Hokage's Office, Present Day.

When one thinks of the position of Hokage, they think of one who has earned the title of strongest in the entire village. A shinobi that possesses the power to protect the village and all of its interests; that is what a Hokage is.

What most people don't usually think about however is how that doesn't just apply to physical conflicts. There are many other duties a Hokage must do. For some reason, normal citizens and rookie ninja never really consider sifting through mountains of paperwork to be one of the Hokage's responsibilities.

That was what Minato was doing until one of his elite bodyguards, Raidō Namiashi, rushed into the room.

"Lord Hokage, we have a problem!" he said.

"What is it?" Minato calmly questioned.

"We've been getting reports of some kind of wild chase happening throughout the village."

"Wild chase? Wild how?"

"According to the reports, two individuals have been jumping through rooftops, slipping through alleys and in and out of stores and overall disrupting day to day activities.

"Is there someone nearby that can convince them to stop?"

"That's the other thing…" Raidō averted his gaze, but Minato could still see the fear in his eyes. "Every shinobi nearby are too afraid to step in."

"Afraid?"

"I probably should have informed of the descriptions of the two in the reports. One of them is a small child with blonde hair and distinctive whisker marks on his cheeks and the other is a woman with long flowing red hair."

A weak chuckle slipped through Minato's lips. "Y-You don't say…"

Another aspect of the Hokage job that others don't really think about is balancing the responsibilities of work with the responsibilities one has towards their families. An even more obscure aspect of the are the scenarios when those two responsibilities come together.

"Alright, I'll go and get them to stop," Minato declared, slipping on his long white haori. "Raidō, where were they last seen?"

At that moment, the two heard something banging on the office windows. Turning around, Minato found his son swiftly going back and forth between the windows, hammering his fists on each one.

"Dad! Dad! Open up! Open up!" he cried.

Minato calmly opened the center window and watched in silence as Naruto dove under his desk. The fear on his son's face was all he needed to confirm the situation.

"Naruto, you know running just makes it worse…." he weakly encouraged.

"That's easy to say when she's not chasing you!" Naruto argued.

Minato contemplatively scratched the back of his head.

Can't argue with him there…

"NARUTO!"

A sharp chill shot up their spines as they heard what sounded like a rampaging bull heading towards the office. Suddenly, everything went quiet. One would hope that the silence would signify the other participant of the chaotic chase went away, but they all knew better. Mere seconds later, the door to the office violently swung open.

Naruto's heart started to race as he heard the sound of someone stomping towards the desk. Images of his pursuer's face flashed in his mind. There were two faces that he was afraid of; there was their angry face and then there was their other face. The face that was even scarier. You couldn't even see their face when they're like that. Their face was blanketed by an out-of-nowhere shadow, as if to emphasize the blank white eyes and the demonic flowing red hair.

He, like most of the villagers, feared that face the most; a face that was now directed solely at him.

"Gotcha…" Kushina growled.

A small child's scream could be heard throughout the entire village.

…

A small groan escaped Naruto's lips as he stared at the plate in front of him. There was nothing but vegetables on it.

I hate veggies…

The 6-year old glanced at his mother. Not too far away, she was washing the dishes. But even though she wasn't looking his way, he could tell that her focus was mostly on him.

But I'm afraid of Mom more…

With no other choice, Naruto grabbed the plate of food and crammed everything on top into his mouth. Regret hit him quickly as the variety of vegetables brushed his tongue all at once. He wasted no time swallowing his dinner, battling the desire to throw up what he was forcing down his throat.

I hate veggies…!

"See, was it really that bad?" Kushina asked with a proud smile. "Definitely didn't call for having your mother chase you around the village 3 times, huh?"

Naruto blankly stared at his mother. He expected to lose her before he made it to Ichiraku, but, to his amazement and horror, she forced him to zig-zag through the village more than once. What was even more horrifying was the idea that she could have kept that up longer than that.

"Why are parents always so serious about giving their kids vegetables?" Naruto complained.

"Wait… I'm prepared for this one…" Kushina dug into her pocket and pulled out a tiny sheet of paper. Clearing her throat, she read, "Most parents understand that vegetables are an important part of their child's diet because vegetables are a good source of fiber, vitamins, and minerals."

"Huh?" Naruto could only stare at his mother, confused by what he just heard.

"They're good for essentially," she said. "You gotta eat a lot of veggies if you want to be strong like your father and mother."

"I don't really feel much stronger. Did you eat a lot of veggies when you were a kid?"

"Uhm…" Kushina's cheeks grew bright red as she nervously scratched the back of her head. "Of course I did."

She started anxiously laughing, confusing her son. Memories of her first encounter with vegetables were as clear as day.

At least I didn't use the chains on him like they were used on me…

Her brief stint down memory lane was soon interrupted by the sound of a door closing. Minato breathed a sigh of relief as he walked into the kitchen.

"Dad!"

A bright smile crossed Naruto's face as he waved at his father.

"Anything interesting happen today?" Kushina asked.

"N-Not really…" Minato weakly answered.

He wasn't too sure if he should tell his wife and son that their village wide game of chase that ended in his office was the most "interesting" part of his day. Would they find that insulting or would they not care. Maybe they would take it as a compliment?

Minato shook his head. A droplet of sweat crawled down his face as he chuckled.

One of them definitely wouldn't…

"Hey, Dad, did your parents force you to eat a lot of veggies when you were a kid?" Naruto asked.

"Vegetables? Actually, now that I think about it, they didn't. I ate them of my own volition," Minato answered. "They are good for you."

Minato received two different reactions from his family; his son was dumbfounded while his wife was gleefully snickering. But though their reactions were different, their thoughts were the same.

Had to be the only kid who did so…

"Sensei said I had to be the only kid who did so," Minato chuckled.

"And yet look who became Hokage?" Kushina pointed out. "I rest my case."

Naruto glanced down at his empty plate.

I still hate veggies…

"Anyway, it's time for bed," Kushina announced.

"What? It's way too early for bed!" Naruto complained.

"Not for those that makes their mother chase them around the whole village three times."

Though she had a smile on her face, Naruto could tell how she really felt. Her hair slowly raising up and down made it all too clear.

"Yes, ma'am!"

Naruto wasted no time running out of the kitchen.

"Don't forget to brush your teeth!" Kushina yelled.

"On it!" Naruto yelled back.

Minato turned to his wife with a inquisitive look on his face.

"Three times? I thought that was an exaggeration in the report."

"It wasn't," Kushina sighed. "He really did run around the village three times. Probably would have done more laps if he didn't dive into your office, ya know. Wait… There was a report?"

"Nothing specific, just two people jumping around the village…"

"Screaming at each other…?"

"That may have been on there…"

Kushina's cheeks grew red with embarrassment as she plopped down in a nearby chair.

"…At least I didn't use the chains, ya know…" she said.

Minato just stared at his wife. "Your parents used the chains on you?"

"Yep. Said veggies are 'good' for you and I had to eat them," Kushina moaned. "I know that now, but the chains were still going a bit overboard."

"Yeah… That really does sound like an overreaction. I never realized the dark relationship between kids, parents and vegetables."

The young Kage glanced at a nearby photograph hanging on the wall. It was the official team photo he took with his old students: Kakashi, Obito and Rin.

It was a tough time getting everyone together in the photo, but he still looked back on the day with fondness.

"You know, the way you act around Naruto sometimes is similar to how you acted around Obito," Minato noted.

"Well, I did kinda wish that Naruto would be like him…" Recalling her past interactions with Obito, a small smile formed on Kushina's lips. "They really are alike in personality; they both know exactly how to get on my bad side."

On the floor above them, Naruto dragged himself into his room and jumped into his bed. Like always, his eyes were drawn to the covered up hole in his ceiling. It's been there for as long as he could remember, but he never knew what caused it. The scorch marks that outlined the hole only made it even more mystifying.

Maybe someone used a fireball in my room.

He had asked his parents but they always dodged the topic.

"Oh well."

Naruto shrugged and turned over in his bed. Despite not wanting to, the child quickly drifted into the blankets of sleep.

The next morning…

Minato's eyes scanned through the front page of the local newspaper.

"What's going on with the world today?" Kushina asked as she placed a plate in front of her husband.

"Nothing much. Though there is some noise about the release of a new book," Minato answered.

"Your old Sensei got another book published?" a look of disgust planted itself on his wife's face as she considered what she just said. "It's not another one of that series I catch Kakashi reading is it?"

"It's not one of Sensei's novels. It's something called In the Darkness of Sh-"

"Morning, Mom! Morning, Dad!"

Naruto rushed into the kitchen and strapped on the backpack sitting in his seat.

"Are you seriously going to leave without eating breakfast?" Kushina asked perplexed.

"Right, right."

Naruto dug into his bag and put on his signature goggles. Once they were securely in place, he grabbed a nearby sandwich and stuffed it in his mouth as he rushed to the kitchen window.

"Hey! You could at least eat at the table with your family!" his mother raged.

"I gomaa jeb jovig ko I kin wock hide end bd e awdsohm shobbi I gotta get going so I can work hard and be a awesome shinobi" Naruto replied.

With a confident grin, the child dove through the window and took off.

"Could've at least go through the front door…" she sighed. "He's really making hard not to use the chains…"

Once again serving as a witness to the typical family routine, Minato sheepishly chuckled before returning to his morning paper.

…

Naruto jumped from rooftop to rooftop on his way to the academy. He didn't really know why, but he was one of the few kids his age to so effortlessly; a fact that made the other members of his class green with envy.

He continued to make his way to the academy until he heard a scream. One negative to using the rooftops as a route was when the need to make a sudden stop arises. Naruto frantically waved his arms in a counter-clockwise motion to force his body to fall back on the roof instead of forward towards a 3 story fall.

He breathed a sigh of relief then looked down towards the street below; a familiar young girl with medium length brown hair scrambling around the street.

He hopped down next to her and asked, "Hey, Ayame, what are you doing?"

"Huh?" the startled 11-year old looked up and followed the greeting to Naruto. "Hey, Naruto, I kinda tripped and…"

The two looked around. Scattered across the ground were bowls that were miraculously undamaged.

"…You see the rest," she sighed. "Dad's not going to trust me with another supply run when he finds out I dropped everything the first time he trusted me to do it."

"Pops getting mad?"

Naruto closed his eyes and recalled the last time Teuchi was mad and lashed out at someone. A snort slipped out of him.

That was hilarious.

The idea of seeing him get mad again was enticing until he noticed the distress on Ayame's face.

Then again, Pops yelling at Ayame isn't that funny.

He knew right then and there what he to do. A bright smile stretched across his face as he reached for a bowl.

"C'mon, Ayame, we got to get these to Ichiraku before Pops gets mad at us," he declared.

"Us? But don't you have class today, Naruto?" Ayame asked.

"The interesting stuff doesn't happen this early, so I'm good," Naruto assured her. "Anyway, GO!"

On his signal, the two began collecting ramen bowls as if their lives depended on it. With lightning speed, they gently placed the bowls into their original packaging.

"Alright, let's get these to Pops!" Naruto loudly declared.

"Wait…" Ayame started counting the bowls. While they did collect everything she dropped, her expression darkened as she discovered a new problem."We can't take these to Dad…"

"Why not?"

"I just realized that they're all dirty from being on the street…"

"Can't you just wash them at Ichiraku?"

Ayame's shoulders slumped forward and her expression darkened even more.

"Oh right, Pops would yell at you…" Naruto crossed his arms as he contemplated their situation. "I got it! To my house!"

…

Naruto and Ayame poked their heads out of a nearby bush and fixed their gazes towards the former's house.

"What are we doing at your house, again?" the 11-year old asked.

"To wash the ramen bowls," Naruto answered.

"Oh, I get it; we're going to ask Mrs. Kushina to help us out."

"Are you crazy?! You know what would happen if Mom finds out I'm skipping class?"

Naruto shivered at the thought. He didn't want to see the blank eyes and swaying red hair again so soon. He already considered himself lucky that he didn't see the red aura she sometimes has.

"Alright, let's see if Mom's home."

Using the utmost caution, the two approached Namikaze/Uzumaki household and peeked through the kitchen window. As Naruto expected, his mother was still home.

"How are we going to get to the kitchen with your mom still home?" Ayame whispered.

"Um…"

His mind was as blank as a white canvas. He never really thought that far ahead in regards to sneaking by his mother.

It seemed that he would have to abandon the plan and come up with a new one until he noticed someone approach the front door.

It was a young woman with fair skin and pink hair that was tied back with a black ribbon. But what Naruto found most notable about the stranger were her green eyes. There was a gentle and inviting.

He didn't know why it was happening, but Naruto felt his heart race just by looking at her.

He was sure that she was literally sparkling, but that radiance disappeared when his mother answered the door.

He couldn't quite hear what they were saying, but judging by their happy faces, they seemed to be familiar with each other. Moments later, the two took off, eventually disappearing from sight.

"I didn't know Mom had a friend like that," Naruto thought aloud.

"A friend like what?" Ayame asked.

"…I don't know. Just a friend like that."

"She's as pretty as Mrs. Kushina."

"Yeah…" his heart slowly returned to its usual pace as he shifted his focus back towards the task at hand. "Anyway, let's go."

The two carried the box filled with ramen bows into the house and into the kitchen.

"Alright, let's get these bowls ready for ramen!" Naruto declared.

"Alright! Hand me the C-V̅XX soap and towel!" Ayame cheered.

"What…?"

An awkward atmosphere hung above the two.

"You do have C-V̅XX products here, right?" Ayame anxiously asked.

"What is that?" Naruto questioned.

"They're probably that best brand in the world. They make almost anything which includes towels and soap. Dad says that we need the best to properly clean the bowls we serve our customers."

"Wow… I never realized Pops took serving ramen this seriously… No wonder his is always the best."

"So…"

"I don't think we have any of those… But I know where we can get some!"

…

A child's screams could be heard over the heads of the citizens on the streets. Ayame's grip on Naruto tightened and tightened as the 6-year old jumped from rooftop to rooftop.

"Why do we have to go to wherever you're going by rooftop?" she cried.

"Because it's faster and I don't want my Mom to see me on the streets," Naruto replied. "Do you know what will happen if she catches me cutting class?"

"Okay, so where are we going?"

"There!"

Naruto jumped down to street level and landed in front of one of the many stores around.

Ayame glanced up at the sign and read aloud, "'Emporium Karin?' Isn't this a ninja weapon shop?"

"Yeah, but they got a lot of other stuff too. I bet they got what we need here."

Naruto led Ayame into the store. The inside was barely lit and possessed a gloomy atmosphere that weighed on their souls.

"What is this place?" Ayame shuddered as she looked around.

"Yeah, the owner kinda runs this shop this way…" Naruto sighed.

"Can I help you…?"

Such a sudden greeting caused the two visitors to fall flat on their face. Naruto quickly jumped back on his feet and turned around. Standing behind him was a small girl. She was about Naruto's age but lacked the energy that his age group usually had.

Just by looking into her reddish-pink eyes was enough to see that she was hollow inside.

"Karin, you got to stop doing that," Naruto said. "You're going to scare your customers away."

"Sorry…" Karin apologized.

The tone of her voice was almost cold and emotionless as the weapons that surrounded them.

"Um… So, do you have any C-V̅XX soap and towel?"

"I believe I do… Let me check the back…"

Karin walked to the backroom, leaving Naruto to wonder why she so gloomy all the time. 5 minutes later, Karin returned with a bottle of soap and a towel.

"There were some in the back…" she said.

"Alright!" Naruto cheered. "Thanks, Karin!"

"That will be 200 ryō…"

All sense of happiness vanished the instant he heard that number.

"T-Two hundred ryō?! It's that much for soap and a towel!?" Naruto exclaimed.

"Yes…"

Naruto frantically dug into both of his pockets. As he expected, he didn't have even a single ryō.

"Um… I'm kinda broke…" he admitted.

The child glanced down at Ayame and asked, "Hey, Ayame, you got any ryō?"

Not a word was said in response to his question. Taking a closer look, he realized that she was unconscious.

"Oh…" Naruto muttered.

"I guess I could give it to you for free…" Karin proposed.

"No way!"

Though Naruto had no qualms about receiving items for free, he knew that it wouldn't be good for Karin to keep giving things for free.

"I don't have any money, but what if I do something for the store, like help you sell stuff?" Naruto offered.

"Aren't you supposed to be in class right now…?"

"The interesting stuff doesn't happen this early anyway," Naruto shrugged. "So c'mon, give me something to do."

"Well… There is a shipment of supplies waiting for me at the Post Office … It was always my job to pick it up, but it's been hard to do that lately while keeping an eye on the store…"

"Got it! I'll go get you your things and you can give us the stuff right?"

"Yes…"

"Alright, stay right there! I'll be back in no time!"

…

The Hidden Leaf Post Office, a fairly tall building where mail comes and goes. It is the job of those that work there to sort through and deliver incoming mail to those in the village. For outgoing mail, they enlist the help of the local delivery birds to send mail to destinations far away.

It wasn't the most glamorous or eventful job, but-

"Hey!"

Naruto's sudden appearance in the top floor along with his loud voice proved to be an event itself.

It took a full minute for them to regain their composure. Envelopes were scattered across the floor due to his sudden outburst, a fact that earned him more than a few glares.

"Um… I'm here to pickup something?" he awkwardly explained.

…

Naruto paced back and forth on a nearby rooftop in a huff.

"I said I was sorry!" he complained. "What more do they want from me?! And what do they mean 'only authorized personnel can pickup for someone else'!"

The annoyed child plopped himself down along the edge of the roof and groaned.

"Can't ask Dad for help and only assigned ninja can collect mail. I didn't know you could even be assigned boring missions like that. Hope that doesn't happen to me."

All hope seemed lost until he got an idea. A devious smile crossed his face as jumped down into a nearby alley.

…

Normally the entrance to the Post Office wouldn't have staff members guarding the entrance, but they knew Naruto wouldn't give up that easily. They knew something eventful was going to happen, but what they did not expect the next one to be the arrival of the Fourth Hokage.

"Morning, guys," Minato greeted with a wave.

"L-Lord Hokage?! What brings you here?!" one of the asked.

"Just here to pickup something."

Minato whistled a little tune as he walked past the sentries. They were dismayed as they watched their Hokage stroll by with a single fox tail jutting out from underneath his haori.

"Wait a minute…" one of the guards grabbed the tail and violently jerked it towards them.

Minato exploded into a puff of smoke and, once it cleared, revealed a startled Naruto.

"Naruto!"

"Crap! Plan B it is then!"

Naruto pulled a spherical object from his pocket and slammed it on the ground, covering the immediate vicinity with smoke.

"I'm getting Karin's supplies!" he yelled as he charged into the building.

From outside the building, the villagers could hear a variety of dialogue that made it clear what was happening in the Post Office.

"Stop him!"

"Grab him!"

"I'm just trying to get supplies for someone!"

"Authorized personnel only!"

"I need to get it for her!"

"Don't let him get any further!"

"Fine, take this! Sexy Jutsu!"

Everything went silent after that final announcement. Moments later, Naruto jumped out of the building with a package in hands and proceeded to make his way back to Emporium Karin.

…

Naruto plopped the supplies in the middle of the store with a victorious grin on his face.

"Got it."

"Thank you…" Karin slowly approached Naruto and presented the C-V̅XX products he asked for. "Here you go… Please come again…"

"Thanks, Karin!"

Naruto lifted the still unconscious Ayame over his shoulder and rushed out of the store. He carried her all the way to his house and woke her up once he reached the kitchen. They then spent the next 45 minutes cleaning the bowls then rushed to the Ramen Ichiraku.

Along the way, they tripped and dropped the box, leading to dirt covering the somehow undamaged bowls once again.

"Oh, come on!" Naruto raged.

Gathering and stuffing the scattered products back into the box again, the children turned around and rushed back to Naruto's house. They spent 45 more minutes washing the bowls and rushed to Ramen Ichiraku.

Tired and out of patience, the two plopped the box in front of the restaurant.

"There you are, Ayame," Teuchi said. "Where have you been this entire time?"

"She was just making sure that the stuff got here without anything happening, Pops," Naruto breathlessly answered.

"Naruto? Aren't you supposed to be in class right now?" Teuchi asked.

"The interesting stuff doesn't happen this early, so I'm good," Naruto assured him.

They anxiously watched the restaurant owner inspect his order. To his surprise, they were cleaner than he expected them to be.

He thought for sure that they would need to clean them, but they were near spotless. He could tell just by looking at the gleam what really happened.

A proud smile formed on his lips as he drew his daughter to his side.

"Good work, Ayame," he praised.

A happy giggle slipped past her lips.

Teuchi then turned his attention to Naruto.

"Do you think you have enough time for a free bowl of ramen?" he offered.

"You bet I do!" Naruto cheered.

"Naruto?"

Naruto turned towards the voice calling him. To his surprise, it belonged to his father.

"Dad, what are you doing here?" he asked.

"I was just taking a stroll," Minato answered. "But more importantly, why aren't you in class?"

"I was just helping someone with something. Besides, the interesting stuff doesn't happen this early anyway, so I'm good."

"Actually, Naruto, whether you find it interesting or not, everything they teach you in the academy is important, so missing anything is detrimental to your growth as a shinobi."

"Really?"

Naruto shot his father a look of disbelief.

"Really," his assured him. "Plus…"

Minato bent down and whispered into his ear, "You are aware that classes for the day will end soon, right?"

A sharp chill shot up and down Naruto's spine as he processed what he was told.

"OH CRAP!"

Wasting no time, Naruto frantically scaled the nearest building and took off for the Academy.

Minato scratched his right cheek as he watched his son disappear from sight. "He left before I could offer to take him there…"

From the corner of his eyes, he noticed a familiar look on the passing by villagers. Anxiety and fear; those emotions were aimed at the direction his son took off towards.