"You sent him on a mission a few weeks ago, Yondaime."
"Ah, that's right, I completely forgot. But..." Minato thought for a moment, his eyes lighting up with an idea. "I'll take care of this personally."
The ANBU bowed their heads. "Understood, Hokage-sama."
***
It was a sunny afternoon, and Shikai was sitting on a tree stump near the training area where he spent most of his days. The boy was reflecting on his recent progress, idly manipulating a kunai. His shadow manipulation skills were improving, but he felt there was something missing.
A light footstep broke the silence. Before even looking up, he heard a calm yet warm voice.
"Yo, Shikai."
He raised his head, surprised to see Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage, standing before him with his arms crossed and a radiant smile on his face.
As he gazed at Minato's handsome features and his mid-length blond hair, Shikai felt as if he were living a dream. After all, Minato was his favorite character—the Yellow Flash, a prodigy from an unknown family who gained an undisputed reputation through his power, and then married the most beautiful woman in the village, Kushina. Minato was an example to follow in every way. Shikai quickly regained his composure.
'It seems he knows me quite well. Could it be because of Tsunade?'
He had never seen him in person, but he had seen him from afar, on the Hokage statue overlooking the village.
"Hokage-sama?" Shikai asked, raising a skeptical eyebrow. "What are you doing here? Don't you have a village to manage?"
Minato chuckled softly, amused by the boy's boldness. "Sometimes, even an Hokage needs to stretch their legs. And I heard you have potential. I wanted to show you something."
Shikai narrowed his eyes, suspicious but intrigued. "Show me what?"
Minato didn't respond immediately. He extended his right hand, and in an instant, a swirling, luminous blue sphere appeared in his palm.
Shikai felt his heart race as he witnessed the concentrated energy, seemingly simple yet so full of power.
"Impressive, isn't it? I named it Rasengan," Minato explained. "A technique I developed myself."
Shikai sat up straight, his eyes shining with interest.
"Not interested."
Minato tilted his head slightly, his smile still present. "Not so fast. First, there's a condition. Hmm?"
"You wanted to teach me, right? Well, I'm not interested. I was wondering if you could teach me something else. A technique that made you such a powerful Hokage. Killing hundreds of ninjas in a second is not a feat given to everyone, like the previous Hokage."
Minato fell silent for a moment.
He had some time, and he wanted to show off some flashy moves. But now, he felt like he was negotiating with the kid to teach him the Flying Thunder God Technique.
'And why do I feel like he's disrespecting Hiruzen-sama?'
"Anyway, you're talking about the Hiraishin. It's more difficult than you think. You need to have a talent for space-time techniques and—"
"I'm sure I have it, Hokage-sama!"
"Hmm, you also need to excel in fuinjutsu..."
'Bingo!' Shikai cried in his mind.
It was great to learn some ninjutsu here and there, improve his taijutsu, and train with the sword with Shisui. Shikai noticed that all the techniques he was learning, he couldn't use even half of them in a fight, which was a concern. Due to his age, a lack of chakra was common. And for Shikai, who hated dying like a piece of shit due to a lack of chakra, a concrete example was Kakashi's death at the hands of Pain, who stole his Sharingan.
Then he wanted to access more exclusive techniques from other clans, and for that, he needed their chakra.
"Hokage-sama, I'm ready to sacrifice my entire childhood to learn your technique."
Minato thought for a few minutes; he had nothing to prove that he could learn such a technique, even if he had talent. And in the end, given his motivation, he wouldn't let him down, especially since he got what he wanted in the end.
"Alright, but on one condition. I don't have much time to teach you the basics of fuinjutsu, but my wife, Kushina, is the best user, so all you have to do is help her with some work, and she'll teach you when you're ready." Minato said in a light but firm tone.
Shikai frowned, clearly displeased.
'Chores? I didn't come to Konoha to play the role of a household assistant. But fine...'
Seeing his expression, Minato burst out laughing. "I suspected as much. But if you want to master techniques like the Hiraishin, you'll need to learn the basics of fuinjutsu, and even more advanced techniques. And trust me, Kushina is the best in this field. If you want her to train you, you'll have to start by being useful. You know, the Hokage's wife has a rather spicy personality." He said with a nervous laugh, thinking of Kushina's hair floating in the wind.
Shikai crossed his arms, skeptical. "So, if I do your chores, your wife will teach me fuinjutsu, and then you'll teach me the Hiraishin?"
Minato nodded. "I suppose... Exactly. Consider it a test of patience and discipline."
Shikai grumbled. It wasn't what he had in mind, but the opportunity to learn legendary techniques was worth a few sacrifices.
Minato guided Shikai to a cozy house on the outskirts of Konoha's center. Before entering, he stopped and turned to the boy.
"Oh, one last thing," he said with a smile. "Kushina has... quite an energetic personality. Try not to anger her."
Shikai shrugged. "You've already told me that, Hokage-sama, and I've already survived the alcoholic Sannin. I should be fine."
"Who?"
"No one..."
As they entered, Kushina Uzumaki was arranging scrolls on a shelf. Her long red hair shimmered in the light, and she turned to them with a warm smile.
"Minato!" she said joyfully, before noticing Shikai. "And you must be the famous Shikai."