Minato.
His name, just his name, sent shivers through my body.
Minato was my sensei, (but who else thinks he's the kind of teacher everyone wants?) but not really. I wasn't in the academy, I wasn't even considered a ninja to the leaf, but Minato still taught me. One time I asked him why he worked so hard and spent so much time on me, and he told me "I see a fire in you that I've never seen anywhere else, Atsuko. You're so special". I was seven, and the words sent flutters through my insides. He trained me well, and even I began to notice that I was on a whole other level compared to an academy-student counterpart. Sometimes, I even surprised Minato with my strength, speed, and intelligence. I still remember the day that Minato taught me the Flying Thunder Gods technique….
"ATSUKO! I've got something really cool to teach you today~" Minato yelled as he jogged up to me. I was standing in a little clearing way far out into the forest. I was being quiet and observant; which is odd for me, considering how I'm usually loud and hyper and happy.
"Eh? Atsuko, what's up? You don't seem as upbeat as usual." He said, taking a closer look at me.
"Something just feels… off… Like something bad is going to happen soon" I said to him while I kicked the long grass with the tip of my shoe.
"Don't be silly~ it's been real peaceful lately, so there's nothing to worry about! C'mon, lemme teach you this really cool technique! I've been waiting for a while now, and I finally think you're ready!" He said happily. I smiled.
"Whatcha got for me Sensei?" I asked.
"The Flying Thunder Gods technique" He said, holding up one of his special kunai with the symbol on them. I gasped.
"M-minato-sensei? Really?" I asked quietly. He nodded.
"THANK YOU!" I yelled as I tackled him over in a great big hug. In hindsight, only now do I realize how he held me gently around my waist and the way he whispered 'You're welcome' in my ear.
We got straight to the training. I was a natural at it; I picked it up like a flash of lightning. About three days after he taught it to me, he started calling me 'purple streak' or 'the purple streak of Konoha' it was good times.
I was the same age as Kakashi and Iruka when that unthinkable tragedy occurred. Madara attacked Konaha. Most of it was a blur, as the kids were rushed about and into hiding. But my blur was a little different, it was the blur of trying to escape the ushering Chuunin and Jonin and Genin, even the Genin, not following them. One person was running through my mind, with various different titles.
Minato, Minato-kun, Minato-senpai, Minato, Minato-sensei, Minato-san, Minato, Minato…
I struggled backwards in the throng of struggling children for a while before I took to the trees. I jumped along for about ten minutes before I reached the city, where I took to the rooftops. I was panicked, and I couldn't think straight up until this point. That was when I thought of the flying thunder gods. I threw one straight in the direction of the battle between Minato and Madara, teleported to it, caught it and threw again. Soon, one of my thunder gods landed, stuck in the ground right between Minato and Madara. Minato was just readying a Rasengan and Madara was preparing to call to the Nine Tails. One streak of purple later, I was standing in their midst.
"What the hell is this?" Madara yelled angrily, as my sudden appearance had screwed up his concentration and his calling of the nine tails.
"This," I spat angrily at him "Is the Purple Streak of the Leaf. The yellow flash here is my sensei, and you're not laying another finger on him". And so the fighting ensued.
I put up a good fight, holding him off with ninjutsu and taijustsu for a good solid hour. When I felt myself weakening, I threw one of my Flying thunder gods off into the distance and knocked Madara back onto his butt. I flashed over to Minato.
"Hold onto it for me, ok?" I said softly, and he gave me a puzzled look.
"Terepōto! Kyōsei undō no geijutsu! (Teleport! Art of forced movement!" I said softly and laid my hand flat over Minato's heart.
"NO!" he yelled, but it was too late. He was miles away from here, holding onto a Flying Thunder God that was crafted of purple-colored chakra metal.
I faced Madara.
"That's a handy trick, little girl. You're stronger than I expected." He cackled evilly, and I flung a FTG (Flying Thunder God) into his face. It sliced his cheek and I poofed up behind him, holding out for hope of reinforcements, and kicked him in the nuts.
I teleported to the FTG that I left on the other side of the arena. Madara was on the other side of our little battlefield, curled into the fetal position. Until he poofed into smoke.
I whipped around, straight into Madara's fist. He then shot me with several fireballs tried a sharingan genjutsu on me. He set Susanoo on me. It was then that I decided to getthefuckouttathere. I transported to the FTG that Minato was holding.
"ATSUKO. WHAT WAS THAT?!" He yelled as he slipped my purple FTG into one of his pockets. I couldn't argue, I couldn't reply. I passed out on the ground.
I remember coming to during an eerie calm, the calm of death, the sound of silence.
"M-minato" I muttered and I transported myself to my Flying Thunder God. When I arrived, I saw Minato on the ground and total, utter destruction.
Not a soul was in sight, and the buildings were crumbling. I only had a moment to survey the damage, because after I saw Minato, he was all I saw.
I collapsed onto him and started sobbing.
"M-Minato-Sensei….. No, don't leave me….. I wasn't…. I don't….." And my words gave way to sobs, and the tears poured down my face.
I jolted out of my dream of the past.
I checked the date of my calendar.
Whoah. I thought to myself.
Today I turn thirty.
I stood up and looked in the mirror.
I saw crazy purple bedhead and chocolate brown eyes.
I hopped into the shower and meticulously washed the crazy snarl of tangles out, ripping out several strands of hair in the process. I noted how odd my hair looked against the white plastic of my shower floor. I finished up my shower and towel dried my hair while I brushed my teeth. I threw on my typical outfit, which is, just a purple kimono and some ankle-high ninja shoes. I strapped all the usual holders to my legs, but I put the holder for my Flying Thunder Gods directly above my kunai holder.
In my FTG holder, there is one empty space. Why? Minato was buried with the one that I gave him. Blind hope, if you ask me, blind, infuriating hope. I glanced at my clock as I walked to the kitchen for breakfast.
Whoah. 4 AM? Wait…. My birthday… I thought, remembering yesterday's events.
"Hokage-sama, request permission for one day's vacation tomorrow" I said as I walked into his office, bowing respectfully.
"Permission granted. But, may I ask what for?" he said, studying some papers on his desk.
"Well, I work 364 days a year, and there's only one day where I turn one year older. I figured it should be special, because nobody else has it…" I trailed off, "anymore…" I said under my breath, so he couldn't hear me.
"Oh, well. What will you be doing, then?" he asked, looking up at me for the first time.
"Just the usual birthday thing. Probably go to a bar, drink a little. Do some shopping. Visit my family and friends." I said, lying, basically.
"Oh. Have fun" he said, turning his attention back to his paperwork.
"Arigato~" I said quietly as I backed out of his office. I distinctly heard him mumble 'What was that all about?' through the door.
I had walked out of the building into the crisp, cool air of late January. January 24th, to be exact. It was a little nippy, but it didn't matter to me. It was my favorite day tomorrow, and not because it belonged to me. But because it belonged to him, and I didn't feel weird to go to his grave. But I was alone, because nobody really bothered after all these years. Only me.
I walked back into my room and pulled out a different kimono. I only wore this one on this day, January 25th. It was a beautiful color-of-the-sky-right-above-the-ocean-blue. I slipped on the thin blue silk and kicked off my sturdy, black work shoes and strolled into my closet. I grabbed a box off the top shelf, which I had to stand on my toes to grab. I pulled out my little black ballet flats. They were the fanciest shoes I own. I walked to the bathroom and looked at myself in the full length mirror.
The kimono was precisely the same shade of blue as Minato's eyes, and was decorated all over with yellow flowers and cherry blossoms. It accented my curvaceous hourglass figure nicely and folded into a modestly low neckline. It went all the way down to the ground and dragged lightly along the floor as I walked.
I went back into the kitchen and grabbed an apple. I cut it into slices and sat up on the counter, taking small bites of the apple slices and chewing them slowly. I finished up and washed my hands before I walked into the bathroom and got out my small makeup bag. Nothing much, just some lipgloss and eyeliner. I never ever wear makeup. Ever. But today is special.
I slipped on my shoes and walked out the door. It was about 4:30 in the morning. Gai was probably the only one who was awake. I closed my eyes and inhaled the morning chill as I continued on my way. It was the point to avoid any and all human beings today. It was a day of life and death, but, for me, mostly death.
I stopped when I heard Gai coming around on his morning run, and I dialed down my chakra levels so he wouldn't notice me. When he was safely past me, I did a transportation jutsu. I went to our training clearing. By now, the grass had grown even taller. It went up to my chest as I walked through it. I strolled across the field in the gray light of pre-dawn to the beautiful rose bushes on the other side.
I looked at the blossoming colors, all of the colors in the rainbow and more. I cut one of each color from the bushes but put a pair of yellow and purple together, as they were twined together, and I tied the long stems together with a chakra band that swirled a glowing mixture of purple and yellow. I concentrated very hard on my chakra for a moment and pulled myself to the Flying Thunder God that was still in Minato's pocket.
I popped up, standing right next to his headstone.
"Hello, Minato-sensei" I said as I gingerly laid the roses on his grave.
"Hello, Atsuko…" I heard a voice whisper in my ear. I smiled.
No, I promise I'm not too delusional most of the time.
"Sit with me, Sensei?" I asked quietly. I was just one of my quiet days.
"Of course, Atsuko!" He said, and a colored smoke appeared out of the ground and formed a pastel-colored Minato that was sitting at the foot of his grave. I sat leaning up against his headstone.
"How have you been lately, Sensei?" I asked him.
"Oh, you know… It's boring around here without little miss purple streak" he said comically. "You've been earning yourself a reputation, missy. I taught you well" I smiled, know just how proud he was.
"Speaking of reputations, your son has become quite the knucklehead prankster. Just like his father" I said jokingly.
"Oh, Naruto… As I recall he got put into a team recently. Who was he put with?" He asked.
"I believe it was Uchiha Sasuke, and Haruno Sakura **Cough** Sasuke fangirl **Cough**… WHAT?! Who said that?" I said humorously, grinning like an idiot.
"Oh my, like that's going to end well… They're going to have quite the rivalry" he said.
"Yeah. They are" I said, looking down at the grass. "Ah! Minato-sensei, I brought you some flowers from our training field. I remember you saying how much you liked them last time, I figured you'd like them here…" I held out the flowers to him. Something strange happened.
He reached out and pulled out the yellow and purple duo.
I have been coming here, what? Thirteen years? Minato-sensei was never solid enough to hold anything. I must be going crazy.
"Atsuko…. They're beautiful. Especially this one." He said softly, holding the purple one to his nose and smelling it softly.
I was sitting there in shock staring at him, he looked more solid than ever. Less like smoke, and more like… Minato.
"M-minato-sensei. You-you're solid? You're alive?" I said quietly.
"Oh yeah…. Wouldya lookit that!" he said happily, grinning big and scratching the back of his head.
I looked at him. Just stared for a while. I crawled over to him, careful not to get grass stains on the kimono. He looked at me carefully as I crawled right up to him and sat on my legs in front of him, close enough to touch. I reached out to touch his chest, but he caught my wrist in his firm grip.
"Atsuko, the last time you did that I ended up lost in the middle of some godforsaken forest, with no way to find my way back, holding onto one of your purple Thunder Gods." He said softly, as I stared at my wrist, which was in his hand, in wonder.
"Minato…" I whispered. He looked at me, confused. My face lit up like the sun in the middle of an Arizona summer.
"MINATO!" I yelled as I tackled him over in a hug, just like when he told me he was going to teach me the Flying Thunder Gods technique. He caught me and held me the same way.
"Minato… Minato, Minato, Minato…"I repeated softly into his chest.
"Atsuko…."He said, pulling me up to look into his eyes. "I missed you so much." He hesitantly leaned forward, and I was so confused. My mind went into serious logic mode.
"We should get you to the hospital, you did just come back to life after being dead for thirteen years…" I said quickly, and he frowned. I grabbed his hand and pulled him to his feet, he stood easily.
I practically dragged him through the still-empty streets of Konoha and all the way up to the hospital.
"WE NEED AN ACCOMPLISHED MEDICAL-NIN!" I said loudly.
"He looks fine to me." Said someone across the room. It was Sakura.
"Are you blind?!"I said.
"He looks fine to me, too" said the on-duty nurse. She couldn't have been old enough at the time to know just who Minato is.
"Get someone in here who's at least thirty." I said irritably.
"Lord Jiraiya is in the village, should I get him?" Sakura asked.
"PERFECT, tell him there's a man here who looks like an older version of Naruto… and that there's a bunch of hot, naked ladies waiting for him…" I said, remembering Jiraiya-san's weakness for women.
We waited a few minutes until I heard someone obnoxiously yelling.
"HELLO LAAAAADIEEEES! GET READY TO MEET JIIIIIIIRAAAAIIIIIIIIYAAAAAAAAA!" and then he burst into the room.
It was silent for a moment while Minato turned around, and silent for a moment after he did.
"Jiraiya-sensei?" Minato asked.
"Minato?" He replied.
"In the living flesh!" He said, giving his huge signature grin and scratching the back of his head.
"Minato!" Jiraiya yelled while dashing over and almost squishing the life outta Minato.
"Alright," I said as I pulled Jiraiya off of him, "can we get a medical nin to examine this newly reincarnated man?" I said irritably.
"Y-yes ma'am!" the nurse said, dashing around the corner.
"Goodness, I would feel better if Lady Tsunade were here to look him over herself…" I said softly.
"THAT'S IT! I'll take Naruto on a little training-trip and we'll go find Tsuande for you!" Jiraiya yelled.
"Okay, then. But be quick about it, I want you back here as soon as possible with her. It's not like we can keep Minato secret for long…" I replied, trailing off into my own thoughts.
"Secret?" Minato said.
"Yeah, we can't let this get around before we're sure that… that you're…." I trailed into a mumble, disliking my own thoughts.
"That I'm what?" he asked.
"That you're going to be… around… for a while…" I admitted sadly.
"Oh…" he whispered.
My head snapped up to look at the medic who had just walked in. He gasped.
"M-m-m-m….. H-h-h…. Y-yondaime H-hokage-sama?! Is it really you?!" He begged loudly
"Yup!" Minato exclaimed.
"H-how-" I cut him off.
"We don't know how. Can you please look over him?" I barked and turned to Jiraiya. "How soon can you and Naruto-san go and look for her?" I demanded.
"As soon as Naruto's ready. I'll go wake him and get authorization from lord Sandaime hokage to search for Tsunade." He said quickly and left.
I turned back to Minato who was sitting on one of the waiting room benches being examined by the medic.
"He seems fine to me." He said.
I got up and walked over to him. I gently put my thumbs on his eyelids and put my other fingers along the edge of his face.
"Memori! Sōsa no geijutsu! Wasurete! (Memory! Art of Manipulation! Forget!)" I said. His head fell down and I ushered Minato out of the room. I lead him to the alley and told him to stay hidden for a moment. I walked back into the hospital and used the same jutsu on the nurse.
I took Minato to the rooftops and led him back to my house.
"Well, this is it. Home sweet home." I strolled into the kitchen. "You want something to eat, Minato-sensei?" I asked, examining the contents of my refrigerator.
"Just call me Minato. We're the same age now, no need for such formalities. And yes." He replied, looking around on the empty shelves and bookcases filled with fiction books.
I pulled out the ingredients for ramen. "Ramen, then, Minato-sen—Minato?" I asked, catching myself on the formal title.
"YEEESSS!" He yelled, being so cutely childish. I began cooking.
I brought out the two bowls and a pair of chopsticks for each of us. We began eating at my table making idle conversation.
"Atsuko? What was that jutsu you used on that medic-nin?" he asked suddenly.
"Oh," I swallowed. "I specialize, now, in space-time techniques, as well as genjutsu, memory, straight time, and incredibly powerful ninjutsu." I said quietly.
"'Incredibly powerful ninjutsu'?" he asked.
"Yeah, things like the Rasengan, Big ball Rasengan, Rasenshuriken, Chidori, Habataku Chidori, Chidori stream, Raikiri, Hell stab, Most wind release, most electric release, Multi-Shadow clone jutsu, the best of the best of the best from each and every element group…" I said proudly.
"Every element group?!" He shouted in shock.
"Oh, you missed it… I have equal, and very powerful, skill in each element group. Eheh…" I said, taking another bite of my ramen, finishing it off, and taking my bowl to the sink and washing it.
"Every element group…" he muttered in wonder. He snuck up behind me and put his bowl in the sink, going around me. I spun around quickly.
His fingers hit straight on the chakra seal on my stomach, releasing it.
My chakra hit him like a wave, making him stumble and catch himself on the counter.
"Holy crap!" He yelled.
"N-ah! GOMEN! Gomen!" I yelled desperately as I ran into my bathroom and grabbed my seal brush and ink. I stood in front of the full length mirror and pulled my shirt up and held it with my teeth. I began drawing the four symbols seal. Minato walked into the bathroom as I was preparing to invoke the seal.
He stopped my hand and did it for me. Still, the overwhelming chakra didn't relent completely. I put one more seal on top of it, the eight trigrams sealing style. The chakra force then reverted back to that of normal-human stature.
"Holy Crap." He said again.
"You should see me in sage mode… heh…" I said awkwardly. He stared at me in awe.
"C'MON!" He yelled suddenly, pulling my arm.
"What?" I was confused as to what he wanted.
"We're gonna SPAR!" He shouted and grinned happily.
"Okay, let me change first." I said, pushing him out of my bedroom and shutting, and locking, the door behind him.
I put my purple Kimono on, and slipped back into my boots. After I strapped my pouches and whatnot back on, I had my typical sadness moment as I checked my pouches to see if I had everything and saw the one FTG missing, then I remembered that Minato is alive the thought had yet to sink in, I brushed my teeth one more time.
I walked out of the room to see Minato checking his pouches with a confused expression on his face.
"Hey, Atsuko, I'm missing one of my Flying Thunder Gods. Have you seen it?" he asked. I pulled it out of my pocket.
"You mean this one?" I asked sarcastically.
"YEAH, WHY DO YOU HAVE IT?!" He yelled playfully.
"Don't you remember the day you gave it to me?" I pouted, spinning it on my fingertip.
I had mysteriously gone missing.
I wasn't really missing more as kidnapped. I was now, at the moment, kicking someone's ribs in and screaming into a, thankfully, clean gag. The kidnapper kept yelling obscenities at his partners, hating them for making him carry me. I began forcing the gag out of my mouth with my tongue, and pulling like hell on the ropes that bound my hands.
Once I had pushed the gag down onto my chin I bit down, with my unusually sharp teeth, onto his shoulder. My teeth went through his shirt, undershirt, and into his skin. He yelled and dropped me, hard onto the ground. I finally pulled one of my hands out of the ropes and pulled a kunai from my holder.
"Back the fuck off or I'll fucking kill you." I hissed while having my own little Hidan moment, and leaving a large blob of my chakra on the tree.
"And what is a little girl like you going to do?" he asked tauntingly. I smirked and sliced cleanly through the bindings on my ankles and swapped my kunai for a couple of FTG's. I took a deep breath and threw a FTG right by each one of them, landing them in the ground. They began laughing at my aim, but I didn't hear any of it. I began poofing up to my FTGs, dispatching each of the ninjas neatly and cleanly. I left one alive just so he could run off and warn his buddies. But, too bad there were way more ninjas in the trees than I originally thought.
They crashed down on top of me, tying me up and taking the time to remove my sharp-weapon holders and ensuring that I can't break any more of their ribs. They picked me up again, carrying me off into the forest. I screamed into the new gag and prayed that someone, anyone, would follow the trail of chakra I was leaving and stop these maniacs.
I had a lot of time to think about who I would like to rescue me the most, because about half an hour later we made it to their base and they promptly dropped me into a small steel-barred cage and locked the door with a formidable-looking padlock. They began discussing something that sounded awful and torturous, so I tuned them out.
My top ten was:
2. Kakashi
3. Hokage-sama
4. Iruka
5. Itachi
6. A pretty princess
7. A handsome prince
8. Anko
9. Kurenai
10. Tsunade
What a list. Wait, I forgot number one. It was, of course, Minato. I pondered many things as I waited for my fate. That lasted about ten minutes before I started trying to break out.
I concentrated a copious amount of chakra into my hands and pressed them to the bars, attempting to bend or break them. It didn't work. I focused even more chakra to my teeth and began biting into the center of the space I was trying to bend. Gnawing and bending and kicking and clawing, nothing worked. I began growling and biting harder and pulling, I screeched in rage before the sickly sweet scent of chloroform filled my nostrils and mind, and all went black.
Meanwhile, Minato was going insane. He went all around the village, asking every villager that he laid eyes on if they had seen where Atsuko went. When he had exhausted that tactic, he began following in my footsteps. He followed my chakra into the forest, deeper and deeper before he saw the small, bloody, and abandoned battlefield.
Bodies littered the ground, ten at least, and blood formed puddles around their slit necks. Spatters of blood were splayed across the trees, and one body was impaled on a tree branch with its stomach cut open and various used-to-be-internal organs dangling out. Flies were landing on the bodies, and scavenger carnivores were seeping out of the forest undergrowth. I wrinkled my nose, as I spun in a full circle and found myself face-to-trunk with a tree that was heavily laden with Atsuko's chakra. I looked around and let my range go further. I found medium-light trail of chakra, leading in a somewhat straight path. I followed it.
I found myself led into the basement of a rundown inn. I heard voices that gave off an air of "scummy" and "vile". I followed the down the hallway.
"… Well, she is quite pretty… And rather filled out for such a young age" said one in a disgustingly lustful voice.
"I think that's a great idea" said another, who stood up and walked to some other place in the room. I heard a key rattle in a lock and a rusty door swing open.
"I've got some rope to tie her down with in case she wakes up" said a third.
"Good idea, Gokan" said the second.
There was some scuffling, a soft thud, and some scratching before one spoke.
"Well, then. Shall we begin, gents?" said the second.
"Yes, please." Said Gokan.
There was some sliding of fabric. It was then that I decided to act. I burst into the room to see three nasty men standing over Atsuko, who was tied down and only wearing underclothes. The two men were holding her shorts and kimono, while the third was reaching around behind her back to get at the fastening on her bra.
"JUST WHAT IN THE HELL DO YOU SCUMBAGS THINK YOU'RE DOING?!" I yelled at them, they all looked at me in terror.
I didn't wait for an answer. I threw a Flying Thunder God into the stomach of the man who was getting at Atsuko's bra and transporting to it. I grabbed it by its handle and pulled dragged the razor-sharp blade across the man's stomach, slicing him open, and he collapsed onto the ground, still alive. The other two scrambled for the door, but I FTG'ed into the doorway. I snapped a kick into ones chest, which sent him flying into the other wall and grabbed the other by his neck. I slammed the man into the solid wood door so hard that it collapsed inward and splintered all over the place. I punched the man with my other hand, and his cheek split open and began flowing blood. I turned my attention to the man I kicked into the other wall. I walked up to him and put my fist directly through his chest, effectively squishing his heart all over the wall. I pulled out my bloody hand and looked at the man whose stomach I had slit. He was groaning as I walked over to him with fury in my eyes, and he rolled onto his back. I stomped on his face, shattering the front part of his skull and killing him. The last one was cowering in the corner. I walked up to him and bound him to the wall with chakra. I grabbed his head and began twisting it slowly to the side. He screamed in agony, and I took my dear sweet time. About two bloodcurdling scream-filled minutes later, his neck was broken and I was putting Atsuko's clothes back on her and carrying her out the door.
She came to about ten minutes before I came to our training field. She pulled herself into my chest and sighed sweetly before she spoke.
"I must be dreaming, because I was kidnapped by awful people. I was not kidnapped by you, Minato-sensei." I smiled as I finished talking.
"Well, meet your rescuer, Atsuko" he said quietly. "Can you walk?" he murmured, stopping.
"Umm, maybe" I mumbled, trying to get down from his arms. He set me on my feet.
Truth is, I could stand just fine. But, who wouldn't want their hot sensei to carry them off into the sunset? I collapsed onto the ground. He pulled me up into his arms again.
"I guess that's a big no." he chuckled as he began running again.
We soon arrived in our training field, and he set me on the ground. I sat.
"Atsuko… I never want to lose you ever again…. Here" he looked me in my eyes and held out one of his flying thunder gods. I reached up slowly and took it gently, holding it in my palms and looking up at Minato hopefully.
"Thank you, Sensei." I said quietly as he hugged me softly.
"Oh, yeah. Well…. Keep it. It meant so much to me back then" He whispered, looking down at the ground in thought.
Eventually you two get over this little setback and get to your sparring session.
You stand across your training field from each other. You pull out a normal kunai, and stand in a defensive position.
"Alright. Let's begin." I heard Minato yell. I was getting into my fighting mode.
"3, 2, 1…. GO!" he shouted and threw some FTG's. He poofed.
I jumped straight up into the air, really high; Higher than Johnny Depp on Ecstasy. Minato looked up at me in shock. I came back down, concentrating my chakra. As I hit the ground I performed my opening jutsu.
"Āsusutairu! Jishin no chūgaeri! (Earth style! Tumbling earthquake!)" I smashed into the ground, creating a rather large crater and cracking the earth into large boulder-like pieces.
Minato was knocked off balance and tumbled down into a naturally-formed hole, which was super deep. I FTG'd myself to the middle of the hole and stood on the wall and performed jutsu number two.
"Āsusutairu! Dōkutsunode kurasshu! (Earth style! Crashing cave in!)"on the walls. They pulled themselves inward and I poofed myself out of there as fast as I could as the rocks crashed down onto Minato.
I heard a groan from the bottom of the recently filled hole. Some smoke seeped up out of there.
'Shadow clone.' I yelled in my mind. I whipped around, looking straight into the Oceanic-ey blue of Minato's eyes.
I opened my eyes real wide and put a scared expression on my face, and he hesitated. Just long enough for me to form a couple shaky hand signs and go for a big jutsu.
"Lightning Blade" I muttered under my breath, swinging the ball of electrified chakra at him. He jumped back, but not before I could shred the front of his shirt open and leave a couple of scratches on him.
'HOLY HELL HE'S HOT' I thought, briefly snapping out of battle mode. It cost me dearly.
He lunged at me, bare hands outstretched. He grabbed onto me and tackled me to the ground. He fought to keep his grip on me as I struggled and scratched and clawed at any bare skin I could find. I found purchase on a smooth piece of skin near my face and bit down on it. Minato immediately stopped what he was doing, moaned softly, and blushed a delicate shade of red. I pulled back only to see that I had bitten down on his neck, apparently on his soft spot. I only had time to analyze this later on, as I was back into battle mode.
'Attack. Defeat. Destroy. Win. Survive' was the only thing running through my mind.
Minato was still sitting in a daze, holding onto his neck delicately. I hadn't bitten deep, but it was going to bleed a little. I FTG's myself to his side and hit pressure points all over his body, causing him to slump over. It was at this point that he came to his senses, and forced a surge of chakra to the pressure-locked points to break the lock. I backflipped away from him and stood defensively. He stood up and looked over at me.
"You're going to pay, little miss purple streak!" he growled playfully. I pulled out another earth jutsu.
"Āsusutairu! Chikyū o yūgō! (Earth style! Melding/Combining earth!)" I shouted and sank into the earth.
I was inside the ground. It was like swimming. I peered up at Minato, who was looking around, puzzled. I "swam" up underneath him and began to come up under him. I rose out of the ground behind him and quickly tapped his shoulder before I melted back into the ground. He whipped around to find nothing. I swam behind him and did the same thing. I did this several times before I decided to use the sister-jutsu.
"Āsusutairu! Tatsumaki sensha! (Earth style! Tornado Tank!)" I rose out of the ground on a huge tornado of mud and rock and dust. Minato's eyes widened.
I sent the tornado flying at him and he got caught up in it and was flung into the tree. In his split second of unconsciousness, I enacted a genjutsu that he would wake up inside of. I was by his side in an instant.
"Maboroshi, ai no hason no gei (Vision, corruption art of love)" I whispered softly in his ear, as the jutsu requires. We were immediately surrounded by a gentle swirl of Jasmine and Sakura flowers.
His eyes snapped open, but he was stuck in the genjutsu. The way this genjutsu works, in its most powerful form, is that it encompasses the victim in an illusion that shows a love scene between the user and the victim. The female body has a certain structure which only enables them to perform this jutsu. I left him sitting there in the illusion and measured my chakra levels as I watched his cheeks darken. I was almost afraid to look in on the illusion.
My levels were low, SANS CHAKRA SEAL, so I decided to use one of my finishers.
"No geijutsu tōnan! Chakura o dorein! (Art theft! Drain the chakras!)" I stated, pressing my hand against his chest. I felt his chakra flowing into me, and sensed his chakra almost at minimum levels. I pulled him from the genjutsu.
His eyes focused on me, because I was much closer than he first thought me to be. When they did, he spazzed and his entire face turned red. I hit a few chakra points to keep him still.
"Alright, Minato-sama. I win" I muttered in his face. He turned darker red.
I decided to look back into his memories of the genjutsu.
It was a muffled fog of pleasure, lust, and love. But the one thing I did pick up was a sound.
"AHHHH, MINATO-SAMA. M-minato-sama-a!" I heard myself scream. I pulled from the memory
When I came to my senses, I was blushing madly. I found myself in Minato's arms in the training field which was basically one upheaved pile of rubble inside of a crater. I assume I had collapsed on top of him due to being unable to support myself.
"Sorry, sensei." I said, pulling myself up and hitting Minato's release points. I pulled myself to my feet and took him along with me.
Or so I thought.
He pulled me down on top of him.
"Atsuko, I've been wanting to talk with you" he mumbled into my purple hair.
"Okay, shoot." I whispered into his chest.
"I've been wanting to tell you for a while… But you seemed so… unapproachable... that I," he paused and nervously cleared his throat, "I was too scared to tell you." I looked up at him quizzically.
"What is it, Minato-san?" I said gently.
"Atsuko…. I love you," he pulled my face to his into a sweet kiss.
Oh, Minato… If only you know how long I've loved you…
And, slowly, I kissed him back.