I'm not interested in doing much to build up how or why this has happened. It just has. Minato's been resurrected (cloned? idk) through horrific and unethical means by enemies of Konoha and has a year, give or take a month, to just live and bond with his old student, son, and friends before he dies again due to deterioration of his body.

The sky is bright blue and striped with long, transparent white clouds. The grass, soft and a lurid green, tickles Minato's exposed toes. If he concentrates, he can hear an occasional cricket rubbing its knees together in the distance. By Minato's measures, it's a perfect spring day.

This is also the first one Minato's been allowed to enjoy since being recovered and brought home to Konoha by fellow leaf shinobi. He breathes in the spring air; Minato is unbothered when the pollen in it makes him sneeze. If he knew he was going to see another spring, perhaps he'd be annoyed. But since Minato won't he appreciates it for what it is. A sign he's alive.

Rubbing a finger beneath his nose, he twists around to look at his companions. His student and his son are both so tall, so grown. Minato is sorry he missed seeing them become men. He isn't sorry for dying, though.

If he hadn't it's possible they wouldn't be here with him now.

With that thought in mind, he smiles at Kakashi and Naruto. They both tilt their heads at his grin and his ready-to-burst heart is caged inside his chest by his ribs. Every time they act so similarly Minato feels both breathless and full. Naruto's learned from Kakashi the same way Kakashi once learned from Minato. It makes him so happy they somehow still became a family even with him and Kushina absent from their lives.

"Sensei?" prompts Kakashi.

He jolts a little at the title. He'd forgotten there was a point to him turning around in the first place. Before he answers Kakashi, Minato shifts the rucksack on his shoulder off and rummages inside. A moment later, he pulls out one of the three empty jars he has tucked inside it. Holding the oblong jar up for his student and son, he asks Kakashi, "Ah, do you remember when I taught you to catch tadpoles as a kid?"

Kakashi hums and lets his gaze list off into the nearby trees. "Vaguely," he answers when he looks back at Minato.

It's a better answer than he hoped for. Catching tadpoles was something he taught Kakashi before Obito and Rin. His student had been so little then. They never revisited the activity after becoming a team either. It's one of Minato's (many) small regrets he didn't teach the two as he did Kakashi.

He nods at his student and asks him, "Do you still remember what I showed you?"

Kakashi lifts one shoulder and lets it drop. "I'm sure it would come back to me if I tried," he answers as he reaches out for the jar in his hands.

Minato lets him have it and shifts his attention to his son. "Naruto, did you ever catch tadpoles growing up?"

Eyes wide and eager, he shakes his head. "No," he answers. Minato's heart twinges. Before the twinge can grow deeper and more painful Naruto smiles and says, "But I'd like to learn!"

Minato laughs. "Excellent," he replies before fishing out another jar and handing it off to his son.

Kakashi narrows his eyes and looks from the jar in his hand to the one in Naruto's. "You planned this, didn't you, Sensei?"

Minato taps his nose. "Hm," he says, teasing. "There's a chance that I did."

Naruto snickers as Kakashi shakes his head. Minato turns back around and gestures for the pair to follow him. The best spot for finding tadpoles is just off the trail here. Pushing aside some branches from a leafy, overgrown bush, he urges, "Now, c'mere you two."

They follow him off the path and through the brush until they come to a more or less clear bank on the river. Taking off his sandals, Minato lifts one leg at a time to roll up the ends of his pants. Once finished, he approaches the edge of the river and stares into the quiet spots where the current is nearly nonexistent.

Minato grins when he spots the wriggling tales of some tadpoles. Reaching into his bag, he pulls out the last jar — his jar. With practiced ease, he dips it into the water and catches a handful of the tadpoles and enough river water for them to swim in. Proudly, he presents his find to the kids.

Kakashi, arms crossed, nods in acknowledgment of his good work. Naruto, at height with Kakashi's chin, is much more enthusiastic. He dances in his spot next to his teacher; his blue eyes blown wide.

"Wow!" he yells. "You're really good at catching them." Kicking off his sandals, he crowds up beside Minato and pries the jar from his hand. Peering into it, one eye squinted close, he asks, "Who taught you?"

He rubs his chin and stares fondly at his son for a moment. Minato is happy things as small as tadpoles can still bring Naruto so much delight. "I and a couple of boys I went to the Academy with came out here a lot," he explains when the teenager lifts his gaze from the opening of the jar. "It was an art we got good at together."

His son smirks. "And here I was thinking it had to be Jiraiya," he says.

Minato laughs. "He was pretty good at it himself," he admits. He looks over at Kakashi. The man sighs and slips from his sandals to join him and Naruto beside the water. Once Kakakshi settles on his left side, Minato continues, "We had a contest once, the two of us, during a lull in a mission to see who could catch the most tadpoles. I won by a couple of them."

Kakashi's eyes curve with a smirk. "Did he pout afterward?" he asks.

Minato grins and dips his chin in reply. "Yes but his better nature won out when I offered to start a fire for dinner."

Naruto slaps his knee and guffaws. "That's just like the old man!" he cries.

He can't help but join his son in his laughter. "It really is," agrees Minato while watching Kakashi's shoulders shake slightly with his own quiet chortles.

Thanks for reading and let me know what you think!