It was early morning in Konoha Village.
Sunlight, following the rising sun, streamed through the treetops and into the windows, adding a touch of brightness to the dim room.
"Hmm…"
With a soft hum, Ren slowly opened his eyes, greeted by a familiar ceiling.
Still groggy, he subconsciously looked out the window, staring blankly at the birds in the trees.
"Sizzle, sizzle."
Just then, the sound of frying oil came from outside the door.
Ren snapped out of his daze, sat up from the bed, and walked out, pulling on a vest.
"Clang!"
Noticing the movement behind him, Minato paused, then turned around, smiling with a spatula in his hand.
"You're up, Ren."
"Good morning, Minato-nii."
Ren rubbed his eyes, looking at the smoky kitchen, and couldn't help but mumble.
"You're up so early…"
"Go wash up first, breakfast will be ready soon."
After Minato finished speaking, he turned around, frying eggs while not forgetting to open the lid of the pot next to him, constantly checking the soup inside.
His practiced movements made Ren feel a pang of self-reproach.
"Okay."
Ren walked to the sofa and, as an afterthought, gave the soundly sleeping Hidan a slap.
"Ah!"
Hidan let out a cry of pain, then immediately sat up, looking around in a daze, while Ren had already entered the bathroom and closed the door, humming a tune as he began to wash up.
When he came out, wiping his wet hair, he saw Hidan leaning against the wall, glaring at him with resentment.
"Good morning, hidan."
Ren patted his head as he passed by, saying with a cheerful laugh.
"Alright, hurry up and go wash up."
"…Tch."
Hidan gritted his teeth, looking at Ren's retreating back, but remembering the latter's terrifying strength, he could only rub the spot where he had been hit, muttering as he walked into the bathroom.
Ren walked to the table and sat down.
By now, three servings of breakfast were already laid out on the table: fried eggs, ham, miso soup, and a grilled fish for each person.
The aroma instantly whetted Ren's appetite.
"You can eat."
Minato put his apron aside, sat down, and took a sip of soup with a satisfied expression on his face.
"The taste is about right."
"It's very delicious."
Ren gulped down half a bowl of soup, then glanced at the clock on the wall, his gaze then turning to Minato opposite him, asking.
"Minato-nii, what time do you start work?"
Minato slowly swallowed the ham in his mouth, then looked up at Ren, smiling.
"Seven-thirty.
Normally, if I don't leave by this time, I'd be late, but your house is closer to the Hokage Building, so I have plenty of time."
"Tch."
Ren rolled his eyes, then pouted.
"Why did you buy a house so far away back then?
It would have been better to buy one right next to my house and be neighbors."
"I can't help that."
Minato took a sip of soup, saying somewhat helplessly.
"The Hokage Building is in the civilian district.
That house of mine was arranged by the Third Generation for me and Kushina as a wedding gift from the Village."
Although the money he had saved over the years was more than enough to buy a house in the center of Konoha, since it was given as a gift, and the location was good, besides being a bit far from work, everything else was quite good.
"Tch, so this is your reason for being kicked out of your house by your wife and living off others?"
Ren swallowed his fried egg whole, then looked at Minato, who was eating slowly, and said somewhat helplessly.
"Uh…"
Minato put down his chopsticks, then rubbed his nose, muttering softly.
"It's not my fault…"
After dinner yesterday, Mikoto came to visit with little Sasuke, and stayed overnight to keep Kushina company, who was about to give birth.
And after the three women gathered, they quickly got absorbed in their conversation, completely neglecting Minato and the others who had finished cleaning up.
Kakashi stayed for a while, then went home when the Anbu's shift ended.
Ren took Hidan and was about to leave, but unexpectedly, just as they walked out the door, Minato also came out immediately after, holding his Hokage robe, and awkwardly said he needed to stay at Ren's house.
There was no other way; his house only had a master bedroom on the first floor and a secondary bedroom on the second.
With three women plus little Karin and little Sasuke who needed to be looked after, he simply had no place to stay, so very quickly, Minato was swept out of the house by Kushina.
"Seriously, why are all you Hokage afraid of your wives?"
Ren mumbled a few words, then drained the soup in his bowl.
Just then, Hidan came out of the bathroom, and seeing the steaming breakfast on the table, his eyes immediately lit up and he pounced on it.
"Slow down, no one's going to snatch it from you."
As Ren spoke, he didn't forget to put the last bite of ham into his mouth, then leaned back in his chair, a satisfied smile on his face.
He had to admit, waking up naturally and then having a delicious breakfast that appealed to all senses was simply a pleasure.
Soon, Hidan also finished his breakfast, and after the three of them cleaned up, they each returned to their rooms to prepare to go out.
Now that they had washed their faces and eaten breakfast, it was time to get to work.
"Let's go, it's time for work."
Minato took his Hokage robe from the hanger and put it on, smiling at the two of them.
For Minato, he only needed to bring his Hokage robe for work; wherever he was, the robe was there.
"Got it, got it."
Ren strapped his short blade to his back, looking at the large characters "Fourth Hokage" on the robe in front of him, a hint of envy on his face.
Hokage, ah, the goal he had pursued since birth.
He wondered when he too would be able to wear that robe.
"Stop staring."
Noticing Ren's lost expression, Minato raised his hand and patted his shoulder, smiling.
"After I retire, you can compete with Kakashi and the others for the Fifth Generation."
"There's no need for that."
Ren, having snapped out of his daze, grinned as he put on his shoes.
"The Fifth Generation will definitely be me!"
At this, Ren's face showed great confidence, his self-assured demeanor causing Minato to momentarily lose himself, and in a trance, Ren and Obito's figures overlapped.
"What's wrong, Minato-nii?"
After Ren stood up, he looked at the somewhat dazed Minato and patted him, who immediately snapped back to reality.
Looking at Ren in front of him, a fleeting hint of sadness flashed in Minato's eyes.
When he recalled Ren's question just now, he couldn't help but smile helplessly.
To be honest, if it really came to his retirement, Ren becoming the Fifth Hokage was almost a foregone conclusion.
After all, he had already far surpassed his peers, and Kakashi, the only one who still had hope of catching up, had now become reclusive due to the departure of his two comrades.
As for Asuma and others, although their talents were also good, compared to Ren, there was still a gap.
After all, not everyone was like Ren, who at such a young age had already reached a height that his peers could only look up to.