Updated: May 24 2014

6. Sake

The trap expert could have been smaller, in Minato's opinion.

After tracking Fukuda's chakra through the thick cloud of dust, it was easy to throw a kunai towards him and cut through the skin with his sword. It was another story to lift him up. He had to turn him around in case he woke up – he had decided not to kill him to save the information he held – because he doubted the outcome would be very good if he had to fight him.

Minato would like to find out more about the symbols Fukuda had used. He already had a couple of ideas for new techniques, but he needed to know the basics.

With a great deal of effort and some chakra for extra strength (that Fukuda was inflicted a couple of burn marks on his arm and leg wasn't a big concern), Minato managed to roll the trap expert over, and rummaged in his pocket for a small scroll. With it, he summoned a rope he used to tie Fukuda's hands and legs, and when the scroll was tucked away, he placed his palm on Fukuda's arm, ready to transport them both back to the prison tent at the border post where he a long time ago, of practical reasons, had left a Hiraishin kunai.

The dust around them had slowly fallen to the ground, and Minato was suddenly very aware of the damages the trap had done. He could remember the tall, lush trees around the path he had been running on not long ago, and the thick forest that provided shade.

The forest was but a memory now.

I'm gonna be in trouble for this …

"All right, Minato. Three things. One, you did well. Mission accomplished, the trap was removed and the trap expert brought here, amazingly alive. Two, a couple from the Intelligence Division are dropping by tomorrow, so they might be able to help you with the information you wanted. But ..." General Hiromu gave Minato a tired look. "Did you really have to blow up a square kilometre of forest?"

"It wasn't exactly the plan," Minato began, scratching the back of his head. "But I wanted to be done as soon as possible, I thought I'd have a disadvantage if we had to fight ..."

"Minato, you're known for your ability to analyse and move quickly, and I'm impressed that you got out of that spider's web without a scratch, but was there really nothing else you could have done? The feudal lord is not gonna be happy with me."

"And I'm sorry," Minato said for the third time.

The general waved it off and said, "Oh, what the hell. You survived, and I'm sure we'll both survive the feudal lord as well. This was just not how I planned on spending my next week."

With a sigh, he waved Minato out of the tent.

After Fukuda, Minato was surprised to see how difficult some of his next battles turned out to be. He had on his way home from a scouting mission met two Rain shinobi who used fire; he had fought long-range against someone who tried to drown him; he had fought quite unfairly one-on-four. It was therefore a relief when the war finally took a break and he could spend his time chasing intruders away from the camp instead.

"Minato, you don't have a choice, no matter what you say. It's a big day."

Minato grimaced. Suddenly, week-long, demanding missions where your life was in danger seemed tempting.

Kousuke had no mercy.

"I know everything ended up terribly the last time we went drinking, but that's just how it is when you're a lightweight," the soon twenty-one year old Inuzuka said and fiddled impatiently with the collar of his jacket. "You and Inoichi turn eighteen, it doesn't happen more than once, you know!"

"I'm aware of that," Minato said and picked up another kunai he could rub blood stains off.

"You don't have to drink so much this time."

With both hands occupied and unable to point a finger at Kousuke, Minato pointed with his kunai instead. Kousuke backed off.

"The amount of alcohol was your fault -"

"- and Inoichi's -"

"- and no matter how much I trust you on everything else, I don't trust you with a bottle of sake."

He returned to his kunai (Kousuke didn't come closer), but eventually, he sighed.

"I really don't have a choice, do I?"

"Nope," Kousuke replied satisfied.

Thus, Kousuke had found a small village outside the area of the border post, and dragged along Minato, Inoichi, Shikaku, Chouza and Kiraku to check it out. The village was small with large rice fields, tiny tea corners and an impressive number of brothels. To Minato's great relief none of them had planned on entering one of those, and was instead pulled inside a sake bare that belonged to a small, tired hotel.

Unfortunately, a couple of girls from border post seventeen had decided on the same, and Minato had to spend most of the evening repelling old classmates who clearly, despite Minato being away for the past five years, hadn't forgotten him. He wasn't sure if he should take the compliments he got either, or if he was still growing tired of them.

Despite all this, it felt good to be away from the border post for other reasons than missions for a change, and he felt the weird, yet familiar feeling of relaxation. For once, they could pretend there was no war.

It was even easier when the first bottle of sake was emptied.

"Seriously, Minato, did you reject her too? She was actually pretty."

"Thought you said I didn't have to drink so much?" Minato said when Kousuke handed him a new glass of sake.

"Have to see if you're still a lightweight -"

"You're an ass," Minato grinned and poured the sake into his mouth.

"You're doin' a lot better than last time," Kiraku commented, who already had trouble speaking correctly.

"And it wasn't just my fault," Kousuke said defensively. "Don't pretend Inoichi didn't help too."

"Sure, but you got me inside the bar," Minato said and refilled their glasses. "And you were responsible for all the alcohol."

And thus, they made another toast. Minato felt the warmth of the drink spread extra well inside his body, and was in a very good mood.

"Where's Inoichi, by the way?" he asked and looked around. He wasn't surprised to find Inoichi by the girl's table, with particular focus on a blonde.

The original plan was to travel home to the border post, but when Inoichi insisted and Kiraku fell asleep in his chair, they ended up following the girls home to a cottage they had rented for the night (Chouza carried Kiraku easily). While Inoichi disappeared with the blonde, Minato had trouble convincing a brunette that he did not demand sleeping in the same bed as her, and was for that reason awarded more of her beer than he could handle.

When he woke up the day after, shirtless and sharing the bed with someone else, he was immensely relieved to find out that the person he was spooning with, was only Kousuke.