like old times (minato)

[spade]

The past few hours had been hectic. The events that occurred during Uzumaki Naruto's funeral caught me off guard. I, just like everyone else were surprised by the "ninja's" antics. He expected the village to simply agree and hand over Sarutobi Sio: the host of the Nine Tails? He must have forgotten the loyalty that bonded the entire Leaf Village together, the same loyalty that led my Grandfather back home.

I didn't get the chance to speak with Minato during the funeral, looking for him after didn't work out because of the crowds of people running from the area because of Ojin's appearance. The entire experience changed my mindset. Witnessing the Raikage's speed I knew I was far too weak at my current stage to make an impact on the leaders of the Ninja World. I wasn't sure I'd have been able to track that speed with my Sharingan activated.

The mere glimpse of power that I witnessed didn't deter my confidence, instead it motivated me to spend more time to train because I knew I could become strong enough to defeat such impressive ninja. My onyx orbs stared patiently into the crowd waiting to catch the odd features that only belonged to Minato. "Oh?! Is that him?"

[Uzumaki Minato]

His eyes were shifty, he kept a steady gaze on everyone who filled the crowd around him. With everything that just happened, he feared for the decisions their resolve's would lead them to make.

"I need some ramen," he told himself, his hand gripped the round of his belly as he broke away from the crowd. "Maybe I'll be able to relax and think there for a bit. I'm sure Chōroshi will be able to make sense of everything."

Making his way through the masses, he moved swiftly. He tended to rush whenever food was involved in things, especially ramen or onigiri.

"To Ichiraku's I go!!" he exclaimed with a smug expression, lacing his hands behind his head as he trudged towards his destination.

[spade]

The civilians began to move faster to exit the area, flooding the streets with panic and causing an uproar. I kept my eyes fixated on the only exit until I finally spotted Minato! His facial expression seemed dull, almost emotionless. "Yo! Wait up!" I shouted at him, breaking into a run to catch up to the Uzumaki.

"Man..." I sighed, placing one hand on Minato's shoulder. "That guy is out of his mind. Does he think the Leaf Village is going to let him get away scott free for interrupting your grandfather's funeral?" We were walking at a brisk pace, the path we were taking seemed familiar which is why I realized that we were heading to the Ramen Shop. It was the only place our group of friends could meet up, sit down, enjoy a nice meal and chop it up with each other.

"I know we're rivals and all, but-" I paused moving my hand from his shoulder back into my pocket. "Lets start training together and become stronger than both our grandfathers that came before us!" Only I would try to say something optimistic during a time like this, it was kind of my thing.

A soft, growl like sound came from the pit of my stomach just as we approached the Ramen Shop. "Ah. Lets talk more about that after we eat. Gotta satisfy my needs y'know?" I let out a soft chuckle to lighten the mood as I followed Minato's lead into the Shop.

[Uzumaki Minato]

"Hn?" he sounded upon hearing his name called from afar, turning to face the side he saw a familiar face. Sprinting over to him was Shiro, one of his old friends from way back when. "Wassup, Shiro?" he greeted with a head nod, hands still rested behind his head.

"I dunno," said Minato, his tone rather impartial in response, "Doesn't seem like much'll really happen. Not that it matters now." To be honest, he wasn't trying to think about the funeral or his grandpa's death anymore. He wanted to move on since he had other more pressing issues to concern himself with, like how to protect Sio.

The next few minutes of his walk was silent, even with Shiro accompanying him. He didn't rally feel like saying much, then again he never really spoke much, especially while hungry. In response to the Uchiha suggestion, the Uzumaki boy nodded his head. Sure. They could train every now and then; Minato would be training a lot in the oncoming days anyways.

Pulling back the doors of Ramen Ichiraku's, he stepped in with a wave. "Yo," he called, but with no response. Walking up to the bar, he would assume that Chōroshi wasn't working today as Ikari stepped up in his place. "Where's Chōroshi? I wanted to talk with him."