Chapter - 2: Naruto Uzumaki
It was a good morning. The air was cool and fresh. There was not any sign of any heat of the summer, yet. Birds were playing around, chirping with happiness. The trees were a little shaken by the light breeze, which was passing by. Everything was quiet and peaceful.
There was no sign of any havoc anywhere.
However, there stood two people up in the mountains, looking down at the village full of people doing their usual chores around. The view of the village from up there was splendid. However, to the visitors on the mountain it was not a welcoming site. Their faces were marred with disgust and pity.
"Look at them." One of them said. His voice was full of sympathy, "How mundanely they live. There is no worthy shinobi between them. I must change that."
The other man did not say a ward. His eyes fixed on the village below.
The person - who had spoken before - continued, "I must bring out the warrior inside them. I must show them what they can achieve." He kept saying monotonously, as if he was chanting the words to himself, "I shall conquer this village tonight."
For Minato Namikaze, today was an odd day. It was just a normal day like any other. There were reports piled up on his desks. His wife Kushina was had only few weeks left before she had their son. Minato was still happening for a way to have the legendary Tsunade come back at the village for the delivery. He even put Jiraya on this task, because he had way of getting to her. So far, there was not any result,
Minato also dispatched a lot of team for missions around the village and outside. It was like any normal day for him. Yet there was something different today. Everything felt wrong. Everything was too quiet today.
It was like the calm before the storm.
He looked down at the latter he was writing. It was suppose to be sent to a feudal lord replying that Konohagakure would accept the mission he had given. And Minato had not written one ward. The latter was supposed to be delivered before nightfall.
When the door of his busted open, he stopped his musing and looked at his visitor angrily. "What's it now?" He shouted at the ANBU standing at the door, "I told you, the latter will take some time to finish."
The ANBU shinobi coughed mildly, and then calmly said, "My lord, I'm not here for the latter. I came to inform you that Lord Jiraiya is back. We believe he's also bought Lady Tsunade with him. They will reach you office in right about now."
In addition, the two figures stepped inside office. The ANBU left then.
Minato's eyes first landed on his white hair – creepy looking Sensei then on the blond hair women with a very young face for her age, which Minato guessed was about forty.
"So you are the great Yellow Fish, Minato Namikaze." Her face was full of mocking enthusiasm, voice slurred because of the alcohol she was consuming right in front of them.
Minato immediately regretted for asking her to come. He was sure she was not going to be fit as a medic for his wife. "Yes." He tried to hide his inner turmoil but both the sanins were not be fooled.
"You want me to leave, hmmm?" A sadistic smile crossed her face.
"NO!" both the men replied at the same time. It was true that she was not what Minato expected her to be. However, she was legendary for her medical ability as well as her superhuman strength. Both of this ability was needed for the birth of his son.
"I thought so." She smirked and sat down on one of the chair as if she owned the place, "Now tell me about this girl. Sakura Haruno, right?"
Minato looked accusingly at his sensei, who smiled and looked away. "What about her? She is the newest addition of the Haruno family who owns a small clothing business."
"Yes. But it's not every day, that a normal business-class family secretly adopts a daughter and who was born just outside the village in questionable circumstances." Her eyes held the faces of her shell-shocked listeners. "No…Jiraiya didn't tell me all of this. I just know things, after all this is my village. Now who's going to tell me what really is going on around here and take me to see this girl?"
Minato sat down on his chair and looked at her for few moments contemplating on what to do. He then sighed breaking the tension floating around room, "I met the girl's father few years back, right before I became the Hokage. I was on a mission and we crossed paths (not telling you how though), and then we were well acquainted. Few months ago, he wrote to me that he wanted a safe sanctuary for his wife and unborn child inside our village. He would leave them in the village and will take them with him when he was sure it was safe for them." He looked down at the desk, "However, they were attacked and assassinated before we could help them. The girl must have born during the fight or few moments before. Our team were only able retrieve her. They've sworn to secrecy with Jiraiya and me. So you won't know any more than this."
He looked her in eyes again, "You must understand that you're a traveling shinobi. Even though, you're aligned with the Konohagakure, you still deal with a lot of other nations. And whoever was after them, if they get the wind of this; it would put the girl in danger."
"Hmmm." She looked at him thoughtfully, "Still I wish to see her. Then I'll see your wife."
Minato, Jiraiya and Tsunade were standing inside the Haruno household facing the Haruno couple. There was an awkward silence in the room. No one was saying a ward to each other. A very faint sound of a child's deep breathing was looming around.
"Soo..." Minato started, "Remember Tsunade-sama, there will be no discussion about the child's true parentage or birth. And you're allowed to diagnose her health, but you have to report to me."
Then he turned to the anxious parents, "You two must remember that nobody knows of our visit at your house. We sneaked in and will be out at no time."
The Haruno couple nodded. They led the legendary sannin through the hall, into a room where little Sakura Haruno slept peacefully.
Tsunade stood beside the cot and watched the child. "My! She has a big forehead. Sing of a good brain." As if sensing that someone was watching her, the girl opened her eyes and Tsunade grasped as a new sensation passed through her body. "I would like to be alone with her."
It was after thirty minutes when she emerged from the room and joined the waiting party of four.
"Well the child's as healthy as she can be." She stated, "Haruno-san, you are unable to have anymore child, right? Don't worry. She's going to be a handful. Your all attention would be greatly needed by her. Let us move now, Hokage-sama. I wish to see your wife before dinner." And with that she walked out.
Both Minato and Jiraiya followed her; with mixed feeling of curious, and fear that she might have figured out the truth. The three of them walked side by side in silence on the empty street.
"So, the child's related to Kizashi Haruno." After sometime Tsunade said, "Interesting. It would be very ease to hide her identity. After all she does have the same colour of hair as Kizashi."
"Anything else you had found out?" Jiraiya, who was a silent observer today, finally asked.
"She's a great chakra control." She smirked, "It's amazing that only a two month child can have such exceptional ability." She then stopped and looked at both of them with a very enthusiastic expression, "Her chakra control is so natural that she was able hide something from me. There something she's hiding inside her and that chakra control is only just a camouflage. That baby's extraordinary."
Minato was about to reply when a building blasted not far from them.
They were dumbstruck for few seconds until they realized that the something was defiantly wrong. An ANBU appeared to them suddenly, "Hokage-sama, we've been looking all over for you. The village is under attack."
Another building was turned into dust as the Jonins and ANBU fighting the enemy nins. The chunins were busy helping the civilians to get to the safe cabins hidden in the Hokage Mountain. They were just waiting for the Hokage's order of evacuation.
Jiraiya and Tsunade were already battling the enemy with all they had. Minato was in the office with his very pregnant wife, Kushina. He was ordering people around and was heavily taking report from the ninjas who came to him. So far, it was not determined who attacked his village.
"Minato!" Suddenly his wife screamed, "There something wrong with the baby!" She was clutching her stomach and her face was full of pain.
"Someone get Tsunade." Minato screamed. Nevertheless, before anyone could do anything the ceiling collapsed on the room separating him from his wife.
"Kushina!" He kept screaming while the remaining ninjas with kept moving the bricks from the rubble.
"No! Stop! Stop! What are you doing?!" Kushina's scream came from the other side.
Minato's blood ran cold. He and the others worked more hurriedly to clear their way through. When they were able to get to the other side they found few ninja's lying around dead and Kushina was gone.
At that time, Tsunade and Jiraiya came in.
"Someone took her!" Minato shouted, "Someone took my wife!"
A roar then was heard and the remaining parts of building started to shake.
"An earthquake?!" one of the ninja said while both Minato and Jiraiya looked at Tsunade accusingly.
"What? I didn't do anything." Tsunade looked a bit guilty. "All right! How about I look for Kushina while you two look for..." another roar was heard, then another and kept on going.
Shikaku Nara entered came to them, "Sir! You must go outside. This isn't we have seen before. We believe..." He looked at the waiting crowd, "We believe that we have been attacked by the Nine-tail Fox!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi stood looking at destructed village. Every jutsu was failing now. Soldiers were scattered around, dodging the beast's paws and tails. The red chakra that licked out from the Fox was burning those who got too close to it. Most of his jutsu had failed to injure the Kyuubi. It was a hopeless case. People were losing their live.
The numbers of the dead were piling up. Some shinobi were parents, some were sons and daughters of somebody. Moreover, they were all dying too young. They had to leave their loved one behind and depart from this world too soon.
Today was very happy day for him. He was going to see his two old students but instead he was fending off the village from a formidable enemy.
"What's the situation, Sarutobi-sama?" Minato Namikaze and Jiraya joined him on one of the rooftop. Their faces full of worry and irritations.
"The genin too have joined the chunin to help with the evacuation." Hiruzen replied, "All the team who were dispatched outside village on mission is on their way to back. However, the teams that are very far from the village, they cannot come back until tomorrow. Messages are sent to them. Alliance villages had received our massages but they aren't coming. Their excuse is that they don't have enough manpower right now to help us. Most of their forces are on missions. And those who are at home are there for protection."
"So we are on our own." Jiraiya ruefully said, "What's the point in having alliance when they won't come for help when we need them."
"What about the clans of our village?" Minato's eyes fixed on the Kyuubi.
"Most of the clans have joined in the fight. Few of their members are outside village on mission. Nevertheless, they have had their hair, women, children and old evacuated. They are not taking any chances." Hiruzen's eyes narrowed, "One of the clan is acting out of their character though."
"Which clan?" Both Jiraiya and Minato looked at him suspiciously.
"The Uchiha clan." Hiruzen removed his smoking pipe from his mouth, "The Uchiha police force, instead of joining the fight, are helping with evacuation. Your student Obito Uchiha forced to join the evacuating teams. I saw Kakashi Hatake and Rin Nohara joining the fight. Hyuuga clan made sure all their warriors have joined in here. But the Uchiha clan didn't , even with their Sharingan and advanced jutsu has come to help. Oddest of them all is that, their clan hasn't evacuated the village."
"And what of the enemy ninjas that attacked the village?" Jiraiya asked, looking for them.
Hiruzen smiled and then said, "They disappeared as soon as the Kyuubi was released."
Tsunade was running with full speed. Kushina had a very strong chakra and Tsunade was hoping to find her by tracking it. Both Jiraiya and Minato were busy fighting the Kyuubi. Minato had already ordered for the villagers' evacuation. Distress signal was sent to other villages but no one had come to help. Tsunade was sure that they were betrayed. It was going to be the night of the unbeatable Konoha's downfall. Tears tickled down from her eyes as she ran forward. Her home was being destroyed.
Suddenly she felt like it was all Minato's fault for bringing Kushina Uzumaki into this village. Her anger turned into great sorrow. Her clan had done so much to build this village and all was going to be diminished tonight by a monster.
Then she felt the chakra, Kushina's chakra. She ran towards it and finally she found Kushina lying on some rubble, groaning with pain.
"Kushina-san?" Tsunade approached her and held the woman in her arm.
"Tsunade-hime, that man! That man with blazing Sharingan...he... he released the Kyuubi inside me." She sobbed, "And ...an' my baby's comin'. Please help."
Whether she asked Tsunade to help the village or her, Tsunade did not understand but she did what she thought was right and the boy named Naruto Uzumaki was born. Tsunade did not know at that time, that the boy was going to create a history far greater than her clan did.
Minato was fighting the Nine-tail Fox for a long time. He was fatally injured yet the Fox was not even scratched by them. Many of his shinobi had fallen. Moreover, if this went on he too would be taking his last breath. Once a beautiful village was now a bloody mass decorated with rubbles and dead bodies. The sound of gowning and crying was everywhere.
"I thought you had control over the damned Fox, Minato?" Jiraiya said as he dodged a tail aimed at him. He was out of breath by now.
"I do. But it's somehow released from my jutsu." Minato attacked it with a big globe of Rasengan but the cunning Fox dodged it. "How did it get out of Kushina's body? The seal I placed won't weaken unless she is in labor."
"There's no time to contemplate on it. We must do something to defeat it." Jiraiya was not able to finish the word as he was tossed away by one a tail.
It was after a long time that Jiraiya was able to stand beside Minato, "I just talked to one of Tsunade's slugs. Your son Naruto Uzumaki has been born but Kushina might not make it. If she dies then we won't be able to seal Fox inside her, again. He's too strong for anyone else."
"Are you implying that we seal it inside my son?" Minato was very angry. This was not how he had planned the birth of his son.
"Yes. He has Kushina's bloodline," Jiraiya calmly stated. He knew it was a coldblooded thing to do but he had to say it. Many lives were lost tonight and if a newborn child was their only salvation, then why not use it. That was how he was justifying himself tonight. "According to Tsunade, Naruto has a very strong and healthy body."
"Are saying that I sacrifice my own child for the sake of the village?" Minato was on verge of collapsing. His eyes fixed on the shinobi killed by the beast.
"Did you not oath to do that?" Jiraiya asked.
"I..." Minato said not another ward and attacked the Fox again with strongest jutsu.
Jiraiya sent ward for Tsunade to bring child to them. He knew this was very cruel thing to do. But many lives were at stake and as people said – 'All for one and one for all'.
Minato was having a hard time getting the Fox under. It was very strong. He doubted if he could seal the beast. He felt like crying. He had not even held his son, the son he was going sacrifice to this monster. If there was any God in this world, then He was very cruel for putting both his wife and son into such fate.
Minato wanted run away with his family and hide them far away. He now understood what Yoshiro Haruno was going through when he asked for help.
The urge to protect one's family is so strong that it wins over duty.
Nevertheless, it was too late to run. The village was depending on the Hokage Minato Namikaze,i who swore to protect Konohagakure, the hidden ninja village of Fire country with his life. He was father to Naruto Uzumaki later.
Their fate was decided.
With new determination, he started the sealing jutsu. He was going to do the jutsu all alone. No one else was needed to be part of the crime he was committing by using his own innocent child. Nobody needed to have such heavy burden on his or her shoulder. Minato knew that with his injuries and doing this jutsu he was putting himself in danger. He deserved it for not being strong enough to protect his own child. He wondered if he would be even able protect Yoshiro Haruno's child.
He found it funny that he was finally empathising with Yoshiro Haruno. He should not have done that though. Yoshiro Haruno was strong enough in mind to go at any length for his child but Minato Namikaze was not that strong. He was a coward and he should be ashamed to call himself a husband and a father. Yoshiro Haruno fought until the very end to protect his child and Minato was going sacrifice his own son.
They were incomparable.
Tsunade had already reached the vicinity and had laid the baby on the ground. The child was covered with a blanket. He was crying with all his might.
Minato tried to block the sound out. The Fox took opportunity of the Hokage's distraction and tried to claw at him. Minato heard many loud grasp but did not look at them. His attention was on the force around him.
Someone was with him. He could not see them; but he felt their presence. Someone had blocked the attack. Someone had saved him. Someone, who did not had a body for him to see; whose chakra was invincible. The heir in his neck stood up, his blood ran cold. Someone was fighting the Fox and nobody could see it but him.
He shook himself. Now was not the time to think this way. There was someone, who was helping him and Minato should take his chance.
He started the sealing jutsu all over again. His whole body was in pain but he was not going to stop.
The Fox was now in a sedate mood. Minato took advantage of this and trapped the beast inside the sealing hook. Next, he went to the child and his eyes met the blue one of his son.
"Hokage-sama?" Tsunade was confused by Minato's action. "I'm sorry but you wife has passed on. I know you're in grief but now is not the time to bond with your son. You can hold him after you've sealed the beast."
"The beast will be sealed inside Naruto, Tsunade-hime."
"That's monstrous, Minato." Her voice was full of anger, "You cannot put this burden on a child." She turned to her old teacher who had joined them at last, "Hiruzen-sensei stop this."
"He has to." Jiraiya stepped in, "He is Kushina's flesh and blood. He will make the perfect vessel for the Kyuubi."
"Have you all gone mad?" She looked at them and the few clan leaders who had joined them. The Hyuga, the Nara clan and the other clan heads were silently agreeing with this. The head of the Uchiha clan, Fugaku Uchiha had finally joined them and he too was in agreement. "Do whatever you like then." She moved and started to heal the fallen shinobis lying around.
Minato continued what he was doing. "Do you have to this?" The wind whispered around him. Therefore, the body-less person was still here. Minato looked at Jiraiya, and it looked like his master had not heard it neither the others.
"Yes." Minato murmured, "I haven't got a choice. This is the right thing to do." There was no reply from that person. Minato sighed with relief. He was not going to let an invisible person ruin his hard-earned determination for putting his own child in this.
"You think you can seal me eh, ninken?" A rough murmur was heard this time. And everyone this time heard it. "You think you can seal me inside a little boy. Do that, but I'll come back" THe Kyuubi roared.
It won't happen. Minato took one last looked at the boy's face. Naruto had inherited his hair and eyes but the child's facial structure was like is mother. He was going to be just like is mother, of that Minato was sure. Too bad Minato was not going see this; he would be long dead.
The happy face of Kushina flushed in his eyes, and then his smiling pupils Kakashi, Obito and Rin came to his mind. The laughing villagers, the day when he became the Hokage, the time he met Kushina, his day as apprentices of Jiraiya were playing in his eyes like a film. Even the night when he was saved by Yoshiro Haruno and the first time when he held Sakura Haruno in his arms were much cherished memory to him.
He finally completed the sealing jutsu. A red ball of light covered him at first, and then the ball started expanding covering the whole village. Everyone put their hands in the eyes to block the glowing light. The light lasted for few minutes. When it was gone, they saw Minato Namikaze lying beside his son.
Jiraiya and Tsunade quickly went to his side. Naruto crying his heart out while his father breathed forcefully. Tsunade picked up little Naruto up and looked him. The sign of the sealing jutsu was bright and red in his navel. She looked down at Minato with a hate and pity.
"There was someone else who defeated the Fox." Minato's word stunned both the saints. "I think nobody saw the person. The person was strong enough to..." he was coughing blood. Jiraiya started rub his hands on Minato back as he helped Minato sit up.
"Master Jiraiya...you must make sure that my son becomes a great man who will be worshipped by not only Konohagakure, but the whole world. Naruto is now your ward. I think e might be the savior of the world that you have been looking for." He then turned to Tsunade, "Hime-sama, I know what I did tonight..." he coughed again, "was wrong. I don't have the right to ask, still I'm putting Sakura Haruno in your care. When the time's right, you have to take her under your wings. Sarutobi-sama, you must protect them."
"Why?" Tsunade asked. Her one hand busy healing the Hokage but she knew it was off no use. He has met his end.
The Fourth Hokage of Konohagakure, hidden ninja village of Fire Country, Minato Namikaze had a last a laughter and said, "Because Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno are going to be the heroes who will make their own history."
A/N: Here it is a brand new chapter Haru Na Shidarezakura. It's about the Great Naruto Uzumaki.
Previously I wanted to name the chapter something else highlighting Minato Namikaze but I decided 'Naruto Uzumaki' was the perfect name.
I hope you all liked it. Can you guess what's coming next?
Please review and add this story on your favorite and following list.
Thank you to those who read this already.