Summary: During a political affair regarding the civil war in Kirigakure, the actions of two legendary ninja will lead to salvation or destruction. A child prophesized by the Great Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku.
"Hokage-dono" bowed the one-eyed Kirigakure shinobi. His eye patch covered the famed Byakugan and his blue hair spiked up in a moused-up manner. He was one of the firsts to successfully transplant a doujutsu, and had the ability to activate it at will, unlike a transplanted Sharingan. "Terumi-sama requests Konoha's aid in the upcoming civil war, against the current Mizukage, Yagura," he continued, praying that he would receive the desired outcome.
Namikaze Minato pondered on the thought; their forces had been significantly lowered due to the war they had partaken in. He had heard about the cruel, malicious ways of the current Mizukage – whom had demanded the deaths of innocent bloodline users. He thought about his dear Kushina, who had been condemned to a life of hatred because of the beast that resided within her, many opposed her because of the condition she had no word in.
"Send Terumi-san my regards" he started, glaring into the shamed eye(s?) of the Kirigakure shinobi, "and tell her I'd be most honoured to hold a meeting to further discuss this situation," Minato smiled, teasing Ao.
"Arigato, Hokage-dono" replied the shinobi uneasily, bowing before the legendary shinobi.
The blue haired shinobi then rushed out of the Hokage tower, pleased that the affair was over. He had never been too interested in politics, nor the deathly stare of an angry Kage.
Kirigakure
"T-Terumi-san, d-do you believe the Yondaime will accept?" he asked. He ran his hand through his tufty blue hair. He grinned shyly, revealing his sharp, pointy teeth. The ninja wore black-rimmed glasses, a blue pin-striped shirt and camouflage pattern pants. On his back lay Hiramekarei – one of the Seven Legendary Swords.
Her emerald-green eyes gleamed, and a smile that matched Chojuro's crept across her face, "I hope so... I heard he was quite the lady charmer" she winked, earning a blush from her subordinate.
It was no secret that he greatly admired the auburn-haired woman. Mei was a young, slender woman whose beauty and pure heart could not be denied.
She noticed his stuttering and walked over to the shinobi, pressing her breasts into his back as she hugged him. "There, there, Chojuro-kun, don't be shy now," she said softly.
Chojuro gulped, and cursed the woman and her flirtatious ways. Though she may not have any romantic interests in him, it did not hinder her ability to embarrass.
She pulled away upon hearing a loud cough. She smirked when she turned to see the former ANBU member, Ao. "I see you have returned. Do you bring beneficial news?" she said.
"Indeed, Namikaze Minato proposed there be a meeting," he replied, as he passed the scroll to the powerful Kunoichi.
"Excellent. I suppose I will appoint both of you as my bodyguards," she said, running her thin hand across the bangs that covered her right eye.
Konoha
"Kushina-chan, I will be away for a little while, for political reasons," he said seriously, stroking his beloved wife's cheek.
Uzumaki Kushina had fiery, red hair, fair skin and violet eyes. The woman pouted as a child would, "Aww, Minato-kun, pleaase stay," she replied, smiling innocent.
He raised his other hand, pushing her vibrant hair behind her ears, before leaning in and passionately pressing his lips against hers. Her lips were soft, and his dear wife soon replied the passion. She pushed him against the wall, and pulled his blonde hair towards hers. She wrapped her leg around his, pushing him closer. Their lips departed, and he took in the sweet scent of her hair as they stood there, noses touching. At that moment he was convinced to stay, spending his precious time with his beautiful wife, but it wasn't an option now that he had agreed.
"I have to," he said solemnly, placing his hands on her thighs and pulling her in.
Kushina nodded before standing on her toes and placing a kiss on his forehead. She then placed another on his nose, and then pressed her lips against his again. She squealed as she was roughly picked up, and slammed onto the table. She wrapped her lean, pale legs around his, and pulled him in.
He laughed as he pulled away, "let's not get distracted now," he whispered in her ear, before slowly walking away. He had still yet to inform the Sandaime of these updates, and politely 'request' that he be gifted with the wonders of paperwork during his departure.
Hokage tower
"What brings you to my headquarters, Minato-kun," spoke the Sandaime gruffly, placing his perverted book down.
Minato glanced shamefully down at the smut the Sandaime had just 'disposed' of. "Ah, well, I need a favour, Sarutobi-sama," replied the Yellow Flash, rubbing his head sheepishly.
"Is that so? What have I said about using formalities, Hiruzen is just fine," he sighed, listening intently to the request of the current Hokage.
"Sarutobi-sama, I'd like you to be the temporary Hokage while I deal with some political affairs in Kirigakure," said the Namikaze, bowing down politely.
Hiruzen grunted in defeat, and lit his cigarette, "Ah, wish to grant me the wonders of paperwork, Minato-kun," replied Hiruzen, sarcastically, before widening his eyes in realisation, "Kirigakure? Don't tell me you wish to help them and their civil war?" groaned the old Kage, silently cursing his successor's kind ways.
"Hai, Sandaime-sama. I believe it is unjust and inhumane of them to commit these cruel acts, I wish to see to it that they be exterminated and rightfully punished for their crimes," said Minato, "though I could always ask, say, Jiraiya," grinned the Kage, pressuring Hiruzen.
Hiruzen sighed again, knowing of probable outcome of placing Jiraiya in such position. He wouldn't be surprised if the entire village was turned into a hot spring. "I accept," he said, picking up the hidden, orange book again.
Minato smiled, inwardly praising himself for the successful manipulation. All that was left was to find some suitable bodyguards.
It was obvious that a famed, legendary shinobi would make an appropriate bodyguard; the strength of a village must always be displayed. He had pondered on bringing the two heads of the Uchiha and Hyuuga clans, but immediately withdrew that suggested due to the current rivalry between them. Another would be Tsunade of the Sannin, though the chances of her accepting were minimal, due to the traumatic experiences she had been through.
"Keiko Ichirō" he spoke, glancing at the man whose complex was dark. He had deep, chocolate eyes that matched the colour of his hair. He wore a black Yukata, with a crème trim. Under his Yukata was a dark, mesh shirt. His outfit was completed with the standard, shinobi sandals.
"Minato!" he replied, ecstatically, "u-uh, I-I mean Hokage-sama" he said, bowing as he blushed.
Minato only laughed, "There's no need for the formalities, especially for a friend of mine," he replied, handing him a scroll.
Ichirō's eyes widened as he read the contents of the scroll, "y-you want me, of all people, to guard you? Are you out of your mind?!" he questioned, honoured yet confused.
"Indeed, you are an elite Jōnin, also one who I can trust," he smiled, before further explaining the details of the mission.
"Who else do you plan to take?" he asked, staring into the azure eyes that belonged to his former teammate.
"Why Yasu Aiko, former member of Team Jiraiya," he replied, earning a widened look from Ichirō.
With Yasu Aiko
Before Minato stood a young, fair woman. She wore her headband under her black bangs, and her obsidian eyes looked similar of that to Ichirō, as she received the mission brief from her former crush. Her outfit consisted of a purple garment, and baggy, red pants that stopped at her ankles. Like most shinobi, she wore the standard ninja sandals.
Back in the academy days, like most kunoichi, she had been obsessed with the handsome boy, and squealed in delight when they were placed in the same team.
Flashback no jutsu
The sun shone through the fading clouds that filled the sky. The morning dew covered the lush grass, making it appear as if it had lightly snowed. One young academy student rushed to class, filled with euphoria as she thought of the upcoming team placements.
'I hope I get placed with Minato-kun' she thought, sighing as her head filled with romantic love scenes.
She was so lost in her thoughts, she hadn't realised her giggles were not internal, and one dark-skinned man was listening to her rambling.
'Ohayo, Aiko-chan' he said cheerfully, running up to the young kunoichi.
'Hn, Ichirō-teme' she replied, causing several Uchiha to sneeze. It was known to all that the dead-last had a major crush on her. Sadly, her intentions were saved for her beloved Namikaze. 'True love will prevail' were her thoughts.
'So, Aiko-chan, who do you think you will be placed with?' he asked, genuinely curious.
'Baka, I know I will be placed with Minato-kun' she replied, wandering off into her own world once again.
He sighed as he was defeated once again. He had nothing against that boy, Minato, he was quiet and appeared to be fairly nice, though only seemed to be concerned with Kushina, much to Minato's fan girl's disappointment.
He walked into the classroom, before looking behind and watching Aiko approach slowly, suddenly, he was pushed from behind, and fell onto the ground, groaning as he noticed his ripped clothes.
Kushina noticed the cruelty towards the boy, and helped him pick himself off the ground. Being a constant victim of bullying, she had some sympathy for the boy.
He was shocked to see the 'tomato-head' kunoichi helping him. He was always teased and deemed useless for being the unintelligent 'dead-last' who had no hopes of succeeding.
"A-Arigato, Kushina-ch.. san," he said, bowing before the kind girl.
She laughed and playfully punched him in the arm, "loser, you can call me Kushina-chan,"
From afar, Minato watched with curiosity, his crush was interacting with the dead-last, something he had never expected. He walked over to the small group, gaining the stares of his peers.
"Ohayo, Kushina-chan, Ichirō-san," he said, smiling as he waved.
"Baka, did I give you permission to use 'chan'?' she replied, angrily pushing him away. He scratched his head as he pondered on the thought, being the rookie of the class, few dared to act in such manner.
"Gomen, Kushina-san," he said solemnly, before returning to his seat.
The sensei walked into the classroom, holding a clipboard with the team placements.
'Hello newly instated shinobi of Konohagakure. I congratulate you all for successfully completing the exams, and proving your worth. We hope each of you bloom into strong ninja, carrying the will of fire as you rise and become the victor. Today is the day your innocence is lost, and is replaced with maturity and strategic methods. May the fire burn brightly in your hearts,' He said, gaining the smiles of the excited ninja.
'…Team 7 will consist of Yasu Aiko, Keiko Ichirō and Namikaze Minato' he spoke, before being interrupted.
A squeal from Aiko was heard and a grunt from Ichirō.
Flashback no jutsu, kai!
She laughed as she remembered their foolish ways and innocence. Of course, she had fallen 'out of love' with Minato, and found her own loving husband.
"I accept" she said.
The next day
The next day, the trio consisting of Namikaze Minato, Yondaime Hokage and Konoha's Yellow flash, known for his incredible speed and teleportation jutsu, Keiko Ichirō, the Kuro Ken or 'Black fist', known for his incredible strength and wild taijutsu, and Yasu Aiko, Katsuro no Konoha, known for her stealth and assassination skills, stood at the wooden, sturdy gate, with scrolls consisting of things from food to weapons.
Unknowingly to the Kirigakure shinobi, Ao, a seal had been placed on him, allowing Minato to instantly teleport with a mere 'yellow flash' to where he would assume the desired destination would be. He grabbed his famed kunai, and clung onto his teammates, before flashing to Kirigakure.
Kirigakure
Mei Terumi was waiting impatiently in her temporary office. Her two trusted followers, Chōjurō and Ao stood behind her.
She was suddenly greeted with a yellow flash, and 3 legendary shinobi appeared before her. The Yellow Flash, Kuro ken and Katsuro no Konoha. She was stunned at how he could convince 2 retired, incredibly strong ninja to accompany him to Kirigakure.
Mei bowed immediately, "Hokage-dono, Kuro-san, Katsuro-san" she spoke, directing her attention to the Hokage.
His blonde hair shone, even in the dimmed lighting. He had azure, eyes that seemed to radiate happiness. 'Perfect' she thought as she admired his lean body.
"Terumi-san, you can call me Minato. And these two are Ichirō-san and Aiko-san," he said, grinning as his sparkling white teeth were revealed.
Minato admired her beauty; she had auburn hair, similar to that of Kushina. She had a slim, curvy figure. He would have considered her as a romantic candidate if he weren't in a relationship with his beloved wife.
"And you may call me Mei," she smiled back, unable to stop staring into his deep, meaningful eyes.
"Mei-san, I understand you are in need of military forces, which is why I am offering the service of myself, and my bodyguards," said the legendary shinobi.
Mei's eyes widened, the Kage himself was offering to cripple their forces? A pleasurable man indeed. "I-I appreciate t-the offer, arigato," she spoke, stuttering as she seemed to forget the English language.
Chōjurō glared at the man, as none before had succeeded in causing her to stutter. Though he too was shocked and impressed at the humble man.
"How many of them are there?" he asked, curiously eyeing the kenjutsu user.
"I'd say a few thousand Chunin, and around one thousand Jōnin," she replied, slouching onto the table, pushing her breasts against her arms. 'You like what you see, Hokage-sama' she thought to herself.
Minato attempted to ignore the distraction, but only succeeded in blushing, "and how many on the rebellious side?" he asked, trying to keep his confidence.
'Seems I have made the man blush, how adorable.' She thought, before shaking off her flirtatious thoughts, "I'd say we have more Jōnin, but a lot less Chunin" she replied, winking at the man.
"Hm, I say we attempt to catch them off-guard, and cripple their forces," he said, attempting to strategize while ignoring the distractions, "how about we continue this tomorrow? I'm exhausted," he sighed, rubbing his head.
He walked out of the room, followed by Ichirō and Aiko.
The auburn haired woman laughed seductively once he had left, 'time to put my good looks to work' she thought, before standing up. "Ao, Chōjurō, I need you to find out the estimate number of our force," she said, swinging her hips as she walked out of the room.
She walked around the camp, before finding a confused Minato.
"I have sent my shinobi to go find out the estimate number of your forces, I hope you don't mind' he said, placing his cold, pale hands in his pockets, "I suppose I underestimated the weather of Kirigakure" he blushed, attempting to stay warm.
Mei grinned, and placed his hands on her own slender ones. She sent chakra to her hands, before infusing a minimal amount of fire element to it, warming Minato's. Though she would burnt his if she directly applied the chakra, she was immune to the ferocious heat of fire – having her bloodline based on lava.
Minato smiled as his hands quickly grew warm, he hardly noticed the disclosing distance between them, until she hugged him, with her chakra enforced body. He was tempted to escape the position, but feared the cold that lay beyond her warmth.
A few minutes had past, and he struggled out, before lying on the damp grass, exhausted from his journey.
"Someone tired, eh?" she asked, picking up the grown man and carrying him into a tent. She placed him on a bed, leaving him to peacefully sleep.
The next day
"Yasu Aiko, reporting for duty," she bowed, in the presence of her kage.
"Keiki Ichirō, reporting for duty," he bowed, following the movements of his teammate.
"Did you discover the estimate numbers of our forces?" asked the kage, seated in the chair.
"Hai. They have approximately 2500 Jōnin and 500 Chunin" replied, Ichirō, "we may have better quality shinobi, but I'm afraid we lack the numbers."
"Ah, but do they have three legendary shinobi on their side?" he asked, flicking his blonde hair out of his eyes.
"Ahem, that's at least 4, not three. Unless you do not consider me a legendary shinobi, that is, Minato-kun" replied a woman as she walked in. She went directly to the blonde shinobi, and placed herself on his lap.
"T-Terumi-san, may you please remove yourself from my seat?" he politely asked, "and I suppose I was unaware of your reputation,"
Mei silently cursed her luck, and seated herself in the chair next to him, "ah, it is said I can rival the current Mizukage, so yes, I somewhat have a reputation" she replied.
"I have formed a plan. We will wait until tonight, and send our best stealth and assassination Jōnin in as an attempt to cripple their forces," said Minato, before being interrupted.
"And how do you propose we get in?" she interrupted, curiously eyeing the apparent genius.
"We only need one to enter, I am known for my teleportation jutsu after all," he replied, earning a face palm from the rebel leader.
"I suppose you are correct, Minato-kun."
After the plan was formed, they departed the building, leaving their trusted shinobi to do as they pleased.
Mei and Minato sat beside each other in the long grass, discussing as a pair of friends would.
"So, Minato-kun, tell me about yourself?" asked Mei, stroking his cheek, wanting to know more about the handsome genius.
"Uh, let's see. I'm an orphan and 23 years of age. I like training, ramen and gardening. Aiko-chan and Ichirō-kun were my teammates, back when we were Genin," he replied, laying down and resting his head on her slim legs, "Jiraiya was like a father to me, but as his spy network grew, he became more occupied, that and the smut he writes," he laughed.
She continued to stroke his cheek, brushing his silky hair with her fingers. She was surprised when his arm was raised to affectionately stroke hers. She lowered her head and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead, causing him to blush.
"Mei-chan, what do you think makes a shinobi strong? What's the difference between the strength of me, or say, Yagura?" he asked.
She pondered on the thought, before replying, "Some could say raw strength is all there is to it, but I suppose not just anyone can gain that strength. What makes our strength is our will, and how we go about life. If someone has reason to be strong, they will eventually gain it," she replied, stroking his cheek again, "Now, strength in battle is a different story. When we need to protect something, or someone, that is when we become truly strong. You have people to protect, unlike Yagura, whose intentions I cannot relate to," she continued.
He nodded at her answer, "An intelligent answer indeed. Do you have anyone you wish to protect?" he questioned, sitting up.
"Well, of course. My family died long ago, like you, I am an orphan. I grew to live solely for my friends and those I loved, that is why I must defeat Yagura, so I can protect my village and friends," she replied.
Minato pushed her down, staring into her gentle, emerald eyes, "You remind me of myself. I suffered from loneliness and pain, and at some point, my life seemed worthless, like I was just nothing floating around like a ghost would. My friends saved me, and for that I will save them. I wanted to save every villager that was instated into the village, and every living thing that could breathe. My dream was to become the Hokage."
They both breathed heavily, before slowly moving their heads closer, until their noses were almost touching. He placed a soft kiss on her smooth, luscious lips, before pulling away again. The beautiful woman rolled so she was on top, and roughly pressed her lips onto his, placing her tongue in his mouth and massaging his. He grabbed her waist, bringing it down until it was against his. She continued to roughly kiss him, pressing her body down.
She pulled away, panting; "how about we take this elsewhere?" she winked seductively.
He picked up her slim body, bridal style, and threw his kunai over to a nearby tent; he ripped the door open and threw her muscular body onto the bed. He approached her, and knelt over her sweaty body.
She lay there; slowly unzipping her garments, and was soon greeted with the familiar tongue that belonged to Minato. He pressed his lips into hers again, pushing her body down as she attempted to rip his clothes off.
A few hours later
They lay there panting, under the thin sheets that covered their bare bodies. She faced away from the loving man, wrapped in his arms. Minato had his head placed on her shoulder; both were drifting off into a deep sleep.
They were awoken by a sudden commotion a few hours later. It was countless shinobi, searching the tents for their temporary commander. They quickly rushed out, after redressing themselves.
Ao stared curiously at the blushing pair and the bird's nest that in reality was hair, "I will assume the both of you forgot about our little plan. While I am glad that you found a man, we have things to do, places to be," he spoke sternly, pushing Minato to the group of stealthy Jōnin.
Minato placed a seal on one of the shinobi, before wishing him luck and sending him on a possible death sentence. He turned to face the auburn haired woman, "do you believe this will work?" he asked, questioning his intelligence.
"I know so. Our goal is to get in, cripple their forces and get out. Shouldn't be too hard for a man of your calibre, hm?" she replied, assuring the man of his strength.
"Hai," he replied, noticing the glowing seal of his hand, "I guess it's my time to shine, ja ne" he said, placing a short kiss on her forehead.
Though she wasn't too keen on letting him go, she knew it was vital for their victory.
Kirigakure (inside)
Minato suddenly appeared beside the shinobi in a flash, accompanied by only the best steal and assassination experts, "You all know what to do. Get to it," he spoke quietly, before going his separate way.
He quietly crept through the heavily guarded town, with his chakra hidden almost entirely. He flashed his way through the houses, massacring shinobi by the hundreds. Once he had decided he was disgusted enough with the blood on his hands, he returned to the camp, falling into the arms of Mei, letting his shameful tears fall from his face.
"M-Minato-kun?" she said, concerned for his wellbeing.
"I-I m-massacred the-m-m. T-they c-couldn't e-even do an-nything," he whimpered, revealing his pain filled eyes to Mei, before bursting out into laughter, "I'm a grown man, yet I disgust and sadden myself at the sight of blood on my own hands. They say it's them or me, but sometimes I wonder if we'd all be better off with me as dead," he continued, lying against Mei's chest.
"Minato" she whispered, wiping the tears from his reddened eyes, she grabbed his cold, shaking hands, "no one's perfect. Our acts are also both good and evil. You may be praised for killing those shinobi back there, but they might curse you, and hate you. It's the cycle of hatred, everything we do seems to cause this pain. Regretting our decisions won't bring back the dead. You're considered a fair and just man, yet you slaughtered them for slaughtering us. I think the better question is, when someone hits you, do you hit them back?" she replied, allowing her long auburn hair to fall onto Minato's face.
"But we have to stop this. To entirely stop the slaughtering, we have to slaughter more. I won't let this war continue, I don't care if it costs me my life, I will not stand by and watch the innocent die," she continued, smiling softly and she stroked his face. She placed her lips on his, but Minato pulled away.
"What will happen" he asked, noting the confused look, "what will happen when I leave?" he said solemnly, gulping as he struggled to speak, "Right now, I want this moment to last forever. I don't want to think about what the future holds for us, but.. but I have to."
"I don't know Minato. We could move on with our lives, and forget each other. You could leave and come back, If that's what you want," she spoke softly, stroking his golden hair.
Minato turned to face her, and pulled Mei towards him, pushing his body against hers.
"Y-You could come back with me, we could live together happily," he pleaded, uneasily smiling.
"I'm afraid that won't be possible. If we come out as the victor, I will be the Mizukage. I can't just let these people run around like headless chickens" she replied with guilt, as she watched his reaction.
"I understand" he said, standing up, "we will forget about each other, I will not come back when this is done" he smiled.
"Minato.." she spoke, grabbing his shoulder, "I-I love you." He turned around and brushed her hair out of her eyes.
"Goodbye," he spoke.
He continued to walk, his eyes widening as he took in each of her words, 'I love you' he thought, repeating the three words in his head. He didn't turn back, and continued to walk down the mossy cobblestone road, ignoring Mei's screams.
The rebels did come out as the victors, with the majority of their forces depleted, it was not long before the remainder were killed and Yagura was defeated.
The Yondaime Hokage and his subordinates returned to Konohagakure, with a particular one promising him to forget, even if it was deemed impossible.
Mei watched as the man she loved walked out of her life. She wouldn't forget him even if he would forget her. She would remember the last words she spoke to him, even if he didn't say them back.
A few weeks later and it seemed she had become sick. There was constant vomiting and sharp headaches. Strangely, no medic seemed to be able to cure this unknown sickness.
Weeks turned into months, and it soon became blatantly obvious that it was no sickness.
Minato attempted to feel love for his wife, but couldn't help but feel guilt upon seeing her.
On October the 10th, the Kyuubi was ripped from Kushina, and controlled to destroy Konoha. As a last resort, Minato summoned the Shinigami, sealing half of the spirit within him, and half back into his wife, Kushina. With the chakra, she was successfully able to survive with the rapid healing it granted her, despite the excessive blood loss she had suffered from.
On the same night, a small bundle of joy was brought into the world. The child had deep, azure eyes and golden hair that gleamed even in the dimmed room.