As Minato stood by the gates of the academy, the familiar sound of children's laughter reached his ears again, a contrast to the silence he'd usually be greeted with when he came to pick Naruto up. He was unusually earlier than usual, but he had his reasons. He didn't want to miss the chance to meet Itachi. Chatters coming from the academy gradually increased, and Minato perked up as he waited to see any sign of Sasuke or Itachi.

His eyes continued to wander towards the crowd of parents, but he saw no sign of Itachi at all. However, he did manage to see Shikamaru and Chouji sitting by the curbs. They were classmates with Sasuke, weren't they? Surely they'd know something. Smiling, he walked over to greet them, and they seemed to notice his presence before he even began to speak. Ninja children things.

"Is it Naruto? He's not out yet, getting detention for yelling at Mizuki-sensei," Shikamaru casually answered without waiting for a question. Minato was confused for a second- Mizuki? It then clicked in his head, the time Iruka mentioned he had a colleague with the same name. He must be a teacher here as well.

"Ah, no, I'm not asking about Naruto this time. Thanks, though," Minato shook his head with a smile. Well, he'll get a good storytime from Naruto later on about what happened. Still, he had to look for Itachi. The Uchiha always seemed to blend seamlessly into the crowd, it was hard to look for them. "Do you know anything about where Sasuke is? Or his brother, maybe."

"If you're talking about Sasuke, he's right over there," Shikamaru pointed over at the streets, further away from the gates of the academy. True to his words, Sasuke was there, but instead of being picked up by Itachi, Mikoto was the one there. "I dunno about his brother. It's his mom who's been picking him up lately."

"Oh...I see," Minato muttered, a small frown on his face as he watched Sasuke walk alongside his mother. He didn't know the boy well, but it was obvious he seemed less energetic than usual. The last time he went to the dango stall with Itachi, Sasuke was arguing and bickering with Naruto with the same amount of energy as the blonde boy. Which, looking at Naruto, is quite a lot. "Thanks a lot-"

"Mizuki-san!!!"

Minato's eyes immediately brightened as he heard the familiar voice of his son. As soon as he turned towards the source of the voice, he felt Naruto crashing right onto his leg, almost tipping him over. Laughing lightly, he ruffled the boy's hair with a smile. "Naruto, You're going to trip me!"

"I'm so ready to tell you how much of a jerk the other Mizuki is, believe it. He doesn't deserve to have the same name as you," Naruto huffed. Minato chuckled a little. He wasn't sure if he was supposed to support this 'teacher-bashing', but he guessed he'd have to hear Naruto out first.

"You have the same name as him?" Shikamaru raised his eyebrows. As Minato nodded, Shikamaru stared at him, seeming to be comparing the two to each other. There were a few moments of involuntary eye contact before Shikamaru snickered a little. "Right. He's totally different from Mizuki-sensei."

Well, his real name isn't Mizuki, though. Minato wondered when they'd know. "Well, now I'm quite curious to see this Mizuki. But sorry, I've never asked for your name. Mind introducing me, Naruto?"

"Of course!" Naruto beamed in excitement. "This is Chouji, he can magically bring chips out of nowhere," Naruto gestured to the Akimichi boy who greeted him with a wave. Minato nodded, having seen the 'magical chips' first hand before. "And this is Shikamaru, he's hella lazy but he's reeaaally smart!!" Shikamaru nodded a little awkwardly in greeting, unsure of what to do under Minato's gaze.

"And Shikamaru, Chouji, this is Mizuki-san! He always buys me ramen and he's super awesome!" Naruto introduced with hands on his hips and his chest puffed out in pride. "He's really nice and he protects me and makes Iruka-sensei stop scolding me, believe it!"

"Well, you did manage to find Naruto, I guess," Shikamaru spoke with a shrug, thinking back to their first meeting when Minato asked him where Naruto was. Minato smiled as he thought back to his first interaction with Naruto. Unexpected, but it was something unforgettable for sure.

"Yeah, it was a... pretty unique experience," Minato chuckled, and Shikamaru snickered a little as he realised what the man meant almost immediately, giving quick and quiet apologies for laughing. Naruto seemed completely clueless, glancing in between them for a hint at what was going on. Minato sighed with a smile. "Our first meeting, remember?"

Naruto's face turned red as he nodded slowly, recalling Iruka-sensei's wrath that Mizuki had saved him from. And after he dumped paint on him as well...! Mizuki was truly his life saver. "Noo!! I was trying to aim at Iruka-sensei, believe it!"

"I know, I know," Minato held a hand against his mouth to hide his laugh. "You wanna go for dinner now? Maybe your friends can come with us."

Naruto glanced over at Shikamaru and Chouji in excitement, anticipating a 'yes'. Shikamaru and Chouji glanced at each other before shrugging. "Sure. My mom's making fish today anyway. It's always too salty."

"I propose that we go to Yakiniku Q," Chouji paused while eating his chips to raise his hands. Minato's eyes beamed a little. Yakiniku?? He hasn't had that in such a long while- heck, he'd completely forgotten that it existed. He was sure half of his diet consisted of ramen because of Naruto, and the only thing that made it okay was because it was Naruto.

Anyway, it was Yakiniku time! The Japanese in Minato couldn't help but leap in joy at the thought.

The sound of sizzling grills, the smell of pork cooked to perfection. This was it- this was Minato's home. This was his heaven. He inhaled the Yakiniku air, making sure it would become a part of his body. He hadn't felt this nostalgia in so long. Near the shrine Minato's family used to run was a Yakiniku shop, and this place smelled the exact same.

However, he was stricken with nervousness as he picked up his first piece of grilled pork. Should he raise his hopes up? Judging by the smell, it should be fine. Surely it would not disappoint, but...what if it does? Shoving all thoughts to the back of his mind, he took the first bite.

It was nothing short of perfection.

Minato forcefully turned to look away, hands politely covering his mouth. It was too good. It tasted exactly the same as the ones he's had since he was four. 38 years of eating that yakiniku, and he finally got to experience the same taste again after a few months long break.

It was everything to him. It brought back all the memories from his past, from childhood to adulthood. He remembered passing by and asking to have their expensive grilled beef after learning a particularly difficult seal. He remembered taking Kushina there on their first date. Going there again after their wedding, and again during her pregnancy. He remembers the congratulations from the store owner the first and last time he went there with both Kushina and a newborn Naruto, and the condolences after he brought Naruto there without her.

He couldn't quite remember the last time he went there. But he knew his son was right by his side at that time as well.

"Mizuki-san...are you okay?"

Minato quickly turned back to respond to Shikamaru, nodding a little awkwardly. Maybe that was a bit overdramatic, but who was he to blame after not being able to taste the flavours of home after months? "Yes, it's just...very good. Amazing."

Minato felt like a tourist, and it was probably a bad thing that he was acting like one too. His cover could be blown way too easily now. He toned down his excitement a little, turning his attention back to the scene before him. Naruto seemed to be excited as he was, immediately turning towards Minato as soon as he took a first bite.

"Yer' right, Mizuk'san! This ish sho good, belib'it!" Naruto's eyes looked as if fireworks were being set off within them, snatching a few pieces from the grill. As Chouji too licked his chopsticks clean, Shikamaru sat in stunned silence, staring at his empty plate.

"...Seriously? Not even one left for me?" Shikamaru muttered with a sigh, only to notice Chouji placing a few pieces of beef on his plate. As he spun towards Chouji with a smile, Chouji nodded in approval. Minato chuckled apologetically, but then again, he's only taken one piece as well.

"We can order another set. I don't think we'll have any leftovers at all, after all, we have quite some big eaters here," Minato assured as he called a waiter over. Shikamaru shrugged and picked up the grilled beef left on his plate, savouring its taste like the only normal person at the table.

"It's my first time here. I woulda came here half of every day if I had the money," Naruto sighed, palm squishing his cheeks as happiness radiated off him. He could still feel the beef melting in his mouth- it was sick! He didn't know any meat other than fat chashu that does this."And the other half of every day in Ichiraku."

"I have to agree. It's decided then, we'll come here on Wednesdays," Minato nodded, the smile on his face as blissful as ever. Since his son wanted this, there was no other choice. It wasn't like he wasn't craving this taste either. He had been dying for it since the moment he landed- It's only fair, since it's become a daily routine for him in Japan. Naruto beamed at him in disbelief, launching himself at the man for a hug.

"You're the best, Mizuki-san!!"

Shikamaru raised his eyebrows at the scene before him. He could tell Naruto and Mizuki were close, but...that close? It was pretty surprising, considering how it's known throughout the village that Naruto's presence wasn't particularly enjoyed by others. He was sure they had only gotten in Yakiniku Q because Shikamaru and Chouji were regulars. That aside, Naruto also had Mizuki with him. But their closeness... almost seemed like...

"Say, Mizuki-san. What's your job? A shinobi?" Shikamaru popped a curious question. He had noticed the bandaged part on Mizuki's neck, so it might be likely that he was a shinobi as well. But then again, if Mizuki did fall for one of Naruto's pranks, he wasn't sure what to make of it. A guardian-like behaviour? While it was an effort to get to know Mizuki, Shikamaru's Nara cells were also telling him that this man would be quite an interesting mystery to solve. As the heir of the Nara clan, how could he resist?

Meanwhile, Minato stiffened for a bit. His job? Technically speaking, he doesn't have a proper full time job at the moment. Some of his pocket money came from selling commonly made seals and spending time to modify them. Research materials were endless here, especially under Hiruzen's care. "I'm no shinobi, but I specialise in fuuinjutsu. I make seals and sell them."

Minato breathed a sigh of relief, praising himself inside. Quite the save! As he stared right back at Shikamaru, he could notice the calculating look in the boy's eyes. Such a firm gaze for a young child, it was a little unnerving. Shikamaru would probably continue to pry in an effort to truly understand who he was and possibly blow his cover, so he would have to make up some sort of backstory. Just in case.

"Oh, I see. What about Naruto, though?" True to Minato's thoughts, Shikamaru did continue to pry. The Nara gazed up at Minato, scanning all of his facial features carefully as he waited for his response. There were so many possibilities. A collaborator with the academy? No, he didn't interact with anyone else as much as he did with Naruto. But he did also interact with Iruka a lot, and everyone knew Iruka had the most patience when it came to Naruto. A friend of Iruka's? But when he came to the academy, he asked Shikamaru about Naruto in particular, not Iruka. He didn't even seem to know Iruka existed.

"Ah, that. Actually, I also work directly under Lord Third to supply the Hokage office with storage seals. Lord Third seemed to be pretty close with Naruto, having me run an errand involving Naruto last time. Their relationship I'm not too sure about, but after falling for Naruto's little prank, it seemed we grew closer somehow," Minato chuckled as he looked over at Naruto fondly. The boy's eyes seem to widen in joy, glad to know he's not the only one feeling that way.

Shikamaru let the information run through his brain for a bit before shrugging nonchalantly. Yeah, the context was valid to some level, enough for it to make sense. Glancing over at Mizuki's smile, his thoughts seemed to waver a bit, but he shook it off. Mizuki's probably telling the truth. Just probably.

The final set of pork was cooked, and it took only a matter of seconds for all the meat to be snatched off the grill. Once again, Shikamaru stared at the last piece of pork in disbelief. These Yakiniku hoarders were not human. As Naruto sneakily reached out for the pork, Minato's chopsticks struck his, defending the last piece of meat.

"Naruto, you've had enough. Let Shikamaru have some."

Naruto huffed dejectedly, giving in with some level of hesitance. As he watched Chouji put yet another few pieces of pork on Shikamaru's plate, he felt a little guilt twist at his heart. Eyeing the chicken left on his own plate, he quietly gave some to Shikamaru as well. "Here ya go. Sorry for snatching everything."

Minato felt tears of pride rushing to his eyes, but quickly got rid of it as he nodded lightly in approval. Shikamaru celebrated his food silently with a grin of his own, and the rest of the meal was enjoyed in relaxed chatters.

—---

I imagine this song as the chapter ends. So nostalgic.

(Hajimete kimi to shabetta, naruto ed 8)

https://youtu.be/KGiK_44feDk

And looking at the lyrics, it just makes so much sense omg. 'I talked to you for the first time' it literally describes how I thought of naruto's thought process when he first talked to minato. I was thinking of it based off its vibe but the fact that the lyrics happen to match is crazy

Anyways, mind me as I head to sleep whilst being attacked by waves of nostalgia.