I do not own Naruto.

In Which Kushina Meets the Prime Minister

Colorful leaves danced in the wind. Long red hair whipped gently around a young woman's face, her red lips pursed into a line and her violet eyes sparkling in the sunshine. Old leaves crunched under her feet as her boots clacked on the concrete. Children giggled and ran past her while parents and grandparents watched in awe. Uzumaki Kushina smiled as her eyes glanced up at the clouds above her in the sky. It was autumn, her favorite time of the year.

Her phone vibrated in her pocket, shaking Kushina from her reverie. She flipped open her phone and gawked at the reminder she set for herself the day before.

"I'm late!" she cursed at herself. In a flash, she started to run, her boots colliding loudly on the ground and making echoing noises. Her hair bobbed up and down as she jumped over an abandoned skateboard and increased her speed. The bus stop was not far from the park and if she hurried she could still make it for the next bus. Kushina checked her watch, she only had five minutes! Cursing again, Kushina ran even faster, ignoring the fact that she was supposed to look good for work. Too late now.

The bus was already there when Kushina spotted the bus stop. A group of people were still boarding and traffic was heavy, so it would naturally slow down the process. This made her more determined and she quickly scurried over the street, dodging cars on her way and then fell in line. She let out a sigh of relief and tossed her hair over her shoulder. A few people were staring at her. She laughed nervously and waved. They quickly looked away. When it was finally her chance to board the bus, she pulled out her bus pass and showed it to the driver. He nodded and pressed a button. Kushina sighed in relief once more and then found a seat next to a elderly man with long spiky white hair and red lines running down his cheeks. He wore a green short kimono with matching pants and a red cloak.

'What a weirdo,' Kushina thought to herself as she sat down. The man glanced at her, but did not say a word. His gaze was lingering, but then shifted away. Kushina watched from the corner of her eye as the man pulled out a book from his tote bag and found herself frown in disgust.

'Is that...porn?' Kushina asked herself. What has the world come to? Reading porn in broad daylight? Kushina decided to preoccupy herself with something else and pulled out her phone. Today was Mikoto's first day of work and the poor thing was nervous this morning. Kushina decided to check up on her. She quickly sent a short but sweet text message and then sat back and closed her eyes as the bus pulled away from the bus stop. Her phone vibrated and she quickly flipped it open again.

I nearly spilled coffee on the boss! Scared me shitless, dear. How are you? Kushina's eyebrow twitched. She was expecting a message from Mikoto, but the message before her now was sent by her childhood friend, Fuka. Kushina sweat dropped as she re-read the message. Leave it to Fuka to spill coffee on her employer, who just happens to be the Chief of the Police Force. Smooth, Fuka, smooth.

Kushina quickly replied; Fuka, one day the Uchiha will hunt you down and burn you. I'm mighty fine, thanks for asking.

Kushina snickered as she pressed the 'send' button. The man beside her chuckled, which caused Kushina to quirk an eyebrow.

"Are you eavesdropping on my text message?" Kushina asked. The man laughed again.

"I did not mean to intrude," the man apologized, although he didn't sound very sincere, "your friend...she nearly spilled coffee on the Uchiha Fugaku?"

Kushina nodded, "She's done worse."

The man laughed again, "I like her already! Where are my manners? I'm Jiraiya. A pleasure to meet you, young maiden."

Kushina felt flattered for his compliment, but still believed her was a weirdo, "I'm Uzumaki Kushina and the pleasure is all mine."

Kushina's phone vibrated again. This time the message was from Mikoto.

Thank you, Kushina. Everyone has made me feel very welcome here. So, don't worry about me, okay?

Kushina smiled. The rest of bus ride was peaceful and Kushina and Jiraiya exchanged conversation every now and then. Although they mainly spoke of the current news and weather. When Kushina reached her stop, she stood and thanked Jiraiya for keeping her company.

"No problem, beautiful," was his goodbye. Kushina rolled her eyes and then hopped off the bus and glanced at the tall building before her. She glanced at her watch. She was really late.

The elevator opened with a 'ping' sound. Kushina glanced nervously at the reception desk and was thankful that the receptionist was running an errand. Silently, Kushina sneaked past the desk and quickly turned around the corner that lead to the main office. She quickly slipped by the offices until she came to hers and unlocked the door. She stepped inside, sighed in relief and removed her coat. She dropped the coat on her desk and opened the blinds to allow in some sunlight.

"And where exactly were you, Ms Uzumaki?" a elderly female voice asked. Kushina jumped and turned around, coming face-to-face with the dark beady eyes of her employer. Kushina groaned. She really hoped the old bat wouldn't notice her absence. Of course, Utatane Koharu, despite being extremely old was always aware.

"I apologize, Mrs Utatane, my friend started working today and-" Kushina began to explain, but Koharu silenced her by holding up her hand.

"Shut it," Koharu sighed, "I don't want to hear excuses. Just get to work."

Kushina nodded and then Koharu left the room.

"Sure thing, Mrs Utatane. What would you like me to do today?" Kushina mocked as she sat down. She turned on her computer and gathered the scattered paperwork on her desk. Kushina hated her job. She didn't want to be a secretary who runs around for some big-shot all day. But with money a problem, the woman had no choice. Personally, Kushina would rather be a policewoman, but then her father would throw a fit. So she was stuck with the desk job.

Kushina jumped when her phone vibrated again. Annoyed, Kushina flipped the phone open.

Baby, you won't believe who just waltzed in here! The Prime Minister for god's sake! Damn, he's hot. Even hotter than Fugu-face. Now that's saying something. How's Mrs I-have-a-stick-up-my-ass?

Kushina sighed. It was Fuka again. Kushina knew that Fuka's phone was glued to her hand, but honestly? Texting during work hours? Was the woman insane? Did she want to lose her job? Kushina re-read the message and frowned. The Prime Minister? Kushina wasn't interested in politics, but she did once have a dream of becoming Prime Minister. Her dream died down when she started being teased for it. Since then she didn't care who or what ruled the country, as long as she was happy. Although, if Fuka believed the Prime Minister was hot, especially more attractive than the Uchiha Fugaku, then he must be one piece of eye candy. Interested, Kushina decided to google him.

She opened the homepage and was shocked to see that the Prime Minster was in fact, very attractive. He was tall, with spiky blonde hair and bright blue eyes. Kushina couldn't believe that the leader of their country was so young. He looked around her age. It was shocking. She quickly scanned the page for a name. Namikaze Minato. Interesting. Kushina glanced at his photo again.

'He looks weak...like a flake...' Kushina whispered to herself. This Namikaze Minato looked way too soft to be leading a country. Kushina snickered.

She decided to reply to Fuka's text; Alright, so maybe the PM is slightly attractive, but he looks weak. Mrs Utatane just told me to get work, or I'll have no lunch. So stop bothering me!

In a matter of seconds she got a reply; Fuck, sorry. I forgot that unlike Fugu-face, Utatane can't be blackmailed.

Truthfully, the Uchiha Fugaku can't be blackmailed either, but since he has known Fuka since he was a baby, he had a hard time resisting her nonsense. He also easily became flustered around her. It was hilarious and Kushina teased him constantly for it.

"Uzumaki! Bring me the papers from yesterday's meeting!" Koharu's voice bellowed from her office. Kushina jumped out of her seat and quickly stashed her phone in the drawer of her desk. She closed the window on her computer and quickly gathered what the old wanted.

Today was going to be a long day.

Kushina didn't want to go home. She was tired and stressed from her long day of work. Koharu shunted around more than usual. Kushina really badly needed a drink. The autumn night sky was spread above her as she slumped down the street towards the bar she vanished to every now and then. Music blared from inside with the chattering voices of patrons. Kushina stumbled inside and plopped down in a bar stool.

"Uzumaki," the bartender acknowledged with a nod of his head.

"Something strong," Kushina sighed. The bartender nodded and proceeded to preparing her drink. The music pounded loudly, causing the poor woman's head to ache. Kushina admired the neatly packed rows of various glasses while her drink was set before her. She picked it up gratefully, paid and then drowned it in one large gulp. She sighed in relied and slammed the glass on the table.

"Damn," a familiar voice sang, "guess we both had shitty days."

Kushina looked up into a pair of sparkling blue eyes. Fuka chuckled darkly and tossed her red mane over her shoulder and sat down beside Kushina. The two red heads ordered a drink and groaned in unison.

"I hate being treated like a nuisance," Kushina yawned.

Fuka agreed, "You said it, babe."

"Where's Mikoto?" Kushina asked. Fuka shrugged. Their drinks arrived and they both gulped it down. Kushina didn't order another drink. Two was more than enough to make her feel tipsy. Fuka, however was far from finished. Kushina watched her friend with worried eyes – should a police officer be drowning herself with alcohol? Kushina's phone vibrated in her pocket. It was Mikoto.

Where are you? I got salt Ramen! You don't want me to eat it by myself, right?

Kushina smiled and stood up. Fuka glanced at her curiously.

"Leaving already?" Fuka asked. Kushina nodded, bid farewell and then left.

On her way to her apartment, she grabbed some ice cream for dessert as well as tampons, since menstruation was something every woman experienced, despite the fact that Kushina didn't exactly consider herself a complete woman. As a young girl she has always been a tomboy and although she's grown out of her old nature, she still had some tomboy qualities. Like the fact that she detested skirts and dresses.

Her boots clacked against the gravel beneath her feet as she walked through the busy main street. It was getting chillier at night now that autumn was in full swing and winter was well-underway. Soon, Kushina will have to unpack her winter coats for when it snows. Kushina was so preoccupied that she did not notice a fancy car park in front of her and a man stepped out.

CRASH!

Kushina stumbled backwards, her feet slipped over the slippery gravel and she collapsed. The plastic bag she carried landed in a heap on the ground and all the contents spilled out. Kushina groaned as she rubbed her now sore behind. She looked up into a pair of amazing bright blue eyes that was staring at her worriedly.

"Are you alright?" a soft male voice asked her. She blinked when he reached out and offered to help her stand. She took his hand and he pulled her up. She blinked again, when she realized he had escorts with him. Men all dressed in black wearing glasses.

"Mr Namikaze," the one man sounded gruff, "Are you injured?"

The blue-eyed man shook his head, "I'm fine."

Wait...Namikaze? Namikaze...Why was that name so familiar? Kushina knew she has heard that name somewhere before. She studied him carefully. He was tall with spiky blonde hair. He wore a black suit with a orange tie. He was attractive, but looked awfully weak to her for some reason.

Then it clicked.

"Oh my goodness!" Kushina shrieked, "The Prime Minister?" Hell no. It couldn't be. This man before her was Namikaze Minato. The Prime Minister. Kushina gawked.

Minato's eyes sparkled, "You seem surprised."

Kushina noticed his expression and huffed, "Whatever. Sorry for causing trouble." She quickly bent down and gathered her things, only to realize that everything was scattered over the pavement. A blush formed on her cheeks. Her tampons was lying innocently in the open for the whole world to see. She quickly stashed the box into the plastic bag and sighed when she realized the ice cream didn't survive. The container's lid broke with the impact and now the ice cream was scattered all over the pavement...and on the Prime Minister's shoes.

Oh crap.

"I'm so sorry!" Kushina found herself apologizing before she even knew what she was doing. Why was she acting so flustered? He was just a man, for goodness sake! Minato looked down at his shoes.

"Oh," Minato breathed, as if he only just realized his shoes were covered in ice cream, "Doesn't matter. I have more shoes."

Kushina still felt guilty. It wasn't everyday someone spilled ice cream on the Prime Minister's shoes. She stood up quickly, "How much? I should pay you back for ruining the shoes!"

Minato shook his head, "Don't worry about it."

"How can you say that? They are your shoes! And they are fancy! Don't you feel bad for them?" Kushina asked.

Minato quirked an eyebrow, "Shoes have feelings?"

Kushina blinked and then found herself fuming with sudden anger, "You know what I mean!"

Minato watched the flustered woman before him curiously. It was just a pair of shoes. No harm done. At least no one was injured. That's what mattered. Kushina growled under her breath. She couldn't believe that this was happening. How did this flake become Prime Minister anyway? Kushina fiddled with the plastic bag in her hand.

"Well," Kushina mumbled, "I...better get going. I'm really sorry!"

And then she turned around and got away from there.