I hope that all those who read this find enjoyment in doing so.

Dedicated to my best friend in the whole world. You know who you are, yes You out there.

Prologue

Twelve years ago...

The sunlight pierced the tightly drawn blinds to form neat parallel lines on the red ceramic floor of a private examination room in the Konohagakure no Sato Shinobi hospital. In the darkened room a woman with light blond hair tied into two neat pigtails in the back stood facing a series of charts hung upon the wall of the room. She stood in white sleeveless shirt tied at the waist by a deep blue waist cinch and matching blue pants. She tapped the heels of her high heeled shoes against the floor in a revealing show of discomfort with the current situation. There was a noted absence of her usual green coat, that nearly all of her friends and comrades knew from personal experience only came off when she was very upset. Her steady focused gaze attempted to burn twin holes into the sheets she was analyzing, searching frantically through for something she could use. Suddenly her eyes widened and her jaw dropped open as her pupils dilated to their smallest size. Her hand rose to her temple as her eyes shut tight and her neck bent and her face turned to the floor, away from the reality that stared at her from the wall which she did not want to face. Her other arm wrapped itself around her lower chest as she gritted her teeth to hold back her sobs.

For what seemed in her mind to be hours she simply stood there attempting to deny that which had now become unavoidable. In her mind she was trying to convince herself that this was not happening, that it was nearly a nightmare come to haunt her in the night. Her fingers tightened their hold on her forehead to the point that her fingernails were about to penetrate her skin and draw blood. She felt the all too familiar sensation of complete uselessness pervade her entire being. 'It's just like before,' she thought 'there is nothing I can do. Nothing at all.' She slammed her fist down upon a nearby piece of wooden furniture fitted to the room to make it feel more comfortable for patients. The wooden dresser shattered into particulate fragments and fell into a pile of splinters and nails on the hospital floor. She felt as her tears began to roll down her cheeks and drip from her chin, beginning to form a puddle on the ceramic tiles. Suddenly the other presence in the room spoke in a deep voice naturally full of commanding presence and light hearted confidence "So there really is no chance of surviving this after all... Humf, well that certainly narrows our options doesn't it?" She slowly turned, a look of shock upon her face, to look at the man with spiked, deep blond hair sitting cross legged on the prim sheets of the hospital bed.

"How? How can you be so calm about this!" She shouted at the man with pain evident in her voice.

"What do you mean 'how'? It's not as if it's anyone's' fault right? And we just figured out that there is nothing we can do to stop it right?" he chuckled to himself.

Angrily she slammed her foot down, cracking the floor with her enormous strength screaming at the man at top of her lungs"Of course there is nothing we can do about it! You shouldn't even be here right now! Its a miracle that it's taken it this long already! How can you be so calm! Don't you realize how this is going to affect everyone! Have you even thought about what this is going to do to Kushina!"

His strong defiant gaze weakened at that statement as his eyes turned towards his knees as he softly replied to her outburst "Of course I have. You think that it doesn't break my heart? I know that this is the worst possible thing that could have happen for her. Now I will never get to know her, or see her. She probably will not even remember the sound of my voice. Just thinking about how it was for me... it... tears me apart inside. But like I said, there is obviously nothing we can do about it."

The anger immediately evaporated from her features as she was instantly disarmed by his words. Her sobs of anguish returned as she ran across the room to tightly wrap her arms around the man in an embrace of purest despair. "This can't happen. It just can't! What will happen to the world without you?"

"Shhhhhhhh. It's okay." he whispered in her ear as he returned her embrace, comfortingly rubbing circles in her back with his palms. "You will all be fine. Absolutely fine. I will make sure of it... and that is a promise... the promise of a lifetime."

He got up from the bed, still tightly wrapped in her arms. She wept openly upon his shoulder in an impossibly rare display of vulnerability. But he was the kind of man that simply had that effect on people. He always had been and over the years he had become accustomed to it. The man easily stood a whole head taller than the woman, and he rested his chin on the top of her hear as he comforted her in her time of need. Eventually however he knew that she needed time to mourn on her own so he gently disengaged the embrace and sat her down on the bed. She still could not stop weeping, her face in her hands. His lips curved into a kind, gentle smile full of compassion. He turned to leave the room, but stopped at the doorway. Before he turned the knob to open the room he spoke with deep authority "This information shall remain S rank classified. Do you understand? Nobody is to know about this." then his voice softened again as he then said very quietly "I couldn't possibly face everyone if they knew." And with that he was gone, leaving the door half open, as the blond woman sobbed uncontrollably on the bed.

In the empty hallway the man approached the nearest window and spoke in an authoritative tone to the empty air "Painter!" Immediately a figure completely covered up in a white cloak with a hood appeared in the window sill. His face was hidden behind a white ceramic mask painted in red. The design on the mask took the appearance of Geisha makeup.

"Yes my lord. What is is you need." the man asked in an even tone.

The blond man sighed slowly and turned to the cloaked man saying "My friend, the reports are in. It is time. Start making arrangements for operation Omega Alpha to begin tonight at midnight."

"... My lord... I..."

"Painter! Obey my orders! There is no other way now."

"... I see... and the recipient? Have you chosen one?"

"Yes I have..." The blond man then whispered into the cloaked man's ear.

The cloaked figure paused for a moment then replied slowly "... very well... my lord... see you... tonight..."

"Absolutely."

Elsewhere in the hospital a woman with a long blond pony tail in purple biker shorts and a matching purple sleeveless top that exposed her mid-drift stood in the hallway outside of the doorway of a room numbered two-hundred and fifty. She gently bobbed up and down on the balls of her feet, rocking back and forth. She gently cooed and whispered to a bundle in her arms. The bundle was slowly ceasing to emanate infantile cries as the baby in her arms drifted to sleep. She stared with adoration at the face of the infant, worshiping its features with her eyes. She thought to herself that she had never seen such a beautiful creature before in her entire life. She lifted a finger and gently played with the child's dark hair, remarking to herself "the color of early night. Oh you are just the cutest thing." She giggled to herself with a wide grin as she hugged the child close to her bosom. She heard footsteps approaching and looked up towards the end of the hall.

Rounding the corner was a tall muscular man with spiked deep blond hair. He wore upon his forehead a black headband bearing a metal plate in the front marked with the Konoha insignia. He wore a long black short sleeved coat that flowed behind him as he moved, giving the orange flames along its edge and sleeves the illusion of true moving flame. His forearms were covered in gray battle plates, as were his shins. His chest was covered in a black short sleeved shirt that fit tightly over his barreled chest. His collar exposed the netted under armor beneath and the under armor could be seen extending beyond his sleeves down to his elbows as well. Tied around his left arm just above his elbow was another metal plated band marked with the kanji for shinobi rather than the leaf insignia. He was one of the only persons she knew who still wore their headband from the war. Then again he had technically not received it until after the war was over, but nobody ever complained. He wore form fitting black pants that came down to just below his knees. And his face. She blushed as smiled blissfully as she then gazed upon his face. She had decided years ago that it was her favorite of all his features.

He was smiling his loving gentle grin as always, and his strikingly blue eyes focused upon her as he approached. They were filled with so much kindness and genuine happiness that every time she looked at them she about melted where she stood. She also thought that his black whisker marks perfectly accented his strong clean shaven jaw. She giggled and lightly jogged towards him as he approached down the hallway towards her, and extended her free arm out, inviting him into a hug. He adopted his infamous ear to ear grin and laughed kindheartedly while he leaned towards her as they reached one another. But rather than embrace her in a hug he simply leaned in and gently plucked the infant from her arms to wrap it in his own. "Heyyyyy cutie pie. Have you missed me?" he cooed lovingly.

The woman, seeing an opportunity, quickly replied "Oh your so sweet. Of course I missed you. We don't spend nearly enough time together anymore."

The man simply blinked with confusion, saying "Ino... I was talking to my daughter..."

Her head dropped as an aura of gloom and hopelessness surrounded her. She guiltily replied "I know, I know." to which he simply chuckled in reply.

"Sorry Ino, I know you're trying but the answer is still no. I will not be going on a date with you."

"But Naruto think about how much fun it will be." she childishly whined. Then she abruptly changed to tone of her voice getting close to him and wrapping her arms around his free arm and rubbing her face on his broad shoulder. "Imagine it. Just you and me, in a candle lit restaurant, sipping some sake. Hell we can even do at Ichiraku's I don't mind at all. I'll even treat." She seductively said, her eyes shinning with hope from the vision she had painted for herself.

"Ino. The answer is still no. I know you mean well but I don't think it's a good idea." he sympathetically replied "You know it still hurts." he then said with deep sadness in his voice.

She looked at the floor guiltily and said "Sorry, I was being insensitive wasn't I? I... You know I only want to help..."

"It's okay Ino" he then brightly chuckled, "I'm not mad at you. So is Sakura up for visitors? I know she is having a tough time right now."

"Yup she is up, but she is Grouchy." she said ominously. "She wanted to get out of bed and slug Kushina to get her to stop crying so I had to leave the room." she said to the man she so very much admired then looking at the infant in his arms. "She missed you Naruto."

"Awwwww I'm sowwie. Pwease forgive me?" he cooed in mock baby talk at the infant in his arms. "Don't worry daddy is here now." The baby audibly giggled as he ticked its tummy and cooed.

Ino smiled warmly and gazed at the pair, "She is a lucky girl Naruto. Your a good father."

"Hahahaha! I don't know about that, but I sure try." He said gently rocking his daughter in his arms.

She smiled and blushed 'So humble. And so so soooo Hot' she thought to herself nearly drooling a bit. She became lost in her own fantasy, in which Naruto was crawling across a bed towards her with his shirt off 'Oh God his body is so hot' and saying 'Ino I want you to be the mother of Kushina's siblings... Ino... Ino...'

"Ino! Ino!" Naruto snapped his fingers in her face to bring her back to reality.

She came around and quickly wiped the drool from the corner of her mouth saying "Huh?"

"I was saying that we should check on Sakura." he said annoyed and quickly loosing his patience "She probably needs company to distract her."

"More like somebody to yell at..." Ino replied sourly.

Naruto laughed "Well if that's what she need's better us than Bushy Brows."

They entered into the hospital room and were met with an extremely enthusiastic greeting from an extremely muscular man dressed in a green jumpsuit, orange leg warmers, and a traditional Konoha chunin armor vest. His dark black coconut shaped hair and thick rectangular eyebrows betrayed his perfectly toned body and made him rather unattractive in all honesty. "Ino! Your back! Naruto! So good of you to come visit! Your kindness shines bright with the might of Youth!"

Laughing Naruto was the first to speak "Thanks Lee. Good to see you too. I know I haven't been visiting you guys as much as I should have but I've been really busy." Ino was occupying herself with giggling and tracing the kanji that trailed down the middle of the back of his coat with her fingers. "So how is she doing?" he asked the energetic man.

"She is truly filled with the power of youth to be holding up as well as she is!" he replied with pride. "She has thus far refused to accept any medication to assist her. She wants it to be more Natural." He said. He then leaned over and wagged his finger playfully in the face of Naruto's daughter. "Heyyyy Kushina. Soon your going to have a new little friend ain't cha?" The infant giggled in reply grabbing onto his finger. "Strong grip. Her power of youth is great indeed!"

Naruto had missed everything that his friend had done or said after he had heard the words 'Refused to accept medication.' His face had gone completely pale and his left eye was twitching uncontrollably. "She... S-s-she is … N-not on the medicine?" he spoke with dread in his heart. 'This is going to be bad' Naruto thought to himself.

"Mrs. Lee its time to check on your dilation." a nurse who had just entered the room said. The nurse went behind the curtain that was separating Sakura's bed from the three of them. The next thing Naruto knew he was rescuing the nurse out of a crater in the wall that Sakura's fist had launched her into.

"LEE!" the woman bellowed from behind the curtain "GET YOUR ASS IN HERE NOW! AND WILL SOMEBODY GET ME SOME GOD DAMN MEDS!" Ino at this point was already fleeing the room in a full tilt shadow blur.

"Of course darling! Your knight in shining armor comes to comfort you in your time of need!" Lee said enthusiastically as he ran behind the curtain.

Naruto immediately changed his mind about the visit and shouted over his shoulder "wellitwasgreattoseeyoubye!" as he leaped from the fourth floor window his daughter safely tucked in the crook of his arm.

Some time later, as the sun was about to begin setting, Naruto made his way down the streets of Konoha. Countless people bowed to him and spoke to him in honorifics as they passed. His ego enjoyed the treatment despite what he told anyone, and he grinned while returning the greetings to every single one of them.

"Naruto-sama. It's good to see you again." Said a shinobi who approached Naruto. The man had long brunette hair than flowed down his back and was tied at the very bottom. His white garb was loosely fitting for flexibility and his milk white eyes gazed at Naruto with admiration and respect. He wore his headband around his right arm, his bare, unmarked forehead proudly on display to the whole world.

"Hey Neji. How is the clan?" Naruto replied genialy, despite his noted discomfort with his close friend using the honorific '-sama.'

"We have never been better. Mission success rates have skyrocketed, and we are all coming together in love and respect after so many years of coldness amongst ourselves. And it is all thanks to you Lord Hokage." Neji bowed till his now barren forehead touched the ground.

"Really Neji, it's no big deal, all I did was ban the birdcage seal. You guys are the ones affecting change yourselves. Don't attribute it all to me now." He chuckled as a drop of sweat rolled down the side of his face.

Neji smile with genuine happiness, then his smile disappeared and his eyes grew sad. "I wish she was here to see us like this. It was her dream you know."

Naruto abruptly stopped laughing and bowed his head so his bangs hid his eyes. "Yeah... I know... I just... wish the council had agreed to let me do it before... you know... so she..." He was now nearly speaking in a whisper.

Neji's eyes filled with sympathy for his friend and Leader. "Indeed" he replied solemnly.

"Uhh... I gotta go Neji. Somewhere I gotta be." He spoke apologetically to his friend.

"Your going to visit her again aren't you" Neji said sadly "you visit her around sunset nearly every day now."

"Yeah..." was Naruto's only rely

"Well don't let me keep you waiting... I will see you later" Neji said sadly.

"Right Naruto replied before shadow blurring away across Konoha.

"Kyaaa!" the man with short cropped brunette hair and red fang shaped tattoos on his cheeks yelled as he and a rather large white canine of indeterminate breed charged across the clearing in the forest. The men opposite him scattered, that is all but one scattered.

The one that remained behind cocked back his fist before shouting "Expansion Jutsu!" at which point his fist instantly grew nearly one-hundred times larger. The fist collided with the charging man but the canine dodged the blow and was nearly upon the rather round shaped spiky haired brunette who had stood his ground. However suddenly the canine ceased all movement a mere two inched away from biting the portly man. The shadow beneath the dog wiggled and stretched by a fine line all the way to the base of the nearest tree and up its trunk.

A man with black hair pulled back and tied in a tight ponytail leapt down from the branches to reveal his own shadow to be connected to that of the canine. "Shadow possession complete" He spoke in a bored tone.

The man who had been the recipient of the blow from a giant fist shouted "Akamaru!" before being suddenly enshrouded by a black writhing cloud. "Arg! Fine fine! I concede! I admit that me and Akamaru may not be capable of taking on all of you at once..." He said, his voice filled with annoyance and pride.

"Was that really as difficult as you made it?" said a man wearing dark black glasses and an unrevealing overcoat as he walked out of the shadows and allowed the black mass to flow back into his coat through all available openings.

"I hate your damn bugs you know that Shino? Always have. Too... creepy crawly" He shuddered.

"This could all have been avoided if you hadn't been such an bother about it." spoke the man from the tree releasing the canine from his shadow's control.

"Stuff it Shikamaru!" Said the canines angry companion.

"Come on Kiba it's not like you really had a chance. I mean really, one jounin verses three jounin? That's hardly an even match. Why did you even challenge us?"

"Chouji I'm telling you right here and now that you guys only won by sheer luck." replied Kiba stubbornly "And Shino's damn bugs..." he whispered under his breath.

"I heard that. And they do not appreciate your insults Kiba. They thought you were their friend. You owe them an apology." Shino replied.

Just then Naruto walked into the clearing shouting "Hey guys! How ya doing?" They all turned knowingly as they had actually been waiting for him before the fight broke out amongst them. Shikamaru smiled sympathetically at the sight of Naruto with his daughter in his arms.

"How's Kushina doin' Naruto? I know that my little girl has been keeping me up all hours of the night lately."

Naruto laughed "Nah she grew out of the all night crying a few months ago. That really only lasted the first five months with her."

"Five months?" He shouted horrified "Is that how long its going to last?"

The group of men laughed at their fear stricken friend for a while before the group fell into silence. Eventually Shikamaru was the first to speak, "So you about to head over Naruto? We all figured you could use some company along today." He said smiling again.

Naruto bowed his head to his friends and replied "Thanks guys, that sounds great. But I wanna get to it before the sun sets. I've never been late yet so lets hurry." They all nodded knowingly and followed him to the far side of the clearing to a massive black obsidian wall surrounding a large obsidian crystal shaped statue. They all bowed their heads in prayer as they stood back from the memorial. The wall had been erected after the war because to many had died all at once to fit all of the names on the old monument. So now the tradition had changed from replacing old names to make room for new ones to leaving the names permanently. After a few minutes of silent prayer a sound began to fill the clearing. It started in soft but steadily grew louder as the minutes passed. Eventually Shikamaru leaned over and wrapped his arm over Naruto's shoulder without opening his eyes. Naruto shook under his friends arm as the sound of water drops hitting grass joined the sounds of sobbing. Naruto held his daughter tight to his chest as he allowed the tears finally to freely flow down his face, after holding them in with all his might all day long.

"I still see her. sniff* Every time sniff* sniff* I close my eyes sniff* she is there. Just the way she always was. Sniff* Right there. Right beside me. Sniff* My whole life. Sniff* And for the longest time sniff* I didn't even notice." He dropped to his knees as his other friends gathered around him, eyes shut tight to hide his sorrows away, and hugged him and his daughter. "I hate myself! I should have gone with her! It was a dangerous mission we all knew it! She had just been appointed jounin right after recovering from childbirth for God's sake! She wasn't ready! I should have saved her! I SHOULD HAVE SAVED HER!" He cried to the heavens unending tears flowing down his face. His daughter in his arms fast asleep, was now beginning to wake due to his cries of anguish. She bubbled and hummed reaching out for her father's face.

He stopped shouting and looked down at his daughter. His beautiful, beautiful daughter with those big beautiful white eyes. They were the same white her's were. Like porcelain. He held her as tight as he could and murmured softly while kissing her head repeatedly as his tears dripped down and landed upon her brow, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I"m so so sorry. I'm sorry." He stood and walked over to the wall. He walked straight to a single name. A name that had been added to the wall nearly eight months earlier. He reached out and touched the name, running his fingers along it, feeling it. He then took his daughters hand and held it up to the wall, gently brushing her fingers against the name. "You feel that? Huh? That name is a special name. It is the name of daddy's heart. Can you hear it Kuku? It's always saying it over and over again in my chest." He kissed her head and held her against his chest "It goes Hinata, Hinata. Hinata, Hinata." He said as his daughter began to fall back asleep.

His friends stood back and let him cry. This had become a routine among those left of their group. Without Tenten and Hinata they had all vowed to never again used their groups now infamous nickname, 'Konoha's Rookie Eight.' They now took turns coming here with Naruto to mourn Hinata. He had taken her death so hard that they knew they could not stand to allow him to go it alone. Never again would they allow Naruto to bear his burdens alone. They waited patiently as their Hokage sat and cherished his daughter. His only remaining keepsake of his lost love. Hinata Uzumaki. The wife of the Leaf's famous Rokudaime Hokage, the infamous 'unpredicatable ninja', also known across the shinobi world as 'Naruto Uzumaki the War Ender.' As the sun finally dipped below the horizon Shikamaru remembered why he always came at sunset. The sun was setting outside of his office window when the news reached his ears that she had fallen in combat. So he always came at sunset, every single night since her name was added and body cremated. As Shikamaru recalls Naruto personally demoted the entire team of chunin who were also on the mission with her, for failing to uphold their most precious charge, doing everything in their power to protect their comrade. Naruto had officially added this missive to the Konoha Ninja handbook after the incident, so that never again would any Konoha ninja place the completion of the mission before the life of a comrade. It caused quite a lot of political backlash from the old guard of Konoha. But he was Hokage so they had to deal with it.

At that moment Naruto's most trusted adviser leapt down amongst them. The white haired ninja lowered his face mask and raised his headband off of his scared eye before bowing out of respect for the dead. He then readjusted his mask before any of the group got a good look at his face. Rumor was that upon being appointed Hokage Naruto made a point of ordering his former sensei to show him his face. Naruto has not talked of the incident since... to anyone. Kakashi walked to his Hokage's side and whispered in his ear "Naruto your needed for preparations for the operation. We cannot get underway without your supervision as you are the only expert available on what we are trying to contain."

"Of course Kakashi. Just give me a second. I need to talk to Hinata's best friends first."

Kakashi's eye betrayed his emotions as Naruto looked at him. He was devastated to be taking part in this. It was clearly breaking his heart. Naruto ignored it for the time being. He needed Kakashi to help and he trusted nobody else with the task. That was why he was his main council and adviser. He trusted the man implicitly. Naruto walked up to Kiba and Shino before turning to the other two men and saying "Shikamaru, Chouji, your Hokage needs to speak to these two in private. Please leave." With a confused look from Chouji and a suspicion look from Shikamaru as they both bowed and obeyed his command he turned back to his wife's best friends.

"Ummmm... Naruto? What could you possibly need to tell us in private? Those guys are trustworthy." Kiba said, clearly bewildered. Shino simply nodded in agreement.

Sometime later

"The preparations are complete Hokage. Are you certain that the new seal you have invented will work?" asked 'the painter' from Naruto's side.

"Yes Sai it will work. It is the culmination of all of the Uzumaki's history in the art of seals. This will be the worlds first perfect seal. With no chance of an accident happening... ever." Naruto said with conviction.

Sai paused at the use of the name he abandoned when Naruto appointed him the head of the Anbu. He rested his hand on his first friend's shoulder. He hated the idea of what was happening more than he had ever hated anything in his life. But he would assist his oldest friend with his task. To ensure the safety of innocents the world over that would then be in danger otherwise. He nodded and asked "Is it time to get the final piece?"

"Yes... just... make sure they know that nothing bad will happen. Then get out of there fast. He will chase you to the end of the world so run. Run fast."

"Understood." with that Sai disappeared. Naruto stood outside of the lines marking where a giant barrier would soon be erected by the full combined might of the entire Anbu core. He looked out from his location atop his own face which had been carved into the side of the cliff that overlooked Konoha. His was the only face smiling. In fact his was grinning, he had demanded it be made that way. He looked at the place that he loved so dearly. He would do anything to protect Konoha, that is aside from sacrificing any of his friends, or his daughter for that matter. 'Especially my daughter' he thought to himself. He looked up to the stars that then shone in the sky. He felt nostalgic, he felt he deserved to be considering what he was about to do. He remembered that man. The man who had attempted to kill him more times than he cared to remember but that he had never hated. "Sasuke... I wonder... can you see me?" he wondered wistfully aloud. "I would like to hope that you were given paradise at the end... even if only to comfort myself. You did horrible things my friend. Unforgivable things. That is why you had to die. Heh. Well, I doubt I will receive any forgiveness for what I am about to do either." He paused, pensive, then added "I couldn't face her today. I faced Lee but I couldn't face her. Not while knowing what I am about to do. I am a dobe after all. Just like you always said eh? Come to think of it I couldn't say goodbye to any of them today. I made a point of seeing every single one of them though. I even stopped by to give Iruka a hug. He let Kushina hold his finger." He laughed aloud to himself, for what reason he himself was not sure. "Hinata... please... give me a sign... am I doing the right thing? Even if it is to protect people, can it ever be the right thing? To do this to a person, is barbaric. I know this but I still fell the need to do it. How on earth could a dobe like me have been so lucky as to be recipient of your love? You were an angel in life, it is only right that I imagine you as one in death. You were my angel though... By God do I miss you... Without you everything has seemed so... hollow. Being Hokage, protecting my friends, preserving peace. It has all been meaningless to me without you... well except for Kushina of course. She was what saved me when you died. Without her I am not sure what I would have done."

"My lord. I have brought the final piece." Sai said, suddenly appearing behind Naruto.

"... Good I suppose... well lets get this over with. Begin the justu. Raise the barrier."

"Yes Lord Hokage... Naruto."

Sai deposited something from within his cloak into Naruto's arms then joined his soldiers in constructing the barrier. Kakashi approached him from behind. "May I see him before it happens? I feel compelled to..."

"Of course sensei. Come here."

Elsewhere in Konoha

Lee walked into the hospital room of his wife and the new mother of his child, however upon entering, his eyes dilated and he cried out "AHHHHHHHH!"

"What?" shouted Sakura,startled awake by her husbands scream.

"Our son! He is GONE!" Lee replied in a panic.

"WHAT!" she replied in horror. She then realized that he was correct, and that she could no longer feel their son resting in her sleeping arms. Lee began tearing the hospital room apart searching. He was about to leap from the window to inform Naruto when he was stopped by a voice.

"Wait! Don't. Don't go looking... just... come with me... to the roof." It was Tsunade, standing in the doorway, her eyes red from crying all day and he voice pleading.

"Master? What is going on! Do you know where our son is?" she demanded from her bed, unable to get up on her own so soon after childbirth.

"I know... but I can't say... not yet. He is safe, trust in that. Now please come."

"Who is responsible for this!" Lee bellowed, about to begin releasing inner gates out of sheer rage.

"It was... Naruto..." The statement was met with stunned silence. Sakura simply stared at her teacher, mouth agape, while Lee seemed to have had his faith in humanity shattered.

"Come quietly and I will explain... please." she pleaded with them.

As they walked down the hallway, Sakura riding on her husbands back Tsunade began her explanation. "He... took your son. He has his reasons, and your son will not be harmed... at least... not physically."

"What is that supposed to mean? Is he safe or not?" Sakura pleaded, crying and desperate to know where her son was. Lee's face had become an unreadable sheet of raw concentration.

"Naruto... is not long for this world." was Tsunade's only immediate response. Again her statement was met with stunned silence.

"That's impossible! Nothing on earth could possibly kill Naruto!" replied Sakura.

"No, that is simply not true. In fact it has been slowly happening for two weeks now. It began with nausea, then three days later progressed to fainting spells, a day after that it became localized paralysis. He has been coughing up blood for more than a week now and his skin has been turning yellow. He has been hiding it from you all with transformation jutsu. Sakura, what can you tell me about those symptoms..."

Sakura's face took on a look of blank unflinching shock. "No... but those symptoms... in that time-frame it has to be something else! Something curable! Those symptoms progress over hours not days!"

"Precisely what I thought. But once we actually tested for it... there was no avoiding it. He is only alive because the powers of the demon fox, combined with his inherited Uzumaki resilience have slowed the disease to a crawl. But it is still incurable. He has mere hours left..."

"Oh my God..." was all Sakura could muster in response, so deeply affected by the news that her tears ran dry and stopped flowing.

"I don't care!" Lee defiantly said. Tsunade looked at him with a combination of incredulity and disgust. He ignored it and continued "All I care about in the entire world right now is where our son is. So TELL ME NOW!" He spoke in such a terrifying voice that Tsunade shivered.

"He has activated operation Omega Alpha."

"What are you saying? There is no such operation. And operations cannot begin with a signal that comes after the following signal in the alphabetic sequence." Sakura argued back.

"The operation is known only to the Hokage, his advisors, and the Anbu. It is a backup protocol Naruto developed on the day of his appointment." She turned away from them unable to face them as they reached the roof of the building to find Ino, Chouji, Shikamaru, Neji, Shino and Kiba all gathered on the roof as well, confusion covering most of their faces. Kiba, rather than looking confused was staring at something in his arms. Shino stood beside him, staring at it as well. Tsunade gathered the attention of all of the ninja she had gathered at the roof of the hospital and without looking into any of their eyes began to speak.

"Naruto has taken Lee and Sakura's newborn son." Everyone gasped at this news but Tsunade ignored their demands for answers and explanations and simply continued to speak. "Naruto is giving him his burden..."

Chouji suddenly pointed towards the Hokage monument and shouted "Look! Something is up!"

Atop the Hokage monument in a clearing of stone cliff-face Naruto looked upon the barrier as the Anbu finally completed its construction. Naruto took the small bundle from Kakashi and gently carried it into the barrier with himself. Kakashi called out after him, one final question on his mind, "Naruto! Why did it have to be a newborn? Surely your daughter with her Uzumaki heritage would be more suitable."

Naruto turned to his sensei and friend and replied "The seal will only work on someone who's chakra coils have yet to condense and solidify. The chakra coils become fully solidified in a child exactly twenty four hours after birth." He looked down upon the newborn, so vulnerable and fragile. He vowed to himself to allow no harm to come to the child. He passed into the area enclosed by the barrier and felt it solidify behind him, knowing it had become all but indestructible now. Kakashi looked on in helpless sadness, unable to either help or hinder the process about to unfold. Naruto gently placed the child onto a stone altar near the edge of the barrier and walked to the center of the enclosed space. He closed his eyes and drifted into the watery corridors of his mindscape.

Naruto approached the gates enclosing his friend and entered into the cell without concern. There waiting for him was his best friend in the world, his confidant when he was concerned and his comforter in his sorrows. The demon nine-tailed fox, Kurama. It turned to him with pleading eyes and cried out "Give me more time Naruto! I can still save us! I can beat this disease yet! I-"

"No Kurama! We are out of time. It is now time to say farewell." Naruto said with compassion in his voice.

"No! I refuse! You can't do this to me! I don't want to be alone anymore! I need my friend! I need you!"

"Kurama... you will not be alone. You will have a new person to befriend."

"No I will not! How can you lie to me so? He will HATE ME! They always hate me! Everyone hates me! YOU hated me!"

"That was before I let go of all my hate Kurama, you know that. I blamed you for my problems when after all you did not choose to be sealed inside of me. Then I was able to reach out and befriend you. You have given up your hate for me, why for no one else?"

"You are special! No other man like you exists! You are the only person capable of caring for a demon! I refuse to let you abandon me, alone again! Release me and free me from my solitude!"

"That will solve nothing and you know it. You will be just as alone out there as you have been inside the Jinchuriki. You are alone because you push others away. Just let go of your hatred-"

"My hatred is justified!"

"No hatred is ever justified Kurama."

"Please. Naruto. Don't do this to me. I need you my friend."

"Kurama if I do not do this you will die with me, then simply reform after a time. You will still be full of hate and you will hurt people. I can't let that happen."

"As I said! Simply release me!"

"No Kurama... this is the end... goodbye." And with that Naruto made a series of hand seals and touched the gates behind himself. They transformed into a swirling vortex and sucked Kurama into it.

"NARUTO! YOU HAVE BETRAYED ME! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU!"

"Goodbye Kurama..."

Returning to the material world Naruto's body convulsed suddenly and his shirt erupted from the naval as and enourmous mass was pouring out of his body. The mass began to take shape, and more matter began to appear from the air around them. The other half of Kurama's chakra returned to him as he reclaimed his physical form. He roared with all his might in anguish. Naruto stood and rapidly began flowing through hand seals. The fox turned upon his now former friend and skewered him with one of his tails. The attack halted Naruto's hands and began to push his back. However, Naruto grabbed a firm hold of tail and with all of his might held the blow. The demon's nine tails lashed against the barrier enclosing him, but it held strong... barely. Naruto slowly began to smile, and Kurama's look changed from fury to horror as he realized his mistake. His former jailer held his tail firm as Naruto's blood flowed down the tail to it's tip, dripping off of it, and onto the stomach of the infant sleeping on the altar.

"Whirlpool Seal! Four Elements of Infinite Binding Friendship!" Naruto cried out.

The reaction was instantaneous once the final words had been spoken. Kurama in his entirety began to flow like liquid through the hole in Naruto's stomach and into the stomach of the newborn. The infant cried out in pain as the full force of the chakra of the nine-tailed fox was sealed inside of him. Once the flow was complete, a large, complex seal formed across the newborn's stomach and chest. Naruto slowly attempted to turn around, falling to the ground in his efforts. He then proceeded to drag himself across the ground towards the altar. He eventually reached the altar and pulled himself up to rest halfway upon it. He reached out his hand and rested it upon the infant's head. "Shhhhhh... it's... okay...you will... be... okay... I... prom-" Naruto stopped mid word and ceased breathing. And so the Rokudaime Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato died. Comforting the infant child of two of his best friends. The barrier disappeared as Anbu flooded towards their fallen master. Kakashi stood back, a large wet spot visible on the headband that covered his eye.

Earlier that day, just after sundown

"I'm dying tonight." Naruto said flatly, with no emotion in his voice. His two friends stood in shock of the statement, unable to speak. Eventually Kiba was the first to regain his voice.

"What do you mean your going to die? Your Naruto Uzumaki! The Uzumaki are know to commonly live lives lasting one-hundred and fifty years! And plus you're the most feared man on the planet! What could kill you!" he shouted in denial at his friend.

"Disease..." Shino said quietly. Silence fell between them. But then Shino turned and asked "But what of the Fox demon? Should its healing powers not protect you from disease?"

"He is." was Naruto's simple reply. Then realization dawned upon Kiba as Shino voiced the now obvious

"So the only thing keeping you alive is the Fox demon? How deadly is this illness?"

"Impossibly. It commonly kills withing five hours time. The fact that I have been living with it now for two weeks is as Tsunade calls it 'a miracle.' She says that even with Kurama's power I have at most three days left before I die."

"How are you up and about?" demanded Kiba?

"Because I'm Naruto Uzumaki. I refuse to let this thing prevent me from living me last few days." he said with finality.

"You must be in incredible pain." said Shino.

"I am." replied Naruto flatly.

"Woah woah woah!" Shouted Kiba "This can't be happening! This isn't happening! No!"

"It is Kiba!" shouted Naruto in return.

"... So why tell us?" asked Shino "It's not like we are the closest people among our friends to you. In fact despite the fact that we've known each other for years I don't think you know either of us intimately. So why not Shikamaru. You two get each other so well. Surely he would be a better choice to tell."

"I may not be all that close to you, but I am in love with someone who was. You were Hinata's best friends in the world. I know because she talked about you guys all the time. You were all really close. She trusted you with her life. So she would trust this to be left only to you two. I know it."

"It's true that we were close, we loved Hinata like a little sister." said Kiba solemnly and he and Shino both were quiet for a minute remembering their fallen little sister. "But what task?" he asked.

Naruto said nothing in return. He turned away from them before holding up his daughter in front of himself. He stood there worshiping her as the two puzzled his motives. He kissed her head, then her hands, then her chest on top of her heart. He whispered to her "I will always be with you in there. I love you forever and always Kushina." Shino froze as he realized what Naruto was asking of them. Kiba still confused just stared. Then Naruto turned to him and deposited Kushina in his arms. Kiba then finally realized what was happening. He fell to his knees and began to cry, hold onto Kushina like she was the last firm thing as his secure world crumbled away. Shino knelt beside him and placed an understanding hand on his shoulder, his other hand brushing Kushina's hair.

"This is really happening isn't it..." he stated, not asked.

"Yes." simply said Shino beside him.

Naruto stood there with tears in his eyes as he gazed upon his beloved daughter for the last time. He and Kakashi then disappeared.

"Were gonna have to move in together to help each other with this." flatly said Shino.

"People are gonna think were gay aren't they..." Kiba stated.

"Very likely." replied his best friend. "If she wasn't in the picture people wouldn't think anything of it, just two roommates... but with her there... they will make presumptions."

"Well Fuck them!" said Kiba "Were gonna raise her right and that is going to take both of us! Screw the world! As long as Kushina is better for it, I will do anything." He said looking at the infant with love in his eyes. She was Their angel now. Entrusted to them by the greatest man the world had ever known. And he knew in that moment that he would never let anybody stop her from being happy, ever. And that was why Naruto trusted them with her. Because they would love their little sister's daughter with all their hearts from that moment forward.

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