One year

Minato watched with joy as Naruto eagerly built a tower. A warm smile played on his lips as he admired his son. He took a sip of his steaming coffee, amused as he watched Naruto knock down the tower and giggle with delight.

A sigh escaped his lips as Kushina suddenly came to mind. Her absence deeply saddened him, and he longed for her to have the opportunity to see their son too. How much he wished they could be a family together.

For two weeks now, he had been living again, and slowly but surely, he was finding his rhythm. The first few days were a period of adjustment for Naruto to his new surroundings and the people around him. But the adjustment happened faster than expected. Minato found it relieving that Naruto quickly placed his trust in him.

Unlike Kakashi, Minato was genuinely worried about him. Since his outburst of emotion, Kakashi had become just as closed off as before. He refused to talk about it, insisting stubbornly that everything was fine. But Minato knew better – Kakashi wasn't okay.

A few nights ago, Kakashi woke up screaming from a nightmare. Even then, he rejected Minato's help and kicked him out of his room. Minato knew he had to talk to him again.

"Sensei?" Minato immediately turned around as Kakashi suddenly appeared behind him. "You have to go, or you'll be late. The Hokage is already waiting."

Minato teasingly smiled at Kakashi. "And that's coming from you, the one who's always late." He teased Kakashi and took another sip of coffee. It had been a long time since he heard such words from Kakashi's mouth. Since Obito's death, he had adopted Obito's habit of being late. At first, it was just a few minutes, but over time, it got worse.

Kakashi crossed his arms and looked at Minato with a serious expression. "This is an extremely important appointment! You can't afford any slip-ups. After all, it's about your future," he explained firmly.

Minato waved it off casually, got up, and winked at Kakashi as he slithered past him, tousling his hair lightly. Kakashi made a protesting noise and tried to smooth down his hair. With a mischievous smile, Minato looked over his shoulder at Kakashi. "Don't worry, I'll hurry. After all, I'm not the fastest man in the village for nothing," he announced with a wink before darting away.

Kakashi sighed in frustration. "Fine, I forgot," he waved casually.

Minato took his coffee cup to the kitchen and then returned to the hallway. "Can you handle it on your own?" he asked, looking at Kakashi.

Kakashi rolled his eyes and replied casually, "Of course! Naruto has already eaten, gotten a fresh diaper, and is playing peacefully in his room. Nothing can go wrong."

"And if anything happens, report it to me immediately!" Minato commanded with a serious look. The warning he had received weighed heavily on him, and his concern for the family did not let go of him. To avoid worrying Kakashi, he hadn't told him anything about it yet. He wanted to keep an eye on the situation by himself for now.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "You've said that a lot lately," he noted, then added with a hint of concern, "Is something wrong?"

Minato's expression softened as he felt Kakashi's concern. He stepped closer and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Everything is fine, you don't need to worry." Although Kakashi's gaze remained suspicious, Minato slowly withdrew his hand. "I have to go now. Thank you for looking after him."

"I'm happy to do it," said Kakashi, escorting Minato to the front door.

Minato put on his sandals and got up. Before he left, he turned to Kakashi once more. "We need to talk when I get back. You've been avoiding me long enough," he said with a serious tone.

Kakashi avoided his gaze and mumbled, "There's nothing we need to talk about."

Minato sighed, but his smile remained gentle. "See you later, Kashi! And thanks again for your help."

With one last worried glance at Kakashi, Minato left the apartment. He decided to walk to the Hokage's office and enjoy the pleasant air along the way. It had been a long time since he had taken this little break.

Over the past two weeks, word had quickly spread that the Fourth Hokage was back in the village. As Minato walked through the streets, he still felt the incredulous looks directed at him. It didn't bother him; he understood. Occasionally, someone would greet him, but it seemed that people were still hesitant to talk to him. They had to regain their trust first.

Minato used the time to think about how to proceed. Since he was unsure which path to take, he wanted to carefully consider how best to proceed. Of course, his family came first; Minato would do anything to ensure the safety of his sons. The uncertainty about what threats might come their way made him nervous.

Ultimately, Minato decided to serve as Hokage again. He felt the urge to protect his village and already had some changes planned. He was aware that not everyone would like his decisions, but his determination was unwavering.

With his hands casually in his pockets, Minato continued on his way to the Hokage's office. Before he could think about his further plans, he first had to be officially reinstated as Hokage. Step by step, he would then move forward and implement his visions for the village.

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The atmosphere in the Hokage's office was tense. Minato stood before the Hokage, their gazes locking firmly. Next to the Hokage stood Danzo, who glared darkly at Minato but remained silent.

Hiruzen cleared his throat and leaned forward slightly. "Have you thought about how you want to shape your future in the past few days?"

Minato nodded solemnly. "Yes, I have, and I have made a decision," he began, his gaze fixed on the Hokage. He consciously tried to ignore Danzo, whose presence he did not approve of. "I have decided to become the Hokage again."

Minato felt the tension in the room rise further and glanced briefly at Danzo, who stared at him darkly. But that didn't faze Minato; he returned the stare fearlessly. He refused to be intimidated by Danzo's ominous presence.

But before either of them could say anything, Hiruzen spoke up. "I understand," he began, leaning back in his chair. "I agree! I have also used the past two weeks to speak with the clan heads. There were no objections from their side. The village could use some fresh air. Before your death, you had already done excellent work," Hiruzen explained with a smile.

Minato frowned, unsure of the Third Hokage's motives for relinquishing the position so easily. Perhaps he was plagued by guilt for not taking care of Naruto and Kakashi enough, or he simply longed for peace. Hiruzen had served as Hokage for many years, and that time had left its mark. Minato knew that Hiruzen had only taken up the position again because there were no suitable successors at the time.

Danzo snorted angrily beside Hiruzen. "We can't just hand over the position to him. We know nothing about him!" he protested vehemently.

Minato cleared his throat and then turned to Danzo. "You can speak directly to me as well; I'm here in the room," he said calmly, though anger surged within him. "I don't know what your problem is with me, but you'll have to accept that I'm the Hokage again." Minato was determined not to be intimidated by Danzo. If he was going to be Hokage again, he had to bravely confront the older men.

"My problem is that you shouldn't be here in the first place!" Danzo began angrily. "You show up here and just want to be Hokage again. Who's to say you're not an enemy?"

Minato chuckled briefly before giving Danzo a sharp look. "You don't need to worry. If I had evil intentions, I would have acted long ago. Besides, it was I who asked for time to think, not, as you claim, simply wanting to be Hokage again!" Minato retorted firmly.

Now it was Hiruzen who spoke up. "I agree with Minato. We don't need to worry. He's been back for two weeks already, and I've already told you we can trust him," Hiruzen said with calm determination.

"All of that was just speculation!" Danzo hissed.

Hiruzen sighed and rubbed his temples. He dropped the subject and then turned back to Minato. "I'll take care of an official announcement in the village. Then you should stand before the village and officially reintroduce yourself as Hokage," he said calmly. Minato nodded in response. A smile crept onto Hiruzen's face as he leaned back in his chair. "I'll naturally be by your side to help you settle back into your role quickly."

"I appreciate that, but I already have my plans," Minato said calmly.

Danzo flinched and gave Minato a suspicious look. "What are you planning?" he asked skeptically.

Minato looked at Danzo and smiled tensely. "I don't see why you need to know that. But I plan some changes in the village. Firstly, I want to raise the minimum age for graduation from the academy to twelve years. For particularly talented shinobi, I have a scholarship program in mind. Additionally, I want to introduce a minimum age for admission to the Anbu," Minato explained calmly, noticing Danzo's dissatisfaction.

Minato had come up with the ideas last week and had already begun developing a concept. He would not allow another child to go to war so early. No one should suffer the same fate as Kakashi. It was bad enough that he was traumatized by war.

Minato remained unfazed by Danzo's dark look and continued. "I believe there shouldn't be two separate Anbu units in the future. That leads to too many problems..."

Danzo stepped angrily out from behind the desk and stared at Minato darkly. "You can't do that! My Anbu is too important for the village!" he protested.

Minato's smile remained on his lips. "Important for planning and carrying out assassinations on the Hokage?" he asked with a hint of irony and a challenging gaze.

For a moment, an uncomfortable silence filled the room. Minato kept his gaze firmly on Danzo. Danzo took another step towards Minato. "You dare not! I'll make sure you regret it!" Danzo warned with a menacing tone.

Minato remained calm and stood behind his decisions. He wouldn't be intimidated. "I won't be threatened. You can't intimidate me so quickly; I've seen too much."

A grin spread across Danzo's lips. "Are you also thinking about your family? You've been taking care of your two boys so tenderly in the past few weeks: Kakashi and the little sweet Naruto," he said with a malicious undertone.

Minato flinched, his expression darkened, and a murderous intent spread through the room. The Kyuubi within Minato stirred, and before he could have a clear thought again, Minato grabbed Danzo by the collar and pressed him against the wall. "Stay away from them! If you dare to harm a hair on my sons' heads, you'll regret it," he growled threateningly.

Several Anbu immediately appeared and pulled Minato away from Danzo. Their gazes remained locked on each other. Before either could say anything, Hiruzen stood up. "Enough!" he said firmly, looking between the two men. "We're ending this conversation here! Both of you out of my office, the Anbu will escort you. Go home for now. Tomorrow, we'll continue this conversation, but only Minato and I," he announced decisively.

Danzo straightened his clothes and looked to Hiruzen. "You're just going to let him get away with this? He attacked me!"

Hiruzen slumped back into his chair. "Let it go, Danzo! Leave my office, both of you!" the Third ordered firmly.

Minato decisively pulled his arm away from the Anbu and gave Danzo one last warning look before leaving the office. He was still boiling with anger and felt the Kyuubi distinctly, its presence in him boiling like a fire. He needed to calm down and think everything through. But one thing was clear to him: he wouldn't let Danzo stop him. His plans were solid.