"Excuse me, miss. I'm conducting some interviews from the staff and students of the academy, and I was wondering how it is I missed seeing you before."

The camera came into focus, making its way up the woman's figure and coming to a stop at her face. Yuiko smiled, blushing slightly as she smoothed her dress. The dress was simple — a plain red with a high collar and the multiple diamond emblem of the Hatake clan embroidered above her left breast.

"Sorry, but I don't work here," she said, fiddling with the braid of hair over her shoulder. "My children used to attend classes here, but they graduated a little while ago."

"Oh?" the man said, lowering the camera. "You seem far too young to have children of that age." He smiled sweetly, sweeping back his messy brown hair. He had hazel eyes and large purple marks running over his eyelids and down the side of his face. He was sporting a green coat and light purple scarf, despite the warm weather.

"You think so?" Yuiko said, relieved now that the camera was off her. "I think it has more to do with my bloodline than anything. Although I do drink a lot of water!"

The man chuckled. "You seem fascinating indeed," he said, coming closer. "My name is Sukea. And you are …?"

"Yuiko," she said happily.

"What a beautiful name. Would you mind accompanying me for dinner tonight? I'm a freelance reporter, you see, and I would love to conduct an interview that's a little more … in depth."

"Oh! Well, I'm not sure about that," Yuiko said, looking away shyly as she put her hand to her cheek. "I don't think my husband would like that very much. He can get a little … jealous."

"Is that so?" Sukea said, leaning his forearm on the wall above her. "It's a pity that he won't share you, even for just one evening."

Yuiko blushed, looking up at him. "Oh … well, maybe not for the whole evening."

She clutched his scarf, pulling his face closer to hers. "But I don't think he'd mind if you got to know me a little better in the closet down the hall."

Sukea's eyes widened, his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed hard. "R-really?"

"Is that you, Yuiko?" a voice called.

Yuiko looked over Sukea's shoulder, her face breaking out into a smile. "Oh, Anko!"

She phased through Sukea, leaving him staring at the wall. He hung his head in disappointment as she skipped away.

"It's been a while," Anko said, smiling coyly.

Most people wouldn't be surprised to learn that Anko was a stubborn woman. She was so stubborn, in fact, that even after Yuiko had helped to save the entire planet, she still couldn't find it in her heart to like the woman. Her dislike for Yuiko became even more of a complication when she accidentally found herself falling for Yamato.

Her relationship with the Anbu captain was originally a series of flings during her stay in the hospital to give her something to do other than die of boredom in a hospital bed. But then Yamato started visiting her after she was discharged. And he was so damn nice. Before she knew it, he had asked her to marry him, and her heart nearly leapt out of her chest.

But then something happened that threw her for a loop more than the proposal did. Yamato had dragged her to the Hokage's home to excitedly let his Senpai know the good news, and Yuiko happened to be home at the time. Anko had never felt more uncomfortable in her life, and she honestly considered how much trouble she would get in if she just took off running. She had exhibited some real S-rank sneaking skills when it came to avoiding Yuiko for almost a year, and was not looking forward to her chilly reaction to the news.

But then Yuiko cried.

Yuiko cried, flinging her arms around Yamato's shoulders and blubbering like a baby about how happy she was. She had enough tact to know that touching Anko was out of the question, but she still gave her a watery smile as a congratulations.

At some point Yuiko had just let the animosity go. That Yuiko was being so high and mighty pissed Anko off. And it pissed her off even more when she realized that when Yuiko started crying, she did too. The hatred was just … gone.

Oh, Anko still didn't get along with Yuiko very well, but now it was just because she found her unexpected visits and general nosy nature annoying as hell. Those habits had then been multiplied several times over when Anko had the unexpected pleasure of becoming her children's Sensei at the academy. Most teachers would have been over the moon to be instructing the Hokage's children, but all Anko could do was curse her bad luck when Yuiko started trying to strengthen their relationship by bribing her with sweets and popping up in the teacher's lounge after school "just to chat". Which Yuiko would do. Mindlessly. For hours.

But as annoying as it was, Anko did her best to heed Yamato's advice and try to view Yuiko's actions from her intentions. Yuiko meant well, but was simply piss poor at expressing it. Anko repeated this mantra over and over in her head as she watched Yuiko cheerfully skip her way.

"We stopped and visited Yamato on the way here," Yuiko said, pulling a letter from her pocket. "He misses you very much, and it sounds like his post is changing in only two weeks!"

"Thank you, Lady Yuiko," Anko said, taking the letter. "You didn't read this, did you?"

"What?!" Yuiko said, suddenly flustered. "No, no! Of course I didn't!" she laughed, quickly looking about. "Oh, look who's here! How are you, Shino? I see you got your teaching license — how exciting!"

Shino had come up behind Anko, a stack of folders in his arms. His eyebrows raised behind his visor as Yuiko addressed him.

"Y-yes, Lady Yuiko," he said, slightly flustered. "My students are preparing for the graduation exam now."

"Which must be why Lord Sixth is here," Anko said, looking down the hall with a smirk. "Isn't that right?"

"Ah," Kakashi said, pealing the last of the purple markings off his face as he came toward them. He had already removed his contact lenses and pulled the scarf up to cover the lower half of his face.

"Really," Anko said, crossing her arms, "the former Hokage running around in disguise pretending to be a reporter isn't very dignified."

"What's the big deal?" Kakashi said, pulling off his wig and stuffing it into one of the coat pockets. "I wanted to talk to the students before the graduation exams. I had a few things that I needed to verify." He cleared his throat, his voice deepening by a few octaves. "Besides," he said, holding up a finger. "I was kind of curious."

The two of them are seriously way too nosy, Anko thought, regarding the former Hokage and his wife with a frown.

"Will you also be taking part in the graduation exam, Lady Yuiko?" Shino asked.

"She would love to be," Kakashi said, slapping Yuiko on the back, "but she knows very well why she can't."

"That's not fair!" Yuiko said defensively. "I would be totally unbiased!"

"She would pass them all in a heartbeat," Kakashi said flatly.

Yuiko pursed her lips and crossed her arms. "It's just … I'm sure they all worked really hard."

"And if they did, those results will shine through tomorrow," Kakashi said, his eyes turning up as he smiled. "Now, I need to go meet with the principal. It was good seeing you, Anko, Shino. I'll see you in the morning."

He stepped past them, humming lightly to himself.

"I'm glad he's here to help," Anko said, watching Kakashi. "But I hope he's planning on at least passing a few of the students; it wouldn't look great if everyone from Shino's class flunked out."

Shino regarded Anko with a melancholy expression. "Please don't say things like that, Anko-Sensei."

"Don't worry," Yuiko said, her expression relaxing. "Kakashi has high standards, but he's fair. He's just as hopeful as I am about the graduating class – he just has a different way of showing it."

.

.

"Again!" Naruto shouted. The six shinobi standing about him nodded, breathing heavily.

"Ready!" one of them called. The six weaved signs in a flurry of movement, standing about Naruto in a circle.

"Now!"

They slammed their hands on the ground, and a purple barrier rose up to encircle the Hokage.

Naruto lifted his head, his body glowing in a fiery orange light. A crack formed in the barrier, and a splintering sound cut through the air as the split grew larger. Naruto slowly opened his arms, his cape rising up behind him. The barrier suddenly shattered, throwing the group backward.

"That won't be enough to protect the village!" Naruto shouted, looking about sternly. His comrades gulped in air as they heaved. A few of them tried to stand, propping themselves up against the short cliff that lined one end of the clearing.

"Despite the peace," Naruto continued, "we have to be vigilant. We could come under attack at any time without warning."

"And the barrier team won't be much good if they're exhausted," a voice said casually.

Naruto turned to look into the woods. A figure emerged from the shadows; Yuiko smiled broadly as she stepped into the sun. She was wearing her standard shinobi gear, her hands on her hips.

"Captain Yuiko!" one of the Shinobi said, getting to her feet as she regarded the former team captain. "We've been able to make the barrier much more robust thanks to your last instruction!"

"I can see that!" Yuiko chirped. "That was the strongest barrier I've seen you make yet!"

"In a few more months, I'm sure it will hold," the blonde kunoichi said proudly, raising her fist.

"Maybe even sooner than that," Yuiko said, smiling coyly at Naruto. "I'd like to try something, if you don't mind my interruption."

"Anything to take a break," one of the men said, sitting down heavily.

"Hey!" the blonde kunoichi snapped. "You're in the presence of the Hokage and the retired captain! You can relax when they say so, and not a second before!"

Yuiko's eyes widened from the collective groans of the team. "It's alright, Keiko," she said quickly. "It looks like you all could use some rest."

"The new captain pushes 'em a lot harder than you did," Naruto said, smiling at the woman. "It's nice havin' someone around like that. She kinda reminds me of Sakura, ya know?"

An embarrassed flush rose over Keiko's cheeks. "Th-thank you Lord Hokage! I will continue to push myself and my team to our absolute limits in order to better serve the village!"

Keiko's subordinates stared at her with downtrodden expressions.

Naruto chuckled, "But you guys have definitely earned a break. Besides …" Naruto's attention turned to Yuiko, a smirk growing on his face. "I kinda want to see what Yuiko's got up her sleeve. You gonna share?"

"You'll see," Yuiko said, hitting him with a playful wink as she left his side and faced him from a few feet away.

Naruto's body became enveloped in orange light that flowed over him like fire. Yuiko suddenly pulled eight senbon from her jacket, throwing them to form a circle around Naruto.

"Release!" she yelled, slamming her hand on the ground. The senbon had been wrapped in small scrolls, which unraveled to reveal strings of text. The scrolls shone with a white light, the lights connecting to each other and meeting up with Yuiko to complete the circle. Naruto stood in the middle, a smirk still on his face.

The chakra about Naruto's body spread out to push against the barrier. Yuiko grunted, but the barrier held against Naruto's efforts.

Naruto's brow shot up in surprise. "You're using Tailed Beast chakra," he said.

"I finally figured out how to transfer some of it into scrolls!" Yuiko exclaimed. "I can use their signatures to sync up with the Tailed Beast chakra inside you. It should still be effective for suppressing normal chakra, but you're at a particular disadvantage."

"Ya think so?" Naruto said, a gleam behind his eye.

A crack formed in the barrier to Yuiko's left, followed by another to her right.

Yuiko winced, pushing more of her chakra into the jutsu. The barrier suddenly shattered with an impressive explosion as Naruto's chakra shot out in a cloud of orange energy. Flashes of electricity danced through the cloud that rose above them, creating a crackling sound that faded as it dispersed.

"Woah," one of the shinobi said, putting up his hand to shield his eyes from the light.

The explosion faded, and Naruto returned to his regular appearance.

Yuiko sighed, hanging her head. "It's that stupid sage chakra. I still haven't figured out a way around that."

"Still impressive," Naruto said, approaching her. "I hope you can teach the barrier team that."

"Of course!" Yuiko said, her head snapping up. "I can make plenty of scrolls with the Tailed Beast chakra signatures. That should increase the barrier strength dramatically!"

"Good," Naruto said, smiling down at her. "If they can learn to hold off someone like me, then I'll be able to sleep much easier at night."

"Naruto," Yuiko said, her eyes growing dewy. "Look at you … you care so much … I'm so proud of you!"

She reached her hand up, ruffling his short hair.

"H-Hey!" Naruto said, batting away her hand. He glanced at the barrier team, who looked away to hide their grins.

"Good job, everyone. You're dismissed for today," Naruto said with a sigh. He regarded Yuiko with a slightly annoyed expression as she waved happily at the shinobi walking past. Keiko paused to politely bow to Naruto and shoot Yuiko a pleasant smile before following her team. Yuiko watched them go with a joyful expression.

"So, did you come here to get me?" Naruto asked as the barrier team leapt into the trees.

"Mhmm!" Yuiko nodded, putting her hands behind her back. "I think you already know the outcome."

"I was actually a little nervous," Naruto said, putting his hands in his pockets as he started to walk. "Kakashi-Sensei has a habit of gettin' … carried away, ya know?"

"Sometimes," Yuiko said, matching his pace. "But he means well. And everyone passed, from what I heard. He's really a big softy, if you look at it that way."

Naruto chuckled, "I guess you're right." A wistful smile grew on his face. "I can't believe my son is already a genin. We're gettin' old, Yuiko."

"Speak for yourself," Yuiko huffed. "We're Uzumakis; I think we've still got a while to go."

Naruto laughed. Yuiko's appearance hadn't changed much from the day he'd first met her around 20 years previous, so he didn't have a leg to stand on there.

"Maybe just in spirit, then," he said, grinning.

"I can't disagree with you on that," Yuiko said, putting her hands on her hips. "All Kakashi wants to do is hang out at hot springs like an old man. He gets lonely when I take missions, so I've just been wrinkling up like a prune for the past few months. Thank you for asking him to help out with the graduation; we've needed an excuse to get back into things."

"I guess I was feeling nostalgic," Naruto said. "I wanted Boruto to have a similar experience becoming a genin to what I had. Knowing that he's good enough to meet Kakashi-Sensei's standards also means a lot."

"He's talented, to be sure," Yuiko said with a nod. "He's a lot like his father in that way. I bet you're very proud." Yuiko finished her statement with a gentle pat on his arm.

Naruto smiled, looking down at her. "Yeah, I am. It's a pretty great feeling, ya know?"

Yuiko nodded, looking up at him admiringly. Naruto grinned, throwing one arm around her shoulders while he violently ruffled her hair.

"Hey!" Yuiko protested, breaking free of his grip. She grumbled in feigned annoyance as she smoothed down her hair, Naruto grinning ear-to-ear.

—

"So your dad's actually going to be there?"

"Supposedly," Boruto Uzumaki said, putting his hands behind his head. "But you know how he is."

"He's got to be home today," Inojin Yamanaka said, smiling pleasantly. "He wouldn't miss you becoming a genin."

Inojin had inherited the light blue eyes and blonde hair of his mother, Ino, his resemblance to Sai being apparent through his pale complexion and his frank way of speaking.

"I'm not getting my hopes up," Boruto said dismissively.

"My dad will probably make sure of it," Shikadai Nara said. Shikadai was nearly the spitting image of his father, even down to his lax nature. The only feature he had setting them apart were his green eyes, similar to his mother's. "He keeps track of the schedule, so both of our dads will probably be home tonight."

"Boruto just likes being dramatic," Sarada Uchiha said smugly, putting her hands on her hips. Sarada had Sakura's round face, but had inherited the dark hair and eyes of her father. She did, however, wear red-framed glasses — a feature that was unique to her.

"No I'm not!" Boruto said defensively. "It's not my fault that my stupid old man doesn't show up to anything!"

"You should speak less harshly of Lord Seventh," Sarada said, narrowing her eyes. "You're a real shinobi now – you should be more respectful."

"I'm Sarada! I'm a super serious shinobi!" Boruto said, raising his voice a few octaves as he mimed adjusting glasses on his face. "I wanna be the Hokage, even though the job is boring and stupid!"

Boruto skipped away as Sarada attempted to mash his face into the ground.

"Good one, Boruto."

The group turned around, noticing the boy who had appeared behind them. Mitsuki had pale skin, light blue hair, and large yellow eyes. He was a transfer student who had a habit of randomly showing up around Boruto, but it had been going on for long enough now that the group was hardly surprised.

"Don't take his side!" Sarada shouted. Inojin and Shikadai looked away, not seeking to be dragged into the conflict. Mitsuki tilted his head, smiling back at her pleasantly.

"Whatever," Sarada said, sighing. "It's not like arguing with someone as immature as Boruto is even worth the brain cells."

"Trouble in paradise?" a cheerful voice asked.

The genin looked on as a boy approached them. He was slightly older, with spiky silver hair that fell over his forehead. He had a squared jaw and dark purple eyes that sparkled as he regarded the group with a smirk. He wore a green scarf around his neck, which was an odd choice considering the time of year. However, those familiar with Beru Hatake would be hard pressed to think of a time they had seen him without it.

"Beru!" Boruto said excitedly, running up to him. "Why are you here?"

"Mom wanted me to come back to congratulate you guys on becoming genin," the boy said, putting his arm around Boruto's shoulders. "As if there was any doubt, right?"

"Easy for you to say," Shikadai said. "Your dad was really tough."

"Oh? He gets pretty serious about training and stuff. You guys'll have to tell me all about it!" Beru said, straightening up.

Boruto turned at the sensation of something tugging his sleeve.

"Boruto," Mitsuki said. "Who's that?"

"Oh yeah!" Boruto said excitedly. "That's Beru – he's Old Man Kakashi's son! He's a jōnin already, even though he's only a few years older than us."

"Special jōnin," Beru corrected, his eyes turning up in a smile. "I'm studying to be an electrical engineer."

Mitsuki tilted his head slightly. "I see. That would explain why you're visiting from Kumogakure."

Beru's eyes twinkled in amusement. "You can tell, huh?" he asked playfully.

"White sandals are not a common fashion item in Konoha," Mitsuki replied. "Your scent also indicates that you've spent time in an environment with higher humidity."

Beru laughed. "I'm sure they loved you at the academy," he said, putting his hands on his knees as he studied Mitsuki's face. "You look … interesting. I'm sure there's a lot to learn about you."

"Be careful," Sarada said, crossing her arms as she looked at Beru with contempt, "Beru's a huge snoop."

Beru chuckled. "Someone's a little salty today!" he said, ruffling Sarada's hair. Sarada blushed, batting his hand away.

"Are you coming to our place for dinner, Beru?" Boruto asked.

"That's right!" Beru said. He straightened, his smile fading as he looked about. "I'm supposed to pick up dessert with Suzu, but she's taking forever to get here."

"Suzu's his sister," Boruto said, turning to Mitsuki. "She's … nice, I guess."

"I heard that."

Boruto jumped as a cold sensation washed over his body. Suzu Hatake appeared from around the corner, phasing through him and Inojin as she walked up to Beru. The two boys hugged themselves, shivering.

"Come on, Suzu," Beru said waving his hand casually. "You know how creepy that feels."

"I wanted to practice," the girl said quietly. She was slightly shorter than her brother, with straight silver hair that fell just shy of her shoulders. She had a sabre on her belt, along with an array of scroll pouches added to the standard flak jacket. Her bangs covered her left eye, and the rest of her face was almost obscured entirely by a black mask. Her visible eye was the same violet color of her brother's, but it drooped slightly to give her a naturally bored expression.

I don't know why she hides her appearance so much, considering she's standing right next to her twin, Boruto thought, frowning as the warmth returned to his body.

"So my father has recognized you as shinobi," Suzu said, regarding them coldly. "Let's test your skills – come at me with your lives on the line."

Inojin and Shikadai visibly flinched.

"I think I hear my mom calling!" Inojin shouted, quickly backing away.

"Uh, yeah, I should probably get home, too," Shikadai said, nervously rubbing the back of his head as he turned to leave

"See you guys later!" Beru said cheerfully as the two boys retreated. Suzu crossed her arms as she shot their retreating figures a disapproving glare.

"Cowards," Suzu stated.

"They've probably had enough action for today," Beru said with a laugh. "Maybe they'll be in a better mood when we see them later this week."

"That's right," Suzu said, her eye narrowing. "We're supposed to dine with them, too. Maybe one of them will be good enough to provide a challenge."

Beru sighed, "Or we could have dinner without someone getting injured — just a thought."

Suzu looked down, bringing her attention to Boruto and Sarada. "So my father let you pass?"

"He didn't just let us," Sarada said defensively.

"Yeah, he was a pain," Boruto said, putting his hands behind his head.

"Too bad you didn't get mom," Beru chuckled.

"What do you mean?" Suzu asked, regarding her brother from the corner of her eye. "They had to find Papa- err, father in a forest, right? The test would have actually been demanding if it was mother."

"Yeah, but you know how mom gets around these two," Beru said, winking at Boruto.

"Fair point," Suzu said, returning her attention to Boruto. "Father isn't as lenient."

"Tell me about it," Boruto said, recalling how Kakashi had wounded more than just his pride. "But I've already figured out how I'm going to get back at him, so it's okay."

"Oh, I'm excited to see that," Beru said, putting his hand on his sister's shoulder. "But first, the two of us need to pick up dessert."

"I refuse," Suzu said.

"Suzu," Beru groaned. "Seriously, I don't want to get another lecture from dad about being late."

"Then let's make it a race," Suzu said, holding up a finger. "We will each find a dessert and see who reaches the destination first. On top of that, I will find a confectionery masterpiece that best suits the occasion based on the information I gathered from Mrs. Uzumaki's dinner menu, which I found on her nightstand earlier this morning."

"Wait — you broke into my house?!" Boruto said, wide-eyed.

"Yeah, I'm going to hit the convenience store," Beru said with a shrug. He turned his attention to the three remaining genin. "Any of you want to show me to the closest one?" he asked, putting his hands in his pockets.

"Sorry, mom's probably waiting for me," Sarada said, walking away. "I'll see you guys later."

"Bye Sarada! It was nice seeing you!" Suzu said, her voice uncharacteristically friendly as she waved at the girl's back.

Boruto regarded Suzu with a scowl. "How come you're so nice to her?" he asked snidely.

"She punches hard," Suzu replied, her voice returning to a familiar flat tone as her hand dropped to her side.

Boruto's brow furrowed, unsure if that was a joke.

"I'll show you to the store," Mitsuki said brightly. "Do you have any stories you can share about Boruto?"

"You're in for a treat, my friend," Beru said, his eyes shining. "We should have just enough time for me to tell the tale of how I convinced him that eating one of the food pills Inojin's mom made turned him invisible. He thought he could run around and do whatever he wanted as long as he was only in his underwear. You see, the ancient power of the invisible food pills was incapable of making any clothing invisible other than that …"

Boruto's hands balled into fists as he regarded their retreating figures.

"I WAS FOUR!" he shouted defensively. Boruto huffed. He turned around, noting that Suzu had already vanished.

Now that he found himself alone, Boruto made his way to the nearest storefront and positioned himself before the window until his reflection was clearly glaring back at him. He pulled a small can of paste from his jacket pocket, a sinister smile growing on his face.

—

"I'm home!" Boruto yelled, closing the door behind him. The long hallway before him was empty, but he could hear plenty of voices coming from the room to his left.

"Welcome back!" Hinata said cheerfully from the kitchen.

Boruto kicked off his shoes. He stepped into the living room and was immediately swept off his feet.

"I'M SO PROUD OF YOU!" Yuiko wailed, tears flowing down her face as she rubbed her cheek against his.

"Thanks, Auntie," Boruto gasped within her grip.

"How come she's 'Auntie' and I'm 'Old Man Kakashi'?" Kakashi asked from the couch. Boruto's younger sister was sitting next to him, coloring on a piece of paper with crayons. Naruto sat opposite them, his head leaning back over the loveseat as he slept.

"I couldn't make up my mind what to get you to say 'congratulations,'" Yuiko said, putting Boruto down, "so I just got you a couple of presents to play it safe."

Yeah, I bet that's why, Kakashi thought.

Yuiko froze, staring at Boruto. "What happened to your face?"

Boruto met her gaze, his lip quivering slightly. A large, deep-purple mark circled his left eye. Boruto quickly turned away, as if trying to hide it.

"It's … nothing," he said softly. "It just happened during the exam. I'm sure he didn't mean it."

"What's going on now?" Kakashi asked, rising from his seat. He stuffed his hands in his pockets, ambling up to Yuiko. Boruto flinched at the sound of his voice.

"Did you … hurt him?" Yuiko asked, still facing Boruto.

"What?" Kakashi said, coming to a stop. "Maybe a little, but nothing that bad."

"It's okay, Auntie Yuiko," Boruto said, tears welling in his eyes. "It's all part of becoming a shinobi. That's what he said as he was beating me to a pulp, anyways."

Yuiko's shoulders twitched.

"Come on," Yuiko said, offering Boruto her hand as she straightened. "Let's see if your mom has an ice pack in the kitchen. And you can sit next to me during dinner so you don't have to look at Old Man Kakashi."

Yuiko phased the two of them through Kakashi, ignoring him completely. Boruto turned his head to stick his tongue out at him from behind Yuiko's back.

"Did you hurt my brother?" Himawari asked, her blue eyes staring up at Kakashi in worry as she approached him. Kakashi looked back at her, his eyebrows drooping.

"You don't have to talk to him!" Yuiko exclaimed, phasing through Kakashi again as she scooped the girl up. "You should just sit and color with the member of this household who doesn't get off on pummeling innocent children."

Boruto nudged Kakashi aside with his elbow as he walked past with an ice pack against his eye. The boy smirked, taking the free spot on the couch beside Yuiko.

That kid is going places … Kakashi thought, watching him coolly. Although I'm not sure if they're going to be good places.

—

Kakashi closed his eyes, feeling the warm breeze across his face. He opened them again and looked down at Noboru's gravestone. It wasn't the original, since most of those had been destroyed during Pain's attack all those years ago, but it had been carved in a similar style, with the updated death date etched onto its plate. The sun was setting, causing the long shadows of neighboring gravestones to stretch across it.

"You changed out the flowers," he said.

"I had some free time today, since I wasn't allowed to watch the exam," Yuiko said playfully, walking up beside him.

"I can see you're still bitter about that," Kakashi said, irritation seeping into his voice, "considering how well you played along with Boruto's show."

"Not really," Yuiko said with a shrug. "That was more because it was funny."

"Funny for you, perhaps."

"I wish we had your camera," Yuiko said. "The look on your face when Himawari shot you those nasty looks during dinner was priceless."

"Honestly," Kakashi said, looking up at the sky. "First that, then the pea pods don't show up until halfway through dinner because Beru got distracted and Suzu couldn't make up her mind. It was embarrassing."

Yuiko smirked, "I'm swimming in the irony."

"You're not helping," Kakashi said flatly.

Yuiko leaned her head against him. Kakashi sighed, lifting his arm around her shoulders.

The light around them began to fade, the headstones reflecting the deep blue hue of the sky.

"Boruto told me about something he and his friends like to do sometimes," Yuiko said, looking up at him. "Want to go?"

"I can already tell that this is going to be something that I'm way too old for," Kakashi said, regarding her from the corner of his eye. "But why not?"

—

The lights of Konoha glittered beneath them like a thousand stars. The village was so much bigger now; Kakashi swore that he spotted entirely new districts every time he came to visit. Yuiko sat beside him, her braid whipping around in the wind. They sat atop the commuter train that circled the perimeter of the city outside the crater.

"I wonder what people would think if they found the former Hokage hitching a free ride," Kakashi said.

"Probably something like, 'that's alright, he's the one who had the railroad built in the first place'," Yuiko said.

"Ah, I see," Kakashi said, his eyes crinkling at the edges. "Then what do you think they're going to say about you?"

Yuiko thought for a moment. "Probably something like, 'look at that no-good degenerate, being a burden on society.'"

Kakashi laughed, and Yuiko's eyes closed in a smile. Kakashi's laughter faded, and he watched the wisps of hair whip across Yuiko's face as she turned her attention to the night sky.

"Do you ever think about what things would be like if you hadn't come back?" he asked.

Yuiko frowned in thought, looking over at him. "Did you know you can knit cat hair? I'd probably be doing that."

"I'm serious."

"So am I," Yuiko said, adjusting her dress as she shifted. "You haven't read my business plan."

Kakashi regarded her with a tired glare. Yuiko sighed.

"Well … I'm not sure about me," she said. "I'd probably have just wandered around by myself forever. You would have been alright, I think."

"That's funny," Kakashi said, leaning back on his hands as his gaze drifted up. "I think I'd be very lonely."

"That's silly," Yuiko said, waving her hand. "You have Naruto and Sakura, and Sasuke comes back sometimes. Plus there's Shikamaru, Sai, and Yamato, of course. Then there's Sarada, Shikadai, Boruto, and Himawari. And you're the Hokage, so literally everyone in the village is your family. There's no way you could be lonely!"

"Maybe 'lonely' isn't the right word," Kakashi said, looking at her from the corner of his eye. "'Incomplete,' perhaps."

Yuiko snorted. "You should get around to finishing your novel," she said. "You have all the best one-liners."

Kakashi reached out his hand, putting it over Yuiko's. She turned her hand over, squeezing his palm.

"The Nine-Tails constellation is out tonight," Yuiko said, pointing to the sky with her free hand. "It's hard to find all the stars, since there are 23 in the constellation. It's supposed to point east, toward where Uzushio used to be … but it kind of just looks like a blob to me, so honestly I think my grandfather made that one up."

Yuiko chuckled, amused by her own joke. Kakashi released her hand, moving himself closer to bump her shoulder.

"Come on," he said, his eyes turning up in a smile as he brought his forehead to hers. "I think it's time for us to go home."

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A/N: And there you have it, folks. It's kinda crazy how for the first time ever I sat down and wrote an entire story, which is kind of a surreal feeling. But I had a great time doing it, and I hope you all enjoyed reading it, too. A big thank you to everyone who followed, favorited, and reviewed this story. The support always meant a lot, and I feel that I've made some great connections with a few of you! You guys are AWESOME!

A special shout out to the following people who gave me great feedback and support to help me shape this story:

tabjoy13

PrismRootStarlight

DaddysLiitleGirl

Shakilove

Elise142

lilwintryangel

Also a big thank you to my beta/editor, who helped me to make this story what it is through his plot feedback and editing skills. If anyone noticed an improvement to my writing over the course of the story, it was 100% due to his help.

I'm the sort of person who likes to just chat about various anime and writing stuff, so if anyone wants to reach out about this story or anything in particular, just leave a review or PM and I'll get back to you! I've really enjoyed the community aspect of this site, and I'm always up for keeping it going!