Until exposed became my darker side.
(Bauhaus, Dark Entries)
to ac·qui·esce: to accept, agree, or allow something to happen by staying silent or by not arguing.
A flurry of leaves, swept away by the autumn wind, caught the Hokage's attention while he took off his large hat.
That time of the year should have been warmer.
He had never seen anyone wearing coats during the celebration, and he remembered how bright the sun had shined that day, and how hot that night had been.
Kushina used to complain about the temperature all the time, during the last weeks of her pregnancy.
She was drenched in sweat from the fatigue of giving birth the last time he saw her, before he started sealing the Kyuubi inside his newborn son.
He thought he would have died with her, when the Nine Tails Fox had attempted to kill the baby, and both he and his wife had protected Naruto from a certain death.
Instead, with the strength typical of the Uzumaki clan, Kushina had pushed her men away, sacrificing herself for a village that wasn't even hers.
Every year Konoha celebrated her act of courage. Everyone paid their respects, listened to his speech and went on with their lives, while he wallowed in loneliness.
Minato Namikaze was a role model. The war hero known as the Yellow Flash; the young but wise ruler; the caring teacher; the devoted husband, and the loving father.
His son was a good kid. Interested more in pulling pranks than in studying, it was impossible not to grow fond of him.
His endless whining to have his attention, always arrived when he was about to jump into that hole that the once sweet memories of his beloved wife had dug in his heart.
Like Naruto, he wanted to become Hokage since his childhood, but after Kushina died that title no longer had the same importance to him.
Saving the village he loved seemed less important than saving the person he loved, he had started to think, even if he kept performing his duties with the utmost dedication.
A shinobi is supposed to be selfless, he used to remind himself since the moment he visited the ruins caused by the attack, and comforted the families of the other victims.
He couldn't help it though: while the hole was slowly dug, a stream of dark thoughts slowly poured into it, as if a part of Kyuubi's vicious spirit had found a way to his heart, through the wound he had inflicted upon him that fated night.
Author's note: The idea of a different Minato just popped out from nowhere. I wanted to depict a scenario where he would be different from canon, not just make him OOC for no reason. I hope you'll like it.