After dinner, several people carried the drunk Jiraiya back to the room.
Fu, who was only three years old, kept shouting that she couldn't sleep. It was hard to tell if she had slept too much during the day or if she couldn't get used to the smell of alcohol in the room.
There was no choice but for a few people to move the heavily intoxicated Jiraiya to the living room.
As they laid him down, Jiraiya grabbed Nohara Rin's hand and mumbled, "Your hand is so smooth..."
Obito, who was standing next to him, turned green with envy and irritation. While everyone else was distracted, he smacked Jiraiya hard on the face twice.
Okamoto Dousuke saw this from the side, his mouth twitching, but he chose to remain silent, pretending not to notice, and turned around to prepare some hangover medicine.
After feeding Jiraiya the hangover medicine he had prepared, Okamoto Dousuke also fell asleep beside him.
In the morning, Fu, who had clearly slept too much, ran around the house, full of energy from the early hours. Obito, the ever-energetic one, followed close behind her.
Hearing the constant commotion nearby, Okamoto Dousuke groggily opened his eyes, looked at the ceiling above him with a hint of annoyance, and rolled over.
Alas, Jiraiya's spot from the previous night was already empty.
Unable to fall back asleep, Okamoto Dousuke sat up and swung his legs over the edge of the bed, preparing to get up.
Oh no!
The paper door slid open with a bang.
A small, wheat-colored blur collided with Okamoto Dousuke's leg, causing it to lose its balance and plop down at the doorway.
"It hurts, Uncle!, Big Brother Obito, Big Sister Rin! This uncle hit me!" The little one covered his head with one hand and pointed an accusing finger at Okamoto Dousuke with the other. Two large, tear-filled eyes and a downturned mouth completed the picture of distress.
Uncle!?
Just then, Rin came over from behind and gently picked up Fu, who was still sitting on the floor. She looked at Okamoto Dousuke apologetically and said, "Dousuke, this child is just being mischievous. Please don't take it too seriously."
"It's alright," Okamoto Dousuke said, bending down slightly to speak to Fu in Lin's arms. "I'm sorry, little friend. Are you okay?"
Seeing Okamoto Dousuke approach, Fu in Lin's arms let out a loud "wah!" and burst into fresh tears.
Okamoto Dousuke watched Fu's outburst and took a few steps back, rubbing the back of his head. He felt a headache coming on. He truly had no experience with taking care of children.
On the other side, Rin held Fu close, rocking her gently and patting her back. Slowly but surely, Fu's crying subsided.
Obito came over, a wide grin on his face. "Uncle Dousuke? Hahahahahaha!"
Okamoto Dousuke shot him a sharp glare. "Then remember to call me 'uncle' whenever you see me from now on, Brother Obito."
Seeing Obito's expression twist as if he'd swallowed a mouthful of flies, Okamoto Dousuke's mood instantly brightened.
Ah, it seems human happiness truly is often built upon the minor misfortunes of others.
Noticing that the crying had mostly stopped, Okamoto Dousuke approached Obito and remarked, "You know, Rin is really good at coaxing children. Why didn't I realize this before?"
Obito turned his head to look when he heard Okamoto Dousuke's words. Rin was looking down at Fu in her arms, rocking her gently. The motherly tenderness in her eyes momentarily stunned Obito.
A strange expression flickered across Obito's face as he seemed lost in thought.
Seeing Obito's smile slowly morph into something a little unsettling, Okamoto Dousuke felt a slight unease.
Fortunately, Kakashi arrived at that moment. "Minato-sensei asked me to call you all for breakfast."
Soon after, the group, now ready for the day, gathered under the guidance of Minato Namikaze. After bidding farewell to the Nagachi family, Minato Namikaze led the way towards Hidden Waterfall Village, following the markings on the provided map.
Because they were traveling with the three-year-old Fu, their pace was not particularly fast.
Okamoto Dousuke and Namikaze Minato walked in the front, with Rin and Fu in the middle, Obito diligently protected Rin's flank, and Kakashi brought up the rear.
Minato Namikaze took the lead, scouting and navigating the path, while Dousuke Okamoto intentionally lagged slightly behind.
"Dousuke, do you know anything about the Flying Thunder God Technique?" Namikaze Minato asked as they walked.
"Well, I know a little bit. It's mentioned in the Forbidden Scroll of Sealing that the Flying Thunder God Technique is an S-rank space-time ninjutsu developed by the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju. It's a type of instantaneous body flicker technique and doesn't require any hand seals to activate."
Namikaze Minato nodded in confirmation. "Yes, the Flying Thunder God Technique is a ninjutsu that uses specialized techniques to achieve instantaneous teleportation."
"If you want to learn the Flying Thunder God Technique, you must first understand and learn the mark of the Flying Thunder God." After saying that, Minato Namikaze handed Okamoto Dousuke a specially crafted Flying Thunder God kunai.
"My Flying Thunder God Technique typically uses this special kunai as a marker, mental power to sense the marker, and chakra to activate the mark, thereby achieving instantaneous movement."
After carefully examining the Flying Thunder God Kunai in his hand, Okamoto Dousuke asked, "Brother Minato, can you teleport to any place where there is a Flying Thunder God Kunai?"
Namikaze Minato smiled and said, "It's not quite that simple. There are limitations in terms of distance and chakra. If the distance is too great and your mental power cannot sense the mark, then you won't be able to reach it. Even if you could, the chakra consumption might be too significant to make it worthwhile."
"And it doesn't have to be just the Flying Thunder God Kunai. As long as there is a location with the Flying Thunder God mark, you can teleport there."
"Dousuke, I can teach you the Flying Thunder God Sealing Technique first, and then we can practice the Sensing Seal once you are proficient in using it."
"Alright, thank you, Minato-san."
Okamoto Dousuke continued to ask questions as they walked. Time passed quickly.
"Let's take a break for a while." When they reached the river, Minato Namikaze glanced up at the sun, which had moved noticeably in the sky.
Hearing Minato's instruction, Nohara Rin couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief, gently put Fu down from her back, and sat down on the ground.
"Rin, sit on my backpack." Obito quickly took off his backpack and placed it under Nohara Rin.
"Thank you, Obito," Nohara Rin said sweetly, expressing her gratitude.
"Don't be so polite. It's my duty after all," Obito replied, feeling a sense of giddiness at Nohara Rin's smile.
Fu, who had been placed on the ground by Nohara Rin, toddled over on her short legs and stood in front of Okamoto Dousuke. "Bad guy, I forgive you. Big Sister Rin told me on the way that you and she are here to help me."
Looking down, Okamoto Dousuke met Fu's gaze, who was acting like a little adult, and smiled. "Thank you, and I apologize again. How about this? I'll make you something delicious."
With that, Okamoto Dousuke carefully put away the Flying Thunder God Kunai and a book on the initial release of the seal that Minato Namikaze had given him earlier.
"Obito, could you gather some wood and start a fire? I'll go catch some fish."
"No problem, leave it to me!" Obito exclaimed enthusiastically.
"Kakashi, come with me to catch some fish," Okamoto Dousuke said, turning to Kakashi, who was sitting alone nearby, clad in his usual dark attire and mask.
"Kakashi," Okamoto Dousuke called again when he didn't receive an immediate response.
"When a ninja is on a mission, the biggest taboo in the wilderness is to draw attention. Starting a fire will not only expose our position but may also invite unnecessary trouble," Kakashi said, his tone as stoic as ever, still giving the impression that someone owed him a considerable sum of money.
"Go ahead, Kakashi. I will take responsibility," Namikaze Minato said from where he sat on a nearby rock, a relaxed smile gracing his lips as he squinted his eyes.