Parents Meeting

Kiba looked at Kouga's result slip, seeing the A+'s for all subjects, laughing and patting his back. Naruto visited Tsuyu's home to talk about Kouga's performance and behaviors before their graduation exam. Parents often don't know much about how their kids were at school.

"My son is a little genius eh~ Really like me!" Kiba grinned, feeling proud his son was doing very well. He really had his mother's intelligence.

"Uh… I don't know about that Kiba… definitely not you." Naruto snorted. Kiba was really just so so back in the days.

"Oh please, that's rich coming from you Naruto~" Kiba snorted a laugh.

"Come on, don't bring those up… Ehem."

"But he is always distracted in class-ttebayo. He often sneaks away with a shadow clone and doodling while in his book instead of focusing on the lecture."

Naruto turned his gaze to Kouga.

"How your mom didn't straighten you out boggled me. Back then your mom would always nag me…"

"Uncle, it's just sooo boring. I can't help it." Kouga crossed his arms, pouting.

"And I do have discipline, uncle! You just didn't see it." 

Kouga puffed his chest with pride for his secret training and learning. In fact Tsuyu saw how hardworking Kouga was outside of the boring academy, so she let him have his own leisure time after weighing the priority. In a sense going to the academy was only for chance in socializing and forming relationships.

She definitely didn't treat her son special or doted on him too much, definitely.

"Haha. That's right Naruto, my son got that dog in him!" Kiba ruffled his son's hair, making him pout more.

"So Naruto… he had a girlfriend in class? Hm?" Kiba raised his eyebrows a few times.

"Eh? Dad! What are you asking!" Kouga punched Kiba's side. "O-ouch… that hurts brat!"

Naruto laughed a little.

"Hm~ Who knows. But he is quite popular with the girls for sure~"

"Woah, just like me in those days!" Kiba said proudly, lying through his canine teeth.

"Uncle, stop joking. I don't like anyone okay! Girls only slow down my hand seals speed." Kouga said seriously.

"Slow down your hand seals…? Hehe, hey it's the opposite alright! Your hands would move faster with some girls." Kiba grinned, his eyebrows raised a few times, obvious with his innuendo.

Both Naruto and Kouga looked at Kiba with disgust. 

Kouga already moved himself a meter away from him, not admitting this man was his dad. Naruto felt embarrassed inwardly. Kouga seemed to know what Kiba was talking about too, perhaps he was already at that age.

A crack in space suddenly appeared right above Kiba's head, a hand stretched out from the void holding a sandal and instantly slapped his face.

"Gah!" Kiba was sent spinning and tumbling down the ground. The hand retracted and disappeared like it was all just a dream.

"Hehe. See dad? Mom is angry now." Kouga chuckled.

"Ah? Dear, I swear I am just joking!" 

He's talking to the air, realising Tsuyu was watching and listening. She too wanted to know if there was something she didn't know about Kouga in school and had been listening through her Eye Creature. Most of the time she only checked what he was doing if he wasn't in the academy and cast only a glance for a second before minding her business.

Naruto was quiet, looking at the place where the space cracked earlier, then at the white creature hiding inside of Kouga's hoodie. He suspected that was how she listened. In a way, she was here… Maybe she just didn't want to make it awkward being around Naruto in person.

How long has it been since we talked… Naruto looked at the floor with a weary expression, feeling a mixture of guilt and pain in his heart. Time dulls the memory of their fight back then. At times he felt angry, at times he wanted to apologise, at times he told himself he would rather not talk to her at all, at times he wished things would get back to what it used to be. Different days, he had different feelings. As if heart and mind couldn't even decide on anything. It's such a mess… a fucking mess.

Kouga noticed his uncle had that look again, as if he zoned out for no reason.

"Uncle. So… what would the practical exam be like for us? My mom said back then you guys only needed to perform substitution jutsu, transformation jutsu and cloning jutsu to graduate." 

Tsuyu also added the line where in those days they sent unprepared children to their deaths and even lax the requirement even more when war time approached it's ridiculously stupid. 

She ranted about wasteful use of human resources and withholding knowledge necessary for survival, creating incompetent shinobi, especially civilians born that never had access to advanced knowledge until they graduate and can only hope they had a good instructor that may or may not pass them their own skills. She really turned the Academy syllabus upside down when she was in reign and Danzo was in charge not caring about the pressure from Shinobi Clans that didn't want civilians shinobi to gain power more than them.

Naruto snapped out of it after being called out. He grinned slightly.

"A secret! You aren't getting any tips from me-ttebayo!"

"Come onnn uncle!" 

"Hey hey, come on we are best buddies~ Help my son a little~" Kiba added.

"Ahh… No is no. Where's Mika."

"Mika! Come here!" The room opened, Mika calmly walked towards them to sit next to Kiba.

"Mika does very well for most subjects too. Your children really are smart. But I believe she needs to open up more. She is the quietest person in class."

"Nah. That's just how she is. I think she's good the way she is." Kiba looked at Mika, smiling slightly.

Mika seemed a little embarrassed, but appreciated that Kiba didn't mind her personality. Naruto looked at the two, smiling slightly.

"Being a shinobi requires cooperation and communication-ttebayo. But being quiet doesn't mean you can't communicate. Ya know, like Sasuke. If you can speak when you need to, it's all good too Mika."

Mika just nodded. Perhaps it was her life for thousands of years as a member of the lower class, and thus her personality had always been subservient and quiet. The few years she lived on Earth wasn't enough to make her change much. Habit ran deep.

"Haha. Yeah that guy was always looking like he was brooding back then. Hey, even now he's always serious all the time. I guess only you and his family could make him look a little cheerful."

Kouga nodded. His observation when he saw his uncle and Sasuke interacted gave him some suspicion. The look in their eyes, the smile or even worry Sasuke had for his uncle, the way uncle would avert his eyes, but still glance at Sasuke back… It's as if these two had hidden tension all the time like some secret lovers.

I get it. Shinobi culture places importance on bloodline, their relationship is taboo... Too bad for my uncle and Sasuke…

"Okay, I have to go to my other parents house now. Keep up the good work, Kouga, Mika."

"Yes uncle." Kouga replied. Mika just nodded as usual.

Naruto visited 3 others before returning home. 

"I'm home…"

"Dad!" Himawari ran over, hugging his legs tightly.

"Hey… What did you do at school today?"

"Uh… same as always, Dad."

"That's good." Naruto smiled faintly, brushing her hair before dragging himself to the sofa. He slumped down, exhaling deeply, eyes closing for a rest. The entire day had been meetings with other parents, giving comments, praising, nodding…

His gaze fell on Boruto's result slip, resting on the table. A genius like Kouga too, everything were A+'s… At that age, Naruto only excelled in Shinobi stuff. If Naruto was put in this era, he couldn't even graduate due to the requirement to excel in other stuff too.

He smiled to himself - proud of his son really.

Then a sigh escaped his lips.

He leaned his head back, arms folded, and shut his eyes again, the silence settling comfortably around him. He just wanted this quiet for the rest of the day, or more.

From the kitchen, Hinata glanced toward him, her hands still busy with the knife. It had become routine. Naruto coming home, sinking into this quiet, unreachable space. She couldn't recall the last time they had gone for a walk together… or even sat and talked after the children had gone to bed.

The thought lingered as an ache, but she shook the thought off. 

Naruto had it hard. He was tired. She knew that.

Still… the distance had begun to feel like a thin wall that was always there. That his husband wasn't like he used to be. That every outing… it was always her, or the kids who brought them up first. Her eyes could see Naruto was always going through with it, as if he just wanted to rest more, even in their close moments. She didn't want to trouble him.

But it would be a lie, to say she didn't miss his warmth he used to have…

Her hand stopped chopping the vege for a while, taking a deep breath giving strength to herself, and for her husband and children.

***