A Chance Encounter on the Street

"After all that fuss, I only ended up buying a fruit basket..."

The boy walked slowly down the street, carrying an extra-large fruit basket, his eyes darting around as he glanced at the bustling and lively scenery on either side.

As soon as the war ended, the Third Sand Hokage personally went to Konoha to sign the alliance agreement. The wartime security in the village was also lifted, and the once empty streets immediately became crowded with people. It was extremely difficult to walk along the way, as it was very difficult to move forward with people shoulder to shoulder. Katsuki also had to protect the fruit basket in his hands, and he was still sweating profusely from the crowd.

"Damn, why are there so many people? It's hard to even walk." Katsuki muttered to himself. He had never felt this uncomfortable when he fought against the Sunagakure.

Unable to bear the congestion any longer, I leaped onto the roof in a Body Flicker Technique. Looking around, I saw countless figures jumping around on the roof, like ants, rising and falling in a rather amusing way.

"Puff!"

Katsuki couldn't help but laugh at this strange sight.

What are you laughing at?

A golden light flashed, Minato took two steps forward, standing side by side with Katsuki.

"Look for yourself, this kind of scenery is rarely seen." Katsuki pointed ahead with her free left hand.

"... What's so funny? The ban was only lifted a couple of days ago, so this kind of excitement will only last for two or three days..." Minato shook his head. "Your sense of humor has always been different from others; you can even laugh at something like this."

"Hey, I told you not to chime in, but you're going to contradict me. Do you believe I'll go to my sister and badmouth you?" Katsuki said, glancing sideways.

Minato's face flushed slightly, but he quickly regained his composure and retorted, "Go away, stop talking nonsense. What does this have to do with Kushina?"

"Hey, who said it's no big deal? If someone bullies me, their younger brother, isn't it only natural for me to complain to my older sister?" Katsuki spread his hands dismissively, carrying a large fruit basket, exuding a roguish air.

Minato immediately showed a helpless expression. Looking at Katsuki, who was pretending, he really had no way to deal with it. He knew that Kanzuki was teasing him, but he could only take it.

"Are you carrying such a big fruit basket to visit someone...? Is it Lord Sakumo's wife? I heard she's pregnant..."

Knowing that Katsuki with Katsuki was pointless and would only amuse the sharp-tongued guy, Minato wisely changed the subject.

"Your mind still works so fast..." Katsuki stopped arguing with Minato, but looked Minato up and down and asked, "By the way, where are you going? You're all dressed up, are you on a mission again?"

Minato was dressed in an extremely smart outfit, his Ninja Tool Bag was bulging, and his leg wraps were tied securely, clearly indicating that he was going on a long trip.

"The task assigned by the Lord Hokage."

He simply replied with a sentence.

"Tsk tsk, Lord Hokage, you're really giving orders too much! You haven't had a moment's peace lately, you've only been in the village for two or three days at most..." Katsuki complained on Minato's behalf. "My sister's been complaining, saying she's looked for you several times and you're never home."

Minato gave a wry smile upon hearing this and explained, "This is also the Lord Hokage's kindness. Please don't say that anymore, Katsuki. Besides, I'm willing to take on more missions myself. My family is of modest means. If I don't do more missions now to save some money, won't I have a hard time in the future?"

Katsuki in silence...

After a pause, he finally spoke, "Minato, aren't you thinking a bit too far ahead? This is still so far in the future, and you're already considering things so far ahead... I really don't know what to say to you."

"Haha, I was just saying. But it's good to do more missions now, to make a name for yourself. You're a top-tier fighter who destroyed half of Sunagakure, the infamous Konoha Calamity. We graduated at the same time, so even if we're not as good as you, we can't let you leave us too far behind, right? That guy Otoha, has been running missions like crazy lately."

Minato chuckled and teased Katsuki.

That's the truth. After Katsuki made great contributions, he basically stayed home to train and avoided missions. The Third Hokage never forced him to do so. Anyway, the village didn't lack manpower to carry out missions. Moreover, Katsuki had already made a name for himself. Regardless of his age, he was more than capable of handling things on his own. He really didn't need to take on ordinary tasks.

In addition, the Third Hokage also intended to train Minato. During the war against the Sand Village, the most outstanding among the younger generation was naturally Katsuki, followed by Minato, Nawaki, Otoha, and a few others. Otoha was a disciple of the Uchiha Clan, needless to say, while Minato and Nawaki were his grand-disciple and his teacher, the First Hokage's, grandson, respectively. These were all people who needed to be cultivated.

Therefore, Minato and Nawaki have been running around non-stop and exhausted lately, with hardly any free time at all.

Minato was able to talk to Katsuki here because he was fast and could get to the meeting point quickly, so as not to delay the mission and thus he had the time.

"No wonder my sister said she couldn't find you lately." Katsuki clicked his tongue. There was really nothing he could do about it. The Third Hokage's arrangement was clearly well-intentioned, and Minato naturally couldn't refuse. He could only look at Minato sympathetically and say, "Thank you for your hard work."

"It's not exactly hard work, just a bit of running around and causing a little trouble." Minato smiled. He didn't like complaining to others, especially in front of his future brother-in-law Katsuki. How could he show a weak side? Immediately, a thought struck him, and he quickly changed the subject, "Katsuki, are you going to stay in the village forever?"

"I was originally planning to stay home and cultivate, but my sister took on a mission and insisted on dragging me along. We're leaving the village tomorrow too..." Katsuki suddenly smiled and said, "Speaking of which, my sister initially wanted you to go with her, but she couldn't find you, so I had to go instead... Hehe, do you regret it?"

Minato's eye twitched, and he glared at Katsuki with annoyance, knowing he would regret saying it so readily.

"Alright, enough of your nonsense. It's almost time, I should go. If you're going to visit someone, hurry up and go." Minato said and left, golden lights flashing in the air, disappearing from his sight in the blink of an eye.

Wow, that's fast!

Katsuki narrowed his eyes. His eyesight was excellent. Apart from lacking the Byakugan's 360-degree field of vision and the ability to see through Chakra flow, it was in no way inferior to the Byakugan. Standing on this rooftop, he could see the scenery a kilometer away.

Minato didn't use the Flying Thunder God Technique; he simply used the Body Flicker Technique and vanished from his sight in the blink of an eye... Minato had become stronger again.

"As expected of Minato... the future Fourth Hokage..."

Katsuki praised Minato twice in a voice only he could hear, then continued on his way, the heavy weight of the fruit basket a reminder of the true purpose of his journey.