Three months had passed since Kakashi's first mission as a captain, since then he had completed many other missions given to him successfully. Following his success, Naruto had decided to allow Nawaki and Anko to lead their own teams as well, he felt it was time to let them decide their own paths in life, he didn't want to coddle them any more than he already had. Each of his student had become an accomplished ninja he was proud of.
The war had also hit its final stage, as Hanzo had predicted, Konoha had definitely come out as the winner with it having successfully allied with the neighbouring small countries to defeat the invading forces and holds its own in the war. But, the other nations still wouldn't accept their defeat, hence the reason the war hadn't officially ended yet.
Naruto, meanwhile, was busy looking after Mikoto, after the news of her pregnancy became public knowledge, she was swarmed with gifts and well-wishes, in fact, there were so many gifts that Naruto had to seal most of it away to make space, it seemed that everyone in the village had given them something.
But, this meant that Mikoto had nothing to do to pass her time, she was already given a heap of clothes by the clan for the baby, be it a boy or a girl. Other essentials like cribs and toys were all given to her as a gift for the baby. She literally had nothing to do except wait for the baby to pop out.
"Narutooooo" Mikoto whined as she waddled towards him, "I am so bored".
Keeping the dish he was washing aside, Naruto removed his apron and guided Mikoto back to the couch.
"Well, we can't do anything about it now, can we?. You are 7 months pregnant, there isn't much for us to do at this stage" Naruto replied as he gently sat her down on the couch and massaged her feet, "How about I make you that dish you really like".
"That dish makes me puke now, it seems the baby doesn't like spicy food" she replied while making a stinky-eye, "You better be damn cute when you finally decide to come out", she continued, addressing the baby in her stomach.
Naruto just smiled and continued massaging her feet.
"Ohh, the baby is going to be very cute, I am sure of it", Kushina replied as she entered the room, "Believe me, all Uzumaki babies are supercute cute. I can't wait to have one of my own!".
"We talked about this Kushina" Naruto sighed, "You are too young to have a baby right now, Mikoto is too I believe, so am I. I had planned to wait a few years after our marriage then try for a baby but my hormones clearly didn't agree with with me. I just couldn't say no to her advances."
"Yeah" Mikoto giggled "He made love to me for 2 whole days, It would have been a miracle if I didn't get pregnant".
"2 days?" Kushina asked in wonder, "We barely do it for 4 hrs and he always insists on using protection."
"I guess I just got lucky being his first" Mikoto boasted.
"Can we stop discussing our sex-lives, I do believe we have guests" Naruto replied while looking at the windows.
Kakashi, Nawaki and Anko, slowly poked their heads through the window with a sheepish smile.
"We are sorry, sensei. We didn't mean to eavesdrop." Kakashi apologised
"Yeah, you were talking about -" Anko continued but Naruto cut her off.
"Its alright," He shrugged, "just don't get caught next time".
This response caught them off-guard, they totally believed Naruto was gonna punish them for eavesdropping.
"So, why are you guys here, did you want help with something?" Kushina asked.
At first, no one spoke, all three of them still embarrassed by their behaviour but Kakashi soon took charge and cleared his throat.
"Sensei, The sandaime has asked for you," He then looked in Kushina's direction and continued "and you too, Nee-San. He said it was important and to meet him as quickly as possible." Kakashi finished, by now all three of them were inside the house, having jumped in through the window.
Naruto nodded and got up from his position near Mikoto's feet and did a few stretchs, Kushina followed soon, both of them heading towards the door.
" Wait for me" Mikoto called out as she attempted to stand up, Kakashi and Nawaki immediately went to her side and helped her up, "I am coming too".
Naruto sighed, "Mikoto its not good for you or the baby to move so much, besides the third only asked for the two of us, you should stay here and rest, Kakashi and his team will keep you company".
"No, I am coming too" Mikoto firmly replied, "Besides, what's good having a influential husband if you can't lord it over other when you want to, you can't change my mind and I am sure the third won't mind".
Seeing that Mikoto had put her foot down on the matter and Kushina was no help either choosing to not interfere, Naruto sighed again and helped her get ready instead, there was no changing her mind once she got like this.
The way to the hokage tower seemed longer than it actually was as after every few minute a passerby would stop and congratulate the couple and ask innane questions about their daily lives but after answering the same questions 10th time, Kushina seemed to have had enough and leapt to the rooftops.
"I will meet you at the tower, I don't have enough patience for this" with that she leapt to another roof top, Kakashi and team following her with an apologetic look on their faces.
Naruto sighed, again, "If she doesn't have patience for this, how will she manage having a baby." Mikoto nodded her head and watched everyone leap away with envy.
But, after being interrupted few times again, even she couldn't handle it anymore.
After the person they were talking to left, Mikoto whispered quitely, her eyebrow twitching in annoyance, "Naruto, I will punch the next person who stops us again if you don't do something, quickly! ".
Naruto stopped midstep and, you guessed it, he released a long sigh.
"Where is Naruto?" Satutobi inquired, "He should have been here by now".
Kushina just shrugged in response, "People kept interrupting us on our way, it's was why I chose to come here through roof tops, I can't handle so much attention."
There was a knock on the window as soon as she finished talking, they could see Naruto holding a very pissed-off Mikoto bridal style.
After letting them in, Naruto quickly sat Mikoto down on a couch and motioned the third to keep quiet, as he was about to speak.
Third, understanding the underlying message, wisely chose to not ask any questions regarding her mood, 'Pregnant women can be pretty scary' he thought as he observed her slowly crush Naruto's hands in her grip.
The office was silent for few seconds, the only sound was Mikoto breathing and Naruto's bones slowly creaking under her grip, everyone understood the severity of situation and wisely kept quiet till she could calm down a little.
Then came in Jiraiya, he entered with a loud bang, the doors smashing against the walls as he forced them open, his usual way of entering the office. Following him were Tsunade and Orichimaru, Tsunade was about to reprimand him as she always does but she froze as she quickly read the atmosphere in the room, everyone was motioning to keep quiet, she finally understood their message when she laid eyes on a very pissed off Mikoto, she wisely backed away along with Orichimaru, who had figured out what was going on too.
"How are you sensei?, I just returned from my trip to Ame, met these intresting young children there" Jiraiya started with his usual boisterous loud voice, Sandaime tried to warn him but he didn't seem to get the message.
"Oh, Naruto! And Kushina too!, what a surprise!, you have definitely become more beautiful since the last time I saw you" He called out as he approached them, "Oh, Mikotos' here too?, Have you gotten fat?, you weren't this chubby the last time I saw you".
Naruto moved away from her as soon as her grip on his hand loosened for a second, by now Jiraiya was face to face Mikoto, still oblivious of his impending doom.
"I know you will be married to Naruto soon and he doesn't care for outer appearance and all, but still, you should keep your weight in check".
"Jiraiya, I think you should stop talking now", Tsunade tried to help but it was already too late.
Mikoto's hair shadowed over her eyes, hiding them from view, her fingers closed in a tight fist, shaking with annoyance.
"Hey!, its just a friendly advice from someone who seen what weight gain can lead to", that was the last sentence he spoke before he lost conscious.
Mikoto lowered her fist, her blue Susanoo following her movements, did the same.
"Anyone else have any comments regarding my weight or my pregnancy, Now is the time to speak up" Mikoto addressed everyone present, her Mangekyou in full-view glaring at everyone with menace.
There was pin drop silence in the room, no one knowing how to diffuse the situation without escalating it, the third tried to push Naruto ahead to calm with her but was unsuccessful since Naruto himself was hiding behind a shocked Kushina and pushing her forward.
After what felt like an eternity but were just few seconds, Mikoto collapsed to her knees breathing heavily, prompting Naruto to immediately come to her side and help her back to the sofa she was sitting on.
As the tension died down, the third ordered the hidden Anbu to stand down and retreat to their posts, a group of shinobi had already dug Jiraiya out of the rubble he was buried under and bought him back to the tower.
"Is she OK?" Kushina asked as she observed Naruto scan Mikoto, Jiraiya was being berated/healed by Tsunade nearby.
"She fainted because of the stress of her sharingan, besides that she is fine, so is the baby" Naruto replied as he gently tucked her in.
"What the hell was that outburst?" Tsunade asked in shock as she healed Jiraiya, "his injuries are as severe as your's were when Kushina had blasted you through the ceiling that one time."
"She is just hormonal, it's because of the pregnancy, I think " Naruto replied, unsure.
"I understand her being hormonal but this type of response is very dangerous, for her and the baby" Tsunade replied, instructing Team Kakashi to take Jiraiya to the hospital.
"The sharingan deeply affects our behaviour, we Uchiha feel heightened state of emotions even under normal circumstances, combine that with the hormones of a pregnant women with a sharingan as powerful as hers, you get some very dangerous mood swings." Naruto explained, "besides, she was already annoyed before we got here, Jiraiya just pushed her over the edge and paid the price. I'll just have to make sure no one angers her again and everything should be fine".
"Now that, that's taken care of, let's get back to business" The third remarked as he sat on a spare chair since most of the office, along with the table and his chair were destroyed during Mikoto's outburst.
"Can't we discuss it later?" Naruto asked.
"I have been putting it off for a while now, it can't wait any longer".
Naruto sighed and sat down on the ground besides Mikoto's couch, Kushina following him and sat down close to him, Tsunade doing the same while Orichimaru decided to keep standing.
"I am stepping down from my position as the hokage, I can no longer run the village for you, you have to step up and take the hat, now."
"I am sorry but what does that have to do with us, why are we here?", Orichimaru asked, "you have already chosen him as the Yondaime, I can understand Tsunade being here since she is his teacher but I really have no business being here".
"I will get back to you on that," Third replied, "Firstly, I can no longer lead in your stead because of a decision I made, I requested for a ceasefire between all the warring nations, now that in itself isn't the reason, it's because we were winning and I still decided to wave a white flag to our enemies, it made me look weak, it made our village look weak hence the council has officially retired me from my position. I can of course overrule them but I feel its the right time for me to step down, the war has gone on for long enough, if none of us are willing to backdown, then the war may never end."
"That surprisingly noble of you" Naruto replied, "Not many can choose peace when war is much favorable, it speaks volumes of your character", Tsunade and Kushina nodded in agreement.
"Thanks", the third replied, ignoring the 'surprisingly' comment, "Secondly, From now on you are officially incharge, I have no power to order our Ninjas to missions anymore, so, congratulations on taking the office, whatever's left of it anyway" He remarked while looking around the broken office, it was completely destroyed from one side giving a large view of the village, "There will be peace negotiations held within a week from now in the land of Iron, this brings me to my last point, You Naruto, are going to attend the negotiations as the Hokage, I wanted you to take my students as your guards but since Jiraiya is injured and Tsunade will have to look after him, that will not be possible anymore, so you are free to choose anyone you want to be your guard just remember, it's compulsory to have atleast 3 guards so don't think you can go there alone. The future of the village is in your hands, I know you will make me proud."
"Thanks" Naruto replied, "I don't know what to say".
"Its ok, I'll leave you with some parting words which expresses my feelings to you. "
Everyone held their breath in anticipation as they expected the third to give some deeply meaningful monologue, the third let the silence stretch, finally he responded.
"Tag, your it, Sucker!!!"
With that, he vanished in a plume of smoke, leaving an awkward silence and dumbfolded expressions behind.
"I bet he has waited years to say those words to someone".
After the thirds dramatic exit, Naruto sent Tsunade and Orichimaru back to do whatever they were doing before, he then had Nawaki repair and reinforce the damaged wall and make some extra tables and chairs using his Mokuton, he already knew he was gonna need a lot of them with both Mikoto and Kushina around.
By the time his office was ready, Mikoto had woken up in tears for injuring Jiraiya and damaging the office then she got extremely happy when she learned that Naruto will be officially working as the Hokage from now, then she got sad again because she wouldn't get to spend more time with him.
After calming her roller-coaster of emotions Naruto decided to dine out and celebrate the occasion with her, Kushina, Tsunade, who had returned from checking up on Jiraiya, and his team.
The news of him becoming the hokage spread like wild fire among the populace, since only the higher ups and select few knew that he was already appointed as the hokage months in advance, the villagers had only heard rumours and tit-bits of information but confirming the news had caused lots of celebration around the village.
The week passed rather quickly and it was finally time for Naruto to leave for the negotiations. For his guards, he had chosen Sakumo, Minato, Kushina, Shikaku and Dan, whom he had heard a lot about from Tsunade in passing, he had finally met him over the celebrations where Tsunade had decided to go public about her relationship with him.
"You will return as soon as your done right?" Mikoto inquired as she sniffed with tears.
"Yes, dear" Naruto calmly replied.
"You will not run off with some women you meet there, will you?"
"No I won't, Kushina will not let that happen anyway, she will probably break every bone in my body then brutally murder me if I did something like that".
That brought a smile to her face "Yes, she will".
"Yes, I will" Kushina agreed.
"Take me with you, I promise I won't cause any problems" her tears were back again "I don't want you to leave me".
Naruto sighed and motioned Kushina to leave the house without him.
Naruto then held Mikoto close and gave her a deep kiss, "You know I can't do that, it won't be safe for you or the baby. But what I can do for you is this" He then crossed his fingers and 3 shadow clones popped into existence, "Now, you won't have to feel lonely".
"But -".
"No, ifs or buts. Besides, Kakashi, Nawaki, Anko and a few of their teammates are gonna be here to keep you company."
There was a knock on the door as soon as he finished his sentence, "That's them, now, I must really get going else we'll be late", with that Naruto gave her a final kiss and vanished into thin air.
Before Mikoto could panic, the clones already got to work on soothing and distracting her.
Appearing near the village gates, Naruto met up with his guards.
"So, how did she take it?" Sakumo inquired as they all got ready to leave.
"She cried and insisted on coming with me, it really broke my heart to say no to her but it's for her own well-being."
"Its never easy going away when your wife is pregnant, I definitely had difficulty saying farewell to Kakashi's mother when she was pregnant with him, it was really heart wrenching when I had to go on missions and leave her alone."
"You could have stayed with her" Minato added, "I could have just used Hiraishin to fetch you when it was time for the meeting".
"Its alright" Naruto replied, "I have been spending a lot of time with Mikoto, I know Kushina must have felt left out. This journey would give us some time to ourselves."
By now, everyone from his guard was present, Sakumo quickly took charge and moved everyone in formation then ordered them to move out.
Naruto had decided to move at a moderate pace since they still had 2 days till the negotiations.
"So, Dan, how is your relationship with Tsunade going?" Kushina inquired, "She is awfully secretive about it all."
"Kushina, you can't ask him private things like that." Naruto chastised but still kept an expectant expression on his face.
Seeing that only Kushina and Naruto were nearby while the others were fairly away from them to give Naruto and Kushina some space, Dan replied, "Its alright, Tsunade had already warned me that you two would try to pry information from me, so I came prepared. Ask me any questions you may have."
"How did you two meet?"
"Have you kissed her?"
"Are you going to marry her?"
"Have you two done it yet?"
Naruto and Kushina rapidly launched questions after questions at him. Dan looked a bit embarrassed but took a deep breath and answered few of them.
"I met her at a council meeting, 8 had of course heard of her before but I only came to know her during the council meeting, we were arguing with the council to add more medical nins in our forces since lots of our injured ninjas were dying because they weren't being treated fast enough, I had lost my younger brother during the war because of the same reason, so I made it my mission to make sure the same doesn't happen with someone else."
"Thats very noble of you" Naruto commented while Kushina nodded her head in agreement.
"After the meeting, I approached her and we got talking and one thing led to another and in the end we both fell in love with each other."
"Did you succeed in convincing the council to train more medics" Kushina asked.
"Yes, It was thanks to Naruto that they changed their minds" Dan replied, motioning to a clueless Naruto, "After many failed attempts to convince them, in one of the meetings Tsunade mentioned that Naruto was also on board with with us adding more medics, hearing his name made the Uchiha counci members immediately side with us, the remaining members also agreed rather quickly when she threatened to bring you to the next meeting."
"I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about" Naruto replied in confusion, "Sensei never mentioned anything to me about any of this".
"She didn't?" Dan asked, surprised, "She seemed pretty convincing to me when she argued with them, she threatened them that you would kill them all if they made you come down there for such small reasons. I truly thought you were a psychopath until I met you myself" .
"Huh?, I guess that is the reason why I am never invited to any meetings, I always thought that the third just handled all of that for me."
"Enough about the meetings, we were talking about you and Tsunade, let's get back on track" Kushina quickly interrupted, now trying her best to change the topic.
"Wait a minute!" Naruto exclaimed, "You knew about this so did Mikoto, that's why whenever I asked any of you about the meetings you attended, you would distract me with kisses and sweet talks. What else have you done using my name?".
"I didn't know about the medic thing" Kushina sighed in defeat at being caught, "But, we have been using your name to get our way in the meetings."
Naruto seemed very angry that they were using his name for their own goals but before he could admonish her, Kushina whispered something in his ears and gave him a small peck on his lips, that seemed to do the trick as he immediately deflated with an dopey smile on his face.
'He really does get distracted with kisses and sweet talks' Dan observed as he noticed Naruto's change in demeanor.
The rest of their day was spent traveling and discussing various topics.
(P. S Naruto got lucky that night *wink *wink.)
It was noon by the time they reached Tetsu no kuni (Land of Iron). The village was in an icy, snow-covered country located among the three mountains called the Three Wolves (SanrÅ). Unlike other countries of the world whose militaries use shinobi, the Land of Iron's military was made up entirely of samurais.
Since The Land of Iron has had little to no involvement with the shinobi world, shinobi have frequently used the country as a neutral meeting place for diplomatic discussions, there is an agreement among shinobi nations to not interfere with the Land of Iron for this very reason.
Naruto and his guards were welcomed by Mifune, the village leader and some of the samurai guards. They guided them through the village to a hotel where they would be staying.
Since the meeting was set for tomorrow, Naruto relieved his guards from their duty while he spent the rest of the day relaxing with Kushina.
Xxx In Konoha, 3 days after had Naruto left for the Peace Summitt xxX
3 days had passed since Naruto left for Tetsu no Kuni, It was already evening when Mikoto woke up from her daily afternoon naps, she had snuggled up with one of the three clones Naruto had left behind, the clone had unfortunately popped during her sleep as it had become quite a week after 3 days, it only took a particularly tight hug from Mikoto to pop it.
The other clone had also popped when he was playing around with team Kakashi and the others. Now, there was only 1 clone left, though he was still quite strong as Naruto had put a lot of chakra into this one than the other two, he was currently preparing dinner for everyone.
Hearing Mikoto wake up, Kakashi immediately left the game they were playing to help her up, this had been his routine for the last three days since he and the other started living here to keep Mikoto company.
Tsunade had just left the house after checking up on Mikoto and the baby, she had informed them to call her if they needed any help.
"How are you feeling Nee-san?" Kakashi inquired as he helped her towards the bathroom.
"I am fine, just a bit tired" she replied.
Kakashi wanted to ask how did she get tired when she had just woken up from her nap but decided to just go along with it.
Kakashi wanted to ask how did she get tired when she had just woken up from her nap but decided to just go along with it.
"Do you want me to massage your feet?, Sensei told me it helps with fatigue in pregnant women" Kakashi asked.
Mikoto stopped mid-step and suddenly pulled Kakashi closer and started to cry, "Waaahh!, You are so sweet Kakashi, I wish my son also grows up to be kind like up. You will guide him, won't you Kakashi? he will be like your younger brother after all".
Kakashi didn't know how to reply to her sudden outburst of emotion, so he just stood still and let Mikoto hold him until Rin and Anko arrived to take Mikoto to the dining table.
"I will", Kakashi muttered softly with a smile as he stood alone in the darkroom, "he will be my younger brother after all."