Knowing the Land of Fire frontier wasn't too far from here, Naruto sped his pace. Unfortunately, Shikamaru's and Kakashi's presence behind him prevented him from running. Like them, he was tired. This Five Kage summit had lasted too long, but despite his brain that got more and more numb at each endless meeting, he wanted to keep a good pace to arrive quicker at the village.

"Tell me your secret." he whispered to Shikamaru walking by his side.

"My secret?" he repeated.

"Yes, for not having headaches every time you come back from those meetings." Naruto held his head as to emphasise his words.

"I can't believe I'm hearing you saying that. You who want to become Hokage, you should thank the Rokudaine who had brought you with him-"

"As a bodyguard." Naruto cut off. "Plus... it's not the same thing to be at a meeting as the Hokage."

Shikamaru liked to tease his friend, but he knew very well that if Naruto wanted to, he could stay days in a meeting room without eating or sleeping as long as the problem wasn't solved.

"You're so thick-headed. Wait a bit and it'll go away." The advisor laughed.

Pouting, Naruto was about to argue when the third traveller behind them caught their attention. The two shinobi turned towards their Hokage.

"Maybe we could take a short break." Kakashi proposed. "I'm not young anymore."

"Are you serious!? We had a break two hours ago. If we keep walking that slowly, we'll never arrive in the village in time to-" Naruto stopped talking when he saw Shikamaru walking past him to lay down under a tree.

He was quickly joined by Kakashi taking out a book from his pocket.

"You've got to be kidding me?!" exclaimed the blonde.

*****

"First!" Boruto yelled when he touched the gates.

Himawari came way later behind him. Out of breath, she put her small hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath as Hinata was clapping. "Well done, you both were faster than the other day."

"Oi! Boruto! Himawari!"

The Uzumaki trio turned and saw Temari with Shikadai approaching them. Happy to see him, Boruto waved his hand the highest he could, Himawari miming him.

"You see, we're not late. We're right on time." Hinata said to her son.

When the Naras arrived, the conversation was firstly about the children, then when Boruto and Shikadai went playing, Himawari sat next to her mother, focused on a line of ants.

"So? How was your visit at Suna?" Hinata asked. "We haven't seen each other since you came back."

"The usual", Temari sighed. "Shikadai is too spoiled. Having two brothers both crazy about their nephew doesn't help the way you want to educate your child. At least, Shikamaru's mother was with us. It made them quieter."

While keeping an eye on their mischievous sons, the two mothers kept talking and Hiamawari was looking at the horizon from time to time.

"Good evening, Temari. Hinata." Greeted Captain Yamato with Izumo and Kotetsu.

As soon as Naruto would cross Konoha gates, the three ninjas would have to be their hokage's bodyguards again. Despite being in time of peace, the five kage decided to have at least one bodyguard with them. Especially after the last men-bomb attacks in the different villages.

Suddenly, Himawari stood up, eyes wide as she pulled on Hinata's skirt. "Mama, look."

Under the light of the lamp street, three figures walked towards them. The first one was recognisable by his lage hat, the second by his ponytail and the third by his erratic waving.

"Tou-chan!" the three kids shouted.

Despite their impatience, Boruto and Shikadai stamped on the ground, waiting for their father to come closer. They already had been lectured by their mothers who had forbidden them to cross the village gates. But every time, when Naruto and Shikamaru were just some meters away from them, the boys would run toward them.

At their level, they respectfully greeted Kakashi before looking at their father. Shikamaru asked Shikadai for a high five while Naruto knelt to catch his son and lifted him in the air.

"Just all this energie makes me tired." Kakashi removed his hat.

"We're back so you will be able to rest." Shikamaru said.

"Sadly", the hokage sighed while stepping into the safety of the village. "The report won't write itself. I have to confirm to the other Kage we arrived in one piece."

"By the way, the four kages' messages have arrived, Hokage-sama." Yamato informed him after greeting them all.

"What? So soon?"

"Well, they had reached their village before you three." Izumo added.

Knowing he had said they were too slow, Naruto saw his former sensei's shoulders sink because of tiredness. "Then don't let's waste any more time. See you soon everyone. Naruto, Shikamaru, see you in my office tomorrow morning. You have to write your report."

The two ninjas nobbed then, after another round of goodbyes, the group of single men let the two fathers meet with their respective family.

"Papa!"

"Hima! My sweet Hima... But... aren't you taller?" Naruto noticed while moving back to have a better look at his daughter.

"Me too! You'll see, tou-chan, kaa-chan wrote our new height today." Boruto jumped around again.

But I wasn't gone for that long, was I?

Fortunately, Hinata shook her head to answer his silent question. Seconds later, she was in his arms she missed so much, his lips against her temple. "Hime." His hot breath against her ear made her shiver and blushed at the contact of their skin, his masculine scent tickling her nose.

However, they quickly came back to reality when the Nara family said their goodbye before returning home.

As eager as they were to go back home, Himawari asked to sit on her father's shoulders, but Hinata refused softly, saying that he must be tired. However, Naruto accepted, assuring he wasn't that tired. Leaving this moment for his sister, Boruto didn't make any request and was happy to have his parent's hands in his while walking between them.

The Uzumakis then made their way towards their house, happy to be together again.

*****

"No, no, no!" Naruto shouted, experiencing an umpteenth defeat. He even put the remote down, a bit too harshly on the floor. "You! You've been playing while I was gone."

Boruto gave him a big toothy smile, proud to win against his dad. But, ready to take revenge, Naruto picked the remote up. Laying next to him, her feet on her father's lap, Himawari was drawing. With a crayon in her mouth and another behind her ear, she was choosing with care the nuances she was about to use for her drawing. In the kitchen, Hinata was cooking dinner. "Himawari, Boruto, can you set the table?"

Himawari was the first one to react and she quickly hid her drawing from everybody. It's a surprise. Right after, Boruto screamed when Naruto paused the game. "Your mother called you."

Mumbling, Boruto left and helped his sister.

Once everything was ready, the family sat and said "bon appétit". The kids told about their adventures in the garden, the new games they invented with their friends then they asked Naruto questions. What did he see? Where did he go? Did he see all the kage? Their eyes started to sparkle when he told them that the kages were the most powerful ninja and they were all his friends.

Elbow on the table, Hinata landed her cheek on her hand. Eyes closed, she listened to Naruto filling their children's mind of dreams to achieve. At the edge of falling asleep, she started when they made their chairs scrape the floor.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" she asked, now fully awake.

The two children stopped and looked at their father. Naruto sat back in his chair and crossed his arms on his chest as he shook his head, "Please, do what your mother asked you to do."

Holding back a pout, they started removing bowls, glasses and chopsticks to put everything in the sink. Suddenly, even before they could notice their father coming behind them, Naruto had them in his arms. Himawari, on his shoulder, grabbed his t-shirt with her small hands while Boruto found himself under his arms, his own arms and legs loose.

"Tou-chan, stop!"

Naruto's laugh was their only answer.

While washing the dishes, Hinata looked at Naruto carrying his children as if they were weighing nothing. She heard the complaints continue in the stairs then in the bathroom. Their antics made her smile before hearing a door being closed then footsteps in the stairs. She turned around and saw Naruto coming in a rush to her.

"I hope mama could join us in the bath." he whispered against her ear before kissing her cheek and making his way back upstairs where impatience yells could be heard.

Right before closing the kitchen door, he turned around and put a finger on his lips before winking at a Hinata completely taken aback.

Despite all those years of marriage, he could still destabilise her for his own happiness. Proud of himself, Naruto opened the bathroom door and saw that his children had already opened the bath tap. "Are you going to leave your clothes on the floor?"

As he spoke, they took their clothes and threw them in the basket.

"Where's kaa-chan?" Boruto asked, looking behind his dad.

"Papa, hurry up! The bath'll get cold!" Himawari exclaimed, clapping the water.

The water noise plus their screams were loud in Naruto's head. He approached them and covered their mouths with his hands. "It's not because you're shouting that everything's going to go as you wish. Your mom's finishing with the dishes and then she'll come only if you stop yelling."

Quietly, the two children rapidly nobbed as Naruto set them free. In the silence, he removed his clothes while they took their toys. Goggles on his forehead, Boruto grabbed a plastic frog while Himawari chose two lions and a plastic bucket. Boruto took a plastic frog and put his goggles on his forehead. Himawari took two plastic lions and a plastic bucket. They then climbed up the little stairs and jumped in the bath, slashing their father.

Once they were all set up, Naruto entered in the bath, pushing Himawari towards Boruto, and enjoyed the feeling of the water caressing his skin.

"Don't forget to wash your hair and chest, papa. They're very dirty after a mission." Naruto raised an eyebrow. "You're the one who said that." Himawari reminded him.

Suddenly, Naruto froze, realising that he indeed was the one who had said that to Hinata after she came back from a mission. However, they had been alone in the bath and he had ended up washing more than just his wife's hair and chest.

Was it possible that his children spy and eavesdrop like Ero-sennin?

Did it mean that his children were spying like Ero-sennin?

"Tou-chan, you ok? You're really pale." Boruto noticed.

Himawari poured her bucket full of water on Naruto's head. "The hair's done." she smiled a toothy smile.

"Hima, would you eavesdrop?"

"Of course not!" She seemed shocked. "Mama's said it's bad to do that, right onii-chan."

"Yeah." Boruto recalled this conversation perfectly.

Hearing Boruto's answer, Naruto relaxed and got some colour back. A small smile appeared on his lips. His wife had already taken action. What would I do without you, Hinata?

Suddenly, Himawari poured another bucket on his head. "Oh! I thought the hair was done."

"It's onii-chan who told me to do it."

"It's not because you think about kaa-chan like that that she'll come here faster." Boruto crossed his arms on his chest.

Naruto felt defensive. "But... I wasn't-"

"Mama!"

As she came into the room, Hinata closed the door behind her. She quickly removed her clothes, tied her hair in a hair band and took place in the bath. She was instantly assailed by her children, but she smiled in front of her son's red cheeks. He wanted to play with her and as soon as Himawari let her breath again, she accepted.

"You'll be in distress, and me and Gamatitsu, we have to protect you from tou-chan." Boruto chuckled mischievously.

"From Me?"

"Onii-chan, papa's already playing with me. You can't have him.

Following Himawari pushing the water, drops hit Boruto who returned the unpleasant favour. She frowned and started again while Naruto was trying his best to stop them. But, all he was doing was talking as loud as them.

Facing them, Hinata massaged her temple, feeling a headache knocking on her forehead. "Say you three, are you about to stop screaming?" she asked, losing her cool.

A dreadful silence fell in the room and Boruto moved away from Hinata as slowly as he could while Himawari looked for protection in Naruto's arms, completely panicking as well.

"Thank you very much." With a smile, Hinata leaned and relaxed in the bath.