Naruto's mansion is located in the southern part of the Hidden Leaf Village and the Hokage's Mansion to the north. Being so, the walk to or from either mansion isn't that short of a trip.The three best friends strolls along, slowly approaching their destination.
"At this pace, we'll get the lamest mission. You guys remember what are objectives for the last D-rank mission we got were, right?" Keiko asks.
Each of them make disgusted face.
"Ughhh, don't remind me. Scrubbing all the dog poo off the streets made me lose my appetite for an entire week. That's a big deal, considering that I even rival my dad's love for food." Minato says, shaking his head in attempt to forget that certain mission.
Keiko nods her head in agreement. "Plus, being half Inuzuka and all, I have enough animal manure to dispose of at my house."
"Don't worry, guys. I'm keeping tabs on Kuwabara and his minions. They're still around the Ninja Academy, probably bullying the students again." Itachi informs the two.
Itachi is one of the most talented sensors in all of Konoha, second only to Shindo. Even in densely populated areas, Itachi can sense a single person as long as he recognizes the presence of one's chakra.
Minato shrugs. "Iruka-sensei will handle those punks. Heck, even my 6-year-old cousin, Hinari can handle those guys!"
Suddenly, something grasps the trio's attention.
They hear a rumbling sound from up the street. Villagers make way for whatever is causing all the ruckus. Something moves toward the three of them with incredible speed. As the villagers disperse, two green figures are revealed.
Itachi cautious facial expression transitions to one of understanding. "Oh no, these two are at it again. If we don't want to be turned into pancakes, we'd better get out of the way."
Itachi, Minato, and Keiko leap inside a near-by barbecue restaurant. Moments later, two green blurs zoom by.
"Come on, Lee! You'll never surpass me at this rate! You've gotta explode with youth!" Guy states, obnoxious as ever.
"Yes, sensei! No more holding back! Woohoo!" Lee responds, picking up the pace.
"Hey Lee-sensei! Uncle Guy!" Minato, Itachi, and Keiko shout at the same time.
By the time the three finished greeting the taijutsu masters, they were already out of sight.
"Geez, those two are fast." Keiko states.
"No kidding. Apparently, my dad is the fastest shinobi alive. But, it's hard to believe someone is faster than the Bushy Brows." Minato says.
Someone laughs from behind. The three of them turn their heads to see who it is. Choji demolishes ribs and steaks as easily as someone would eat potato chips. A 4-foot stack of plates stands on his side of the table. Ino sits across from him, eating her food like a normal person. They both look the same as when they were teens, only their clothes and height has changed. Looks aside, the two are now happily married with no children. Choji is still the leader of the Akimichi clan. Ino works as an interrogator, although she doesn't work often, because there has been a lot of peace and little crime.
"Hey kids!" Choji yells.
"Hey kiddos!" Ino waves, a kind smile on her face.
"All rumors of Naruto's legendary skills aren't lies, Minato. Trust me, I've fought with him many times." Choji tells the skeptical Minato.
"Same for your dad, Keiko." Ino says.
Itachi looks down with a deep glare in his eyes.
Ino clears her throat, ashamed for forgetting that Itachi doesn't know his parents.
"I'm so sor-"
"It's fine. I'm 16 now, I've got over that some time ago." Itachi interrupts.
Minato butts in to negate the somber atmosphere. "Umm, we were on our way to visit Lord Konohamaru. We'll be going now. Enjoy your meals!"
They each exchange 'byes'.
Ino and Choji facepalm theirselves, embarrassed by their accidental rudeness.
Minato, Itachi, and Keiko head for the Hokage's Mansion again.
"Are you alright, man?" Minato asks.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Itachi answers. He then quickly changes the topic of discussion—he doesn't like to think nor talk about his real parents, he holds a grudge to them for abandoning him. "Actually, I was worried about Aizu. He said he was having nightmares lately, I can tell that something is seriously bothering him."
"Yeah, we've got to think get to the bottom of that. I'm sure that Shindo is keeping an eye on him at the moment." Minato says, certain of his assumption.
Itachi lightly punches Minato on his arm and just like that, Itachi is back to his joyful self.
"Hey! You know I didn't mean it like that!" Minato dramatically shouts, rubbing the spot where Itachi hit.
Shindo is blind. A rogue Leaf shinobi slashed his eyes when he was just 3 years old, but doesn't hold the Hidden Leaf accountable. He was so young when it happened, so he doesn't even remember the days when he had sight nor his parents. Although he cannot see, his other senses are much better than most. Only 14 years old, he's even the best sensor in all of Konoha.
"Guys, we're here." Keiko says.
"I hope we get something good!" Minato says, full of excitement.
They enter the mansion, walk up the stairs, through the hall, and open the door to the Hokage's office.
"Hey Lord Konoham-" Minato greets, but doesn't finish.
Two unfamiliar men stand in front of Konohamaru's desk. Only the back of their heads are visible. One has orange hair, the other has light blue. The Hokage's advisor, Shikamaru Nara, stands at Konohamaru's side. Shortened by old age, Tsunade stands in front of the man with orange hair, staring down at something or someone. The man with orange hair carries a woman in his arms, who seems to be unconscious.
"Tsunade-sama, can you heal her?" The orange-haired man asks, a painful expression on his face.
"I...cannot. Not even I can save her...She's...dead." Tsunade replies.
The blue-haired man punches his left hand's palm with his right hand's fist. "Sh*t! We should've kept a better eye on her!"
Minato, Itachi, and Keiko are still by the door, completely speechless. Itachi drops to his knees. He has a blank glare in his eyes and his whole body trembles.
"I...can...feel...it. She...is...was...my...mom." Itachi states, barely able to form the words.
