The Fox Hidden In The Leaves (Completed)*WATTYS 2017*

Chapter Four: Restoration

-Namikaze Front Gate-

As soon as she'd closed the gate, Tsunade saw a disk identical to the one on the outside, seal, spin and lock. 'You thought of everything Minato, even a seal that reactivates when the gate is closed.' Tsunade thought, smiled, then turned back to Naruto, Hinata and Sakura, who stared blankly at the house and huge front grounds of the compound. "It's as impressive as I remember it." Tsunade said to Jiraiya then smirked.

"I always loved this place, he had the most beautiful servants in Konoha." Jiraiya siad.

Naruto looked at the two Sannin, their comments snapped him out of his trance. "You've both been here before?" Naruto almost yelled.

Jiraiya nodded to Tsunade, and let her take over.

"A long time ago." Tsunade sighed happily at the recalled memories. "I hate to admit it, as the Hokage anyway... but this place is even grander than the Hokage Compound I live in."

The four suddenly look at her, even more surprised, if that's possible.

Jiraiya smirked.

"I forgot, this is your first time here Shizune, join Naruto and the others. While we're here don't think of me as the Hokage, just as your guide... except you Jiraiya." Tsunade said.

Jiraiya frowned at Tsunade and very subtly mouthed 'bitch' to her.

Tsunade just smiled. She loved doing this to Jiraiya to put that pervert in his place, it always made her happy. Tsunade pointed out the features of the Front Grounds to them. There's a stone walkway from the main gate to the front door of the house. The grounds are two, half acre lots separated by the walkway. To their left were dozens of various-sized flower and rose gardens, a dozen benches and two large man-made ponds, each fed by a small waterfall, and near the house was a huge stone fountain, all connected by more flat stone walkways.

Hinata sighed several times contentedly, she wanted to explore them, but was told she could do that later. They knew she loved gardening, she'd taken it up again in the last three years. Before that, the last time had been as a little girl with her mother in the Hyuuga private gardens. They were Hinata's earliest memories, and her most precious, as they're also of her mother laughing happily as she tried to 'be a big girl' and garden like her mother did, and got really dirty.

To their right is an open field for outdoor parties, light sparring, things like that. It ended, to the far right at a forest that covered an acre of the front corner and side of the compound.

"Kiba and Shino would love that." Naruto said, knowing his friends very well.

Sakura and Hinata nodded, then Hinata got confused. "Tsunade-sama, if no one hads been here in twenty years why aren't the gras and flowers overgrown?" Hinata said.

Tsunade laughed. "I wish I knew Hinata."

-Hokage Compound-

Kakashi is up in a large tree at the edge of one of the training grounds, hidden from view, quietly reading his favorite little orange book. In the field nearby Kiba and Akamaru roughhoused with six of Kakashi's nin-dogs Kiba had asked him to summon. Rock Lee and Neji sparred on top a series of ten foot metal poles buried in the ground. Shikamaru and Chouji laid under a shade tree and watched the clouds, while a nearby Shino seemed to have a silent conversation with some insect residents of the tree they were under. Ino and Tenten perfected their aim with the moving targets at the far side of the one acre training field, Tenten's squeals of joy while she used the new, highly elusive targets could be heard by all, which told everyone that the young Weapons Mistress was very happy. Iruka was leaned against a tree near Shikamaru, Chouji and Shino. He watched them all enjoy themselves and smiled.