Description: Waking up nearly month after the attack, Minato finds himself having to take care of both a broken village and his now motherless newborn son.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto...
AN: While some criticism is a good thing, please don't post rude reviews. If there are any errors, feel free to point them out in a review.
Prologue
Minato groaned at the pain that wracked his body as he awoke, both familiar and unfamiliar. It had been a while since he had last felt the effects of chakra exhaustion. The other pain was an odd ache in his gut, almost as if he had been-
The blonde yondaime shot up with a gasp, memories of the kyuubi attack assailing him. He winced as the wound from the creature's claw was aggravated.
"Sensei!" A silver haired teen was suddenly at his side. The teen looked beyond relieved.
"Kakashi. Where's-?" He stopped as he saw the boy's jaw tighten beneath the mask. Fear gripped his heart; he had already knew Kushina wouldn't make it, but if something happened to Naruto… "Is Naruto alright?!" he asked, slightly panicked.
Kakashi seemed surprised for a moment before he nodded. "Yes, Uchiha Mikoto is taking care of him with her son. They're under watch by a squad of Anbu. Kushina is…"
"I know," Minato stated bitterly. He knew she had been hanging on long enough to protect their son. "How long have I been here?"
"About a month, they were afraid that you wouldn't wake up. As far as any civilian and anyone below jonin knows, you died in battle." This got an understanding nod from the blonde, knowing that his enemies would have taken advantage of his prone form. "I'm sure Anbu have told the sandaime you're awake by now, so I should probably get a nurse to check on you." Kakashi said reluctantly.
"Go on, the sooner it's over with the better," Minato said with a tired smile at his former student. The teen nodded and left quickly.
It was another few hours before he was permitted to leave with orders from his nurse to take it easy. He had spent that time recounting the attack to Sarutobi and discussing the masked man. There wasn't much that they could do, however. They didn't know who he was or what he had hoped to accomplish.
It was agreed that Minato would reassume his role of hokage by the end of the week. That would give them time to alert the people of his survival.
For now, however, Minato just wanted to see Naruto.
Using his hiraishin, he went to his house where Mikoto was waiting with his son. Minato thanked the woman and soon as he saw the newborn, all the tension in his chest seemed to dissipate. He didn't notice when she left with her son, too focused on Naruto.
"Hey little guy," he said as Naruto cooed up at him. "Looks like it's just you and me now."
Minato smiled, shakily. Kushina may be gone, but he would make sure he was there for his son, no matter what.