Meeting Yondaime

chapter 19

"I-I... I hate you."

Minato's eyes widened at that. More tears slowly fell down his face silently. He'd been expecting anger... But never this much. Minato looked into his son's eyes. Hatred was surely in his son's eyes. He didn't want that feeling from his own son. It was like losing Kushina and leaving Naruto all over again. But this time around, it would be Naruto leaving him. "Naruto..." Minato's voice was nothing more than a mere whisper. "Please..." Minato continued. "Don't hate-"

Naruto cut him off. "You lied to me! For years, you lied to me! There is no exception to that!" Naruto was angry. Very angry.

"I know..." Minato's voice trembled.
"Do you? Do you really?" Naruto spat. "You left me until I was five! Five! You probably never believed in me. No, you never believed in me! All you wanted was for the villagers to hate me for what I am! Who I am!" Minato just listened to his son's ramblings. He'd never believed anything that his son was saying. However, he felt has he had no right to interrupt Naruto. "You're probably the reason mom died and I grew up alone!"

That was it. That triggered Minato's anger to fully erupt.

*Slap*

Naruto's face turned to the side with a red mark on his cheek. No one had ever slapped him like that. It scared him, but it also angered him. He was so confused...

"Don't ever say those things again..." A few tears slid down Naruto's face as Minato spoke. "You have no idea who your mother and I was dealing with or what happened. I love you, Naruto, you're my only son. I couldn't bear to lose you! Do you know what would happen if you died, or if something happened to you? I'd go on a darn rampage!"

"Yea right..." Naruto slowly turned his face towards his father. "Damn you, Yondaime Hokage! I want you out of my house! I never want to see your face again." Naruto started to walk away, tears hitting the ground. He paused, looking back. "You might as well leave the village... I was better off without you." With that, Naruto walked away.

Minato

"I was better of without you."

At those words, Minato crumpled on his stone face on the mountain. He'd just lost the most important thing to him, and it wouldn't be easy if not impossible to get it back. The snow started falling thicker onto the earth, but Minato didn't bother to move. The tears just kept rolling down his face. Lights flickered off in the village, indicating that the citizens of Konoha were going to sleep.

"Hey sensei..."

Minato didn't move. He didn't bother to look up. He already knew who it was. After all, Kakashi was the only one who called him sensei anymore.

"I saw Naruto on my way home... Said hi but he just ignored me..." Kakashi sat down next to Minato and looked out towards the village with him. "He seemed pretty upset. Did something happen?"
Minato didn't respond. He couldn't.

"You know... After your apparent 'death' I thought I'd never get you back..." Minato turned his face towards Kakashi, another tear leaving his eye. Kakashi saw the hurt in his azul colored eyes. His cheeks tear stained. "I was always focused on rules... But after you left, I had lost everyone important to me. I started becoming three hours late for everything except for missions... I became an ANBU as well. I threw away all my emotions. Not that I showed them much before."

Minato just chuckled, but his face still stained with pain. He leaned back against a hair spike on his head. There were no lights on in the village that either Kakashi or Minato could see.

"He'll come around eventually, Minato-sensei."
Minato closed his eyes, letting a few more tears slip through his eyelids. "What if he doesn't, Kakashi..." Minato spoke in a hushed trembling whisper.