Naruto's Kit

Chapter 25

The next day Naruto and Hinata gathered all their friends together to tell them they were engaged. Ino and Tenten squealed in joy while the rest just offered some congratulations to the couple. Chouji asked who was catering and Kiba asked where they were going to honeymoon, earning him a hit on the back of his head from Sakura. Shikamaru asked not to be forced into doing any of the preparations and Lee shouted about how joyous this line of events was for them all. Ino raised the question of who the maid of honor was going to be, and all kunoichis present, except Hinata, argued with each other on who it should naturally be. No guys did the same regarding the best man position however, but Kiba did bring up the issue regarding the bachelor party.

Akane meanwhile was being watched over elsewhere. Due to recent behavior most everyone felt it was best if she wasn't left unsupervised. So while her parents were busy mingling with their friends, she was with Hiashi at the Hyuuga estate. She could have gone anywhere really since her parents weren't planning on being out for too long. However, her adoptive grandfather, the only one still alive by the way, insisted she be with him for some time. Hinata had a good idea why and hoped everything would work out for the girl. Especially since Hanabi was out for team drills and thus couldn't encourage her to act out again.

When they were alone, Hiashi and Akane sat down on the porch in the backyard looking at the decorative koi pond. Akane thought it was beautiful and the plants smelled terrific. And if she hadn't been taught otherwise, she'd probably be trying to claw one of the fish out of the water to eat like an animal. Instead she just sat down next to Hiashi in a completely relaxed and informal pose, as opposed to his own formal appearance. To give them something to do as they sat there for the time, the Hyuuga head drank some green tea while the Uzumaki girl guzzled down a soft drink she had sneaked in.

"So Akane-chan, are you happy your parents are going to be wed soon?"Hiashi asked politely.

Akane shrugged. "Sure. But honestly I don't see what'll be different after that except that Okaa-san will be around more often. I like that, but outside that I see no reason to get excited."

Hiashi nodded in understanding. "Well, how about someday having a little brother or sister?"

"That I like a lot. Not sure which one I want more though. A brother might be more fun to play around with, but a sister can be too." Akane mused.

Hiashi had a good idea what she meant by 'play around with' and grinned friendly. "Planning on being a little hellraiser like your dad, huh?"

Akane grinned like a fox. "From what I've heard, I already am. And Baa-chan told me never to stop."

'Of course she'd say that considering the mountain.' Hiashi thought to himself. The phrase 'Give me sake today' was still up there on the monument, and Tsunade had one Anbu team go up to make sure it didn't fade away yet. Of course, the amount of liquor she was being given was much smaller than on that first day, probably due to a growing alcohol shortage in the village, but it was still coming in. Apparently some people thought it was Hokage's orders rather than the graffiti of a small child.

"Don't forget you need to train hard too if you want to be as good as Naruto-san." Hiashi added. She nodded, and he continued. "Speaking of which, I heard from Neji that you've already shown remarkable talent, almost prodigy-like even."

"Prodigy-like?" Akane asked, not understanding the term.

"Meaning you're naturally very talented, practically born for the task." The young girl showed she understood now. "Mind showing me some skills?"