Minato Namikaze glanced at the brand-new crystal window, and his irritation vanished.
It was Crystal Release work—far better than ordinary glass, both pretty and secure. Staring at it, his mind wandered.
He thought, With crystal windows installed, that bastard Kazuyama Gekkō shouldn't be able to come in through them, right? He made the crystal himself, after all.
Poor Minato—tormented by Kazuyama Gekkō to the point of losing basic common sense. He didn't stop to consider who created the crystal. If Kazuyama Gekkō made it, how could it possibly stop him?
"Alright, I'll drop it."
"Kazuyama, the intelligence network has hit the initial targets I wanted. You deserve a lot of the credit."
Sitting in his chair, Minato Namikaze launched into his official spiel.
Kazuyama Gekkō pulled a face and cut him off.
"Enough. Don't bring that official tone to me."
"I knew all about you sneaking after Kushina back when you were a scrawny blond kid. Do we really need the formalities?"
"Relax a little, okay?"
"If that Fugaku guy likes you talking like this, then save it for him."
In other words: we're old friends—drop the act.
Minato Namikaze almost choked, glaring hard at the friend in front of him.
"You two, leave."
"Yes, Lord Hokage."
To salvage what was left of his dignity, Minato Namikaze dismissed the ANBU. Once they were gone, he couldn't stay seated. He sprang up, charged at Kazuyama Gekkō, and growled,
"You bastard! Couldn't you leave me a shred of face?!"
"I'm the Hokage!"
"Forget talking—fight me!"
The instant he grabbed Kazuyama Gekkō, the Flying Thunder God Technique triggered.
They appeared in the back hills of Konoha. The moment they landed, both moved at once.
Marked kunai scattered; yellow light and black light crisscrossed.
"Hahahaha, Minato, I admit it—my reactions aren't as sharp as yours."
"But don't forget, I'm the type who avoids getting hurt. If something can tag me, my sixth sense pings!"
"Hey, hey! Come on, hit me hit me"
They traded blows while Kazuyama Gekkō laughed loud and free. For raw reaction and dynamic vision, he couldn't match Minato Namikaze.
He was a Flying Thunder God user too, smooth as silk with it. With years of sneaky experience, he could handle the technique just fine.
Still, despite the bravado, he stayed fully focused. Minato was too fast—more than once, Minato's fist was nearly on him before he blinked away. On pure Flying Thunder God speed, Kazuyama Gekkō openly admitted he was slower than Minato.
Their chase ran from day into night. In the end, it wasn't chakra that ran out—they just couldn't run anymore.
Under the night sky, two men rested: one rubbing his calf, the other his foot.
"You bastard. I thought you'd slack off training, but no."
"Spill it—have you been sneaking out with Kushina too?"
Kazuyama Gekkō had sprinted east, west, north, and south who knew how long, and Minato Namikaze still chased him to the point of foaming.
Minato Namikaze laughed, embarrassed.
"Me? I copied you. I have shinobi on missions throw my kunai into other countries. When I've got time, I jump over to look for good food and fun."
"Then I bring Kushina and Naruto along."
"The places you recommended—the Land of Birds, the Land of Frost—I've been."
Kazuyama Gekkō shot him an I-knew-it look.
"Kazuyama, I do owe you thanks."
"The Uchiha clan isn't what it used to be. That Fugaku Uchiha really straightened things out."
"His iron-handed methods even stunned me a bit."
"I'm curious—what exactly did you tell him back then?"
Lying on the grass, Minato Namikaze asked about Fugaku Uchiha.
Kazuyama Gekkō laughed and answered honestly.
"You know me—I go straight for the soft spot."
"Fugaku is a good man and a good father. So, guess what I used?"
Minato Namikaze jolted upright, blurting in shock,
"You threatened him with his kid?"
"Heavens, you bastard—no humanity at all!"
"He dotes on his son, and you still went for it."
His outrage only made Kazuyama Gekkō laugh harder.
"So what?"
"Tell me this—aren't the Uchiha better now?"
"If you ask me, that Fugaku guy should learn from me. Whatever it is—if you can't handle it, hit it. If you can't win, run. All that hemming and hawing? I can't stand it."
Minato sat back down, thoughtful.
Looking back at Kazuyama Gekkō's antics over the years, he had to admit the guy got results. Teasing Sakumo Hatake with One Thousand Years of Death, stealing Hiruzen Sarutobi's pipe and crystal ball, dragging the traveling Tsunade back to the village again and again.
Smashing the Hokage office windows—good grief, was there anything this rascal wouldn't do? Even as a kid, he was the same—always stirring up trouble...
"Kazuyama, you really..."
"When it comes to freedom, Fugaku and I can't compare to you."
"Oh, and congrats—you're about to be a dad again."
Everyone knew Pakura was pregnant, though it was probably Kushina who told him—he'd been slammed with work.
"Hahahaha, thanks, thanks!"
"I've got to keep the Gekkō clan branching out! That burden can't fall on Michihito Gekkō alone."
"I need to find him some support!"
Minato Namikaze was speechless. He thought, Once a man sheds his shame, he really is invincible.
"Kazuyama, there was a major battle in the Land of Rivers not long ago. Got intel?"
"Judging from the destruction, both sides were incredibly strong."
Minato Namikaze suddenly asked about something that had been over for a while.
Kazuyama Gekkō nodded. Since Minato brought it up, he clearly already had a rough idea who fought. If that was the case, nothing was off-limits—just a matter of how to say it.