Chaos

His eyes closed unwillingly, with a start he forced them back open and looked back down at the seals on the notebook.

He sighed, they were shaky and wrong if he channelled any chakra into them he'd more likely spontaneously combust than teleport back to Konoha 

Not that he was anywhere near that objective, his eyes squinted, the bright sun seemed to be purposely trying to stab into his eyes. He winced and held the notebook above his brow like a visor.

Minato's eyes scanned the beach below. The morning sun glared down, turning the sand into a blinding expanse of white.

It was 10:38 on a Monday, so it made sense. He had a shift later tonight, he was dreading it. The monotony of driving and delivering pizza was…well it was awful.

He yawned, his jaw stretching, his eyes closing for a brief moment. 

Then suddenly as he opened his eyes something was to his right, his hand about to run through his hair froze, his eyes widening in shock. 

It was a towering figure wearing a crimson cloak, they were facing the beach not even 2 metres to his right.

"You are?" Minato asked, he was still sitting down, his blue eyes focused on the figure, his brow furrowed in confusion.

How did this man get up here without Minato noticing his presence?

"An admirer" The voice was monotone, with an odd clang to it, the man slowly took a step towards a tensing Minato before carefully and very slowly taking a seat.

The way he moved, even the way he sat…something was wrong with this man. He was…cold, literally cold, his body seeming to drop the temperature of the air surrounding Minato.

The crimson cowl and hood covering his face didn't allow him to see an inch of the man's skin, he wore the full crimson ensemble, gloves and all. 

"Admirer?" Minato questioned, his body prepared to teleport away if needed, the wind blowing yet the hood never once moved from its perched position atop the man's head.

"Well I was once an admirer, is what I should say" His voice was still as monotone as ever, his figure unnervingly still akin to a statue. 

Minato shifted his weight as he tried to unsuccessfully read the man's body language before speaking, "Was?" He repeated, he didn't like this, he's been on the backfoot this whole encounter. 

"Yes, I've been watching you" Minato's eyes narrowed, it wasn't only his sealing, his lack of sleep had dulled all of his skills.

His fatigue even now gnawed at him, an unfamiliar weight slowing his mind. He hated it. He wasn't used to being caught off guard, and this man had him cornered before he even knew it.

"For how long?" Minato asked curtly, his mind racing trying to find out anything about this man, yet could find nothing, his body language, his cloak, his very presence.

It was all unnatural.

"I've had eyes on you since you arrived" His ever so casual words chilled the air around Minato, when, how….

How had he been watched without realising? What kind of person was he facing? A trickle of sweat ran down his back.

He tried to think how this man could have possibly evaded his senses for so long.

But there was nothing, only oppressive silence, the dull hum of his own fatigue, and the growing awareness that he was at a disadvantage.

"I was wrong." The man said, disdain lacing his tone, a stark contrast to his previous monotone, something about this man was making Minato's skin crawl uncomfortably.

"I thought you wonderful, efficient, cold," the man paused, turning his head to face the tense Minato. Seconds ticked by in heavy silence, each moment stretching the tension taut. 

Then, the man's voice broke through the quiet, filled with a cold disappointment.

"But alas…you too are flawed."

His imposing cloaked form rose deliberately, his height dwarfing Minato. The shadow he cast seemed to stretch and grow, enveloping the shinobi in darkness.

Minato's chakra hummed, his eyes watching every part of the man, waiting for an attack. Yet he silently loomed over the shinobi, his presence suffocating. 

Then the man turned and walked away his cloak blowing in the wind yet still not revealing even an inch of his figure.

Without pause, the man stepped off the edge of the roof. Minato waited for the sound of feet landing on the ground below… but there was nothing. Just silence.

Minato slowly stood, his body tense. He walked to the edge of the roof, peering over. But the man was gone.

The wind blew through the empty street, leaving only questions in its wake.

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Shorter chapter, sorry guys 😅