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"Papa is a big dummy!"
Himawari was crying. Big, wet tears slipping down her face as she ran away from the Hokage Tower, leaving a dumbstruck Naruto behind. She didn't want him to find her; she didn't even want to see him anymore.
It was all her papa's fault to begin with. Himawari was a good girl all day. Her mother went on a mission with Aunt Hanabi, rare but it happens from time to time, so it was just her, Naruto, and Boruto for a couple of days. Since Himawari wasn't old enough for the Academy, she spent the mornings and afternoons with her dad. It wasn't fun, but she couldn't complain to her father.
She had done everything right. She colored silently in his office, careful not to disturb Naruto as he worked on the endless piles of paper he had on his desk. Himawari didn't even complain when it was her snack time, and her father didn't get her anything. She knew that he was busy as the Hokage, a title that many people of Konoha respect. She even promised her mother that she wouldn't cause trouble for papa. She can handle it, since she was going to be a shinobi, and as such, a shinobi must endure.
Himawari had meant to help her father. Honestly, her intentions were pure of heart. After spending the entire first day stuck in Naruto's office, she noticed that it lacked anything cheerful. Sure, there were pictures on his desk, but the office was still plain. She wanted her father's workspace to be a happy one, since he was always so tired when he got home.
While Naruto and Shikamaru left the office briefly, Himawari had snuck outside. She had a plan. With a small plastic cup she took from home, she went outside to pick some daisies that were growing at the side of the building. She saw them the day before when they were leaving to pick up her brother, and thought it was perfect addition to the gloomy space.
She ran back inside, giddy with the thought of how her father will react when he sees the flowers. He would probably be very pleased and happy with them, like how he usually is when the flowers at home grow.
In her rush and excitement, the little girl had failed to keep her balance in check. As she quickly ran into the office, she tripped and fell flat on her face, knocking down a stack of papers that were piled on the floor. The flowers she so desperately protected where thrown from her hands as well. Her first thought was to cry out in pain, but then thought of the daisies and their well0being, and fought through her hurt.
The dirt that was in the cup was sprinkled around the floor, but she sighed in relief when she saw that they were alright in front of her, and that they had not gotten substantial damage. All she had to do was pick them up and everything would be fine.
That was until a large shadow casted in front of her. She can only widened her in horror when she saw a large shoe step on the daises and crushing them. "Himawari? What happened? Why is there dirt on the floor?"
She remained speechless as she thought about her flowers that were completely destroyed underneath her father's foot.
"Himawari, what did I tell you about playing in the office? See, look at all the papers on the floor. Papa is going to have to work extra hard to fix the mess now."
Play? Himawari wasn't playing, she was trying to help. She gazed up from below to see her father's frowning face. All of a sudden she got very angry. Tears started to come down without her consent. She was being supportive all day, it was her papa who was in the wrong. He didn't even apologize for the flowers he crushed, or even made sure she wasn't hurt.
That anger is what caused Himawari to stand up, fingers clutched at her side. That anger is what caused Himawari to raise her voice at her father for the first time. That anger is what made her feet run faster than ever before. She sped past her father, Shikamaru, Moegi, Udon, everyone else. She wanted to get away.
When the blue-haired girl finally did stopped running, she looked around. A panicked expression took over her face when she realized that she had no idea where she was. The buildings were not familiar to her and people kept staring as they passed her by on the street, a crying girl in the middle of the street was not a normal circumstance. Himawari was scared, angry, and to be honest, she was hungry too, since her dad forgot the snack yet again. All she wanted was for her mother to come back and take her home. Fresh tears started to come down her check yet again.
"Himawari, what are you doing here?" a deep voice called up from behind her. Before she even got to turn around, she felt something lick her hand. She didn't flinch, as it was a comforting and familiar feeling for her.
"Akamaru," she turned around and buried herself in his white fur. The dog could use a bath, but she didn't mind. It was nice to feel something warm. Once she detached herself from the large dog, she looked up to see his human partner in all his red-fanged glory, "Uncle Kiba!"
She hugged the bottom of his leg, glad to have met someone she knew on this strange street. She started crying all over again. The Inuzuka patted her head and looked around on alert. Surely the daughter of the Hokage wouldn't be by herself on the street in tears. Something must have happened.
"Hey, what's wrong? Where's your dad?"
Himawari peered from below, her eyes red from crying as they gave such a glare. "No! He ruined the flowers!"
He relaxed his shoulders a bit, at least they weren't in any immediate danger. However, he rarely saw Himawari give that sort of face to anyone, let alone her father. "Okay, but we really should-"
"No!" she stated firmly, pouting her round whiskered cheeks. The older man titled his head in confusion.
Kiba didn't know what to do. Hinata, even if Himawari wasn't her daughter, would know the right things to say, just ask Mirai. Shino was always the one who was better with children of the two of them, which made him perfect for the Academy. But, that was the problem, he was at the Academy and obviously Hinata wasn't here. He couldn't bring Himawari back to her dad in the state she was in. He figured it was better for her to cool down. Kiba understood the frustration when sometimes your parents don't see eye to eye, living with Tsume would do that to you. He knew she just needed some time apart, but couldn't very well leave her alone. He glanced at Akamaru who was still licking the little girl's hand. There was no choice but to take her with him.
He bent down to her eye level, wiping away her tears with the back of his hand, and with a wolfish grin asked, "Say, Himawari, we just got a new litter of nin-pup. Do you want to help me take care of them?"
Her blue eyes lit up at the proposition, playing with puppies did sound a lot more fun than going back to her family right now. She nodded her head with excitement. Kiba smiled and lifted her up on top of Akamaru's back. The white nin-dog doesn't usually carry passengers other than Kiba, but he always had a soft spot for children, and welcomed the youngest Uzumaki with a friendly bark. "Alright, hold on tight now."
Making a mental note to send Naruto a message when they arrived at the compound, Kiba set off. They mostly walked in silence the whole way through. It was very unusual to see Himawari in this state of stillness. Usually she is the embodiment of sunshine, always smiling and giggling. Before, whenever she rode on Akamaru she would never stop nuzzling the back of his head. She almost never cries about her father. That is usually the job of her older brother. So, whatever happened between Naruto and Himawari must have impacted her big time. He chuckled a bit to himself. If whatever Naruto did got Himawari this mad now, he couldn't wait to see how she reacts when she is a teenager.
When they did arrive at the compound, Kiba led the little girl to the backyard where five puppies ran along on the grass, yipping away. Immediately, her eye lit up and she rushed to play along with them. The white dog followed behind her. Knowing that they were in safe paws for now, he went inside.
There where these new communication devices, cellphones he thought they were called, that were used to send messages faster than a hawk. Taking out his, he thought it best to send the message to Shikamaru, since Naruto would probably be too inconsolable to check his phone. He also doubts the lazy advisor would let the Hokage out of his sights.
Kiba sighed as he pressed the button that had the number of the shadow user. After two rings he finally picked up.
"Not really a good time, Kiba" Shikamaru's voice droned on the other side of the line, cool and collected as always.
"Figured as much," he replied. "Just want to give the heads up, Himawari is at my place."
"Ah, good to know. Naruto just got over the shock of her yelling at him and was about to send out an army of Shadow Clones. Alright, just hold her for a couple of minutes, we'll come get her."
"Nah," Kiba replied, peaking out the window, watching the pups and the child run around the yard. She was finally laughing again. "Let her cool down till the end of the day. She's still pretty upset about the squished flowers or something like that. Hokage-sama really messed up this time."
"Flowers?" a small pause came from the other end. "Ah, troublesome. Alright. I'll leave the rest to you."
The line went dead after that. Expecting nothing less from Shikamaru, he closed his phone and went into the cabinets. He wasn't the best tracker for nothing if he couldn't pick up the faint sound of a stomach growling. Luckily, his sister had just picked up some fresh apples from the market the other day. Taking a couple out and putting them on the cutting board, he began cutting the red apples into small pieces. He might not have been good with children, but he could at least provide something healthy.
"Alright, how about some snacks?" he shouted as he came out from the house, the little of small pups ran up to him upon his arrival, yipping for the sliced apples he carried out in a tray. "Not for you pups."
He softly pushed the puppies aside as he made his way to Himawari, who eagerly awaited the treat. They sat down on a patch of grass underneath one of the shaded trees. Figuring that they weren't going to get any of the snacks, the puppies trotted away to play with Akamaru. Himawari happily ate the slices. Smiling all the way.
He decided it was for the best to keep her mind occupied, he couldn't bear to see her cry again, he wouldn't know what to do anyway. So, that is what he did for most of the day. Kiba, Himawari, Akamaru, and the pups spent the entire afternoon running around the Inuzuka compound, taking in the warm sun to the fullest extent. Even when Hana came home, with more fruit in hand, she merely sighed and let them be, reminding her brother to bathe the dogs later on, which caused Himawari to poke fun.
Though, children as he found out, can hold grudges for a long time. And when they finally took a break from playing, they sat back down in the shaded tree, this time eating fresh watermelon courtesy of Hana. Kiba noticed that the young girl's expression changed back to a sad state as she ate. Guess he couldn't just make her forget it. He motioned her to come closer.
"Ne, Uncle Kiba, I wish you were my papa instead," she said sadly, sliding on to his lap. "I'm starting to see why Boru-nii is always mad at him."
"Ah, well, your papa isn't always the brightest when it comes to feeling," he replied trying to keep the mood light. "Didn't even notice your mama's feelings for him for the longest time. Seriously, even Uncle Sai picked it up before he could."
"Poor mama!" she gasped, frowning at the thought that her dear mother had to be subject to her father's ignorance. It was the complete opposite of their household today, so the thought was hard to imagine for her. Then again, she thought about what happened today. "What did she do?"
Kiba hummed and stared at the nin-pups that were running around Akamaru as he lay under the sun. "Hmm, well, she was patient. Very patient with your dad."
"Patient? "
He ruffled her hair and smiled. "Yup, super patient. You see, your dad is an idiot, but he has a big heart. Way too big for his own good."
The little girl pondered this for a minute before replying. "Is that a bad thing?"
Looking up to the sky, he thought of his answer before replying to her. A very rare action for him to do. "No, it's not bad. More like inconvenient." Himawari still had that famous Uzumaki stare when they didn't understand something. Like father, like daughter he thought before continuing. "Your dad has to take care of everyone right? Because he loves everyone so much sometimes the most obvious and important things go right over his head. It's not like he doesn't care, but more like he needs to be told the obvious before he can get it. Does that make more sense?"
Himawari nodded her head slowly. It made sense. Her mama had once told her once that her papa will be busier than ever since he had to take care of the whole village. She remembers him telling Boruto that the whole village was like his family. Everyone in the village is usually so happy, and it was probably thanks to her dad. He might have not seen him step on the flowers, and she realized that if she maybe had told him, then he wouldn't have looked so mad. A twinge of guilt surged inside her when she thought of the fallen papers in his office and how she called him a bad name. Whenever Naruto did come home, tired as he was, he still managed to put on a smile for his family. "Still", she pouted, "Maybe someone else can be Hokage for a while."
Kiba howled with laughter at her remarks. If anything, she was more stubborn than both her parents combined. "Tell you what, how about we make a deal? I'll become Hokage so your pops doesn't have to be. I'll take over the responsibilities and everything. I'll even make a special Himawari Day and all the villagers have to give you flowers."
She giggled with delight and clapped her hands. "Yes! I think that's a wonderful idea. And an Akamaru day too!"
It was then Kiba noticed a different scent come into the yard. Smiling he pressed his forehead against the girls' and closed his eyes. Himawari didn't move away, she liked the coolness of his forehead protector against her skin, but nonetheless a small pink blush graced her cheeks. "So, why don't you forgive your dad for today, huh? He's probably had enough time to reflect his action."
"Okay," she said quietly.
Kiba smiled gently at her. He kissed her forehead, and slowly pointed his finger towards the house. "Good girl. Now, how about you tell him that so he can stop crying?"
She followed the direction that Kiba's finger was pointing too, and her blue eyes widened in shock. There, standing in the doorway stood a disheveled Naruto still in his Hokage's cloak; behind him Boruto was staring angrily at his father, while holding a bouquet of fresh sunflowers that was tied neatly with a big yellow ribbon.
"Papa!" she cried, squirming off of Kiba's lap and ran up to her father. For the most part, Naruto looked like he was sick with worry and guilt. Though his friend had made sure to message him that his daughter was safe and sound with him, it may have been hard to think that your youngest child was crying because of him, especially considering how much of a doting father he is to her.
Naruto scooped her up into his arms and carried her in a hug with her arms around his neck, pressing his cheek against hers. "Himawari, I'm so sorry! Papa is so sorry! Look, I got you flowers, so will you forgive me? Papa promises not to make you sad anymore."
"Stupid dad," Boruto remarked coming up from behind and raised his hand in order to give his sister the bouquet of flowers. She happily accepted them and inhaled their fresh scent. "It was my idea to get flowers. How dare you make Hima cry! I'm telling mom when she gets home."
She looked back at Kiba who was giving her an encouraging grin and a thumbs up. She peered at her brother, who was giving Naruto a frustrated frown, and finally she looked to her father, who still had a sad expression on his face. She thought about what Kiba had said earlier about her father needing extra time to realize things. Her dad did look sorry, and it can't be helped if her dad was busy all the time, plus she really liked the flowers. "It's okay papa. I forgive you. I'm sorry for yelling at you."
"Himawari!" he cried out again squeezing her tighter. "You're too nice to me. Just like mama. I'm a lucky man."
"Papa, you'll squish the flowers again," she giggled as he, reluctantly, let up a bit.
"Let's go home!" Naruto smiled, turning around with the girl still in his embrace. "We can have ramen for dinner."
"Wait!" she cried, getting down from her father's arms. She ran back to Kiba and very shyly motioned him to get down to her level. He obliged and faster than a second she gave him a quick peck on his cheek. Giving him one of her sunflowers from her bouquet before he could react, she smiled at him. "Thank you, Uncle."
Naruto looked like he wanted to kill him, but held his ground once Himawari took his hand and led him away. Boruto gave a quick wave to his uncle, still looking upset that Himawari had forgiven their father so easily, and took his sister's other hand.
Kiba laughed and waved them off, the puppies and Akamaru also sending them goodbye barks. If Naruto thought that his son was the one who gave him the most trouble, he was wrong. Himawari had her father wrapped around her finger. A true daddy's girl indeed.