再発

Chapter 1

*Knock*
*Knock*
*Knock*

"Come in!"

The door creaked open and a shinobi briskly walked in.

"Hokage-sama! Get off your ass and do some work!!"

Naruto sweat dropped, "Hai.. Hai.... Oi Shikamaru, I told you to stop calling me that. Naruto is just fine."

"Naruto, you're killing me here. I can't keep up with the past due work that you can't do right."
Shikamaru sauntered towards Naruto's desk and slammed the papers in his hand on the desk.

"Look Shikamaru, I know. I'm trying but you know I have a short attention span. I'll take this work home and try to finish it, For now you can take the rest of the day off. Go spend it with your girlfriend." Naruto gave a sympathetic smile. He truly was apologetic that Shikamaru was paying for his faults.

Shikamaru sighed, "fine, I want that work done by tomorrow. Got that Naruto?"

"Hai, Hai. I understand"

The half argument and half conversation quickly ended with Shikamaru leaving the room.

Naruto sighed when he was finally alone with his thoughts. He was already struggling with the work that just came due.
It was a serious problem, clan heads and the elders even started complaining to this point.

Naruto ran his hand through his hair, fatigue manifesting in his features.

He slouched forward, getting his mentality ready for the enemy that is weak physically but always fights him mentally.

                    
= + + + + - + + + + =

Naruto walked down the dirt path, admiring how his village became modernized so fast.
Teuchi finally has a building now, Naruto chuckled to himself. His generation is ending fast.

On his way home he bumped into a small family.

The little boy gasped, it was like his dream came true. "Nanadaime!" The boy ran out of his mother's grasp and stood infront of the blonde male.
The parents froze, and rushed forwards to try to grab their kid.

"It's fine"

Naruto saw a small 5 year old with black hair and seemed to have drawn on whiskers.
Naruto laughed out loud, "What's your name little one?"
The little boy's eyes were now glowing, "Ito Hiroaki!!"

"Nice to meet you Hiroaki-kun"
Naruto bent down infront of the boy to meet eye to eye.
Then the little boy tilted his head, "you seem tired Nanadaime, is there anything I could help you with?"
Naruto couldn't help but smile, this kid was very kind.
Naruto had to think though, it's not like a child could understand the offerings and the propositions that went on throughout the village. Then he looked up at the parents, still had a somewhat worrisome and tiresome look.
"Actually there is something you could do for me."

"Really?!" The boy's eyes only continued to gleam further.

"I want you to behave and try not to give your parents such a hard time, they work hard to take care of you. They're just as much of a hero than I am. Got it?"
Hiroaki looked at the blonde with kind determination, like he's been given his first shinobi mission.

"Hai!"

Naruto chuckled as he stood up, he walked towards the parents. "You have a kind child, I hope to see him grow up into a fine man one day."
The parents smiled, seemingly all the tension they had was gone.

Naruto waved the family goodbye and started back on his route to his home.

= + + + + - + + + + =

*Knock Knock Knock*

"Come in!"

"Oi! Neji, just in time."

Neji walked closer towards Naruto's desk.
There no doubt that Neji could see the clear exhaustion on Naruto's face. "Have you been sleeping enough?"

"Huh?" The blunt question caught Naruto off guard, he was expecting Neji to come here to check to see if his request had been accepted or declined.
"Well, not recently. I had to catch up on work. I finally managed to read your request." Naruto fumbled through paperwork and found the one he'd been looking for, he handed it over to Neji as a confirmation.

"Though, was that the reason you came by?" Naruto couldn't help but ask.

"Ah no, I was coming by to check up on the progress but I noticed the bags under your eyes.
Naruto, when you're done here, go home and get some rest. Konoha can't have its Hokage exhausted."

Naruto chuckled, he was the Hokage but it seems like everyone else was bossing him around. "Hai" Naruto dragged the H.

Naruto leaned back in his chair only to perk up.

Neji was about to leave but noticed this. "What's wrong?"

Naruto smiled, "looks like Sasuke is coming home."