Kiba and Akumaru led their team as they found another entrance into the castle. After undoing the lock on the wooden door, team eight traveled through the kitchen into a hallway Hinata found with her Byakugan. These halls were built for the castle staff to use outside the main hallways to avoid being in sight of anyone of status for too long. A loud crashing sound resonated through the halls as they shook. All members of team eight stopped and braced themselves as they watched dust fall from the ceiling. Suddenly all of their radios chirped, followed by Shikamaru's voice coming through.
"Can someone fill us in on what's happening?" He asked.
Kiba and Shino turned to Hinata. She saw Sakura approaching the enemy ninja in the throne room. As well as Natsumi and the older woman walking through a hallway to another area. Closer to the three team members was the large room where Naruto was held captive atop the altar. She hit the receiver on her radio and answered.
"Sakura's fighting the shinobi she followed earlier. I have eyes on Naruto for now; he's safe." She explained.
"Alright, Choji and I are on our way. Ino will stay with Sai and let him know what's happening." Shikamaru responded.
"Roger," Hinata replied and turned to look toward her teammates.
The three of them nodded and continued traveling through the dimly fire-lit corridors. With Hinata leading the way, they knew they were nearing closer to Naruto with each step. But suddenly, Hinata began to slow down, and the others did the same until she came to a complete standstill.
"What is it?" Kiba asked, nearing closer to her.
"A large group of armed soldiers is in front of the door." Hinata began explaining. "But that's not all behind us. Even more, soldiers coming to this route was a trap!"
Before the others could move or say anything, a thundering sound of metal footsteps came from behind them. Kiba and Shino turned around to see metal-clad soldiers drawing their weapons. Hinata tried to open the door to try and give them more room, but the soldiers behind the door pushed against it.
Kiba touched the button on his radio to communicate with Shikamaru and Choji. "Shikamaru, we were lured into a trap. We'll try to break through these soldiers, but you, Choji, and Sakura better get to Naruto just in case."
Hinata decided to chime in. "The older woman and Natsumi are back with Naruto!"
"Okay, we're on it," Shikamaru replied.
Kiba chuckled and cracked his knuckles. "It's been a while since we've been able to let loose! Come on, Akumaru!"
Akumaru transformed into Kiba as they got into formation. Shino turned to face the door with Hinata. She turned to him, nodded, and took a few steps back.
"While you handle the soldiers through here, Kiba, I'll see if I can do something about the ones behind the door. Hinata, keep us updated on what's going on with Naruto."
Hinata nodded and kept her eyes trained in front of her.
Genji stood up from the hole in the wall he was in as he kept his eyes on Sakura. She didn't waver under the glare of his gaze. But every second she stayed in the throne room with him was another second Natsumi, and the older woman was getting closer to Naruto, putting him in danger. She noticed the small crack in his armor from their first fight on his abdomen. The other hits like to his jawline had healed instantly, but this particular one didn't.
Even though time had passed, the damage she did was still there. She'd use that to her advantage and target that specific area. He started toward her again, and she took in his movements again. He cocked his right fist back to strike, and she held her fist up. She would use this first strike to test her theory to break his armor. Sakura dodged it, leaning to the left, and threw a chakra-laced punch into his abdomen.
He caught her fist and grinned, looking directly into her emerald-green eyes. She quickly kicked his footing from under him. Genji started to fall and pulled her roughly, flipping her over and causing her to slam onto the stone floor with her back. Sakura snatched her hand from his grip but lost her glove.
They both quickly stood up at the same time. And they charged again, trading blow for blow, sending each other sliding into a wall. They set at one another again, determined to end the fight quickly. Sakura decided to go on the defensive this time as he focused on dodging his attacks. She ducked under his kicks and jumped out of the way of punches. Despite the medal body, Genji was getting faster the more the battle was going on. He backed her into a wall, and Sakura ducked down just in time as his fist almost connected between her eyes.
She looked up at him, breathless as he stayed frozen, his fist lodged into the stone wall behind her.
"Looks like we got here right on time, eh Shikamaru?" Choji's voice called from behind Genji's body.
"Yeah," Shikamaru's voice. "You alright, Sakura?"
She sighed in relief as she moved from around Genji and stood up. "Yeah, thanks, Shikamaru and Choji."
They both nodded as they looked at Sakura. Genji grunted but was unable to move under Shikamaru's Shadow Possession Jutsu.
"So this one of the troublesome people you've all been dealing with?"
Sakura nodded. "Yeah, this is him. Speaking of which."
She summoned a small portion of chakra into her fist and hit the wall hard enough that a giant hole big enough for any of them to walk through appeared. Shikamaru and Choji looked at her with an eyebrow raised, clearly confused. Sakura ignored them and turned to Genji.
"We've had our differences, but this is your best opportunity. Leave through that hole, and don't look back."
"What?" Genji said, still struggling under Shikamaru's shadow.
"You can't take the three of us on even if you tried your best. Besides, if Natsumi finds out about this, you'll be as good as dead. Free yourself while we deal with her. Even if you are a rouge ninja, it's better than living at someone's beck and call with your life in their hands." She explained.
Shikamaru frowned as he understood what Sakura meant. "You sure about this, Sakura?"
She nodded. "It's not the ideal outcome, but every second we deal with him is one we lose with saving Naruto."
Before he could say anything, the radio line began to chirp again.
"Shikamaru, we were lured into a trap." Kiba's voice rang through the earpiece. "We'll try to break through these soldiers, but you, Choji, and Sakura better get to Naruto just in case."
Suddenly Hinata's soft voice could be heard. "The older woman and Natsumi are back with Naruto!"
"Okay, we're on it," Shikamaru replied, touching the button on his radio, and sighed when he'd finished before looking at Genji. "Your choice then. If you try to attack again, consider your life forfeit."
He let go of Genji with his Shadow. After a few seconds, the metal around Genji's body disappeared, and he quickly stepped through the hole. He turned around and looked at Sakura specifically.
"Thank you," He said; she nodded, and he quickly turned around, running as far from the castle as possible.
The three of them looked at one another and nodded. And suddenly, the sound of a roar echoed through the castle. Sakura's eyes went wide as dinner plates as she realized it was Kurama's roar.
Naruto stood in silence, still held bound by the adamantine chains. He hated being stuck like this and unable to know what was happening. His friends were on their way, but to put them in this position to save him felt wrong. He was used to being the one to be there for others, and now that he was helpless in this predicament, he felt a little embarrassed. To be caught so quickly and unable to do anything at this moment mentally knocked him down a peg.
The silence in the room was also driving him crazy as neither of the twins said anything while holding him in place. He'd tried to spark conversation with them earlier, but the other guards quickly gagged him by covering his mouth with cloth and tying it tightly. They all laughed at him being silenced as he glared at them, and afterward, the silence returned. There was no sign of Sakura or the others until he heard a crashing noise from above, followed by the aftershock. He'd never been happier to hear the sound of Sakura pummeling something into dust than he was at this very moment.
The lecture he knew he'd be getting from Sakura soon almost made his knees shake in fear. At the same time, something about her being angry at him always sent a shiver down his spine and slightly turned him on. He chuckled as he pictured her glaring at him, emerald eyes burning into him with passion and slight agitation. Suddenly his mental image of Sakura disappeared when he saw a bunch of soldiers running past the opening to the large room. He groaned again, wondering what exactly was going on.
Suddenly a creaking sound alerted him, followed by a loud bang of a door being slammed shut. It wasn't long before Natsumi and the older woman came walking into view. Naruto gulped, followed by another vibrational shock that shook the castle. Both women looked slightly annoyed after the vibration ended and fixed Naruto with a look.
"I'm going to open the seal on the boy right now. Get ready to use your adamantine chains and drag the nine tails out, Natsumi!" The older woman said as she started towards the altar. Natsumi smiled as she looked eyes with Naruto, as he gasped. He looked between her and the older woman approaching him as her slender wrinkled fingers held out toward him. The old woman touched his skin, cold like ice, and felt paper link against his bare abdomen.
He shuttered, looking at her wide-eyed as a slow smile spread across her face. But before she could do anything, another red-haired woman that appeared to be older than Naruto or Natsumi appeared. She was dressed in a sleeveless black body suit and matching sandals. Much different from the robes the other members wore when Naruto first saw all the other Uzumaki members. Tsubaki kept her hand on Naruto's stomach and her cane in the other as she turned to look at the woman.
"Lady Tsubaki, ships are coming in from the other side of the island. It's the Mizukage and Shinobi from the Hidden Mist. The Hokage must've made some arrangements."
Tsubaki, the older woman, growled with anger as the deep lines on her face began to show. Naruto wanted to sing joyfully at the thought of Kakashi sending more assistance to help him. And in her anger, she snatched the cloth tied around Naruto's mouth off of him, caused him to jerk forward a bit, and threw both it and her cane as far as she could.
"Damn it! We're right here! I've waited far too long to exact my revenge!"
More of the Uzumaki clan members began to arrive in the room. All of them dressed similarly in black. One of them, a male, was holding Kotaro, and Natsumi immediately ran over to him and took her son from his arms. Tsubaki took a deep breath to regain her composure and turned to face her clan members.
"We've come too far to let the Nine tails out of our hands. We'll go forth with the plan and remove it from Naruto. Natsumi, put the boy down and get ready!" Tsubaki turned around and looked Naruto in the eyes.
Tsubaki looked at Natsumi and motioned for her to come forward. A shiver ran down his spine as she did several hand signs quickly, and the seal on his abdomen began open. His eyes opened as wide as dinner plates as her eyes flashed. Suddenly Kurama's growl filled the room, causing Tsubaki to stumble back and almost fall down the stairs. All the members of the Uzumaki clan stepped back in fear.
"Natsumi, let's go! Drag him out, and I'll seal him within your body! And then we will go!"
Natsumi hesitated as she looked at the opening in Naruto's body.
"Natsumi!" Tsubaki roared then. "Let's go!"
Natsumi looked at her two brothers on either side of Naruto. They both nodded in unison, and then she nodded.
"Everyone, let's head to the boats and retreat!" Natsumi commanded. "Grandmother is blinded. Our survival is more important than our revenge. We're not going to the Blood Prison! Not while we still have a chance to free ourselves!"
Both brothers removed the adamantine chains from Naruto's arms and quickly stood up. Tsubaki scowled at the both of them as they headed down the stairs, and the others began to retreat. Naruto fell on his back, and his chakra began to flow normally. He was about to sit up when something cold and metallic entered the opening of his abdomen. Naruto looked up to see Adamantine chains extended from her back into his stomach.
"They're cowards, a blight to our clan! But I will right the wrongs of our past. I will release Kurama, and he will once more cause terror to the world again!"
"Damnit, kid, I can't get loose from these chains!' Kurama's voice came from the opening.
Naruto could barely move; he felt the weight of Kurama being lifted from his body. It felt as if his spine was in the process of being pulled out of his body or might snap from the weight it was supporting. He struggled to breathe as his eyes widened, but he reached out and grabbed the chains with his hands. He was not going to allow anyone to take Kurama from him. And he certainly wasn't going to die here.
"Still got that fighting spirit in you, boy?" Tsubaki asked. "You've got more guts to try and defy me in your condition!"
Naruto grunted as the chains began to move toward Tsubaki. She began to walk back down the stairs of the altar. He barred his teeth at her as he scowled at her. Every second of this was excruciating, and the chains continued to slide through his waining grip. The door opened from the secret entrance with a creak, and Sakura, Shikamaru, and Choji ran in.
Sakura was about to move toward Naruto when Choji and Shikamaru stopped her. Tsubaki smirked as she looked them in the eyes as the chains continued to pull.
"Let him go!" Shikamaru commanded.
Tsubaki laughed manically, throwing her head back as the laughter echoed from the ceilings. "You don't understand I've lost everything now! There's nothing you can do to stop me from dragging Kurama out here. Hit me with your monster strength, and throw sharp objects. I do not care anymore!"
Kurama roared again as it shook the room, followed by a horrific scream for Naruto. Shikamaru wasn't going to let another second of this continue. He quickly did the Shadow possession jutsu, and his shadow quickly went to Tsubaki. The shadows extended to her throat and began to cut off her air supply. It wasn't long until the adamantine chains went limp and retracted into her body. She fell to the ground, and Naruto gasped for air as he fell backward again.
Sakura ran up the steps of the altar and quickly knelt beside Naruto. Sakura looked over him with panicked eyes; while Naruto desperately gasped for air.
"Sakura!" Kurama's voice called through the opening. "Perform these hand signs to close the opening of Naruto's seal."
He told her what seals were needed, and she quickly did every single one. After she finished, the seal began to close until it was normal. Naruto's breathing slowed down, and he grinned at Sakura. She had tears in her eyes, and as soon as he chuckled, she leaned down and wrapped her arms around his shoulders.
"You damn idiot." She started to sob into his shoulder. "You're not going to be satisfied until you give me a heart failure, are you?"
He wrapped his arms around her, and he chuckled again. "Well, I gotta keep you on your toes, don't I?"
Choji and Shikamaru looked at each other and chuckled while shaking their heads. While they did this, Kiba, Hinata, and Shino arrived and were soon followed by Ino and Sai appearing together. Sai had his arm around Ino's shoulders as she helped support his weight.
"Is everyone alright?" Ino asked. "Some guy snatched Kotaro from us and hurried here to the castle."
Shikamaru nodded with a smirk on his face. "Yeah, we got here in time." He said, jabbing a thumb at Naruto and Sakura.
Kiba turned to look at Shikamaru then. "What about the girl and the other members of the Uzumaki clan?"
It was Naruto's turn to answer as everyone looked at him. Sakura helped him to stand up. She had to help support his weight as he was still a little unsteady on his feat. "They all turned tail and ran when they found out they were all of you came." He explained a little hoarsely. "And the Mizukage is here along with her shinobi. The only one that stayed was the old lady."
They all turned toward Tsubaki, who was still lying on the ground. Choji went forward and inspected the body and felt for a pulse along his neck. He looked up at the others and sighed. "Ah, I don't think we got to worry about this lady anymore. No pulse." He explained.
"Crazy old woman," Shikamaru said, shaking his head. "We'll wait for the Mizukage and her people to come. We'll explain what happened here and let them take over since we're closer to their territory than ours. The people will be shocked once they hear about the royal family's demise."
Everyone agreed, and it didn't take long for Mei the Mizukage, Chojuro, her retainer, and many Jonin from the hidden mist village to arrive when both groups met with Shikamaru and explained the situation to the Mizukage while the others waited.
"I see," Mei said thoughtfully while holding her chin with one hand. "To think that many clan members still existed outside of Naruto."
"Lady Mei!" Chojuro said next to her as she turned to look at him. "Allow me to take some of the shinobi and give chase to the members. After we capture them, we can take them to the Blood prison."
Naruto's eyes widened, and although Natsumi and the others set out to kill himself and Sakura, he still didn't want them to go to the Blood Prison. If anything, he hoped they could move on without Tsubaki and live on their own accord. Before he could open his mouth to say something, Mei began speaking.
"There's no use in that. By now, they're probably long gone and could've possibly split up from one another. As you know, these waters can lead to many different places. And with the Sun Kingdom in this state, we now have our hands more than full of problems. We should prioritize stabilizing the Sun Kingdom into an alliance with us."
Chojuro and the others nodded while Mei turned back to Shikamaru. He nodded once and put his hands into his pockets.
"Thanks again for backing us up, Lady Mizukage. We'll go ahead and take our leave then." Shikamaru said.
Mei nodded and smiled. "Of course, I'll surely see some of you soon enough at the next Five Kage summit. Until then, safe travels, and give both Lady Tsunade and Lord Hokage my regards."
After the group said their goodbyes to the Mizukage together, they all returned to the ship they'd rented and waited in the interior as the rain from earlier had worsened. Naruto and Sakura sat against the wall, looking at everyone else. Hinata and Kiba were sitting against Akumaru, laughing about something while holding hands. Shino gazed outside the window close to Kiba and Akumaru; he appeared in deep thought with his hands in his pockets. Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji were laughing at something Choji had said while Sai sat beside Ino, genuinely smiling.
Naruto had put on another one of the white t-shirts and black zip-up jackets he had packed. He smiled and turned to look at Sakura. She was smiling, still looking in the direction Sai and Ino were sitting; then she turned to look at him. He wrapped his arm around her pulling her a little closer to him. Despite everything that had happened, they were both alive. And for Naruto, that was enough.
"Are you sure you feel okay?" Sakura asked softly.
"Yeah, I've got you right next to me, y'know." He replied with a grin.
She laced her fingers with his free hand and squeezed lightly. "Be serious."
"I am!" He replied honestly. "I knew you'd come to get me."
She sighed and shook her head. "Yeah, next time I say don't go ahead, you should listen. As a future husband, it'd be wise for you to listen to your future wife."
"You and I both know I usually don't do wise things, y'know."
They both laughed as they leaned in close together then their heads touched. When they finished laughing, they sat in silence for a bit. Glad that for the first time since they'd left the village, no one was policing their closeness.
"I can't believe there were that many people from the Uzumaki clan left," Sakura murmured. "I wonder how Karin will feel if we get to tell her about this."
"I'm sure she'll be in shock. I still am," Naruto replied. "Speaking of more Uzumaki, we've got a wedding to start planning! And apartment hunting!"
Sakura leaned back a little to look at him properly. "Don't tell me my mom is starting to hound you for grandkids now too? I bet as soon as we set foot back in the village, she might already have a ceremony waiting for us with as many people in attendance as possible."
Naruto chuckled again as he imagined Mebuki doing just what Sakura said. But the talk of children wasn't one that they had themselves. Naruto would love the opportunity to have a big family.
"No, she hasn't, but what are your thoughts on kids?" He asked curiously.
She took a deep breath and relaxed back into position next to him. "I always imagined a family, a home with my husband and kids. I'm sure they'll run to you to ask for new toys and desserts since they know I will probably say no." Sakura said, laughing.
"I'll… Yeah, you're probably right." He said before joining her in laughing. "How bout seven kids?"
Sakura leaned away again, looking at him wide-eyed in disbelief. "Who are you planning to have seven kids with? Because I'm sure not having that many!"
"Alright, six?" he asked, realizing it would be a lot on her body.
"Two. And that's if pregnancy isn't too bad!" Sakura retorted.
"Four?" He pleaded, sounding hopeful!
"Two," said firmly.
He sighed and hung his head, and Sakura brought his hand to her lips and kissed the back of his hand knuckles. Naruto decided to table that conversation for later. Surely he'd be able to get Sakura to budge on that number. A sudden chime came from the overhead speaker.
"This is your captain speaking; we've approached land; please prepare to exit the boat."
The rain pouring from the skies all day had finally stopped when the boat was docked at the piers back at the Land of Waves. And waiting for them at the dock was Neji, Tenten, and Rock Lee. With the sun setting in the distance, everyone exited the ship individually.
"Is everyone alright?" Rock Lee asked, waving his hand over his head.
As energetic as ever, Naruto, the first one off the boat, grinned from ear to ear and returned the wave. "Hey! We're all okay thanks for coming, y'know!"
They visibly relaxed as soon as the three of them could see that everyone was okay. Together the twelve shinobi decided to stay the night in the Land of Waves. And in the morning, they would return to the Leaf.
It was early in the evening when the group returned home to Konoha. With most of the group leaving to return home, Naruto led Sakura and Shikamaru to the Hokage office to announce their return and turn in the mission reports. When they turned the reports in, Kakashi asked the three to stay while he reviewed everything that'd happened. Naruto stood in front of Shikamaru and Sakura. Kakashi held the mission reports from Shikamaru and Sakura while sitting behind his desk in the Hokage office. With this being his first mission as the leader, Naruto waited with bated breath as Kakashi read everything.
When Kakashi finished, he sighed, set the pages down, and looked at Naruto directly. He rested his hands atop his desk with his fingers laced together. Naruto knew that Shikamaru and Sakura must be honest regarding the report. He was prepared for anything Kakashi had to say and would take it as constructive criticism.
"Overall, this mission is a failure," Kakashi stated as he focused directly on Naruto. "From the details of what happened, everything was going well until you all reached the Land of Waves. The second Ino alerted you to Sai being taken and found her unconscious state, you immediately charged into enemy territory without a plan and disregarded Sakura's warning. Then you were captured by the enemy, and it took a backup team and assistance from another village to save you and Sai. And from what it sounds like, they barely made it in time. This could've cost us our strongest shinobi, Kurama, and my most trusted member in the Anbu."
Naruto nodded and remained silent. Kakashi continued to speak after realizing that Naruto wouldn't protest this.
"You are a talented shinobi, Naruto, far from the boy I first met at the academy. But if I am to trust you with this job as Hokage when I retire, you must be able to look at the big picture. And stop thinking you can solve everything by force or shouldering everything alone. Take the next two days off and then report back to work."
Naruto nodded again. "Understood."
"Good," Kakashi said. "You can go ahead and leave. I need to speak to Shikamaru and Sakura."
Naruto turned on his heel and left out the room without saying anything. He closed the door behind himself and started heading toward the exit when he looked up and saw someone walking toward him. It was the Fifth Hokage Tsunade smiling at him.
He smiled a little as he waved. "Hey, Grandma Tsunade."
"Hey, Naruto, you got a second?" She asked when she stopped right in front of him. He nodded, and she smiled, turned on her heel, and started walking. "Follow me."
He quickly started following her as they walked up several staircases until they were at the top of the Hokage building. With the sun setting in the distance, the sky glowed a mixture of orange and yellow hues with clouds drifting about. Tsunade looked up at the Hokage monument, and Naruto stood beside her and looked up at it. A gentle breeze swept over them as they stood in silence. Naruto looked over all the faces but focused on his father's face.
"When I was a young girl, my grandfather took me to the top of that monument on his shoulders after he'd lost all his allowance my grandmother had given him to go gambling," Tsunade said; Naruto turned from his father to look at her, and she was still looking up. "He was just as bad as I am, if not worst, when it comes to gambling. When he was out of money, we laughed and sang to the top as I sat on his shoulders, and we stood up where his face is now. And he said you know what, Tsuna? I'm so glad you don't have to live as I did in my youth, constantly at war and losing those you care about daily. And when I sometimes stand here and see everyone living in peace in this Village, I see all my family."
Naruto's eyes widened a little. "His family?"
Tsunade nodded. "He said everyone in the village is his family member. And that it was his responsibility to protect and guide them. And then he gave me that necklace you're wearing now. Then he said take care of my family, Tsuna. I'm ashamed that it took a loud-mouth-annoying kid Jiraiya brought with him at the time to remind me of that promise. And he inspired me to become the Fifth Hokage. Don't let this one mission get you down; we all make mistakes and have room to grow. I'm glad you made it back safely."
Naruto smiled a little, but it soon turned to a frown. "I owe you an apology Grandma Tsunade."
Tsunade's eyes widened a little as she turned to face him. "What do you mean?"
"For running my mouth to get Kakashi Sensei to take over for you. Calling you lazy after the war and disregarding your feelings about Pervy Sage when he died. If someone had said something like that to Sakura if I died, I'd be pretty upset about it."
Tsunade reached over and touched his shoulder. He looked up to see her smiling. "You were grieving," She said softly. "I understood that you lost someone significant to you that night. A family member, and don't feel bad about the Hokage job. When I told him to take the job, Kakashi drug his feet in taking over. Just promise me you'll take care of my family as Hokage, okay!"
He grinned. "You can count on me, y'know!"
They heard laughter coming from below the building, and both walked to the edge to see Shikamaru, Sakura, and Temari just outside the Hokage building. Shikamaru was rubbing the back of his neck with Temari looking at him with her hands on her hips. Naruto chuckled and stood on top of the railing but turned to look at Tsunade before he jumped.
"Thanks again for talking with my Granda Tsunade!"
She smiled again and nodded. "Of course, now go enjoy your time with Sakura."
He nodded and jumped down from the top of the building, and as soon as he landed, he jogged over to join them. Tsunade watched the four of them walk away into the distance and sighed.
"Everything will be alright in his hands." She said aloud and closed her eyes as the wind blew again. "Just as you said it would, Jiraiya."
Earlier in the office, after Naruto had left, Sakura wanted to follow behind him but stood still. They waited in silence for a while before Kakashi started to speak.
"The two of you will be his most trusted council as a Hokage. As I said before, he's come a long way, but as a Hokage, I can say the hardest job in this village besides being the Hokage is being their support. He'll face many challenges that he won't be able to talk or power through. Stay by his side and help keep him on the right path."
"Yes, Lord Hokage." Shikamaru and Sakura said in unison.
Kakashi nodded. "We'll begin construction on the hospital tomorrow. So, unfortunately, any slim chances of expanding the children's clinic will need to be pushed back until the next budget meeting. Good work, both of you. Take two days off as well and report back to work."
They both nodded and turned to leave out of the room. When Shikamaru closed the door behind them, he noticed Sakura was waiting for him, and he started walking to catch up to her. She fell in step beside him as they headed down the stairs to the main entrance of the building.
"Everything alright?" Shikamaru asked.
"Yeah," Sakura murmured. "He took that better than I thought he would."
"I thought we would be there for at least a few hours listening to them argue. He's been surprising me a lot lately."
Sakura smiled and nodded in agreement. "If I know my Naruto, he'll be all too ready for a chance to prove himself."
Shikamaru chuckled. "Yeah, and it'll be a drag until it happens too."
Sakura laughed, and they walked out of the Hokage building together. There in the distance, was Tamari approaching the Hokage building. She smiled and stopped in her tracks as the pair came to her.
"I didn't know you were coming here so soon?" Shikamaru said with his hands in his pockets.
Temari laughed. "I sent you a letter; what don't tell me you were sleeping on the job again?"
Sakura laughed as Shikamaru groaned and rubbed the back of his neck. "I just got back from a mission. Troublesome woman won't let up on me at all, will you?"
"Fraid not," Temari said, grinning. "Someone's gotta keep you in line, crybaby."
Sakura was about to say something when she felt Naruto approaching them. She was relieved he was smiling and wasn't taking what Kakashi said too hard to heart.
"Hey, Temari!" Naruto said when he stopped by them. "Sakura, let's go get some sweet dumplings."
Sakura raised an eyebrow. "What, no ramen?"
He chuckled. "I know you don't like it as much as I do. So why don't we get your favorite tonight, y'know!"
Sakura smiled. "We'll have ramen first and have the dumplings for dessert! Shikamaru and Temari, do you want to join us?"
Temari grinned. "Sure, Shikamaru can flip the bill for me!"
"Wait, what?" Shikamaru said suddenly.
"Come on, times a wasting!" Temari said as she and Sakura started walking.
Shikamaru sighed and shook his head. "That woman,"
Naruto chuckled and wrapped his arm around Shikamaru's shoulders. "Oh, come on, you know you like it, y'know!"
Shikamaru blushed. "Shut up!"
And together, the four of them went to the Ichiraku ramen shop.
A/N
Hey! I wrote so many drafts of different scenarios to determine how I wanted this to go with how I initially imagined it. And I'm proud of the way this came out! As always, thank you for your continued support. See you next chapter!
- Colorfulone