Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Chapter 7

Team Gai

Minato led his son over the rooftops of the village. Naruto was silent by his side, head down. It didn't take long to reach the place, and Minato dropped to the street. They stood outside a small ramen shop, with short curtains protecting the entrance and stools sitting in front of the counter.

"Here it is. Ichiraku Ramen, the best ramen in Konoha," the Hokage said. He turned to look at his son. The young blonde had his eyes closed and was inhaling great breaths of air through his nose, a wide smile on his face. "Naruto?"

"It smells amazing, Hokage-sama!" he exclaimed, not opening his eyes.

"It tastes even better. Come on." Minato led the way. Brushing aside the curtains with one hand, he greeted the man behind the counter. "Ohayou, Teuchi-san!"

"Ohayou, Hokage-sama! Two for lunch today?" The older man noticed Naruto entering behind the village leader.

"Yes, please," Minato said, taking a seat. He gestured for Naruto to do the same. "Teuchi-san, this is Uzumaki Naruto. He is a new ninja of the village."

"Ahhh, well, welcome to Konoha, Naruto-san," the older man said, glancing between the two blondes. But he didn't say anything.

"Thank you, Teuchi-san."

"Now, Naruto-kun, get whatever you want. It's my treat."

"Arigatou, Hokage-sama, but…I should warn you I eat a lot, especially ramen. It's my favorite food."

Minato laughed. "Mine too. But don't worry about it. I mean it--it's my treat."

Half an hour later, he was regretting his words.

He was stunned, absolutely stunned, by the amount of food his son could put away. Naruto had taken him at his word and gotten seven--seven!--large bowls. And Minato thought he could eat a lot of ramen. He was willing to bet it had to do with Naruto's large chakra reserves--they would require a lot of energy input to maintain. And he ate so fast! It reminded Minato strongly of Kakashi. Teuchi was practically drooling at the thought of the bill. Minato sighed. Jiraiya hadn't warned him about this.

"Is something wrong, Hokage-sama?" the blonde in question asked, slurping a noodle into his mouth. He looked vaguely worried.

"Not at all, Naruto-kun," the older man replied. "I was thinking, since our meal is just about complete, we should talk about what my plans are for you for the next few weeks."

"Hai, Hokage-sama," his son replied. He drank the last of the broth from the bowl he had.

"Arigatou, Teuchi-san," he said. "That was the best ramen I've ever had!"

"Thank you, Naruto-san. I'm glad you liked it. Come back anytime."

"I will!"

"Add it to my tab, please, Teuchi-san," Minato said. "Come on, Naruto-kun."

Once back in his office, Minato waved Naruto towards the chairs. He himself plopped down and rubbed his eyes again. "I spoke with Jiraiya-sensei this morning at length about your training. I know you have exceptional skills, but there are a few things I still want to test you on. One is your kenjutsu. I have an opponent in mind, but he is out of the village right now. When he returns in a week, I want to see what you can do against him. I'm sure you'll find it to be an...interesting match.

"Genjutsu is another area I want you tested in, but again that'll have to wait, as our Genjutsu Masters are also out of the village.

"Now, I understand from Sensei that you have not been in a situation to work with others much. Konoha missions often rely on three- or four-man teams, and teamwork is an important part of what makes us strong. Therefore, I want you to work with some of the chuunin teams for the next few weeks, to improve your teamwork skills. This way, you will also get to know your peers. The first team I want you to work with is Team Gai--Lee-kun's team. Since you already know him, I thought that would be the best place to start." He grinned a little. "Also, they are the only complete team in Konoha right now."

Naruto was smiling broadly. "Hai, Hokage-sama." He liked the sound of working with others. It was something he had never gotten a chance to do.

"After the few weeks are up, I'll decide where to put you. You may be in a team of your own, or you may work with the various teams as needed. We'll see. Lee-kun and Gai-san will be coming to get you shortly, so you can meet the others and do some training. You will be with them each afternoon this week. The mornings are yours to do whatever you want. After your training with Team Gai this afternoon, I want you to return here and we'll get some dinner. Got that?"

"Hai, Hokage-sama!"

"Good. Any questions?"

"Uhhh…not about your orders, no. I do have two other questions though."

"What are they?"

"Gai-san asked if I would make a scroll of my taijutsu style, with his help. He'd never seen it before. I said I'd have to ask you."

"Really? I didn't recognize it, but I'm no expert. And Gai didn't know it?"

"No, Hokage-sama, but I'm not surprised." He paused. "Okaa-sama taught me."

Minato nodded. "I see. Well, do you think there would be any harm in committing it to a scroll?"

Naruto shook his head. "I don't think so. It's unlikely anyone would know where the style came from. Generally, humans who see that taijutsu in use don't live long enough to talk about it."

Minato stared at his son, then decided not to think about the statement he just made. "Alright then, you have my permission."

"Also, I told Gai-san I learned it from my mother, and that she was from Whirlpool Country."

"Hmmm, yes, we are going to have to come up with some sort of story for you. I'll think about that. Until we have it, try to avoid talking about your past. What is your other question?"

"Can I have permission to use the Forest of Death?"

Minato blinked. "What for?"

"Training."

"Naruto, those grounds are used for very specific purposes, not just general training."

"This would not be general training, Hokage-sama. For my kekkei genkai."

Well, that was most definitely a very specific purpose. "Well…"

Naruto stood and bowed. "Please, Hokage-sama? I have to train with it, just like any other ninja. And those grounds would be perfect--no one goes there without your consent, so I wouldn't run the risk of being discovered, like I would anywhere else."

It did sound pretty ideal, when he put it like that. But still… "It's a dangerous place, Naruto." He waved his son back down.

Naruto snorted as he sat again. "I can take care of myself, Hokage-sama. Besides, if anything attacks me, I can use it for practice!" He actually sounded excited about the prospect.

Minato shook his head. "Can you use your power without…losing control?"

Naruto nodded. "The simple things I can do with no problem. The more complicated ones, or the ones that use a lot of chakra…I can't do those yet without my appearance changing. That's one of the reasons I need to train."

"I'm not worried about your appearance, as no one will see you. I'm worried about that…feeling."

"It's 'youki', Hokage-sama," Naruto said quietly. "But Jiraiya-sensei calls it my 'killer intent'." He shook his head a little. "Anyway, I won't leak it unintentionally unless I'm using really powerful techniques. And even then, I can keep it to a small area. No one outside the Forest will know."

Minato nodded. "Well, I'll think about it, ok?"

"Hai, Hokage-sama."

"Anything else?"

"No, Hokage-sama."

"Ok, well, now we just need to wait for Lee-kun and Gai-san."

They didn't have too long to wait. The Hokage made small talk with his son and just a little while later, they heard a knock on the door. "Come in," Minato called.

The two Green Beasts of Konoha entered and bowed to the Hokage.

"Lee-kun, Gai-san, thank you for coming," Minato said, rising from his chair. Naruto did the same.

"But of course, Hokage-sama!" Gai said. "Lee-kun said you wished to see us!"

"Yes. Because Naruto is new to Konoha, I want him to practice working with his peers. He will begin with your team. He will train with you every afternoon this week. I want you to pay particular attention to his taijutsu, Gai-san." Minato held up his hands, forestalling the question the green-clad ninja was obviously about to ask. "And it's fine with me if you make a scroll of it."

"Thank you Hokage-sama! I am most eager to begin!" Gai exclaimed, pressing his fist into his chest.

Lee was smiling at Naruto. "Naruto-san, I am most excited you will be training with us this week!"

"Me too, Lee-san," Naruto said, grinning back.

Silence descended. Gai was looking from Naruto to the Hokage with a puzzled look.

"You look very much like Hokage-sama, Naruto-kun," he said at last.

Minato sighed. They'd have to come up with that story, soon. He was about to answer when his son cut him off.

"Yes, I do," the younger blonde said smoothly. "But then again, Lee-san looks very much like you, Gai-san."

Silence again. Gai and Lee were looking at Naruto with surprise. Minato was trying hard not to laugh. Even though Naruto kept a pleasantly neutral expression on his face, the Yondaime could feel his son's amusement. He was teasing the two green-clad ninja.

"Well…I think it's the jumpsuit," Gai finally muttered, not at all his usually enthusiastic self.

Minato laughed then, he just couldn't help it. "You'd better get going, you three. Dismissed!"

"Hai, Hokage-sama!" the three ninja chorused, bowed, and left.

Minato settled again behind his desk and a few minutes later, another knock sounded. "Come in," he said.

Yamanaka Inoichi entered the room. "You sent for me, Hokage-sama?"

"Ah, Inoichi-san. Good. I have a problem that you might be able to help me with…"

Naruto was bounding through the trees on his way back to the Hokage Tower. His time with Team Gai was over for the afternoon and he was going to meet his father. The sun had disappeared behind the trees in the western sky.

He had enjoyed the afternoon, for the most part. Gai-sensei had introduced him as a new ninja of Konoha and had talked at length about the importance of teamwork. Lee's two other teammates had seemed bored--Naruto supposed they had heard it all before--but Lee hung on every word the older ninja said, even going so far as to write some things down in a little black notebook. Naruto had half listened while studying the two he had just met.

The kunoichi, Tenten, was somewhat shorter than Naruto with brown eyes and brown hair that was done up in two buns on top of her head. Her hitai ite was proudly displayed on her forehead. She wore a white, 3/4 sleeve, traditional-style top, maroon capri pants that gathered tightly at mid-calf, and slippers. He strongly suspected she used chakra to keep the slippers on during combat, like Jiraiya-sensei did with his own ridiculously impractical geta, but when he asked her, she just laughed and gave him a playful shove. He didn't know what that meant, so he'd just smiled back. She was a weapons expert, and, as Naruto learned over the course of the afternoon, she was very fond of pointy projectiles. He also learned she had excellent aim. She was nice to him and friendly to Lee, although she got exasperated if he talked about 'flames of youth' too much. He liked her.

The other one, Hyuuga Neji, he didn't like at all. He was around Naruto's height and had long, dark brown hair he kept pulled back in a loose ponytail and the odd white eyes of his clan. He wore a simple, loose, white shirt and pants, a brown wrap, and dark shinobi sandals. He was apparently some sort of prodigy. The best to wield the Byakugan, the doujutsu that was the Hyuuga kekkei genkai, in years, as Tenten proudly told him. And Neji knew it. Unfortunately, Naruto had to admit he was a really good ninja. He could see why Neji might make jonin soon.

He was an excellent fighter, and, as their leader during the team exercises, he showed his talent for keeping cool, reading the situation, thinking things through, and utilizing each person's individual skills to complete the tasks. That coolness was at the root of Naruto's dislike, however. It wasn't that Neji kept a level head during combat. That was an important thing for a ninja to do. It was that he was cool all the time. No, not cool…downright cold. He never smiled. He barely acknowledged Tenten's presence and he obviously held Lee in utter contempt. Naruto wasn't sure what the Hyuuga thought about him yet, but he couldn't imagine it was good. Neji didn't seem to like anybody.

Other than the brown-haired Hyuuga, Naruto really enjoyed the team training. He was used to doing things on his own, or, at most, having one other person as simple back-up. Now, he had two or three other people to work with. It was harder in that he had to be aware of where each person was and what they were doing. But it was much easier to actually get the task done when multiple people worked at it.

At the end of training, they had said their goodbyes and Gai had extracted a promise from Naruto to start work on the scroll the following afternoon, if the Hokage had no other tasks for him.

He reached the Hokage Tower and entered. The guards didn't say anything, so his father must have told them he was coming. Hisa merely smiled at him and waved him through. He entered his father's office and bowed. "Good evening, Hokage-sama."

"Hello, Naruto," the Hokage said, leaning back from his desk and rubbing his eyes. "How was training?"

"Fine, Hokage-sama."

"How do you like Lee-kun's teammates?"

Naruto smiled. "Tenten-san is really nice. She offered to practice kenjutsu with me this week. I can't afford to get rusty."

"And Neji-kun?"

Naruto's smile instantly inverted to a frown. "He's a jerk." He paused. "But he is a good ninja," he admitted grudgingly.

Minato chuckled at his son's obvious reluctance to acknowledge the Hyuuga. "Why is he a jerk?"

Naruto thought for a minute. "I don't like the way he treats his teammates," he said slowly. "Especially Lee-san."

Minato hummed in response. He knew all about Neji's attitude and the reasons behind it. He had tried talking to the boy about it, but he was just as cold to the Hokage as he was to everyone else. Minato understood. After all, he was the one that had the ultimate responsibility for the way things had happened. Hiashi had tried to talk to the boy too, but apparently it hadn't done any good. Afterwards, when Minato had inquired about it, the Hyuuga clan head insisted it was an 'internal clan affair'. Meaning Minato should butt out and mind his own business. Since it wasn't directly affecting Neji's ability as a ninja, the Yondaime really couldn't do much else. It frustrated him to no end, like so many things about the Hyuuga did.

"Well, it can't be helped at the moment," the older blonde said. "Let's get some dinner, hmmm? How does BBQ sound?"

"Hai!" Naruto said enthusiastically.

Minato hoped his son didn't eat as much BBQ as he ate ramen. His wallet wouldn't be able to handle it.

The week passed quickly. Naruto trained with Lee and sometimes Tenten in the mornings, then with Team Gai in the afternoons. He worked on making the scroll with Gai after that. It was an interesting process.

Gai had shown up to their first session with a large, blank scroll, several pots of ink and a few brushes.

"I am most excited to begin, Naruto-kun!" he exclaimed. "Please remove your clothes!"

Naruto started a little. "What?" Whatever he had been expecting, it wasn't this.

Gai turned to him, confused. "Do you not know how a taijutsu scroll is made?"

Naruto shook his head.

Gai's face lit up in understanding. "Ahhh, well, in order to transfer the forms to the scroll, a number of seals must be placed on the major joints of the body. I have to paint the seals on your skin, so you need to remove your outer clothing." He smiled broadly.

"Uhhhh, ok," Naruto said, still not too sure about the whole process. He was glad the others had gone home. He wasn't a very modest person, but it still felt a little awkward.

He stripped down to his boxers. Gai even made him take his hitai ite off. Then the green-clad ninja started painting seals on him. On the top of his feet and the back of his hands. On his ankles, knees, hips, wrists, elbows, and shoulder blades. One on his stomach, two on his chest, and one on his forehead. Naruto hoped this new seal didn't do anything strange to the one already there, but nothing seemed to happen when Gai applied it, so he tried not to worry about it. And the Hokage was a Seal Master, so if he thought something strange might happen, he never would have given his permission, right?

When Gai was finished, he told Naruto to stand still so the ink could dry. He busied himself by painting a very elaborate seal at the beginning of the scroll. When he was done, he looked at the blonde in front of him.

"What is the name of this style, Naruto-kun?" he asked, brush poised over the paper, ready to write.

Naruto blinked. "I don't know, Gai-sensei. If it has a name, I was never told it."

Gai looked surprised. "That is most unusual! If it has no name, then we can make one up. But, we'll leave that for later." He smiled. "I think you are dry now, Naruto-kun. Once I activate this seal, all your movements will transfer to the scroll. So don't do anything except for the taijutsu, understood?" Naruto nodded. "Excellent! We will start with the basic forms today. Ready?" Naruto nodded again. "Excellent!" The older ninja began making hand seals. He muttered something under his breath and slammed his hand down on the center of the seal on the scroll. It glowed bright green for a moment and Naruto could feel the seals on his own body tingle a little. Then it faded.

"Ok, Naruto-kun, please begin."

Naruto dropped into the root stance. He watched, fascinated, as a perfect line drawing of himself in the stance appeared on the paper. Gai's voice broke through his thoughts. "What is the name of the stance, Naruto-kun?"

Naruto told him, and Gai wrote it down on the paper. He made some notes below the name and unrolled the scroll a little further. "Next!" he called.

And so it went. By the end of the week, they were about halfway through the stances. Gai had been giving Naruto pointers to improve his taijutsu, and most of these pointers he also wrote in the scroll. Sometimes he had a lot to say, so Naruto found himself standing in one position for quite a while. It wasn't so bad, except usually his nose would start to itch. It was damnably frustrating that he couldn't just scratch it. He'd forgotten a couple of times, or the sensation had become too much, and he had scratched it. At which point a perfect drawing of himself scratching his nose would show up on the scroll. "Naruto-kun!" Gai would scold. And Naruto would apologize while the older man would do something to erase the image. But Naruto would take the man's disapproval over an itchy nose any day. It's not like Gai was really angry with him anyways.

For lunch he usually ate with Lee and sometimes Tenten joined them. Dinner he always had with the Hokage, although after the first day they ate in Naruto's room in the Tower or at the Hokage's residence. Minato had explained that being seen together so much in the village would be suspicious. He looked sad when he said it, but Naruto understood. He looked forward to spending time with his father, no matter where it was. He enjoyed hearing about the Hokage's day and telling the older man about his own. Jiraiya was gone, doing something for the Hokage, so it was just the two blondes. Naruto missed the Toad Sage, but couldn't help but feel glad that he had his father all to himself.

Minato's work with the Yamanaka seemed to be helping. His headaches had gone away, and the random images were coming less frequently. He told Naruto he hoped to start working with his son on communicating specific information soon. He also wanted to test out some of the other connections they had. Naruto couldn't wait.

It was at one of their dinners that Minato asked his son about Neji again. They were seated in Naruto's room in the Hokage Tower, eating sushi, Minato's special treat to celebrate Naruto's first week. "Has he grown on you at all?"

Naruto made a disparaging sound in his throat. "No. He's more of a jerk than before." The younger blonde paused. "He thinks I'm annoying." And stupid. He didn't say that, though. It was by no means the worst thing others had thought of him, but Naruto still considered it an unfair assessment.

"Annoying? Really?" Minato asked. He was not surprised his son's liveliness and energy would grate on the more sedate Hyuuga.

"Yeah. That's not really it, though," Naruto replied. "It's fine if he doesn't like me. But he doesn't seem to like anybody. Not even his own family."

Minato cocked his head. "What do you mean?"

"I mean Hinata-san came by practice today. She said her father had asked her to fetch Neji-san for something. She called him 'Neji-nii-san', which confused me at first, until Tenten-chan explained she was really his cousin. But obviously she thinks of him like a brother. And she was really nice and polite and everything. And he was so cold to her! He didn't even smile or thank her or anything! He barely said two words to her! I don't understand it at all. I thought he'd at least be nice to his family."

Minato understood Naruto's frustration. He had been alone much of his life. He hadn't had friends or family--at least, not the normal sort. So he couldn't understand why someone who was lucky enough to have those precious people would be mean to them.

The Yondaime sighed. "Well, the Hyuuga clan has their problems like any other family."

"But Hinata-san was being nice! So why be mean to her?"

Minato give his son a serious look. "It's a complicated situation, Naruto. Try not to judge Neji-kun too harshly."

His son grumbled something under his breath, which the Hokage thought sounded like 'not that complicated to me', but when he raised his voice he just said, "Hai, Hokage-sama."

"Why are you so quick to defend Hinata-san anyway? Do you like her?" he teased the young blonde.

Naruto's eyebrows rose in surprise and he blinked a few times. "Like her?" he said. He hadn't actually thought much about her, he was so vexed at Neji's treatment of her. "I-I don't know, Hokage-sama. I don't really know her."

"Well, that will change. You are going to be with her team this next week. Team Kurenai. It is comprised of Hinata-san, Aburame Shino, Inuzuka Kiba, and his ninja dog, Akamaru. Their jonin sensei is Yuuhi Kurenai, one of our Genjutsu Masters. They are a tracking team, so you should fit in quite well."

"Ninja dog? This team has a ninja dog?" Naruto asked.

"Yes, why?"

Naruto looked uncomfortable. "Animals have better senses than people," he said quietly. "They are often…uneasy around me."

"Do you think Kiba-kun, or Akamaru-kun, will know what you are?" the Hokage asked seriously.

"No. The dog will be afraid of me, but he won't know why. I'm sure Kiba-san will pick up on that fear."

"Well, then, I'm not worried," Minato said with a reassuring smile. "They might be afraid of you at first, but once they get to know you, they'll see there is nothing to fear."

Naruto looked back at his father, a tentative smile on his face. He didn't have the Hokage's confidence, but it couldn't be helped. His father said he would train with Team Kurenai, and so he would.

"What about Shino-kun?" the Hokage asked. "The Aburame clan uses insects. You aren't worried about them?"

Naruto shook his head. "Insects don't feel fear," he said. "They don't mind me."

"Good." Minato paused. "The swordsman I told you about is returning the day after tomorrow. We'll have the test sometime after that, probably in the morning. I'll let you know after I talk to him."

"Hai, Hokage-sama," Naruto said, excited. He was eager to see who this swordsman was and how his skills matched up.

"Also, Jiraiya-sensei is returning tomorrow. After your time with Team Kurenai, I want you to meet us at Training Ground 10. I'll let Gai-san know you won't be meeting him as usual, so don't worry about that. Understood?"

"Hai, Hokage-sama!" Naruto was really excited now.

Minato smiled fondly at his son as the young blonde went back to eating. He himself had finished twenty minutes ago. He sipped his cooling tea and leaned back against the couch, enjoying the moment. He hadn't felt so content in a long, long while.

Naruto popped the last piece of sushi--unagi, Minato idly noticed--in his mouth and tilted his head, watching the Hokage. "What?" Minato asked, amused.

Naruto swallowed hastily and dropped his gaze. "Nothing, Hokage-sama," he mumbled, taking a gulp of his own tea.

Minato gave a mental sigh. "Tell me." He had learned fairly quickly that Naruto considered it extremely disrespectful to ask him personal questions. In fact, the young blonde hardly asked him any questions at all, even when he was obviously curious about something. A command was the only way to get him to do it. Minato supposed he could read Naruto's mind to find out what he was thinking, but doing such a thing uninvited horrified him, and he didn't think his control was good enough yet anyway.

"I just...I was just wondering what you were thinking," Naruto said quietly, head still down. Even though Minato assured his son that he wanted him to ask questions, Naruto still acted like he was doing something wrong.

Minato smiled slightly. "You want to know what I'm thinking?" He extended his hand across the low table. "Here." His control wasn't good enough to go dipping into Naruto's mind, but he thought it was good enough for this. Minato had avoided touching Naruto since the first day as he hadn't wanted to experience another deluge of thoughts and memories. The stream he was getting without physical contact was more than enough for him to handle. But the stream had since slowed to a trickle, and damn it, he wanted to hug his son again!

Naruto looked up, wide eyes surprised. Then he smiled and grabbed his father's hand. As expected, images and feelings flashed though Minato's head, but it wasn't nearly as overwhelming as before. He took a few breaths and concentrated on blocking those out, like shutting floodgates in his mind. A few things still leaked through, but it was a vast improvement. Then, he willed Naruto to feel what he was feeling, like opening a different set of floodgates just a bit. Just enough for the boy seated in front of him to experience his happiness, his utter content. Just enough so Naruto would know he was the reason for those emotions.

His son's smile widened and he blinked suspiciously shiny eyes, but he didn't say anything. Minato smiled back, but broke the contact. "That's what I'm thinking," he said. A dull ache was starting behind his eyes; obviously he couldn't maintain the connection for very long yet.

"Arigatou, Hokage-sama," Naruto replied, looking down.

Minato drank the last of his tea and stood, stretching. Dishes and empty food containers littered the table. Dribbles of soy sauce and bits of rice were scattered around, mostly on Naruto's side. "Well, it's getting late..." he said as he began stacking plates. A gasp stopped him and he glanced at his son. Naruto was looking at him with a horrified expression on his face.

"I'll do that, Hokage-sama!" he exclaimed as he hurriedly leapt to his feet and tugged the dishes away from Minato.

The Yondaime shook his head bemusedly. "Thank you, Naruto."

It had become a nightly ritual. Naruto refused to allow his father to help clean up after their shared meals, even in Minato's own house. The Hokage had exasperatedly told Naruto that he was his son, not his servant, to which Naruto had replied that yes, actually, he was the Hokage's servant, as he didn't see any difference between the two. Minato realized he should have expected such a response, so he sat Naruto down and patiently explained that children and servants were not the same. Naruto had nodded his head and said "Hai, Hokage-sama," then went right back to clearing the table and washing the dishes. Minato had resorted to ordering Naruto to sit still while he cleaned up, but the obviously pained look on Naruto's face had caused him to cave. After that, he at least tried to lend a hand, but accepted that Naruto wanted to do it all himself. And he never failed to thank his son.

"Are you heading to bed?" Minato asked as the younger blonde finished rinsing and stacking the dishes by the small sink.

"Actually, I'm going to do some training," his son replied.

Minato blinked. "More training?"

"Yeah, there's this one formation I'm having real trouble with, so I need to practice."

"How are you going to do team training by yourself?"

Naruto grinned. "That's what shadow clones are for!"

Minato laughed as a thought struck him. It wasn't that late after all, and he didn't relish the idea of returning to his dark and empty house just yet. "Would you like some help?"

Naruto blinked at him. "You mean, you'll come train with me?"

Minato nodded.

"You don't have to do that," Naruto said. "I'm sure you have other things to do." But everything from his tone to his body posture belied his eagerness to have the Hokage train with him.

Minato sighed. "There are other things I could do, but nothing else I want to do. I'm coming with you."

Naruto smiled brilliantly. "Hai, Hokage-sama!" He rushed into his room and rummaged around for something while Minato moved to the door and slipped on his sandals. Naruto joined him a minute later, now wearing his jacket. He put on his own sandals. Minato smiled and ruffled his hair, and they headed out.