Seeing his brother again, Minato's eyes grew misty.
Though less than half a month had passed, it felt like years to him. Even with Hatani standing right in front of him, he felt a lingering sense of surrealism.
"Nii-san?"
For Hatani, Minato's sudden appearance was a genuine, pleasant surprise.
"Otouto..."
Hearing Hatani's voice and finally confirming that this wasn't a dream, Minato couldn't help but call out to him with deep affection.
However, the term "Otouto" made Hatani's eyelid twitch. Every time he heard that word, his mind involuntarily flashed back to certain memes from his past life—specifically involving a pair of brothers plagued by "red-eye disease."
"Ahem. Choza-ge, Inoichi-ge, thank you both for the hard work," Hatani said, quickly looking past Minato to greet the "Duo of Guardians" standing behind him.
"Heh, seeing that you're alright, Hatani, we can finally breathe easy," Choza and Inoichi replied with sincere smiles. Thanks to Minato, they were already quite familiar with the younger Namikaze.
"Hatani..."
Seeing his brother immediately brush him aside, Minato finally remembered that Hatani had always disliked being called "Otouto." Still, looking at Hatani's dismissive attitude, he couldn't help but feel a bit slighted.
"Are you here to escort the wounded back to the village?"
Before Minato could say anything else to his brother, Jiraiya's tall form moved in front of Hatani, effectively acting as a wall between them.
"Lord Jiraiya!"
The three young shinobi bowed instantly, their expressions full of excitement. After the recent battles, Sakumo Hatake and the Sannin had become the "top-tier celebrities" of Konoha. Young ninjas like Minato viewed them as absolute idols. Seeing one in the flesh was an incredible thrill.
"Lord Jiraiya, thank you for everything," Minato added, his excitement tempered by a profound sense of gratitude. Having only heard from Hiruzen Sarutobi that Hatani was recovering under Jiraiya's care, he naturally assumed that it was the Sannin who had rescued the boys.
"Hmm. Hatani simply possesses extraordinary talent," Jiraiya replied. Assuming Minato was thanking him for taking Hatani as an apprentice, the Sannin glanced back at his "bargain-bin" student. His expression was stoic, but his heart was a mess of complicated emotions.
"Sensei, actually, my brother's talent is far superior to mine. Have you considered—"
Sure enough, Hatani's next words made Jiraiya's eyebrows do a little dance of irritation.
Do you think I run a martial arts gym? Just pay a fee and I'll take anyone as a student?
"Come inside first," Jiraiya grumbled, cutting Hatani off with a glare before he could finish. Without another word, he vanished in a flicker of movement.
Having one Namikaze as a student is headache enough. If I take another, I'll... even if I were to starve to death, die in the streets, or be pelted to death by this Rain, there is no way I'm taking another Namikaze!
"Hatani!"
Seeing Jiraiya leave in what looked like a huff, Minato stepped forward. He looked at his brother with a mix of pride and reprimand as he lowered his voice. "Watch your tone!"
He was proud that his brother hadn't forgotten to pull him up once he'd found "success," but he was worried that Hatani's lack of decorum would offend Jiraiya. If that happened, Hatani's own future would be at risk, which wasn't a trade-off Minato was willing to accept.
"Relax, Nii-san. Don't let his 'tsundere' act fool you. In another year, he'll be the one begging to take you as a student," Hatani said with a confident thump to his chest.
Knowing that Jiraiya would eventually part ways with the Ame orphans next year and return to Konoha—where he would indeed take Minato as his student—Hatani spoke with absolute certainty.
"You really are something else," Minato sighed, offering a helpless smile.
Deep down, however, he felt a flicker of anticipation. Based on his understanding of his brother, things Hatani "predicted" often had a habit of coming true. Two years ago, when Minato had just graduated, Hatani had already foreseen the coming war. He had accurately predicted that Amegakure would be the first to lose patience and that their primary targets would be the Land of Iron and Konoha.
If I really could become Lord Jiraiya's student...
Aburame Shikuro's face was currently matching his name—dark and gloomy.
Normally a man who never let his emotions show, Shikuro was now visibly restless and irritable. His lips were constantly moving, muttering under his breath. If anyone had leaned in to listen, they would have heard a string of "refined and easygoing" words—all of which were directed at one person:
Nara Shikashin.
Earlier, when Namikaze Minato had prepared to leave, Shikuro had intended to tail him. But before he could make a move, Shikashin had summoned him to discuss "vital matters."
Technically, Shikuro was on a mission for Danzo, but since the peace treaty concerned the end of the war, he had been willing to prioritize it. If Shikashin actually wanted to discuss the negotiations with Ame, he would have sucked it up and stayed.
But Shikashin was a different story. The moment Shikuro arrived, before a single word of business was spoken, Shikashin shoved a piece of dry travel-bread into his hand and told him to eat up.
The Nara's excuse? "An officer doesn't send a hungry soldier to war." He claimed that one needed a full stomach to think clearly, lest hunger affect the brain and lead to poor judgment.
Once Shikuro finally finished eating, Shikashin claimed he had an "upset stomach" and needed to handle some "personal hygiene" issues, asking Shikuro to wait a moment. By the time Shikashin casually strolled back, half an hour had already passed.
Only then did Shikashin stop the nonsense and actually begin to talk business. However, using the fact that he was the same age as Shikuro's father—and on good terms with him—Shikashin spent the next hour reminiscing about the "good old days."
Because the man was talking about his father, Shikuro couldn't exactly cut him off. He sat there for over an hour, feeling like the Kikaichu inside his body were going to fall asleep from sheer boredom.
Finally, after the trip down memory lane concluded, Shikuro expected more stalling and started to zone out. He didn't expect Shikashin to suddenly do a total 180 and start firing off complex questions about the intelligence gathered on Amegakure.
Caught off guard, Shikuro missed the first few questions, leading to a "furious" lecture from Shikashin about his lack of focus.
When they finally finished the actual business, Shikuro thought he could leave. He was wrong.
Lunchtime had arrived.
By the time he finally shook Shikashin off—using the excuse that he needed to head to the Rain Village early to contact his spies—it was already late afternoon.
His target, Namikaze Minato, had already been gone for nearly seven hours.