The smell of our dinner hit me before I even reached the door... Mhm, grilled fish, steamed rice, miso soup, perfect, because I was already getting hungry! Well... No matter how many times I had gobbled down something while out and about within the village, it still made my stomach growl like I hadn't eaten in a week when I smelled her cooking.
"Welcome back!" Mom's voice came from the kitchen, "Wash your hands and call Minato in, too! I made enough for two growing, young shinobi to feel stuffed!"
"Already on it!" I yelled back as I stopped sliding my sandals off, leaning out into the yard. "Hey, blondie! Get in here before I eat your share!"
"..." Minato, making me shrug for the hundredth time, was still politely hovering by the gate, "I told you, I don't want to impose…"
"You're not imposing," I said, groaning that I have to do this over and over again, no matter what day it is. I had to walk up to him, grab his wrist, and drag him inside. "You're part of the family at this point. When will you just... relax? Hm? If you don't eat, my Mom will just make more, and then you turn me into your personal courier, bringing you leftovers... You are not a pig, come and eat while it's fresh!"
"Did you just call me a... pig?" he muttered, but he didn't pull away either.
"Duh. You are also stubborn like one."
When we entered the living room, Dad was already there, sitting cross-legged at the low table with his sleeves rolled up, still half in his police gear, deciding that changing clothes could wait after dinner, or there would be nothing remaining for him. His hair was a little messy, probably had a long day, but nonetheless, he was all smiles.
"Ah, there are my boys! Come, come, sit, or I'll leave you nothing but crumbs!"
"Good evening, sir," Minato said, bowing politely before sitting down.
"Sir?" Dad barked at him, raising an eyebrow, "I'm not your commanding officer! Just Daizen is fine, or 'old man' if you want to sound like Renjiro when he's losing an argument against me. But... I told you this, no? How many times?"
"A lot of times," I shrugged, sitting down with Minato, when Mom appeared from the kitchen, carrying a tray full of food that looked like she had prepared another celebratory feast or something.
"Enough teasing," she said, setting down bowls one after another. "Let the boys eat. Minato, sweetheart, you've been training hard again, haven't you? You're skin and bones."
"Um..." He flinched slightly at the attention my Mom was always giving him, "I… I eat fine, ma'am."
"Really?" she hummed doubtfully, scooping rice into his bowl until it was almost overflowing. "Don't be shy! You are learning ninjutsu, you need energy, or you will be unable to perform... And none of that ma'am business at the table! It's Naori, or Auntie Naori if you prefer."
"Heh," Dad smirked at that, "Auntie Naori makes you sound ancient, dear."
"And calling me ma'am doesn't?" she fired back, which earned a laugh from all of us, even Minato.
This was not the first nor the last time Minato was invited over to us. It started after the little party they had thrown for me... After that, it became a recurring thing as I kept dragging him over and over, sometimes even forcing him to stay the night. Like today. I knew he needed it, because he even laughed at my Dad's stories, even if he had already heard it, like the one, returning tale of a cat that kept tripping the Hokage's office's alarm system. Honestly, watching him laugh like that made me think about what his life was originally... As a kid... We never really learned much about him, and living here now, being his friend... So, witnessing it, I could tell he needed this. He needed a family. Whenever I noticed it in his eyes, I knew he looked happy here, and it was not that polite-happy kind of deal, but the real one. I'd caught him glancing at my parents a few times, too. At first, he was maybe a bit jealous of me, but... nowadays, after more than a year, it was... how could I put this into words? He looked to be at peace. And then when Mom refilled his bowl for the third time, he looked downright overwhelmed, heh! Serves you right.
"Auntie Naori, please, I can't eat more—" he tried, but it was a futile effort.
"Of course, you can," she looked at him, smiling. "You're still developing! And you'll need strength to keep my Renjiro from running headfirst into explosions."
"Hey!" I protested, my mouth half-full. "That was uncalled for! I am not doing that!"
"Anymore," Minato added, earning a smack on the shoulder from me.
"It was just a simulation..." I pouted.
"That's why I am glad that at least I can count on one of you," Dad chuckled, looking at us, then at Minato, and his eyes softened. "You know, son, you're welcome here anytime. I don't say that lightly. It's good for Renji to have someone who balances him out."
"Thank you, sir," Minato said quietly, almost whispering, but there was genuine gratitude in there, and this time, Dad didn't correct the way he called him.
"Mhm," Mom nodded gently, "And it's good for you too, Minato. A home's not just where you go to sleep... It's where people wait for you to come back. I know you are both growing up, sometimes want to be alone... but you are welcome to move in if you want."
"I..." He fell silent for a moment before bowing his head slightly and muttering, "Thank you… Really."
For a moment, I saw a tear form in his eyes, but he was way too fast in wiping it away... not that I would have said anything, so I just smiled and shoved the last piece of grilled fish into his bowl... because that's how good a friend I am. Haah...
"Here. Let's see if you can eat it and beat me in who has the bigger mouth." I added.
"Of course, it's you," He tried to argue, but he still ate it, making my Dad grin and slap his back as we just relaxed there, speaking about whatever came up, enjoying the afterglow of a good dinner.
That night, the air outside, being autumn, cooled quickly, and we were already up in my room as the house slowly went silent, my Mom's warning being the last loud words before we turned in for the night.
"Don't stay up whispering too long, you two, or I will come in and put you both into a sleeping genjutsu!"
"Who, us?" I said with my most innocent face, not really convincing anyone, before the lamps were turned off and we were both lying on the futon side by side, facing the ceiling. The room was lit only by the faint silver glow of the moon seeping through the windows as I thought through all that had happened to me since coming to this world... which was not much... yet. For a while, we just lay there, almost falling asleep, when I couldn't help myself and spoke up again, "Hey, Minato."
"Mhm?"
"What do you want from the future?" I asked.
In the end, there was a very long pause coming from him. He probably thought I was joking at first, but when I didn't add anything, he rolled over slightly to face me. His expression was calm, and I could tell he was thinking hard about it, considering his answer and only speaking it when he was sure he could tell me his honest thoughts.
"I want to protect everyone," he said simply in the end, "The people in the village, the ones I care about, everybody. I don't want them to suffer because of wars or bad choices made before our time. Many of us pay the debts of those who have died... I don't like that. I want to make Konoha a place where children can laugh without looking over their shoulders, expecting some... bad news. Or an enemy. Or just that... They grow up with their parents. That's why I want to be Hokage... It means I'd have the strength to protect peace. I have already lost my family, so I could make sure others don't..."
"Damn..." I muttered, making him remain just as serious as before, showing that he believed in it so strongly that nothing could shake him of it. Someday... He would have to go against that view in the end to save everybody. To save the village, he had to doom his own son to the same fate he wanted to eradicate... Tsk. "You're so damn serious sometimes, you know that?" I chuckled, also facing him.
"Well..." He blinked his eyes, "You asked."
"Yeah, I did." I smiled faintly. "And it's a good answer, don't get me wrong. You'll make a great Hokage one day, I can already tell. Can't wait to see it happen!"
"..." He didn't respond right away, just studied me with an apparent curiosity, one that finally made him open his mouth, "And what about you?" he asked eventually. "What do you want, Renjiro? Do you want to be the Hokage, too?"
"No, not really," I said at once, honestly uninterested in a leading position, because it would mean I would have to abide by more and more rules, losing a significant amount of freedom. "I just want to see the world," I added, "Not from a book or a classroom, but for real. I want to meet people, eat weird food, and see all the places that only get mentioned in missions or history scrolls." It wasn't a lie; I just couldn't tell him that I wanted to see the parts of the world that were only Wikipedia articles before, not places I could actually visit. "There's more out there than just this village, you know?" I chuckled, "I don't need to be a Kage or a legend... I just want to live and see it all."
"That sounds… lonely," Minato said softly, his voice thoughtful rather than critical, which surprised me. Was it? I don't know... I never thought about it like that...
"Heh," I grinned at the ceiling, turning on my back, "Nah. It wouldn't be. I would still have you, right? You'll be the Hokage, stand in the limelight, and all that fun stuff." Then I turned my head toward him and added, with a grin, "And then you can send me on missions all over the world. I would be your Kage, huh? Then that's two stones with one bird. Wait, no, the other way around... anyway! You get what I am trying to say!"
"Wait..." He frowned a little. "You mean… You would be my shadow?"
"Why not?" I smirked. "You'll stand in the light, smiling for the crowd, waving your hand and whatnot, and I'll move in the dark, making sure no one puts a knife in your back. You protect the village, I protect you. A fair deal."
"..." He was quiet for a very long moment after that, then, quietly, he laughed, shaking his head. "You really think like an Uchiha sometimes."
"Eh? What does that even mean?!"
"I don't know." He laughed again, making me groan.
"Suuuure... Well... I will take that as a compliment, then."
"You should," he nodded softly, eyes half-closed, yawning. "I can't believe you would do something like that..."
"Damn right, I would," I muttered, hands behind my head. "Someone's got to make sure you don't get yourself killed doing all that noble crap."
"Am I noble? I never thought of it like that." He smiled faintly.
"Seems like it to me." I smirked, "Although, I guess, I never really saw you angry and what you do to your enemies." Besides the snippets from the show, but... I couldn't blurt that out! "Anyway, even if you are going to be the Hokage, you can't be everywhere at once, nor can you protect your own back when you stand before everybody else. Let me handle that part."
"Then I guess I'll trust you with it." He said with a surprisingly serious tone.
"You better."
For a long moment, we were silent, both of us. I was almost asleep, too, when I heard him shift and speak again.
"Hey," he murmured, almost asleep now, "if I really do become Hokage one day…"
"Yeah?"
"Make sure you're still there..."
"Heh," I smiled in the dark, my eyes growing heavy. "No need to ask... I was the one who brought it up... I will keep my word. For everyone's sake..."