Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, or any properties in this work that I did not make myself.
Harold of Konoha
Chapter three: Gladiatorial grandparents- Inoichi versus Yoshino (AKA I want grandkids…who aren't terrified of me)
Over in the village of Konohagakure late one evening, Shikamaru was sitting at the dining room table of his house. Seated opposite of Shikamaru was Ino; Ino looked more or less the same as she did in her mid to late teens, save for the fact that she wore a more casual outfit similar to that of Sakura's current casual outfit (Ino's outfit has a similar color scheme to the outfit she had in her youth).
"…And that's when Naruto told me that Sunagakure, Iwagakure, and Kirigakure all sent as many of their respective shinobi as they could spare," Shikamaru said as he recounted earlier events to his wife.
"Yeah, I can see why three of the five great villages would go to such lengths," Ino remarked in a mildly concerned tone, "Iwa and Kiri especially. I mean, they both took really heavy losses in the fourth shinobi war, and have been financially struggling ever since. I'm not surprised at all that Iwa and Kiri are both refraining from taking any part in the fifth shinobi war. The bounty that's been posted would be a GREAT boon to either Iwa or Kiri, whichever one gets it first."
"And given how much of a bounty was posted on that man," Shikamaru continued, "Konoha is mobilizing multiple squads of its finest shinobi to take part of this manhunt. It goes without saying that this is an S-rank mission."
"Is THAT why Naruto's leading one of the squads himself?" Ino asked.
"You know as well as I do that Naruto gets the itch to go out on missions from time to time," Shikamaru replied in a knowing tone, "And given that's his team will consist of Sasuke, Neji and Rock Lee, it will be the strongest team Konoha is sending out."
"So that's why Naruto's asked you to serve as interim Hokage until he gets back," Ino said. Leaning back in her chair, Ino huffed, "Great. That's just great."
Shikamaru gave his wife a concerned look as he asked, "What's up?"
"I have an increased schedule at Konoha General this week," Ino explained, "And you will be busy keeping Naruto's seat warm for him."
"What are you…" Shikamaru began, but stopped short as something dawned on him.
"Oh crap, we need someone to watch Shikaru and Inohime!" Shikamaru exclaimed, slapping his hands to the sides of his head.
"We'll just ask your parents if they'll do it," Ino replied. Turning to the entry way of the dining room, Ino called out, "Kids! Can you come out here?" After a few seconds passed, a twelve-year-old boy who looked like twelve-year-old Shikamaru, leading a four-year-old girl who looked like four-year-old Ino, walked into the dining room.
Due to the time, both kids were dressed for bed; the boy wore a loose-fitting light-green t-shirt and a pair of sleep pants of a similar color while the girl wore a light-blue long-sleeved sleep shirt and matching sleep pants. There was a full-body image of Queen Elsa on the shirt, and the rest of the outfit was covered with images of snowflakes; just what you'd expect a four-year-old girl's sleep outfit to look like. Also, the four-year-old girl was carrying a plushy of Pinkie Pie from 'My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic'.
"Shikaru, Inohime, we need to tell you that your mother and I are going to be busy over the next few days or so," Shikamaru began.
"Yeah, and?" the twelve-year-old replied.
"Well Shikaru," Ino said, "Your father and I would feel more comfortable if you and your little sister stayed with your Grandpa Shikaku and Grandma Yoshino over that period." After a few seconds passed, Inohime tugged on her older brother's pants leg, gestured for him to follow her away from the table a bit, and had a huddled conversation with him. From what Shikamaru and Ino could hear, Shikaru and Inohime were agreeing on something.
After a few more seconds passed, Shikaru and Inohime returned to their parents. "Is it possible that Grandpa Inoichi and Grandma Michelle can watch us instead?" Shikaru suggested.
"Huh?" Shikamaru replied in a confused tone, "You mean your mother's parents?"
"The thing is," Shikaru began to explain, "Me and Inohime's first time over at Grandpa Shikaku and Grandma Yoshino's place wasn't all that pleasant…"
(FLASHBACK)
Ino had just dropped off her and Shikamaru's kids at Shikamaru's parents' place. After Yoshino closed the door behind her and her grandchildren, Shikaku came out from the kitchen. "So it looks like we're stuck playing babysitter for a few hours, huh?" Shikaku complained to his wife.
"You shut the hell up, Shikaku," Yoshino snapped instantly, "Our grandchildren are precious gifts that are two of the few things our lazy son got right!"
"And what the hell is THAT supposed to be?!" the older Nara man snapped, pointing accusingly at the Pinkie Pie plushy that Inohime was holding; seeing her grandfather was pointing at her plushy, Inohime hugged it tightly out of fear. Shikaku then tried to confiscate the plushy, scaring Inohime in the process, but Yoshino grabbed her husband's wrist and yanked him away.
"The hell is wrong with you, you dumbass?!" Yoshino exclaimed angrily, practically exploding at her husband.
"I don't want any of that girly crap in my household, woman!" Shikaku snapped back, "Next thing you know, the kid will want to watch that Frostbite movie!"
"It's called 'Frozen', you old coot," Yoshino corrected in a snarl, "And that is a perfectly acceptable thing for our granddaughter to want to do! Same goes for her little stuffed animal!"
"Why the hell are you supporting all of that girly crap she wants to do?!" Shikaku shouted.
"BECAUSE SHE'S FOUR!" Yoshino yelled, "SHE'S AT THE AGE WHERE SHE WANTS TO DO THAT!" For pretty much the rest of the time Shikaru and Inohime were at the older Naras' residence, Shikaku and Yoshino were going back and forth like that; the two of them even completely forgot that their grandchildren were even there, they were so caught up in their shouting match.
(END FLASHBACK)
"…The next two times Grandpa Shikaku and Grandma Yoshino watched us were more or less the exact same experience," Shikaru added, finishing his story.
"Did your Grandpa Shikaku REALLY try to take Inohime's plushy away?" Ino asked, sounding totally aghast.
Nodding in confirmation, Shikaru continued, "Then a short while after the third time Grandpa Shikaku and Grandma Yoshino watched Inohime and me, you and dad had to leave us with Grandpa Inoichi and Grandma Michelle. Mom, you remember how Grandpa Inoichi greeted us, right?"
Leaning back in her chair, Ino sighed and said, "Yeah, I remember how my father was obviously trying to put on airs…"
(FLASHBACK)
Ino was leading Shikaru and Inohime to her parents' place. "Mom, you do realize that I can look after myself," Shikaru pointed out.
"But I can't leave your little sister alone," Ino replied, "And your father and I would feel much better knowing that the two of you both had adult some supervision."
"I'm surprised you aren't taking us to Grandpa Shikaku's and Grandma Yoshino's," Shikaru said. Apparently Shikaru mentioning their dad's parents made Inohime hug her Pinkie Pie plushy tightly, as if she was doing it by instinct.
Sighing, Ino explained, "Well your Grandpa Shikaku sprained his ankle really bad, and he's in no condition to watch two young kids. And with your Grandma Yoshino busy trying to take care of your Grandpa Shikaku…" Ino stopped short, seemed to try thinking of some way to put what she was about to say lightly, then continued, "…You and Inohime will be staying with your Grandpa Inoichi and Grandma Michelle."
"I'm assuming you hesitated because you're worried about leaving us with Grandpa Inoichi," the young Nara boy said, and continued when his mother gave him a look, "Mom, I know all about the shenanigans that Grandpa Inoichi gets into with Haru's granduncle, Bankai's grandma and Bankai's grandma's dog."
"…Yeah," Ino relented, "I'd honestly feel more comfortable leaving you with your friend's grandma's dog than with your Grandpa Inoichi."
"Oh come on mom," Shikaru said, "I'm sure Grandpa Inoichi can't be TOO eccentric." After Ino knocked on her parents' front door, it was opened by Inoichi. He was wearing sunglasses, a red Hawaiian-style shirt with white flowers on it, a pair of tan cargo shorts, and shinobi sandals.
"Ino! About time you brought Shikaru and Inohime!" the older Yamanaka man exclaimed happily, "I can't tell you how long your mother and I have been waiting to get to know our two grandchildren better!"
"Dad! What are you wearing?!" Ino exclaimed, obviously embarrassed.
"I'm wearing my 'cool grandpa' outfit," Inoichi explained as he slowly turned around in one spot. Finishing his spinning, Inoichi faced his adult daughter again and asked, "What do you think?"
"I don't think that Shikaru will be needing a shirt like that for Christmas," Ino remarked. Turning to face her two children, Ino said somewhat hesitantly, "Well kids, you two behave for your Grandpa Inoichi and Grandma Michelle, alright?"
"I can tell that this is going to be a different experience than usual," the young Nara boy replied to his mother.
(END FLASHBACK)
"And that's the extent of what mom saw," Shikaru said to his father. To both parents as a whole, Shikaru continued, "Now let me go on about what happened AFTER mom left…"
(FLASHBACK)
Shikaru and his little sister were standing in the living room of their grandparents Inoichi and Michelle. "You kids are in for a treat today!" Inoichi said in a way to try to get his grandkids excited, "Your grandma is setting up to make cookies, and when grandpa's friends come by later, we'll be playing pool!"
"Grandpa Inoichi has pool?" Inohime asked, sounding excited.
"It's not that kind of pool, Inohime," Shikaru pointed out.
To his grandfather, the young Nara boy asked, "So when will your friends show up?"
Checking the watch on his right wrist, Inoichi whistled and said, "Wow. They won't be here until late this afternoon." Looking to his grandkids, Inoichi said, "I know! Inohime, why don't you help your Grandma Michelle with setting up to make cookies, while Shikaru and I practice playing pool?"
"Yay, cookies!" Inohime cheered excitedly, throwing both arms into the air.
"Actually, Inoichi dear," Michelle said as she came out of the kitchen, "I'm needing to run a few errands before I can start on the cookies." Looking to her grandson, Michelle added, "And I can use a strong young man like Shikaru to help me."
"But…" Inoichi began in a disappointed tone, "…We were going to do man stuff together, 'cause we're men."
"Well maybe you can look after Inohime in the meantime," Michelle suggested, "Maybe she can even introduce you to her little friend she's got there."
At Michelle's suggestion, Inoichi suddenly noticed the Pinkie Pie plushy his granddaughter had. "Oh yeah," the older Yamanaka man said, "Who's your little friend there, Inohime?" Suddenly defensive, Inohime whined in a frightened tone as she hugged her plushy tightly.
"Hmm? What's wrong, sweetie?" Michelle asked, seeing her granddaughter's obvious discomfort and fright.
"Whenever Inohime and I were left at Grandpa Shikaku's and Grandma Yoshino's place," Shikaru began to explain, "Grandpa Shikaku would try to confiscate Inohime's toy, saying that he won't stand for girly stuff like that in his household." Both older Yamanakas looked appalled by the explanation they were given by their grandson.
"I cannot believe Shikaru would be so mean! And to young girl, of all people!" Michelle remarked, shaking her head in disbelief.
"Well don't you worry, sweetie," Inoichi said to his granddaughter, "Grandpa Inoichi will not do any such thing!" Looking around, Inoichi came across the PS4 plugged up to his and Michelle's TV (Inoichi's one hell of a cool grandpa if he owns a PS4). Getting an idea, Inoichi said, "Hey Shikaru, that plushy of your sister's has a TV show, right?"
"Yeah," Shikaru answered, "I don't really care for it one way or the other, but Inohime loves it."
"Can I find it on Netflix?" Inoichi asked, continuing his line of questioning.
"Yeah," Shikaru replied.
"Well then," Inoichi declared, "While you help your grandma with her errands, I'll set up me and grandma's Netflix on the PS4 to play the pony show for your sister!" To his young granddaughter, Inoichi asked, "How about it, sweetie? You wanna watch ponies?"
"Really?" Inohime asked, sounding like she had a little trouble believing.
"It's no biggie at all," Inoichi replied, "Your grandma and I want to make the time you and your brother have here as enjoyable as possible! Heck, I'll even watch it with you!"
"Yay!" Inohime cheered, making Michelle chuckle in good humor. Even Shikaru found the sight to be slightly endearing.
"Yeah," the young Nara boy thought, "A much more different experience, indeed."
...
A few hours later, Shikaru and his Grandma Michelle returned from their shopping trip. "I hope Grandpa Inoichi isn't too upset with having to put up with watching that pony show with Inohime," Shikaru remarked.
"Now Shikaru, your Grandpa Inoichi loves both you and your sister dearly," Michelle said to her grandson in an admonishing tone, "I'm certain he'll have no problem at all." When the young Nara boy and his grandmother entered the older Yamanakas' residence, they saw that an episode of 'My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic' had just gotten to the end credits on Inoichi's and Michelle's TV.
Hearing the front door open, Inohime turned around, saw that her brother and grandmother were back, and got off of the sofa to greet them. "I'm glad to see you too," Michelle remarked, gently patting her granddaughter on the head, "Did you have fun with your grandfather?"
"Grandpa and Inohime watched lots of Ponies!" Inohime said excitedly.
Looking to the TV screen, Shikaru noted, "From the looks of it, they watched all of the first season."
Walking over to his grandfather, who was still seated on the sofa, Shikaru noticed that his grandfather was sitting, slightly hunched, with his fists raised in a pose suggesting that he was about to shake them in a way that suggested he was going to start chanting. Slowly taking off his grandfather's sunglasses, Shikaru saw that Inoichi had wingding eyes; the older Yamanaka man's pupils were literally star-shaped.
"…Grandpa Inoichi?" the young Nara boy began in a worried tone, "Are you okay?"
"This…" Inoichi replied slowly, "…Is the greatest show…EVAR."
"Great," Shikaru replied in a knowing tone, "THIS ended up happening."
(END FLASHBACK)
"…Even with that in mind," Shikaru said, "I would much prefer having to stay at Grandpa Inoichi's and Grandma Michelle's. And I'm certain Inohime would prefer that as well."
"Grandpa Inoichi said that he and Inohime can watch Frozen next time!" Inohime stated.
Looking to her husband, Ino said, "Well, dear? Are you okay with leaving the kids with my parents?"
"Well we should see if they're available first," Shikamaru pointed out.
Picking up her smartphone from the dining room table, Ino called her parents. A few seconds after Ino started the call, her mother Michelle answered. "Well this is certainly a surprise," Michelle greeted in her usual friendly tone, "Given the somewhat late time. How are you doing dear?"
"Hey mom, I just wanted to know if you and dad were available for something," Ino replied, "By the way, what are you two up to?"
"Oh, we're both lying in bed right now," Michelle explained, "I was reading a book until you called, and your father's watching something on Netflix via his hand-held game system. He's got headphones on, so he can't really hear us."
"Really? What's dad watching?" Ino asked.
"He said that it's a show that's really popular among grown men," Michelle explained, "He didn't go into much detail after that."
"Huh. Well okay," Ino began, "Anywho, I need to tell you something. Shikamaru was asked to serve as interim Hokage."
"Go on," Michelle said.
"And I have a really busy schedule at Konoha General this week," Ino continued, "Due to the both of us being so busy, Shikamaru and I were going to ask his parents to watch Shikaru and Inohime for us."
"I see," Michelle replied in a knowing tone that had a hint of disappointment; disappointment in more than one way.
"When we explained all of this to the kids, they asked if it was possible that you and dad can watch them instead," Ino finished.
"Really?" Michelle said happily, her tone shooting right back up, "They like us that much?"
"Shikaru told Shikamaru and I about what usually happens when he and Inohime are at Shikamaru's parents' place," Ino replied, sounding mildly ashamed.
"Don't worry, I gave that idiot Shikaku a stern talking to," Michelle stated, "And Yoshino was all too happy to help me, for some reason that escapes me."
"Anyway, Shikamaru and I need to know if you and dad have the time to actually watch Shikaru and Inohime," Ino said finally.
"Oh we have all the time in the world, dear," Michelle replied kindly, "And your father and I will be more than glad to have the grandkids over. Just let me tell your father so that-"
"HOLY CRAP!" Inoichi could be heard shouting in the background, loud enough for Ino and even Shikamaru to hear, "TWILIGHT BECAME AN ALICORN!"
"…I'll choose to take that as a 'yes' from dad," Ino said in a monotone, "Good night, mom. Tell dad that I said good night to him too." And with that, Ino hung up.
Shikamaru was silent for a few seconds before he said, "…Was your dad-"
"Well hey," Ino interrupted, shrugging indifferently, "It's better than leaving the kids with your parents."
"True, I'll give you that," Shikamaru agreed.
The next day, Harold Fisher, Tsume Inuzuka and Kuromaru walked into the Akimichi clan-owned diner that they usually get coffee at with Inoichi. They were, in fact, meeting their Yamanaka friend there. When they found him sitting in their usual diner booth, they all noticed that the older Yamanaka man had his arms folded as he wore a VERY smug smile.
"The hell has you so chipper?" Kuromaru asked, cocking a brow at the Yamanaka patriarch.
"You guys know how Michelle and I are just one of the pairs of grandparents to Shikaru and Inohime, right?" Inoichi replied, obviously trying to hold back his glee.
"Yeah, dude," Harold said as he and Tsume took their seats, "But didn't you say that your grandchildren usually end up spending more time with Shikaku and Yoshino?"
"Yes I did," the older Yamanaka man agreed, "But that might change really soon." Puffing his chest out somewhat, putting his fists on his waist and turning his head slightly to the right, thus putting himself a heroic-looking pose, Inoichi declared, "Michelle and I found out last night that we're Shikaru's and Inohime's favorite grandparents!"
"Dude, seriously?!" Harold exclaimed, "Well alright!"
As The two best friends did a high-five, Kuromaru remarked, "Seriously? Your grandkids actually-"
"Inoichi, you brainwashing bastard!" an angry and shrill woman's voice called out, making the three seniors and one ninja dog jump in their seats (Kuromaru was sitting on the floor next to Tsume). Before any of them could get up, Yoshino Nara came striding right up to their booth. "I just got a call from your daughter," Yoshino said in an accusing tone to Inoichi as she angrily pointed at him, "Apparently, you and your wife are usurping me and my bastard husband as the go-to for watching the grandkids!"
Getting up from where he sat, Inoichi replied smugly, "Well it's not my fault that I'm cool like that." Raising his hands up in the air, the Yamanaka patriarch added, "What you gonna do about it?"
"Ohhhhh, Inoichi is challenging Yoshino," Harold whispered in a knowing tone to Tsume, "This is gonna be good!"
"Follow me out of the diner," Yoshino replied to the older Yamanaka man, "I'll show you what I'm going to do about it."
"Ohhhhh, it's on now!" Harold declared as he and the other diner patrons, along with a few of the Akimichi working at the diner, followed Inoichi and Yoshino outside.
Out in the diner's parking lot, the gathered spectators formed a sort of circle around Inoichi and Yoshino. As Harold and Tsume were collecting bets, with Kuromaru looking at them disapprovingly all the while, Ino and Shikaru came walking up. "Hey Mr. Fisher, Mrs. Inuzuka, Kuromaru," Ino began, "What is going…" Ino stopped mid-sentence when she saw that her dad was beginning to face off against her mother-in-law. "What is my father doing?!" Ino snapped.
"Hey, Yoshino started it," Harold defended.
"I'm afraid that Harold's got a point," Kuromaru added before Ino could speak, "Yoshino really did start all of this mess."
"…Seriously?" Ino asked, sounding totally shocked.
"You're going down!" Yoshino yelled, running straight to Inoichi with her fist raised. Inoichi, in a move that was surprisingly smooth for a man his age, spun out of the way. Stopping somewhere in the middle of the space provided to him and Yoshino, Inoichi began to perform various dance moves.
"Oh snap!" Harold exclaimed, "Inoichi is entering his DDR mode!"
"My dad has a DDR mode?" Ino asked, sounding incredulous.
"It's a combat mode he developed a few months prior to the Suna-Oto invasion a few decades ago," Tsume began to explain to Ino, "While in this mode, your father is completely incapable of fighting back against aggressors."
"In exchange for this total lack of defense," Harold continued, "He gains unparalleled evasion. It's to the point that he becomes virtually unhittable."
It was true; Yoshino was throwing punch after punch, only for Inoichi to smoothly dodge every hit, all the while dropping funky fresh moves. "Stand still so I can hit you," Yoshino snarled angrily, "You blonde son of a-"
"Oh stop it, grandma!" Shikaru called out, making Yoshino do a double take to see that she was caught doing something irresponsible by her grandson.
To Inoichi, Ino said, "You should stop too, dad." Once Inoichi stopped in the middle of doing a moonwalk, Shikaru approached his grandparents.
"What were the two of you doing?!" Shikaru exclaimed, "The two of you were both acting in a way that adults usually call kids out for, not the other way around! What in the hell were you two thinking?!"
"Hey, she started it," Inoichi defended, pointing an accusing finger at his opponent.
"And you're acting childish still!" Shikaru declared, "Seriously, Grandpa Inoichi! The hell?!"
"Actually, your grandfather is right, Shikaru" Kuromaru explained to the young Nara boy, "Your Grandma Yoshino challenged him, accusing him and your Grandma Michelle of brainwashing you and your sister into liking them over her and your Grandpa Shikaku."
Looking to his grandmother, Shikaru seemed to be at a loss for words. "…Really," was all the young Nara boy could say, his tone seeping with disappointment.
"Shikaru," Yoshino began in a tone steadily growing more upset, "I can explain-"
"How DARE you," Shikaru interrupted, the disappointment seeping from his voice now replaced with growing anger, "This is one of the last things I expected out of an adult."
His brow furrowing, Shikaru continued his verbal tearing into his grandmother. "You would seriously accuse Grandpa Inoichi and Grandma Michelle of trying to brainwash Inohime and I into liking them over you and Grandpa Shikaku, simply because Inohime and I would both rather go over to their place rather than yours? Inohime likes it there because neither Grandpa Inoichi or Grandma Michelle ever try to take her toy away. I like it over there because neither Grandpa Inoichi or Grandma Michelle turn visits into shouting matches that last the entirety of the visit. Inohime and I aren't brainwashed, Grandma Yoshino, because when it comes to you and Grandpa Shikaku, Inohime and I are both totally downright frigg'en TERRIFIED!"
Silence. All who were present had effectively stunned into silence; the only noise came from Shikaru, who was panting with exhaustion after having given such an epic verbal shaming to his grandmother. At one point, Harold raised an index finger in a gesture suggesting he wanted to say something, but he ultimately decided against it, and lowered the offending index finger, and his hand as a whole.
Yoshino was shaking, struggling to keep herself from crying. She had finally realized the extreme error of her actions; not just her part in the impromptu street fight against Inoichi ("She was totally going to lose, anyway," Harold would later be quoted saying), but Yoshino had also realized that she had just as much of a part, if not more so of a part, in driving her grandchildren away as her husband had.
"…Shikaru," Ino said suddenly and softly in an unsure tone to her son, "You should apologize to your-"
"No, I-Ino," the older Nara woman stammered somewhat, dabbing at the corner of her right eye, "Shikaru has no need to apologize. Unlike most other men I've known in my life, Shikaru's actually RIGHT. I…I had that scolding he just gave me coming. And for a while, at that."
Where Harold, Tsume and Kuromaru stood in the crowd, Tsume leaned to Harold and whispered to him in a shocked tone, "Dude, Yoshino Nara just admitted to having fault in something."
"I know," Harold whispered back, sounding just as shocked as the older Inuzuka woman, "I wish that I had a camera or video recorder to record this first-time-in-history moment."
A few days later, the various ninja squads sent out by Konoha, Suna, Iwa and Kiri all returned to their respective villages; apparently, the manhunt everyone went on hit a dead end, and all were forced to give up on the chase. Walking into Konohagakure was Lord Hokage Naruto; Naruto was dressed in a similar manner to his late father, the Fourth Lord Hokage, right down to the cool long coat, albeit with a slightly different color scheme (it had orange in place of white).
"A shame we couldn't find that man," Rock Lee said to his companions; the Taijitsu master's appearance hardly changed from his mid to late teens, save for the fact that he's somewhat taller now. …But then again, this is ROCK LEE we're talking about here; would anyone honestly expect any sort of change at all?
"How could one man evade the combined forces of four of the five great villages?!" Neji proclaimed, throwing both hands into the air in a gesture of frustration.
"He's one hell of a slippery bastard, you have to give him that," Sasuke remarked.
"Well let's keep an eye on any news and an ear out on any rumors," the Lord Sixth said, "We can't just give up TOTALLY."
"You got a point there, Lord Naruto," Rock Lee replied, "We should-"
"Rock Lee, please," Naruto said, laughing slightly in a tone that was a mix of good humor and a little bit of discomfort, "No need to be so formal with me. We're essentially just hanging out right now, so just calling me 'Naruto' will be sufficient."
"Gai Sensei always thought you'd be a modest Hokage," Rock Lee remarked, "Now I see that, as always, Gai Sensei knows what he's talking about." As the four shinobi, perhaps the four strongest that Konoha had to offer, continued their walk to the Hokage office building, they were approached by Shikamaru.
"Boy am I glad to see that you're back," Shikamaru said to the returning team. Speaking specifically to Naruto, Shikamaru added, "I've gotten a little tired of keeping your seat warm for you."
Chuckling in good humor, the Lord Sixth replied, "Well I'll be glad to take it back, dude."
"So is there anything that we missed while we were gone?" the Uchiha man asked.
"Oh, funny thing, actually," Shikamaru began, "Ino's parents are helping my parents reconnect to Shikaru and Inohime."
"Really?" Neji asked, sounding curious, "Reconnect how, exactly?" With that prompting, Shikamaru began to regale Naruto and the others with what he and Ino learned from their two children, about how Ino's parents are currently the go to for watching the Nara kids, about how Shikamaru's mother was on the losing end of an impromptu street fight against Ino's father, about how Shikaru gave his grandmother the verbal dressing-down that she oh-so-desperately need, and finishing off with how Ino's parents are helping his parents reconnect to Shikaru and Inohime.
"…It'll take a while for Inohime to ease up around my father, but on the bright side, she's at least willing to be in the same room as him," Shikamaru finished, "My mother is having a much easier time, however. Inohime even invited my mother to play tea party with her and Ino's dad."
"Mr. Yamanaka plays tea party with your daughter?" Neji asked, sounding slightly confused.
"I think it's because he's so nice to Inohime," Shikamaru explained, "Although given that Mr. Yamanaka is the man who raised INO, of all people, this might be expected."
"I kind of find it hard to believe that a man would so willingly play tea party with a young girl," Neji remarked, a look of deep thought on his face. Both Shikamaru and Sasuke gave Neji the same kind of look, the one that suggested that they weren't surprised at all.
"…You never heard the story," Shikamaru began, "Of this one time about six years ago when Sasuke and I had to go to Naruto's place to pick him up for some business…"
(FLASHBACK, ABOUT SIX YEARS AGO)
Sasuke and Shikamaru were invited into the Uzumaki residence by Hinata. "Yeah, sorry for showing up like this, but we need to pick up Naruto," Shikamaru explained, rubbing the back of his head in a way showing his embarrassment.
"Oh, Naruto is playing with Natsu in her room," Hinata replied as she pointed the way, "Down that hall, first door to the right."
Following the Uzumaki matriarch's directions, Sasuke and Shikamaru eventually reached a bedroom. Looking inside, they saw that it was the room of a girl about five years of age; in approximately the middle there was a child's play table with four child's play chair around it. Seated in one chair to the far right was a young girl who resembled five-year-old Hinata, save for the fact that her hair was blonde. She was wearing what looked like a robe from a witch costume. The robe was white with blue trim.
Seated opposite of the young girl was Lord Sixth Hokage Naruto himself, sitting very awkwardly in the small child's play chair. "…Naruto?!" Sasuke said suddenly, "What are you doing?!"
Turning to see that he had visitors, Naruto replied, "Well clearly I am attending a tea party being held by White Mage Natsu, along with her friends Mr. Mittens and Dragonite." Shikamaru took a look at the two plushies seated between Naruto and his young daughter, one that was a generic cat plushy, and one that was a plushy of a dragon Pokémon.
"…I'm surprised to see that your daughter is going through a 'witch' phase instead of the traditional 'princess' phase," Shikamaru remarked, that being the only thing he could think to say.
"Natsu not witch!" the young Uzumaki girl proclaimed insistently as her brow furrowed her Byakugan eyes, "Natsu is White Mage!"
(END FLASHBACK)
"…So yeah," Shikamaru said to the cadet branch Hyuga, "My father-in-law being willing to play with Inohime doesn't surprise me in the least."
"How about your son, though?" Rock Lee asked, "How's Shikaru getting along with his grandparents?"
"Better than before, that's for sure," the Nara man remarked, "Most of his past discomfort involving my parents is due primarily to the shouting matches my mother would always start with my father."
"So…the verbal dressing-down your mother received from your son served as a sort-of impromptu anger management session?" Neji inquired.
"If that's the case, then my son is the only anger management specialist who has NOT had his or her head torn off by my mother," Shikamaru answered.
"Well I'm glad to see that your parents are taking steps to reconnect to your kids," Naruto said, "Now if only Hinata would afford her father the same courtesy in regards to Natsu."
"Wait, what?" Shikamaru asked, looking confused and mildly off guard.
"Oh, it's nothing," Naruto said dismissively, "Forget that I said anything."
END, CHAPTER THREE
Author's notes:
If any of you noticed when the second chapter was posted, taken down, then posted again with a few changes, I apologize. I noticed a few edits I had to make, and I'm still getting used to getting things to work the way I want to. Hopefully all of that mess will blow over after the next chapter or to.
Anywho, what did you think? About the slightly higher than normal amount of drama, I mean. Although I intend for this to be a humor series, I don't want it to be PURE humor; I'd like to spice things up here and there. Don't worry, there will still be a good laugh to be had.
I still haven't thought of what to do with the 'that man' plot.