Kakashi had just arrived back at the village gates. He had expected to see Izumo and Kotetsu standing by the gates, imagine his surprise when he got tackled by Naruto with Sasuke leaning against the guard post.
"Not that I don't mind getting welcomed back, but what's going on?" Naruto took that as his opportunity to try and explain the situation. Between the puppy dog eye look that he was trying to give his ex - sensei and talking a mile a minute, Kakashi just looked at Sasuke.
Sasuke had the decency to look exasperated. Sighing he moved closer to the two men "Long story short, Naruto insulted the Roukudime and now we are stuck on watch duty until Izuma and Kotetsu return from their mission."
"That was suppose to be our mission." Moaned Naruto as he pulled away from Kakashi to stare sadly at the ground. "It would have been ours if you had just kept your big mouth shut."
"TEME!" Kakashi grabbed Naruto by the back of his black and orange striped jacket and pulled him away from Sasuke "Your in enough trouble as it is. Do you really want it reported that you started a fight at the gates causing property damage and potentially scarring away any travelers?"
Turning white with fear, Naruto shook his head and was let go "Kakashi-san please help us." Starring from him to Sasuke with his eye, he ruffled his hair in agitation. Not because he was being stopped from going home, but because he knew he was going to help them already. He was going to get hurt again, he could feel it.
"His right Kakashi. You know your the only one she really listens to now a days." "Yeah. Besides I'm trying not to get hit again. Hinata-chan was very angry with me the last time." Naruto said with a big goofy grin on his face.
"Fine I'll see what I can do, but you should probably stay away for a while." "Thank you Kakashi-sensei. Come on teme let's go and get some ramen and WHAAAA. SASUKE!!!" Looking back at where Sasuke had been, he only saw empty air.
"Get back here! Your suppose to pay this time, dattebiyo." Kakashi smiled as he watched Naruto disappear into the busy streets of the village.
It was good to see that not much had changed from when he first took them on as pupils. Although, starting to walk towards the tower, he couldn't help but acknowledge that it also wouldn't hurt for Naruto to mature a little faster. He really didn't now how much the village elders could take.
After what happened with Danzo he was surprised that the council still existed. Though they didn't get much input on how the Roukudime ran the village, they were still there to provide wisdom and advice when needed.
What a joke. The day those old bags of bones tried to tell the Roukudime what to do, their bodies would probably found all the way in Suna.
Slowly walking up the stair case wondering how things had changed over the past three years. Once Tsunade stepped down from being Hokage, he was offered the chance of being Roukudime. He had denied that position, honestly believing that all it would give him was darker grey hair, stress and pain.
He had been right. He now believed that because he had passed up the position that it was now taking revenge on him. The trips he use to make to the hospital after missions paled in comparison to how many he made the first year alone when the new Roukudime was appointed.
The Roukudime was quick to anger if you pressed the wrong buttons, but Kama have mercy, it had only gotten worse when she had announced that she was pregnant.
Seeing the door in the distance, he started thinking of quick contingency plans to avoid the up coming confrontation. All he wanted to do was go home and wait for his wife to come home.
"Afternoon Shizune, how are things today?" She stood up from the front desk with papers in her hand, Tonton following by her feet.
"I'm okay thanks, but I don't know if you will be. She was fine this morning, but when Naruto and Sasuke came in this afternoon, well I'm sure you can guess."
Briefly glancing at the door, she looked at him in pity "It's gotten so bad that the Anbu have started doing rotator shifts, and trying to get missions outside the village for as long as possible."
Walking down the stairs she quickly turned around "Oh and Kakashi, you might want to put that book away." Blinking in shock, he looked down at his Icha Icha book and fear gripped his heart.
Knocking on the door before entering, he put his book away not wanting to risk that this time she succeeded in burning his book.
"Kakashi, this is a surprise. I thought I'd only get your mission report tomorrow. It's good to see your finally starting to loose that ugly habit of yours."
Sweat dropping, he noticed that she hadn't even looked up from her paperwork yet. She must have felt his chakra outside the door. Shit, then she already knows that something is up.
After a minute had passed, she pushed her pink hair out of her face so she could see him clearly "You do have it don't you?"
Feeling the still healing bruise on his back ebb in pain in warning he nodded until she smiled "But I have also come here to discuss something with you." Seeing the smile disappear from her face, he quickly started taking stock of the contingency plans he had thought up so far if he had to make a quick escape.
"You must think I'm an idiot. Do you actually believe that I don't know your not here to hand in that report. I'd have better luck with meeting Kami-sama than that happening."
"Now, now let's not be too hasty." Raising her eyebrow she slowly stood up from her chair and started to walk towards him "So your saying that you have it?"
"Well, no I don't but..." "So now your lying to me." Blanching under his mask "Don't do that. You know I'm here just to see..." "See if you can get me to allow Naruto and Sasuke off watch duty?"
He paused post rant to look at her in astonishment. Seeing the small smirk on her face he sagged in defeat. Seems like her intuition had gotten better.
"You knew the whole time didn't you?" Nodding in confirmation she let out a brief tinkling laugh that had Kakashi smile under his mask. He wasn't going to look a gifted horse in the mouth, he was just thankful that he got one of the good moods.
Seeing the women she had become still amazed him some days. He knew that with proper training Sakura would one day do great things for Konoha, but reaching heights like this was astonishing.
Feeling her wrap her arms around his waist, he carefully maneuvered around her baby bump, and tightly wrapped his arms around her shoulders. Having his wife in his arms after two months was absolute heaven.
"Has the baby been behaving?" Laughing, she pulled back from his embrace and gently rubbed her stomach "His been good. Tsunade said that his developing very fast."
Freezing, he cupped her face in his hands and looked into her emerald eyes "What did you just say?"
Smiling up at her husband she replied "It's a boy. We're going to have a boy." Laughing in joy, he pulled down his mask and kissed her like his life depended on it.
He couldn't have asked for anything better. He was married to the most beautiful women in the world, had a son on the way and was being crushed to death.
Sharply pulling back, he saw the confused and glazed over look in her eyes and smiled. Pulling her back to him, he kissed her again. He didn't mind if she crushed all his ribs, cause then he would now that this was real. This was going to be the best year of his life.