Disclaimer: Nothings mine, I'm just borrowing it.
The Lessons a Hokage Needs to Know
Chapter Two. Or the art of organization.
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Naruto sighed and put the folder back in the box. He had been at this for two weeks already and he was nowhere near finishing. He was also bored out of his mind and antsy as he still wasn't used to sitting and doing activities for hours on end; it just wasn't in his nature. He was a free spirited, energetic, get up and go type of person, with very little patience, so having to sort-out papers was basically a slow torture for him.
It was always the same thing; open the box, glance in boredom at the files (though if he was entirely truthful with himself it was rather interesting to read some of them, not that he'd tell Shizune that) make sure they were all in the right order for date, mission level, and jounin sensei, then slam the lid back on and find the proper wall to put it against, preferably without raising anymore dust than was necessary.
On the upside, he now knew who to get his revenge on when he became Hokage as every scrap of paper that held petitions for his immediate banishment and or execution, or every action that had ever been taken, or that people had tried to be take against him, were all catalogued and stuffed into the three boxes that he had just finished re-organizing and putting away. Along with all other information pertaining to him in some way. On the downside, he still had about half of the room to clear out, clean up and put in order.
'Three boxes,' Naruto thought, glancing again at the boxes piled up on the back wall with his name clearly written on the front of each one. 'It's amazing to think that people cared that much at all.'
He mentally shook off his lingering wonder, turned his attention to the container still sitting at his feet and started flipping expertly through the files while repeating a familiar mantra in his head. 'Brown, green, yellow, red, white, black.' 'Brown, green, yellow, red, white, black.' 'Yep,' thought Naruto as he pulled up another grimy folder, 'I'm bored as heck.'
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"Is he down there again?"
Hokage secretary number one looked up from the plants he was watering. "Who?"
Hokage secretary number two sighed. "That demon-boy, what's his name, Naruto Uzamaki."
"Oh, him." Hokage secretary number one put the watering can down on a conveniently placed desk. "Yes, and you know Shizune said to leave the boy alone."
"Still," Hokage secretary number two said speculatively, "I wonder what he's doing down there?"
Hokage secretary number one was about to comment when Tsunade walked out of her office. She walked up to them.
"Can one of you please summon Team Kakashi and have them meet me in my office immediately?" Tsunade turned and went back into her office without waiting for a reply.
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Naruto blinked in the light that always seemed to be present this high up in the Hokage's tower and tried to shake the stars out of his eyes. After spending so much time in the semi-perpetual dark of the basement his eyes were becoming sensitive to the light. He blinked again, this time to clear his watery eyes, and looked up when Kakashi and Sakura walked through the door.
"Oh good, your all here." Tsunade put down a piece of paper that she had been reading. "I hate to end your vacation so abruptly, but there's been a development in an investigation that Suna has been conducting and the Kazekage has requested that you, personally, be sent as backup." Tsunade picked the piece of paper back up. "This will be a quick-assist C-class mission. You will probably only be gone a couple of days. A week at the most." The Hokage pushed the paper into a folder and handed it to Kakashi. "Any questions?" she looked around and when they all shook their heads in the negative, she said "Good. You will leave in an hour. Dismissed."
Naruto heaved a silent sigh and followed the others out. Somehow or other he knew he would be filing that folder when he and his team got back.
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"So you have to go." It wasn't a question.
Naruto dropped his hands at his side and looked at Hinata. He felt so useless whenever they had to part ways like this for missions. All he wanted to do at this moment was wrap her in his arms and keep her safe. 'But how can I keep her safe from her own insecurities?' Naruto had been grappling with this particular question ever since they had started dating. He had yet to figure out how to allay her fears. 'And anyway, how does one fix years of damage made by one's own family?' Naruto pushed those thoughts aside forcefully and re-focused his attention on the beautiful kunoichi standing before him.
"It's only for a couple of days. And when I get back we can spend one whole day together. Alright?" He walked over to Hinata and tilted her chin up. "Now come on," Naruto goaded her. "Let's see that gorgeous smile of yours."
Hinata put a tentative grin on her face that broke into a full-fledged smile when Naruto swung her around so she was lying in his arms and kissed her.
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The next day-Nightfall
Team Kakashi looked up from their campfire light when they heard the footsteps heading for them. Temari jammed her iron fan into the ground and promptly sat around the fire. She looked at Kakashi and nodded her head in acknowledgement. "Hatake kakashi." She looked over at where Sakura and Naruto were talking quietly. "Naruto Uzamaki, Sakura Haruno. I thank you all for coming so promptly."
"Hey, no problem." Naruto said. "So what is it exactly that you need help with? Lady Hokage didn't give us the mission paticulars before we left. All she could say was that you guys were investigating something and requested our help." Naruto stopped talking when he noticed that all three of his companions were looking at him incredulously. He shifted uncomfortably under their gazes. "What?"
Sakura audibly closed her gaping mouth. "Naruto, in all the time that I've known you, you've never, not once, called Tsunade-Sensei by any respectable name."
"Oh." Naruto blushed slightly. 'Damn, now how am I supposed to get out of this one? I can't tell them the truth, apart from the fact that I've been forbidden to by the elders, they would all laugh if they knew how Shizune has been punishing me every time I've disrespected the old hag.' Naruto shivered. After all the times that he had been lectured and made to write lines (I will not disrespect the Hokage, I will not disrespect the Hokage) over and over for the last two weeks he was almost fearful of disrespecting Tsunade out loud now, in case it managed to get back to Shizune somehow and he had to endure another logical lecture on why he shouldn't do it, and another hour writing lines. 'Those stupid punishments of hers. I almost wish she would just hit me instead. It would be easier to take. '
"Naruto?" Naruto snapped out of his thoughts and refocused his eyes. Sakura, Temari, and Kakashi were looking at him with slight concern in their eyes. Apparently he had taken too long to answer Sakura's inquiry. Naruto put a smile upon his whiskered face and gave a nervous chuckle.
"Well, you know, it was just time to start calling Tsunade-Hime by her title, that's all." He tried to make light of it, his second use of a respectful title in the same night causing the remaining Shinobi to catch each others eyes imperceptibly. "So Temari," He forcibly brought an end to the conversation by turning to the Sand-Nin. "About this mission were supposed to be on?" Naruto looked at her expectantly. Temari visibly brushed away her curiosity.
"What? Oh, yes, well Suna-Nin have been tracking the paths of some outlaws that have been passing through the region lately. There is reason to believe that some of them might be operating out of the Land of Fire, thus why Gaara has requested that this be a joint Suna-Kohona operation."
Kakashi nodded. "So where are these outlaws at the moment?" Temari looked toward the distant mountains.
"Currently, they are in an encampment on the other side of the mountain ridge. The last report that came in said that these people would most likely settle down for the night and begin traveling in a northerly direction through one of the numerous ravines in the morning. What we are most concerned about is the one ravine that runs all the way to the border. If they get there then there will be little that we can do to stop these outlaws."
"And if you can't kill them here then what's to stop them just traveling through all the countries and killing innocent merchants or civilians?" Temari looked over at Sakura. "Exactly."
"Well then we'll just have to stop them before they get to this ravine won't we." Naruto stood up and brushed himself off. The others got up as well. "Hai."
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Sakura concentrated on the back of her blond haired teammate as he ran just ahead of her along the tree tops. Her thoughts drifted distractedly over the topic that she just couldn't let go of. 'I wonder why he called Tsunade-sensei Lady Hokage instead of Tsunade baa-baa?'
"Is something bothering you?" Sakura looked to her side as kakashi pulled alongside her. She nodded as she hopped onto another branch. "Yeah. Naruto. He's just been so…I don't know, different?" she tried another word. "Distant? Lately it seems as if he's always doing something after our joint training."
Kakashi glanced coolly at her with his right eye. "Maybe it's something that you don't need to be informed about?" Kakashi tried to gently suggest (well as gently as he could anyway).
Sakura looked at him. "Do you know what he's doing kakashi-Sensei?"
Kakashi shook his head. "No I do not. However I have been informed that he has been seen a lot in the vicinity of the Hokage's tower when he has said he has supposedly been training"
"The Hokage's tower?! But what would he be doing over there?"
"Again, I do not know. Maybe it's just training like he's been saying all along." You could tell by his voice that he didn't believe Naruto's story either.
Sakura narrowed her eyes green eyes in determination. "Well whatever it is, I will find out about it." 'And then I will pound him into the ground for keeping it from me!' Inner Sakura screamed and clenched her fist in excitement, her hair visibly blowing in the fire of the excitement that the violent thought always seemed to conjure up.
Kakashi didn't know it, but he had just sparked the flames of what would become Sakura's almost relentless campaign to find out what secret kept Naruto trudging to the Hokage's tower every week.
'Naruto, I will find out what's going on.' And with that resolve running through her veins she increased her speed to catch up to her teammate.
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The day after that-Early Morning
"Is that everyone?" Team kakashi swept the battle field once more to look for anymore enemy movement. Temari walked up to them out of the carnage of broken bodies and mangled and burning carts "Yes, that is everyone. Suna once again thanks you for your help in completing this mission."
"No problem." Naruto was about to walk over and re-join Sakura, who had wandered over to see if any of the Suna-Nin needed medical assistance, when he noticed Temari staring hard at him. "Something wrong Temari?" It wasn't like the sand juonichi to be hesitant about anything.
Temari reached down and pulled a scroll out of her belt. "I'm sorry to not tell you this before, but there was one other reason that Gaara requested your specific help on this mission." Temari handed the scroll to Kakashi.
"Yeah and what's that?"
Temari stared hard into Naruto's eyes. Her next words felt like a punch to the stomach.
"Sasuke Uchiha."
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Well. That's it. Chapter two down. Like every other time, please, PLEASE review. Thanks. And if you have any requests, questions, or anything you want me to include in the story, review and let me know. KG