AN: New chapter.
Kushina Uzumaki could only let out a sigh as she sank into the pool of hot water around her.
"Oh God, I needed this." She leaned back against the warm stone, allowed herself to relax. "Why didn't we do this years ago?"
"I have no idea." Minato was across from her in much the same state. "I don't think I've ever been this relaxed. It's wonderful."
Both were officially on vacation for the next week. Jade's order. She had taken one look at just how tired the two had been, how much they had let themselves get run ragged with the new crop of Genin from the Academy, the new tide of paperwork they brought with them, the general uptick in missions, and had decided to act before they collapsed. After Naruto's graduation, she had banned them from working. Minato had been barred from his office and Kushina had found her mission gear having vanished without a trace.
Thus, left with no other option short of ordering Jade to cut it out, they had taken this trip out to one of the Land of Fire's more private hot springs.
The timing couldn't have been better with Naruto out on his very first C-Rank mission with Team 7.
Rin had assured them that she would keep an eye on him as not only a new Genin's Jonin Instructor but as Naruto's Aunt Rin. She wouldn't let anything happen to him or any of her students. If everything worked out, they'd be back from this much needed vacation just before he was and could celebrate his first successful C-Rank mission.
While Minato was away, Kakashi and Obito would handle his duties and, hopefully, the village would still be standing when the two of them got back. Despite Kakashi being lauded as a genius and Obito having come into his own over the years, the two could do unbelievably stupid things when they got together.
It almost defied logic how great of messes they could make when left unsupervised.
Like that time the two had gotten into a competition with Rin over who had the stronger Water Release techniques.
The two, one with a Lightning Nature and one with a Fire Nature, had challenged someone with an actual Water Nature.
The two had entered a competition with Rin Nohara.
The Jinchuriki of the Three-Tails, Rin Nohara.
Otherwise known as Tsunami Rin.
The woman renowned for being able to make lakes when she was in the mood.
It had been entirely one-sided even when the two started cheating. Even when they cheated outlandishly like paying other Shinobi to add to their pool of water or Obito using Kamui to steal Rin's water to add to their own.
That little idea of theirs had ended with half of the outlying training grounds flooded and two water-logged Jonin needing to be fished out by Jade while Minato figured out a way to send most of the water away. Jade hadn't needed to use an actual fishing pole to do it but she had. Kushina had even approved of her using one of Kakashi's signed Ich-Icha copies as 'bait'.
By the end of that, Jade had dubbed the two the Hidden Leaf's Resonating Idiot Duo. If one had an idiotic idea, the other would make it even worse.
With Jade staying back in the village, everything would be fine.
Even if the two did do something ridiculous, she could handle them.
Hopefully.
'I'm sure they'll be fine.' Kushina let her worries ebb away in the hot water. 'They can't get in that much trouble.'
Minato only let out a sigh as he sank deeper into the hot water.
Back in the Hidden Leaf Village…
"Why can't we sit in the big chair again?" Obito of the Sharingan did not stare longingly at the Hokage chair claimed by Jade. If asked, he would say he was staring out the window behind the chair instead.
"Because you two kept fighting over it." Jade had her feet kicked up on the desk, red eyes looking over yet another piece of paper from one of Minato's never-ending piles. "Since you couldn't share, neither of you get it."
Jade considered her problem-solving skills exemplary at dealing with both children and Shinobi. Both were more alike than they realized. One could just throw elements around while the other could only throw knives. Neither worked in getting their way with her.
"That is extremely unfair. Besides, Kakashi was the one who started it."
Said masked Shinobi made to protest such a thing. Jade had one of her Shadowkhan flick his forehead. Again.
"No talking. You had your turn. Now it's Obito's." Her red eyes briefly went back to Obito. "And I finished it." She set the paper down. A touch of Shadow Magic and Minato's signature was on it and it was headed off in the hands of one of her Shadowkhan to whoever the message was for.
It was one of the privileged few that did not join the growing collection of paper cranes she had flying around the room.
And divebombing to attack whoever came into the office with something pointless.
"Until you two learn to share, neither of you get anything you want." Jade went to the next stack of papers, red eyes skimming over page after page. She recognized enough of the handwriting to actually go over it all. It was a request from the Academy that she had to sign off on, either approving or denying it.
"Alright Kakashi, you can talk again." She dropped the papers into the waiting hands of a Shadowkhan, Kakashi having the same papers appear from his shadow a moment later. "What should I do with that one?"
"Approve it." Kakashi seemed to think along the same lines as her. With a touch of Shadow Magic, she sent the signed form off.
"Well, that's all I need you two for. The rest of this I can handle." Jade dismissed her Shadowkhan and relinquished her control over the shadows of the room. She settled back in Minato's usual seat. "Now shoo." She waved the two Shinobi off with one hand. "Before I put you in another time out for trying to argue with me." She picked up another paper with her free hand, glanced over it. "Well, what do we have here…Proposal to…Uh-huh. Yep. This one's about me again. I know what to do with this."
In seconds, a new paper crane was flapping its wings as it flew towards the ceiling, would join the flock up there before she burned them at the end of today. Depending on her mood, she may or may not have the Shadowkhan drop off the ashes to whoever sent them.
"And don't forget you two are still my helpers. If something weird happens around here, either deal with it or let me know." Red eyes gleamed from their shadows as she spoke.
Both nodded.
Neither took the trust Jade put in them lightly.
AN: There was a timeskip.
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Peace.
