The Yellow Flash and The Village of Mokugakure

[Minato Namikaze]

Tsunade had led him up to the hospital roof, where she stood at the very edge and looked out upon the village. It was dark out, small beams of moonlight pierced through the dense foliage cover above them, illuminating the village. Minato walked up to Tsunade, his hospital gown swayed slowly as the wind brushed past him. The blonde haired shinobi looked out over the village as a sense of nostalgia filled his body. This new village that Tsunade had set up, it was as if she was using the leaf as a model. Minato smiled as he turned to look at Tsunade.

‘So, why did you bring me up here?’ Minato asked quietly. Tsunade didn’t look at him, and she didn’t say a thing. She just stood there, looking out at the village, taking it all in.

‘I wanted to show you what peace was.’ Tsunade responded, cutting the minute long silence that she had created. ‘I wanted to show you what it was like.’

‘The leaf knew peace before I... Came here.’ Minato responded in confusion as he watched Tsunade shake her head. Minato looked back over the village and realized what Tsunade was talking about. It didn’t seem as if it’s citizens were always worrying about outside attacks. The patrols that the village ninja went on each night weren’t focusing on outside the village, but more on what was happening inside the village. This was definitely the point that Tsunade was trying to make.

‘I see what you mean.’ Minato smiled. ‘But now you have to worry about the different Noble Families fighting for control.’ Minato frowned as Tsunade let out a large sigh. A sign of her agreement with Minato’s words.

‘This village of Mokugakure, it’s what the Hidden leaf was only beginning to become.’ Tsunade spoke as the two stood atop the Hospital. The wind had changed, it’s gentle breeze had become a sharp wind that would constantly rush back and forth past the two senior Ninja. ‘But now I have Village politics to worry about.’ Her sigh was loud and clear, she didn’t want to deal with this, but she had to. It was Tsunade’s job to find a peaceful solution.

Minato didn’t know what to say. He had been the Hokage only for a short time in comparison to the Hokage before him. he’d never really experienced any of the trials that in-fighting caused. He’d known about the Uchiha’s ill feelings towards the village elders, and that they had plans to go against them. But he’d died long before he got a chance to do anything about it. Minato sighed as he looked up to the dense foliage that hid the village from an aerial view.

‘Shinobi are those who endure.’ The blonde haired ninja began to lecture as he placed his hand on Tsunade’s shoulder. ‘Whether it’s during war or for the sake of stabilizing the village, it makes no difference. We will always endure.’ Minato finished. His attempt at an inspirational speech was rather corny, but it got his point across.

‘I know…’ Tsunade said softly as her smile turned into a frown. ‘Dumb-ass!’ She exclaimed as she turned to Minato and clenched her fist. Minato’s expression was that of fear. Tsunade was definitely a scary woman, and his life could very well be in danger at this very second. Tsunade swing her arm towards Minato. Her punch was fast and hard, letting loose an explosion of chakra from the impact point as Minato was thrown across the top of the Hospital and into a small, protruding, building that housed the stairwell.

‘I’ve been around much longer than you, Fourth. Don’t lecture me just because you’re my predecessor in rank.’ Tsunade’s words rang fiercely throughout his head as he stumbled to his feet, catching a glimpse of the woman's clenched fists, and nodded his head.

‘O-Okay.’ Was the only word that Minato could manage without his jaw aching with a horrible pain.

‘Come on, I’ll heal you.’ Tsunade laughed as she and Minato began their descent back into the hospital. ‘You can stay in your room for the night. Also, your clothes have been washed and repaired, so they’ll be on the table in your room.’

Minato didn’t reply, he just nodded. His jaw was in too much pain for him to say anything. He just walked sluggishly behind Tsunade, he was still rather disoriented from her punch.

It wasn’t long before the two had made it back to Minato’s room. Only a few minutes actually. Minato shambled over the the hospital bed and laid down on it. the mattress and pillows seemed oddly comforting as he rested his head on them. The relief that he felt caused a small smile to come over his face. Anything more would have caused him pain.

Minato rolled over, as Tsunade sat down in a chair next to his bed, and pointed to his face. Tsunade laughed as she placed her hands about 1ten centimeters above his bruised and swollen cheek. A familiar green glow illuminated the side of Minato’s face as she began to heal him.

‘Say… Minato... Do you plan on staying around?’ Tsunade asked. Her words were slightly filled with doubt that Minato hadn’t heard in a long while. Minato nodded slightly as the swelling on his cheek began to lessen. Tsunade smiled and then spoke up again. ‘In that case, I have someone I want you to meet tomorrow.’

Tsunade smiled as Minato, once again, nodded in agreement. It was only natural that she wanted to put him on a team. Their own village usually had squads of three or four ninja working together at a time. So why was there any reason to think differently of this village?

‘Come to the Central-Tree in the morning.’ She’d begun giving him orders now, Minato laughed internally as he felt the fatigue returning to him. He was still quite tired from his fight, and Tsunade’s punch hadn’t helped him recover. Minato closed his eyes, and began drifting off to sleep as Tsunade continued to work on his cheek.