Title: An Evening in the Life of Namikaze Minato

Idea: An Exert that takes place during The Life and Times of Namikaze Minato.

Reason: I find myself having a bit of trouble writing one of my fics. No worries, the ones up will be updated as regularly as possible. I am writing a fic revolving around Minato. Right now I am still writing his childhood in the Ninja Academy and my mind keeps jumping to where he is a Jounin and already teaching Kakashi (and sometimes Rin and Obito) hopefully this will help get my mind in gear. Don't expect too many of these and expect to read the scenes in the flashbacks in greater detail, because they are going into the full fic.

Summery: Minato comes home after a long day of being the Hokage and spends time with his fiancée and student.

Disclaimer: No, I don't own anything, except maybe the nicknames.

Family Dinner

Minato came home after a long day at the Hokage Tower. He was tired, but not bone tired as he had been during the war. He was looking forward to having dinner with his fiancée, Uzumaki Kushina. "Uzu-hime, [1] Tadaima." He called into the quiet house. He could sense her chakra close by, and hoped that she wasn't trying to cook again. Why was it that she could make any flavor of Ramen perfectly but everything else she made… always tasted like Ramen?

He poked his head into the kitchen and sighed in relief when he found that she wasn't there and nothing was taken out or in the sink. She must be in the living room. He knew that she spent a lot of time lying on the couch, her feet were swelling now and it made it hard for her to get around because of the pain. She'd hadn't even wanted to go on maternity leave but after her feet had started to ache after just coming down the stairs from their bedroom she had given in.

His Sensei would not be back in the Village for at least several more days but that was fine, he had Kakashi guarding his five month pregnant Fiancée. Kakashi's chakra signature was also in the living room. That was probably why she hadn't tried to cook him dinner. Not that he didn't appreciate the gesture or thought. It was just that she had very… limited cooking skills. Her Ramen was to die for though. Better than Ichiraku's even. But he didn't want that tonight.

According to the layout of the house; the living room was right behind the stairwell to the second floor, next to the library. Kakashi and Kushina knew he was here, Kakashi probably wanted something edible for dinner. Minato chuckled quietly as he walked into the kitchen. It was a bit late for dinner, but he could work with that.

Minato pulled out the ingredients for Teriyaki beef and Chicken. [2] Thankfully Kushina's cravings weren't the strangest things ever… But he made sure that some other toppings and prepared some side dishes that she had been asking for, for a while now. As the chicken, Beef and sauce simmered, he put the sides together in a visually pleasing way. Minato tasted the main dishes one last time before calling Kakashi into the kitchen to taste test for him. He'd learned earlier in Kushina's ten-month gestation period that her taste buds were not working quite right so she couldn't taste test for him until their little Naruto was born.

Minato smiled, thinking back on that day, just before Jiraiya-sensei left for the mission. His sensei's book was amazing, to bad it didn't sell. The main character was such an amazing person. He and Kushina had decided right away that they would name their baby Naruto, regardless of gender. "That reminds me… We haven't asked about gender yet…" Minato certainly wanted to know.

"You called Sensei?" Kakashi asked as he came into the kitchen.

"Oh yes Kakashi," Minato smiled at his student/unofficial son. "I need you to taste the Beef and Chicken, I'm pretty sure they're finished."

Kakashi took a small sample of each of the dishes. "I'd say they are."

Minato nodded, taking the meat off the heat and arranged it on two separate plates. Minato slapped Kakashi's hand (which was holding a pair of chopsticks) lightly. [3] "Go set the table while I get Uzu-hime, ne? And don't even think about pilfering any of the beef…"

"H-hai, Sensei…" Kakashi ran off to set the table as Minato went to get his fiancée. He knew better than to try and sneak an extra taste. His Sensei was scary!

Minato stopped in the doorway and watched Kushina for a minute. She was glowing. But then, she had always glowed. He cleared his throat to get her attention.

"Mi-kun [4], you're home!" She gushed, leaping from the couch.

Minato caught her deftly. "So I am, Ku-chan [5]. Uzu-hime, dinner is ready. Would you like me to carry you?"

"Yes please! My feet are aching!" She complained.

"Then how about I give you a foot massage afterwards?" Minato asked with a pleased grin as he swept her off her feet and carried her into the dining room.

The look she gave him said it all. He chuckled, brushing his nose against hers affectionately. He was so in love with her. He had loved her since that day in the Academy. He'd gone out of his way to get the best grades and scores possible to impress her. He'd shown off his skills, just for her.

His plan had backfired, to say the least, epically. Instead of impressing her, she had resented him. Everything came to him so easily, but she floundered. And every time he tried to offer her help, which she needed, she brushed him off thinking that he was just trying to show off some more. Where he could make five Bunshin easily, She could only make one, and that one… always looked dead. All his showing off got him, way a pissed off crush and a following of fan girls!

Being a young Namikaze Todd though, with his eyes on the Vixen he wanted, Namikaze didn't give up. Not until they got what they wanted. He had wanted to marry Kushina, have a bunch of kids with her and become Hokage.

He remembered quite clearly, his introduction when Jiraiya had asked for it:

(Flashback no Jutsu)

"Ok Gakis [6], Introduce yourselves." The booming voice of Jiraiya-sensei, a man with long white hair commanded.

"What should we say Sensei [7]?" Minato's friend and rival Uchiha Fugaku [17] asked.

"Well, tell me your names, likes, dislikes, hobbies and dreams or goals to start with. If you want to add anything in like a little bit of family history that's fine." Jiraiya explained. "How about I give you an example by going first?"

"Go ahead Sensei." Hiashi [17], another of Minato's friends answered.

Jiraiya nodded. "My name is Jiraiya; you may call me Jiraiya-sansei or Sensei if you like. A few things that I like are a bit too mature for you but I will say that I like traveling and leave it at that alright? I dislike being hit for no reason and when Tsunade-hime is mad at me. I have three hobbies, two of which I can't tell you because of your ages. The one I can say is that I am a writer. My dream is to find a child and teach him to change the world. A few random facts about myself are these: My Sensei was Sandaime-sama, one of my teammates is the granddaughter of the Shodai and that I have written and published one book so far [8]." He pulled out three copies and handed them out. "It hasn't been released yet and I'd like an opinion on how well you think it'll do please. You don't have to read it now."

He sat back, "Blondie, how about you go first?"

"Ok Sensei!" Minato answered. "My name is Namikaze Minato, I really like Uzumaki Kushina, cooking, training and seals. I dislike it when Ku-chan is mad at me and the Uchiha and Hyuuga heads, they're stuffy old foggies! My hobbies are studying seals and trying to impress Uzu-hime. My dreams for the future are to marry Kushina and have several kids with her and to become the Yondaime Hokage…"

(Kai!)

Jiraiya-sensei had only laughed and asked if he was a fan boy or something as his life seemed to revolve around Kushina. He had answered negatively.

Now, he had accomplished two of his goals. He was now the Yondaime Hokage and he was going to marry the girl of his dreams. Their first child was even on the way. The wedding was all planned out now they were just waiting for Naruto. Minato didn't care if Naruto was a girl or a boy. His dreams were coming together perfectly.

He gently placed Kushina in her seat and served her and Kakashi before serving himself. Then he also sat.

"Itadekimasu!" The three chorused quietly before digging in.

"So, Mina-kun [9], how was your day?"

Minato smiled. "Rather boring without either you or Kakashi-kun there to liven things up a bit…. Oh, let's see… I had three meeting, one with the counsel, one with the advisers and one with Shimura Danzou. The paperwork was relatively light and I got everything done this morning. Then I headed down to man the mission desk and had to deal with whiny Genin all afternoon. I had no time for lunch so I am starving." Minato grinned sheepishly.

"You know I would have made some Ramen for you and sent it over with Kakashi if I had known…" Kushina told him.

Minato shook his head. "Kakashi is the only one I really trust with your safety in the village right now. Jiraiya-sensei will be back in a few days and Rin is due back sometime tomorrow morning."

Kushina sighed. "Minato…"

"No Kaa-san [10], it's alright…" Kakashi told her quietly. Looking after his unofficial second mother was no chore and loved being able to be near his unborn sibling. That tiny chakra was the most precious thing in the world to him, well, him and Rin.

"Fine…" Kushina sighed. She still didn't like it.

"You know we only want to protect you and Naruto." Minato reassured her. Her safety came first; even the village was a distant second to Kushina and Naruto right now. That changed when he left the estate for work, but even then his growing family was a very close second.

"I know…" Kushina sighed smiling; she loved hearing him say that.

She used to think that he was a flaky girly-boy jerk show off [11] that was looking for attention. She couldn't believe that she had once thought that he was conceited. But he had been so annoying…

(Flashback no Jutsu)

It was her first day in the Academy. She was starting late so she wasn't sure how much she had missed during her move to Konoha. That made her really nervous. She knocked slightly timidly on Umino Mauri's [12] classroom door. What if she was so far behind that Mauri-sensei sent her to the class under this one?

Inside the classroom, Mauri-sensei smiled at the knock. "Class, we have a new student." She turned to the door. "Come in please."

A small redhead with long red hair and amazing lilac eyes opened the door and peeked in. "A-are you Umino Mauri-sensei?" she asked in a soft demure tone of voice.

From his seat, Minato could already hear his neighbors calling her unfavorable names because of her hair. He turned to the girls sitting behind him and shot glares at them, causing them to shut their mouths. Minato turned back to admire the newest addition to his class. She would be a really lovely Vixen when she grew older and it looked like he was the only one who saw it. Minato could see her potential and the power she would grow into. Then and there he decided that this Vixen would be his.

"Yes. I am Mauri-sensei. Are you the new student that just moved to Konoha?" She asked.

"Y-yes Sensei."

"Come here and introduce yourself to the class please, and then each student will introduce themselves and tell you a bit about themselves." Mauri told her with a smile.

Kushina nodded, walking a bit timidly to her Sensei's side. Then she turned to the class and bowed. "Good morning," she straightened up. "I am Uzumaki Kushina. I came from Uzu no Kuni and my favorite food is Ramen. I enjoy learning about seals and training. My great-great Aunt is none other than Uzumaki Mito-sama, the wife of the Shodai. I am pleased to meet you all, please take good care of me." She bowed again.

"Thank you Kushina-chan." Mauri told her. "Amani, why don't you start us off? Tell Kushina your name some likes and dislikes your hobbies and goals for the future?"

Finally, Minato was the last student to go. "Hi Ku-san, I am Namikaze Minato, I like the color blue [13], cooking training and seals. I dislike those that make fun of others for no reason and those who judge without knowing someone. My hobbies include studying seals and trying new recipes from my family cookbook. My dream is to become the Yondaime Hokage." Minato told her, silently adding: 'And my secret dream is to marry you and have several kids with you.'

(Kai!)

"I still can't figure out how you got so good at cooking, you're better than I am…"

Minato sent Kakashi a sharp look, reminding his student not to say anything. With Kushina's hormones all out of wack because of her pregnancy, she was just as likely to laugh at the joke [14] as kill them both for it. "But Uzu-hime… your Ramen is to die for…" Minato tried to placate her.

She gave him a look and then smiled. "Thank you Mi-kun…"

The conversation then changed to safer topics. And after dinner Kakashi was sent to bed as Minato sent his fiancée back on the couch in the living room to give her that foot massage that he had promised her. After an hour of the three of them sitting there Minato turned to Kakashi. "Get to bed Kakashi, Ninja or not you are still a grow boy who needs his sleep."

"Hai Tou-san[15]." Kakashi got up. "Good night." Then he went up the stairs to his room. [16]

Kushina cuddled into Minato's side. "I love you Minato…"

"Love you too Uzu-hime." Minato told her as his skilled hands massaged the aches and pain out of her swollen feet. "Do you want to know if Naruto is a boy or a girl?"

Kushina looked at him thoughtfully. "Why?"

"Naruto should be developed enough for us to be able to see." Minato explained. "I want to know but if you don't then I'm not going to ask."

"Oh…" Kushina shook her head. "I don't really want to know, even if it would help us decorate Naruto's nursery."

"Alright then, I won't ask at your next appointment." Minato conceded. "Ready to go to bed? I'm tired."

"Carry me?"

If that is what you wish, Uzu-hime."

"Then let's go to bed darling."

(End One-shot)

This is an exert from one of my other fics: it's a family moment before the Kyuubi attack but after the Kannabi Bridge mission. You will probably be reading the flashbacks in another story that I'm writing. That story won't be up for a while because as I've said. I'm not posting anything that isn't finished. That said, this is obviously finished and I hope you all liked it. Please review

[1] Uzu-hime: One of Minato's nicknames for his beloved Kushina. It means Whirlpool Princess, it's a play on where she comes from: Uzu no Kuni (Whirlpool country.)

[2] This is another alteration made, in all of my fics Minato will be a good cook.

[3] This is just Minato acting like a father to a slightly rebellious Kakashi who was reaching over to steal another taste of the Teriyaki Beef, which I've made into his favorite dish.

[4] A nickname Kushina gave Minato.

[5] Another nickname Minato gave Kushina, he gave it to her the first day he met her.

[6] Gaki means brat

[7] This is what Sakura asked Kakashi when they introduced themselves in canon, it just seemed to fit here.

[8] The tale of the Gutsy Ninja I think the only reason it didn't sell really well was because of the title, seeing as both Naruto and his father got lot within its pages until it was finished. Heck, Minato and Kushina liked it so much that that's how Naruto got his name!

[9] Another nickname that Kushina has given Minato.

[10] Kushina has been in Kakashi's life almost as long as Minato. (at lease that's what I think, if not just as long.) and since she is his teacher's fiancée… that would make her something like a second mother right?

[11] This is Kushina's first impression of Minato, I also think that's canon. She would think that, especially if he got top scores in everything, being rumored to be the genius of his generation

[12] This is Iruka's mother. He had to have gotten his love of teaching somewhere. We also know that he had ninja parents but we never learn their names, had to call her something.

[13] Minato's favorite color is actually the red of Kushina's hair, but Ninja that like the color red are thought to like blood, so after this, when asked, Minato will always lie.

[14] I know canonly Kushina was supposed to be a wonderful cook. But in all of my stories everything she cooks tastes like Ramen, since we don't know if Naruto got his love of the stuff from his dad or mom.

[15] Kakashi looks up to Minato as a father, usually only calling Minato father when they are alone or with people he trusts.

[16] Minato never let Kakashi live on his own. Who in their right minds would let a six-year-old orphan live on his own? Kakashi has lived in the Namikaze Compound Main house since he was orphaned.

[17] I don't care if it's out of order but I figured that you should know this too. In Minato's genin team picture there are two unknown boys, one with his eyes closed and one with them open but we still can't see their color so I just took two characters that we are familiar with and made them his teammates instead of creating any more OCs.

Neph