Chapter Text
It's a bright afternoon in March a year and a half after the end of the Fourth Shinobi World war has ended when Uzumaki Naruto has gathered her best friends and cousin at their favorite tea house within the village of Konoha.
Over the course of the last year and a half, things have changed for the better in the shinobi world in general and not just the life of Naruto herself. Despite the peace, the Great Ninja villages are stable, expanding their economy away from just military might and missions, though that's still their biggest earner. Several of the clans within the village hav e begun to more widely offer services based on their specialties.
Trade flourishes between the villages and their caravans are the safest in the world with ninja assigned to every one of them.
There's been one Five Kage Summit since the last and it was just as productive as the last. Naruto was naturally sent along with Tsunade and Shikamaru for the meeting, allowing her to gather experience for the day she will take the hat for herself- though, that's several years off- and see her friends from the other lands. Though it's not obvious to Naruto at the time, two of the other Kage have picked their successors for the future as well.
Educational reforms have started, spearheaded by Uzumaki Iruka. Though Tsunade signs off on the reforms, it's the younger generations that creates them. The Academy is being planned to branch into two schools; The Ninja Academy and General Educations Courses. The Temple school will still provide early learning for younger children such a reading, writing, and basic math, however, there will now be more options open to children who want to use chakra for different things than combat.
It's a slow process, changes not having been implemented yet besides the history courses, and it'll take years until things have settled in terms of the change in education. One thing Naruto fully intends to change is making Kunoichi Arts mandatory for all students. It'll be given a more gender neutral name, but she gained too much from those lessons for sex or gender to allow it to remain so limited.
The Bijuu are also being protected and guarded as they were in ancient times once more. The blonde has talked to them a few times within the inner space of her seal, but most often her interactions are with Kurama. Occasionally, she even lets him take control of a clone to wander around on his own with the stipulation that he henge it so people don't assume he's her and tell him important things she needs to know about thinking they're telling her.
He's taken advantage of it a time or two, nonetheless, Naruto still lets him have his 'walkies'. He hates it when she calls them that.
As for individuals, Sasuke completed his sentence a year ago and is now on probation. None of them know how long that probation will last, but the mandatory therapy seems to be doing him some good. He's still a grabby bastard that keeps to himself for the most part, but he at least appears to be healthier than before. There's still trust to be built from him, nonetheless, Naruto thinks that he'll be able to integrate back into the village completely one day.
He's under the direct watch of Kakashi for the time being. The Uchiha is only allowed out of the village when with her, Sakura, or Kakashi.
The other members of Sasuke's Team Taka completed their sentences before him. Sumire decided to remain in Iwagakure and Naruto hasn't heard much about her other than that. She's probably the one that Naruto's interacted with the least. Suigetsu, according to Haku, has taken over as head of the newly reestablished Hozuki Clan and is in the process of gaining enough trust to earn himself one of the Great Swords of the Mist- all of which had finally been returned to Kirigakure after the war with the exception of the sentient Samehada. However, the sword will likely be returned to Kiri after Bee's eventual passing.
And then there's Jugou. Besides Sasuke, he's the one that Naruto's interacted with the most. The young man, now in control of his power with the help of Uzumaki fuuinjutsu, has taken to studying the art himself under Karin and Iruka's care. Karin and Jugou have also started dating, though, they're taking it slowly and Jugou's getting therapy as well.
The Uzumaki Head expects that one day he'll be allowed to study Uzumaki Fuuinjutsu as an Uzumaki but that day may be a while off yet.
Hinata, on the other hand, is keeping her own options open. She's got dreams and goals to meet and in the Hyuuga clan, her choice of husband could cement broader acceptance by elder members of the clan. Still, she's been very honest that she'll marry for love first and if it happens to work in her favor that's only a bonus. With the Hyuuga no longer bearing the Caged Bird and replacing it with a new seal created by Naruto for all members of the clan, it'll be much easier for her to do so.
On the other hand, Ino and Sai have been... doing something. Naruto wouldn't call it dating- not yet at least- but there's a fondness and attraction there. Sai often visits Ino's family shop when she's on shift to draw and paint the flowers. She's seen him there often enough when she goes to pick up flowers or gardening supplies.
Sakura herself has been dating around. If her memory serves, Sakura's last relationship lasted a month. She's having some casual fun, nothing serious. Naruto's happy for her and they often gang up on poor Sasuke and drive his crabby ass insane. Team Seven doesn't get to have missions together as much these days, so the few times they're all together they spend catching up. Depressingly, Naruto sees Kakashi the least.
No one has confirmed one way or another on a lot of other relationships. There's a strong possibility that Shikamaru and Temari are in a long distance relationship but nothing has been confirmed by either of them as of yet. Tenten has been part of the trade escort with Iwa quite a lot and is seen hanging out quite a bit with Kurotsuchi when Kurotsuchi escorts goods to Konoha.
Choji is doing much the same with trips to Kumo. Ino says he gets a lot of presents and letters from Karui of Kumo. She's apparently a bombastic cook and visits Akimichi establishments when he's in Konoha.
There's a lot of budding relationships, even long distance ones, and the Great Nations are preparing for a potential baby boom among the older surviving members of the forces. So many of her friends are dating or are maybe dating and she's not even made a hint of a move in regards to her own feelings for a man fourteen years her senior.
Hence, why she's called them to their favorite tea shop.
Her friends are looking nervously as her serious expression, "Naruto-chan... is something the matter?" Hinata asks with concern.
Naruto simply sighs, lacing her fingers together in front of her face, "I want to talk about... love," The blonde states seriously. All of them freeze in place, eyes shining with interest and excitement, then they're all leaning forward with interest.
"Are you finally gonna tell us who he is?!" Sakura and Ino squeal in unison.
"Oh! Are you finally making a move, Naruto-sama?!" Karin demands, practically drooling with anticipation. In the past, Naruto made it very clear that there were more important things she needed to focus on than romance, which Karin understood, but since the end of the war things have just carried on with no hint of her clan head doing something about her feelings.
Hinata clasps her hands together, smiling brightly at Naruto.
Naruto's cheeks go pink, tapping a blue nail on the bench, "I'm thinking about working up to it, 'ttebayo," She replies, sighing again, "There's no way he's saying yes without some wooing and he definitely doesn't see me as an adult,"
Hinata and Karin, who know who she desires, giver her sympathetic looks while Ino leans forward to give Naruto's knee a squeeze, "Any man in this village would jump at the chance to be with you," She says.
Blonde hair whips around as Naruto shakes her head and Hinata says, "I agree, Ino-chan, but some people may be put off by her age and her ties would make it harder for her,"
"Like her ties to Sasuke-kun? What sort of idiot are you in love with?" Sakura questions.
"The emotionally awkward kind," Naruto groans, "Everything about him is what I desire in a partner, dattebayo!"
"You like them emotionally awkward?" Ino asks, surprised.
"No!" Naruto groans, "I like him even when he's emotionally awkward,"
Sakura sighs, sitting primly, "Okay so, without saying his name, tell us about him. How you first met and what qualities that you like. You've not talked a lot about him to Ino or I and it'd help if we knew what we were shooting towards,"
"And maybe us not knowing who he is can erase any bias we have in our methods of getting you your man," Ino remarks.
Naruto covers her red face with her pigtails, "Well... Our real first meeting was on my ninth birthday. Y'know, the one where I was kidnapped by Ishigakure ninja? He was the ANBU can rescued me, dattebayo. The chuunin that sold me out pulled my hair really hard and said I didn't have any right to look like my dad, not knowing he was my dad at the time, so I was thinking that my hair was the reason people hated me,"
Her friends all make barely restrained faces of rage. Actually, that guy should be out of prison by now she thinks. Naruto isn't exactly sure how she would react upon seeing him, but she doubts he's got ill will against her anymore.
"Anyway, when I cried about my hair and maybe changing it, he told me that my golden hair was beautiful," Naruto giggles remembering how tense and awkward Kakashi's shoulders went when she started crying, "And that I shouldn't let people change me like that. I didn't see him again for a long time after that, but it stuck with me. I didn't even know it was him when we met again... not until later. Did you know that's how mom fell in love with my dad? He saved her and said she had the most beautiful hair he'd ever seen,"
Her friends coo and sigh at the romance of it all, "That's so damn romantic!" Sakura coos.
"Right?!" Karin agrees.
Ino taps her chin, "So he's an ANBU?"
"Former..." Naruto confirms, "He's... really competent. He's got a sense of humor and is kind. He makes me feel safe even though I'm stronger than him and cares about his friends. He's good with animals. I never realized how much like my dad he was until I met my dad, but he's different too. He's a bit... perverted but not like a creep or anything. And-and he's got really good arms, mysterious dark eyes, a cute butt, and he smells amazing, 'ttebayo,"
Sakura and Ino are fanning themselves with pink cheeks, Hinata and Karin giggling, as Naruto covers her red face with her hands. Any more information and Ino and Sakura will figure it out for sure. Team Seven's dynamics are weird enough without her being weirded out or trying to blatantly play wing-women for Naruto.
"Who is this mystery man? And do you think he'd be open to creating a shadow clone so you could share?" Sakura snorts. Naruto smacks her teammate with her hair making Sakura laugh. Sakura would not make that request if she knew who it was- in fact she'd probably really baffled, "Kidding! Your type is out of my age-range. I don't really know how to go about seducing an older guy outside of mission seduction. That's zero feelings and you have real feelings,"
"Do you even know how to genuinely flirt?" Ino bluntly states, "I didn't get to see you on your date with Neji, but since it led absolutely nowhere, I'm gonna guess you weren't into him enough to even try. Have you flirted with your guy at all?"
Naruto scrunches up her face, wagging her hand in a so-so, "Kinda? At least, I think I'm flirting. The only ties I've ever done anything like flirting besides that was all that over the top fake stuff like Sakura-chan said,"
"Let's start with your wardrobe," Ino says, "Your style is very cute and cool, but you don't amp up the sexy at all. You've got fantastic boobs and you don't show off those ladies as much as you could... and summer is coming up; you could stand a new swimsuit,"
Naruto tilts her her, confused, "My belly is like, almost always out and I wear shorts all the time,"
"Yes, and that's been usual for you- you've gotta change it up a bit! Show some cleavage! And you are always wearing stockings or leggings with your shorts- no gams in sight!" Ino asserts, "Your current style suits you, you just gotta change it up once in awhile. What's the state of your lingerie?"
Naruto blows out a breath, "Not as sexy as yours, dattebayo!"
Kiba, who happened to be walking by with Akamaru, face plants in the dirt, startling the girls, "Kiba-kun?! Are you okay?" Hinata asks with concern. Akamaru is sniffing his partner with soft whines, as if he's confused. Yeah, if Naruto ate shit in front of one of the toads like that they probably wouldn't get it either. Gamakichi has stated multiple times he doesn't get human sexuality.
Kiba springs up, red all the way down to his neck and pointing at the girls, "What the hell are you talking about in public?!"
Sakura gets a devious look on her face, grinning, "Panties,"
Steam appears to come out of Kiba's ears, Hinata's too for that matter since talking about underwear in front of boys would be embarrassing for her no matter what, "You- you-! Why?!"
It's Ino's turn to become sly, "What do you think is better for a bra? Lace or satin?" She says. Blood is dripping out of poor Kiba's nose.
Karin is cackling, holding her sides. Naruto sends her cousin a warning look, preventing her from saying anything about dogs in any way. Karin doesn't stop laughing but she also doesn't say anything. Akamaru barks at the three laughing girls, growling at them when they giggle. Normally, Naruto would enjoy teasing Kiba, but she did kinda call them to be serious about her love life.
In an effort to try and look cool, Kiba wipes his nose- though his face is still flushed- Kiba shakily replies, "S-Satin obviously," Then, he takes off, Akamaru making confused whines and running after him. That only makes Sakura, Ino, and Karin laugh harder. Hinata shares a look with Naruto as the girls laugh.
Eventually, they do cease laughing, wiping tears from their eyes. Karin sniffles a bit because of her crying laughter, "Sorry, Naruto-sama," She breaths, "But that guy's timing has always been impeccable,"
"Yeah, sorry Naruto-chan," Sakura sighs, "Still, Ino has a point- your wardrobe could use an update. Do you share any hobbies with this guy? You could talk about it with him and ask questions about it; guys looooove showing women their skills,"
Naruto scrunches up her face, pondering. Kakashi once said he had lots of hobbies, but the only one she knows for sure is reading Icha Icha. The very thought of asking Kakashi questions about Icha Icha makes her want to dissolve into a puddle. When he'd had to read parts of it out loud for code when she was fifteen, even just the timbre of his voice had her flustered and aroused.
Besides, he might die of embarrassment for different reasons.
There's also the fact that Kakashi would think she were asking about anything else as a student asking her trusted teacher and not as a woman flirting with a man. Ugh! She's so out of her depth here!
Another problem is that she seems him so much less frequently these days. He's always busy or keeping an eye on Sasuke and Team Seven just doesn't team up the way they used to. Getting close enough to him in a casual setting will be harder to do than it used to be. She sees Sasuke a lot and Kakashi only a little.
"I take it that won't work out?" Sakura hedges, "Well, you liking older guys, he'd probably think you wanted to train with him," Sakura and Ino sigh, crossing their arms to think. Naruto really appreciates the effort they're going to and the fact they're not wheedling her for Kakashi's identity.
Hinata hums, "Maybe someone older could offer some insight," she suggests, "I'm going to visit Kurenai-sensei and Mirai-chan tomorrow- why don't you come with me? You haven't seen Mirai-chan since she was a baby right?"
That's true, Naruto has been too busy to visit, "Sure. I bet she's gotten big, 'ttebayo,"
"And after, you'll come shopping with us," Ino states.
The following day, Hinata picks up Naruto and they walk together to Kurenai's house.
"Does Kurenai-sensei know I'm coming?" Naruto asks, walking alongside Hinata with her arms crossed behind her head.
Hinata smiles, "No, but I'm sure Mirai-chan will be excited to see the princess all the girls at the park pretend to be," She giggles. Naruto blinks in shock. Kids pretend to be her? Little girls look up to her like that? That's kinda heavy actually, "Plus, Kurenai-sensei gets a little bored now that she's not in the field anymore, so working with you on your love life will be just the boost she needs,"
Naruto really hadn't considered Kurenai being out of the field. Not ever kunoichi retires when they have children, much of the time they get put in the reserves or are moved to village duties. It makes sense, not that it's been mentioned, that since Asuma is gone that Kurenai wouldn't want to take part in the field when she's the only parent Mirai has. Yes, the Sarutobi clan would care for Mirai if something were to happen, but Kurenai made the choice Naruto's parents didn't get to.
They enter the Sarutobi clan compound with a nod to an exiting Sarutobi. Said Sarutobi watches them enter with a gaping mouth- mostly at Naruto. Come to think of it, she's never been in the clan's compound before, only having met up with Konohamaru around the village. The Sarutobi compound is one of the largest in the village- coming in second to the Hyuuga- but it no longer the one of the oldest. It, along with many other clans' compounds were destroyed by Nagato's assault on Konoha.
Now, the buildings are shiny and new.
After arriving at Kurenai's house, Hinata knocks on the door. There's a child's excited shriek from inside and the doorknob jiggles before the door opens to reveal a little girl that looks a lot like Kurenai but with Asuma's nose. Mirai beams up at Hinata, throwing her arms in the air to be picked up, "Hina!"
Hinata picks the nearly three year old up, putting her on her hip, "Hello, Mirai-chan," Hinata greets with a smile.
Mirai then turns her attention to Naruto with big red eyes. The blonde coos at the adorable child, waving, "Hi!"
The young Sarutobi turns her attention to Hinata, question in her eyes. Hinata faux whispers to the little girl, "This is my very best friend, Mirai-chan; Uzumaki Naruto-hime," Mirai rears back, snapping now sparkling eyes to Naruto and looking her up and down.
"Princess!" Mirai giggles.
"Sarutobi Mirai!" Kurenai's voice snaps from inside and the child says an adorable 'uh-oh' as Sarutobi Kurenai moves to stand in the door, "What have you been told about opening the door on your own?!"
In an effort to get out of the trouble she's in, Mirai points to Hinata and then to Naruto, "Mama, Hina and Hime protect me!" She points more insistently at Naruto, "Mama, Hime!"
Kurenai blinks in surprise when she sees Naruto has indeed joined her student for her visit. Naruto waves at the older woman bashfully, "Oh! Hello, Naruto-san. It's been awhile," Kurenai takes the excited and shrieking child into her own arms before stepping out of the way of her door, "Please come in and make yourselves comfortable,"
"Pardon our intrusion," The ever polite Hinata says as she steps inside. Naruto follows behind, repeating the greeting. There's toys all over the floor and a sippy cup on the sitting room table next to scribbled on paper and crayons. Mirai, being a toddler, has quickly lost interest in Naruto for the time being and runs to the table to draw.
Hinata pulls Naruto over to the couch where she sits gracefully while Naruto plops down. Kurenai takes a comfortable looking seat to the side of the couch, "Sorry I don't have any snacks prepared girls," Kurenai says, "Toddlers either eat nothing or everything and I'm afraid that Mirai has decimated the snacks meant for guests,"
Naruto shakes her head, "Nah, don't worry about it. It's good to see you- Mirai-chan's gotten so big, 'ttebayo!"
Mirai looks up at her and beams, "I'm a big girl!"
Naruto smiles at Mirai, charmed by the child. She's not been around any children this young since she was a child herself. The last time she interacted with a toddler was probably when Hyuuga Hanabi was just a little older than Mirai. There's things she can't help but imagine watching the toddler now, her wind nature making it easier to picture, but the fact she does so kinda makes her blush. Here she is trying to get advice to even pursue the man she envisions having children with with.
The blonde shakes her head to dispel the fantasies. Hinata, her first and best friend, knows he well, giggling demurely into her hand like she can read Naruto's thoughts. Kurama rumbles within her seal.
Kurenai smiles softly, if a little confused by the action, "I've heard you've been very busy lately, Naruto-san," Kurenai says, "I'm glad you've taken the time to visit with Hinata-san,"
Squirming in her seat, Naruto blushes more as she considers how to start, "I should have visited sooner, dattebayo... and now I feel kinda bad 'cause I came for advice at Hina-chan's suggestion,"
Kurenai leans forward, interested, "Don't feel bad- I'd love to help. It gets a little boring not being in the field," Just as Hinata said. Kurenai doesn't seem upset that she can't be in the field per se, it's just boring. Naruto will probably feel the same way if she ever has her own children and has to take time off for maternity leave.
"I... need love advice," Naruto admits. The older woman's mouth drops open, completely stunned. Naruto just continues to fidget while Kurenai processes the information.
"Sorry, sorry," Kurenai says, "I just didn't expect that you would need love advice, especially from me. You always seem so confident, Naruto-san, and you have plenty of female peers for this sort of thing. I'm happy to help, but I am surprised," The Uzumaki puts her face in her hands, red up to the top of her head and tips of her ears, mumbling a reply, "Forgive me; could you repeat that?"
"I like... older men, dattebayo," Naruto admits, "The guy I like is your age and well... I didn't pay much attention to seduction lessons in Kunoichi Arts. I'm a frontline combatant and a trap mistress; it wasn't something I thought I needed. Honestly, if it were anyone else I'd just confess and hope for the best... but, there's no way he sees me as a woman right now He'd think it was a silly crush or worse; chase him away"
Kurenai furrows her brows, probably going through the list of single men her age in an attempt to work out who the one Naruto loves is. She shakes her head once a few times during her thought process, before appearing to give up, "May I know who the mystery man is? There's only so many survivors from my generation..." It's a sad fact but a fact nonetheless, "It's not Ebisu-kun, is it?"
Naruto makes a choking noise, cackling. Mirai joins her in her laughter despite not knowing what she's laughing about, "No no," She then takes a deep breath to stop the giggling. Then, she starts picking at the hem of her sleeve, not meeting Kurenai's eyes, "It's Kakashi,"
Understanding lights up Kurenai's eyes, nodding twice, "That makes sense- Kakashi-san's always been pretty popular," Kurenai then mutters something under her breath, that makes Kurama cackle in her seal, before returning full attention to Naruto, "I think you could make each other happy... if he lets you. Kakashi-san is..."
"Emotionally awkward," Naruto finishes for her making both she and Hinata snort.
"Yes, but also he has more loved ones among the dead than the living," Kurenai looks at the altar where the portrait of Asuma sits, "Many of us on our generation do. He may struggle to let anyone in that way. May I ask how long you've felt this way about Kakashi-san? What do you feel exactly?" While she believes Uzumaki Naruto to be a genuine girl, she is only eighteen and has her own history of hardship. The genjutsu mistress would like to confirm, for both Naruto and Kakashi's sakes, that her feelings aren't just infatuation.
The blonde squirms again, cheeks still pink, "That first part is complicated?" Naruto hedges, tilting her head, "I had a little crush on him when I was a little kid, but that's before I knew who he really was, and then I got a crush on him again later when I was a genin. He was really cool and I've always liked older guys... but It wasn't until I came back at fifteen when I really fell for him, dattebayo. He... makes me feel a lot of things. I feel safe when I'm with him and can laugh or cry or just be... I just... love him, y'know? And even if he never feels the same way about me... every future I imagine has Kakashi in it one way or another,"
Kurenai smiles, "Hence why you haven't just confessed to him," The old woman nods with understanding, "What have your friends suggested?"
"Sakura and Ino both suggested updating her wardrobe and... under things a bit, as her clothing tends to be practical but fashionable- they think she needs more cute and...sexy. Sakura suggested talking to him about hobbies," Hinata says, "Neither of those two know who Naru-chan likes yet,"
Kurenai hums, tapping her chin. She sees the problems now. While Sakura and Ino's ideas have some merit overall, they alone won't be enough to get Kakashi to see Naruto as a woman or to turn his head away from that stupid book of his. The trouble is, Kakashi and Naruto are close and have a complicated history. She doesn't know it well to be fair, still, she knows enough that it complicates things for the young clan head.
If Asuma were alive, who knew Kakashi much better than she, he'd find this whole situation utterly hilarious but still take Naruto's conundrum seriously enough to help... because he too would want Kakashi to be happy. And, in Kurenai's opinion, there would be a total of two people that could bring Kakashi the most happiness: Might Gai and Uzumaki Naruto.
"As for academy seduction; it's not too much different than real flirting and seduction for someone you genuinely like," Kurenai explains, "You need to find out what he likes and dislikes- also what attracts him- and use those things to draw his attention. Getting him to see you as a woman and not as a student is going to be the hard part. You're the strongest kunoichi ninja in the world and are highly capable and yet he doesn't see you as an adult. This is a consequence of your shared history and your age difference. Slow and steady will win you the race here,"
Naruto listens intently, like when she's studying fuuinjutsu, and Hinata finds it adorable. Hinata's friend has always thrown herself fully into learning when it deeply matters to her. It was apparent when they were children and also when she probably fixed the Hyuuga's Caged Bird in half the time anyone else would. Her teacher looks to be having fun with this too, so Hinata's glad she suggested asking Kurenai for advice.
"Is there any reason you haven't told Ino-san and Sakura-san?"
Naruto sighs, "I love them both dearly, but Sakura-chan will... get weird for a bit if she knows it's Kakashi that I like, since he was our jounin-sensei and the both of them will try and be too helpful, 'ttebayo,"
Kurenai snorts, "I understand- Ino-san visits often to help with Mirai. She's a take charge young woman and tends to overstep when trying to be helpful,"
Hinata and Naruto nod, remembering several instances where Ino's brand a nosiness and sense of justice has... gotten out of hand. Not that Naruto has any room to criticize that particular shared personality trait, "The only people who know who I'm in love with are Hina-chan, Karin-chan, and you. Well, as far as I know I guess," Naruto ponders scratching at her whisker marked cheerks, "Oh! And Kurama!"
The older woman's brows furrow in confusion.
"That's the Kyuubi's name, Kurenai-sensei," Hinata interjects. She's even spoken to the fox before and apparently he respects her and Hinata can tell he really loves Naruto.
"I've also not been able to see him as often anymore. I'm a jounin, so I don't need a jounin-sensei anymore and I'm leading my own missions. I'm one of the people in charge of Sasuke's 'rehabilitation' so I do see him sometimes, but its more in passing than anything. I feel like if I ask to train with him, then it'll never break him of seeing me as a student, dattebayo," Naruto says dejectedly.
Kurenai hums thinking. Tiny Mirai looks at her mother, then steeples her fingers in a way very reminiscent of Shikamaru. Naruto covers her mouth with her hand, trying not to laugh. It's so cute but also so weird. It's so obvious that the Nara is here watching Mirai fairly often if that's her way of mimicking deep thinking. Her mother gets Naruto's attention again, looking at the blonde very seriously, "Would you be opposed to more people knowing? I have a thought of how you could get some more time with him, but I'd need to tell the person that could allow that,"
Naruto grimaces, "Who?"
"Hokage-sama," Kurenai says.
Naruto flings herself backward, covering her face with her arms, "Granny?! How would Granny help?!"
"Hokage-sama adores you and would want you happy, a relationship between the two of you would be beneficial to the village, and she is in charge of assignments," She counts off on her fingers, "She would be the best equipped to get you some time with Kakashi-san. I'll be honest, I want to continue helping with this. Kakashi-san is my friend and I'd like him to be happy- I think you could make him happy,"
Naruto blushes, tugging on a pigtail, which Mirai mimics by tugging gently on Naruto's other pigtail, "You think so? It's been a long time since I've felt... unconfident,"
"I really do. Love is a paradox. It's simple and complicated. It makes us sure and unsure at the same time," Kurenai says, "But never miss out on the chance to express it... don't let that uncertainty hold you back..." Kurenai looks wistfully at Asuma's portrait again. They wasted so much time dancing around each other, neither wanting to give in. She didn't ask him to take her with him when he left for the capital and she didn't ask him to stay.
They'd lost years of time; She doesn't want that for Kakashi and Naruto. They'll already have less together with their age gap, no sense in Naruto letting herself waste time pining when she could try. Kakashi honestly adores that girl too much in other ways to ever leave her be forever even if he never develops a romantic attraction for her.
Naruto and Hinata smile at her.
After that, Naruto and Hinata help Kurenai out around her home and entertain Mirai so Kurenai can have a bit of a break. Once she's allowed Naruto's undivided attention, she returns to her earlier excitement, asking Naruto odd questions that must not be out of place in a child's thought process.
By the time it's time for them to leave, Konohamaru arrives just as Naruto and Hinata are putting their sandals on. Her cheerfully greets Naruto by running to hug her around the middle. He's gotten tall in the year and a half since the war, shooting up like bamboo, "Nee-san! What are you doing visiting Aunt Kurenai?"
Naruto smiles tightly, "I just needed some advice. Besides! I haven't seen Mirai-chan for a long time, 'ttebayo,"
"Sorry, Konohamaru-kun," Hinata smiles, "We were just leaving,"
"Aw man, really?" Konohamaru pouts. Even at fourteen, and a chuunin, Konohamaru is still a bit of a kid. Good, he should be. Naruto was so glad when his age group was kept out of the war and will continue to be happy for that fact.
Naruto ruffles his hair, "Still good to see you, Konohamaru," She grins. The teen blushes, his ears going pink as she rubs the back of his head bashfully.
The Sarutobi family waves as she and Hinata depart, Kurenai for some reason giving Konohamaru a pitying look.
Naruto has just rolled out and bed and his taking her morning dump when there's a knock on her door. Expanding her senses, she finds all her girlfriends at the door with Karin. She struggles to get wiped- her feet fell asleep- then stumble to the door in the ratty t-shirt. It's only after the door is open that she realizes she's not wearing pants- comfortable blue cotton panties on display.
Ino groans, putting her face in her hand, "We never did break you of your clothing hoarding. If it's full of holes and can't be repaired, then you need to replace it," She scolds as Naruto runs to her room to put on shorts. Kurama calls her an idiot within her seal while she's putting on deodorant, 'It's eight am on my day off! How was I supposed to know they would be here so early!'
"I know I know!" Naruto whines as the girls have followed her into her room. Naruto rushes a brush through her hair, "But I got it broke in and comfy, 'ttebayo!"
Sakura crosses her arms, "I understand keeping things like that on hand, but you can't keep all of it. When is the last time you bought new underwear?" She then sits on one of the cushions Naruto keeps for guests. Naruto, in response to the question, grabs the hem of her shorts like Sakura would snatch them off her to get a better look at her panties. Sakura makes no move to do so, but honestly; What sort of question is that?!
"I don't know! Like last year maybe," Naruto hedges.
Ino and Karin have taken it upon themselves to raid Naruto's draws (Both literally and figuratively). All of Naruto's panties are soft cotton; comfortable and breathable and less likely to create sores and chaffing while training or on missions. They're all solid colored, no decoration on them and it's the same with her bras. They're all athletic bras or comfort bras and none of them are fun.
Really, it's a surprise that someone like Naruto lacks even the smallest pattern on her under things. The blonde is very expressive and colorful with her clothes and hair, but she has no adorable patterns or anything.
The blonde crosses her arms, huffing as she sits on her still unmade bed, "What's it matter anyway? They go under clothes, dattebayo!"
Ino looks at her as if she's being particularly stupid, raised brow and all, "Naruto-chan, when it works out with the guy you like- he's going to see more than your panties,"
Naruto envisions herself laying on her bed with Kakashi's mask soaked as he looks up from between her legs. A burning tingle shoots from her chest all the way to her groin. Okay, so yeah maybe time for some new under things in general and not just sexy stuff, because she's pretty sure the crotch of some of her blue ones are bleached and there's slight tears from over use in others.
"I guess I could use some new ones..." Naruto says, pink cheeked. Her friends giggle, Naruto's thought process showing on her face. Naruto smiles at her friends despite the embarrassment, "Let me get dressed and we'll go shopping, 'ttebayo,"
Naruto dresses in something casual, not bothering to don one of her usual outfits if she's going to be trying things on. Instead, she puts on a cropped hoodie, drawstring olive green harem pants that expose her ankles. Finally, she braids her hair before spinning it into a bun that sits on top of her head and applies lip gloss, "Okay, ready!"
Her friends and cousin all file out of her apartment, Naruto grabbing her bag and bidding farewell to her parents and Jiraiya on her altar as she puts on her sandals before running out the door after them and locking up.
They do not go to one of Naruto's usual shops after stopping for a quick breakfast. Instead, Ino drags them to a a shop that Naruto has only ever seen from the outside and, not knowing what it was, never went in.
Now, Naruto has her own place she normally buys her bras and underwear; a shop that carried an array of undergarments from kunoichi grade to your standard cotton panty and with an upstairs leading to a more lingerie oriented selection. Most of what's upstairs in that shop is for seduction and espionage specialist kunoichi, but Naruto has looked at it before. As a combat and fuuinjustu/trap/sabotage specialist, none of those things seemed needed to her.
This place, on the other hand, is entirely lingerie. Well that and negligee. They too have kunoichi grade stuff, however, there's a lot less of it. There's also a display that Naruto actively and obviously covers her nose walking by. It's not the worst perfume counter Naruto's ever walked by- her eyes don't water- still the mix of smells is overwhelming. Individually, they could be fine, but displayed together its very rough on her poor nose.
Ino practically drags her over to an employee- a woman about five years older than them. The woman smiles politely at Ino, "Hello again and welcome," She bows.
"Hello. Do you remember what I asked yesterday? About the request for discretion?" Ino says.
The woman nods, slightly puzzled, then her eyes flash over to Naruto. The look of awed surprise on her face would almost be comical if not for the fact that Naruto still isn't super comfortable with the level of reverence people treat her with. As a child, it was something Naruto thought she wanted, when in actuality, she just wanted to be treated kindly and without neglect.
"Oh... I understand now, Yamanaka-san," She says, bowing to Naruto and the rest of the girls, "Welcome, Uzumaki-hime and friends, to Yosei-Koi. I'm Shirohana Nobara. If you need anything don't hesitate to ask. The fitting rooms are just over there. Will you need to be sized?"
"Uh.. Thanks," Naruto says, "I don't think so," Sakura, Karin, and Hinata all shake their heads. As kunoichi, they all need properly fitted bras for health reasons; the amount of moving they do requires it or they'll get tissue damage.
"Very good. I'll let you peruse and, again, don't hesitate to call if you need assistance," Then she walks away, leaving the five to start their shopping.
Ino takes charge in picking things out for Naruto while the other girls shop around themselves a bit. Hinata sighs in disappointment while looking at price tags for things in her size. Out of the five of them, she has the largest bust, so things that would be cute cost twice as much for her. She's complained about it a time or two and, like Naruto, the bulk of her bras are simple and functional that cute just for practicalities sake.
"What are your thoughts on lace, Naruto-chan?" Sakura asks, holding up a lilac sheer lacy bra and panty set up to Naruto's body with a critical eye.
Naruto, for her part, eyes it warily, "It's fine... I don't think that would cover my nipples though," Sakura snorts, putting it back on the rack.
Ino returns, grabbing Naruto by the hand with her arms full of undies and negligee and leading her over to the fitting rooms. Ino pulls her inside the surprisingly spacious room while the others all gather up on seating outside it. Inside the room there's a little box filled with patches of some sort, "Strip and put one of those on the outside of the panties you're wearing," Ino instructs, bossy.
Naruto does as she's told, terribly afraid of Ino in shopping mode. Ino hands her something off the stack for Naruto to put on. It's a sheer satin and lace combo set of cheeky style panties and a 3/4ths cup bra in the color coral. With each set Naruto tries on after that, Ino calls the rest in to have a peek and get their opinions.
Eventually, they seem to settle on styles Naruto seems comfortable in and likes. They divide their selections up into categories for Naruto to pick the two from each once she starts getting overwhelmed and her eyes start spinning. There's sub categories too, but the sub categories are for kunoichi grade lingerie.
Naruto looks over the choices hesitantly and chooses one from each as she's told. The second her selections are made, with approving nods from Karin, Sakura, and Ino, they hang up the rejects for return to their racks while gathering the future purchases.
"Now, Naruto-chan, I know that most perfumes hurt your nose, but this is a mental battle!" Sakura declares, "Perfume is about conditioning. You want him to think you smell good, then, after he's familiar with it anytime he smells it or something like it, he'll think of you,"
The Uzumaki head grimaces as Ino leaves the fitting room now that Naruto is dressed. Ino returns fairly quickly with the consultant, Shirohana, in tow. Shirohana has a bottle in her hands as well as a package of sort sort of wipes under her arm, "I understand that Uzumaki-hime has a sensitive nose? Our fragrances are made with natural ingredients, so no chemicals, and we'll try one at a time and wipe the scent off with these tester wipes so you don't get overwhelmed,"
Naruto's brows furrow, sniffing the air. It's true that the scent is more natural and pleasant, less overwhelming like she'd noticed when they entered, so she hesitantly agrees to try, though, "Why do we gotta spray all of them?" She asks, befuddled.
"Perfumes smell different on everyone to a certain degree. Your body temperature and natural scent change the notes over time," Shirohana explains, "Another thing is; you don't need much, hence why we use dropper bottles instead of spritz caps. Your wrists, base of your throat and perhaps the backs of your knees are the best places to apply them,"
Shirohana takes Naruto's arm, exposing her wrist and then putting on a drop of citrusy perfume then rubs the fragrance into her skin before telling her to wait. It's not a bad smell, naturally actually sorta likes it, but the citrus scene of it smells too much like the peel of a mikan orange- the least appetizing part of them- instead of the delicious insides. Once warmed by her skin, that smell is made worse and Naruto grimaces.
Noticing her dislike, the woman quickly wipes the scent off with one of the wipes, "Can you tell me what you didn't like about the scent, Uzumaki-hime? Inuzuka shop with us occasionally, so we'd like to know what is better for their sensitive noses as well," Naruto explains her thought process, "I see... most people with less sensitive noses enjoy the citrus scent, so perhaps we could start a collection for people like you after this,"
After that, it's a parade of scents with enough time between Naruto doesn't go nose blind or get dizzy. The selection brought to her tends toward overly sweet fruity or floral scents for the most part- things Naruto likes in gardens and foods but not so much in a bottle. It's when they get away from the sweet and into the warm that Naruto begins to like more things.
Shirohana puts yet another drop on Naruto's wrist, and the smell before it even warms on her skin is lovely. An almost smokey musky amber scent that warms her nose and it gets even better once it warms up. She loves it and now understands why people wear this sort of thing, "I looove this one, 'ttebayo!"
Shirohana smiles, "Excellent! We call this one Amber Embers. It's made with Benzoin, a resin made from tree bark, and features one of the perfuming ingredients from our new trade ties from Iwagakure- a plant that mimics and is less expensive than the former animal oil based scents used before. There's also subtle notes of cinnamon which combined with everything else leaves a smoky warm amber scent that lingers but is still subtle,"
In Naruto's opinion, it smells like sex. It reminds her of the way her body feels after 'taking care of herself'; all hot and sweaty and satisfied.
"I'll take it," Naruto says.
With that, Naruto and her friends purchase everything. Her other friends also wound up picking up some things for themselves.
But the shopping trip doesn't end there. As Ino suggested, a swimsuit is next then they move onto some minor additions- rather than changes- to Naruto's wardrobe. Maybe its for the best Naruto got different bras, as there's a lot more boob action.
By the end of the day, Naruto's spent nearly her entire clothing budget for the month. Granted, she's not had to replace as much clothing as she has in the past, but still, she'll have to be gentler with her training clothes until next month.
Now all she needs is to see him.
Honestly, she misses him. She misses training with him, she misses talking to him, and she misses his little jokes. It's been almost a month since she saw him for more than ten minutes and she's fiending for his presence like it's a drug.
Hopefully, Tsunade and Kurenai have a good plan to get her some much desired time with Hatake Kakashi.
TBC