A Growing Affection

Chapter 59: To the Highest Level

The Fifth Hokage was livid. She glared out the window of her office,  sorely tempted to punch through the glass. She barely noticed as she  shattered the coffee cup in her hand, spilling the hot liquid onto the  floor.

"GET HIM IN HERE! NOW!" she roared, not even bothering with  the intercom. Outside her office, Genma, Raido, and Shizune scampered  away, not needing to ask whom she meant. Even had they not known, they  would have been too scared to ask.

Through the casement, Tsunade  could see the monument to the Hokages. The stone faces of the first four  Hokages stared out as always. But her own visage had been vandalized.  Graffiti painted onto the granite made her look cross-eyed and  fish-lipped. And even worse was the text. Someone had smeared the words  'old woman' across her right cheek, and 'all boobs, no heart' on her  forehead. And the Sannin doctor had no doubt in her mind who had  perpetrated the crime.

Since his return from the Land of Greens,  Naruto seemed to have reverted to his eleven-year old self. He had been  setting up tripwires and flash bombs throughout the village. He had  tried repeated to peep at the women's baths. He had interrupted classes  at the academy by pulling the fire alarm.

As she pondered his  behavior, Tsunade forced herself to take a deep breath. Naruto had come a  long way, especially in the last year. In the past, he had pulled  pranks to get attention and to take a minor revenge on the people who  hated him. But Uzumaki had friends now, and was generally liked and  admired in the village. There had to be some reason that he was acting  like this again.

"Lady Tsunade," Shizune said tentatively at the door, "I brought Naruto."

The  younger medic escorted the Chunin into the room, and then quickly  exited. The Hokage's hard fought composure nearly slipped at the smug  look on his face. She glared at him, but forced her self to keep her  temper in check. This situation called for carefully directed anger, not  an uncontrolled explosion.

"What is the meaning of this, twerp?" she demanded harshly.

"I just realized I never got a chance to decorate your carving," he smirked, "And I thought it might have felt left out."

"What's  going on, Naruto?" she said softly, but in clipped tones, "Why are you  acting out again? Did something happen with you and Hinata?"

Naruto looked surprised, but his grin didn't slip.

"Nah, we're great," he said.

"Then, why?" Tsunade felt her control straining, "Why slip back into bad habits?"

"Maybe I'm just not as mature as you thought I was," he shrugged haughtily, "Maybe you should bust me back to Genin."

"You damn punk, I'll send you back to the academy if you don't tell me what the hell is going on!"

Naruto looked genuinely frightened at the threat. His mask of arrogance collapsed with a disappointed sigh.

"Hinata said it wouldn't work," he mumbled.

"What wouldn't work?" the Fifth Hokage's rage abated and confusion took its place.

"Acting  up. She told me you wouldn't demote me if I went back to playing  pranks," he explained, "She said I should just come to you directly."

"You want to be demoted?" her voice rose with incredulity. He nodded.

"Why?"

"Six  months ago," he reminded her, "you promised me you'd do whatever it  took to get me to the Chunin Exam in the Land of Lightning. You even  offered to demote my friends. It's only eight days from now. So you have  to make me a Genin again."