Disclaimer: i do not own any series that may be included in this fic.
Apparantly i forgot to write that in my other fic. Well i don't think it matterd anyway.
Prologue
"How did it come to this?" Minato thought to himself while taking his last breaths. Taking in each breath was a colossal task and his eyes refused to remain open no matter how hard he tried. He took one last glance at his son and dead wife before giving up to darkness.
He had woken up that day anticipating the best day of his life. His wife Kushina was expecting their first child any day. The village was on it's way to recovery from the Third Ninja War, and the world was peaceful, just as Minato liked it.
All that was ruined when he first saw his blasted paperwork. He couldn't use shadow clones because they gave him more of a headache than it was worth.
But what destroyed the chance of him having at least a decent day was the extraction of the nine tails. From his wife's stomach at that! Dying also tends to ruin your mood of course.
So after fighting the orange masked shinobi and sealing the nine tails again, he laid dying next to his new born son. He had failed them. He had failed in protecting the village. He was selfish wanting children even though he knew it would make Kushina vulnerable. He had failed her. He wasn't able to protect her. Now she too was dying. And it was all his fault. She would never be able to hold her son. See him grow up.
'I should have been stronger.' Minato thought, gritting his teeth. He was on the precipice of his death. And wanted nothing more than to just fall from that cliff right now. Because he had failed his son. He had condemned him to a life of hardship and loneliness. No matter what he told Hiruzen to tell the people, he knew that Naruto's life would be hard. Even though he loved his village, he knew that the civilians there were naive. They hated what they didn't understand. And Jinchuuriki were an anomaly. They have always been hated and isolated no matter where.
He hoped Naruto would be able to get through it. He had even sacrificed a part of his soul to guide him if he ever lost his path. As well as Kushina's to help him control the Kyuubi. He still wasn't confident in his precautions though. He wanted to be more involved in his son's life after all.
'I thought Kushina would be the overprotective one, but i guess you can't predict what will happen after becoming a parent, can you?' Minato chuckled at that, though the chuckle changed into a ragged cough, blood pouring from his mouth. His lungs were filled with blood now and he knew that this was his last minute alive. But he couldn't die yet.
Through tremendous effort, Minato blearily opened one of his eyes. Trying to get a last glance at his wife. It looked like his son had already been taken away by Hiruzen. But he wanted to get a last look at his beautiful wife. Someone he failed to protect. He had promised her that he would protect her on the day he rescued her from those Kumo shinobi. He looked over her vibrant red hair. He loved those red strings of fate. Those strings were the one who attracted him toward her in the first place. Even though she looked like a tomato in her adolescence 'Hope she can't hear my thought in after life." She still looked like a cute tomato.
Everyone ridiculed her, made fun of her outspoken ways. But he loved it. He loved how open she was about her dreams, her feelings. Minato wasn't an introvert, but he wasn't that open. He could count the number of times he told his wife that he loved her. He regretted that now.
And so, Minato, racked with guilt, regret and self loathing, finally passed away. Two teardrops went unnoticed in the heavy rain that followed the debacle. He died a hero in the eyes of the village. But in his eyes he had failed everyone.
In a complete void of blackness, a sense of self started forming.
'Where am i?' Minato looked around, disoriented, trying to decipher his surroundings. His eyes refused to open though.
It was only after gaining a sense of control that Minato understood. He couldn't open his eyes because there weren't any. He couldn't feel any of his body parts for that matter. He couldn't hear anything, touch anything or smell anything. All he could do was sense it. It was like he instinctively knew that he was in a void. That there was no matter here. And that he was alone.
He didn't know how much time passed. He didn't even feel the time. He couldn't do anything but think and wait for something to happen. But he didn't want to. All his thoughts bought were depression and self loathing. No matter how many good moments had been in his life, it was all eclipsed by the last day. Where he had failed everyone.
So he waited. He tried to keep depressing thoughts out of his mind. It worked sometimes.
Finally, after an indescribable time, something happened. It started slowly. First he was taken aback by the ability to feel. His fingers were sensitive. The feeling was akin to restoration from the effects of morphine. Morphine registered for years that is. Piece by piece, part by part, his body was able to feel again.
Minato awoke with a gasp. It was the gasp of someone who had not taken a breath for a very long time. A gasp of rebirth.
He opened his eyes to a void that was still dark. The only thing visible was his body. His body had ethereal glow to it. It was radiating a light of its own that wasn't getting reflected by any surface.
'Probably because there is no surface at all.' Minato thought to himself. He was lying down on his back, yet he couldn't feel any resistance to it. It was like he was floating yet lying down at the same time.
'Looks like i will need to play the waiting game again.' Minato sighed. Though he was quite happy as his choices weren't as limited as before. Now he could train. Though he wasn't sure how as their wasn't any resistance and thus no way to train physically. He finally decided to just work on his chakra for now.
Before dying Minato was on the verge of a breakthrough. He had finally , after a lot of experimentation, figured out how to divide his chakra into yin and yang. It was through this research he was able to divide Kyuubi's chakra into two.
And so, Minato trained. He found that he never got tired in the Void, the name by which he had started to refer to this plane. And he couldn't explain it, even to himself, but he couldn't feel the time.
After another indescribable amount of time, Something changed. The Void suddenly felt heavier. It was like the whole plane was forcing Minato to kneel. He resisted for a moment, then gave up. He somehow knew that he would need to kneel to stop the Void. He felt a presence in front of him.
Minato's eyes widened seeing the figure towering above him. It was the Shinigami in all it's glory. He looked the same as when he had first summoned him, with a frightening mask on his face and his jaw biting a knife. They looked at each other for a few moments. The Shinigami took the knife out of his mouth, preparing to speak. Minato didn't understand the use of the knife, other than theatrics.
"How is the first of my summoners? Satisfied with my hospitality ?" Shinigami's voice was rough, like he was still recovering from a throat infection. 'I have become insane, having thoughts like that about the Shinigami, he is probably reading my thoughts right now.' Minato thought, quite amused.
"Was it supposed to be accommodating? If yes, then i am satisfied. If no, then i am not." Minato told the Shinigami. No matter what he thought, Minato knew that the Shinigami had his soul, and thus his life, in his hands. He should hold himself back from insulting him.
"Wise answer mortal. No, it wasn't supposed to be accommodating. After all, rebuilding of a soul is never pleasant. Though in your case it was better since it wasn't destroyed in the first place." Shinigami said monotonously. Minato couldn't figure out if the Shinigami was amused, or just stating a fact, or if the fact itself was funny for him.
"Rebuilding? I thought that I was in your stomach. That is what happens when you use the death seal doesn't it?" Minato had figured out during his training that this was probably Shinigami's stomach. Though he was now feeling stupid asking that question. After all you couldn't appear in your own stomach, can you?
"Since you have understood your folly by yourself, i will give you an explanation as a reward. I don't allow living souls in my stomach. What you have been experiencing all this time was the transfer of your soul from my stomach to this 'Void' as you call it. Your soul came first, then your mind, and at last your body." Shinigami explained. He didn't owe this mortal anything. Yet he had to give him something in order to make his plan work.
"Why? Wasn't i supposed to remain in your stomach for eternity, the price for summoning you?" Minato asked bewildered. He was still kneeling on the...floor? He had studied the seal extensively. This wasn't supposed to happen.
"I have summoned you here in order to make an arrangement. I have something that needs to be done. And I need a mortal for that." Shinigami explained patiently. Though the mortal was testing it. This mortal didn't have any right to ask questions from a god.
"Why should I? What if i refuse? You will kill me? I am already dead. Send me back to your stomach? I don't think so." Minato said, defiant. Though poorly, he had already done his part in life. He didn't want to go back to a world where Kushina wasn't present.
"You amuse me puny human. You think yourself so wise, that you could outbid a God? Make him do your bidding? Make him your slave? LEARN YOUR PLACE!" Shinigami roared, and Minato felt it. The void became 100 times heavier than before, so much that he couldn't even kneel. After that he felt indescribable pain. Like someone had poured molten lava in his veins. Skinned him alive. Skewered him with a thousand needles simultaneously.
After forever, the pain finally dulled, and Minato was able to breath again. He kept laying down for a few minutes, then looked up towards the Shinigami. Shinigami stood nonplussed, like this was an everyday occurrence to him, which it probably was.
"Now that i have shown you your place, I will explain to you the intricacies of that seal. It doesn't make me your slave, Even now i could fail that seal at the snap of my fingers. So if you know what is good for you, and your son, you will listen to your betters." Shinigami told Minato.
"You are bluffing!" Minato exclaimed. He couldn't let this God destroy everything he died for. If the seal failed, Naruto will die and the village will be destroyed.
"Am I? That may be the case, but will you gamble your son's life on it?" Shinigami asked Minato. Shinigami had checkmated him, and Minato knew it. He didn't have a choice in the first place.
"Allright, I will do as you say." Minato admitted defeat. What was he thinking in the first place? Challenging a God? He was doomed from the start.
"Wonderful, it looks like you understand that you have no choice, let's get to the matter at hand. I have made it abundantly clear by now that i don't like to be cheated, haven't I?" Shinigami asked Minato, testing his loyalty. Minato understood.
"Yes, Shinigami-sama" Minato bowed his head in subservience.
"Well, it seems like people are trying to cheat death everywhere nowadays. Even though only a few of them have been able to in your..." Shinigami stopped for a moment, thinking of the right word for it " dimension you could say."
"Dimension? You mean there are more than one?" Minato interrupted.
"DON'T INTERRUPT ME." Minato felt the pressure again, and knew the consequences won't be good if he didn't apologise and quelled Shinigami's anger.
"My apologies, Shinigami-sama." Shinigami scoffed and continued.
"As I was saying, some shinobi in your dimension have been able to live past their time. But they have not yet cheated me as there changes are only physical. They have just prolonged their time rather than cheat death. But some people in the other dimensions have been able to bind their soul itself to the mortal plane. And that is something that I, the keeper of souls, cannot tolerate." Shinigami elaborated, and Minato finally understood his motives. He wanted Minato to be his attack dog, his proxy. He was supposed to be a loan shark. Only difference would be he would be collecting souls instead of money.
"You are more intelligent than your counterparts, mortal. To be honest, you impressed me quite a bit with your seal. Being able to force a God to do something for you is not a small accomplishment. And this is why I have selected you as the first mortal to get my blessing." Shinigami told Minato, like it was an honour. And for the Shinigami, it probably was. He didn't understand that humans don't like to be someone's attack dog.
"It's an honour, Shinigami-sama." For now, Minato would remain subservient, until he held some cards in his hands. First he had to get rid of this blasted telepathic link Shinigami had somehow formed with him.
"Hahaha." Shinigami chuckled, making Minato look up at him bewildered. He knew that Shinigami was still listening to his thoughts. But he also knew that he wouldn't be killed until he has served his purpose. "You mortals sure are persistent. Well you may do whatever you like, I will be there when you lose hope. A mortal has never and can never defeat a god, no matter what." Shinigami told Minato, and Minato had a distinct feeling that he was smirking under his mask.
"I agree to your conditions, Shinigami-sama. But I need insurance. How can I be sure that you haven't unsealed the Kyuubi from my son already?" Minato enquired. He wanted to be sure that Shinigami hadn't turned back on his words from the start.
"You sure are acting foolish for such an intelligent being, Mortal. Or have you forgotten that a part of Kyuubi is also sealed in you through the same seal? You will know that the seal has been undone, when you see the Kyuubi get out of your own seal. So you should rest assured for now. And never question me on my honestly again, Mortal. A God doesn't need to lie." Shinigami told Minato. Shinigami's patience was already at its end. And he didn't want to answer anymore unnecessary questions lest he pulverise this pest. So he decided to complete his objectives quickly.
"I am sending you to another dimension. Somewhere completely different than your own. You will get sufficient time to take note of your surroundings, but your missions will start as soon as I deem you knowledgeable enough. Do not waste your time Mortal. Or i would find someone else to replace you." Minato felt something from his abdominal region. Not quite pain, just an uncomfortable feeling. He noticed his hands, still placed on the floor in his subservient position, were getting blurry. 'So this is it. From the Hokage to a dog, what a demotion.' Minato thought to himself, trying to find some amusement on his condition. It didn't work as welll as he hoped.
"One more thing." Shinigami said unexpectedly. Minato didn't think he would speak again. "If you do your work well enough, I might grant you resurrection of one soul as a reward."
"What!? Do you mean..." Minato, surprised as he was, couldn't question the God. Shinigami had timed it perfectly so that he wouldn't have to answer anymore foolish question. 'Foolish mortal. Always so annoying to deal with.' Shinigami thought, then retreated into the darkness.
The next time Minato woke up, it was to the sound of loud explosions. He opened his eyes, and found that he was in some kind of barn. He was lying on his back on a stack of hay. The barn was devoid of life, and Minato decided that staying near explosions of this range would not be good for his health. He stood up and started walking towards the door of the barn. When he was a few feet away, The door of the barn suddenly got kicked open. Minato decided that trying to hide would be a moot point. It would make these people suspicious if they found him hiding. 3 men were pointing something, probably some kind of weapon by the way they held it, towards him.
"Hands up in der Luft!" The guy at the front told Minato. Even though they were speaking in a language Minato had never heard before, Minato was able to understand them perfectly. 'Something to think about later.' For now Minato decided that surrendering would be in his best interest. He was in an unknown place, with the first people he met pointing weapons at him. It would be better if he presented himself as weak, make them underestimate him, until he could properly analyse the situation.
Minato put his hands up in the air, and the man at front hand cuffed him. 'Probably a good sign that they didn't attack on sight.' Unseen by the three guards, Minato dropped one of his Hiraishin kunai in the hay. A perfect escape plan if something went wrong. Minato let the soldiers shove him away, wondering what kind of world he had been transported to. 'Well, in for a penny, in for a pound.' Minato sighed.
Tada! Hope you liked it. I know that the first part was boring. It was for me at least. But some things are necessary. The next chapter will be more exciting.
Until next time then.