Naruto: Kitsune of the Darkness
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, Bleach, Inuyasha, or any other anime, manga, game book, or anything else that might make an appearance in this fic... I own nothing but OCs that will appear later, as well as original techniques, are mine so you can't have them
Prologue: Death of a Hero, Birth of a Legend
"Normal Talking"
'Normal Thinking'
"Demon/Summons/Jutsu"
'Demon & Summons thinking'
"Avatars & Gods talking"
It was October 10th and it would forever be known as the darkest day in the history of the ninja village of the Hidden Leaf. It was the day the dreaded Nine-Tailed Fox attacked their land and their village. It was a huge demon, it's red Youki could be seen and felt by people over a mile away. The ninjas that survived the battle would still be able to tell how they could feel the presence of the giant fox demon, how it felt like a giant weight crushing them.
It was the day that a hero die and a legend was born
-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-
Five figures were presently talking in the confines of the nicely furnished kitchen of the Namikaze household, a small but eloquently designed and decorated house, and home to the Yondaime Hokage of Konohagakure.
The first person taking part in the conversation was the Sandaime Hokage, now retired from his duties as village leader, Hiruzen Sarutobi, praised as the Professor and the God of Shinobi. Despite his feared reputation, which held even in his old age, he was a kind old man who's only remaining goal was to pass on the knowledge of the village and its power to the next generation. Seated closely next to him was none other than the equally aged, yet still quite youthful wife of the Third, Biwako Sarutobi. Both were garbed in conservative yet exquisite formal clothing, a choice both deserving of their position as elders of the village, and suiting their humble attitude about their standing.
Across the small wooden table they sat at was another famous couple. Standing with his hands resting firmly on the smooth tabletop in front of him was Minato Namikaze, better known as the Yondaime or the Yellow Flash. Dressed in all blue from his shinobi sandals to his long sleeved turtle neck, adorned with the symbol of Uzushiogakure on the shoulders, he looked every bit as a Hokage should. Sitting in a chair directly adjacent to the Yellow Flash was his young bride, Kushina Uzumaki-Namikaze. Clothed in a light blue house dress and a tan apron, neither of the two garments revealing any of her deadly skill as a kunoichi, she was a picture of beauty.
And standing in the background dressed in all his AUBN glory was Loyd Ryuujin, dragon hanyou and demonic overlord of Makai, but more importantly good friends with the four other occupants of the room. Right now he was listening to the others with his back against the wall. Something he glance at the red headed wife of the Hokage who was simply glowing in a radiant light, due to her state of being very, very pregnant.
In fact, that itself was the topic of discussion between the five occupants of the room. The first Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Yoko, a kunoichi also hailing from Uzushiogakure and wife of the Shodaime Hokage, discovered that the seal containing Konoha's last remaining Biju weakened during the birth of the host's child. To make sure the same almost-catastrophe did not occur again with the second Jinchuuriki of the Demon Fox, or rather, Kushina, they were taking precautions. This meant, that instead of a traditional birthing in the Konoha General Hospital, the baby would be born outside the village in a secluded and contained area, just in case, that if worse came to worse, the Kyuubi would be released far away from the village proper.
The second precaution was that the doctor attending to Kushina and her baby would be none other than Biwako, an extremely experienced and skilled medic. Along with her would be Loyd and a handful of ANBU, meant to guard the doctor and patient as the birth commenced. And finally, the last person who would attend was, obviously, Minato, for two simple reasons: he was the father, and he was also the resident Fuinjutsu specialist, a field of Ninpo that would be the greatest asset in keeping the demon's seal stable.
Of course, all of this would be keep secret and only those of high importance would be able to acquire the information.
With all of them in agreement, Hiruzen decided to go back to his family home and catch up on his reading, a comment to which his wife glared and blatantly called him…well, a dirty old man. He smiled perversely in admittance and disappeared in a swirl of leaves via a Shunshin without the use of handseals. Sighing in annoyance, Biwako stood along with Kushina, who kissed her husband on the lips before leaving the compound with the female Sarutobi for the hospital, off to an appointment with the aged medic to get an update on her unborn boys progress and health.
Resigning himself, the famous Minato Namikaze headed off with Loyd to his study, intent on putting together the seal that would kept his lovely wife's tenant in check as their child was born into the world.
-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-
On the way to the hospital, as Kushina and Biwako talked amongst themselves in the crowd of the village, they ran into a good friend of Kushina's - Uchiha Mikoto, wife of the Uchiha Clan Head, Uchiha Fugaku. In the young, raven-haired women's arms was her newborn.
"Oh, Mikoto!" Kushina greeted cheerfully, her ever present red-hued blush adorning her cheeks.
"Good day, Kushina, Biwako-sama." The newly appointed mother greeted in response, giving a slight bow while simultaneously giving her red haired childhood friend a small smile.
Gushing over the baby in Mikoto's arms, the Uzumaki women asked rather obliviously, "Huh? It was a girl?"
A sweat drop formed on the forehead of the Uchiha female at the other women's rather ungraceful questioning, "No…A boy…"
Without skipping a beat, Kushina spoke again, while Biwako herself just smiled down at the small baby held in his mothers embrace, "What did you name him, Mikoto?"
"Sasuke," she answered proudly.
"Oh, after the Sandaime's father."
"Hai. So that he will become a fine, strong ninja." She smiled down at her son lovingly, making Kushina all the more eager for when she too was a mother.
Looking up at Kushina, the dark haired women asked her companion, "Your due soon, aren't you Kushina? You should think of a name ahead of time."
"Oh, I already have!" She answered happily, "We're going to call him Naruto. He'll be the same age as Sasuke-kun, wont he? Oh, I hope they'll be good friends!"
Mikoto and Biwako simply smiled at the thought of the Yondaime's son and Uchiha heir as friends, imagining the trouble the two would cause.
"By the way…" Kushina leaned forward and whispered into her friend's ear, an ominous look on her otherwise pretty face, "Does it hurt as much as they say…?"
"Wow…so there are things your afraid of…I'm surprised!"
Instead of retorting, Kushina was pulled away by an irritated Biwako, who was mumbling about troublesome new mothers. Giving a final wave to her friend, who waved back in turn, the young Namikaze bride allowed herself to be led as her thoughts drifted to a certain small boy, holed up in her womb until further notice. Smiling, she rested a hand on her enlarged stomach.
'Oh, Naruto…'
She barely registered Biwako berating her for spilling the beans to someone who didn't know, telling her to keep this all top secret, in and out of the village.
She complied and the rest of the journey to the hospital was quiet and uneventful, leaving Kushina free to think about all the good times she, her husband, and their son would share in the future.
-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-
Loyd watch as Minato went over several seal that would help to keep Kushina's seal stable, because while Akane - the the Kyuubi no Yoko, would not try to escape, the seal will still because weak and unstable during the birth of the host's child.
"So how do you felt, in ten days time your be a father" Loyd ask sudden.
Minato grin sheepishly, and rubbed the back of his head "I'm nervous that I won't be a good father" was his honest answer "and if anything happens to us, then you and Akane are his godparents"
Loyd was momentarily stunned but shook his head "Noting will happens to you or Kushina" the red hair demon said as he hit Minato on the back of the head "you'll be a great father"
"What about you, do you think your be a good father" Loyd gave a wishful sigh before coughing heavily
Minato looked at Loyd with worried "Are you sure your okay, you been looking ill lately" and he looked it, his skin was pale and he had dark rings around his eyes.
But Loyd waved him off "I'm all right just a bit tire that all" Loyd didn't what them worrying about him just because he had a cold, it's not like demons never get sick it's just rarely happens.
-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-
On October Tenth, in an area deep in the forests of Fire Country, relatively far from the Leaf Village, the atmosphere was quiet and peaceful-
"WAHHHHH! IT HUUUUUUURTS!"
Well, it was, that is, until Uzumaki Kushina took temporary residence in a nearby guarded cavern to give birth to her baby.
"OOOOOH!"
"Uhm… I've never seen her cry out in pain like this before… Do you really think she'll be okay?" quietly asked a very, very concerned Minato as he held his hands over both the Kyuubi's seal and the Stability Seal he had ingrained into it.
The question was directed at Biwako, who was currently administering healing ninjutsu to Kushina to dull the pain, though it only worked so well, "Of course! Just keep an eye on the Kyuubi's seal!"
Still not convinced, the spiky-haired blonde spoke up again, "But… this is…"
"You're the Yondaime Hokage, for Kami's sake, don't just gape like that! Pain like this would kill a man, but women are strong…!" Biwako then proceeded to go into a speech about the power of women and femininity, Minato wisely deciding to tune her out. Consoling himself that if the serious Biwako Sarutobi was relaxed about the procedure, then he was willing to bet both this wife and son would be just fine. He once again focused on the seal, often glancing at his redheaded lover and smiling comfortingly.
As Kushina continued to push forth her baby into the living world and Minato continued to focus all his energy onto his own task, neither noticed that outside the compound, something unfavorable and definitely not friendly was taking place.
-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-
The final ANBU guard fell to the ground, the entire squad having gone down in less than a minute, without even enough time to raise any form of alarm or warning to their assigned protected persons.
This was to be expected, if one took into account just who they were facing…
The killer quietly snuck into the cavern's entrance, undetected and without a sound, waiting for the opportune time to strike and claim his prize…
Loyd struggled to get up, he should have know that he would come…
-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-
With one last push, and a simultaneous final scream, Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze, son of the Yellow Flask and the Crimson Death, heir to the legacy's of both the Uzumaki Clan, the last clan of Uzushiogakure, and the Namikaze Family, was born.
"He's here…" Minato stared down in amazement at the small human being he himself had created, and a sense of love and a want to protect this child came over him. What shocked him the most was the fact that their hair and eyes were almost identical copies of one another.
Kushina looked over, eager to see her son. A humongous grin overtook her face as she spotted the wrapped bundle in her husband's arms, and even though her heart was racing and her breath was labored, she felt the need to get up and embrace the two men in her life: her lover and her baby.
"I'm a father!" cried Minato, tears of joy leaking down his face as he laid baby Naruto down next to his sweating and worn out wife.
"Naruto…" Kushina cooed her eyes full of a love unmatched by anything in the world, even her love for Minato.
Wiping away his tears, the emotions Minato had previously exude seemed to vanish and be replaced with a extremely serious demeanor, "Alright, love," he looked down and Kushina and spoke softly, "I know your tired, but your need to exert the rest of your energy to controlling the Kyuubi."
"Right" Kushina managed to break her gaze away from the now sleeping Naruto and focus back on her husband, determination shining in her eyes.
Biwako smiled from the sidelines, moving back give them room. Her job was done, and now it was the Yondaime's turn to show off his skills in his particular field of work.
She never even had a chance.
Without any warning, she fell to the ground with a dull thud. Minato and Kushina whipped their heads around to see Biwako's body sprawled out on the ground. "Biwako!" Minato called in alarm, unable to rush over to her aid as he had the Kyuubi to worry about. And in that millisecond his focus left the seal in front of him and his newly born son, little Naruto was snatched up and captured by the killer of the ANBU.
"NARUTO!" cried Kushina in anguish, seeing her baby by being held by a hostile stranger. Said stranger was garbed in a long, flowing cloak, obscuring all but his pale hands; one of which had Naruto tucked into the crook of his arm and chest tightly, while the other was held ominously over Naruto's small head, ready to end the newly created life.
Both parents looked on in horror, unable to move lest they release the Kyuubi once more upon the world, but also unable to ignore the fact that this man had not only killed all their guards, but was now about to murder their son.
"Yondaime Hokage, Minato Namikaze…" the man spoke in a voice that sounded both quiet and forceful. He lifted his hooded head, revealing not a face to the young ninja couple, but an orange mask, one side of which was covered in black flame markings. Strangely enough, the mask only contained one eyehole for vision, "Step away from the Kyuubi's host…" the man's hand inched closer to blonde babies face, "…or this child won't live a minute longer."
"Who are you? How'd you slip past the barrier?" demanded Minato, standing and losing focus on the seal, though not completely, still channeling chakra into it to keep it stable.
The man didn't answer; he simply twitched his fingers slightly.
A stare down was taking place between the two ninja, as Kushina tried to sit up, only to fail as pain racked through her entire body, "AHH!"
"Kushina! The Kyuubi's seal in still-"Minato was cut off as the mystery man spoke again, "As I said: step away from the host. Or don't you care what happens to this brat?"
"W-wait, calm down!" Minato tried to reason, only to be met with one of the most terrifying sights of his life.
The man suddenly through the bundle that was Naruto above his head, into the air, and pulled out a kunai knife from somewhere inside his cloak, stabbing upwards, aiming for the babies small chest as he fell, "No, you're the one who needs to calm down, Minato! I am perfectly calm!"
"NARUTO!" screamed Kushina once again, even as Minato' eyes become cold and he vanished in a flash of sparking yellow.
The kunai was pushed upwards into… nothing but air, the hooded man looking to the wall behind him, immediately spotting Minato sticking to the stone surface with chakra as he held baby Naruto protectively in his arms.
The unnamed ninja smirked behind his orange mask, "I'd expect nothing less from Konoha's hero, the Yellow Flash…"
It was then Minato noticed the number of exploding tags attached to the bottom of the blanket that held his son in its warm embrace, and his eyes widened in shock.
Ripping Naruto's naked body from the swaddling, he flashed away at the same time the tags went off.
The form of Minato Namikaze skidded to a halt outside of the now burning structure he had just been inside; though the explosion didn't reach the area of the cavern Kushina was placed. Wincing as he pulled a stray piece of sharpened wood that had lodged itself in his shin, he once again flashed away, Naruto still in his arms. Reappearing inside the home he shared with Kushina, he placed Naruto down into the crib they had prepared for him, 'Dammit, he's after Kushina and now I'm not with her…!'
Naruto shifted in his sleep, bringing a smile to the young Hokage's face despite his wariness. Ticking the blankets around the blonde babies' body, he spoke quietly, "Hey, Naruto, I gotta go save your mom right now, so just wait a little while. You'll be safe here."
And with that, he flashed yet again, leaving the room quiet and undisturbed, expect for the rhythmatic breathing of Naruto.
-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-
Loyd stumble walk into the flame cottage, waving his hand the fire quickly die out, looking around he saw Biwako in a small puddle of blood and the body of the ANBU, quickly kneeing down he saw that Biwako neck had been slit open, but she was alive.
Quickly opening a scroll and unsealing a first aid kit and a vile of blue liquid that slightly glowed, Loyd than swiftly pored half of it over her neck and watch as the cut close, he than put two blood replenishing pills in her mouth and force her to swallow them.
Loyd than swallow the last half of the blue liquid 'That should help with the poison, now I have to help Minato and Kushina…
-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-
In the small amount of time Minato and Naruto were gone, the unknown shinobi approached Kushina's still form, "W-what do you want from me?"
The man spoke in that same oddly powerful and disturbing voice, "To take Kyuubi from you and destroy Konohagakure."
"W-what…?"
The masked Nin looked down at Kushina's exposed seal, 'So Minato has added the markings for his Hiraishin no Jutsu into her seal, has he? I don't have much time then…',"Minato is always protecting you, but now… he is not around to save you. And furthermore, your seal is weakened from the birth." The mystery shinobi paused for a brief moment, "Do you know…" he chuckled quietly a small bit, "how long I've waited for this moment?" With those final words, the mans eye suddenly became visible through the single eyehole of the mask, and Kushina gaped in abject horror, for what she saw was none other than a fully developed, three tomoe Sharingan, the blood red iris distorted by the madly spinning comma-like markings.
"The Sharingan…!" she whispered, a cold, harsh noise.
The man chuckled darkly, "Yes, the Sharingan! My sharingan!" With that, the eye changed and shifted into something Kushina did not recognize; it looked like a Sharingan, but the pattern was different and unique.
The next thing Kushina knew her world had warped into something twisted and induced by the Uchiha bloodline.
Everything was colored in grayscale, the scenery something out of a horror story. A series of jagged rocks jutted from the pitch black waves, to one of which she was chained to. Her metal bindings swerved and slinked around the other obstructions of stone, creating a giant spider's web of linking chains. Kushina struggled for release, but even a skilled kunoichi like herself could do nothing against the illusionary powers of the Copy Wheel Eye.
In front of her was the man, still garbed in the same cloak and mask, hiding his features. From behind her, she heard the telltale sound of a large object rising up from the water below, sending currents crashing against the other structures and ripples running though the dark liquid. Following that was something terrifying to anyone, anyone, who has ever had the misfortune of coming across it; the furious roar of the great Kyuubi no Yoko. Kushina's bloodshot eyes nearly popped out of her head as the foxes rage exuded outward.
Another cackle escaped the mans' lips from behind his coverings, "How joyous." He stared up at the object that had risen above their heads - a great ball of earth, covering the crystal white moon of the genjutsu in an eclipse. Chained to the spherical rock was the one and only Nine-tailed Demon Fox, each of its limbs and tails impaled with a stake and tied to the earthen jail.
The masked ninja's Sharingan eye stared to spin once more, even faster than before. An image of the same madly whirling eye started to appear in the iris of the Kyuubi, before receding, though the effect had taken hold.
The metal stakes and chains that bound the Kyuubi started to come loose, and within a short amount of time… fell from their places. Red chakra started to seep up and around Kushina's still captivated body, her eyes rolling back into her head as the markings of her seal spread across her entire form. The bubbling, poisonous youki of the Kyuubi being forcefully ripped from her system, she screamed in pain, unable to hold back as the excruciating process went about.
The unknown man was putting forth all his focus, control, and chakra into this unsealing jutsu, his hands held firmly in the common molding hand seal, "Now… come out of there Kyuubi!"
With that shout, the stakes shattered into broken rock and links of the chain snapped; the Kyuubi no Yoko, strongest of the nine Bijuu and Queen of all Kitsune was once again free to wreck havoc upon the world. Raising its furred head high into the air, it howled up at the moon, more reminiscent of a wild wolf than a fox, but a paralyzing sound nonetheless.
The illusion faded and Kushina's bindings also snapped apart, and her body fell to the hard dirt under her. Looking up at her tormentor, she just knew under that orange colored mask of his, he was smirking in the most evil way imaginable. The man scoffed, "The Uzumaki Clan really is amazing…You were able to survive even after your Bijuu was extracted from you, eh?"
Even though the genjutsu had disappeared, the Kyuubi did not, its massive form still howling up at the moon high in the starless night sky. The redheaded wife of the Kiiroi Senkou groaned in agony, "Wait…"
Without even a glance at the woman struggling to move underneath him, he stared up at the crimson colored demon, which was now spreading destruction in the surrounding forests, "Now, off to Konohagakure."
Finally acknowledging that Kushina was writhing around on the ground, he spared a look at her, the annoyance clearly seen in his visible eye, "What to do with the host…Oh!"
As if on silent command, the Kyuubi's blood colored gaze fell upon the equally red haired woman on the hard soil. A clawed hand rose in the air and a moment later, came swiping down to rip her body to shreds and end her life.
Though Kyuubi was incredibly fast, nothing was faster than light, and that was the speed of which Minato could travel with his jutsu. Just in time, the blond Hokage flashed to his wife and grabbed her, immediately flashing to a treetop a ways away, where he had placed one of his special kunai.
"I-is…Naruto…alright..?" asked a very broken and worried Kushina, laying limp in her lovers muscled arms.
Minato smiled down at her, in the back of his mind still thinking she was beautiful, even in this state, "Yes, love. He's in a safe place now."
"T-thank goodness…"
Glancing over his shoulder, Minato listened as his wife spoke, "M-minato, s-stop that man and the Kyuubi…they're heading for Konoha…"
Nodding, Minato flashed in a spark of gold once more, he and his wife reappearing in the same room Naruto was sound asleep in. Laying her barely breathing form down next to their son, he kissed her softly and then vanished, off to fight for his village, and his family.
Kuhsina hugged her son tightly, though it pained her entire body to move, and looked over at the table in the room, noticing her husbands white coat and headband were gone as well. He was off to battle. She hugged the baby boy tighter, "Be safe, my love…"
The small blonde shifted in his sleep, bringing a motherly smile to her sweat streaked face, "Oh Naruto…"
-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-
As the villagers and shinobi of the village changed shifts for the skeleton crew, the unnamed masked shinobi hid in the shadows of a deserted street. He had simply Shunshin'ed from the location in the forest and cloaked his presence, undetected by the security and unnoticed by the population. Speeding through handseals, and with a quick swipe of a kunai, drawing blood from his hand, he slammed his palm onto the ground, calling out, "Summoning Technique: Kyuubi!"
The Kyuubi almost instantly appeared amongst the buildings of Konoha, immediately destroying all that surrounded it and ending the lives of those who were at the worst place at the worst time.
Ninja jumped into action, teams and squads attacking the great demon with shouts of "Hold it back until the Yondaime gets here!" and "Stop it from going farther into the village!"
Even with all the attacking numbers, the demon fox killed dozens in seconds; no one could compete with its unrivaled and raw power. The Sandaime even joined the battle, and even his great skill was no where near enough for the strength of the Bijuu.
As if by some miracle, it was at the most horrible moment that a large flash of golden light blinded all around, even the Kyuubi, and as the vision came back to both the men and the beast, they turned their sight onto the savior of the Leaf, the Yondaime.
Standing top his own head carved into the Hokage Monument, he glared down at the demon, "So you sensed me, huh?"
In response, the Kyuubi opened its mouth, gathering a giant amount of demonic chakra there and forming a black sphere of energy, which launched at speeds surpassing sound at the blonde haired ninja "Demon Release: Menacing Ball" flipping through quick hand signs and tossing one of his kunai at the blast, Minato used a variation of his personal space-time technique to send the Kyuubi's attack far, far away "Thunder God Barrier" Though the resulting explosion could still be seen from the village, even from hundreds of miles away, further proving the overwhelming strength of the demonic beast.
The Kyuubi growled in annoyance, a shockwave spreading through the Leaf Village as it did. Shaking his head in awe, Sarutobi charged at the Kyuubi once again, followed by a legion of ninja, all ready to give their lives for their village and their leader.
Just as Minato was about to jump into the life of death battle himself, his mind already on its way to forming a plan to defeating the fox, the cloaked summoner of the Kyuubi appeared before him, a kunai in hand.
Dodging the swipe and mirroring the man's attack with his own kunai, his eyes widened in surprise as the knife went through him, and not in the inflicting damage kind of sense. It actually went through him, like the man was only an illusion, solid yet transparent, but the Hokage knew that was not the case. Minato's wrist was grasped just as the attack finished going through the man, and he felt a pull on his body, mind, and soul. He watched in astonishment as the enemy Nin started to suck his captured arm into him, like a large spiral.
'Space-time jutsu!' thought Minato in awe and fright.
Flashing as quickly as he could, the blonde narrowly escaped the technique.
"So he jumped again, did he… He's fast. I'll have to pull him in quicker the next time."
The man vanished in that same swirl again, reappearing just in front of Minato, who was still climbing up from his landing spot on the ground.
As the man's body took a solid shape, Minato's brain processed everything he knew about the man. How he could control the Kyuubi, how he could use space-time ninjutsu, how he could be strong enough to defeat an entire squad of ANBU without a sound, and finally how he knew the intricacies of the seal, including its weakness.
"There's only one ninja I know who could do all that…" he muttered, "So your Madara Uchiha?"
The man smirked under his mask, and flipped back his hood, revealing short and cropped raven hair, "Well I suppose Loyd told you… but who really knows?"
Minato scowled, drawing two of his Hiraishin kunai, "Why are you doing this?"
Taking a stance of indifference, the man answered, "You could say it's both a whim… and a plan. It's for war… and for peace."
Minato stayed silent, glaring, 'He's no ordinary ninja, obviously. He's better at space-time jutsu than anyone I've ever seen or heard of, and he can control the Kyuubi… I have to put a stop to him!'
The battle continued. Strictly taijutsu, the two Kage-level shinobi threw around kicks and punches, kunai were thrown and attacks were dodged.
The masked man threw his arms down to his sides, kunai attached to chains sliding out from his baggy sleeves.
Charging at each other again, the man dodged a kunai swipe and wrapped his chains around the blonde, trapping him. Flashing out from the bondage, Minato whirled around again, running head on towards the man, who did the same. The Fourth tossed one of his special kunai straight at his opponents' forehead, which went through like a rock tossed onto the surface of a lake, and did no damage. Then again, damage wasn't Minato's intention.
The kunai sailed through the air, and when it was directly behind the man's head, Minato flashed to it, a Rasengan, another of his signature jutsu, already charged up and ready in the palm of his hand.
Slamming the Spiraling Sphere into the unknown shinobi's skull, they both fell to the ground from the force alone, the jutsu smashing and destroying the surrounding earth, leaving a rather large crater.
Minato flashed away again, just in case the man somehow survived, and waited for any signs of life.
-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-
Back in the village, the Kyuubi was still spreading chaos, though there was a pause in its mass slaughter as the demon was hit by a gold and crimson fireball that knock it back, the shinobi taking advantage of it and attacking with more vigor.
With a deafening roar, it began its rampage again, opening its mouth and gather another giant amount sphere of youki, which launched at great speeds "Demon Release: Menacing Ball"
Loyd seeing this, gather a vast amount of youki in his right hand which took the form the a golden dragon's head "Dragon's Fist" the two massive attacks battle for supremacy before Loyd's attack knock the enormous youki sphere into the sky were it explode, lighting up the night sky.
KA-BOOOM!
ßX-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-Xà
After a few moments, the masked Nin stood, though he looked worse for wear, the two incredibly powerful men stared each other down, one from behind a strange mask.
"You're the Yondaime Hokage for a reason, I guess. You wounded me but-" He was cut off by a immense explosion
KA-BOOOM!
"Looks like it's time for me to go" and without waiting for a response he vanished in that same swirling space-time jutsu.
Somehow knowing that what he had been told was true, Minato involuntarily shuddered, before refocusing and flashing back to his village.
He once again stood on his own stone figurehead over the village, checking the damage. While terrible, they could rebuild. Though he felt saddened and guilty for the many Leaves who had died in the attack, he knew what he must do to stop more from burning in the fires of death.
Minato flashed once again, his chakra reserves noticeably draining with each use of his teleportation technique. Appearing in the sky above the Kyuubi, where he had thrown a kunai just moments ago, he sped through handseals as gravity pulled him down. In a plume of white smoke, a gigantic toad appeared, a sheathed knife at his side and a pipe hanging from his mouth. Easily half the size of the Demon Fox, he was the second largest being on the battlefield, and on top his head was none other than Minato himself.
Yelling down to his summon, Gamabunta the Toad Boss, he mentally apologized for what he was about to do, but it was the only way, "Just hold it off for awhile, I know how we can defeat it!"
Gamabunta nodded in response, already grappling with the Nine-tails, "Hurry Minato, even I can't hold it back for very long!"
Without answering, Minato flashed yet again, reappearing in the room he had left his wife and child, preparing himself for what he was about to do.
A mortal, even a Kage, had no chance at defeating the Kyuubi, the second strongest being on the face of the earth, thus they had to seal it using a host, just as they had done with his wife when she was a child. Obviously she was too old now for the seal to take, as you had to be very young, and furthermore was near death from the removal of the Bijuu, but… they had another host now.
Naruto.
Spinning around with his eyes closed, already explaining his plan to his wife, he walked to the edge of the obnoxiously large crib they had gotten for Naruto, where they both lay. He opened his eyes and reached down for the baby, only to have Kushina tried to reason with Minato to live and be there to raise Naruto, but Minato convinced her that his sacrifice was not only for the village's sake, but for Naruto's as well.
Resigning himself to what now must be done, he flashed once again to Gamabunta. Staring down at the fallen bodies of his soldiers, he called out to the great demon fox slaughtering his men, "Time to die, Kyuubi!"
The Kyuubi roared, amused that the puny mortal before it thought he could kill its immortal self. Only to let out a furious roar as chains of powerful chakra criss-cross multiple times over it's body, holding her down
Flipping through a long series of handseals, Minato placed his hand on his own naval, "Shiki Fujin!"
The Kyuubi suddenly felt very cold, and within moments a ghostly apparition appeared behind the form of the Yondaime. A being so terrifying, even the Kyuubi became docile. The Shinigami, the God of Death, the Reaper itself, stood as a grim specter over the war torn land, it appeared as a being that only had the basic characteristics of a human, it had purple skin with a pair of horns on its head and had long flowing white hair with a dagger held between sharp pointy teeth. the creature was wearing a big black baggy Yukata and its left arm was wrapped in prayer beads, was slightly transparent and had a strange dark purple glow.
But Minato saw the Shinigami true from, she was 6 feet tall with perfect ivory white skin and obsidian black hair that went down her back, her eyes were a deep, soft red color that gave off warm feeling, in her left arm were prayer beads had a strange dark purple glow about then.
Glaring down at the Nine-tails, the Death God reached out for the fox demon, her hand ripping right through the massive Demon's chest and grasping its demonic soul. Realizing that it was about to be sealed again, the Nine-Tails tried to kill Naruto. Both Kushina and Minato stepped in front of Naruto to stop the claw from reaching him, having it pierce through their bodies instead just as Loyd appeared, he was cut up, bruised, had three broken ribs, and holding his missing left arm, but didn't care about it at the moment as it will regrow in a few days time, looked down at the man he called a bother and thought of as a family.
Kushina look at Minato "Don't look so sad… Minato. I'm… I'm happy. Happy that you loved me. Happy that it's… our son's… birthday. Like… If I try to imagine surviving and the three of us… living together… I can't think of anything… beyond 'I'd be so happy.' If I had any regrets… It would be that I won't see Naruto grow up."
Minato looked at Loyd "Loyd take care of my son… and make sure he is looked after well like he deserves... this is the key to the seal… you will need it for Akane…" and with one swift tug, the soul of the greatest of the Nine Demons was removed and sealed into the blonde Hokage's son, who twitched in immense pain,
"That's a relief." Minato sighed, before turning back to his wife. "Kushina… we're not going to last much longer… I'll…give you the Hakke Fuin now… I want to seal the last of my chakra inside Naruto…as well…" his eyes then softened as he looked down at his son. "…You won't see him for awhile…so…tell him anything you want to say…now…"
Kushina also just looked at the boy for a moment, panting, before she spoke. "Naruto…don't be a picky eater… eat a lot…and grow up big and strong..! Take a bath… everyday…and keep warm… Don't… stay up late… get enough sleep… and… make friends… You don't need a lot… but… Just make a few true friends…you can really trust. And…I was never good at it…myself…but study hard…and practice your ninjutsu..! But…everyone has things their good at… and things they're not…so if…you have a hard time…don't let it get you down…"
She took a deep breath and then continued, trying not to cry, "…Respect your sensei and senpais (teachers and upperclassmen/seniors)…at the academy! Oh…and one more…important thing… about the 3 Ninja Vices… Be especially careful…when lending or borrowing money…and save what you earn…from missions… Also…don't drink until you're twenty…and drinking too much is…bad for you… so… take it easy! …And…as for women…I'm a woman… so I don't really understand…but anyway…there are only men and women…so you'll find yourself interested in women… But don't fall…for a strange one...! Find a woman… just like your mom!"
Then she had a thought, and made sure to voice it, "…And…speaking of…vices…watch out for Jiraiya-sensei..!" Then she paused again, swallowing even as the tears finally began to pour from her eyes. "Naruto…you'll face… many painful times…and hardships…I'm sure… But, just be…yourself…and have your dreams…and the confidence to make those dreams come true...!" She couldn't help but choke on her tears, closing her eyes as she continued, "I really… really… really, really…! Wish I could…be there…to teach you…so many more things… I really wish…I could be there…with you…longer…" he voice broke on soft sobs. "I love you…"
Minato listened to every word quietly, agreeing with it all, as she finished up. "Minato…I'm sorry…for talking so much…" she apologized sheepishly, but didn't bother to wipe away her tears.
He smiled. "No… it's alright…" he told her, then he turned to his son and began to speak himself. "Naruto…as your father…I'll…just second everything your chatty mom said…" he said, smiling.
As Akane's body began to dissipated as soon as the being's soul was torn from the living entity, Minato acting quickly split Akane youki and seal the Yang half into Naruto and the Yin half into Kushina as the once enormous form of the fox faded out into small wisps of red chakra.
The shinobi stayed silent for a single moment, many dead, many wounded, but more than anything else, a good portion still alive and well.
The cheering began, people praising the strength of the Yondaime and calling out in unbridled joy.
Gamabunta, however, had a bad feeling. His summoners presence was not exuding the strength he normally did; as if the body was slowly… dying…
"Minato!"
Minato smiled bitter sweetly up at the Death Goddess, "As payment for my summons… I offer up my soul… hurry, Shinigami-sama… my body will not lass much longer."
The Shinigami, shook her head and reached down and repeated the process of Soul Ripping the life source of Minato and Kushina, Lifting the two masses of blue energy, the Hokage's body falling to the ground, lifeless, the Goddess then Seal the two inside they baby son, and with no one being any wiser, she vanished without a trace.