Always

As she sat on one of the couches in the living room of her home, Hinata heard light muffled voices coming from behind the wooden front door. The house had a knack for amplifying the slightest of sounds throughout the first floor due to the plain openness of the space. She could barely distinguish whom the voices belonged to before the door was thrown open. Startled, Hinata jumped from the couch to see who it was, following her instincts as a shinobi and nearly assuming a defensive stance before noticing that it was Boruto, laughing excitedly as he quickly ran through the open front doorway and through the foyer.

"Mom! Mom! Dad's letting me into the Chuunin exams! He's letting me do it!" Boruto exclaimed, barely giving Hinata time to formulate a response to his news before he ran past her, clenching the entry form that his father had given him less than an hour before. She formed a smile as she watched him run straight up the stairs, giddily cheering like it was the first time in his life that he'd unapologetically radiated pure happiness. Hinata's gaze swiveled from the stairs back to the open doorway of the home, where her eyes met Naruto's. Her smile stayed firm as a spark in her eyes ignited.

"You made him laugh" Hinata said playfully to her husband, after which she received a smile and a nod in return.

"I do my best" Naruto smiled as he walked into the house, closing the door behind him and removing his sandals. He placed them onto the concrete of the foyer before stepping up onto the living room floor to meet Hinata with a warm embrace. Shortly after, he withdrew from the hug, lovingly placing his hands on either side of her as he continued to hold her line of sight. Their tender gaze was interrupted shortly after when both of their eyes darted toward the stairs again, and they laughed as they heard Boruto's excitement over the Chuunin exams continuing faintly in his room upstairs.

"Oh, he's definitely going to wake Himawari" Hinata laughed as she looked back at her husband.

"Well, today's an exception to bedtime I think," Naruto said as his face grew more and more fond of the moment, "He's got a lot to be proud of."

"Well he beat you pretty bad apparently, so there's that much" Hinata smiled as Naruto playfully rolled his eyes and let out a short, proud laugh.

Naruto looked around the warmly lit house and took a moment to himself, absorbing the welcoming surroundings of home that he regrettably only gets to see once in a while. He let out a quiet exhale as he felt his body relax for the first time in what felt like years. Ever since he found Boruto in the forest grove getting his hand burned by incorrectly conjuring Kurama's chakra, he decided to take it upon himself to guide him through the discovery which was new to them both. He almost dared calling it a mini vacation, leaving Shikamaru to tend to the paperwork that he was authorized to fill out. He couldn't do all of it of course, but he deemed himself able to do enough to cover Naruto's absence at the office for at least a few days.

"You look tired, Naruto" Hinata said, concern beginning to grow in her tone of voice.

"Oh it's ok, I'm used to it honestly," Naruto said, facing her once again and smiling, "It's nothing that some sake and a night-in can't fix, right?"

Hinata smiled as she looked toward the small courtyard they had as part of their home, lying just past the sliding doors of their kitchen. In this small, dimly-lit and cozy outdoor space there was a padded bench-swing for two and a koi pond, in addition to the lush grass and vibrant flowers planted into the earth, accented by the vines which grew tastefully up the majority of the outdoor walls.

"Yeah, I think I know just the thing." She said as she walked away from Naruto and toward the kitchen counter to pour the sake. As she did so, she could feel the blonde's loving eyes follow her.

And indeed, his gaze was lightly fixed on the back of her head as he held a small smile.

Up in his room, Boruto shed his red and black jacket and sandals, which he thanked the heavens above that his parents said nothing about. His mom caught him wearing shoes and walking through the house on one or two separate occasions that he could recollect, and all that he could remember from those experiences was feeling so afraid that he almost swore to never wear shoes again at all.

He threw the jacket over the backrest of his desk chair and tossed the shin-braced sandals to the side of the room. As he turned toward his window with half-lidded, accomplished, and proud eyes, he looked out to the trees from his window. They were a shade slightly darker than that of twilight, and each of their full branches followed the light breeze which graced the still air that night. The signs of the moonlight taking subtle control of the technicolor, starry sky above became more and more apparent with each passing moment.

Today was a good day, he thought as his smile held its ground on his whiskered face. He looked again toward the form that sat on his desk, specifically at his father's signature at the bottom. He picked it up and examined it for the hundredth time since he got it, feeling that once uncontrollable excitement start to settle nicely in his gut. The boy lowered his arm, holding the form at his side as he made his way to the door with a smirk and clicked the doorknob open.

The hallway was only partly lit thanks to the combined efforts of the kitchen lights downstairs as well as the single lamp on Boruto's desk which emitted its light through the semi-open doorway the blonde had walked through. He made his way a few yards down the narrow space until he reached another door, which he grasped the doorknob of and hugged the wall next to before quietly making to open it. He peeked inside to find his little sister cuddled up in a ball with some blankets, faintly snoring away in a deep slumber. Deep down, it made the boy feel a spark of joy by just witnessing the adorable scene. There would always be a special place in his heart reserved only for his baby sister.

Letting out a quiet exhale, Boruto took care to not let the door make a squeak or any other sound as he opened it slowly.

Her bedtime must've only been a little while ago, the sun just went down. He thought.

The blonde traversed the room carefully, moving as quietly as a mouse to Himawari's bedside, kneeling down to level his face with her's. Additionally, he took care to not get close enough to the point that it could possibly startle her.

"Hey, Himawari..!" He whispered gently, smiling brighter when she began to stretch a little bit before opening her drowsy, innocent little eyes.

"Boruto..?" She yawned in response as she rubbed her eyes, "Wha..what is it?"

At this, the boy grinned and let out a satisfied grunt through his teeth, snapping his eyes shut in joy as he lifted the form up for his sister to see. She looked at it quizzically, looking back up at Boruto to get a hint as to what it was.

"Dad's gonna let me back into the Chuunin exams!" He whispered excitedly, gaining a gleeful response from Himawari in seconds. She looked from the form back up to her brother and gasped with joy.

"See? He even signed his name at the bottom, so it's official." Boruto concluded, meeting Himawari's excited eyes.

"I knew you could do it big brother," she whispered back to him with a smile, "I just knew it."

Boruto blushed as he absorbed her sweet response and laughed with her.

"Well I couldn't have done it without you, baby sister. Thanks for cheering me on" He said, gently rubbing the top of her head, messing up her hair. Another flutter crept its way into his stomach as Himawari sunk back into the covers, shutting her eyes once again.

"Always" she said contently.

After a few seconds, Boruto got back on his feet and made his way back to the door of her bedroom to make his exit.

"I love you, sis" He said, looking back to Himawari one last time.

"I love you too, big brother" she replied sweetly as she slowly drifted back to sleep.

With that, Boruto smirked proudly and walked through the doorway of her bedroom and clicking the door shut behind him peacefully before making his way back to his room.

As the night grew darker, the sights and sounds of the small courtyard at the epicenter of their home became a lot more prominent. The colors of the greenery seemed to grow warmer in tone under the dim lights accenting them, and the sound of the gently-moving water in the koi pond created a therapeutic atmosphere that anyone wouldn't dare describe as anything short of heavenly on the ears. Altogether with the stars which dazzled the sky, it was just the space and sanctuary that Naruto needed after these past couple of days. The only solace he found in constantly being drowned in paperwork was that coming home for a night or two felt infinitely more special. What he would give for things to be like this every night – after all, his children were growing up before his very eyes and he seems to only catch the highlights, sadly enough.

"You're really stretching yourself thin these days," Hinata said as she slid the door open, stepping outside to join her husband, "Having you home like this once in a while is such a blessing to us, you have no idea."

Naruto sat on the bench swing facing the koi pond with a somber look slowly finding its way onto his face. Hinata noticed this, and paced toward him with their sake in hand.

"I wish it wasn't like this, Hinata. I really do." He said, unable to look away from the fish which magically captured his gaze.

"We know, Naruto," Hinata said, attempting to cheer him up as she made to sit next to him and hand him his sake, "You can't be here all the time, but for good reason. Nobody else could do what you do."

Naruto shook his head as he held his drink out in front of him, absently playing with it between his fingers. "I really didn't think it would be this tight of a schedule for me to be honest, being Hokage. Work I can handle, but not being able to be here hardly at all is something completely different."

Hinata looked at Naruto, who turned to meet her comforting gaze.

"We love you Naruto, that will never change." She said, watching the Hokage as he pondered her words for a moment, taking a deep breath and letting it out quietly.

"Yeah…I know," He nodded subtly, "And for that, I'm so thankful."

Boruto slowly crept down the stairs, quietly entering the now darkened kitchen to get a glass of water when he heard mumbling outside. Stopping in his tracks, he curiously shifted his head toward the half-open glass sliding door which led out to their courtyard. Channeling his inner shinobi, the boy covertly made his way behind the wall perpendicular to this door so that he could hear the conversation a little more clearly in secret.

"We can still be a family, Naruto. We've managed for this long haven't we?" Hinata continued as Naruto took a sip of his drink.

"I guess we have...but that doesn't reconcile the fact that it's pretty much impossible for me to watch our children grow up. Hinata, I feel like I'm missing everything…" Naruto replied, Boruto's smile falling as he stood silently behind the wall registering what his parents' conversation was about.

"I know that it's nearly impossible to balance it, but I have a duty to uphold. I need to carry the weight of the village – the thousands of people that are counting on me to protect them." Naruto continued, looking to Hinata. "And they have families, too!"

Naruto looked to the koi fish darting from spot to spot across their pond haphazardly, yet ever freely.

"I just…I wish I could be there for mine."

Boruto found himself intently listening to every word with his eyes depressed and half-lidded. His forehead was pressed against the wall he was hiding behind as it was the only thing that could hold it from hitting rock bottom at this moment.

This is why I'll never be Hokage, dad.

What made Boruto feel so misunderstood by his parents for the longest time is that he didn't detest his dad as it may have seemed from time to time.

To him, Naruto was two different people. He resented only the Hokage. Not his father. The boy closed his eyes briefly before letting out a short exhale and turning to walk back upstairs before hearing his dad speak up again.

"On the other hand though, right now I couldn't be happier." Naruto said after a moment of complete silence. Boruto curiously furrowed his brow, reassuming his position behind the wall as he listened for what came next.

"So you are able to find the light at the end of the tunnel, huh?" Hinata smiled.

"Well today, it's hard not to!" Naruto began to laugh. "After all, my son is headed straight for the top!"

Boruto smiled at this and his eyes widened in semi-surprise as he felt a new brand of happiness seep into his veins that not even his Chuunin exam entry form gave him.

"He is, isn't he." Hinata giggled at Naruto's excitement.

"You know he is. He's not the type of kid that gives up. He's also not the type of ninja that'll only settle for the path of least resistance, either. Not anymore, anyway." Naruto said with confidence as he looked optimistically up at the night sky, his smile only getting brighter.

Boruto silently chuckled as he felt his lips begin to slightly quiver at his dad's words.

"He thinks two, hell, ten steps ahead of you in battle, he plans tactically, expertly releases different types of ninjutsu, and even combines them too!" Naruto continued, getting more and more excited with every passing thing that came to mind when he thought of Boruto.

"That's why he won't fail. That's why he'll surpass me one day." He said matter-of-factly.

"You sound so sure" Hinata smiled as Naruto once again assumed a fully calm and optimistic demeanor as he stared up into the starry sky.

"I am sure. I'll believe in Boruto until the end."

Boruto let a single teardrop trickle down his face as he formed what may have been the hardest smile he's felt in his life. His lip continued to quiver in happiness, and his eyes remained squeezed shut as he raised a hand to wipe them.

Dammit dad, look what you did… He thought, laughing involuntarily to himself again.

I don't cry…ever! …I must look like a total baby right now! Boruto laughed in his head quietly, unable to control the sheer joy that radiated from his bloodstream like wildfire.

I won't let you down, dad. I will never fail you again, for as long as I live.

I promise you.

Boruto found himself back up in his room shortly after hearing his parents' conversation, closing the door behind him quietly before walking a few steps to his window. He looked outside as the moon shone brightly in the sky, soaking the leaf village in its gentle aura. Smiling and feeling newly alive for the second time that day, he turned his gaze from the window down to the nightstand which stood next to his bed. On it, a small family photo of him hugging Himawari over her shoulders from behind with a cocky grin, and his parents standing proudly behind them, Naruto's bandaged hand on his son's head.

On any other day, that would've pissed Boruto off since he tries his best to make his hairstyle look as cool as possible, especially for a photo. But…there was something special about that day that kept his cocky grin plastered on his face for the picture. He recognized that joy as the same happiness he felt now, at this moment, as he stared at the memory captured in the small, wooden frame. Could his dad be there for him all the time?

No.

Could he pick him up every time he falls?

Hell no.

Would he always believe in him?

Well, tonight answered that long-pondered question for the blonde. And although he never admitted it, Boruto realized that really did love him. Just as he loves his mother and his sister. And one more thing certainly became clear for the boy on this beautiful night as he kept his eyes glued to the photo which now gently rested in his hands.

"I'll believe in you too, dad." He said proudly under his breath as he focused on the proud father grinning in the picture.

"Always."