Pizza

Minato walked through the large park. Last night he had fallen asleep in one of the trees, hidden among the branches much like he had in the third ninja war. The familiarity was oddly comforting.

As he neared the edge of the large park his eyes flicked to a slowly approaching form of a man, his features old and wrinkled. 

"Excuse me?" Minato asked gently, stepping towards the man, who squinted up at him with a warm smile.

"Yes" his voice was raspy with age, his old body leaning heavily on a wooden sturdy walking stick.

"Do you know where the information centre is?" Minato asked with a small smile.

The man blinked, confusion crossing his face "Excuse me?" 

Ah, a language issue.

"Scrolls?" Minato tried with a tilted head.

The man furrowed his brow before his face lit in understanding "Ah, you mean books?" 

Minato blinked, books were more of a civilian thing, mainly non fiction stories, a memory of his white haired Sensei shot through his head sending a pang of nostalgia through him. 

"Yes, books"

The man hummed "There is a library to your right, down that street" he said as he gestured with a shaky arm in the direction. "Are you foreign?" He asked curiously.

"Yes, I am" he said with a nod.

The man smiled "You have very good English" he complimented, that must be the name for the common tongue.

"Thank you, have a good day" Minato inclined his head in acknowledgment before he blurred from his position and disappeared in a burst of speed.

For a moment the man stood there, blinking in surprise, his eyes scanning the now empty space Minato had stood. He chuckled softly, shaking his head "Young folk these days…always in a rush" he muttered, hobbling away.

—-

Inside the library, Minato scanned the shelves with curiosity. He'd already discovered that the "mechanical carriages" were actually called a "cars." 

He privately thought his name for it sounded far better, more fitting for such a strange contraption. Still, he admitted, he wasn't always the best at naming things. His mind wandered to the Rasengan, the spiralling blue chakra technique he'd created.

He'd originally called it the "Ice Pop Inspired Nimbus Jiraiya Twin Whorl Sphere." Quite the mouthful, he thought with a sheepish grin. Luckily, the shorter name stuck.

His fingers flipped through the pages of a book he'd found. It was clearly made for visitors, explaining the local currency, common tourist spots, and areas to avoid. The information was useful, he now understood that in this village, he needed something called "Dollars" to trade for goods and services.

He glanced down at his slightly dusty clothes. A wash and a good cleaning were definitely in order, but first, he needed to figure out how to earn some of this world's currency.

—-

Minato strolled down the busy city street, his blue eyes scanning his surroundings as he clutched a folded newspaper in hand. 

He'd found the source of information on the ground, astounding to think people would be so disrespectful.

The headline didn't matter to him, what caught his eye was the bright red ad for a pizza delivery job, a far cry from the duties of a ninja or the grim realities of war.

He wasn't looking for a grand mission. Not now, at least. For now, he needed the basics: clean clothes, food, and a place to rest his head where he wouldn't be ambushed by strange men wearing capes.

The pizza shop came into view, a cosy, hole-in-the-wall joint with a neon sign that buzzed slightly as it flickered between "open" and "pizza." 

Minato pushed the door open, the smell of cheese and fresh dough washing over him as a small bell chimed his entrance.

"Hey, you here for a slice?" Asked the man behind the counter. His greasy apron barely covered his round belly, and a baseball cap sat low over his eyes.

Minato approached the counter with a polite smile. "I saw your ad in the paper. I'm interested in the delivery job."

The man glanced up and did a double take at Minato's appearance, blonde hair, a perfectly clean cloak despite the rough conditions he'd been through, and a sense of calmness that seemed out of place for someone looking to deliver pizza.

"You ever deliver pizzas before, pal?" the man asked sceptically.

Minato shook his head. "No, but I'm quick and reliable."

The man raised an eyebrow, eyeing him up and down before shrugging. "Alright, you're hired. Can't be worse than the last guy. Just take the bike out back, don't trash it and make sure you bring back the cash from the deliveries."

Minato smiled, nodding in agreement. "Understood."

Now he just needed to figure out what a bike was.

—-

Minato sped down the streets of New York, feeling the wind whip past his face as he manoeuvred the delivery bike with ease. 

Turns out this was rather easy. 

Compared to dashing across battlefields with the Hiraishin no Jutsu, this was almost… relaxing. He weaved between cars, dodged pedestrians with precise movements, and delivered each pizza with pride. 

The customers barely noticed him before he was gone, leaving them to wonder if they'd imagined the flash of blonde hair.

By the time the sun was setting, Minato had made enough deliveries to accumulate a modest amount of cash. It wasn't much, but it would cover his basic needs.

With the last delivery completed, he returned the bike to the shop, exchanged a nod with the happy owner, and left with his pockets a little heavier.

Next stop, the laundromat.

—-

Meanwhile, across the city, the Brotherhood of Mutants was stirring.

Magneto, still reeling from finding the mark left on Pietro, was in his hideout surrounded by the Brotherhood.

Toad, perched on the edge of a chair, spoke up. "Maybe we could ambush him next time. Surprise him with a team attack?"

Sabretooth sneered, his voice was a dark growl as he glared at Toad "We've tried that, I seem to remember you running away" 

Toad swallowed, his fists clenching "He cut you in half!" His heart rate was rising from just the memory "What the hell was I meant to do!"

Pietro eyed the arguing duo emotionless, his eyes were hooded as he blankly looked around the room.

Now he knew he was marked, it seemed like the seal burned and writhed at his skin whenever he thought of it.

His teeth grinded as his fists clenched, the feeling of terror and fear had ebbed away, anger taking its place.

Wanda sat next to the silver haired teen, her father had explained what had happened. So until the mark was removed she would stay at Pietro's side.

If the man did appear.

Her eyes narrowed at the thought as thick tendrils of red magic gathered just underneath her skin.

Sabretooth looked like he was about to reply to Toad in anger, but Mystique spoke first.

Cool and calculating, she spoke calmly. "If we're going to deal with him, we need to gather more information."

Magneto nodded in agreement. "Precisely. We've faced powerful mutants before, but this…Man, he's an assassin." And he's threatening to kill my son, the words were unsaid but heard around the table, eyes shooting to Pietro.

"I'll need to reach out to some old contacts. This man isn't a mutant, we need to know what he is." Mystique said calmly, her mind racing.

"He's not a mutant?" Blob asked with furrowed brows, his massive form at the back of the room.

"No" Caliban's pale form expressed with a shame of his head, he could sense mutants X-Gene, the blonde man did not have one.

Magnetos stopped his pacing as he came to a stop and faced his Brotherhood, "This could just be the tip of the iceberg" 

The room grew silent as Magneto's words sunk in.

—-

He had found a cheap, inexpensive room for the night.

Minato stood in front of the bathroom mirror feeling a sense of relief at his newly cleaned skin. Warm water truly was a luxury he thought to himself as he ran a hand through his damp hair.

Clean and refreshed he donned his dark blue clothes, his Jonin vest and white cloak were held up by a coat hanger by the thin wooden door.

He sat down, cross legged on the carpet floor, he closed his eyes. His senses reached out instinctively, even in this unfamiliar world he could feel the natural Chakra roiling just beneath the ground.

Though not nearly as pure or clean as his world's natural Chakra, it was still refreshing to bask in the world's energy.

His body felt as if he was being bathed in rays of gold, the light and warmth embracing him wholeheartedly. 

Memories of toads and statues visited his mind as he sat, for the first time since he'd gotten here, he truly relaxed.