*I DON'T OWN NARUTO*
There weren't too many people coming in and out of the treasury building since missions were pretty low. Peace was wonderful, but the availability of missions had decreased significantly. Sadly conflict and war is what kept missions coming, but there wasn't a shinobi alive who wanted to go to war again.
Naruto and Shikamaru walked into the treasury buildings main office. Inside there were two sets of tables set side by side. Each table had its own line, on the right was where you went to receive a new mission, and on the left you could pick up your pay for said missions. Naruto and Shikamaru got in line. The wait wasn't bad at all since there weren't that many people in line.
The next thing Naruto knew Shikamaru was next. He walked towards the women behind the desk. He stated his name and ninja registration number. The young women looked through some note cards in a box she had in front of her. After a few seconds she pulled out a card. She had Shikamaru verify the details written on it, which were his name, registration number, and his team's purpose on that particular mission. Once he looked over the note card he signed his name and he returned it back to the young women. She took it and placed it in a different box. Then she pulled out an envelope with the Konoha symbol on it and gave it to Shikamaru. He thanked her and took the envelope slipping it into his vest.
"I'll meet you outside Naruto."
"Alright, I'll be right there."
Naruto walked up to the table and gave the women all the information she needed from him. When he signed his form she pulled out his envelope and attached to it was a note. Naruto thanked her politely. He then opened the letter as he walked outside to meet Shikamaru.
"What's that?"
"It's a note from Baa-chan, it says she wants to see me."
"She probably wants to talk to you about our mission."
"Maybe, I guess I'll just have to go and find out," said Naruto.
"Well I got to be heading out myself. Ino wants me to go on some errand for her," sighed Shikamaru.
"Alright then Shikamaru, I'll hit you up later."
"Sure thing."
The two friends waved to one another and then went in opposite directions. Naruto began making the trip to see Tsunade. As he walked he opened the envelope that held his earnings. He took a double take when he saw the amount of money that was inside. He counted the amount several times, but no matter how many times he recounted the amount was the same. According to his calculations he had somehow earned triple the amount he was use too. Someone must have made a mistake. That was the only explanation he could think of. Before he could dwell on all the money in his hand he came to a stop; he had arrived.
He put his money back in its envelope and placed in his jacket pocket. He softly knocked on the large door, and a few moments later he heard Tsunade telling him to come in. Naruto stepped inside and walked towards her desk; she was busy looking over some documents.
"I was wondering when you'd be stopping by. I wanted to congratulate you on your mission. Kakashi really had good things to say about you. If I remember his words correctly he said that you're really growing up. He also said you were a great asset to the team. It would seem that your days of being an immature nuisance are over. Good job Naruto," said Tsunade.
"That really isn't much of a compliment Baa-chan."
"Well the important thing is that both Kakashi and I are pleased with how you've grown. We're both incredibly proud of you."
"Thanks."
"I received a messenger hawk from the Kazekage. All the information your team helped gather is really going to help them out with their rouge shinobi problem. As allies we must always keep relations between our villages in good standing. Your mission to Suna was incredibly important for both villages."
"Is that why I was paid so much? I mean I've never earned this much even on S rank missions. There has to be some sort of mistake."
"No, that's actually another reason why I wanted to speak to you."
"What's this all about?"
Tsunade sighed heavily as she looked up from her paperwork.
"Please bear with me Naruto, what I'm about to tell you is incredibly convoluted so try and keep up."
"Okay."
"Now than, have you forgotten that you've been a genin for the past five years now Naruto?"
"No, how could I? I'm 17 and a genin, it's pathetic," muttered Naruto.
"The council hasn't made it easy for me to promote you. Apparently it's in the village's best interest if you never progress in rank."
"Why?"
"Because you're incredibly valuable to this village. The council is paranoid of losing you."
"But why would they..."
"War may be over Naruto, but not everyone has accepted that. Our council, as well as the officials of our fellow shinobi villages, are apprehensive when it comes to enjoying peaceful times. The repercussions of war are still visible, and the memories of what transpired are still fresh. The higher-ups of the shinobi world are still on edge, they're prepared for another war to commence."
"..."
"This is the kind of thinking that our council is guilty of. Koharu and Homura don't look at you as a person, they see you as our trump card, a weapon that must be protected at all costs."
"So they think that keeping me a genin is somehow going to prevent me from dying? How does that even make any sense? I mean I just got back from an S rank mission, and I've been taking on missions that I technically shouldn't be taking for a little over a year now."
"All of those high rank missions have been given to you because I've raised hell to make it happen. If it was up to them you'd be stuck doing low class missions for the rest of your life."
Naruto couldn't believe what he was hearing. He wasn't close to Koharu and Homura, like he was with Tsunade, but it was still so hard to see how the teammates of the Third Hokage could be so cold towards him.
"I've always fought for you, but it hasn't been easy dealing with those two, and so overtime my persistence has faltered. Of course they noticed this, and so they decided to pull a number on me. They told me that they were finally going to be giving you more difficult missions on their own accord. It looked like all of my bitching was finally paying off, they were finally trusting you. They reassured me that your current rank would eventually go up as they were going to let you participate in the next chunin exams, though that doesn't matter now."
"Why? What does any of this have to do with getting paid more?"
"They've been cheating you Naruto."
"What?"
"You've been completing high level missions but you haven't gotten the pay that comes with said mission, they've been paying you the highest amount a genin can earn."
Naruto was crestfallen when the impact of what he had heard hit him.
"Koharu and Homura are a bunch of blind old fools whose form of thinking is outdated and cold hearted," said Tsunade as she slammed her fist onto her desk. "I confronted them with my findings. They tried to feed me some bureaucratic garbage but I finally put my foot down. I am Hokage after all, and I'm sick and tired of those two constantly trying to control my decisions."
"So what are you saying Baa-chan?"
"Isn't it obvious?"
"…"
"What I'm saying is that I changed your rank Naruto, you're a jonin now, which explains the change in pay."
"I'm a jonin?"
"Yes."
"I don't know to say…"
"You don't have to say anything, it's the least I can do."
Still in shock Naruto watched in silence as Tsunade went back to her never ending mounds of paperwork. He couldn't help but feel a little odd. This was all happening so fast, and there was something that just didn't settle well with him.
"Baa-chan?"
"Yes Naruto."
"How did you figure out this was happening?"
"..."
Tsunade stopped looking over her paperwork, and in that instant Naruto sensed a brief feeling of hesitation coming from her. It didn't take long for him to figure out what was going on.
"You know Baa-chan you've always known I was worth something, even before I ever did anything big. Just like Iruka sensei, the Third Hokage, and Ero-senin did, but tell me, do you still have that unwavering faith when it comes to me becoming a father?"
Tsunade's expression instantly softened. She rose from her seat and approached Naruto; she placed both her hands gingerly on his shoulders.
"I'm sorry I didn't say anything before. It wasn't in my place to reveal this news to you. Obviously you know now, but why would you ask me such a question? Are you alright?"
"You know, I've faced death countless times, I've fought enemies whose fighting level were that of a god, I've even seen war for crying out loud, and yet I experienced a kind of fear that I've never felt before when I found out Sakura-chan is pregnant. This is completely different Baa-chan, I'm scared shitless. How am I going to do this?"
Tsunade wrapped her arms around him and pulled him in for a warm embrace.
"Why do you doubt yourself now Naruto?"
"I don't know what a father should be. I never met mine and I have no one to ask for advice. I don't want to fail my child, I really don't. I've always had teachers and mentors who've trained me in preparation for a fight, but a baby isn't an enemy I have to defeat, or a village I have to save, it's someone who's going to depend on me for everything. How can I be good parent when I never had mine?"
"You may not have your parents but you're surrounded by people who love you. Love is what makes a family, not just blood relationships. You need to know that you aren't alone in this. Myself, your peers, and the rest of the village, will help you with anything you may need," said Tsunade.
"Thanks Baa-Chan," sighed Naruto as he buried his face into the side of her neck.
They held one another for a few moments, and during that time Naruto truly felt at ease. He was happy that he could on Tsunade for support and advice. The sound of footsteps off in the distance caused Naruto to pull away from their embrace.
"Shizune is on her way."
Tsunade shot Naruto an appreciative smile.
"Thanks for the heads up Naruto. Now I need to make sure everything is on track with the baby, so please tell Sakura to stop by tomorrow. Oh, and don't get close to Shizune either, she's currently under the weather and we can't have Sakura getting sick."
"Understood."
Suddenly there was a light tap on the door and Shizune made her way inside the office holding a large stack of papers.
"Laters Shizune," said Naruto as he quickly dashed by her.
She lifted her head and barely caught a glimpse of Naruto running out the door. She turned to Tsunade confused.
"Well someone's in a hurry isn't he."
"He sure is," chuckled Tsunade.
Naruto ran through the village swiftly. He dodged people gracefully as he ran the events that had happened through his head. He was feeling a whirlwind of emotions, and he wasn't quite sure how he should be feeling. Part of him was overjoyed, he was promoted and he was receiving better pay, but at the same time he felt betrayed and used.
It was incredibly frustrating, so Naruto decided to focus his thoughts on his girlfriend instead. He leapt up the side of a building and continued his route to Sakura's on the rooftops. He leaped from building to building until he was standing atop her building's roof. He looked over the edge and saw her window was still open. He jumped off the roof and landed on her balcony. He climbed into her room and closed the window behind him.
"Don't you know how to use the front door Naruto?" Asked Sakura as she slipped on her last boot.
"Of course I do, but we're shinobi's we don't use doors, they're overrated," answered Naruto.
He walked up to Sakura and scooped her into his arms bridal style. She let out a slight scream as Naruto brought her close to him.
"Well it looks like someone came back in a good mood," said Sakura as she placed her arms around his neck and kissed him.
The two of them shared a long loving kiss until they were both forced to stop so they could catch their breath. Naruto smiled at Sakura as she loving stroked her fingers along his whiskered face.
"You know if you would have come sooner I wouldn't be dressed."
Naruto chuckled as Sakura's fingers tickled his face.
"Sorry, I was talking to Baa-chan," whispered Naruto as he kissed Sakura's neck.
His pink haired beauty tilted her head to the side exposing more of her neck for Naruto to kiss. He lightly nibbled at her soft flesh. His hunger for her was growing stronger, but now was not the time. He gave her one last kiss on her collarbone. He then reluctantly placed Sakura back down on the floor and stood her in front of him.
"Why'd you stop, is something wrong?"
"No, I just wanted to share some great news with you, that's all."
"Oh really, what's up?"
"Baa-chan promoted me to a jonin," said Naruto with a grin on his face.
Sakura placed her hand over her mouth muffling her yelp of excitement.
"Isn't that great?!"
Sakura didn't answer though instead she flung herself into Naruto and wrapped her arms around his neck. Naruto grabbed her waist and spun her around the room. After a few excited rotations he slowed down and her petite body brush up against his as her feet touched the ground. He brought her close and hugged her tightly.
"Oh Naruto I'm so proud of you!" Squealed Sakura. "I always knew you could do it, finally the rest of the council agrees."
Naruto felt a dull pain in his chest. He knew that was far from the truth but he didn't want Sakura to know the true extent of the council's wrongdoing, so he decided to leave that part out.
"We'll the council had nothing to do with this. I owe everything to Baa-chan. She's the one that stood up for me and went over the council's prior decision," said Naruto.
"Tsunade-sama went over the council?"
"Yeah it looks like she's been trying for some time. She finally lost it and made the decision
without them."
"Shisho.."
"This is really going to help us out Sakura-chan. This couldn't have come at a better time! Now you won't have to worry so much about money. I'll be getting paid much more now, so I won't have any trouble supporting us. So what do you think, are you happy Sakura-chan?"
"Of course I am! I couldn't be happier Naruto."
Naruto pulled away from their embrace slightly so that he could see her face. He noticed her skin was vibrant and she look genuinely happy.
"Oh my goodness, I just realized something."
"What?"
"Ino invited us to a last minute party she's throwing. She said it would be a great way to relax, and now it's a great reason to celebrate. You want to go, right?"
"Of course, you know I'm always up for a party."
"Great," squealed Sakura as she squeezed Naruto one last time. "The party isn't until later on tonight, so what do you want to do?"
"How about we get a bite to eat."
"That sounds like a great idea."
"Awesome, so any requests?"
"I'm not sure, let's walk around town. I'm sure I'll see something I might be craving."
Naruto opened the door and gestured Sakura to walk out first.
"Sure sounds fine to me. Ladies first Sakura-chan," said Naruto as he held his arm out in a polite manner, a smile broke on his lips. "See I know what a door is and how to use one."
