeks were reddening.
"Y-You… I didn't mean it like that," she huffed, half-amused and half-annoyed. "We should go back to sleep now, dear."
"Hmm... hold on, I have an idea."
Hinata quirked an eyebrow when she heard two familiar poofs. "Why did you make clones?"
"You'll see. Actually, don't—just wait and don't use your Byakugan."
"…Okay?"
Confused, Hinata started to listen to the clones moving around. A mechanical buzz from above followed the sounds of the wardrobe being opened.
"The ceiling fan? Naruto, you know that's not a good idea."
"I've got a fix for it."
"Hmm…?"
Hinata closed her eyes and relaxed as the wind hit her skin, deciding to trust in her husband.
The ceiling fan they had recently installed above their bed might have seemed to be the perfect and obvious answer to the heat, but though the wind it made was nice and refreshing at first, even in the hottest of days it quickly left them both shivering from the cold.
She only understood Naruto's plan when she felt the weight of their bulkiest covers around her body. The ones they only used in the winter.
"There," Naruto said, closing the distance between them as the clones popped off. "Now you have no excuse."
"…You did that just to cuddle with me?"
"Yeah, this way I can warm you up instead of burning you alive."
Hinata broke out in a giddy laughter. "You're impossible!" she said gladly giving in to her husband's needy demands as he laughed with her.
They both shifted under the covers for a few moments. In the end Hinata had forsaken her pillow, finding it to be inadequate when compared to Naruto's chest, and his arm was wrapped up around her back to keep her as close as possible.
She felt warm, safe and comfortable.
"We gotta enjoy what time we still have," he tried to justify himself.
"I know. We'll be away from each other for so long and…"
A huge yawn made her trail off, and Naruto let out a small laugh.
"Let's just go back to sleep, okay?"
She closed her eyes. "Mhmm."
Naruto fell asleep almost immediately, and with his heartbeat as her personal lullaby, Hinata soon followed him.
Later that day, at around 2 p.m, Naruto and Hinata were sitting beside each other on the dining table of their household's living room. They had lunch almost an hour prior, and instead of food, the table was full of various kinds of medicine.
Hinata held a blister pack with red pills, and looked at N aruto expectantly.
"Uh… okay," he began, "so that one's the cold medicine."
"Right." She then took a transparent glass vial filled with golden-yellow liquid.
"That's for Hima's allergy to dust."
"Yes! And this one?"
He frowned at the little white bottle made of plastic, which hid its contents from view. "That's… for headaches, isn't it?"
Reluctantly, Hinata shook her head. "Fever, dear," she muttered and then pointed at another vial, one filled with white pills. "That one's for the headaches"
They sighed in unison, sharing a look of frustration. They had been doing this for almost half an hour already, and Naruto still couldn't remember what every medicine was meant for. He felt like an idiot, and he knew his dumbness was making his wife think she was at fault for not teaching him properly, making him feel even more moronic.
And they were almost running out of time.
Half-heartedly, Hinata then selected another vial, one made of a dark glass that masked the color of the red liquid inside.
"How about this?"
"Oh, that's easy! It's her throat medicine!"
Hinata's shoulders sagged, wiping off his confident grin. "Naruto, that's for stomachache."
"What? That can't be right. I know it's you that handles this stuff, but I remember that one." He snatched it from her hand to inspect it. "…Yup. It's that same stupid medicine I couldn't find anywhere when Hima had that throat infection two years ago."
She blinked confusedly. "Huh? But that… let me see it!"
"H-Hey!"
She practically tore the little container from his hand, almost dropping it in the process.
"You're right…! I mixed them up!"
With an uncharacteristically loud groan, Hinata let her head fall, hitting the table with noisy thump.
"Stupid. Stupid! Why did I throw the packaging away?!"
"Aw, come on." Naruto began to stroke her back with one hand in a feeble attempt to comfort her. "There's no need for all this drama."
"Drama?!"
She bolted upright, and his arm went limp. Naruto knew those were the wrong words the moment they made eye contact.
"Naruto, this is serious! How can you say that?!"
He gulped, feeling himself shrink. He was much taller than Hinata, but her rare glares always made him feel as small as an ant.
"What if something happens and you give her the wrong medicine because I had you memorize the wrong things and—"
"Mom! I can't focus with you freaking out like this!"
Wincing, Hinata slowly turned in her chair to face the source of that outcry… and Naruto did the same right after silently sighing in relief.
Sitting on the nearby sofa was Boruto, their son. He had a pencil in his hand, an open book on his lap and a second one on the seat beside him—evidence he had been busy studying for an upcoming test.
Or at least, that he was trying to.
"I don't know why you two are doing this the hard way."
Boruto ripped a page from his book before getting up and dropping the book on the sofa. Without bothering to hide the storm cloud over his head, he marched up to his parents and offered the page to his mom.
She took it timidly. To her surprise, it was completely blank.
"Look," the boy began, "just jot down the name of each medicine and what it is for. Simple. Dad can't possibly mess that up, and you can look on the internet or call aunt Sakura if you aren't sure what one of them is for."
"That's… true."
"Hey, great idea son!" Naruto said, his volume drowning out Hinata's mumble. "We keep forgetting the internet is such a handy tool…"
Boruto raised an eyebrow. "How can you forget something like that, dad?"
"Don't gimme that look. Unlike you, we didn't grow up with the internet."
Scoffing, the younger Uzumaki was just about to go back to his books when Hinata grabbed his hand, making his eyes meet hers.
"I'm sorry for forgetting you were studying here, Boruto… mom didn't mean to make you upset."
There was a deep, unnamed emotion that Hinata's eyes and expression conveyed that Boruto simply couldn't handle. She made him feel like he had just kicked a puppy.
And then blew it up with an explosive kunai.
It was completely unfair.
"I… i-it's okay, mom. Really," he said, looking away. A subtle motion from his father brought his gaze to him instead, and Naruto's expectant stare only made him feel even worse.
He couldn't apologize—they'd go nowhere if he started that vicious cycle and he didn't think he was at fault anyways—but the solution quickly popped up in his mind.
"Mom, your primary and secondary elements are Water and Lightning, right?"
"Uh… yes?"
"So… there's this difficult problem in my book and I tried to solve it but I had no luck and, well… maybe you could help?"
When Hinata didn't answer right away, still caught off-guard by the seemingly random question, Naruto placed a hand on her shoulder to give her a little push.
"Go on," he offered her an encouraging smile. "I'll solve our mess here, so go help him!"
"But…"
Seeing her still hesitant, Naruto did a dirty trick: he summoned a few clones to pick up the medicines and left the room.
"Mom?"
Now without a choice, Hinata got up and offered him a small smile. "Sure, let's see if I can help you."
"Yes! C'mon."
She followed him to the sofa. Boruto picked up the book that had been on the unoccupied seat and sunk into the sofa, flipping a couple pages before offering her the book. "Here, it's question 4 of the advanced section. Sensei said the test wouldn't cover those, but I thought that it could help anyway.."
What Boruto hadn't realized before, was that his mother's smile had been nothing but a mask. On the inside, Hinata was trembling.
'I'm totally going to embarrass myself here… I was never any good with academics to begin with, and the curriculum nowadays is so much harder than in my time!'
Resisting the urge to gulp, she sat down and read the question aloud.
"Ninja X, an Earth-specialist, was given a mission from his Kage to hunt down two missing-nin named Y and Z, known for their use of Lightning and Water respectively as well as their ability to execute a combined ninjutsu with these natures. Considering the relationship between these three chakra natures and assuming that all jutsu involved are of the same strength, which alternative below correctly explains how a defensive Earth jutsu from X would interact with that combined ninjutsu from Y and Z? Justify your answer... hmm."
While Hinata scanned said alternatives, Boruto began to share his thoughts, scowling at his feet.
"I know Earth is good against Water and weak to Lightning, but I also know Water and Lightning work really well together… so I'm torn between 'the techniques cancel each other' and 'Y and Z's combined ninjutsu wins'. I'm sure it's one of the two."
"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure," Hinata replied with what Boruto could only describe as a cheeky grin. "This is the right one."
He craned his neck to peek at the book, where Hinata's finger was. "Uh, 'X's Earth ninjutsu wins'? But how?"
"You see, Lightning jutsu aren't "just strong", most of them pack a lot of energy and focus it on small areas, almost like a spear. That's how they beat Earth. But when mixing it with Water, the Lightning chakra becomes disperse in the Water chakra…"
"Ah! It loses that piercing power and does basically nothing against to help against an Earth Wall or something like that, right?!"
"Exactly!" Hinata beamed at her child with pride, returning the book to him. "It's a good combo to make Water techniques more harmful and increase the Lightning's area-of-effect, but it's not a complete upgrade like Fire and Wind are. There's a trade-off."
"I'd never have thought of that… hah, I bet nobody in the class would get this one right!" he snickered to himself while jotting down the answer. Hinata couldn't help but be reminded of how a young Naruto looked while planning out his pranks.
She was so distracted by the sheer irony of that thought that was that she was caught by surprise when Boruto suddenly hugged her.
"Thanks mom! You're the best!"
Hinata had no qualms about reciprocating. "Oh, it was nothing. I'm just glad I was able to help you for once! You're such a smart boy, I never have the chance to do this with you anymore."
Boruto felt himself blushing. "I-I'm not th—"
"Aw, mom! that's not fair!"
Surprised, two looked behind them and barely managed to catch a glimpse of Himawari on the doorway before she flew to embrace them, almost knocking the sofa down.
"I'll be away for an entire week and he's the one getting the hugs?"
"She's my mom too, spoiled princess."
The girl stuck her tongue out. Both were smirking playfully.
Hinata giggled while looping one arm around her daughter's neck and pulled her in as best as she could.
A bright flash caught the trio off-guard.
"This one," Naruto announced, holding up an orange cell phone, "I'll have framed and on my office's desk when I return."
"Ugh, dad!" Boruto groaned, innocently burying his flushed face in Hinata's chest out of shame while the Uzumaki patriarch laughed merrily. "Don't take people's photos without warning!"
"I'd appreciate a warning next time as well…" Hinata muttered, clutching Boruto closer. Whether it was to shield him or herself, not even she knew for sure.
"Well, that's what happens when you start a family hug without me!"
"Dad, dad! Take another one with just me!"
Himawari went around the sofa, twirling to showcase herself to everyone. "I put a lot of work in my outfit today!"
The girl honestly had expected a lot of praise. Her yellow skirt and white open-toed sandals were brand new, and though her short-sleeved shirt wasn't anything special, she thought the stamp was cute… so what could go wrong?
Contrary to her expectations, Naruto's grin faded into a frown. "Um… Hima? Are you really going with a skirt that short? And that kind of sandals?"
"What's wrong with them? The skirt stops at the knee, isn't that fine?"
"Hima, we're going to a village in the middle of the desert. A sunny, sandy, windy desert."
"…Oh."
"There's another issue too," Hinata said. "Your skin color is the same as always."
The girl blinked twice before slapping her forehead. "Ugh, the sunscreen!"
"Heh. Airhead."
Himawari shot her best glare at her brother. "Nobody asked you anything!"
"You should've paid more attention to that TV Spe—"
"Enough, you two," Hinata said, releasing Boruto and getting up. "Let's go upstairs, Hima. Mom will help you."
With an exaggerated sigh, the girl followed her mother out of the room. Naruto, for his part, went to sit where Hinata had been.
Boruto still had his head buried in a book though he wasn't truly focusing on it yet. "So… how did it go with aunt Sakura?"
Naruto answered with an embarrassed chuckle. "Your aunt was mad at me, so nothing unusual." This time, however, it was completely warranted. He knew he should've gotten half of medicine duty instead of dropping it fully on Hinata. "She did give me what I needed though. Got it all on that paper, and the clones already packed all the medicine with the rest."
"Hmm."
The two spent a little while in silence, Boruto studying, and Naruto admiring him. Much like Hinata, Naruto couldn't help the pride he felt in seeing his child succeeding where he had once failed so hard.
The boy eventually felt the stare and aimed a wary glance at his father. "Why are you smiling like that, dad?"
"Nothing. Just watching you work."
"Feels like you're enjoying my suffering before you run off with Hima."
Naruto felt his smile disappear. "…You really wanted to go too, huh?"
"I definitively don't want to spend the entire week drowning in books, if that's what you're asking."
"Ugh. I know this stuff is boring, and if my trip wasn't part-business I'd have waited 'til your tests were over, but…"
"I know, I know," Boruto sighed. "Your talks with the Kazekage can't wait. But at least you'll get that promise you made to Hima out of the way." He then aimed a glare at his father, almost as if their roles were reversed. "You better make time for her during the trip. She's really been looking forward to it."
"Don't worry," Naruto smirked. "I've made a deal with the Kazekage, we won't be meeting up every day."
"Good."
"But you gotta do your part too, you know?"
Boruto met his eyes. "What do you mean?"
"I understand you'll be busy with these," Naruto pointed at the books, "but take care of your mom while I'm away, okay? She's been on the edge because of the trip, as you saw earlier."
Scoffing, the boy rolled his eyes. "Of course I'll take care of mom. I don't get why she's so worried about this, though…"
"We parents just can't help but worry when our kids are out of sight and out of reach—you'll get it when your turn comes."
Boruto frowned, refusing to look up. "Then why aren't you acting like that too if—augh, my hair! Stop messing it up, dad!"
Chuckling, Naruto removed his hand from the boy's hair. "Don't be silly, Boruto! You're older and more dependable than your sister, Konoha is a safer place with a lot of people we know and, well," he looked away, "your mom is a bit better at this parenting business than I am. So I worry, I just don't have to worry as much. Oh, and I'm still here—that kinda helps for now."
"Hmph. If you say so."
Battling with conflicting emotions, Boruto decided to just go back to his book.
"Boys, we're back," Hinata announced herself, entering the room with Himawari in tow. They walked around the sofa.
Himawari carefully placed her pink backpack on the ground and once again spun in place. "How about this?"
"Now that's more like it," Naruto nodded to himself. She had traded the skirt for a pair of jeans, the sandals for a semi-new pair of shoes, and all the skin she still displayed was now resembling her mother's pale tone thanks to the sunscreen.
Boruto offered her a thumbs-up. "Looking good, Hima!"
"Hehe, thanks!"
"Well then," Naruto heaved himself out of the sofa. "I guess it's time to go if we're both ready. You sure you didn't forget anything, Hima?"
"Yeah! Mom and I checked again just now."
"And are you sure you're not bringing anything that isn't yours," Boruto said, gazing at the girl with suspicion.
She smirked, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "It's not like you'd be able to play videogames even if I brought them with me."
"Enough you two," Naruto clapped to get their attention. "Let's go already."
Instead of moving to the front door as one would expect in such a situation, the Uzumaki family went to their backyard. Unlike the decorated garden at the building's entrance, their yard was plain and simple, perfect for the kids to play around without risking any flower's life, while also having enough space to host a family-friends meeting on special days.
In the middle of the yard were the two clones Naruto had summoned earlier, crouched on the grass as they examined a complex sealing array they had painted on a square patch of brown earth of about three square meters of area, which was almost completely covered by ink.
A three-pronged kunai was buried in the middle of the seal.
"Boss, it's ready to go!"
"Good. Get me the scroll."
While one clone simply poofed away, the other got up and went to grab a scroll on a nearby table before dismissing itself after Naruto took the scroll.
One minute later, and Himawari's backpack was sealed inside, along with Naruto's things.
"Alright, this is it."
At Naruto's words, the family of four split into two separate groups to say their goodbyes. While Himawari dove in to hug Hinata, Naruto just crouched in front of Boruto with his arms spread, an invitation that the boy didn't refuse.
"Bye dad. Take care."
"Same for you, son. Show those tests tomorrow who's boss, okay!?"
Boruto broke the hug, smirking in a way that mirrored his father. "Leave it to me!"
"And don't forget our talk from earlier."
"I won't, I promise."
The two shifted towards their girls just in time to see Hinata kissing Himawari on the forehead, their brief conversation just ending.
"And make sure your dad eats his vegetables and isn't living just from ramen, okay?"
"Count on me, mom!"
"Oi, I resent that."
Mother and daughter shared a laugh at Naruto's expense… but as Hinata was still crouched and a little bent over to match Himawari's height, the angle coupled with how the gravity pulled a bit at her clothes made the little girl see quite a bit more of skin than she had been able to.
And that sparked her curiosity.
"Mom?"
"Yes, sweetie?"
"What are those purple bruises all over your neck?"
"…"
Making a noise that one could only describe as a "meep", Hinata sprung to her full height and pulled her collar upwards as the blood rushed all over her face. Her lavender eyes were as wide as saucers… much like Naruto's smirk as he watched the scene unfolding.
"Did something happen, mom?" Boruto asked with innocent worry.
"N-N-No! N-Nothing happened! I... I mean, y-yes, it did, but… but it was just… a bug!" she blurted out, trying to smile through her embarrassment. "Yes, just a bug."
She felt proud of that excuse.
"A bug did all of that?" Himawari asked, frowning.
"Yes! Of course. J-Just a bug."
"Hmm."
Relief flooded Hinata's system as she scanned her children's faces—they were buying it. She could feel her blush receding…
"A bug that had a lot of fun sucking on that neck last night, right?"
…only for it to return redder than ever before at Naruto's words and the smugness dripping from his tone.
"Did you at least get the bug for mom?" Boruto asked with crossed arms, noting that his mom was avoiding everyone's gaze.
"Not before the bug got the best of her in other places, no."
Himawari was pretty sure she was seeing (and hearing) steam pouring out of her mom's ears while her brother scolded their father, but before she had the chance to ask Hinata what was wrong she felt a big hand on her shoulder.
"Go say your goodbyes to your brother, okay?"
The little girl was gently pushed along before she had the chance to fight back, leaving husband and wife only a meter apart from each other, a distance that Naruto quickly closed.
Hinata still refused to look up.
"Hey."
"…Jerk."
"What, so that's the goodbye I'm getting?"
"…"
Boruto, who was watching the two, couldn't help but shake his head. From the scowl on his mother's cherry-red face and the way she was trembling, he knew his dad was in hot water. He would've kept watching, if not for someone almost tackling him to the ground.
"Hey, watch it!"
"Aw, don't be so grumpy!"
Boruto almost snarled back a reply, but Himawari silenced his complaints with a loud smooch on his cheek.
"Good luck on your tests! I'll be rooting for you!"
"…D-Dammit," he looked away as she broke the hug, unable to handle the absurd levels of adorable that his sister could reach.
He settled for hugging her again, if only to hide his blush.
"I won't forgive you if you don't end up having lots of fun out there, you hear?"
"…What a weird thing to say."
"S-Shut up and let me hug you in peace, you brat!"
Despite their bickering, the two siblings spent a fair while enjoying the last bit of warmth they'd feel from each other until the week was over.
That is, until the silence allowed them to overhear some faint, wet noises coming from somewhere nearby.
Himawari was just about to look in that direction when Boruto clamped his hands over her eyes.
"D-don't look," he whispered.
"What is it?" she whispered back.
"…Dad and mom forgot we're here again."
"Oh. They're doing that weird kiss thing?"
"Yeah, that gross stuff with their tongues."
Boruto shuddered. He'd never understand adults.
"Um… since I can't see anything, can you take me to the bathroom?"
The boy groaned as he led her back inside. "Don't leave that stuff to the last minute! Bah, c'mon…"
An unknown amount of time passed between the two siblings leaving the yard and the moment when Naruto and Hinata disentangled themselves from each other, connected only by a thin bridge of saliva that soon broke apart.
They spent the following seconds in silence, doing nothing besides filling their lungs with air again and staring each other in the eye, engaging in a silent conversation.
One that Naruto eventually forced himself to stop indulging in, lest he found an excuse to stay home for a few extra hours.
"So, am I forgiven?"
"I… I'll think about your case."
Naruto snorted, but his reply died in his mouth when he noticed they were alone. "Where are the kids?"
"Hmph, so you two are finally done?"
Boruto and Himawari re-entered the yard, the boy made no effort to hide his annoyance.
"You really have guts dad, to make the Kazekage wait for you like that."
"…Aw, dammit! We're going to be late—come on Hima!"
Giggling, the girl quickly dashed to the sealing array on their yard, and Naruto would have followed if not for a small hand clamping on his wrist.
He turned to Hinata. "What is it?"
Her answer was to fiddle with the collar of his shirt, fixing the mess she had accidentally made instants before. "There."
"Heh, thanks."
"Say hi to the Kazekage for me," she said, giving him one final quick, chaste kiss that lasted less than a second.
"Sure thing!"
The instant Naruto joined his daughter above the sealing array, the entire thing began to glow a bright orange as it reacted to his chakra. He then began to weave a long, complicated sequence of hand signs that took him almost a full minute to get through.
'There!'
Electricity began to gather around Naruto and Himawari, and they offered one last wave and goodbye to their fellow Uzumaki before a massive column of orange lightning engulfed them.
When the flash dispersed, the two were gone.
Hinata and Boruto stood in the empty yard for a few more seconds until Boruto slumped with a heavy sigh.
"Guess I've got no choice but to hit the books again, huh?"
Hinata took his defeated expression with an unnaturally innocent smile.
"Well, you can do something else whenever you want to. As long as you aren't in range of my Byakugan, that is."
The boy gulped. That was a lesson he would not forget anytime soon.
"But," she raised a finger, "if I see you dedicated yourself enough today, we could have hamburgers for dinner. What do you th—"
Suddenly, Hinata was alone in the yard.
'So predictable!' she thought, laughing.
Surely enough, when she went back to the living room, Boruto was neck-deep into his book, looked more focused than ever.
"Boruto, dear, mom will take a little nap before dinner, okay?"
"Sure," he answered without even looking at her.
Confident that he would be too fearful of a trap to dare to test his luck against her Byakugan, Hinata left to her bedroom.
She had a revenge to plan.
A/N:
And that's all for now, folks!
The next part will come ONLY after I wrap up the following two arcs, and unless I get a good idea in the coming months, don't expect a bonus chapter for the next anniversary. Hopefully it will just be a normal update. (I'm also waiting for the anime/manga to give me material before I work my headcanons about new age!Suna in part 2 here, if you must know.)
So. About future chapters… like I said above, I'm struggling to even work on my revision, let alone future updates. And after reading some of the older chapters, I know I just can't let them stay like they are. I need to fix them.
I wanted to say that my last batch of tests will be mid-december, so by then I should be picking up speed… but I'm going to gift myself a Nintendo Switch with Fire Emblem Warriors after graduating, which will likely eat a massive amount of my time. Luckily for you guys I won't pick up Super Mario Odyssey anytime soon, and until we get more info on the 2018 releases I have nothing I want to buy for the Switch in the future. This is probably the last update of the year.
Does that leave you guys without any content? Yes and no.
Since you guys made it this far, I think I can assume you liked this fic. Well, I can assure you that you'll like the revised version even more! There are various new scenes and rewritten segments I'm sure will make a re-read very enjoyable. Especially since the first chapters were pretty bad… at least to me. I don't know how you guys stomached them.
That's not to say it will be necessary to read the fic again, though!
I'm working so that nobody will miss any relevant information should they ignore my revised material despite the new things I've woven in, but if you guys want, you can google for this fic on Archive of Our Own and follow it from there so you get a notification each time I post a "new" chapter.
And maybe leave comments to give me the motivation to speed up the production… hehe. I mean, seriously. Ao3 barely gives me any feedback—probably because my fic isn't slash _ —and I'm only left to wonder if this revision is worth it. Well, this is also a chance you guys have to suggest fixes to anything that bothered you about this fic. Lacking Team 8 dynamics, for example (which is my greatest pre-Wave problem).
I'm hoping that once I'm past the early Wave chapters, the revisions will come along much faster since the quality will go up as I advance and I I'll DEFINITIVELY not make significant changes to the fight scenes (they were enough of a childbirth the first time around already). But I can't promise when the next update will come, sorry.
Hope to see at least a couple of you on AO3! (Or just here again, but you'll have to keep checking my profile for the revised updates since they don't come with e-mails.)
Oh…I was going to address a couple concerns/guest reviews from the last chapter, but that will work better when the revised version is up.
And talking about the last chapter, I must thank everyone that sent feedback to me! I'm super happy with the reception—I still can't believe I got some of you to cry alongside Hinata and Hiashi there! You all rock! And netted me over 500 Favs somewhere along the way, too!
I wish I could have a better thank you present than this, but… better than just an author's note in between months of silence, right?
Please, if you have anything to say about this bonus chapter, I'm all ears! I hope you guys liked it!
Lastly, about that fic recommendation I talked about earlier… it's named Mystic Eyes of Reincarnation by Planeshunter. It's about a Hinata that never truly pursued Naruto and instead became the leader of her clan… only to rewind time with a little help from Kurama one day after Naruto dies during their adulthood, going back to Part 1 to mess with everything.
Sounds dark? It's not. It's actually one of the more amusing fics I've ever read. Hinata's thought process/the narration is usually quite funny and she acts like a mix of Adult Hinata, Adult Hinata trying to sell herself as a believable Young Hinata, and Adult Hinata being hit full-force by the hormone rush of her preteen years (this is never outright stated in the story, but there's no other explanation for some of her reactions).
The fic's an antithesis to my own: fast updates, short chapters. It should keep you guys busy while I patch the holes of this story, I guarantee it. It's a quality work.
And now, I'm off.
But not before begging for reviews again! (*points a cognitive gun at you*) Please remember to review!
Your support will definitively help me graduate!