Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters. I do own a bag of English licorice. Well, I did. Too addictive. Anyway, here's my gift to you all! Two years of writing fanfiction should be celebrated, right? *opens up a second bag of English licorice*


Himawari: Hokage for a day


Today's mood was… weird- that was the only way he could find to describe it. A family of four shared a table, dining together after a long day's work. The boy looked skittish, focusing mostly on his task of emptying the plate. The woman, wearing a knowing and soft smile, was the only one who seemed unperturbed. Her husband, however, was utterly confused, and had a hard time focusing on his meal.

It was the last, and youngest, person at the table who caused this confusion. She was glaring at her daddy, yet the poor man didn't have a single clue why. The girl usually wasn't like this- at all: Uzumaki Himawari was a cheerful, kind-hearted, and patient little girl. She did have her times when a more temperamental side broke through, even to the point where she became so violent that she had to be stopped before things got out of hand.

When Himawari was angered, they definitely needed to find out what agitated her, or her juken would form a threat to everyone. Naruto never forgot the day he was (supposed to be) 'crowned' as Nanadaime Hokage. Even her grandfather had commented on her natural skill with the Gentle Fist style.

In this case, though, it seemed obvious who the perpetrator was. However, Naruto had no idea what he had done wrong. If it had been worry, then it didn't make sense. She hadn't been angry at him during the time that he needed to recover from the whole Momoshiki and Kinshiki fiasco. Oh, she had been worried sick, especially because her mommy had gotten hurt too, but not angry. A few days had passed after Naruto had been dismissed by the hospital, and then suddenly this.

"Erm, what's wrong Hima-chan?" he asked hesitantly.

"…"

"She is angry, Naruto-kun," Hinata supplied – as if that hadn't been obvious already!

"Eh? Why?"

"You owe me a cake, Papa," after some hesitation, Himawari finally said what bothered her.

"Cake? What… oh, that cake," Naruto felt some cold sweat running down the back of his head. That's right, there had been Himawari's birthday party, and it had been so terribly busy that he had been forced to send a clone- a clone which dispelled at the worst possible moment.

"You promised Boru-nii that you'd make it up to us."

"I did," Naruto sighed. "I'm sorry I forgot, Hima-chan. I've been so…"

"Busy," Boruto finished Naruto's sentence with a weary sigh.

"Indeed," Naruto laughed awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. The aftermath of the attack had caused him to work overtime. "But now that the repairs are well on their way, it'll be a bit better. I mean, I promised I'd make more time for you all, and I always keep my word. So what is it that you want, sweetie?"

"Can I ask anything?" Himawari's glare subsided, replaced by one of mild excitement. "Anything?"

"Pretty much," Naruto chuckled. "Ya know that there are things that I can't give, but if I can give it, you will get it. It's a promise!"

"Okay," she chirped. "I wanna be Hokage, just like Papa!"

"H-Hokage?"

"It wouldn't be too hard to do," Hinata spoke up, not surprised in any way. Obviously, she had known about Himawari's wish. "But only temporarily."

"A day would be super!" Himawari nodded eagerly, looking expectantly at her flabbergasted father. The father was looking at his wife with an expression of 'What have you set in motion?' The look was answered by a very sweet and innocent smile.

'Talk about rubbing salt in one's wounds…' Naruto knew that his wife was too sweet to actually get mad \at him, but she did have her ways to get back at him after he messed up. 'An alliance between Hinata and Hima-chan is too powerful. I'd better just roll with it,' Naruto sighed in resignation. "As you wish, Hima-chan. You will be Hokage for a day. But I will need a few days to make preparations, okay?"

"Okay!" Himawari beamed with a grin that almost put the smiles of Maito Gai and Rock Lee to shame. Almost. Naruto thanked Kami that she didn't know any genjutsu yet- that sunset thing truly was something traumatizing. It was a good thing that the sixth Hokage had declared it an illegal kinjutsu. It had been one of the few things Kakashi had not been laid-back about.


-Z-


"Good morning, Shizune-san," one of the guards greeted the Hokage's assistant, a few days later. Oddly, she was carrying a few pillows.

"For Hokage-sama," she replied, after she noticed his look. She ignored his follow-up question, and hurried on. She made a single knock, and then she entered the office, just in time to see a very excited little girl with two whisker-marks on each cheek and eyes as blue as her father's. Shizune almost laughed out loud when she noticed her clothes. The girl wore white robes, just like her father's cloak, and his hat rested upon her head. She looked tiny while wearing that big hat and cloak, making her look all the cuter.

It was a sentiment shared by the girl's parents, who watched Himawari strutting around with her hat-for-a-day.

"The pillows you asked for, Hokage-sama," Shizune announced, after she had regained some of her usually professional attitude. It was not destined to last for long, though. The little girl protested, stating that Shizune shouldn't address Naruto as Hokage today, but rather her.

That had been the proverbial last straw. Pillows slipped through her arms, and Shizune doubled over as she could no longer contain her laughter.

"M-My apologies, Hokage-sama," she snorted, still heaving as she tried to catch her breath. The little pout on her Hokage's face didn't make it much easier. When Naruto had come to her with the idea, Shizune had thought that he had lost his mind. However, confirmation had soon come in the form of Hinata, to whom Shizune had gone afterwards. In fact, it was Hinata who mostly seemed to support the idea, rather than Naruto. 'And I thought Hinata-san was the responsible one…' Shizune had wondered.

"I'll let it pass, this time," Himawari acted indignantly, although the twinkle in her blue eyes made it very obvious that she was just acting. Shizune knew that look. Her father had the same look when he was planning pranks, back when he had only been a young genin. And her brother… well, Boruto's reputation as prankster was well known within the Hokage's office.

"I humbly thank you for your forgiveness," Shizune played along, much to the delight of the girl.

"Hima-chan, Shizune is going to help you out just like she does for daddy, okay?" Naruto decided to speak up. "She'll help you out with the paperwork, as well as with the missions you'll have to hand out today."

"Okay!" Himawari chirped from under her hat.

A clone of Naruto entered the office, holding an impressive pile of paper in his hands. The twinkle in Himawari's eyes dimmed slightly. Worse, a second clone with an identical pile of paperwork followed. The girl's smile had turned upside-down, into a frown.

"Well, enjoy the paperwork, Hima-chan," Naruto hugged his youngest. "Be a good Hokage, and make Papa and Mama proud!"

"Paperwork?" the girl all but whined. "Why?"

"That's what has to done every day," Hinata smiled. Naruto suddenly realized that she hadn't just been teaching him a lesson, but their daughter too. "But Shizune will be here to help you when you need it. And as promised, Papa isn't going to be around and undermine your authority."

"Respect mah authoritah!" Himawari giggled.

"Since when is Hima-chan watching shows like that?" Naruto frowned.

"Boru-nii," the girl blurted out, before she realized what she said and clasped her hands in front of her mouth. Though, the girl soon got a mischievous glint in her eyes. "As your Hokage, I order you not to go after Nii-chan for that."

Laughing, Hinata pulled her husband along, leaving the office in the 'capable' hands of their daughter.

"I'm really getting old now, aren't I? Ordered around by my little girl," Naruto sighed. "She must have that trait from her mother. That mischievous woman played us both." He poked Hinata, literally, with a finger to her side.

"That woman needed her daughter to vent the frustration she kept bottled up, and her husband needed a day off," Hinata shrugged it off, swatting away the finger. "Also, Himawari will come to realize how demanding your job is."

"Hm, even if Shizune and I practically cleared all of the day's paperwork, and she only needs to give her stamp of approval, Hima-chan definitely has more than what she bargained for," Naruto smirked. "What? You didn't think I'd just throw our little girl in the deep like that, did you?"

"Shizune already told me."

Looking at his wife's smile, Naruto sighed. "You orchestrated this whole thing well, Hinata-chan. I mean, she usually understands why I'm not home."

"She still wants you to be home, though," Hinata was the one who poked back. "Especially on her birthday. I know you were busy, and so does she, but… well, it saddened her. And I don't want her to suppress her feelings either. Besides, experiencing your job for a day would only make her understand better. Although I did rearrange your schedule a little."

"I thought Shizune did that," Naruto chuckled. "I did add two changes, y'know."

"Changes?"

"How do you think your father is going to be when his sees his granddaughter with my hat?" he smirked. The poor man had always worn that cold façade, but whether it was age softening him, or simply Himawari herself, the fact remained that Hyuga Hiashi was not able to avoid spoiling his granddaughter.

"And the second?"

"Gaara is visiting town today," Naruto laughed, quickly followed by Hinata's gentle laugh. "He never recovered from the first time Hima-chan saw him. Didn't she call him 'scary', while burying her face in your skirt?"

"And he has been trying to prove to her that he isn't, since that day."


-Z-


After her parents left the office, Himawari toddled to the way-too-large-for-her chair, while still wearing the way-too-large-for-her hat. With a proud expression, she sat down, atop a couple of pillows, looking expectantly at Shizune. Shizune was convinced that she'd be suffering from busted ribs by the end of the day from the stifled laughter.

Much to Himawari's rejoicing, the paperwork wasn't as bad as she had expected. It was mostly forms which either needed a stamp (she loved stamping) or needed to be signed (often doodles like tiny pandas, hearts, or chibi versions of herself or her family). While the paperwork was done (or mutilated, depending on your point of view) Shizune was glad that the important things were already dealt with. The people who received these signed forms would understand. Especially because it read 'signed by acting Hokage Uzumaki Himawari'.

Even if it wasn't as bad as expected, Himawari still got bored by the repetitive task. It was as if there was no end to the piles of paper which Shizune handed to her. As such, she was glad when someone knocked at the door, glad for a distraction. For the first time, she really understood the look of relief which her father would often give her when she snuck into his office. Getting a break during this boring work was a godsend.

When she saw who it was that entered her office, Himawari's mood got even better- not that she allowed herself to show it, though. That wouldn't be professional, and she'd not want these people to think she wasn't really the Hokage. No, most of everyone, they should bow to her!

Konohamaru had to use all of his will not to burst out in laughter. The little girl had a concentrated frown, obviously wanting to make her tiny frame look more imposing than it was. It didn't work out all too well, with the far-too-big robes and far-too-big hat.

His amusement was only shared with one of his three students. How Mitsuki had learned about this was something neither Shizune nor Konohamaru knew, considering how Konohamaru's team had been left in the dark on purpose, but his knowing smile left no room for interpretation.

Sarada, on the other hand, had a flabbergasted expression on her face. The girl who often proclaimed that she would become the next Hokage had now lost her voice. This little girl, younger than her, now sat behind the desk she had dreamed of sitting behind, with the hat she dreamed of wearing!

"Kai!" The only logical conclusion that Uchiha Sarada could reach was that it was a genjutsu. Dispelling didn't work. Activating her sharingan also did not give any solution, except for confirming that what she saw was real. 'It couldn't be real, could it?' "Himawari-chan, is that… is that really you?!"

"Yep," Himawari beamed – with her dignified and professional attitude instantly forgotten. "Papa made me… ahem," she scraped her throat, suddenly remembering her earlier determination. "Address me as Hokage-sama today, Uchiha-san."

Both adults snorted at the girl's proclamation, and even the young Uchiha had to laugh. It was less funny for the other Uzumaki in the room. Uzumaki Boruto, the rebellious young blond, already had issues with the office of Hokage, and seeing his little sister in that seat…

"Team Sarutobi is going to…" Boruto tuned out his sister's voice, not listening to the mission she gave her team. Well, the mission that Naruto selected for the team: he had prepared the documents for this day, after all. Boruto didn't know that- hell, he didn't even know he'd meet his sister like this today. He knew that this idiotic thing would happen soon, because he had been there when his sister had practically blackmailed their father into accepting it. But that his father would actually let her be Hokage for a day was something he wouldn't take.

"You've gotta be kidding me!"

"Respect my authority!" Himawari glared at her elder brother, angry that he interrupted her – especially after she spent quite a bit of time preparing this briefing. "You will address me as Hokage-sama today."

"Like hell I will," Boruto scoffed. "After all that's happened, I barely tolerate the old man with that ruddy hat, but you…? I won't freaking listen to my baby sister!"

Strike three. Game over. The girl's byakugan activated, and she spoke coldly. "Your words are treason. Anbu, arrest genin Uzumaki for disobeying his Hokage's commands!"

Before either Shizune or Konohamaru could react, two things happened. First, several Anbu popped up from their hiding places. Second, seeing those Anbu, Uzumaki Boruto immediately jumped out of the window. Well, through the window would be a more accurate way to describe it.

Boruto's pranking history turned against him. The Anbu had been a victim one too many times, and they had not forgotten those pranks. They had no forgotten a single detail: itching powder, rabid skunks, bats locked in… Well, there were many Anbu itching to give the brat some payback, especially the female members of the division. How Boruto had gotten his hands on that liquid was something no one knew, but that incident with the dissolving clothes was still a nightmare to several female Anbu. It was a much better memory for their male colleagues, on the other hand.

Stupefied, Konohamaru looked at Shizune, who immediately sprinted out of the office.

"This mission isn't too difficult," Himawari smiled just a little too sweetly to the older Sarutobi. The way she smiled, Konohamaru suspected that she had done this deliberately, baiting her brother, knowing that she'd be able to send the Anbu after him for charges of insubordination. "After all, this time your team does not need to harass pandas," when she added that, in the same sweet tone of voice, Konohamaru realized. She loved pandas. Boruto attacked a panda during their missions. This was vengeance.

"Yes, Hokage-sama," he nodded dumbly. He didn't want to get on the girl's wrong side. Boruto would go down in the annals of history as the village's worst prankster since his father, but… 'This little girl is worse than Boruto has ever been.'

"Good," Himawari chirped. "Here is the scroll, further details are written in it. In these scrolls is the cargo that you have to transport."

"Yes, Hokage-sama." The jonin and his two remaining genin bowed before they left. Sarada, being the one to close the doors, saw it clearly with her sharingan: Himawari could barely contain her laughter.

Less amused was Shizune, whom they met on their way out, barking orders at several Anbu in a futile attempt at halting the wild chase after Boruto. In contrast, the seemingly perpetually stoic Kazekage was actually cracking a smile at the sight of the fleeing blond. In turn, the sight of an amused Gaara brought up some bad childhood memories in Konohamaru, who quickly pushed his genin out of the door.

Gaara paid him no heed. This was pretty much a normal event in Konoha. Strong and respected as Naruto was, the man's eldest son seemed to insist on making him pay for every prank he committed in his childhood, by repeating the very same thing. It was Karma. With no Shizune in sight, Gaara simply knocked and entered the office.

"It seems you still can't keep your kids under control," Gaara smirked, looking at the back of the chair. When the chair turned… "Himawari?"

"Scary-ji?"

"…I'm not scary."

"Yes you are," Himawari teased, although it would take a Hyuga to discern that in her expression. "And what was that about Papa not being able to control us?"

"Nothing," Gaara blinked, still heavily confused about why the little girl was sitting in Naruto's seat, wearing his hat and his robes. "Where is your father?"

"I'm the Hokage!" the girl chirped. "Today, at least."

"…"

"I am! I really am!" Himawari pouted. "Papa has a day off today!"

The stupefied Kazekage decided that this was one of Naruto's most ridiculous actions since being appointed as Hokage. 'A little girl leading the village- what was he thinking? Nothing, probably. Or did this seemingly innocent girl blackmail him somehow?' Gaara knew very well that the girl wasn't nearly as innocent as most people thought she was.

"Awww… Scary-ji doesn't respect me…"

'Right. And there she pulled the 'scary' card again. And the 'cute little pouting girl' act.' Part of his brain warned Gaara that the girl was tricking him too, but the other was too worried that the girl truly perceived him as scary. He didn't want her to see him that way.

"There is business I need to discuss with your father," Gaara decided, scraping his throat. "When will he return?"

"I'm Hokage, so I'll deal with it," Himawari frowned.

"I see," Gaara sighed. "Very well. My nation's Daimyo is displeased with your nation's Daimyo regarding a matter involving-"

There was oo much detail, it was too long-winded and in too monotonous a voice. Himawari jumped at the word 'Daimyo' and neglected to listen to the rest.

"Daimijii is naughty again?"

"Daimy…what?"

"Papa says Daimijii is a naughty old man who reads dirty books from Ero-jii," Himawari shrugged. "I dunno why Papa says that. Daimijii's funny!"

"Funny?" Funny would be the last word Gaara would use to describe the boring old man. His obsession with formality and procedure was completely different from his somewhat goofy and absentminded predecessor. Picturing him with a bottle of Mark Man and one of those infamous novels (early prints were collector's items after all these years) was something beyond far Gaara's imagination.

Of course, Himawari had a completely different perspective on the man. Gaara was easily manipulated by her, but the Daimyo was way easier. She had found an ally in the man's granddaughter, barely older than her, and together… well, the man had thus far never been able to refuse them anything. Ever.

"Should I send Daimijii an official letter?" Himawari's eyes sparkled with mischief. "I'll sign if you write, Scary-ji!"

"I'm not scary," Gaara sighed, shaking his head when he saw the little girl giggling impishly.


-Z-


Blissfully unaware of the unfolding chaos, Naruto and Hinata were calmly enjoying a cup of tea. Not since he was appointed as Hokage had they visited this tea house together. Hinata still went here on occasion, for instance with Hanabi or Kurenai, but… well, they held good memories of the place, especially from the time when they started dating. It was pleasantly private, yet still in a garden that even most of the wealthy clans envied; this was a place where even Naruto could calm down during his time as Hokage.

Some time to unwind was quite welcome. After the whole incident with Momoshiki and Kinshiki, Naruto had been busier than ever. He pitied Hiruzen, only now discovering how much work it was to rebuild a part of the village. The Sandaime had faced the far greater chaos left in the wake of the Kyuubi, the day Naruto was born.

Together, Naruto and Hinata enjoyed themselves by imagining the things Himawari was going to experience today.

"Did you know she spent the last few days writing a bill for pandas?"

"She did what?" Naruto frowned.

"She called it the Panda Protection Act," Hinata smiled. "Or 'PAPA', abbreviated."

"She really loves her pandas, doesn't she?"

"Do you like ramen, Naruto-kun?"

"Ramen is different!" he exclaimed, as if it was sacrilege to compare the food of the gods to something as mundane as a panda. "Hm, well, considering how long it usually takes to get a new law accepted, Hima-chan might be in for a big disappointment. Remember how long it took me to get those three words changed last year?"

"There were four months of debates," Hinata remembered it all too well.

"Guess I'll have to do something to make it up to Hima-chan later on."

"Wasn't there a panda summoning contract in Amegakure?"

Puckering his lips in a concentrated frown, Naruto eventually nodded. "It's not too well known, but yeah, there was someone there. I guess I could contact them. It would be nice to give her something like that once she graduates from the academy," he smiled. "And here I was hoping that either she or Boruto would like to sign the toad contract," he added with a sigh. Boruto had turned that offer down when he graduated, it was still a sore spot for...

"Eh?! What are you two doing here?"

There went the peace and quiet. Uchiha Sakura popped up. She alone wouldn't have been so great a disturbance, but unfortunately the Uchiha wasn't alone right now- and Ino had always been troublesome. Where her husband showed too little emotion, Ino always… well, Naruto once made a remark about that, and Sai stated that the same could be said about Hinata and Naruto in terms of patience. And manners. And intellect. And… well, Naruto never mentioned it again.

"Naruto? What are you doing here?" Ino frowned. "Inojin's team was supposed to get a mission assigned this morning."

"As is Sarada's team," Sakura nodded in agreement. "Why aren't you in your office? Or did you leave a clone?"

"Nope," Naruto chuckled. "I'm not your Hokage today, so I don't have to be in office either."

"Not our Hokage."

"Today."

"SAY WHAT?!" both women shouted.

"How can you be so irresponsible?" Sakura exclaimed. "Have you lost your mind?! Baka!"

"Who did you leave in charge? I know Sasuke-kun isn't in the village right now," Ino shook her head, as if she was attempting to focus, and wanted to shake all the distracting thoughts out of her mind. He looked too calm for the village to be in trouble, and she knew he was a bit of a control freak, so she presumed that he took precautions. "Shikamaru would never agree to do this for a day either. Tsunade-sama? No, I heard Shizune say that she was going to gamble in… Kakashi wouldn't be willing either."

"Calm down you two," Naruto laughed. "I left my office in capable hands."

"Only for today," Hinata agreed. "But it was Hima-chan who goaded you into accepting it."

"True," he admitted sheepishly.

"He's always been a sucker when it comes to Himawari-chan," Sakura nodded, before she paused. Her eyes went wide. "Surely you don't mean to say that…"

"Yep," Naruto smiled innocently. "Hima-chan is Hokage for a day!"

The two women looked incredulously at their Nanadaime Hokage, as if he had lost his mind. Both proceeded to look at his wife for confirmation. Hinata nodded, her amused smile only adding to the confusion of the two women.

"Naruto-kun prepared all the paperwork, and Shizune-san is overseeing Himawari-chan today. If anything unexpected happens, she will be contacting Naruto-kun."

"Yeah, what can go wrong?" Naruto chuckled. On the other side of the village, Boruto nearly stumbled as he started to sneeze. Luckily, the boy managed to keep his footing, quickly continuing his escape, attempting to shake of the wild pursuit of the Anbu.


-Z-


"I could get used to this," Naruto yawned, lazily sitting (well, more like lying) in his comfortable chair. "You sure you don't want to take over, sweetie?"

"No way," Himawari muttered with a deadpan expression. "Paperwork is booooring!"

"That it is," Naruto smirked. "I take it that you didn't enjoy that part of my job?"

"Is it that much every day?"

"It's usually more."

"…"

"Seriously! I'm not kidding at all," laughing at the disbelieving expression he had gotten as an answer.

"How was the remainder of your day as Hokage?" Hinata chimed in, more interested in what their daughter had done outside of the paperwork part.

"Gaara-jisan was really surprised to see me!"

"He wasn't scary, was he?"

"Nope, he even worked as secretary today! At least, until Kiba-jisan dropped by and asked me to approve a law. CRA or something," the little girl frowned in confusion. "What is a CRA, Papa? Gaara-jisan didn't even explain before he started to chase Kiba-jisan away with his dusty clouds."

Naruto remained dreadfully silent, but made a mental note of seeking out Kiba tomorrow. Or whatever remnants of Kiba which Gaara had left, that is. Hinata cast a worried glance at her husband, but nevertheless wanted to seek out her old teammate, and tell him that some jokes were not appropriate. Perhaps a talk with Tamaki would be an option to correct his behavior?

"Oh well, at least I could help Gaara-jisan. Daimijii's been naughty again," Himawari chirped. "Ojiisan also visited! He offered to take me to the ice cream stand, but Shizune didn't let me," her happy mood faltered a little. "A Hokage always has to put the interest of the village first, she said. Does she say the same thing to you, Papa?"

"She sure does," Naruto sighed.

"No ice-cream all day?" the girl gave him a pitying look.

"Being Hokage is a great responsibility, Hima-chan. You influence the lives of everyone in the village with your decisions."

"Even with paperwork?"

"Even with paperwork," he smiled. The little girl sighed, a little dejected. "What's wrong, Hima-chan?"

"Why does everything have to be done by you, Papa?"

"Because I am Hokage," he kissed her on her forehead. "Yet today, I am not. If I get Anbu at the door tonight, then you are the one who has to deal with them."

"That's mean!"

"You wanted to be Hokage." It was late, and the girl had experienced a lot today. Naruto knew that she tried to act like a big girl and not yawn, but as a parent, he seemed to have that special gift that enables one to see right through that act. Knowing he had her now, he decided to tease her back. "Being Hokage was your wish, so you must also bear the responsibilities that come with the position."

"Then I de-hat myself!"

"De-hat?

"I take off my hat and give it back to you," she nodded. "Unless it is Ojii-san. Ojii-san was even more surprised than Gaara-jisan," the girl smirked, not having seen her grandfather with that expression very often. The stoic Hyuga had mellowed down over the years, but still… that flabbergasted expression had been a sight that Himawari would not soon forget.

"Fine, you de-hat yourself," Naruto chuckled, ruffling through the girl's hair. "Did gramps have anything to say?"

"He's gonna help me with PAPA," she beamed. "In fact, Ino-bachan and Sakura-bachan said their clans will support the motion too. And because of them, the Nara and Akimichi clans will as well."

"Hyuga, Yamanaka, Nara, and Akimichi? Hima-chan, you passed a bill in one day?"

"Our daughter seems to be the better negotiator than you, wouldn't you say?" Hinata smiled.

"It took me four months. For three measly words," he muttered weakly. "Four months. And she did it in a day? An entire bill?"

Mother and daughter watched him leave the room, muttering something about using a certain henge next time he'd want to get a law approved, as they apparently were all weak against cute girls.

"Mama?" the little girl didn't understand her father's frustration.

"He'll be fine, sweetie. I'm sure Papa is very proud of what you accomplished today."

"But that wasn't the only thing I got accepted," Himawari frowned, more than a little confused. Getting a law through the council wasn't that hard, was it? The panda protection act was not the only thing she'd gotten through the council.

"…you did what?"

"Papa has wayyy too much paperwork. So, I made a few changes," the little girl shrugged. "Papa shouldn't be the only one responsible for running the village. So, he can't do silly missions anymore, what Gaara-ojisan called 'D-ranked'. And, Papa also shouldn't get those silly forms anymore, like ordering materials for the construction site. That doesn't belong on his desk," she said sagely. "So, I ordered everyone not to heedlessly throw their paperwork at Papa. Like Shikamaru-ojisan, who is too lazy to do it by himself. Oh, and I hired two people to help with the administration."

"T-that should reduce the workload," Hinata stammered a little, taken aback by what the little girl had done. This little joke had developed some serious consequences. But Hinata couldn't really complain: it was true that Naruto shouldn't be solely responsible for running the village, especially not concerning the non-shinobi affairs. But these changes would spur a lot of political maneuvering, as clans would want to expand their influence by placing their people on those two spots.

"Oh, and Papa is going on a short vacation too," Himawari smiled. "Some priestess woman sent a bird, asking if Papa wanted to fulfill his promise. She was a bit funny. I mean, why did she send a messenger hawk for a request to 'fertilize the fields'? And how did she know I'd be Hokage today?" she added pensively

"P-priestess?" Hinata blanched. "Shion?"


-Z-


A few changes in Konoha's policies were not the only consequences of Himawari's reign. Later that evening, a rather big hawk came flying in, literally, through the window of Naruto and Hinata's bedroom. It was just after they had fallen asleep, a longer while after they had brought their daughter to bed. After a lot of cursing and swearing, Naruto accepted the small scroll which the bird carried, and read:

Dobe,

You made your daughter Hokage for a day. Why didn't you do that for my Sarada? You of all people should know how badly she wants to become Hokage. I'll be visiting tomorrow to discuss this injustice. The Uchiha shall not be ignored again.

S.

"How does he…"

"Must've heard it from Sakura," Naruto read the letter sleepily, having absentmindedly created a clone (which was just as sleepy) to mend the broken window. The hawk just dispelled after it had done its duty, but that didn't remove the mess the creature had made. Nor did the clone, which just slumped down on the ground and started snoring.

"That would be likely," Hinata agreed. "Sasuke seems annoyed."

"That teme is always annoyed…"

"More than usual, this time."

"Well, 'course he does. Sarada. Teme still feels guilty," Naruto yawned. "Sweepy, deal with him tomorrow…"


-Z-


"Someone?!"

Nothing.

"HEY!" the boy shouted, his voice raspy from all the shouting. "THIS ISN'T FUNNY ANYMORE!"

They had presumed that he had gone on a mission with his team, that he wouldn't be home until tomorrow… but Uzumaki Boruto had never left with his team. Himawari, in all her excitement about that day, had forgotten that too- but he was still in Konoha. Sure, he had managed to outrun the Anbu for quite some time, but everyone runs out of chakra at some point.

The Anbu had captured him, and dragged him to jail.

"Dammit, and here I thought dad was the worst Hokage," the rebellious blond grumbled. "Hima-chan is worse. I'm going to make her pay for this!"

"Be silent, you little delinquent!"

"Anko-sensei?"

"I thought you called me Buta-sensei before you left academy," the somewhat overweight woman grinned vindictively, not at all pleased to be nicknamed 'pig'. "You know, you made the Anbu suffer quite a bit- enough for them to recall this retired interrogator… who just happened to have some spare time…"

When the snakes slithered into his cell, young Uzumaki Boruto screamed harder than he had done that entire day.


Author's notes:


Making Himawari Hokage for a day turned out not to be as innocent a joke as they expected. With less paperwork, an annoyed Shikamaru, a confused Daimyo, a mangled Inuzuka, a jealous Sasuke, and an imprisoned Boruto, Naruto won't have a shortage of surprises the next day… not to mention Shion's reminder regarding his promise to aid in the continuation of her bloodline. My gratitude goes to my beta-reader/editor Illuminated for not letting me forget about Shion. And ensou for convincing me not to leave out the scene with Gaara.

I hope you enjoyed reading this little oneshot just as much as I did writing while the thing. Please leave reviews, and check out my other stories!


-Ziltoid-