Disclaimer: You really think that if I owned Naruto, that Minato would be dead? PWEASE.
First of all, this is… sort of an AU. AU because 1) it was Hiruzen who performed the sealing, not Minato and 2) We barely know anything of Minato's background so I'll have to make some things up as I go (if it does come up, of course). 'Sort of an AU' cos I will take canon into consideration in all of the six one shots I'll post.
Honestly, this is just to satiate my thirsty of papa/son bonding moments x3 We're seriously lacking in this department; while I appreciate a good alive!Minato-raises-Naruto story, I feel many of them don't particularly focus on the relationship between them. Most prefer to focus on what would change in the storyline with Minato alive and while that is okay… Well.
Happy reading!
Defeated. That was how he felt.
The Kyuubi had been sealed again. The village was safe despite the high number of casualties that it took. The masked man had been driven away.
Even so, he felt he had lost the battle.
Minato sighed, resting his forehead against the cool glass of the window. He was at a hospital room and so, there was only so much he could see of the village. Yet, he could see a great number of his people running around, some looking forlorn, others just seemingly relieved to still be alive, all doing their best to reconstruct what had been destroyed by the attack. In a way, he was happy; happy that there was still hope in the hearts of the villagers but on the other hand, he was mad at himself. Mad for not being able to do the same.
Closing his eyes, Minato lowered his head. Kushina was dead. The one constant he had since his childhood was simply gone.
Once he saw the Kyuubi face-to-face, he knew she wouldn't last long, even if she had managed to survive the unsealing. No jinchuuriki ever did. He had planned to go with her, though. Give her a chance to see their son grown up, which would have been her only regret.
Then, Hiruzen had turned his plans around and took care of it all before he could. He didn't even get to actually say goodbye to his wife. It was teleporting the Kyuubi and fighting off the masked man first and seeing the aftermath of the sealing next.
At least, she was still going to be able to meet their boy one day, from what he'd seen in the seal on Naruto's tummy.
Turning around, Minato opened his eyes to look at the small cot just a few steps away from him. Walking towards it, he felt his chest flutter at the sight of his son, sleeping peacefully as his small chest rose and fell in time with the small puffs of air that left the baby's puckered lips, the smallest sighs accompanying them.
He also felt so lost.
Before the attack, it was so simple: he and Kushina had all of these adorable little parenting ideas that they had spent hours planning during the pregnancy. They even had a system on who would be getting up at night, already. Granted, it wasn't the most sophisticated arrangement - it basically consisted on whoever managed to kick the other out of the bed first would get to sleep - but it was functional and that was what mattered.
Now he had the baby but was on his own and had no idea what to do with him, at all.
He probably had no more than a couple minutes of experience with a young child in all his life. He doubted Itachi even counted as experience, being as well behaved as he had been as a baby - and still was.
What if he screwed Naruto up? Kushina would never forgive him; he would never forgive himself, for that matter.
Shaken out of his spiral of self-doubt by a small whine, Minato finally noticed the small pair of sleepy blue eyes that had been peering up at him. "… Hi." He said softly after a moment of trying to decide what to do.
Reaching, Minato slid his hands beneath the child and scooped him up as securely as he could. "Had a nice sleep?" He asked, awkwardly bouncing the blond baby. Actually, Naruto was practically all him in looks. Blond hair, tanned skin, blue eyes… He also had the same pout before he began to cry, it seemed. "Oh no, no…" Minato began to panic, beginning to sway as well. "Please, don't cry. It's okay! Papa's here. Everything will be alright." He tried to sooth, relief running through him when his ministrations seemed to work and Naruto settled down, seemingly mesmerized by his long blond bangs if his sudden grip on them was any indication.
Realizing he still hadn't had any time alone with his kid, Minato walked towards the bed and sat on it, moving until he was leaning against the headboard. "… I'm going to have to be honest with you." He murmured, reaching to try and tame the feathery strands of hair falling onto Naruto's forehead. It was as unruly as his. "I have no idea of what I'm doing." Minato gave a little shrug. "I've never been a Dad. Most that I've been was a mentor to my pupils and look where that got them." Two students dead and one who might as well be too. "Sometimes, I won't know what to do. Others, I'll screw up. You'll just have to put up with good ol' Dad and teach him the right way, alright?" He smiled, watching as Naruto squirmed to press one of his chubby cheeks against his chest, soaking up his warmth. "We're a two man team. Think we'll make it?"
Probably deciding that he was worth an answer, Naruto gurgled and reached for the hand caressing his free cheek, finding one of Minato's fingers before clinging to it, squeezing hard.
Minato had to grin.
Maybe he could do this, after all.
If you got this far... then thank you xD Make sure to let me know what you thought!
Next chapter will most likely be up in a week, maybe less.
Until then!
Next: First Day At The Academy.