An Orchestrated Coup [Exemplary]

[Minato Namikaze]

The fluorescent hum of the hospital light was less than comforting to Minato as he stared out of the window beside his bed. He could still see the dim glow, and fading smoke, of the dying flames that once threatened to consume the village. The man couldn't help but feel powerless now, especially when comparing himself to back then. Back then, he had all the power in the world to stop the threat to his village. He had proven that fact to his very last breath. His death had marked the beginning of a new era of peace for the leaf village. Or, that's what he had hoped. 

The golden haired shinobi gritted his teeth, a well of frustration forming in his chest as his hands rested on his stomach, above his belly button. The nine tailed fox, the masked man, he'd outsmarted and outmatched both of them, but he couldn't take on a few dozen lackeys. It made him angry. At this rate, he'd never be able to protect the village. Sure, in the end, his efforts had stalled long enough for backup to arrive and finish things up for Kakashi and himself... but he really should have been able to handle it. Minato grasped at his shirt, even after beating back that damned masked man, and sealing the Nine Tails...

He sat up, dropping his legs over the side of his hospital bed. Kakashi lay next to him, asleep. He always wore that mask, even when he was just a kid.

The floor was cold against his bare feet, but he couldn't bare laying there for any longer. He'd already been laying there, resting, for almost a full night now, it was time for some fresh air.

Minato grabbed his green flack jacket and slipped it over his blue shirt. He turned and looked at his Fourth Hokage haori. It had been neatly folded and placed on top of the table next to his bed, probably by one of the nurses, while he was asleep. He turned away from it, catching a glance of Kakashi stirring in his bed. He walked past the bed, snatching his ninja pouch from the end of it as he moved towards the door.

'I need some fresh air.'

The wind was cold and abrasive, despite the flames, it bit at his body as he stood atop the hospital's roof top. The last time he was up here, Tsunade was smacking him around but, somehow, he didn't think that she'd be here tonight. He crossed his fingers, making a cross sign with them as he gathered chakra.

'Shadow Clone Jutsu!' He exclaimed as nothing happened. He couldn't even do a simple shadow clone technique.

'Damn it! Damn it all.' He spoke, the light from his face illuminating his face as he looked out at the village. 

'If you need a sparring partner, I can fill that position.' Kakashi's voice spoke out. Minato turned, his rasengan dispersing, to see his junior standing in the doorway behind him. He was grasping his former master's haori in his hand. The troubled shinobi nodded and then pulled two kunai from his pouch as he steadied himself into a his battle stance. Kakashi stepped forward, tossing the man's robe into the air. They both watched as it fell through the sky, plummeting almost, as if it were being weighed down by something. The two watched as it neared the ground, the second it made contact, the two rushed each other.

Kakashi's gloved fist met with cold steel as they met. Launching themselves backwards, the scarecrow man slid, while the yellow flash opted for an acrobatic flip. Launching himself at his opponent, the grey-haired man let loose another barrage of punches, the blonde blocking each one, before dropping to the floor and delivering a swift, sweeping kick.

Minato fell to the ground, dropping one of his kunai as his left shoulder slammed into the concrete tiles that lined the roof.

'Damn it!' the golden haired shinobi exclaimed, slamming his closed fist against the ground.
'Minato...' Kakashi spoke as he watched his teacher grasp onto his knai and raise himself from the ground.

It was Minato's turn to attack, but something was wrong. There was no conviction behind his strikes, and Kakashi was able to deflect them easily. His swipes were simply that, swipes. They carried the mask of an assault, but the silver haired man new better than that.

'Minato, what are you doing?' he questioned. The blonde stepped back, replying with silence, before feeling the full weight of Kakashi's fist slamming into his stomach. Minato dropped to his knees, light tears dropping from his eyes. Their sparring had ended.

'I can't... I can't protect anyone any more.' he whimpered. Tears dropped onto the roof, soaking into the dust. 'I just... can't.'

'Stop it. That's not true. Who was it that single handedly wiped out the Hidden Stone Village's forces during the Third Shinobi world war?' The man barked.

'Well... it was me...' The blonde replied timidly, before being cut off by his student.

'And who was it that took on the Fourth Raikage and out sped him?' The silver haired shinobi questioned again, only to deny Minato a response.

'And who was it that gave up their life successfully fighting, and outmatching, the Nine Tailed Fox?' His last words shook Minato to the core. Kakashi was right, nothing had ever stopped him from overcoming an obstacle before. Why should it now?

The yellow flash rose, slowly, from his kneeling position before beckoning for his colleague to come at him one more time. He couldn't tell, because of the mask, but he was sure that his partner had smiled. The man dashed towards him, readying his fist as he got closer. The blond just stood, motionless as the gap between them closed. 

Kakashi was just mere feet away now, his fist closing in on Minato. Inches away from the man's face, time seemed to slow as adrenaline and reflexes kicked in. A surge of chakra filled his body before his friends fist passed right through a flash of yellow light.

'Thank you Kakashi.' Minato spoke as the masked man stumbled forward a step or two before catching himself. 'This new world seems to have limited me, for the moment, I'm glad I had you here to pull me out of it.' He spoke as he bent down to pick up his Fourth Hokage cloak.

'You're welcome.' The sharingan wielder replied as his former sensei slipped the cloak over his clothes and then headed towards the door.

'We'll get back to everything in the morning. For now, we should finish recovering.' Minato spoke as he slipped his kunai back into his pouch and headed inside. Kakashi followed behind him.