Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do however dream it.
"People say"
'People think'
"Bijuu/kami say"
"Biju/kami think"
Jutsu:"Jutsu"
The Yondaime, Minato watched from the top of a nearby tree as the raging Kyuubi decimated his forces, breaking through the walls of the village. He knew something had to happen, to get rid of this monster. Red chakra flames enveloped people, and the killing intent dropped many to their knees for easy pickings with paw swipes. The kyuubi had always been so quiet. It rarely communicated to Kushina, but it was never this angry. Something had happened to his wife, deep within the temple, miles away, while giving birth to their son. He set his mouth in a determined line, shifting his son in one arm as the baby whimpered. Looking down at the newborn, his eyes softened.
"I'm sorry Naruto. I hope you can forgive me," he whispered softly, stroking the blond fuzz on the babies head with his other hand. Drawing his eyes back to the Kyuubi, his eyes hardened. "I need to get this demon out of here before more damage is done." This would be the longest Hiraishin he had ever attempted, having placed a large seal miles away. Transporting an object such as the Kyuubi would be a challenge as well. But he had calculated this carefully. He would be able to restrain the Kyuubi temporarily in one spot so it could not destroy,with Gamabunta, for at least several minutes, and complete the sealing of the Kyuubi as his son.
Minato knew the life of a jinchuriki was hard. But if he didn't seal the fox more lives would be lost. The father of his first son knew that he couldn't seal the child in any other but his own. There was a note left in his pocket that would be found with the child. The child would be raised a hero. He had faith in his village that his wishes would be honored. Only a few seconds had passed as this thoughts rushed through his head. Powering his feet with chakra, he pushed off the tree, sending the whole mighty tree tumbling, as he leapt on the Kyuubi's head. A roar of rage tore out of the Kyuubi, before a crack of yellow lightning enveloped it, and it seemed to vanish.
The shinobi fighting the monster were shocked, unable to comprehend what had happened. But a roar sounded in the distance, and the eerie silence was puncuated by a shout. "The Hokage has taken the beast away!" Undecided whether to follow or leave this up to their capable leader, there was a pause.
But not in one man. His curiosity could not be abated. Having watched from the sidelines, he rushed through the treetops unnoticed. The shinobi had waited too long, even as a few started moving reluctantly forward, that few minutes was enough to decide the battle.
Gamabunta was panting. The battle had been won conclusively, but at such cost. In restraining the Kyuubi with Gambunta but already weakened by childbirth and hemorrhaging, Kushina died before the sealing was complete. But those precious seconds were what it took to start the sealing. Minato was dead, and the sealing was being completed by the unseen shinigami. The giant toad knew he was at the end of his line, he would soon dispell whether he wanted to or not. But he watched the seals, both on the child, and seeming to be floating in the air around the boy. He knew he had to watch as long as he possibly could, so taking steady breaths he pinpointed on the small form.
He couldn't see the Shinigami, but the Shinigami could see him. Many people would say the Shinigami was heartless. That he was devoid of feelings, had a frightening appearance, and killed on a whim. They would be wrong. They would also be wrong in thinking Shinigami operated by human constraints, as many people inflict on what they know of Gods. But the diety was compassionate, both for the living and the dead. He lived outside of time, and knew the atrocities that would come if this boy could not complete his task. The thousands of deaths, and the many bringing back to life. Shinigami understood Nagato's weak will and growing grief, he knew the hope that Nagato had started to feel when he brought the dead back to life.
The embodiment of death felt rage at the forbidden jutsu that the snake and his minion used to bring the dead back only to use them as puppets, having to sacrifice anothers life for the deed. Naruto was the nexus, the pivotal point. And the kami of life, death, and rebirth knew the boy was going to need all the help he could get. Out of all the souls he could bring back to help Naruto, one stuck out in his mind. Nii Yugito was a pained woman. A jinchuriki like Naruto, but having known at an early age the struggles and truth. She was forced to train abomidable ways, but grew into a strong woman with deep loyalty for her family. Even in her death she swore to take down the two that killed her, so that her people would not suffer.
She had a close control over her bijuu too, although it was not a perfect relationship like the container of the hachibi. These life skills were what were needed to help the kyuubi jinchuriki. While the sealing was completing, the Shinigami brought Yugito to the world between life and death.
Yugito slowly drew out of her haze as she started to remember her life, death, and undeath. She had been resting since the end, and she knew the end wasn't pretty. She rose her eyes to take in her surroudings. It was mistly and light, but indistinquished. A shadow approached and she reflexibly reached for her kunai pouch. She near jumped when she realized she didn't have any gear. And looking at her hands she saw she was transparent and little more than a ghost, almost indistinquished herself. The mist cleared slightly, revealing a figure.
A creature with the appearance of a middle age man stood before her, hands tucked in his pockets. He was wearing very casual clothes, black jeans, a tshirt, and a trench coat. He had bristle around his chin and cheeks, and looked very tired. The Shinigami was none of that, but the appearance was prefered to relax the people he interacted with. Behind him, two wings of bone stretched, little flames spotting over it. Yugito met his eyes and knew they were endless, the galaxies drifting through him. All this was caught in a moment.
"Nii Yugito," the kami, for he must have been one, she thought, greeted.
"What do you want?" she said, her voice hoarse from disuse. She cringed at her rudeness, belatedly realizing it would do not good to offend a Kami. "Kami-sama," she corrected. "How can I help you?"
Shinigami smiled warmly. "Do not fear," he said. "Your honorable life has been acknowledged, but we need to you go back, and stop the damage before it occurs."
Her eyes widened. 'A second chance at life! She could protect her precious people and stop the evil from sweeping the nations.'
"Not quite," Shinigami said, answer her thoughts. "A life that has been led cannot simply be reborn without the rules of the universe being violated, which comes at great cost."
Yugito felt herself tearing up. "Then what…?"
"I need you to assist the child, Naruto," he said. Images flicked across the space around her, showing the life, and eventual death of the child of prophecy. "Without guidance he cannot grow, and if he does not grow he cannot win, and the prophecy will never be fulfilled. Many will suffer."
"What do I need to do?" she asked.
He nodded once, as if accepting her answer that she would help, having known her thoughts. "You will be sealed within the child at his birth, and with the Kyuubi train and protect him." He frowned momentarily, his eyes saddened. "And be the family he never had."
"I will," she promised, remembering her own painful childhood. "I won't abandoned him." She wondered if she could change her own death as well, and save the life of her family.
The shinigami raised his hands in front of her, seals growing as the images fading. "You might want to close your eyes Nii Yugito," he started, "Or you may become extremely disoriented."
Already very disoriented, she decided to trust the kami, and closed her eyes. A rushing feeling filled her, and Naruto, as the world faded to black. She could feel demonic chakra entering her. "This is..?" 'The kyuubi will be split into two parts,' a voice in her mind told her. 'Half into you, and half into Naruto.' Understanding, she reluctantly allowed herself to accept the chakra.
She found herself oddly feeling sleepy, and she drifted off. In the distance a faint roar is heard, before disappearing.
Gamabunta watched as the seal arrays vanished. He knew someone would be here soon, so he raised his hands to do the signs to dispell easier. But something gave him pause. Flames surrounded Naruto, blue and red, mixing sometimes to purple. He no longer could see Naruto, but the shape inside the flames shifted and grew. His eyes blurred momentarily in fatigue, but as his vision cleared he knew there was something different. A little girl, no more than a toddler, but definitely not a newborn, and not a boy in any case, lay upon Minato's chest. Her long red hair was almost identical to Kushina's, and her face turned, in her sleep, bearing whisker marks. Two fox ears twitched on her head before growing still, and Gamabunta even saw a tail laying over her legs.
'Jiraiya will need to know,' he thought to himself. 'I need to get back and send someone to inform him.' The massive amphibian dispelled, leaving the child alone, knowing that safe forces would be there soon.
"Kukukuku.." a voice laughed out of the trees, and a man seemed to slither out. Orochimaru stood before the body of Minato and peered down at the child. "How curious.." he commented, lifting her tail and dropping it. He picked the child up. "I will take her with me, and find out the secrets behind this mystery.." he said to himself. He sensed forms coming close, and shushined away. A note fell out of Minato's pocket, only to be found by Sarutobi Hiruzen, and unable to find the child, will bury the story in secrecy, praying for the safety of the child.
A.N. A sleepless night and a strange dream ends up with the first chapter of a fanfic. May continue. May not. I want to continue but I'm a slow updater. Thank you guys for reading. Reviews are great, and thank you for those as well.