Minato had sent out orders for others to take over for him for the rest of the day, much to Sasuke's silent confusion. He was the Hokage, one of the busiest men in the entire village if not the busiest. Sasuke could perhaps understand if Minato was planning on getting information out of him, but he had said he wasn't.

The blond had said that he needed rest first. Was he lying? Perhaps that was just his way of expressing to his surrounding ninja that he was a loving person. Reputation, perhaps? Fugaku used to be especially hard on him and Itachi in front of the other Uchiha to prove that he wasn't playing favorites. Well, he never really had a reason to be extra hard on Itachi, but the point still stood. Perhaps it was something along those lines?

As he watched the ANBU officer leap off, Minato turned to smile at him and hold out his hand. Minato wanted to help him up, even though there was no one to see it now that the ANBU were gone? Sasuke mentally scolded himself. Minato was just reaching out his hand to help him stand. Why was he making such a big deal out of it? Had living with that bastard Orochimaru really made him that suspicious.

Sasuke once again found his own mind scolding him. Of course it had. Orochimaru was a terrible person in every sense of the word. He had no boundaries of personal space, was commanding as could be, and beyond manipulative. Even so, the man had been a good teacher. He had trained Sasuke well enough to know one simple fact. Be suspicious of everyone, no matter how they seemed to want to help you. They'd always come back to collect later on.

As he thought through the many reasons why trusting Minato was foolish, even such a small gesture, it became easily clear in Sasuke's mind why Minato was taking such interest in staying beside him. The man hadn't left his side since he had been found, and it wasn't too hard to guess why once he began paying attention. It sure as hell wasn't because he cared or some shit like that. The man didn't even know him.

He was both a threat and a possible ally. Minato wasn't an idiot-- he knew that. He was the top scorer in the entirety of the academy's history. It was no wonder he was taking such an interest in being beside Sasuke. He was probably one of the few people in the village who had the power to stop him if Sasuke went berzerk and headed off on a killing spree. That was the risk of Minato not killing Sasuke off right away.

At the same time, Sasuke could be an incredible ally if he chose to. He had already given them heaps of information that could turn the village on its head. The coup, the future death of Minato's team, plus the eventual death of Minato and Kushina. His knowledge of the future was limitless if he decided to share it with them. That was the possible gain Minato was planning to exploit by offering his hospitality and rays of fake sunshine.

Likewise, there was plenty for Sasuke to risk or gain by choosing to refuse or accept Minato's 'help'.

The man was hailed as one of the strongest ninja to ever live-- the yellow flash. While it was true that Sasuke was incredibly powerful with a balanced skill set far exceeding most ninja, it would still be hard to fight Minato. How do you hit a target you can't see?

His reputation for taking down entire divisions during the third ninja war was rather popular. He was a deadly threat, one that could possibly end Sasuke if he started a fight. Not to mention the leaps of support Minato would get from surrounding ninja. It wasn't safe. He seemed nice enough now, but who knew what would happen to Sasuke if he didn't remain docile or submissive. It was a huge risk for Sasuke to stay within the margins of Minato's health.

But then, there was also plenty for Sasuke to gain if he played his cards right.

That idiot Hiruzen wasn't yet returned to power. The clan was alive. His family was alive. Itachi wasn't yet having his innocence taken away by the village. Shisui hadn't committed suicide yet. There was so much he could fix. So many of his loved ones he could save. He could help his clan thrive. He could gain so much.

All he had to do was help the village and things should go perfectly if Sasuke was understanding correctly. He helps the Minato, Minato helps him. He crosses Minato, Minato could cross him three times as hard. He was clearly the one in the vulnerable position right now.

Although he bitterly noted, it was the same village that drove them to their deaths in the first place. That was hard to ignore. This was the same village that had driven his brother to murder. His cousin to suicide. Then, finally, himself to insanity. Who was to say Minato wouldn't do as Danzo had done to Itachi. Take his help then stab him in the back.

Sasuke would love to imagine they could simply trade their services without worrying about this, but there was always a catch. One side wanting more than they offer. One side taking more than they've agreed upon. Orochimaru had taught him that years ago.

If Sasuke helped Minato, there was no guarantee Minato would hear out the clan. No guarantee his clan would be safe. There were no true guarantees in life. No matter how professional a deal is supposed to be, there's never anything truely holding it in place besides each side's want for the other's resource. Trades were built on trust, no matter how basic it was.

Unfortunately, Sasuke had learned long ago that he wasn't very good at choosing who to trade with. Thanks to Orochimaru, he had learned something very important.

Always keep one particularly powerful piece of leverage above your trading partner's head. If you did that, they'd be far less likely to betray the agreement.

Minato couldn't kill him if he made it known that he had one thing that the blonde absolutely should know. He needed to pick one piece of information not to give away, just to make sure Minato still needed him. He wouldn't give this piece of information up until he figured out how to get home, he decided. What piece of information was it, exactly? Well, he still had time to figure that out. He had plenty of little tidbits to feed Minato until he figured it out.

Sasuke had zoned out as he thought this over, only being pulled out of his musings as he heard Minato clear his throat awkwardly. Sasuke's scowling face turned softer as he felt the surprise wash through him, looking up from the hand he had been glaring at and into Minato's bright blue eyes. Eyes so similar to the blonde who had chased after him for such a long time, wanting something Sasuke wasn't quite sure of.

Minato's were different, though. They were sharper-- more knowing and relatable, while still holding that odd shine of innocence. Innocence without ignorance. "Sasuke, everything's all set up here. We can head back to me and Kushina's apartment for now. You deserve some rest." the blonde smiled softly, moving his hand to touch Sasuke's, pulling the boy up onto his feet in a gentle fashion. Sasuke only nodded lightly, deciding that he was right. Even if Minato didn't show any signs of hostility, he had to assume it was because Sasuke held a lot of knowledge right now.

Sasuke followed after Minato, the blond leading him towards the area where they'd left the genin squad and Kushina. Minato popped his head in, Sasuke quickly catching glances at their faces. Obito was quietly sitting with his arms crossed, Rin seemingly trying to comfort him while Kakashi looked them over with an unreadable face. Kushina was watching the kids while also looking down at her lap with mild disbelief, obviously struck with interest at the idea of her having a child in the future.

The blond man cleared his throat to gather their attention before smiling, "Training is dismissing early today. It'll resume the day after tomorrow." glancing at Kushina, "Ready to go?" with a tilted head. A bound of nods sounded from the genin, Kushina standing and heading over to stand by Minato in agreement.

Minato, Kushina, and Sasuke all headed towards the exit of the Hokage tower, only stopping once they reached the front door. They had been getting a few looks from around them from the ANBU and other staff who had been near the training grounds to see Sasuke's little meltdown, but Minato paid them no mind, pointedly ignoring them. Meanwhile, Kushina was sending anyone who looked at Sasuke strangely heavy glares, which was enough to have most of them back down. Sasuke merely settled on glaring daggers at the floor in front of them, clearly annoyed and embarrassed that so many people had seen him.

They only stopped in front of the front exit because Minato had come to a halt. Kushina quirked a brow in mild curiosity, Sasuke glaring at the man as Minato looked him over with a sheepish look. "What?" the young Uchiha barked, much to Minato's amusement. It seemed the boy already had something in common with his wife, though Sasuke seemed to speak with less fire and more ice.

Rather than voicing his concerns, Minato simply reached over, gently putting a hand on Sasuke's shoulder. The blond took hold of the front of Sasuke's shirt, specifically the zipper which was currently resting rather low on his stomach. Minato gently pulled it up so it rested near the top of his shoulders. Sasuke froze lightly as Minato did this, the Hokage explaining sheepishly as he ruffled Sasuke's hair, "You'll catch a cold with it down so far. It's windy outside."

Sasuke winced away lightly at the touch, resisting the urge to start a fight with Minato. Why did this guy have to be so touchy? He was just as bad as Naruto, it seemed. He considered saying nothing, however, his pride got the better of him. He bit out, "Keep your hands off me." continuing to walk forward and out the door as though he hadn't heard what Minato said. He could feel the blond and redhead's gaze on his back but didn't say anything, simply letting off an air of annoyance in an attempt to have them back off. His pride had been heavily soured as his actions from earlier entered his mind. Sasuke could feel the eyes of the villagers on him as they walked, the teen now sending anyone who looked at him a dirty look.

The two quickly walked after him, Kushina moving to lead the way while Minato stayed walking beside the stormy teen who seemed ready to pick a fight with any and everyone around them. Minato deadpanned silently-- so much for Fugaku's earlier observation. Yes, father of the year indeed. Minato kept his hands to himself, supposing the panic and adrenaline had worn off of the teen. He seemed to be flashing between submissive and ready to reach out and start a fight every two seconds.

Minato merely sighed at the strange boy, "I apologize for touching you. I'll keep my hands to myself." he promised, hands moving by his side. Sasuke seemed surprised at the apology and compliance, much to Minato's confusion. He said nothing however as Sasuke only gave a small 'hn' in response, seemingly allowing it to slide for now.

Well, he hadn't been prepared for this when he got out of bed this morning.