[Chapter Size: 2600 Words.]
Third Person POV
Konoha, 43.
...
...
As the blond passed through the gate, Might Duy immediately stopped training when he noticed him. Duy used his hands to leap into the air and perform a somersault, landing perfectly on his feet, opening a smile for the visitor.
He had already noticed him, as the trained ninja he was. Duy might not be a sensor, but he had a powerful natural instinct, acquired during the last war, when he finally began to take part on the battlefield after releasing the Sixth Gate, this after Minato had already left the northern front to return to the battlefield in the east against Iwa and Suna.
In any case, little Guy did the same thing, curious because his father had ended the training earlier than expected. But he soon saw the reason his father was smiling toward the gate of their house.
"Uncle Minato, you're back!", the little one shouted, running toward Minato, while the blond bent down a bit and ruffled the head of the ten-year-old boy.
"Look at you. You seem quite strong. Have you been training a lot?", Minato smiled, as his father approached.
"Of course I have, right, dad? We have the power of youth overflowing through our veins!!", he exclaimed.
Minato felt satisfied before standing up and turning to Duy. "How are things?"
"In better shape than ever", Duy replied. "Minato, we didn't have a moment to talk at that last meeting, but I was very pleased to see you again", he said.
Duy had been present at the meeting where all of Konoha's leadership had gathered to deliver the news about the village's future: the integration of the Uzumaki clan and also the return of the Namikaze clan. Minato gave a short speech before familiar faces.
"It's good to be back. Anyway, I thought I'd visit you this morning. I'm not interrupting, am I? If you have to go on a mission, I'll come back another day", Minato said, as Duy sketched his usual smile.
"Don't worry about that, my friend. We had a mission about five days ago. I'm on a team of jonins doing high-level missions. We're off this week and, well, naturally we wouldn't go out after the changes in the village. Most ninjas are more interested in what Konoha is becoming than going out to do their own missions", Duy said.
Minato nodded, understanding perfectly. It was interesting to see that the man who only talked about training had become a bit more analytical, managing to see things from other angles. Even though it was just a small conversation, Minato could already notice the difference.
"Well, how about having some coffee? My wife is still preparing it. Only my son and I woke up earlier to train", Duy said, which was not surprising for two training maniacs, father and son.
"Well, that sounds acceptable. I'd love to", Minato said.
Duy led him inside the house, while Minato greeted Duy's wife, the woman he had helped in the past, when Duy was at war, she almost died. Minato prevented her fate from being death, while Guy had gone to the Senju clan with his mother, being treated at the hospital thanks to the request Minato made to Mito.
"Lord Minato", Guy called at one point at the table. Minato turned his face toward him, curious.
"Is it true that you are going to become the Hokage?", he asked, with a gleam of admiration in his eyes.
"Why do you think that?", Minato asked, his eyebrow slightly raised, sketching a small smile.
"Because yesterday everyone at the academy was talking about it. They say that within the village there is no one stronger, and since there is no official Hokage, with Lord Sakumo taking care of the village temporarily. They said that you will most likely take the hat now that you've returned", he explained.
Duy laughed. "Well, it's not just at the academy. The whole village is gossiping about it, Minato. They expect you to take the hat."
Minato simply took a deep breath. "Not now. Being Hokage now would limit me too much, so it doesn't make sense. I don't want to be the first Hokage not to pass on knowledge to the next generations. I want to have my own team and my own students before taking on so much responsibility. I could do like the Third Hokage, who still taught the sannin even while being Hokage. However, I still want to go out into the field with my team. I also want to have enough time to enjoy my children", Minato spoke sincerely.
He wanted to enjoy himself a little. And, certainly, he didn't have much influence when he remembered Naruto's look when he finally became the Seventh Hokage. Naruto seemed sad. Minato wasn't entirely sure what he felt at that time, but the expression didn't seem pleasant to him. Because of that, Minato looked at the position of Hokage with a certain caution. He would take on the leadership of the village, clearly, but he still wanted to enjoy a little more.
He didn't want to be someone who could no longer leave the village, who couldn't participate in missions with his team, having to stay stuck in an office, behind a desk, signing papers, rereading reports, and making decisions for the village, ones in which he wouldn't even participate directly, only passing orders down and waiting for the ninjas to carry them out.
"Well, I think it's time for you to go to class", Duy's wife said this time, while Guy was about to protest.
"Listen to your mother", Minato said, seeing a brief moment of the future. "You have to go to the academy. Besides, let me ask you something: how is Kakashi? Do you hear much about him?", he asked.
Guy immediately changed his expression to something more competitive and fierce.
"My rival? My eternal rival! Well, we're training together every week at training ground 9, but one day I will still surpass him!", Guy declared, with fervor.
Minato drew a conclusion from that. The original Kakashi, at that age, would not train with Guy, not before learning certain lessons through the death of his comrades... Which meant that he had changed, even if only a little.
Minato scanned the village at that moment with haki and quickly found Kakashi training. He would visit him later. Then, he turned his attention back to little Guy.
"I'm sure you will, Guy. I'm sure that one day you can prove that you are one of the most powerful ninjas the village has ever produced, surpassing even Kakashi", Minato said.
With the power of the Eight Gates, Guy would be among the most powerful in history, like Hashirama and Madara, or even surpassing them, since his speed would be capable of making them unable to even react in time to his attacks. Many would wonder whether the Eight Gates would be capable of facing the Statue of the Hundred Thousand Hands with Hashirama in Sage Mode.
The only flaw of the Eight Gates was the issue of the technique's time limit. After all, the Gates were temporary. Minato would, by chance, be one of the few ninjas who could face Guy, because he would be intangible to his attacks or because he could teleport to another country and wait for the user of the Eight Gates to die naturally.
In any case, Minato had caused an effect on that family after his words of encouragement while thinking about the future Might Guy. When he looked around, he saw Guy crying, he saw Duy crying, and he saw Duy's wife crying in the same way.
"Minato, your words are inspiring", the three said at the same time.
"I never thought someone would talk about me like that, especially someone so strong! I'm so moved! I need to train, dad! Youth is overflowing inside me!", Guy exclaimed.
"After school, Guy. First, go to it", Duy said, despite the tears. Soon after, he wiped his face and spoke to his son, who responded by grabbing his backpack and shouting before even finishing his coffee.
He ran out, leaving his mother furious, while already rushing off the property, heading toward the academy, completely euphoric.
Minato met with Duy outside the house after the first meal, while they talked about training during the more than a year Minato had been absent.
Minato couldn't help but feel satisfied when he saw Duy leaping through the air, using Geppo. He had managed to intensify the technique by using chakra, not being able to replicate it in the same way as Minato, but finding his own way.
He also used Soru and Iron Body, even strengthening his fingers with Shigan. Minato said that he would like to train with him once again in a serious taijutsu fight. Duy accepted excitedly, saying that they would convey their youth once more in an epic battle, using only the strength of their fists and kicks.
The blond talked a bit more before saying goodbye to the Might family. Then, he disappeared, finding Kushina walking through the village. She didn't get startled, she just opened a smile when she saw him suddenly appear beside her, already bearing Minato's Hiraishin mark on her body.
"If you're here, that means we should go to the orphanage!", Kushina said.
Minato nodded as they moved toward another part of the village, where it wasn't as wealthy, but where the orphanage still stood, the place where Minato had lived after he arrived in the village. Minato listened as Kushina talked about her meeting with Tsunade at the Senju clan.
The children were playing in the yard when Minato and Kushina arrived. Some staff members noticed their presence and approached.
"Can I help you?", asked a woman who didn't recognize them, probably a new employee who hadn't had enough time to recognize them. However, another person approached right after.
"Do us a favor, Kelly. Call Madame Gorete. Tell her that Minato Namikaze is here together with Lady Kushina", she said, sketching a small smile at the two, while the woman froze upon finally understanding who they were.
"I'll be right back!", she shouted, running off, while the other woman opened the gate for the two.
"Come in. It's been a long time since you've appeared around here", she said. This woman was an old acquaintance, from Minato's time at the academy, through the eight years he spent at the orphanage.
Some children also noticed their presence and ran over, amazed, exclaiming their names. Minato was immediately surrounded by questions about the war, curiosities, and excited comments.
"Hey, don't push like that", Minato said calmly. Even though the children crowded him forcefully, he didn't move from his spot, only asking them to behave.
The door opened, and a middle-aged woman came out. Minato immediately turned his gaze to her, and even Kushina straightened up, stopping her play with the children.
"Minato...", the woman said, her voice breaking, almost like a whisper.
Madame Gorete pressed her lips together, and Minato couldn't help but swallow hard when he saw her. She must have been worried, perhaps even hurt, when he left the village. Minato hadn't said goodbye and had only left a letter, and that had affected her, making her feel emotions of sadness and resentment, at the same time as joy and love within her.
"I heard that you returned to the village and that you were forgiven for having become a rogue ninja", she said, approaching. "I also heard that you have two children and married four women."
"News travels fast", Minato replied with a somewhat sad smile.
"You didn't visit us or say goodbye... I knew you wouldn't stay still after the destruction of the Uzumaki, because I knew you hadn't fought for that just to give up... I know you, Minato, but you only sent a letter", she said, making the atmosphere heavier. Even the children felt the weight of it.
Minato sighed, gently pulled the children away from his legs, and approached her, stopping in front of her.
"I'm sorry about that. I didn't want to hurt you, but I also couldn't stay in the village anymore, and visiting you could bring problems... I had to be cold, not knowing what the village would do with me running away with Kushina and the others... And you're right, even though the village chose not to fight that war at the beginning, I needed to go, because there were people who needed to be saved... mother", he whispered the last word.
She was not his biological mother, but Minato had always seen Madame Gorete as his maternal figure.
"In the end, you're back. You came back to us, didn't you?", Gorete said, finally opening a small smile, her eyes moist.
Minato nodded and stepped closer, hugging her tightly.
"It's good to see you back, Minato. You will always be this woman's pride", she said, laughing softly as she held him.
Madame Gorete had always considered many children as her own, but Minato had always held a special place in her heart. And no matter how powerful he was nowadays, she never forgot his roots.
They talked for a long time about the children at the orphanage, who dreamed of becoming famous ninjas and succeeding in their careers. Most ended up becoming chuunin, few reached jōnin, but none compared to what Minato had become, coming from that place. They saw him, unsurprisingly, as a role model.
Minato spent a good while talking with Madame Gorete, who wanted to know about him, about his family, and about the dangers he had been involved in.
"Training all this time… you really never changed", she murmured at the end, as Minato explained what he had done during that more than a year and a half after the battle of Uzushiogakure. Kushina laughed softly beside him.
"Well, I needed to develop my strength a little more", Minato commented, making the woman snort and stare at him with a look that clearly said: 'you needed to develop more strength after everything you've already done?'
In any case, Minato disappeared for a moment and soon returned, bringing a dozen cakes after appearing at some bakery in Konoha and buying everything he saw in front of him, distributing them throughout the orphanage, while the children swarmed him excitedly.
Minato continued talking with Madame Gorete along with the staff, even asking about how the orphanage was doing, which, due to the financial contributions he had made over the past years, was very well structured and had a lot of money saved.
Kushina and Minato left the orphanage in the late afternoon, saying goodbye to Madame Gorete and the other staff members, asking Gorete to go to the Namikaze house when she had some time, as she would be welcome at any moment.
Minato asked Kushina to go ahead, since Tsuna had already arrived at their house with Tsunade, who wanted to check whether her daughter had a suitable environment to raise her granddaughter. Mikoto and Hanabi were also arriving at the Namikaze residence at that moment.
Minato still wanted to see two things. First, visit Kakashi, as he had thought earlier. Then, he wanted to watch the children leaving the academy. He wanted to find Obito and Rin, who would soon take on a team. He simply wished to make some introductions in advance.
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Raccoon Here:
Damn, I thought I would finish this in this chapter, but I didn't manage to yet, I still need to write about the children and Minato's team.
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🦝 Raccoon here: 🦝
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