The Eternal Soundtrack

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. That copyright belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

"Startle the Heavens (Lament)" belongs to Hammock, from their album Raising Your Voice…Trying to Stop an Echo.

Track 4: Startle the Heavens (Lament)

I could tell that he was sorry. He was sorry that this sacrifice had to be made; that such a steep price had to be paid. He was sorry that he could not find a better way; that he could not continue to guide our village as he had sworn to.

Part of me was lamenting his loss already; a vibrant light flickering out so soon. Too soon. (Perhaps his nickname, The Yellow Flash, was indeed an omen.) He was the next generation, meant to lead our lives into a much greater future. And there he was, about to kill himself.

I was not aware of the truth behind his actions until moments before he followed through on the greatest (and most terrible) feat of his life.

And I was disgusted at the thought of this action. Forcing a living, moving hell into the confines of an innocent baby? How dare he? Hokage or not, what gave him the right to make such a damning choice for a helpless child? His own life was one thing, but what about the baby's?

I never would have thought he could do something so…horrifying.

But then I caught sight of a shock of unmistakeable bright blonde hair in the bundle he held. And blue eyes opened to stare about with startling clarity and depthlessness. My heart clenched as a terrible understanding took hold.

And I never felt more respect for my leader than I did at that moment. Because the greatest shinobi to come from Konoha was breaking the twenty-fifth rule of the ninja. The image of those tears remains with me to this day, reminding me of just how great the sacrifice he made was; reminding me of just how great he was.

I cannot imagine the torture that he endured within himself in those scant moments before he sealed the demon fox away, watching his newborn son; the baby so unaware and flawless in his father's arms.

But his task was urgent and necessary, though I am certain he searched desperately within his mind for alternatives thousands of times over right up until the moment he acted.

But he did not hesitate. There was just a curiously quiet moment, where father and son watched each other, speaking things no words could ever express and sharing something intangible that one could only hope was somehow imprinted on the infant's soul; a mark to remind him that there was love behind this painful gift; that his father could not possibly hate anything more than he hated himself for having to do such a thing to his own son.

There was such sorrow in his eyes; like a part of his soul had already been rent from his body. But there was hope there, too. A deep and almost joyous hope that spoke volumes in the silence.

The Will of Fire. That is what we call it. The strength to endure, the wisdom to choose well, and the fortitude to do what is right and protect Konohagakure no Sato with all we have. Yondaime-sama lived and breathed the Will of Fire, and he sparked ours to new life that night. And regardless of what logic says, I believe he passed it on to his son in that moment as well, in no less intensity than he himself possessed.

He had such pride in his eyes when he watched his son. The innate assurance---no, knowledge that the infant would become a great man, that he would bear this burden following the Will of Fire, was part of it. But what I saw the most in Yondaime-sama's face was the pride of a father who was still in awe of his newborn son. Everything else was superfluous in the face of something so cherished.

I know that the child did not recognize Yondaime-sama as his father, in those precious moments between them. The baby was far too young, only just born that very day. He would have made no distinction between his crying father and the giant toad upon which they stood. But I would like to believe that somewhere, in the deep and sheltered memories of his unmarked mind, the memory was tucked away for safe keeping, so one day, when the baby became a young man, he might remember what it was like to be held by his father's hands; to be loved so deeply by another without ever having had to prove himself to them.

In the next moment, there was death upon our hearts.

When the sealing was complete, the life left Yondaime-sama; his soul taken by the Shinigami he summoned. His body went limp and dropped to his knees, but somehow the baby boy was still cradled safely from harm. Sandaime-sama took the child from its father and guided Hokage-sama's body to the ground, already motionless in eternal rest.

I have never heard a baby cry so mournfully. I swear he understood. I swear he knew what had just happened to his father; that he was alone.

Looking back, it seems like he was lamenting the dark and isolated future that lay before his young life then. He was crying for himself because his father no longer could.

End of Track 4

Guttersnipe's Word: I know; I cheated. There were no lyrics in this one, despite its inclusion as a songfic. You see, the title is the name of a song, however the song itself is purely instrumental; no lyrics to speak of. However if you heard the song, you would find that it fits quite well with the mood of the story. I've never written a father-son fic before. I really like the Minato-Naruto relationship. It's such a sad tale, theirs is. Oh, and I don't know who the narrator is. It can be pretty much whoever you want it to be, I suppose. So tell me what you thought, please. Mr. Clicky is waiting for you in his corner.