Cries of the Forest

26

New meds, new me, am I right? I'm currently looking for a beta to help me reform some of the scenes that I was agonizing over, so look forward to yet another sequence of spam updates. Sorry I was gone for so long, life kicked me in the metaphysical dick. If any of you are still here after so long, thanks for waiting and here you go!

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Sounds of stern steps (bordering stomps, really) interrupted their perfect morning, and as a unit, Naruto and Shikamaru resolved that it was finally time to face the music. The paper door flung open to reveal none other than their deceptively young Hokage.

"Why the hell have you brats been cooped up in here and—Woah." She cut herself off at the sight that greeted her: the whole room was covered floor to ceiling in green leaves with some flowers of various colors dotting color here and there. The floor had been overtaken with the moss Shikamaru had taken from Naruto's den, and most of the room's greenery had been nurtured to full growth from sprigs he'd found later. (Naruto said it was different, more real when they weren't completely his.)

"Greetings, Fifth Hokage," Shikamaru said after a moment to make sure she was both finished speaking and also wouldn't continue in a tangent of fury at the renovations.

"Uh-huh, explain yourself."  A step up from the yelling, at least. Although she'd asked Shikamaru, he was uncomfortable with speaking on Naruto's behalf without reason. It was time for Naruto to step up.

He nudged his blond gently, letting his head rest on Naruto's shoulder for support and tipping his chin toward Tsunade in silent prodding. Naruto huffed, but thankfully obliged. "New den. Old things from the old den come to the new den." Satisfied with his explanation, he nuzzled Shikamaru and turned his back to the Hokage, shuffling both him and Shikamaru so they were comfortably entwined upon the protected bed. 

Seething at the explicit dismissal, Tsunade flipped her top. "I don't care about the room, I'm asking why you haven't been training like agreed?!"

"Nothing was agreed by Naruto, only by you and the council." Perhaps he should have held his tongue, but there was simply no way he'd sit still and allow these delusions of consent on Naruto's part.  

"Oh, he'd better agree if he doesn't want to end up dead or indoctrinated like a prisoner. Do you have any idea how lenient I'm being?! I need his cooperation to have reason in keeping him alive!" Although her words were harsh, he had to give her points for staying at the door and not trespassing into the abode.

"May I be frank, Hokage?"

"Oh, please do; I hate the runaround those old coots always try and put me through." Well, that was easy enough. 

"Who's side are you on?"

"Boy, I'm on my side," she declared, glaring with no heat. Maybe that was just how she looked naturally?

"I'm glad for that, but how can I know that your and Naruto's sides are the same?"

Tsunade barked a laugh at that. "They're not; unless Naruto's side includes my apprentices, pet, and a buttload of liqueur?" Considering Naruto would rather eat her pet pig than keep it from harm, that would be a (soft?) no. 

"Then how can we trust you?" Now here was the crux of the situation, spoken by Naruto himself. He'd rolled over again to give Tsunade his attention. 

"You'll trust me because I'm the only one on that council remotely close to being on your side. And because just as you need me, I need you," she said, leaning against the doorframe.

"I was living just fine before I was here. I don't need you."

"You were living just fine before the village elders, opposing countries and a crime syndicate found you, but would you be fine after?" 'Crime syndicate?' She'd mentioned it last time too, but what exactly did that mean? Luckily, Shikamaru asked just what he'd been thinking.