I've been holding back on my writing lately, much because of everything that happens in the manga. There are so many new details to consider, and I've been fearing I'll miss out on something huge if I keep on writing, instead of waiting for the manga to be done revealing new things about Minato.

But if I did that, it would be spring before I'd be able to post a new chapter, so I'm just gonna keep writing as usual. It's not like all the details in this story is correct, anyway.

As for the last manga chapter; I was lucky I had only written the beginning of this chapter before it was released! I had two chances to put Minato doing Sage training in my story, but I never really considered doing it. It was always in the back of my head, like, 'It's kind of obvious, but let's forget about it'. But this chapter is my best opportunity to introduce it. If the manga hadn't shown Minato in Sage mode until later, I'd probably have skipped it.

- OneRepublic: "Light it Up" (Native)

- The Glitch Mob: "Skullclub" (Love Death Immortality)

57. The Return of the Perve

Minato had always been used to stares, but he had never returned to Konoha to a similar sight. People usually played it cool in his presence and dared to look at him as long as he had his back to them; now, he walked down the road towards the Hokage Tower in his stained clothes and with his backpack slung over his right shoulder, like he always had. In other words, nothing new. Yet people around him had forgotten their manners and thrown away any sort of discreetness; they were staring as though they had never seen him before, and did not look away if he stared back.

He had wondered how far the rumours had gotten, and was pretty certain he had his answer right there.

Had he felt just a fraction more uncomfortable he would have considered using the Hiraishin to avoid further glares, but he patiently closed the distance to the Hokage Tower by walking, and soon found Kousuke leaving the Tower. Once Kousuke noticed him, a large grin spread across his face, stretching out the Inuzuka marks on his cheeks.

"Look who's home," he said, eyeing Minato with that boyish expression of his. "You should've told me you're getting new cool nicknames, I feel left out."

"Oh, shut up," Minato sighed, but had to smile. "Is the third in?"

"Nope. Good to see you too."

Kousuke slung his arm around Minato's shoulder and led him away from the Tower towards town square, indicating that the third could wait.

"So I can assume the rumours are true?" Kousuke asked, letting his arm fall down from Minato's shoulder.

"Depends on what you've heard," Minato replied, lifting his backpack further up on his shoulder. "I heard more and more bullshit the closer to home I got."

"Oh, I've heard something quite interesting," Kousuke grinned, nodding politely as they passed two breathless Inuzuka girls. "Apparently, I'm supposed to refer to you as the Yellow Flash or something. Is that true? I mean, who came up with that?"

"Kumo guards. Beats me how that got out."

"Also heard you had to fight your way through somewhere between two to five thousand enemies?"

"That's not true."

"Oh, so that's bull then. Someone also said you were attacked by the Raikage himself without being hit."

"That bit's true."

Kousuke's head turned at him and his eyes glared at him with incredibility. Minato stared mildly back at the grin that was forming on his best friend's face.

"Damn," Kousuke managed to say. "So that's why he's so pissed off."

"Who said that?"

"Almost everyone. You know, he's known for holding onto his grudges. I don't think we'll ever be at peace with Kumo, not when the Raikage's gonna be forever pissed at the Hokage."

It was Minato's time to snap his head up and glare. Kousuke was looking expectantly back.

"Kushina couldn't keep her mouth shut, could she?" Minato eventually sighed, watching yearningly as they neared the road that led to his house.

"Nope," Kousuke said happily. "And there's no way you're going home just yet. You're gonna have a beer with me and tell me what the hell's been going on."

Minato had desired more than anything a cold shower and a bed to sleep in after his long journey, but his persistent friend had been impossible to compromise with, and as Kousuke led him down a small side street, he had hoped something would come up so he could leave the interrogation for later. Though when an ANBU stopped them to tell them the third was calling all jounin in for a meeting, Minato felt that he would have no chance to go home until midnight.

It was a short meeting, as the third had already planned. Kushina wasn't there, and Minato was about to ask why when the third began the meeting by asking him for the information he had gathered in Kumo. Minato summed up what he had found on the stolen documents, which had mostly been different missions and targets. The third guessed that Kumo would, hopefully, hold back, and quickly told them about the skirmishes that had happened with the smaller countries lately. Iwa had infiltrated the Grass country, and was making their way to the Fire country.

"It might not be official, but the war has already begun," he then said seriously. "I've already sent back-up to the borders, which is why you're so few today. I had to split this meeting in half."

That explained Kushina's absence, but Minato was disappointed to hear she wouldn't be there when he finally got home.

The sun had set outside, and the sky was dark blue. The dull light from the street posts in the side street Minato walked down made the skin on his hands turn a cold shade of blue, and he shivered slightly as a gust of wind turned the corner and hit him in the face. The Hokage had ended the meeting by telling them he was going to resign after the war, at which the majority of the jounin seemed surprised and wanted to know more, but they had been dismissed before they could start asking questions. Minato looked up at the building next to him, realising he was walking past his old apartment in Pine street.

Seven years ago, he had been sitting inside his small, empty living-room, trying to understand that that was his last day in Konoha for a while. That he was never going back to that apartment again. That he had to say goodbye to Kushina the morning after, and wondered when he was going to see her again.

This time, he wouldn't even be able to say goodbye. He wasn't leaving on a permanent basis this time, nor was she, but the chances that their missions would be longer and not synced with each other were higher than Minato liked. For all he knew, he could be back in Konoha several times, yet it could be months until he saw her again.

He thought about the letter he had received from the third before the last war, when the last thing he had done before leaving the apartment was to read it through for the twentieth time to make sure he hadn't missed anything. He had a similar scroll in his backpack, but due to the difference in skill and experience, the letter was a lot shorter.

'Team nine departs at November 4th, 07:00 AM, to border post #12. Further missions handed by squad leader upon arrival.'

Apparently, Kushina had joined the coastline in strengthening the protection against Kirigakure. Her water nature came as a huge advantage, and it seemed that she would be there until the opposing country could decide whether or not they wanted to participate in the war, meaning she would either stay until they told them no, or stay even longer if they decided to attack. Minato, on the other hand, was leaving for the Grass country to stop whatever Iwa had sent in their direction, and had no idea how long he would be away, either.

The difference between this war and the previous, was that Minato was only helping one particular border post rather than actually working there. But the more he thought about the upcoming fights, the more did he realise that he might as well be away from Kushina for five years this time as well.

Minato was feeling slightly depressed when he transported himself to the entrance inside his house, and kicked off his shoes and dumped his backpack on the floor with his mind on a cold shower. He hadn't eaten for hours, but he didn't feel particularly hungry. More out of a tired mind than a lazy body, he transported himself to the bathroom on the second floor, contently noticed the pairs of clean boxers and sweatpants he had left on a stool before he went to Kumo, and pulled off his clothes to take the shower he was craving.

The pleasant torture of ice cold water down his back made him shiver for just a moment, and he appreciated how his mind cleared up. Finally, he could try to shake off the tiredness that had come with everything that was related to war. He had always known it was coming, and knew the downsides very well; death, injury, difficult decisions that could lead to fatality. But hearing the Hokage announce that the war had already begun still felt like a slap to the face.

He could practically feel Kushina grabbing his face with her palms, telling him to pull himself together and get his job done.

Minato opened his eyes and realised he had been standing underneath the cold water completely still for ages, leaning against the wall with his hands. Shaking his head, he began to quickly scrub his body clean and decided he needed something to do to keep his thoughts away. After getting dried up and dressed, he walked downstairs in the direction of the living-room, pushing some wet strands of hair away from his forehead and trying to keep himself from searching for Kushina's chakra in the house – he'd only be disappointed anyway – but he couldn't help but feel that there was someone close.

Shutting it out didn't help. It could mean only one thing; someone was on his property.

Kushina sat on a white-painted, algae-stained bench, eating her break meal. They couldn't see much out on the black sea, but to have someone keep watch was mandatory in case Kirigakure decided to surprise them. Locals from the village were building sufficient watch posts for them, but for now, the greenish bench had become team six' temporary spot.

She wasn't sure what to expect just yet. Kiri had not been part of the previous war, but they were very aware that the Fire country had become weak. They had apparently shown some interest in the upcoming war, and it had become Kushina's task to turn the ocean against them if they ever decided to join the war and attack. She had no idea how Kiri-nin behaved or fought.

On the other side of the wide ocean, further than they could see from their bench, Kiri soldiers were waiting for the Mizukage to make his decision. It was kind of like waiting for the neighbour girl to ask her parents if she could come out and play, except that playing war had been far more fun than actually participating in one; though Kushina couldn't say she had really participated in a war before, even though both her homes had been part of one. The first time, she had been sent out of her country to serve Konoha instead, and the second time, she had been prevented from helping much because of that service.

This was the first time she was participating for real, but it wasn't what she had expected. She had thought she would be busy at all times, spotting spies and pursuing possible early infiltrators, not sitting on a cold bench with her lunch box, watching a starry sky with ease and waiting for an impact. She was pretty sure Minato would be more busy in the Grass, where the impact was already certain to happen. She told Rabi, who sat beside her.

"You mean the Yellow Flash," Rabi corrected her.

Kushina only snorted.

She had so many names for Minato that she couldn't possibly adopt another one, especially not one that wasn't made for taunting him. On the other hand, she wasn't so sure he would actually like the new nickname if she started using it, so maybe she should.

She smiled as she pictured his dejected face when she called him by the new nickname the next time they'd meet at home, but the smile faded when she thought of how far away that moment was.

Minato stopped in the hallway, looking intently out of the large kitchen windows. It was dark outside, but something had definitely moved on the porch. It might just have been him being extra alert after the news of war – it could have been a cat taking a stroll on the porch rails – but it wouldn't hurt to check. He picked up a hooded jacket he had slung over a kitchen chair, pulled it on as he walked towards the porch and pushed the door, which had been unlocked, open.

It had been so long since he had seen that face that he couldn't recognise it at first. But the large, white hair was not to be mistaken.

"Hey, kid."

Minato's face broke into a wide smile, and he felt relieved. Not just because it hadn't been an infiltrator after all, but also because he hadn't heard one word from his sensei in one year.

"When did you get here?" he asked, unable to keep the grin off his face.

"Ah, a few days ago," Jiraiya replied from where he sat underneath the light from the roof, on the single step from the porch to the garden. "You?"

"Few hours ago," Minato said and seated himself on the step above. "Care to tell me what the hell you've been up to?"

"I guess I could," Jiraiya said and shut the book he had been reading. "I'll tell you in a minute. How long do you have before you're heading out?"

"Three days," Minato said and zipped up the jacket as a new gust of wind hit him on his bare chest. "I'm heading to Kusa this time."

"Thought so. I'll be there as well. I was hoping I'd have more time at home, though."

"So that's why you're back? Because of the war?"

"Not just because of the war, but it was a good reason for me to leave Ame."

Minato looked expectantly at his sensei, who seemed to want to take this slowly.

"How do I begin," Jiraiya finally said. "I don't know how much you've heard from Tsunade and Orochimaru, but to sum it up, I stayed because we, as in Konoha-nin, killed the parents of three kids."

"I heard you were going to teach them how to take care of themselves?"

"That was the plan, initially. And I did, up till a point where I realised I had to teach them more than just cooking and cleaning." Jiraiya turned to Minato. "Minato, have you heard about the Rinnegan?"

Minato frowned. "The myth?"

At the academy, the teacher had told them about the Rinnegan. He had told them the story, but made it clear that no one alive had seen the Rinnegan, meaning it was most likely a myth. However, Jiraiya shook his head.

"I'm not so sure any more. You see, the three kids were outside while I was cooking, and they were attacked by refugees. All of the kids survived, but when I rushed out to see them, one of them was sitting on the ground, sort of in a trance. And when I looked at his face, I saw something different in his eyes. They had turned purple, and had clear, black ripples on them."

"Just like the myth says," Minato shot in.

"Exactly," Jiraiya said. "The kids had never used ninjutsu, and I had never taught them or shown them anything. But that kid, he killed all the refugees single-handedly."

"So the Rinnegan actually exists?" Minato asked, receiving a nod from Jiraiya. "But how did he get it?"

"That's what I couldn't figure out," Jiraiya replied, sighing. "As far as I know, the kid didn't have any special bloodline or traits. I only saw it once, though. He blacked out after the incident, and when he woke up, the Rinnegan was gone."

Minato lay down on the porch floor and went silent, digesting the information, and Jiraiya thought out loud possible reasons why the kid had gotten the Rinnegan for possibly the fiftieth time, but couldn't come up with any new theories and ended up making a frustrated grunt and turned to sit against the handrail on the porch instead.

"Enough of that," he said, turning to Minato. "I've got a question for you."

"Okay."

"When did you start using apple-scented shampoo?"

Minato frowned and glared at Jiraiya. "I'm sorry – what?" he asked bewildered.

"'Cause that shampoo in the shower sure as hell ain't something I left here."

"Sorry to disappoint you, but it's not mine either."

"Disappoint me?" Jiraiya grinned. "Come on. This can only mean one thing."

"And I'm not gonna answer any of the questions I know you have in mind."

"What if I ask your girlfriend, then?"

"She'd kill you," Minato grinned.

"As if," Jiraiya snorted. "There are two girls in this world who could possibly kill me. Not to mention that Tsunade almost succeeded in doing so."

"Who's the other one?" Minato asked curiously.

"Remember that red-haired girl you used to hang out with? The scary one?"

"You mean Kushina."

"That was her name! Well, I guess she could at least give me some pretty bad injuries if I don't watch out. I spotted her training sometimes during the second war, and she was madly strong for a fourteen-year-old. I'd say that whoever your girlfriend is, she can't possibly be at that level."

"Oh, I wouldn't say that," Minato said casually, watching a moth fly without purpose underneath the porch light.

"So your girlfriend is like a Kushina number two?"

"No, there's only ever been one Kushina," Minato smiled, sounding a lot more cheesy than he had intended to. It was enough to get Jiraiya on track.

"Wait, you mean your girlfriend is actually Kushina?"

"Surprised?" Minato chuckled.

Jiraiya thought about it for a moment. "Kind of. Not really. Okay, so no more questions. By the way, I heard something about the old man resigning and choosing a fourth Hokage."

"Yeah?"

"You've got one hell of a future ahead of you, Minato."

"I guess I do," Minato smiled.

Jiraiya straightened up. "I know it's been years since I trained you, but there's one last thing I want you to learn before you become Hokage."

"I know," Minato said; Jiraiya had mentioned it not long after his team-mates died, saying that when the time was right, Minato should follow his sensei's footsteps, because if there was one person who could go through the same training he had, it was Minato. "But I'm leaving in three days."

"I didn't plan on you to do Sage training in three days," Jiraiya said. "The third mentioned they would spend some time after the war to make all the arrangements and necessary measures before you step in as the fourth, so you'll have some time between the war and your new position. Just know that it's not a holiday."

Minato chuckled. "I'll try to remember."

November fourth came with a strong wind and cold drops of rain. Minato had spent some time before he left the house deciding what he was going to wear; he was usually not picky about what pair of sweatpants to put on, but this time, something hadn't felt right when he was pulling them out of his closet. They had to show their enemies that they were serious about this war, because they had to show strength; and their strength came with the pride of the Fire country.

In the end, Minato had decided that the time had come to finally start using his shinobi uniform.

It seemed that the winter was going to be colder than usual, and Minato shivered slightly underneath the dark blue sweater and flak vest as he stood by the great gate, waiting for the final member of team nine to show up late. He had told Obito they were meeting at six thirty instead of seven, just to decrease the delay he knew was going happen, and at ten past seven, Obito came running, receiving a gloomy look from Kakashi.

"Am I late?" Obito panted.

"Yes," Kakashi said with a tone matching his expression.

"No matter," Minato said, picking up his backpack. "Let's go."

They left the village in silence. The other teams had already gone ahead, and they were supposed to catch up with them, so they set off in a light run. Minato felt a little troubled; he had trained his team towards the goal of becoming good shinobi with dreams of their own, but ultimately, this had been their purpose. To strengthen Konoha's position in war.

Rin hadn't even turned twelve.

After his team had graduated, they had been told by their academy teachers that they were to train for war. Minato hadn't focused especially on this when they trained; they had enough experience to know danger. They already knew how it was to lose someone to the war – all of them were orphans, and Minato had practically raised them for the past two years. And he had always made sure that they still knew they were just kids.

How the hell was he supposed to lead them into a war as though they weren't?