Minato followed Yuki Seisui's gaze and noticed several unfamiliar faces around them whispering and pointing. His face flushed with embarrassment. After a soft cough, he silently quickened his pace to catch up to Seisui.
His attention had been solely focused on the two tri-pronged kunai in his hands, so he hadn't paid much attention to his surroundings. Now that Seisui had pointed it out, he couldn't help but feel awkward.
He had never been the center of so much attention before.
Seeing Minato hasten his steps to keep up, Seisui teased him, "So you do know how to get embarrassed."
Minato blushed even harder and followed behind him in silence.
Just then, Akimichi Choza's voice rang out from behind them.
"Minato, Seisui! What a coincidence!"
The two turned to see the usual trio jogging toward them.
"We were just about to head to your place," Choza said, raising the basket he was holding.
"What a pain," Nara Shikaku muttered lifelessly, also carrying a basket.
"Come on, Shikaku. Auntie only means well," Yamanaka Inoichi said with a resigned smile, holding his own basket.
"We've already prepped the ingredients," he added with a grin. "Where are we headed for this picnic?"
Seisui leaned over to see what they'd brought.
"What's this?" he asked curiously, pointing at something in Shikaku's basket.
"Hm?" Shikaku looked over and replied indifferently, "Venison. You know my family raises deer. We had some at home, so I brought it."
Seisui nodded thoughtfully. "Alright, let's head to the Naka River."
He hugged his sword to his chest, looking very much like a wandering swordsman.
"Naka River?" Shikaku blinked, then said cautiously, "That's Uchiha territory."
"Not that part," Seisui corrected. "Don't forget, Konoha was built right next to the Naka River."
"I found a nice spot last time, secluded, full of fish. Best of all, it's not too far from the village, and we won't be disturbed."
Hearing that they weren't going near the Uchiha, Shikaku sighed in relief.
After all, the Uchiha clan wasn't exactly on good terms with the village. Recently, Uchiha Setsuna, the one who'd attempted to assassinate the Second Hokage, had just been released. Going anywhere near their compound now would be reckless.
Thankfully, that wasn't the plan.
"Let's go!" Choza took the lead, striding off confidently, only to be tugged back by Seisui.
"Wrong way. This way," Seisui said, helplessly redirecting him and taking the lead himself.
As they walked, Shikaku asked, "So, did you finish making that chess set? Want to play a round later?"
"Sure," Seisui nodded cheerfully. He hadn't played chess in years, but he still remembered the basics. No way was he going to lose to this pineapple-headed guy.
The two chatted as they walked ahead, while Choza handed Minato a bag of snacks and glanced curiously at the tri-pronged kunai in his hand.
"Minato, were you guys making ninja tools?"
Minato nodded with a bright smile. "Yeah, Seisui and I both forged some new weapons. We'll show you on the training field later."
"Cool, cool," Choza nodded nonchalantly.
He had plenty of ninja tools himself but chose not to say anything to avoid making Minato feel bad. After all, he considered Minato and Seisui true friends, among the rare few who didn't make fun of his size.
And they were classmates, too, seated right in front of him.
Soon, the group arrived at the spot Seisui had mentioned.
"This place is seriously out of the way," Inoichi remarked.
"If it weren't, we wouldn't have it all to ourselves," Shikaku replied.
From what Seisui had told them, this place was isolated but close to the river, likely to be a mess.
And sure enough, the moment they arrived, they saw leaves scattered all over the ground.
"Leave it to me!" Seisui grinned. Forming hand signs, he puffed up his cheeks and shouted,
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"
With a sharp gesture, he blew a powerful gust of wind that sent the leaves flying off in the opposite direction.
Everyone gasped.
"You already learned ninjutsu?" someone exclaimed.
"Impressive," Shikaku said, laying out a mat on a clear patch of ground.
Inoichi and Choza began unpacking the ingredients from their baskets and started prepping the food with practiced teamwork and efficiency.
Seeing them so busy, Minato didn't join in but instead said, "I'll go gather firewood nearby. I'll leave things here to you guys."
"Got it!" the three responded in unison as Minato ran off into the woods.
"…Really now," Seisui shook his head.
There were trees everywhere. He could've just cut off some branches. But Minato had to run off to collect firewood?
"Good thing I came prepared."
Seeing everyone occupied, Seisui took out several steel wires from his pack.
"Hmm… I can use these to make a grill."
While the others worked, he Chopped a few thick branches and used the wires to build a makeshift barbecue rack.
By the time they were finally done, it was nearly noon.
"Ugh…" Shikaku collapsed onto the ground with a sigh. "Why did I even come out here for a picnic?"
"Munch." Choza tilted the last of a snack bag into his mouth.
"Weren't you the one who said, 'Please, let me join your training'?" he said, imitating Shikaku's tone.
"Don't remind me. I want to go back in time and slap myself."
"But this place is great for fishing," Shikaku added, eyeing the sparkling water. The riverbank was calm, the water steady, and now and then, fish jumped from the surface.
Seisui lay down beside Shikaku, staring at the tranquil water.
"I wish things could stay like this forever."
"I thought you wanted to become Hokage?" Shikaku asked, surprised.
Seisui chuckled and shook his head.
"You don't get it. If every day could be like this, I'd gladly give up on that dream."
"I want to become Hokage because I want to bring happiness to everyone. But if we're already this happy, then isn't that enough?"
"So that's how it is…" Sarutobi Hiruzen murmured as he put down the crystal ball, smoke curling from his pipe.
"To become Hokage… and bring happiness to others… That's a noble dream."
Back at the riverbank, Seisui smirked.
Ever since he walked into the blacksmith's shop earlier, he had sensed someone watching him.
He wasn't sure who. It could've been the Anbu… or maybe even the Hokage.
But this was Konoha. Most likely, it was that old geezer Sarutobi peering at him through his crystal ball.
Seisui had been waiting all morning for the perfect moment to naturally say those words.
Bet you didn't see that coming, old man. I was acting the whole time.
Seisui didn't have any particular emotional attachment to Konoha. He'd been born with the memories of his past life, and because of that, he never really felt like he belonged here.
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