Book 1: Dancing With Lightning [Naruto]

The Fifth Hokage

Hoshino walked through the village, stumbling a bit due to wobbly legs from his training session with Akane. She hadn't let up on him, not once. In fact, she had increased the intensity of his training. Hoshino appreciated it. It took his mind off his father.

Then, as he was about to go into the weapons store, he caught sight of the familiar orange jumpsuit dashing towards him. His heart leapt in his chest and he smiled as Naruto ran right in him, engulfing him in a huge hug. "H-Kun!" Naruto exclaimed happily in his shoulder.

"Naru!" Hoshino responded with a laugh as they stood face to face once Naruto let go. "Did you find Princess Tsunade?"

"Yeah!" He nodded, smiling at him brightly, "It's about lunch time. Have you eaten?"

Hoshino's eyes widened as he checked the time. He had been so absorbed in his training that he had completely lost track of time. "Um... no." He admitted sheepishly.

"I was just about to head to Ichiraku's." He told Hoshino, pointing at the ramen stand behind them. "I figured you might want to come."

The statement turned into a question as his face went red, and he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Sure!" Hoshino said cheerfully, not really noticing his blush and not wanting to disappoint his friend.

The two boys ordered their ramen and sat together, talking aimlessly as they waited for the food to arrive. They bounced remarks between themselves like a kid's rubber ball. They were never sure if they really got wittier as the afternoon wore on or if it was just their minds making everything seem so much funnier.

As the food arrived, a question suddenly popped into Hoshino's head. He put his chopsticks down and looked at Naruto, who was eating with enthusiasm. "So, Naruto, what do you think of Tsunade-Sama?"

This question was a mistake.

Naruto started ranting on and on about how far they went to find her, how she was going to be the next Hokage, and how he had gotten her necklace.

Hoshino listened, but said nothing. He laughed at Naruto's stories, and found himself biting his nails as Naruto told him about the fight they had with Kabuto and Orochimaru.

Chatting with him was a sort of verbal dance, one beautifully chaotic, one that makes you laugh out loud feel your heart switching on. It was banter, Hoshino guessed, but he lived for it, looked forward to it, and would have spent any amount of time in his company that he could have. They were funny together, not so much with others... they just brought that sense of playfulness out of one another.

They finished their bowls-- Naruto on his third and Hoshino on his first-- and when they were done, Naruto paid, despite Hoshino's protests.

"Thanks." He said warmly, smiling, earning another small blush and a mumbled 'no problem' from Naruto.

"So... where are we going now?" He asked as they left.

"We're going to see Old Lady Tsunade." He replied. "She promised something to me."

"Ah..." Hoshino recalled that part of his story. She had promised to heal Lee, Kakashi, and Sasuke.

They walked all of the way to the Hokage's office, and upon entering, Naruto tripped on Konohamaru and they both fell to the ground.

"Oh boy..." Hoshino sighed as he walked in and stared down at them

Konohamaru regained his bearings first and sat up, rubbing his head. "Who the heck are you?!"

"That's what I should be asking you..."

They both looked up at each other, and Konohamaru gasped. "Naruto!" He said, standing up immediately. His eyes trailed up to Hoshino and a smirk appeared on the kid's face. "And Hoshino-Sensei. So, you do have something going on?"