Minato Namikaze

The sun slid lazily across the stacks of paperwork on the Hokage's desk. Minato sat with his cheek propped in his hand, staring at yet another scroll with the expression of a man who had just learned the Fourth Shinobi World War had begun.

— No, — he set one aside and picked up the next. — No. Definitely not.

Opposite him, Shikaku Nara sat sprawled on the sofa, purely for his own amusement.

— Not even opening it?

— Shikaku, there are twenty-seven scrolls here.

— Twenty-nine.

— Even worse. Remind me how I ended up in this situation again?

— You became Hokage.

— That shouldn't have automatically led to marriage.

— The Council disagrees. They believe in a lot of strange things.

Shikaku chuckled. Over the last few weeks, a veritable epidemic of romance had swept through Konoha. Following rumors that the Fourth had decided to address his family status, tailors had been working without days off, and "coincidences" occurred near the residence so frequently that even the genin were starting to get suspicious.

— A girl dropped her handkerchief in front of me this morning, — Minato sighed.

— And?

— And then another one did. And a third.

Shikaku nodded imperturbably:

— Maybe they just have weak hands.

— You're enjoying this.

— A little.

— Traitor.

— Friend.

Minato decisively slammed a folder of profiles shut and stood up:

— That's it, enough. Paperwork, councils, hints. I'm going for a walk. If I stay here for one more hour, I'll start signing marriage proposals instead of mission permits.

— Fair enough, — Shikaku grunted. — If the Council comes looking, I'll tell them you're on an extremely important diplomatic mission. Fighting for your own sanity.

---

The streets of Konoha were bustling. As soon as Minato appeared in the plaza, passersby began waving and bowing. This was exactly why he loved walks—here were living people, not documents. However, this escape had one significant flaw.

— Hokage-sama! — a girl hurried toward him with a basket of dango. — I just finished making...

Before she could finish, a second appeared from around the corner:

— Hokage-sama, what an unexpected encounter!

Then a third. A fourth. Having stoically endured the onslaught of compliments and "accidental" run-ins, Minato finally escaped to the quiet outskirts after ten minutes. He turned into an alleyway and let out a relieved breath:

— I'm starting to understand why some ninjas turn rogue.

A cool breeze blew here, a stream murmured, and there wasn't a single starstruck fan in sight. Minato walked on leisurely, savoring these rare moments of peace.

He didn't know yet that this very walk would lead him to a person who had absolutely no intention of impressing the Fourth Hokage. And that was precisely why they would capture his attention far more than anyone else.