A redhead teen girl roared out as she clashed with a blonde-haired teen boy, they both threw a rapid series of punches and kicks at each other. The blonde caught both of her hands only to get pulled forwards and kneed in the stomach, making him wrench in pain.
The girl, now free, spun around once before delivering a power side kick into the boy's sternum. The blonde slide backwards before grabbing the dirt to stop his sliding. He wretched in pain, but upon coughing up some blood he slowly stood back up straight.
"Kushina," the boy spoke with hoarse voice, "please don't do this. No one hates you, I don't hate you!"
"You're wrong!" Kushina screamed as a blast of red light emitted from her.
"It wasn't your fault Kushina, please stop, don't make me fight you!" The blonde begged as he dropped back into a fighting stance.
"I can't keep doing this Minato," She solemnly replied as she began to grow claws, "he just keeps taunting me, and then he made me lash out. Now because of my lack of control Tsume may die, all because I can't control myself, I'm no better than The Nine Tails!"
"You're so wrong Kushina, you're much better than The Nine Tails!" Minato screamed.
"Does a human being attack her own friends?!" Kushina retorted as she started to form a bubble-like tail behind her.
"That's not your fault," Minato pleaded as he shook his head, "you were pressured into using the fox's powers…if you didn't we wouldn't be talking right now!"
"It doesn't matter!" Kushina screamed as the bubble-like tail started to grow bone inside of it.
"Yes, it does!" Minato screamed as the area around his eyes started to turn orange.
"I cannot keep doing this, I will not continue my suffering." Kushina's voice deepened as she started clutch her head.
Minato had a single tear drop from his right eye as he got out a unique looking kunai. He spun it around to reverse grip it, before taking a deep breath.
"I will not…" A younger Minato spoke as he stood beside a younger Kushina.
"What if I lose control?" Kushina questioned as she clutched her hands.
"Then I will put my dream on the line, because it's nothing without someone to share it with." Minato replied as he smiled.
"Promise?" Kushina questioned.
"I never go back on my word for that's…"
"My Ninja Way," Minato screamed as he charged forward, "is to never ever go back on my word!"
Kushina's eyes, now nothing but red orbs lacking a pupil locked onto Minato, she roared out an inhuman roar as she jumped backwards.
"I am…not Kushina…I am The Nine Tailed Fox!" Her voice fully deepened as she roared out, three more tails bubbling up.
"I wouldn't care if you turned into The Nine Tails," Minato remembered as he charged forwards and time seemed to slow down, "just so long as you remained Kushina at heart."
Minato clenched his eyes as the orange paint around his eyes turned red, before opened them to reveal toad like pupils and a golden color. He roared out as he saw Kushina start to charge, but her skin started to peel as a massive burst of red energy erupted around her.
"I will won't let you go Kushina," Minato narrowed his eyes as he came within three feet of her, "even if it kills me."
Minato blocked one of the tails trying to stab him, before slicing off one with a golden light emitted from the kunai he held, and another that tried to curl around him. Forming a hand seal, a clone appeared besides him, before they both jumped back.
"Wind Style: Breakthrough!" The clone screamed as he blew a torrent of wind from his mouth.
"Earth Style: Loose Earth Scatter!" Minato yelled as he slammed his palms into the ground.
The result of the two working in tandem was the earth rising, only to get blown into pieces as the wind blasted through it. The wind grinding the earth into a fine dust, which slowly covered the area, forming a shroud of earth that neither opponent could see through.
"Nine Tails, you better listen to me here and now!" Minato yelled as he hid behind some rocks. "I will never ever let you take Kushina-Hime away!"
"Raaaghhh!" Minato eyes widened as he saw a blast of wind kick up even more dirt.
"This isn't good, The Nine Tails has complete control…I still…" Minato shook slightly, but steeled himself as slowly walked out from his cover.
"I still won't give up!" Minato scurried forward.
Jumping into the air, the blonde was above the dust cloud, and landed on a tree. Forming hand seals, he saw his clone land on the tree adjacent to him. They both looked at each other, nodding, they both formed their own hand seals.
"Sage Style: Toad Gumball!" Minato yelled as he fired random sized globs of yellow liquid from his mouth.
"Wind style: Super Gale Palm!" The clone roared as he began to blast wind from his palms inside the dust cloud at random areas.
As the dust cleared from the constant wind blast Minato saw that Kushina stood there no longer. The girl's body was a sickly red-black, her eyes glowing white as five tails now swirled behind her. The blonde saw the beast that was Kushina struggle in the yellow liquid.
"Master Jiraiya said that to free the host from possession I have to weaken the host's physical energy first…" Minato remembered what his master taught him, just in case this would happen.
"Get ready!" Minato yelled as he clapped both of his hands together.
The clone did the same, before they both formed hand seals, rapidly. After they were finished they both jumped to opposite trees, before looking down at the beast before them. Water slowly formed behind the clone, before forming into a dragon like structure.
"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet!" The clone roared as he launched the dragon at Kushina, which slammed into the beast.
Minato pointed both his index fingers at Kushina while focused on the beast focused on the water dragon. "Lightning Style: Straight Shot!"
The beam of lightning that shot from Minato's hands combined with the dragon to form a current strong enough to make the beast roar in pain. Seeing his chance the teen jumped towards the beast, before being suddenly knocked aside by a bony tail.
A sixth tail to be exact.
"Kushina!" Minato screamed as he was slammed into a tree and broke through it.
The beast roared out as a purple sphere formed near its' mouth, the clone's eyes widened before he was blasted by a large beam dark red energy. Easily destroying the clone, the tailed beast focused its attention on the original, before smirking and slightly opening its mouth to reveal nothing but a white void.
Minato slowly rose from the ground, blood slowly leaking from his mouth, but watched as purple ball of energy headed right for him. Quickly reacting he threw two kunai opposite to each other before rapidly forming a single hand seal.
"Transport!" Minato yelled as he watched the ball of energy disappear mere inches from his face.
Pointing two fingers at Kushina a void appeared above her before same purple ball of energy dropped down, smashing into the beast, and exploding with enough force to engulf the area in dust.
Breathing hard, shaking even harder, Minato slowly got up. Stumbling about he managed to get his footing, clapping both hands together he struggled to stand up, only to feel something else besides the nature energy soak into him.
Realizing that some of chakra from Nine Tails had blasted off her body, the teen absorbed the chakra as well, attempting to gain a little bit more power, but found his eyes stinging. Looking down in a puddle of water, Minato's eyes once blue had turned crimson red.
Though the red paint remained around his eyes, he felt a new strength brewing within him as his wounds slowly began to heal. Roaring out himself, he watched as Kushina emerged from the rubble. Her bonelike armor broken.
"My Sage Chakra is running out, but it's purifying the fox's chakra that I absorbed to heal me…I have no choice." Minato reviewed his situation as he slowly released the form he had activated.
"Kushina," Minato said as he slowly stepped towards her beast like form, "I know you're still in there. I am about to do something so stupid, so reckless that I would put my dream and life on the line. If the Nine Tails doesn't let you go now, I will have no choice but to use my most forbidden technique."
No response came from the beast, save a growl, as it too started to slowly walk towards Minato.
"A technique Gai's father taught me, to protect my home…" Minato stopped and brought both of his arms to his side.
"To protect those, I call family!" Minato yelled as steam rose from his skin.
"To protect my ninja way!" Minato screamed as the ground sunk beneath the weight of his growing power.
"To put all things on the line for the ones I love, and cherish the most." Minato scrunched up in pain as blue chakra swirled around him.
"First Gate: Gate of opening, open!" Minato roared as the blue chakra swirled around him, which made the beast stop.
Minato dashed at blinding speed towards Kushina, appearing in front of her, he slammed his palm into her chest. Followed by a barrage of kicks, and punches to keep pushing her back towards the crater she had made.
"Kushina I will protect you, even if it costs me my life!" Minato screamed as he slammed an open palm into her chest, clutching onto the volatile chakra.
"I swore as your teammate to carry your burden equally, I swore as your friend to always be there for you, and now I swear as something more to keep you from falling into darkness." Minato yanked hard as his hand started to burn a little.
The beast slammed its tail against Minato, forcing him off, but in doing Minato found that he managed to rip a piece of the chakra shroud. Once more, it wasn't healing up. The young sage skidded across the ground, before smirking as he disappeared in a golden light.
The beast's eyes widened as he reappeared in front of her, before noticing his eyes once again gain their toad like appearance.
"now," Minato screamed in his head, "Sage Art: Purifying Toad Palm!"
Slamming both of his palms into Kushina, he began to absorb as much of the chakra as he could while tearing off the cloak. The beast roared out in agony as tails began to fall of it, leaving only one tail remaining.
"I won't ever let you hurt her!" Minato yelled as tore the face of the beast off, revealing a bloody but alive Kushina underneath.
She opened her eyes, greenish blue met golden, before she had tears in her eyes. As the cloak fell off, revealing a near naked Kushina due to the chakra burning away at her clothing. She fell from the cloak as Minato slowly caught her, helping her to the ground.
Chakra exhaustion slowly started to set in, forcing him out of his sage mode. He felt weak, and collapsed by Kushina, who was currently crying on the ground.
"Why do you care so much…why can't you just let me go…" She sobbed weakly as she looked up into the cloudy sky.
"Because, you said I was stupid, remember?" Minato joked weakly as he laid by her, both of their bodies facing opposite directions.
"I don't see your point…" Kushina weakly spoke as she looked at him.
"Because, letting you go would be the smart choice, but for you I will continue being stupid." Minato explained as he moved his hand towards her.
"Why?" Kushina choked out, "why risk everything?"
"If I broke my promise to one I truly cared about most, how could I ever become Hokage let alone…protect her?" Minato weakly told Kushina.
Kushina looked at Minato, wide eyed expression laced across her face.
"I'll probably get branded a traitor back in the village…" She muttered.
"That's not true, they know it wasn't you fault, Hokage-sama knows it." Minato commented as his eyes fluttered.
"I don't want to be alone in this anymore, I'm so tired of this." Kushina sobbed as she clenched her eyes crying.
"You will never be alone Kushina…" Minato muttered as he clutched her hand.
"What if he tries to take control again?" Kushina question Minato.
"Then I'll fight him off like I did now, and I will continue to do so, it doesn't matter how many times I have to. To protect my home, to protect my loved ones, and to protect you…" Minato smiled weakly as he slowly tears leak from his own eyes.
"Why are you crying…" Kushina weakly spoke, slightly demanding an answer.
"Can't I be happy to see the girl I love alive?" Minato questioned, causing her to fluster.
"You…love me, even now, knowing what I really am?" Kushina questioned as she weakly crawled closer to him.
"The Nine Tails isn't you Kushina, and you aren't it, the Kushina I know has a brash but caring heart. She cares so much that she fills the voids others try to maintain, she cares so much that she brings light to darkness, she is no demon…" Minato told her as he faced completely.
"Minato…" She groaned from pain, "thank you…"
"Don't thank just yet, we're still not home." Minato said slowly getting up, and picking her up bridal style.
An image set in Kushina's mind of the first time she had been held by him like this. When he first rescued her, but she sobbed as she buried her head into his chest.
"Please don't let me go…" Kushina begged.
"I would never, ever do that."