Minato Namikaze

Kato Osamu never expected that he would see the Third Hokage more times in a single day than he had in the past ten years combined.

The office of the Third Hokage was still brightly lit. Hiruzen Sarutobi leaned back against the sofa, quietly smoking his pipe, an image that reminded Kato Osamu of the half hour he used to spend sitting in his car after getting off work.

"Kato boy, go ahead and speak. You should have some explanations to give me, shouldn't you..."

"Reporting to Lord Hokage, a minor error occurred during the process of practicing a clan secret technique..."

"The Spirit Transformation Technique... Truly a nostalgic sight..."

The Third Hokage's gaze was shrouded in a haze of smoke, and Kato Osamu could not sense any emotional fluctuations from him.

"Without the guidance of elders, practicing this kind of extremely difficult ninjutsu entirely on his own is still far too dangerous..."

"It seems Oroximaru also saw this, which is why he let you follow Minato to learn some foundational things..."

The Third Hokage's gaze suddenly shifted, the corners of his mouth lifting into a faint smile as he looked toward the doorway.

"Minato, come in..."

Kato Osamu's gaze followed Hiruzen Sarutobi's line of sight. Unsurprisingly, the Jonin entering through the door was the golden-haired man he had seen last time.

"Greetings, Lord Hokage!"

"Minato, you've come just in time. I originally planned to notify you tomorrow, but this little brat seemed somewhat reluctant and caused quite a commotion..."

The Third Hokage looked at Minato and chuckled with a gentle, teasing smile.

Minato Namikaze smiled softly, his gaze falling upon Kato Osamu.

"You must be Kato Osamu? Please take care of me from now on..."

Kato Osamu looked at the man before him with his gentle smile, wondering why he suddenly thought of a woman.

A woman with the codename D-Five.

"Your subordinate greets Jonin Minato!"

Although he did not know what Danzo was scheming, this was, no matter what, his first direct contact with his target. Kato Osamu mustered twelve-tenths of his spirit and bowed respectfully to Minato Namikaze.

"Kato-kun is a very polite person..."

The smiling Minato Namikaze made a word that had barely appeared in the shinobi world for so many years pop into Kato Osamu's mind—an honest man.

Perhaps the Third Hokage appreciated honest men, but Kato Osamu knew Danzo would never do anything meaningless. This person certainly wasn't as simple as he looked.

"Minato, Kato Osamu will be in your hands. Come to think of it, the two of you can be considered fellow disciples of the same sect..."

Hearing the Third's words, Kato Osamu felt a slight ripple in his heart. The Third Hokage seemed to place great importance on his lineage and harbored a faint pride in having nurtured the Three Legendary Sannin, or he wouldn't have brought it up so many times.

"Junior brother Osamu, huh? It suddenly feels like I've gained a younger brother..."

"Lord Jiraiya is my master, and Lord Oroximaru shares the same master as Lord Jiraiya while being like brothers. You can just call me Senior Brother Minato from now on..."

Minato rubbed his hair with a somewhat natural absent-mindedness, though the smile on his face could not be concealed no matter what.

"Yes, Senior Brother... Minato..."

Children did not need to have thoughts of their own. Before they grew up, like dolls and toys, they were at the mercy of others, conforming to all the adults they could not resist—that was the secret to becoming a well-behaved child.

"Alright, it's getting late. If Minato doesn't go back now, I'm afraid Kushina will come pull my beard again..."

The Third Hokage's cheerful expression carried a bit more warmth and a bit less gloom.

If the Third Hokage of a decade or more ago was worthy of the title of the Fang of the Shinobi, then Hiruzen Sarutobi, now slowly stepping into his twilight years, loved nothing more than this kind of harmonious scene of respectful brothers and a house full of disciples.

"Lord Hokage, then Minato will take his leave..."

"Go on, you two fellow disciples have a good chat."

"Yes, Lord Hokage..."

Konoha's main urban area was a circular region enclosed by massive walls. Dozens of wide bluestone roads extended from the Hokage Building in all directions, intersecting with dozens of concentric avenues to divide Konoha into countless sector-shaped districts.

At this moment, Kato Osamu and Minato Namikaze were walking slowly down the avenue leading straight north and south.

Streetlamp after streetlamp emitted a soft, warm yellow glow, making even the night appear hazy.

Kato Osamu was still pondering the mission Danzo had given him, studying the man before him. He didn't seem all that different.

"Junior brother Osamu seems quite curious about me..."

Minato turned his head, appearing as though he wanted to gently pat Kato Osamu's head, but suddenly feeling they weren't that familiar yet, he slowly retracted his hand and merely patted Kato Osamu's shoulder with a smile.

It was his first time meeting Kato Osamu's gaze. Those azure pupils carried a hint of curiosity as they stared at him, the lamplight and starlight seeming to fall entirely into Kato Osamu's eyes.

For some reason, looking into Kato Osamu's clear eyes, the vigilance in Minato's heart eased just a fraction.

The Third Hokage had also spoken to him about Kato Osamu, telling him that Kato Osamu had spent six years in Root and was by no means an ordinary child.

Yet whenever he thought that a child of around ten years old was caught up in these complex matters, he always found it somewhat unbearable, unable to look at this innocent child with any hostile gaze.

"Senior Brother Minato, a little over a year ago, I seem to have met you in Konoha's cemetery..."

"Oh?" Minato frowned slightly; his memory contained no information regarding Kato Osamu.

"Back then I used ninjutsu to change my appearance... You were together with Sister Kushina, a seemingly foolish boy named Obito, and a girl named Rin..."

"Is that so? So that child was you, Junior brother Osamu..."

Minato only then remembered, looking at Kato Osamu with a hint of inquiry in his eyes.

"At that time in Root, I learned the news of Uncle Yuan's death, and with the help of Teacher Oroximaru, I managed to sneak out, though it was only for a short while..."

Thinking of that red-haired woman from back then, Kato Osamu knew his disguise could never have been hidden, so he might as well bring it up himself to avoid burying future hazards.

"So that's how it was... Root, huh? Truly strict..."

Although he generally knew about Root, Minato avoided the topic. Even as Jiraiya's disciple and the Third's grand-disciple, discussing another elder of the village was still far too inappropriate.

Glancing at the slightly dejected Kato Osamu, Minato thought of Kato Osamu's background. His eyes lit up, and the corners of his mouth lifted into a smile.

"Junior brother Osamu, it's getting late today. Go back and get a good rest. Remember to go register your ninja ID tomorrow morning, and gather at the Third Training Ground at noon..."

"Don't be late, okay?"

"Yes, Senior Brother Minato!"

Minato had a very good impression of Kato Osamu. He did not feel any of the coldness and ruthlessness of a Root ninja from Kato Osamu.

"Perhaps it's because he's still a child..."

Watching Kato Osamu pull up his hood, his small figure slowly walking into the alleys and disappearing from view, Minato looked toward the distant Hokage Rock, smiled faintly, and vanished as well.