Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. All aforementioned disclaimers regarding Heaven, Hell, religion and the like also apply.
Author's Notes: Here is the next chapter! Please review and let me know what you think. I warn you - it's a bit slow-paced in terms of action, and is comprised mostly of dialogue and explanations, but that was necessary for the sake of plot.
In answer to a few questions: regarding my comment about Kushina being Minato's "best friend for fourteen, his girlfriend for twelve, and his wife for four" years, in terms of ages I guess I meant to say this. Kushina and Minato met at the academy when they were six. They became best friends at the age of 12, after he rescued her. They started dating 2 years later, at married 8 years later, at 22. And they died at 26. I made up those ages, of course, but they seem to fit into canon, since Minato made Hokage at 'under 30 years' so I'm taking his Hokage-age as 24, since that's my favorite number. So two years of marriage before Hokage-dom and two years after!
In response to your review Guest: Your idea about Dan sealing his chakra into Tsunade was brilliant, and I wish I had thought of it before, but this story was already too far written for my to change everything! Thanks for the feedback though, it was a cool theory! Wish I could have put it in somehow :( [I'm replying here because I have no way of contacting you otherwise!]
Special thanks to all of you who reviewed. 22 reviews so far, wow! I'm so kicked! Serene Grace, Hatred bear it Fangs, Maelynae, CheekyCecy12, Guest, Imaginarivalued and GiggleHeMan, you guys rock!
Also, I made a cover! Finally! I'd been meaning to but I'd sort of been procrastinating but then I went on this sort of mad rampage making covers for most of my stories... unfortunately I'm not too skilled with digital art, so this is a combination of anime screenshots, Microsoft Word and Paint. (Yes. I used MS Word to make a freaking cover. I don't know if that's badass or just plain pathetic since I don't possess better software at the moment and PrintShop won't work on my Mac!) I hope you all like it though! I edited Kushina on Paint from a picture of Sakura crying, if that's not obvious, haha. Anyways, enough of that, onto the fic!
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Saving Minato's Soul
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A Matter of Chakra
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The lilac-haired man folded his hands together, his green eyes narrow.
They were congregated together at the Hokage's office: Kushina, Mito, Jiraiya and Dan.
"I don't think it's actually possible for us to enter Hell, Kushina," Dan finally said, after hearing everything, "Spirits from Heaven may be summoned to earth, as may spirits from Hell. But I have studied this field in depth, and to the best of my knowledge, it is impossible for a spirit of Heaven to enter Hell, and vice-versa. That is the nature of the universe; the earth, being a 'middle-ground' as such, is the only place the souls may intermingle, though even that can only occur in supernatural circumstances, such as, the Edo Tensei."
"But Minato's not in hell," Jiraiya cut in, "Well, not exactly-"
"That is an additional obstacle that separates him from us," Dan continued, "As all four Hokages are trapped within the Death God's stomach, they are neither in the pure nor impure world, and thus are incapable of being summoned. The closest we could get to them, is, if someone hypothetically summoned the Death God to earth, because then their souls would be in his stomach, while on earth, for a short period of time."
"So let's get someone to summon him!" Kushina cried, "Once the war's over!"
"Summoning the God of Death is not an easy task, Kushina," Dan said gravely, "Only exceptional shinobi like the Hokage are capable of such a feat."
"Naruto can do it," Kushina said firmly, "I know he can!"
"Even if he were to do it," Dan said, "There is no way of breaking any of the souls free from the Death God' stomach-"
"We'll trade them!" Kushina declared, "Trade them for other souls, evil souls who actually deserve to be there-"
"The Death God does not accept trade, Kushina," Dan said sadly, "He is a spiritual being, not a human. You cannot even communicate with him, or even see him for that matter. The extent of the jutsu only allows sealing, and even if you were to have Naruto summon the Death God, your son would have to give up his own soul in exchange."
"No," Kushina went white, "Not Naruto – I couldn't."
"There is no other option," Dan said, and his eyes held sorrow, "I'm sorry I cannot help you-"
Jiraiya quickly intervened, seeing that Kushina was about to explode.
"Could you teach her your Spirit Control Jutsu, Dan?" he asked, "So that she can at least communicate with Naruto?"
Jiraiya figured that if nothing, at least Kushina would find some solace in speaking to her son, the only remaining legacy of Minato that she had left.
"Spirit Control will not allow her to enter Hell," Dan replied, "And with our chakra levels, it is difficult to travel to earth. Even if a user were to reach, they wouldn't be able to stay for more than a couple seconds, before they ran out of chakra and there spirit was pulled back to Heaven-"
"How do you know that?" Kushina growled, "Like any jutsu, I'm sure it's possible to extend the time if-"
"I have been trying for years, Kushina," Dan said softly, "Its not possible. A normal soul can travel to the boundary between Heaven and earth, a seemingly endless white space of nothingness – that's where we often go to receive the souls of our loved ones as they make the journey upwards. But traversing the boundary and going beyond that – it's impossible without the jutsu, and even with the jutsu, you cannot sustain your soul on Earth for enough time to do anything worthwhile. I've been using Spirit Control for years, and I've only managed to remain on earth for a few seconds before I was sucked back."
Kushina clenched her fists, her nails digging into her skin.
"I have special chakra, and I have a lot more reserves than most normal shinobi, even without the Kyuubi," she bit out, "You have to teach me."
"I guess there's no harm trying," Dan conceded, "It's not like the jutsu can risk killing you."
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Kushina then began training with Dan about Spirit Release. The purpose of the technique was, essentially, that it gave the user's spirit control over another being's body and chakra. However, as Dan had learnt in his attempts, the chakra needed for a spirit to get past the barrier separating Heaven and Earth was too great for the spirit to be left with adequate spiritual energy to even materialize on Earth for more than a couple seconds, forget control or communicate with another being.
Kushina persevered nonetheless, even though her first few attempts through the weeks she, like Dan, barely made it past the barrier separating the pure world from the material one.
"I did it before!" she bit out in frustration as she collapsed on the ground, exhausted, "I communicated with Naruto, and he said Minato did too!"
"That is because your soul had never crossed the boundary into heaven, it had just been hovering around the edge," Dan explained, "And you said a part of your chakra had been sealed into Naruto. Your soul manifested itself with that chakra allowing you to speak with him, but the moment the chakra was used up, you had to go, and your soul, no longer having any chakra binding it back to earth, finally crossed the boundary."
"But what about Minato?" Kushina demanded, "Naruto said he spoke to him! If he was sealed in the belly of the Demon, how did he speak to my son?"
"I don't think it was actually Minato's soul that spoke to him, Kushina," Dan said sadly, "It was probably just an apparition or an imprint of himself that Minato had imbibed into the chakra before his death. It is not possible that Naruto actually came into contact with his father's soul, though whatever he saw was probably the closest that he could have gotten otherwise. Regardless of that, Minato's chakra was eventually used up too, once his form dissipated, and all that remains of it is most likely locked within the Demon God with his soul."
"How can you be so sure?!"
"I have been studying souls and the supernatural worlds for years, Kushina-san," Dan bowed his head, "I will teach you all that I can, but I cannot give you the answers you want."
"Still – all I have to do is cross the boundary – and then maintain my form for long enough, even a few minutes?"
"Kushina-san, crossing the boundary is what uses up so much chakra that you are currently unable to maintain your form outside of it for more than a few seconds before your soul is sucked back here."
"I'll do it, eventually, Dan-san," Kushina muttered, shakily getting to her feet, "You'll see. When Tsunade-san dies, she's coming here to be with you – it's not like that for me. I have a much stronger motivation than you…"
"I truly hope for your sake that you can," Dan said pityingly.
"Oh, I will," Kushina said, glowering at nothing in particular, "I never give up, Dan-san. That's my nindo, my ninja way."
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As she continued her relentless training, Kushina was also reunited with her old sensei, Sakumo Hatake, who had joined her on her quest to best the God of Death.
"Dan's right in saying that you can't make trades with Him," Sakumo said, "The only way I could imagine, and this sounds implausible in itself, is if you somehow destroyed him, because that could release the souls."
"So let's do that!"
Sakumo gave her a conciliatory smile.
"I'm just hypothesizing, Kushina. It's not actually possible to destroy the God of Death."
"There must be some way-"
"I understand your sorrow, Kushina," Sakumo placed a hand on her shoulder, "But-"
Kushina shrugged him off, her eyes shimmering.
"No, you don't," she said viciously, "Your wife is here with you! You don't understand anything, sensei!"
She turned on her heel and ran off, ignoring her teacher's calls.
"Minato's the only one-," she choked, "As always – he's the only one who would understand!"
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"Kushina."
Kushina turned around from her habitual spot on the Hokage Monument, and nodded in acknowledgement.
"I thought I'd find you here," Mikoto smiled sadly, "May I sit with you?"
"Yeah," Kushina muttered, wrapping her arms around her bent knees, as she leaned back against the rock.
"Sakumo-sensei told me what happened. I was worried about you since I hadn't seen you around, so I asked him."
"Yeah."
"I'm really sorry, Kushina. I didn't realize."
'Of course you didn't,' Kushina thought, 'you have your husband and your older son, and your younger one will join you eventually… of course you didn't even begin to comprehend that it was actually possible, to be separated even after death…'
"This isn't how it's supposed to be," Mikoto murmured, placing an arm around Kushina's shoulders, "Heaven, the afterlife - it's supposed to be the one good and sacred place there is, after life being so hard…"
Kushina didn't begrudge Mikoto for a happy afterlife. She knew for a fact that her own life on earth had been far happier than Mikoto's. She hadn't had to worry about clan politics and coup d'états, she wasn't betrayed and murdered by her own son.
After Mikoto had filled her in about everything a few days ago, Kushina had realized that she herself had led an extremely good life with Minato. They had experienced their fair share of hardships and battles, and the Kyuubi had been troublesome at times, but it was nothing that being with Minato couldn't solve. And they had died together, protecting their son.
It was a much better way to go, even if Mikoto said Itachi had been forced to do what he did.
But still, Kushina would have rather lived a terrible life on earth, if it meant she could spend the rest of eternity with her soulmate.
"Kushina," Mikoto said suddenly, "I think you should speak with my son."
"Itachi-kun?" Kushina raised an eyebrow.
"He is familiar with summonings and supernatural beings of a sort," Mikoto said, "I told him what was going on, and I don't want to get your hopes up, but he may have a few ideas."
"Where is he?"
"At the compound, sparring with his cousin."
In less than a second, Kushina had leapt off the mountain and was speeding towards the Uchiha Compound.
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She stopped abruptly in front of a large courtyard, Mikoto catching up to her, gasping for breath.
Two young men were engaged in a taijutsu battle, flying through katas so fast that they were nothing but two black blurs.
"Itachi! Shisui!" Mikoto called, and the two shinobi broke apart, landing gracefully on either side of the courtyard.
Kushina studied them, recognizing Itachi at once. She had already seen him from afar, but this close, his resemblance to Mikoto was hard to miss.
He had the same flawless skin, elegantly arched eyebrows, straight nose and beautiful dark eyes. His cheekbones were more pronounced though, his long hair inky black and darker than Mikoto's, and he exuded a calm, powerful aura.
His sparring partner was as lean and muscled as Itachi, though an inch shorter, and he seemed a lot more hyperactive. The boy had shorter, spiky hair, slightly tanned skin, and there was something roguish about his expression, something which reminded Kushina painfully of Naruto.
"Mother," Itachi greeted, before turning to Kushina and bowing slightly, "Kushina-san. I thought I would meet you soon."
"Kushina, you know Itachi," Mikoto smiled, before gesturing to the other shinobi, "His best friend, Shisui."
"Pleased to meet you, ma'am," Shisui grinned, before thumping Itachi on the shoulder, "I'll see you around, Itachi."
"Hn," the Uchiha prodigy nodded.
"You've grown so much, Itachi-kun," Kushina noted, "When I last saw you, you didn't even reach my waist."
Mikoto giggled, and Itachi gave a small smile.
"Your mother has filled me in on all the incredible things you've done. You've made Konoha proud."
"My mother tends to exaggerate my abilities," Itachi said modestly, his lips quirking, "But thank you, Kushina-san."
"Nonsense," Kushina waved him off, "You ended Edo Tensei, for one thing, and that is no small feat."
"Is there something you wanted to discuss, Kushina-san?" Itachi asked politely.
Kushina twisted a lock of hair around her finger, mimicking something Minato used to do so often with her hair.
"Actually, Itachi-kun, there is."
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Once Mikoto, Kushina and Itachi were seated inside on the tatami mats inside the Uchiha residence, Itachi began explaining his theory.
"I spoke to Jiraiya-sama, after mother told me what happened," Itachi said, "And I thought about it – what you want to do, essentially, Kushina-san, is destroy the Shinigami inside of which Minato-sama is sealed, is that right?"
"That's right," Kushina said, "But I've been through all the scrolls there are, nowhere is there anything about how to defeat the God of Death. Mito-obaa-san and Jiraiya-sensei were at a loss as well. The most I can hope to do is master the Spirit Control jutsu and go down to earth and have Naruto summon the Shinigami, but what use would that be if there is no way to get Minato's soul out? How can we defeat a God?"
"It may be possible, Kushina-san," Itachi paused for a moment, "Because the Shinigami is not actually a God."
Kushina nearly dropped the cup of tea she was holding.
"Whatever do you mean?! Minato summoned him, he's the God of Death! He's from the Underworld, and everyone refers to him as such."
"Kushina-san, I have a technique, Susano'o, which allows me to summon a celestial being to protect me," Itachi stated, "He is equipped with weapons that allow me to seal souls within him, and only I, the summoner, am capable of summoning him. In fact, I had used him to seal Orochimaru's soul from my little brother."
"You – you can summon –" Kushina gaped, "By a celestial being, do you mean-"
"Susano'o can be considered as much of a God as the Shinigami, Kushina-san," Itachi said, "In the shinobi world, the word 'God', I believe, is used rather loosely, to refer to any extremely powerful being with supernatural powers. Susano'o is often called a God, as is the Rikkudo Sennin. Even Pein-sama, during his lifetime, was considered a God. I don't believe that any of these beings are actual Gods, Kushina-san, because it would be impossible for mere humans to summon a true God. They are just beings of great power and chakra levels, with supernatural or celestial origins, and they have been elevated to the status of God because of that."
Kushina was silent for a few moments, allowing what Itachi said to sink in.
"So you mean – they can be defeated?" she finally asked slowly.
"My Susano'o is called an ultimate defense because it is nearly impossible for any shinobi to break through it, no matter how much they try," Itachi explained, "But with the right amount of power – with unprecedented chakra levels – any defense can be broken – and any 'God' can be defeated. The bijuu are as much of 'Gods' as any celestial being, Kushina-san, and if you and Minato-kun could restrain the Kyuubi, I do not think it would be impossible to –"
"To destroy the Shinigami?" Kushina asked, her eyes widening.
"You could destroy it, I think," Itachi said carefully, "But only for a small period of time. My Susano'o can be overcome, but can eventually be recalled, once it has had sufficient time to – heal itself? To reform? I am not familiar with the exact workings of supernatural beings – but Kushina-san, I think it's possible – that if the Shinigami could temporarily be overcome, while it was chained to the Earth by a summoning – then perhaps, in that time frame, it would be possible for Minato-sama's soul, and the other souls, to escape."
Kushina's breath caught in her throat as she replayed Itachi's words in her head, hope swelling within her.
Then suddenly, she stood up, walked over, and embraced the young Uchiha tightly. Itachi was surprised, and stiffened slightly, and Kushina quickly let go.
"Mikoto," she almost choked, "This boy – you're lucky to have him."
Mikoto smiled graciously.
"I know."
"We will find a way, Kushina-san," Itachi looked at her earnestly, his dark eyes soft, "I have some theories, and I'm willing to help you as much as I can."
"Itachi-kun," Kushina bit her lip.
"Minato-sama was always an inspiration to me," Itachi went on, "He passed away when I was young, but – I always looked up to him, of all the Hokage. The leaders of our beloved village are trapped within the Shinigami, and as shinobi, we would be nothing without them. It's our duty to save them, Kushina-san. Not just your husband, but the Shodai, the Nidaime, the Sandaime – all of them."
"You're right," Kushina nodded, her eyes steely, "It's wrong to just let them stay there, though I'm sure, knowing Minato, he's probably already halfway figured out a way to escape. But we can't just wait and do nothing until they do."
"I'm sure he has, Kushina, and he has the three best shinobi of all time with him," Mikoto assured her, "I'm sure they're trying to escape."
"I'm going to talk to Mito-obaa-san," Kushina decided, "Tell her to call a meeting. The best of the best shinobi are among us, and I'm pretty sure with Naruto's help, we can take on one measly demon from Hell!"
Her passion was back, and her eyes were shining with determination.
Mikoto patted her shoulder, relieved to see some of the old Kushina resurface. There was life in her eyes now, life, and fierce, burning determination.
She was no longer the miserable, grief-stricken, broken woman, but rather the strong kunoichi she had always been when she had been alive.
"Besides, what chance a Shinigami stand," Mikoto locked eyes with her friend, her tone teasing, "Against the queen of all demons, the Bloody Habanero herself?"
Kushina bared her teeth in a grin.
"Damn right, 'ttebane."
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'Let me down,' Kushina grumped, batting her hands at her savior, 'I don't always need you to come and rescue me!'
'Maybe you don't,' Minato agreed, though his eyes were sparkling, 'But I can't help it.'
'They were freaking Chuunin, Minato!' Kushina rolled her eyes. 'I was capable of escaping their stupid trap, I had a plan!'
'I knew that,' Minato admitted, 'I guess I just wanted an excuse to do this… haven't really gotten a chance to hold you like this since I rescued you three years ago from those Kumo nin…'
Kushina flushed, but lay her head against his chest and stopped struggling.
'You're such a sap,' she muttered, 'Big damn hero.'
'So you'll let me carry you to Konoha?' he entreated, giving her a dazzling, flutter-inducing grin.
'Maybe till the forest boundary,' Kushina relented, 'Then you have to put me down.'
Minato beamed, pressing a kiss to her head as he flitted over the treetops.
'Okay.'
'Just you wait, Minato,' she told him, 'One day I'm going to swoop in and save your ass.'
'Alright, Kushina,' he agreed, and though his tone wasn't patronizing, she could tell he was laughing.
'I'm serious!'
"I'm coming now, Minato," Kushina said aloud as she leapt over a roof on the way to the Hokage Tower, "I'll rescue your soul from that Shinigami you were stupid enough to seal it in!"
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"Rescue father? And the other Hokage?" Asuma Sarutobi stood up, slamming his cigarette onto the wooden table, "Count me in, I'll do whatever it takes."
Many of the other assembled shinobi murmured their agreement.
Kushina had convinced Mito to call a meeting, for all the Jounin-level and above shinobi, where she, Jiraiya and Itachi had explained their purpose.
"I am helping Kushina-san with Spirit Control," Dan spoke up, "So that she can get someone on Earth to summon the Shinigami. Though Itachi-san has explained that it is possible to destroy the Death God, I still do not understand how we would achieve such a feat. It would require massive amounts of chakra-power, more than we could possibly assimilate. For defeating a celestial or demonic being, you'd need something as strong as a-"
"As a tailed beast!" Kushina cried, realization hitting her suddenly, "Minato didn't seal the entire Kyuubi inside the Shinigami, he said it would be physically impossible! He sealed only half the chakra, the Yin chakra, and at first I thought he meant because he would be physically capable of sealing it – but perhaps-"
"Humans are capable of sealing entire beasts," Sakumo affirmed, "It has been done."
"Perhaps what he meant," Jiraiya said, catching on, "Was that with the Shinigami would not take in the entire Kyuubi chakra. Because even if it's a demon, it must have a limit to how much chakra it can consume."
"How can that be?" Asuma asked, "If you can seal a tailed beast's entire chakra into a human being, why not into the Shinigami?"
"The Shinigami isn't like normal human beings," Dan explained, "It's a celestial being, and though it is infinitely more powerful in many ways, it is a being that is not accustomed to having vast amounts of chakra stored in it, unlike shinobi, who rely on chakra to live and fight. I am not completely positive, but in all likelihood, there is a limit to the volume of chakra that can be sealed within it."
"Minato would know better," Jiraiya nodded, "That boy was more than capable of sealing an entire beast. Besides, the Demon now has four Kages, bunch of Kyuubi chakra and Orochimaru's arms stuff in it. I'm sure it's near it's limit."
"So hypothetically, if we were able to seal a tailed beast – or, more specifically, the other half of the Kyuubi chakra inside the Shinigami," Asuma theorized, "Would it be fair to say that the Shinigami would, unable to hold up against that much chakra, dissipate, in a sense?"
"I do not think we can separate the Kyuubi chakra from Naruto-kun any longer," Itachi said, "I have seen his new form. The Kyuubi chakra is now entwined to closely with his own being, with his own chakra. Trying to separate them would be too risky and is not an option."
"Kushina," Jiraiya muttered, taking out a notebook and scribbling on it," You said Minato sealed only half the Kyuubi chakra – the Yin half?"
"Yes," Kushina confirmed.
"Well, as competent shinobi, I think we all know one of the basic lessons about chakra manipulation," Jiraiya said, tapping a diagram he'd scrawled in his notebook, "Ninjutsu or any form of nature manipulation requires the user to draw on both Yin and Yang chakra. The Sage of Six Paths himself, created the Tailed Beasts from the mix of the two chakras. Yang release refers to physical energy, and Yin release to spiritual energy and the manipulation of the intangible. Taijutsu employs only Yang energy, and Genjutsu utilizes Yin release. However, when the two are combined, ninjutsu – which combines elemental manipulation with brute force, can be released."
"So you're saying," Itachi narrowed his eyes a fraction in understanding, "That if we were to somehow seal a large amount of Yang chakra into the Shinigami, there is a possibility that it would react with enough force to destroy the demon from the inside?"
"But what about Minato!" Kushina cried, "That makes sense, but won't it destroy him? And the other Hokage?"
"It's only Minato's soul that we need, Kushina," Jiraiya said, "And a soul cannot be destroyed by any amount of chakra. The worst that could happen is the resulting jutsu, or actually more of a chakra bomb, which forms, would destroy all of his sealed chakra. But it would not actually destroy his soul."
"But without chakra, wouldn't he be destroyed?" Kushina asked.
"He would if he were alive," Jiraiya said, "But since he is already dead, theoretically, his soul would just be free to return to this world."
"Besides, if the chakra bomb functions anything like a tailed beat bomb, which I'm guessing it would," Mito said, "It would take time to form fully and explode. Minato-kun is in there with the three most powerful shinobi of all time. I'm sure they would realize what was happening, and find a way to either manipulate the chakra, or ensure the safety of their own."
"So let's do it!" Kushina exclaimed, jumping up, "If all we need is Yang chakra – let's get it!"
"Kushina," Sakumo said sadly, "Only one of the remaining tailed beasts would possess enough Yang chakra to account for the Kyuubi's, and it is impossible for us to harvest their chakra, being that they are on earth, and even if you master the Spirit Release, you cannot hope to achieve a feat like that. The amounts of chakra that would be needed for this theoretical 'bomb' are vast, and there are no Bijuu in this world."
"The masked man fighting the war, Tobi, he has amassed mostly all of the tailed beast chakra," Itachi cut in, "If Naruto-kun and the others win the war, they could possibly come in possession of that."
"Exactly! And then Naruto can summon the Shinigami!" Kushina concluded.
"Naruto is still busy fighting a war whose outcome remains unknown to us," Sakumo contested, "Even if the masked man and his allies are defeated, we do not know what will happen to the demon chakra once the war ends, whenever that will be. It could very well disperse, destroying all the Bijuu in the first place, and we cannot intervene in the war. We do not possess the abilities, and even if we did, it would be wrong for us to meddle with the destinies of the living in such an intrusive manner, even if our intentions are noble."
"I'm not going to stand for this, sensei!" Kushina cried out, trembling, "You're all saying that there is a way to free Minato and all the others from the Shinigami, but its not possible because we lack the chakra! The chakra?! We're shinobi, damnit! There has to be a way!"
"Kushina," Sakumo said placatingly, "We will endeavor to find a way, but you must understand that the amount of chakra required is too great-"
"I don't understand, and I refuse to!" Kushina declared passionately, "You need Yang chakra? Well if it's a matter of chakra, then take mine! Take all of it! I know it's not close to enough, but you can take it anyways! I don't need it!"
"Kushina, you realize that giving up your chakra would mean that you would never be able to perform any kind of ninjutsu-"
"I don't care!" Kushina clenched her fists, "Even if I have to give up being a shinobi. We're in Heaven now anyways, there is nothing to defend from, no enemy soldiers to fight! Civilians live without ninjutsu, so if saving Minato means I have to give up my chakra and live the rest of my afterlife as a civilian, so be it! I'm ready to sacrifice that a hundred times over for him!"
"Even though you have large reserve, Kushina, your chakra is nowhere near enough to-"
"Take mine," Asuma said immediately, "It's not much, but it's something, and we have enough shinobi in this place. I would be honored to give up all my chakra if it meant that my father, and the founders and saviors of this village could come back and join us here."
"Mine too," Jiraiya grunted, "I need Old Man back here so I can bitch at him about letting the bastard run off and start this mess. And Minato – I couldn't save him once, but I'm sure as hell going to help save him this time. I call myself the boy's sensei, but what kind of a failed sensei would I be if I couldn't even bring him to Heaven?"
"My chakra as well," Mito added, her hazel eyes bright, "For what seems like eternities I have tried to think of a way to bring Hashirama back – this is all I've wanted ever since he was summoned away – if there's even the smallest possibility that we can do something – I'm willing to give up whatever I have to."
"Then I'll give up my chakra as well," Sakumo said gruffly, "Minato taught my son, he was an excellent teacher, leader, and father-figure to Kakashi. The Shodai, the Nidai, the Sandaime as well… my dream was always to serve the village, and maybe I broke the rules once and failed, maybe I gave up at one point… but if anything, this is the time to make amends for that. Besides, I was demoted from the duty of an active shinobi when I lived on earth, so I already know what is like to live without that title."
"I also volunteer," Itachi murmured, "I have lived over half of my life as a missing-nin, and I know that a shinobi is nothing without his home, without his village. I would never wish this fate on anyone, least of all one of our revered Hokage."
There were more voices, as several more shinobi stood up, pledging their chakra to save their Hokage.
Shisui, Iruka Umino's parents, all the shinobi of the Senju clan, and most of those present from the Hyuuga, Yamanaka, Nara, Akimichi, Inuzuka and Aburame clans.
Every shinobi, a talented ninja in their own right, stood up, willing to give up their chakra, their way of life – if it meant that they could save their Hokage.
Kushina felt tears leap to her eyes, and her heart clenched painfully as she imagined the expression on Minato's face, if he saw the sacrifices his shinobi were willing to make for him.
"To forsake one's nation, and one's village, is the same as forsaking one's child," Minato said firmly, his eyes bright with earnest, "Your own homeland was destroyed, so you of all people should know… the harsh life that awaits those without a country. Besides, our family is… shinobi!"
"Well, Minato," Kushina muttered to herself, "You were right. They are all willing to give up everything for you, your shinobi family. They're willing to give back for your sacrifice. If only you didn't have to sacrifice yourself in such a noble way. I don't know if what we do will be close to enough…"
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A/N: Well, that's that. I'm sorry this chapter was a bit slow in terms of action. It was more pedantic really, because I had to explain a lot of confusing concepts about Heaven and souls and the Shinigami and astral projection and whatnot. I apologize if all the material was confusing or just plain boring, but I promise the next chapter onwards it'll get a lot faster in terms of pace. There will also be more MinaKushi moments!
Moreover, if some of you are wondering how Dan's soul got back to Heaven despite him having sealed his chakra into Tsunade's Yin Seal - well, let's just say it's because his soul was already 'bound' to Heaven, since it had gone there after his death. The only reason he was on earth was Edo Tensei, and so even though he sealed his chakra, that was later, after his soul had already been to Heaven and crossed the 'boundary', so he couldn't stay, and nor is he capable of going down and communicating with Tsunade like Kushina did when her chakra had been in Naruto - because Kushina's soul had never actually gone up to Heaven before, whereas Dan's had. Does that make sense? I just had to address that little point.
I really hope you guys understood everything, and if you have any doubts or questions, please feel free to leave them in a review or PM, I'll be more than happy to answer them!
I included a lot more Itachi, as many people requested him, and he is my all-time favorite character. I can see him being badass and solving things, even from Heaven :)
Please read and review, my lovelies! The next chapter should be up soon. I want to get it up by Wednesday, because I have a feeling the next manga chapter (or the one after) will pretty much screw over some of my plans for Chapter 4, and irrevocably un-canon-ize some of the scenes I've written :(