Author's Note: This is officially the first one-shot that I've ever written, and the first time that it's not a SasuSaku story! This time, I'm writing about one of my favorite cannon ships of all time, MinaKushi. I got inspiration for this from episodes 246-249 of Shippuden, when Kushina told Naruto how she fell in love with Minato, and we heard the story from her point of view, and I suddenly wanted to write the same story from Minato's p.o.v, with added pre-scenes. Hope you guys enjoy!
The ground below his feet blurred rapidly as Minato ran, straining his legs enough to turn the ground beneath him into swirling watercolors of green and brown. His right foot planted down on a small patch of leaves for a brief moment, and rapidly shredded them into pieces as he took off once more. His eyes scanned every inch of the forest, searching for the key indications that he had picked up the moment he began to pursue the intruders who dared to enter his village without permission; and to commit an unforgivable crime.
Damn it! he cursed himself as he added more chakra to his feet to boost his speed, feeling the rush of the wind against his entire body as he flew forward. The wind stung his skin, lightly stabbing into his entire body from the speed that he took on. He didn't know how much time that he had, or if he even had any time left. A giant pit fell into his stomach, pulling and stretching it, all the while tying it into a giant knot. It felt as though a kunai had been digging into his flesh, and refused to come out. All of the intensity and stress of the situation began to hit him hard, and yet, he never slowed his pace.
He was running out of time.
o-o-o-o-o-o
"As you all are aware, relations with Kumogakure and Konohagakure have not been in the best of terms." The Third Hokage said evenly, his eyes scanning the entire rooftop of genin who were kneeling respectfully before the Hokage, their right arms crossed smoothly on their chests, their heads bowed slightly. No response was received, every person in the vicinity nodding silently to themselves, the Hokage's words sinking in.
Minato raised his head slightly upwards towards the Hokage, finding that he preferred to look at the person who was speaking, regardless of his or her social status. His blue eyes scanned the room around him, taking in all of the shinobi and kuoichi that were at his same age and level, give or take a few months at that. He took in those who were kneeled like he was, those who were rowdy and rambunctious in the streets yet calm and respectful to their elders; a strange and remarkable combination. He spotted his teammates scattered separately in the room; Dai, with his head lowered and fist clenched tightly into his chest, and Ichirou, who seemed to be more interested in the girl kneeling next to him than the topic at hand. Minato sighed to himself, wondering if Ichirou would ever stop thinking about girls and start becoming more focused on missions, even Jiraiya-sensei would pick up on his behavior and comment coyly on it, but of course it would cease to end.
"I want all of you to be prepared for anything to come in the future. This would include any infiltrations upon the village or spies. You are all to report any suspicious behavior to me." The Hokage said, his eyes continuing to scan the room.
"But, Hokage-sama, what do you mean? Will there be another war?" A girl asked politely, raising her brown eyes up in question.
"Not necessarily, but however, that doesn't mean that we shouldn't be cautious of the future, or the events that are in store for us." he replied to the girl, releasing a large puff of smoke from his pipe, the cloud swirling in the air and covering the kneeling shinobi with an opaque cloud.
"Now, since you are all genin, I do not expect nor will I assign this group to take on any intruders or missions of serious standards, as you are all still too young to deal with a situation such as this by yourselves. If needed, you will be sent out with a chunin or jonin to complete these missions. But, I will repeat this. You are to report to me immediately of any suspicious behavior or those not dressed in Konohagakure's attire."
The genin in the room nodded, and Minato noticed that the Hokage had suddenly locked eyes in a certain spot on the floor of the roof, several spots away from Minato. His eyes narrowed suspiciously, and he breathed out another cloud of smoke. "We don't need anyone going missing on us."
Minato blinked in confusion, and followed the Hokage's glance, and his eyes landed on who the older man had been looking at.
She was in the same position as everyone else, arm crossed on her chest, kneeled on one knee. Her vivid red hair spilled down her shoulders and rested into the folds of her waist, some loose strands hanging low in front of her face and sweeping against the metal of her headband, almost hidden by her hair. The color was almost blinding; bringing out her fair skin and dark sapphire eyes; which were glued to the Hokage. Minato watched as the two of them stared each other down, their eyes connecting by a thin line of focus. Through their eye contact, they communicated silently, speaking to each other without the use or need of words, their lips resting in their normal positions. Minato noticed the glimmer of urgency that sparked in the Hokage's eyes, and narrowed his own.
"That will be all."
One by one, squads of three grouped together and leaped off of the Hokage tower, the breeze increasing from their departure. Minato slowly rose from his position, and turned on his right foot to see Dai and Ichirou waving him over. Minato gave them a terse wave back, and walked over to join them.
"You know, Otosan says that there will be a war." Ichirou said, crossing his arms and nodding his head affirmatively.
"No way, Kumo is too dumb to enter Konoha without anyone noticing. We'll catch them before they even get meters from the village." Dai argued back, pointing his finger at his teammate. "We're smarter than they are, hands down!"
"Won't argue with you there," Ichirou said, turning to Minato. "What do you think, Minato?"
Though Minato didn't answer, his head turned behind him to see the last of the crowd of genin leap off of the roof, all except for her.
Minato watched as she turned to the brunette who had spoken up during the gathering, and to a male who's muscles seemed to almost pop out of the sleeves on his grey shirt. She muttered something to them softly, too quiet and too far away for Minato to hear. He watched as the two of them nodded tersely towards her, and jumped off of the roof together, leaving her behind in their wake. She looked unfazed, her eyes a dull shine. She watched her teammates vanish, then began to turn to her side when her eyes suddenly met Minato's. They stared at each other for a few seconds, absorbing each other's presence in a strange way. Then she blinked, and gave him an almost confused look.
The door leading to the stairs from the roof creaked open, and Minato turned to see the Hokage slowly beginning to descend from the roof, his white cloaked back disappearing into the shadows of the hall. Minato watched as she turned her head towards the opened door, and after five seconds of remaining still, she picked up her heels and walked in the Hokage's direction, hair flowing out behind her. Before disappearing into the darkness, she glanced warily at Minato, frowned, then closed the door.
"Minato!"
Minato jumped as he felt a hand shake his shoulder. He turned to his teammates, who were frowning at him.
"You okay?" Dai asked him concernedly.
Minato nodded slowly. "Yeah, never better." he looked behind his shoulder, frowning. "You guys go on ahead, there's something I need to check."
Ichirou frowned in confusion. "You sure?"
"Yeah, I'll catch up with you two tomorrow for training." Minato said.
Dai and Ichirou, looked at each other with worried looks, then sighed.
"Alright then, if you're sure. See you tomorrow."
Minato watched as his teammates leaped off of the rooftop, and onto the neighboring roofs of houses, heading out to an unknown destination. Once Minato was sure that they were gone, he walked over to the door, and shot his hand out to meet the metal before it clicked back into its hinges. Slowly and quietly, he opened the door and guided it shut slowly. Taking three steps at a time, he glided down the steps, applying chakra to his feet to muffle the echo of his footsteps. Reaching the bottom of the staircase, he followed the long and circled hallway to his destination, the Hokage's office. Walking up slowly to the door, he placed his ear near the lock, and listened to the intriguing conversation inside.
"Kushina, as I'm sure you are aware, you especially must be cautious." Minato heard the Hokage speak sternly.
"Yes, I know." Kushina said, her voice dull yet affirmative.
Uzumaki Kushina, the girl who captured Minato's mind and soul since the day he saw her.
The first thing that had striked him about her was her hair, a bright vibrant cherry red that reached her hips, instantly brightening her light skin and dark sapphire eyes that blazed around the crowd of strangers. For a brief moment, her eyes landed on his, and he looked back into them with a burning curiosity. Her eyes flitted away a moment later, and she looked back down at her feet, dipping her red head to him and everyone else.
Back then, everything was simple, and yet at the same time it was difficult. The others saw something in her that Minato had yet to see, something that was worth their time of torment. Calling her names and pulling at her red hair, they bestowed upon her a reputation that she surprisingly accepted as her own, communicating with her fists rather than her words.
But, so much like the cherry blossoms in the spring who shed their uniquely colored petals upon the streets of Konoha, he was attracted to things of such unusual nature. And she was no different than the cherry blossom trees.
"Of course, I'm not guaranteeing you that anything will happen, but you know who you are, and what you carry within yourself. If you were to be taken, Konohagakure would enter a great threat."
Minato's eyes narrowed.
"Yes, I will do my best. As a jinchuriki,"
His heart began to beat rapidly.
So, it was her. Kushina was in fact the jinchuriki host of the Kyuubi, a simple girl holding a beast inside of her, one that could destroy anything or anyone in its path. Jiraiya-sensei had spoken of the Kyuubi once before, but had failed to mention who carried it currently, saying that it was even a mystery to himself.
"Yes, but also as a kunoichi of Konohagakure. This is your home, after all."
"Sure it is." Kushina said unconvincingly. "May I go?"
"Yes, you may leave." the Hokage sighed.
o-o-o-o-o-o
A flash of his desired color caught his eye, and he immediately stopped in his tracks. He leaped down from the tree branch he had halted upon, and his eyes scanned the forest floor until he saw them; laying in long wisps against the dirt; flashing their sign that he was getting closer. Slowly, he reached out and picked them up from the ground, placing them in his clenched left hand, adding to his collection. He took off once more, the long strands of red hair flowing out in his clutched hand.
o-o-o-o-o-o
Minato's eyes widened as he took in the scene before him.
The house was a mess, signs of struggle scattered all over the hallway. A few scuff marks were tattooed on the polished wooden floors; deep scratch marks embedded into the neat walls. The entire house was empty, and yet, he continued to call out her name.
"Kushina!" he yelled once more, breaking through the beaten house and out into the yard. He searched the yard, eyes frantic. The petals from the cherry blossom trees floated down around him, almost suffocating him with realization.
She was gone, and they had taken her.
All afternoon, he had a terrible stabbing feeling in his chest and stomach, Kushina's voice pushing his body out of his home and out into the streets. He couldn't describe it perfectly, but he had the horrible feeling that something was dramatically wrong.
And unfortunately, he had been correct.
Minato turned his head, and his eyes met the green lining of the dark forest, drenched in the dying light of the sunset. His eyes narrowed, and he gritted his teeth tightly, enough to crack the enamel.
Then, he saw it.
His eyes widened at the sight of them, tangled in the cherry blossom petals that flowed down onto the ground to hide the dust and dying grass. The pink of the petals were nothing compared to the brightness of the strands of hair beneath them.
Minato kneeled to the ground and picked them up between his index fingers, holding them up to catch their scarlet and gold hues in the dimming sunlight. Examining them closely, he held his breath when he spotted their jagged and broken ends, pathetically limp and separate from the main strand of hair.
She hadn't lost these hairs off her head naturally, then had been torn off, broken off.
Minato's head raised, and a few feet away he spotted more hair, pointing him towards the direction of the forest. Everything was clear.
She left him a trail to follow.
Minato looked behind him, in the direction of the Hokage tower, but narrowed his eyes. Ignoring his order to report anything suspicious, and ignoring the fact that he was forbidden to go off alone, he ran into the forest.
o-o-o-o-o-o
Target, sighted.
There were three of them, their clothing telling Minato that they were indeed from Kumo. They walked in a triangular formation, two leading in the front while one walked behind them. And in the middle, the last shinobi's body was blocking where Minato was sure she'd be. After a small breeze blew, and her hair blew out to the side, his guess was confirmed.
He jumped in a diagonal pattern, leaping off of the ground and onto the nearest tree, then quickly leaping again to the next upper branch. He watched the group as they slowly made their way towards the border, convinced that they would succeed in their plan.
The moment when the clouds swam over the moon, and the white light began to ebb away from the forest was when he attacked. He jumped down silently behind one of the Kumo ninja, and swiftly knocked him out, jabbing his neck sharply. Minato heard the grunt of pain that the shinobi emitted, and jumped away quickly, undetected. The two in front stopped abruptly, turning quickly to see their comrade on the ground. Not wasting any time, Minato lunged towards the ground once more, and took out his second opponent, who fell to the ground to join the other. The last one grabbed a kunai from his side, and backflipped away into the trees. Because he had anticipated this, Minato jumped backwards into the trees as well, his eyes targeting a branch of shaking leaves. Counting down from three in his head, he lunged forward, and attacked. The ninja flew out from the branch, and slammed into a neighboring tree, then fell to the ground.
Minato jumped down from the tree, and looked out to see Kushina.
Her hands were tied behind her back tightly, giving her no opportunity to move her arms. Her dipped head swam back and forth with her hair as she trudged forward slowly, swaying unsteadily, weakened.
"Are you alright?" he asked her.
Kushina didn't respond right away, continuing to walk forward as if she hadn't heard him speak at all. Then slowly, she stopped in her shaking footsteps, and looked up at him with a pale face and glossy eyes, sullen and hopeless. The moonlight began to appear once more, spreading out from behind her and hitting his body with its white glow, making Kushina appear as though she were a ghost.
His heart pounded with relief at his timing and success.
He smiled a genuine smile at her. "I came to rescue you."
Suddenly, her eyes began to glimmer brightly, appearing as though tears had begun to drench her eyes. A slight flush of color washed above her cheeks, and she gave Minato a weak smile.
Relief.
Then, it suddenly vanished, her eyelids dropping along with her shaking body.
Minato's smile dropped, and he lunged forward and caught her right as her knees hit the dirt, his arm buffering her fall. Her shoulders were rising and falling rapidly with exhausted breath, and Minato placed his hands on her shoulders as she began to rise from her vertical position. She looked at him with weakened eyes, and he graced her with a smile.
"Everything's going to be fine." he assured her, reaching behind her to rip off the rope that was tied around her wrists. Then, knowing that she would be took weak to head back to the village, he reached down and scooped her up into his arms, bridal style.
"Hey, wait-" Kushina protested weakly, but he ignored her as he jumped up into the trees, and then out into the air, the moonlight beating down on them. The warm air blew against their bodies as they flew above the trees.
"That's…" he heard Kushina whisper, seeing her look at Minato's hand that held her hair.
"Your hair's beautiful, so I noticed it right away." he said, which was absolutely true.
"Then..how come you're always ignoring me?" she asked softly, turning her head away from him.
He answered her right away. "It's because I know that you're strong, and that you can take care of yourself. In body and spirit."
He spoke words of truth, because they were undeniably true to him, nothing and nobody would be able to convince him that Kushina was weak. She was the strongest girl he'd ever known, and she had shown him throughout their days in the academy that she was undeniably special, even if the others had refused to see it.
The pair finally landed neatly on top of an evergreen tree, the branches sturdy enough to hold their weight.
"But still, this isn't your fight. This is between Kumo and Konoha. This is different than anything you've ever faced, and you won't face this once alone. So, I came for you."
Kushina's eyes glittered in confusion. "But, why?"
Minato smiled. "Because I didn't want to loose you."
The truth of his words hit both of them, sending vibrations into Minato's heart and glitter into Kushina's eyes.
"But," she began. "I'm an outsider-"
Minato's eyes widened. "No, You're not. You live in Konohagakure, so you're one of us, and that will never change."
He watched as Kushina's eyes began to wetten, tears budding in the corners of her eyes and shining like diamonds. Her hair flowed out behind her, making it appear longer. Her lips slowly began to stretch into a small smile, her cheeks blushing.
Minato looked off into the distance, eyes shining in the reflection of the moonlight. "Let's go back."
Gripping Kushina tighter, he leaped off of the tree, holding on to her as if she were about to slip from his grasp and never return. He pulled her head into his chest softly, feeling her soft breath against his hand. He felt her snuggle closer to him, feeling how close she was to him for the first time, filling in the space in Minato's life that had awaited to be filled.
"Minato," Kushina whispered, brining her shaking arm up around his neck and holding him tightly. "Arigatō.."
I watched episode 246 about 1000+ times when writing this, because One, it's one of my absolute favorite episodes ever, and Two, so that I could get a few details and emotions correct, because this isn't a scenario that I created myself. Thoughts? Thank you for reading! xx