It surprised Shisui, how quickly he became accustomed to dank, grungy pubs in backwater villages. Whether it was densely populated towns or distant travellers' vistas; from the arid dunes of Suna to the snowy peaks of Kumo, very little differentiated people. Whether clothing was fine or threadbare, it all reeked of smoke and cheap pub ale. The level of cleanliness and upkeep might vary from venue to venue, but all in all, these places were pretty much the same.
The Blue Shrimp Inn is just another shady destination packed with vagrants, the most questionable of the locals, and travellers misfortunate enough to wander in without considering exactly what sort of establishment they were approaching.
Uchiha Shisui would not be the sort of customer expected at such a destination. But someone with Shisui's precision with genjutsu hardly needed to blend in. A potent but nigh undetectable genjutsu cloaked his appearance better than any mask. Shisui was simply another gaunt-faced youth, just trying to survive Kiri's war.
Lifting his drink to keep with the illusion he crafted, Shisui nodded encouragingly to one of Yagura's deserters answering his questions in a glazed, rambling manner. The man had not offered much in the way of useful intel, but Shisui was patiently fishing until he was sure that every last tidbit of information had been gleaned.
"I can see why you're getting out of here," Shisui placated his target with an earnest smile, subtly reinforcing it with a gentle nudge with his dojutsu. "It really sounds like Yagura went off the deep end. I'm glad I'm not a shinobi. I wouldn't have lasted a day!"
"True that, friend! Glad you can see my point." The poor man looked absolutely relieved someone was supporting him instead of condemning his desertion, that it never occurred to him to worry about why he felt so comfortable. "Of course, it weren't always like that, but eh, that monster in his head probably set 'im off. Believe it or not, I was a chunin for ten years."
"For real? You must be really strong!" Shisui praised the other man liberally and was satisfied by the pleased, drunken flush cresting the man's face. "I'll bet you have a tale or two to tell! I've never done anything so exciting. Share some stories with me?"
Shisui almost lazily managed the conversation; his Sharingan mapped the comings and goings in the room, while he responded appropriately to the man he was extracting information from. So far, he had discovered very little of value, but information gathering was a precise art that required a subtle hand and a significant amount of patience.
Finally, Shisui excused himself from his companion who merely nodded dumbly and shuffled off to a nearby gambling table. Shisui was ready to leave when the door swung wide and he redirected his movements to a stool near the bar and plopped down.
Of course, that was when his luck had to change. An exhausted threesome that were mud splattered and looked like they had survived a recent skirmish or two and were looking for a place to lie low. Rebels against Yagura then. Something Shisui could privately applaud, even if the civil war was something of a boon to Konoha.
Shisui was confident than his genjutsu abilities could hold against just about anyone. Even most Kage would be hard-pressed to recognize his talents. And sure enough, a youngster with glasses that might have been Itachi's age now or a few years shy. Behind him one older man and someone closer to his own age. One with dark hair and compelling gold eyes, that might have made Shisui give him a second look under different circumstances. But the senior, former hunter-nin of Kiri staring right through his genjutsu with an outraged look capable of spitting nails.
Byakugan Ao: dojutsu thief. Shisui flashed a strained smile and waved semi-mockingly toward the man that looked undecided between dragging his companions away or attacking him. Shisui sorely hoped he did not decide on the latter option, it would blow his cover completely and Jiraiya-sensei would be oh so disappointed.
"You! Leaf scum!" The hunter nin groused hatefully!
Shisui's chakra spiked and he felt a minor flare of annoyance that he was forced to cover up Ao's muck up with a more powerful mind-affecting genjutsu that he settled over the entire room.
"Knock it off, can't you see I'm trying not to attract attention," Shisui complained mournfully as he leaned against the countertop and eyed the trio lazily.
"Ao-san, what's wrong?" The shark-toothed youngster piped up with that bit of squeakiness that indicated puberty had not hit yet.
"Ah, an Uchiha then?" The man that may have been only a year or two his senior stated calmly, his burnished gold eyes focusing on him carefully, but not exactly fearfully as he looked beyond the genjutsu and straight into his Sharingan. "I would assume if he were looking for us, he would not be behaving so casually. Ao, don't make a scene. You know she won't like that."
The older shinobi seemed to bristle at that, but his stance shifted to a more defensive nature rather than overtly offensive. Shisui decided to take it as the olive branch it might be.
"Since we're not enemies today, would you care to join me for a drink?" Shisui tossed the suggestion out there with a broad, easy smile and a lazy wink. "I'm all for company, how about you, Ao-san? Trade you for information?"
"Absolutely not!" Ao retorted thunderously.
Honestly, that guy made things too easy. The little kid inside Shisui was unable to resist waggling his fingers teasingly in the other man's direction. Sure enough, the hunter-nin jerked and growled threateningly, only to be restrained by the dark-haired male with the loose-fitting kimono who stared at him with a critical gaze.
"Perhaps," a low, even voice made the flesh along Shisui's neck prickle and he found himself nodding mechanically. "If you return the favour."
Damn, that's a sexy voice. Today is looking up for me!
It seemed this was a night for information, after all. And, as always, the best information came from what was not said. Even without Jiraiya's extensive drilling of important people to remember, Shisui would have realized something was up just from how the Kiri trio positioned themselves. Ao had begrudgingly taken up a seat next to Shisui, while the dark haired individual—one of Kiri's not so missing jinchuuriki—slid into place on Ao's other side leaving the kid with the glasses to scramble up next to him.
In this particular scenario, Shisui assumed he would win more points by offering something up.
"Utakata, right?" Shisui felt unnecessarily smug when those golden eyes narrowed slightly and Ao tensed up. "It's just…your picture doesn't really do you justice. Your eyes are much lovelier in person!"
Shisui took a distinct pleasure in watching Ao's face purple and Utakata stare him down passively, while the youngster just looked adorably confused.
"Picture?" The kid asked queerly. "Like, the Bingo Book?"
"Bingo!" Shisui shot the kid a thumb's up and bit his lip to prevent the snort escaping when Ao slammed his palms on the table.
"What are we doing?! We shouldn't be consorting with the enemy!" Ao hissed narrowly.
"I thought your enemy was Yagura," Shisui commented, twisting his words with confusion just to see if Ao would explode from the prod.
"And you're just a spy that is probably gathering intel to hit us while we're down!"
"I could be," Shisui drawled, aware of how the trio immediately stiffened. Resolutely, Shisui stirred his beverage and popped a grape into his mouth smoothly. "But I'm not."
"Nothing you say is trustworthy," Ao growled. "And don't try anything! I'm watching you, Uchiha! I'm not about to let you pull anything the way you guys did with the Mizukage."
Forget gold. This was like discovering a plot of chakra metal.
"Look, I heard your Kage went insane…but I really don't see how that's my fault," he defended himself carefully and allowing some genuine honesty to touch his words. "I'm definitely in Kiri, for reasons that should be rather obvious, if you actually put some thought into it. Still, it's nothing to do with you guys. Not really."
Not directly anyhow.
Ao looked ready to come back with something nasty, but Utakata at least seemed thoughtful instead of reactive.
"If that's true, I'm sure it would put everyone at ease if you simply gave us an explanation," a woman's voice that surely would have inspired his sensei's dirtiest fantasies called out from the stool next to him.
Ao was instantly on his feet, while the other two simply relaxed and directed their attention to the newcomer.
Terumi Mei was even more attractive in person than her Bingo Book image led a person to believe with a commanding, feminine stance. Behind her, was a pale youth with snow-white hair, green eyes, and markings from the apparently-not-so-extinct Kaguya Clan.
"Mei-sama! I fear it's no longer safe to remain here. Let me escort you to safety!"
Even Shisui shivered at the sudden flash of killing intent that washed over their little group. Somehow, Ao seemed not to notice until Mei rounded on him with a murderous smile.
"Ao."
"Yes?!"
"Shut up…or I'll kill you!"
An unhealthy dose of admiration flooded for the murderous female, had Shisui grinning beatifically, while the Byakugan-thief looked prepared to piss his drawers in fear. Across the way, Utakata seemed more amused by the display and Chojuro merely sighed over his plate of questionable quality food that a genjutsu-drugged waitress had brought him.
"Mei-sama?" The Kaguya boy stated from beside the auburn beauty.
"Go sit with Chojuro, Kimimaro-kun." The auburn haired, S-rank threat ruffled the white hair fondly as she turned her attention to him and smiled wickedly. "I'll sit next to this handsome young man and hear what he has to say."
"Yes, Mei-sama."
The Kaguya boy slid into place next to the other boy without further comment and began eating his own plate of food that Shisui's waitress deposited with glazed eyes.
Okay, then. Shisui had felt absolutely confident in his abilities to handle the situation prior to thirty seconds ago. He would be a liar if he was not a little more concerned with Mei's arrival. Sure, he had some trump cards to fall back on, but it would be better if he could get out of this without a fight.
"Now, perhaps you could share your name with me?" Terumi Mei purred softly, blue fingernails dragging over the back of his wrist in a manner both seductive and deadly all at the same time. "And tell me what you're doing in such a quaint, little village."
Up until today, Shisui had been understanding, but perhaps not entirely thankful for Jiraiya's insistence upon lessons in the flesh. Now they came in handy, when Shisui was able to return a playful smile without a blush ambushing him. It was a simple matter to turn in his seat, drop his elbow onto the counter, and give Ao his back. Not only was it a show of confidence that Mei would be unable to dismiss, but it had the added bonus of pissing off the seasoned hunter-nin.
"I'm an open book, Terumi-san," Shisui winked to soothe the damage of the obvious lie. "Unless, of course, you want to know about village secrets or something of that nature. I'm sure, that you can appreciate how some information is best kept quiet. I'm Uchiha Shisui—but you already knew that."
"Huh, as clever as he is handsome," Mei remarked poisonously. "Very well, Shisui-kun. Tell me what brings you to Kiri. And no lies now!"
"This and that," Shisui replied evasively, but followed up quickly as Mei's eyes narrowed. "But tracking down Orochimaru would be my priority."
Electric blue fingernails twirled a bit of auburn hair and Shisui realized he was being sized up and evaluated. It was not lost on him that the green eyes flicked toward Ao—no doubt doublechecking dojutsu activation—before Mei sighed heavily.
"Orochimaru was sighted a few weeks back, but my scouts merely tracked his movements from a distance and did not pursue when he did not engage our forces. I'm afraid that any trail you're hoping to pick up is long cold, by now."
"Snakes are elusive, but they can't hide forever," Shisui said.
"And what other reason are you here, Uchiha?"
"Rumors are dangerous things," Shisui murmured, ignoring the drink the bartender offered him, while absently pressing a few coins into the man's hand. "But sometimes answers are worth more than the danger."
"Oh?" Mei leaned forward. "And what sort of answers are you seeking?"
"Survivors from Uzushio," Shisui spoke the truth, noticing the shock resonating from Mei and the murmurs from her companions behind him. "We have, shall we say it…evidence that there had been a large group that survived the purges. It seemed obvious to look for that truth in a country sharing its affinity with the sea."
"You'll find no such answers in Kiri," Mei replied after a moment. A lie? No…a half-truth. "But I will tell you that the definition of kekkei genkai has become rather loose of late among the loyalist faction."
"I see," Shisui understood the implication quite well—and really, Jiraiya and Shisui had suspected and had that confirmed a few dozen times over. "I suppose that settles that matter. I really ought to hit the road."
Shisui stood, with confidence more false than real, and shrugged on a heavy, black travelling cloak.
"Going so soon?" Mei's icy voice teased his ears. "I hadn't given you permission to leave."
"I am," Shisui said, pausing and mulling another matter over before speaking. "If I were you, I'd finish eating and make yourselves scarce."
"And why is that, Uchiha?" Ao seized the opportunity to reinsert himself into the conversation.
"Because while I was gathering information in this hellhole, one of the forward scouts from Yagura's forces spilled his guts to me. This village will be completely swarmed with loyalists if they don't raze it to the ground."
"You're lying!" Ao accused.
"Why would I lie?" Shisui locked eyes with Terumi Mei, shrugging his shoulders and speaking quietly. "Konoha has no reason to support Yagura. You might be surprised what happens if you made a request for assistance from the right people."
A seed of consideration and reluctant admiration had taken root in Mei's eyes. Shisui gambled and offered a curt nod of respect that was acknowledged by the kunoichi who gave the barest inclination of her chin.
"Ao, we're leaving. Help Kimimaro and Chojuro!" Mei called sharply. "Beware, little Uchiha. The next time we meet, I may not allow you to get away so easily."
"Flattery will get you anywhere, Mei!" Shisui grinned, his Sharingan lifting the genjutsu fog hanging over the pub. "Goodbye."
"Wait," Utakata's soft voice called out.
"Hmm?"
Shisui turned again and was taken aback by the conviction coupled with a grimace on the taller man's face.
"I require only a moment of your time," Utakata replied while folding his arms quietly.
Ao looked like he intended to interject, but Mei cut him off with a sharp look, while the two young boys clustered around Mei uneasily.
"By all means, Utakata-san," Shisui replied.
"Like yourself, I have no intention of betraying my comrades, but I feel compelled to offer you a warning. Not for the sake of Konoha, but because I know you have three like myself in your village. All younger."
Okay, that was outrageously dangerous information. Of the like that Jiraiya and Shisui had painstakingly worked to handle. Taki's jinchuuriki had vanished without a trace and Konoha preferred to keep it that way for the time being. And Senju Minato…only a privileged few had access to that information. For some backwater rebels from Taki to be aware that Konoha had not one, but three jinchuuriki, that was news to him.
Except…Shisui's Sharingan picked up the micro-expressions that he otherwise would have dismissed. Ao and Mei appeared just as surprised as Shisui was minus the alarm, though that may come with time.
"You're misinformed," Shisui denied flatly, not missing the relief surge onto Ao's face.
"I am not," the jinchuuriki smiled slightly before patting his abdomen in a telling fashion. "My source is indisputable. But that's not really the point. All I ask is that you make sure that they are ready. I don't think it will happen right away, but there is an enemy coming for us. Please, make sure they're ready."
Well, then. Fuck me.
"Damn it." Shisui swore.
It had taken him a few days to get the hell out of Kiri and hightail it to the Land of Hot Water for a visit to the hot springs. Of course, finding Jiraiya-sensei was never as easy as it should be since the man was prone to extensive 'research' trips.
Many of his usual haunts were empty. Shisui had been to every brothel in town and come up short. His clone had bravely checked every peeping area near the springs with no success. The bookshop and the gambling dens were a no-go too.
For a split second, he considered the possibility that Jiraiya had not arrived before instantly discarding that notion. A lecherous pervert his sensei might be, but when it came right down to it, Jiraiya did not shirk his duties.
So, where the hell was he then?
Shisui found Jiraiya in the last place he could possibly look: his room at the inn. Sure enough, the old perv was smoking a pipe, while reclining against a cushion, looking like he hadn't a care in the world.
Shisui's self-control fell apart and he stumbled into the room panting heavily and lifted an accusing finger toward his seemingly bemused Sensei.
"What the hell are you doing, Sensei? I haven't slept in over three days and when I finally get here, I can't find you anywhere!"
"You do know you're a pretty shitty spymaster if you can't even find me in our hotel room," Jiraiya had returned to the pages in his hands with a lecherous giggle.
"Ack, I'm too tired for this," Shisui moaned, digging his fingers into his dirty hair. "And technically, I'm just your apprentice. So, get off my back, Sensei."
The carpet was clean but threadbare and did not do his knees many favours, but it was easy enough for Shisui to flop down onto his side.
"I didn't expect you for another day," Jiraiya called to him casually. "Tell me what you learned."
Shisui moaned but began reciting the list of information. Jiraiya listened patiently and only interrupted to ask the occasional question or point out potential errors in Shisui's methodology.
"Well, when I assigned this to you, I definitely wasn't expecting that. And you may be S-rank material kid, but Terumi Mei probably would have wiped the floor with you even with those fancy eyes of yours. You could have handled the jinchuuriki, but I'm starting to think letting you fly solo wasn't such a good idea."
"We learned a lot though. Even if we didn't really find out much about the Uzumaki or Orochimaru, the information was worth sacrificing my position a bit."
"Heh, maybe," Jiraiya muttered, definitely unconvinced. "I'll have to send word to Konoha that Kiri knows about our kids. That is our biggest concern. We'll discuss this again when you're more coherent."
Shisui had almost drifted off—not even the threat of rugburn deterring his drooping eyelids. But the damnable rustling from paper being shuffled drew Shisui's bleary attention. Jiraiya-sensei had his hands folded under his chin with an almost-smirk on his lips, but a painfully serious look in his eye.
"Something wrong?" Shisui grunted.
"You've worked hard, brat," Jiraiya spoke meaningfully and Shisui found the sudden itch beneath his skin subsiding with the attention—at last. "These last few years have been enlightening in a number of ways. But the past few months have been even more revealing. On days when you should have dropped from exhaustion after the training I put you through, you got up and worked through the night to prove your point."
Shisui swallowed reflexively, wanting to say something, anything to just put him out of his misery at this point. And get him to sleep.
"Honestly, your clan has so many stuffy, high-handed pricks that I never had much hope for you."
Shisui bit his lip and sat up, finding it awkward since his latest growth spurt made him more arms and legs than was normal.
"But…" Jiraiya sadistically let the word hang and Shisui vindictively vowed to string up his lecherous master the next time he had to drag his Sensei out of a brothel. "You did it! I'm proud of you! You truly are one of my favourite students!"
"Really?" Shisui asked faintly, feeling disoriented and concerned he really had gone off the deep end this time.
Wait a minute…what the hell is he on about?
"Congratulations, kid!"
The Sannin shot forward, kicking the desk to the side, and swooping Shisui into a headlock before aggressively rubbing at his scalp.
"Ack! Sensei! Let go!"
"To think," Jiraiya shouted out delightedly. "I always thought this day would never come, but my patience has rewarded me! Truly a disciple after my own heart!"
"Wait just a damn minute!" Shisui wiggled desperately as his suspicions hit him hard. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
"Don't play coy with me, kid. I found it!"
"What?" Shisui asked stupidly, before the lecherous look on Jiraiya's face answered his own question.
Oh shit. Oh no. Oh, crap! I am so, so dead.
"I mean, honestly, you've never bothered sealing anything before. You might as well have posted a sign."
Oh, Kami! This can't be happening.
Unfortunately, not even wishful thinking—or a layered genjutsu—had the influence to stop Jiraiya when he was on a roll.
"But actually, it's fucking brilliant kid! You should have told me you had written a book! And the material, it's a little demure, but its got some smokin' hot descriptions! I knew that Sharingan had to be good for something because that detail is pure gold, kid! I sent a letter to my publisher yesterday along with a copy of your work! I guarantee that we will have this baby in stores before we make it back to Konoha!"
No way. Not in a million years. Shisui's clan would absolutely destroy him if he was associated with that!
"It's just a dumb idea of mine! It's not a book!" Shisui squawked. "I don't want any credit for that! Do you know what my family will do if they find out I co-authored a book with you?!"
Already, he could picture himself being strung up and burned alive by an irate Mikoto. After he was nicely singed, a menacing hoard of kiddies would ambush him and smash sticky, squishy globs of gum into his attractively regrown hair.
Shisui shivered and curled up tighter.
"Believe me, kid, life is too short to be worried about a few fussy, traditionalists. Besides, a mind that can come up with this sort of material is wasted on propriety."
Smug satisfaction was not uncommon to see on Jiraiya's face, but having it aimed in his direction made Shisui question more than a few life decisions.
"Do we have to publish my book?" Shisui asked, knowing already that it was a lost cause.
"You almost sound like you'd prefer not to make a boatload of easy money," Jiraiya drawled and Shisui sighed heavily when the older man rolled his eyes. "Besides, I just finished adding a few scenes and buffing up the content so that it fits in with the rest of the series."
"Great…my romance story has turned into just another crappy smut show," Shisui grumbled.
"Don't insult our work!" Jiraiya shouted, causing his ears to deafen slightly on one side. "A collaboration between master and pupil! I titled it: Icha Icha Combo!"
Assuming this was not some horrifying dream, Shisui could only assume his life really, actually was a nightmare.
"Your titles suck, Sensei," Shisui groaned pathetically into his hands. "But if you agree not to peek or do any of your whoremongering until we get back to Konoha, I'll let you publish it."
There was a long pause as Jiraiya's jubilation fell away and the older man studied him wordlessly. Without looking away, Shisui kept his gaze locked with his master.
Maybe it was selfish, but Shisui had really enjoyed being away from Konoha. Unless it was for a mission, he had never been outside the village. There was a certain appeal in being able to wake up and decide your own destiny: beholden to none. It was a way of life that was beautiful and certainly wouldn't last forever.
It was obvious that Jiraiya had initially been less than enthusiastic about taking him as a pupil, but Shisui liked to think his Sensei had warmed up over the years. Jiraiya taught him, but the man preferred sneaking away to brothels than hanging out with Shisui. Unfortunately for the sage, Shisui was a good stalker and dogged his footsteps day and night until slowly but surely, the older man warmed up to him and they actually spent a significant portion of time training.
Shisui's father had died long ago, but Jiraiya became something of a surrogate role even if it had not been the other man's intention. Around nighttime campfires they discussed jutsu theory and fuinjutsu—or listened to Jiraiya complain about how hopeless Shisui was. There were taijutsu spars that reminded him just how far the climb from A to S-rank really was. And there were lessons in the cities that Jiraiya taught him how to blend in and draw out potential informants and all that entailed.
It was far from a traditional parental relationship, but Shisui liked it. And as their time together drew near an end, Shisui had worked on the manuscript on the odd night that he was not completely exhausted. Unlike Jiraiya's writing, Shisui's work was tasteful, and focused largely on story, while still holding true to the erotic draw that Jiraiya's readers preferred. Writing was no natural talent for him, his hard work slaving away was a small price to pay for more quality time with the man he had grown to care for so deeply.
"Alright, Shisui, you have a deal." Jiraiya's voice had gentled and there was promise in those words that might have been unbelievable otherwise. "Besides, I'll need all the time I can get to pound some extra information into that skull of yours. You've come far, but Jiraiya-sama still has plenty more to share with you!"
Feeling slightly less weary and dejected than he had five minutes prior, Shisui grinned slightly.
"Bring it, Sensei."
School days settled into a comfortable enough routine for Minato and his friends. Most homework assignments were easily completed during school hours, leaving a portion of his spare time, to spend with his friends training or relaxing. What little time remained afterward was devoted to private studies and spending time with family.
Minato's lack of progress with jutsu was somewhat disheartening. Suiton mastery was coming along nicely with Kurama's assistance, though his jutsu repertoire was limited to jutsu he was already familiar with. While progress was slow, at least there was progress.
Lightning was another story.
From prior life experiences, Minato understood the fundamentals of manipulating and transforming chakra into raiton. There was a finesse that enabled a person to heat and kindle the flow of inner energy, which enabled an individual to produce and control existing fluctuations of lightning.
If water required precise creativity, lightning required contained chaos. Raiton jutsus were difficult to recreate simply because they required far more control than any other element. If Minato had several years to safely dedicate to raiton training, he felt confident in his ability to reverse engineer raiton techniques and develop a true mastery of that area of ninjutsu.
Not that he had much of a chance to speed up the process with his family's repeated efforts to sabotage his training.
If Minato attracted Shizune's attention, the kunoichi would cheerily poison him to enhance his resistances to certain substances; while invariably useful, her efforts tended to hamper more than benefit Minato's training.
Tsunade was determined to cram as much medical knowledge into his brain as possible. Minato may have—only a slim chance in hell, truly—convinced Tsunade that he was not specializing as a medical shinobi.
Not that Tsunade demonstrated any signs of caring what Minato wanted. No matter how much he begged, cajoled, and made excuses, the result was the same; at least two days per week, Minato would be stuck following Tsunade around a hospital for a few hours.
There were things he could have gone another lifetime without knowing. Or seeing. Or doing.
Give him dead bodies or an assassination, no problem. Holding an emesis basin while someone vomited or emptying a bedpan made his stomach turn. Assisting in the lancing of a pus-filled ulcer that, once again, made his eyes water.
The silver lining of hospital training, was acquiring some useful skills for fieldwork; containing poison, preventing permanent nerve damage in burn tissue, and the ability to deal with minor injuries.
Minato would never become the medical whiz that Tsunade had become, but what she was pounding into his resistant skull may save a life; for that reason alone, Minato could not complain.
Kakashi, perhaps, was the worst of Minato's problems. Kakashi often deflected Minato's requests to train unless it involved trap making or basic kunai, shuriken, or senbon accuracy. When Minato spoke seriously about his desire to expand his repertoire of knowledge, Kakashi would hug him close, ruffle his hair, and tell him 'little boys shouldn't grow up too fast!' It drove Minato around the bend more often than not.
Far from optimal, it meant that Minato's best tutors were Ishida-san—the majority of what she taught was stuff he already knew—and Gai. Naturally, Gai was more skilled with taijutsu now than Minato had been in his previous life, which meant earning a few tips from the Green Beast was not a waste of time. The real problem, was that inevitably, Itachi would be training with Gai; Minato trusted Itachi as an individual, but not enough to confide in the older boy. Since Itachi was unfailing perceptive, Minato was forced to keep his meetings with Gai to a minimum.
Which meant that his progress was limited to self-training and Kurama's advice. Minato suspected he would feel much better about his progression if the Obito factor was not such a worry.
Minato ducked, narrowly evading Naruto's sandal to his nose.
Get your head in the game, Minato.
Right.
While he had been lost in thought, automatically reacting to the spar, it was clear from the pinched look on Naruto's face that he was frustrated by his failure to land a decisive hit against Minato.
Minato danced backward, crouched low, and neatly swept Naruto's feet out from underneath him. Naruto growled as Minato tapped the blond's heaving abdomen with his fingers indicating he would have gutted him.
"My win."
"Ugh!" Naruto groaned from where he was sprawled on the grass. "You've gotten faster! How the hell were you moving so fast!"
Had he cranked up his speed without realizing it? If so, he would have to be more careful.
"Kakashi's been pushing me hard lately," Minato lied casually, but with a sheepish grin. "Told him you were hitting harder, so he told me I needed to be faster."
"You told him I was hitting hard?" Naruto jerked upright with a snap, suddenly looking eager.
Minato grinned crookedly and nodded slightly. Seeing Naruto smile was always a reward worth working toward. The blond had a heart of gold and an insecurity that had never, quite gone away, even after all these years.
"It's true," he assured his friend with a wink, that had Naruto returning his own goofy grin. "You're built for stamina, power, and hard hits. Where I, am skinny and can't take as many hits as you. I have to be fast because a few solid blows from you will take me out."
It was true, or it would be. As a jinchuuriki, Minato would always have an edge of stamina and resilience because of Kurama, but physically, his body was slender and would never attain a muscular bulk that some males achieved.
The outcome of Naruto's height was uncertain, but Minato could see that his friend would likely have a build like Jiraiya-sensei, that was both strong and powerful.
And he hadn't been lying: Naruto hit hard.
"You'd better watch out next time, Minato-chan! I'm gonna train really, really hard and be faster and stronger."
He would look forward to it.
"Thanks for the warning. Now I'll have to up my game some more!" Minato teased, but quickly diverted the subject. "You finish your homework?"
"Ugh, don't bring that up!" Naruto flopped backward, mopping his sweaty face with his sleeve. "Kaa-san is a slave driver. And Hiashi is even worse than her!"
There were just some subjects that even Minato was unwilling to touch.
A short distance away, Hinata and Sasuke were still going strong. Though, Sasuke appeared to be favouring his left side and Hinata looked slightly singed.
"Hey Minato."
"Hmm?" Minato murmured, not taking his eyes away from his sparring friends.
Hinata's footwork needs to be cleaned up and Sasuke's accuracy with his left hand just isn't as strong as his right. I'll need to work on that with them and—
"Can you go over this sealing thing with me? Naoka-sensei explained it but I kinda wasn't listening—"
Minato blinked and turned back to Naruto, instantly being beset by pleading hands offered beseechingly and a hopeful look that Minato was practically defenseless against.
"—and I really, really want Kaa-san to think the best of me. Ya know?"
Minato sighed, climbed to his feet, and looked down at Naruto. His friend had a hesitant, uncertainty about him. Without a word, Minato started walking toward the Hatake house, only to call over his shoulder.
"You asked me for help. Are you coming?"
Minato snorted as the sound of pounding sandals followed his statement!
"You're the best! Thank you!"
If only you knew how happy I am to be doing this with you, Naruto.
"You're just lucky I listened to Sensei, Naruto!"
"Heh. You and Sasuke are always paying attention to everything. How you can remember all that crap at the Academy is beyond me! If Kaa-san wasn't such a slave driver, I probably wouldn't do half of all that homework!"
Definitely not a bookworm, like me, but that doesn't make you any less of a hard worker, Naruto.
"Gah!"
Waking with a jerk, Minato groggily jerked upright with an unwelcome crick in his neck making itself known. Rubbing at the tender spot, he rolled over and buried his face in a pillow and closed his eyes again.
Kid…
I'm tired. What is it?
The lack of answer really should have been his first clue.
"Minato! We're running late!" Tsunade's irate voice was followed up by pounding footsteps.
Footsteps heading straight for his room.
Minato. Your fuinjutsu notes! Get up!
Huh?! What?!
Minato jerked upright, blanched at the sight of the notes—the ones with several weeks worth of scrawled, advanced notations that he would have no explanation for knowing—and stuffed them unceremoniously under his pillow.
Not a moment too soon as Tsunade barged into the room like rampaging rhinoceros with her ponytails askew, sleep gown gaping in a way that would have had Jiraiya on the floor unconscious from blood loss, and a wild look in her flashing, golden eyes.
"Oba-san?" Minato rubbed at his eyes tiredly, even as he shifted his foot subtly to cover a slightly exposed page of scrolls.
"Shizune didn't set the alarm before she spent the night with that little shit!" Tsunade's shook her fist vengefully and Minato instantly pictured a Tenzo-sized crater in the backyard. "We're late!"
Peeking to the clock on the wall, Minato rubbed his temples and tried to soothe the light headache just setting in.
"Get dressed quickly and meet me downstairs. I'll see about breakfast."
Minato's luck held out and Tsunade had stormed out before noting his dismayed horror. Stereotypes could often be misleading, but in the case of Konoha's Senju Hime, some of those stereotypes held more than their fair share of unfortunate truths.
Oba-san's cooking…ugh. As if Minato needed more reasons to visit the hospital.
Tick tock, Minato.
Shit!
Minato scampered around his room; he stuffed his fuinjutsu notes into his schoolbag, threw on his kimono top with the Senju crest on the back, and raked a brush through his hair before tying it back.
The clock in the hall chimed.
Minato bolted downstairs with the Shodai's pendant bouncing around his neck, and skidded to a stop just outside the kitchen.
Thank Kami. No smoke.
Not yet.
Kurama!
"Oba-san?" Minato called, tiptoeing into the kitchen.
Tsunade seemed lost in thought with a slip of paper between her fingers and a pensive look on her face. More than the cosmetic jutsu Tsunade maintained, the momentary timid, insecurity visible on elegant features made her look decades younger.
Ignoring his own headache, Minato wordlessly shouldered his own backpack and padded across the chilly floor to press his face against Tsunade's side in a silent show of support. The touch seemed to revive his silent relative because a moment later the scrape of fingernails over Minato's scalp and he sighed appreciatively and felt his eyelids flutter before shuttering as he almost dozed upright.
He must have been more tired than he realized because he never noticed Tsunade shift, until the peppery glow of an active chakra network tweaked his senses.
"Headache again, Minato?" Tsunade clucked, and Minato smiled weakly at the frown he knew was on the older woman's face. "Were you staying up late reading again? You know how I feel about that on school nights."
"I was too close to the end," he replied, grinning widely at Tsunade's exasperated hum, though he noticed his headache was almost gone. "You know I don't like leaving things unfinished."
"Tch, you're stubborn like your father."
"Which one?" He quipped.
"Brat!"
Minato squeaked as he was suddenly jerked into the air wriggling helplessly like a puppy as Tsunade smirked at him ferally.
"Oba-san? Put me down? Please?"
"I catch you staying up past your bedtime again…you're on bedpan duty at the hospital for a month."
Minato's jaw dropped and he gurgled, preparing to protest, but a red fingernail waggled and tapped his nose warningly.
"And that's after, we practice your dodging skills," Tsunade smiled sweetly and pressed a kiss to his brow as Minato swallowed hard. "Got it, squirt?"
"Got it," Minato replied as a shiver ran down his spine.
"Wonderful!" Tsunade crumpled the forgotten note in her fist, slung an arm around Minato's shoulders, and steered them out of the house.
With little time to go, Tsunade purchased breakfast at the sticky bun locale and began quizzing Minato on various medical questions; occasional corrections were made and she methodically explained the role of antigens in the body until Minato's head throbbed warningly. He was all too thankful to accept the wad of ryo she pressed into his hands for lunch, escaping into the school building before his head exploded from all the advanced medical terminology he was expected to both retain and understand.
Not really in the mood to socialize, Minato weaved his way through the halls before slipping into Inuzuka-sensei's diplomacy classroom a few ticks ahead of the bell.
Minato waved to the girls who affably returned his greeting, nodded at Naruto and Chouji who were each devouring multiple bags of potato chips, and headed toward the back row where only Shikamaru was squeezing in his morning nap. Minato dropped into a seat and pulled out his fuinjutsu notes he had been working on the previous night and immersing himself in where he left off on his two work-in-progress, concepts.
The first was a potential new delivery system for the Hiraishin that would make it more effective and less limited than it had been. Every jutsu had flaws and narrowing those would only be of benefit in the long run.
The latter was his notes on creating a seal to deal with the chakra drain in Kakashi's body. Minato had a lot of ideas, a few more promising than others, but he had spent the last few nights working a conversion seal that looked rather promising.
Minato was just preparing to add a few notations when the first call came in.
"Minato-kun!"
Ugh. I'm never going to make progress.
You will, at a slug's pace.
Ignoring the cackling bijuu, Minato pasted on a smile as Kiba darted up the aisle looking frantic with a dejected Akamaru under one arm and a shredded notebook in one hand.
"Kiba-kun?"
"Dude, you gotta help me!" The Inuzuka shook his canine partner who whined mournfully. "Akamaru ate my homework!"
"And what do you want Minato to do, moron?" Ino shouted from the front row, where a wide-eyed Sakura and amused looking Hinata were observing the scene. "Give you his?"
"Nobody asked you, Ino!" Kiba snapped, shifting from foot to foot and looking at Minato pleadingly. "Dude, can I copy your assignment?"
Why was he not surprised? Oh right, because all his friends always asked him. It really was Minato's own fault since he usually enjoyed helping, but today he just wanted to work on his fuinjutsu notes while Inuzuka-sensei gave a lecture that he did not need notes on. Was that so much to ask?
"Inuzuka-san, I believe our sensei would notice if your wording matched Senju-san's style," a pale boy with dark eyes that Minato did not recognize suggested from two rows up. "Your rhetoric is significantly unrefined compared to his."
"Burn!" Naruto crowed in the backdrop, while sniggering could be heard from the majority of students, clan and civilian alike.
"Who the hell do you think you are, you punk?!" Kiba rounded on the thin boy that had spoken up—Minato wondered if he should thank the kid later.
"I'm Sai." The boy shrugged his shoulders and cocked his head to the side. "You're the loudmouth, with the smelly mutt, that enjoys detention with that blond idiot, right?"
"The hell did you say?!"
Minato braced himself to intervene before Naruto and Kiba ended up with detention for a year when Inuzuka-sensei arrived and ordered everyone to "Sit down and shut it!"
Kiba and Naruto slunk away together and began whispering harshly and shooting this 'Sai' character hateful glowers.
Minato looked up as the chair to his left scraped and Sasuke sat down with a slight hum next to him. They exchanged nods and Sasuke refocused his attention on Sensei.
Minato returned to his notes, keeping an ear open for anything important. An hour passed, with Minato immersed himself on the conversion seal, adding notations for an enhanced filtration matrix, and jotting down ideas for potential tweaking if there was failure with his initial concept.
Creating seals was a process. It required patience and for one to accept the failures that came before the success. Few had the stamina for learning from the tediously, meticulous process of trial and error that came with creating a new seal. Kushina practiced fuinjutsu, but she disliked creating new seals. Inventing something new though…that appealed Minato's imagination. And maybe in this life, he would make something entirely his own.
"Minato-kun," Sasuke's voice dragged him to attention.
"Hmm?"
"Sensei is partnering us randomly for some international relations project."
"Thanks, Sasuke," Minato grinned, before leaning over and prodding Shikamaru awake. "Shikamaru, let's go."
The other boy grumbled, but sat up and trudged down behind them to where sensei was writing down group numbers on the board, each with three spaces underneath each. Students were drawing numbers from a box and sensei was adding each name to the board in turn.
"Eh, tough luck, Sasuke," Shikamaru murmured.
Minato glanced up to see that Sasuke had landed himself in a group with a pair of names he did not recognize—perhaps civilian?
"Meh."
"You might be surprised," Minato suggested ruefully. "It could be a really good thing. Make some new friends?"
"No."
Minato rolled his eyes, rubbed his temples, and snagged a piece of paper from the box.
"Sensei, I have five," Minato called out, reading the names on the board and finding he had the boy Sai from earlier and Ino.
Ino would be easy to work with…hopefully the other boy would too.
"Good, return to your seat, Senju-san."
Minato turned to do just that and made it three whole steps, only to freeze when he heard cries of alarm start up around him.
There was no need for explanation as suddenly Minato felt dampness explode around the room and soak through his clothing. Across the room, students began screaming, shouting, and Inuzuka-sensei was barking instructions.
What the hell?
Glancing upward, Minato flipped agilely backward onto a desk and looked up. The sealing array on the ceiling was glowing steadily as water poured downward. Minato recognized the design as ones that would react to either fire or smoke of which there was neither so—
Of course. There were odd spikes of chakra throughout the school, suggesting this was no isolated event. Meaning of course, someone with fuinjutsu training had triggered the seals schoolwide.
And Kiba was rolling on the floor laughing, apparently unbothered by the soaked classroom, while…
Naruto was missing.
"Alright, everyone grab your stuff and get outside!" Inuzuka-sensei shouted. "Now!"
Minato nimbly leapt over his struggling classmates and went to his desk and froze.
The notes he had been painstakingly working on the past few weeks were running with wet ink and completely sodden. Completely ruined.
Minato. You need to calm down. I can feel you panicking.
My work. It's…gone. It's just gone!
They were your ideas. You'll be able to redo your notes.
Not everything.
Minato could not say how long he stared at his ruined work, but a few seconds later Sasuke and Shikamaru were flanking him and he was being lead outside. Vaguely he was aware of the duo trying to speak to him, but Minato was numb to their words and clinging to the misery of what he had lost.
All he could think about, all he could see was his notes that he had carelessly left out dripping wet and destined for a trash can. Certainly, he could recall a lot of the detail, but not everything perfectly. Not those momentary flashes of brilliance that only came during exhaustion in the middle of the wee hours of the night. Minato was no Uchiha with a Sharingan to memorize everything perfectly.
His work was just…gone.
The next thing he new, Minato was sitting outside in a patch of sun with Shikamaru on his left speaking quietly to a worried sounding Chouji. On his right, Sasuke was sitting next to him without speaking.
"I'm sorry, Minato."
Minato closed his eyes, feeling less than confidant that he would be able to conceal his upset. He must have failed miserably because his hand was being gently squeezed.
"It's not your fault, I just…"
Impossible to explain why a few sheets of paper was affecting him so.
"I know you worked hard on that stuff," Sasuke voice was filled with remorse and he was speaking slowly, as if he was uncomfortable with the topic at hand. "When you're working on your fuinjutsu, it's the only time that you're completely absorbed in what you're doing. Itachi is like that with his books. I know it means a lot to you. I'm sorry."
Minato returned the squeeze, feeling marginally less upset, and opened his eyes.
Around him, his friends were clustered in a loose group with a few like Hinata and Ino, trying to calm some of the more flustered civilian students. Sakura was shivering, but dutifully trailing her female companions and he saw no sign of Neji and Shino—though that Sai kid seemed equally distraught holding a sodden notebook in his arms next to a boy with greyish hair.
"You alright there, Minato?" Shikamaru stuck him with that Nara gaze that stripped you down and analyzed you like a bug. "You had us worried there for a bit."
About to nod and reassure his friend, the school doors burst open and Kiba ran out, Akamaru under one arm. Naruto was on the Inuzuka's heels looking like the cat that got the cream.
Minato willed his jaw to remain closed as—yet another—outdoor sealing array went off, drenching the already shivering students with a fresh wave of moisture.
Minato typically considered himself a patient person. A tolerant person. A calm, rational person.
Now, he was none of the above.
At the present, Minato felt his jaw tick warningly as Naruto and Kiba devolved into obnoxious laughter as the entirety of the student populace gaped in slack-jawed horror at the ongoing prank disaster taking place before their shocked eyes.
They're just children…Kushina would have loved this…but I hate this! I really, really have just about had enough!
Except diverting the blame to Kushina did not ease Minato's temper. At best, his jaw was going to ache something fierce later from clenching it so hard.
"What happened?" A poor, clueless civilian student asked from down the line.
Minato dismissed the replies as unimportant, instead trying not to give the dripping, exterior of the Academy too much attention. Not that the interior had been spared damage from the water. Hopefully not too much of an expense for replacing damaged furnishings.
Minato pressed two fingers to the middle of his forehead as his headache ticked up a notch as the chakra signatures around him hummed and his brain radiated the flickers of rapid movement—had to be the shunshin in action—as instructors fought to contain the ridiculous number of triggering seals that Naruto had activated around the area.
What a waste of a day. Of my work! Why are they all so stupid! Sage, my head!
Predictably, a harassed looking Umino-sensei appeared looking very green, harried, and impressively outraged. The chunin snatched up the squirming pranksters, one under each arm, before dismissing the rest of them for the afternoon.
Within seconds, the majority of the students dispersed, leaving his friends idling about.
"Ugh, I can't believe those morons!" Ino's voice called out from nearby. "It's going to take forever to clean up that mess! And all of my homework is useless! I'm going to have to redo it!"
Your homework is useless…my fucking notes are gone!
"Well, I don't mind a day off. Taijutsu practice is brutal!" Sakura's distinctive voice piped in. "Hey! Since it's an early weekend, do you girls want to have a sleepover? We can shop, eat out, and stay up, and—"
Ugh.
"That sounds kinda fun! If the girls are having a get together, do you guys want to come to my place? It's warm enough we could camp outside and Kaa-san would cook!" Chouji chimed in far too happily.
Almost everyone was relaxing, playful even. Everything Minato himself wasn't feeling. He bit his lip as his friends—and even Neji, of all people—quietly began making plans with Shino.
It wasn't a big deal. None of this was a big deal. His notes were lost, but he could probably remember most of it. It made no rational sense, but Minato felt like pulling his hair out, screaming, and punching something or someone as hard as he could manage.
"Hn, Naruto is going to be grounded once Kaa-san gets a hold of him."
"Tsume-san will probably be unhappy with Kiba too," Sakura shivered.
Get it together. No one is mad. No one is upset. Everyone is fine. They're just enjoying some time being kids. Something...I can't appreciate since I lost my childhood to the war. But they're just…
They were children. Children that did not know what was coming for all of them.
"Minato, anything we can do?" Shikamaru whispered.
Good old, Shikamaru. Shrewdly perceptive as ever.
Minato shook his head bitterly, unable to muster up gratitude as he would on any other day.
"Minato?" Sasuke said to his other side, and he felt his hand being squeezed again.
Pulling away abruptly, he hesitated, not wanting to completely seem ungrateful.
"Thank you both for your help," he said shortly, before disengaging from the pair and taking off.
"Minato-kun, where are you going?" Hinata cried out as he stomped past.
"I'm leaving," he said with a clipped tone, not bothering to look at anyone as he stalked away.
Not daring to stop, not trusting himself to hold his tongue.
"Oi, Minato-kun!" Chouji's voice called out.
Minato's fingers dug into his palms. He kept walking.
"Minato-kun?" Shino, voice betraying nothing.
Minato did not slow, if anything, he pushed himself to walk faster.
"Minato—what's wrong?" This time, he could not quite place the voice over the roar of sound in his ears.
I can't fucking do this right now.
"Minato!" Sasuke's voice this time, sounding worried, concerned, and—
I cannot fucking do this right now!
"Sasuke, I'm going home," he managed to blurt out, aware that his voice sounded more than a little forced.
"Do you—"
"I'll see you later."
Refusing to be stalled, Minato broke into a run, rounding the gate and quickly scaling the nearest building. Up and over the side in a second, Minato ran until he felt nothing but the breeze easing some of the heat bubbling under his skin, but still, there was such a strain, such a—
I need to get out of here.
He faltered momentarily as he felt the distinct sense of—
Goddamn it!
Today's ANBU babysitter was keeping pace with him and Minato felt a flicker of helpless frustration.
Minato had been the Hokage once. The value of a jinchuuriki to a village was not to be underestimated, but at times the stifling behavior was really, really aggravating.
Minato abruptly altered course and made a beeline over the rooftop for the Senju Clan home and dropped into the backyard training area. Thankfully Jiraiya's seal array would keep him safe and keep his activities relatively discreet.
His senses would do the rest and they thankfully registered no other chakra signatures aside from himself and the ANBU that would be unable to cross the wards without setting off half-a-dozen alarms.
Didn't matter anyway.
Minato threw himself into a series of taijutsu maneuvers. With merely a beckoning call, pockets of moisture gathered as he directed. The particles of water solidified into a solid, swirling mass that writhed like a living being. It had taken him years to get this far, to pull water from the air around them with such fluid ease.
It was an achievement to master another discipline that Senju Tobirama, his father, was renowned throughout the elemental nations for.
Today, it didn't feel like enough. Today, it was a reminder that this is all he had to show. And it wasn't enough.
Fuck. What am I doing?
Minato slumped to his knees, the water dropping with a dull smack to puddle around him and dampen the shorts he was wearing beneath his kimono top.
Been waiting for you to calm down. You feeling better now?
Minato spasmed and sat up abruptly.
Kurama?
The bijuu scoffed and the low rumble sounded almost amused.
Only been stuck with you for the past couple decades. Getting to know your crazy mood swings is just one of the lovely perks.
Minato flopped backward and stared at the sky, noting the sun's position had shifted and it was well into the afternoon. Had he really been working that long?
I don't know what's wrong with me.
Isn't it obvious?
Minato felt his anger dissipate somewhat as curiosity settled in. Kurama had an uncanny amount of insight. Sometimes, his advice was jaded by the last century of experience, but surprisingly often the bijuu offered a perspective that was helpful.
Not to me. I'm just…Okay, look. My friends are all making progress. It's clear that they're working to better themselves. I know how hard they work. I really do, but then there are times…
Days that Naruto and Kiba prank the school and waste everyone's time. You do realize that you have participated in pranks in the past?
I know, but…
But your friends are actually kids, who aren't time-travellers from the future, who saw the world end?
I know that! I do! And…you're right, but I still feel like all of this isn't getting me anywhere.
Let's talk about that.
What's the point? We both already know, what I know.
Humor me.
Fine! Minato snarled, almost recoiling at the viciousness in his own voice and rushed to apologize. Kurama, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to snap.
Nice to see I'm finally rubbing off on you. The giant fuzzball purred. Alright, I think we can agree you have the Senju taijutsu forms down to an art. Sure, your speed and physical strength need some work, but your body physically needs to grow more before you can really worry about that.
Minato grunted lightly, but didn't bother denying it.
It had taken some time to master the taijutsu movements until they felt natural to him. If Tsunade had been surprised by how quickly that Minato picked up on the katas themselves, she had not batted an eye. And honestly, learning to perform a kata perfectly sounded theoretically difficult, but the real challenge was how you used your abilities against a live opponent. And since Minato only sparred with his friends, it was relatively easy to downplay his own abilities since he was never forced to showcase his actual combat ability.
That and a live combat situation was another game entirely.
Stop thinking so hard. It's annoying.
Minato groaned.
We both know that your fuinjutsu is doing more than well. We also know that when you're old enough, we can work on adding that Hiraishin back into your repertoire. And we both know you're trying to improve on it again.
My jutsu needs some work.
Look, I know Kakashi hasn't been all that proactive on teaching you how to manipulate raiton chakra, but you have a lot of time to practice. I know this is going difficult for you to understand, but there is something you need to know.
This might have been significantly easier if Minato was not absolutely positive he was being mocked and humored.
What? He demanded flatly.
You're eight years old. We have probably another eight years before Madara blows up the world. So, give it a rest, already.
We both know that I'm not really, eight!
Mentally, maybe, but you're eight now. Don't forget, your memory is Namikaze's but technically you're separate people. If Orochimaru frees him from the Shinigami's cage, you're separate. So, remember, you're eight. You need to calm down.
I know. Minato swallowed hard. I do know. It's just hard to see time wasted when—
When you know what's coming. I get it. But you're starting to piss me off by acting like you're an Uchiha with a stick up his ass.
I'm sorry.
You're way too polite for this life. It's a good thing that I know you have the stomach for this job or I'd really be annoyed.
My friends are going to be unbearable next time I see them.
Yep. But I've been waiting for you to have a crisis since the Academy started.
Seriously? And you couldn't warn me?
Some things can only be understood once you experience them. You weren't ready to hear it.
The bijuu had a point, damn him.
Still. And I still feel lousy.
Since you're so worried about this, I have an idea.
Hmm?
Are you going to specialize in medical jutsu?
The heck?
Is that a euphemism for something?
I'll take that as a no. How about tracking?
The hell?!
Of course, not! You know that I need to learn to use sage chakra better than I did before. And, I want to use my fuinjutsu with elemental chakra to—
Yeah, yeah. A simple no would have been perfect. So, I have an idea about something you can do to get stronger.
Kurama had come up with some ingenious strategies for boosting his abilities before so Minato sat up, and dusted his pants off attentively.
What did you have in mind?
An aspect of him realized that his behavior had instantly shifted to that of a giddy little kid, but suppressed the urge to be disappointed in his own behavior.
Jiraiya did it once and it worked out pretty well for him.
Minato froze, too excited to heed Kurama's rumble of self-satisfaction.
The summoning jutsu…that was it!
Kunai, shuriken and a handful of senbon. He had a variety of sealing tags and some explosive notes that Minato had made on the sly. Vials of various antidotes that Shizune kept conveniently in the upstairs bathroom along with a veritable arsenal
You ready?
Absolutely. You are I are partners, Kurama.
Kakashi isn't going to be happy.
He'll just have to understand. The dog contract is useful, but ninken are not exactly up to taking on Obito and his merry band of thugs.
At least Tsunade is gone for the evening and Kakashi shouldn't be back for a few days yet. Are you sure Shizune is going to believe that note you're leaving?
Doesn't matter. We're doing this.
Sasuke is coming over.
I felt him coming, but this should work in our favour really.
Least you're not in a completely miserable mood anymore.
Hey!
The window rattled and Sasuke's face appeared next to the glass. At a wave from Minato, his friend threw open the window and hopped inside, dropping a thick bag as he crossed the floor to Minato's bed. Wordlessly, Minato scooted over and made room for Sasuke, earning a grunt of thanks as his friend reclined on the pillow next to him companionably.
"I'm going to Chouji's tonight," Sasuke muttered vaguely, though the other boy rubbed his arms slightly.
After multiple sleepovers, Minato had picked up on little things that his best friends might never say, but were nonetheless true. Naruto almost always ended up sleeping with nothing more than a sheet and often complained about being too warm. Sasuke was the opposite; the Uchiha boy never complained but he always preferred cocooning himself in a pile of blankets to sleep easier.
"Naruto being grounded is annoying to listen to so you're taking the opportunity to get out of the house," Minato stated.
With a grunt, he tugged the patchwork quilt up and tossed it over Sasuke who shot him a baleful that Minato ignored as he laid back and stared at the ceiling.
"I was upset earlier and I don't want you to think I'm not grateful, Sasuke. You're an amazing friend. Sorry I took it out on you guys."
"I've seen you sad, but I've never seen you angry. Not like that." Sasuke muttered around the thick blanket. "And don't worry. No one is upset with you. Not me. Not anyone. If anything, we're all worried. And Naruto feels pretty guilty. I'm sorry about him."
"Don't be sorry," Minato stepped in quickly. "Naruto is—" Minato faltered. "Naruto was expressing himself. I left my work out, which is my own fault. Maybe he shouldn't have done that, but Naruto wasn't trying to upset me. I know that, I do. So, I can't really blame him for something he didn't intend to happen. I should have been more careful. I know better than to leave important things out."
"Okay," Sasuke agreed, seeming somewhat less tense. "You coming tonight?"
Minato hesitated, feeling bad at the sudden dejected look that flared for the briefest second over Sasuke's face.
"I'll be there," Minato said softly, somewhat relieved when Sasuke's shoulders relaxed again. "I'll come by later. Save me a plate?"
Sasuke stretched, shrugged off the quilt and picked up his abandoned bag.
"I'll save you a plate. Just, don't be too long."
"Go on, Sasuke-kun. I'll save you from our evil friends, don't worry."
Minato waited until all the chakra signatures in the vicinity had quieted. The ANBU watching the compound was no true sensor, but that hardly meant the woman was incompetent.
I hope this doesn't take too long, Kurama.
It will depend on the summons. Every realm is different, but so are the abilities of each group. Some summons will greet a summoner with combat as a test, while some simply will test your mettle. Honestly, I have no idea what lies in store for you. The only thing I can say is that you won't be paired off with an unsuitable summon clan.
Nothing like a good surprise. For some reason, I'm not that worried. I'm excited.
You have me with you. Fear has no place in our bond.
"Well said, Kurama," Minato grinned, his fingers flying through the signs before breaking the skin on his thumb and slamming his palm to the ground.
"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"
AN: I'll I can say in defense of my long absence is that the worst experience of my life came at me and...I'm still going through it. Some days are better than others, but I'm trying to get my life back on track now. Please bear with me.