AN: Enjoy the second chapter! My apologies for any misspellings. I don't have a beta so I proof for myself.
Edited: 8/14/2014
Duet
2
Friday, October 10, Year 400 NE
10:34 pm
The day had gone by horrifyingly slow for one Namikaze Minato. The Fourth had been waiting in anticipation as today was the day his child was scheduled to be born, thanks to Tsunade-sama's expertise. The Fourth Hokage felt the day couldn't have gone any slower. But he waited agonizingly, wondering when his wife would go into labor. A deep chuckle from within his mind reminded him to remain patient and he listened to it, grudgingly of course.
His two students, Hatake Kakashi and Uchiha Obito had visited him throughout the day while he was handling the paperwork war. Both teens were excited in their own way about the news of their sensei's child. Obito pointedly made it fact that he'd be his child's jonin sensei when they became a genin. Kakashi's response to that remark caused the two to argue again, throwing insults at one another such as 'dobe' and 'idiot' from Kakashi, and from Obito's mouth, 'teme' and baka'. Minato had sighed and dismissed his students from his office, much to their ire.
Nobody in Konohagakure knew about Minato's personal life. In fact, none knew he was married to his lovely with, Uzumaki Kushina, or the fact he is distantly related to the Nidaime Hokage, Senju Tobirama. Popular belief had led the world to believe the man never had children, but that was incorrect. None knew he was going to be a father soon, nor did they know the other secret of his.
Namikaze Minato was also the Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails, the Kyuubi no Kitsune.
Only the Sandaime, his teacher, Jiraya the Toad Sage, Kushina and his two students knew of his status as a Jinchuriki. Unfortunately, so does the council but because the transfer process from Mito-sama, Senju Hashirama's wife, had been successful when done, nobody viewed the blond with malice or ill-will intentions as he grew up in the village. It had been a hard battle for Minato to win the darned fox's minimal trust over the years, but thanks to his diluted Senju blood, the demon had calmed down and sometimes lifted a claw to assist his container whenever he could.
As he had been working for most of the day into the night, it was at 10:47 at night when one Uchiha Obito had barged into his office, bringing in a nurse maid for Kushina, stating his wife's water broke and she was going into labor. Faster than anyone could say "Free Ramen", Minato had Hiraishin'd straight to Kushina's location. For privacy's sake, they were located in one of Minato's hidden safe houses just outside of the village. He didn't want any prying eyes knowing of Kushina's pregnancy, especially this. Sarutobi Biwako, his predecessor's wife and a few others were working as nurse maid's to help deliver the baby. Minato had stayed by his wife's side the entire ordeal, sweating and panicking.
This was it.
He was going to be a father.
12:25 am
"Congratulations, Hokage-sama, Uzumaki-san, it's a healthy baby boy!" one of the nurse maids, Taiji, exclaimed happily. Minato's heart nearly jumped out in sheer joy at the news; his beaming face couldn't be any brighter than the sun itself. His cerulean eyes glanced at his panting wife, keeping hold of his hand to hers. The wailing child's voice was music to his ears; it only meant his newborn son was alive, breathing, and with them now.
"Kushina...did you hear that? It's a boy," the blond whispered gleefully, unable to contain the excitement. He gently brushed some of her sweat-matted auburn locks from her face, smiling when he did. The red-haired woman's eyes opened slowly, but the beauty of their gentle, blue-green hue, found themselves attached to her husband's own eyes, returning the smile; it was weak but genuine.
"...Yes... O-our... little Naruto..." She breathed out, remembering the name they decided on a few weeks ago.
Once the wailing infant was cleaned off and checked, he was wrapped in a soft, blue blanket and presented to the anxious parents, courtesy of Biwako. "Hokage-sama," she said with a smile and light bow, handing the now-father his child. Almost as if the babe were made out of precious China glass, Minato awkwardly accepted the bundle of joy that changed his life a mere few minutes ago. The Sandaime's wife gently corrected his error of holding the infant, which Minato blushed in embarrassment. Well, it was his first time so he had a small excuse for the slip up.
He brought the baby to Kushina, to allow her to hold him. His son had bright, blond hair just like his. The baby's complexion was tanned, similarly to his own, but by shade darker to resemble his wife's. He even had adorable little birthmarks that seemed familiar; where'd he seen those before.
And that's when he remembered the fox that was sealed within him. Weird occurrence, but oh well. He personally didn't care. This was his little boy who he was going to spoil, train, and raise into a strong shinobi and pass down all his jutsu. He was going to be there when his son begins to crawl, when he takes his first steps, when he graduates from the Academy, when he gets his first girlfriend, and be there for him when he needs a shoulder to lean on.
He wouldn't have to do it alone, of course. He had his beautiful wife with him.
"Naruto, you're so beautiful. You're going to grow up to be a handsome young man one day. Just like your father." Kushina cooed lovingly to her little man, adoring the way he was sleeping. He had finally calmed down not long ago. He was so small, so fragile, and she kept him close to her. Minato chuckled in agreement to the comparison. Given how similar he and Naruto already looked, he was certain his son would turn out handsome. The new family of three remained there in comfort, just by themselves, savoring the moment in harmony.
They were cluelessly unaware of the danger that was vastly approaching.
1:39 am
Around Konoha
Minato swore colorfully with every word he could think of.
Right now, he was bounding from branch to branch, a bundle in his arms secured tightly as he maneuvered through the trees. He also had another in his other arm, unconscious. It was a little boy with strikingly similar blond hair to his own and wearing clothes that were many sizes too large for him. His son was wailing uncontrollably, as he had been disturbed from his sleep. Not to mention, he was hungry and irritated. Minato gave his son a glance which held concern and worry. Not even a few minutes ago was he and his wife enjoying their moment of peace with their newborn son.
It was interrupted by a spike of chakra and before he could use his Hiraishin, a deadly explosion erupted from above them. The safehouse—no longer safe, now—collapsed on them. It was tragic; Sarutobi's wife was heavily injured, and eventually succumbed to them, the other nurse maids were killed. They were only civilians, after all. Then Kushina. Minato clenched his teeth when he recalled it, that horrifying memory.
-Flashback no Jutsu-
A man adorned in a long, black cloak with strange, dark blue clouds designed on it approached through the debris of the collapsed structure. His face was covered with a swirling, orange mask that covered his entire face, which revealed only his eyes. They were red and daring, full of malicious intent. His short hair seemed like a dark-brown to black color, and he carried himself as if he owned the place.
Minato had just shielded his family from the sudden attack, utilizing the Kyuubi's cloak mode. His entire form was flickering in a warm, orange glow while his eyes were red with the Kyuubi's slitted influence in them. His hair had long since spiked up, with a few strands purposefully flowing upwards in the shape of what appeared to be a reminiscent sense of fox ears. Upon his back were black markings that formed a half circle shape. Six magatama around his collar bone and upon the flaps of his coat. Thick, black markings ran down his "body suit"; they stretched from his chest all the way to his legs. His hands also had the same markings as well.
There was a swirl in the center of his chest, which was his seal where the Kyuubi's chakra mainly resided.
In his arms was a crying Naruto, who was disturbed.
"Kyuubi Jinchuriki," the mysterious man said, his voice deep and baleful. Minato could sense it, thanks to the bijuu he was currently housing. "Give yourself up and allow me to have the demon within you."
"No." the cloaked blond bluntly replied. If this fool thought he'd willingly give himself up to have the Kyuubi extracted from him, he was crazy. Who outright gave themselves up like that? The masked intruder didn't seem phased by the former blond's snippy response and chuckled darkly. The Hokage didn't like where it was going.
"You seem to misunderstand," he said, being awfully calm about the tense situation. His eyes flashed—Minato could see the swirl of the tomoe, noting that this man had the Sharingan—and from nowhere, a vortex appeared and out of the strange phenomenon, a familiar face and hair of red caught his eye. No...no way...!
"Kushina!" Minato yelled. This bastard somehow captured his wife and holding her hostage. How did he? She had just been with him!
"Hm, now you see the severity of the situation, Jinchuriki." The man started up again, jerking the Uzumaki woman up by her hair. Kushina painfully cried out. She was too weak to move, to fight back, after having given birth to her son just an hour ago. Her soft whimpers made Minato snarl in fury. Normally, he was calm and composed, no matter the situation, but now...Now that his wife and his child were in danger, he couldn't help but give into the feral rage that was sidling up for control. No, it wasn't just the Kyuubi's virulent nature.
It came from both him and its container.
"Let her go." Minato growled out, keeping his son protectively in his arms. The child was still crying out loudly, for attention, for his aching hunger and because he could sense the distress of his father.
The masked man chuckled again. "Now, now, you know I can't do that. But I'm willing to trade. Give yourself up to me and I'll release your harpy wench and claim no harm to your spawn." He tilted his head in mock curiosity. "Isn't that a fair trade, hm? Hokage-sama?" He was taunting him, Minato knew it. The trade was false, he could tell. There was no way that man would simply leave after he had his way with him. He would mercilessly slaughter his wife, his predecessor's wife and his newborn son without so much as blinking. This man, this Uchiha, couldn't be trusted. Not after everything he's done so far.
Thank goodness he could sense emotions in this form easily. "You lie," Minato hissed. "You will kill them both regardless of my decision."
The Uchiha intruder snorted, as if he were amused, but stared back at his target. "It appears the fox has enhanced your senses. It has been known to sense the ill will and evil intentions within us human and others. Not only are you gifted with its speed and power, but its abilities... And you're in perfect sync with that demon as well."
Minato's hold on his son tightened as he saw those deadly Sharingan eyes glare at his infant child. There was no way in hell he'd even let the man lay a finger on his son. The Fourth snarled again when the Uchiha also tightened his grip on Kushina's hair, jerking her back, making her cry out in agony once again. This didn't sit well with the Fourth. Not one bit.
"I won't say this again. Let. Her. Go."
"Hmph. You still don't realize your predicament, Kyuubi container. I'm the one pulling the strings here. Either surrender yourself, or I will take your son and your wife and kill them both. With no mercy."
The man was met with a well deserved growl, from both the container and the demon within him. He was well aware of the Kyuubi's past with Uchiha Madara, and had come to the conclusion that the beast had somehow warned its host of his presence. Not only that, their perfect sync was becoming a nuisance. The stronger a bond with the demon, the harder it is to extract from the host. Still, he knew if he could emotionally break the Jinchuriki for even a fraction of a second, he would be completely vulnerable, long enough for him to forcibly remove the bijuu. And he already had one ace up his sleeve; why not another?
Minato's eyes narrowed further, teeth clenched together as the feral, animalistic snarl rumbled from his vocals. This bastard... How dare he?!
"Very well. If you won't choose..." The man's eyes, the tomoe in both began spinning, shifting into another shape entirely. Minato was already on edge, anticipating anything. He wouldn't let anyone get hurt. His wife needed him. "I'll choose for you!" The annoying masked Uchiha's eyes stopped spinning and suddenly, the air seemed to shift. The Fourth saw that things around him were distorting and twisting, and the focus seemed to go towards both his opponent's eyes. It struck him as odd that he was using this strange time-space ninjutsu, much like his kekkai genkai, the Hiraishin.
Acting quickly, Minato evaded by flashing away, carrying his crying son with him. He attempted to get close while gripping a kunai in his other, unoccupied hand, and strike the fool down. Just as he tried, he seemed to have gone right through him, as if he weren't there! What the? Sensing an oncoming attack, the Fourth twisted out of the way, avoiding the Uchiha's sickle blade that would have torn into his back. 'How did he do that...?' he wondered, now blocking an attack and repelled a kick that was aimed for his head.
"Minato, do not stare into his eyes. Those are the accursed eyes, the ones that bastard Uchiha Madara used on me in the past. The Sharingan. It only takes a second for the technique to take effect and he will slip into your mindscape and rip me out of you in a heartbeat." Kyuubi's deep voice advised his host, watching and alerting the blond whenever the sneaky upstart would try to pull a fast one. Despite the fact he did want freedom, he couldn't help but admire the strength of his current host. And he'd rather be caged in by a Senju descendant than under a possession by the damned Uchiha.
Kushina's cries of pain weren't helping Minato focus correctly, ashamed as he would admit it, but not aloud though. It pained him to see her in that man's grasp. No matter how he used his bloodlimit, the masked Uchiha would have the upper hand in repelling him away from her. Damn it! She needed him right now! Naruto's wailing also made this fight harder. There was no way he was going to put his precious son down where he would be susceptible to their attacks. 'Kami, there's got to be a way to beat this man.'
"What's wrong, Mina-chan?" The man asked, taunting the Hokage once again. It didn't have its desired effect of enraging the Yellow Flash, but he did get him to stiffen from the nickname—something he'd allow only his wife to call him. It was the best he'd get out of the infuriating Jinchuriki anyway. "Don't you care about your wench?"
Minato kept his distance from the bastard, knowing he was trying to play on his emotions. Granted, they were having some effect on him. He's still human after all and it normally doesn't take a human long enough to snap and go ballistic. Before the Fourth could do anything, the man's eyes began twisting the dimensions again, but instead of things going in, something was coming out. What?
"It appears the summon completed itself," The Uchiha said with a dark chuckle attached. That didn't seem to bode very well. "I no longer have time to play with you, Namikaze Minato. It appears my new Kyuubi Jinchuriki will supply me with the same desire and plans." What was he saying? What? Was he implying there are two Kyuubi out there?
Coming out of the man's eyes was a swirl of yellow which began to form into a small body. When it was completely out, whatever it was, Minato froze. Lying on the ground was a boy with shockingly similar blond hair—a tiny shade brighter than his own—and wearing clothes thrice his size, ripped to accommodate his tiny form and barefooted. His heart was pounding; he felt he knew this kid from the bottom of his heart, but he couldn't figure out why or where. Things just got more complicated. "Ah, there it is. It's perfect, too. A small child that also houses the Kyuubi." The man said as he eyed up the unconscious boy hungrily. The mere thought made the Hokage cringe. "Now then. Time to take my prize and unleash the beast—"
"No!" Minato and surprisingly Kushina, shouted simultaneously. The Fourth instantly flashed towards the man.
Several things happened in that split second.
The man grabbed the boy, his hand just barely over where a seal was at upon his stomach, but Minato's Hiraishin allowed him to snatch him. Kushina cried out to him as she had been released.
The man's hand came from somewhere—nowhere, literally—from in front of Minato and pushed into his chest. The blond Hokage made a fatal error and stared into the Uchiha's eyes for only a split second. His own began spinning in the same pattern, the small sign of semi-possession. He felt the bastard entering his mind and taking hold the the Kyuubi. Minato's cloaked form began to flicker out, on and off like a switch.
Before the entire beast was pulled all the way out, Kushina had used her remaining strength to knock the man away from her husband, canceling the effects of the Sharingan. The bastard, angered that he didn't get the entire demon fox, used this chance to callously gruesomely impale the red-haired woman through her chest using his chained sickle.
Now, there was a half-its-normal-size Kyuubi free, under the possession of the Uchiha. Minato still stood despite having the tailed beast being partially extracted from him. The Kyuubi that was now raging towards Konoha under the man's control. Damn it. Damn it!
'Kyuubi...how are you holding up?' Minato thought, worried for the companion he had bonded with.
"...Just weary a little. He took a fuck ton of chakra out of me when he began pulling me out. But, I am fine. I'll need to recharge my chakra for a while, I advise you to get out of the Bijuu mode for the time being. I will let you know when I have replenished." The Nine-Tailed demon said, sitting up in a meditative position, his front paws closed together and eyes shut. Minato sent him a mental nod and returned to his normal form. The darkness that surrounded him before, having been illuminated by his light, regressed back and the surrounding area dulled. He knew the masked teme was going for the village and he had to stop him. But...Kushina.
The Yellow Flash wasn't stupid to believe his wife survived that attack. It had been a direct hit, fatal. Little Naruto began wailing again at the discomfort, crying his little eyes out. The sound seemed to have alerted Kushina, as she sluggishly opened her eyes to see her husband standing over her. She offered him an even weaker smile.
"K-Kushina..."
"Minato... P-please. Don't look at me...that way." She was struggling to keep talking. She was happy that her husband was still alive. That extraction, had it been complete, would have killed him, and it would have left their son abandoned in the company of that madman. There was a flicker in her eyes when she saw her crying baby cradled protectively in his arms. "...Naruto..."
"He is all right, just shaken up from everything that's happened so far. He's...He's a tough boy. He's our boy, remember?"
Kushina simply nodded. Then, her gaze went from her son to the other little blond. For some reason, she knew who this boy was. She didn't know it, but at the same time, she did. The moment she saw her baby, her maternal instinct had activated, of sorts. She had only seen the kid's face for a few seconds before she had been impaled and that's when it clicked. That little boy, who looked no more than five or six years old, was her son—their son. Somehow, he was. She just...knew. There was no mistake about it. He had the same shade of hair like her newborn son, and his skin complexion was the same. Even those whisker marks that donned his cheeks.
Everything about him was the same as her little prince.
And, she couldn't stay with either of them.
Tears were building in her eyes as she looked forlornly at both of her boys and her husband. She knew she was on borrowed time, and wanted to make it last. She motioned for Minato to let her have her infant son for one more time. One last time. She cooed to him, allowed her hand to smooth over his already soft skin. The baby sensed her comforting presence and slowly began to calm down, his angry cries for attention being fulfilled.
What surprised Minato next was that Kushina had brushed the hair of the boy in his arms. She looked at the strange child lovingly, like she knew him. That was odd. "Kushina?"
"Minato... I'm sorry... I'm... I know this will cause you nothing but pain. I...I can't... But, please...don't leave Naruto. He may never have his mother...but to lose his father as well..." Here, she coughed up blood, her body trembled from the bitter, coppery taste of the fluid that rolled out of her mouth. Seeing his wife like this was hurting Minato so much, but he allowed her to continue speaking. It was unfortunately going to be her last. It was hard to accept but there was nothing he could do about this except listen to her soft voice. "Promise, Minato. Promise me that...that you'll take care of them...Our Naruto. Both of them."
Minato looked at her quizzically. Both of them? There were two Naruto? But, he had seen the whole birth and labor and everything. He didn't see two babies come out. "Both?" He asked softly. His beloved smiled again, her focus on the smaller boy's form. Minato followed it and studied him closely, making the facial comparisons. First, the boy had the hair, of course, and the skin complexion like his newborn son. And oddly enough, there were those whisker marks, just like his Naruto. This was...peculiar. How could this be their son when the newborn was just right here, in his arms again? This wasn't making sense. Unless that bastard Uchiha was trying to trick him and goad him into another rage again. Probably a well planned genjutsu, too.
These angry thoughts were halted by the Kyuubi.
"No, Minato. That...boy. It's not a genjutsu. I can sense something in him. It's my own power, definitely. He carries your scent and your mate's. There is no lie in that small boy, however, it is possible that Uchiha bastard brought him here unwillingly." Kyuubi replied, pausing as he was gathering his thoughts. "I can sense that he is not of this...time. It may sound farfetched, but his presence equals that of your newborn kit. It is one in the same, but he may have been summoned, ripped out of his own time by that man. If you remember, he mentioned something about having a 'new' Kyuubi Jinchuriki. This kid might be it."
This made Minato pause for a quick second. '...I can't even wrap my head around this. You're saying this is my son, or my would-be son?' Did that mean his son was also a Jinchuriki, too?
"That's exactly what I'm saying, Minato. Use your head, boy. You're much smarter than this. Because I can sense my own presence within him, it may cause an imbalance to the Elemental Nations. There's a way for it to balance it out." Minato waited silently for the bijuu to continue, giving him a mental nod. "You need to modify your seal into filtering my chakra to merge with yours. This will essentially 'kill' me as my powers will be yours to command at will, including that form you take, as well as heightening your senses. But I will cease to exist in this body. You and I will be one this way."
The blond frowned at that, but nodded regardless. If it would thwart the Uchiha's plans, whatever they are, and keep the world balanced then he'd do it. For his village, for the world and for the friend that had been sealed inside him since he was nine years old. He looked at Kushina one more time, their eyes met for the final time. Both whispered their love for another before the woman he loved so much closed her eyes and succumbed to death. She left with no regrets and while he would find time to mourn for her death, he would have no regrets either.
Minato unraveled a sealing scroll from his pocket and sealed up his wife's lifeless body. He would prepare a proper burial for her when this whole mess was over. Right now, he and Kyuubi had a man to defeat and another half of him to deal with.
-End Flashback-
When he arrived closer towards the gates of Konoha, he saw several shinobi and kunoichi of the Leaf using all they had to defend the village and keep the monster at bay. Flames erupted everywhere as the controlled Kyuubi fired off fire breath and other attacks to destroy the humans that dared to challenge it. The masked man that was causing his life hell at the moment was standing atop the monstrosity like a tamer and his lion. It made both the remaining Kyuubi in him and Minato growl angrily.
"Kyuubi, I'm going to adjust the seal now," he said. He didn't care if he was speaking aloud now; nobody else was around anyway.
"Hm, it would do to do it quickly. From that last extraction, or partially, it took more than half of your spiritual chakra with it. The only reason you're still standing is because of me and the interference of your wife's sacrifice."
Minato closed his eyes while he knelt down. Gently, he set down both his newborn son and his son of a parallel time, if going by what Kyuubi had told him, on the ground, making sure they were as comfortable as possible. This was going to be awkward. 'Two Uzumaki Naruto running around...' He thought absentmindedly before returning to focus. The Fourth Hokage took a deep breath and began flashing through a specific set of signs. During this, the intricate containment seal adorned on his chest began to glow, corresponding to the hand seals being made.
"Kyuubi, before I do this, I want to say thank you. We had a rocky start, and our relationship at best is just good friends right now. But, if it hadn't been for you, I may not be here right now. You've given me power, and there were times I wanted to rely on it. We've proven to be a compatible team, and if I could have my way, I'd remain your host for a long time until I died." Minato said with a genuine smile on his face. The fox demon stared at him from his mindscape. The Fourth knew he was fighting the urge to be embarrassed. The Kyuubi was literally a mass of hatred and anger, but Minato had proven to the Nine-Tails that there was more than hatred out there.
He showed the fox companionship, kindness and even showered the demon with thanks and praise whenever he could. Minato was a humble man. He was proud of a lot of things, but knew where most of the credit belonged to.
"Don't be getting sentimental with me, brat." The Kyuubi said, though it wasn't with malice this time. It sounded as if the fox was...happy about this.
"I mean it, though. Thank you for everything, and please, watch over my son."
"...Mm, you're planning on transferring or sealing my other half to your newborn son?"
"Yes. This way, if I am targeted again for containing you, there won't be any repercussions. Since the remainder of my spiritual chakra will merge with you, anyone who senses it will believe me to be you, or at least still contain you within me except without the containment seal applied." The older blond stated factually. "He won't be targeted like I will."
"Hm, what about your other brat?"
Minato looked down at the sleeping form of his...future son. It was true that this boy housed the Kyuubi as well because, as a container himself, one that also housed the same chakra monster, he had sensed its presence. Once Minato absorbed the half of the fox that resided in him, it would still be a tad imbalanced. But, nothing too major if there were one and a half Kyuubi in the world. It hadn't rolled over and died yet so perhaps it would be all right to let the boy from the parallel time keep his tenant.
"He will keep it. Who knows how long they have been together? If they possibly have a close relationship like we have, I don't want to risk upsetting that bond and driving them away," the Fourth Hokage explained.
At the moment, he had no idea how right he was.
Minato kept his eyes on both of his sons. It was starting to get a little confusing with both of them there, but at the same time, he knew he would get used to it. To him, it didn't matter where the other Naruto came from; he would care for him like his newborn son all the same.
"Good plan, kid. Well then, Namikaze Minato. It's been a pleasure spending time with you for these long, twelve years. Use my power well, brat. Don't disappoint."
"I will, my friend." Minato finished the last hand signs and pressed his left hand upon his chest. "Seal!"
The containment seal lit up, first in white than it turned a dark shade of grey before going completely black. It flashed all around his body, marking him similarly to his Bijuu mode from before. He could feel the effects of the chakra filtering, he could feel the fox's signature merging with his own. It started to tingle then the pain trickled up throughout his body and he started panting. He couldn't breathe, for whatever reason. It stopped and his lungs felt like they were on fire! He tried to grasp for air, but nothing would enter and the heat kept exploding in random spasms. Kami, was he going to die? No, no he wasn't. There was a faint, low voice of the Kyuubi reassure him that this was mostly normal of a reaction and that he would be fine in a few moments. The blond toughed it out as much as he could, teeth clenched and eyes shut tight. Sweat of frustration and exhaustion beaded down his face, down his forehead and nose and dripped off as he concentrated on the end. It didn't take long for the filter seal to complete itself, and Minato felt relieved once it settled. He hungrily inhaled the much needed oxygen that his body craved. When the couple of moments passed, the now ex-Jinchuriki centralized his gaze to the half-sized Kyuubi laying waste to the area around him. Minato frowned.
He would have to stop the other half of his friend, even if it had to be with his life.
Just as he was about to pick up his sons, the older one began to stir. He paused for just a moment, watching in a dazed fascination as the little six-year-old child began to open his startling, if not similar, blue eyes.
-Several Hours Earlier-
Naruto was sure he was on his way to the afterlife after that bright light engulfed him and his pair of Kurama. Really, it had to be the only explanation. He had read one time that people would claim they "see the light" upon death before passing away. Perhaps this was that light? But, it was odd, really. He could actually feel it on his person. Wasn't his body like intangible or something? He couldn't figure it out.
But, imagine the shock on his face when his descent, or ascent—whatever—halted because of a spiraling vortex in the way. "The hell?" He blinked, wondering what it was. It felt weird, but who knows? Maybe this is what happens to spirits when they depart? For all he knew, this was probably normal. "You know, Kurama, er both of you. That spiral up there looks eerily familiar to that damn Madara-teme's Kamui technique." He laughed when he said that. "I mean, come on. The afterlife wouldn't have things like that, would it?"
"Kit... We don't know what the afterlife holds, but that...thing isn't one of them." Yin Kurama said, feeling a tad shudder running up his spine.
"It feels like an unnatural disturbance. Like someone is trying to summon your soul using a technique." the Yang half informed as sagely as possible. The former Rokudaime frowned at that. He hadn't been dead for a while, or how long has it been anyway? Whatever, the point was, he felt he hadn't been dead for long and now someone was already trying to pull his soul from the afterlife to revive him. Or reincarnate him using the Impure World Reincarnation summoning.
"Ugh, really? I thought I banned that summoning jutsu. Hell, I burned every knowledge of it that could be in existence using Matatabi's fire!"
The darker, Yin half of Kurama hummed in thought before saying, "You're forgetting one person: Orochimaru."
Silence.
"I thought that teme changed. He did arrive on the battlefield during the war and helped out. Well, he had to be there because he used that to revive the other Hokage and my dad." Naruto sighed exasperatedly, running a hand through his spiky hair. Even in death, he couldn't get a break, could he? "This is making me have a headache." Then again, was it possible to get headaches here when you're dead? "Even so, I can break out of the reincarnation control easily anyway."
Whatever was on the other side of the wanna-be Kamui technique, Naruto was ready to pound some sense into his summoner. Well, first he'd thank them for summoning him back 'alive', kick their ass, visit his friends one more time before reverse summoning his soul back to the afterlife. Sounds like a plan to him! With his foxy grin, the blond said:
"Get ready, whoever you are. The former Rokudaime Hokage of Konohagakure, Number One Unpredictable Ninja Uzumaki Naruto is gonna hand your ass to you and kick it to next week and back!"
Both Kurama's, used to the silliness of their ex-host, couldn't help but let out an aggravated sigh.
The blond-haired nineteen year old former Hokage wasn't expecting this. One minute he was drifting off in this world of light—if it could be called that—then the fake Kamui vortex sucked him and the Kurama within it. Then, he woke up in an all-too-familiar room. Well, it wasn't a room per se. It was a dark, gray dimension filled with blocked pillars all around him. When he thought this was a Kamui, he was...right. He was right! Fuck, he was right! Of all the bad things that could happen...
"This isn't the Impure World Reincarnation summoning jutsu..." he said, just to confirm it for himself. No. He was in a flipping dimension that only those with a Mangekyo Sharingan could hope to create using the kami-forsaken Kamui technique. Well, it had its uses but still was annoying going against it.
A deep chuckle emitted from...everywhere. Then it was gone. Naruto was instantly on edge, getting into his favorite fighting stance. But as he tried to do that, he tripped over his clothes! Wait, over his own clothes? "What the?" The blond gasped, now noticing how unmanly his voice was. It sounded like when he was about five or six years old. He sat up from his fall, noticing that his clothes were thrice his puny size. His sandals were way too big and his hard earned jonin vest and hokage coat puddled over him like waves. The hitai-ate with the kanji "shinobi" on it fell over his head comically, very similar to how Kakashi-sensei wore his. He felt his face, noticing the return of the awful baby fat he had. Man, he had gotten rid of the evidence when he turned eighteen! His hair was as spiky as usual, though there were small, tell-tale signs of his side bangs growing a little. At least he had something of his old appearance with him.
"Damn it, I'm a runt again!" Naruto wailed angrily. That means he would have to go through puberty again. Wrestling around in his pile of oversized clothes—crying mentally about not being able to wear his hokage coat until he grew up again—the now six-year-old boy arranged his attire until it wasn't sagging off him so much. He had to tear his orange-red shirt until the sleeves didn't completely cover his hands. After that, he had to make do with his large pants, balling them up as much as possible and using the string adjuster to pull them forward as far as they would go. He rolled up the pant legs until he could see a little of his feet. Kami, he had to roll up so much of the fabric.
Next, he simply threw on his too-big-for-him jonin vest with his old Konoha hitai-ate that Iruka-sensei gave him still stitched on. There was no way he was going to abandon this. This was physical proof of his rank before becoming the Hokage in his home village. His hokage coat, he decided to pull out a scroll that he kept on his person (even in death—"you never know when you'll need them!" He reasoned.) and sealed it in there. Hah, as if he'd leave that bad boy here. Lastly, his Shinobi hitai-ate; he adjusted it until it was around his forehead again. The fabric used to stitch the metal plate onto it covered his eyebrows some, and if he looked up without tilting his head, he could see the material with his eyes. Funny. His sandals...he wasn't even going to bother with those.
"Okay, I think that's it. But now I've to figure out how to get out of here."
"Hm...try your Six Paths Sage mode, kit. Perhaps it'll form a wormhole to escape to." One of the Kurama advised. It was kind of hard to tell which one spoke or not. They were the same being, just split apart. Now that he thought about it, why weren't they merged yet?
'All right, I'll try that but is there any reason why you two haven't merged into one fox yet?'
There was a small pause before one of them spoke up again. "It's not that we don't want to. Naruto, your chakra as the Yang half of our creator is keeping us separated."
'Oh.' Well, he felt dumb. 'All right, let's do this.' Naruto stayed as still as he could. Even though he didn't have the other tailed beasts within him, he had their chakra. Combining that with his senjutsu, he was able to unlock the Six Paths mode. A little while of finding the natural energy rather scarce in this dimension or nonexistent, Naruto stopped trying to channel it. It was no use if he couldn't feel the natural energy at all. He forgot that being trapped in a Kamui could do that.
'Ugh. Okay, let's try Bijuu mode instead.' he thought.
"Hey kit, I think you should wait—" the Yang half tried but the boy either didn't hear him or was too busy concentrating.
Feeling the combined chakra of him and the pair of Kurama emitting throughout his person, Naruto's form changed dramatically. His entire body was coated in a soft, warm orange-golden glow. His hair shifted and two 'strands' stood up to form fox-like ears. The cloak gave him the return of his chakra coat and his clothes transformed into the dark "body suit" he was used to seeing. His eyes were a deep crimson, echoing his connection with the Kurama duo.
The entire dimension around him was bathed in the light.
"Okay! Going to blast this place with a Bijuu Rasengan!" Naruto grinned, preparing to do just that. He began gathering the necessary chakra to do so when suddenly his form flickered out without his doing, the forming Rasengan also dispelled. Wait, what? Naruto did a very good impression of a gaping fish out of its fish bowl when a couple of seconds of standing there like an idiot passed by.
"AAHHH! What happened!?" The mini sized Naruto bellowed in disbelief.
"Kit...did you forget? Your chakra control at this age was abysmal. Atrocious, even. You'll have to build up the control again if you want to maintain that form. The best you can go is version one of the Bijuu mode. Version two is too much for you at this point." the Yin half advised, chuckling when he relayed the news to his tiny, ex-host. Both Kurama found great amusement in the boy's rage and indignation, watching him from within his mindscape stomp around and pout like a little kid again. Wait, he was a little kid again. This was becoming even more confusing as this went on. At least the kid was acting his supposed age.
Naruto, however, was seething. He couldn't get into his favorite bijuu mode anymore and now that he had a moment to think about it, his Six Paths mode would have probably flunked out on him too, just because of his chakra control being next to nonexistent now that his body was reduced to the size and age of a squirt.
Damn it, this was frustrating. The boy dropped down to the ground and groaned irritably. 'If this couldn't get any worse!' He thought bitterly.
"Hello, Kyuubi Jinchuriki of the future."
Okay, screw what he thought earlier. It just got worse. Naruto scrambled up, looking each way for the mysterious, eerie voice that spoke to him. Or, he thought it spoke to him. He was the only one here, except for the pair of foxes in his gut. His blue eyes scanned his perimeter, keeping his tiny hands in position of his base to strike. Thankfully, he could still use his chakra to sense other things around, but other than that, he'd have to relearn to tree- and water- walking again. 'Who was that? That voice doesn't sound familiar at all. But why am I getting this dreaded feeling?'
"Stay alert, kit."
"Something's here."
Both Kurama advised simultaneously, which the boy took for himself. Eyes scanning the place, stepping around to make sure he was covered, he flashed through the well known signs for the Kage Bunshin jutsu. Five Naruto clones popped up, surrounding the Boss, their senses kept open for anything suspicious. The original Naruto was in the center of them all, trying to utilize his advanced sensory abilities, but irritably found them hard to control. He growled in frustration once again before returning to the basics. It was all he could do now until he got out of here and trained.
"My, my... The Kage Bunshin already? And you're very young, too. It appears the world you came from are training you to become a weapon." The creepy voice spoke again. Naruto and his clones turned to the direction of the voice, but found nobody.
"I'm not being molded to a weapon by my village, whoever you are!" He shot back, then stopped when he overheard the words "the world you came from". Came from? His world? Wasn't he summoned to somewhere? Well, he's obviously in this Kamui dimension, but...
"...Wait, what do you mean 'the world you came from'?"
The voice chuckled again, this time, Naruto could sense ill intent from it. He grimaced. When people begin to laugh evilly or chuckle darkly, it usually meant 'guess what, shit's about to hit the fan now!' to him. Every situation that it happened, he'd get hurt by it or someone would lose their life. It was a kami awful omen.
"As I said before, hello Kyuubi Jinchuriki of the future," the person's voice was dangerously close now. Naruto and his clones turned to find a man wearing a black cloak with the dark blue cloud pattern. That was peculiar, but... Oh kami, not this again. The blond's eyes trailed up to see the familiar, swirling orange mask. Except, there were two eye holes and not just one. The man's hair wasn't short like it had been like Obito's; in fact the hair colors were different. This guy's hair was a dark-brown color, and his bangs were over the mask a little. Whoever this was, it wasn't Uchiha Obito. No, it was someone else, in the guise of Tobi.
Fuck. This just got a lot worse.
"Who are you!?" Naruto shouted out, leaping back. Future? He...was from the future? How was that possible?
Without bothering to answer the question, the wanna-be Tobi simply stared down at the boy with his activated Sharingan. "The Tasogare [1] have been studying powerful summoning techniques with some helpful...allies. The result is that we would bring a being from another parallel time to ours. There was no way we could get our hands on the Kyuubi Jinchuriki of our time, so we had to settle for...other reasons. Which is why you are here, boy."
It took a while for the information to sink in. They couldn't get to the host of the Kyuubi in their time? Was it because they died while holding the bijuu in? Was this person well hidden or well protected? Or maybe it was someone too strong for the organization to overpower?
He didn't realize just how close his last thought was.
"Now, child. You will come with me. I have many plans and it involves the beast that currently sleeps inside you. Don't worry...I'll make it as painless as possible."
Naruto wasn't sure about that and he wasn't about to stay here and find out.
"No way! You're not taking the fox away from me!" All the Naruto's including the original got into their stance, all their blue eyes narrowed. "You can try, but we won't let you! Boys, let's get busy!"
"Hai!" the clones chanted and then all six of them dove straight for the masked man. One of the Naruto clones lunged at fast punch to the Uchiha, but it was caught by him. A second one took this chance to kick the bastard's head. Unfortunately, the Tobi-phony dodged that. The clone went far but flipped to readjust himself back on solid ground before he fell off the edge. The third and fourth clones were preparing a combined assault attack whilst charging forward. The man was preparing to dodge, only for the clones he had previously blocked and dodged held him in place as best as they could.
"Take this!" the pair of clones shouted, slamming their fists into the man's gut. Immediately after, the original Naruto slammed down on the man's head, pounding him to the ground. He and the clones jumped away from him, waiting to see if he would get up. That was some teamwork they pulled off. A small sign of a smirk were spreading on their equally identical faces. It seemed like it had effect, but the man simply laughed it off and stood up as if he had been hit by a water balloon. What?
"Mm...yes, you have potential, Jinchuriki. And now that I got a good look at you, I know exactly who you are. Or will be. You will be mine soon, boy." Naruto and his clones shuddered at that comment. Was this guy a pedophile, too? They got ready to attack again but it all came too fast. At least, it would have been too fast if he wasn't paying attention. He wasn't the Hokage, er former Hokage, for nothing! The clones were first to defend and lash out with their own swarm of attacks, throwing punches and kicks since they couldn't really do any jutsu to save themselves.
Unfortunately for the clones, the man simply sent them all packing with a single kick. The clones all popped from the impact. Naruto cringed when the memories of the kage bunshins returned to him. He couldn't sit there and think about it for long until the pedo-Tobi lunged at him.
Naruto dodged the man's oncoming kick, and blocked his fist by shielding his face with his arms. An audible crack was heard and Naruto was sure his fragile little bones had just snapped. Their dodging dance was over quick when the man sped up to the flinching child and pounded the boy fist first into the back of his head. Naruto gasped out in surprise when the blow came and his eyes fluttered. He landed to the ground with a harsh thud, fading into unconsciousness. As he lied there, the Tobi-fake reviewed the child.
'He's strong, very strong. He was able to enter a cloak form that was different from the norm. However, due to his atrocious chakra capabilities, he couldn't maintain it for long. Can also perform the Kage Bunshin jutsu with ease and was able to keep up with me for a while. Heheh, yes, he would be a valuable asset to the Tasogare. I'll have to arrange a revival after extracting the beast from him. But first, I want to visit my favorite village... Konohagakure.'
With Minato
1:58 am
Naruto groaned as he finally was coming to. His head hurt, like he had been hit with one of Sakura's powered punches. The blond was slowly opening his eyes, but it hurt to get them to focus. He felt the pair of foxes also coming to within his mindscape. 'Ugh, that bastard did that. When I get my hands on that—!' He stopped his rant when he heard a sharp intake of breath that didn't belong to him. Who?
"...N-Naruto...?"
The boy blinked a few times, quickly clearing the daze he had been in moments ago. Above him, it was dark; it was the sky, with the twinkling stars and the faded clouds decorating its canvas. It must be night time. The voice that called to him seemed shaky, as if it were testing his name for the first time. He stretched his arms first before using them to help himself sit up. He rubbed his eyes, still trying to adjust to the darkness. Sure, he could see in the dark, but not without borrowing Kurama's assistance. The grass beneath him was soft to his bare feet which was a welcoming feeling. The night air felt good to him, the scent of the grass, the forest around and fire.
Wait, fire?
Naruto scrambled to stand up to his feet in a heartbeat. His head turned every which way in its panic, searching for the fire that took over his sense of smell. His cerulean blue eyes found the source and they widened in complete shock. There were large fires and explosions in the distance, but the distinct creature that was currently causing such a mayhem was the Kyuubi no Kitsune. What? Several ninja met the beast head on, trying their damndest to slow it down or redirect the attacks to somewhere else than the village. It was a futile attempt, Naruto knew, but those people—his people—were fighting with all they had.
"...What? I don't...understand..." He mumbled out.
"Kit... I believe... that man must have been telling the truth." One of the Kurama said, having seen the destruction with his own eyes from within the mindscape.
"And if he was right, then we're in the past. Somehow. And given how that other...us is over there wrecking malicious havoc on the humans, this must be the day you were born." The second Kurama added.
'If that's true...then... Oh kami. But, why haven't I winked out of existence yet? Or like, not in a baby form or something?'
"It may be due to the fact you—we were—pulled out of the afterlife's stream by that vortex. Then that man that appeared to be Tobi informed us that this group called the Tasogare had been experimenting on different, more potent, summons." The first Kurama spoke once more. Again, it was hard for Naruto to differentiate between who was talking unless he actually went into his mindscape and saw them. Oh well, wasn't important right now. Seeing the kit was listening again, Yin Kurama—the one that had been talking—continued. "To what I'm understanding about our situation, it looks like we were purposefully dragged out of our time and into this time, the past. He called you the 'Kyuubi Jinchuriki of the future'. Now, we're seeing the same events unfold before us. That means that other Kyuubi over there must be in the control of that damned Uchiha called Tobi."
'It's hard to grasp this but... but there's no other way. But I have a feeling that the Tobi we met in that Kamui dimension wasn't Uchiha Obito.' When he had the twin bijuu's attention, Naruto went on. 'Like, I can remember specific chakra signatures. I remember Obito's when he fought with us in the last war. When I sensed that man's chakra, it felt nothing like Kakashi-sensei's old friend. In fact, it felt more like...a twisted combination of Itachi's and Sasuke's chakra.' The duo Kyuubi of the future paused when they heard this. Both of those Uchiha were...trustworthy, albeit the latter had to strive through many obstacles in order for Kurama to accept him and trust him with his kit. However, if that man's signature was a mixture of theirs, but twisted—no, then this man was not Uchiha Obito. It had to be another damned one.
'Regardless, this doesn't change anything. I have my chance to make this right and I'm not going to let my dad sacrifice himself again!' Naruto thought with finality.
"Then you might want to take your chance and turn around, kit." Yang Kurama notified him. Naruto was about to ask why when he obeyed the fox's words. He stopped for moment, eyes agape as he drunk in the sight of the person standing there behind him.
It...It was the Yondaime, the Fourth Hokage. The Fourth, Namikaze Minato... his father. His father! He was... he was alive, still alive, he meant. His blue eyes practically absorbed the image of his living, breathing parental figure, watching the man as he only stared back with confusion in his equally mimicked blue orbs. This... This was too good to be true, right? 'If this is a genjutsu, or a dream or this is really the afterlife, let it get better and never wake me up.' Naruto thought again. His heart was racing at the sight of the man. It wasn't long until he noticed the Yondaime had a bundle secured protectively in his arms.
Naruto, with his eyes, traced over the infant in the older blond's grasp and already knew that was him. That was the baby version of him. Kami, this was getting even more complicated than it should. Staring in disbelief, excitement, wonder, sadness and finally joy, the boy from the future met his father's gaze once again, noticing how the Yondaime returned the scrutinizing glance.
"Naruto..." He heard his father call him. His voice was filled with uncertainty in it now, like he wasn't sure if that was his name or not. But the Hokage was looking right at him and not his baby self. Naruto, by instinct, flinched but kept his eyes on Konoha's Yellow Flash; it was his way of saying he acknowledged the call. Now that he saw his father, Naruto was sure, for sure, that he was in the past. Even if he was stuck in a midget's body, he would grow up again and be ready. There was a lot of things he needed to plan for, and one of them was saving his parents from dying needlessly. He turned his attention back to the burning forests around Konoha. He was definitely going to change things for the better.
He wouldn't allow a war to happen. He wouldn't allow his parents to sacrifice themselves and imprison the angriest bijuu in his—or his younger self's—gut. He would prevent Sasuke from falling into darkness and going to Orochimaru. Regardless if the snake-teme turned a new leaf in the old life, he didn't have to like him. He could save Itachi from killing his own clan. There was a lot of things he needed to do and keep the Akatsuki, if they were still a criminal organization, from taking the Jinchuriki of this time. And he had the power of his partner with him, too.
Hm, before he went off for that, he couldn't leave the Fourth hanging there, staring at him as if he were made of glass and trying his best to look through him. Gazing back to the Yondaime, the boy gave off his trademark foxy smile, Naruto said two words that would flip Namikaze Minato's life around forever:
"Hey Dad."
Thank you to those who faved, added and reviewed this story. Gosh, it gave me a heart attack when I saw so many FFN notifications in my email inbox today. I hope you are enjoying the story so far; I'm enjoying writing it.
[1] Tasogare. It means "dusk, twilight" in Japanese. It's the opposite of the meaning of Akatsuki, which is "dawn". In this story, it's an organization that takes the place of the criminal Akatsuki. Don't worry; the peaceful, original Akatsuki will make their appearance. Just not right now. The S-rank missing-nin from the criminal Akatsuki will be in the Tasogare instead.
Pairings. Probably none, except the Naruto/Hinata one. Maybe. The older Naruto won't be paired with anyone, though. Also, warning you all; I'm bringing an anime-exclusive female Uchiha into this story, to be about future Naruto's age. Her name's Uchiha Naori, one that hasn't fallen to the Curse of Hatred. Look her up if you can.
Next chapter will complete this one; sealing of the Kyuubi, introducing Obito and Kakashi, oyako moments and older Naruto will get a new name. (Like with most of the Minato/Naruto time travel fics I've seen) No worries; the name I've chosen for the future Naruto will make a lot of sense.
Until next time~
