Boruto The Next Generation: Aftermath

Stress

Author Note:

My head is empty. Sigh... Despite that I managed to finish this chapter, well...sort of. Let me know what you guys think.

Declaimer: All characters in Naruto and Boruto series belong to Masashi Kishimoto and Ukyo Kodachi respectively.

This chapter is not beta'd.

Enjoy!

0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0

Naruto blinked his eyes as he aware that he just woke up from his one of series of naps, for once no one was present in his room. Usually there would be either his family, Sakura or even some nurses every time he woke up. He blinked again before he slowly sat up on the bed, gritted his teeth in pain as his body protested the movement. The pain has been significantly lessened thanks to medications, but he still can't mould his chakra without doubling in pain. It been five days since he was admitted that night, guess his body needs more time than a few days to recover.

After he accidentally snapped at Hinata that day, he felt guilty, knowing that he has hurt her again. He knew he didn't deserve her help, but to refuse her would just hurt her even more, he knew her well enough so he decided to be a good patient, quietly allowed her to do whatever she wants to help him and followed all Sakura's instructions to the dot.

He knew Sakura was suspicious that something was wrong with him, he was known to hate the hospital stay in passion and yet he never said a word about being discharged early or whining about being poked and prodded during his hospital stay. Well, even if she was, he didn't really care.

He been thinking about everything that happened, about his son's resentment towards him, his daughter's disappointed face, his wife's solemn face when he stayed at the office for too many nights. It was easy forgot those when you were busy with towers of paperwork and meetings, but for once he got too much free time in his hands as he was stuck in the hospital.

To be honest, he was tired, tired of hurting people he loved, tired of wasting time dealing with his injury instead of helping his village after such attack, tired with everything that he messed up, it was overwhelmed that he wished he can go away from this village, from everything. No paperwork, no meetings, nothing. Alone in a nice seclude place without anyone to bother him. Maybe with Hinata. Just the two of them. How many times he just want to abandon those paperwork and late-night meetings, and go home to be with his wife.

But... He couldn't do that. He was the Hokage, he has responsibilities on his shoulders, people who looked up to him for the safety of their lives. But he also a husband to his wife and a father to his children.

Naruto sighed as he leaned into his pillow behind his back, before he turned to look outside the window. The sun was setting down, and somehow he suddenly felt the familiar feeling that he nearly forgotten ever since he got married. Hinata cured his loneliness, and he repaid her with the same feeling. He wondered if he didn't accept the position when Kakashi Sensei told him about his innuguration ceremony before, would he still failed his family like he did now?

Naruto shook his head as he dismissed that particular thought. He knew that his job wasn't the fault despite his son repeatedly argue about it, it was all his fault. He tried his best, but it was not good enough. He knew he was stressed, this painful feeling that been haunted him for weeks ever since he overheard Boruto's angry exclamation. His son wasn't blame him just for the cake, but for everything. But he didn't say anything to anyone about that painful feeling that he felt, buried himself in his work. What he felt wasn't important, the security of the village was at risk, his family was in danger, it didn't matter how they hated him for his failures. So he just do like he always did, suck it up and move forward.