Idea: A rewrite of 'The Lost Tower' with a twist;
Summary: Minato never thought he would meet 'What could have been' but he does. Now he has to protect his time travelling dimension hopping son from his unwanted, overbearing, overzealous, and overprotective mate Kyuubi. "Who is Uzumaki Naruto, and why does he look like my dead Kushina?"
Disclaimer: You think I own it? Yeah…no.
Warning: This contains active mpreg, any and all warnings in 'Kyuubi's Mate' apply, if you don't like it, what are you doing here?
Note: '' indicates sign language, thoughts and writing
(The Lost Tower: An Impossible Child)
The young Hokage stared at the scroll in front of him. He had already read the scroll four times and the message hadn't changed once. The blond sighed, leaning back in the old and worn, but very comfortable chair. "Damn that Kaze Daimyo…" he muttered as one of his hands lowered to rest on his deceptively flat stomach, sighing he pulling out his list of Shinobi that were still in the village. The list was really short, it wasn't that surprising since they were at war with Iwa, Konoha had been at war since early that year and already the young leader wanted it to be over. "Why couldn't he send this mission to Suna instead?"
He stood from his seat and walked to the window, allowing the sunlight streaming in to illuminate his features. He was tall, twenty years old, wore a white cloak with red flames embroidered along the bottom hem with the words "Yondaime Hokage" stitched onto the back over which he wore a normal Jounin uniform [a green flack vest with scroll pockets across his chest, under that was a dark blue jacket with the Uzushio swirl [1] on both shoulders, dark blue pants and blue sandals]. His eyes were narrow, wise diamond blue and his hair was sunshine gold. He was known on the battlefield as the Konoha no Kiiroi Senko, but his name, was Namikaze Minato.
He called for his secretary to summon his friends Akimichi Chouza and Aburame Shibi and his team: Uchiha Obito, Yagami Rin and Hatake Kakashi. His students were the best at what they did of their generation, Obito was a master trapper, if he didn't want someone to get at something he was protecting, there was no way anyone was touching the thing. Rin could heal any injury, and on the reverse side, she could be very deadly if pissed off. Kakashi though, was by far the deadliest of his team. Kakashi was a striker; he used his lack of height and his speed to his advantage. Not many were as fast as Kakashi was and only his teacher, the young Hokage was faster. If Kakashi was after someone, they weren't getting away.
Obito had always been an outcast of the Uchiha clan for his openness, easy smile and his pranking ways. His mother had died in childbirth so he had never known her. In the academy he had been an average student, which only isolated him from his clan even more. Once he graduated, he was shunted from team to team until he was place on the Yondaime's team with Rin and Kakashi, where he thrived.
The last team he'd been on had died on the mission just before he'd been rotated to Minato's. When he'd come back alone the council decided that it was best he go to the Hokage for training. Now, Obito was sixteen.
Rin had been the top of her class and Rookie of the Year and Kunoichi of the Year. She had only been a Genin for maybe a month when her team had gotten that C-Rank that would leave her as the last survivor. When she had come back alone, the Sandaime (who looked extremely sick)had placed her on Minato's team. Before she was placed on Minato's team, she had been more into Genjutsu, but after…Medical knowledge had consumed her. She never wanted to be that helpless again. She was now fifteen.
And last but not least was Hatake Kakashi, youngest Genin ever, he graduated at age five. Son of the 'Konoha no Shirou Kiba' Hatake Sakumo, Minato had been his sensei since the beginning. Kakashi had always been isolated, first as a genius, and then later, as the son of a traitor. Kakashi had lost his father at the age of six, after the man went on a seemingly impossible mission; he had decided that he would rather save his team than continue the mission, where they could potentially all die. Kakashi had been so angry when he had first heard what his father had done, but; after seeing firsthand how badly his father was treated by the rest of the village he forgave the man. Then, when Kakashi turned six, the scorn grew to be too much and Hatake Sakumo took his own live in ritual suicide. After that, Kakashi took the full brunt (which Sakumo and Minato both had been shielding him from) of the villager's distain. Being forcefully shoved out of one of his favorite snack places had been a real eye opener.
For a time after that, Kakashi had become obsessed with following the rules, as a way to regain his lost honor. But then, not long after he turned seven, he had been captured on a routine recon mission and had been tortured. He hadn't cared much for the rules since then. After that, he had started calling Minato Tou-san, six months after she joined the team, Rin followed suite and Obito had done the same almost immediately.
Minato hadn't minded at all, unfortunately, while being Hokage paid well, it didn't pay well enough for him to house all three of his students comfortably. And there was nowhere else for them to go either. If it had been up to Minato; he'd have left a Kage Bunshin to do the paperwork and he would have taken some high ranking missions to supplement his income. Unfortunately for him, the Elders had decided that; unless it was an emergency the Hokage couldn't, shouldn't leave the village. It hampered his ability to take care of his kids that was for sure; when in doubt… "Kage Bunshin No Jutsu!" Minato called.
A clone appeared in a puff of smoke next to him, it took his seat as he walked around the desk and grabbed the scroll lying there. "You will take care of things while I'm away?" He asked. "We can't get caught."
"Of course Boss." The clone replied, "I'm made of demonic chakra remember? I'm much heartier than a regular clone."
"Take care of Nee-chan and Dei-chan while I'm away." The original told the clone as he swept out the door.
"Yes Boss." The clone answered as the door closed and was locked.
Minato headed for a secondary office that he sometimes used. Upon opening the door, he found his students waiting for him. He strutted into the room and sat in the chair. "Where are Chouza and Shibi?"
"You didn't give us a time; they'll be here Tou-san." Kakashi told him as he sat on the ground just to the left of Minato's feet and leaned against his legs. He closed his eyes in enjoyment when his Tou-san's hand came down on his head and gentle fingers began to card through his hair. "We met them on our way here and they said they'd be here soon."
"What were you doing before I summoned you here?" Minato asked curiously.
"We were getting lunch Tou-san." Rin replied from where she was sitting in the window. "Since you gave us the day off, we were planning on going to the festival in one of the nearby towns later."
"What were you going to have for lunch, if I may ask?" Minato asked them, an eyebrow rising as he asked.
"We were going to get ramen. We know how you refuse to eat the stuff so we weren't going to say anything…" Obito explained, from his place, leaning against the wall near the desk. He was a regular Uchiha with black hair and dark grey Uchiha eyes. He usually wore a black jacket with orange lining and the Uchiha's Uchiwa [2] with dark blue pants and sandals. "We did want to ask though… Why do you refuse to eat Ramen Tou-san?" he asked, hoping that the Hokage would answer.
"I suppose I could answer that…" Minato murmured as he turned his head to look out the window, his eyes glazing slightly as he smiled wistfully. "She was a refugee from Uzu no Kuni, one of the very last survivors from the destroyed Uzushiogakure, Uzu's village. She had the most beautiful red hair and her purple-grey eyes stole my breath away whenever our eyes met."
He looked at Rin as he continued. "The first time our eyes met, I knew, I just knew that she was the one I wanted to spend the rest of my life with." He smiled not thinking of any particular memory as he told them about her. "That first day, she latched onto Miki-chan and they became best friends. We used to spend a lot of time together; Hiashi, Hizashi, Fugaku, Mikoto and I, it didn't really change after she arrived, she just tagged along. All my friends used to come to my house for breakfast or dinner, and even then sometimes it was both, it got to be so often that I'd also have packed bentos waiting for them when they arrived, it was the same after we graduated. We weren't put on teams together, any of us, but we spent as much time as we could together. It was usually at mealtimes that we were able to hang out, sometimes we'd go out to eat, others… we would meet at my home and I'd make us lunch, or dinner depending on the time."
Minato turned to look at Obito, "We would hang out as long as we could, sometimes… sometimes I would make a picnic lunch for us all and we'd meet in one of the training grounds or a park and have lunch there." He sighed, "She had a nickname, people in the academy when she first arrived called her Tomato because of her hair, they ridiculed her for having such bright hair, but I could see the powerful, beautiful woman that she would grow up to be."
"Sometimes, when it was just her and I," Minato murmured as his fingers stopped combing through Kakashi's hair and he looked down at his youngest student, "When it was just her and I, we, all of us as a group often went to the ramen stand, but when it was her and I, I would sometimes not order anything at all."
He grinned, "It was just an excuse to hang out with her…My Bloody Habanero. I didn't care if I used up what was left of my paycheck to pay her bill. She was so silly, despite how long her hair was, she was a tomboy, a prankster, but I could see her for who she was, and more I could see who she would become, if given the chance…" He leaned back into his chair and began petting Kakashi's hair again. "Since I met her, I've lied about what my favorite color was."
"If you lied about your favorite color being blue," Kakashi said quietly, "Then what is your favorite color?"
"The red of her hair," Minato breathed nostalgically. "She was the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen in my life, and I just knew that, I knew that I had to make her mine… she was such a wonderful person, but she had quiet the temper. She didn't need anyone to defend her, she could take care of herself, which was probably one of the reasons I liked her so much, if we went on missions together, which we never got the chance to, I wouldn't have had to keep an eye on her."
"One day during a routine mission she was kidnapped by Kumo Shinobi. No one could find her, because no one tried looking at the ground. When I went looking for her, I noticed that she had left a trail of her lovely red hair on the ground." Minato shook his head slightly, "They had almost reached the boarder of Hi no Kuni by the time I caught up with them… I remember the Kumo Shinobi's words clearly…"
Minato closed his eyes trying to fight back the tears that had already appeared at the corners of his eyes. "'If we cannot have her then no one will!' then her throat was slashed deeply. She bled out in seconds so I doubt she felt any pain, but all the same, part of me died too, there with her." He took a deep steadying breath. "I will never forget her, and I will love her until I die and can reunite with her… my Uzumaki Kushina…"
The story was so sad, so moving, that the three teens had tears in their eyes. "Whose team was she on?" Obito asked quietly, "and was her nickname Tomato or Bloody Habanero?"
Minato laughed sadly. "She beat up the kids who called her Tomato so they started calling her 'The Bloody Habanero' instead." He told them, chuckling sadly, "She was the only one to be put on a team with a friend. She and Miki-chan were put on a team led by Hatake Sakumo, who was a friend of my sensei, Jiraiya, and Kakashi's father before he died. I don't think he ever got over Kushina's death completely…"
"I didn't know that…" Kakashi breathed. "Father never talked about her at all…"
"I wouldn't expect him to," Minato replied, "I think that's part of the reason that he decided to save his team instead of completing the mission, he was seeing Kushina's death all over again…"
Kakashi nodded with new understanding. "Can you take us to visit her next time you go?"
"I don't know… I don't get to go often…" Minato muttered, he really didn't want to take his students to her grave… he only went when he had time for himself. Which wasn't often.
There was a knock on the door. "Enter." Minato called as his kids moved away from where they were sitting/standing and lined up in front of the desk. Chouza and Shibi entered the office, giving no inclination that they might have heard Minato's story. "Good, you're here." Minato said quietly in a completely different tone, as if he had not just been close to shedding tears.
"I have just received a mission from the Kaze Daimyo," Minato told them in a calm, confidant voice. "He wants us to protect the Queen of Rouran. He was a friend to the queen's mother and when she died six years ago he got suspicious. He has found evidence that there was foul play involved in her death so he's worried that Sara, his friend's daughter, will be in danger."
Minato gave the other two adult Shinobi hard looks if anything happened to his kids because these two weren't paying attention they were dead. Every single Shinobi of Konoha knew that if you messed with this team, you were in for a lot of hurt; the Yondaime protected his team zealously.
The two nodded, not wanting to get on the Yondaime's bad side. "We leave in three days to give the messenger ample time to get to the capital of Kaze no Kuni." Minato said briskly, "Pack your things."
Minato stood as Shibi and Chouza left the office in a hurry. "Why don't you three go get lunch; I still have some paperwork to finish." Minato suggested, turning to his students.
"Yes Tou-san." They left the office.
Kyuubi's Lost Tower
Three days later they were all sitting around the campfire relaxing. "We will be turning in I think," Chouza announced as he and Shibi stretched, "Wake us if we have watch."
"Of course Chouza," Minato answered, shifting minutely. Since his belly didn't grow like a woman's did during pregnancy, his organs shifted around to give his kit room to grow. Not only was his bladder being used as a pillow, his lungs were being used as a footrest. Or maybe it was the other way around? All he knew was that he could barely breathe and that was without the tight, restricting armor that all six of them were wearing. The armor was skintight but didn't give with body shape, even if it was designed with the Akimichi's abilities in mind. Minato felt like he was choking on nothing. He had to get it off, at least for a few hours.
A demon's pregnancy only showed in animal form (at least that's how it was for Submissive males), which Minato avoided. Even though he was still a very young demon and thus small, he was still larger than the largest nin-ken in Konoha, he would be killed on sight. Humans as a rule didn't like different, didn't like change. Minato reasoned that it was because they had such short lifespans. Minato himself didn't mind, but that was probably because, according to his older sister anyway, he would live to be well over a thousand years if he was lucky.
After the two adult ninja went to bed, Minato started pulling at his armor, trying to loosen it. He could barely breathe as it was. "I hate this armor…" Minato muttered fidgeting. "I can't breathe, I hate being pregnant!" At least he wasn't suffering from Morning Sickness anymore…
Obito quickly cast a sleeping Genjutsu on the two sleeping ninja to make sure they didn't hear anything as Kakashi and Rin tried to help Minato get the armor off. When they did, they witnessed Minato trying to take deep breaths but being unable to, finally, he just shifted, his stomach distending, taking the pressure off of his lungs and diaphragm. A soundless bark that could only be a sigh of relief was released as the young fox demon settled. He extended a paw and wrote in the soft dirt, 'Wake me two hours before midnight, I'll have shifted back by then, since we aren't safe.'
"Yes Tou-san." Rin whispered in his ear, her watch started when he wanted to be woken. "Just rest, and breathe easy ok, we will protect you and Naruto-otouto from the outsiders that travel with us this mission."
Minato licked her cheek in reply as he curled into a ball before falling asleep.
Several hours later Kakashi shook Rin's shoulder gently, when he noticed her eyes were open, he gestured to their now fox eared, sleeping Tou-san then signed that he was going to get some rest that that she should wake him. Rin nodded, silently watching as Kakashi snuggled into his bedroll and fell asleep.
Rin wiggled out of her sleeping bag and reached out to pet Minato's ears, something that he normally would never allow, but the Genjutsu on Chouza and Shibi had to be replaced, having worn off an hour into Kakashi's watch. "Tou-san," she breathed into his ear, knowing that it was like a loud whisper with his ears the way they were, "You wanted me to wake you."
'Thank you.' Minato signed to her as he stretched, he needed to hunt very often, normally a submissive that was as heavily pregnant as he was didn't hunt; their mates did. But Minato couldn't rely on anyone else. 'I must hunt; did you have anything you wanted to say before I left?'
Rin nodded, "Tou-san, you know that you will outlive us…"
Minato stared at her, waiting for her to continue, a sad gleam in his eyes. Minato would never be able to outlive them, they were his kids… but demons were much harder to kill than a human. 'Go on…' He would die inside if he had to watch them die, even if it was from old age.
"…What if you were to adopt us?" Rin asked, barreling on, not even giving Minato a chance to interrupt, she and her teammates had 'overheard' [3] some of Minato's lessons. "We listened in on some of your lessons with Kaiko-sama, and we think that a Demonic adoption would put your fears to rest…"
Minato looked thoughtful for a second. 'We would have to do it now…' he rummaged in his pack and pulled out a medium sized ink well. 'Ten drops of blood from each of you Kits.' Minato signed after he got everything out and reinforced the Genjutsu on their comrades.
Rin nodded, pulling out a kunai. 'What about you?'
'I need to hunt.' Minato signed back, he could breathe, but just barely. After he adopted, truly adopted his kits, he would have to return to animal form… Minato sighed, taking off into the woods; he needed to find the largest elk in the area.
Rin got her two teammates up, Kakashi was easy since he had just gone to bed, but Obito was harder because he had been fast asleep by then. They didn't know all that would entail them being adopted by their Tou-san, they hadn't heard it all but they didn't care. They each took a clean kunai from their pouches and made shallow cuts in their palms, allowing ten drops each to fall into the small ink pot that Minato had gotten out for them.
Minato returned a second later with two large elk, they were dead, but there were no marks on their bodies. "Tou-san," Kakashi asked.
"These are for me, I am going to lose a lot of blood for this and I need to make sure that this won't hurt me, or Naruto." Minato explained. "As Nee-chan said, we will be sharing blood. Our blood has to mixed, and then I shall be drawing a symbol somewhere on each of your bodies using the blood, where is up to you." [5]
"All three of you are still babies in the eyes all of demon kind, so, to help you to adapt, you will need to take from me what all infants need." Minato gazed at all of them. "Do you understand?"
"Yes Tou-san, we understand."
"Good," Minato pulled out one of his own kunai and slit his wrist shallowly, allowing his own blood (blue in color) [4] to mix with the blood already in the ink well, making the resulting liquid a purple color.
"Right."
Minato pulled out a brush and mixed the blood well, their blood would tie them to each other and his blood would tie them to him. His kits, they had no idea what this meant to him, they had no idea what they were giving up so that he would never have to bury them. They were his precious kits… "Have you three decided where you want the sign?"
"Yes Tou-san." Rin pulled her shirt off and turned her back to him, "The small of my back please."
Minato nodded as Obito and Kakashi moved to keep Rin's bare chest hidden. Minato settled himself behind Rin and began to painstakingly draw the rather complex demonic character for 'Fox' in their mixed blood. "Obito, Kakashi, who's going next?" Minato asked as he finished writing.
"I'll go next," Kakashi said softly, removing his shirt. He turned his back, "On my left shoulder blade please Tou-san."
Minato nodded as he dipped his brush back into the blood-ink he was using. He had to work quickly, the longer this took, the more chakra it would take to make the Marks sink in and disappear. "What about you Obito? Where do you want it?"
"My right shoulder blade Tou-san." Obito answered promptly. He had already taken off his shirt and was waiting for Minato to get to him.
Minato nodded as he finished writing on Kakashi and swiftly moved to deal with Obito. Once he finished, there wasn't any blood left. "Ok, now I just have to add Chakra, ready?"
"Yes Tou-san," they chorused as Minato raised his hands and started running through the demonic hand seals. When he finished, the three symbols seemed to melt into his students' bodies.
The three students were suddenly in a lot of pain as their forms shifted to those of baby foxes, Obito was the biggest, with black fur and silvery tips to his tail and ears, Rin was next with brown fur and silvery-blond tips and Kakashi, the youngest, and smallest, was silvery with blond tips.
Minato shifted himself as he watched the kits, he gently picked up the youngest in his mouth, and, so as not to hurt the baby, lied on his side and deposited him next to one tit. Once Kakashi had latched on, Minato did the same with Rin, then Obito. The three would be back to normal by daybreak and as long as Minato ate everything of his catch that he could, he'd be fine. Naruto demanded almost constant intake, but Minato really didn't care. This kit would look like him, act like him, (Minato) not Kyuubi, his rapist. And his kids were doing this for him, giving up their humanity so that he wouldn't be hurt, so that he wouldn't outlive them. His kits deserved the best.
The next morning they were back to normal and ready to get on with the mission. Minato could check to see who was dominant and Submissive later.
Kyuubi's Lost Tower
Minato came to an abrupt stop as soon as they saw the city is which their mission would take place, his senses were assaulted by a strange chakra that seemed to cry out in loneliness, seemed to be reaching out for something, or perhaps, someone. A tendril of his own chakra reached out and when the two chakras met, the brilliant dark blue chakra latched onto his own.
Minato felt his breath hitching shallowly. This new chakra, it felt like… like… hers. His team had stopped and was now looking back at him in concern. His three kits jumping to his side, they all wanted to know if he was ok. He had to shoo them off, indicating that he was fine, but still, how could there be a chakra that felt like hers? She had died over ten years ago!
Minato began to push his legs harder; he had to get there faster. The chakra was spiking dangerously, as if fighting, but Minato wasn't sure what to do if it was! He had kits to protect. …but his heart was pounding, going a thousand miles a minute. He wanted to get to that chakra and find out exactly what was going on. His instincts were screaming at him to get to that chakra, as if the chakra belonged to one of his kits also…
It didn't matter that he could barely breathe as it was, he had to get there!
Quickly, they came to the end of the trees and they were racing through the desert sand. He decided to speed up; even if he could almost not breathe at the pace they were going already. If this chakra was a kit of hers he couldn't let anything happen to it!
Kyuubi's Lost Tower
A young blond teen was fighting hard, trying to get away the never-ending puppets that seemed to keep appearing out of nowhere. His strategy wasn't working very well. He was running as fast as he could, but no matter what he did he couldn't shake the puppets. He fought hard, trying to think of something, but thinking wasn't really his strong point, it never had been.
The teen was good at coming up with strategies on the fly that always worked, but his luck had seemingly run out, nothing he was coming up with was working! The orange wearing blond teen winced as his back slammed into one of the numerous walkways in the city, he almost cried out in pain but it didn't hurt that much.
Naruto, as the blond was called, was able to just barely evade the worst of the puppet's projectiles. He had already tried cutting the chakra strings but there were so many puppets that it just wasn't feasible! He yelped as he was hit again, and was thrown through the walkway and into the underground of one of the building's basements. Naruto looked up, fear in his eyes as the puppets closed in, he frantically used his chakra blade to block as many of the spikes as he could, wondering forlornly where his captain was.
Naruto didn't even have time to gasp in surprise when he was grabbed and he and the other disappeared. When he looked up a second later, he was met by a mask, topped with a messy golden mop of hair. "Who are you…?" he asked quietly, unable to make himself speak louder than a whisper.
A pleasant shiver raced down Minato's spine as he looked the kid over, he felt inexplicably pleased with himself for seemingly no reason. That was all the proof he needed, his body's reaction to the kid confirmed that this was his kit… and hers… how that was possible Minato wasn't sure. Kushina had died over ten years before, so how…?
The boy looked to be fifteen, sixteen at most which meant that Kushina, who had been around eleven when she had died, which meant that he would have needed to have sex with her when they were eight. Minato knew for a fact that Kushina hadn't even been in Konoha when she was eight! Minato didn't care; this boy was his son, everything he had ever wanted.
"We are Konoha Shinobi too, there is nothing to fear." Minato told the boy in a quiet, confidant voice. The boy visibly shivered and turned to look up into the masked face before him.
For some strange reason, this masked blond man made Naruto feel safer than he ever had before. He didn't want that to change. He watched as the man bandaged his leg and then stood. Naruto listened dazed as he was told to get out of the city, the sound of the older man's voice reinforcing that feeling of absolute safety the longer he spoke. And then, he was gone. And Naruto almost cried out in anguish as the feeling of safety and security was ripped away. "Where is everyone?" he wondered forlornly, trying desperately to ignore the phantom pain; the ache in his heart.
Kyuubi's Lost Tower
Naruto found himself in the center of the city watching a festival. It was beautiful, and he found himself able to think about what he needed to do next. He watched in shock as (who he assumed was) the queen fell from her high perch above the people. From that height she'd surely die!
Naruto leapt up, catching her as he planted his feet on the wall, sliding down as he did so. When they landed on the ground, his leg gave out from under him. Thankfully the woman landed in his lap, even if she did end up slapping him for no reason what-so-ever.
Naruto sighed before looking up and seeing the three ninja from before. That feeling of safety had returned as well…
He let the blond help him up as one of the others ushered the Queen away. He tensed as the older blond's grip tightened slightly around his wrist. And when Naruto blinked, they were suddenly somewhere else. Naruto looked around the large corridor with stained glass windows lining one side before looking back at the taller blond."…Who are you…?" Naruto asked hesitantly.
Minato reached up and grasped the mask he wore, pulling it off slowly. "I am Namikaze Minato, The Yondaime Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato," He answered finally. He watched his kit's eyes widen almost comically and smiled a tiny smile, as long as Kyuubi stayed away; this kit was safe.
Naruto stared at the Yondaime, this was his hero? He looked so young! "You…" There was something about Minato's face that was familiar to the boy, but he could not for the life of him think of why. "…The Yondaime…?" Naruto bit his lip, not really sure what to do.
Minato nodded, signaling Chouza and Shibi to leave. Then he radioed his students, "There's an anomaly I think you'll want to see…" he smiled at her child pleasantly.
Three younger ninja made their appearances. "We're here Tou-san."
"Good, this is Uzumaki Naruto," Minato told them, "He is very special so you can't let anything happen to him, you understand?"
"Yes Sensei!"
"Good!" Minato smirked, "Rin, I want you to go with him, just in case ok?"
"Yes Minato-sensei," the girl agreed, "I shall stay with him, you want us to protect the queen while you and the others go looking for this missing nin?"
"Not until tomorrow Rin." Minato told her as he turned to the queen. "Sara-sama, is there a place nearby that we can fortify for the night?"
Rin looked out the window, not having noticed previously that the sun had set. "Oh! I'm sorry Tou-san! I didn't realize it was getting so late!"
Minato waved Rin's concerns away, "It's alright dear." The constant fatigue was taking its toll, but he was just fine, as was the baby.
The queen nodded, "I do, this way please."
Minato nodded, "Come, we need to rest for the night." He followed the queen from the corridor.
Kakashi was the first to move forward. Then Rin and Obito moved too. Kakashi turned when they realized that Naruto wasn't following them, "You coming or not Naruto?"
Naruto nodded, falling into line. He was curious about his sensei's teammates. "…I didn't know Yondaime-sama had kids…" he muttered to himself, not even aware that he had spoken aloud, "Why didn't Kakashi-sensei tell me? …But they don't look like him…"
Minato stopped dead when he heard that. His kit didn't know? Kakashi at least, all three of his students had only recently been adopted by blood... 'Don't get angry... don't, it's bad for us both!' As soon as the Queen was asleep they'd be having words.
Naruto didn't know what he was in for as he watched his sensei and the boy's teammates do most of the work while the Yondaime leaned tiredly against the wall next to the window looking up into the night sky. He had so much he wanted to ask, but he was so nervous!
Minato turned to look at her child with sad eyes; it was obvious that something had happened to him, to them. Even in alternate timelines, it seemed that his dreams were torn away somehow...
"Obito, when Sara falls asleep, make sure she stays that way," Minato told the Uchiha, "There are some questions that need answering and we can't have anyone overhearing them."
"Yes Tou-san."
Minato forcibly suppressed a yawn, he was so tired, as much as he loved his baby, he didn't want to be pregnant, he hoped his baby looked nothing like its sire; otherwise Minato wasn't sure he'd be able to stand looking at it. As he looked at her son however, he couldn't help but hope that this was what his own kit would look like, mostly.
Obito spun a Genjutsu over the queen the moment she fell asleep.
Minato wasn't so successful in suppressing the second yawn; he wished he could just sleep but...
"Ano..."
Minato looked up, noticing that Naruto had come to his side, "Hm?"
"I can take your watch so you can sleep..." Naruto suggested shyly.
Minato smiled, "Alright Kit, you can take my watch..." Minato stretched as he sat down, "But, you have to do something for me first."
"What is it?" Naruto asked, he didn't know why he was acting so shy, sure he admired the Yondaime but!
"You will be giving me information, my Naruto," Minato told his son quietly as he leaned back against the wall, "It is a well-known fact in the village that I see my three students as mine. So, how did you not know that?"
Naruto blinked, "They aren't…?"
"Not by blood no, but each of them are orphans, and each of them witnessed horrible things, they were tortured Naruto." Minato explained, "I was there when they needed someone to cling to."
"Oh…" Naruto looked away, "What do you want to know Hokage-sama?"
"Tell me about your team, do you like your Sensei? Who are your teammates and what are they like?" Minato asked gently, her son was so adorable, acting all shy like this...
"Well..." Naruto bit his lip as he processed the question, "My Sensei is always late! He's lazy and a liar! But he's really cool..."
"And what's his name Kit?" Minato asked with a soothing smile.
Naruto pointed to his youngest student, "He is."
"Kakashi is your Sensei?" Minato asked with a laugh, "I'm sure he's great then. What about your teammates?"
"They're all great! Sakura-chan's a medic who was taught by Tsunade-baachan, so she's really good at it!" Naruto smiled a fake smile, "Sasuke's on an extended training trip..." Naruto trailed off as he made eye contact with his father. [6] "...Sasuke became a Missing Nin but I really want to get him back! And Sai's really weird but kind of cool..."
"What about you Naruto?" Minato asked quietly, "What do you like to do in your spare time? What are your hobbies?"
Naruto bit his lip, "I keep several plants in my apartment, I enjoy taking care of them and lately I've been studying to become a medic... Shizune-san helped me pick out the books I would need... but whenever I bring it up to anyone else..."
"Hm? You want to be a medic?" Minato asked curiously, "How is your control?"
"It's really bad," Naruto admitted, "I've always admired Tsunade-baachan for her abilities and I was really excited when I found out that Ero-sennin wanted me to help him find her... Maybe I could get some tips ya know?"
Minato smiled, "Yes, I know..." He gave the boy a speculative look, "Can you explain to me why you seem to not like Sakura very much?"
"I..." Naruto sighed sadly, "I feel like she's showing off! It's just not fair! She stole it!" The younger Namikaze began to cry.
"Sh..." Minato reached across the small distance between them and pulled the short teen into his lap, Minato then reached up and gently pulled the boy's Heate-ite down to rest around his neck, "It's alright..." Minato whispered into his son's ear soothingly as he began to card his right hand through the boy's hair.
Kakashi waited until Naruto had calmed down, "And where are the three of us then? Where am I?"
Naruto turned away, hiding his face in Minato's chest in embarrassment, "...Inu-nii..."
"And who is Inu-nii, Naruto-kit?" Minato asked quietly, his fingers never stopping.
Rin was the only one who saw the old, worn, beaten but much-loved book on anatomy that fell out of one of Naruto's pockets.
"Inu-nii got me my plants when he was around, for my birthdays and stuff..." Naruto muttered, gesturing to Kakashi. "He even taught me to read with books on medicine. ...He gave them to me when he thought I was old enough..."
Rin opened the book carefully, gasping, "This is mine..." she breathed.
Naruto turned when he heard her speak, "No, Inu-nii said that those books belonged to my Nee-chan, said that she would've wanted me to have if she were..." Naruto trembled a bit, "...Still around..."
The book fell from Rin's limp fingers, falling open, there, on the line that proclaimed the owner, was written the name Yagami Rin, Yagami had a single line through it and above was written, with a heart as a dot, Namikaze. Namikaze Rin had owned the Anatomy book before it had been given to Naruto.
Obito hugged Rin tightly as she asked, "I... died...?"
"Naruto, why wasn't she there?" Minato asked quietly, hating the fact that Naruto was crying none of his kits should ever cry...
Naruto looked up into Minato's eyes timidly, "…She's dead, Inu-nii said she went on a mission somewhere and her head was sent back to the village in a box."
Minato's grip tightened, Rin had died? He looked down at her son sadly and noticed the scroll sticking out of his pouch; it looked ready to fall out. He reached down and pulled it out before it could fall. "You should be more careful with your belongings kit."
Naruto blushed as he took the scroll back.
"So, what's in there?" Obito asked.
"Stuff Inu-nii said that my family would want me to have..." Naruto muttered sadly, "The Villagers aren't very nice either…"
"Oh?" Minato asked soothingly, listening to this was making him very angry.
Naruto began muttering about the stupid villagers who had drilled it into his head that he'd be Yondaime's servant if he'd lived, "...And Why do I feel so safe here...?"
Even Naruto noticed when Minato winced, he slipped his had between his and his son's bodies wincing again as he felt his child kick him hard. Had he really been getting that angry?
Rin gave Minato a concerned look, "Tou-san?"
Minato waved Rin off, she should know what was going on.
"Ano... Are you ok Yondaime-sama...?" Naruto asked.
"...Fine Naruto..." Minato replied breathlessly, internally cursing the fact that his unborn child was putting so much pressure on his lungs.
"You don't sound fine!" Naruto argued. "Someone taught me a few tricks that might help you feel better…"
Minato shook his head, "…I'll be just fine Naruto; I just have to calm down, My Kit…" This was just something that he had to suffer through until he was calmer.
"But I'm sure I can help…" Naruto muttered.
Minato shook his head, "It's nothing I can't handle Kit," He slowed his breathing, trying to calm the fitful babe in his body.
"...Can I still try...?" Naruto asked, deciding that asking the Yondaime why he was being called his kit could wait.
Minato looked down into Naruto's hopeful eyes, the fact that their eyes matched took his breath away. Her kit was so beautiful... "I suppose it wouldn't hurt..." He leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes.
Naruto gently placed both his hands on his unknown father's stomach and called up a tendril of Kyuubi's chakra.
Minato's eyes snapped open and he forced his son's hands to the ground. "What was that?" he snarled, wincing as his unborn kit gave him a particularly vicious jab.
Naruto winced as he let go of Kyuubi's chakra. "I have to use a special type of chakra or it won't work…" he explained weakly, flinching at Minato's slight use of Killing Intent.
Minato relaxed minutely. That had been his unwanted Mate's chakra… Why was it that the Kit he'd always dreamed of having could use that Bastard Fox's chakra? "Warn me when you are going to use that 'special chakra' next time Naruto-kit." Minato scolded the younger blond gently.
Naruto nodded as Minato let go of his wrists, "May I try again T-Yondaime-sama?" Naruto gave him a hopeful look, "I have to use the special Chakra though..."
Minato nodded slowly, leaning back against the wall again. "Be careful Kit." He smiled when he looked behind Naruto and saw that his older kits were staring at Naruto hopefully.
Naruto nodded, gently placing his hands back on his father's stomach and calling up that tendril again. The tip of Naruto's tongue poked out from between his lips as he forced the tiniest flow that he could. Naruto expected to find cramped muscles, what he actually found was a baby. The shock of his discovery nearly knocked Naruto out.
Minato sighed slightly in relief as Kyuubi's chakra poured into his system, relaxing and calming his turbulent emotions; the slight slip Naruto had made brought a tiny smile to his lips. What had Naruto been about to say, Tou-san maybe? Of course, he wasn't about to ask.
The flow of chakra abruptly ended, causing Minato to open his eyes to see what was going on. His son was staring up at him in total shock. "'Ruto-kit, why did you stop?"
"..." Naruto stared. "Y-you're p-p-p-p-preg-nant..." He muttered in shock.
Minato sighed, "I am Kit," He pulled his son closer, "Humans have a hard time detecting it."
They do...?" Naruto asked.
"Yes, that means that you have to be..." Minato frowned, "Either part demon or..." his eyes narrowed slightly, "...A Jinjuuriki..."
"...You are a Jinjuuriki..." Minato muttered thoughtfully, wondering why he would do that to his beloved child.
Naruto nodded; "Yeah..." he was tensing readying himself for that hate that his companions would now heap onto him. Nothing good ever lasted for Uzumaki Naruto after all...
Minato noticed, "Calm down My Kit..."
"But T-Yondaime-sama..." Naruto mumbled, his shoulders slumping. Very few people stayed his friend after finding this out. "I..."
Minato pulled his son closer into a (hopefully) comforting embrace. "Sh... Don't cry My Kit... We will not hate you..." he whispered.
"Ano, Tou-san?"
Minato looked passed Naruto, "Yes Obito?"
"What is a Jinjuuriki?" Obito asked curiously when he noticed that Naruto flinched and was once again trembling.
"A Jinjuuriki is a living prison Obito," Minato explained, gently wiping the tears from Naruto's eyes, "They contain within their being a demon. Usually referring to one of the nine Bijuu."
"Why would we hate someone for that?" Rin asked.
Minato shrugged helplessly, "I do not know. But I think anyone who antagonizes the Jinjuuriki are suicidal."
Kakashi sat down next to Minato, "Which Bijuu does Naruto hold then, Tou-san?"
"Kyuubi." Minato replied, tightening his grip as Naruto tensed even more. He heard Rin gasp, felt Kakashi tense up and saw Obito blanch.
Kyuubi's Tower
The next morning, Naruto went with the queen, followed by Rin. She was determined to help him get his control up to where it should have been by now for his chosen role. "Naruto, what else do you want to do?" She asked curiously.
"...I was hoping to become Hokage actually..." Naruto admitted with a blush, "Yondaime-sama is my..." he wasn't sure how to phrase it without sounding like a total fan boy.
"Your role model?" Rin asked.
Naruto nodded, giving her an incredulous look when she giggled. "Nee-chan is so mean..." Naruto muttered.
"It's natural for children to idolize their fathers Naruto," Rin told him, "Tou-san is invincible, and he's the strongest ninja to ever be born in the Elemental Nations..."
"...Eh?" Naruto stared, "What do you mean?"
Rin gave him back his anatomy book, "I mean that I am Namikaze Rin, and you are Namikaze Naruto."
Naruto stared at her, "But... The villagers said..."
"I don't care what the villagers say Naruto, they are wrong." Rin told him sternly, "The only reason that I can think of would be that your heritage was kept hidden to protect you from Tou-san's enemies."
Naruto stared at her. How could he be the Yondaime's son? "But, Nee-chan, I'm not intelligent enough to be his son, and I'm nowhere near as talented as he is..." Naruto argued feebly.
"I say you are," Rin told him absolutely, "Have you learned any of Tou-san's techniques?"
"Well... one..." Naruto admitted.
Which one?" Rin asked curiously as they followed the Queen.
"...His Rasengan..."
"How long did it take you to learn and who taught you?"
"I was taught by Ero-Sennin... and it took me... A little over a month to learn all three steps..." Naruto answered meekly.
"Ero-sennin? Who's that?" Rin asked quietly.
"Jiraiya-jiji..." Naruto admitted hesitantly.
They heard the queen scream and raced to where she was, Naruto sliding in front of her to protect her from the assailants.
They turned out to be civilians that wanted their loved ones back. Sara, sadly, had no idea what they were talking about. Naruto and Rin shared nervous looks as they promised the civilians that they'd help find and free their loved ones.
Kyuubi's Tower
Minato snarled when he saw Mukade attacking his son, this had to be stopped! He gasped when a huge silver fox shattered the puppet that had been built around Naruto, "Kyuubi..." Minato muttered. Had his mate just saved her child?
He had. Minato hurried to Kyuubi's side, where Naruto was lying. "You OK?" he asked quietly.
Naruto nodded slightly, not sure what was going on.
Minato stiffened when strong arms wrapped around his shoulders he lowered his head, hiding his eyes behind his bangs. "Why are you here?" He asked, well aware of the many noncombatants around them, he had best keep Kyuubi as calm as possible while getting them out of harm's way.
"I can't be worried about you?" Kyuubi asked, confused.
Minato trembled slightly, "Why would you worry about me? I mean nothing to you."
"That's not true…" Kyuubi tried to argue.
"You know it is," Minato nearly shouted, struggling to keep his emotions under control; "You're just trying to get back on my good side, which, by the way you haven't been on since that kiss on New Year's last year!"
Kyuubi's shoulders slumped, "But I do…"
"You don't," Minato replied, "You just want to fuck me again. I won't allow it."
Kyuubi's eyes narrowed as his young mate turned away to check on the new kit more thoroughly. "You have no choice."
Minato tensed, "I do, I don't want you around, not me, and certainly not around my kits!" He was thankful that Kyuubi hadn't realized just whose kit Naruto was yet...
Minato turned, "Chouza, Shibi, you take Sara-sama and the other civilians for now. The... kids and I will be fine."
"Yes sir," Chouza agreed, "This way Sara-sama."
Minato watched as the two older ninja escorted the queen and her people away. "Ok kits, let's find a place for the night," he called, ignoring Kyuubi. Minato knelt and picked Naruto up easily.
Naruto was near tears.
Minato sat Naruto down, "You ok?"
"I don't need to be saved..." Naruto muttered unhappily, he looked up when Minato gently cupped his cheek with a clawed hand, wiping his tears away tenderly. "...Huh...?"
"Just because you usually don't need saving doesn't mean that we won't save you anyway Naruto-kit..." Minato breathed in the boy's ear, his instincts were screaming at him to take this kit and hide him away, to kill those that dared hurt him.
Naruto looked away, "I don't like being saved..." he admitted, "I've been looking after myself for forever at this point..."
"Why is that Naruto?" Minato asked, not realizing that his demon traits were starting to show through. "Why have you been living alone?"
"No one would adopt me when I was younger..." Naruto admitted, "And then, I don't really remember how old I was... I was kicked out of the orphanage and Inu-nii helped me move into an apartment..."
Minato pulled Naruto into a hug when the boy finished, "Your mother would be so proud of you..."
"My... Mother?" Naruto asked curiously, letting his head rest against Minato's shoulder. "Who was she?"
Minato smiled fondly, "Her name was Uzumaki Kushina."
Kyuubi stiffened, 'Uzumaki Kushina ...Mother...' His vision began to bleed red as he thought of His mate with another, a woman.
"You are everything I have ever wanted Naruto..." he heard Minato whisper, "Everything I'd dreamed of..."
"...Why...?" Naruto asked quietly.
"Because I loved your mother so much... She was my everything."
Naruto blinked, "Was...?"
"She died not long after we graduated," Minato explained, "One of the things she wanted to do but never got to; was paint the Hokage Monument in broad daylight, I wasn't sure how she was going to paint it but..." Minato smiled down at the son he'd always wanted, becoming confused and curious when he saw that Naruto was searching for something.
"I know it's here somewhere..." Naruto growled, his eyes lighting up when he found it, "Ah ha!" He grinned as he handed a photo to his idol. He hoped this would bring a smile to the man's face. He'd fantasized about his parents often enough, his favorite was one where Yondaime-sama was his father... though; he'd never known that the man had been married...
Minato took the picture nonplussed, then barked out laughter when he saw what it was, "You truly are her son..." he chuckled, giving Naruto a bright smile.
Naruto beamed, pleased with himself for making his idol laugh so hard.
"This is your mother," Minato told him as he reached into one of his pockets. "The photo is over ten years old but..."
Naruto looked down at the smiling redhead uncertainly. "This is...?"
"That is Uzumaki Kushina," Minato replied confidently, "And I am your father."
Naruto looked up at Minato from the photo; this was like a dream come true for him... "T-Tou-sama...?" Naruto tackled Minato, careful of his stomach, they both landed on the ground. That was why he felt safe! Tou-sama... But then... why were to villagers so mean...?
Minato suddenly rolled; both father and son stared at the huge claw that had been where they had been sitting. "...Shit..." Minato breathed, "He heard!"
"Tou-sama..." Naruto trembled in fear.
Minato pushed Naruto behind him and hissed up at the larger, older fox demon. There was no way he was going to let anyone hurt her kit!
The larger silver fox demon growled at Minato demandingly.
Minato shook his head in defiance, "Never!"
"Obito!" Minato called as he pushed Naruto out of the way of Kyuubi's claws again.
"Yes Tou-san?" Obito called back.
"Take Naruto and get out of here!" Minato ordered.
"But Tou-san..." Obito argued when Minato pushed Naruto into Obito's arms, noticing that the ears and tail were out in the open.
"Don't argue with me..." Minato growled, "Kyuubi is trying to kill him!"
"But your ears..." Obito pointed out, causing Naruto to stare up at his father.
"We can deal with that later. Go. Now!"
Minato was so focused on getting Naruto and his other kits out of harm's way that he never noticed Kyuubi attacking him. Naruto did though.
Naruto pulled away from Obito and pushed his father out of the way, the force of Kyuubi's punch sending him across the hall. He hit the wall hard.
"Naruto!" he heard his father shout as his world went black.
Minato snarled up at Kyuubi as he jumped between them.
Kyuubi's Tower
When Naruto came to they were somewhere else. Minato was kneeling next to him, panting slightly from his battle with the dominant. "Are you alright Naruto?" he asked urgently.
Naruto nodded silently, he hurt... Why had that guy... "Who... was that? And why did he attack me?"
Minato looked down as if ashamed of something; there were cuts all over him. "That Naruto, was the most powerful of the Bijuu, Kyuubi."
"Kyuubi? But he looks different from the few times I've seen him..." Naruto muttered as Minato helped him sit up.
"Oh?" Minato asked, "What did he look like?"
"A huge orange fox," Naruto replied.
"That was his human form Naruto." Minato explained, "Do you know why the Bijuu are so dangerous?"
Naruto shook his head.
"It is because, to put it simply, they are insane."
Naruto stared up at his father, "...And I thought the Ichibi was the only one... He seemed insane when I fought Gaara anyway..."
"I assure you Naruto, they are all insane to varying degrees," Minato told him; "You can't trust anything they tell you, ever."
"What do you mean by degrees of insanity Tou-sama?" Naruto asked curiously.
"Kyuubi at least, is bipolar," Minato explained, "It makes him and his moods unpredictable, nothing and nobody is safe when he is in a rage..."
"He's that dangerous?" Naruto asked.
"Yes, which is why I will do everything I can to protect you..." Minato ran his clawed fingers gently through Naruto's hair, "I don't know how or why... but somehow I attracted his attention..."
Kyuubi's Tower
The next evening they met back up with Chouza, Shibi and the queen. Chouza and Shibi each gave Minato concerned looks, which he waved off; he was fine, especially after having a day to recover.
"What are we going to do with all these people?" Obito asked quietly, concerned with the sheer number of loitering civilians.
The ground rumbled, and Mukade appeared.
Minato cursed silently, having honestly forgotten about him since he and his kits had been busy with problems of their own. "Chouza, Shibi, stall him," he turned to Sara, "Is there a safe place where we can put your people while we deal with that..." Minato struggled to find an appropriate word.
Sara nodded, "Down these stairs, there's a heaven that my mother and I used to spend a lot of time in, it should be perfect for your needs."
"Can you lead us there?" Naruto asked hurriedly, eying his tired father.
Sara nodded, calling to her people and leading them all down the stairs.
Minato turned back to watch Chouza and Shibi as his team and Naruto hurried down the stairs after Sara and her people, his left ear twitched and the tip of his tail twitched also.
"Tou-sama, you coming?" he heard Naruto call.
Minato turned and dashed down the stairs, "I'm on my way Naruto," he called back, slowing down when he reached them, "We need to hurry, Chouza and Shibi won't be able to hold him for long…"
Naruto nodded, blushing slightly, "…Was I the only one to forget about Mukade-teme…?"
"No, I forgot as well," Minato replied, "It's not really our fault, we were dealing with something else after all. And you have to admit, a Bijuu is many times more dangerous than a simple Missing Ninja…"
Kakashi snorted, "A Bijuu, Tou-san, you understate the problem we had… A Bijuu, try Kyuubi… Kyuubi is the most dangerous of them all!"
"I think they get it 'Kashi…" Rin muttered quietly.
"Let's just hope that Kyuubi doesn't show up again," Obito agreed.
Minato nodded with a grimace. When he looked back, his eyes widened, Mukade had caught up!
"SAAARAAA!" He roared, causing the five ninja to wince.
Minato stopped, "Keep going Kits."
"But Tou-sama, what about…" Naruto trailed off hesitantly.
Minato turned slightly and gave Naruto a smile, "We'll be alright Naruto, I promise."
Naruto bit his lip, unsure of whether to believe his father or not when Kakashi piped up, "If Tou-san says that he'll be fine he's usually right."
Minato nodded, ruffling Naruto's hair, "Go, you need to. Sara and them need someone with them in case he gets passed me, which is unlikely."
Naruto nodded, he turned and dashed off after giving Minato one last concerned look.
Minato shooed his team after Naruto soon after. He turned to face Mukade, who was laughing at him for making the others leave. "You should know who I am…" Minato growled, sinking into his preferred stance.
That didn't deter the giant puppet though. Mukade lunged at Minato, intent on flattening him.
Minato dodged to the left, pulling out a kunai as he went, "Kunai Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" he called, flinging the kunai at the man-turned-monster. The kunai multiplied, thousands hitting his target. Minato's eyes narrowed slightly seeing something strange only briefly. "What was that?" he wondered to himself, pulling out another kunai.
Mukade laughed, "You'll never defeat me!"
"The bigger they are the harder they fall!" Minato taunted as he got an idea, his eyes lighting up. "That should work…" He muttered as he pulled out one of his home-made exploding tags and attached it to the Kunai.
He let fly again, "Kunai Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Minato smirked when Mukade's weak point became fully exposed; it was that spider-like puppet from early. "There it is!" he smirked happily at his accomplishment. Now they could beat him. Minato retreated, his job done.
Naruto grinned when he saw Minato catch up, looking no worse for wear, "Tou-sama?"
"I found his weak point; we have to cut him off from the Ryuumiakuu." Minato explained, "Otherwise he will keep putting himself back together. Unfortunately, that means the Queen has to come with us..."
Kakashi Obito and Rin stared, "Tou-san... that puts our client in danger though!" they protested.
"No one else can close off the Ryuumiakuu though," Minato pointed out gently, he didn't like the fact that they had to put the queen in the direct line of danger either, sometimes though, and it just couldn't be helped. "There are five of us and one of him, it won't matter."
Naruto nodded, understanding his father's point, hadn't this happened in Wave also? He just didn't want this mission to be a dream...
Naruto," Naruto looked up, seeing a three pronged Kunai in Minato's hand, "Take this, I need the one you carry; I'm going to seal the Ryuumiakuu."
Naruto bit his lip, taking the new kunai and giving back the one he'd been given before, He yelped when Minato carved a quick seal into his inner wrist, "What's that for?" he asked as his father smeared blood into the open wounds.
"A Seal of Contract, [7] just between the two of us," Minato murmured as he healed Naruto's wrist the symbols carved into his skin scarred. "Go grab the queen and meet us at the Ryuumiakuu."
Naruto nodded, running to where the queen had finally gotten the door open and the rest of the civilians rushed passed her into the Garden. She turned to Naruto and gave him a nod, leading them out of the room just as Mukade crashed in on them.
Kyuubi's Tower
Naruto was the only one to look up. When he did, he saw Kyuubi again. He was terrified of the Kyuubi inside of his belly and that was just half of the whole! This Kyuubi was twice as scary. Naruto swallowed, hurrying Sara into the next room.
Kyuubi jumped down and followed them, much to Naruto's horror. "What do you want?" Naruto asked, surprised when his voice came out levelly and not trembling.
"My Mate wants them protected." Kyuubi replied, "I want him to be happy."
"But you tried to kill me..." Naruto muttered, careful not to turn his back to the Bijuu. And Tou-sama had to deal with him on nearly a daily basis?
"I may not be able to kill you, that would bring tears to his eyes and My Minato-chan is much to pretty for tears..." Kyuubi advanced on Naruto, "But I can still hurt you..." He had to eliminate any and all kits from previous matings after all...
"You do that and Tou-sama will never let you in the village again!" Naruto shouted as Minato came around the corner.
Kyuubi's Tower
"Get away from my kit Kyuubi!" Minato growled as he stepped between them, "In fact… Leave the city," he snarled.
"But Minato-chan..."
"Don't. You. Dare..." Minato turned back to look at Kyuubi, his eyes darkening in his rage, "You hurt any of my kits Kyuubi... and I swear, Bijuu or not, I don't care that you are a thousand times stronger than I will ever be, I will kill you!" Minato snarled.
Naruto ducked behind his father, sticking his tongue out at Kyuubi over Minato's shoulder.
"Kit, go meet up with your Nii-chan, they should be with the queen in the next room," Minato told him.
"Yes Tou-sama," Naruto agreed.
Minato glared Kyuubi down as Naruto ran from the room, before he turned to follow. At the doorway he turned back, his instincts forcing him to stop and look back. "His Mother is dead Kyuubi. Do not take him from me too!" He slipped out of the room, as he ducked out the rocks crashed down where he had been standing a second before.
Kyuubi whimpered quietly as he rushed to the now blocked entrance, he could have lost his Mate just now because he'd let his anger get the better of him! He knew that he had a lot to learn to make Minato more comfortable with being his mate but he could now readily admit that he could so easily lose him/her... and didn't humans sometimes break their matings and take their kits with them when they went to find another?
Minato smirked back at the blocked entryway, "That should hold him for a while." When he turned, his eyes widened in panic as he watched Naruto, with a strange attack, just at Mukade, only for Mukade to literally eat the technique!
Minato rushed to catch Naruto as he was flung across the room by Mukade's tail, "What was that?" he asked after catching his son.
"I call it the Rasen-Shuriken," Naruto explained, "It took me thousands of hours of training to do it too..."
"...You finished the Rasengan?" Minato asked in awe.
Naruto blushed, nodding in embarrassment. "...Yeah..."
"Rin told me what you said earlier, and I have to say I agree with her," Minato purred in happiness, "That alone proves that you inherited my talent Naruto..." He was so proud of his... of her son... "You have everything that makes you her child, and mine... She never gave up. And she never took any flak from anyone. She never let anything stop her, not even when someone said something was impossible."
Naruto's cheeks flushed a deeper red as Minato continued to speak. "Tou-sama..."
"Never say that you aren't intelligent or talented enough to be my son again." Minato scolded him, "You are, if we had time I'd ask you to teach me the completed version, but time isn't on our side Naruto..."
Naruto's eyes widened, his father wanted him the Jinjuuriki the Demon Brat to teach him something? Tears welled up in his eyes again, his lip trembling. "I... don't know what to say..."
"Naruto, can you create another Rasengan?" Minato asked urgently as Sara cut the flow of energy from the Ryuumiakuu.
Naruto shook his head, "I don't think I have any chakra left..."
Rin landed next to them, "Tou-san, you'd better put your plan into action quickly, we are running out of room to retreat, we'll be cornered if you don't hurry!"
Minato nodded as he placed Naruto back on his feet. "There are more explanations for not being able to use chakra than that," he explained, "It could be that you are just too tired. Here, hold out your hands and I'll help you create a Rasengan."
"But..." Naruto blinked, that was right... the Rasengan was the Yondaime's technique... and his father was the Yondaime... "...Right, how are you going to do that?"
"Have you ever heard of the Theory of Resonance?" Minato asked as Naruto held his hands out. When Naruto shook his head he continued, "Those with similar chakra types can combine their chakra together like so..." Minato created a Rasengan between his hands and seconds later Naruto's chakra responded.
"But it's not just types that respond to each other Naruto, those who are closely related can affect each other's chakra as well, I, as your father should and have just done so. But it is also that your chakra is used to taking the form of the Rasengan. Your chakra will always respond to mine and mine to yours."
"...Oh..." That was fascinating; no wonder Inu-nii had adored his father... "So, now what?" Naruto asked.
Minato stepped forward, forcing his dark green Rasengan to merge with Naruto's dark blue one. There was an explosion and suddenly they were surrounded by a swirling blue and green aura. "When resonating chakras are merged they become more powerful than they would be on their own, extremely so," Minato continued his lecture, "But they also become unstable, my chakra could rebel against you and yours against me, depending on who holds onto this new Rasengan that has formed, as long as we both stand here it's stable, but one of us has to go open up Mukade's weak point..."
Minato pulled away, "I'll do it, you don't have to worry about anything accept holding that in one piece."
"But Tou-sama!" Naruto called as Minato rushed off, he wasn't sure that he could do it... Naruto was afraid that he wouldn't live up to his father's expectations.
Minato pulled out a kunai, "Obito, Rin, help me reveal our enemy."
Three "Kunai Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" rang out and thousands of kunai rained down on Mukade's form.
"Naruto, pay close attention!" Minato called as Mukade's Spider form was revealed.
"I see it!" Naruto called back as he leaped into the air, "RASENGAN!" He went through Mukade and landed behind him.
"Hurry Naruto, we need to meet up with the queen!" Obito called from near the archway leading to the Ryuumiakuu chamber.
The team rushed through the archway, Minato pulling out the Kunai that Naruto had given back and opened the eye enough so that he could push the Kunai into the open eye.
What was left of Mukade came through the archway and fell into the pool of energy below them, Naruto was at the halfway point of the bridge, the queen not far from him and Obito and Rin were standing with Minato on the island platform.
The bridge started to collapse; the part under the queen was the first to crumble. Naruto caught her hand before she fell too far, but Naruto felt bridge crumble from under his feet, "Tou-sama, help!" he called.
Minato dashed across the bridge and caught Naruto around the middle, his eyes widening when the bridge fell out from under his feet as well. He curled around Naruto, knowing that they were about to die.
"Tou-san!" Obito and Rin screamed in panic, gasping when wood saved the three of them. Sara was set on her feet, followed by Minato.
Minato blinked at the young man, "That's... the Shodai's ability..."
Naruto looked up from his father's arms, "That's Yamato-taichou; he's in charge of my team whenever Kakashi-sensei is not around for some reason or another... Tsunade-baachan put him in charge when Kakashi-sensei was in the hospital after he used too much chakra when we went to save Gaara, who became the Godaime Kazekage. He's been on the team since."
One of Minato's eyebrows went up, "He's probably still on the team for a reason."
Naruto blushed, "I think he's a bit creepy..."
Minato chuckled as Kakashi came around Yamato; "I found him hanging around a while ago," Kakashi explained when Minato sent him a questioning look.
Yamato whacked Kakashi on the head, grinning; "I always wanted to do that to Kakashi-senpai..."
Kakashi held his head, glaring at the older man.
Minato shook his head as he put Naruto down and walked back to the center of the island. "I'm going to seal it off now," He called as Chouza and Shibi appeared.
Minato pushed the kunai into the eye slit and sighed in relief, but a cry from Obito made him turn around. Naruto and Yamato were glowing. Minato knew then, that Time was correcting itself. "Naruto…"
Naruto looked up at him, tears in his eyes, "Tou-sama…"
Minato swept Naruto into a hug, "I'm proud of you, don't ever forget that," Minato told him quietly. "You can do anything you want Naruto, you'll be a wonderful medic, and an even better Hokage; you just have to work at it."
Naruto nodded, drying his eyes, "Thanks Tou-sama…"
Minato noticed Chouza, Shibi and Yamato giving them strange looks and knelt, "Metsu!"
What are you…?" Naruto asked.
"I am sealing the human's memories Naruto, good luck… I love you, Musuko." [8]
(End)
The italics in Minato's thoughts the hers and she's, are referring to Uzumaki Kushina.
Footnotes:
[1] Uzushiogakure no Sato is the hidden village in Uzu no Kuni, they were allied with Konoha before both the village and the country were destroyed. So Konoha Shinobi and Kunoichi wear the swirl as a symbol of the alliance and friendship.
[2] Uchiwa means paper fan and is the symbol of the Uchiha clan. Obito still wears it because Fugaku insists that since he can do the Gokakyuu no jutsu and activated his Sharingan there is no reason for him not to, even if he was thrown out by the elders of the clan. He wears it proudly, only because Fugaku and Mikoto are proud of him.
[3] They were actually eavesdropping; it's a useful skill for a ninja to have and Team Minato have to be really good at it with Minato as their teacher, especially with his demonic hearing, which is at least ten times better than even an Inuzuka's.
[4] I've seen other colors be used as the color of blood that belongs to something other than humans, I know that in the real world that all blood is red when oxygenated but to further prove that Minato isn't human I decided to go with something that was a bit cliché, so sue me, I don't care.
[5] You know the saying 'Blood is thicker than water'? My thought is that to demons blood is more important than anything else, Minato might consider his three students his kids, but most demons would not agree. The only reason Kyuubi does is that he watched Minato interact with them since the beginning and only made his move when he had a good understanding of the dynamics of the group.
[6] Demon parents have ways of getting the truth out of their kids. When the kids look into their eyes they are compelled to be truthful
[7] This is like Orochimaru's seal tattoo, but with this Naruto will be able to summon this form of his father if he needs to.
[8] There's debate what Minato says to Naruto at the end of the movie, so I just put both. Some think he said Musuko, which translates to 'my son' and others think he said 'love you'. I'm of the second group but I put both anyway.
Enjoy~!
Neph