A BOY'S KATA
Minato's father started watching him like he said he would.
It was honestly hilarious. The man had no idea what to do with him. It wasn't the act of taking care of Minato. The man was awkward with that, but he was loving. Minato had no idea the man liked to rock him, but he did so with practiced motions. It hit him then that the man had probably done it countless times when Minato was a baby, and that made his heart warm. The man, who proved Minato wrong about his father not knowing how to cook, cooked for him, even though he had never seen the man do it before.
So, Minato guesses he left it up to his mother because she was better at it, and because she was the wife. His father doing housework awkwardly aside, the humor truly lay in the fact he had no idea what Minato did.
Well, that was embarrassing for his father, not Minato. It was also great because his father had just started to roll with it. Minato decided to drag the huge man through their apartment to tell him the names of everything and what it did.
His father indulged him, and really, Minato was having the time of his life dragging his father around all day.
The man was quiet, silent in his love. Minato felt bad for ever thinking the man was cold or distant. The more that Minato smiled at him, the more the man would smile back. The callouses on his hands were rough when Minato held them, and more often than not Minato would fall asleep with his head pressed against his father's shoulders as the man held him.
So now, his schedule was to spend two days a week with his father, three with Baba-san, and the weekend with his parents.
When he went to Baba-san's, Fugaku was still there. However, he would always arrive in the evening when his school gave out.
They would work on meditating, and Fugaku was getting better, but he obviously hated it. Minato could not blame him; his baby brain made it hard to focus on anything.
Minato got into the habit of watching them. Baba would speak of the history of the Uchiha Clan, which was at war with the Senju before the village was created. That was insanity.
"War?" Minato asked, stopping himself from the writing he was doing to waddle to Baba-san's lap.
"Yes, everyone was at war with each other before the villages were started. Now we just fight other villages," she said as she picked Minato up. Fugaku glared at him. "You children do not tell anyone I said that, though. These hoots get hurt over any slight against Konoha, thin skin. All of them."
"We were at war with... everyone?" Minato asked again. So it was like the world wars in terms of general great powers fighting, but instead of machinery, it was just shinobi blowing fireballs and poisoning each other. Great.
"Yes, although most of the clans in this village did not fight each other. Except... for the Senju and Uchiha, however, we are the exception to the rule. Our clan heads decided on peace, and that brokered the creation of the village." she said in a dry tone.
She did not like the Senju, Minato knew it. Even though they were allies, she always went blank when they talked about them. He could not blame her, nor did he understand, for she had lost clan mates to the Uchiha or her direct family.
That level of violence was not something Minato understood or knew how to deal with.
"Now, Fugaku, I want you to tell me the succession line of the clan heads starting from your father to Raku, the Man Who Burnt The Sky. List their accomplishments and their dates of birth."
Damn, Minato felt sympathy for the boy who deflated in front of them.
"What did you do at the Academy?" Minato asked Fugaku the next day. Baba-san had left them both to their own devices. Which would have worried him, maybe, if the woman wasn't so competent he could not doubt her.
And it was not like Minato was going to do anything stupid. Fugaku was too well-behaved, like a good little kid, to do anything mean to him.
So now they stared at each other.
"We did katas," Fugaku said. He squinted his eyes at him. "You are not allowed to do those."
"Why not?" Minato pressed.
"Because you are a civilian," Fugaku said surely. Then he added: "Idiot." Even so young, the kid was mastering his severe face. So serious. His hair was short, but it had a slight wave. The boy was constantly having to push it behind his ear.
Honestly, Minato thought Fugaku calling him an idiot was cute. He always made sure Baba-san could not hear him.
"Well, I am going to the Academy when I am old like you," Minato said.
Fugaku looked so utterly betrayed that Minato felt bad.
"Why would they let you in?" Fugaku said as if it was unbearable. Jesus, this kid was so dramatic.
"I don't know." Minato lied. Then, because he was tired of sitting and doing nothing, he said, "Can you show me your kata?"
"You are not allowed to do katas." Yet, Minato thought.
"You can show me, though," Minato answered.
Fugaku's brow furrowed. "Well, I am not going to."
"Why not?" Minato said.
"Because I do not want to," Fugaku brushed his hair behind his ear again.
"Please," Minato said. He got up on his stupid stubby legs and walked to Fugaku. He bowed.
"No," Fugaku further denied him. Damn, Minato was begging and everything.
"But it will be practice for tomorrow."
"No!"
It took Minato until next week to finally get Fugaku to show him a kata. Minato saw him thinking about it in real-time in that evil little brain of his. Even when he messed up Minato's characters when Baba-san was not looking, or poking him awake at nap time.
He thought about it!
Then, the little Uchiha gave in when Minato threatened to start crying. Baba-san had left to do an errand, as she had started to do lately. Leaving them to their own devices. They were outside at a small, empty playground right outside the apartment complex.
"I will do it." Minato insisted.
"You never cry. You are lying." Fugaku accused him, but oh, he looked worried. Bingo.
"I will cry, and Baba-san will get mad at you."
"Hn," Fugaku said, then he got up and glared at Minato with all the hate he could muster. "Fine! I will show you the stupid kata!"
"This is just the standard kata. It is not that interesting." Fugaku said, and he did not look Minato in the eyes as he started to do it.
Honestly, Minato was in awe. He knew that shinobi were physical people and that they knew martial arts. But to see a small child do it so flawlessly with an air of practice and experience? It was impressive.
Fugaku only hesitated a few times. It was a kata he had recently learned, Minato was sure. Because he was not allowed to show him the Uchiha ones.
It was so cute and-
"That was so cool!" Minato said as Fugaku bowed at the end, probably habitual at that point. "You are so cool!" He got up in a burst of energy to reach for the other boy.
"What?" Fugaku asked, hoarse, and Minato realized that he missed the other boy's stricken face when he stood up.
"You did so well!" Minato pressed on, not sure what Fugaku's problem was with his compliments. "I had no idea you were so cool, Fugaku-kun, I-"
Both boys jumped at the sound of a thud behind them. Minato's eyes widened as he took in the lanky preteen in front of them. His hair was tossed back in a high ponytail, skin as porcelain white as Fugaku's, and eyes as sharp as Baba-san's blades. He had to be Uchiha.
And when Minato looked at Fugaku to ask who it was, he saw the other boy tremble.
"It was amateurish at best, boy. Do you represent the Uchiha Clan like that when you perform it in class?" the young teen's voice was pure poison. It surprised Minato because he had not heard a voice that cruel since his last life.
Holy shit, was this random clansman going to bully Fugaku in front of him? What the fuck was wrong with him? Protective rage, one that belonged more to an adult and not a child, made his face flush.
"Did you hear me?" the boy continued. "Why did you falter?"
"I am sorry," Fugaku said. His voice slightly wavered, but did not crumble under the harsh words. It hit Minato suddenly that it was from practice more than Fugaku being thick-skinned.
"Sorry is not good enough. Tell the outsider to leave." the teen said, his dark gaze shifting from his fellow clan member to Minato.
A shiver raced down his back in increments.
"Namikaze," Fugaku started, "You should go, wait for Baba-san in the apartment." His voice was bland, with little inflection. They could not be serious, Minato was a three-year-old, or at least physically, did they really expect him to just go dilly dally?
Minato was probably going to be punished for this later, but he did not care. If this random asshole was going to act crazy, Minato was going to pull the baby card.
Minato huffed, and then he stood in front of Fugaku, because who was this much older boy to ridicule a child in such a way? Then he pointed at him, with all the insolent behavior both his mother and Baba-san had told him not to do, and said:
"Go away! You are mean."
The silence was damning. The teen in front of them did not show a single emotion on his face, and it was truly eerie. They all stood in silence, and Minato could feel his back break out in sweat. He suddenly felt all his stupidity and naivety stare back at him in the face.
The teen was in front of him in a blink of superhuman speed, staring into his face with a sneer on his lips. "You have no place here. You are a stain on Miharu-sama's reputation. You should mind your place."
"You have no right to hurt me," Minato said, his stupid mouth running before he could think about it. "And you have no right to hurt Fugaku-kun. You are not his parent."
"That is not your business, you are not clan." the teen said, and then his face turned sour when he seemed to realize he was arguing with a toddler.
He opened his mouth to keep speaking, but a soft voice interrupted him.
"That is enough Akita-kun. I told you to watch them, not traumatize them. Stop being a moron and get out of here before I tell that droll father of yours that you are bullying children, again." Baba-san's voice was as cold as ice, and Minato felt Fugaku yank his sleeve until he stood beside the other boy.
The teen in front of them looked like he wanted to argue, but he did not. He bowed and left so fast that Minato's mind whirled.
"He was wrong!" Minato said, and he grabbed the raven-haired boy by his sleeves because Minato was small and Fugaku was, too, but it was easier than reaching his shoulders. "Your kata was very good!"
Fugaku grabbed his shoulders, and his glare stopped Minato from speaking further. The boy did not say anything for a minute, and neither did the woman who had decided to stand by the swings. Fugaku's pupils were wide, very wide. It was a little weird. He was staring at Minato so intensely that he felt himself flush.
"He was a meanie-" Minato started, just to interrupt whatever the fuck this was, and Fugaku's expression finally dropped into normal disdain.
"Why did you do that? That was so stupid! You are so stupid- you should not talk to clan shinobi like that-"
"He was being more stupid!" Minato snapped back. The audacity of this kid. He defended him just for the kid to lecture him afterward.
"You should not have-"
"Fine, I will let him belittle you next time."
"Minato-kun, where did you learn that word? It is a big one." Baba-san cut in, suddenly, and he saw the thoughtful look on her face.
"You have said it before," Minato mumbled. Unease fluttered in his stomach at the question.
"I have, haven't I?" then she hummed. "Fugaku, practice that kata in front of me. Let me see if Akito-kun was correct."
The other boy scowled at the floor. Then, he waited for Minato to walk to the side of the area so he could do the kata. Fugaku did not falter this time, and he bloomed when Baba-san gave him a rare compliment.
Minato pouted. Why wasn't Fugaku happy when HE complimented him? Little asshole.