Shikamaru didn't question Naruto as to why he was late, though the deep scowl that flashed across the Hokage's face informed him that the latter had encountered some difficulties controlling his unruly son.
"You have a fever." Shikamaru exclaimed dully, placing a large tome towards the end of the highest shelf. He watched as Naruto fell heavily into his chair, his hands scanning the reams of papers that littered his desk. An hour previous to Naruto's arrival Shikamaru had taken the liberty to remove some of the documents he deemed to be less important, hoping to alleviate the stressful burden placed upon his friend's shoulders; he knew him well and had come to the conclusion that since he was still new to the demands of being the village leader, that he would need all the help he could get. Regardless of his good intentions it seemed Naruto had still succumbed to a work induced fever, but he was also aware of another problem that faced his friend. He had heard from Sakura on his way to the office that Naruto had been having serious difficulties regarding his sleep patterns, in the sense that he was unable to developed a natural REM cycle due to reoccurring dreams. Usually Shikamaru would push aside such matters as nightmares were common place with people and not something to overly concerned with, however, Sakura was vociferous in her claims that Naruto was undergoing a traumatic experience.
Having never dealt with the human psyche there was little he could do in that department, though he was certain he could make some form of remedy to help Naruto drift naturally into a sleep which would not be disturbed by the mind's overactive imagination. Personally he felt that such issues were a waste of his time, regardless of how cruel he may seem in believing so. Naruto's mood seemed to stabilise as the minuets slowly passed, he had managed to make himself a rather large flask of coffee before having left home and was gratefully ingesting the coloured fluid at an alarming rate.
"That you fourth cup." Shikamaru sighed, looking out to the view beyond the dusty casement and to the streets below lined with people busying themselves with their day to day chores. Removing the flask from his reddened lips Naruto inhaled raggedly before shooting his friend a beaming grin. He replied with a quick succession of nods, his eyes still lingering on the text before him.
"That's not good for you, you know." He looked to Naruto and felt that he should take away the flask before the Hokage should attempt to have another coffee break. "You'll ruin your health." Naruto however by this point was much too preoccupied with his work to listen to Shikamaru's ramblings. He preferred to see that Naruto was in such an oblivious state as it implied that he was completely focused on the task at hand, although he had been wrong before and later caught on that Naruto would pretend to read the text, occasionally moving his eyes in accordance but would in fact be fantatsising about something irrelevant. He felt obliged to ask, not wanting any precious time to be wasted but a familiar figure soon emerged from the connecting corridor and invited herself into the small cramped premise. She gave Naruto a steely gaze though her eyes softened as she greeted Shikamaru with a passionate smile which stretched to the corners of her eyes. By her side was a face even more familiar, one that caused Naruto to stand and personally greet him.
"It's good to see you again, Naruto." Gaara murmured, his gravelled tone weighed with lethargy. His darkly ringed eyes scanned Naruto's frame, realising that his friend had succumbed to the effects of the position he also held. When asked if he knew that the two were arriving today in his village Naruto feigned with a smile that he had been informed. Those present were aware that he had actually forgotten and that many of the preparations that were to be made before hand would have to be left for a later time. The four soon sat around a small elongated table, each holding a thick block of paper that proved daunting for the inexperienced Hokage,; the three spoke quickly, each precise and to the point, leaving Naruto to ponder what had been said but ultimately left in utter confusion. Gaara laughed quietly, looking to his old companion with a gentle gaze, his heavy set eyes filled with warmth. As Shikamaru and Temari continued to converse Gaara took it upon himself to better explain the situation to Naruto. He remained patient and calm, rephrasing the subjects that confused Naruto the most whilst trying to keep his mind focused which was proving difficult as he sometimes lost himself when analysing key statistics.
The meeting between the four lasted for some time, when Naruto looked out of the window for the final time he was surprised to see that the sun was past its peak and already beginning to set behind the skyline. He stretched his arms high above his head and yawned, inciting a quick smile to cross even Temari's lips. She humoured herself with the latter's inexperience but knew that soon he would be able to comply with the positions demands and make a fine leader; she had witnessed her brother blossom as such and had the same high expectations for his friend.