WotN: Number One

Number One

“If you keep making that face, it’s gonna get stuck that way.”

He turned his attention away from the sight of his young daughter and the other ninja accompanying her from the Hokage Tower to his wife, who was currently fixing him with an amused smirk.  “What face?” he asked.

Her smirk widened as she situated herself on the corner of his large oak desk.  “That face you make when you’ve just tasted something horribly sour but don’t want to admit it lest you hurt someone’s feelings…”

He grimaced and then attempted to smooth his face back into its usual placid expression… with little success.  A sigh escaped his lips.   “How is it that other children will go out and bring home stray animals – birds, dogs, kittens… but *our* child brings home a stray ninja instead?”

Kushina shrugged her shoulders.  “Naru hardly ever does anything by halves…” was her response.  She paused, her teal blue eyes sparkling merrily.  “She is our daughter…”

“Aaaauughhh…” He dragged his palm across his face, resisting the oh-so-tempting urge to slam his head against his desk.

“What was the council’s take on the situation?”

“They want the kid to undergo several evaluations, but overall they’re willing to grant him amnesty.” He answered.  In fact, they feel that he’ll be an asset to the village.”

She regarded the frown still etched deeply across her husband’s face.  “You don’t agree with their decision…?” she asked.

“Oh, it’s not that…” he sighed heavily.  “He’s no threat to Konoha, I’m certain of that.  The village will definitely benefit from having him here… and so will he…”

She blinked in confusion.  “I’m afraid I don’t follow you…”

“You’ve seen the two of them together, haven’t you?”  She nodded slowly.  His frown deepened even further, his light blue eyes uncharacteristically dark.  “He’s already half in love with her…”

Silence stretched over the room for several long moments as Kushina stared at her husband blinkingly.  “What…?” she asked incredulously.

“I’m serious!” he exclaimed.  “If that boy’s not already in love with her now it’ll only be a matter of time… why else would he follow her all the way here?”

Kushina rolled her eyes.  “Well, our little girl can be rather persuasive…” she mused, although she too had noticed how the boy trailed after her like a little puppy.  You might’ve though she’d hung the moon as far as he was concerned.  Honestly, the redhead found it be rather sweet.  “Would you have rather it been that Uchiha boy she’s always scrapping with?”

“No,” Minato grumbled.  “Nor would Fugaku-san, I’m certain… He certainly wasn’t too happy to hear they’d been placed together on the same team…”

Kushina laughed.   “That Iruka-kun is a wily one, ne?” She paused, her smile falling away at the sight of her husband still looking troubled.  “What’s wrong, Mina?  You said yourself the boy’s no threat…”

“He’s no threat to Konoha,” he amended.

The redheaded kunoichi scoffed.  “Oh come now, do you really think Naru couldn’t take him if he turned out to be an enemy—”

Minato tugged on his hair in frustration.  “She’s gonna love him back!” he exclaimed loudly.

Teal blue eyes blinked owlishly.  “Huh?”

The Yondaime no Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato regarded his wife with a put out frown.  “I told you he’s already half in love with her,” he explained.  “It’s only a matter of time before she loves him back…”

Kushina stared at him for several moments before letting out a loud peal of laughter.   She had to brace a hand on the corner of the desk to keep from toppling off of its surface.   “Mi-minato… you’re  so silly!” she guffawed.  “I can’t believe you’re jealous!”  

He blinked, flushing slightly.  “What?  I am not!”

She turned, leaning forward until they were nose to nose.  A wide grin spread across her face as she stared into her husband’s eyes.  “Yes.  You.   Are.” She affirmed.  He opened his mouth to object, but she cut him off by placing a finger to his lips.  “You’re afraid that this boy is going to steal your little girl away from you.”

He paused, his frown melting into an almost-pout.  “It’s not like that…” he muttered.

“Of course not,” she agreed.  “No matter what little boy comes along, you’re always going to be the number one man in our little Naru-chan’s heart…” She paused, her smirk turning mischievous as she tugged at a lock of his hair with a little white in it.  “O-ya-ji!”

“Oi!”

~ End