Growing Pains

Chapter 1: Age 12, Body Hair

Rubbing at his chin, Konohamaru considered their options. They could, technically, walk home, but that would take most of the night-if they made it home by morning at all, and his team was pretty tired already. It was only an hour to sunset, and frankly, he wouldn't mind stopping either. Next to him Boruto jumped up and down at the chance to stay at the onsen, Mitsuki smiled at his antics, and even Sarada—usually so stoic and composed—threw a longing glance at the front of the building. The mission hadn't been difficult, but lengthy and tiresome and they all deserved a rest.

"Okay, okay. I don't think we'd make it home tonight anyhow and would have to camp out, so we might as well stay in a place with actual beds and a nicer meal than the packed rations. But we're getting up first thing in the morning. Got it, kore?"

"Yeeees! Thank you, Nii-chan! Onsen here we come!" Boruto shouted and rushed forward, dragging Mitsuki along and completely ignoring Konohamaru's exasperated admonishment to call him Sensei.

Sarada looked up at him questioningly, and Konohamaru gave her a shrug and a nod to follow her teammates. Her face lit up, giving him a big 'thank you' and ran off to join Boruto and Mitsuki while he took care of the bill. Ouch, that was going to sting. Oh, well...they had worked hard, and he couldn't deny he looked forward to the visit either.

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.

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After sorting out the bill, geeze—the owner really was greedy, and a quick change, he joined the boys in the hot springs. Finding Boruto pulling Mitsuki along to a deeper part of the onsen-chatting about the last time he visited one with his mum and little sister, and Mitsuki happily following, Konohamaru rolled his eyes at the energy of the kids. Leisurely walking in the pool with the water reaching his waist for a little while, he finally found a good spot. Dropping down so that the water reached his chest and let his head rest against the edge of the pool, he let out a content sigh. Yup, that felt nice. Closing his eyes, he breathed in the steam and let his mind wander for a bit—that was, until he sensed the kids approaching again.

"Oi, Nii-san..."

"Hmm?" Konohamaru opened one eye to peek at his two students.

Mitsuki was standing straight, a little over waist-deep in the water. Boruto on the other hand practically swam over, letting the water cover him until his chest. He ducked a little lower in the water until his chin was touching the surface.

Konohamaru raised his brow when Boruto refused to talk. "Oi, what?"

Mitsuki smiled and pointed at his chest. "Boruto's wondering about the hair on your chest."

"MITSUKI!, shut up, I didn't—"

Konohamaru blinked, his brows raised way higher. Out of all the things the kids could have wanted, that was not something he had expected. Suddenly he felt a bit self-conscious and cleared his throat to stop the slight discomfort from showing. He wasn't shy, but not exactly used to others pointing out specific details of him randomly either. "Uh...yeah? What about it?"

Ignoring his teammate's outburst, Mitsuki powered on. "We were curious of when it started growing," he explained and looked down on his own pale, smooth chest.

"Eh? Uh... can't remember exactly..." he answered slightly perplexed. Oh, what on earth were they asking that for? He was just about to ask why they didn't ask their parents when Orochimaru's ugly face popped into his mind, and he figured the snake Sannin wouldn't be too interested in explaining the biology of his experiment's body.

Great, just effing great.

Mitsuki moved closer to Konohamaru and raised his arm up. "And armpit hair? When did it start? Boruto's curious about his." Mitsuki raised his own arm, highlighting that much like his chest, his underarm was also smooth and void of any.

Konohamaru merely blinked, he looked at Mitsuki, and then at Boruto. His face was red, and he held his arms tight against his sides as if anticipating that one of them would raise his arms at any moment. Slowly realizing what may bring about these questions, Konohamaru grinned. "Curious about changes with your bodies, are we, boys?"

It was Mitsuki's turn to blink but smiled. "Boruto, actually," he corrected. "I haven't noticed any, except I did grow a few centimetres taller according to my last checkup." He then looked down at his tummy. "Gained some weight, too..."

Konohamaru laughed at Boruto's outburst. He had lost count how many times Mitsuki just threw him under the bus. Even if these two were growing physically, and to some extent, emotionally, he was happy that his students' relationship was still the same.

If Konohamaru thought Mitsuki was done talking, he was wrong. "I saw you also had hair around your navel, Sensei." Mitsuki then rubbed at his tummy, still flat and growing more muscle, but his skin was also just as smooth and pale. "I don't have any..." He then looked at Boruto. "Boruto, on the other hand, seems to have hair growing near his—"

"STOP IT!" Boruto stood from the pool, face as red as a tomato.

At this point, Konohamaru didn't know if he was supposed to laugh or feel awkward that his students have been looking at him and comparing him to their own bodies. Curiosity was natural, he guessed. Thinking back, he remembered having the same thoughts when he was younger too. Nii-chan, a few years older, was always ahead of him, and it was hard not to compare. So... he guessed he should indulge the curious boys, as awkward as the conversation would be. It was helluva better that it came from him, than some random site online.

Clearing his throat, he figured it was better to get it over and done with. "So, did you have any other questions?"

"Well..." It was Boruto this time, and Konohamaru couldn't help be a little bit surprised that he would actually ask something. He must be really curious. Mitsuki didn't have a filter, Konohamaru was aware of that, but Boruto's pride usually held him back a bit.

"Yes?"

"...When do you, um... I've seen dad in the bathroom in the mornings. When do you-when did you have to start shaving?"

Oh, thank fuck, the way he started that question had led Konohamaru to believe this conversation was heading somewhere completely different. To a place, he had not been comfortable going. He let out a sigh of relief and grinned. "You can start whenever you feel like it." He tilted his head a little to check on Boruto's face, searching for hair on his chin or upper lip. It seemed pretty clear for now. "Maybe this will be a good opportunity to ask your dad for advice, right?" he winked.

Boruto pouted and looked away, sinking down into the water until his chin was submerged. "Yeah. okay..."

Konohamaru's gaze softened, thinking of Naruto and Boruto having a father-son bonding moment, and Naruto teaching him one of the essential steps of becoming man was heartwarming.

Mitsuki, who had been quiet for a little while, rubbed at his chin, and intensely looked up at Konohamaru's. "So... what Boruto—"

"Hey! I wasn't the only one,"

"You are correct. So, what we were wondering, is, what happens next?" And when?"

"Ah... um, well, some things you've already noticed, kore. Like getting taller and that. And, mm, oh, yeah!" A grin spread as he thought of one of the more famous side effects of development, and one he had hated himself when it happened to him. "Your voice will get deeper, in a little while."

"Oh, how will we notice?"

"When it happens, you'll know, trust me," he laughed. Man, was he glad that the awkward teenage years was a thing of the past... "Any more questions?"

Giving each other a quick glance, Boruto discreetly shook his head, and they both declined. It was clear that it was a lie, and Konohamaru had a feeling he would be hosting more of these talks in the future...