Chapter 3:

"Naruto? Can you check on the ham for me?" Hinata waited for Naruto's muffled "Yes" before going back to get ready for their dinner tonight. It had taken longer to prepare dinner than she had initially thought, a new recipe gave her some fits, and so she was rushing slightly to get ready for the dinner with the Uchihas.

Her son's newfound relationship had shaken the mother more than she thought. While she imagined that some of the blame went to how she, and the rest of Konoha, found out about it, she also had to realize that she just wasn't ready for her little boy to grow up. The thought pained the woman. She could remember tickling his feet as a baby. Oh he was so cute then! With his little fingers and puffy cheeks! She ended up so far in the past that she ending up pricking herself with an earring. Mentally berating herself she finished dressing herself and walked into the living room.

Naruto looked at her and whistled. "Wow honey, you look great!" Hinata giggled at her husband. She had decided to wear one of her old dark blue Hyuga dresses. She knew that Naruto would say that no matter what she decided to wear, but it still made her blush. "You look very handsome too, Naruto." Her husband laughed and said, "Aw, you're just saying that! I don't compare to you!" He was wearing a plaid red and yellow button up shirt with black pants. While it wasn't perfect, it was better than that bright orange kimono of his.

Oh, that kimono… How he loved that kimono. He had come home with that thing one day from who knows where and had proceeded to wear it every other day. Just seeing it hanging in the closet had made Hinata shiver. Seeing it on her husband was worse. Seeing it on her husband in pubic was absolutely miserable. She had tried to get rid of it, but Naruto always seemed to find it. She eventually had to threaten him with no food if he wore it… and then she had to threaten him with no sex.

Pushing the thoughts out of her mind she looked back at her husband. "Oh, Naruto, you're just so sweet!"

Boruto groaned from the couch across the room. "Get a room you two." Hinata frowned at her son, but Naruto beat her to it. "Like you're one to talk." Boruto slumped down in the couch, as if trying to hide. Despite his embarrassment, Hinata still felt like she had to address her son's words. "Boruto. Do not talk to me or your father like that. I know that this situation is uncomfortable for you, but the whole situation is uncomfortable to you father and I as well."

Boruto apologized. Hinata nodded to her child. "Good." She then turned to address her husband. "You too. I expect you both to be on your best behavior. Understand?"

Naruto lightly smiled. "Don't worry. Me and Sasuke are over everything. We can function like regular people when we want to."

"Good. I need to go check on the food." She then turned and walked into the kitchen. In her absence, the two male Uzumaki sat on the furniture in silence. The youngest Uzumaki, Himawari, had decided to go over to her aunt's house to play with the baby instead of dealing with these families. She had said, "I'll just watch our house burn from there."

Meanwhile, Boruto was dreading over the social anxiety that he was undoubtedly about to face.

Boruto didn't know how he should talk to, act around, or even address Sarada. Even looking at her could draw the wrath of Sasuke. His parents had taught him to respect women, but they had never taught him how to interact with a women that he was dating. He supposed that it was because the issue had never come up before. Now he was regretting just not dealing with the initial embarrassment that it would have caused him. At least he would have some idea of what to do.

The door suddenly rang, interrupting his thoughts. Oh no. They're here. Naruto got up from his seat and walked over to the door to greet his guest. Boruto slowly got up and followed his father to the door. Naruto opened the door and greeted his former teammates. He made small talk with Sakura while she and Sasuke hung up their coats. Between a few bodies, Boruto made eye contact with Sarada, who met his gaze and offered him a reassuring smile. So cute.

He smiled back and stood there while waiting for his father to lead the family into the living room. Naruto offered his guests a seat on their furniture. Sarada and Sakura sat down first and Boruto started to go and sit by Sarada but was stopped by Sasuke quickly sitting next to her. Sarada inwardly groaned at her father's actions and noticed her mother also glaring at him.

Boruto instead shied away from the menacing father and sat next to his. Sakura tried to ease the sudden tension in the room. "So is Hinata finishing up in the kitchen? Dinner smells great."

Naruto smiled. "Yep. She should be finished in a minute. I know she's outdone herself again."

"I'm sure too." Sakura then glanced around the room. "I see that you guys have redone the place. It looks good." Sasuke then made himself known. "I agree. I see that you were able to remove the stale ramen smell from the living room. It's very impressive."

Naruto and Sakura both glared at Sasuke who ignored their glares. With a sigh Sakura continued, "I think I have seen those drapes somewhere, but where did you get this couch? It's so comfy." Naruto smiled, Sasuke's comment forgotten, and engaged in some small talk with his former teammate.

Hinata emerged from the kitchen after a few minutes to greet the guests and announce that dinner was ready. She had gone ahead and prepared the plates for each person beforehand so all they had to do was sit down. Sakura commented about her generosity, before they all sat down to start on their dinner.

Sakura began to try the food. She cut off a piece of her ham and tried it. After swallowing it she said, "Hinata, the ham is delicious." Hinata smiled and responded, "Well I'm glad that you like it! It's a new recipe I found." Sakura was set to respond, but suddenly remembered something.

Normally, Sakura cut Sasuke's meat for him, as cutting meat was difficult with one arm. She had been doing it for so long, that it became a routine for her. As Hinata had prepared the food, Sasuke's food was still whole. She looked over to her husband to see him skimming around the meat and only picking at the vegetables.

Unfortunately, Naruto noticed at the same time as Sakura. He was still somewhat sore from the earlier comment. Against his better judgment he looked over at Sasuke and said, "What's the matter Sasuke? Need a hand?"

Sasuke clenched the fork in his hand. Naruto had been using that line for the better part of 15 years and it was still as old as it was the first time.

Sakura quickly came to her husband's aid. "Here Sasuke, let me cut your meat for you." But before she could do anything Sasuke said, "No Naruto, I believe that I'm okay." He then charged some lightning chakra into his knife and made a few clean cuts into the ham. Sakura could see the charred ham around the places the knife made contact with the ham.

Sasuke continued to look at Naruto while he slowly swallowed a piece of ham. "It's delicious." Slightly burnt though. Naruto just countered his glare.

Sarada put her head in her hands at her father's antics. At that moment Boruto realized just how many objects Sasuke could use to castrate someone.

Seeking a diffuse from the situation, Hinata calmly asked Sakura, "So Sakura, how are things at the hospital?" Sakura finished chewing and swallowed before saying, "Oh, you know how it is, everything's always so busy. While battlefield injuries are still very rare, other procedures are still in high demand." She then looked over at Naruto. "Have you secured the new funds for the hospital yet? We could use it very much."

Naruto leaned back in his chair. "Yeah, yeah, I'm still trying to get it. The elders and Daimyo know that you used to be my team member, so they are holding on to them like crazy. They don't like nepotism or something."

Hinata calmly looked her husband. "Naruto. Nepotism is when you favor someone related to you. Not a friend."

Naruto shrugged. "Ah, same thing. Not too much of a difference." Hinata had to smile at that. That statement was so very Naruto. He probably also considers the whole village as his family. Hinata wouldn't put it past him. Sakura smirked at the comment, but didn't make a reply to it.

Sasuke muttered something under his breath that sounded a lot like, "Idiot." Luckily, Naruto didn't hear it, as he had started ask his wife something. Sakura internally sighed in relief. Naruto never took Sasuke's critiques of his intelligence very well. It has become even worse since Naruto become Hokage and everyone started to critique his intelligence.

Sakura silently elbowed Sasuke in his ribs and gave him a look that told him to follow her lead. Clearing her throat Sakura looked over at the young Uzumaki. "So Boruto, what do you do in your free time?" Boruto had been waiting for someone to address him or Sarada as the two genin were avoiding the adults. Boruto began to think of what to say. He spared a quick glance over to Sarada, who was taking a sip of water with a smirk on her face. Evil woman.

Looking at the pink-haired woman Bolt said, "Well, I really haven't had any time to do anything in the last few weeks. I've been so busy with everything going on."

"Well I suppose that makes sense." She then stepped on her husband's foot. Sasuke grimaced, and recognized the silent signal. Sakura had told him beforehand that he needed to talk to Boruto at least somewhat. Sasuke had been scrambling the entire trip over to come up with something to ask the kid. He truthfully didn't want to speak to him.

His wife's heel forced the Uchiha to try and come up with something to say to the child. His brilliant mind passed through several topics of small talk before panicking and deciding on one. He swallowed his food and tentatively said, "So, what do you do?"

Boruto frowned at the question. He was confused why Sasuke was asking him what he did, when he was clearly a shinobi. It could be a trick question, Boruto supposed. He tried to come up with some different avenues that the question could be addressing, but none came. So instead he slowly said, "Uh, well I'm a shinobi."

Sasuke mentally face palmed. Oh. Right. How could I forget that? Beside him, Sakura was forced to consciously stop herself from covering her eyes with her hand in embarrassment. Sarada was squinting at her father, trying to figure out what the heck that was about. The Uzumakis were also looking at Sasuke in confusion.

Seeking to rectify his mistake, Sasuke added, "Well I mean, what is your overall goal in being a shinobi? I imagine that you want to be a Hokage like your father."

Boruto became thoughtful at the question. "Well, I've never really thought about it." At the implications of his words, he backtracked. He imagined that fathers would not want their daughters dating men without goals. "I mean, I want to be a great shinobi, but I don't know about which department. I guess I've already wanted to be a part of the Anbu Black Ops."

This caught Sasuke's attention. He figured the boy would want to be as boisterous as his father and take up the mantle of Hokage. But Anbu was the exact opposite. Naruto could never be stealthy. Sasuke figured that it would be in his genes. Leaning forward, Sasuke asked a follow up question. "Anbu huh? Interesting. Why choose Anbu over something like, Hokage, per say?"

Boruto realized that he had dug himself a hole. He could end up degrading his father's position if he said the wrong thing. After thinking carefully, he said, "Well it's not like I don't respect the Hokage position, but I've just always admired the Anbu. They sacrifice so much for their village and don't get respect for it. I've always wanted to be like that."

Sasuke couldn't suppress the smirk on his face. Naruto had actually produced a child with a shred of common sense. And not just common sense, the boy sounded just like his brother. Like Itachi. His brother sacrificed himself and become an S-class missing nin for the sake of the village. Sasuke was beginning to warm up to the boy. Maybe letting him date his daughter would be a good idea.

"That's a very interesting perspective Boruto. Or should I call you Bolt?"

Naruto just stared at Sasuke. What just happened? Naruto was expecting many things to happen when Sasuke started speaking, but Sasuke warming up to Bolt was not one of those things. Hinata looked at him in bewilderment. He replied in kind, equally as confused. Sasuke's newfound interest in Boruto forced them to speed up their plans.

The Uzumakis witnessed Sarada grow up and thus knew a little about her. This dinner gave them a better opportunity to learn about her. They had been planning on waiting for the Uchihas to engage Bolt first.

Hinata looked over at Sarada. "So Sarada, what direction do you wish to go in your ninja career?" Sarada finished the food she was chewing and said, "Well, I'm not really sure either. I don't really want to go into medicine like my mother. The idea of cutting someone open every day makes me feel sick." She paused for a moment. "Maybe something in the Konoha Intelligence Division would be cool."

Hinata nodded. "That sounds like a good idea. I know that you are a smart girl. Top of your class, weren't you?"

Sarada nodded, slightly embarrassed. "It's not that big of a deal. It's just grades. Results are what classify a ninja."

Naruto frowned. "Is that a part of the ninja guidelines?" Sarada nodded and Naruto sighed. "Some of those rules are severely outdated. Many of them sound like Danzo and ROOT came up with them. I've been trying to get the curriculum for the Academy changed for years."

This intrigued Sakura. "Why is that?" Naruto thought for a moment and said, "Sakura. What is the 25th clause of the Ninja Guidelines?"

Sakura thought for a moment. Coincidentally, this was the guideline that she told Tazuna, all those years ago. "It is 'A ninja must not show emotion in any situation. A ninja must put the mission first and must have a heart that will not allow him to cry.'" Naruto nodded. "Exactly. We are training these young ninja to be tools of war. They are being taught to lose all aspects of their humanity. I'm afraid of bringing up a village of Sais."

Boruto and Sarada frowned. They didn't understand what was wrong with Inojin's father.

Hinata smiled at her husband. "I think that's a great idea, Naruto. Some traditions need to change."

"I think it's a stupid idea."

Naruto frowned at the statement. "Well nobody asked you, Sasuke."

"This guideline is simply a command for ninja in the field. It has nothing to do with eradicating one's emotions permanently."

"That's not what your wife thought! If one person thinks that way then it's a problem!"

"Sakura just thinks too much for her own good. Most people won't think the same way."

Sakura frowned. She couldn't tell if Sasuke was complimenting her. She shrugged and decided to take it as compliment, since verbal compliments were few and far between with Sasuke.

Naruto grabbed his head. "Ugh! You're just so stubborn! This is just like the time you kept trying to get me to lower the fruit and vegetable tax."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "I was trying to stimulate the rural economy."

"Liar! You just wanted cheap tomatoes! You addict!"

Sakura and Hinata were preparing themselves. The arguments typically started randomly, until one of them either mentioned tomatoes or ramen. Following this was a downward spiral of stupid, until they started to fight. Sakura was subtly reaching for a glove, while Hinata activated her Byakugan.

"I am not a tomato addict. You're just an idiot."

"I will not just let you sit at my table and insult me!"

"Oh yeah? And what are you going to do about it?"

Naruto stood up. "This!" Before moving to strike, something caught his eye. "Hey, where are the kids?" The adults at the table looked at their empty seats, before standing up and looking frantically around the room.

Hinata looked worried. "Did they run away? I wonder what they could be doing." Sakura sighed. "They must have silently left during the idiots' argument." She then turned to her husband. "Sasuke will you go after them?"

Hinata agreed with Sakura. "Naruto, you should go too." Naruto and Sasuke linked stares, both of them speaking in a silent language. The conversation stopped with both parties looking away. Naruto then said, "Nah, let's just let 'em be kids."

Sasuke sat down in the chair. "I agree with Naruto." He then looked at Hinata. "Excuse me, Hinata? Can you pass me those stuffed tomatoes?" Hinata looked at the men in bewilderment before adhering to Sasuke's request. Sakura was also quite confused. "What the heck is going on with you two? Are you guys okay with our kids just leaving like this?"

Naruto shrugged. "This is the best thing for them." He then continued eating. Sasuke looked up from his plate and asked, "Hey Naruto. You never told me what happened in the Land of Water." Naruto snorted. "Oh yeah! That story is hilarious! So here's what happened. Me and Shikamaru had just entered the Mizukage's house when…" He then continued to tell a story to Sasuke.

All the women could do was sit down and continue eating, utterly confused at their husbands.

"Are you sure that we should be doing this Bolt?" Sarada asked her boyfriend. "Papa will be mad. Your father will be too." Bolt snorted. "Forget those idiots. Let's just do what we want. Besides, I couldn't eat in all of that awkwardness."

The two ninja had silently left in the middle of their father's argument following a silent signal from Boruto. Ironically, it was the same signal used during missions for retreating. The two were now walking around Konoha looking for somewhere to eat. While Hinata's food was good, neither teenager ate much, expecting some kind of stupid thing to escalate out of nothing.

"So Sarada, where do you want to go eat?" Sarada smirked before saying, "How about Ichiraku's?" Boruto made an exaggerated groan. "Again? My mother cooks so much ramen for my father. I hate the stuff. Can we go somewhere else?" Sarada shook her head. "Nope! You know how much my parents hate it. It's a rare treat for me." She then put on a puppy dog look. "Please?"

Boruto groaned. He hated that face. She had exhorted so much money out of him with that face. He resigned. "Fine… Let's go to Ichiraku's…" Sarada brightened up. "Yes!"

Boruto wanted to add something. "But, you have to tell me how awesome of a boyfriend I am." Sarada glared at him. "Really? Are you serious?" Boruto nodded. "Yep. I deserve a reward for somehow making your father like me."

Sarada smiled. "Yes, you certainly do. Fine." In a rehearsed sounding voice she said, "Boruto Uzumaki, you are an amazing boyfriend. Can we go eat now?"

"Yeah we can go now." The two then began to walk in the direction of Ichiraku's Ramen. After a moment, Boruto smirked. He suddenly took off down the street at a job. He yelled back, "Last one there buys!" Sarada froze for a moment but took off after him. "Hey! Wait up you jerk!"

Boruto ended up making it there first. He still bought the food.

"Good morning genin of the Leaf." Naruto was reclining in his Hokage chair absorbing the stares of the genin around him. A few days had passed since the Chunin Exam and, naturally, the children wanted to know who passed. Or rather, if they themselves passed. Naruto himself had not been able weigh in on this year's class, as not only was his own son involved, but the children of his closest friends were also involved in it.

However, Naruto knew the verdicts. It would upset some of the children, but he absolutely believed the decisions were the correct ones.

"As you all know, you are all here to learn of your potential promotion to Chunin. While I'm sure that some of you will be excited upon your promotion, you must be aware of one thing. The new title comes with much more responsibilities than your genin position had. The missions will be much more difficult. The missions will be much more dangerous. In some circumstances, you may need to lead a team of shinobi."

"However, I do believe in each and every one of you. I believe that you will all be fine shinobi. So without further ado, I will now present you with your Chunin vests. Please come forward when I call your name." He then stood up and walked in front of his desk, where the vests were laying.

"Shikadai Nara."

The boy yawned before lazily walking up and gratefully accepting the vest. He then returned the line of ninja.

"Inojin Yamanaka."

The boy smiled and respectively accepted the vest.

"Chocho Akimichi."

The girl bounced up to the Hokage and accepted the vest.

After all the students had rejoined the line Naruto prepared himself for the next few words that he had to say. "Thank you all for serving our village. To those who passed, congratulations. To those who did not, the next exam will be in a few months. You are all dismissed."

The disappointed faces of his son and future daughter-in-law did not escape his notice. The graders in charge of promoting the genin had taken the incident as a sign of immaturity. Naruto, sadly, had to agree. That sort of thing during a mission could bring the entire team down.

Still, he felt like he should say something. "Uzumaki. Uchiha. Can you remain here for a moment?" The other Chunin left, shooting comforting glances at Boruto and Sarada. After the door closed shut, Naruto leaned back in his chair and put his feet on his desk. Boruto smiled, recognizing that his father just removed his Hokage face. At least that would make this easier.

"So here's the thing. Normally the Hokage can't disclose the thought processes of the graders. However, I don't really care. So I can tell you this. Both of you were Chunin before the final match. The graders were extremely impressed at your skills in the first few fights. However, the final match cost you your promotion."

Observing the embarrassed faces of the teenagers in front of him, Naruto continued. "The graders saw this as a sign of immaturity. I have to agree. That kind of conduct on a mission could get you all killed. In addition, you kind of embarrassed the whole village. 'Here are our two top genin, sucking face during an exam.' The Kazekage was sitting right beside me, ya know." He then looked thoughtful. "I wonder if Gaara's ever kissed a girl." He stopped. "Wait, he has a kid. Whoops. I can still remember how he was as a teenager. Old habits die hard, ya know."

Naruto realized he was rambling. "But you know, there's another exam in a few months. I know that you two can pass then with flying colors. And you know, rank isn't everything. Me and Sasuke were still genin during the war, with Sanin level abilities. Don't focus on your rank. We all know just how great of Shinobi you both are."

"And so here's the final thing that I want to say. Me and Sasuke didn't really have a childhood. I really regret that. When Boruto was born I swore that I wouldn't let him get caught up in a war or a conflict like Sasuke and I did. So for our sakes, don't be in any hurry to grow up. I want you to have the childhood we never had. As a father, it would make me extremely happy." He ended this with a smile. "Understand?"

The two genin nodded, both feeling a bit lighter. Naruto nodded. "Then you are both dismissed." The genin then walked out of the room together. Naruto noticed a slight movement in their hands, where they seemed to be inching closer to each other's hand. The door closed and Naruto went back to his paperwork.

He was interrupted by the sound of someone slapping their thigh with their hand, mimicking sarcastic clapping.

Smiling, Naruto said loudly, "Shut up, Sasuke."

AN: So here's the end. Thank you everyone for the support. 41 favorites in two chapters is kind of ridiculous. Hopefully I'll have even more after this one. I'm also extremely happy of the last part.